Chapter Ten: Bitterness in Letters
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I promote or discourage smoking.
Note: Posted early in celebration of Twisted Ink Incorporated's release from the hospital. Good luck on your finals, Ink!
-T-M-
"Sora!" Lilo shouted, running up to the boy as he stopped to hike his bag further up his shoulder. She waved a single envelope in the air excitedly, running up to him. "You got mail!"
He looked over at the woman in surprise, not quite sure what was happening. "What?"
She stopped in front of him, lungs heaving for air. "I've been trying to find you all day," she gasped. "Why weren't you in class?" Then she glanced up at his bags and her eyes went wide. "You're being shipped out?"
Shaking his head, Sora grinned weakly. "No. I've been contracted as an apprentice."
"Oh..." The woman attempted to hide her displeasure. "Congrats."
"What's this about mail?"
Lilo started, then handed over the letter. "We got it in the mail room this morning, but you weren't in class so it wasn't delivered. I tried to get Nani to give it to you, but she said you had already been to the infirmary."
Taking the envelope from the woman with a smile, Sora ripped open the top and shook out a letter.
Staring down at the sheet of paper – real paper, not a holo pad or a monitor – Sora tried to summon some kind of emotion. He traced the letters printed in a neat scrawl with eyes half-closed. They formed well-wishes and invitations to visit, as well as bits of gossip that made no sense. His mother had signed the top with her neat cursive, shortly followed by Selphie and Wakka's enthusiastic scrawls. And, at the very bottom – as if as an afterthought – was Tidus' message.
Riku had joined the Academy two years before he had, and Kairi one before him. Almost four years total they had been attending the school, and only then did anyone think to send a letter.
And it was only addressed to Sora.
This left a bitter taste in the brunet's mouth. He had been surprised, and a bit happy, when Lilo had come running up to him with mail. But the longer he thought on it, the more it left him wanting. Where had they been for the last year and a half? At home, safe in their beds because of the students at the Academy. Who knew what would have happened to Destiny Islands without their school. There was a good chance it would have fallen to the Heartless years prior.
They didn't know this, of course. Sora knew they didn't know. That didn't stop him from giving his thanks to Lilo, then stopping off at the nearest recycler and getting rid of the evidence.
He watched it turn to mulch inside the machine and immediately regretted it.
...
Stepping into the lab, Sora was shocked to find Ienzo there already, nursing a cup of coffee and going over some papers. "Long week?" he inquired, taking stock of the man's weak posture and the dark rings under his eyes.
"You don't know the half of it," the man sighed, brushing his blue-gray fringe behind his right ear. "Had to capture and contain a Neo Shadow. The first Nova Shadow had taken months, so I guess we should be pleased by our progress. However, it was still very grueling and might not be worth the effort." Reaching into his pocket, the man retrieved a small box that, when opened, revealed a pack of cigarettes, a small bottle of breath freshener, a lighter, and an iron tin the size of a peanut. "Mind if I smoke?"
Sora was nearly giddy. "Go right ahead," he encouraged before asking, "You can smoke in here?"
The man shrugged, beating the pack against his hand a few times before withdrawing a cigarette. Placing it between his lips, he brought out a lighter. After the man's first few unsuccessful attempts at lighting it, Sora laughed. "Here," he offered, flicking his finger up from a fist to reveal a sustained fire spell the size of a marble.
Leaning forward, Ienzo lit his cigarette with a grin. He took a deep breath and blew smoke down to the floor. "Thanks. And yeah, I can smoke here. You're not a student any more so you can too."
"In that case, do you mind?" he asked, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a single, old fashioned cigarette.
At this Ienzo shrugged. "As long as you're smart enough to hide the evidence and not put it out on any papers, I think you're good."
After lighting up, Sora took a deep breath. "Thank God for nicotine."
"That's a handy little trick," the shorter man noted.
"Really?" Surprised by the comment, the brunette flicked his thumb from his fist, tracing the outline of the flame with his eyes. "I learned it in mechanics class. Cid wanted us to get our flame as small and hot as possible so we could do welding without any tools. A week after he told us about it I lost my lighter. You can imagine what I did next. The guy was so impressed with my progress that voilà – I was in Advanced Mechanics and Applications during my second semester." Taking another drag, he kept the breath in for as long as possible before exhaling, marveling at the way his thoughts were both clouded and perfectly clear all at once. "Apparently it usually takes years to master. Then again, what more motivation does a nicotine addict need than a cigarette?"
Ienzo laughed at this, much to the brunettes surprise. "That does sound like quite the motivation." Taking a heavy drag, the man seemed to savor the silence for a moment before speaking. "So, those kids - Riku and Kairi was it? How do you know them? Are they mechanics, too?"
"We're from the same island."
"You don't look it."
"We really don't." Sora grinned. "Sometimes I entertain the idea that Riku's from a different world, to be honest. He definitely doesn't have the look of an Islander. But the elders keep telling us most of his family just died off or something. Me, him, and Kairi all look so vastly different, but since Kairi's actually from another world that's easy to understand. She's got that pale skin and red hair. But him..." Heaving a sigh, the brunette tried not to look at his companion. "I really don't know. Everyone from the island is laid back. We've got tan skin, blond or brown hair, kind of average height, and have really lithe builds.
"He's a whole different breed, though. Not only is he ridiculously tall, but he bulks up quick, practically thrives in conflict, and I don't think I have to mention his hair and skin. He's not like us. I really don't know where he's from. And..." Sora trailed off for a second, wondering if he should really tell the other apprentice the next bit. "He's been really weird since he got back. Quiet. Not that he hasn't always been quiet, because he has, but it's a different kind of quiet."
"That happens to a lot of people on the front lines. Especially the team leaders," Ienzo informed him confidently. "I don't pretend to know what they see, because I don't know. What few missions I went on back in the day were solo jobs into globs of heartless. Hit and run sorts of things. No one from our side got hurt. I never got hurt. The front lines are an entirely different sort of situation. Some people who come back from it are never the same."
Nodding along, the brunette mulled the words over in his head. It didn't make sense, though. Riku never let anything get to him, and had proved it time and time again.
"And as for being different, don't worry about it. He grew up on your Island. That makes him an Islander." He paused. "What's the name of your world, anyway?"
Sora grinned. "Destiny Islands."
"Is that the one with the Paopu fruit?" Offering the tin to Sora so he could tap his ashes in, the man hummed to himself for a moment. "I've been meaning to look into the legend- the one that says a Paopu can intertwine the destinies of the people who share it."
The brunette nodded, bringing the cigarette away from his lips. "Yeah. That's the newer version, though. The old legend that Grandma used to tell is that everyone's soul sang a tune, and that tune didn't always sing with loved ones very well. Eventually, once the two songs grated against one another for too long they would become distorted. That's where the Paopu came in. It might just be endorphins or something, but people who share one usually get along better afterward. The legend says it's because the Paopu teaches the soul a new note, and it begins to sing that new note in harmony with the other person. Used to be used for marriages and stuff, but these days it's just used for families whenever a new kid is born." He paused, then reached into his pocket to pull out a small box. "Speaking of which, Happy Birthday," he said, offering it to the older man.
Ienzo just stared.
"What? You said a week. Happy twenty-second." Ienzo, looking every bit like a fish out of water, took the box from his hands and stared at the ribbon, almost as if he didn't know what to do with it. At this the brunette couldn't restrain a small laugh. "Come on- aren't you going to open it?"
Carefully, as if he were afraid he was going to break the box just by looking at it wrong, the slate-haired man slid two fingers underneath the crease of the lid and lifted it. It fell to the floor with a clatter, surprising the man enough to make him jump. "It's not going to eat you," Sora commented, earning himself a strange look. And finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ienzo glanced down to his gift; a leather necklace with a square onyx charm the size of his thumbnail. "On Destiny Islands a leather or hemp necklace is a coming of age symbol. It's usually received on your twentieth birthday, and made by a family member or close friend."
"You made this?"
"Yeah. You like it?"
"Very much." Placing his cigarette firmly in his mouth, the man carefully plucked the necklace from the box, which he set on the counter they leaned against. Reaching around his neck, he attempted to fasten it. "Drat," he hissed, fingers fumbling with the clasp. "I don't wear much jewelry."
Knocking his ashes into the tin, which had also been placed on the counter, Sora carefully held his cigarette with his teeth as he motioned for Ienzo to turn. He took hold of the clasp, fastening it clumsily as goosebumps raised on the back of his neck from the proximity. Ignoring the butterflies in his stomach, he dropped the clasp – properly closed – and grabbed at his cigarette. "All done," he announced shakily, attempting not to show how much the contact had affected him.
"Thanks." Ienzo turned, showing Sora the hemp and bead necklace, which clashed horribly with his uniform and lab coat. "How does it look?"
"Really stupid," Sora announced confidently. He expected a frown - Ienzo was never short on those. So the small, almost invisible smile that followed nearly stopped his heart.
"Good," Dr. Even announced, stepping into the room. "You're both here. Let's start packing up."
-T-M-
Once he had arrived in the gummi ship hanger, Sora tried to keep his feet moving in the right direction. He was finally doing it. Finally, after a year and a half of study, he was doing the impossible for a second year; leaving for another planet. He was going out to see other worlds. Meet new people. Learn new things. Make a difference. In half the time it had taken Riku to get off Maunder, Sora had graduated – with an apprenticeship – and was set off on a journey with no real time limit.
In short, Sora was terrified.
Stepping up to the ship, the boy swallowed hard. It was your everyday Shiva model, which he could tell at first glance was built around fewer weapon gummis than usual. They wouldn't need weapons where they were going. They were on a mission of learning, after all. Anything more than two lasers would be overkill.
Not halfway up the ship ramp, his knees gave out. Bracing his hands against his thighs, the brunet took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. Adjusting his bag - a small duffel filled only with some pocket money, a few sets of clothing, a tool set, and four and a half cartons of cigarettes - he stood once more and strode with what he hoped was confidence into the cabin.
Taking a seat at the controls, he loosened the top button of his uniform shirt. Soon he would be rid of that, too. On Maunder the materia in the buttons counteracted the gravity, but on any other planet it would put his body in a constant state of zero gravity which could make his organs shrivel up and cause his muscles to atrophy. The boy leaned forward, but stopped with a grimace after realizing he was sitting on his hair. Standing back up, he took hold of his ponytail and undid the tie. Pulling it into a high tail he looped the hair once, twice, three times to make a thick bun before settling back into the seat. He grabbed the steering joysticks with nervous fingers. The smooth faux leather was a familiar sensation, and helped him to calm a bit.
Eyes roaming over the mass of buttons and gauges that made up the dashboard, Sora heaved a comforted sigh.
Ienzo and Dr. Even were there with him within seconds, the coordinates were plugged in, and Sora guided the ship out of the garage with a steady hand.
-T-M-
End Notes: So, he's finally headed to Hollow Bastion and the main plot can vaguely be seen from a distance. On that note, this story is officially longer than the majority of projects I have posted in the past. We also just finished the intro. Yes, this chapter was the last of the intro. Yes, the intro is ten chapters long. Don't judge me.
Thanks to Chaotic Dawn for editing, and everyone should know that Suburbia by Falaphesian is fantastic. You should go read it.
Please review!
With a headache,
Besieged Infection