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Sora was mad at the world. She was mad at everything. Everything was irritating her. Lloyd’s overly optimistic attitude, Kai and Wyldfyre’s loud training every early morning, Frak… don’t even get her started on Frak. She didn’t hate the other ninja. She could never hate them, but recently, she couldn’t find any joy in anything. Her irritability was instantly noticed by Lloyd, but Sora had been avoiding him (and most of the other ninja). Everything felt so empty after Arin ran off with Ras. Sora couldn’t stop worrying about him. Every minute of her life recently was spent thinking about him and the terrible things Ras is probably doing.
Arin had been in her dreams recently. Everyday she wakes up, hoping the dream is a reality. Everyday she opens her eyes, expecting to see Arin’s cheerful expression, to see him laughing and joking with the other ninja, but she meets disappointment.
It all felt like a sick, twisted joke. To see the other ninja having regular family dinners. How could they be so calm? Arin was out there. He could be dying for all they knew, and him being with Ras… she didn’t even want to imagine what could happen.
Sora knew she was being irrational. Lloyd insisted they were doing everything they could to locate him, and she knew for a fact he wasn’t lying… yet she was still angry. She felt like they weren’t doing enough. She couldn’t rest knowing Arin was in danger. She couldn’t help but wonder – is this how Arin felt without his parents? Could this have been prevented if they had all just prioritized finding them more?
The overwhelming questions in her mind just made everything worse. The monastery was quiet. All Sora could hear were her thoughts, and they were deafening.
She buried her face into her pillow, sobbing quietly. She missed Arin so badly. All she wanted was for him to be here again. It was hard to stay motivated without him. She has no idea how she survived those few weeks after The Merge without him. This was the longest she’d been without his presence.
Arin’s bed was still in the room, along with the swing he used to sit in. Sora forces herself to get up, walking over to the bed. It remained untouched since they left for the tournament. She sat down at its edge. His scent wasn’t there anymore, as she expected. Still, she sat there in silence. She stares at the swing. It was a small, wooden one. Arin told her that he used to sit down on it with his parents.
Sora can’t help but imagine the sight. Staring at the swing, she imagines Arin sitting down, smiling and laughing. She felt a pang in her heart. She wanted her best friend back. She wanted to hug him, tell him to never leave ever again and to have him by his side forever, but she wasn’t sure if she’d ever get that opportunity again.
She collapses on Arin’s bed. Her whole body felt numb as she began to cry again. She tried to imagine Arin there, comforting her, yet it only made things worse. Arin’s words from all those years ago repeat in her head. “Together forever.”
She wishes she could go back, and things could be that simple again.