Author's Note: Okay, okay. So I'm only five years late. Shoot me. (Shot). I hadn't really intended to finish this story, but if it gains some momentum, we'll see what happens. I've got a few decent thoughts for it, anyway. Thanks for your patience!
Chapter 2: Learning About New Friends
"Are you people crazy?!"
"Will you keep your voice down?"
Kairi's mind was officially blown. Done. Exploded. Off this planet. Not even in this solar system anymore.
"Why do you have a nineteen-year-old super soldier playing laser tag down in Mexico?!" she cried, practically pulling her hair out. "You know what? I shouldn't even ask. You're 'government officials' and you're all psycho!"
"We are not psycho, and it's far more than just being 'government officials' that plays into this whole operation," said Riku as he folded his arms behind his back, oh-so-official-like.
"Then please tell me because I'm just dying to know here! Oh wait, that was five minutes ago when he had me in a choke hold hanging two feet in the airl!" cried the woman.
"It was not my fault that you didn't follow instructions. I told you to stay there and, instead, you went into the one door that any other person wouldn't have gone into," he replied. She could tell his patience was growing thin by the tightness of his voice and his clenched jaw. She kind of enjoyed pissing him off if she still wasn't trembling from her near-death encounter. "Not to mention Sora was already on high alert for his training. You went into a high-danger zone and you were lucky to get out alive."
The redhead smirked and leaned back, crossing her arms over her bosom as she gave him a cringe-worthy fake laugh. "Right. Lucky. And here I thought I was lucky when I find five bucks on the ground or there's a sale at Target. I'll keep that in mind next time I almost get my head popped off."
Riku sighed. "Kairi, listen-"
"No, you listen," began the young woman as she poked his chest, "I came here thinking you wanted me to rehabilitate some serial killer or something equally horrible, but here I find myself actually surprised that you have found something worse! In all my years and all the people I've met and all the twisted minds I've come across, I have to say-!"
"Kairi-"
"-he's like a freaking alien from outer-space-"
"Kairi-!"
"-I don't even have words to describe the sheer lunacy of this whole circus-"
"Circus?"
The young woman's sentence jumbled in her throat as she whipped around, coming face-to-face with the very subject she was arguing about. Heart pounding, Kairi leaned back when Sora bent over close to her, innocently cocking his head to the side. Surrounding him were a flock of scientist croonies, each holding a separate piece of the creature's armor he'd been wearing before. Blushing all over again, Kairi noticed the only thing Sora was wearing was a black and grey leotard thing which cut off at his biceps and quads and just beneath his jaw, in addition to his mask. This left about nothing to the imagination - she could see every line and cut, from his abs to his hips to his pecks to his shoulders to his legs and even...
"Uh..." she started, averting her gaze.
"Circus?" he asked again.
"Oh, um," replied the girl as she brought her focus to his eyes - or, at least, to the black, glass orbs covering his eyes. The thing disguising his face looked faintly like a gas mask, except made with metal. Weird. "Yeah...a circus. Where idiots like these people dance around in uniforms and pretend-"
"Kairi," said Riku in a dangerous tone.
The girl flinched and, clearing her throat, started again. "Maybe, uh...I'll show you sometime. In a movie or something (considering these people probably never let you leave the island)."
Standing upright, Sora suddenly reached out his clawed hand. Despite the fact it was black and creepy with nails like knives, Kairi offered a shy smile and took the invitation, but not before glancing at Riku and growling, "This conversation is not over yet."
Wheeling back around, she allowed the giant man-beast to lead her through an assortment of corridors and rooms. For the first time, she was able to see something other than just lifeless concrete walls and piles of doors-after opening one door in particular, the girl was surprised to find the whole hallway was painted in a soft, sky blue color. Several frosted glass doors led away from it, but Sora went straight for the one at the very end. From there, everything went into a futuristic Resident-Evil styled theme, with hanging plasma TV's on the walls and windows and computers and desks with papers and lamps and other crap. There was a gym, a kitchen, a large empty room, a lounge area, a rock climbing wall, a pool, and so many other doors leading to other different rooms Kairi couldn't keep up.
They certainly kept Sora busy, if nothing else.
Tugging her deeper into the maze of endless rooms, the creature finally stopped in front of a large, white door. Taking the handle, he opened it and the young woman gaped. Posters lined the walls, a messy bed, CDs and scattered books, a desk and a TV, and a few of the same leotard things lying on the floor which all made up the image of his personal room. So he really was just a teenager masked as an alien.
Sora brought her in and released her hand so he could rustle around in his desk. Meanwhile, Kairi looked around, extremely curious. Everything was matched to fit his extra-large needs...including a bed which looked like it might just be the most comfortable thing in existence. There was also a large love sack in front of the TV, which was as big as a cow. Unable to resist, the young woman plopped down on the soft, black ball with a happy sigh. For once, a place where she felt comfortable. This was nice.
A shadow loomed over her and Kairi snapped her attention upwards, Sora leaning over her. Something was dangling in his hand and she got back to her feet, interested in what her new best friend wanted to show her. Taking the trinket, Kairi realized it was a necklace, and a pretty one at that. It had a yellow star with a blue center and a leaf growing from it, all dangling from a silver chain.
"It's lovely," said Kairi softly as she glanced up at the large male. The young woman tried to give it back, but Sora refused. Quirking an eyebrow at him, she murmured, "Are you sure?" He nodded. "Well, I'll hold onto it, and whenever you want it back, you can have it. Okay?"
The creature nodded again, paused, and then pointed a claw at her neckline. Kairi smiled and wrapped the jewelry around her throat, the metal cold against her hot skin as she rested the large star just above her bosom.
"Interesting."
The one word made Kairi spin and she groaned in annoyance. A group of nosy scientists were clustered at the entrance of his room, peering from the hallway to observe the scene from a distance. They all looked the same-white coats, large glasses and even larger made the girl feel like a caged rat.
"You people are like a plague," she growled as she snatched Sora's hand and yanked him from the stuffy confines of his room. Taking him back where they came from, Kairi noticed the pool again and briefly thought before smirking. Glancing up at the beast-man, she mustered up the softest doe-eyes she could and said, "What do you say we go outside? I'm sure running around in tunnels all day is thrilling, but I'd love to see the ocean if you would show me."
Although Sora was at a lack of words, he seemed to understand her completely. He nodded vigorously, taking the lead and helping her find the way out. Kairi was frustrated that the pack of white coated-clad ooglers continued to tail them wherever they went, but disregarded them at the thought of the boy leading her to sweet freedom. Anything was better than these low, dark hallways, and-
"Sora."
Well - was taking her to sweet freedom.
Sora halted in front of her so fast that she bumped into him, yelping when she collided with what felt like a brick wall, as the male turned at the sound of Riku's voice behind them. The white-haired man's arms were crossed, his mouth turned down in a scowl, icy blue eyes keeping a hard glare pinned to them.
Kairi audibly groaned, rolling her eyes as she said, "What is now, killjoy?"
Ignoring her, he went on to say lowly, "You know the rules, Sora."
The redhead was surprised at the way Sora shrunk from Riku's harsh tone, shoulders hunched as he nervously scratched one nail against his cheek. He glanced at the door next to them, then back at the black-suited male, then back at the door again, all the while still clutching Kairi's tiny hand in his own. It was like he was saying, But, but...
"If you'd like," started Riku again, his voice turning to a softer note, "you can show her where she'll be staying. Room 1217. I'm sure Kairi will appreciate that." He glared at her. "Won't she?"
The young woman huffed, returning the official's heated gaze with one of her own. What she really would appreciate was slapping a good one across that flawless jaw of his, but it would be worthless. She'd be kicked off this lame island faster than she could blink, and although this whole situation was borderline science fiction, she was curious - after all, who had the opportunity to hang around someone like Sora? He was a puzzle waiting to be cracked...besides the fact he was gloriously good-looking, even if he was an alien.
"I'd love to," she answered with venom in her words. "Without the fleet."
Riku didn't say anything for a second, only glowering at her, before he sighed. "Alright everybody, you heard her."
"But, sir, Colonel Ansem-"
"I'll keep an eye on them. There's been enough excitement for today," replied the male, allowing his arms to fall behind his back again. Kairi got the feeling that was his trademark look. "Pack it up."
And that was that. Kairi watched with silent interest, although still miffed, as the pale, glasses-clad mob drifted their separate ways with frustrated murmurs. They must've been used to just trailing after Sora whenever they wanted, for whatever reason. Well, no more of that, she thought, already pinpointing one factor that anyone would lose their mind over. That was why she was here, right? Because there was something "wrong" with their precious, teenage alien? She must've been. Something had disrupted "the force" which, in turn, had somehow made Sora upset so they decided to throw an overanxious eighteen-year-old girl at him to fix the problem. Well, she could already guess one thing and that was he had no privacy. She couldn't imagine being stuck in this place almost constantly, no free time to herself, and expected to just dance to the conga line.
When the hall was finally vacated and Riku's tall, looming body only remained, he gestured to Sora to show them the way. The creature nodded and pulled Kairi close, as though she might fall through the floor at any second, while he passed the tight-looking official and further into the base. The three walked in silence (besides the annoying clap-clap of Riku's shoes), the young woman still quietly boiling at the fact she had been this close to getting outside.
She had to wonder - how much time did Sora get outside? Could he? Was he allergic to the sun? Nonsense. Allergic to the water? Maybe. But, all this "training" and building a whole base to revolve around this extraterrestrial guy was pretty pointless if he couldn't even handle the outdoors. She was sure that was half the issue. She would get sick of sucking in recycled, air conditioned air even after a few days of staying here. Ugh.
Glancing up at Sora's face - good god, he must've been seven feet tall - the teen also turned down at her, sensing she was looking at him. "Your name is Sora, right?" she asked softly.
He nodded slowly, still seeming put out that the "fun" had been stopped short by Mr. Cut-and-Dry, but pointed at her after a second.
"Me? I'm Kairi," she replied.
"Kairi," he repeated, his gravely voice rolling over the name. "Kairi...Kairi."
The young woman grinned as he continued to say her name, as though he was chiseling it into his memory. "Do you...like it around here?" she wondered, aware of Riku's laser eyes on the back of her head. He was waiting for her to start more of her tricks again, but she honestly wanted to know. If Sora wasn't happy in this environment (and she didn't know why he would be, as it was) and they hadn't even bothered to ask, well...
Sora answered with an passive shrug, a classic sign of adapted apathy - or possibly just being a typical teenager - but she had to maintain all possibilities. She'd seen too many cases where parents were "confused" as to why their child wasn't motivated or had any kind of creativity, or any urge to step out of the box only to realize they, themselves, had been drawing the lines of said box since the kid was born. Smothering love - and that was with only two parents (or even just one sometimes), and maybe grandparents at most. Here, there was the flock of "scientists", Riku, and this other guy (Colonel Ansem or something) who seemed to retain a constant eye on Sora no matter where he went or what he did. At least, it seemed that way.
Kairi was gathering that she would have to turn to Riku for some straighter answers (warranted he was actually allowed to divulge anything) before she could really assert a proper diagnoses on the boy.
"Do they keep you busy?" she went on, still not having reached her jail cell yet (the damn hallways seemed to go on forever). He nodded, his large thumb running over the bony knuckles of her hand. "What's, uh, your favorite thing to do around here?"
That question seemed to throw him a loop - he paused, bringing a free hand to cup his chin. Kairi allowed him to mull as they walked, her eyes flicking to his fingers laced in hers, up and down his ridiculously tight leotard, back to their hands, only to (again) find herself staring. Good freaking grief, the thing was a second skin, molding to every line and crevice of his body. She had to force herself to keep her eyes from moving too far down, still young enough to feverishly blush at the very thought of what could...transpire. Really, those thoughts? He was an alien for Pete's sake and she was getting all hot and bothered! (It probably didn't help that he was the most handsome thing which passed her vision since her sophomore year, but whatever.)
When they reached the illustrious Room 1217, the girl already had a bad feeling - and she cringed when Sora opened the door for her. Not one window. Not one! In addition to looking akin to something that belonged to a submarine, it was completely void of everything except a grey dresser thrown into one corner and cot to the other. Her luggage stood in the center like an overzealous centerpiece, far too much crap for the tiny confines. From width to length, the whole thing couldn't have been bigger than the rooms they had at the institution back in Illinois. Dammit.
"Looks like something out of a bad 1930s horror movie," she grouched, prying from Sora's hold to wander to the center of the room. Planting her hands on her hips, she did an about-face and glared at Riku. "You're not serious, are you?"
A single, white eyebrow jumped upwards on his forehead. "Serious about what?"
"Me staying here!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up in emphasis. "This is a deathtrap waiting to happen!"
The official thought for a second, exchanging a confused look with Sora, before it finally dawned on him and he returned his cool gaze to Kairi. "Ah, I see. You're claustrophobic."
"Claus...tro...?" wondered Sora, unable to pronounce it correctly.
"Claustrophobic," said Riku again. "She's afraid of small spaces."
"Congratulations, Sherlock," snapped the redhead and she crossed her arms defensively, "figure that out all on your own, didja? Now, this place...it doesn't even have a friggin' window! I can't stay here!"
Riku sighed. "I'll see what other accommodations we have that can better...suit you. For tonight, though, you'll just have to bear it."
Growling in aggravation, Kairi walked a small circle around her baggage as she grumbled, "I don't see how you people can live in this place, anyway. I'm surprised I didn't come down here with more people losing their freaking minds-"
"-Why don't you," Riku cut her off, "unpack. Sora's needs to wind down for the evening, as it is."
This earned him a gurgling whine, something between an annoyed teenager and a worried puppy dog and Kairi stopped her meaningless wandering to look at Sora. The creature was staring down at his silver-headed friend, but the other male was ignoring him, keeping his hard-ass gaze on the girl. What a robot.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," mumbled the woman.
"Good," quipped the man before he finally rested his attention on Sora. "You stink - time to take a shower, big boy."
Another whine and Sora shook his head, crossing his thick arms across his grey chest in silent refusal.
Riku smirked at the resistance he was getting, all because of a teenage girl. "She's not going anywhere, Sora. You'll see her in the morning."
The creature glanced at Kairi, who blinked and gifted him with a warm smile. "Don't worry, Sora, he's right. I'm pooped anyway. We can hang out in the morning, okay?"
That much she could be honest about. The gut-wrenching and shocking events of the day had drained her - and she'd only been here for a couple hours! - and she was looking forward to sleeping away the troubles. In this trap of a room, though, she didn't know just how much of her beauty sleep she'd actually be getting.
Sora pondered on her words momentarily, then dropped his defiant posture and nodded, sulking away as if a puppy who'd been denied a treat. Kairi couldn't help but smile at the endearing antics; it was all so very different the way she'd been initially introduced to him only a short time ago. She could still feel the effects of his fingers around her throat, the tenderness of the skin there - he'd probably left a mark. But, he couldn't be blamed. Riku, if nothing else, was right about that (although she would never admit it to him); going into that door which looked like it went into a nuclear bunker probably wasn't the brightest idea.
"I'll have someone bring you dinner," said Riku suddenly, cold orbs sizing her up.
Kairi's eyes flicked to the male's direction, harsh shadows casting over his chiseled features, making him looking almost...alluring. Mysterious, even. His silver hair seemed to glow against the inky blackness, white strands draped around his shoulders in a florescent curtain. She would've blushed if she wasn't so angry with him, because she knew he was part of the process of dragging her down here. Part of the reason why she'd almost been choked to death this evening. Part of the reason why she was left only confused and in the dark about this whole absurd situation.
"Have a good evening," murmured Riku as he turned, "Ms. Andrews."
It was five in the morning. Five in the freaking morning.
"Uaaauuuaagh..." groaned the young woman as she tossed and trashed in her small bed, trying to find a comfortable enough position to finally fall asleep. She'd been doing good for awhile! She'd gotten to bed five...four...hours ago! Then, of course, the starting of some weird dream involving a certain seven-foot-tall alien with clawed hands invaded her dreams, pushing her through the fog until she woke up again. This room, and the walls...they felt like they were shrinking in on here, squeezing together each time she closed her eyes. The glow of her alarm clock sitting on the ground only added to the exhausted delusion, Kairi's sore gaze darting from one shadowy corner to the other. Slamming her eyes shut again, she dug deeper into the covers, the gentle weight of the comforter still not enough to lull her to sleep. And Riku thought I was a handful yesterday...
Another hour sauntered by, the young woman falling into bleak state of limbo on and off every fifteen minutes, until she could stand it no more. Annoyed, the girl shoved the blankets from her person and jumped to her feet, going straight for her luggage. Using her cellphone light to find her day clothes, she pulled out a grey tank top and denim shorts and a really cute blue bra which had yellow stars printed on it. Tearing her button pajamas away, she quickly clad herself and shoved her phone in her back pocket (which was useless because she was in Mexico and had no reception anyways, but it was just a habit) before quietly approaching her door. Gripping the cold handle, she opened it just a niche, peeking into the hallway. Empty. Good.
With swift motions, Kairi ducked out and clicked shut the door behind her before making like a gazelle and prancing back where she had remembered from last night. The door which Sora had showed her, but Riku had stopped them before their escape (again, killjoy). It must've been the way out - only made sense. And, with her photographic memory, finding said door was easy (easier, too, that no-one was in the hallway to bug her, to see what she was up to).
Approaching the rather bland door with way too much enthusiasm for a teenager up at six in the morning, Kairi lunged for the handle and busted through. Oh, gee. Surprise, surprise. Another freaking hall. However, at the end of this corridor, there was a rather heavy-looking door with bolts, locks, and a large grey, steel lever slung across the width. Alright, if that didn't scream "exit", she didn't know what did. Closing the door, she walked down the length of the hallway with intent, not hesitating to place her small hands on the giant bar and heaving up.
Surprisingly, the thing lifted smoothly and the bolt lock released, allowing the bulky door to swing open wide - and, oh god, did the salt-tinged wind feel glorious. Taking a full, deep breath, the girl stepped through the threshold and, without a glance back, walked onto cool, powder sands. Yes. The sugary stuff was already between her toes, rustling palm trees towering above her, soothing the debilitating effects of being trapped underneath heavy, unfeeling concrete walls. For some reason, they had decided putting a random exit about fifty meters from the beach was a good idea, but she was (in no way) complaining.
Grinning, Kairi bolted towards the distant whoosh of a beckoning ocean tide, her feat slipping in the silky sand, the cool morning breeze bringing her body back to life. When she reached the lip of the tide, she stopped, the beach hard with wetness beneath her feet, digesting the view before her. Forever - water. A few dinky sailboats and far-away liners were just in her view, but otherwise...just endless ocean. The curve of the globe and the encompassing, purple-orange sky before her was something she would never take for granted - as it was the first time even seeing the beach. So beautiful. So...surreal. Who knew the Earth was just so...so...
"Kairi."
Whipping around, the young redhead didn't bother to stifle her groan of annoyance. "What do you want, Killjoy?"
Riku smirked as he strode up to her, looking both sweaty and stinky and clothed in his exercise attire. He must've been running a marathon for all she could guess - his pale skin was flushed, alive and healthy, his silver, gleaming hair sticking to the side of his smooth neck and small beads of sweat rolling down the sides of his face. The worst part - the part where her womanhood burned at the thought - was the fact that Riku was hot. Much hotter than a man should be allowed to be. Proportionate, with bulging biceps and a thick chest, with legs which looked like he would sprint on forever. His outfit, too, (a skin-tight UnderArmor blue shirt with mesh, knee-length shorts) definitely wasn't helping her stay mad at him.
"Good morning to you, too," he said as though he were offended, but she knew he was toying with her. "You left the exit door open, you know. How did the princess sleep last night?"
"I didn't," she snapped back. "No thanks to you." So much for a glorious morning enjoying her first sunrise at the beach. Augh.
"Like I said, we'll find something else for you. If I'd known you were claustrophobic beforehand, I would've been able to handle your needs more adequately. However, you decided to try and make a break for it with Sora, so..." he nudged his elbow against her arm, earning a growl in return.
"If I had known that I'd be living in a concrete box, I wouldn't have agreed to take the damn job!" yelled the young woman, practically pulling her hair out.
Riku, nonetheless, remained collected, even seeming to find her frustration funny by the slanted smirk planted on his large lips (which only provoked her to be even more infuriated). "What did you expect? We couldn't tell you everything at the beginning - besides, living in that concrete box is well worth the job, trust me."
"Well then, please, elaborate because I'm really trying to find a reason why!" exclaimed the young woman.
Pausing a moment, the male drew his arms upward and around, spinning in a small circle. "You're in Mexico, first of all. Second, you get to spend most of your time with someone who has super powers and has a nicer personality than probably anyone you met in high school. In addition, you're taken care of here. Anything you want, anything you need. Even a room with a view."
Crossing her arms with a huff, Kairi glared at him. "Didn't seem like it last night."
He shrugged, offering her another playful poke in the ribs. "I had to make you see who was boss still, Kairi. After all the commotion last night, Sora was practically tripping over himself."
"Speaking of over-sized aliens..." started the redhead as she let her hands fall to her hips, "who (or I should I say what) is Sora...exactly?"
At the mention of the white elephant, Riku stopped, his smile dropping faster than a dead fly. Oops. Maybe that was too quick. "Sora isn't an alien...not totally, anyways," he began, despite her sudden inquiry, pulling his headphones from around his shoulders and placing them in his pocket.
"Go on," said Kairi, giving him an over-exaggerated motion of her hand.
The man fell quiet, yet, staring at her for a moment. She offered his unwelcome silence with a funny face to jab at his ego and he grinned again. "You want some coffee? Let's talk about Sora over coffee. I can't even think straight without some caffeine."
"Could've fooled me," grumbled the girl, but otherwise kept her trap shut. Coffee, right now, sounded almost more beautiful than the ocean itself and her muddled mind would take in the information better if she wasn't half asleep still.
Without further ado, Riku lead her to a more active part of the bunker some half mile away, where a three-story building sat above ground and had small shops thronged around it, including a breakfast cafe. And the Mexican food - ohmigodfood - smelled like Heaven. A pavement path stretched around the expanse of the building, clustered with all sorts of uniformed types (doctors, military, a few civilians like herself and those who ran the shops), and wound up at a parking lot filled with golf carts.
"Are those...?" asked Kairi, grinning like a garden gnome.
"Those are indeed golf carts," answered Riku as they approached a small to-go coffee hut. "The island is only about seven miles long, and two miles wide. Half of it, though, is closed off for most for training so there's no need for full-sized cars. All the larger vehicles are on the mainland, in a fenced-off facility."
Training? What the hell kind of...oh, right. Training. "Oh, so he does get outside," said the redhead with the roll of her eyes. "I just thought you kept him in a box and threw ugly-looking monsters at him."
Riku ordered their drinks and handed her a small egg and chile burrito. She was already salivating, and couldn't tear into it quick enough to begin devouring. When she took her first bite, she almost swooned. So good.
"Of course he gets outside," answered Riku defensively as he chomped down on his own breakfast, "you've only been here for half a day. How would you know what his schedule is like?"
"Well, by the looks of the croonies when you told them to take hike, I could've guessed otherwise," she answered through a bite. "Plus, no guy should be that excited to meet a girl. I mean...there's girls all around this base. Women, I guess."
"Women in uniform. You're the first civilian he's ever met," countered the male, "plus, he's kind of been...waiting for you."
Kairi almost dropped her meal she was so surprised. "Waiting for me?"
Riku didn't reply, then, grabbing his coffee and motioning to her to do the same. When she took her cup of Joe, the silver-headed male directed her away from the hustle and bustle, taking her to a park bench which sat beneath a cluster of lanky, young palms. From here, only the murmurs of the uniformed men and women could be heard and the redhead got a feeling she would be getting a better understanding of what was going on at this insane base.
"When we starting looking for someone in your area of...expertise, there were a lot of candidates. I mean, a lot. You were actually already put on the no pile before Sora caught wind of what we were doing and took a look for himself."
"Wha? Reary?" she asked with a mouthful of burrito, before she swallowed sheepishly. "Sorry."
Riku went on without skipping a beat: "Really, really. You were just simply too young, I concluded, especially for Sora's particular circumstances. The next day, I came into my office to find all the pictures and files everywhere and he's just sitting there, staring at yours. He was decided, then, and not much can be said when Sora's made up his mind. You were coming, and that was that."
Kairi found herself at a loss of words (for once). Her steaming coffee cup sat next to her thigh on the bench, while her free hand trailed up instinctively to the necklace which was still dangling from her neck. Well - she guessed that would make sense. She could only imagine how he felt when finally seeing her, waiting for someone like that, and why he reacted the way he did. Clearing her throat, the young woman blinked herself from her stupor and said, "You still haven't answered my question, though."
Riku sighed. He sure did that a lot. "Sora's...a one-of-a-kind," he replied, taking a large gulp of his coffee, "he's...well, let me say this. He wasn't always like...this. You remember six years ago, the incident which occurred in southern Africa?"
Strange question. "Uh, duh, everyone does. That whole insanity was on national news," replied Kairi.
The "incident" which he was speaking of was grossly understated - it was more like a bloody prelude to an apocalyptic catastrophe, which only had been stopped thanks to the most badass group of mercenaries known to man. Though the names of the legionnaires were never released, it was said they sliced-and-diced their way through those alien chumps (or, to conspiracy theorists, government experiments) faster than any heavily-armed group of soldiers the military had tried throwing at it before. Of course, "it" being god-know's-what (government hush-hush and whatnot), but was for sure it was alien, it was evil, and it was now, officially, dead. Once again, thanks to the awesomest, most lethal fire team the world would never know.
"Sora is the...is a result of what happened," replied the man. "The area, despite the government's best efforts, wasn't swept completely clean. When one of the men who returned from Africa went home, the biological residue from the creature latched onto his son, and turned him into what he is now."
...What.
"Oh my god," was Kairi's mindless response, her blue eyes wide as she stared at the last bite of her breakfast. "Oh my...god. Does he know?"
"Does who know?"
"His dad."
"His dad...believes he's dead," murmured Riku, his voice so quiet Kairi almost didn't catch it. A pregnant pause, then, "So, Sora's...alien, but not. He has all the strength and capability of what that thing left behind, and we've been studying his habits and behaviors as a way to combat anything like this from happening again."
"But he's still human," she answered, shaking her head, "I mean, obviously..."
"Don't get me wrong," returned the white-haired male gently, "there's a lot of Sora that's still inside. You saw it yourself. The creature they faced in Africa is nothing what Sora is like, but..." He trailed off.
Silence hung over them like a cloud, and Kairi got a hunch of this is where the bad part rears its ugly head. "But..." urged the girl.
"But...there was incident a couple weeks ago," he answered, downing the last of his drink.
"Incident" (much like before) didn't sound much like an incident at all. "Okay..." she said, "go on..."
"Sora, he..." started Riku, seeming flustered. For the first time, he actually seemed really...concerned about Sora. Worried, like a big brother would be. Suddenly, he turned a hardass glance to her, saying, "This shouldn't change your perception of him...what about I'm about to say."
Kairi rolled her eyes at this. "Riku, how am I supposed to help him if you don't tell me what happened?" she asked. "This isn't the first time I've dealt with trauma."
Again, the male sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, before he finally glanced down at his shoes and said, "A couple weeks ago, Sora seemed to have...lost control. There was an unceremonious test from the higher-ups which told us to observe and mark Sora's behavior if he was put in a situation where it seemed like he...couldn't escape. Essentially, throwing monsters at him for ninety-six hour period to see if he could last."
Lip curled, shoulders hunched, Kairi was on the verge of being sick. What the hell kind of people did that? Obviously, people who had no conscience or understanding of what a life was worth.
Before she could say anything, though, Riku continued: "Of course, I was 100 percent against it. An absurd test for absurd circumstances which Sora would never have to face - but they were adamant and I had no say. At first, Sora assumed it was just another tag-'em-and-bag-'em thing. By the end of the second day, he was getting a hunch something was different. He was getting tired - but not too bad. Nothing which he couldn't handle. At this point, I thought he'd make it and prove to those over-inflated politicians they were as dumb as they were perceived to be. And then, the middle of the third day..."
By this time, Kairi was completely still, all of her muscles taut, her mind wired for sound. To say she was "at the edge of her seat" was the least of it, her gaze firmly pinned on the man speaking.
"The third day," he started again, "something happened which we didn't expect. We lost him on the camera feeds and sonar for the underground bunker. I went in to try and find him (god, I was scared he was dead). All the other creatures were dead. We were trying to find him, and then...and then he showed back up. Well, he was there to begin with, we just couldn't see him. He was like a shadow - completely blended in with the darkness. Except for his eyes. His mask...was gone. His eyes were yellow. Bright and glowing. That's all I could see, and he was on all fours in the corner, waiting for us to show up. He skipped me and went straight for those who were armed...they survived, by the way," he said, noticing how she seized when he said that, "and then, he finally collapsed. After he woke up and discovered what he did, I think, with the exhaustion and the pain, he tried to..."
Riku mumbled off again, but Kairi knew what he was going to say. The girl already guessed Sora had a gentle personality when it came to dealing with her, so she couldn't imagine how he felt after the whole thing. Horrible. A monster. Something...evil.
Hand shaking, Kairi gripped her cup so hard that it crumpled underneath her fingers, before it dropped with an audible thunk to the sand below. Without another word to Riku, she hopped to her feet and took off in a hard sprint. The silver-haired man called her name, but she fully ignored him, just needing to see Sora now and couldn't wait another freaking second. As she ran at full speed, her insides were eating at each other, her mind whirling around the fact that Sora's life was one painful tragedy after another. And here, she thought she would be entertaining a seven-foot-tall over-muscled alien with the mentality of a ten-year-old kid. No - she was here because if this super-charged nineteen-year-old didn't get some semblance of hope or love (in the least) he was going to probably...
Retreating to the back entrance of the door to the bunker, Kairi hauled open the door again, grunting with effort for it to do what she willed. Riku was hot on her heels and still yelling her name like she would stop or something, but she kept going, just enough out of his reach. One door after the other, this right and this left and after two more rights it would be...
Shoving her way through people, tossing papers into the air and oblivious to their heated responses at her impulsive behavior, Kairi knew she was almost there. Just...almost-
Rounding the last corner, Kairi slammed into something tall and huge and what resembled a freaking brick wall, which resulted in her landing on her ass - except not. A hand snapped out and caught her by her lean bicep, another one curling around her back for added support. Her feet stumbled, but gained ground again as she stood upright. Blinking in surprise and brushing her hair aside, the young woman stared up at said brick wall and realized (thank god) it was Sora himself, staring down at her and making a soft clicking noise in concern. Although there was (yet again) a horde of white-coated drones surrounding him, that didn't keep the emotion from swelling inside her, pushing her to stand on her tippy-toes and throw her arms around his enormous shoulders. Sora made a soft yip of confusion, and a tense moment of time lapsed before she felt his massive arms curling around her.
She relished the moment for what it was worth, knowing that Sora didn't really understand why she was hugging him, but doing it all the same just because she had to. She had to ensure to herself, above all else, that she would help this teenager get back his self confidence and self worth. To make him realize, too, that she wasn't going anywhere. Not now, not later. She would see this through to the end. His arms squeezed her slight frame a little more, pressing more of her skin to his. He wasn't wearing any of his armor, thankfully, but it wouldn't have mattered.
No - she wasn't going anywhere.
A/N: Well, I hope I made it up to you guys by giving a long chapter. I imagine half of you (probably more) have already guessed who the "mercenaries" are. In addition, I like to imagine Sora's "present state" in this story as somewhere between his Anti-Sora form and being a normal human. With dreadlocks. And a mask. And a leotard. (rubs hands together evilly) I'm not weird, right?
Anyway, hope y'all liked it. Let me know what you think!