Shooting Star

3: Sora Hikari


“How can you say ‘No’!” Sora threw his stuff to floor and watched Riku walk over the counter.

“Simple, because you’ve got a gang after you. And further more, you’ve got the Heartless after you! I don’t have time to deal with that. I’ve got my own problems.” Riku began rooting through the fridge looking for something to eat.

“So, that’s all the more reason for me to stay here,” Sora stood in the kitchen entrance, he watched the other boy ignore him. “You would throw me out to defend myself from those thugs! After you saw what they were gonna do to me?”

“Hey, I saved you once. That was my good deed for the year. And it will probably get me killed. I can’t afford that,” Riku pulled back from the fridge finding nothing appetizing. He realized he was wearing his jacket still and took it off.

Sora watched Riku move about the kitchen, a little upset. He couldn’t afford to die? Because his life was any less important. Sora looked around the room looking for answers, and then he remembered the other voice.

“Who’s the woman?”

Riku stopped messing with his coat and looked over, “What?”

“The woman; the one who yelled.”

“Oh….” Riku turned away, “My mother. She’s just upset, sick you know.” Sora nodded.

“So, then, you have to take care of her?” Riku didn’t answer; he now set to digging trough the cabinets. “She take medication? It must cost a lot if she does?”

Riku continued to ignore his house guest; it wasn’t that he was rude. It’s just that he felt this kid was being rude. Asking all these damn questions. He didn’t even know his name for crying out loud, and here he is digging into his financial situation and his mother’s health. He slammed the cabinet shut.

“So it does cost a lot?” Sora looked at Riku, you could tell he was more than a little upset.

“So, what if it does, it’s of no concern to you,” He ran his hand over the top of his head and ruffled his hair.

Sora smiled devilishly and sauntered over to Riku. He leaned up against the counter, “Well…if you let me stay…I could, pay you rent. To say, sleep on the couch?”

Riku raised his eyebrows at Sora, “Yea right! Because a kid like you can afford to pay me rent. Besides, it’s not just my mom’s medication I have to cover. I’ve got to pay for utilities, food, and my own rent. I don’t have time to take care of you.”

Sora pushed off the counter, “So, you’re in a money bind?”

“Look, kid, you can stay on the couch tonight, if that will get you to shut up. But then you get out ok?” Sora shook his head.

“I can’t do that…”

“Well why the hell not? You think this place is big enough for three!” Sora rolled his eyes and walked over to his bag. “I can’t pay that kind of rent, or give you anything to eat.” Riku continued yelling as he watched the boy dig through his bag. “You get one night, no meals, then yo-” Riku cut off his words as he watch Sora pull out his wallet and what appeared to be a lot of cash.

“…Wh-what’s that?” Riku walked around the counter.

Sora held out the munny for Riku, “Its six hundred munny. Is that enough for one months rent?”

Riku snatched the munny away from Sora. He thumbed through the amount Sora had handed out to him. ‘This kid’s carrying 600 munny around in cash? Through the slums?!’ Riku looked up Sora and tilted his head. “Who are you?”
He smiled weakly, “I’m Sora. Sora A-” Riku watched as the boy suddenly put his hand over the chain the disappeared into his shirt. “Sora Hikari.”

‘Hikari? Hikari?’ Riku searched his mind for wealth families with that last name, none came to mind. “Well I’m Riku Yuuyami. It’s nice to meet you.”

Riku looked over the munny, still thinking of Sora’s name. Hikari didn’t match up to any family of importance that he could think of. “That’s an, unusual last name, Hikair….Where’s it from.”

“It was my mother’s maiden name,” he smiled softly, his hand still placed over his pendant. Riku decided study his sudden serene look, but decided he’d check his sources anyway.

“You and your mom,” Sora looked up, “You two were close?”

Sora nodded, “Yes, we were, but….our time together was short…” he flicked his eyes away for a moment and then back to Riku.

“I see….I guess that’s why you were interested in my mom’s health.” There was a pause in their conversation. “Ok, you can stay.” Sora’s face lit up excitedly. “But, I want to know….What’s your dad’s name?”

“What’s name got to do with rent,” Sora expression suddenly turned malicious.

Leon leaned forward in his chair. He had been sitting in the security office now for over an hour. In the room with him, gathered around a long table, were the head of security to K.E.Y. Corporation, his second class officer, and two body guard’s Shinra: Cloud, Aerith, Reno, and Yuffie. Reno, normally wouldn’t be here, his usual duty is to follow Rufus Shinra and make sure no one made good on their many threats to end his life. Though if you asked some, rumor was Reno’s an exceptionally skilled body guard…if you read between the lines.

Yuffie was actually one of Leon’s old friends. Ironically enough, she ended up playing body guard to Sora’s best friend. Kairi lived with the Shinra family; she was a distant cousin to the president, so naturally they assigned her protection as well. Aerith on the other hand worked for the Corporation and Shinra. She was intelligent, calm, and would make an excellent diplomat. Any time there was any problem or rumor about the stability of the facilities that ran the plate, it was Aerith that was on camera along with the president of both companies.

Really, Shinra and its sister company K.E.Y. Corp. ran the plate and slums.

Now, the other occupant of the room was Cloud Strife. Cloud was the head of Security for the plate and the slums. He gave out orders to everyone, every SOILDER, every bodyguard, even citizens when necessary. If Aerith was in front of a camera, you could be sure Cloud was behind the scenes barking orders. He knew practically everything about the people he worked for, and the people that wanted them dead. Every dirty secret, every lie, every time something went horribly wrong and was quickly done away with.

Dumped into the slums to rot.

Cloud only answered to three people: Rufus Shinra, Vector Amos, and Sephiroth, but no one ever saw the third man. And what he did exactly, even Leon didn’t know.

He leaned back in his chair. Really, he didn’t know everything about the people he worked for, or with, but he enough to know they weren’t the best people in the world. Under normal circumstances, Leon thought that he and Cloud could have been the best of friends. They had more than enough in common. Went to the same school, had the same beliefs, were each very independent, very self confident, and both had the same taste in love interest.

Ah yes, Sora, the reason they were in this room. Vector Amos’ son. Leon had been watching Sora sine the day his mother was killed. He watched Sora grow up into a bright and hopeful child. He always wanted the best for everyone, and since he came from such a wealthy family, he got the best. But he wasn’t happy about it. He was always uncannily worried about others. Leon had to figure it’s something he got from his mother.

He loved being around Sora. He loved the boy period. He just brought out the best in him. Always finding ways to cheer him up and he wasn’t a flake either. Most rich kids are bastards, but most of the time, Leon would find himself watching over Sora at a food drive, a volunteer rally, something most people of his status only did for photo opportunities. But no, Sora really wanted to change the world he lived in, so much to the point that drove him from home.

There hasn’t been a day in five years that Sora and his father weren’t at odds and ends with one another. And while Leon could respect Sora wanting to change his father, he still couldn’t help but worry that this was extreme. What could he be thinking? Running away? And to where? While he wasn’t oblivious, the outside world was still very different from the life Sora had…



A/N: Short chapter this time….Sorry, I know the sucks since I hadn’t updated this one in a while either….>.< I’ll do better next time I swear!