Simple Movements

Chapter 11

-Understand-

"..Is that your answer?"

Zack had stopped keeping track of how many lifetimes had passed watching the chocolate haired boy from afar. He would see Sora being reborn into the world, laughing as a small child, growing into a strong young man, and taking his last breath in old age. In some instances, Sora was a business man, a teacher, or a simple farm worker in the most rural of islands. The lives and careers that Sora grew into ranged from every corner of the map, yet his soul remained the same. No matter what family he was born into, wealthy or not, he led a happy one. He was an honest, loving person. It was this man, this beautiful man that Zack Fair had come to love.

"I'm very sorry ma'am, but there's nothing that can be done."

Sora was only a year old, asleep and nestled against his mother's chest in a sterile white office. A doctor opposite of them held a folder in his hands, his lips slightly chapped.

"I've got all the money in the world, surely something can be done for him," the woman expressed with unease. "Please, doctor."

The man in the white coat let out a simple sigh. "Money will not save him. You are aware of how our world works. The only thing that can save him would be a wish."

She immediately ran her fingers along the cold, lifeless orb at the base of her neck. "I can't do anything for him?"

The doctor eased away, settling an arm on his desk. "Medicine will only prolong his life so much. He will not make it past his mid-teens."

Sora's mother, like many, wished for wealth to lead her on an easy path through life. She married someone equally rich, and together brought a baby boy into the world. They named him Sora, for his mother had a fondness for the skies. But it was early on when they noticed that something was wrong with him. His lack of appetite, the constant fevers and chronic pain, it left his little body in shambles. Wherever they took him, they would get the same response. They would lose their son no matter what.

Zack felt the hand against his back and mind returned to the pristine white of his private chambers. He glanced over, seeing the familiar and warm face wrinkled with age. Godmother smiled at the dark haired man.

"At it again, aren't you?"

He faced the large window before him showing the entirety of the city, a dark metropolis drenched in neon lights. Zack cradled a black book in his hand, the Lexicon that was his lifeline to the outside world.

"Yeah, you caught me."

Godmother circled around and sat at the edge of the plush white sofa a few inches from the tall, handsome man.

"Zack, it's not good for you to dwell on others like this," she said stressing the growing concern in her voice. "You've spent centuries watching him. The other Council members are growing alarmed you have lost your ways."

He scoffed at her words. "Ridiculous. I created this organization, the rules and laws are set. The world is in order, what do they have to worry about?"

She took a hold of his hands and raised them towards her, her touch delicate and soft. "You found us all. You brought together a group of people that were given nothing, and have now given them a life worth something. We owe you everything. It's simply out of our love for you that we worry. A leader such as you should continue to be a beacon for us all."

His blue eyes twitched. "I am owed nothing. The opportunity was always there within you all. I simply informed you of it. The choice was yours and yours alone. If you followed, it was I who should be grateful."

Zack remembered Godmother long ago, a time when she was a young woman sporting golden blonde hair. Back then, she went by her original name, Cinderella. Born into a wealthy home, and having lost her mother, Cinderella's father remarried. But his new wife hated her. With two daughters of her own, both vastly outshone by Cinderella's beauty, her stepmother grew jealous. With her father's untimely passing, Cinderella was ultimately sentenced to a life of servitude in her own home. Every morning she'd wake to their loud and demeaning commands. And as a Blank Point, the ridicule was intolerable at her stepsisters' hand. Cinderella could not save herself, and truly deemed her life would mean nothing. But that all changed when a handsome, black haired man found her weeping in the darkened gardens of her home.

"Oh, no. No, it isn't true. It's just no use. No use at all. I can't believe. Not anymore. There's nothing left to believe in. Nothing…"

He reached for her, pulled the golden haired girl into his lap and stroked her back gently. "It's all right, you'll be all right."

Cinderella was the first Blank Point he'd ever encountered. She was like him, born without a wish, but one with the gift of potential immortality. As he cleared her tears he explained just how special she was. Her existence was important, she was important to the world and she could help make it a better place. But even Zack's words were not enough to sway her…at first. It would be decades later, as an old woman that Cinderella finally gave in to Zack's idea of immortality. She abandoned her name, her past, and simply became "Godmother."

The faint glimmer in her eyes spoke of her distant memories before focusing back on the man in front of her. Godmother took a hold of Zack's Lexicon and waved a finger over the writing that spoke of the young brunet he was so intent on. Slowly, the writing began to seep away, leaving behind crisp white pages. Zack's expression saddened.

"It's best you forget about him," she said taking a stand, "you'll bring yourself heartache."

She leaned over slightly and placed a kiss on his cheek before leaving the darkened room.

"Had a good chat?"

Godmother turned towards the childlike voice, a girl hidden by a white veil. Behind her, droves of Council workers followed. Godmother found her face scrunching slightly at the sight of the young member. The girl turned to her devoted group of followers and shook a small hand at them, immediately dispersing the group as she joined the elderly member. "Shall we have some tea? I had a Scripture Reader find me a wonderful new batch of leaves."

They walked through the hallways and took an elevator ride to the rooftop. They entered a beautiful green garden encased in crystal and in the center of this lush greenery, a marble table and matching chairs. A tea kettle was already steaming and china set out by an attendant prior to their arrival. The pair was alone in the tropical sanctuary beneath the stars, all the while sipping away at a delicious brew tasting of thick honey.

"How is he?"

Godmother paused, setting her cup down on the delicate saucer plate. "His eyes worry me."

The young girl touched her veil, the fabric becoming transparent and her face visible to the world. Dark eyes and hair touched by brown highlights. A pretty girl by all means if it weren't for the deep, pink and brown scar lying from her left temple, crossing over her nose and ending against her pale cheek. She let out a laugh.

"Godmother, you should know better. It's rude to stare."

The older woman veered her gaze away and found the sight of her tea more appealing. "In all the time I've known you, I've only seen your face twice. You can't blame me for allowing my eyes to linger."

The girl reached for the sugar housed in a porcelain cup and began heaping in mounds of the refined sweetness. Godmother watched her carefully, the honey colored tea becoming almost solid and triggering a nausea-like feeling in her stomach. She took a thick sip of the tea and sighed.

"I've never been able to understand your tastes, Rinoa," Godmother said finding the little tea party not to her liking.

Rinoa Heartilly. Forever ten years old, but knowledge and personality way beyond her years. A Blank Point from a war stricken country, the scar on her face a clear indicator of the young life she lived struggling to survive. Godmother couldn't help but feel pity for the girl, having found her with Zack a short time after she had attained immortality. She was like them, one with nothing, but told of the wonderful gift she was given. It was night and day, seeing this little girl with a terrified expression immediately smirking at the thought of what she could have. There was no hesitation on Rinoa's part, she took a hold of her immortality and never looked back. Her life was one of luxury, and the dozens of servants and Council workers that waited on her were never in short supply. Godmother grew to dislike this little girl.

"There are no secrets between us. We're all fellow members of The Council. We oversee the wishing system of our world, live through the eyes of others. Thanks to our leader Zack, we've discovered our fate. We live for the people."

Godmother couldn't suppress the curving of her lips. "You mean you live for yourself."

Rinoa sat back against the marble chair, her tiptoes barely touching the ground. "Come now Godmother, that's not true."

"Then that gaggle of servants at your constant beck and call. What do you call those?"

"Grateful citizens so touched by us they wish to devote their mortal lives to us. How could I possibly turn away such willing people?"

Zack created The Council and brought together the rare few immortal members they had, and with an entire world to monitor, it was absolutely necessary to have others to aid in their work. Scripture Readers, Wish Enforcers, just a few titles granted authority to oversee the world. With humanity becoming more and more aware of these mysterious people, Zack saw it necessary to remain hidden, restricted to a central point in order to maintain absolute order. The last thing they needed was turmoil and fear amongst the population. They led their eternal lives in a structure of pure white in the northernmost nation of the world, a country where sunlight deemed it unworthy of its presence, The World That Never Was.

"I don't quite understand where this hostility is coming from," Rinoa expressed flicking her tongue over the sugary rim of her cup. "All I want is for Zack's continued guidance and happiness."

Godmother wasn't buying it. "Then what need for me to erase the boy's information from the Lexicon?"

Rinoa ran a finger over the table's surface. "Zack has been spending centuries watching him. It was cute at first, but there's concern for his mental state."

"You must be joking," Godmother uttered in disbelief, "what harm is there in Zack watching a simple little boy?"

But Godmother did not need Rinoa's answer. She knew all too well what she was getting at. They were immortal beings, they watched countless lives being born and snuffed out. It was a whirlwind of faces, emotions, feelings, all of which they held no attachment to. They couldn't. Their entire being and power was needed for the continued monitoring of the wishing system. If one, and especially such an important figure as Zack, wavered from their job, it could spell disaster. Godmother understood what Zack was going through, and it was eating away at her that she had to ultimately agree with Rinoa. The dark haired girl nodded, realizing Godmother understood what she meant.

"There are few of us, we can't allow any discontent between us," Rinoa said flicking her veil and the transparency disappearing. "It's for the better of us all."

Zack held a hand against the glass window overlooking the city, his face wrinkled in thought. He held the Lexicon in his grip, a single line of text scrawled across a page he had made sure to keep intact.

"He's a Blank Point."

Life had given Sora an unpleasant route this time around. Not only was he born without a wish, but an incurable disease would rob him of his life early. The smiling, laughing young man he'd seen dozens of times, the beautiful soul that made the best of every situation, he wouldn't get that chance. Zack couldn't bear the thought of seeing him suffer. Pain didn't match the exuberant beauty in his face. It would fall on him as the founding member of The Council to seek him out and inform him of the blessing he had. Zack couldn't help but smile at the thought that Sora would finally be at his side.

But what should have been an elated reaction at knowing he'd live forever, never succumbing to his illness and becoming a part of something so great was met with a weak smile. Sora had made it to his 16th birthday by sheer will, every step painful, but he made his way through life despite the hardships. He looked at Zack Fair standing on a sandy strip of beach along his island home, the wind playing with his spiky hair.

"Thank you for taking the time in coming here, but I don't want you to waste any more of it on my behalf."

He stood dumbfounded, his throat dry. "You aren't a waste of time, Sora," he said with growing concern.

Sora found a broken log and sat down, his feet burying themselves into the sand. The sun was waning, waving goodbye to the skies as it made its trek to the other side of the world. He inhaled deeply, his eyes watering with the passing breeze.

"I don't have any regrets. My parents told me early on about my sickness. All they could offer me was their comfort. That's all I wanted."

He drew his feet across the sands, making a haphazard pattern. "If anything, my life has been easy. There are millions of people out there not blessed with the opportunities I've had. I've never had to go a day without eating or clothes to cover my back. If I've lived this far, I can only be grateful." Sora turned to the desolate face of Zack and offered him a smile. "I'm happy."

But something snapped within Zack. Nothing was making sense. How could he sit there knowing full well he was going to die a painful death? He was trying to save him! Zack was there to tell him of the glorious eternal life he would have. His sickness would disappear become nothing but a distant memory he would never have to relive. The beautiful, chocolate haired boy was one of the rare few, he was just like him. Zack couldn't comprehend it.

"Is that your answer?"

Sora nodded without a second thought. "Yeah, I'm going to live the life I was given."

Zack did not agree.

He didn't know how long he had been running, but Sora needed to get as far away from Godmother's house as possible. By the time his lungs gave out from exhaustion, he was standing on the southernmost tip of the outskirts. There was nothing but beach for at least a mile around, the ocean waters devoid of fishing boats and the skies absolutely clear. Sora came to a stop and bent over, spilling the contents of his dinner onto the sands. He wiped away at the bitter flavor lingering in his mouth, his eyes tearing up and growing red by the irritating tears that continued to spill out. The realization was enough to send him into another convulsion that left him dry heaving.

Riku. The name made his insides ache. Riku, the silver haired teen had used a wish to save him. But why? He couldn't remember anything, why was it necessary for him to go to such lengths for his sake? What person with half a brain would go and waste something so precious on him? He wanted to be as far away from Riku as he could, yet there was something inside him telling him he wanted nothing more than to be near him. It was a struggle to grasp both sides, each one contradicting each other and only making the pain in his head that much more severe. In the moonlight he could see the blemishes across his knuckles, sensitive rosy skin akin to scar tissue. He ran his cheeks against them, feeling a warmth he couldn't explain. If only he could realize it was Riku's delicate touch that nursed his battered hands back to health. Sora sprawled himself out over the sands, eyes cast upwards. His breathing returned to somewhat normal, the tears ceasing after what felt like hours.

It would be morning light that roused him from his sleep, the pain in his head now gone. He felt the cool waters lapping against his legs and propped himself up to see the seagulls making their way across the horizon. If only he could fly.

"You had us worried."

He spun around to meet the voice. Lilo sat with Scrump, her hands molding sand into an intricate castle with broken shells for windows. Sora sat up letting out a cough. He was really thirsty.

"I'm sorry," he managed, "how long have you been out here?"

Lilo shrugged, "Since dawn. I came to give Pudge his peanut butter sandwich and found you asleep on the beach."

He ran a hand through his spikes to get rid of the loose sand and grew closer to Lilo. He grabbed a broken twig and stuck it on the rooftop of one of the castle towers.

"He controls the weather," she expressed in a whisper, immediately scanning around them in search of others that could have heard. "It's a secret, so don't tell anyone else."

"I won't, he must be a really special fish if he can do that."

Lilo gave Sora the most confused look she could muster. "Fish?"

Sora arched his brow at the girl. "Yeah, Pudge is the fish you told me about that controls the weather."

The raven haired little girl looked at her doll Scrump expecting an equally confused look and got to her feet. "Sora, Pudge isn't a fish."

Off in the distance, beneath a canopy of paopu fruit trees sat a white robed figure finishing the last piece of a peanut butter sandwich.

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