/ A/N: This chapter is the actual first chapter, it's really confusing, I think. O.o' I'm quite dazzled, since this is writing itself already. Please concentrate on what the main character of this chapter reveals you and it'll help you with the knots in the future! :3 /

Night 1.

Long Gone

Sora was feeling down. Tifa could tell. It wasn't something like lack of interest or his usual smile, but still, she knew it from the beginning. And it was getting worse as the days passed. She didn't try to squeeze it out of him, but she kept an eye for this continuously. After all, she probably knew more about him than he did himself. She had promised herself and Yuffie and Aerith…she had promised to look out for him. But Tifa did not understand what exactly had happened now. It simply wasn't like Sora to be sad in secret.

It didn't stay secret for too long though. Because of what Sora truly is, eventually his sadness started pouring out. It became a sort of rainy cloud around him, a change in his aura, which then affected everyone around him. At first only emphatic people, then little by little, everybody. Seventh Heaven grew anxious. The regulars knew it was the cute waiter that was causing it, but since they had their own worries as well, they didn't ask. Tifa called Yuffie, the ninja had always been able to help, but as soon as she had gotten the problem out the other actually hung up.

Now Tifa Lockheart got seriously worried.

For a few minutes she clicked her phone closed and open, closed and open, many times, while pondering the issue at hand. Then she finally clenched her free hand into a fist, a form so familiar from years ago, and reopened the phone clicking in a number from the memory. It rang a few times then turned on the answering machine. She didn't even sigh. He never answered. But at least this told her that he hadn't broken his phone. Or she hoped he hadn't.

"Sora's down. He pretends like everything's okay. Yuffie hung up on me. I'm worried. I think it's that. I don't know what I should do. Please come here…" she went straight to business with what she left there for him to listen to. She'd done this talking-to-answering-machine –thing so many times already…

Next, she chose a whole different number from her memory. This time, she was also answered.

"Hey, it's been some time. How are you?"

"I'm fine Aerith. But I think there's some trouble brewing on this side. He's depressed…"

"He? You mean Cloud?"
"No! I still haven't seen that chocobo man for years… No, it's the other spiky head, Sora…" she mumbled the name, worried that the boy, who had just come up to take some more bear down to bring the clients, might hear.

"Again? So soon? No! We can't allow him to go down, everything's still too messed up…"

"I know, I've tried my best and you know it! But I don't know what to do this time…it's bad, really bad. And Yuffie just hung up on me…"

"Yuffie did? That's strange…" the line went quiet for a few minutes, except for the breathing of the two young women on each end. Tifa didn't even know what Aerith would say.

Last time, when Sora had gotten depressed, they had all been here, in Seventh Heaven. Among them were many who had proved themselves able to save depressed people from their depths with pure talk or maybe some nudging. Tifa had been one of them but she hadn't managed on her own. So the cetra girl, Aerith, had also helped and even the chocobo man of a Strife had said some good words. But it really took a lot of time and patience to carry the hero back up. It was probably because they could not replace what was lost. Because the deeply rooted faith in friendship Sora had always found his strength in was…gone.

If this depression had reasons of a similar basis…they were in trouble. Sora would certainly die for his friends. Especially if it was for the two specific friends. But they could not allow him to go that deep down. Even though it was hard for them to help him, since they were from different worlds, of different hearts. All of them were good friends to him, they knew it within, but those two were the grounding of friendship for him.

If he realizes what he doesn't have…we'll have to break our promise to him, Tifa's thoughts cry, We have to keep protecting him from it. We have to!

Then Aerith's gentle voice resounds through the cell phone:

"I can't come there right now. But do you think you can handle it until next week? I think I can get a lift by then…"

"Next week is in three days 19 hours… I don't know. It really depends more on him than me already. He's gotten so good at hiding things…"

Aerith sighs.

"I suppose it figures…with what's going on in this side it's to be expected…"

"Is it progressing?"

"Yes. He's getting there… But you know, we still haven't been able to reach that Nobody… She's still far from the radar."

"…It's been years and you're still at that point with her? Aerith, I'm starting to think I should be there."

"No! Tifa, you know you can't come. We have to keep the two ways separated until it's safe…"

"Yes yes, I know I know… But I'm really getting impatient. You know I hate pretending. I want him to know it all, so we can talk freely. I want to get rid of this barrier!"

"Tifa…" the cetra's voice grew silent and sad. Tifa calmed down so quickly it was like the temperature had just changed.

"…Yeah…I know. I'm the best choice. I have hope for a normal future. I can support him in a quiet way, one that will help him stay sane. I have light as does he…" she smiles quietly, sadly. It has been three years since she persuaded herself to this position. Three and a half years since…everything.

"…Tifa, I'll try to contact Yuffie, okay? So you concentrate on living…and watching over him. It'll be weekend soon so maybe you could take him somewhere or something during the day…"

"Mm'hm… Don't worry, Aerith. I'll be fine. And I will make sure he is, too. See you next week."

"Yes. See you…"

On Sunday, they returned from the town, bags filled with all kinds of things. Of course there were normal groceries, like coffee, milk, bread and vegetables + beverages for the bar, even two bottles of a totally new kind...but there were also clothes and fabrics, belts, buttons, string and all sorts of accessories. It was something Tifa had started teaching Sora since they were left together when he was 14. They would style and sew special clothes for themselves and their circle of friends.

Though Sora showed no skill at cooking (or mixing drinks for that matter) he did show some talent with small particles of clothing. Like scarves or gloves and hats. And though his taste was a bit…different, he was good at styling people's clothes.

"I'm only good with soft materials, Tifa…if you told me to make a wooden sword, it would end up being just a stick. It's kinda weird I'm even able to make chains work", she remembered him laughing about his unexpected talent less than a year ago.

Tifa opened the lock with skillful use of key while balancing the grocery bag on her thigh. Sora went in first because his bags had some food in them that really needed the refrigerator. His hair, which had been cut at the age of 15, was still quite short, yet it managed to touch Tifa's cheek when he passed. His smell was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time and she knew he felt the same way about hers. Even though they now shared almost four years of memories together, they had never really become close. She was the closest the boy had to a Mother, or maybe more like big sister. He was the one she had promised to protect, but to her he was not a family member…not before he would be able to regain his memories.

They shared only the smallest of touches, never hugged, and never patted the other's shoulder. That is why Tifa felt so helpless in front of his young emotions sometimes. Times like now. Sora needed contact, it was clear to her, but he was beyond her reach.

Sora was the Keyblade Master. The great hero of many worlds. The one who opened the Door to Light. The one who saved the fragments of these three worlds and joined them together. His strength came from his friends…but his greatest deed he had had to do alone.

"Where is he! I want to see him, I want to see him!"

"Please, princess, you know he needs to rest. We can't wake him up now…the world is struggling, people are still dying. He wouldn't be able to take it…"

"We want to see him!"

"…Donald, Goofy, King Mickey…"

"He is not just the hero, he is our friend. He's suffering, we wanna help him!"

"King Mickey, we understand your concern, but waking him up now would only cause him more pain."

"Aw…please, Leon. Our world is drifting further by the second…we may never see each other again."

"Me and Donald 'ave been with 'im more than any of you fellas, no offens, but we gotta get t' say our goodbyes."

"…Hey Squall…they're right."

"Yuffie! How long have you been standing there?"

Leon had forgotten to lash at her for saying his real name. Anyone who knew him would have realized just then how tired and worried he actually was.

"Long enough. He's waking up suddenly and I was wondering why, then I see you three here and that explains it. He probably senses your arrival… So, you got to let them come in now, Leon."

"…His condition is very fragile…"

"Maybe, but they are on the list of people who he likes most. So they won't hurt him."

"Besides…it would hurt him more not to be told farewell when it's likely this is the last time they'll ever see each other…"

"Tifa…"

"Tifa speaks the truth once again."

He had rested his hand on Tifa's hip when speaking. Sora hadn't been the only one injured.

"…Very well. Go in then. But be careful. He might not look like it but he has deep wounds we're having trouble healing."

"Yes!"

"Thank you!"

Two weeks after that, Sora got depressed and they all gathered in Seventh Heaven to see to him. To try to help his heart, suffering from his hard, cold decision. Who knew a Heartless would just this once happen to regain it's heart?