Challenge [099]
Mar. 26th, 2007 02:06 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
lindskaba.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
kh_drabbleChallenge [099]: Sidequests
Title: Extra
Word Count: 600
Notes: PG/PG-13 for mild drug imagery? Thank you thank you THANK YOU to the lovely![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
crimsoncookie for beta and title, and to invisibledancer for indulging my need to read it outloud every other sentence I wrote XD.
“Who are you?”
The leaves scatter as Sora stumbles, nearly toppling over. He looks up — way up — to the creature before him, seated neatly on an overlarge mushroom, blowing rings of colored smoke from its bulbous lips. “Er… I’m Sora.”
The creature sucks in a wheezing breath. “But who are you?” it croons, breathing smoky letters: blue ‘O’, pink ‘R’, orange ‘U’. Sora stares.
“Ahem.”
More smoke – a mismatch of color and shape – and Sora catches himself, waving the smoke from his face. “S-Sora,” he sputters. “I’m Sora.”
The creature studies him silently (its eyes are large, balloon-like large, bloodshot and glassy and somehow penetrating) and Sora finds himself swallowing, shuffling his feet. Try again. “I’m…the Keyblade Master?”
The creature inhales from the pipe it holds in one of its several hands. “Why?” The letter ‘Y’ wafts lazily from plump, pursing lips.
Sora blinks. “Um… I don’t—”
“You?” The creature leans forward on its enormous haunches, staring down at Sora with one bulging eye. “Who are you?”
Smoke laps at Sora’s face and he’s coughing again, backpedaling and waving his arms. “I—I already told you—” the remnants of a smoky letter ‘U’ is twisting around and around one of his spikes; Sora hastily shoves at his hair until the smoke dissipates. “I’m Sora. I’m the Keyblade Master.”
“Explain.”
“Um… What?”
The creature huffs (red smoke hisses on Sora’s face) and impatiently hoists itself up a nearby leafstalk. “Explain yourself.”
Sora eyes the creature warily for a moment – when he doesn’t get pummeled with smoke, he begins. “Well… I’m the Keyblade Master.” The creature’s lips pucker; Sora scrambles to continue. “I um… I travel to different worlds. And I use the Keyblade to rid the worlds of Darkness.”
The creature puffs from its pipe and stays silent, watching Sora expectantly.
“Um…” He rubs the back of his neck. “I fight Heartless. And Nobodies.” He pauses, nods. “I fight for the Light.”
“Why?”
The question startles him. “Because I was chosen, I guess.”
“Why?”
“I—” His mind is an uncomfortable blank. “I don’t know.”
The creature blusters upright, face tightening; Sora can’t be sure, but it looks to be turning red. “Why?”
“Be-because… Well, Master Yen Sid didn’t tell me—”
“YOU?” It bolts forward, tumbling off the leaf and downward until its swollen face is inches away from Sora’s, bloating red and bursting veins. “WHO—ARE—YOU?”
“SORA!”
He turns, half-breathless, pressed against a mushroom. “D-Donald!”
The mage stumbles out from the stalks of large reeds, waving his wand before him. “THUNDER!”
“NO, WAIT!”
A deafening CRACK rips the air, followed by an unearthly howl. Before he can react, Sora is being violently tugged through the reeds and away from the clearing, which erupts smoky purple and red.
--
That night, Sora stays outside the tent.
He sits in the grass, staring into the horizon until Goofy steals up behind him, yawning. “Sora? Ya all right there, pal?”
When he finally speaks, it’s quiet, just audible over the sound of the crickets. “Do you ever think that maybe what we’re doing… doesn’t matter?”
Goofy scratches his head. “Nope! Can’t say that I do.”
Sora fidgets. “How can you be so sure?”
“Well…” Goofy tips his head. “The King believes in us. And I trust the King.” He grins. “You should trust the King, too.”
A smile ghosts Sora’s face. “Y-yeah, you’re right.”
But Sora lies awake in his sleeping bag — chilled, unable to shake the feeling that his life is somehow… extra.
Overhead, a butterfly traverses the smoky air — blue, blue as the morning sky.
Sora falls asleep to the sound of distant laughter.
Title: Extra
Word Count: 600
Notes: PG/PG-13 for mild drug imagery? Thank you thank you THANK YOU to the lovely
crimsoncookie for beta and title, and to invisibledancer for indulging my need to read it outloud every other sentence I wrote XD. “Who are you?”
The leaves scatter as Sora stumbles, nearly toppling over. He looks up — way up — to the creature before him, seated neatly on an overlarge mushroom, blowing rings of colored smoke from its bulbous lips. “Er… I’m Sora.”
The creature sucks in a wheezing breath. “But who are you?” it croons, breathing smoky letters: blue ‘O’, pink ‘R’, orange ‘U’. Sora stares.
“Ahem.”
More smoke – a mismatch of color and shape – and Sora catches himself, waving the smoke from his face. “S-Sora,” he sputters. “I’m Sora.”
The creature studies him silently (its eyes are large, balloon-like large, bloodshot and glassy and somehow penetrating) and Sora finds himself swallowing, shuffling his feet. Try again. “I’m…the Keyblade Master?”
The creature inhales from the pipe it holds in one of its several hands. “Why?” The letter ‘Y’ wafts lazily from plump, pursing lips.
Sora blinks. “Um… I don’t—”
“You?” The creature leans forward on its enormous haunches, staring down at Sora with one bulging eye. “Who are you?”
Smoke laps at Sora’s face and he’s coughing again, backpedaling and waving his arms. “I—I already told you—” the remnants of a smoky letter ‘U’ is twisting around and around one of his spikes; Sora hastily shoves at his hair until the smoke dissipates. “I’m Sora. I’m the Keyblade Master.”
“Explain.”
“Um… What?”
The creature huffs (red smoke hisses on Sora’s face) and impatiently hoists itself up a nearby leafstalk. “Explain yourself.”
Sora eyes the creature warily for a moment – when he doesn’t get pummeled with smoke, he begins. “Well… I’m the Keyblade Master.” The creature’s lips pucker; Sora scrambles to continue. “I um… I travel to different worlds. And I use the Keyblade to rid the worlds of Darkness.”
The creature puffs from its pipe and stays silent, watching Sora expectantly.
“Um…” He rubs the back of his neck. “I fight Heartless. And Nobodies.” He pauses, nods. “I fight for the Light.”
“Why?”
The question startles him. “Because I was chosen, I guess.”
“Why?”
“I—” His mind is an uncomfortable blank. “I don’t know.”
The creature blusters upright, face tightening; Sora can’t be sure, but it looks to be turning red. “Why?”
“Be-because… Well, Master Yen Sid didn’t tell me—”
“YOU?” It bolts forward, tumbling off the leaf and downward until its swollen face is inches away from Sora’s, bloating red and bursting veins. “WHO—ARE—YOU?”
“SORA!”
He turns, half-breathless, pressed against a mushroom. “D-Donald!”
The mage stumbles out from the stalks of large reeds, waving his wand before him. “THUNDER!”
“NO, WAIT!”
A deafening CRACK rips the air, followed by an unearthly howl. Before he can react, Sora is being violently tugged through the reeds and away from the clearing, which erupts smoky purple and red.
--
That night, Sora stays outside the tent.
He sits in the grass, staring into the horizon until Goofy steals up behind him, yawning. “Sora? Ya all right there, pal?”
When he finally speaks, it’s quiet, just audible over the sound of the crickets. “Do you ever think that maybe what we’re doing… doesn’t matter?”
Goofy scratches his head. “Nope! Can’t say that I do.”
Sora fidgets. “How can you be so sure?”
“Well…” Goofy tips his head. “The King believes in us. And I trust the King.” He grins. “You should trust the King, too.”
A smile ghosts Sora’s face. “Y-yeah, you’re right.”
But Sora lies awake in his sleeping bag — chilled, unable to shake the feeling that his life is somehow… extra.
Overhead, a butterfly traverses the smoky air — blue, blue as the morning sky.
Sora falls asleep to the sound of distant laughter.
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no subject
Date: 2007-03-26 09:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2007-03-26 10:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2007-03-26 11:37 pm (UTC)You've got him spot-on characterization wise, and of course I love Sora's thought that maybe his life is simply 'extra'. Very nice take on the challenge. Very nice choice of situation to work in the thought, too. Clever clever. :) I heart it. Even if the freakin' caterpillar didn't die a glorious Donald thunder attack death.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2007-03-26 11:39 pm (UTC)...I envy Goofy.
It's well done. The imagery of the caterpillar was very vivid, as was Sora's discomfort. And for the truly trivial question -
Was the puff of smoke from Donald's spell or the caterpiller combusting into butterfli..dom? ...that's not a word. But it's what I mean.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2007-03-27 07:22 pm (UTC)