Chapter 5: Wisdom

{September 15th 2013: 7:00am}

"So, how did your night go? Roxas?" asked Riku as they sat downstairs in the dining hall the following morning after Sora had sent the brooms after his student for not returning a book to him, and for trying to get a rise out of him about practical jokes.

"I've had better nights..."

Roxas's eyes were tired, his skin a bit pale, hair messier than usual, and his plate was full of sugary things that Riku knew Sora would not be exactly pleased with. However, the boy looked as if he'd gotten an hour of sleep, and even Riku wasn't sure where that would be, exactly. Namine poured him a cup of coffee, which he quickly mixed with cream and sugar before he started drinking it down. Kairi was settled next to Riku on his right, and Sora was currently nowhere to be seen. Namine was settled beside Roxas across from her sister, watching the girl closely as she took small bites of cut strawberries, eggs, and few other items alongside what appeared to be sausage of some kind. Riku flipped through a few pages in a book of some kind that Roxas hadn't dared a glance at in case in it belonged to Sora. This most recent encounter with his Master's sarcastically sadistic ire was enough to cure him of borrowing a book from him permanently.

"Where's Sora?" asked Namine.

"I don't know, Riku? Will you go and take a look?" the silver-haired Keyblade Master sighed.

"Okay, I'll be back with him soon." with that he stood and walked out of the room while the others went back to their breakfast.

"Is this normal for Sora?" Roxas questioned as he took a bite of some kind of pastry. Kairi shook her head.

"No, it's not. Sora's a fairly early riser...so I hope he's okay..." the two blondes glanced to one another.

"Say, Kairi? Do you know anything about the things that happened to make Sora a Keyblade Wielder?" Roxas watched the red-haired girl as she glanced down.

"None of us really talk about it, but listen, Roxas. You need to realize that Sora is different than most people – especially when it comes to the events that made him who he is now..." Roxas looked down as he heard the words.

"We know he became a Heartless and you brought him back," he said.

"It's more complicated than that, and there are a lot of things that Sora, Riku, and myself went through that we don't discuss because we don't like to dwell on the past..." he sighed.

"I just want to know how he became a Keyblade Wielder – I don't even know how he and Riku became Masters," he stated.

"We're just wanting some answers because it feels like we're being left in the dark."

Kairi seemed to think about this for a moment. Sora had gone through so much during that first battle, and while they didn't talk about it, both Roxas and Namine had a right to know what had started all three of them on this life they now lead, and it made sense, seeing as they had only recently joined them in the battle against the Darkness. Taking in a deep breath, Kairi looked to them as they waited, and she decided that she would try and tell them what she could.

"Well...what do you want to know? I can only tell you so much because I wasn't there for most of it," she stated.

"When did Sora find you?" she glanced down.

"Towards the end, see...we were split up when our world was destroyed – he found me in Hollow Bastion and I ended up with my heart missing...but...you see...Sora had my heart all along, and he protected it until he defeated Riku, who had become a victim of the Darkness...that was followed by Sora learning that he could free my heart, and he picked up a Keyblade called Dark Soul – it releases people's hearts – and ran himself through with it...in a matter of seconds, I got my heart back, but Sora..." the two stared momentarily.

"What happened?" asked Namine.

"Sora disappeared into light...but...there was this one strange little Heartless...it followed me around, and after Donald bashed it over the head a few times, I realized that it was Sora...he recognized me as a Heartless...and I tried to protect him...when the Heartless swarmed me, I went to cover him, and it brought him back, the connection I had with him...brought him back to me..."

"That's pretty amazing, but...what about the things that happened before all that?" Kairi shook her head.

"You'd have to ask Jiminy Cricket about it...I was unconscious for the most part."

"Okay, hey? Where can we find him?" Roxas asked.

"He'll be in the library more than likely, on the first table to your right – it's kind of his designated area." the blonde boy stood and looked to Kairi.

"Thank you!" with that, he left towards the library and Kairi looked to her sister.

"So, I gotta ask – when did you two get together?" Namine smiled.

"Well...it was the week of the Fire Water Festival in Twilight Town..."

{Wielder's Wing: 9:00am}

Riku was having a bit of a problem in regards to Sora, who seemed to be doing fine at first, and then he took notice that the boy looked pale. He had walked into the room to see Sora sitting up on his bed, arms rested upon his legs, and his face looking towards the floor. The boy looked tired, his skin was pale, eyes a bit glassy, and his skin felt slightly cold. Riku crouched down and looked at the boy, who flinched when he came closer and tried to reach out to him. The moment Riku's hand touched his shoulder, Sora had jolted away from him as if he'd been burned, and it worried Riku that perhaps he was going through a relapse of some kind, and if so, then he had to keep the others away from the boy until it was over.

"Please, don't let him relapse right now...he needs to recover first..."

"Sora? Are you okay?" he asked as he looked at the boy.

"I...I'm fine...is...everyone else downstairs?" he nodded as the boy curled in on himself a bit more.

"Yea, can you tell me what's wrong?" Riku questioned as he tried to get closer.

"Don't!" he paused, trying to following Himitsu's recommendation for dealing with the boy when he became this way.

"I just want to make sure you're okay," Riku said as he remained standing where he was, while the boy curled up on himself even more, closing his eyes as he rested his head against his knees.

"Just leave..."

Riku knew the tone that Sora was using by now. He had seen Sora go through small relapses like this a few times, and though they weren't anything like the reactions he'd have to night-terrors, they were still fairly bad. The silver-haired Keyblade Master sighed as he started to get up on the bed to sit near his friend, who remained silent but watching him closely. Himitsu had warned him and Kairi, as well as the others, that if Sora started behaving strangely to be watchful of him and themselves – people with post-traumatic stress disorder could go from being relatively calm to hysterical in a matter of seconds if something triggered a memory. For Sora, that could be sound, sight, touch, taste, it could be anything that triggered a recollection of the past.

If something caused a memory to resurface, Sora could become dangerous for both himself and for anyone around him, because unfortunately, none of them knew what memory would surface or what would cause it; however, right then, Riku just wanted to make sure that he was okay. Something told him that they wouldn't be having a lesson today, and yet he knew that Sora would get himself out of it soon.

"Sora? Can you talk to me? I'm supposed to help you," he said, trying to sound and seem non-threatening.

"As my friend or as a Dream Eater?" Riku flinched, and he would admit it – the words stung. Did Sora think he only did this because of his choice?

"Sora, I'm doing this as both. You're my best friend and I care about you...come on...look at me...okay? Let's talk so we can get downstairs to Kairi and Roxas and Namine," he said. The boy inched away from him a bit.

"Riku? Am I a monster?" the silver-haired teenager paused.

"Where did that come from?" he asked. The boy shrugged.

"It's this weird feeling...I keep feeling like I might hurt someone by mistake...like you or Kairi...Roxas, and maybe even Namine. I know I'm hard on them, but..." Riku laughed a bit.

"Are you worried about toughening them up a bit? Please, you're the best at that, and it'll be something they'll thank you for later," he told him. Sora glanced his way.

"Did it hurt? When I attacked you?"

Those words sent a chill through Riku like nothing had before. The idea that Sora had remembered something was both good and bad, only because Sora would recover, but bear more mental trauma from remembering what happened to him. Riku slowly sat back a bit and watched the boy, who kept his gaze, glassy and cold, on him. Did Sora really think he was a monster because of what he did in the Dream Drop? He had to know that he wasn't the one to blame for that, right? Sora was just a victim, he didn't deserve to be punished for the actions of his abusers, and yet here he was, suffering for it with hardly a soul to be able to help him.

"No, you barely scratched me most of the time," Riku said.

"Sapphire Moon cuts through reality, Riku...I could get at you through your Keyblade – you couldn't block it..." the other sighed.

"So...you remember what happened there..." the boy looked to the side.

"I remember pieces of it...but I know I attacked all of you with the intention of killing you..." Riku looked down.

"Sora, you're not to blame...it was Organization Thirteen's faults..." the boy glanced towards him.

"I...could still do it, you know? I'm not stupid, Riku; I know what's wrong with me, and I know what could happen if I slipped up and no one could help me come out of it..." Riku sighed as he reached out to place a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Sora had always been like his little brother ever since they were little. He had remembered one time when they were young, Sora had a nightmare that he refused to talk about, but when Himitsu couldn't help him, Riku could, and he did. He had talked to him for hours after that when they were seven years old, and he had learned it was a dream about him having to fight the darkness, but that everyone around him had died because of it. In that moment, he had promised Sora that he would always have his back and be there to help him when he needed it – he promised to chase the nightmares away. Now as Sora's Dream Eater, he could genuinely protect him, but he was still unsure of how to do his job as Sora's guardian. Taking in a deep breath, Riku reached out to him a bit more and pulled him over.

"I suck at comforting people...but...hell, he needs someone to look out for him when he can't do it himself."

"Sora, you aren't a monster, and no one blames you for what happened – you're a victim, not the criminal. I won't hate you for anything, and neither will Kairi...or anyone else," he said.

"Roxas keeps asking..." Riku sighed.

"He does have a right to know what you've gone through and why you became a Keyblade Wielder and what you went through to become a Master," he said as the boy stayed a good distance from him still.

"It hurts...still..." Sora curled in on himself again, clutching at the front of his shirt as he let Riku put his arm over his shoulders and pull him into a side-ways hug.

"I know...but, hey, we'll help you out. Now, don't you have some wisdom to give those two students of yours?" sky-blue eyes glanced up at him from under chestnut bangs as a small smile came to his features.

"Right...I think I owe them a few extended hours..."

Once again that strange person momentarily took his place. The person with gingery-chestnut hair, baby-blue eyes, and a gold-tan to their skin. A bright smile came to his features, and then Sora returned while Riku blinked momentarily as he realized it was the same person he had seen on the Destiny Islands before the events of the Dream Drop.

"Does he even realize someone else shows through in him sometimes? Who is that person?"

"Riku? Can you give me some help today?" he gave him a smile.

"Sure, not a problem."

{Training Hall: 11:30am}

Kairi took in a deep breath as she looked to Roxas, who was decidedly not pleased that he couldn't find Jiminy in the library today, but Namine had come running in saying that Sora was ready to begin training. Now he stood in the training hall alongside Kairi and Namine, while Riku walked in and looked them over. Kairi eyed Riku's bland expression with concern, and the Keyblade Master sighed as he tried to figure out how to go about giving them a fair warning before Sora arrived – Riku had insisted that he got something to eat before he started his training session for the day – and looked to the others with a sigh.

"Okay, listen; Sora isn't feeling well today, but he's gotten well enough that he can come in to do some work with us today, but it won't be a long session," Riku stated.

"Is he okay?"

"Not really, but he'll be fine. After the session today, we're going to let him rest," the Keyblade Master stated.

"Okay, so where..."

Within mere moments, a set of footsteps came into the room where Sora now stood with a Keyblade of blue crystal in his hand. He sighed as he looked at the four of them, and then shut the door behind him, while Roxas, Namine, Kairi, and Riku awaited further instructions on what they would be doing. It was as they waited that Roxas and Namine took note of his complexion looking pale, his eyes glassy with dark-circles under them. Sora had bright, vibrant, piercing sky-blue eyes, tan-skin, and he never looked sickly; however, both the blondes knew there was more to what they were being told.

"Sora, how are you feeling?" asked Namine.

"I've been better. But let's focus right now." His voice sounded tired as well.

"What are we doing?" Roxas questioned.

"Well, today's the day." Sora smiled brightly, and the others got the sense that this was going to be an interesting day.

"What? What day?" asked Roxas as he looked at his Master with questioning.

"We're practicing maneuverability. Wisdom Form is a speed-magic based Drive Form, and will be good for you to learn how to dodge and block attacks from an enemy instead of learning it on the fly." Kairi tensed, as did Roxas and Namine, while Riku stood there keeping a close eye upon Sora, who still seemed fairly weak compared to normal.

"Okay, so...we're going up against...Wisdom Form?" asked Namine.

"Yes, I want to get up to my next two drive forms before the end of the month." Sora looked them over as they nodded.

"So, we've covered Limit Form, which is a Wind/Air based stasis, and now we're going to Wisdom Form, which is a...what type of elemental stasis?" inquired Riku. Sora smirked a bit.

"I'll show you..."

Sora engaged Wisdom Form, and Roxas felt a faint chill go through him alongside the others. While beautiful, the blue Drive Form was quick, dangerous, and accurate – especially with the glide ability – and to top it off, the Keyblade Sora used with it – Wisdom Crystal – was sharp and hit in heavy blows. Riku had experienced firsthand how powerful it was, which did beg the question: how were they going to do this? Sora had shown exceptional ability with this Drive Form, and because of that, none of them were looking forward to dealing with it.

"It's cold in here..." Sora smirked as he slipped around them on the magic that let him glide across the floor as if he was on a skateboard or ice skates.

"Exactly...Wisdom Form is an Ice/Water type stasis, and thus, the magic with that element is twice as powerful. I won't shoot you with ice attacks because it might injure you more than the water attacks," he said as he stopped circling them and looked at them.

"Okay..."

"Line up, then," Sora stated as he looked at them.

"What are we going to be doing?"

"Here's the rules: dodge or block as many of the water bullets as you can," he said.

"Easy enough..." a vindictive smirk.

"You have fifteen minutes," he stated.

"Oh, no..."

Wisdom Crystal was raised, and within a few moments, Sora shot the first bullet and the group scattered as he began to move around in circles, aiming specifically for them in an array of blue-magic bullets that at first were fairly easy to dodge, but soon blocking was the first hope they had next to falling to the ground and rolling out of the way, and even then, Sora proved to be quite a problem when it came to the fact that he could turn his body mid-air and jump before using the scope magic to hone in on one of them. Roxas got slapped in the back by a water bullet that made him yelp as he jumped, and then moved again before he stopped, leaped up a bit, and then darted in a circle around them in a speed that nearly caused them to put up shields. Riku did just that only seconds before and Kairi shot a fire spell at the water bullet, which turned it into steam while mere moments later, Sora turned on his heels, spinning as he shot a series of water bullets imbued with magic into the group, who barely dodged it. Roxas barrel rolled out of the way and skidded across the ground, and Sora landed in a crouch before smiling in a manner that showed his teeth before he took a quick jump and spun around mid-air before he turned, and shot away at them.

"I QUIT!" Roxas screamed as he started running, and Sora slid in front of him.

"You cannot run forever, so I suggest you fight," he said as he repositioned the Keyblade.

"But I can't fight something that moves this fast!" Sora smirked.

"Then you should see Valor Form..." he said as he turned around and slid off before firing more bullets, which almost instantly knocked Roxas over.

It was as time ran out that the four of them dropped slightly to the ground. Roxas was lying flat on his stomach, hissing a bit as he felt a bruise bloom on his side, while Namine was taking in deep gulps of air while she sat upon the ground where she had been knocked over just a second before they stopped. Kairi was on her knees, taking in deep breaths, while Riku was bent over, hands on his knees taking in steady breaths as he looked to Sora, who stood with his arms behind his head and a smirk upon his face.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sora said as he smirked.

"That was hell!" Ocean-blue eyes looked up to the chestnut-haired Keyblade Master as the boy smirked as the blonde sat up.

"Well, imagine what it'll be like in a few days when we begin training with Valor Form," he stated. Roxas slumped back to the ground in a near lifeless heap.

"And what is Valor Form, exactly?" Sora stretched a bit and deactivated Wisdom Form before he crouched a bit while Wisdom Crystal vanished as well.

"The Fire of the Heart. Each Drive Form has a title based upon their element," he stated while the others settled themselves down on the floor to take a break.

"That sounds fun..." sarcasm evident, Roxas slowly got to his feet and the girls followed suit.

"It's not that bad, don't worry about it right now, though – we have field training tomorrow," Sora stated as he stood and stretched, while the others found themselves with a mix of questioning and excitement.

"Where are we going?" the sky-blue eyed teenager smiled.

"The forest is our first stop. After that, we might go to Disney Town later and take a break," he explained as he winced a bit and rotated his shoulder before looking to the side, his complexion looking a bit flushed.

"Sora?" Riku stepped towards him, and he smiled faintly.

"I'm just a bit tired; sorry, but could you take over today, Riku? I think I need to rest for a bit," he stated.

"That's fine, we'll check up on you in a bit." Sora nodded and left the room while the others looked him over.

"Will he be okay?" asked Roxas.

"Yea, he's just tired...but we have some work to do..."

{Wielder's Wing: 12:20pm}

Sora slumped against the doorway of his room, his legs feeling weak as he forced himself to move and shut the door behind him with a shudder as he removed his shoes and laid down on the bed with a deep breath as he felt a shiver run through him. Sora didn't feel cold, but he felt sharp aches develop across his body as he laid there, closing his eyes and trying to force himself into sleep; however, each time he closed his eyes, flashes of the small fragments of the memories he had from the Dream Drop invaded his mind. It caused him to open his eyes again in a flash, panic lacing through him as his heart raced and his mind panicked. Sora took in a slightly hitched breath as he curled up into a tightly wound ball and closed his eyes while keeping his mind blank while he could.

No matter what he did, when he started to have what he knew was a relapse of trauma-induced hysteria, he could only try and avoid people for a few days before he started to come out of it all the way. Sky-blue eyes glanced in an almost miserable manner towards the wall he was facing, a window present that showed him the forest just outside and made him nearly want to throw something. Things weren't peaceful, as much as he'd like for them to be, and while he knew Xehanort hadn't made any moves lately, he feared the worst. If an Organization member hadn't been seen since April, that meant they were plotting something, and it also meant that something was about to happen and it would be nothing short of horrific. Sora closed his eyes again and tried to let himself calm down just a bit before he got too carried away. Something he needed to remember was that they were in a minute grace period and needed to enjoy it while they could.

"Sora?" the sudden call of his name caused him to sit up and look towards the door, where Kairi stood.

"Kairi? What is it?" she raised an eyebrow as she shut the door and came to sit on the bed with him.

"Sora, training's over – it's been three hours since you left," she said. He gave her a surprised look and glanced at the clock to see she was right before he laid back down on the bed.

"Sorry...I lost track of time..." she sighed as she reached out and brushed her fingers through his hair.

"Are you okay? You don't look too well," she stated as she caressed his cheek and kept her focus on him for the time being.

"I'm just having one of my off days, I guess..." he sighed and looked up to her before he sat back up, and she moved a bit closer and leaned against him as he smiled faintly.

"Then you should have let Riku take over for the day and rested instead of pushing yourself," she told him as he reached for her hand and laced their fingers together.

"I know, but with Xehanort being so quiet and the Organization not moving around...we don't have time to just wait for me to get over these kind of things..."Kairi sighed.

"I know..." Sora took in a deep breath and Kairi remained quiet for a moment before she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss to his lips.

Recently when she would kiss him, Sora became a bit more aggressive with her. He would hold her tightly, knotting his fingers into her hair, and he would become a bit more rough with her. Sora's kisses were typically gentle, and this time it wasn't that different from what she was used to; however, there were faint bites being placed upon her bottom lip, and his fingers traced alongside her cheek, down her throat and across her shoulder as he gently grasped her arm and deepened the kiss. Kairi sighed, not minding the rougher actions, but keeping in mind not to get too carried away. Sora pulled back a bit, kissing her slightly once more before pressing his forehead to hers as she took in a few steady breaths.

"Hey...Sora?" Kairi asked.

"Hmm?" she watched him hum as he slightly opened his eyes and leaned over, nuzzling the side of her throat while she giggled slightly at the ticklish sensation.

"We should go on a date..." he paused and leaned back a bit.

"You have somewhere in mind?" Kairi smiled.

"As much as I would love to go to another world with you, we do have responsibilities...so...how about we go to town and just enjoy an afternoon together," she stated.

"That sounds nice, so, where do you want to go?"

"Maybe get something to eat and go to a bookstore? I'm looking for something new to read..." Sora laughed a bit.

"We have a library." He nuzzled a spot on her neck that made her giggle again as she knotted her fingers in his hair, combing them through it as she felt the silky texture.

"I know, but...it gives me an excuse to spend time alone with you," she said as he brushed his lips up from her jaw and throat to her shoulder before he smirked just a bit.

"Sneaky..." she laughed.

"You're one to talk," she said as their weight shifted, and suddenly she was pinned beneath him.

"Well, I guess we need a time for when you want to go into town..." he placed another kiss to her throat, his hand braced at her side as he leaned over her, his weight barely pressing against her.

"Tomorrow around three? Would that be enough time for our field training?" A slight kiss was placed to her pulse point, quickly followed by a small bite before he leaned over her again and placed a kiss to her lips. Kairi smiled to him, and he returned it.

"That sounds just fine..."

{…..}

I will show you the way back home, never leave you all alone. I will stay until the morning comes...

{…...}

Author's Note: Sora and Kairi are going on a date! They desperately needed that, because up until this point, they haven't been able to. Roxas and Namine are going to be little troublemakers, though, and since Riku isn't going with Sora or Kairi, he's left to babysit. This is going to be interesting.

Tell me what you think, any theories or assumptions?

Preview:

"Come on, time to go into the woods."

"Why do you put us through hell? Is that some requirement?"

"Let's go before they figure out we're leaving..."

Chapter 6: Into The Woods