Chapter 25: Nothing Is Broken

{Hirigaya Household: February 24th, 2013 - 8:01am}

It was Friday, the last day of school that Sora, Riku, and Kairi would be partaking in while on the Destiny Islands. Walking into the classroom that morning, everything felt quiet, and sluggish, almost as if the day refused to pick up pace and get them to the moment when they would return home for one last dinner with their parents, one final evening in the four walls that had been their place to grow and be safe for so many years until this point, and in a way, the three of them were grateful for it. Kairi had been able to talk to her dad relatively fine, but he was uncharacteristically stiff in his motions and smiles towards her, despite them both knowing there was no reason for it at this point, and while she dealt with that, Riku and his father hadn't spoken to one another at all.

If the silver-haired teenager were to be honest, he and his father had an odd relationship. Though he undoubtedly loved him, he was also uncommonly strict and hard on him about things that most parents wouldn't have cared about, which according to his mother stemmed from serious mistakes he'd made when he was younger, and had been determined to keep his son from making the same ones; however, Riku knew that his father was also unsure of how to approach the subject in a manner that wouldn't leave things bitter between them, and thus left Akira to handle the matter, but knew tonight, he wouldn't have the option.

As for Sora, his mother had been conversing with him, getting promises from him to write and let her know when and if they could come visit them or vice versa. He made promises that deep down, he doubted he could fully keep, despite how desperately he wanted to. Leaving the Destiny Islands to move to the Disney Castle, didn't mean partial visits, or time to take breaks; for them, it meant learning how to become stronger and prepare to fight Xehanort and Organization Thirteen. Sora bit his lip, considering that he always did his best to keep his promises, but this time, he was positive that it wouldn't be happening, to his regret. Taking in a deep breath, Sora sat at his desk, not bothering with taking notes, but periodically glancing at those around him, taking in the different things that hit his senses such as the expressions some wore, or how certain people seemed to look as though they were annoyed with the lecture, or in the case of Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka: mournful over something in particular.

Sky-blue eyes momentarily met theirs, and he quickly turned his head away, feeling the pinching sting of pain in his chest from the situation as he took to listening to the lecture, and the faint sounds of pens and pencils scratching against paper until finally their classes took to break for lunch. Sora had gone up to the roof before Riku and Kairi, laying back against the ground as he stared up at the sky, feeling the faint breeze ruffling his hair and clothes as he considered that this could be the last time he looked up at this particular sky. Sighing, he closed his eyes, listening to the faint sound of the trees, taking in his surroundings and committing it all to memory before he heard the door to the stairwell open, causing him to blink open his eyes, sitting up as he heard the others come to take a seat with him.

"So, um… final day… huh?" asked Tidus as Riku nodded.

"Yea, I guess so…" Wakka sighed.

"Come on now, we shouldn't be so stiff about all this! They're going to send us all letters and pictures too! Right, guys?!" inquired the orange-haired teen as the others nodded, Sora lying back against the ground again as he decided to forego getting to involved in the conversation.

"By the way, where were you the other day? Everyone else went to the play island, but you didn't ever come." sky-blue eyes glanced towards Selphie.

"I fell asleep…" Tidus rolled his eyes.

"Bullshit, what were you doing? Packing?" Sora stretched a bit.

"Finishing with it, yea. Plus, I had to take care of some stuff at home, but once I did, I ended up dozing off," he informed him only to be given a once over by the others.

"What's going on with you? Your acting weird…" Sora sighed, sitting up, bangs falling into his face as he kept himself quiet.

"Sora…" he shook his head.

"Don't get the wrong idea… okay? I'm not distancing myself for your sakes… not at this point…" he stated in a strangely calm tone.

"You don't have to for anyone's sakes! We're your friends man!" Tidus stated as he glanced to them.

"Right… but you'd readily agree that I'm not the person you used to know. This person in front of you is a lot more sarcastic, mouthy, perfectly fine with getting into fights, and things like that, yea? Regardless, your my friends, so I care about you all the same," he explained as Selphie glanced him over.

"You heard us that day, didn't you? When you told us that you couldn't come to the play island and snapped?" Sora shrugged.

"Its not a big deal, I actually expected to hear a lot worse than I did. Over the time that I've been back, I started to really see how different I was from the environment around me, and how I just didn't mesh with the easy-go pace here. Which is fine, there's reasons for being like that, and I don't completely know why right now, but I figure as time goes on, we'll all figure it out, right?" Kairi nodded.

"Right, besides, we're far from abandoning the Destiny Islands, its just a stop on the way to where we're supposed to be in life. For now, we'll be saying goodbye, but eventually, we'll come back, and who knows, by then you guys might be figuring out where you want to be in your own part of the world," she told the other three as Selphie grinned.

"I've got my own goals for after high school, thank you very much!" Tidus and Selphie nodded.

"Yup, same here," said the blonde.

"Totally." Sora smirked, a faint upturn of his lips showing his teeth just a fraction.

"Oh, really? And what would those plans be?" he inquired, Riku nodding.

"I'd like to know that myself." Selphie looked to them.

"Well, I plan on going to college, and once I do, I'm gonna open my own restaurant! I'll get training as a cook, and work towards it, once I'm done, I'll either do it here, or I'll head off into the horizon and expand my experiences before doing it!" she stated proudly as Kairi smiled.

"I forget how much you like cooking. You and Sora should go into the business together once your ready." Sora laughed a bit shyly, scratching his cheek a bit.

"Eh, well… I don't think I'm that good," he denied as Selphie rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please, you saying something like that is dumb. As shy as you are about some stuff your really talented at a lot of things, stop being so modest." Sora tilted his head.

"I'm not being modest, just honest. You can do all sorts of stuff, I'm just decent at a few things in the kitchen," he told her as Tidus laughed.

"And you can sew, speed read, memorize entire chapters, build things, make up maps by walking around, have medical knowledge, have good combat skills now, and it seems like you picked up a little accent somewhere." Sora gave him a confused look.

"Um… no… I didn't," he stated.

"When you get irritated, you have this faint lilt to your voice, almost like your about to slip into another language or something." Riku nodded alongside Kairi, causing Sora to give them a questioning raise of his eyebrow.

"How do you figure?" Kairi shrugged.

"I've noticed it, but we kinda figured it was something you picked up along the way. But, now that I think about it, you have done it before," she mentioned.

"When have I ever had an accent?" Wakka thought for a moment.

"Once or twice when you were younger and explained about that weird nickname your dad gave you," he explained.

"Oh, that…" he glanced to the side as Tidus frowned, noticing the change in the air around them.

"You know, I don't really remember much about your dad, except that I think we met him once or twice when he came to visit," he mentioned while Selphie hummed in thought.

"Now that you mention it, I never did figure out why he only visited once a month or so, was that how your mom and him agreed on things when they split up or something?" Sora shook his head, glancing down.

"Um… no, to be honest, I'm not sure why he did those things… or really what happened to him. One day, he just stopped visiting the three of us and -" Sora became oddly still as the others gave him questioning looks while his blue eyes turned a strangely cold tone.

"Sora, he only ever visited you and your mom, there was no one else with you besides us once or twice," Kairi stated as Riku nodded.

"Yea, if we weren't there, it was just you and your mom. No third person." the chestnut-haired boy seemed to almost reanimate from his stupor at that point, a bright smile coming to his face with a sheepish grin and nervous laughter.

"O-Oh! Right! I guess I'm tired still, it kinda slipped my mind. Maybe I was thinking about one of you," he said in a rushed manner, causing some of the others to raise an eyebrow, before deciding it was best to change the subject; however, for Sora, a strange nagging sensation maintained itself within the back of his mind, as it attempting to tell him something important.

{Destiny Island Diner: 5:40pm}

Business was slow today, Selphie noted as she stood behind the bar of the diner, observing the people walking by, enjoying the Friday evening and going out to dinner, company and entertainment on the mind whilst Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka contended with work. A sigh left her as she looked at the time on her wrist watch, noting that it had only been twenty minutes since her shift had begun, but that she was certain it would be like this for most of the night. Groaning, and placing her head atop the counter, Tidus gave her a small smile, understanding how she felt about the situation on her mind. It wasn't as though the three of them could ignore how they felt deep down about Sora, Riku, and Kairi's departure tomorrow morning. No matter how happy they wanted to be for their friends, and the opportunity that was arising for them, they couldn't quite shake the feeling that something wasn't right with the story that had been fed to them, and it simmered in the backs of their minds persistently, no matter how often they attempted to shake it off.

"Its just not fair dammit!" Selphie finally announced as the two boys looked to her.

"Yea, guess its not, huh?" asked Wakka.

"They're always running off on their own! First it was that stupid raft, then they went off to find Sora without letting us know, and once he gets back, Sora isn't even the same! Now they're… leaving again…" Tidus glanced towards his girlfriend as she clenched her fists, bowing her head a fraction as she considered what would be coming next.

"Selphie, think about the situation though. Sora doesn't want to be here, and Riku, as well as Kairi weren't the same without him… so, if he leaves without them, we're going to have to spend who knows how long watching them sitting there just broken up over Sora not being with us anymore. We all know that's not what we want," he explained.

"I know… but it feels like no matter what we do, the three of them are always a few steps ahead, especially Sora." Wakka sighed, looking at his two friends.

"Come to think of it, he's always been different from us. There's always been something odd about how he is, like he isn't quite the right fit for this place, and he's only been trying to suit the mold here before finally realizing that he just isn't supposed to be here anymore," Wakka mentioned as Selphie and Tidus stared at him, almost disbelieving of his statement.

"Seriously?! You can't mean that! Sora is from the Destiny Islands, and this is his home! It always will be and -" Tidus glanced at the girl.

"Selph, did you forget?" he inquired as the girl frowned.

"Forget what?" Wakka looked to her.

"Himitsu, and Sora both aren't originally from the Destiny Islands. Their family came here years ago, from another country or something…. Sora wasn't even born on the islands, and if you look at him you can tell he's not from here," he pointed out as Selphie frowned.

"I'm not sure I follow that thought admittedly." Tidus shook his head.

"Sora doesn't look like most of the people here who are descended from the people who found the islands. He's not what most consider a genuine native, Wakka and you have direct bloodline to the voyagers who colonized the Destiny Islands, my grandmother is from here and has the same ties, but you can take one look at Sora and tell a difference," he mentioned.

Selphie wasn't sure how this topic had sprung up, but as she thought on it, some of the facts started to add up in her mind. At first, Sora definitely passed as a person who was directly descended from the founders of the islands, but the more attention one paid to certain physical traits of his, the more apparent it was that other bloodlines were at play. Sora's features were more slight, and had a kind of elvish quality to them, his complexion had a lighter tone to it, the chestnut color to his hair was another oddity - although Selphie and Wakka inherited their hair colors from other bloodlines some of their features did correlate to the few people who were still pure natives - but the thing that definitively set him apart from any other on the islands, were those eyes of his.

People didn't have eyes that shade of blue, that somehow favored the sky on a clear summer day, or held the same sparkle as a brilliant sapphire. Selphie hadn't bothered to give it much thought as Sora had just seemed like the average person to her, but to a degree, she did wonder what his heritage was, where that need to see what laid beyond the islands and the waves of the sea that surrounded them came from, and what it was those sharp eyes had seen in the times before and after his departure, and return. Sighing, Selphie glanced to Wakka and Tidus, trying to pinpoint what to think about the situation at hand before shaking her head as she looked at her watch again.

"So, are we going to see them off?" she inquired as the two boys looked her over.

"Of course, because of that weird storm last time, we couldn't see them off to wherever they ran off to, and we couldn't go with Riku, and Kairi to find Sora, so this time, we're totally going to see them off!" Tidus's words received two sets of nods before Wakka laughed.

"Besides, if we didn't it would probably make them feel bad for choosing to leave. We should be happy they've been given such a huge opportunity," he stated as Selphie nodded slowly.

"Yea, your right. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that even if I'm annoyed by this, I would be even more irritated with myself if I didn't go. So, what time was it again?" Tidus hummed, thinking about the question.

"I think Riku mentioned it was by nine that they were leaving, so they'll be heading to the play island a little after eight-thirty more than likely," he mentioned.

"Then we'll meet them at the docks at eight thirty. I'll text Kairi and get the confirmation." with that the trio set to getting to work as finally people started to come in for dinner.

{Misaki Household: 7:03pm}

Kairi sighed as she looked around her room, doing some small last minute packing as she finished putting everything in the pink and black dufflebag, making sure to slip her journal with her mother's letter into the side of it before laying out her clothes on her dresser for tomorrow morning. Taking in a deep breath, the red-haired girl glanced at the clock, knowing that dinner would be ready soon, and undoubtedly, her father would want to discuss the situation with her, and find a way to get her to write to him at least every once in a while.

Closing her aquamarine eyes, the red-haired Princess of Heart thought about the weight she felt upon her shoulders, and in the pit of her stomach as Kairi considered that tomorrow, she would officially leave behind the world she had always known, and called home. At some point, Kairi suspected it would be time to leave behind her old life and start a new one, but she honestly wasn't anticipating it until college or marriage came, and that would be quite a ways away, if it ever happened.

"I guess it shouldn't surprise me. I mean, I'm not just some random girl… this isn't a fantasy novel, its reality… and I'm important to the fight too," she muttered to herself before hearing a knock at her door, causing her to look in the direction of the sound to find her dad present.

"Dinner's ready." she nodded.

"Okay, I'm coming," she told him as she stood from the floor and started down the stairs before coming into the kitchen.

Her father had gone through the trouble to make the homemade spaghetti that he knew Kairi liked the most, and it made her smile to see it as she sat down and they started eating. It was quiet, save for the momentary sounds of forks grazing against plates, or cups being picked up with subtle sips being taken from the sprite or tea they each drank. As they ate though, Kairi noticed her father's gaze turning to her every so often, as if to imply that he wanted to strike up a conversation with her, but was unsure how to, and so, the red-haired girl sighed, a smile coming to her features.

"Dad, its okay to talk to me about it. I know you want too," she told him as Tadashi laughed in a nervous manner.

"Ah, um… right! What time do you leave tomorrow?" he inquired as his daughter looked to him.

"We're supposed to meet the people picking us up at nine on the play island, so we'll be leaving from the small dock near Sora's house around eight-forty-ish. I have to be there at eight twenty. That's how we're working it out." Tadashi glanced down to his plate.

"I see…" he said in a somber tone as Kairi glanced him over.

"You really don't want me to leave, do you?" she received a mournful expression as her answer long before her father spoke.

"No, I don't, but I want you to experience all the things that the world has to offer you, and I decided a long time ago that I wouldn't hold you back from any opportunities that could arise as it would be unfair to you. Besides, Sora and Riku will look after you if needs be, but you can also take care of yourself… mostly because your so much like your mother," he stated as Kairi smiled.

"Akira and Himitsu have said the same thing to me… if I think about it, Sora must get his stubbornness from his father." Tadashi laughed.

"Oh, Himitsu is as stubborn as well. When she was younger, she had no qualms with punching someone in the face if she needed to in order to get her point across," he mentioned as Kairi gave him a bewildered look.

"Are we talking about the same Himitsu Seiren?" the man nodded.

"Definitely, although, motherhood definitely softened her. When Sora was born, Himitsu lost her temper, and became more understanding, calm, and compassionate. She's still a force to be reckoned with when you do push her past her point of tolerance, but admittedly, Sora's personality is definitely closer to his father's," he informed her.

"So, Himitsu was more of a physical fighter when she was younger?" Tadashi nodded.

"Come to think of it, a friend of her's taught her how to fight… what was her name again… hmm… I can't quite remember, but I do recall she was both a skilled fighter, and an even more talented healer. She's the one who helped teach Himitsu so much of the natural remedies, and admittedly, its impressive how much knowledge she had not being much older than us." Kairi hummed.

"So, Himitsu had some impressive friends back when she was our age, huh?" Tadashi nodded.

"Definitely, although, I'd imagine that she's busied herself with other things like we have in recent years… I just wish I could remember her name," he said in slight annoyance.

"Himitsu probably remembers her name. You can ask her tomorrow, but, what about you and Riku's mom, and dad? What did you guys do before settling down?" Tadashi thought for a moment.

"I worked for a man who was a scribe of sorts. He was a record keeper, and very skilled in his trade, but needed someone to help him with keeping track of everything and writing down what came in, so I did the job. As for Akira and Hiroki… I think Akira was trained with Himitsu, and Hiroki worked for a blacksmith for a little while." Kairi sat in silence, surprised by the information, but smiling all the same.

"You guys did a lot, huh? But… what about my mom and Sora's dad?" Tadashi leaned back in his chair, taking a bite of his food while Kairi did the same.

"They were classmates, all of us met in our teenage years, but before we met, most of us knew about Sora's father as he had a bit of a reputation for causing trouble for people in our hometown. He was very energetic and rambunctious when he was around fourteen, by fifteen though, he had entered the same academy as us, and we ended up becoming good friends as he had matured to a degree." Kairi laughed.

"To a degree means he was still a troublemaker," she mentioned as Tadashi shook his head.

"Yea, you've got me there. He was very intelligent, always reading and got very good marks in all his classes, but was also a talented healer and fighter. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what he ended up doing post graduation, but I do know that towards our later years he wasn't in good health." the red-haired girl bit her lip.

"Couldn't that woman Himitsu and Akira learned from help him? She was a skilled healer right?" Tadashi shook his head.

"It wasn't that simple. His disease was further progressed than was plausible for treatment, and that's why he distanced himself from Sora and Himitsu. Despite knowing it was difficult, he knew that he couldn't be there for them like he wanted to be, and that it would scare Sora to see him dying like he was, so he only came to visit for a while before he passed away from it." Kairi looked down.

"Sora… knows, right?" Tadashi nodded.

"Of course, he does. Himitsu wouldn't keep that detail from Sora." with that, Tadashi started to change the subject, and a thought formed in the back of Kairi's mind: if Himitsu wouldn't keep that detail from Sora, what details was she keeping from him?

{Hirigaya Household: 8:30pm}

Riku was helping with cleaning up after dinner, mind wandering as he heard his mother scuffling about behind him, making some tea to help calm her down for the evening. His father was sitting at the table, seeming to be reading through something while things remained silent in the kitchen-dining area until Akira made a startled yelp when she had started pouring her tea into a simple traditional cup. Hiroki and Riku looked towards her, seeing the up cracked, but not spilling the tea as she sat down the tea kettle while the two males in the room asked if she was okay or not while she nodded, and Riku departed to grab a wash towel to help get up the tea. As he left though, he heard his father stand up, and a heavy sigh leave him as he approached his mother.

"A teacup cracking like that for no reasons is never a good sign," Hiroki mentioned, folding his arms over his chest as Akira scoft.

"It was old, and has seen better days." the man shook his head.

"Akira, you and I both know better. You've never been one to dance around superstitions, and starting now won't help matters," he pointed out as Riku continued to listen.

"So? That's an old superstition with no backing. Just because we're taught that if a teacup cracks for no reason it means trouble is a silly old wives tale like the broom falling," she informed him as Hiroki sighed.

"Considering what's going on tomorrow, I wouldn't be pushing the idea aside so easily. What if this is a warning?" Akira frowned.

"Look, I remember last the the cup broke, okay? I'm all to aware of it…" Hiroki placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"And, then a broom fell only an hour later. Come on Aki, we both know superstitions have perfect grounds, and this is no exception… we should be cautious with Riku, Sora, and Kairi leaving tomorrow," he stated.

"I know… I just want everything to go smoothly. They're just leaving to get started on their lives away from all of us… its sooner than we expected, but its okay… because its meant to be this way." Riku bit the inside of his cheek before walking back into the kitchen, handing his mother the hand towel while he returned to the dishes, and Hiroki eyed him a bit before they finished up with their tasks in the kitchen, and Riku bade his parents goodnight.

As soon as he was in his room, he sat down on his bed and looked at the clock before sighing as he laid back, staring up at the ceiling while he thought about the conversation he had just overheard. He knew his parents had their secrets, and had most likely lead very different lives before having him; however, he at times wished that they would talk to him about it so he could understand the strictness of his father, and the subtle persuasions of his mother better. Yet, Riku was well aware that whatever their stories were, neither of them were prepared to tell him about it. Closing his eyes, Riku prepared to sleep, but found himself being forced to sit up and look towards the door as he heard a knock before it opened, and standing there was not his mother, but his father.

The man sighed as he carefully strode into his son's room and took a seat at the desk, the two of them in silence and dimness save for the bedside table's small lamp. When Riku was younger, his relationship with his father had been much better, but upon reaching his teenaged years, they had started having problems with one another, seeing things differently, and not being able to come to an equal ground as his father often refused to hear him out fully. Therefore, their relationship was strained from the time he was thirteen to now, and with him leaving tomorrow, Riku had a sneaking suspicion on what his father was here to do.

"Did you need something?" Hiroki sighed.

"Listen, I know you were listening in on the conversation between Akira and I," he said as Riku gave him a slightly surprised look.

"How did -" his father gave him a slight smirk.

"A ninja you are not my boy. You have no understanding of how to hide your presence or listen in on a conversation without others picking up on you. Admittedly, Sora has a better handle on it, though I'm not sure where he picked it up from. Regardless, you'd be smart not to do that without knowing what your doing," Hiroki pointed out as Riku gave him a confused look.

"And… what does this have to do with why your in here?" the man sighed.

"Honestly, it was easier to talk to you when you were younger, but, all the same, I suppose we had a rift form between us because I stopped listening and figured it was time to be tough on you like my father was… but as time has gone on, I've kind of started to realize that may not have been the wisest choice. I alienated you, and made it hard for us to keep a relationship that we should have been able to hold onto easily." cyan eyes widened.

"Are you… apologizing to me?" he asked, confusion in his tone.

"Yes, I am. I have my pride as a man, and I let stubbornness, and things that even I hated as a child sway me in how to handle you as a teenager because I remember some of the mistakes I made, and the things that those around me did, and my father wasn't fond of them." Riku frowned.

"Who wasn't my grandfather fond of?" Hiroki laughed.

"That's the right question alright… his biggest peeve was with a certain rambunctious troublemaker with copper hair and bright blue eyes. Had a habit of being mouthy, and was absurdly stubborn, but almost scarily intelligent," he mentioned as Riku thought about it for a moment.

"Sounds like Sora." Hiroki couldn't help the mirth that bled into his tone.

"It should, that person he couldn't stand was his father," he stated as Riku gaped momentarily.

"Are you serious? Is that why he always gave Sora that weird look when he was around?" Hiroki nodded.

"Yes, it was. He always warned me to keep you and Sora apart because he didn't think the boy would be a good influence on you, and to a degree I understood his reasoning as Sora's father was both a kind hearted soul, and a hurricane of danger and coldness when the mood struck him," he explained as Riku shook his head.

"Why was he like that? Granddad I mean…" Hiroki sighed.

"He grew up being trained to not let himself be overly moved by emotions or bonds. He knew comradery was important, but his upbringing was in a different era where there was a war going on, and I was raised in a post war environment where people were different from most, and by the time I was a teenager another war had broken out where I was raised. You know it was a different country, and I met your mother when I moved here…" Riku thought about the statement for a moment.

"What kind of wars were these exactly?" Hiroki cleared his throat.

"It's a touch complicated, but a lot of people suffered, and the village I called home was on the line twice… after the war was over, and I moved here, met your mother, and we were engaged, I learned that a friend of mine from the village had been killed in another attack in addition to his wife… it wasn't what I would call a good thing, but your mother and I went there to pay my respects, and well… soon after we were married and had you…" Riku glanced down.

"But your not telling me about names or times, why?" Hiroki smiled.

"Personally, its because I get the feeling that some day you'll learn about it in person, and that's a better experience than just learning about it from someone's mouth," he stated as Riku sighed.

"Fine, I understand your reasoning with that. Experience is better than reading about it… you'll get nowhere with that." Hiroki nodded.

"Without a doubt. Now, you better get to bed, its going to be a long day for you and the others tomorrow," he said as he stood and Riku nodded before his father reached forward, ruffling his hair before walking out of the room, shutting the door behind him as Riku stared after him.

{Seiren Household: 9:40pm}

"Where did I put this thing again?" Sora muttered to himself as he looked at the bookshelf in his room.

He was looking for a few missing novels, knowing that he wanted to get his room clean before leaving so to give his mom a little less to do, but was having quite a time finding a means to put everything up and back in order; however, as he looked at the bookshelf his mind began to recall that he'd packed a few of those books with him and sighed before sitting down in the middle of his floor, rubbing his temples as he tried to get himself to relax and begin unwinding for the evening so he could sleep, but his mind was ablaze with internal thoughts and questioning as the time continued to countdown to his departure. As he started to wonder if he was honestly making the right call or not for what felt like the thousandth time, a hand was gently placed upon his shoulder, causing him to look up and behind him to where his mother was.

"Oh, hey mom," he said as Himitsu frowned.

"You weren't surprised?" he shook his head.

"I had a feeling you were behind me," he stated as the woman hummed.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be to surprised. Your definitely your father's son… but you also look a bit distressed." Sora frowned.

"You could say that, I suppose," he mentioned.

"Would you like some warm tea? That might help you sleep." Sora smiled as he nodded, following his mother downstairs and into the kitchen where she'd already made two cups of warm tea with honey in it.

Sora sat down at the table, thinking about how many times his mother had done this exact same thing for various reasons. Nightmares, storms that would wake him up as a child, the troubles of school and those who harassed him, and the overall worries that children had. It never failed that his mother would make a cup of warm tea with honey in it and sit down to talk with him so ease whatever was on his mind, and it was one thing that he was glad to see hadn't changed.

"So, is this about you leaving tomorrow?" she asked as Sora blew on the warm liquid in the mug.

"Kind of… I know its the right choice, but it doesn't make it easier." Himitsu nodded.

"I can understand that sentiment. Leaving home is never an easy thing to do, that much is certain, but so long as your sure its the right thing, then there's no reason to ever doubt yourself," she stated. Sky-blue eyes glanced her over.

"I guess you've got a point there…" Himitsu reached out, touching his hand as their gaze met.

"Sora, your someone who always knows what they're doing is right because you don't question your heart and its intentions. You have the heart of a King, and the soul of a warrior, just like your father did," she said, reaching out to brush a bit of hair away from his face as he looked at her in questioning.

"You've said that to me before… but I guess you repeat things that work, huh? It makes sense to me… thanks, mom," he told her, placing a hand over the one on his face as Himitsu looked him over.

"He's grown up so fast, its such a mystery as to how time flew by like it did. One minute he was just a defenseless child, now he's a strong young man that's going to become someone amazing in the future… just like you predicted."

"Well, what are mom's for? Anyways, you better get finished with your tea and head to bed, tomorrow's going to be busy," she said as Sora nodded, doing as she said before giving her a hug, and telling her goodnight, leaving her in the silence of the house until she heard a strange sound from beside her, and looked over to see the mug on the table belonging to Sora had cracked, her dark eyes widened at the sight as she reached out to it, and felt of the crack in the ceramic.

"Please let this just be a coincidence… and not like what you told us, Tsunadae."

{.…}

'Til they're before your eyes…..

{.….}

Author's Note: Whew, sorry guys, I had some stuff come up that took longer than expected. But, at long last, Cypher is wrapping up, and soon, I should be moving onto the other stories on my roster. Come September, my uploads may slow as I start Larping (Live Action Role Play) during that month, but its just once a month, so I'll still be working on whichever story it is by that point. Well, let me know what you guys think, and I'll catch you in the next chapter!

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.