Sora: Why the hell are you updating so slow!
Me: Because I'm so lazy. And I had an entire Spring Break to type and I didn't lay a hand on this fic.
Riku:...you're an idiot.
Digi: And me being lazy and taking forever to beta read had nothing to do with it. (shifty eyes)
Me: (sighs) I know. But I'm an un-inspired idiot! If there are any Catching Fire readers, I'm not so sure when I'll get to updating that. It sounded like a good idea at first, but it kind of sucks and I may be replacing it with another story I thought of, one that is well thought out and not some dumb idea. However, I sincerely doubt anyone wants to read these author notes so on with the story!
Spectra Ship
Sora's eyes widened and his breath quickened in horror. There it was, the feather from his dream. Small portions seemed to have been burned off and it was charred black; you could still tell this was not the original color.
Raising a shaking hand, Sora plucked the feather from his wing. It was real, and so was the small pin drop of blood forming from where the feather had been plucked and the jab of pain Sora felt. He ignored these things and focused on the object in his hands.
"But... but it was just a dream," Sora whispered, horrified. "It was a dream, so how can..."
Kairi popped her head into the door. "Sora, you coming?"
Sora jumped out of his trance and hastily stuffed the feather into his pocket. "Hey, sorry."
"Sora, you're bleeding!" Kairi exclaimed, pointing to his wing.
Looking over, Sora saw a thin trickle of blood running down his gossamer feathers. "Oh..."
"Here," Kairi said. Pulling out a piece of cloth form her pocket, she wiped away at the red liquid, causing Sora to wince slightly. "There," she said. "How did you get cut?"
"My wing probably just got caught on something on the seat," Sora lied quickly. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Let's get out of here."
"Okay!" she said cheerfully. She pecked him on the cheek before grabbing hold of his hand and dragging him out of the ship.
Sora gasped loudly the moment his feet hit the sand. The familiar, dearly missed scenery seemed to reflect his current mood. The sun shone brightly in a pale blue sky, the occasional seagull cawing as it flew by. Crystal blue waters you could see right through surrounded the warm sand where small fiddler crabs rushed about the shore line. The huts he remembered were gone, replaced with new ones that seemed to have been better built although the tree houses were still there. The dock remained the same and he saw all of his friends' boat bobbing up and down in the gentle waves.
"It's just like I remembered it," Sora whispered happily, a grin cracking across his face. "But all of the boats are here, so where is..."
"SURPRISE!"
The next moment he was tackled to the ground by blond, brunette and red-headed teenagers, all set on nothing else then choking Sora to death with a giant kamikaze glomp (Me: SUPER KAMAKAZE GLOMP OF DOOOM!)
"Where the hell have you been!"
"We missed you, Sora!"
"It took you forever to get back. Couldn't have written or anything, ya?"
"You're choking me," came a strangled reply from under the giant mass. Riku was rolling on the floor laughing as he saw his friend struggle to get up.
"It's great to see you all, too," Sora said, gasping for breath but grinning all the less as they finally let off of him. "I take it you missed me, then?"
"Of course we did!" Tidus said.
"You get a growth spurt?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow. Tidus was now only one inch or so shorter then him with the same spiky, blonde hair. He wore a sleeveless jacket with no shirt underneath of it and sun-bleached denim shorts that were torn and ragged at the ends.
"Yup!" Tidus said proudly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"We don't have to bow or anything, do we?" Wakka asked who hadn't really changed much. Same old clothes, but he did look older. He was, of course, now an adult.
"I'd hurt you if you did," he informed his flatly. "I'm here to get away from that."
"And to see us too, right?" Selphie chirped. Sora was pleasantly surprised at how grown up she looked. Her hair was no longer in pigtails and now sailed straight down her back in light waves. Her old yellow jump suit was replaced with sky blue capris and a yellow tank top that cut short around her midriff. She had a necklace of thalasa shells strung around her neck, as well.
"Nah, not really," Sora kidded, folding his arms behind his back. "Just to take a nap on the beach and try to avoid my mom."
"I guess three years really didn't change much of you, did it?" Tidus asked.
"Of course not!" Sora exclaimed. "What, do you think I actually listened to them!"
They all laughed until Selphie said, "We're glad to have you back, Sora."
Sora grinned. "Glad to be ba"
Words were cut short as, for the third time this week, he was knocked to the ground, completely winded, this time by a green and yellow clad ninja.
"SORA! SORA! YOU'RE BACK! YOU'RE BACK!" she squealed, glomping his so hard he thought his ribs would crack from the pressure any minute now.
"Nice to see you two, Yuffie," he gagged, trying to pry her off of him but to no avail.
"SQUALL, HE'S BACK!" she screamed right into his ear, making his head ring.
"I can see that," a husky voice said. "Now get off him before he dies."
Sora coughed as she finally released him from her death trap, otherwise known as her arms. She then continued to jump in circles chanting, "He's baaack, he's baaack, and he's baaack!"
"How ya doing, kid?" Leon asked as he pulled the brunette to his feet and ruffled his hair. "You've grown over the past three years."
"Thanks," Sora said, grinning. Leon's lips curved up in as much of a smile as the man could produce. It wasn't big, but Sora got it.
Yuffie, who had stopped chanting, hugged him again. "Yeah, you have grown a lot. To believe you're even cuter then you were three years ago. You're looking hot, catch yourself a girlfriend yet?"
Sora blushed furiously and tried to step away from her.
"Yeah, he does have one," Kairi said, giving Yuffie a look. "So you'd better get off of him."
Sora smiled at her as Yuffie let go and started 'awww'ing.
"So you two are finally together!" she said, bouncing up and down in joy. "Hear that, Selphie? You owe me fifty munny!"
"Wait a second..." Sora said as Selphie groaned. "You two were betting on when me and Kairi would hook up?"
"Yup!" Yuffie said in a "No duh" voice. "Selphie said you'd get together sometime you were on the island, but I said you'd be together before you came!"
"I'm so glad you're betting on our love lives," he said in a sarcastic voice.
"I know, isn't it great!" Yuffie said as Selphie reluctantly handed over the coins.
"As sorry as I am to break up this happy reunion," Riku said with an evil smirk, "I suggest you get back to the main island."
Blinking, Sora asked, "Why?"
"Your mother," everyone chorused, making Sora wince.
"Oh yeah," Sora said, chuckling. "Do you think she'll kill me before or after she hugs me?"
"I vote for hugging you to death," Tidus said with a nod of his head.
"And you get to see Nary!" Selphie squealed. "She's sooo cute! And she's just like you!"
Sora grinned. "Then let's head over! But do you really think she'll let me leave the island?"
Everyone's faces shadowed over a bit as they thought of Sora leaving again. "How long can you stay for?" Wakka asked.
"Two weeks," Sora said sadly, but then letting his face brighten. "But hey, let's just make it a good one!"
"Barbecue and a giant sleepover in the tree house?" Kairi recommended.
"Yeah!" Sora said happily. "We haven't done that in years!"
"That's because you've been gone for three years!" Yuffie said while poking him in the chest accusingly. "And we want to hear all about this 'training' you've been having."
Sora rolled his eyes but agreed anyway. "Kay, now let's head back to the island!"
"Wait, ya," Wakka said as Sora began to head towards the docks. Looking around he saw Selphie, Tidus and Wakka giving him looks of deep concern.
"Are you okay?" Tidus asked worriedly. "I mean, with what happened?"
"Oh, Riku told you?" Sora asked in a toneless voice.
"They wanted to know," Riku said.
Smiling slightly, Sora said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. That was all three years ago, I'm over it."
"Are you sure?" Selphie asked sadly.
"Yeah!" Sora said, nodding. "I'm fine, don't worry about it! Now let's have some fun!"
"Sounds good to me," Riku said. "C'mon, we can share a boat.."
"Nah, that's okay," Sora said. "I wasn't planning on taking a boat over."
Kairi frowned slightly, but then her mouth formed an "Oh," in understanding. "So we'll meet you there?"
"No, we'll meet them there," he corrected her. "Ever wonder what it was like to fly around here?"
Kairi giggled slightly.
"Whatever you two, we're gonna start over," chortled Riku. "Race ya!"
"Like you can possibly win!" Sora declared, that old spark lighting up his eyes once more. "Wings against a paddle, what a challenge."
"Fine, if you're afraid to lose," Riku said with a shrug.
Sora pouted. "I am not afraid!". He went behind Kairi and wrapped his arms around her waist, causing her to giggle again at the tickling sensation it brought. "We'll see you there!"
Riku trotted over to the docks and hopped into his boat. Lifting the paddle up, he began rowing like mad.
"Let's go, Sora!" Kairi said. Sora stiffened his arms around his girlfriend and in a snapping noise, he uncurled his wings, letting the salt air flow through the down of his feathers. The sounds of gasps form his friends followed as he brought them high above his head and then down in a swift moment, knocking barrels of sand in all directions as the two rocketed upwards.
"AWESOME!" he heard Wakka and Tidus exclaim from down below. Kairi giggled softly, backing her head up to rest on his chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat increase with every beat of his wings.
Sora smiled and raced a few seagulls flying by, outstripping them easily.
"It's even more beautiful then at Disney Castle," Kairi thought out loud, looking down at the blue waters as they passed a Riku who was completely oblivious as to how bad he was losing.
"Yeah, it is," Sora agreed. He beat his wings in a gentle rowing motion, watching as the main island came closer and closer into view. Grinning, he said, "Ready?"
"Ready!" she said happily. Sora brought his wings down at an angle until they were rocketing towards the aisle of sand.
He beamed and laughed out loud as he felt the familiar, but never tiresome, adrenaline rush that filled his muscles every time he went this fast.
"Be careful, Sora!" Kairi warned, but Sora ignored her and continued to gain speed. "Sora!"
He laughed as she tried to catch his attention and focused more on the sandy coast coming closer. He saw people starting to come out of the wooden houses and point up at the sky at them in amazement. Around ten yards or so from the ground, he finally pulled out of the dive just in time. Sand billowed in large clouds in front of him as he flapped back frantically, using his wings to stop them until he safely dropped himself and Kairi on the ground.
Once on solid land, Kairi smacked Sora playfully over the head. "I told you to slow down!"
"Erm... I didn't hear you?" he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head nervously. Before another word could escape from his lips, he was pulled into a rib-cracking bear hug by an older woman slightly taller then him.
"Sora! Sora! You're back, oh my little boy has come home!" the figure cried as Sora frantically tried to tell her she was choking him. "Oh do you know how worried I've been about you! Three years, your father's been worried; I've been so lonely without you! Oh Sora, you've finally come home!"
"Yes, I'm home!" Sora gasped, patting her on the back and hugging her in return as she slightly loosened her grip.
A few moments later she stepped away and put her hands on her hips, giving him the famous 'you're grounded for the rest of your life' look. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been about you!" she repeated. "Disappearing without a trace one morning and some people coming to me a week later telling me you won't be coming back!"
"But I..."
"And what's this whole 'king' business?" she asked indignantly. "Did you not tell them there is no royal blood in our family?"
"Mom, it's not like that!"
"You told them it was all a mistake, right?" she continued hopefully. "And that's exactly why you're back. Because my Sora told them how wrong they were and now he's home to stay. Isn't that right, son? You've come home to stay and that dreadful ship isn't going to take you back, right?"
Sora sighed; this was going to be harder then he thought.
"Mrs. Hondai, chill out," a voice said from behind them. Riku was heading towards them, Yuffie, Leon, Tidus, Wakka and Selphie not trailing too far behind.
"Yeah, besides, Sora's an adult now." This was the voice of an older male and, looking to his left, he saw his dad standing there. "He's old enough to decide forhimself." He grinned at his only son and grabbed him in a fierce one-armed hug, messing up his hair with the other hand.
Sora beamed and hugged his father back. "Good to see you dad. You miss me?"
"Hell yeah!" the man laughed, ignoring his wife's glare. "I had to do all of your chores."
"Damn shame," Sora retorted and he heard his mother gasp. He raised an eyebrow as she glared.
"Where did you learn such language!"
Sora groaned as everyone laughed at him. Guess his mother hadn't changed that much over the past three years. "Gimme a break, mom. I'm an adult. And don't think about trying to ground me for it, either."
Her gaze softened a bit. "It doesn't matter that you're an adult now," she said softly. "You're still my little boy."
"Oh mom," Sora said, rolling his eyes but hugging her in return as her arms encircled him once more.
His friends watched from the sidelines, grinning from ear to ear. It had been a rough three years for Mrs. Hondai and no matter how hard she tried to hide it, they could tell her heart was breaking. With her son finally back, maybe it was time to heal. But with only two weeks of precious time, it left them all wondering if she would be okay... ever.
Something caught his attention at the corner of his eye. Loosening his hold on his mom so he could step back, he peered at his father's legs. "Err, dad, I think you have something stuck to you," he said worriedly.
Mr. Hodai grinned and Sora watched as he squatted down and whispered something behind him. Sora blinked in confusion and stared as his father stepped to the side. Sora's eyes widened in understanding and he felt his heart tremble.
Standing there was a little girl, looking to be three or so. She looked up at him shyly with big blue eyes that matched Sora's, though their shape was more of an almond shape. She had soft brown hair that curled slightly and trailed down her back, a tiny ribbon tied to the side. Her cheeks had a pinkish tinge to them and she held her forefinger between soft pink lips, looking absolutely adorable. Sora grinned. "Heya Nary.
"Nary," Mrs. Hondai said softly. "This is Sora. This is your big bro..."
But she needn't say more as the shyness dissolved as soon as she heard the young man's name. A bright smile cracked along her face as she bolted towards him, arms flung open. "SOWA!" she cried happily in a childish voice.
Sora laughed as he knelt down and caught his little sister in his arms, lifting her up. She giggled happily as she hugged his neck. Chuckling, he said, "You're a little ball of energy, aren't ya?"
"Can be annoying, too," Riku said thoughtfully and the brunette jumped; he had forgotten his friends were still there, his mind too clouded with thoughts of his family. "She's been bugging us for stories of you ever since she could talk." He sighed. "Sometimes I wish she never learned to speak."
Both siblings simultaneously stuck their tongues out at the silver-haired nutso and received a smirk in return.
Ignoring his best friend's remark, he said to Nary, "Happy to meet me, huh?"
She giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The girls (Sora's mom, Kairi, Yuffie and Selphie) 'awwwed' at the antics of the toddler as Sora hugged her closer. "Didn't know my little sister could be so cute."
He stopped as the little girl peeked her head from his shoulder and eyed his wings. She lifted a small finger and poked the feathered limbs that protruded from his shoulders. Sora sighed. "I somehow have a feeling I'm gonna give everyone on this island a free ride." Turning to his parents, he asked, "Do you mind?"
"Mind what, dear?" his mother asked him suspiciously.
"Do 'wings' have any meaning to you whatsoever, dear?" her husband asked as he slid an arm around her shoulders. Looking at his oldest son he said, "Make sure you don't drop her."
"I won't!" Sora chirped. But he was stopped.
"Oh no you don't!" his mom snapped. "I don't want Nary up there! As a matter of fact, I don't want you up there either!" her eyes narrowed. "Flying is dangerous, dear. You shouldn't be taking those wings for granted! Maybe a quick glide every now and then but..."
Sora unburied and old talent of his and used it to block out his mother's words. He smiled and said, "So, Nary, wanna quick ride?"
"Me and Sowa go fwying!" she
squealed, flapping her arms up and down like
wings.
Sora chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, we go flying."
"Make sure you come back soon!" Kairi added, smiling.
"Yeah, we're gonna have that barbeque tonight!" Tidus put it.
"Don't worry, we won't be gone long!" Sora assured them. His mother would have protested more if she hadn't been busy gasping as she watched her son unfold his wings to the fullest extent, gleaming island sun sparkling down on his white feathers.
He grinned from ear to ear and brought them high above his head. Letting the sound of laughter fill his ears, the ocean breeze fill his nose, the salty air flow up and over his wings... he took off.
Many Hours Later
Sora looked up at the ceiling of his room, lazily stretched out across it's linen sheets. It was twelve 'o' clock at night when Mrs. Hodai finally insisted they put a halt to their party and send Nary to bed.
This didn't mean it wasn't a great night, however. Wakka and his dad grilled up some burgers and hot dogs and they ate under the moonlight. It was the best night Sora had had in a long time, especially the soda chugging contest him and Tidus had. Sora won, Tidus closely behind. Nothing to brag about, but he found ways to.
Sora had wanted to sleep over at Riku's new house (he actually had a house now!) and Mr. Hodai was fine with it. His mother... well, let's just say she wouldn't be letting him out of her sight again for quite some time.
He rolled over on his side and stared out the window. After giving Nary a bedtime story (she was very stubborn) that lasted a long time before she finally fell asleep, he thought he'd be tired. But for some reason, he wasn't.
It was like a bunch of fireflies had escaped into his chest and danced around, giving him a warm and floating feeling, lighting him up from the inside out. Being back with his friends and family, feeling the sand beneath his feet... he was almost afraid to go to sleep. Afraid that if he did, this would all just be a dream. He prayed to the gods he wasn't. It was like he had been drowning the past three years. Drowning in luke warm water, neither hot nor cold. It was like his surroundings couldn't make up their mind and he was constantly stuck in the middle, being tugged this way and that. But back here, it was like waking up from a nightmare. A real breath of fresh air.
He let his eyes shut slowly, smiling to himself. For a long time now, he felt safe. And when he slept that night, no nightmares visited him. Hidden demons were kept locked away in the safe confinements in the back of his mind... along with the black feather.
Done
Me: I know, I know. This was total and complete CRAP. If you want to flame me, I will fully accept them. I deserve them after this.
Digi: Oi, fluff is good. .
Riku: (slowly pulls out flamethrower)
Me: I'm just so damn sick of all this happiness! Six straight chapters of cute, fluffy joy! I want angst! I want pain! I WANT SUFFERING!
Digi: (twitches) There's nothing wrong with happiness.
All: (eyes grow huge and they step away)
Me: (breaths heavily) Please review, but you don't need to. I don't expect and reviews for such a bad piece of writing.
Sora: Look on the bright side!
Me: What?
Sora: There is none!
Me: (sighs happily) Just the way I like it.
(phone rings)
Me: Yeah, this is the shitty restaurant.