Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Variable Thought-Space ❯ Chapter iii: De Novo ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: Characters owned by Squenix

Variable Thought-Space
Chapter iii: De Novo

Over the next few days Sora and Riku poured over the small palm-sized book that Riku brought over and Riku also tried to teach Sora a few breathing and meditative exercises.

The book was interesting but Sora wasn't very sure anything would come of it. The book was not written for someone in his situation. He had another person's mind to contend with. What good would it do to be able to take control of his dreams, when the dreams that were the problem were not ever his?

Riku helped him get into the routines the book outlined and he did continue with them even with his doubts. It was more frustrating though as he was unable to remember any scrap of dreaming so far.

"Sora, how long has it been since you've seen Kairi?" Riku asked.

"Around 2 weeks. She's gone skiing this break with her parents." Sora replied with his head pillowed in his arms on the table. He was too tired to lift his head and make eye contact with the Riku. he was to tired to do much of anything right now. It had been almost three weeks...

"Well do you think that this could all have to do with Roxas being away from Namine?" Riku asked as he paced the kitchen restlessly.

"I, well maybe, But..." Sora began.

"You did promise Roxas and Namine you'd be together with Kairi everyday, remember?" Riku explained.

"Yes, we did say that..." Sora began.

"Then perhaps that's it! Roxas misses Namine!" Riku exclaimed.

"But," Sora continued, tired and irritable. "This started before we left school and when we were there I was spending time with Kairi everyday,"

"If that were the reason it shouldn't have started in the first place."

"Oh. Yeah. I guess that wasn't a very logical conclusion as Kairi didn't seem affected..." Riku was squeezing his left hand so tight it was beginning to lose colour. "But...You know... It's all just... Erg!" Riku slammed his fist to his other hand. "I hate how much just doesn't make sense about this!" He exclaimed before sighing deeply and slowly leaning both hands on Sora's table.

"Riku, it's okay. We'll figure some..." Sora yawned loudly halfway through his sentence.

Riku moved his hand to Sora's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm worried." He said quietly. Sora yawned again.

"Why can it never just be simple?" Riku asked no one.

---

That night Sora got read for bed. He slipped on a pair of worn track pants and a t-shirt and then turned his stereo on low and clicked 'repeat track' on the CD menu. Riku's suggestion to help him sort out when he was asleep and dreaming. He crawled under his covers and said to himself softly 'I will remember my dreams'. He then let go of the thought and closed his eyes.

The first few nights he'd been a bit anxious and had expected, well, something. But he'd done this often enough now that it was just normal routine. He really had no expectations for the night ahead.

Sora's breathing slowed and he began relaxed and fall into a light stupor. His eyes felt so heavy that they hurt, they had all week. Riku said that whatever was happening was likely messing up his R.E.M. cycle... Or something. At this second he didn't even care, but he did, but, tired...

Sora wasn't thinking of anything. Not about dreams, dreaming, Roxas or anyone else. he wasn't even thinking about how tired he was, he was just blank. He felt something shift, something small. No something big that was simple hard to notice. But suddenly it was as if he was falling.

Sora's breath caught. He felt alive with adrenaline. He reached forward to hold onto something, anything. In a flailing panic his hands closed around something solid and smooth and the sensation began to ease off.

Sora leaned heavily against his saving grace and found he now stood upright. He opened his eyes to find he was holding onto a lamppost on a darkened semi-farmiliar street. Sora's knees buckled and he slid to the ground, arms still wrapped around the cold metal.

"But... It's gone... Right?" Sora breathed out as his eyes took in the sight of The World That Never Was.

Just then a ripple seemed to spread out the corner of his eye. He shut both and braced himself for the ground to again drop out below him but the feeling never came. Instead when he opened them he found his arms were now wrapped around the rough bark of a palm tree.

The beach swam clear into focus. The sun shone down on the rolling waves and Sora realized he could feel it't heat on his head and shoulders. His toes were now buried in the sand. He felt tired... Perhaps he could rest for... But wasn't it winter? His brow furrowed.

A faint sound slowly broke through the crash of the waves and the gentle whoosh of the wind through the trees. It sounded like, a... piano? Sora snapped to attention.

'This is a dream! Roxas' dreams!' He dug his hands harder, nails scrapping against the tree bark.

Sora used the tree to pull himself up to his feet. Now that he recalled this place was a dream he felt more unsure about letting go of his anchor. There was a flicker of movement to his right and he dropped down again as two figures dressed in the distinctive black cloaks of Organization 13.

The taller figure drew back their hood to reveal a bright-red head of hair.

'Axel?' Sora realized, surprised.

The smaller figure suddenly gripped Axel's arm and was pointing upwards at something, what Sora couldn't tell. The red head had glanced sharply at the other when they had touched, a puzzled look in his eyes. As the smaller figure's head tipped back (for his eyes to look up in the direction he was pointing) it's hood also drew back to reveal blond hair and wide blue eyes. Then like some kind of switch was flipped Sora could no longer hear the piano... or any other sound at all.

He brought his hands up to his ears to cover and uncover them, but still nothing. He clapped his hands, no dice. He couldn't hear anything, not even his own breathing, which began to pick up.

It was scary, terrifying to be robbed of one of your senses. Sora swallowed and focused his attention on the two men across the way both to distract himself and to do what he set out to.

"It's just a dream, remember, a dream." He told himself.

Roxas smiled just slightly as he seemed to explain what he was pointing at. Axel seemed almost alarmed at the smile,

When Roxas turned to him Axel tilted his head to where Roxas's hand still rested on his arm and said something that seemed to make the blond indignant.

Roxas looked down at his hand and quickly snatched it away, crossing his arms. he turned away from the Axel.

Sora's head was beginning to hurt. The sun seemed to be getting brighter but he was determined to stay focused on Roxas. To find out why he needed these dreams.

Roxas stood like this for awhile, seeing indignant. Sora wished he knew what was said so he could understand it better. He watched as Axel stared at his friend in amusement. Roxas opened his eyes and glared but it wasn't convincing. He opened his mouth and spoke a few small words. Sora strained to watch his lips move.

Axel through back his head and laughed. It was all he could be doing though it was silent... Or it had been. A high static noise was starting to build, it may have been there awhile. But now it was clear and getting louder by the second. Sora's stomach lurched.

He watched as Axel walked to Roxas and put his hand on his head. Roxas looked up at him with a smile.

The silence broke.

"Don't worry." Axel's voice rang out, clear and quiet. "I'll never leave, you'll never be alone Roxas."

The beach swayed. The palm tree lost it's solid form. Sora found that he was falling again.



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A.N.: I know, I know. Much to short. I lost the written draft for this chapter and had to go by memory so I apologize for that. When I post chapter 4 I may break off the beginning of it and add it too this one.

Also I'd like to thank Fasha-chan for being my first ever reviewer~! Thank you so much for taking the time ^^!