[fic] A Decade and One
Jul. 5th, 2006 01:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonsheenTitle: A Decade and One
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Characters: Sora, Riku, Kairi.
Summary: A perfectly normal childhood on the Destiny Islands...
let me be your candle on the...
He was four, and he’d gotten his feet wet. Of course he had. Everyone on the islands knew what waves felt like practically the second they were born. His mom had held his arms and he’d marched his way back and forth through the cool press of the waves many a time. This was all well and good and made him feel very courageous, true, but Sora was the kind of kid who just had to do it all.
Plus, the light kept blinking. It was his calling--no, his duty--as a small inquisitive animal to see what it was.
So. One day, while his father messed around with one of his latest sun-catching experiments, Sora charged straight towards the water and just. didn’t. stop.
He’d made a good distance out before anyone noticed. His mother had come down with the picnic basket and shrieked. His father had blinked and dropped one of the lenses. The waves weren’t too high that day and he’d wiggled his determined and buoyant way forward quite valiantly. It’d been Tidus’ dad who’d dove in to get him. Tidus’ dad who could basically swim like, half the ocean in two strokes and who all kids would come to think, much his own son’s horror, was just the coolest adult in the world. Sora’s mom had been shouting. Sora’s dad had been rubbing his head. It might’ve been because he’d lost track of things. It might’ve been because Sora’s mom had hit him a few times.
Sora had been terribly disappointed when he’d been delivered by the laughing man back onto the sand. His quest had gone completely unfulfilled.
“Light,” said the boy. “Light. Light. Light.”
Sora’s dad had paused from looking sheepish, to looking intrigued. “Wait. What? What did you say?”
Sora pointed crankily. “Light.”
“Oh,” and his father fixed his glasses. “Oh! That’s a buoy.”
“Buoy.”
“Yes. A buoy.”
“Oh,” said Sora. He sat down.
“At least he’s taking to it,” said his mom, who’d caught her breath.
“Amazing,” said his dad.
“Amazing?” she asked.
“He wants to know things!”
“What’s a buoy?” asked Sora.
“See!” The man glowed. “He’s going to be a scientist!”
“Oh hell no,” said his mom, who was sick of scientists at that moment. Especially ones with whom she was living. “Let’s just get him swim lessons.”
…but they never did figure out how to keep him on the shore.
All The Aliens
Everyone said she’d fallen from the sky. There’d been a meteor shower, there’d been strangely high tide, and then there’d been Kairi, who hadn’t been there before. So of course, when she’d been adopted by the mayor and she’d started going to school the kids would sing: she’s an alien, Kairi’s an alien. KAIRI IS AN A-L-I-E-- they offered her bugs for lunch and checked her hair for antennae, and ran away before she touched them. Aliens had icky, sticky fingers. Everyone knew that. She shouted after them until they were tired of laughing and then she sank down in a corner of the yard and closed her eyes.
“Hey,” said the boy who lived on that point with the palms.
“…” said Kairi. They’d pulled on her hair.
“Are you really an alien?”
“…”
“It’s okay if you are! I think that’d be cool. Being an alien, I mean,” he’d added, quickly.
Kairi looked up at him.
“I’m not,” she said. “I’m a girl.”
His face fell. “Oh.”
Then he smiled. “Riku and me are gonna go fishing.” He stuck his hand out. “Wanna come?”
Kairi took it. He pulled her up. “Fishing?”
“Yeah! You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to…”
“I want to! But what’s fishing?”
“You can just watch, too. Riku says some girl’s find it icky.”
“Does he?” asked Kairi.
“Yeah.”
“I won’t,” promised Kairi. She didn’t let go of his hand.
Cranky Catholic Schoolboy
Riku sat in the corner of the railcar, meticulously undoing the buttons of his blazer. He hated his uniform. He hated this train. He hated the guy sitting across from him and the guy sitting behind him. He would go to school with his friends next year, he promised himself. He would.
“Hey, you,” said a kid from the aisle, in the same uniform. “You go to Saint Ajora?”
“Yeah?”
“Wait,” laughed the kid, “So that means you’re a guy?”
Riku narrowed his eyes. “Yeah.”
“Wow. You must be some kind of…”
Riku got off the train. He was smiling. He felt better. On the platform, someone asked where the kid was. On the platform, someone asked why that one luggage compartment had been stuck. Someone asked about that weird thump in their car.
No one asked where Riku’s tie went.
escargot
The sand at low tide was black and smelled like bad milk. It was also smooth and stretched on forever. Sora shoved his hands down the wrists. He pulled out two handfuls of mud and filthy water. There were at least five snails there and a hermit crab. He looked over his shoulder with a certain resolve. Riku was bent over the surfboard and the waistband of his trunks was just there--
It was totally worth it, he’d say later. Totally. His mother said nothing, but this was after she’d washed his face and assured him that one could swallow that many mollusks and indeed, be just fine.
"His Majesty has arrived..."
“Hickory dickory…” Sora trailed off, looking at the pocket watch. “…do mice really run up clocks?”
“…only you’d wonder about that.”
“What? It’s just weird!”
“You could ask,” suggested Kairi.
“What, the clock?”
“No. The mouse.”
“...sure, great idea,” Riku rolled his eyes for them both now. “Know any?”
“Once I think I…”
They looked her way.
“…dunno,” said Kairi, bumping her knees together. “Nevermind. Race to that tree. No shortcuts. Let’s see how long it takes for the both of you to come back.”
mr. blue sky
The young teacher liked to play with prisms on the beach in the morning. He’d get up at dawn, check out the window—and if the sun was cracking over the horizon he’d take a whole box of them, the one he kept under the sink, with the sponges. He would hold them on strings and he would hang them off of the porch. He would take careful note of the colors that broke through them. He would write it down in a ratty notebook, one he always kept under his shirt. Before Sora was born, it was only sometimes Amé would be up by then to watch and laugh at him. After Sora was born she was always up to watch and laugh at him, while making sure Sora remembered to dress himself right and Sora remembered that food was for eating, not for drawing mouse-ears on the table. He could not be trusted with these things, clearly. Sometimes he had his own shirt on inside out.
Once, he hung a prism over Sora’s nose. Sora watched with wide eyes, color dancing on his face. He reached up a hand and closed it around all the edges. He did not let go. He could not be persuaded to let go. A crowbar could not have forced those fingers open. The young teacher had no other choice but to accede to his demands. He tied the ends of the strings behind his son’s neck and let him wear it from then on.
His son would not remember this. His son would not remember very much about him at all. Still, one morning Sora found a crystal on a string in his bottom drawer, under a pile of old comics, covered in dust. He wiped it clean and held up to the window for a long time. The color danced over the bridge of his nose.
“Cool,” said Sora. “Where’s this from?” From a fair maybe, or a birthday. Sora put it in his pocket and didn’t give it another thought.
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Characters: Sora, Riku, Kairi.
Summary: A perfectly normal childhood on the Destiny Islands...
let me be your candle on the...
He was four, and he’d gotten his feet wet. Of course he had. Everyone on the islands knew what waves felt like practically the second they were born. His mom had held his arms and he’d marched his way back and forth through the cool press of the waves many a time. This was all well and good and made him feel very courageous, true, but Sora was the kind of kid who just had to do it all.
Plus, the light kept blinking. It was his calling--no, his duty--as a small inquisitive animal to see what it was.
So. One day, while his father messed around with one of his latest sun-catching experiments, Sora charged straight towards the water and just. didn’t. stop.
He’d made a good distance out before anyone noticed. His mother had come down with the picnic basket and shrieked. His father had blinked and dropped one of the lenses. The waves weren’t too high that day and he’d wiggled his determined and buoyant way forward quite valiantly. It’d been Tidus’ dad who’d dove in to get him. Tidus’ dad who could basically swim like, half the ocean in two strokes and who all kids would come to think, much his own son’s horror, was just the coolest adult in the world. Sora’s mom had been shouting. Sora’s dad had been rubbing his head. It might’ve been because he’d lost track of things. It might’ve been because Sora’s mom had hit him a few times.
Sora had been terribly disappointed when he’d been delivered by the laughing man back onto the sand. His quest had gone completely unfulfilled.
“Light,” said the boy. “Light. Light. Light.”
Sora’s dad had paused from looking sheepish, to looking intrigued. “Wait. What? What did you say?”
Sora pointed crankily. “Light.”
“Oh,” and his father fixed his glasses. “Oh! That’s a buoy.”
“Buoy.”
“Yes. A buoy.”
“Oh,” said Sora. He sat down.
“At least he’s taking to it,” said his mom, who’d caught her breath.
“Amazing,” said his dad.
“Amazing?” she asked.
“He wants to know things!”
“What’s a buoy?” asked Sora.
“See!” The man glowed. “He’s going to be a scientist!”
“Oh hell no,” said his mom, who was sick of scientists at that moment. Especially ones with whom she was living. “Let’s just get him swim lessons.”
…but they never did figure out how to keep him on the shore.
All The Aliens
Everyone said she’d fallen from the sky. There’d been a meteor shower, there’d been strangely high tide, and then there’d been Kairi, who hadn’t been there before. So of course, when she’d been adopted by the mayor and she’d started going to school the kids would sing: she’s an alien, Kairi’s an alien. KAIRI IS AN A-L-I-E-- they offered her bugs for lunch and checked her hair for antennae, and ran away before she touched them. Aliens had icky, sticky fingers. Everyone knew that. She shouted after them until they were tired of laughing and then she sank down in a corner of the yard and closed her eyes.
“Hey,” said the boy who lived on that point with the palms.
“…” said Kairi. They’d pulled on her hair.
“Are you really an alien?”
“…”
“It’s okay if you are! I think that’d be cool. Being an alien, I mean,” he’d added, quickly.
Kairi looked up at him.
“I’m not,” she said. “I’m a girl.”
His face fell. “Oh.”
Then he smiled. “Riku and me are gonna go fishing.” He stuck his hand out. “Wanna come?”
Kairi took it. He pulled her up. “Fishing?”
“Yeah! You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to…”
“I want to! But what’s fishing?”
“You can just watch, too. Riku says some girl’s find it icky.”
“Does he?” asked Kairi.
“Yeah.”
“I won’t,” promised Kairi. She didn’t let go of his hand.
Cranky Catholic Schoolboy
Riku sat in the corner of the railcar, meticulously undoing the buttons of his blazer. He hated his uniform. He hated this train. He hated the guy sitting across from him and the guy sitting behind him. He would go to school with his friends next year, he promised himself. He would.
“Hey, you,” said a kid from the aisle, in the same uniform. “You go to Saint Ajora?”
“Yeah?”
“Wait,” laughed the kid, “So that means you’re a guy?”
Riku narrowed his eyes. “Yeah.”
“Wow. You must be some kind of…”
Riku got off the train. He was smiling. He felt better. On the platform, someone asked where the kid was. On the platform, someone asked why that one luggage compartment had been stuck. Someone asked about that weird thump in their car.
No one asked where Riku’s tie went.
escargot
The sand at low tide was black and smelled like bad milk. It was also smooth and stretched on forever. Sora shoved his hands down the wrists. He pulled out two handfuls of mud and filthy water. There were at least five snails there and a hermit crab. He looked over his shoulder with a certain resolve. Riku was bent over the surfboard and the waistband of his trunks was just there--
It was totally worth it, he’d say later. Totally. His mother said nothing, but this was after she’d washed his face and assured him that one could swallow that many mollusks and indeed, be just fine.
"His Majesty has arrived..."
“Hickory dickory…” Sora trailed off, looking at the pocket watch. “…do mice really run up clocks?”
“…only you’d wonder about that.”
“What? It’s just weird!”
“You could ask,” suggested Kairi.
“What, the clock?”
“No. The mouse.”
“...sure, great idea,” Riku rolled his eyes for them both now. “Know any?”
“Once I think I…”
They looked her way.
“…dunno,” said Kairi, bumping her knees together. “Nevermind. Race to that tree. No shortcuts. Let’s see how long it takes for the both of you to come back.”
mr. blue sky
The young teacher liked to play with prisms on the beach in the morning. He’d get up at dawn, check out the window—and if the sun was cracking over the horizon he’d take a whole box of them, the one he kept under the sink, with the sponges. He would hold them on strings and he would hang them off of the porch. He would take careful note of the colors that broke through them. He would write it down in a ratty notebook, one he always kept under his shirt. Before Sora was born, it was only sometimes Amé would be up by then to watch and laugh at him. After Sora was born she was always up to watch and laugh at him, while making sure Sora remembered to dress himself right and Sora remembered that food was for eating, not for drawing mouse-ears on the table. He could not be trusted with these things, clearly. Sometimes he had his own shirt on inside out.
Once, he hung a prism over Sora’s nose. Sora watched with wide eyes, color dancing on his face. He reached up a hand and closed it around all the edges. He did not let go. He could not be persuaded to let go. A crowbar could not have forced those fingers open. The young teacher had no other choice but to accede to his demands. He tied the ends of the strings behind his son’s neck and let him wear it from then on.
His son would not remember this. His son would not remember very much about him at all. Still, one morning Sora found a crystal on a string in his bottom drawer, under a pile of old comics, covered in dust. He wiped it clean and held up to the window for a long time. The color danced over the bridge of his nose.
“Cool,” said Sora. “Where’s this from?” From a fair maybe, or a birthday. Sora put it in his pocket and didn’t give it another thought.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-05 05:51 am (UTC)You make the words all so lovely.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-05 05:53 am (UTC)Much ♥ :D
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-05 06:18 am (UTC)♥
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-05 06:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-05 07:52 am (UTC)Oh. That last one hurt my heart. And Riku the Cranky Catholic Schoolboy filled with me with glee. And. And oh.
... ♥
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-05 09:12 am (UTC)Damn, man. Damn.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-05 12:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-05 03:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-05 05:03 pm (UTC)A++++ good!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-05 07:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-06 01:55 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-06 07:28 am (UTC)Also: MMMMMMMMMMMMM. You write and everything is illuminated.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-06 11:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-07 03:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-07 04:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-07 08:37 am (UTC)I've often wondered about their earlier childhoods. Seeing them put so eloquently just makes my day. *fangirls*
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-11 03:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-12 09:23 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-12 11:39 pm (UTC)*tosses one one ♥ onto the pile*
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-12 11:24 pm (UTC)Sora saying it would be cool if Kairi was an alien was gold, too.
BTW, did you get the title of this fic from the Vienna Teng song?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-09 11:40 pm (UTC)