Re-sketch
Chapter 3: Settling In
"Shite," Hikaru muttered as she rummaged through her pockets. "Where in Shiva's bleedin' name is it?"
After pulling on her sweater and jeans, she realized that she was missing a few very important items—but not even losing her wallet or phone could match the sinking feeling she'd experienced when she saw that her pocket watch was gone. She gave her coat a rough shake, praying that something would fall out.
But to her dismay, nothing did.
Hikaru groaned, tossing her coat onto the hospital bed and dropping her face into her hands. "Oh, gods… Saint Shiva save me." She didn't understand why her mother had impressed upon her the importance of holding onto the little gizmo, but there must have been some reason. Had she really gone and immediately lost it? Mam is going to murder me…
She had gotten down on her hands and knees, searching under her bed and the bedside table when a knock came at the door. Dr. Kiyuna peered into the room just as Hikaru looked up like a startled deer. "Are you ready yet? The mayor is waiting and—" The doctor paused. "Looking for something?"
"Ehm… Just thought I dropped something." Hikaru straightened up, her muscles groaning in protest. She cast one last look around the room before following Dr. Kiyuna to where Barret was waiting in the lobby.
"Ready to go?" he asked, setting a magazine down and rising out of his chair when he spotted Hikaru. When she nodded, he gave her a thumbs up. "All right, this way!"
At first Hikaru was a little distracted, looking through her pockets one final time in the hopes that her belongings would magically materialize. But when she stepped out into the afternoon, a rush of humid air had her sweating almost immediately. She looked up and squinted, shielding her eyes from the sun as she tried to focus on the world outside. "Oh…!"
It was not what Hikaru had been expecting. Between the buildings there were trees, green and dense with leaves. The ground was hot and sunbaked without a single trace of snow, and the streets were made of asphalt rather than cobblestone. Insects buzzed between vibrant flowers that sprouted from patches of grass outside the building, while colorful birds sang from their perches on the rooftops.
This is most certainly not Polaris.
"Come on, Hikaru," Barret called out. She saw him patting an old truck that was parked in front of the clinic. It looked like it had seen better days, with peeling paint and dirt caked on its hefty tires. A large sticker that read "Destiny Islands Search and Rescue" was stuck to the side door.
Hikaru hurried over as fast as her tired legs could carry her. Barret opened the passenger side door for her, making her pause when she realized that the steering wheel was on the opposite side of the car compared to the vehicles from Polaris.
"This really is a different world," she murmured as she climbed in.
"All right, first thing's first, I'm in the mood to grab a bite," Barret said as he settled down in the driver's seat. He started up the engine and pulled out onto the pockmarked asphalt road. "You ever had a plate lunch before?"
Hikaru shook her head.
"Well, you don't know what you're missing out on! I hope you're hungry, cuz it's time for you to try some of the best food you'll ever eat."
They drove through the town, past its compact weather-worn buildings and lazy shops, and the colorful array of people roaming the sidewalk in flip-flops and summer wear. Barret pointed out the businesses and parks and all manner of interesting landmarks—so many things that Hikaru wasn't sure she'd remember them all. The only stop they made was at Takka's Food Truck, where Hikaru waited in the car and watched as Barret chatted amiably with the man running the truck. Eventually he returned with two bags of styrofoam takeaway containers.
"That smells amazing," Hikaru said, her mouth watering as Barret handed her one of the bags. The aroma of fried batter wafted to her nose, making Hikaru's stomach rumble.
"Just wait 'til you take a bite! But no eating in the truck—I just cleaned the upholstery."
As they headed out of the town, Hikaru turned her attention back outside in an effort to ignore the tantalizing smell that filled the truck. The landscape changed from businesses and shops and criss-crossing asphalt streets to a stretch of gently sloping hills dotted by houses that shared a theme of red tile rooftops. Everything seemed so bright and green out there, more green than Polaris even during the summer.
But something in particular caught Hikaru's attention beneath the open sky as she looked beyond the hills. It was hard to see at first—the sun was blinding, even compared to the way the light could gleam off the snow on Polaris. Hikaru's wide eyes focused on the deep blue glittering below the horizon—and though she'd heard of it in old legends and the doctor's words, she almost couldn't believe it.
"It's the ocean," she said in awe, hands pressed flat against the window.
"Don't think I'll ever get tired of that view," Barret remarked as they turned down one particularly bumpy dirt road, the truck rattling around them as they went.
"Is it true the ocean is made of salt?" Hikaru asked. "And that mermaids live in the water?"
Barret busted out laughing. "Mermaids? Ain't you adorable, talking about fairytales. Next you're gonna ask me if tonberries are real!"
Hikaru's cheeks burned. "I was only asking!" she said with a pout as she crossed her arms. "And I'll have you know, tonberries are real. I've met one before even, and they're actually quite nice."
"Nice? You must be pulling my leg. You sure you weren't just dreaming?"
"One hundred percent positive!"
"Then those 'other worlds' you talked about must be something else." Barret was still chuckling, but after a few seconds his laughter mostly subsided into a grin. "Sorry, kid—didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Just been a while since I laughed that hard."
"Glad I could be of service," Hikaru said dryly as she sank a little deeper into her seat.
The truck came to a stop after only a few more minutes, parking at the end of a narrow drive. At the other end of the dirt road stood a modest estate, just a bit bigger than Uncle James's house at first glance. Two foldable chairs were positioned next to each other in the front yard facing out toward the street, one of them notably smaller than the other.
"Here we are," Barret announced proudly. "Home sweet home."
Hikaru climbed out of the truck, her food cradled in her arms as she followed him up the drive. Almost immediately she was hit by the scent of the air, and just how good it smelled—gardenias and plumerias and other flowers she didn't know the names of that marked the boundaries of the yard.
The jingling of keys brought her back to the house. Barret shouldered open the front door, but not before bending down to untie his shoelaces and set his boots on the side next to a pair of white and purple slip-ons. "Sweetheart, I'm home!" he called out.
Hikaru peeked under Barret's arm as he leaned against the doorframe. Inside she could see a spacious sitting room with smooth white walls accented by dark wood panels. A set of lounge chairs were arranged around a cluttered coffee table, and in the furthest corner stood an antique upright piano. Beside it, long white curtains were half drawn over a sliding glass door that overlooked the landscape of hills and houses stretching all the way to the sea. Hikaru bent down to unbuckle her boots and set them aside with the other shoes when she heard light footsteps making their way towards them.
"Welcome home, Dad!" a chipper voice came before the girl from the clinic came into view. But then she stopped, her blue eyes widening as her gaze landed on Hikaru. "Oh! You're out of the hospital?"
"Hikaru here is gonna be staying with us for a little while, at least until we can figure out a more permanent arrangement," Barret said, giving Hikaru a pat on the shoulder that nearly knocked her off balance. "I hope that's okay with you, sweetheart."
"Of course!" Kairi said. "Anything to help!"
"That's my girl!" Barret was absolutely beaming. "Now, I gotta get the guest room all set up. Why don't you show Hikaru around the house in the meantime? I got you some food too—your favorite, and Takka even added in a little extra teri beef for you."
"Aw, thanks Dad!" Kairi reached up to give him a quick hug as he handed her one of the plates from his bag. "And you can count on me! I have everything under control out here!"
Hikaru silently watched the father and daughter duo exchange words. It was sweet—almost saccharinely so, enough to make her feel out of place until Barret trudged down the hall. Kairi turned towards Hikaru with a kind smile.
"It's nice to meet you Hikaru! Or, well, I guess we technically already met…"
"Nice meetin' you as well," Hikaru said as she took in the girl's appearance. She was almost the same height as Hikaru, with fair skin and a round face. They must have been around the same age. "Kairi, right?"
She nodded in response. "I hope you're feeling better. We were really worried about you earlier. Do you need anything? Water, or…"
"A fork, maybe," Hikaru said as she held up her food, her stomach growling louder than ever. "Smelling this food on the drive here was torture."
Kairi blinked, but a moment later she gave a light laugh. "Hold on, I got you covered."
"So this is upstairs. Bathroom is through the door on the left. We have the guest room right here—Dad's still cleaning up inside by the sounds of it…" Kairi only came to a stop once she reached a door with colorful island decals pasted on the wood. "And this is my room!"
She pushed the door open, and Hikaru peered inside with a curious gleam in her brown eyes. It was a cozy little nook. Tiny lights were strung along walls decorated with polaroid photos and artsy posters. A desk stood near the door with an ancient bulky cube of a computer and a sewing kit resting on top. There was a bookshelf jammed with paperbacks, a bed covered with plush pillows, and even a small couch half-covered in folded laundry.
"You have this room all to yerself?" Hikaru asked as she hovered in the doorway.
"Mmhmm! Sorry for the mess." Kairi lowered her head sheepishly, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I would've cleaned up if I knew we'd be having guests over…"
"A mess? Hardly. You should see what my room usually looks like." Hikaru gestured around at everything.
It was enough to make Kairi giggle. "I'll take your word on it."
She made space for them on the couch to sit. Hikaru plopped down a bit awkwardly at first, still absorbed in taking in the details of the room, but it wasn't long before she felt the tension in her shoulders ease with the growl of her stomach.
"So, Kairi," Hikaru said as she opened up her styrofoam plate. A breaded chicken cutlet sat on a bed of rice, smothered with thick brown curry. "You're the one who found me, is that right?"
Kairi nodded. "Technically it was Sora who found you. We're not sure how you got there, but it looked like you just washed up on the beach."
"Hmm…" Though things were hazy after she'd been thrown from Polaris, Hikaru had a vague recollection of just… drifting. Through what or where, she wasn't sure—but a real saltwater ocean made as much sense as everything else. "And you didn't find anyone else? Maybe a dopey boy with a stupid cocky grin, or a girl a few years older than me who always looks like she's judging your mistakes and failures?"
"Sounds like you know some interesting people." Kairi gave an uncertain smile as she snapped apart her disposable chopsticks. "But as far as I know, no one else was found."
"I see…" Hikaru felt her shoulders slump a little as she prodded her chicken katsu curry with her fork.
"Maybe they're on one of the other islands," Kairi offered when she saw the dejected look on Hikaru's face. "Thalassa's Rest is where most things wash up around here, but they could've ended up somewhere else."
"Thalassa's Rest?"
"The island we found you on." Kairi turned her head to look out the window. Past the rolling hills and modest houses, a verdant island sat on the ocean not too far from shore. "Kids like to hang out there during the breaks. That's why we were there too—it's lucky you wound up here when you did. If we weren't on vacation right now, there might not have been anyone on the island to find you."
Hikaru grimaced. She didn't even want to imagine what might have happened had that been the case. "I owe you, then. For saving me from becoming food for the local wildlife, and for letting me stay here," she said as she started to eat, her mouth watering the instant the hot rice and savory curry sauce touched her tongue.
"Well, I'm not sure you'd have been eaten by anything here—not unless the seagulls were feeling a little peckish," Kairi said. "But, it's the least we can do. You've been through a lot, and I know how stressful waking up alone in an unfamiliar place can be."
"You do?" Hikaru asked through a mouthful of chicken and rice.
"Mmhmm. They found me on the beach too, when I was just a little kid. But I don't remember anything about what happened, or where I came from."
Hikaru swallowed her food. "How long have you been stuck here for?"
"Oh, about… Wow, almost nine years already," Kairi said. By the look on her face, she had surprised herself with the realization.
Hikaru had a much different response. "N-nine years?" she sputtered, her eyes widening in a mixture of shock and horror. "Gods… I can't imagine being stuck here alone for that long." She couldn't even remember the last time she'd been without at least one of her siblings in proper snarking distance. The idea of not seeing a single member of her family for more than a day, let alone nine whole years, was almost inconceivable. "Didn't anyone ever come looking for you?"
The question startled Kairi, making her go quiet for a moment. "Not as far as I know… But, it's not that big of a deal," she added quickly, shaking her head. "Not like I know what my life was like before. Everyone here has been really kind, and I've never known a home other than the Destiny Islands. Plus, with Sora and Riku around, I'd hardly say I've been alone."
"That's… fair, I suppose," Hikaru said. Still, the idea of being trapped on an island, separated from everyone and everything she knew for years…
That couldn't happen to her too, right?
A sharp tapping noise outside interrupted her thoughts and made both of the girls turn. Hikaru shook off her nagging concerns, looking instead to the window as another small rock bounced off the glass.
"What was that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
"I think I know." Kairi rose to her feet and walked over. Without hesitation, she pushed the window open, letting in the afternoon breeze and the murmur of voices below. "I figured it was you guys," she remarked, speaking to someone out of view. "Hold on, give me a second." She turned away from the window, looking at Hikaru apologetically. "Sorry, it's Sora and Riku. I figured they'd come by once they heard you were out of the hospital. I can tell them to come back later if you want."
"It's fine," Hikaru said, standing up as well. Having more people around felt comforting anyway, given the circumstances, and it was a chance to maybe learn more about what had happened to her. Walking over next to Kairi, she leaned forward with her hands braced against the window sill. Down in the front yard below stood the two boys from the hospital, with the silver-haired one—Riku, was it?—holding a flat cardboard box.
"Hey Hikaru!" Sora called out, waving cheerfully when he spotted her.
"We brought dinner," Riku added, holding up the pizza box.
"Ugh, you should've called!" Kairi placed her hands on her hips. "My dad already picked up food."
"Who says you can't have more?" Sora said with a wide grin. "No one says no to a free pizza!"
Kairi shook her head with a sigh, but she sounded more amused than annoyed. "I'll go let them in," she said as she hurried out the bedroom door. "Be right back!"
She returned to the room a few minutes later with a cacophony of voices in the hallway to announce her approach. As the bedroom door swung open, Hikaru—who was chewing on a delightfully crisp bite of chicken katsu—caught wind of Sora and Riku's whispers, followed by Barret calling from down the hall.
"You boys be sure not to pester her, understood? And next time use the doorbell instead of throwing rocks at the side of the house!"
"Yes, Mr. Wallace," the boys called back as they came barging into the room. Sora was the first to duck in, carrying a pitcher of some sort of opaque pink juice along with a stack of glass cups. Riku was right behind him with the pizza, while Kairi brought up the rear with extra plates.
"Man, Kairi, your dad needs to lighten up," Riku remarked once the door shut behind them.
"Aw, I bet he's just worried about everything going on," Sora replied. "Hey Hikaru," he added when he saw her watching them curiously from her spot on the couch. "How're you feeling? You look like you're doing a lot better."
"The food helped," Hikaru said, gesturing to her already half-eaten plate. The chicken katsu had been perfectly greasy, and the curry was mild and flavorful.
"Well, luckily there's more where that came from," Riku said, holding out the pizza box. "Dig in."
They all settled in around the room, with Riku sprawling back on Kairi's bedspread while Sora plopped down on the floor next to the pizza. Kairi sat down at her desk, allowing Hikaru the entirety of the couch to herself where she was free to lounge around with an empty styrofoam plate and her third slice of pizza in hand. Gods, she hadn't realized just how hungry she was until she had food in front of her. All of the magic she'd expended over the past day had really drained her energy and left her with a voracious appetite.
"So, Hikaru," Riku said once everyone had settled in. "What did my mom talk to you about?"
"Yer mam…? Oh, the doctor?" Hikaru wracked her brain as she tried to remember the conversation in the hospital that already felt like a lifetime ago. "Ehm… Nothing much. Mostly she just fixed my hands until Barret came in… And then they asked about my family and my home, and if I remembered how I got here."
"Do you remember?" Sora asked.
"Mostly." Hikaru crossed her arms. "Me and my family were visiting my Uncle James for the holidays. But something happened in town. These things appeared, and my sister and I…"
She hesitated, the story she'd already told once before hanging off the tip of her tongue as she recalled the doubt that Barret and Dr. Kiyuna had expressed back at the clinic. Even she could hardly believe all that had happened in Hart's Haven, shadowy creatures running rampant through the streets, though she knew by the dread in her stomach that it was the truth. But would these three even believe her?
"My mam saved us," she decided to say, unable to hide the frown that curled at her lips. "She said she was sending us somewhere safe, and that we had to stay together… But we were separated, and now…"
Now what? What was she even supposed to do? Her mother had said to find a king. Hikaru didn't know who, or why. She hadn't even been aware that her mother knew a king. Kings and royalty were a thing of the past in Ursa Minor, so where exactly was she supposed to have gone? And why wasn't she there now?
Did I do something wrong? The thought came unbidden. She said to stick together… But I'm the only one here. I don't know if they're even alive… No, don't be stupid, she scolded herself. If you of all people are okay, they must be fine.
She couldn't let herself believe anything else.
It must have been the look on Hikaru's face; Kairi watched her with brows creasing in sympathy before she spoke up. "You don't have to keep talking about it if you don't want to, Hikaru," she said. "You've been through a lot."
"Yeah," Sora said with a nod. "No need to push yourself."
"You could talk about something else if that helps," Riku suggested. "Like, your home, or the world you came from."
Across the room, Kairi shot him another look with a frown. But it was a look that Hikaru didn't notice.
"My home?" she repeated, mulling over the question. It was certainly an easier subject to wrap her head around, and one that gave her much less grief to think about. "Well… Sure. What d'ye want to know?"
Riku's eyes lit up. "Can you tell us what it's like?" he asked, shifting close to the edge of Kairi's bed and leaning even more forward. "Your world, I mean. What kind of place is it?"
"Ehm… Well, I've moved around a bit, but I grew up on a world called Polaris. It's one of the worlds that's part of Ursa Minor. All mountains and fields and forests, and it snows most of the year. We always go back to visit since my uncle lives out in Hart's Haven. That's where I was before I wound up here."
Hart's Haven: a place where fresh snow coated shingled rooftops, chimneys sputtered fireplace smoke into the white air, and the valley sheltered the town like the loving arms of the gods. Hikaru and her family had spent most of her childhood and several adolescent holidays in Hart's Haven. Barring this past summer when they had returned to lay her father's ashes to rest, those visits were by far her favorites.
Hikaru decidedly kept the last part to herself. "It's an old town, busy during the holidays because of the lights and the winter market," she went on with a small smile. "On clear nights, you can see the auroras and all the stars—the Ursid Sea, it's called. They say you can always see the other Ursid worlds in the sky at night, no matter where you are. Best view in all of Ursa Minor by far, it is."
The other three were enraptured by her descriptions, listening intently as she rambled on. Even Kairi, who had seemed initially concerned by the line of questioning, now had a spark of intrigue in her eyes.
"No wonder we found you in that coat," Riku remarked. "If anyone here walked around wearing something like that, they'd pass out from heatstroke."
"I've never seen snow before," Kairi said. "Your world sounds amazing."
"It's gorgeous," Hikaru agreed. "My family moves around a lot now, but Hart's Haven is… It's still one of my favorite places…"
As much as she had been dreading this past visit, she had to admit that talking about it made her remember why she loved her childhood home so much. Maybe she would close her eyes and wake up to find that she was back there again, curled up under the blankets with her family and breakfast awaiting her downstairs, and this whole ordeal was nothing but a bad dream…
"Hikaru?"
The call of her name made her jerk to attention, her head snapping up. Sora was staring at her—they were all staring at her. "You okay?" Sora asked. "You're…" He pointed at his own face, finger touching just below the corner of his eye. Hikaru blinked, suddenly aware of the hot liquid spilling down her cheek.
"I'm fine," she said hastily, rubbing her tears away with the bandaged palm of her hand. Gods, what was wrong with her? Why was she crying now of all times? "I'm… just a bit tired, is all!"
Sora, though, didn't seem put off by her tears. If anything, he just looked concerned. "That's not so surprising. It's been a long day, right?"
"You know, you can stay here as long as you need to, Hikaru," Kairi said, leaning over in her chair to get a better look at her face. "So you don't have to worry about that part, at least. In the meantime, we can try to figure out how to get you back home to your family."
"Yeah!" Sora tapped his fist to his chest as Riku nodded in agreement. "And if you ever need help with anything, just ask us."
Hikaru stared at them. They all had bright smiles and kind eyes that conjured a certain feeling in her chest—warm and soft and… admittedly a little unfamiliar. "Ehm… Thank you," she said awkwardly, not quite sure what she was supposed to say about all this sentimentality. Quickly she cleared her throat. "All right, keep yer questions coming. What else d'ye want to know?"
Evening quickly turned to night as the gathering in the Wallace residence continued on. The hours passed, marked by greasy plates and countless guava juice refills and animated chatter, all while the three island kids continued to heap question after question onto their redheaded visitor, who thankfully still seemed just as eager to answer as they were to ask.
"Do all the people from your world talk like you?" Sora asked, the next question in what had so far been a very long list, though perhaps not the most graceful one based on the way Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"Talk… like me?" she repeated slowly.
"I think he means your accent," Kairi said, looking apologetic. "It's different, even compared to the ones from the other islands."
"Ah. Well, I guess that'll depend on who yer asking," Hikaru replied. "People outside of Polaris can always tell I'm from the oul North Star. But when I was growing up, everyone in Hart's Haven thought I sounded more like my mam. She's got that traveler's accent like the three of ye."
"Accent? We don't have accents." Sora gave an innocent laugh as he folded his hands behind his head.
Hikaru, however, didn't look convinced. "Of course ye do," she replied, rolling her eyes. "It's the sort I've heard all over Ursa Minor. That's why they call it the, you know," she made a vague gesture with her hands, "traveler's accent? There's not a world you won't hear it in."
While Sora fell quiet, looking like he'd been struck by some sort of revelation about life at Hikaru's words, Riku took the opportunity to jump in with the next question on his mind. "You make it sound like you've been to a lot of worlds," he said.
"Six of the seven stars of Ursa Minor," Hikaru said proudly. "One of the advantages of moving around a lot."
Riku's eyes flashed, his excitement only just barely concealed. "If you've been to other worlds, then you have to tell us about those—"
He was interrupted by a knock at the door. A moment later, Kairi's father peered into the room. "I hate to interrupt the little shindig you kids have going on, but it's getting late. You boys should start heading home before your parents get worried."
"Aw, but it's summer vacation, Mr. Wallace," Sora said. "It's not like we have school in the morning."
"All the more reason to get a good night's rest so you hang out tomorrow," Barret replied, a hint of amusement bleeding through his gruff voice before he looked at Hikaru. "Spare room's ready if you want to check it out, Hikaru."
"A good night's rest does sound nice," she admitted, rising to her feet. She followed Barret out of the room, their conversation all but forgotten.
"I guess that's enough for tonight," Kairi said.
Riku opened his mouth to protest, but after one look at the clock to see how late it actually was, he grudgingly conceded. The questions could wait until tomorrow, though he knew he wasn't going to get any sleep in the meantime.
Kairi picked up the dishes, balancing the plates and the emptied juice pitcher together as she headed down the stairs to the kitchen. Riku and Sora remained in Kairi's room to gather up the mess they'd left of crumpled napkins and the oily pizza box.
"Hey, Riku," Sora said as he jammed the garbage into a plastic bag. "You're gonna give Hikaru her stuff back, right?"
Riku blinked. "Oh… right." He patted his pocket, making sure the collection of trinkets was still tucked away safely. "I almost forgot about that."
Sora volunteered to take the trash outside while Riku waited inside the house for Hikaru to finish settling into the guest room. He stood in the hallway, leaning against the railing by the stairs with his hands stuffed in his pockets. As the minutes passed, restlessness and boredom began to set in; he pulled the items out, balancing the pocket watch in particular in the palm of his hand. His eyes lingered on the shiny red gemstone on the watch's silver lid before he flipped it open to check the time.
"Where'd everyone run off to?" Hikaru's voice came behind him. Riku glanced over his shoulder to see the redhead peering out from the guest room. Standing in the doorway, she looked small and vulnerable, just like how he had seen her back in the clinic.
The memory of the fire crackling in her hands, however, made him suddenly a little nervous.
"They're cleaning up," he said, trying to keep casual. "I, uh… just had something to give to you."
"Give what?" Hikaru stepped forward, curiosity in her eyes—but as she spotted the items in Riku's hand, she gasped. She rushed towards him and all but snatched the items from his clutches. "Oh, thank the gods, I've been searching for these all day!" she said, her face lighting up. "Where did you find them?"
"I… We found them when we found you," Riku said. "We were trying to figure out where you came from, so we…"
Something seemed to occur to Hikaru, making her excitement fade. "That's how the three of ye knew my name, isn't it?" she said, her eyes narrowing. "You… took my stuff?"
"I just… wanted to make sure it didn't get lost," Riku said.
"So you took my stuff?" Hikaru repeated, looking flabbergasted—and then angry. She immediately turned around, angling her body away from him as she rummaged through her belongings, flipping through her passport and inspecting her pocket watch.
"Everything is still there," Riku said, a little insulted by her frantic double-checking. "It's not like I stole anything."
"You'd have better not," Hikaru said, an edge to her voice. "If anythin' is missing or broken, me mam is going to murder—shite…!" She fumbled with her wallet, spilling its contents of a few coins of munny and assorted photo strips onto the floor. She dropped down to her knees, scrambling to gather everything up. Riku hesitated a moment before he kneeled down too, picking up one of the pictures that had fallen near his foot.
"Here," he said, offering it to her. Hikaru gave it a wary look before she swiped it back, slapping his hand away in the process.
"Don't touch my stuff," she snapped, glaring at him as she clutched her mess of belongings close to her chest. She straightened up, jamming everything into her pockets, not even caring if she crumpled a few of the pictures.
Irritation flared as Riku pursed his lips. A retort was beginning to fight its way free, but he caught it before it could escape, choosing to bite his tongue instead. "You're welcome," was all he allowed himself as he trudged down the stairs, leaving Hikaru standing there alone.
"So, how'd it go?" Sora asked as Riku opened the sliding door to the yard.
"It could have gone better," Riku said. He crossed his arms, scowling to himself as he joined his friend outside. "She got upset."
Sora didn't seem surprised. "You can't really blame her though. She's probably feeling lost and confused. Those things are like, the only things she has from her home, right?" He tossed the last set of garbage bags into the trash bin.
"I guess that's true…" Riku dropped his arms, releasing a sigh of acceptance. "I didn't think she'd get mad though…" He could imagine Kairi's reaction to hearing how it had all played out—"I told you so" being the main thing he didn't want to hear.
Well, whatever. If Hikaru was going to be upset, that was her choice. She'd come around eventually—especially if she was going to be sticking around for the foreseeable future. And whenever she did finally cool off, Riku would get his chance to continue asking her about the world beyond.
He shook his head and instead looked out over the hill, letting the cool night breeze soothe his skin as his gaze traveled to the horizon, where the stars met the dark ocean water. When it was like that, the glimmer of the stars and the glow of the moon reflected on the peaceful surface of water, it was hard to tell where the ocean ended and the sky began.
Night had always been Riku's favorite time of day. It carried a quietness and solitude that put the world at ease and helped him focus his thoughts. It was also the time when he could catch a fleeting glimpse of the vast universe and all the stars that dotted the sky.
He wondered which of those stars might have been Hikaru's world.
"Do you think we'll make it out there?" Sora asked after several long moments as he followed Riku's gaze.
Riku didn't answer at first. "What, Sora—having second thoughts?" he finally said, glancing at him and hardly bothering to hide his smirk.
"No, of course not!" The way Sora pouted, it made him look like a little kid. But then he shook his head and allowed himself a laugh. "Just wondering what's waiting for us out there. I'm always up for an adventure!"
Riku rolled his eyes, chucking a playful punch into Sora's shoulder. "Maybe you should channel some of that energy into helping with the raft."
"Hey, I help," Sora said. "I got the logs today, right?"
"Yeah, all three of them," Riku countered, and he started to laugh. Sora laughed too.
Soon. We'll get out there soon and see it all, Riku thought. A different sky.
"Outside this tiny world… is a much bigger one."
Kairi stifled a yawn as she stepped out of the bathroom in her pajamas. Boy, today's been eventful. It's already midnight… The past few hours had really flown by. Her room was clean, Sora and Riku had gone home, and she'd just finished a nice relaxing shower… Now it was time for a good night's sleep.
Toweling off her hair, she stopped outside of Hikaru's room. The door was slightly ajar, so she gave a light knock and peered inside. "Bathroom's open."
"Thanks." Hikaru was huddled on the window bench, biting at her nails and staring out into the night through the open window. She didn't look up at Kairi's intrusion.
Kairi frowned. "You okay?" she asked. Hikaru had retreated to her room rather abruptly once dinner was over and the boys had gone home. Kairi walked over, but paused when she realized what the assortment of items laid out on the bench were.
"Oh, you got those back," Kairi said with an apologetic smile. "Sorry if you were worried about them. We thought it might help us figure out who you were and what happened to you."
"Riku told me as much," Hikaru replied, her lips curving into a grimace. She looked like she was going to say something else, but after a moment she breathed out a sigh. "I thought I'd lost everything… Would've gotten more than an earful if my mam found out."
"I'm sure she'd be more relieved that you're okay," Kairi replied. But the way Hikaru remained quiet afterwards made her wonder if that was the right thing to say. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked, gesturing to the empty space beside her.
Hikaru gathered up her belongings, moving them onto her lap and out of the way. She seemed a little solemn—a far cry from the chatty girl that had been eager to share stories of her world with them earlier in the night.
Kairi watched her for a few moments until she lowered her gaze to the wrinkled photo strips held delicately in Hikaru's bandaged hands. There were several of them, each featuring Hikaru and a different person. "Who are they?" she asked, gentle and tentative as she gauged the other girl's reaction.
The question perked Hikaru's spirits a little. She leaned over, holding out the photos so Kairi could get a better look. In the first set, an older teenage boy with messy brown hair and gleeful hazel eyes had Hikaru—who was grinning despite the way she appeared to be trying to shove the boy away—in a headlock.
"That's Akihiko," Hikaru said. "My brother. He's really cocky, and can be a real pain in the arse sometimes." There was no malice in her words as she spoke. On the contrary, there was a fondness to her voice that made the smile return to Kairi's face.
"He's the one you mentioned earlier," Kairi said. Hikaru nodded.
"He's annoying, but he isn't bad to have around," she said. "Whenever we go somewhere new, we sneak out for some late-night exploring—it's basically a tradition at this point. He'd be so excited to see the islands…"
"Then you'll just have to tell him all about it," Kairi said. "Make him jealous."
Mischief sparked in Hikaru's eyes. "Yer absolutely right."
Kairi laughed. She turned back to the other photo strips in Hikaru's grasp, encouraged by her rising mood. "And who's this?" she asked, pointing to a picture set of Hikaru and Akihiko both manhandling a younger boy who looked quite different from them, with a mop of teal-colored hair and pasty pale skin and dark red eyes. It seemed like Hikaru and her brother were dragging him into the booth for a picture, and the younger one did not look amused.
"That's Tatsuya," Hikaru said. "He's… Well, we like to call him our little brother, but I don't know if he thinks of us the same way. He was all alone when we first found him in a city on Kochab a couple years ago—didn't even have a birthday or a last name—so my family took him in, surname and all."
"That's sweet of your family to take him in. I'm sure he appreciates it." Kairi looked at the last photo strip—one that Hikaru already seemed prepared to talk about. In the photos, she was accompanied by an older girl who had bright green eyes and a similar tawny complexion to Hikaru. Though her hair was a dark brown, her brows were a carroty red and furrowed with annoyance.
"This is my sister Yui," Hikaru explained. "She's the eldest, always scolding us. Or me, at least. But she's… not always bad." She fell quiet for a moment, her gaze lingering on the last photo where her sister seemed to almost crack a smile.
"Your family sounds like a lot of fun," Kairi said. "It must be nice having so many siblings."
Hikaru snorted. "Nice? More like a pain in the arse. Sometimes they make me want to rip my hair out. It's almost a relief, getting a break from them."
She held her head high in defiance, cheeks puffed up into a pout, but Kairi noted the way her shoulders began to slump as the seconds passed. Hikaru breathed out a steady sigh as she held her pictures in a tightened grasp.
"… Thank you, Kairi. For asking about them," she said. "It… makes me feel better. Like I'm back home."
"Of course," Kairi said. "If you ever want to talk, I'm here. And if you need anything—anything at all—just ask. We're all here to help you find a way back to your family."
Hikaru tipped her head to the side before she turned away. "I'll hold you to it," she said, her voice cracking the tiniest bit as she rubbed her nose. "All right, I think I'll be getting ready fer bed now. I'm completely knackered."
"I bet," Kairi said. "I'll leave you to it, then." She rose to her feet and headed towards the door, hesitating only to glance back to where the other girl was still sitting at the window. But Hikaru had already returned to looking out at the night sky, with Kairi's presence long forgotten.
It must be terrifying to be separated from the ones you love, Kairi thought. Whatever had happened to Hikaru, it seemed to have shaken her more than she was willing to show. But in a strange way, it must have been the smallest comfort too, knowing that there were people out there wanting nothing more than to find her again. Somewhere out there, amidst that sea of stars.
"Good night," she murmured before she closed the door.
Kairi would help her get home; that was a promise. After all the support Sora and Riku and her father had shown her all those years ago when she'd first arrived in the islands, it was the least she could do to pass the good will on.
She wouldn't let another lost kid feel abandoned and alone.
A/N: Thank you for reading!