Disclaimer: I don't own jack.
Chapter XI
Sora woke the next morning. True to form, he did sleep outside. His sleeping bag was coated in dew and leaves were intertwined in his unruly hair. Despite his Wildman appearance, he felt great! He slept to the sound of the twinkling stars and awoke to greet the sun. The dampness he felt on his face was refreshing and he smiled happily. It would be a while before he'd come back up here again but for now, he wanted to enjoy the moment. He rested his head on his arms and looked at the blue sky. There were no clouds and the sun was shining radiantly. He walked to the edge of the summit and looked out once again. The morning dew made the buildings sparkle and shine. It looked like someone placed a giant glass-stained window over the entire town. Sora had never seen anything like this and he humbled himself before this mystery of creation.
"Looks like something from the sci-fi channel," Riku said as he took a seat on one of the logs. "I'm surprised to see you up early for once."
Sora smiled and joined his friend. Riku started a fire and he warmed his hands. It was pretty chilly outside though the sun was out. Both boys were wrapped heavily in coats and long sleeves. Soon the rest of the gang woke up. Roxas stumbled out his tent last, his hair all over the place. He had dark patches under his eyes and he walked groggily to join them.
"Morning Roxas," Sora said. "Sleep well?"
Roxas nodded though he wasn't paying any attention. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. Roxas was never a morning person and he was worse than Sora. Sora had afternoon naps to keep him going but Roxas had weird sleeping patterns that even Freud couldn't figure out.
Everyone gathered around the campfire and they ate breakfast. Tidus busted out the poptarts- strawberry flavor, of course and Selphie rummaged through her giant cooler to find the drinks. Poptarts and Kool aid made the perfect breakfast. Roxas cooked his over the fire to warm it up but he accidentally left it over too long and it exploded. A flurry of strawberry jam and frosting exploded everywhere. Roxas laughed hysterically but Selphie quickly shut him with a punch to the arm.
"I really think she hates me," Roxas whispered to Riku.
Riku smiled and nodded his head. "At least she doesn't hate me."
Everyone finished up their breakfast and they moved on to getting ready to leave. Kairi and Riku unhitched the tents while Wakka and Tidus cleaned up the campsite. Sora looked over the map and once everyone was done, he called them over.
"Alright guys. Here's how we're going to get out of here. There's a secondary trail that leads down the other side of the mountain. It's a shortcut."
He traced the trail with his finger so everyone knew where to go. There weren't any relief points on the trail but there were smaller stops. Originally, the trail was only open to professional mountain climbers but over the years, the trail had leveled so everyone was allowed to go down it. The only mark against it was that it was narrow and jagged. The stony walls squeezed you in and the rocky dirt path was rough and uneven. There were a few caves that led into the heart of the mountain so getting lost was always a possibility.
Sora folded his map and readjusted his backpack on his shoulders. He was at the head of the group and everyone followed him. The party made their way to the trail. Sora slipped on the first step and the loose rocks skipped and clanged until they hit the bottom of the mountain. Sora smiled to reassure everyone and kept moving forward. The mountain walls blocked the sun so there wasn't much light, though Sora guessed it was around nine o'clock. The party went on. Everyone gripped the sides of the walls to prevent them from falling. The slope of the trail was hardly anything but the serrated rocks on the ground was everyone's main concern. After fifteen minutes, the group got a hang of what they were doing. Kairi noticed that balance could be improved by swerving from side to side. Roxas was coasting down the mountain like he was on a skateboard but he slipped and fell down the rocky slope before colliding with Selphie.
"Ouch, what did you do that for, you jerk!" Selphie screamed. Everyone held their ears and Selphie got up and slugged Roxas on the arm.
"Aw man, not again," Roxas winced. "I swear. Any more punches and my arm will fall off."
"That serves you right," Selphie said with her arms crossed. "Never mess with Selphie."
"I didn't do anything. I just slipped," Roxas told her. "It's not my fault so quit hitting me."
"I'll stop hitting you once yo-…" Her thought was interrupted as Tidus picked her up and carried her away from Roxas.
"Tidus put me down right this instance," Selphie yelled as she fought to get away. "Don't make me hit you, too."
"No can do, Selphie."
Selphie pouted but lightened up a bit knowing that she didn't have to walk on the hard ground. She didn't approve of this by the way but she was in no position to argue.
Sora smiled amusedly and continued walking. Soon there was a fork on the path. Wakka squinted his eyes to see how far one of the paths would go but his vision was stopped by a bend. Riku wiped his hair out of his eyes and walked along the other path.
"Hey brudda, where are you going?" Wakka asked.
"It's this way."
"How do you know that?" Selphie said with a hint of irritation in her voice.
"Calm down Selphie," Tidus told her as he pinched her calf to make her quiet.
"Tidus that's sexual harassment," Selphie screamed as she kicked her legs and shook her arms violently. "You are so dead."
"Do you want me to drop you?" Tidus asked impatiently.
In response, Selphie just folded her arms. She was a long way from the bottom and she didn't feel like walking just yet.
"Good girl," he said, teasingly.
Sora folded up his map and inserted it in his pocket. "Riku's right. It's that way."
-KH-
They continued down the rocky path and the sun was beating heavily on their backs. Sweat drenched their faces and Sora wondered how it got so hot all of a sudden. He turned his head around to check that his friends were still behind him. Selphie, he noticed, was a bit perturbed. Maybe the heat had gotten to her; maybe Roxas was bugging her. Either way, her attitude spoke for the rest of the party. The pace had slowed and Sora feared they wouldn't make it down until the sun set. He was determined to be home as soon as possible but it looks like that wouldn't happen. He habitually looked at the map approximating how long and far it was from the bottom of the mountain.
"Hey guys, I think we'd better rest here. There's no use pushing it now," he called out, his face still buried in the map.
Kairi fell flat on her butt and she rubbed her ankle. It was bothering her for some reason and she blamed it on the rocky dirt path. She felt she had overused it and a bit of burn caused her to grimace. She was indeed thankful for the rest.
Wakka pulled out a water bottle from his backpack. The cold temperature from last night chilled the drink and was refreshing on his tongue. He needed a cold drink to rejuvenate him from the walk and the water hit the spot.
After a fifteen minute rest, Sora got up and threw his backpack over his shoulders. Riku turned his head around and eyed the condition of his friends as he rose to his feet. He knew everyone was tired and Sora was pushing the pace a bit too much. There was no way they'd reach the base of the mountain before nightfall. He hoped Sora knew that.
Kairi fought to stand up but it seemed the status of her ankle worsened from the rest. It stiffened and it felt like dead weight.
"Guys, I can't get up. My ankle is hurting," she cried out. Sora saw she had a look of distress on her face. She gave Sora a small smile and he cursed himself for being too careless earlier. It hurt him to see Kairi in pain but he couldn't do anything about it.
Riku, who was at the front stopped and closed his eyes. 'Dang it, Sora. Now look what happened' he irritably sighed.
Roxas and Wakka helped lift her up but she couldn't put any weight on it. She tried to stand but she immediately fell down like a rag doll. Riku reached into his backpack and pulled out some medical tape. He slipped Kairi's shoe off and slipped off her sock. Gently, he pressed the muscles and bones that surrounded Kairi's left ankle.
"Ouch, Riku that hurts," Kairi cried out.
Riku didn't respond but started to wrap her ankle in the tape. Once he was finished he patted it to test its firmness.
"It's probably a sore muscle but don't move it," he instructed her. He turned to Selphie who had the biggest concerned look on her face. An idea struck in his head and he smiled at her. "I'm sure Sora wouldn't mind helping Kairi down the mountain. Right, Sora?"
Sora's jaw dropped but Kairi flashed him a smile. "Yeah…sure. It's practically my fault she's hurt anyways."
Selphie cooed in her head and she smiled warmly. 'If this doesn't get those two together, then I don't know what will' she thought.
She walked up to the front and walked next to Riku.
"Nice one."
"Of course. What did you expect?"
Sora threw Kairi's arm over his shoulder and he slowly lifted her up. It would have been easier, Sora thought to carry her bridal style, but he didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. For now, he had to act like a pair of crutches and keep Kairi's leg supported.
-KH-
Sora lifted his head. Sweat was profusely running down his face and he huffed with each step he took. It was hard labor to support Kairi but he did it invitingly. He loved her so much and he felt his world fall apart because she was injured. Kairi's sweet strawberry scent was enough to will him on and he trudged forward. One misstep though and he tumbled to the ground.
"Oh my…Sora are you alright?" Kairi asked. She was on the ground too but her body laid on top of Sora's back.
Sora slowly pushed himself up and wiped the dirt and grime from his face. His usual, black outfit was dusty and stained with brown dirt.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just tripped," he said. Sora looked forward; everyone was ahead and he and Kairi were really far behind. He didn't have the strength to keep moving and he was well past his limits.
Kairi rolled off Sora's back so she was now looking up at the sky. She crunched her abs and sat up. Her ankle was still hurting and she grew worried.
"Sora, I don't think I can go on any longer. I'm sorry I'm holding you back."
Sora looked at her softly and reached out to grab her hands. "It's alright. I'd rather be stuck with you anytime. Don't worry about it. We'll make it."
Kairi fell forward into his arms and she sobbed. Sora slowly got up and picked her up. He had a job to do and that was to get Kairi to safety. He found a nearby cave and he decided to take Kairi there. It was rather small but at least they were out of the sun. He laid the sobbing Kairi down and placed her head on his backpack.
"Sora? Where are you going?" Kairi asked.
"I'm going to see if I can get help," he told her.
"Don't leave me here."
Sora stopped at the mouth of the cave. He walked back and laid down next to her.
"Alright. I'm not going anywhere."
Kairi smiled and she moved closer to Sora. He threw an arm around her and she rested her head on his chest. Soon she fell asleep.
-KH-
"Hey Kairi. It's me, Sora. Good news. I was able to get you down from the mountain and the rangers were able to get you to a hospital."
Sora paused for a moment and looked at Kairi's face. She was a tad pale and her rosy cheeks weren't as rosy as he remembered them being. Her hand was warm at least.
"Um…the doctors said you fainted and went into a bit of an unconscious state but you're better now."
Kairi just laid there and Sora wondered if she could hear him.
"My mom said that talking to you would make you get better soon. Um…I'm really sorry for what happened. I kind of pushed it too far and I didn't mean for anything like this to happen to you. I love you and I hope you wake up soon."
Sora looked at her one last time. He gave Kairi a small kiss on the cheek before heading out of the room.
-KH-
"Kairi! Kairi! Wake up!"
Kairi stirred.
"Kairi, don't do this to me. Wake up."
Kairi heard the voice but couldn't respond. In her head, she wanted to open her eyes to find out who that voice was coming from.
"Kairi, please."
Kairi's eyes slowly opened. Her vision was a bit blurry and her head was throbbing. She couldn't move her limbs and the bright light hurt her eyes.
"You're awake. Thanks heavens!"
Kairi slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice. Her eyes were half open but she did see a streak of yellow.
"Sora?"
"No, it's me, Selphie! Oh my gosh Kairi don't ever do that again. You almost gave me a heart attack," Selphie said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Where am I?"
"At the hospital."
Kairi closed her eyes again. She was relieved. Selphie then told her how she was knocked out for a few days while doctors performed all these procedures to try to revive her.
The door slid open and in stepped one of the doctors. He was fairly young with medium brown hair that was covered by a surgeon's hat. A stethoscope hung from his neck and he smiled.
"Kairi, it's good to see you have come around. Excuse me, miss, you'll need to step out for a moment. I have to run a test on Kairi before I can admit her from the hospital."
Selphie nodded but gave Kairi one last smile before heading to the lobby.
"You know, I was expecting you to awaken tomorrow," the doctor continued.
Kairi looked at him with tired eyes. She still couldn't do much and she felt like dead weight.
"When you were out, this one boy came in and visiting you everyday. He had brown hair that as all over the place and he stayed here for as long as he could. One time he was here at six in the morning. I truly believe he was the reason why you recovered so fast."
Kairi couldn't believe her ears. That was Sora he was talking about, she was sure of it. Sora saved her.
"He's a good friend, that boy. You're lucky to have him," the doctor concluded as he hung Kairi's medical charts on the wall.
'I guess I am' Kairi giggled in her head before she fell back to sleep.
This chapter was rushed over because I was trying really hard to finish this after I got back from my vacation a few days ago. I'm sorry for the wait.
Rock out, party hard, live hardcore
