On the twenty-eighth of March, Sora's eyes snapped open and he leaped out of bed. Today he turned fifteen years old.
Kairi rose from her bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Mornin' Sora..."
"Kairi, it's my birthday!" Sora grinned. "I'm basically a man now."
His sister smirked disapprovingly. "You aren't a man!"
"Yes, I am!" Sora insisted.
"Any man who has to insist he's a man is no man at all!" Kairi protested.
"Who made you so smart?" Sora demanded.
"Definitely not you," Kairi teased.
Sora rolled his eyes and quickly pulled on a cleaner pair of breeches. He slipped on a shirt and left part of it unbuttoned to display the wispy chest hairs that sprouted from his skin.
He thudded out of his room to greet his parents in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Sora! Happy birthday!" Aerith beamed. "When you return from school, stop by the tavern so we can celebrate."
"Look at my boy, today he becomes a real man." Cloud threw an arm around Sora's shoulders.
"I've even grown chest hair." Sora squared his shoulders proudly.
Cloud squinted his eyes, inspecting Sora's chest.
"Th-they're there...somewhere...they're probably blond like your hair, Father." Sora drew his hands close to his chest self-consciously.
"I'm just teasing you," Cloud said, "now run along so you won't be late."
"May I invite my friends over to the tavern?" Sora asked.
"Of course," Aerith agreed, "now hurry off to school."
Sora grabbed the packed lunch Aerith held out to him along with his slate, and he rushed out the door with his shoes barely on his feet.
"Hayner, Pence, Olette!" Sora called out to his friends.
"Good morning, Sora!" They chorused.
"Sora, your shirt is unbuttoned," Olette pointed out.
"For good reason, Olette." Sora objected. "Look closely."
She squinted her eyes. "I don't see anything...do you have a rash or something?"
"What? No! It's my birthday today, and I've finally become a man." Sora stated proudly.
"Happy birthday, Sora. But I still don't understand what that has to do with unbuttoning your shirt." Olette frowned.
"Showing off your lack of chest hair, Sora?" Hayner piped up.
"I bet I have more than you, Hayner!" Sora challenged.
"Oh, you want to see?" Hayner smirked, quickly unbuttoning his shirt and tearing it open. Though the hairs on his chest were wispier than Sora's, they were darker and more prominent.
"Hey, your hair is darker than mine, which doesn't even make sense because you're blond!" Sora griped.
"Hey, guys, I don't want to get in the middle of - whatever the hell this is, but - we're going to be late, and frankly, I'd rather not." Pence mumbled.
"Pence is right for once," Olette agreed.
"What do you mean, 'for once'?" Pence narrowed his eyes.
The boys buttoned their shirts hastily and dashed off, leaving Pence shouting, "Hey, wait for me!"
"So Sora, have your parents arranged for you to be married yet? If you're such a man, you must be betrothed." Hayner asked.
"No, they haven't arranged anything yet," Sora replied, biting into the bread Aerith had packed. "Are you betrothed?"
"Me? Hah, no. I'm sure my parents will arrange something soon, but they'd never choose someone like Olette for me." Hayner sighed.
"Are you really in love with Olette, or do you just harass her because she's the only girl around?" Sora wondered.
Hayner, who had been lying back in the grass, sat up, his eyebrows knit. "You know...I don't really know...I mean, she is a really pretty girl, and she's sweet, and I love how sassy she is when I do harass her..."
"Oh...? Is big, strong Hayner going to talk about his feelings?" Sora teased.
"Hey, you asked!" Hayner nudged Sora lightly. "But Olette won't ever know how I really feel about her..."
"Here's an idea: tell her?" Pence suggested.
"And what, risk my masculinity?" Hayner protested.
"The only thing you're truly risking is a meaningful relationship with Olette," Pence said, biting into a hunk of cheese.
Hayner pouted silently.
"He's right, for once." Sora agreed.
"What do you all mean by 'for once'?" Pence demanded.
"What do I even tell her?" Hayner threw himself back into the grass.
"You say something like, 'Olette, you are a truly wonderful girl, and it would make me happy beyond belief if I could court you'." Sora's eyes looked to the sky as his words left him. He imagined speaking to someone he truly loved, but the only person he could think of was Riku. The thought of gazing into Riku's beautiful eyes and saying those words embarrassed him, but also felt strangely...right, as if Riku was the person he would eventually say those things to.
Hayner's voice snapped him out of his trance. "Where did that come from?" He snorted.
Sora's face bloomed red. "I...I don't know. From my heart, I suppose."
"I don't think I could come up with something as mushy as that," Hayner decided.
"Then take my words," Sora offered, "anything that will get you closer to what you want."
"When should I tell her?" Hayner asked.
"You could ask her tonight at the tavern. You three are invited over for my birthday." Sora suggested.
"Do you think this will work?" Hayner scratched behind his neck.
"Even if it doesn't, Olette will know that you do have a soft side and you have the capacity to care." Sora answered.
"Are you saying I don't care?" Hayner spat.
"Well, your mindless comments to Olette often make it seem like you only care for her because she's beautiful and a girl, not who she is on the inside." Pence mentioned.
Hayner sighed, lying back in the grass again. "What about you, Sora? You're not betrothed, but isn't there anyone you would like to be betrothed to?"
"No, not really," Sora answered simply.
"What, there aren't any girls you're fond of?" Hayner pressed.
"I don't know too many girls besides Olette." Sora shrugged.
"How about you ask Olette to bring some of her friends to your party?" Pence decided.
"Olette has other friends besides us?" Hayner asked.
"What do you think she does while we're at school?" Pence wondered.
"Well, I assumed she was always doing chores," Hayner replied sheepishly.
The bell above the schoolhouse clanged, and the three boys dashed to their feet to gather inside.
On the way home, the three boys met with Olette again.
"Hey Olette, come over to the tavern later tonight, I'm having a party for my birthday," Sora said, "and bring some of your girl friends, too."
"Has becoming a man inflated your ego as much as Hayner's?" Olette teased. "I'll be there."
"Then I shall see you tonight, all of you!" Sora called, running off to the tavern.
Bursting through the doors, Sora was greeted with a surprise: his cousins, Roxas and Prompto, standing in the middle of the tavern.
"Sora!" Roxas shouted, flinging his arms around his cousin.
"Roxas, Prompto! What a surprise; I thought you weren't going to visit until summer!" Sora squeezed Roxas in his arms.
Prompto clapped Sora on the back. "We thought we might drop in for a special birthday celebration."
Sora shared a smile with Roxas, whose face resembled Sora's almost identically. The only difference was Roxas' golden blond hair. Prompto, Roxas' older brother of twenty years old, resembled Roxas with the same blue eyes and blond hair, but Prompto had a sprinkling of freckles across his skin.
Aerith hurried from the kitchen to greet her son with a hug. "I cannot believe my little boy is already grown!"
Cloud joined them shortly with Kairi following. "Yes, and there's much we need to discuss concerning your coming-of-age."
"But for now, we celebrate. We're almost finished baking your cake." Aerith said, returning to the kitchen.
"Father, where's Riku?" Sora wondered.
"I sent him out on a short errand." Cloud replied.
At that moment, the door swung open and the bell jingled. Riku appeared in the doorway, carrying a small parcel. Upon the sight of Sora, his eyes widened and he hid the parcel behind his back. "Sora! I did not expect you to be home from school so early..."
"What's that...?" Sora pressed eagerly.
"Nothing of your concern," Riku decided, skirting around the table that divided them.
"Oh, come on! Show me!" Sora begged.
"It's hard to believe you're a man when you're so excited to receive your birthday present as if you were a child." Riku joked.
Embarrassed, Sora reserved himself. "Fine, go put it somewhere."
"Sora, who's this?" Roxas asked.
"Oh, Roxas, this is my - friend, Riku. He's a British soldier staying at the tavern." Sora introduced.
Riku held out a hand for Roxas to shake, and Roxas took it firmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He took Prompto's hand in the same fashion.
"Axel will be very happy to see you," Sora said to Roxas, a hint of misery in his voice. "Whichever room you take, just know that Riku will probably be the one to clean it. So please don't make too much of a mess."
"I can't promise anything," Roxas grinned devilishly.
The door burst open. "Did someone say my name?"
Sora turned his head to find Axel and Reno standing in the doorway.
"Axel!" Roxas cried, rushing to his lover and throwing his arms around him.
Axel picked Roxas up, swinging him around in a circle and kissing his cheek.
"You two have no shame," Sora mumbled.
"Why would we?" Axel wondered, tousling Roxas' hair.
"Like I told him, whatever mess you make this time, Riku will be cleaning it up." Sora said.
"He is like our little nursemaid, isn't he?" Axel chuckled.
"Alright, let's get this party started!" Reno whooped.
Sora sighed, but he let the celebratory feelings wash over him like the waves in the harbor.
By nine o' clock at night, Sora's fifteenth birthday was in full swing: Reno and Axel were already singing drunk, off-key sailor shanties while Roxas sat in Axel's lap, starry-eyed; Hayner was readying himself to confess to Olette; Kairi and the girls Olette had brought were sitting at a table chatting about feminine things; and Sora sat atop the bar counter surrounded in the destroyed wrappings of his birthday parcels.
The one Riku had tried to hide was a new pair of shoes his family had given him. From Roxas and Prompto, Sora had received a new set of quills and an inkwell. Reno and Axel had given Sora an Indian-made tomahawk (which only confirmed the rumors that the brothers had been raised by Indians).
"Sora, I think I'm ready to talk to Olette," Hayner said, glancing nervously at the table of girls. "Will you go with me?"
"Of course; besides, I haven't spoken to those girls Olette brought, either." Sora pushed himself off the counter, and the two strode over to the table.
"Oh, hello Sora." Olette smiled. Her smile dropped at the sight of Hayner. "Hayner."
"Are you upset with me?" Hayner asked.
"No, not upset, just more than thrilled to see you." Olette said flatly.
"Olette, I have...I have something to talk to you about..." Hayner swallowed thickly.
"If you're here to propose to me again, I'll let you save your breath and turn you down now." Olette said. The girls around her giggled.
"P-please Olette, it's really important. Could I...I mean...do you mind talking to me...alone?" Hayner asked.
Suddenly, the air around her changed. "I suppose..." She stood from her seat and followed Hayner to a more secluded area.
Sora sat down in Olette's abandoned seat.
"So, is this the man of the hour?" A petite girl with long blonde hair draped over her shoulder asked.
"He is hardly a man, though my father insists he is." Kairi retorted. "Sora, this is Naminé, and this is Xion, and Selphie."
Kairi gestured to the two other girls sitting at the table with them: Xion, a girl with ink black hair shorter than even any boy's hair Sora had seen; and Selphie, a girl with light brown hair that turned up at the ends.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, ladies." Sora replied, distracted by watching Hayner and Olette interact.
He could not hear them from where he was, but he had a semi-perfect view of the action.
Hayner's hand rubbed the back of his neck as he gestured vaguely with his other hand. Olette's arms were crossed, and her mouth was curled into a smirk. Hayner's face was redder than drunken Axel and Reno. Finally, Olette uncrossed her arms and nodded. Hayner's eyes widened to the size of teacup saucers. He seemed to say something, and Olette nodded again. His lips curled into a relieved smile, and Olette offered him her hand. He looked as if he were trembling, but he managed to plant a kiss atop her hand. He met eyes with Sora, which startled Sora at first, but he gave Hayner an approving nod.
"What happened?" Kairi demanded.
"Until now, Hayner has never expressed his true feelings for Olette. And I think his confession finally worked." Sora said proudly.
"Oh, that's so romantic!" Kairi gushed.
Hayner dragged Olette back to the table. "Sora!"
"You don't need to say a word." Sora brushed off Hayner's shoulder. "I'm very happy for you two."
Hayner grabbed a mug of cider. "I propose a toast to Sora!"
The party members raised their mugs. "To Sora!"
Sora blushed, giving Hayner a light push. His eyes drifted over to the corner, where he found Riku raising a glass to him, too. Riku gave him a nod, and Sora's stomach fluttered.
Everyone took a swig of their drink, and Hayner pushed a mug into Sora's hands. Sora eagerly took a sip, his eyes still locked with Riku as Riku took his sip.
Sora stumbled through the tavern, whatever he had drank now blurring his senses. The guests had all left by now, including his parents who had returned home an hour ago to leave Sora with his friends. He found himself tripping up the stairs, going to say goodnight to Riku.
He discovered Riku standing outside his door, chatting with Kairi. Instant jealousy flooded him, roiling in his stomach.
The words they exchanged where incoherent to Sora's muffled sense of hearing, but suddenly Riku leaned in and kissed Kairi on the cheek.
"Y-you bastard!" Sora slurred, tripping. The jealousy - no, the drink - churned in his stomach, and his tongue tasted sour. He fell to his knees, retching.
"Sora!" Riku and Kairi shouted, rushing to Sora's side.
"Riku, can you carry him home?" Kairi asked, her voice sounding like she was speaking underwater. "I can clean this up."
"Are you sure?" Riku asked.
"Yes, please get him home safely." Kairi replied.
When Sora's stomach was finally emptied, Riku wiped Sora's mouth with a handkerchief and cradled him in his arms.
Sora's waning consciousness ran out, and his world was enveloped in darkness.
The next thing Sora knew, he was curled up in his bed and his head pounded. Sitting up only made his head spin worse, but he wanted to know if Kairi was in her bed; she was.
Relief washed over him, and the temptation to fall back asleep engulfed him. He gave into the temptation, deciding he'd deal with Riku later.