A Heart Unbound

Chapter 3: A Dream or Not a Dream?

After seeing Sora, I noticed my surroundings were much different than that of the forest from my dream. I could feel the sheets of a bed crinkle at the closing of my fist.

"What happened?" I accepted Sora's offer to help me up by grabbing his hand and pulling myself off the bed.

"You passed out in the Gummi Ship. I guess the insanity of the ride was just too much for ya." Sora grinned and threw his hands behind his head. I glared at him with my lips puckered in frustration.

"Very funny." My face straightened out again as I peered at the room. I noticed a group of unfamiliar people crowded around a computer. One of them acknowledged that I had woken up, drawing the attention of the rest of the group.

"Ah. You're awake." A fairly tall man sauntered toward Sora and I. The unnatural wind he concocted just by walking caused an alluring sway to his brunette hair. His entire outfit seemed to have a buckle and zipper theme. His long, black pants appeared zipped almost the whole way on both sides of his legs, and four belts wrapped around his thighs and waist. "Sora has told us a lot about you. He says your two hearts have connected."

"It appears that way." My eyes made contact with the floor as I stared down in woe.

"I'm Leon. From what I've heard, it looks like you're gonna be forced to stick with Sora for a while."

"Hey!" Sora snapped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'd say she's pretty lucky!" A girl with short black hair and black eyes butted in.

"Thank you, Yuffie." Sora let out another one of his famous, toothy grins.

"Anyway, that ain't important! Ther's gotta be some explanation as to why yer' hearts connected the way they did." Asserted a bulky blonde man with a pair of goggles stretched across his forehead.

"Cid, I don't think we'll figure that out on the spot. It might be something they have to find on their own." A brunette-haired girl in a pink dress spoke sweetly.

"But we can at least help! And we'll be there the whole way!" Donald quacked as he and Goofy ran between Sora and I.

Every one of those people talked with so much positivity, but I could only think about Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

"Sora?" I spoke softly. His hair bounced familiarly as he looked over at me.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go for a walk? I need some fresh air."

"Yeah, sure." He looked back at everyone else. "Hey, guys! We'll be back later."

Sora and I walked through the brick streets with buildings on either side; eventually, we climbed up a staircase leading to another brick path, but this one had no buildings on one side, and we could have a clear view of the charming orange sky. The chilling but relieving wind blew our hair as we gazed at the horizon.

"This reminds me of home." I reminisced.

"Yeah, me too." We stood in silence for a few moments, but my curiosity prompted me to ask him something.

"How did you and the gang know what to do? What made you and them come to the decision to make me go with you?"

Sora painted the picture, and the memory he shared with me played in full detail.

"Sora!" Hayner shouted in distress. Sora and Donald prepared to leave for the Gummi Ship, but they turned to Hayner instantaneously. "Hana's in trouble!" The three of them sprinted back to the area just in front of the station as quickly as possible.