Chapter 17: Friendships paper thin

Worry that was plastered on the groups face as they stood in front of the house that had once been the home of Sora, the reason they were there…obvious. They had to tell his mother eventually because apparently they had no real way to try to get a hold of the brunette without actually trying to find him and without getting a hold of him. That was a fruitless idea so here they stood in front of their friends home trying to figure out who should go to the door.

"Riku you should you're his best friend" Tidus quipped

"Just because I'm his best friend you think I should?" He retaliated

"Well duh, who else could do it but you?" Tidus questioned

"Maybe we should try and call him once more; it has been awhile maybe he paid the bill?" Selphie reasoned

"We've tried hundreds of times but if it'll help you get of this idea that he'll probably pick up will try once more" Riku sounded utterly annoyed with the thought of calling again but did so anyway.

They had been trying to call him every day for the past year to no avail and they finally gave up. This would be the final phone call Riku would make for weeks probably months if he had any say so in it he fished out his phone and scrolled down the immensely long list to find Sora's name. He didn't hesitate to press the dial button, instead of hearing an automated voice it rang, it actually rang to his surprise after a few seconds someone picked up.

"Hello" The voice on the other line sounded husky serious and not in the slightest bit carefree like Sora had always been

"Sora!" Riku said aloud second guessing himself the group turned towards the silver haired teen

"Who else do you think would pick up the phone Riku?" Sora asked nonchalantly

Riku took a long calming breath

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DEAD OR SOMETHING!" Riku shouted as loud as he could

"To answer your question, yes I was dead I just recently was given a second chance at life, and at this given moment I'm trying to avoid another calamity from befalling this and other worlds" Sora responded coolly

Riku paused momentarily to take in the information he'd just been given mowed it over and quickly let it slide

"You're mother's been worried sick, why haven't you tried calling her!" Riku continued

"Riku, I died I thought we already went through this, even before then I was fighting a losing battle in and outside of my body I had no time for pleasantries such as calling my mother" Sora responded

"Well you have time now so take care of it, she's worried herself to the point she's bed ridden" Riku became more and more annoyed

"I don't have any time to do such, as soon as I get the time to, I will"

"How can you-"Riku's voice was cut off by Tidus grabbing the phone

"Hey man you're moms sick and you aren't even going to even call her!" Sora had no time to respond as a familiar voice soon spoke on the phone

"If you can't even so much as talk to your mom on the phone then will just have to drag you back and have you talk to her! Kairi's voice held finality

"Now, isn't the time you'd just get in the way, stay where you are until I return."

"H-How can you say that, You…You've changed so much over the course of a year then I'd ever thought and not for the better what's so ever that's why were coming to get you and drag you back here whether you want us to or not!" Kairi's voice shook with hurt and anger

The phone held no response as the other line went silent with the blaring sound of the dial tone Kairi, shed a few tears but quickly whipped them away she looked to her friends with renewed vigor and slight anger and annoyance glowing across her features.

"Let's go get our idiot back!" Kairi shouted

"…How…exactly?" Tidus asked

"Dude Tidus I've told you four times already not to deflate her like that, she gets angry!" Riku scolded

"What do you expect me to say I mean seriously how are we supposed to get there, we have no idea where he is and how to get there!"

"No, we do, Right Namine?"

"Was that really for the best Sora?" Yuffie asked

"They'd get in the way and we can't afford to let anyone get involved more then they'd have to…Right?" Sora's eyes trailed towards the blonde

"Exactly, we can't let them get hurt it has nothing to do with them at all," Cloud stated softly

Sora looked towards the pale floor beneath him and sighed

"On to this pressing matter you had to discuss with us Sora?"

"As I was saying –"He paused, red hair caught in his peripherals both Cloud and Tifa followed his gaze

"Ah, you, you haven't met Shelke yet, she's been staying here as of recently she helped Vincent defeat Weiss" Tifa responded to his silent question

"You…you are the one I've felt…the warrior…the chosen key of hope"

"Huh? Hey look now isn't the time we have to stop-"

"The story teller- Genesis, I know his awakening was going to happen, I just hoped…it wouldn't be this soon" Shelke said in a roundabout way

"What…do you mean exactly is there something we should know, Shelke?"

"The sacrifice of one…will save the world, your strongest opponent awaits his sleep to end, when he returns you'll have the fight of your future…your past and present on the line" Shelke's eyes never left the keyblader

"Are you making a pass at him Shelke!" Yuffie shouted in an accusing tone to which the red head sighed

"You – no all of our lives are in danger and you think I'm talking about wanting to mate with someone," Shouted completely frustrated

"The story teller, he's the one Zack defeated…of course he took it upon himself to seal himself in a deep sleep…but he's deluded himself into thinking he'll be a true hero no telling how he'll act now" Sora sated nonchalantly

"If he's been infected by the calamity…he may just as well be another Sephiroth…" Vincent said calmly walking into the room seemingly out of thin air

"Oh don't say that again I've had enough of that silver haired delude ridden idiot he was something great and let his past choke the greatness out of him till he was nothing but a puppet himself!" Sora's annoyance rang through his tone

"It wasn't really his fault he had her cells within him Jenova had control once he knew, I really can't blame him entirely Vincent responded coolly

"Having a soft spot for his mother shouldn't impair your judgment Vincent" Sora commented much to Vincent's dismay

"I suppose I deserved that after everything I did, but-"

"You suppose! You tried awakening darkness within me stole Yuffie from me threatened me with said girl shot at me repeatedly and to top it all off you put me in a near death state. In addition, you end up putting me in an internal battle, which strained my body to the point of death. Where I was in for a full year until I was given Vanitas's heart, which can at some possible point take, over my body if I'm in a murderous state. Yeah I don't think suppose covers it!" Sora shouted the ex-Turk looked at the brunette with a gleam of regret in his eyes after all he not only ruined the one woman he loved and still to this day loves life he ruined another, a trusted comrade who probably wouldn't trust him after all this.

"This is something else…to atone for," Vincent thought

"I know what you're thinking if you really wish to atone for what you've done…keep living and be happy, that's all you really can do to atone for something you've done wrong, learn from your mistakes"

"I- your right…I'm sorry for what I did, it wasn't right of me to try and do something to you without even telling you, I apologize" Vincent said with a straight face he meant it strangely enough

"I guess Tifa really let you have it after I left I take it" Sora asked in a sarcastic tone

"If I could die, I would've that night" Vincent responded without a hint of embarrassment

Sora looked to the waitress with new found respect in his eyes, not that he didn't respect her before but…now it was more with the added fear and to never ever piss her off

"Now that I think of it…where is Genesis's isolation pod sealed at anyway?" Yuffie asked silencing the group

the question sadly was never answered voices outside kept the answer from being given

"SORA!" A female voice from outside muffled but loud enough for the group inside to hear Yuffie soon looked at the brunette with a dark gleam in her eyes

"Are you cheating on me!" Yuffie asked as she tackled the brunette

"How could I do that, I've been dead remember, and it…it isn't like I'd ever cheat on someone as amazing as you anyway!" Sora responded softly a light blush dusting his face as the door to the seventh heaven shot open.

"So this is where you've been, and slacking off no less." Riku said with a hint of humor in his voice

"Were taking you back Sora you can't keep this up" Kairi's voice held anger something he'd never herd

"Uhm…Yeah I'm just here for the ride I didn't come to burst your bubble" Tidus couldn't help but hide his head in shame

"Sorry to interrupt you all but we need that idiot over there to come home" Selphie's voice was if anything actually held confidence in this

Sora got up from his inappropriate position to look at the small group they all really didn't change so much except for Selphie and Tidus, Sora without a moment's hesitation summoned his key blades.

"I won't go…not without a fight!"

"Brother…?"

"Where am I how is it that…that you're alive I thought you-"

"Died, no Weiss, I didn't I've been asleep but now it's time to extract the revenge we've been shrouded with"

"What…What do you mean brother?" Weiss asked stacked with confusion

"He took away the only thing I wanted, and he'll pay for it, don't you feel the same towards Vincent?"

"Vincent…yes…he took away my life…it's only fair I take away everything he loves…right?"

"He'll bathe in his own despair Weiss"

"Just as Cloud Strife will, Genesis"