If it Never Happened: A slice of life take on what the Kingdom Hearts characters from the FemSora universe would be going through if the events in the game never existed.
Author's note: Just a reminder to readers, I want you guys to know I take opinions into effect. I like hearing suggestions and opinions on fics and if you guys have any requests or things you want improved don't hesitate to bring them up with me. Not just with this fic but with all my stories. I live to serve!
Chapter 3: Tale of Two Tutors
Sora huffed and puffed as she ran alongside Axel. Her hand was still caught in his and she was glad her legs could keep up with his long ones or he'd be pulling her along like a ragdoll. She stopped suddenly when she saw they were heading for the boats. "It's late, why are we heading to the island?"
"Well I wanted to show you after school, but I heard you had a date with the Prez."
"It wasn't a date, Axel, he was helping me study for exams." She gets into the boat with him. "So what you wanna show me is at the island? Did you find someplace new to explore? Oooh or maybe some sort of new species of animal or plant?"
"Wow you're eccentric, no it's nothing like that." He cast off and sat down doing the rowing. "You'll see when we get there."
She shakes her head and looks out at the water, the breeze tossing her hair around and she takes a big gulp of sea air. "Whatever it is, thanks for coming to get me. I feel great having made some progress in studying, but I wouldn't exactly call it my favorite thing to do."
"Ah you just need to make it so it's more fun for you. Riku's helping you with the math, right? Why don't I help you with science? I'm pretty good at it and we can make it fun."
"You'd do that for me?" Sora smiled big at him.
"Sure, that's what friends are for. Got it memorized?" He winked at her making her laugh. As they arrived to the tiny island Axel helped her off the boat and kept her hand firmly in his as they walked to the shed. She wondered what it was that he wanted to show her, and her brow raised when she saw a bunch of lumber and tools. "What's all this?"
"What do you think? It's wood to repair the broken panels and platforms. I figure we could store it in here when we're not using it."
"You bought lumber and tools to help fix the island?" Sora's eyes went wide and wet with appreciation.
"I wouldn't say bought… I got an uncle in the construction business, and he gave me some materials to work with, and the tools belong to my dad, but he never uses them." He bent down and picked up a hammer. "We'll still need some more supplies but I figure we could at least start on the deck so we're not tripping over loose boards and worrying if it's gonna collapse on us."
"That's true… so the two of us?"
"Sure, we'll make it our summer project. Our goal is to have this place back to its original self by winter. What do you say?"
"I say… LETS DO IT!" Sora rubbed her hands together and she hugged him. "This is awesome! I can't wait to get started!"
"Well it's too late in the day now, but maybe this weekend we can start on the deck, It shouldn't take too long since it's only a few panels plus adding a new support beam. The two of us should be able to handle it."
"Okay, then I'll meet you here first thing Sunday." She did a little jig as she danced out the door. "We're really doing it! We're fixing the island! I'm so happy Axel!"
Axel smiled up at her after he closed the door to the shed. He walked beside her watching her hum and practically skip across the sand and pavement. "So Sora… Do you wanna have lunch with me tomorrow?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'd love it. Truth be told i was gonna invite you today, but Riku suddenly decided to invite me to have lunch with him and Kairi."
"Did he now?" Axel turned his face away to hold back the amused grin on his face. "So tell me something, Sora. How come you don't have a boyfriend yet?"
Sora suddenly stopped her pace and raised a brow. "Huh? Where'd that come from?"
"Curiosity… you may not know this, Sora, but you're kinda popular with the boys in my grade. I'm certain one of them will ask you out if you give them the opportunity to." Axel stuffed his hands in his pockets leaning back some.
"Well.. uh… truth be told I've never really thought about stuff like that before." Sora admitted and scratched her cheek. "Sure I supported Roxas and my other friends who had boyfriends and stuff, but I never really saw myself getting involved in lovey dovey action."
"Why not?"
"Well… I guess it's because I don't really know much about relationships. I mean what's the difference between being friends with a guy and being involved with him? What exactly do couples do aside from holding hands and stuff?"
Was she serious? Axel blinked in her direction opening and closing his mouth. "You really don't know?"
"No," She glanced over at him. "What kinds of things did you and Roxas do as a couple?"
"Ah well, we held hands… and went on dates, sat together during lunch, helped each other study and really we just had fun."
"Okay, but you can do that stuff as friends couldn't you?" Sora explained and leaned in seeing his cheeks had gone a little red. She wondered if he was getting a sunburn?
"Normally. sure I guess… but when you do that stuff there's usually a group involved, not just two people. When you hold hands with your girlfriend," Axel took her hand and cupped it, "It's not because you're on a buddy system… it's because you want to feel them nearby," he then changed it, lacing their fingers and gripping it firm. "When you go on dates, it isn't with other friends, but alone, just the two of you, intimate, getting to know each other personally. The same with having lunch, if you want to have lunch with your boyfriend, you don't invite other people along. You spend lunch with them to be alone and not share their time with anyone else."
Sora felt her own cheeks go warm when Axel's hand laced with hers. It was like she could hear his heartbeat through the palm of her hand. How come she didn't noticed how close he was to her before? What were these sudden urges that she felt? She wanted to lean into him all the way, chest to chest so that their hearts could beat together. "I-Is that it?"
"There's more…" He leaned down, but suddenly felt a heavy cool breeze brush on their back. "I'll leave that for our next lesson though. I should get you home before your mom worries."
"Oh, okay."
They took the boats back to shore, Axel taking her hand again and walking her all the way home to her front door. They stood their a moment, hands linked and Sora's eyes in a daze. "So I'll see you at school tomorrow?"
"Yeah… of course." Sora almost asked him not to let go of her hand, but she let it slip out and she lifted her eyes to his face watching him grin at her. "See you tomorrow."
"Good…. Goodnight, Sora." He put his newly released hand in his pocket and walked away with a little whistle. Just as Sora turned to walk inside she heard him call out again. "Hey Sora!"
"Huh?" She turned, hand on the door knob. "What is it?"
"When you come have lunch with me…" He leaned on her fence grinning mischievously. "Don't invite anyone else okay?" He winked and finally walked away.
~Following Day, Homeroom~
Sora was still in a daze when she sat down at her desk for homeroom. Class had already started but she could only look out the window her eyes fixed on the ocean and her mind in a completely other world.
Irino? Sora Irino!? MISS IRINO!
The sounds of the classroom turned into a low grade buzz and she only mildly heard her name before feeling the tap on her shoulder and she glanced over. "Huh?"
"Are you present or not, Miss Irino?" The homeroom teacher, Miss Luxiana, tapped her foot in impatience and closed the student roster to glare down at her.
"Oh, uh, yes, I'm present ma'am." Sora responded almost monotone, still not quite aware of her situation.
"Really, because you appear to be a million miles away from the classroom." She removed her reading glasses. "Do you need a nurse? Or are you just being intolerable?"
"Neither, Ma'am, I'm just thinking."
"What's so important in your mind that you can't pay attention?" Luxiana asked.
"Boyfriends…"
The class went silent a minute as if to make sure they'd heard her correctly. Luxiana raised a brow and leaned in a bit. "Excuse me?"
"I was thinking about boyfriends… and if I should get one."
Luxiana's vein throbbed in her head and she gave a low dangerous growl before grabbing Sora by the ear. "That's it, out in the hall with you."
"Owowowowow! I'm Sorry! What'd I do? OW!"
Once the door was closed behind them Luxiana put Sora to a wall and stood in front with her arms crossed. "You have less than a month before Summer starts which means you SHOULD be concentrating on your exams and yet you claim to be sitting in my classroom thinking about boys?"
"I am thinking about exams but… I… well… something happened yesterday that made me wonder is all." She poked her fingers together nervously and looking down guiltily. "I've never thought about boys before and it caught me off guard."
Luxiana was a young beautiful teacher, but she was stern and poetic. She always seemed to have an answer for everything which made her a good teacher. However even she was a bit lost in this situation. Giving a deep long sigh she stood up tall. "Listen Sora, although it may be a good idea for you to start thinking about what would make you happy, now isn't the time for distractions. Why don't you wait until after your exams before you even consider taking on a boyfriend. Once summer starts you can worry your pretty little head off, but until then I want your head in my classroom. Got it?"
"Yes, Miss Luxiana."
"I admire your honesty, Sora." She put a hand on her shoulder. "However, sometimes you're too naive. Don't let others distract you, it's your major flaw." She pat her shoulder and walked back to the classroom. "Now, back inside, and be sure to take notes, today's lesson will be on the test."
"Okay."
Surprisingly enough it was easier to concentrate on the lesson than before. Sora didn't intentionally ignore lessons, things just always seemed to occupy her mind and there was so much to think, and see and do.
With a brain full of fresh details in her head she set her books away and got ready for lunch. She saw the prying eyes of her friends and found herself bucking up. "What? WHy are you staring at me like that?"
Donald and Goofy shared a glance and then leaned into her with matching mischievous smiles. "Sooo who is it?"
"Who's what?" Sora looked confused and flushed.
"Oh don't give us the runaround, Sora. You mentioned wanting a boyfriend, and now you're grabbing your lunch ready to head out the door. Who's the lucky guy?" Donald hissed out a laugh.
"I betcha it's Riku. They had lunch together yesterday didn't they? Betcha it brought back all those memories."
"I'm not having lunch with Riku. I'm having lunch with Axel." Sora said calmly and stood up trying to avoid this conversation.
"Oh, Axel hmmm…"
Dot dot dot.
"AXEL!?" Donald and Goofy screamed together and jumped on her in seconds grabbing her arms.
"When did this happen? Why are you having lunch with your sister's ex boyfriend?"
"IS he the one who asked you to be his boyfriend?"
"What about Riku, I thought you two were really close."
"Will you guys knock it off!" Sora nudged them off and turned around pouting. "Axel and Riku are just my friends, the only reason I asked about a boyfriend is because Axel mentioned something about me being popular with some guys and wondered why I didn't have one yet. That's it. I'm not dating anyone, and I'm not sure if I'm going to, and now if you don't mind I need to go meet with him."
In a huff Sora turned and left her speechless friends. WHat was the big deal? Why were they so shocked? Ugh… this is why she hadn't even considered dating anyone, it all seemed so complicated and messy especially when other people got involved…
Still…
Axel seemed to know more about this than she did, and he thought it was a good idea for her to dive into that particular field… but she wondered why he was so curious about it. They'd just become good friends, so maybe he was invested in her happiness… or something.
More confused than ever she peeked her head into the senior class. She spotted Axel lounging by the window laughing with Demyx and Saix over a joke of some sort. He spotted her mid laugh and his eyes went mischievous and he grabbed his lunch. "See yah later, boys."
He walked to the door holding out his hand for hers. "Hello, milady, shall we head off?"
Sora laughed a bit and took his hand and gave it a shake. "Yeah, uhm…" When he didn't let go of her hand afterwards her cheeks tinted pink. He led her away from the room, his grip gentle yet firm. She wondered why she felt this sudden thumping in her chest from this natural contact. She used to hold Riku's hand all the time and hadn't felt this flushed and weird… but the thought of doing so now suddenly made her face go even redder. "Axel…"
"Hold on we're almost there."
"Almost...huh?" She looked around and gasped a little when he brought her to a classroom at the top floor and the very end of the hall. He opened the door and pushed aside some clutter to let her in. It was like a giant storage room, the old classroom filled with books, boxes, and supplies. There were a couple of desks tucked by the window and Axel brushed away some dust and pulled out a chair for her to sit. "For you, Milady."
"Is it okay for us to be in here?" Sora sat and peeked out teh window gasping suddenly as her nose pressed to it. "It's the island!"
"Yeah, great view huh? I found it Freshman year, and it's been my little sanctuary since .This is actually the first time I've brought someone else."
"Really? Not even Roxas?"
"Roxas liked eating lunch with friends, so I always went to her class instead." Axel confessed and unfolded his lunchbox. "It's actually been awhile since I've been I've been here. I felt it was about time I shared it."
Sora smiled at this and she opened up her own Bento. They sat and ate and talked, laughing and enjoying eachother's company. "This is a great spot, Axel. Thanks for inviting me here."
"Your'e welcome Sora… So have you given any thought to what I said yesterday?"
"I have… I actually got in trouble because I was still thinking about it in class." Sora confessed and set her finished food aside. She told him about Miss Luxiana and her lecture and Axel found himself laughing out loud.
"You outright told her the truth? Wow you're bold."
"What was I supposed to tell her?"
"Anything else… that you're sleepy, that you were off in lala land or something. Still she makes a few good points. You should start thinking about what will make you happy, and you are a bit naive when it comes to this particular field, but I can help you with that."
"You mentioned something about giving me lessons." Sora leaned on her arms on the desk. "What did you mean by that?"
"It seems like you're not sure what exactly is required or what is usually asked for in a relationship. You know about friendship and about those connections, but you've never really delve deeper than that from a personal experience." Axel thumped a fist over his heart. "I'd like to take it upon myself to teach you."
"Why… I'm curious because you've never shown any real interest in my private life before."
"Let's just say I was distracted, and besides we're friends. I have to take at least a little interest. Don't your other friends ask you questions like this?"
"Well, Donald and Goofy do, and Kairi did once a long time ago but not much since then… and Riku never asked me anything."
"Hmmm… doesn't surprise me," Axel murmured. "Do you want me to continue the lessons?"
"Miss Luxiana said I should just concentrate on my studies… but I don't see how it could hurt to know more about this kind of thing, especially since I'm sixteen already."
"My sentiments exactly… what do you know about relationships now Sora?"
"Hmmm…" She tapped her chin with her finger thinking about it long and hard. "Well… just that boyfriends and girlfriends have a more intimate relationship than just normal friends. I've never actually done any of them personally, but I've seen enough of my friends to get the gist."
"It's true that the things you do with a boyfriend are significantly more intimate and personal. For instance body contact…" Axel scooted his chair next to hers and wrapped an arm over her shoulders leaning in til his lips hovered over hers. Sora could smell his lunch on his breath… sweet and sour pork, with rice and those pickled plums he liked so much.
"When you're with a boyfriend, a friendly touch becomes more sensitive, and borderline embarrassing… hand holding…" He touched her hand, running a thumb over the knuckles and then laced their fingers together. She liked it when he held her hand. It was so warm and comforting, the sensation in her belly was a quick flutter like butterfly wings. "hugging…" He closed the arm around her shoulders in so she was pulled in closer. Her eyes went soft and heavy and she let out a small sigh. "kissing…" their lips barely touched before the annoying tune of the school bell rang.
Axel pulled back patting her shoulders with a heavy sigh. "Just as well, we probably wouldn't have come back from this. Better to wait until we're both ready." He stood up, Sora looking a little dazed. He held out his hand to help her up and she just looked at it as if wondering what she was supposed to do with it. "You okay there,Sora?"
"Huh… oh I feel a little… dizzy."
Axel couldn't help but smile at this and he tugged her up. He caught her before she could fall forward and wrapped her arm around his neck so he could carry her. "Best go to the nurse then."
Sora felt light as a feather when Axel carried her. She leaned on him her head buried in the crook of his neck and she wondered why she'd never realized just how good Axel smelled. He didn't wear cologne or aftershave like some of the other boys she knew, but he had a clean fresh scent that was all his own.
The nurse was out and hadn't come back in yet, so Axel set Sora down on a bed and tucked her in. "I'll let your classmates know where you are so they can inform the teacher. Just rest here til you get your head cleared up.
"Thanks, Axel."
"Don't mention it.." He smiled and walked out the nurse's office. To his great surprise and delight he spotted Riku just down the hall with a book tucked in his arm looking like he'd just come out of a meeting. "Yo, Mr. Prez!"
"Axel… shouldn't you be heading back to class?" Riku said frowning suspiciously at Axel's calm and friendly behavior. They'd never really socialized before, and after yesterday's endeavor's he was more than a little ticked at the red head.
"Just dropping Sora off. She got a little dizzy during lunch so I told her to take it easy for a bit."
"Sora… mnng" Riku let out a grunt and he gripped the book firmly so he wouldn't "accidentally" grab Axel by the throat. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing, we had lunch, and I gave her a quick lesson. You're not the only one who's tutoring her you know." Axel winked and waved. "Later." He left it at that and hurried off before Riku could utter a response.
Riku released the book letting it fall to the ground and he clenched a fist snarling. "The hell did he mean by that? Tutoring her in what? Grrr.. .Sora…" Riku pushed open the door with flare and looked around. Only one bed was covered with a curtain and Riku scowled at it. He rushed to and threw back the curtain ready to interrogate… and lost his breath.
She looked so peaceful sleeping. It hadn't taken long for Sora to drift off and RIku found himself recalling those days he found her slumbering on the beach, sand in her hair, a cute lil smile on her face like nothing was wrong in the world. He gave a defeated sigh and slumped into the chair next to her bed. "Damn it… just when I thought I was over you…" He looked to her again and gently touched the back of his hand to her cheek. "Here you are, messing me up all over again."
She stirred a little under his touch but didn't wake up. RIku's eyes softened even more and his lips gently parted to sigh. " Sleeping during class… heh" He let those lips curve in a smile. "What am I gonna do with you?"
Sorry this took me so long! Trying to juggle working on this, Chain of Memories, and reality! Chain of Memories is almost finish, I may actually post that first before the next chapter of If It Never Happened depending on if I like the flow of it after I give it a review read.
Next Chapter: Ready... Set... DASH!