Sora could feel the rain brushing against the thin plastic of his raincoat, his red eyes gazing at the dark sky above. It had only been a few minutes since his island was swallowed up by the darkness!
His eyes were wide open as one thought played through his head like a broken record. Riku had betrayed him, and Kairi, left them to rot with their precious island as the heartless monsters roamed the beach, hunting him for some unknown reason. Now, Kairi was missing, gone without a trace! He wondered if he was meant to suffer as he held the strange key like a sword in his right hand, holding the weapon like a safety net as the shadows crept around him. The only things of note in the dark city were a few buildings with light, they seemed warm, caring, far better than the last from his dreams.
Sora decided to head for the nearest building which looked like a shop, a small smile escaped his lips as he wondered if the shop had food, he could hear his stomach growling, regretting the fact that he skipped dinner in order to save the raft. He let out a sigh, as he pressed his hand against the cold, wet window, as static began playing in his ears, his bright red eyes looked at the three small ducks with their colored shirts, and baseball caps, they seemed happy. A far cry from how he was feeling, but something he hoped to remedy once he found food, and then his friends.
"Not for long, they'll be dinner in no time!" A voice called out. As Sora closed his eyes for a moment, as his hand shook at the familiar voice, as its shadowy hand touched his raincoat, he could feel the grim reminder of the past, when he was crueler, hungry, and a villain who didn't care about anybody. Sora shook his head at the notion that he was different, that those days of despair and misery were over, and that he was a happy teen boy living blissfully on a tropical island.
"It was better back then! You weren't a weakness, like him, you killed to survive, you don't have to be like this, just eat them, feast upon their flesh, and blood as the sweet nectar runs down your throat." The shadow said, as Sora's red eyes gazed deeply into the room, he could almost smell them, taste them, the breaking of bones, the screaming and sickening crunch of those tender little ducks.
"No, I can't eat them, it's not the same as rats, or pork! They can talk, they seem like good people, it wouldn't be right, it'll make me more like her!" Sora whispered, as he bit his thumb, noticing the trembling feeling floating through his hands, as the teen silently entered the little ship, hoping they had a meat snack, and something to hold his hunger over until he found someone more sinister.
—--
The duck's shop was definitely small as Sora tightened his hood, he didn't want to see them, hear them, or know what they cared about. He made the mistake of befriending Riku, and Kairi, and now he was stuck on a journey to find them rather than looking for a new world full of food. He needed a good home that had plenty of meat, or else things would get bad. Sora sighed as he felt his stomach rumbling, he didn't have dinner or lunch for that matter, and the smell of duck was the only thing present in the store, as he quickly ran his hands through the small selection of items. He could feel the stabbing feeling in his stomach increasing, quickly realizing the shop barely had anything besides weapons, potions, and small useless things like rope. They didn't have any food, Sora could feel his heart beating in his chest, as he felt his body blacking out for a moment. He was close to snapping, he needed something quick or else, after all, he was hungry for another one!
"Hey, mister, are you ok, you look like you're in pain!" Huey let out, as Sora listened to the sounds of the duck, hoping it would ground him long enough to keep from ripping into that juicy neck.
"I'll be ok, I just need to find something to eat, and then I'll be as good as new. Do you happen to know where I can find some meat? Even a few slices of bread should help." Sora let out a sigh as the teen pulled down his hood, revealing a messy bed of black hair. Regretting the fact that he was showing himself to others, the guilt would return when it came time to eat. But Sora was willing to hope that showing himself would encourage people to feed him, or help him. It was different from Mono, where their friendship was honest until the end. This was simply a quick exchange to keep him from killing.
"Oh, I see! Well I think the restaurant just closed down for the night, but maybe our next door neighbor Cid has some food, just tell him, Huey, Dewy, and Louie sent you. I'm sure he'll help you out, and if not our uncle Donald should be coming over on the Gummi ship, maybe they'll have something?" Dewy declared, as Sora quickly flashed the ducks, a grin as he walked out of the shop, his black hair flowing in the wind, as he quietly hit his rambling stomach, wishing he was back on Destiny island.
"Just because the light bathes you, and dull the pain, doesn't mean you are free from our hunger! Nor the guilt that you hide, pretending to be a normal boy rather than the monster, you truly are!" The shadow said bluntly, as Sora chose to move past the glitchy figure and enter the bright looking shop.
—--
Sora could feel his stomach rumbling, as he looked over the corner eying a blond man who was smoking, stalking various necklaces, bottles, and trinkets.
"Excuse me, are you Cid? The ducks in the shop said you could help me with something?" Sora whispered, feeling his throat tighten as he began to realize that he wasn't social beyond Riku, and Kairi. Why wasn't Mono here, it was easier to deal with people, he was the talkative one of the group. Sora hated the fact that every day was another reminder that this loop was still active, and his friend was probably hating his guts right now as he withered away into becoming the Thin Man.
Ya, I'm Cid! So the boys sent you over, sadly I ain't got anything to eat till Aerith and the others arrive in a few minutes, till then why don't you tell me your name, and why you're in a sad world like this?" Cid said, as Sora bit his lip, he wondered if he could hold back any longer, the pain was continuing to rise, and his mind was slowly getting foggy, as the thin teen reached into his raincoat, pulling out a broken music box. Hoping that the phantom traces of his music would calm him down, only for nothing to come, as his mind was more focused on his hunger, and the thoughts of eating Cid fresh in his mind!
"Say, kid, what you got there, it looks pretty beaten up! Tell me what it's about. I give it a look. I'm nowhere near as good as the old man, but I'm pretty handy with some tools. Why don't you rest by the fire for a few minutes while I take a shot at this old thing?" Cid declared, flashing Sora a grin, as the teen stared at the blonde for a second, proceeding to take off his prized raincoat revealing a black shirt, red shorts, bare feet as he began rubbing his hands against the fire. Sora didn't know how long he had to wait for Cid's friends, but he only hoped that this time things would be different.
"Mono, I'll find a way to save you! I'll fix my mistake somehow, I just need to deal with my hunger, and then I'll use this weird sword, and cut you out of that prison, I promise!" Sora whispered, summoning the kingdom key, not realizing that Cid was listening to him, as the teen started to cry, faintly humming his favorite tune from the music box.
"So, kid who is this Mono person, and ya know that's an interesting sword in your hand. Let chat, sounds like you got a lot of baggage for what a fourteen-year-old boy." Cid declared, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder, as the teen looking at the blond man, taking a deep breath, as he bit into his lip.
"Mono was my best friend; we met in a horrible world, a far cry from the tiny island that I wandered into. My home world wasn't pleasant, you see, it was a place of monsters and horrors, the kind of stuff that should have only been found in nightmares. However, my nightmares were real. Can you imagine a world where adults are cannibalistic freaks and the children are forced to run, hide, and survive from those kinds of people? I don't know what cursed me and Mono to be trapped in that world, but I do know that it's a world with cruel influence and desires." Sora let out, and as his body shook, mucus began running down his face as memories of the Pale City, the Maw, all the insanity and pain that he worked so hard to suppress finally rising to the surface.
"Kid, that's horrible, nobody should have to go through something like that. Let's try something more calming. Tell me what happened when you met Mono. I'm sure that might make you happy for a moment. Cause honestly, this is beyond my understanding, and sadly, Aerith isn't here yet, she'd have an easier time speaking with you than old Cid here." Cid said, taking a puff from his cigarette, as Sora nodded, silently pulling his hood up. Would he be able to tell Cid everything? No, he couldn't know that he was a monster that ate people and was a heartless bitch who hurt Mono!
"I met Mono in a cabin, I was so scared when I met him, it's kinda funny. The first time I saw him, I thought he was another psychopath hacking into my prison with an ax, giggling between the paper sack that covered his face. Imagine my face when he grabbed my hand, pulling me up, as he desperately wanted to talk to me like I was the first person he had seen in months. Our time together was full of fun, horror's, hate, and honestly I wish it would've continued!" Sora said, as his tone quickly shifted from happy to defeated, bitter, and angry over that day, that cruel infinite day that always kept him on edge, even if a change did happen nothing was perfect, the nightmare would never end.
"What happened to the kid? If you both were that good of friends, then how come he isn't with you right now?" Cid choked out, as he felt his throat tighten, as if he was running out of breath. He didn't know why, but for some reason he was scared of the answer, as he quickly reached by the fireplace for his staff, as the sounds of the TV upstairs in the moogles workshop could be heard, as Sora's eyes widened in horror at the sound of the noise. He could feel his heart racing as the lights started to flicker and burst into pieces, Sora knew what was happening, that man had returned!
"No, this can't be, how did he escape, I have to run, before he drags me back to that nightmare!" Sora declared, as the shop began to distort, and bent around him. Sora could feel his hands shaking in fear, as the teen summoned the key blade, hoping that it would be enough to defeat the monster, as a buzzing sound could be heard from the outside, causing Sora, and Cid to look at a shady looking man wearing a suit and a hat.
"Hello, Six! It's been a long time, I see you've changed since you dropped me into the abyss. I'm afraid your nightmare will never end." The Thin Man declared, as Sora's mind was screaming as the familiar sounds of that raspy, and distorted voice echoed in the distance, as Mono raised his head slightly, causing Sora to run outside and into the rainy streets, leaving Cid to deal with the monster. He had to run, no where was safe with that monster about.