I went on a really weird tangent for this one. It turns out that when the original game debuted in 2001, you could actually meet Sora somewhere in Walt Disney World along with Donald and Goofy in their KH getup. Legend has it he made rare appearances at the Magic Kingdom Halloween parties for a few years before disappearing entirely. The board mentioned here does exist, though: I know that from experience. Presumably it's an old photo-op background or a promotional decoration from Innoventions.

Also, The Seas With Nemo wins the award for most unnecessarily long and intricate queue area ever.

Uncertainty

Sora was not entirely sure why he was here.

He didn't have an attraction to entertain guests like everybody else seemed to have. There was no ride he belonged in or restaurant with a Kingdom Hearts name on it. Not even a corner of a souvenir shop was dedicated to the franchise. Occasionally when the newest game came out it would be sold in the parks, but other than that there was no real reason for him to be here.

Yet here he was.

Nine-thirty found Sora lying on his stomach on the roof of Fountainview Ice Cream, head resting on his arms as he watched thousands of guests streaming through the walkways below, cutting Future World in half as they worked their way toward Epcot's exit. The shadows behind the glowing sign hid him from view and the heat kicked out by the ice cream parlor freezers warmed his skin up in the cool February air.

He missed people.

It had been a long time since he had met guests in the parks and even longer since he'd met them during the day. This was the closest he could get anymore, watching from the darkness as families headed home from a day well-spent.

It wasn't so bad, to be honest. Being in Epcot meant he had a dozen different worlds on his doorstep, something he'd dreamed about since he was a little kid. Seeing them all mingle together in one place without losing their individual flavor was the one real perk about existing here.

It was funny, though, that no matter how often he explored the World Showcase he always ended up gravitating back here to the western half of Innoventions Plaza in Future World. Nowhere felt particularly like home, not even the Japan pavilion, but this building kept drawing him back.

He knew the source, of course. Deep under the pavement, in the utilidors that ran beneath the front half of Epcot, a single cardboard backdrop leaned against the wall almost directly below Innoventions West. On it, gathering dust and half-blocked by the other contents of the corridor, was the cover art for the first Kingdom Hearts game. It wasn't much and it was hidden far away from where guests could ever see it, but it was enough. Because it was there, so was he.

The others in the park were kind to Sora and his friends, but somehow distant. Like the Destiny Islands trio were houseguests who had been invited to stay but weren't part of the family. The best friends he had were Donald and Goofy, and they couldn't always make it over to this park.

So here he was, not quite belonging but not entirely a stranger, relegated to people-watching in the post-firework night.

Sometimes he wondered what would happen if he or someone else moved the board. Would he stay here? Move with it? Vanish entirely? As odd as this little limbo was, he didn't think he wanted to try.

With a practiced stealth, Riku crawled up beside him, shivering slightly in his sleeveless outfit. It would be another few hours before they could use the Seas With Nemo queue area as an obstacle course, so it seemed the pair of them were killing time the best way they knew how. "Good crowd today?"

"Not bad for winter," Sora answered absently. After a minute of silence, he added softly, "How long do you think we'll be here?"

He didn't have to explain what he meant. It wasn't the first time he'd asked that question and it was by no means going to be the last. Riku still didn't have a decent answer for it.

The older boy played with a fallen leaf on the rooftop for a moment. "Well, would you rather we not be?"

"Someday they'll clean the tunnels out. It'll probably take them another decade but eventually it'll happen. I just kinda wish we had a time frame."

Riku shrugged. "We enjoy what time we've got, I guess."

Sora rested his chin in one hand. "Guess so. Every so often you get a really awesome moment, but they're pretty rare these days."

Riku leaned forward, squinting at the people below. "You mean like that?"

Sora followed his eyes to where a little boy, no older than eight, had convinced his parents to buy him a light-up extendable sword toy from a glow cart. He made a few excited slicing motions with it before whacking his father in the side, yelling, "Die, Heartless!"

Above the ice cream parlor, two hidden figures shared a high-five.