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musefic2019-10-09 10:33 pm
mistressofmuses) wrote in musefic2019-10-09 10:33 pm
Kingdom Hearts fic: Fractured Moments - Day 9 - "Swing"
Summary: Sora is nervous about diving.
[This one is set during childhood on Destiny Islands, so is the earliest chronologically so far.]
“Go on Sora, you aren’t scared, are you?” Tidus laughed.
“No!” Sora protested, but also didn’t immediately step up to the edge.
One of the grownups had installed a rope swing off one of the trees at the edge of the play island, on the opposite side from the clubhouse. The sea was deep enough for them to jump in there, without worrying about hitting the bottom. Sora had heard a couple of the parents arguing about the swing; some of them thought it was still too dangerous for the children to play on it unsupervised, but others said that the kids were all nine and ten, old enough to be careful, and anyway, it wasn’t any more dangerous than the obstacle course or the trees they climbed.
And of course Sora knew how to swim—had learned to swim almost as soon as he’d learned to walk—but something about diving made him nervous. (Not scared. He wasn’t scared.) It was just, there was that feeling that maybe when you went under, you wouldn’t come up again. Like maybe you’d just sink forever…
“Then hurry up!” Tidus said, dancing in place a little. He’d already taken a turn, and had come back for another.
“Oh, uh, you can go on ahead.” Sora stepped to the side.
Tidus gave him a bit of a strange look, but then shrugged, and jumped at the rope, letting it carry him out over the open water before letting go. He went under, but surfaced quickly, swimming toward Selphie to try and dunk her. Wakka dived down and came back up to splash them both.
Sora shifted from side to side. He knew he should just do it, and even sort of thought it’d be fun, but…
“Are you going to dive?” Kairi’s voice was as small and sweet as she was.
“Yeah…” Sora answered, looking at the rope. “Are you?”
She nodded.
Sora stepped aside again. “You can go first, if you want.” He didn’t want to look bad in front of one of his best friends, or keep her waiting.
She didn’t give him a weird look like Tidus had, just grinned and ran full-tilt at the rope. She squealed as she swung out and splashed down. Sora smiled at how happy she’d looked, but still couldn’t quite push himself to go.
What if he grabbed the rope and then couldn’t make himself let go? Then it wouldn’t swing far enough, and he’d wind up stuck. That would be even worse than sinking. But everyone else had already gone, except…
“Sora? Still here?”
Riku.
“Y-yeah.” Sora didn’t want to look bad in front of his other best friend either. And Riku was good at everything, which made it even worse. He’d probably tease Sora about it, or turn it into a competition, and then everyone would notice that Sora was too nervous to do it.
“You know you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, right?”
Sora gave a shaky nod. “I do. Just…”
“How about you go ahead of me?” Riku said. “If the rope doesn’t swing enough, I can give you a push.”
That was one of the things he was worried about, but… “WhatifIdiveanddon’tcomebackup?” Sora said it quickly.
Riku looked at him with all the solemnity that a ten year old could muster. “Then I would go get you.”
Sora licked his lips nervously, then nodded. “Okay.”
It still took him one false start, but then he jumped and grabbed the rope, which swung out smoothly over the water. For a second he was still afraid his hands would just freeze to the rope, but just at the top of its swing, he let go.
That moment of free fall felt so strangely familiar, especially when he then landed in the water, and for just a second saw it close over his head… But then he was turning back upright, breaking back up to the surface and wiping the water from his eyes, and he was laughing so hard he almost got a lungful of water.
He looked back up and waved to Riku, who waved back before taking his own turn on the rope.
I would go get you. And Sora promised himself, Me too. I’ll always go get you, too.
[previous chapter] [next chapter]
[This one is set during childhood on Destiny Islands, so is the earliest chronologically so far.]
“Go on Sora, you aren’t scared, are you?” Tidus laughed.
“No!” Sora protested, but also didn’t immediately step up to the edge.
One of the grownups had installed a rope swing off one of the trees at the edge of the play island, on the opposite side from the clubhouse. The sea was deep enough for them to jump in there, without worrying about hitting the bottom. Sora had heard a couple of the parents arguing about the swing; some of them thought it was still too dangerous for the children to play on it unsupervised, but others said that the kids were all nine and ten, old enough to be careful, and anyway, it wasn’t any more dangerous than the obstacle course or the trees they climbed.
And of course Sora knew how to swim—had learned to swim almost as soon as he’d learned to walk—but something about diving made him nervous. (Not scared. He wasn’t scared.) It was just, there was that feeling that maybe when you went under, you wouldn’t come up again. Like maybe you’d just sink forever…
“Then hurry up!” Tidus said, dancing in place a little. He’d already taken a turn, and had come back for another.
“Oh, uh, you can go on ahead.” Sora stepped to the side.
Tidus gave him a bit of a strange look, but then shrugged, and jumped at the rope, letting it carry him out over the open water before letting go. He went under, but surfaced quickly, swimming toward Selphie to try and dunk her. Wakka dived down and came back up to splash them both.
Sora shifted from side to side. He knew he should just do it, and even sort of thought it’d be fun, but…
“Are you going to dive?” Kairi’s voice was as small and sweet as she was.
“Yeah…” Sora answered, looking at the rope. “Are you?”
She nodded.
Sora stepped aside again. “You can go first, if you want.” He didn’t want to look bad in front of one of his best friends, or keep her waiting.
She didn’t give him a weird look like Tidus had, just grinned and ran full-tilt at the rope. She squealed as she swung out and splashed down. Sora smiled at how happy she’d looked, but still couldn’t quite push himself to go.
What if he grabbed the rope and then couldn’t make himself let go? Then it wouldn’t swing far enough, and he’d wind up stuck. That would be even worse than sinking. But everyone else had already gone, except…
“Sora? Still here?”
Riku.
“Y-yeah.” Sora didn’t want to look bad in front of his other best friend either. And Riku was good at everything, which made it even worse. He’d probably tease Sora about it, or turn it into a competition, and then everyone would notice that Sora was too nervous to do it.
“You know you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, right?”
Sora gave a shaky nod. “I do. Just…”
“How about you go ahead of me?” Riku said. “If the rope doesn’t swing enough, I can give you a push.”
That was one of the things he was worried about, but… “WhatifIdiveanddon’tcomebackup?” Sora said it quickly.
Riku looked at him with all the solemnity that a ten year old could muster. “Then I would go get you.”
Sora licked his lips nervously, then nodded. “Okay.”
It still took him one false start, but then he jumped and grabbed the rope, which swung out smoothly over the water. For a second he was still afraid his hands would just freeze to the rope, but just at the top of its swing, he let go.
That moment of free fall felt so strangely familiar, especially when he then landed in the water, and for just a second saw it close over his head… But then he was turning back upright, breaking back up to the surface and wiping the water from his eyes, and he was laughing so hard he almost got a lungful of water.
He looked back up and waved to Riku, who waved back before taking his own turn on the rope.
I would go get you. And Sora promised himself, Me too. I’ll always go get you, too.
[previous chapter] [next chapter]