Sora was sad and feeling unsure of himself. It had been a couple of hours since Sora had failed his Mark of Mastery test.
He felt angry at himself, for letting himself fail, it made him feel worthless, it felt true in his mind, he couldn't even pass a test to be a keyblade master despite saving the universe a year ago. He just wanted to cry in a corner away from people, at least his thoughts would be the thing judging him for his poor actions.
Would Riku have tried comforting him, but that would only have made Sora feel more disappointed and bitter, Riku was better than him. He was smarter, stronger, and fearless. Sora wished he was more like Kairi, she didn't have to feel the pressure of others wanting her to succeed, overcoming great odds, and protecting others. Sora just wanted a journey where he was calm, happy, and able to enjoy life and the people around it.
Sora gazed at the endless array of the sky, stars were shining, and the black night sky swirled as countless stars and worlds danced around him. It was peaceful, it was a calmness inside his heart. Sora let out a small smile, as he fished out a small trinket from his pocket. Holding it up to the night sky, Sora gazed at a bright blue star-like charm held together by a black piece of string. Sora liked the star-shaped item, it was a reminder of his mother.
She was a powerful keyblade wielder, a loving mother, and the person Sora wished he could be right now. Whenever Sora was sad, he'd pull out her Wayfinder and think about her, it made him remember why he continued to be a keyblade user, to save her.
Sora could remember that fateful day, he saved the universe from Ansem the Seeker of Darkness, and brought peace to the worlds, only when it was time to close the Door to Darkness. The universe decided to pull at his heartstrings one more time, and showed him his mom.
She hadn't aged a day, still as kind and beautiful as he remembered her, the moment her hand connected with his face, was like the ultimate tug at his heart. Just as the door was closing, she tossed him her Wayfinder and whispered something to him.
"I'm so proud of you, what a strong boy you've become, I know that you can save me. Because you are my Sora." Aqua said, smiling at him, as the last thing Sora ever saw of her was her smile, as her eyes cried, they both cried, and Sora didn't stop crying that night.
Donald and Goofy couldn't comfort him, he was sad, and it hurt, his eyes were sore as the morning daylight rose, and then the rest of his journey began. They search for his friends but secretly Sora didn't want to find them, he didn't want to save the universe.
He just wanted to save his mom, and feel the warm embrace of her arms, as they sat peacefully staring at the beautiful sunlight of destiny island. Playing for hours at the beach, he just wanted to be her son again, and for them to be a family.
Memories played back in his head, the mysterious castle blending, as clean white mixed with brown hallway folding into something different. Sora didn't know what was happening during his adventure in the castle, his memory was hazy, and when he arrived at Master Yen Sid's tower to take a test involving the sleeping world. Something happened to him, and it scared him.
First, it was a headache that formed, then he would feel his hands going numb as his body slowed down, and, lastly memories flowed through him. First, it would be things from Destiny island, slowly going through his journey, until he could see his childhood, those nights spent camping with mom under the night sky, the days watching her train to become a keyblade master. The other two people they called friends smiling at them, the towns, castles, and the haunting graveyard.
The Keyblade Graveyard was a nightmare he longed to forget, and yet it showed up whenever he dreamed, whether it was reality or the sleeping world. That cursed graveyard showed up, reminding him he, couldn't save them. Mom sank into the abyss just saving you, the brown-haired man was sent flying into a portal of darkness, and the blond-haired man slept, drifting into the white castle that plagued Sora's dreams.
People in black were everywhere like a ghost haunting the empty halls, with Sora as the target of their malice. The only comfort in his head was the silhouette of a blond-haired girl, she would draw things, and show him pictures, some of him, others of places, one image was of a mansion. It was empty and abandoned, falling into disarray. Haunting a calm town like a stain.
Sora made up his mind, he had to know what was with the mansion, the ghost girl, and those people in black. Did they have some connection to him? We're they the answer to saving his mom? Sora had to know, if he didn't do it, he felt like he'd explode under the weight of the emotions assaulting his heart and mind.
The blue-haired teen, quietly walked towards the other side of the Mysterious Tower, no one would miss him, Donald and Goofy could find their king. Yen Sid already said he wasn't a master, why consider staying next to a person who would only drag his morality down even further?
In a matter of minutes, Sora had gotten the gummi ship working, it had been sitting there for a while. Sora once believed it could run on happiness, but that was a lie. Only a trick to get him smiling, only this time Sora wasn't smiling.
Did he lose a year to sleeping somehow? Sora just kept soaring through the vastness of space, as he crept closer to the warm town, the question of how he could sleep for a year still on his head. His mind was racing, he wanted answers, he wanted peace, he wanted to hug his mom and feel grounded to the world, any world would do. Sora took a couple of deep breaths as he parked the gummi ship, he didn't care it was next to the large clock tower. World order, that was meaningless, Donald, Goofy, and he would break any form of order in a matter of minutes. Hell Mom and the others from what he could remember, from his returning memories, broke the world order, sure not as much as him. But it just proved to the teen that logic was pointless. Riku was a villain, sure he fell to darkness, but by that logic, you could debate good or evil with anybody.
Sora decided to stop his rambling tangent, as he walked through the vast town, as people looked at him. Not anger or disappointment in his personality or abilities, but smiling, showing an interest in him.
Kids running up to him, asking to play ball, shopkeepers asking him about goods, and even the occasional girl asking him questions about his clothes and looks. It made Sora chuckle a little, was he that attractive that others would notice him?
Sure he has his mom's blue hair, his blue jacket had pink and black pockets that made him look cool, his black shorts were comfortable, and his sneakers were red and black. But did that draw people to him, maybe it was his blue eyes and more feminine face, or maybe he was viewed as cute, rather than cool.
Sora pondered on that question, at least until he made it to a hole in the wall, after watching a tram roll by, making a mental note to ride it later, as he pulled out a small notebook and pencil. If he was gonna enjoy himself after his mental battle, at least he'd do it right, besides he needed good stories to tell mom when he saved her. Sora quietly walked through the hole in the wall, the tall trees blocked out the ever-present twilight sky, giving the forest an almost mystical feeling to it. Like he stepped into a fantasy domain, well at least in comparison to the literal fantasy worlds that he visited.
After a few minutes of walking, Sora decided to try something, as he pulled out a sketchbook and some colored pencils, he remembered the drawings from his dreams, and this moment looking at the quiet forest was the perfect spot to get back into sketching. Donald and Goofy never gave the teen time to continue his hobby, but he felt peaceful and happy.
Sora probably would have spent ages sketching, drawing, or even admiring the nice drawings, but stopped himself to deal with his head.
"Dealing with your dreams should come first Sora" Sora grinned slightly, putting a hand on his hip, as he playful tried acting like mom used to. Ever so sweet, and sarcastic, yet full of care, and worry in her voice. It was something Sora loved about her, she truly loved him, and showed it whenever possible.
The moment they tried ice cream for the first time, is a standout of the few memories he has recovered from his dreams. Nothing too crazy, just a few happy memories, to go with the rare traumatizing ones, like the graveyard, or that dark-looking castle.
Quickly Sora put his things away, tossing them in a small side bag, he brought from a merchant in Traverse town, a year ago. Sora never did get a name or address, the only thing about the seller was their blond hair, the sparkling blue dress, and something about remaining him of her child. The bag was sparkling blue and yellow, with a beautiful heart symbol on it. It fit the shopkeeper and probably him as well, after a quick double check as Sora ruffled through his bag, mentally noting things, Munny, art supplies, food, toothbrush. Sora felt good, calm he had a good feeling about this journey, he'd maybe get some answers and then relax and not worry.
Sora looked at the old mansion, the large gate, which looked old and rusted, luckily he had a pair of black gloves, so at least he would catch anything. Pushing the gates ever so slightly, he noticed the broken pillars in front of him, making the mansion feel even more in ruin. But braving onwards, he opened the door, as a gust of wind blew at him, blowing his slightly spiky hair into his eyes, as Sora looked at the old mansion.
The old mansion was in ruin, broken items littered the place, with dust piled high, and a broken table blocking a side room, leaving only the main lobby and two rooms above. Sora decided to try the first room, as he made his way up the stairs, the door was slightly cracked open, revealing only white, just like the castle halls of his dreams. The room was covered head to toe in drawings, they were as good as his, but what made Sora notice them was that they were all about him.
He could see his trip to Atlantica, Hollow Bastion, and even some pictures of Destiny Island, however, one picture was the most noticeable to Sora, a picture of him and mom, sleeping next to each other on a massive mountain area with a large castle behind it.
"This must have been my home" Sora whispered, as he looked at the drawing, it was the only logical thing he could think of, the people of Destiny Island said he was from another world after all.
Sora put the drawing and several others on the large white table in the center, as he slowly tried placing things in an understandable order. Drawings of his younger self were interesting, he and his mom were visiting a few familiar places, like Neverland and Olympus, although the question of why didn't anyone remember him loomed in the back of Sora's mind. Although he was years ago and probably a quick visit. The flower fields and water fountain area in some drawings were breathtaking, making Sora wonder if they brought their swimsuits.
"Did mom even wear a bikini?" Sora pondered as he tried picturing what a moment like theirs would have looked like, him wearing little trunks, and playing in the rising water, while mom lifted him, it was probably one of the best days he had to judge from the drawing.
After a few moments of looking through drawings, Sora came across a drawing of two girls, one was dressed in white and had blond hair, just like the ghost in his dreams, and the second was a black-haired girl in a familiar black coat.
They were sitting next to a pod, and inside was him. Sora's eyes grew, as he dropped the drawing and grabbed at his head, as memories started pouring into him.
Images of a black-haired girl, her hand on a pod, his face asleep, as if he was in a coma, she had a sad smile, as she walked away to a machine then fading into nothing.
"What happened to me, and who was that girl?" Sora said as tears began rolling down his face, quickly rubbing his eyes, not sure why he was crying or why he was worried about the girl in black.
"Hello, Sora," A voice said behind him, as Sora quickly turned to see the girl in white. This time she was real and in front of him.
"Who are you?" Sora asked softly, looking at the girl, her hands were clutching her sketchbook as if she was unsure of what to say or do.
"My name is Namine, and I'm here to help you Sora," Namine said, as she quickly flipped through her sketchbook, and pulled out a pair of white chairs from nowhere.
After a second, the two teens were sitting next to each other, as Sora let Namine explain herself.
"I never thought I'd get to meet you again, after the castle. We got hurt badly Sora, but I was able to help fix you, well your memories. You were surprisingly pretty strong as a fighter, but your memories took a while. Luckily I was able to fix most of them." Namine said looking at the teen's face, as his serious stare quickly changed to confusion.
"Namine, what do you mean memories, are my memories, the dreams I've been having?" Sora asked softly, holding his Wayfinder tighter.
"Yes, it was the only way to completely fix you. About a year ago, you came to a place called Castle Oblivion, and I was forced to take away your memories. I didn't want to, I swear. I just couldn't stop them. It had taken you days of non-stop fighting and a battle against your mental strength just to save me." Namine said as tears began dripping onto a blank page in her book.
"I'm guessing it was those figures in black, wasn't it," Sora said, as Namine nodded quickly. Making Sora quickly stand up and hugging the blond-haired girl.
"You don't have to say any more about them or the castle. I think I can figure the rest out." Sora decided, comforting the girl, as he softly rubbed her back, helping her calm down, gently humming a little song.
They stayed like that for several minutes, until Namine decided to show Sora what was beneath them. Quietly she held Sora's hand, it was warm, and she felt comfort in his presence. It was like Xion's hands, soft, assuring, and feeling like she belonged.
Namine led Sora down to the other side of the mansion and down some stairs, to a computer room, with a giant computer, and a hallway covered in cords and devices, behind them was another door that was blocked off by a broken pod.
"So what's this place?"Sora said as he looked at all the bizarre technology, it was different from any computer he had ever seen.
"Namine, have I been here before?" Sora asked the girl, as he began typing on the computer.
"Yes, this was the place where you slept, it's where I put your memories together, and the place where we need to save another side of you," Namine said as she slowly tried turning something on.
"Other side of me, what do you mean?" Sora asked, wondering just what happened.
"You remember Hollow Bastion, how you sacrificed yourself to save Kairi," Namine said as Sora nodded, as he slowly realized what had happened.
"I didn't just become heartless did I?" Sora asked, as Namine gave him a sad look.
"No, in fact, you gave up more than just your heart, you and Kairi helped create me, and a being called a nobody, or in your case, Roxas," Namine explained, trying her best to help Sora mentally handle the new information.
"Because of Roxas, and some things at Castle Oblivion, the people who used me, known only as
Organization fourteen is a group of people who are like the other version of heartless, called nobodies.
You can call them heartless with actual bodies, and thoughts, their goal was to use Roxas, You, and another girl like myself to summon Kingdom Hearts, and gain bodies." Namine said, pausing to let Sora react and mentally connect the dots. Sure the boy was smart, but this was a big thing to process.
"So, because of these nobodies, we were used and hurt, but if you're a nobody like Roxas, then where is he and the girl in black," Sora asked, wanting to know just what happened.
"Roxas was sent back into you, by the girl in black or as she's known, Xion. It was supposed to be the other way around, Roxas beating her, and then Riku would beat Xion, letting you return normally. However Xion proved her will to live was stronger than theirs, so we had to compromise, and let her live in exchange for your powers and memories.
I wanted her to live, but Riku and Diz, felt differently about it, so he hid her inside a world made of data, behind Diz's back, as the nobodies started to attack the mansion." Namine said as the computer finally worked, and opened up a portal as a beam of light appeared from the corner of the room.
"So, I'm guessing you want me to go in, and pull her out," Sora said, looking at the light. As his heart began pounding, he didn't know why, yet he felt like he had to save her.
"I'm guessing you can't come with," Sora said, offering the girl a dry laugh, not sure what to expect from this.
"I wish I could, but someone has to make sure you get out, besides, it would probably be best if you met Xion. You have a keyblade after all, and you'd probably befriend her better than I could." Namine said, looking down at the floor.
"Namine, once I bring her out, we're doing something about your confidence, you, as well as me. We're fixing our issues, even Xion's if she has any. No more self-doubt, we gotta be better than this if we're gonna destroy the organization." Sora declared, pointing at the girl, and giving her a big smile.
"See you on the other side" Sora whispered, as the light engulfed him.
Author notes
Finally, I make remake the bonds between mom and son. Only a massive difference in plot, tone, and using Grammarly./channels/902621742701359144/902621743372455958/1064575683394813952