A/N: I am almost done editing. –dinosaur screech-
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"You're doing it wrong. It looks like you just crushed the present and left it to die," Yuffie said, looking blankly down at the rather smashed-looking wrapping job that Kairi had managed. The paper was wrinkled and scratched— you wouldn't even be able to guess whether it was a box underneath the paper, or a ball, or just some random blob. Kairi's cheeks were puffed out as she looked down at her work, embarrassment coloring her face a bright pink. Yuffie sighed and started to reach over. "Here, just let me do it for you before you—"
"No! I'm going to do it!" Kairi yelped, pushing Yuffie away stubbornly.
"You're going to butcher Leon's present," Yuffie snapped, frowning slightly as she tilted her head to the side. It was like she was trying to make sense of some obscure piece of artwork. Kairi mimicked the surveying, her lips pursed as a resigned expression settled over her features. She thought that she had done pretty well, if she was being honest with herself. She didn't really wrap presents normally, she usually brought them in bags they came in, or had her step-mother help her. Yuffie, in contrast, had wrapped almost a dozen presents so far this morning. Kairi had only managed this one and one other box; but to be frank, Aerith had helped her mostly with that one. Seeing the frustrated look on Kairi's face, and trying to help, Yuffie added: "Well…at least everybody will know which ones you wrapped."
"Gee, thanks," Kairi grumbled in response, reaching down and thumbing the hem of her shirt with a small scowl.
"Here, just let me do it, okay? You can go see if Aerith needs any help decorating the tree," Yuffie offered, leaning over and dragging the crumpled present away from Kairi, already sitting down and starting to work before the redhead could even reply. Her eyes were narrowed into thoughtful slits, and Kairi wondered dimly if the ninja was always this strict during Christmas. But despite the wonder, the young girl figured she had done enough damage here. Pushing herself up from the ground to stand, she turned for the corner and made her way over the tree in the corner.
Aerith, Leon, and Riku had finished making sure that the tree was set up well enough in a proper fir fashion. Aerith was busy unpacking all of the boxes that were filled with ornaments; Riku and Leon were looking on— they didn't seem to be very enthralled in what they were doing. That, or they just happened to be at an entire loss on what to do. Yet as the girl neared the group, she could tell that it was probably the latter.
Aerith was drawing out the first ornament, her lips pursed as she looked thoughtfully over the tree, picturing where the best place for it could be. She started at Kairi's arrival, turning back and already grinning at the sight of her. But before the brunette could say anything, Kairi cleared her throat, looking down at the box of ornaments with a small frown. "Hey, Aerith— I thought we were waiting for Sora to do that." Kairi nodded towards the tree, looking skeptical.
Aerith's smile wavered slightly, and she gave a small nod. "Well, tomorrow's Christmas," she pointed out, glancing out the window that overlooked the small cobblestone street laying in front of the cottage. "We've waited, but we just need to get it done at this point. I'm sure that Sora wouldn't mind in the slightest. Not with everything else going on."
Kairi blinked, turning and surveying the large room around her. Yuffie was busy wrapping the presents in the corner – much faster now that she didn't have Kairi to pose as her roadblock –, Cid was typing on the computer, under orders from Aerith as he tried to figure out how to change the background of his computer to something more related to Christmas. So far, he was only getting pretty frustrated, muttering about how everything was unimportant or trivial.
Riku and Leon were still standing off to the side, watching Aerith decorate the tree with mundane expressions. Axel was stringing up decorations around the house and the walls along with Goofy, Donald, and Mickey. The Nobody was looking a little irritated with the tedious work and by this point he was probably regretting offering this up in the first place. But he had made quick work of it so far, it seemed. So far, the house looked amazing. Wreaths and ribbons were strung out over the walls quite expertly done, actually. It definitely looked much more impressive and more….well, like Christmas.
From where she sat, Yuffie whispered harshly out of the corner of her mouth to the Nobody stringing up garland, the girl not even looking up from her wrapping as she spoke. "Wrong way. It's crooked like that." Axel started at her voice, looked back over his shoulder at her a moment, then turned around, his face pinched in anger and frustration as he fixed the near-mess-up with a grumble. Aerith glanced warningly over at Yuffie; it was clear that the ninja was beginning to micromanage. But the ninja's only reply was to stick her tongue out at her friend good-naturedly.
"Maybe you want to go help Axel?" Aerith offered when she turned back to Kairi, turning and giving a pleased hum as he found the specific spot for her ornament. Leon and Riku had finally went forward to start hanging the ornaments along with her, but they were much faster compared to the girl. Going with this pattern, Aerith's careful planning would cause her to only hang up four ornaments by the time the two men alongside her finished the entire box.
Kairi started to turn and make her way over to where Axel was standing along with the rest of their group. But her pace slowed, the girl blinking as a sense of awe folded over her features. The man was busy adding his own touch of sparkle to the decor. He was crafting up these small balls of flame that crackled and sparked every so often. He nudged them away and watched as they floated away idly, as if they were snowflakes.
She brightened and hopped over eagerly. "Axel!" The Nobody turned, turning and looking over at her with surprise. The teenager noticed at once that he didn't grumble or groan like he used to when he had first gotten here. He was much friendlier now, she realized. And, grinning, she came to a stop a few feet away from him. "Hey! That looks really good." She turned and surveyed the balls of fire with a grin. "Aren't they hot?"
Axel grinned, throwing her a sly look. "Go ahead; see for yourself."
Kairi blinked, seeming unsure. She hesitated, looking at him questioningly, as if she wasn't sure whether or not he was being serious. But he just crossed his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrows at the girl invitingly. So she turned and took in a small breath, reaching up and slowly getting on her toes to touch the nearest fireball, which was making its way lazily down to her. Her arm was braced, careful, in case she had to yank her hand back to herself. And she gritted her teeth in preparation for a stinging burn.
But it never came. The girl's eyes flew wide, and they rounded out with wonder and amazement. Her shoulders relaxed and she reached up again, letting her hand linger this time. Sure enough, her fingers were able to slide right through the fire without a single burn. And, reaching up, she cupped her hands around the small inferno and brought it down closer to her with a smile. She could hold it close and it wouldn't even sting. "That is so…" She turned and looked up at Axel, her eyes gleaming. "That is so cool!"
Axel grinned. He reached over and gave a sharp snap. And as she made this motion, the orange flames in the palms of her hands suddenly changed color. Instead, it glowed a dark green, and she looked up at the others to see that they had changed as well. They were all Christmas colors— red and green. Thrilled, the girl's grin grew even wider if such a thing was possible. She hopped up and down, giving out a sharp giggle as she looked back down at the one she held in her hand. She tossed it up into the air and watched it float away lazily. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had turned now, and they were watching her with a sense of amusement. "This is so great!"
Axel watched her with a small smile. But as he watched Kairi get up onto her toes and bat at the little things, the expression slowly faded away. It grew sadder— wearier. He turned, blinking. And slowly, he looked away from the girl over to the door that led upstairs. His smile was completely gone, and it was replaced by a much sadder one. A haunted one.
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Merlin cursed as he accidentally moved too sharply backwards from checking Sora's pulse. In not paying attention to where he was going, the old wizard knocked over the cup of water that had been resting on the bedside table up until this point. He tried to turn and catch it before it could fall, but even his magic spell came across as too slow. Thankfully the cup wasn't glass— it merely bounced against the ground and rolled away with a clatter. He looked over to the thing and let out a low sigh, turning away from the boy's bed and leaning down to retrieve the thing.
He scooped up the small dish and straightened, going over and placing it back on the wooden table. And turning back to the floor, he took out his wand, pointing it down to the ground and preparing himself to utter out a spell that could take care of the spill easier than he could. But his words were cut off as he blinked, suddenly aware of a small muttering directly behind him. Sora's forehead was creased over, the boy's mouth just barely moving as he muttered and mumbled under his breath. The boy was twitching and fidgeting in his sleep, tremors going up and down his spine. Merlin instantly forgot about the water, abandoning his work as he turned and rushed back to the boy. He had to stop moving around; otherwise he might reopen one of his wounds, and it could cause even more infection.
Merlin hesitated, reaching over and placing a firm but gentle hold on the boy's shoulder. He leaned down and blinked, trying to listen and make sense of what the young child was saying. Yet the words weren't clear— they were slurred and unfocused. But the expression that was written over the teenager's face was enough to cause enough concern for the wizard at the moment. He didn't want to wake Sora up if he didn't need to, the boy needed his rest. But he had to stop moving, and if he was having some sort of fit, then Merlin didn't just want to sit by and watch him suffer.
Reluctantly, he bit down on his lower lip, grimacing and moving his arm just slightly to give him a small shake. Doing anything more was not what he wizard had in mind. He was trying to be as gentle as he could, treating the boy as if he was made of glass or feathers. Yet he realized that a small movement was all that was needed— as soon as he shifted the boy to the side, he went rigid, his eyes flying wide open as a gasp scraped against his throat. Fear was alight in his gaze, and immediately, he tried to skitter backwards, yet he was stopped short as he flinched, the pain cutting off his movements entirely as he was forced to fall still.
Sora seemed wildly confused, the boy trying to look around as he best he could without moving his head around. Merlin shook his head, leaning down so that he fell into Sora's line of vision. The boy was gradually able to focus in on him, though he still breathed in and out shallowly, his breathing pattern fast and erratic. Merlin adjusted his hold on the boy's shoulder to a much gentler one, and, struggling to reassure the boy as much as he could, he dropped his voice into a calming whisper. "It's alright. It's alright, Sora; calm down. You're back at Hollow Bastian with us; you're safe. We got you away from the Organization. They're all dead. Nothing will come after you anymore, Sora, you're alright. You need to breathe."
Merlin pictured what Sora's response would be if he was his usual self. He might have been a little offended at the hint of being treated as if he was some kind of frazzled child. "Alright, then." He would turned away and put his back to the wizard so that Merlin wouldn't be able to see the odd look that had come over his face— which Merlin typically did anyway. He was teenager, after all; that was typically what happened when they were coddled in such a way. But now he seemed to be hanging on to every word, relying on the reassurances as he struggled to catch his breath and breathe easy once more. Slowly, Merlin took his arm away from Sora, coming to terms with the idea that the boy wouldn't move any more than he had already. The boy had already realized that any movement caused him pain; he wouldn't risk any excess agony if he could prevent it.
"I'm…I'm…?" Sora grimaced deeply, swallowing back a grumble of pain as he breathed out hard before trying to go out. "Where…where am I? I don't…"
Merlin nodded, having expected the question. After all, this room was new; he had never seen it before. It must have been part of what had gotten him to be so upset before when he'd woken up. Merlin hadn't been here when it had occurred— he had been cursing himself ever since he had gotten back to hear Aerith's report. At least he was here now; he could make up for his absence from before. "I added a new floor to my study." The old magician watched as intelligence slowly leaked back into the boy's eyes. His mind was starting to clear. "It seems as though things got too busy here to just cram everybody into the main level. The others wanted me to make the house bigger…I could only comply with their wishes." He grinned, trying to lighten the mood.
However if the boy could sense the man's efforts, it didn't show. His forehead just creased, the bandages around his face crinkling slightly from the movement. He tilted his head to the side, but the movement only seemed to bring him irritation as he just grimaced. Instead he blow out a huff of air and coughed, trying to clear his throat. "…Busy?" Sora tried to gauge the room a little bit more. "They're…they're busy doing…?" He flinched and swallowed thickly again. "Who's…who's doing what…?" He reached up with his good arm and pressed his hand against his forehead. He looked slightly nauseated.
He must not have remembered the others being around him when he woke up— that or he hadn't caught sight of them in the first place. He offered the boy a kind smile, sympathy alive in every feature of his face. "Well, they've all been very busy. For quite some time now, I suppose. They've been doing a range of things, yet by now I'd guess it's still about decorating."
"…They?" Sora was like a parrot, merely repeating every word that was handed to him. Confusion was thick in not only his head but his gaze as well. It felt like he was trying to make sense of a puzzle that was completely white; it was impossible to handle the huge mess that was in front of you unless you had help.
"Oh yes. They're all downstairs at the moment. Typically I stay up here to make sure you're alright. It certainly isn't as much of a trouble as it used to be— before I could hardly look away from you for a single moment. But I'm not all that great at decorating; and Aerith certainly becomes very nitpicky. Just yesterday she told me that I shouldn't use magic to handle the décor— that I was supposed to be careful and take my time with it all." He gave a small laugh, trying to wait and catch a glimpse of Sora's old smile. But the boy only looked sick and confused.
So he sobered and gave a small clear of his throat. His eyes darkened somewhat, and a small frown came over his face. "You gave us quite a shock, my dear boy. When you didn't come back from battling with the Heartless, we all figured that you went to make sure they were all gone." He could plainly see flicker of shadow come over the boy's face when he said this. And though he felt a sense of guilt from the child's reaction, he knew that he couldn't avoid the subject for too long. He just wanted to maybe clear some of the boy's befuddlement. "But when days went by…we knew that something had to be amiss."
"…Oh..." Sora looked down at himself, and at the blankets that were covering him. His eyes were haunted and hollow— it pained Merlin to look at such an expression on Sora, who was typically so upbeat and happy. His voice was small, and the man made a mental note that he had to offer the child some water at some point. His voice was dry and scratchy, punctured and cracked in several spots. "I…I called out for Leon. There were…there were too many of them, I couldn't…I couldn't last long." He closed his mouth and grimaced, bit down on his lower lip.
Merlin stiffened, his eyes rounding out in concern. Surely the boy couldn't think that this was his fault?
He tried to abandon the thought for now, and he moved on with a small clear of his throat. "Yes, Leon and Yuffie came back and told us what they had heard. They were very concerned— as everyone was, I assure you. We searched the town for a good three days…yet we could never seem to find anything." Sora blinked, looking up at this with a sudden perk. His blue eyes widened a fraction, a lump coming forward up to his throat. They had been…looking for him? Xemnas made it sound as if…immediately he regretted ever thinking that his friends could ever forget about him. Of course they went out to look for him! The thought of anything else seemed nothing but ridiculous now.
Merlin went on, unaware of the child's sense of shock. "Goofy and Donald went from world to world searching for you. They were under the impression that perhaps you had gone off to relax in some other world and try to get away from all this trouble going on. Nobody was about to disprove the idea; and we weren't able to blame you for wanting some time away either. But while they were out searching they ran into your three friends in Agrabah, and Genie had told them how you had tried to summon him. It was enough to ensure to us that the Organization had gotten some kind of a hold of you. And considering how they Organization had supposedly broken the summoning connection you tried to establish, we knew that we wouldn't be able to get to you easily."
Sora blinked slowly, staring off into space with a remorseful expression. It seemed so long ago when he had tried to get a hold of Genie with his charm. He had thought that at that moment it had all been for nothing. But…apparently it had ended up serving a purpose, right? He started to ask something else when all of a sudden he stopped short, blinking rapidly as he was pulled back down into focus. He perked, turning around and looking at the wizard with a sudden sense of urgency. Merlin frowned at the expression, his heart immediately twinging in pain as he looked at the boy's sorrowful expression. The teen's voice took a turn, and it was barely a whisper as he looked at the wizard sorrowfully.
He swallowed deeply and cringed. His voice was strained, and Merlin's heart almost ripped in two as Sora's lower lip began to tremble violently. "Merlin, I never…" He struggled to swallow back the thick lump in his throat. "I didn't mean to…" He shook his head and turned away, as if he couldn't bear to hold the man's gaze properly. "I didn't mean to let them die, Merlin. I really didn't, and if I could go back and change it I definitely wouldn't have even run the risk of…" He grimaced and backtracked. "I'm so sorry and I wish I could take it back but they died and it was because of me and ever since it happened I haven't been able to— if you could ever—"
Merlin went rigid and leaned over, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder once more. "Sora, Sora, shhh! Calm down!" The boy's breathing had begun to pick up and he pressed the heel of his hand hard into his forehead. Merlin quickly took his arm back down to the bed, fearing that the child would only make his headache even worse. "You need to calm down and breathe, Sora. Goofy and Donald are perfectly fine." The teenager stilled, his eyes opening once more as he turned and look over at him. His expression had fallen, and the boy's features were brought together in shock. Merlin tried to offer him a smile, but the grin was hard to pull off when he was faced with Sora's state. "Your friends are fine, my dear boy. We managed to heal them before any damage could be considered permanent."
Sora didn't speak for a heartbeat. They merely stared at once another as Sora swallowed this new piece of information. He seemed wrapped in disbelief and skepticism; it was like he was almost too afraid to believe him lest the information turned out to be false. And after a long moment, Sora broke the quiet, his voice the smallest rasp. "…Kairi." It wasn't really a question, but it wasn't a statement either. It was somewhere in between, almost. Yet the intended meaning was as clear as day.
The wizard's eyes softened, and he smiled reassuringly down at the boy. "She is perfectly fine. We got her in time too." Though his smile faded quickly to be replaced with a mournful stare as he looked over the boy's state. "I'm just so sorry that we could not do the same for you, my dear boy." Sora didn't respond, the boy taking up to staring off into space, a smallest ghost of a smile over his face as a sense of relief settled over him. Safe. Safe. The words rang in his head like a mantra. Nothing else mattered— they were safe. They were all safe. He was so stricken with relief that he was almost unaware when Merlin went on. "Of course, Riku was also very cross with himself for abandoning you. Which is to be expected, of course, but the young man was very beside himself."
"Riku?" Sora was chilled at once. He turned, ignoring the pain it caused. "…Riku's here?"
Merlin started, looking a little surprised. But then he stopped short, reminding himself of what Sora had missed and what he did not know. Obviously the boy hadn't been here to hear Goofy and Donald explain the situation concerning the teenager. He had been away, and even though he had technically seen his old friend, he certainly shouldn't have been able to recognize him. So that meant that he had to be very careful when proceeding. "Well, lad, it's very—"
The old wizard broke off, paling at the sound of a crash from the room below them. A shatter leaked up through the floorboards, and the wizard let out a small sigh as he realized it must have been his mother's vase. Nothing else could have made that noise, and he gave a small huff of irritation. You'd think that handling Christmas decorations wouldn't be this difficult. Or dangerous. From down below, he could hear a series of laughing and giggling. He could hear one voice rise out over the others to call out a sharp: "Fail!" A frankly odd response to what sounded like a mistake. This generation of today continually baffled the old man.
Merlin sighed. "It's like some kind of battle royale with Christmas."
He turned back to Sora and blinked, realizing that the child's expression had changed. His head was drooped to the side, and he was staring off to the side, obviously listening to the sounds of laughter make itself known. He was silent for a moment and then he swallowed, grimacing. "I want..." He paused and stiffened just slightly. He glanced over at Merlin, and the wizard spiked with concern at the sense of fear that seemed to flash through the child's eyes. The old man's eyebrows pulled together and his head tilted to the side. And he was acutely aware of the fact that he boy backtracked and corrected his wording, his voice a little smaller as he tried again. "Can I…can I go down there?"
Merlin looked pained, but he shook his head and forced himself to remain firm. "I'm afraid not, Sora. We spent enough time making sure that your wounds are dressed properly; we don't want you running and jumping about as soon as you wake up." Sora opened his mouth, trying to object. But quickly he snapped his jaw closed, swallowing his words back as he turned away instead. He closed his eyes and gave out a small, shivering sigh. Silence fell in between the two, and it was not a peaceful bout. It was heavy and disheartening— it was chafing. And guilt-inducing on Merlin's part.
In the newfound silence of the room, they both could hear the noises from below even clearer. Sora's expression resembled a deflated balloon, and Merlin couldn't stave off his growing sense of culpability. He tried to figure out another way they could go about this, but he knew for certain that there wasn't enough room for everyone to fit up here. Merlin certainly didn't want to stage up a pushing match at the bottom of the stairs, either. But he could understand the boy's sorrow. He had been gone for so long, and Merlin probably couldn't even fathom the amount of pain that he had been put through during his stay away.
The guilt in Merlin's chest expanded and expanded until it was near unbearable. To put it very mildly, the wizard knew without a doubt that he now had a particularly strong soft spot for the keybearer. "You're not going down there." He repeated his decision from before, and he was acutely aware of the boy's disappointment as he sighed under his breath. And, clearing his throat, he leaned over and smiled down kindly at the boy. And, softly, he finished the thought. "At least not without me helping you."
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Merlin had thankfully bought the thing earlier this morning with Cid while they went out for more medical supplies. A good thing too— he should have foreseen the boy's need and want to get up and see everyone as soon as he was awake. A wheelchair was needed, and it was needed at once. A levitation spell could had been used as well, but this one option was more secure. He used the spell to help transition Sora into the chair, because a manual scramble could have brought on more harm than good with him. And the levitation was used to get down the stairs as well.
Sora was dutiful the entire time, he didn't even try to object to getting in the chair— he was probably just happy that he could go downstairs as it was. And if he was being truly honest with himself he would have realized that walking himself was near impossible at the moment. He was silent the entire time they got organized, but Merlin was acutely aware of the guilt that seemed to be heavy in his eyes as he was taken care of. Once again, he had to wonder whether or not the child was blaming himself for all of this. But he decided that such a hard question shouldn't be brought up now. So Merlin kept quiet, and, bracing himself against the flood that was likely to meet their appearance, the wizard leaned over and opened the door.
At first, nobody noticed them amid all the bustling and hustling that was going on around the room. Leon stood in front of the tree, looking fit to kill and way past annoyed. He held an ornament in one hand, and with the other, he was rubbing his forehead with a growl. And his sense of irritation was made quickly obvious. Aerith was breathing down his neck, watching his every movement with a sharp eye. Every time that the man attempted to hang the ornament somewhere on the tree, Aerith would immediately shake her head, criticizing his every move. She wasn't even hanging up her own ornaments in her haste to make sure that Leon wasn't 'ruining' the entire tree.
Axel was in the middle of chucking the stapler down onto the ground, letting out a very loud curse as he held one of his hands tightly in the other. Goofy and Donald were standing next to him, their eyes wide as they watched the Nobody stomp on the ground with a deep cringe. Mickey turned over to them and began to say something, looking concerned. But no sooner did he open his mouth did the wreath that was hanging overhead fall off from its nail, slamming down and hitting the mouse like he was some kind of circus ring game.
Yuffie blinked, only glancing over the King before she turned back to what she was doing, not even pausing to apologize for the blunder. The red-head was sitting up on Riku's shoulders, wobbling and wavering as she tried to keep her balance on her friend. Though holding onto the doorway made it all a little easier for her. Riku seemed frustrated, his cheeks blown out as he shot a glare over at Yuffie. But the ninja didn't react to his impatience, too busy coaching Kairi on where she should put the mistletoe she was holding in her free hand. "No, I said over to the side more," the girl said, a little irritably. Made one wonder how long they had been trying to do this.
"Could you hurry it up?" Riku grumbled, trying his best to keep hold of the girl's ankles and keep her upright.
"Right here?" Kairi leaned out, moving the mistletoe over so that it was more to the right.
"I have an idea!" Riku huffed. "Why don't we go and get a ladder?!"
"Yeah, that's perfect. Go ahead and hang it right there." Yuffie ignored Riku's shout, giving Kairi a thumbs-up instead. The redhead brightened and turned, letting go of the doorframe and tying the plant in place. And in doing so, she only became more wobbly, much to the disappointment of Riku, who grumbled and groaned as he tried to shift her into the correct spot.
Merlin frowned. It seemed as though the Christmas preparations were taking a lot more difficulty than what was really needed in the first place. Wasn't this supposed to be fun?
Sora's breath caught in his throat as he saw all his friends in front of him…all in front of him and all in the same place at one time. It didn't seem possible; it seemed like it was all some kind of dream that could shatter if he moved a single inch. Only the solid touch of the wheelchair he was in and Merlin's hand on his shoulder proved that it was anything more. But it still seemed too good to be true. He had a hard time bringing himself to believe what was right in front of him.
Goofy and Donald were here. They were off to the side, having dissolved into a fight as they tossed tinsel and garland at each other. Kairi was giggling, shaking back and forth as she tried to arrange herself steady enough in order to secure the mistletoe where it needed to be. Even Axel was there, having stooped over to pluck the wreath off of the King and help him wriggle it out. Before Sora knew it, the boy was smiling— smiling wider than he thought was even possible. His eyes pricked and burned, and his chest suddenly constricted, almost suffocating.
Kairi managed to put the plant in the doorway without much more difficulty. Looking down, the redhead opened her mouth, turning over to look back at Yuffie with a triumphant grin. Yet as she looked down, she perked, her gaze catching on the far end of the room where Sora was seated in front of Merlin. She whipped around, her eyes wide as her mouth fell open. Sora felt his stomach drop and his shoulders go rigid. He was suddenly aware of what he looked like. He was seated awkwardly in the wheelchair, barely able to keep upright without burning with pain— so he was leaned a little to the side, not comfortable at all. His face was raw with agony, and though he hadn't been able to see himself yet, he could feel how unusually baggy his clothes were.
Kairi opened her mouth to shout something, but before she could get anything out, she capsized. She wasn't able to keep herself upright, and, with a frustrated groan from the person holding her up, she tipped forward and took them down with her. The two fell down in a heap on the ground instead, and Kairi wheezed, the breath being driven out from her in a sharp exhale.
Yuffie blinked, raising her eyebrows at the sudden tip-over. Turning, the ninja looked over to follow Kairi's gaze, looking unnerved. And as her eyes landed over on the brunet, at first her expression stayed unchanging. She just blinked rapidly, only looking faintly surprised. A wave of self-consciousness struck Sora, and the teenager swallowed, quickly unable to hold the ninja's stare as he looked down at the ground instead. But then Yuffie snapped out of her shock, a wide grin folding over her face as she let out a loud yell. And, already rushing forward, she probably meant to yell something along the lines of: "It's Sora! He's up!" But, in her shocked rush, it just came out more like: "St- it's- what- Sora!" She was running so fast that she almost tripped over herself three times on her way over. But she just charged ahead, her arms flinging out at her sides.
The others immediately snapped to attention with the cry. Most of them seemed confused, until they looked up and saw what was transpiring in front of them. Kairi didn't wait a single second, scrambling up from the ground and giving chase after her friend. Without thinking, Yuffie stooped down, reaching out and embracing Sora probably much too tight for his state. His right arm was crushed against his chest painfully with the squeeze, and the boy immediately let out a screech, unprepared. Though he quickly tried to choke it back, feeling a rush of embarrassment as Yuffie pulled away quickly, Merlin letting out a sharp yell. "I'm so sorry!" Yuffie yelped, taking a step backwards and trying to help right Sora.
The teenager grimaced, but before he could get a single thing out, the ninja was sweeping on.
The others were quickly flocking over to gather around Merlin and Sora. And while Sora was looking at everyone around him, Merlin's eyes were only aimed at Sora, the wizard seeming anxious. The child seemed a little bit overwhelmed at the moment, and he was starting to regret bringing him down here so soon. Maybe he should have waited. But if Yuffie noticed his expression, she certainly wasn't being conscious of it. Instead her hands flew up to her hair, and she stomped on the ground for emphasis. "You scared the living crap out of me, Sora!" She looked a cross between wildly furious and wildly ecstatic. "You scared me half to death— no, you scared me way more than half to death! You got everybody soworried, we thought you were dead!"
Sora was wilting, and he was biting down on his lower lip, looking far more than upset. Merlin turned and gave the dark-haired girl a sharp look of warning. Sora was already worked up enough; this wasn't helping. And, catching the stare, the girl took in a quick breath and smiled, her voice immediately softening as she leaned over and put her hand lightly on his shoulder. "Never mind, never mind. I'm just…I'm sorry, I'm just so glad that you're okay. Forget about everything else." She grinned, and her eyes were softer— tearful. And her grin only got waterier as Sora offered her a small smile.
The teenager turned, looking at everyone who was gathered close and wincing a little bit at the pain it invoked. His eyes met Axel's, and the boy stiffened, realizing that the Nobody seemed…sad. His green eyes were sorrowful as he looked at Sora in the wheelchair, and his posture was more deflated. He was the polar opposite from what he had been before Sora had come into focus. And standing beside the redhead was the man that Sora had seen before back when he had first woken up. It was…Ansem. The man met his gaze and seemed very aware of the fact that fear seemed to freeze itself over the boy's face. He wilted, looking a little disappointed. Yet Sora could only bite down on his lower lip, trying to suppress the need to struggle up to his feet and increase the distance between them.
Kairi pushed forward, replacing Yuffie as her friend took a step back for her. And for a moment they were both silent, the two teenagers only staring at one another, as if unsure of what they were supposed to say. Sora was searching his mind for anything that could account for himself. But there were no words that would describe his guilt, his sorrow. She had nearly died because of him. He couldn't describe the pain that he had fostered when he was holed up, not knowing whether she had lived or died for his sake. Even if he could get his mind around it, he wasn't sure whether or not he had the voice for it.
But Kairi seemed to understand already. Her eyes were brimming with emotion, and there was a soft, tender smile on her face as she gave a small nod. When she opened her mouth, he thought that he was braced for anything. But what she said caused a stroke of confusion to strike him instead: "Sora…that's Riku." It was a whisper, but it might as well have been a yell by the look that Sora gave her. He looked at her like she had just morphed into some kind of a fruit.
Hesitantly, he looked back at the Ansem-look-alike, his eyebrows pulled together. And for a heartbeat, he could only look between him and Kairi, looking lost. He thought it was some kind of joke. He had to be pulling her leg…right? That wasn't Riku— it didn't look a single thing like him! They all looked different; Kairi looked different in a way, and he was sure that he looked like a ghost of his former self at the moment. But…this was just too much. It wasn't…
Kairi was waiting for him to say something – anything –, but he never got the chance to. Goofy and Donald chose this moment to push forward through the throng of friends. They were armed with smiles and toothy grins, and Sora immediately became sidetracked. Looking at them, and remembering the last time that he had seen them, he forgot about everything else. He wasn't aware of it at first, but after a heartbeat, Sora realized that he was crying. He was crying in front of everyone, and he could tell that everyone immediately jerked to attention at it. Another hot sense of shame rushed over him, but he couldn't stop himself. Something about seeing everything made Sora snap all over again.
He could see the wounds and scars that his friends were bearing. He could see a new scar etched across Leon's left arm. He could see a scratch on Goofy's face, and a rather large bruise over Donald's eye. Yuffie bore her own injury, and even Cid did as well. Aerith had a gash on her cheek, and he had seen Merlin with a bandage over his hand on the way down. Goofy and Donald had nearly died because of him. Everyone had put themselves into danger on his part, and his sense of guilt was becoming too much to bear. So he ducked his head down and buried it away into his hands, cringing as his shoulders shook haphazardly.
Donald let out a small, sad noise, rushing forward and hugging Sora, being as gentle as humanely possible as he made sure he didn't hurt him. Goofy marched forward as well and reached out, placing a hand lightly on top of his shoulder. Kairi's eyes rounded out with sorrow, and she reached up to rub her arms, as if she was suddenly colder than normal. Leon winced, taking a small step forward and speaking up. "Hey, Sora…don't beat yourself up." His voice was soft and worried. Looking closer, there was a sense of hot anger in the back of his eyes, as if he wanted to track down the Organization and kill them all over again. And it was clear that the feeling was mutual with everyone else as they looked at the boy who was now sitting in a wheelchair. "It's alright, it's all over now, right? Nothing else is going to happen, I promise."
It was a few moments before Sora responded, still hiding away his face. Merlin grimaced, watching the young boy with a nervous expression, shifting where he stood behind the chair. If the boy was going to get worked up, he had to leave. Anxiousness and sorrow would do nothing but hinder his ability to recover. It would bring on depression and deep sorrow. "I'm sorry…" Sora managed finally, his voice shaking and shivering like a leaf. "I'm sorry for worrying everybody…a-and putting you all in danger…it's— it's all my fault. I didn't meant to…I should have—" He broke off, unable to finish.
Mickey stepped forward now, clearly disheartened by the boy's actions. Yet, like Leon, there was a strong feeling of anger that lingered in the back of his eyes as well. "It's not your fault, Sora." His voice was slightly choked with anger, but he fought to keep it steady and collected as best he could. "It's the Organization's fault. It's Maleficent's fault. It is notyour fault, at all. Don't you dare start thinking that. Both of them are dead, we all made sure of it. You don't have to feel guilty and you don't have to feel like you're in danger." Then, his expression softened, his tone becoming a tad quieter now. "You don't have to feel bad, Sora. None of this is your fault. I promise."
Sora didn't reply. His arms dropped into his lap, and he kept his head down, looking down at the ground and staring ahead miserably. Everyone fell silent, and they exchanged heavy stares, unsure of what to do from this point on. After a moment, Yuffie started to speak up, the girl's face plastered with a smile and her eyes shining encouragingly. "Sora, have you seen our decorations yet?" She turned, gesturing back to all the work they had done. "It took a while, but we're just about ready! It's Christmas Eve, did you know that? Tomorrow will be Christmas, and we'll make it the most amazing holiday experience of your life! We promise!"
Leon looked over at her, his eyes narrowed as he whispered: "Now might not be the best time."
Yuffie's eyes flashed, and he replied just as softly. "We need to focus on something other than what happened to him. Obviously he doesn't want to talk about it, and until he can, we have to make it seem at least a little normal around here." Her eyes were harsh as she said this, her hands on her hips as she spoke low enough so that Sora couldn't hear. It was Sora's first time awake in, what…weeks? They shouldn't be upsetting him like this in bringing up everything that happened. They should be trying to distract him instead.
Aerith stiffened, her eyes suddenly widening. "The cookies!" She turned on her heel and started to rush off. "I was supposed to pick the cookies up from the bakery ten minutes ago!" She turned and tore away from the others, streaking for the door. Yuffie blinked, turning and raising an eyebrow at the sudden exit. Hadn't Aerith already made some herself? How many cookies did they even need? At this rate, they were going to have so many cookies, they would be forced to roll wherever they wanted to go. They sure as heck wouldn't be able to walk anymore.
Merlin cleared his throat imploringly, earning back everyone's attention. "You should all keep going along with your preparations," Merlin announced, glancing over at the clock that was on the wall. "It's about four right now, we should all be done in maybe an hour. So go on; get to work." The meaning was clear enough to everyone, though. 'You should probably all leave Sora alone for a while. Don't bother him.'
The crowd grasped the meaning and they all nodded, complying easily and melting back into whatever they were doing. Yuffie walked back over to Riku and Kairi, leaning over and clearing her throat. "We have one more mistletoe." She reached down into her pocket and withdrew the decoration. "We have to decide where to hang it." Kairi and Riku glanced at one another. It was obvious that they would rather have tried to stay with Sora. But Merlin wasn't one to be questioned, and it was clear that the wizard wanted Sora to be as alone as possible. And Riku probably wasn't the best person to walk forward at this time. So they all turned, heading back to hunt out the perfect spot for the sprig.
Sora was silent. He watched everyone mill back to what they were doing, his gaze heavy. Everyone left except for Donald and Goofy, who lingered close beside him. Sora sniffed, looking sobered as he sighed, looking back down at the ground. And for a long time, it was silent. No one tried to speak. Until Goofy spoke up, seeming concerned as he looked over at the boy. "Do ya wanna go back upstairs?" His voice was gentle as he asked this, unsure of how he would reply.
Sora lifted his good arm and rubbed at his eyes roughly. He opened his mouth to say something, but immediately shut it. Axel had turned, going outside rather than back to what he was doing. Remembering the remorseful look the Nobody had worn earlier, Sora drew himself up, glancing over at Goofy. "Help me—" He blinked, seeming unsure. And, shaking his head, he backtracked. "Could you help me follow Axel?" Goofy and Donald seemed surprised at the request, and they turned to look questioningly at Merlin. But the Wizard had gone to the other side of the room, opening the medicine drawer and examining its contents carefully. They couldn't ask for his permission. So, exchanging a nervous glance, they both did as their friend asked.
Making slow progress towards the door, Goofy and Donald expected somebody to try and stop them as they wheeled Sora towards the door. But nobody did. They turned, looking over at group and seeming curious. But none tried to get the three to stop. Sora tried to hold himself steady as he was wheeled along, grimacing at the tension that was in his muscles from being forced to hold such an uncomfortable position. But as they went out and as the boy caught sight of Axel, he immediately called out. The Nobody had walked down far— he was almost about to round the corner. "Axel! Axel wait!"
The redhead started, stopping in his tracks and turning back to look at him. For a moment, neither spoke, blue eyes clashing with green as, at first, neither of them knew what exactly to say. Or maybe they were just frowning in the fact that there was just too much to begin with. Sora's eyes were still a little red and puffy, but now they seemed to hold at least a little bit of what the keybearer had been before. Intelligent, concerned, and maybe…you could say…a little wise. "Where are you off to?" He turned and looked over in the direction that the man had been heading.
Axel winced. But he answered, all the same. "I dunno."
"You aren't thinking of leaving…are you?" Sora demanded, his nose scrunching up.
The other was silent.
"So…you just don't think I'm worth it anymore?" Sora asked, his voice softer now— more hurt. "I'm not worth staying around with now that I'm not going to die?" Goofy and Donald watched the exchange, their full concern levelled for Sora as they stared anxiously the boy's way. But he tried not to focus on it too much. He tried to focus solely on Axel. And he stared at the Nobody sorrowfully, Axel staring at his just as much so. "You were going to leave…without even saying goodbye?" Sora's voice was barely audible by the end.
Again, he was silent for a long pause. "I just…I can't stick around," Axel managed, glancing down at the ground. "This is your life. It's not mine." He levelled out his stare, a trace of a frown crossing over his features again.
Sora blinked rapidly, his forehead creasing. "It can be your life," he pressed, his blue eyes weighted down with grief as he stared anxiously at Axel. But his friend still didn't reply, unable to look at him it seemed as he turned to the side. But Sora wasn't about to give up. He locked his jaw backwards, his eyes narrowing. "I saw you before you saw me. Back when you were decorating. You looked…happy. A lot happier than I've seen you in a long time. So…why would you change your mind so quickly?"
Axel shook his head, shutting his eyes briefly and biting down on his lips. And after a second he finally exploded, turning and looking over at Sora with a hard stare. His hands clenched into fists, and his stare held a sorrowful kind of stare. "What made you waste your last potion on me!? Why did you do that!?" The man finally blustered the question that he had been wondering for weeks on end.
Sora cringed away, grimacing from the scathing question. For a moment he had no idea what to say. He could hardly remember that far back— not when his head was already acing and throbbing. And just thinking back to it caused his stomach to seize and clench. Goofy tightened his hold on the handles of Sora's wheelchair at the boy's reaction, growing concerned. And Donald scowled, taking a step forward as if to make some kind of attack at the Nobody. But Sora shook his head, holding him in place.
Fuzzy images of that night crammed themselves into Sora's head, and he flinched away from each one that seemed to knock themselves inside. He remembered Xaldin's leering gaze, he remembered a jolt of white-hot pain streaming up his arm; he could see Axel's blurred, worried face hovering over him, and muffled shouts of his name. They all rushed by in less than a moment, but it was enough to leave Sora feeling sickened and shaking. When he finally managed to get a hold of himself, he spoke up, his voice a small mumble now. "I thought you knew why." Sora stared up at Axel, but the Nobody still did not glance at him. He went on regardless. "I did it because you're my friend. I would never have been able to take the potion for myself and leave you there dying. I wanted to help you— it's what friends do."
"No, Sora— you should have taken it. You didn't owe me a single thing," Axel snapped, Sora biting on the inside of his cheek as he shut up. "I didn't deserve anything like that. Without me, you would have been able to take the potion and gone to your friends. You would have been fine, and this whole ordeal could have been avoided. Do you know how awful it was? To realize what had happened? To wake up and be fine just to see that you weren't? I felt awful! This entire time I've felt awful! Not to mention that everyone's blamed me for what's happened up until like four days ago! And it wasn't like I could really blame them for thinking that when I did too!" He shook his head. "You should have just gone on without me, Sora."
Sora felt anger rise up to color his face. "Without you?" he repeated the words as if he'd never heard of them before. "Axel, without you, I would still be in that stupid castle! Heck, I would be probably dead by now without you! You were the one to help get me out of that place! It doesn't matter what happened before, during, or after any of that mess! You were my friend when I had none, and I knew without a doubt that you wouldn't waste the potion if I gave it to you! Not just leave and go into hiding. I thought you were above that." He paused, looking him up and down. "Are you going to prove me wrong? Is that what you're trying to do?"
"Sora…it was nice. I'll admit that." Axel looked past Sora and over to the house, which had gotten strangely quiet. He seemed frustrated, trying to retain control of himself as he shook his head. "But… I mean— just say it. I'm a Nobody, just like Roxas is. I don't belong anywhere…at least, not permanently. The only place for me was the Organization. I'm not complaining that they're gone, but I don't belong anywhere unless it's in a group like that. I don't have anywhere else to go or anything else to do."
"You know you weren't anything like those people," Sora replied frostily.
"But at least they understood. No one here understands what it's like. And I just can't stay. I knew I would have to leave eventually. And now that I know you'll be alright, it's time for me to move on. And who knows? Maybe I'll see you again someday. But it just won't be here." He let his gaze hold Sora's for a few moments more, but then he turned, hunching his shoulders and starting to walk away again.
Sora closed his eyes, shaking by now from exhaustion, despite the fact that all he had done was sit still. Donald spoke up, his voice cold as he glowered at Axel's retreating form. "Let's go back inside, Sora." He turned and looked over Sora's injuries and wounds. They couldn't stay out here for much longer; he needed to rest. "Merlin will start to get mad if we stay out here any longer…and you really should rest some more…" He trailed off, twitching as he realized that Sora wasn't listening to him at all.
"You're wrong, Axel!" Sora yelled, his eyes narrowing. Axel stopped short, but he didn't turn around. Sora pursed his lips briefly, sighing for a moment before shaking his head. "You said you were 'just a Nobody.' But you're wrong. You're more than that. And you're wrong about Roxas too. Roxas may be a Nobody. But he's my Nobody. And you're my friend. It doesn't matter that you don't have a heart, I don't care about that at all. And nobody else cares about that either. What matters most is that you have people like me, who care about you and want you to stay here. With us."
Axel still didn't move.
Sora took a deep breath, struggling to steady himself. He was really tired by now— his head was pounding and it was hard to get his vision to stay steady. "I guess I can't make you stay." He looked away, his chest constricting all over again. "But…just know that after everything that's happened…I don't regret anything I did. And I hope you don't regret it either. Because you shouldn't. …We made it." Despite the triumphant words, his voice was dripping with sadness. He ducked his head and looked down at ground, pained.
When he looked up, Axel was gone.
Sora leaned down and held his head in his hands. Silently, Goofy grabbed hold of his wheelchair and started to wheel him back into the house. They looked saddened as Sora folded in on himself, the motion causing his injured skin to twitch and pull painfully. And as soon as they came back in, Merlin flew forward, already scolding the three for having broken the rules already. But Sora wasn't paying attention. He looked over through the window that looked out to the front of the house. But Axel was gone.
It felt like somebody had just punched him square in the stomach on top of everything else. Sora leaned down, reaching up and pressing his hand to his forehead with a grimace. And, moving, he caught sight of…'Riku' staring at him from the corner of the room. Sora raised his eyes slightly to meet his, but he could not stave the anxious look off of his face. Riku started to walk forward towards him, but Sora looked away pointedly instead. He shook his head and grimaced.
He didn't move for a heartbeat, his eyes shut tightly as he tried to breathe evenly again. A pressure rested itself lightly on his shoulder, and Sora's head snapped up at once, his joints locking together. But instead of Riku standing beside him, it was Kairi. The girl's blue eyes were soft and she offered her friend a small smile despite the pain that was written over his face. "It'll be okay." She made the promise earnestly, wishing that she could do more to help him. "It'll all be better now."
Sora stared at her anxiously. "How do you know?"
She didn't reply. She just stooped down, bending low and hugging him gently, as to not harm any of his injuries. Sora sighed shakily and closed his eyes in a small wince. But he didn't draw away. And, reaching out with his good arm, he returned the embrace.
It wasn't the reunion he had been wanting. Had been waiting for.
But it he guessed that it was the best he was going to get now.