Hello hello everyone! PLEASE READ THIS VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE BEFORE CONTINUING!
Thank you so much for making it this far! I hope you have enjoyed reading reading Sora's story thus far, and thank you for sticking with me until the end!
I just wanted to take this note to please remember that I am not these characters, and that they're knowledge is different from mine. The kids are kids, and don't know everything about the world yet, so things they feel/know/are upset about may seem exaggerated or pointless, but to them is very real.
I say this because this chapter deals with some heavy topics, and I fear someone may attempt to message me to "correct me" on one of the issues presented here. Again, just because they get something wrong, does not mean I actually think or believe this. This is what they actually thought at the time, and did not learn the truth until later. Please keep that in mind as you read. :)
And with that, off we go!
Time passed, and as the days progressed, so did Kairi's strength.
The doctor didn't "ok" the shake right away, but when he did, she drank it sometime after breakfast.
"Oh," she grimaced with a laugh the first time she tried it. "She's right, it doesn't taste very good. Oh, well, if it helps," she conceded, and gulped down the whole thing (though it was only a small cup).
They were getting sick of each other, being in the same space day in and day out. Though neither wanted to say it out loud. However, Sora's constant cheer was getting to the point of making Kairi suspicious.
"Sora, is everything alright?" she asked him sincerely one day. "I feel like you're hiding something."
And of course, because Sora wasn't consciously keeping any secrets from her, he was confused. "Uh, no? I'm feeling pretty good right now."
She let that be the end of it, because he didn't seem like he was lying, but she couldn't help but think that, given the circumstances, he was being a little too happy; a little too encouraging.
Wasn't he worried about home? His parents? Grumpy at being essentially locked in a room all day everyday, when she knew him to naturally be an active, adventurous spirit?
Kairi had known him for a long time, and seeing this limited range of emotion on him felt…
Weird.
But either way, time still passed, and the kids still recovered. More or less.
"Your stitches have healed up, and your appetite is back to normal," The doctor told him, after several more weeks had passed. "You should be safe going back home now."
"That's good," Sora conceded. "I was starting to wonder when I'd be let out."
"I'm sorry we can't keep you longer," the doctor said, "but we can't reasonably keep you."
"I get it," Sora stretched, and laced his hands behind his head as he flopped back. "Can't stay here forever. I was getting bored anyway. Man, it's gonna suck getting back to work, though," he joked. "I was getting pretty used to just taking naps whenever I wanted."
"You lazy bum," Kairi chided. "What happened to you being more responsible?"
"I'm plenty responsible," he argued. "I'm just not hard-working."
She giggled, and the doctor felt relieved the boy was taking everything in good stride.
"The mayor will be coming to pick you up in a couple days," he told him. "She just needs to wrap up a few things first." He turned to Kairi. "And when she gets here, we'll discuss with her whether or not she wants to keep you here a few more weeks, or take you home now."
Kairi nodded to show she understood, but otherwise was quiet. Despite her condition, her appetite had finally returned, and she was much closer to eating normally now. Really, all she needed was food to help get her strength back.
But she also had no idea what "physical therapy" really was or what it entailed. Was it just exercise? Specialized practice of movement? She could just do that at home, right? So long as she didn't over exert herself?
She supposed she would find out when her mother got there.
When the mayor arrived at the hospital, she didn't come to see the teens right away. She wanted to speak with the doctor first, which took a couple of hours before he was free. And when she arrived at the room, she seemed anxious.
"Oh, hi Ma!" Kairi greeted. "We were wondering when you'd get here."
"Yes. I just spoke with the doctor, and..." she paused, taking a breath. "I need to talk with both of you about what to do next. But, I want to ask you if you want me to speak to you separately, or together. It's very personal."
The teens were surprised. Personal? After everything they'd gone through, how much more "personal" could they get at this point? After knowing each other for years, and sharing a room together for two months, they doubted things could possibly get "uncomfortable" with each other at this point. It wasn't like they wouldn't be telling each other everything anyway.
They glanced at each other, as though to double check, before nodding in consent.
"Don't worry about it, Ma." Kairi assured.
"Yeah, we'll be fine," Sora agreed. "Just tell us what's going on, we'll figure it out."
She sighed softly, before taking the chair that had been shoved to the side wall, and dragging it between their beds. She set her briefcase on the ground against her chair, and folded her hands in her lap, taking a moment to compose herself.
"...The doctor told me you were going to need months of physical therapy," she told Kairi. "It's going to take specialized equipment and supervision that we don't currently have at home. And our family down in Naha already have four children. They can't possibly take in another."
Naha was the prefecture on the southernmost tip of the island. The rest of Kairi's family lived in Kin Town, so they had also been displaced by the disaster. There wasn't anyone who could really take care of her.
"So… am I going to stay here, then?" Kairi asked worriedly.
"No, I..." she choked up, bracing herself again before delivering the news. "You're going to be living with your father."
Silence. A thick air of shock and disbelief pervaded the room, cut only by the choked breathing.
"Fa..." Kairi choked out in a tiny voice. "Father?"
"I found him, while I was working at home," she confessed. "I explained what had happened to you, and asked if he could take care of you while I'm working. He agreed."
"But Ma, I-" she fidgeted with her hands, voice climbing in pitch with anxiousness. "I don't know anything about him! I don't want to live with him!"
Kairi's feelings about her adoption weren't complicated or messy by any means. It had been obvious from the get go she wasn't her mother's biological child, so it wasn't as though the mayor could hide it even if she wanted to. She had been open with Kairi about how "another mama" had given birth to her, but the mayor had decided to raise her and take care of her. And for a while Kairi was fine with that.
It wasn't until she was a little older, and could better comprehend what it meant that it started to bother her. She confided to Sora and Riku that she wondered why the "other mama" had given her up in the first place, and why she didn't want her. She didn't want to leave her home, and she loved her ma and friends, but she still started to worry if something was "wrong" with her and why the "other mama" didn't love her.
But on her tenth birthday, her mother had given her a letter she had saved for years, just for this occasion. Not from her birth mother, but from her birth father. In it he apparently explained what had happened and why her parents had relinquished her for adoption, but Kairi had never told Sora or Riku what was in that letter. She simply had felt happier for it, never mentioning her birth parents again and focusing on her life here. She had good friends, a kind mother, and a good school life in one of the most beautiful places in the world. What more could she want?
Unfortunately, that reality had come crashing down around her, and now she was essentially being forced to see them, whether she wanted to or not.
"Kairi, it's only for a few months," the mayor assured. "I will be sending him money to pay for the therapy and take care of you. Once you've gotten better, then I can help take care of you here."
"But Ma, he's old!" She cried. "He can't take care of me- that's why he gave me up in the first place!"
"Kairi, that was for a child!" she argued. "A baby is much different than a teenager! And he doesn't work at Stanford anymore- he will have more time to take care of you. All he needs to do is help you to physical therapy, and make sure you eat."
Her eyes stung with tears, lip quivering traitorously. "Ma, I can stay here! I'll be alright by myself! Please don't make me go, I don't want to go all the way to America!"
And of course, the sight of her daughter's tears tugged at her heart, and caused her own eyes to sting, and she got up out to her chair to grasp her daughter's face. "I know this is hard for you, Kairi, but you have to understand! If the center was still standing at home, things would be different! But they have no equipment anymore. It will be a long time before things get up and running."
Kairi broke into sobs, realizing she wasn't going to win this argument, and buried her face in her fists. The mayor sat on her bed and pulled the sobbing girl into her shoulder, trying to hold back her own tears to be strong for her daughter. Sora choked up, wiping at his own eyes to keep himself from crying too. He couldn't imagine what Kairi was going through, but it hurt to see. As someone who hurt to see people in pain, this was almost too hard to watch.
It didn't help that these were both people that were important to him. To compound his own pain from realizing she would be "gone" again for a while, seeing Kairi hurting so much broke his heart. After everything she had already gone through, Sora felt immensely sorry for her pain now.
For a few minutes, the only sound was Kairi's crying, until she finally settled down and calmed. The mayor, who had been petting her hair, finally pulled back, and let her rest. She reached for the box of tissues on the nightstand and gave Kairi one, before taking one herself.
"...where does he even live?" Kairi asked in a small voice.
"San Fransisco."
"San Fransisco?" Sora repeated with awe. "That's where the museum is!"
Kairi looked at him. "The what?"
"The museum! You know, the Disney museum? We were gonna go there on our trip to America!"
"Oh!" She gasped. "I completely forgot!"
"Yeah!" He grinned. "Round trip to museum, Disney Land, and Disney World!"
She smiled weakly. "I don't think I'm gonna be able to do all that if I go."
"I know, but, maybe once you're better, he'll take you to the museum. You can take lots of pictures, and tell me all about it!"
"I guess," she twisted the tissue, and gave a thoughtful tilt of her head. "It won't be the same without you, though."
"I know, but it'll give you something to look forward to!" Sora pointed out. "That's better than nothing, right?"
"Right..."
Sora didn't push it, knowing that things might still be too upsetting right now. But even if it helped her a tiny bit later, he figured it was worth it.
The mayor looked between the teens, sighing softly as she resigned herself to this next step. "Sora, I really can't thank you enough. I know I've said it already, but I can't imagine what I would've done without you."
"It's ok," Sora said quickly. "She's my best friend. I'd do anything for her."
"I know. And I'm just sorry that you two won't be able to see each other now."
He grimaced, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah, well, it can't be helped. But it's only for a few months, right? It's not so bad."
She was quiet, then, her red eyes blinking quickly to hold back her tears, but unable to hide her pity. "Sora, I'm so sorry, but you won't be here when she gets back. The welfare agency has found extended family in Tokyo who will take you in."
There was another moment of silence, where the two teens gaped at her in befuddlement. Kairi quickly pushed her own pain aside, looking to Sora with some alarm. But he was just looking at the mayor in confusion.
"Wait, what?"
"I finally got in contact with the nearby agency. They'd been giving priority to younger children, but they will send someone to speak with you soon, once we get back. They're making arrangements with your family as we speak."
"No, I don't understand," Sora protested. "Why am I being sent to Tokyo? I can take care of myself well enough once we get home- it's not like I'll need help."
"Because your parents are gone. And you can't live by yourself."
"But my parents are still alive. If I go to Tokyo, then I won't be able to find them! I have to stay with the others so I can-"
"Sora," her voice cut in. It was gentle, and quiet, yet still firm in it's insistence. "Your parents have been missing for six months."
"What? No they haven't, it's only been three..."
But even as he said it, he started doing the math. Since he had gotten here, it had been like time stood still, but really, it hadn't. He had waited by Kairi's side one month to see if she could wake up before the surgery. Then, almost two as they had both recovered.
Six months in total since the disaster.
"There are no more patients in hospitals. No more unaccounted for people," she said gently. "If there were, we would have found them by now."
"But… but they could be in a coma, like Kairi was," Sora suggested. "We can check those."
"We have been, while you've been in here. Leon and I both."
"Well the… the mountain." Sora insisted. "Dad said he'd meet me on Mt. Onna, they must be-"
"Sora, there's no one there." She argued. "Even if they were, they would have come down to find you by now."
"But, it doesn't make any sense," Sora argued, getting more insistent. "We never found their bodies. All of them have been accounted for, and none of them were my parents!"
"If their bodies haven't been accounted for, then it must have meant they'd be dragged out to sea." She said. "Your parents aren't the only ones still deemed "missing"."
"But I..." He was quiet as he stared at her, but it was like she was speaking another language- one he didn't understand. "No… no they can't be. They have to be alive, they have to-"
He held his head suddenly, hunching over. He couldn't see how this was even possible. His parents had to be alive, he knew they were.
Kairi watched him, suddenly worried. She thought he had been a little too cheerful- a little too optimistic. And now it seemed like the truth was crashing down around him. She felt awful. True, the idea of living in another country with a man she had never met before was upsetting- but Sora had lost his parents! And he was still being asked to move away! At least Kairi knew she was coming back- what on earth was Sora going to do now?
The mayor watched him in silence for a moment, before turning and whispering gently to her daughter. "Kairi, maybe we should give him some time alone-"
"No-" Sora held his hand out to stop them. "No, no wait, I..." He lowered his other hand, gears turning as he tried to comprehend this state of events. "Why…. Why don't I just stay with gramma and granpa, then? They're closer."
Sora had seen them a grand total of twice since the disaster. They were suffering like everyone else, but at least they were alive.
"They're not a good "fit" Sora," the mayor said. "Their home is gone, and they have no means to support you. The agency wanted to look through family members that could provide for you."
Sora hardly felt that was fair. Everyone had lost everything in the disaster- that didn't mean they wouldn't be able to take care of him. (Heck, as it was, he'd been spending the first few months basically taking care of himself- he didn't exactly need 'care'.)
"But, I don't understand. What family do I have in Tokyo?"
"Your father's cousin. On his mother's side of the family."
Sora gaped at her. His father was American born, coming to Japan after meeting his mother. As such, all his immediate family (on his father's side) was in America. Sora had met them a total of four times in his life, and had assumed he knew everyone.
Apparently not.
"They've agreed to take you in," she continued. "And they are your only available family in Japan."
He heard what she was saying, but he couldn't understand what it meant. Family? Away from home? Not with parents?
Kairi watched him expectantly, just waiting for the moment it all hit him and he broke down into sobs. Because, given how emotional he was, she knew that's what would happen. But he didn't. He just sat there, staring at her, before finally switching his gaze to his hands.
"Sora, I'm so sorry," the mayor finally said. "I haven't been able to take care of everything, but the welfare agent will be able to help you. He's agreed to meet us at home."
He looked up at her. "So then… am I leaving?"
"Yes. In a few days, I'll take you home."
"Oh." He was quiet another minute, and then: "Can I get my clothes back?"
"They'll give them to you once I sign you out."
"No, I need them now. There's something in the pocket."
"I can ask the doctor," she offered, pressing the button.
After they explained to the nurse, she seemed confused, but complied. She brought Sora's clothes in and handed them over, but when he took them, he just held onto them for a moment.
"Sorry, can I… can I get a few minutes alone with Kairi?"
The adults complied, figuring that he was in a bad emotional state and just wanted to be with his best friend. But as soon as they left, he reached into his pocket.
"Look, Kairi, I..." he swung his legs over his bed and stood up. He had his hand closed into a fist, but Kairi recognized the delicate chain dangling out his fingers. "I know you don't like me, and that's fine, but, I still want you to have this." He held the piece out to her, and seeing it in the light, she could see just how beautiful the necklace really was. It almost took her breath away. "Your collection is gone. I tried to find something, but there was nothing left. I know this isn't exactly a seashell, but it's kinda like a seashell, so I thought… maybe you'd like to have it. Just as a friend." He winced, feeling like he was rambling. "You can just think of it as a present, you know? We did kinda miss your birthday."
She took the piece reverently between her fingers, holding it up to her face so she could examine it again. Something twisted in her heart and her eyes stung with tears as she clutched it in her hand.
"Right, I just… wanted to give you that, before I left," he said awkwardly, turning around. "I'll go get-"
"Wait!" She jumped up suddenly, standing to meet him. "I… I want you to have this," she said, holding the necklace back out to him.
He stared at her in confusion, taking a second to realize he had heard right. "Uh, Kairi, I can't exactly wear this, so, if you don't want it, then just throw it away-"
"No, that's not what I mean," she said quickly. Then she sighed as she looked down at it. "I… I don't have anything left. They've probably even thrown away the clothes I was wearing. Even if I wanted to give you something, I couldn't. So I want you to have something to remember me by." She lifted her hands up a little more. "You've done so much for me- trying to find me, and even donating your organ. I can never repay you, or thank you enough for what you've done. I'm going to remember you every time I take my medicine. So I want you to think of me too, while we're apart. Think of this as a good luck charm." She smiled. "It brought you to me the first time, didn't it? Maybe it'll happen again."
And then he understood. They didn't know when he'd be coming back to Kin Town, if at all, or how he'd even be able to speak with her again. With the future so scary and uncertain for them, it was a nice feeling to have some sort of "connection" to keep them together, even if only in thoughts. Kairi had a literal piece of him to remember him by- all she could give was her only possession.
It touched him, knowing that she cared for him as much as he did her.
"I may not be in love with you," Kairi continued. "But you're one of the most important people in the world to me. I want us to be in each other's lives no matter what. So once we get through this, I want us to find each other, so we can remain friends forever. Don't forget about me, Sora, alright?"
"I won't." He grabbed her hands suddenly, squeezing them gently between his. "I'll do whatever it takes to get back to you, Kairi. I promise."
And then she smiled, eyes watering in relief. "I know you will."
Returning home for Sora felt surreal.
Leon and the others had already found another translator, so Sora wasn't working. The mayor suggested he stay with his grandparents for the remaining week, just to say goodbye.
They were happy to see him, and apologized that they couldn't take care of him themselves. Sora had to assure them he'd be fine.
They took time together to share their grief. Or at least, the grandparents did. Sora just nodded, and listened.
He spoke to the soldiers during distribution, asking for the squadron he needed, and they directed him to the people he was looking for. He approached his old friends almost morosely, and they greeted him excitedly.
"So you're finally out!" Yuffie greeted.
"You look good!" Aerith said.
"Yeah. Um… can one of you guys bring me into base?" He asked. "I wanna see my old friends."
"Sure," Leon said easily. "If you wanna wait here, we'll be done in a few hours."
Once he was free, Leon escorted him through the gates, asking questions about where the rescue groups were and bringing Sora to find them. In their questioning, Sora discovered that Selphie and Wakka had been found out, and were taken back outside the gates.
Looked like he would need to search for them the old fashioned way. Great.
But he did know Tidus' dad's name, so they were able to give him an address and directions. Leon brought him through the maze of half decimated houses, avoiding machinery and the like. The base rebuilding was going by much faster, since American military had a faster infrastructure built in for emergencies like this. They would be done much faster than the city outside, that was for sure.
Of course, since many signs were broken and most houses you couldn't see their address, they had to still ask around as they went to make sure they were going in the right direction. They finally arrived to what was supposedly Tidus' house, though Sora wouldn't know. Even before, he had never been to his house before. What was left standing was the bottom half of the basic frame work on the outside, the inside having been cleaned out and swept up so it was at least safe enough to walk through. And in the remains of one of the rooms (perhaps the living room?) was a brightly colored tent. Several houses had adopted this strategy, as a makeshift attempt to at least stay out of the sun.
Leon and Sora looked at each other then, unsure of the proper protocols for this. There was no doorbell, or a real way to knock. Did they just yell?
"Um, 'scuse me!" Sora called out in English (just in case). "I'm looking for Tidus. Is this his house?"
Movement from inside the tent, before the panel of the tent unzipped, and Tidus's head poked out, frowning.
Sora sighed with relief, and Leon pat his shoulder. "I'll go ahead and give you two some privacy," He offered, before walking off.
Sora walked up the driveway and sidewalk, stepping through the broken threshold. But then he stopped, staring at the floor. "Uh… should I take my shoes off?"
Tidus scowled, and ducked his head back inside the tent. "Whatever, I don't care."
There was talking from inside the tent, the other voice sounding like Tidus' mother. Sora was squinting at the floor as he debated. It looked clean for the most part, but was it really safe? What if he got a splinter?
So, feeling like he was committing a great sin while doing so, Sora stepped "inside" with his shoes on.
"Boy am I glad to see you," He said. "I was sad when I couldn't find Selphie an' Wakka."
Tidus was quiet at first, like he wasn't even going to answer him. But at his mother's prompting finally said: "So, what, you finally came to say 'hi'?"
Sora grimaced as he approached, halting a few feet from the tent. "Uh, actually, I came to say "goodbye"."
A beat. And then: "So you're leaving?"
"Yeah, I'm… I'm going to live with relatives in Tokyo."
"Alright then. Bye I guess."
Sora looked at the tent panel, stunned, until his face began to twist in irritation. "Hey, I just told you I'm leaving! Can't you at least come out an' see me?"
"Why? You didn't come see me when everything happened."
"That's different, Tidus!" Sora snapped. "I was helping everyone! I was trying to find Kairi an' my parents! What were you doing- just sitting here feeling sorry for yourself?"
He ripped open the panel then, angrily stomping his way out of the tent and coming to stand in front of Sora, staring him down furiously. The first emotion Sora felt was shock. Last time he had seen Tidus, the boy had been shorter and smaller than him, being a year younger. But in the six months he hadn't seen him, the boy had gone through a growth spurt, putting him at almost a full head taller than Sora. He was still somewhat gangly, not yet filling out all his limbs, but he still had a little of his muscle left over from his earlier training and practice months prior. He was still significantly bigger, in comparison.
He was also only standing on one leg, holding onto the tent for support.
Sora stared at the empty space, face losing color as he looked in horror. "I… Tidus, I'm so sorry, I-"
"My dad died too. You wanna get on my case for that?" He accused.
It wasn't just 'Tidus lost his leg' that was the problem. Tidus had just lost his dream. As a former water polo champion, Jecht had always instilled in his son the importance of sports, and how glorious he would have been as an Olympian. He had been "forced" to give up his dream, joining the marines at the prompting of both his own father, and the father of his now wife, when she had fallen pregnant with Tidus. He had never forgiven the way his life had gone, always telling Tidus how great and talented he was, and how he would have gone on to great things, if not for him.
Tidus wanted to be the best like his father too, adopting his dream of someday competing in the Olympics.
But now… with his leg gone and his father no longer around to train him...
"Well, I… isn't that a good thing?" Sora asked.
Tidus gaped at him, for a second hardly believing his ears. "What?"
"Your dad was awful to you," Sora protested, when he saw the shock on his face. "You would always go on an' on about how bad he made you feel. He made you cry all the timewhen you were little. I mean, at least he doesn't have to treat you bad now, right?"
"So? He was still my dad! He was only hard on me cuz I sucked at sports. He would've changed once he saw how good I was! How can you even say that?" He argued, face starting to go red with anger. "How would you feel if you lost your parents? Your dad wasn't even around most of the time, so what's it matter to you whether he dies or not?!"
Something in Sora seized up, throat clamping down as something inside him started to panic. He knew, he knew the right thing would have been to tell Tidus the truth, try to admit he did know what Tidus was going through, and he hadn't meant to be cruel- just that his months of trying to "see the bright side" of things had just made him clumsy and insensitive. But the more even thought about it, the more something in him clamped up, holding down the words he didn't want to admit would bring his world crashing down around him.
"What do you care, anyway?" Tidus raged, gesturing angrily with his hands. "You didn't even care about us! You just played chummy with the army an' mayor an' got to play the hero while everyone else suffered!"
"I-" he choked on his own words, trying to hold down that thing bubbling up inside him as his emotions got the better of him. "I was trying to help everyone! They needed me, an' I thought you guys would be fine in here! I didn't know you'd gotten hurt-"
"Yeah, well, now you know! Good riddance to you anyway." Tidus spat. "Go live your perfect little life an' forget about us again, since you don't even fucking care!"
At that point the thing in Sora finally exploded; and he decked Tidus right in the face.
From inside the tent, Tidus's mother screamed, seeing Tidus sprawling. She had heard the argument, but she didn't speak Japanese like her son, so didn't understand what was going on until it was too late. "Tidus!"
Tidus propped himself up, glowering at Sora. Rage turned his steel-blue eyes gray as he started to heave. Then he screamed, launching himself at Sora and tackling him to the ground.
Tidus' mother scrambled out of the tent, and awkwardly stumbled over the spectacle. The woman's screams to stop overrode the boys' snarls as they attacked each other, rolling and tumbling across the floor, but it was like they couldn't even hear her. Tidus was taller, and bigger, finally getting the upper hand over Sora and straddling him, walloping him with everything he had. Sora still fought back, trying to block his face, and knock his head in. There was a commotion just outside the house, before Leon dove in, prying the boys apart and snatching Sora to drag him out.
"Let me go!" Sora screamed in Japanese. He was red faced and sobbing as rage blinded him. He fought against Leon's arms fruitlessly, reaching for Tidus like he wanted to punch him again, but the man was more than strong enough to drag him out of the house. "Let me go!"
Tidus' mother was able to hold back the taller boy's shoulders, his single leg making it much easier to keep him down and off balance. He didn't fight her, just glowering after Sora with an infuriated snarl of his own.
At one point, Leon finally picked Sora up to carry him over his shoulder, slowing down his attempts. Sora "calmed" slightly, no longer flailing and kicking. But he cried, heaving as his rage wore itself out.
Leon finally stopped a few blocks away, easing him down so he could stand again. Sora didn't look at him, keeping his eyes down and wiping at his face as he cried.
"...I'm not going to ask what happened," Leon finally said, his voice firm, but words careful. "But you're going to look like the bad guy in this no matter what. You know that, right?"
"It's not fair..." Sora cried, voice already hoarse. He hiccuped as he roughly cleaned his face. "It's not fair!"
Leon didn't do emotional support. He didn't know the first thing about making others feel better, or fixing things on a mental or emotional level. So the best he could offer was a careful hand on the boy's head.
"...C'mon," he said gently. "Let's get you somewhere you can calm yourself down."
When the others saw him and how upset he was, they were confused, but Leon told them to leave him alone for the time being. They let him curl up in a corner away from everyone, crying quietly until it petered off into sniffles, then eventually, silence. It was nearly an hour later before Leon finally approached him, kneeling to be eye level with him.
"...it's not fair," Sora said softly, once he could get himself to say anything at all. "He makes it sound like a bad thing I was trying to help people. It's not like I could know what was going on. I thought he was safe."
Leon didn't say anything, but internally sighed once he started to see the picture of everything. "Grief makes us all angry over things we normally wouldn't be. Try not to hold it against him."
"But I may never see him again. What if I can't fly back?"
"You'll find a way home. Even if it's in a while. Just because you're leaving now doesn't mean you'll never see them again."
A moment of darkness, with Sora's eyes growing heavy at the realization. "But I'll never see you again."
Leon was quiet, the realization somehow taking him by surprise, even though he had already logically known that. Because it was true. By the time Sora came back, if at all, their deployment would no doubt be over, and they'd be long gone.
It was almost strange to think about.
The boy looked up at him, pleadingly. "Can't you be my guardian? At least for a while? Then I could stay here an' help. I wouldn't have to leave."
Leon's eyes went wide, surprised at the boy's boldness. Then he sighed, slightly amused. To think, he'd gone from being terrified of him to literally asking him to take care of him.
Well, he'd be lying if he said the boy hadn't grown close to his own heart too.
"Sorry kid, but I don't think that'd work out legally," he said, reaching under his uniform. "Pretty sure they don't want you under US military." He pulled the chain over his head and held it out to him, prompting Sora's confusion. "But if you want, you can take these instead."
Sora gaped at them. He had seen them a lifetime ago, commenting on how cool he thought they looked. He had put Cloud's on as a joke, saying how "American" he looked, and how he'd sneak onto the base without anyone noticing. Of course, then Cloud had to chase him around to get them back, but it had all been in good fun.
Now he blinked at them owlishly, not understanding why they were being willingly handed over. "Your dog tags? Is that allowed?" He looked at him. "Won't you get in trouble for giving those to me?"
Leon smirked. "They'd have to catch me first."
Sora blinked, then he snorted in amusement, taking the tags and reading the engraving. It had Leon's full legal name, a string of numbers, blood type, and the word "Atheist". They were cool, simple, and gave off a "tough" image. Maybe he'd actually be able to wear these.
Who knew: maybe they'd be a good luck charm too. If Kairi's necklace brought him back to her, who was to say these wouldn't eventually bring him back to Leon?
"You've gone above and beyond for everything that's happened," Leon commended. "No one should've had to do what you did, but you did it, and now the world's a better place because of it. Not everyone will appreciate what you did, but we do. Consider this as your medal of honor."
Sora looked at him then, and with the way his eyes shone and watered, Leon thought he might start crying again. But Sora launched himself at him, throwing his arms around his neck and burying his face in his shoulder.
At first, Leon just froze, like he wasn't sure how to handle this. It wasn't like physical affection was his forte. But after a moment, he relented, returning the hug and squeezing gently.
He could give the kid one hug, if it made his life a little easier.
A week passed, and the agent came, talking Sora through the process and preparing him for all the changes that would happen once he'd been "signed over" as it were. (This was, of course, after Sora assured him that his bruises and injuries were not due to any type of abuse, and that he was perfectly fine.) Because he was older, usually he would also get a say in who he wanted to stay with. But unfortunately, all his other "choices" weren't legally compatible, so his opinion really didn't matter.
He said goodbye to his friends- except Selphie and Wakka. After what happened with Tidus, Sora didn't think he could face another fight.
"Don't forget to write us," Aerith said, handing over the piece of paper with all their emails on it. "We want to know how you do."
"Yeah!" Yuffie chirped. "Tell us how Tokyo is!"
"I will!" Sora promised. "I bet it's gonna be great!"
"We may never meet again," Leon comforted. "But we'll never forget each other."
He nodded, smiling just a bit brighter. "Exactly. You guys will always be my friends."
As he waited to board with the agent (and ignored the stares at his injuries), he couldn't help but feel nervous, and clutched the dog tags around his neck. True, it was a little scary, and true, he didn't know what waited for him in Tokyo, but he did know this: no matter what happened, he knew he'd get through it, so long as he kept his friends in his heart.
A shame that this was still reality- not fantasy.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand done! And with that, Sora's totally awesome prologue arc is DONE! :D
Wait! Don't go yet! There's more to come! :D
If you found my story randomly through the site, then yay, welcome! If you look at my profile, you'll find my tumblr and deviantart page. If you haven't looked through yet, please do! You'll find lots of illustrations I worked really hard on.
And most importantly, THAT'S WHERE SORA'S NEXT ARC WILL BE TOLD!
I'll be doing a series of asks, comics, and illustrations to tell Sora's story in our world, and his next adventure. In fact, if you want the direct sequel to this, you'll find it in the animatic on my tumblr page, under "history". It bridges this story to his next one, telling how he winded up in San Francisco with Kairi!
Anyway, I hope you'll join me on this journey as I take these two through their many shenanigans and adventures! Thanks for reading, hopefully I'll see you next time! :D