Chapter Text
“Let me in!” Sora said, letting out a broken gasp as he opened his eyes, seeing rain pouring down on his face. He could feel his hands trembling with fear as he checked his heart; something was wrong—it felt cold and warm at the same time. He could feel his chest aching, as the last thing he could remember was seeing black eyes with yellow and a smile that didn't feel right.
Slowly he tried to stand up, but something fell off; his legs felt wobbly and unstable. He tried to look down at his feet, but quickly his eyes looked away, and he went back down to the ground. For some reason his mind didn't want to look down, despite trying to figure out if his friends were alright. But that only brought different questions into his mind as he pressed the back of his head against the cold brick wall.
“Riku, Kairi, where are you guys? Gah, my head, N, V, Uzi, why does it feel like someone's clawing into my skull? Oh, just bite me, freaking pain.” Sora shouted, shutting his eyes from the pain, as he grabbed hold of his head even tighter, feeling something burning and something that felt like cold, hard metal. Slowly Sora opened his eyes. He didn't feel any tears, only the rain running down his face, as he looked at his hands, wondering if he got too hurt fighting those monsters. Sora looked at his hands, holding them out as they trembled with fear. He could see his hands were broken; his skin was pulled back and looked like something from his nightmares. But then his eyes saw the rest of his arms and where the rest of his hands were since his skin wasn't fully connected. He could see a pair of bloody, robot-like hands; they were connected to him, but his brain couldn't think. No, it didn't want to remember what happened, but it made him want to cry for his mother.
“What the heck happened to me? Are those my hands? What did she do to me? Am I even still human?” Sora choked out, his voice croaking as his sound started to sound more foreign to him; it was like his normal voice was being overtaken by the voice of the planet eater. But he didn't know why; the last thing he remembered was Cyn ripping into his chest and trying to eat his heart, but that didn't make sense. Wasn't he a drone on Copper-9? Something wasn't right. As he tried to stand again, using his hands to hold onto the wall and take a few steps forward, he needed to figure out what happened and if Uzi and the others were ok. He could see his feet moving, one leg still held his big yellow shoe that his dad gave him for his eleventh birthday, and the other was a black heel that probably belonged to poor Tessa.
Sora didn't know what his plan was if he found another human; sure, he was an islander and used to be human. But after learning that many worlds were lost to Cyn, he could only ponder how people would react to seeing a murder drone or whatever he was now. The last thing he needed was to have someone freak out over his appearance, but he didn't know, as he rubbed his hair, feeling a bow somewhere inside the mess of brown hair on his head. He could feel his stomach rumbling; he didn't have dinner back on the island, and he definitely didn't remember eating back at the bunker, maybe drinking, but nothing major. Maybe one of the shops would have oil or a sandwich?
He took a deep breath, walking over to the first shop that caught his eye. It was a jewelry shop from the looks of it. He gently opened the door, feeling the warmth of a fireplace immediately hit his face, his smile nervously put on his face. He could see a blond man watching him, his hands somewhere between grabbing a weapon and realizing that he was still a kid despite his appearance. Sure, he was a drone wearing his own skin, but he wasn't evil. Sure, Cyn was a monster, but he was different, right?
“Hello, my name is Sora, and I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just trying to find my friends and get out of the rain for a few minutes.” Sora said nervously, looking over to see a tiny mirror on the counter, noticing he had the same eyes as Cyn, only his were blue. At least he had more of him than her, but he doubted others would see it that way.
“Kid, what the hell happened to you, and why are you a murder drone? I don't mean to be rude, but you sound like one but definitely aren't acting like one. Although the skin suit definitely fits the bill for messed-up acts of violence if I ever saw one, almost as bad as the heartless.” Cid stated bluntly, finally taking his hands from the table, pulling out a bottle of water,, and handing it to the drone.
“It's a long story. I was on my island when these monsters came, and I got separated from my friends Riku and Kairi. The next thing I know, I'm a worker drone and in a different world altogether, but hey, I found friends. Uzi, N, and V were nice. Although I guess not everything worked out in the end.” Sora declared, a dry laugh escaping his lips, as he took a sip of water, wondering if the blond man was trying to kill him, but it wasn't like Cyn was normal; she could probably survive one bottle of water.
“But that doesn't explain the skin suit and why you're like this; that's definitely something I need to hear before allowing you to go back outside, kid.” Cid said, rubbing the back of his neck, wondering if the moogles above were doing good. The last thing he needed was for them to run off and hurt his business. He could see the kid, looking sad as he touched his chest, pulling down a zipper on his shirt. It wasn't pretty; a chunk of skin was missing, and Cid could definitely tell part of what happened.
“She took your heart and ate it, and you're like that because god knows what happened. I'm sorry, kid.” Cid whispered, holding back his tears, as Sora's face hit the counter. He wanted to cry, but he could only do it electronically, as he didn't know what he was supposed to do with his life. He doubted Riku and Kairi would care about him as a monster, and he didn't know where Copper-9 was, so he couldn't return to see the others and tell them he was alive. The only thing he didn't know was if he still had the keyblade. So Sora took his head off the counter and tried to summon the blade, and thankfully it appeared, the kingdom key in his hands. He couldn't help but laugh a little; he still had some way to defend himself.
“I see you got a keyblade, Kid. Let me make a phone call and see what my friends can do to help you.” Cid said, looking in awe at the blade, he hadn't seen one of them since the day his world fell to the darkness. Sure, it was nerve-wracking to see a murder drone with a keyblade, but the kid seemed real about his story, and who knows, maybe things changed for the better?
“Ok, do you want me to sit anywhere?” Sora whispered, looking over to see a fireplace that looked nice and warm. He could see Cid nodding as he walked over and took a seat on one of the nice couches, feeling the warmth of the fire. It felt like he was back on the island. He honestly felt a little sleepy as he closed his eyes and went into rest mode.
It had been an hour since Sora fell asleep, and Cid could feel his body relaxing as he heard the door open, as Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie came over to the counter. He let out a long sigh, pointing over to the couch, causing the group to turn and see Sora's resting face, bent over, a little drool pouring from his mouth; beyond that, he seemed ok. Well beyond the skin suit and how it made Yuffie’s skin crawl, she looked worse.
“So the kid is really a drone and has the keyblade? You're serious about this, Cid?” Leon said, looking at the kid, his spiky brown hair, and smile that seemed both creepy and comforting, he was like a lost puppy.
“Yeah, I told you over the phone, dumbass; Keyblade came out and everything. It's over by the wall. He fell asleep and forgot he was still holding the thing and had to use a washcloth just to try and move the sucker. So what are you thinking? The king's men will be looking for a keyblade, and we can't really afford to scare the residents until we know that Sora is good.” Cid declared, pulling out a cigarette and getting ready to light it, only for Aerith to walk over and take it out of his mouth.
“I say we wake him up and see what he wants, because I saw the king's men walking around the second district a while ago. They'd help to get him back to his friends, and we do have a heartless problem, so he could be a good help here.” Yuffie said with a casual wave of her hand, like this was any other human being with a magic sword.
“I'd say we let him rest for a little longer; he looks like he's been through a lot.” Aerith whispered, trying not to wake the sleeping drone, as she looked out at the stars, wondering if the child could really help them.
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Donald and Goofy were confused as they walked through the rainy streets of Traverse Town. They were told to be looking for a key but couldn't find anything so far. They were half tempted to go back and talk to Leon and see if he was holding out on them. However, Goofy was silent as the duck looked up at the sky, seeing something falling from the stars heading towards them. The duck could barely see what it was until it came crashing down into the third district. It looked like a school bus. Oh, how this day was getting stranger by the minute.
—-------
Sora felt something warm brush against his skin. As he opened his eyes, everything felt calmer and brighter than he last remembered, and then he saw something in front of him. It was a blanket draped around his body; it made him smile, looking around to see Cid and a few others waiting for him to awaken.
“How long was I sleeping for? Is it still nighttime?” Sora said his mouth felt dry despite the fact that it probably shouldn't have bothered him. But it made Cid chuckle as he handed the drone another bottle of water, only this time it was darker, probably added some oil to keep him sane. Slowly he started to drink the liquid, feeling better as he noticed the three other humans in the shop. One had a nice bow in her long brown ponytail, and one had a large ninja star on her back that would definitely make Uzi lose her mind. The third had a nice jacket and a scar over his face that made him seem really tough.
“I'd say a couple of minutes, maybe half an hour at best. Although I can't really judge, you were sleeping soundly, so, Sora, these are my friends. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith, we're like the town's little defense force in a manner of speaking, so now I guess it's time to figure out what to do with you.” Cid said softly, trying to not cause the second incarnation of robot Satan to bring agony upon their world. Sora put the bottle down, wondering the same question. He really didn't know what he was going to do despite knowing that Cyn could easily destroy a planet if she wanted with only a null.
“Oh, well hello there, sorry if my presence is terrifying; I'm still getting used to it as well. One day you're a human, the next a worker drone, and then boom, the evil monster that killed you and ate your organs like pasta. So is there anything I can do to help, or do you know how I can travel to other worlds? My friends are probably worried about me,” Sora said, feeling his body tremble a little. He didn't like the idea of telling people how he died but sadly knew that it was something he would have to accept sooner or later. He could see Cid; his face looked like it was ready to cry. Aerith was holding onto the arm of a chair, ready to hurt someone. Yuffie and Leon had a look in their eyes that reminded Sora of Doll when she had that murderous gaze set on V.
“What happened to you, Sora? Just what happened to you, because this isn't normal?” Leon choked out, his tone dripping with fear and anger, but Sora didn't know which one was being directed towards him or Cyn. All he could do was sit on the couch and watch the taller humans. It was weird; he had the power to break hundreds of worlds but currently was just wanting a hug at this point.
“I guess it all started with a normal day on my island, you know, the sun shining, the seagulls singing, and me just getting to be a kid. Well, until things got weirder, a hooded man was talking about other worlds, and then later the sky turned purple and these monsters showed up. Kairi disappearing and Riku getting taken by the monsters. I don't know what happened; next I think I fought a giant monster and was sucked up into the sky. Because the next time I know, I'm being a worker drone on Copper-9.
“Everything from that point felt more normal, which is ironic when I look back on it. I made friends, even when they tried to kill each other. We had a mysterious drama, and then I got my chest ripped open and organs feasted on by a planet eater. But somehow I'm here, with whatever the hell this body is, like I have Cyn's body, or maybe it's mine, and I'm wearing my human skin? Like, I don't know, and I honestly don't even know how to function, because I know Riku and Kairi would freak out if they saw me like this, so for now, I'm just right here.” Sora said, his voice shaky, and his mind still feeling broken, he wondered if N, V, or Uzi were still alive?
“Sora, I'm sorry, but that's just horrible.” Yuffie choked out, unsure of what words she could really form towards the younger teen. She could see the look in his eyes; despite the monstrous appearance, he was definitely heartbroken over his friends and the fact that normally might be nearly impossible.
“It's ok, Yuffie, I'll figure out some way to get over this setback. After all, they're my friends; surely they'd still treat me like a friend, and if not, my friends on Copper-9 are still out there. Maybe I can find them again and have an easier life among the worker drones?” Sora said, glancing down at his hands, the mounds of human flesh that once felt normal, the bloody metal of his hands, making him wonder what his life was supposed to become; everything was a part of him, although he still didn't know if the key sword was still a reality.
“Well, we can always check and see if the old loon has anything that could help.” Cid whispered, waving his toothpick over to the side of the building that led to the other districts. Sora tilted his head, wondering what was so special about this loon, and was there anything that could be done?
“I guess it wouldn't hurt. What's the worst thing that could happen? So where exactly is this loon? I don't really know anything about this world.” Sora declared, feeling the eyes of the surrounding group, as he took a second to realize he probably needed something to hide his appearance. If any humans saw him, they'd probably think he was a monster and was going to kill them.
“Well, Aerith can take you over to the ducks shop, get you a robe or something, and Yuffie and Leon can follow behind you. You know, make sure that nobody tries to kill you, Sora; it'll probably take a couple of minutes to reach the loon.” Cid noted, writing something down on a piece of paper and handing it to Aerith. She nodded, grabbing hold of Sora's hand—well, the metal one. She tried not to show any reaction to touching what must have been the teen's blood. But she kept a smile, hoping that his heart was still kind and that he wasn't going down a path of destruction.