"Every time I close my eyes, the pain of my life flashes by me, it's something different each time. A moment of my childhood that lingers in my head for far too long, did you ever feel the same way? " Sora responded, looking at the woman in front of him, her beautiful blue hair, shining in the overwhelming sunlight of the Destiny islands as he lay motionlessly on the island's beautiful white beach. The frozen smile she gave him felt right, looking like something akin to one of the many princesses out of the worlds they used to visit.
That smile that was so pure, and honest to him, that smile that comforted him in his darkest moments, that smile when they shared the Million Dreams ice cream at Disney Town, that smile when they watched the stars at night at home, to Sora smiles use to feel like the best thing in the world, knowing his mother would protect him, inspire him to become a keyblade master, watch him grow up and form his smile to show the world.
Sora didn't know why he always saw his mother when he dreamed, the doctors, and his therapist had told him it was probably some form of guilt, remembrance, or some fancy medical talk that he hardly paid attention to as he watched the blue sky outside of the blank white room.
Sure the spiky blue-haired teen didn't mind seeing his mother when he slept, but it always stung seeing his greatest failure, he promised himself he'd save her, find a keyblade or weapon and free her from that prison. But he was still trapped on this tiny island surrounded by water, and it was like a prison to the teen. The feeling that no one would help him out, Ven had been in a coma for a decade at this point, and Terra was hopefully rotting as a lab rat under those Radiant Garden scientists. King Mickey and those other followers of his forgot about him, left his mom trapped in the Realm of Darkness for ten years, and never came to comfort him, offer him a keyblade to try and save her, or put him out of his misery, as without her he was nothing more than an empty shell.
Sora laughed for a minute at the thought of that last part, an empty shell, those words felt so personal to him. Like was he still human after Xehanort broke him, he could still feel the stabbing pain in his heart, as he rubbed his right arm, doing his best to hold a wooden sword in his hand, only for that numbing feeling to return. Sora jolted up, grabbing his arm in pain, quickly removing his prosthetic arm from its socket, as the burning pain reminder of the past sank in again.
Why was he so stupid back then, thinking he could block an oversized keyblade from Xehanort, that was the moment when he died, and returned broken. The tiny bones in his right arm were broken and in an instant, his spine was broken, and his heart stopped, his chest felt like it had a watermelon exploding inside of it. Sure he would have been four, so he wasn't thinking clearly but why did it feel so unfair, Mom was gonna die if he didn't take the attack. It wasn't fair, Mom was supposed to win, and they'd walk off into the sunset, attempting to save Ven, and let that "man" suffer for his darkness. It was supposed to be their life, their happiness, their future.
"Sora, are you up, Hey Sora, your friends are outside waiting on you." A feminine voice called out, breaking Sora out of his thoughts, as he attempted to put on his best smile possible. Knowing that his adoptive mom would want him to stay positive about his life. It may have been weird, but after his mom, and him helped her when her world fell to the darkness. Living with her felt right, well enough to where he felt comfortable with her about his issues, Sora didn't know why for some reason, his mom made his life feel a little more bearable. Besides he could be angry at the man he once called father some other time.
"I'll be right down mom, I just gotta put my arm back in and get dressed." Sora yelled downstairs, as the teen quickly popped his arm back into its socket, grabbed some hair gel, a pair of black shorts, his sky blue shirt, a thin pink zip-up jacket, and some blue and black sneakers. Proceeding to grab his purple sunglasses from his nightstand, and the most important part of his outfit, his sky-blue wayfinder, the only thing Mom he was able to keep after the downfall of the Land of Departure.
—--
Hey, there Kiddo, rough night sleeping, or did mom help you sleep well this time?" A soft-spoken voice asked Sora, as he watched down his stairs, to see an adorable set of bunny ears, as his mom was cooking some bacon and eggs for him, while she munched on a carrot.
"It was a mix of both last night, I know I woke up at least two or three times last night, but when I saw Mom again, it felt right again, I felt happy and It was like sleeping in her arms again." Sora let out, as he rubbed his tired eyes, walked over to the kitchen, came over to the stove, and hugged his mom. Maybe it was all of her fur or her long ears, but she made their morning hugs feel nice. Like a support animal that also took care of you, and had a sense of humor.
"You know I could ask the guys at the station to see if they have a night shift, could get you some music, chat with the guys, do some cleaning or paperwork. That way you'd be more tired, and sleep more?" Judy said as she jumped off the counter and onto the dining room table with two plates of food for her and Sora.
"That be nice, I'll think about it, I'm betting it's an excuse to see me in one of those uniforms." Sora let out, laughing at the bunny's plan, but it did seem interesting and would help him befriend more people than Riku, and Kairi.
"Well, then I'll ask the captain, and let you know tonight what he says." Judy said biting into her fried potato mix, looking over to Sora eating some eggs, and setting a plate of bacon on the ground for his special friends making the bunny laugh, Tonight was take-out night.
—--
After breakfast, some coffee, and Judy helping Sora put on a mesh fabric to keep the sand and dirt out of his arm, the odd family made their way to the front door of their small apartment.
"Well, then I gotta head to the market, after work, so don't push yourself too hard fighting Riku, on the play island, and if you start aching again, remember to take the meds, Doctor Hope gave you, and rest for a bit." Judy told Sora, with the teen nodding, as he looked outside to see Riku, and Kairi, waving at them. Maybe it was the fact Judy Hopps was a bunny, a cop, and the total embodiment of happiness in their lives, that made the Silver and Auburn teens talk to him, maybe like him, or at least tolerate him long enough in public to be considered nice people.
—--
It had taken nearly an hour for the trio to row to their beloved play island, with Riku and Kairi excited to finish the raft to explore other worlds, Riku wanting to learn more about what other societies were like, Kairi wanting to find her old home and parents. Sora could only look at them silently, The truth hurt to keep secret, he knew Kairi's home was lost, and her parents were probably dead, but he kept his mouth shut, letting Kairi have her faith after all just cause his goal was more selfish than hers, didn't mean they had to be bogged down by his need for his real mom, Aqua had to return to the world of the light, Xehanort had to pay, and he needed to be happy for once.
"Ok, then Riku, you'll get the logs, Sora, We need three mushrooms, drinking water, rope, and a cloth, I'll get the fish, and coconuts, Everyone okay with that!" Kairi asked, as she looked over to Sora, who simply nodded, looking at the island's tree house for a moment.
"That's fine with me, Kairi!" Sora said, flashing the girl a soft smile, fishing through one of his pockets for a large empty bottle of water, knowing that they'd have to get more bottles and food from the farmers market, and home. But then again, he knew his friends would be able to carry him if he fell and let them down, as Sora walked away, Riku and Kairi looked at each other with worried looks about their trip and the impact Sora would have on their trip to see other worlds.
"Should we tell him he can't come? I don't think leaving in the middle of the night, and outright abandoning Sora, is right, Riku." Kairi whispered, feeling unsure of how Sora would react, They knew logically he was only gonna slow them down, he had one arm, and couldn't swim, so if they fell into the water, Sora wouldn't survive. Plus Sora wasn't the best person emotionally to be around, they acted happy around him, and included him as much as possible. But it felt pointless if Sora was gonna remain a quiet wreck who wouldn't overcome his issues.
"It's the only way to make him grow up if he can't see that people don't want him involved, that he needs to figure himself out mentally before jumping into a situation that'll get him killed or hurt. Then abandoning him, and getting yelled at by Judy would be worth it if Sora could improve as a person.
"Fine, I'll go along a little longer, but if Sora finds out and tries to follow us, you're dealing with it, for both of our sakes." Kairi said as she walked off to find her supplies, leaving Riku to look over at Sora, his "friend" was grabbing the drinking water, and had a rope around his shoulder, so at least the rift be done by today, Riku wished Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie were on the island today, it would have made things go smoother, but it was time for him to get to work, as he set off to grab some logs.
—--
Sora was feeling good about himself, he had gotten the drinking water, laughing for a second, Kairi probably thought he'd grab the ocean water instead like an idiot, but shame on them he was on top of things, and he had gotten some of Selphie's rope off of a nearby barrel and had two of the mushrooms from the bushes. All that was left was one mushroom and the cloth, Sora quickly looked around, noticing Riku, and Kairi had moved to the side of the island, with the raft, trees, and a large amount of coconuts. So he was alone again, and Sora grinned at that, as he started to hum to himself, as two humanoid-like figures reported out of nowhere, Sora had discovered these odd white beings long ago, they had blue hair, pale white skin, with blue cloth wrapped around their waist, forming a makeshift corset, and they only had right arms, and looked almost feminine, and had two large pink wings on their backs.
If what Sora remembered, from one of his mom's books, they were called nobodies, beings that had no heart, but kept their bodies even if it was more monstrous and their thoughts were limited. But it made sense, he died as a kid, so his heart was lost, and he became one of these nobodies. But it was odd, he could still feel his heart beating and feel emotions. The two main things his friends lacked were a heart and emotions to understand his more complex thoughts and needs. However, they were helpful at simple tasks, and listening to him.
"Hey guys, can you help me get to the top of the tree house, I gotta get some cloth for the raft." Sora asked his nobodies, as four more appeared, each one grabbing hold of their master, and raising him to the top of the platform, proceeding to bow to him like a king, making Sora laugh at his friends, It was funny them thinking he was royalty when that honor felt more fitting for mom, rather than him. But he played along since they seemed to like seeing his smile. Quickly Sora ripped the cloth off the wall, and with the help of his friends, tied it to his waist.
"All right, now for the secret cave, could you guys help me down, I would appreciate it a lot." Sora said, with the nobodies that he dubbed, Kingslayers, giving their view of him as a king, and on their backs were a sword and staff. So at least they could defend him, and each other. Quickly they descended with him in their arms, right in front of the cave.
"Alright I got things from here, why don't you guys have some fun, and relax with Mom, while I help with the raft." Sora told his friends as they floated off, leaving the blue-haired teen to enter the cave, pushing through the giant leaves, and vines. His task was almost done, and his spirits were high at the moment.
—--
"Today is gonna be a good day!" Sora thought to himself, as the mysterious door, and mushrooms grew closer. For instance, he arrived at the mysterious door, quickly grabbing the last of the mushrooms, however, Sora once again decided to stare at the door, his smile quickly vanishing, as he rubbed the keyhole with his left hand.
It had been roughly ten years since Mom, and him visited the relaxing world. It was a day where they simply spent time on the beach, eating ice cream, and enjoying the sun. It was their happiest moment before the Keyblade Graveyard and the nightmare that followed. But Sora did remember one thing his mom said during their trip when they saw the door, it was as if darkness was dripping out of the keyhole, This was the door that could connect Destiny Island to the Realm of Darkness, This was Sora's end goal right at the start of his journey.
Slowly Sora placed his head on the soft wooden door, and tears slowly fell him his face, It hurt being close to Mom, but so far away knowing she could be anywhere in the Realm of Darkness, Wandering for ten years meant she could have been anywhere, but he'd find her, even if it took him his whole life, it was the only way to make things right.
"What's wrong Boy, this tiny prison surrounded by water holding you back from your dreams, or is it your heart keeping you chained to this place?" A voice whispered in Sora's ear, as he quickly turned around as a few of his Kingslayers popped up, Sora looked at the mysterious figure. His brown cloak hid his face, but not his voice, it was the same voice that Terra had when Xehanort took control of his body.
"Why would you care, Terra? You're the reason I'm stuck here, left to rot on this island, while Mom, while Aqua is left suffering in the Realm of Darkness because you were a fool who thought Xehanort was a good guy. You let the darkness into your heart, and ruined all of our lives." Sora yelled, his left arm shook, grabbed his right hand, ripping it out and showing it at the man who was once called his father.
"That was his choice to make all those years ago, he sank deeper into the darkness, It was you who let yourself suffer in that battle, Aqua had no trouble saving herself, but you boy were the weakest link. So I am here to give you a choice, you can suffer and become strong or rot on this island, and maybe see your mom again?" Ansem said, as Sora looked at the man, he could become stronger if he suffered, he could get Mom back faster, and he could protect himself. He could make things right, wake Ven up, get Mom back, and give Judy her home back. He could be a keyblade user, and make a difference for once.
"What would happen to this world?" What would happen to Judy?" Sora asked Xehanort, as he calmed down, his Kingslayers lowered their weapon, wondering what would happen to their beloved bunny mom and this island.
"Everything, everyone will be lost to the darkness, left to rot as heartless, or scattered across the worlds unsure of the events that left them broken. So Sora, what is your choice?" Ansem proclaimed Sora's eyes looked at his friends as he nodded to them.
"I want to get stronger, so I can save Mom, and kill you!" Sora told Ansem, but the cloaked man said nothing, only summoning a portal of Darkness, Sora quickly ran through the portal, and his nobodies vanished back to his house. They would save Judy, and protect her, while he got stronger, even if he had to go through hell to get there.
—--
"The door of darkness remains closed, but a new door opens for you, the door to survival horror. How long can you survive Sora, until I lend you a hand?" A voice whispered as Sora stepped deeper into the dark portal, Kay wondered would survive the residents of evil, or did her sisters put too much fate in the damaged boy."