"Wake up."
Something taps his forehead.
"Wake up!"
Several taps to the forehead this time.
"Eh, what?" says Sora
He sits up. A slimy glob of saliva halfway to his ear slides down his cheek. His palm smothers it before it reaches his neck. Naminé stands next to where he sits on the living room couch.
"Aren't you late for something?" she says.
Sora's delirious eyes search for a time. He jumps to his feet. A stiff pain halts him. His fingers trace the injuries from the night before.
"How am I still alive after all that?"
"Your body is more durable with my powers. It heals faster too."
He studies the bloody tatters of her white dress.
"What about you? How do you feel without your powers?"
"I'm fine. You're late, remember?"
Sora's eyes shoot to the clock.
"Gah! Where are my strikeball clothes?"
He hurries with a limp up the stairs to his room. He races back down the steps in sports shorts while his elbow struggles with the sleeve of his new shirt. He rounds the turn from the stairs hopping on one foot to scamper for the front door. He stops and turns around.
"Are you going to be okay while I go to practice?"
Naminé drops into a seat.
"I'll be fine. I just have to avoid your parents until you get back, right?"
Sora swishes his lips.
"Do you want to come with me? You could even join in on practice if you wanted. You've got skill."
Naminé leans forward and rests her chin on her clasped fingers. Her elbows meet her knees.
"No thanks. I don't really like people. They ask questions I don't know how to answer. Besides, my clothes aren't exactly suitable for public."
"Okay, if you're sure. It's always an open invitation. I'll be back as soon as I can. And I'll get you a new dress too. Bye!"
Naminé watches him fly out the door. After it slams, her eyes drift up the stairs. She slides off the chair and tiptoes up them. She glides through the shadows past each room until she finds one fit for a young boy.
She slips in and admires the possessions. A bed with toys stuffed under it, a desk cluttered with paperwork, and a bookshelf full of comics and video game cases. She pulls back a sliding door to reveal an overflowing closet. She shoves aside tenuously balanced objects to dig deeper.
She stops. Her eyes widen. A smile parts her lips. She reaches to the very back of the closet.
###
"What's the deal Sora?"
Riku's voice booms around the court.
Sora looks to Kairi. Her eyes drift away, and she rubs her upper arm.
"I'm sorry. Okay? I slept through my alarm."
"Alarm, huh? You sure you didn't want to go with the spirits again?"
Sora opens his mouth but shuts it and frowns.
"You look really tired, Sora," says Olette. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"
Her eyes stare deep into his puffy, bloodshot ones. The stare traces the dark circles below his lids.
"Uh, no, not really. Thanks for asking."
"Are you sure you want to push yourself through practice? Maybe you should go home for a nap."
"No, no. I'm good. I'll grab one after practice. Let's get started. Actually, I've been working on a new move I'd like to show you guys. I think it could really help us out, but I'd have to move up to a forward position."
Riku chuckles.
"You want to be a shooter instead of a defender? This better be some move. It's probably a waste of time, but I'm just too curious. Try and score on me."
He throws a ball hard and fast. It stings Sora's hands when he catches it.
"Let's see what you got. Pence, get in the goal."
"Right."
Pence takes his position as Riku stands between him and the center line where Sora steps up to.
Riku takes a stance, and Sora dribbles the ball. He tries to work around the guard, but Riku blocks off his every move. He barely covers any ground.
"You'll need better dribbling skills than that to be a forward. I don't care how good your shot is, it won't make up for what Hayner and Olette can do."
"Well prepare to be impressed!"
He drives to the right. Riku shuffles along beside him. He stops and spins to reverse directions. As soon as Riku follows, he raises the ball above his head with his back turning to his defender. Riku can only watch as all his weight moves sideways rather than upward.
Sora crouches to prepare his leap. As his legs extend, a snap in his ankle shocks his body. He seizes as his feet leave the ground. They fly over his head, but miss the ball. His shoulders and neck point to the hard court and come crashing down.
Riku steps in, shoving his arms under Sora's back. The weight yanks his shoulders in their sockets. His forearms smack the ground as they cushion Sora's vulnerable neck.
Riku shouts right in Sora's ear as he pulls his hands free.
"What the hell was that? You could have killed yourself. That was so stupid."
Sora opens his dazed eyes.
"Sora!"
Kairi rushes to his side.
"Are you okay? Does anything hurt."
Riku frowns at the two of them while rubbing his scraped arms.
"I'm fine," says Sora.
He rubs the back of his head as he sits up.
"What were you thinking? You could have really hurt yourself. A stunt like that isn't worth it."
"Gah. I know I can do it. I'm just off my game this morning."
"Promise me you won't do that move again."
Sora starts to protest, but Kairi's concerned gaze stifles it.
"Fine, I won't use it here. Let's just get on with practice."
He grumbles and gets up.
Kairi grabs Riku's wrists and examines his hands and forearms.
"Are you okay? Is anything broken or sprained?"
Sora crosses his arms as Kairi tends to Riku.
"I'm fine. Thanks for checking," he says.
"Thank goodness you reacted so fast. Sora could have been seriously injured."
"Yeah, he can be a real klutz sometimes."
Riku watches Sora pout from the corner of his vision.
After Kairi finishes checking him over, Riku starts their practice.
"Thanks for the laugh, Sora," he says. "It almost made me forget you were late. Alright team, let's make it a good one. We've got a league to win!"
"Yeah!"
Hayner, Pence, and Olette cheer.
Hayner suppresses a chuckle as Sora walks by them to his position. They spend the session practicing their plays, strategizing new ones, and pitting their skills against one another.
As the most well rounded player, Riku uses his midfield position to switch between offense and defense as necessary during their drills. Sora and Kairi improve their guarding against Hayner and Olette who sharpen their dribbling and shooting. Pence defends shot after shot as his blocking skill grows alongside the precision of his teammates.
They call it good for the day, and Sora approaches Kairi after practice.
"Hey, thanks for earlier. Checking up on me after I botched that shot, I mean."
Kairi slips the strap of her gym bag over her shoulder.
"Yeah, of course. How are things going with the spirits? Any better?"
"Oh, that. I don't know. I'm starting to understand it more, but things seem to be getting worse."
"I see. I hope they get better soon."
She smiles and turns to leave.
"Uh, did you want to get a fitness shake from Your Favorite Smoothies?"
"I'd like to, but I've got some stuff to do. Maybe next time. But you will be there tonight, right?"
"Yeah of course. I'd never be late for that."
As Kairi turns away again, Sora spots the edge of a dark bruise hiding beneath her left shirt sleeve. He wonders how she got it and how big it is but does not say anything.
###
Sora closes the front door behind him. He drags his feet to the kitchen, glances at a note from his parents on the counter, and goes to the fridge. He grabs the caps of two bottles containing a blue liquid sports drink. A quick twist breaks the seal on one of them with a series of little snaps. He gulps it down while walking to the living room.
"Naminé?"
No answer. He opens the basement door.
"Naminé?"
No answer. He hurries to the back door. Before he can grab the handle, he spots Naminé in the yard.
Her blonde hair dances behind her in a braided ponytail as she swings around a kendo sword. Sweat glistens on her forehead and arms.
Sora opens the door and sneaks outside. She does not stop even when her eyes flick to him. He stays where he is.
"Why do you have these training swords?" she says.
Sora looks at the one lying in the grass.
"Riku and I thought kendo was really cool when we were younger, and we each got one. We used to play with them all the time, but never actually took classes. I just held onto them since then, even though we never use them. Wait … did you go through my room?"
Naminé finishes her routine. They approach one another. She tosses him the bamboo sword. As it flies to him, he throws her the second sports drink bottle. They both make the catch. Naminé drinks the cool blue while Sora takes a few practice swings.
"Man, it's been a long time since I thought about these. Oh, and I got you a new dress. It's in my gym bag. You can go change if you want."
Naminé picks up the other sword and tosses aside the empty bottle.
"I'll change later after I shower. This one can be for training."
She marches towards a decorative nearly knee high rock beside the deck.
"Training?" says Sora. "I don't know what kind of training you want to do, but we can get you some real clothes for that."
Naminé ignores his comment and changes the subject.
"So these swords, they mean a lot to you then?"
"Huh?"
Sora puzzles over the statement as she runs a hand along the length of the wood. Her arm straightens above her head and crashes down.
Crack!
Sora's hand raises in a stopping motion.
"Don't! You'll break it!"
She scowls at him.
"Make me."
The sword rises again.
Sora charges. He prepares his weapon with both hands. The grass tramples beneath his feet. His forearms tense as he initiates his swing.
Whack!
A wooden shaft slaps his stomach. He wraps an arm around it. As he bends over, the tip of Naminé's sword threatens to impale his vulnerable eyes.
"On the battlefield, there is no room for emotions. Nobodies cannot be distracted by frustration, sympathy, or fear. That is what makes us perfect soldiers and killers."
Sora gulps, and the point drops away from his face.
"Now I'm going to teach you the way of the sword because that flailing about you were doing last night isn't going to get you very far in the battles to come. I won't be holding back."
Naminé takes a stance.
"Wait, why do I have to keep fighting the Heartless? It's seriously starting to cut into my life."
"Because for some reason my powers are stuck with you. So it's either you or no one. So which is it?"
Sora takes a moment to think it over before he mimics her pose.
She strikes.
Sora spends the next couple hours collecting bruises. The pattern is always the same. Naminé demonstrates proper striking form. Sora attempts to defend, usually ending up with a new welt. Naminé explains the failure of his instinctive response and what to do instead. After some progress manifests, it is his turn to practice against her.
"Are you sure if it's okay if I attack you? I don't want to hurt you?"
"I thought the Heart desires revenge after being hurt. And I've been hitting you a lot."
"Sure, if it's from somebody we don't like, or we believe it's done maliciously. But you're just trying to help me. And … I don't dislike you. You're a friend."
Warmth rushes up Naminé's chest. She inhales hard through her nose so her lungs push the sensation back down.
"A friend is someone people like?" she says. "I don't understand. What is there to like about me?"
"I guess I just enjoy being around you. And I respect that you have a really difficult, thankless job, but you do it anyway."
He watches her nostrils expand and hears air pass through them.
"No one has ever appreciated my work before."
She shakes her head. Her ponytail whips behind it, never able to catch up.
"We don't have time for this. I promise you won't be able to touch me if that makes you feel better. Now strike!"
Sora does as instructed, trying to replicate the form she used. His attacks never meet her body.
They repeat this until he becomes comfortable with a few basic maneuvers. When they finish, Sora grabs a couple more sports drinks and sits by her on the steps of the deck. He hands her one, and they both gulp down the bottles until they are empty.
"Man, I'm beat," says Sora.
"Literally," says Naminé.
Sora starts and looks at her. A slight smile curls her lips. He laughs. She giggles once, then stops.
"Go get some rest, Sora. You need to recover for tonight in case there's another Heartless attack."
"I am pretty tired. You sure you're going to be okay on your own?"
"Always."
"Okay. But I can only nap for a couple hours. I need to meet Kairi later."
Naminé says nothing.
Sora stands up and walks to the back door. He looks over his shoulder. She does not. He goes inside.
###
"Wake up."
Something taps his forehead.
"Wake up!"
Several more taps to the forehead.
"Eh, what?" says Sora. "Am I late to meet Kairi?"
His foggy vision clears, and Naminé's glare comes into focus.
"There are Heartless on the move. We have to go."
Sora looks at his alarm clock. Thirty minutes remain before the waking signal rings.
"There's no way I can slay a bunch of Heartless and get to Kairi in time. Aren't there other Nobodies who can do it?"
"No. We are all assigned an area for work, and we must monitor it and keep it clean."
Sora grinds his teeth.
"Sora, people are in danger!"
"Alright, fine!"
He flies out of bed to his window. His hands fiddle with the locks. Naminé watches his frantic gestures with a blank face. He scrambles onto the roof and into the evening. His mind calls out for the keyblade.
A light flashes in his palm as the sword appears. The black cloak ruffles over his body in a gust created by its own materialization. He looks back inside his room.
"Are you coming?"
Naminé nods. She pulls herself through the window as Sora jumps to the ground below.
The scent of darkness catches his nose. He bolts in the direction it wafts from. The sound of Naminé's feet echo behind him.
"At least I'm heading towards my meeting with Kairi instead of away from it."
The sun sits above the horizon, preparing for its final descent as they travel. The boots of Sora's uniform pad along the street as he gets closer to the smell, and also closer to Kairi. Anxiety pinches his stomach tighter and tighter as he is drawn to their meeting place.
He reaches the turn for his meeting. He breathes a sigh of relief when he finds the darkness looms in the opposite direction.
He storms down the street to finish his job.
"Don't get careless in your haste. If you let that girl distract you, you'll be killed."
"Her name is Kairi. And I'll be fine. Now where are those Heartless?"
Naminé sees the ambush before Sora. Six shadows move along the ground in a tightening swirl around Sora. Her vocal cords tense, but the shadows emerge from the cement before she can shout.
A shadow leaps from the ground to stab Sora in the back of the neck. Naminé's voice cuts out completely as a glint of metal tears the heartless in half before it rips into Sora. She watches him finish spinning on his heels and await the next flanking strike.
The precision of his movements as he navigates the battle impresses her. He utilizes every tactic she taught him in his last battle. Even her tutelage has paid off as his swordplay exudes a brand new sharpness.
He shows no fear waiting for openings to present themselves. When they do, he does not hesitate to capitalize on them.
He cuts down his fourth Heartless. The last two look at one another. Their antennae dance. They melt to the ground and vanish into the night.
"Don't let your guard down Sora."
"Yeah I sense it too. I'm ready. But from where?"
A rustle of leaves is his only warning. A soldier heartless drops from the overhanging branches of a tree, one leg rises above its head
Sora lunges to the side. The enemy's crushing boot dents the ground as Sora hits the cement and rolls away. He spins up to his knees. Dust settles between them.
It curls at the waist and throws itself into a spin with one outstretched leg. Sora gets the keyblade in front of him. The foot smashes against it, splaying him on his back.
The soldier's rending nails swish open from the palms of its hands. It leaps on top of the helpless Sora.
He kicks his feet up over his head and rolls over his shoulder blades into a crouch. The claws lash across where he was and press on to catch him in their snare.
Sora springs from the ground with a spin. Naminé eyes and mouth gape at the aerial maneuver. The sensation of déjà vu traces the edges of her memory. It fleets away before she can latch on to it.
She watches Sora clear the adversary's head, avoiding the attack. As he comes down behind the foe, the keyblade follows his twisting body.
He tightens his spin and slashes the weapon. The end of the keyblade crashes against the metal helmet of the heartless. The top half rips open and hangs limply from the deformed metal.
The body of the heartless evaporates in a black smoke through the helmet as it drops to the ground. A heart crystal springs from it as well. They both disappear at the same time.
Sora turns to Naminé with a thumbs up and a smile. She gasps. With his hair hidden by the hood, his naked face looks just like someone else.
His smile fades.
"What's wrong?"
The voice dispels the illusion. Naminé shakes her head.
"It's nothing. It's just rare to see someone so comfortable moving through the air. Usually it leaves you vulnerable to the grounded opponent with more stability."
"Oh, should I stop doing it then?"
"That's not what I meant. If you can make it work, then the extra mobility can be an asset. A new warrior usually instinctively stays on the ground is all."
She smiles.
Sora cocks his head and smirks. He examines the smile. It seems so different from any before, so … genuine.
The realization of something forgotten drops his stomach.
"I gotta go see Kairi!"
The keyblade blinks from existence, and he sprints back the way he came. Naminé pursues.
"Kairi!"
He sees her far down the road at the entrance to the cemetery. She leans against the brick frame around rusted gates squeaking on their hinges. Her arms are crossed as she taps a foot.
"Kairi!"
She checks a watch on her wrist, shakes her head with a disgusted look, and crosses the threshold to the hallowed grounds. Shadows follow unnaturally behind her.
"Kairi! Damn, why can't she hear me?"
"Because you're still wearing the cloak," says Naminé. "It's purpose is to conceal you from those with low spiritual awareness."
"Really? I thought it just looked cool. So why were those shadows following her? I don't sense any more Heartless."
"I don't know. Somehow it can mask its presence. That kind of ability is the sign of a powerful Heartless. One you're not ready to face. We need to take caution—"
"No time! That thing could go after Kairi."
"Sora! Wait!"
Sora jumps atop the brick ball surrounding the graveyard perimeter and summons his keyblade. He cannot see any signs of the enemy or Kairi, but he knows where the grave she plans to visit is. He drops to the soft earth below and dashes into the gloom.
He sees Kairi far ahead on the brick path. Six will-o'-wisps of purple and black flame appear behind her in a circular formation. They hover at waist level and rotate faster and faster until they appear as a complete circle. A heartless with a demon's shape appears at the center. It raises a broadsword to strike Kairi.
Sora charges along decomposing leaves and performs a heavy swing of his keyblade. The heartless twirls to deflect his attack instead of hitting Kairi. Their blades lock, and Sora drives it back amongst the graves.
A gust of wind chills Kairi's back. She turns around but finds nothing. She clasps her hands around her shoulders and rubs them as she moves on.
Sora pushes his full weight against the enemy weapon. He stares with all his determination straight into a heart shaped hole in the middle of the demon's chest.
He notices a small pair of bat wings flapping from its shoulder blades and realizes the thing floats just above the ground. Two dove wings protrude from its forearms performing gentle flaps of their own.
Something whips across Sora's right thigh. The tail of the monster cuts him deep with a crescent shaped blade on the end of its tail. He drops to his good knee.
The hellish beast bashes aside Sora's keyblade and raises its own sword to strike.
Naminé shouts his name.
The blade comes down.
A fireball splashes over the heartless, engulfing it in fire.
Sora looks over his shoulder. Naminé's palm smolders. She heaves for air as her knees shake. She drops to all fours.
"Run Sora!"
Sora picks himself up and jogs to her side. He grabs her arm and pulls.
"Leave me. I'm too exhausted to move. And my attack was too weak to do any damage."
"I'm not lea—"
"Look out!"
The ring of purple fire from earlier circles Sora. He drops Naminé and backs away. The circle spirals around him and closes in. His arms bind to his sides. The ring explodes in a plume of darkness.
Sora's body falls from the smoke. His black cloak is gone, and his normal clothes have returned. The heartless emerges from the smoke.
Naminé fumbles along the ground to get to Sora. Her feet scamper as her hands crawl along the grass. She throws herself on him and sticks out a warding hand at the heartless now hovering above them.
It raises its sword once more.
A twig snaps. Naminé and the heartless turn their heads. Kairi stares at the blonde girl.
Naminé turns back to the heartless. Its hand clamps to its forehead. It roars in pain and vanishes into the air. Naminé looks around frantically.
"What … why?"
An arm pushes her aside as Sora sits up. He presses his hands against several places on his torso and legs, wincing each time. He twitches and jerks trying to stand up. He sees Kairi.
"Kairi! I'm so sorry I'm late. I—"
He stops in a hunch when the hurt in Kairi's eyes hits him harder than the heartless ever could.
"Kairi, I'm so…"
Her eyes pinch shut and she shakes her head. A couple loose tears fling from her face.
"You kept me waiting for half an hour, Sora! You know how important visiting my Grandmother's grave is to me. You promised you'd be here and you weren't!"
"I'm sorry. Something ran late. I—"
"And you're with her again."
Kairi stabs a finger at Naminé.
"I know you need her or whatever, but I thought our friendship was more important. I've known you ever since I moved here. You've known her, what, like a couple days? Or has it been longer and you just never told me."
"Just let me explain, would you!"
"Don't yell at me you jerk!"
Their prideful eyes size each other up. They both sigh and look down.
"I know you have your reasons, Sora. I get that. And it's personal and you don't want to share. I understand. We all have stuff like that. I just don't want you making promises you can't keep. Just be honest with me about what you can and can't do."
"But I told you. It's the spirits. They're getting worse. More aggressive."
"Sora, it's time to grow up. It's time to stop calling your problems 'spirits.' I'll help you as much as I can with them, but until you're ready to open up about what they really are, there's only so much I can do."
"You don't…"
Sora staggers backward.
"You don't believe me about the spirits? But I thought that…"
His heart explodes in his chest. Sadness bleeds from the injury.
An uneasy breeze creaks the branches overhead.
"I'm sorry," says Kairi. "I shouldn't have indulged. I realize now I was doing the same thing you've been doing the last few days. But I'm going to be honest from here on out.
"I know our time together is coming to an end. We all got into different high schools, and then we'll be off to different colleges. Life has a way of taking us to new places.
"That's why what we have right now is so special. I want to make every day of this summer count because I don't know if we'll ever get another chance to be like we are now."
Kairi tilts her head to conceal her eyes beneath her bangs.
"I want to be the best friend I can for you, but I need you to do the same."
"Just a…" says Sora, "a friend…"
"Mm, hmm."
Kairi nods.
"I'll see you tomorrow at practice, okay?"
Sora opens his mouth, but Kairi turns away with a brisk walk.
His chest feels as empty as the hole in the heartless.
"Did you see those bruises on her arm and leg?"
Naminé's words pass through his ears. He answers instinctively, using the conversation as a distraction from the void growing inside.
"I didn't notice. I guess I saw one on her arm this morning."
"Really? So she didn't have that hand shaped one on her shin?"
"I don't think so. Why?"
"I can't say for sure. But that's not the last we've seen of that strange heartless."
"Oh, okay."
"Anyway, let's get you some rest. We've got a lot more practice before you're ready for that thing. Hopefully my full power returns by then."
"Yeah."
Sora does not move.
"Can you walk, or does it hurt too bad?"
"It hurts too bad."
"Yeah, that explosion looked pretty nasty."
"Explo… no, not that. Didn't you see what just happened with Kairi?"
"It looked like you were both mad for a second. I've heard anger is a negative emotion, but I doubt it hurts worse than being blown up."
"Forget it!"
Sora twists from her in a whirlwind of limbs and storms away.
Naminé tags along behind.
###
Kairi runs through the gate of the graveyard and down the street. She sprints to exhaustion. Her tired feet carry her towards home. She shortcuts through the paved trails of a wooded area between the neighborhoods. She comes to a bridge spanning a creek that runs through the city.
Riku stands at its center. He stares at the bright, nearly full moon. Kairi's sudden appearance draws his attention.
His hair shimmers with silver moonlight as his head turns. His eyes lack their usual edge. Kairi steps onto the wooden planks to join him.
"How was the visit to your grandmother?"
Kairi leans her elbows on the railing next to him and stares into the running water.
"It was fine. Sora was late and interrupted it with a loud escapade with that new girl."
Riku's face returns to the moon.
"I'm sorry," he says. "I don't know why he's acting so strange lately. I wish I'd been there with you."
"Yeah me too."
They cast their eyes to opposite ends of the bridge. They listen to the lapping waters for a moment.
"So what are you clearing your head about tonight?" Kairi says.
Riku does not speak.
"I see. More secrets. Well I hope whatever it is works itself out."
Kairi pushes off the railing and walks along the creaking boards.
Riku clears his throat.
"It's my dad."
Kairi stops to face him.
"He came home today."
They stare at one another beneath the bright moon.