Thoughts of Home
By Ariana Aislinn

Another drabble present, this one for Koorino Megumi, who's far from home herself. Hang in there, Megumi! Enjoy your trip, and you'll be home before you know it!

Standard disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters are the property of Squaresoft and Disney, not me.

Sora blinked repeatedly as he exited the run-down old mansion. His eyes wouldn't focus properly, and lingering drowsiness made his vision bleary. As he walked, his muscles slowly worked out the kinks and cramps that came from long disuse.

The sun was low on the horizon, sending an orange-gold glow sweeping across the landscape. Tree branches waved languidly in the slight breeze, and a few clouds drifted lazily across the sky. Everything felt peaceful, comfortable, yet somehow…completely and utterly alien. There was something oddly familiar about this place, and yet at the same time, Sora was convinced he had never seen it before in his life. And somehow, that air of familiarity made it worse. Wrapping his arms around himself, he shivered.

"You okay, Sora?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, Goofy. Just…still kind of disoriented, you know? That was some nap."

"You bet it was!" Donald quacked, frowning. "Wish I knew how we got here in the first place, and why we were sleeping for so long…"

"Pretty weird place to wake up, that's for sure. I wonder who brought us here? And why?" Sora sighed.

"Guess there's only one way to find out - explore and see what kinda place this is. Don'tcha think?"

"Yeah, Goofy, I guess you're right. Let's go, then."

They strolled out of the mansion's overgrown grounds, walking down a pathway toward the town proper. Smoke gently curled from chimneys, and the soft rumble of a train sounded from across town. Off in the distance they could hear shouts, like kids rough-housing and relaxing before they were called in for dinner. The street was winding and a bit narrow, with smooth cobblestones fitted neatly together.

The trees and bushes thinned out a little bit, and the houses grew closer together. Now and then they'd see townsfolk passing each other or stopping to chat in the streets. A couple of small children ran past, laughing. There was an air of camaraderie, of closeness and perhaps even family, the kind that comes from living in a close community. Sora remembered something like it from the Destiny Islands.

Their path took them along a railed walkway that skirted the edge of a cliff, then led up toward the crest of a gently sloping hill on the edge of town. A small monument glinted at the top, the setting sun reflecting on its white stone.

They reached the top of the hill, and Sora flopped down to sit in the soft grass, staring out at the sunset. He sighed heavily.

"Something wrong, Sora?" Goofy asked, thumping down next to his friend.

"Yeah…well, several things. It's hard to know where to begin, you know?"

"Things are awfully confusing right now…" Donald frowned.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. But it's more than just the obvious. I mean, sure, I wonder where we are. But more than that, I feel…out of place."

"Out of place? But…this town seems so nice and pleasant!" quacked Donald.

"It might sound strange, but that's exactly the problem. See all these people?" Sora gestured to a couple strolling down the path toward town, laughing softly together. A little girl played with a dog some distance beyond them. "They're happy together. They fit here, they belong here. They know each other. But…I'm a stranger here. We're strangers. Once I belonged someplace too…but home is so far away, and sometimes I wonder if I'll ever see it again, you know?"

"Uh…yeah." Donald exchanged a concerned glance with Goofy, who shrugged. Neither really knew what to say to help Sora feel better.

"I dunno Sora, I'm kinda excited to find out more about this place. It's not like ya to get down!"

Sora smiled softly at Goofy. "Yeah, I know it isn't. Sorry about that."

"Maybe you should think positive, Sora! Think about what's going to happen. Now that we're awake, we're going to go find Riku and the king…and then we can all go home!"

Sora paused, thinking over Donald's words. "You're right. Home is waiting for me…and Kairi's waiting there too." He closed his eyes, leaning back a little and feeling the sun's warmth wash over him.

He could almost hear the roll of the waves, the rustle of the palm fronds in the evening breeze. The sun was setting over the ocean, and the balmy warmth of an island day was turning into the gentle coolness of evening. Instead of grass, he felt the sun-soaked wooden boards of a dock underneath him. A gentle laugh laced with a bit of mischief assailed his ears as the memories washed over him.

"Sora, let's take the raft and go! Just the two of us!"

He smiled a little at the memory. Kairi had always had a spark of impishness that would flare up at the most unexpected times. Of course, he knew she hadn't really meant it. As they'd grown up, Riku had started changing a little, and sometimes those changes confused his two friends. But Sora knew that he, Riku, and Kairi were and always would be the best of friends, and they would stick together no matter what. Even when they were separated, Sora found himself clinging to that unspoken promise.

"You know…I was a little afraid, at first. But now I'm ready! Because no matter where I go, or what I see…I know that I can always come back here."

"Yeah, of course!" Sora listened to his own voice in his memory, confident and unconcerned. He could sense that confidence infecting Kairi as she drew strength from it. He sighed inwardly, wishing he could draw some of that confidence for himself now.

"I just can't wait…once we set sail. It'll be great."

Sora opened his eyes suddenly, looking out at the sunset. He heard again the gentle sound of windchimes, of mothers calling their children to come in for dinner, of dogs barking and two elderly gentlemen arguing over the outcome of a chess game. He smelled the scent of flowers as they folded up their blossoms for the evening, and the aroma of fresh-baked bread from not far off. Birds called from atop some nearby trees, singing their evening song. Suddenly Sora smiled.

"You know what, guys?"

Goofy and Donald looked over at him.

"This place really does seem nice." Sora stood, dusting a few stray blades of grass off his shorts. "Maybe I really am thinking too much. I guess I'm still kind of sleepy." He grinned. "Come on! Do you smell that bread baking? I don't know how long we were asleep, but I sure am getting hungry! Let's go see what kind of place this is."

Donald hopped to his feet. "Yeah, let's go! I'm starving!"

Goofy smiled placidly, rubbing his stomach in anticipation. "Yup, dinner would be good. Maybe we'll make some new friends here, too!"

Sora grinned, crossing his arms behind his head as he started walking down the hillside path. "Sure! I'll bet we will. Heh, I can't wait…we've been asleep for too long. It's time to go explore!" He broke into a run, laughing as the others hurried to catch up. Sometimes he really did feel out of place, it was true, and there were times that the longing for home swelled to an aching desire. Still, Sora knew he could be sure of one thing - home was there waiting for him, and no matter where he went or what he saw, he could always go back there. Kairi was waiting, and as soon as he found Riku, they'd head home - together. Maybe he could even show Donald and Goofy around the islands. The sudden mental image of Wakka attempting to teach Donald blitzball and hitting him in the head on accident made Sora laugh out loud.

Don't give up on me, Kairi. I'll come home…I promise. I'm not afraid anymore, because I know it'll be there waiting for me…and so will you.