Welcome to your second life
Sora woke to the sensation of something wet against his cheek. As his senses returned he realized he was lying face down at the edge of a puddle, hard asphalt road under him. He picked himself up slowly, starting to take in his surroundings. And in no time at all he was left completely bewildered. All around there were immensely tall buildings, rising towards the sky. His eyes wandered around in awe and no small amount of fear.
What was this place? The only city like this he remembered was San Fransokyo. Had he ended up there? No. This place had a different feel to it. And the World that Never Was had looked a little like this. But that place had been all fake, as unreal as its name implied. But now that he was here he could guess this was what the world of the Nobodies had tried to imitate. But that still didn't answer where here was.
The last thing he remembered… he had been sitting with Kairi on the Paopu tree on their island, hand in hand. He had been about to confess to her how he felt, only to see in her eyes she already knew. And that she felt the same. Tears of joy, but also of sorrow as she realized what was about to happen. He had told her it would, to prepare her. So they could make the time they did have as memorable as possible. He had wanted to reassure her that he would find some way to return, that they would see each other again. But there had been no time to do it. He had felt himself begin to fade. And then… here.
Everything here was strange. Unfamiliar. But there was one building he recognized, and he gasped as he saw it. It was on top of that tower he had had his fight with Yozora. One of the toughest fights of his life, and it had not helped that he had had no idea what they had been fighting about. Nothing about Yozora's behavior had made any sense.
It was strange… had he won or lost that fight? He couldn't quite remember. Or wait, that was not quite right. He did remember the fight coming to an end. The problem was that for some reason he could remember it both ways. But that could not be possible right? Then again that whole battle had felt like some kind of dream sequence. So strange…
If he was now in this world, was it possible he would run into Yozora again? The thought made him uncomfortable. Maybe it was best not to linger here. And he needed to find out more about where he had ended up, what kind of a world this was.
He started to walk down the street, still looking around himself in awe. However he did not get very far before his step began to slow. His hand rose to his chest, his expression becoming pained.
His heart was hurting… so much. What was wrong with him? He felt so… lonely. He tried to keep on going but with every step he took the pain only amplified. His legs gave away and he fell first to his knees, then face first on the ground. The last thing he remembered was a car coming to a halt just near him.
The doors of the car opened and four people stepped out onto the street, gathering around Sora.
"So we meet for real. How interesting it is to finally do so." Said Yozora, as he knelt down, examining Sora with calm eyes.
"What's the matter with him?" Asked one of the men, Aegis.
"He's one of the Arrived. And if he got here recently there is a good chance this is disconnection sickness." Yozora said as an explanation.
"Disconnection what now?" Asked another, Magia.
"A unique condition that afflicts the Arrived when they first reach this world. You see, where they are from their emotional centers, their hearts, are all connected to one another through invisible bonds. But in this world things do not work in the same way. So when the Arrived first enter here their connections are instantly severed. To hearts used to that connection such a state is extremely distressing, which manifests as intense physical pain until they get used to their new circumstances. The more connections they had before arriving, the worse the effects." A third man said.
"Really? Poor kid?" Magica contemplated. "So I assume he must have had quite a few connections if they were enough to knock him out like this?" He asked.
"Oh, indeed. Having friends is kind of a specialty of his. Looks like he is paying for that tendency now." Rolud replied.
"Sora, Sora… I'm afraid your usual winning strategy may not be as successful when the local house rules are applied. I cannot say I envy your situation." He contemplated.
"Hold on… you know this guy?" Magia asked.
"Uh… yes, as it happens. It's a long story. And I'm not really meant to talk about it. It's a classified operation." Rolud answered, realizing he might have already said too much.
"And that is a discussion we don't have time for at the moment. Come on Rolud. We should get moving." Yozora said, gathering Sora onto his arms.
"Of course, commander." Rolud nodded, and the four of them returned to the car.
"So, where to sir?" Rolud asked once he was seated in front of the steering wheel.
"Yeah, so the address is… Flower Road 19, Apartment block D, by the entrance to stairwell number 4. I can take it from there." Yozora said, reading the directions from his phone.
"I see… alright." Rolud said, starting the engine.
"Huh? We're not taking him to headquarters? What's in this address?" Aegis asked.
"Honestly? I have no idea. I'm just following my orders here." Yozora replied.
"From the Madam Director?" Aegis continued to inquire.
"I assume so. I don't know anyone else who could issue a code Omega directive." Yozora said, waving his phone.
"Fetching this boy counts as an Omega assignment? Seriously?" Aegis said.
"Apparently. Trust me, I'm just as confused by this as you are." Yozora said.
"An Omega assignment? This? Come on, what is even going on today?" Aegis muttered.
"Well, the game does not have to make sense to the pieces on the board. We just need to carry out our orders." Rolud said, driving onwards.
Strelitzia was still up in her apartment, watering her plants, humming to herself as she worked. But then she was startled by the sound of her doorbell ringing. Who could it be at this hour? She almost never had guests. And she certainly could not remember having agreed to anything with anyone, especially this late. Frowning in puzzlement she went to the door. In front of it she stopped, hesitating. This really was quite odd...
She looked down at her hand, considering calling on her keyblade. But then she thought better of it. This might turn out to be nothing to be alarmed over. Someone looking for directions or something. And in that case she did not want to frighten them. If she needed it her keyblade would still be in her hands in a second.
The doorbell rang again, longer than the first time. Someone was being insistent. She took a deep breath and started to open the door. As soon as she had undone the lock the door was pushed open from the other side. She gasped with surprise and retreated further into the room. And when she saw just who had entered, she went pale. She very nearly called her keyblade right then and there, but stopped herself short.
Yozora eyed her coolly, walking into the apartment like it was his own. He was carrying a boy Strelitzia had never seen before. Yozora laid the boy on a couch, then turned back to her.
"This one will be entrusted to you. Care for his needs until he wakes, then bring him to see Sigurd." He told her.
"Y-yes. Of course." She said, nodding shakily.
Without saying another word Yozora left, closing the door behind him. As soon as he was gone Strelitzia released the breath she had not realized she had been holding, covering her face with her hands.
She took some time to calm herself. Afterwards she went to get herself a chair and sat down next to the couch where Sora was. She spent a long time there, looking at him.
"So… who are you supposed to be then? Why was I out of the blue told to care for you? And how come you were thought important enough for someone like him to bring you here?" She wondered aloud.