Gloria and the boys

Gloria was sleeping. Her body was curled up on a small couch, snoring gently. A soft breeze of cool wind blew through the room, making the windows slightly open and letting in a bit more air. It was still dark outside, but Gloria didn't have to be at work for another two hours. In that time, she would sleep peacefully as long as nobody else disturbed her peaceful slumber. Since then, her family hadn’t really left her side, so Gloria's existence was fairly quiet at most times. She liked it this way, however. She knew everyone around her was worried about her, but no one could make them understand how happy she was right now without telling them what she actually felt like. So, she did what she always does when things get too much—keep herself busy. Gloria sat up in her bed, grabbing the remote from next to her. Turning on the TV, she pressed the power button and began scrolling through channels, not really paying any attention to what she was seeing. Eventually, after watching an old rerun show for the last half hour, Gloria turned off the TV and went to sleep with the sound of a few cars passing by in the background. Time Skip Sometime during the night, Gloria woke up feeling something moving beneath her covers. Sitting up quickly, she realized there was nothing under there other than her blanket and sheets, which meant someone or something must have crawled underneath the covers while she slept. Scooting forward a little to look into the darkness, Gloria's eyes scanned the room, trying to find the cause of the movement under the blanket. She saw a dark figure huddled in the corner near the window and immediately recognized the figure to be the man she had seen yesterday evening. He seemed to be staring straight at Gloria. He made no move to come out from under the blanket, though. As he stared, she tried to make sense of his position but found she couldn't quite see him clearly due to the lack of light. "Why is your head peeking out from under my blanket?" Gloria asked for the figure. The man stayed silent, not moving an inch from his hiding place. As she waited for him to answer, Gloria took a moment to admire the stranger's appearance once again. His long, ravening hair hung loosely down to where he was sitting. She noticed he wore a plain black shirt and jeans, which seemed to fit him rather well if her observations were correct. He also seemed extremely thin. Gloria noticed some dark bruises starting to develop on his arms, legs, and neck. They looked pretty nasty, but she doubted they hurt him in the slightest. The bruises also covered most of his face, which she could tell must have been painful if he wasn't moving. However, despite all of that, his features were still strikingly beautiful, and he didn't seem to notice any discomfort from the situation. This was strange because Gloria knew people often complained about being uncomfortable during their sleep. Maybe she should ask him about it? She thought for a minute before continuing. "I've never seen you here before...do you know who I am?" Still the man remained unresponsive. He has never responded to anyone's questions before, so why in hell did he start talking now? Gloria thought. She decided to try asking a different question instead. "What are you doing? Do you need me to get someone to help you? Are you okay? Can you tell me your name?" Once again, he said nothing. Gloria continued asking him questions until she was exhausted. Finally giving up, she fell asleep again. This time she had a nightmare about the mysterious man, who, even in a dream, had managed to creep his way past her defenses. But even in a dream he still managed to haunt her waking thoughts. Gloria woke up screaming, causing the boy from early to wake up. She felt him move closer to her, wrapping his arm around her, attempting to calm her down as she cried. After a few minutes Gloria slowly stopped shaking and breathing raggedly. "...you alright?" the boy asked in a concerned voice. "Yeah...sorry..." Gloria replied, embarrassed by how scared she'd been. "It was just a bad dream." "...are you sure? You're kinda scaring me, you know." Gloria looked up at him. "...why? What happened?" He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, when I came home, I found you unconscious on my couch, and your clothes were missing." I tried calling for help but nobody answered." "Oh, I'm sorry. " "Did you call my mom?" "No, it was just me and my dad." He sounded hesitant when he talked about his father, and Gloria was confused as to why. If the boy didn't have a phone, then he shouldn't have called for help, right? "Are you okay now?" the boy asked, changing the subject. Gloria nodded. "Yeah, thanks for helping me." "My pleasure." Gloria got off his bed and walked over to grab a change of clothes that she had left on a chair earlier that day. "You can leave if you want," she told him. He shook his head. "Nah, stay as long as you like." "We're friends, aren't we?" "Yeah, we are." "So please don't feel like I forced you into staying, alright?" "Your house is big enough to fit two people comfortably if you don't mind me sleeping on the floor." Just let me know, and I'll leave." "...okay...thanks." "Anytime. I'm going back to bed. Goodnight Gloria." "Goodnight." She heard the door to the bedroom close quietly as she pulled on a pair of comfortable-looking sweat pants. She sat down on the bed again, leaning against the wall with her knees tucked up to her chest. Gloria's mind kept drifting back to that night in the alley, and she wondered why he had run away. She couldn't figure out exactly what his problem was. Was he in trouble? Did he run away from somewhere bad? Maybe she was being nosy, but what kind of friend was she if she didn't try to help someone? Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on her front door, startling her slightly. Gloria jumped off the bed and stumbled towards the door, reaching for the doorknob. She hesitated a moment, taking a deep breath, before turning the knob. "Hey Gloria, I'm home!" Hearing Kairi's familiar voice made her heart warm instantly, causing her to smile. "Hi, Kairi. "Come on inside." Kairi stepped inside Gloria's apartment with a huge grin on her face. She was dressed in a bright pink jacket and matching skirt, along with a purple cardigan. "How was school?" Gloria asked Kairi as she closed the door behind them. Kairi shrugged with her signature mischievous grin on her face. "Not too bad. I ran into Sora today though." "And?" Kairi looked at Gloria expectantly. "And... what? "Why are you so excited about that?" Kairi laughed, taking off her cardigan and hanging it up. "Because I think Sora likes me!" "You think he might like you?" "Well yeah! "That's what you do in love stories, right?" "But isn't Sora in love with Donald and Goofy? "Don't you think it's kind of weird for him to suddenly turn gay just like that?" "Well, yeah, maybe he's not gay!" "Besides, Donald and Goofy aren't very nice people." "But Donald does have a point about Sora falling in love with us though. "Why would he suddenly change his attitude toward us?" "I dunno. Sora is such a mystery sometimes. Like you said, he can't seem to tell us whether he likes girls or boys, or maybe he knows what he wants but doesn't want to admit it yet. Or maybe he's scared of getting hurt. I really don't know. But either way, I think he probably has a lot of questions and a lot of doubts to sort through." "That sounds pretty complicated. "What makes you think Sora will say anything to us about this?" "Especially with everything else that's happening right now." Kairi sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "You're right. I don't know Sora as well as you or your mom do. But I'm pretty sure he needs a friend right now, and we can be that friend. Plus, he hasn't told me much about himself since I got here. All he tells me is that he used to live in Naminé's world. Hmm. "It may be worth asking him about." "Okay. "Let me go get changed first then." Gloria watched as Kairi left her room and disappeared around the corner. Once again, Gloria was alone, but she found herself relaxing once more as she leaned back against the wall next to the door. For some reason, it made her happy to see Kairi smiling again. It reminded her of the happy times that they used to share together and of the good days they had when they were together. even though they fought a lot and were often at odds with one another. Gloria wished they could be like those memories again, but no matter how hard she searched, she simply couldn't find any trace of her old self anywhere. So, for the moment, she was content to live in the present and focus only on making amends with her new friends. The rest of the evening passed without incident, and soon after dinner, Gloria was sent back home after convincing everyone else that she was fine and that there was absolutely nothing wrong. As usual, she returned to her empty apartment to lay down on her bed. Before drifting off to sleep, she remembered something she needed to tell Kairi later and smiled, remembering it now. She rolled onto her side and grabbed the small box containing a picture frame and slid it out of the bottom drawer of her bedside table, laying it on top of the mattress carefully to avoid damage. Gloria stared at the photograph for a while. The image depicted her mother standing next to an unfamiliar woman, both smiling happily. Her mother had been wearing a blue dress with a red bow, a smile painted across her beautiful face. Her blonde hair was styled neatly, and she stood proud. Despite knowing who she was, the woman in the photo still somehow seemed so young. Gloria smiled sadly. She missed her mother so much. She missed her laugh, her smile, her hugs, her kisses, and her gentle touch. She missed her mother so much. She missed her mother so much. The next morning, Gloria woke up feeling extremely tired. She got up from the sofa and headed straight for the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she noticed she'd forgotten to take out her milk this morning. Thinking about how late she and her mother had stayed up last night, she decided that it was probably a good idea to make coffee. She turned on the kitchen tap and waited until it started boiling before filling up a large pot with water. After pouring a cup of hot coffee, she carried it over to the sofa, where she promptly curled up under a blanket to drink her coffee. She wasn't really sure why she felt sleepy, but she figured the lack of sleep was finally catching up with her. Still, she wanted to make the most of her time remaining before she had to go back to her own apartment. Just then the bathroom door opened, allowing a tall man to come out. Gloria froze, unable to believe who she saw in the doorway. It can't be… it can't actually be... He stood in the middle of the living room, staring at her blankly. Gloria stared right back at him, unable to move. A few moments passed as neither of them spoke. She didn't know what to say or how to act, but she was shocked to see him there. In all honesty, she didn't think he would ever return. A tear escaped from her eyes and fell down her cheek, landing softly on the carpet below her. Gloria's gaze never faltered, afraid to blink even if she wanted to. The silence grew deafening after a while, until she eventually broke it. "Sora?" she asked timidly. He gave no reply, merely nodding slowly, almost as if he was trying to convince himself that it was really happening. Gloria watched as he took hesitant steps forward, placing his bag down on the ground before walking over to her. She watched him with wide eyes. His hand reached out for the picture frame that lay on her pillow and picked it up, glancing down at the photograph. He held the frame gently between his thumb and index finger. "Wha... what happened to your hair?" He whispered, running his fingers gently against it. His brow furrowed, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a frown. "I... I don't remember," Gloria confessed. "It just started growing out after..." she paused, letting out a heavy sigh. "...since my father left." He nodded slowly. They continued to stare at each other in silent anticipation. After a few moments, Sora finally let go of the frame, replacing it with the pillow. He walked over to the window, gazing out over the city. Gloria sat silently watching him, waiting for him to say something. "Can I stay here tonight?" he asked. "Of course, you can, Sora," replied Gloria, sitting up and giving him a warm smile. Sora looked back at her, smiling lightly. He turned away from the window and walked over to sit on the other side of the sofa, staring down at his hands in his lap. Gloria placed her hands on his shoulders. She gave him a reassuring squeeze before pulling away and standing up. "I'll go get changed then," said Gloria, heading towards their shared bedroom. Make yourself comfortable. You'll have to wait until I'm done washing up." Once Gloria was gone, Sora pulled the covers back and laid down, wrapping his arms tightly around his pillow as he stared up at the ceiling. Everything felt different now. Everything changed forever. The day of the tournament came and went. The sun set as Kairi and Sora stood inside the gate that connected Radiant Garden to the Destiny Islands, waiting for the others to arrive. They waited quietly, looking out at the horizon, until Donald, Goofy, and Gloria arrived along with Riku. Donald stopped right next to the two as he stared up at the sky, watching the clouds pass by and listening to the distant sound of waves crashing onto the shore. He glanced over at Kairi and smiled softly. "What are you guys thinking about today?" he asked curiously. "Us and our dreams for tomorrow," replied Kairi. She looked over at Riku, who was deep in thought. Kairi smiled at him. "Hey Roxas!" Roxas turned around, surprised by her sudden address, and frowned slightly at her. "Yeah?" "Didn't you ever wish your parents would come back from wherever they went?" "We've all been here for weeks, waiting for you guys, but I guess it's okay now," continued Kairi. Roxas shrugged. "Not anymore. At least not for me." "I miss 'em a whole bunch, but they weren't really around anyway, so I don't think it matters anymore," he mumbled. "Besides, it's way too dangerous for them to come here." "Remember when that guy you met last week tried attacking us?" Kairi shook her head. "Not entirely," she admitted, a hint of annoyance coming into her voice. "At least not as much as we might think..." "Weird," commented Riku as he looked up at the sky as the sun set. "Yea..." replied Sora absentmindedly. Riku sighed, shaking his head. After a while, a boat carrying Donald, Goofy, and Kairi approached. It floated through the air gracefully towards where their group was waiting. Once it reached the beach, Sora, Riku, and Kairi jumped off the platform and approached it. "Welcome to the realm of darkness," said Aqua. Donald and Goofy stepped off the boat as well. "So, this is the place where you're going to fight the Heartless?" asked Goofy. "Yep," answered Aqua. "This is the place where we'll be fighting the heartless." "And what exactly are we supposed to do?" asked Donald. "You'll be doing your best to protect Kairi." "Don't worry; when you hear the Keyblade clash against the Heartless, you should know that it has a special effect on them. "When the Keyblade strikes, the Heartless will be knocked unconscious," explained Aqua. "That sounds easy enough," muttered Goofy sarcastically. Goofy turned around as he heard footsteps approaching and suddenly noticed that Riku was right behind him. Riku raised his hand and pointed it straight forward. An intense light shot out in the direction of one of the nearby cliffs, which exploded, sending several rocks flying in every direction. "Oi, stop making such noise!" complained Donald annoyingly as he and Goofy hurried over to join the others on deck. Soon enough, the rest of the members of the organization were standing on the beach in front of them. They lined themselves up behind Aqua in a row with Keyblades drawn. "We've been waiting for you, Sora," Aqua said, turning to look down at the boy who was standing directly in front of her. "Now's the time." "Okay," agreed Sora. He closed his eyes and focused intensely on his surroundings for a moment, then slowly began to open his eyes again. "Ready?" "Yes. "Let's go!" exclaimed Aqua, pointing her Keyblade into the air. Everyone else followed suit. Their keyblades began to glow brightly, reflecting the sunlight that was beginning to shine down upon the island. Within seconds, the entire area was bathed in a powerful blue light. Soon enough, everyone except for Sora was glowing with a bright white light. Chapter 5 The members of the organization stood completely still on the beach, not moving an inch except for the occasional twitch or shiver that ran through each of their bodies. However, Sora did nothing but stand there as he gazed out onto the ocean in front of him, the sun shining down above him. He couldn't help but feel strange. Every time his heart pounded in his chest, the sensation was nearly unbearable. Yet somehow, he also felt calm at the same time. It wasn't necessarily unpleasant, per se. It was more like he felt complete in a sense he couldn't quite describe. He felt as though everything was just right with the world and he could finally relax. He could finally breathe. For the first time in a long time, it felt as though things finally made sense. He had everything he needed now. All he had to do was make sure Kairi and everyone else got out safely. That was what he promised. That was what he swore he'd do. His eyes remained fixed on the ocean, ignoring the sounds of the crowd murmuring around him. Sora ignored them, refusing to turn around. Eventually, he felt someone nudging his arm. His eyes flickered downward and narrowed slightly, noticing that it was Lea. "Sora. "You alright?" he asked, concern laced in his voice. "Huh?" Sora snapped out of his trance and looked over at Lea, blinking his eyes a couple of times to rid himself of his thoughts. "What's wrong?" asked Lea. Sora blinked rapidly and glanced back out at the ocean once more before turning back to Lea with a small grin tugging at his lips. "Nothing. Why wouldn't I be?" He spoke. Lea narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He studied Sora's face carefully before finally releasing a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "Alright, whatever you say," he muttered under his breath. He turned away from Sora abruptly, scanning the surrounding landscape for any signs of movement. He kept his eyes locked on the horizon as he took a few steps further away. Sora watched Lea for a moment, narrowing his eyes in confusion. Did something happen? Maybe he had seen something. But he didn't see anything. Unless. Sora bit his lip nervously. If something had happened to Lea, he didn't want to leave him alone. If anything was seriously wrong, he wanted to know about it immediately. Sora quickly moved over to Lea, grabbing his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked urgently. "Huh?" said Lea, looking back over at Sora in surprise. "Your heartbeat.