Sora's Christmas

Discussion in 'Archives' started by Darkcloud, Dec 2, 2007.

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Should I keep going?

  1. YESH!

    7 vote(s)
    87.5%
  2. NUUU!

    1 vote(s)
    12.5%
  1. Darkcloud Word of advice: Let the wookie win. He's Chuck N

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    Okay guys, I'm going to try and condense these this time:


    Sora laid in his hammock, dozing in and out from the cool breeze blowing by, and at the same time waiting. It was annoying when the Destiny Islands cool down to 70 degrees farenheit; warm enough to play outside, but too cool to swim. Plus, Riku and Kairi still hadn't returned yet...

    It had been a couple of weeks since they defeated Xemnas, and read the message in the bottle Kairi found. Why the king still needed them in Radiant Garden was still a mystery to him. It wasn't like they were gone all this time, but all the same, Sora never got to see them anymore; they kept returning to the islands every evening, but would then leave bright and early the next day, refusing to tell Sora anything of why the king needed them. How they kept leaving the islands was a mystery itself...

    The sun was going down fast, and out of the corner of Sora's eye he saw Riku and Kairi suddenly appear around a corner, racing until they got to their houses. They quickly shut the doors behind each other, apparently determined to make sure Sora hadn't seen them. Sora sat up straight, angry now. This was getting ridiculous! Sora had just spent two years fighting heartless, all sorts of warriors of darkness, and practically himself trying to get everyone he cared about back together, and when he finally gets everyone together again, they go doing who-knows-what, leaving him behind! Well enough is enough, Sora decided! As soon as tomorrow rolls around, I'm going to hitch a ride and find out what they're up to, whether they like it or not!



    CnC so far?
     
  2. khmage1918 King's Apprentice

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    Ooo... Poor Sora-kun :cryinganime: Please keep writing! I would like to see how this unfolds to our favorite holiday Christmas! :D
     
  3. Darkcloud Word of advice: Let the wookie win. He's Chuck N

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    Aww, don't worry. I plan to keep writing, but it won't make any difference if nobody else wants me to...

    Still, I'm glad somebody likes it so far. Thanks!

    EDIT: It might be a couple of days before I post more of the story.
     
  4. twilit_shadow King's Apprentice

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    Very nice Darky! I like so far. ^-^

    I think we all know what Riku and Kairi are up too. :poketoungeb:
     
  5. Darkcloud Word of advice: Let the wookie win. He's Chuck N

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    twi: maybe you do, maybe you don't. :xp::sneaky:

    Here's the next chapter:

    In his room, Sora packed what he thought he'd need to follow Riku and Kairi: A few keychains, some mushrooms, bottled water, fish, and some coconuts. As he was halfway out the door, he realized it. "These are the same things we packed when we were going to..."

    Deja vu. Sora's mind flashed back to when he had to hunt high and low for the food and supplies needed for the raft. Riku would take the driftwood and rope found and make the raft, while Kairi would sew the cloth they found to make the sail. Despite the possibility that it could have ended so terribly, it was a lot of fun, just being with the two of them, having the adventure. That little adventure was the start of it all, Sora thought. Because of that adventure, I had to hunt down the Organization. Because of that adventure, I had to fight my best friend to get him back. Because of that adventure, Kairi and I...

    Sora shook his head and looked out the window. The sun was rising fast over the beach. "Oh no! I gotta go now!" Sora bolted out his bedroom, out the door to his house, and ran as fast as he could, making his way to Riku and Kairi's neighborhood.

    He ran as fast as he could until he reached the closest tree across the street from the two houses, hid behind it where they wouldn't see him, and tried to catch his breath. Heaving, he looked from behind the tree to see the lights on in Riku and Kairi's houses. Sora sighed, "They still haven't left yet. Okay, I still have a few minutes."

    As he said this, Riku and Kairi, almost simultaneously, stepped out the front doors of their homes. As soon as they saw each other, though, they broke into a run along the dirt road that lead to the beach. "Aw, man!" Sora muttered, he dropped his backpack and quickly tried to catch up with them.

    By the time he caught up with them, Riku and Kairi were already at the edge of the beach, talking, laughing, and pointing at the island that they used to play on. Deja vu again, it looked like, at least to Sora. I wish I could hear what they were talking about, or at least what they're waiting on! Sora thought. He didn't have to wait long to have his question answered: A portal appeared just a few feet away from Riku and Kairi. They immediately stopped talking and went through the portal.

    The portal was about 30 yards away from Sora, and the portal was starting to close. Wishing he hadn't been wasting his time taking naps on the island instead of training, Sora made a mad dash towards the portal and made a leap of fate towards it...


    Riku and Kairi stepped through the other side of the portal to find Leon and Yuffie waiting for them on either side of the portal, and Merlin a few feet in front of them, in Merlin's hut. Leon grabbed Riku, while Yuffie grabbed Kairi, and they quickly pulled them away from the portal. Merlin waved his wand and muttered a few quick words for another portal to appear a few feet in front of the first one. "What's going on?" asked Kairi. Yuffie had an evil grin on her face, "Sora's getting desperate in finding out what you two are doing here, and is poking his nose where it doesn't belong...at least not yet. So we're going to teach him a quick lesson." Before anyone could respond, a black blur quickly came through the first portal and went through the second. The portals disappeared as quickly as the blur went through the two portals.


    Sora fell and landed into an alleyway full of garbage. Spitting out...things he'd rather not know what they were, and wiping a banana peel off his face, Sora managed, "What the heck are Kairi and Riku doing in a place like this?" Sora, completely covered in garbage, managed to walk as far as the edge of the alleyway, looked around, and realized, "I'm still on the is-" THONK!

    Sora fell to the ground with a thud, and shortly after him, the blitzball that hit him. Wakka, and Tidus were in complete awe, while Selphie looked annoyed. Wakka pointed at Sora, "See, Tidus? I told you that was a sea monster!" Tidus leaned forward to take a closer look, and then straightened up, "Yeah, you're right! Let's take him and--What's wrong, Selphie?" Selphie stared at the two of them in a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. The two of them had to be the stupidest creatures alive to not see that was Sora covered in trash. Selphie also knew that no matter how many times she explained it to them, it would just go in one ear, and out the other, so she just closed her eyes shook her head, and walked off.
     
  6. Cocohints "Up to now, the most discussed topic is global war

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    I feel sorry for Sora.... lol.... Sneaky Radiant Garden inhabitans.
     
  7. Nny Destiny Islands Resident

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    I love it....thats all I have to say
     
  8. Darkcloud Word of advice: Let the wookie win. He's Chuck N

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    Next chapter, folks:

    In Merlin's house, Yuffie, Cid, and Riku were rolling with laughter. Aerith and Kairi couldn't help but laugh at Sora, but Leon just had to cover his face in embarrassment. This is the same boy, same chosen one, who saved the world's, not once, but twice, thought Leon, but it's not an army or leader of darkness that gets the best of him. No, it just had to be some trash and a blitzball!

    Merlin had summoned a portal that served as a window to watch what happened to Sora when he went through the second portal, and saw all that happened after he fell through, recovered, and then had his...encounter with Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. "I didn't anticipate that," said a speechless Merlin after Sora was rendered unconscious by Wakka's blitzball, "but at least we know he won't bother us for awhile. At least, not until we're finished." After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, everyone finally settled down.

    "Okay," said Leon, "we need to get back to work. We've only got a few days left, and everyone else is just about done with their jobs. We need to hurry up." Everyone went into different directions, Yuffie and Aerith in one, Leon and Merlin out the door, while Cid went back to working on the computer. Riku and Kairi went out the door also, and followed Leon and Merlin until they caught up with them. While walking with them, Riku noticed that Kairi seemed worried about something.

    "Is something up Kairi?" Riku asked, "Even though you were laughing, you seemed a little upset while at the beach." Kairi sighed a little, "I dunno, Riku. This seemed a little fun at first, keeping Sora guessing with what's going on, but do you think it's right to keep going like this? I mean, I know we're going to tell him in a few days, but don't you think he'll be offended?"

    Riku shrugged, "If we explain everything to him, I'm sure he'll understand. He might not be the brightest bulb ever made, but he's not a complete idiot either. I'm sure he'll understand."

    Kairi didn't seem convinced, "But shouldn't we explain this to him now? I mean, he might not try to follow us through the portal for awhile, but that doesn't mean he's not going to stop being suspicious."

    Leon couldn't ignore this conversation any longer, "You two can't tell him yet. Not until we're finished here. If he comes now, he might unintentionally destroy everything we've accomplish so far." Kairi objected a little, "But he had a hand in all this! He should at least know why we're here!"

    Merlin spoke up, "There's no need to be concerned, Kairi. I intend to bring Sora here myself a few days early to distract him, as soon as we get the critical points taken care off." Leon nodded.

    They reached their destination: Ansem's castle. The area where Ansem's apprentices decided to disobey their teacher's commands and create the first heartless. How ironic that this place that nearly brought the end of their world would also bring about its beginning...

    Leon and Merlin went inside while Riku and Kairi stayed out on the balcony outside the entrance. Riku spoke again, calmly, "Besides, it's not like he's the only one in the dark. Goofy and Donald don't even know what's going on here, and they had a hand in this as well."

    Kairi sighed again, "It's just...We need to be careful here, Riku. We've only been at this in secret for two weeks, and Sora's desperately trying to figure out what's going on. He's easily jealous, and if this doesn't go just right, we might lose him." Riku nodded, "Yeah, I know."

    The door opened again, but this time a small mouse came out. Mickey spoke up, "Come on, you two. We're ready to begin the next test." Riku and Kairi, reluctantly, smiled at King Mickey, and proceeded inside.





    Cnc?
     
  9. SpazticFantaztic >:3 Kingdom Keeper

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    i can't wait to see what they're all up to. Kepp it coming please.
     
  10. O R A N G E C is the heavenly option

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    It's really good! You've got me totally wondering what Riku and Kairi are doing. You have some spelling and grammar mistakes, so just check those, and sometimes you get mixed up in tenses and stuff, but it's still a good plot.
     
  11. SpazticFantaztic >:3 Kingdom Keeper

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    Sometimes we sound like Larxene.
     
  12. Nymph of Destiny Chaser

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    Hmm...this is pretty good...but like Orange said, keep an eye on the grammar and such, and you'll do even better. Keep it up, I can't wait to see what happens next. :)​
     
  13. Darkcloud Word of advice: Let the wookie win. He's Chuck N

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    Ouch. I didn't realize my grammar and tense would be the biggest problems. I thought I realized this. Anyway, thanks for the critique so far. I'll try and have the next chapter up before this week is up.
     
  14. twilit_shadow King's Apprentice

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    Hahaha! I love this darky. Absolutely hilarious!!!! Keep it up!!!
     
  15. Darkcloud Word of advice: Let the wookie win. He's Chuck N

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    I'm glad you guys and girls are enjoying the story so far. Here's the next chapter:

    "Oooh."

    Sora opened his eyes and slowly looked around. He was in his room, lying on his bed with the covers draped over him. Sora discovered that he was also in his pajamas.

    Sora sat up slowly and put his hand on his head, "How did I get-OW!"

    His head throbbed with pain the moment he touched his head.

    "Your friends, Tidus and Wakka, are sorry about knocking you out with their blitzball, and promise to give you a blitzball with their autographs on it as soon as they're famous," said a voice from the doorway.

    Sora winced, both at the pain and at the comment. It was no surprise that Tidus and Wakka would be behind this and promise him that. They always make that promise whenever they do something as stupid as knocking him out. The last time the two of them made that promise, it was when they broke Kairi's favorite flower vase at the Mayor's house. The promise didn't convince the Mayor, so they had to work it off for two weeks. Kairi cried for a lot longer.

    "Well, honey, what's done is done. Take a look at me for a second. Let's see how you're doing." Sora turned to face his mother.

    She walked from the doorway to Sora's bedside, leaned down and examined his head. It always surprised Sora how much his mother looked like him. She was lean, like him, only a bit more slender instead of muscular, but that was an illusion. She was actually stronger than both Sora and her father, but she never showed it unless it was necessary...and when arm wrestling was involved, but only with Sora and his father. Her eyes were the same shade and shape as Sora's, but her face was a little bit more round than his. You couldn't tell the difference between them if they were far away. Her hair, thankfully, was very different from Sora's. Her hair was a dark brown, A little bit brighter than Tifa's, Sora thought once while he was traveling and homesick for his family. Her hair wasn't spiked, but hung down to just past her shoulders, but this time it was tied back. She wore an apron, so Sora surmised that she was cooking, or about to. He didn't smell anything from the kitchen yet.

    When she finished examining him, she straightened up, "Well, the swelling's gone down, but I want you to stay in bed for a few more hours. Your father will be home in a little bit. By the way, your other friends are here, so I'll leave you three to talk," She walked out the door and as soon as she did, Riku and Kairi came through, smiling (Riku more than Kairi).

    "Hey," said Riku, still grinning.

    "Hi," said Kairi, slightly smiling.

    Sora didn't say anything. He just stared at the two, looking a little sheepish.

    "What, nothing to say?" Riku poked. Sora still said nothing. Kairi's smile faded away, "We had nothing to do with you ending up in that alley. It was all Merlin and the others. They really don't want you coming with us yet."

    Riku looked at Kairi, surprised, and Sora narrowed his eyes a little, "And you two can't tell me why, right?"

    Riku looked back at Sora, "It's not as simple as that, Sora. Believe me, we want to tell you, but it's...it's just not time yet." Riku's grin also vanished. In it's place was a mixed look of seriousness and pain.

    Sora wasn't convinced, "I don't get you guys. All of you. The committee asked for my help, and I promised it. The King asked for my aid, and I gave it. Worlds needed my help, and I helped them. Just what in the world is going on that makes you think I'd break?"

    Riku spoke again, "This isn't about your wellbeing, Sora! It's just that...What we're doing doesn't involve danger. Not outright anyway."

    Sora was confused, now more than ever, "What do you-"

    Kairi was on the verge of tears, but her face was completely serious, "Sora, we can't say anything more about, so don't ask us again!" She grabbed Riku's hand and she ran through the door, dragging Riku behind her. Sora heard the front door slam, and he quickly looked out his window.

    On the upstairs floor he was on, he saw Kairi running, with Riku trying to run backwards. She stopped about ten feet away from the street when she leaned on a nearby tree, her head on her arm. Sora couldn't see what she was doing because of her back being turned, but he could see her shaking.

    She's crying, Sora thought, Great. Nice job, hero of worlds, you just made your best friend cry. Sora lowered his head for a moment in guilt, and then looked up.

    He recoiled in shock. Riku was hugging Kairi, and their heads were way too close for Sora's comfort. He couldn't see them very well with the sunset behind them, but with their heads that close, it wasn't hard to figure what that was!

    Wait a minute..., Sora thought, Is this why they couldn't tell me?

    Are they...are they seeing each other?
     
  16. Forever Love Life Without Limits

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    This is just getting too good.
    I'm now addicted to yet another fic.
    Keep it up.
     
  17. Darkcloud Word of advice: Let the wookie win. He's Chuck N

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    Thanks for the support so far. I'm now on break, so the chapters will pick up a little bit. This one's just a bit long, but here's the next:

    Are they...are they seeing each other?

    Sora fell backwards off of his bed, onto the floor and then sat up. His heart felt like it just dropped from his chest, go all the way down to his center, and then split into two to go down to both legs. Needless to say, he was in shock over what he saw.

    "I don't believe this. I don't believe this! Why are they...I mean, Kairi and I weren't dating or anything, but...she...I...we both...Riku knew I had...ARGH! Geez!" Sora started punching his mattress in frustration with tears starting to form, failing to find the words.

    "Sora! What's going on in there? Are you breaking something again?!" Sora's mother called out.

    "No, mom! I'm just...I'm fixing my mattress!" This was a half-truth. Sora's punching messed up its orientation so the mattress and bedframe formed a giant plus-sign, so he had to fix it.

    Sora's mother showed up at the doorway just in time to see Sora finish fixing his bed and get back inside it. She knocked on the open door, "Is anything wrong, sweetheart?" Sora shook his head without looking at her.

    She sighed, "Sora, I've known you all your life. I know when you're lying. You can either tell me what's wrong and let me help you, or I can guess at it. You know how good I am at that." Sora gulped. She wasn't exaggerating when she said she was a 'good guesser', but at the same time, how can you talk to your mother about your crush seeing your best friend behind your back?

    Sora said nothing. Sora's mother sighed again, "Alright, kid. I see we've got to do this the hard way. I don't want to do this, but since you've been gone for over a year, you're practically asking for-"

    "Please don't. This problem isn't just embarrassing, it's just too hard for him to talk about."

    The sudden voice surprised the two of them. Sora's mother looked around, trying to determine where the voice was coming from, and if he was friend or foe to her child. Sora, although surprised, recognized the voice, "Roxas?"

    Sora's mother turned towards him, "That boy you told us about?" She didn't quite believe Sora's story about him losing his heart, even if he did show her that...what did he call it, a keyblade? "Where is he?"

    "Umm..." Sora tried to think of how to explain this...

    "Over here. Look at the mirror."

    They both turned to the mirror on Sora's desk. Although dusty from Sora hardly ever using it, the image of Roxas lying in Sora's bed in place of him was obvious to see. Roxas waved, "Hello, ma'am."

    Sora's mother smiled, "Hello, Roxas. Please, call me 'Mom'. You're my son too, after all."

    Roxas seemed confused, 'Huh?"

    "You have your father's hair and eyes."

    Roxas grinned and blushed a little bit, "Thank you...mom. I know this is a bit rude, but could you please let me talk to Sora about this? I've kinda been in the same boat as him before."

    Sora's mother smiled, "Okay. Just don't take too long. Supper will be ready in 15 minutes." She turned and left the room, closing the door on the way out.

    Roxas smiled as she left, "She's really nice."

    Sora nodded, "Yeah...Hey, what did you mean when you said you were in the same boat as me when that happened?"

    Roxas raised an eyebrow, "Well, if you think about it, it wasn't just Kairi he was kissing." Sora hadn't realized, "Oh..."

    "About that. You should know that what you saw: Complete misunderstanding, and a little bit of a mirage."

    As if Sora wasn't confused enough as it is, "What do you mean 'complete misunderstanding'? They kissed on the lips! You saw it! I saw it! They were out in the open enough for the whole world to see it!"

    Roxas narrowed his eyes at Sora, "First off, calm down. Second, yes, I saw it, but I also saw the rest of the area they were in: Nobody else saw them. Third, and more importantly, I had a talk with Namine, to make sure I didn't misunderstand anything a few minutes ago. The kiss on the lips that we saw was actually a kiss on the cheek."

    Sora frowned a little bit, "Wait, how did you have a conversation with her? She's more than a pretty good distance away from us?"

    Roxas turned away from Sora, leaned against the bed and faced the wall that wasn't visible in the mirror, "You know how I was in that virtual Twilight Town, and you were still asleep? Somehow, I managed to connect with Kairi through you. Since Namine and Kairi are now one, and the connection with Kairi still exists, I can talk to Namine, mentally, anytime I want. Of course, it's not the same as actually being physically near her, but at least this way we can still be close,"

    Sora started to feel bad now. Roxas and Namine were still able to see each other (sort of) while it seemed that he and Kairi were drifting apart...

    "But then why did they-" Sora started.

    "You saw that Kairi was about to cry when she dragged Riku off, right?" Roxas said, looking at Sora again, "Well, when they got to that distance, Riku tried to reassure her that they would tell you what's going on in a few days. It would be a little bit ahead of schedule, whatever that means, and if the others didn't like it, they'd have to deal with Riku. Kairi thanked him, and kissed him on the cheek."

    Sora felt a little bit better. He still wasn't too happy about this whole situation, but at least he could deal with this for a couple of more days.

    After a few moments of silence, Roxas spoke up again, "You know she wouldn't do anything to harm you, right?"

    Sora didn't face Roxas, "Yeah."

    "You know she managed to save you and Riku from the darkness and loneliness."

    "Yeah."

    "You know she loves you, right?"

    Tears started to well up, Sora's eyes, "Yes. I know now, with certain this time. Thanks Roxas...how did you convince Namine to tell you these things anyway? I figured that they'd want to be as far away from me as possible now."

    Roxas smiled, "You're not the only one hurting here, dude. Kairi's hurting as much as you. Plus...Namine's telling her the same things I told you just now."

    Sora's eyes widened a little, "You mean including..."

    Roxas nodded, "Yeah, but chances are she won't be crying about it like you did. Boy, wait until I tell them you cried like a girl."

    Sora raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Uh huh. Keep talking like that, and I can make sure you don't see Namine for a week. I'll lock you in the back of my mind, where my favorite image of the monkey with the symbols lives."

    Roxas looked horrified, "NO! NO! Please not him! He won't quit asking me for peanuts! If you do, I'll never speak to you again!" They both laughed. Sora got up out of bed, "I guess I should get dressed. It'll be a few minutes before dinner."

    Sora changed clothes and found the clothes Yen Sid gave him. They were washed, and neatly folded on his desk, with no trace of garbage on them whatsoever. Sora put the clothes on, smiled, and looked at Roxas in the mirror, who was wearing his outfit, "No matter what happens next, I've made up my mind: I'm gonna tell Kairi how I feel about her myself. She knows from you guys, but now she's gonna hear it from me."

    "I'm sorry, Sora, but I'm afraid that will have to wait."

    Sora turned to the doorway. Merlin was standing there, wand in hand. "I need you to come with me. There's something very important that requires our attention."

    "Wait! I-"

    Merlin grabbed Sora's hand, muttered a few words, and the two of them disappeared in a puff of smoke.

    Sora's mother called, "Sora! Your dinner's ready! Sora? Roxas?"
     
  18. Forever Love Life Without Limits

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    Oh yay!!
    New chapter!

    *reads*

    Wow. This was good. I loved it.
    Aww... Sora crying... =[
    Brings tears to my eyes.

    I can't wait for the next part.
    Keep it up!
     
  19. Clawtooth Keelah se'lai!

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    haha, the classic, Sora, dinner's ready!!!
     
  20. Darkcloud Word of advice: Let the wookie win. He's Chuck N

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    Yeah, that was kind of a must, all things considering. Here's the next chapter:

    With a show of stars, Merlin and Sora arrived at their destination. It was a barren desert, with cliffs in every direction they looked, including down since they were standing on one.

    Tired of all the twists that have been thrown at him so far, Sora spoke up, "What's going on here Merlin? Why'd you take me here...and while we're on the subject, where is here?"

    Merlin put his wand away, "I'm sorry for taking you here on such short notice, Sora, but an emergency has come up. We're in a world called 'Sunset Horizons', and I've just received a distress call from Tifa. She's found Cloud, and he's in need of medical attention. She's had a few close encounters with some of the remaining heartless, and Cloud's condition is rather delicate for her to handle this alone."

    Sora blinked, "Cloud? I thought he went off to fight Sephiroth. Does she know whether or not he-?"

    "I'm afraid I don't know. We'll ask when we get there. It's only half a mile west from here. Come, let's start walking."

    The of them headed west, all the while Merlin was explaining (in very long winded detail) about how they couldn't have 'poofed' any closer due to some magical protection that Tifa had managed to put up. Sora pretended to listen, but in reality couldn't care less. He was too angry with Merlin for his role, whatever that may be, in keeping him away from Radiant Garden, and for that matter, Kairi.

    Did she even know he was here now? Away from home, without her, again?

    "We're here,"said Merlin, and he pointed at a rock formation next to the wall of a cliff. Merlin turned a rock at the entrance, which in turn made a larger rock turn to reveal an opening, like a cave. "Your classic 'rock door'," chuckled Merlin, and went inside. Sora sighed and followed, with the door closing behind him. It was bad enough Merlin talked the whole trip, but now he was being tortured by bad jokes.

    "Tifa?" Sora called out, loudly. He expected a long echo, but there hardly was one. I guess this is a pretty small cave, he thought. "Over here." replied Tifa, not quite as loudly as Sora. Sora and Merlin walked about 100 feet until they found a dimly lit room. Cloud was lying on some sort of rock-bed with a wash cloth on his forehead, sleeping with a cold sweat. Tifa was sitting next to him, caressing his hand and looking worried. She looked up at Sora and Merlin, her look changing to relief, "Please don't yell like that. He's only now been able to sleep."

    "Sorry," said Sora, "What happened to him? Did he get into this condition from fighting?"

    Tifa nodded, "He was fighting Sephiroth when I arrived. His clothes were in shreds, and considering they're supposed to be bullet-proof and practically impossible to shred, the only way that could happen is if he'd been fighting for days."

    Merlin shook his head, "That boy. He's always been a glutton for punishment. Has been ever since he was training under Yen Sid." He sat down next to Cloud and began examining him and checking his spellbook for reference, with Tifa flashing a look of annoyance and anger for calling Cloud a glutton.

    Now for the question everyone present had been wondering for. Sora asked, "Did he win? Did Cloud beat Sephiroth?"

    Without looking at Sora, Tifa answered, "I think so. I caught up in time to see something I won't soon forget. Sephiroth summoned some mass of dark energy (I think he called it 'Sin Orchard', or something), and threw it at Cloud. Cloud was using his 'Omnislash' technique, and used to repel it at Sephiroth. It immobilized him long enough for him to attack him full force. There was another bright flash of light, and the next thing I see is Cloud on his knees, surrounded by swords, and black feathers catching in fire, falling around him. He collapsed, and I brought him here. It wasn't long afterward that I sent out that distress signal."

    Merlin shook his head, "It's no wonder he did collapse. He's suffering from multiple injuries, both magical and non-magical, not to mention severe exhaustion and malnutrition. I can treat the wounds, but I don't have any food with me. Sora?" They both looked at Sora.

    "You didn't exactly give me any time to pack anything, let alone tell me why we were heading here," Sora said, flatly.

    "Do you mind if I help?"

    The voice came from behind Sora, who was facing Merlin, Tifa, and Cloud. Sora whipped around, jumped back and summoned his keyblade.

    "Who are you? How did you find us?"

    The man was wrapped in a black cloak with a hood, and the only thing you could see of him was the lower half of his face, and the rest of his outfit underneath the cloak. He had on a pair of bluish-black pants, with what looked like a turtleneck with the sleeves cut off. He was very lean, and had a sword strapped to his back. He looked like he could handle a larger one, instead of the katanna he had. He was about Cloud's height, but despite the cloak, looked a bit more heroic.

    "Well, you are in my home, so that part wasn't too hard."

    Tifa frowned a little, "Sorry, I forgot to tell you: This guy was kind enough to let me use his home to keep Cloud safe."

    The cloaked figure reached inside his cloak and pulled out a small bag, "Here's some bread and milk. This should help out a little bit. There's enough for all of you. Don't worry about running out. The bag has been magically altered, so it contains a lot more than it appears."

    Sora was still a little suspicious, "Who are you?"

    The figure laughed, "Sorry, where are my manners? My name is..."


    Cnc?