~Outside Dasbma uv Rettah Rayndc~~Outside Temple of Hidden Hearts~

"Yes . . . yeah, I know." A light shove. Glass shattering. "Dammit! What? No, no, it ain't you. Just dropped something."

He picks up a shard. He repositions the phone. "Look, I don't care how much it's going to cost. Yes, I am aware of their limitations! Can I please speak to the supervisor?"

A pause. "No . . . all the other hospitals . . . " His voice cracks and he clears his throat. "They don't know what's wrong. No one knows. All three of them. Just . . . stuck in some kind of coma."

A longer pause. He's sweating. "No, their vitals are normal. They . . . they're getting nutrition somehow. Yes . . . yes, they don't need food or water . . . the hell am I supposed to know?!"

He slams his fist against the table. "Look, can you help my daughter or not?"

Rain. Pouring rain. So loud, no one outside hears him shout. "That's ridiculous. Listen here, I'm not quitting, understand me? I'm. Not. Quitting. I've already lost her, twice! You may refuse me but damn if I can't find a cure! I'm not letting you or anyone else get in the way of my daughter's recovery!"

The sound of the phone being slammed echoes throughout the house. He stares at it for a moment, then leaves the room. His footsteps produce cracking sounds from the dry wood beneath him. The sound stops when he enters her room.

It's a modest bedroom, perfect for one person. He walks over to the bed, running a hand through his daughter's crimson hair. With a shaky breath he sits in the chair beside her, glancing at the two boys laying near her. The tall one, Riku, was leaning against the foot of her bed. Sora was closer, laying against the middle of the bed, one hand unconsciously gripping his daughter's fingers.

That's new. He was holding her hand completely before. She'll slip away from his grasp.

The positions mattered. Every time he came to the room it was different. In the beginning the movements had been subtle, but now the changes were vast enough to make him feel anxious whenever he left the room.

They had started off unconscious. After they were sucked into some strange, black liquid he found their comatose bodies in Kairi's room. They were all sitting up, all asleep in some dreadful nightmare he couldn't see. But they were connected; Sora sat in the middle, holding them together physically. That first week, though they all showed signs of breathing, he couldn't feel their heart beats individually. When he placed his hand on Sora's chest he felt three simultaneous beats.

The anomaly was never explained, no matter how many hospitals he took them to. Just getting doctors to operate on them became tricky. Sora's grip couldn't be broken, no matter how hard someone tried to pry the teens' fingers apart from his friends. They all had to be worked on as if they were one person.

That was the beginning. But then they started moving. It made no lick of sense, but last month Riku somehow moved from being next to the trio to being on the floor, head bobbing against the middle of the bed. Now Sora was in his place with one hand gripping Kairi's fingers and the other twitching every few seconds, pointing towards Riku's body.

This troubles Mr. Warner more than he'd like to admit.

He's a simple man, a man who prefers straightforward solutions. But for all his reputation, authority, and practicality, he was no better than the string of incompetent doctors he had wasted a fortune on. Kairi's life was on the line and he couldn't do anything but watch her journey unfold.

He stares out the window, barely able to perceive anything past the rain riding down the glass in streams. His stern voice betrays his inner turmoil. "Can't say I'm surprised to see you like this. Sleeping...you've battled your whole life to stay awake, explore the world. You probably don't remember all those fainting spells you used to have. Random, irrational at the core. Why, if it weren't for your mother I would have kept you on lockdown."

His forced chuckle combines with the sound of the rain as he moves a stray piece of hair away from his daughter's pale face. "I understand. You may think I'm close minded. But I've noticed things you've ignored." He swallows. "You've been lost for a while . . . years have passed and we still have no idea where you came from . . . who you really are."

"I've done my best to push the theories aside. Your mother and I . . . well, we had wanted to start a family for a while. Extra drama aside, you were our second chance. The moment we saw you for the first time . . . it's not something I can describe." He moves his hand back, frowning. "But . . . we've forgotten that you were never really ours."

Thunder accompanies the rain and he stands warily, nodding briefly towards Sora and Riku. "You three were always connected. I guess it's not for me to fully understand. Your destiny, what you've all been through to stand up for what you think is right . . . I don't know if I should be proud or skeptical."

"But that's beside the point. I realize that now." He grunts, stretching. "Whether you hear this or not, Kairi, know that I'm always here. I may not have the same power as your friends. But if a positive thought is what counts then . . . that will be my contribution." He reaches forward, messing with Sora's infamous hairdo. "Keep them safe, kid." He hesitates then sighs, turning his head to the side as he mutters, "Don't forget yourself either. Otherwise I'll never here the end of it."

He met his quota. There was only so much time he could spend conversing with sickly teens who couldn't understand a word he'd spouted. With a heavy sense of determination he closes the door to their room, his weary heart hoping their next movements would signify a silver lining in the midst of his pessimistic clouds of darkness.


This is more of a breather chapter of sorts (a test if you will). As filler-ish as this is, I hope the condition Sora, Kairi, and Riku are in is made a little more clear. If you're still confused that's perfectly fine cause it will all be explained towards the end of this story.

Besides important info, I chose Kairi's father for three main reasons:

1) To answer Sookdeo's question in concerns to Kairi's dad (as it happened to fit into the plot the way I wanted it to).

2) Take a breather, as mentioned above, because the next few chapters is going to be rough for everyone involved (mainly me).

3) With my exceptional humor skills I had sights set on posting this delectable offshoot on April 1st. That obviously failed (derp) but again, it's the thought that counts.

As always, thank you for the favorites/follows and reviews. All support is appreciated and I'm going to need it to get these upcoming battle scenes right.

Until next time, folks!

Justice T.