I've always wondered why we do the things we do.

Seriously, think about it. What makes us get up in the morning, put on a fresh set of clothes, and walk out the door every single day of our lives? What's the reason that we try and progress in life, that we value our body and minds so much so that we continuously train them in hopes of achieving greater goals? A foolish man would say it's money, but an even more foolish man would say it's something much more valuable:

Love.

As corny as it sounds, love is the deciding factor to the countless decisions we make and actions we take on a daily basis. And even more interesting is the fact that there's so many different kinds of it. Naturally, you'd have the love that two people in a relationship feel towards one another, a sense of trust and comfortability that fuels the happiness between two significant others. But then there's the kind of love between friends, bonds so strong and loyalty so fierce that it seems as if some people are just physically and mentally inseparable. There's the love you feel for your favorite food, your pet dog, and of course, the love a parent can feel for their child.

The thing is, when it comes to love, we don't just feel it for other people or things, because when we feel the love that someone or something has for us, that's a new kind of feeling entirely. To be loved, it's that feeling that serves at motivator in everything we do. Every choice, step, and mistake are all made in attempt to chase and eventually obtain the love and validation of some outside party

What a load of bullshit.

Not bullshit in the sense that it isn't true, because unfortunately for all of us, it is. But bullshit in the sense that it's completely, utterly, and unfathomably unfair. To believe this is to believe that we spend all of our lives struggling, pushing, fighting to reach some specific fabricated state of joy, only to not even be able to truly call it real unless you have someone to share it with. This puts the entirety of mankind in a frenzy of betterment and self improvement, not for the sake of actual improvement, but for the sake of impression. All for the sake of seeing that one person, having your hands get sweaty, struggling to balance on wobbly knees, feeling your heart rate slowly accelerate until it's just thump, thump, thump thump, thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

ThumpThumpThumpThumpThump.

"-ing to be late!"

It comes to my sudden attention that I'm not actually an all-knowing deity, and my eyes split open.

My favorite part of life is the small instance that takes place between the final seconds of a dream and the first moments of consciousness. It's in that tiny sliver of time when absolutely anything is possible. I am in full, complete control of every aspect and every outcome of the universe. The laws of physics bend to my will, and time is irrelevant. To me, it's the very definition of paradise.

Which is why I'm understandably irritated when my roommate Axel rips me from said paradise by violently slamming his fists on my door.

"What do you want?" I groan at him, my voice noticeably groggy as these were my first words of the day. He pauses his unnecessarily complex rhythm of knocks when he hears me speak.

"Dude, if you don't get up now you're going to be late to class," he starts, "and there's no way in hell I'm doing this presentation by myself, so get your ass up and go use Roxas's shower cause I call first dibs on ours. Cool? Cool." I start to protest until I hear him slam the bathroom door. Bastard didn't even give me a chance to respond. Definitely not cool.

He's right, though, I notice the sun shining through my blinds is blaring a bit brighter than usual, so I take this time to reach over to my nightstand and grab my phone.

MeTube: You've gained one new subscriber. Now

Bistro Bois: Axel: Sorry, found your mom's Moogle+ and lost track of time 23min ago

Bistro Bois: Roxas: Axel hurry up or you're not hitting this shit 31min ago

Bistro Bois: 4 unread messages. 1hr ago

Missed Call: Unknown number. 9:44 AM

Moogle+: xi_xiv has requested to follow you. 2:13 AM

Moogle+: got_it_memorized liked your repost. 12:24 AM

I scroll through my notifications and almost get lost in a social media trance when reality hits and I discover that it was almost eleven o'clock and Axel and I did indeed have a presentation to do at eleven thirty for our history class. I jump out of bed, mentally cursing my roommates, who obviously have been up for some time, for not waking me up earlier. I grab my towel and head out into the hallway, where I'm instantly met with Axel's bluetooth speaker blasting from the bathroom door, muffled by the sound of running water. As loud as he is, I will say he has good taste. I make my way to the kitchen where I see not just Roxas, my other roommate-slash-best friend, but his girlfriend, Naminé, too.

"Morning sunshine"-Roxas grins when he notices my presence and lifts up his trusty beaker bong-"care for some breakfast?" I roll my eyes at him and open the cupboard.

"Can't today, man. Axel and I have to talk for ten minutes about the history of these damn islands, as if everyone hasn't heard it a thousand times already." I sift through the items in front of me until I find my target: Frosted Paopu Flakes, my daily breakfast of choice. Just then, Axel trots into the living room wearing nothing but a towel, classy.

"Sup, ladies," he sees that Naminé is sitting to Roxas's side and gives her a grin, "oh hey, didn't see you there." Roxas and his significant other flip him off in perfect sync. Axel laughs and instantly picks up the bong and takes an inhumanly large rip, and Roxas immediately cocks his head in my direction while giving me an expectant look, to which I just roll my eyes in response as I take a bite of my cereal. Delicious.

By the time I'm showered and dressed, Axel's already leaning on his horn outside. I grab my bag and throw it over my shoulder, wave goodbye to Roxas and Nam, who were now watching a painting show on TV, and swiftly make my exit into the outside realm. A quick jog downstairs leads me right to my roommate's unnecessarily bright red convertible, and him still honking at me to get in. That, unfortunately, is the struggle of being the only kid in your high school class whose parents didn't buy him a car, leaving your not-fully-neurally-developed teenage self to have to figure out a way to pay rent and save money at the same time on a server's wage. But don't worry, I'm not bitter. I mean, how could you be when you live on the one and only Destiny Islands.

That's right, we're living in paradise baby. From the beautiful scenery to it's even more beautiful inhabitants, Destiny Islands is undoubtedly the most popular tourist vacation spot in the entire world. People pile in from all over the planet, provided they have the funds, to take in the lush scenery and spend time at our world-famous beaches. There's Disney-themed amusement parks for kids, designed specifically for the Islands, as well as island-exclusive shopping malls and outlets. Most notable of these is Starlight Square, located right at the heart of the largest island, jam packed with the nicest and most expensive brands and advertisements. Also at the center Starlight is Paopu State University, where the gang and I all attend. PSU is pretty up there in terms of tuition, so you wouldn't be wrong to question how a kid who can't even afford a car can attend. The answer is simple: islander discount, son. Apply that to your total and you're looking at a nice crisp free.99 to go to school. Confused? let me explain.

Before Destiny Islands became a worldwide paradise, it was just like any other archipelago, inhabited by it's natives, who lived in small villages and communities around the land. There were all sorts of different tribes, some residing in the mountainous jungle regions, while others preferred to stay close to the waters by setting up shop on the coasts. Over the past century or so, as the world developed and progressed, eventually others started to migrate to the Islands, settling down, building towns and starting businesses. Destiny Islands only grew more and more popular, and thanks to it's beautiful scenery and weather, an insane amount of migrants were piling in. Suddenly, the grass plains and dirt trails turned into concrete jungles and tourist attractions, until finally it became the Heaven-on-Earth that we know today. In order to preserve the Islands' history, all of the old villages and tribal grounds were kept intact, with the abandoned ones being perfect for historical tours.

The more popular Destiny Islands grew, the more expensive it became to live there, or even visit. Pretty soon, native families could barely afford to get by, and gradually started to be pushed out of the Islands, being replaced by newer, richer migrants. To the natives' delight, new laws were put into place that essentially ensured that the cost of living would not be allowed to change for any family with native blood in them. This was mostly a business decision made by the government. The way they see it, preserving the diversity of the Islands would attract even more visitors. It worked out well, though, because me and most of the kids I grew up with are all descendants of the original native tribes. So instead of having to move somewhere like say, Traverse Town, my parents were able to afford to stay here and I get free admission to one of the best schools in the world. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

The Islands are pretty varied, topographically speaking, with mountain ranges for hiking, some cool natural monuments and even historical tribal villages, uninhabited and preserved by the natives for tours and whatnot. There's misty plateaus, rocky ocean cliffs, tropical coastal areas, lava deserts over by the volcanoes, and even bamboo jungles. What makes Destiny Islands special is that no matter where you come from, or who you are, there's something for everyone, and anyone can call it home.

I look up from my note card only for my eyes to be met with 23 other pairs staring straight back at me. One kid even starts clapping for a second before he realizes that the presentation's only half over and that Axel still needs to talk about the Islands' future endeavors. I exhale slightly and relax my posture a bit. There was a bead of sweat beginning to take shape on my temple. I never did like doing presentations in front of the class, so glad that's over. Take it home, Axel.

"Thank you, Sora, for that Oscar-worthy performance. Now that we're done with boring history stuff, let's talk about the cool new tech-y shit." The professor gives him a hard glare for his colorful vocabulary and Axel winks back at her in reply before continuing.

I focus my gaze on a random spot on the back wall of the room, and lose myself in my own mind. My mind suddenly floods with thoughts and memories and potential scenarios. As you just heard, I am Sora. I grew up right here along with my best friends in the entire world. Growing up, we were never the more "popular" gang in town, but we all had each other. We'd have sleepovers, wilderness adventures, mischievous mishaps, deep late night conversations until the break of dawn, the whole shebang. The six of us have always been inseparable, and without them, I'd be nothing.

Despite this, though, I've still always felt like somewhat of a loner.

Don't get me wrong, I've made plenty of friends and acquaintances, but throughout the years, especially throughout school, it seemed like everyone around me always had that one person, the one they would hold dear above everyone else, and who also held them on the same pedestal. Whether it was two best friends or a couple, everyone had someone who they cared about to the exact same degree that they cared about them.

I, on the other hand, did not.

It always felt like I cared about those around me so much more than they did me. Sort of like parents having a favorite child. You know they love you, but you also know that they love someone else just a bit more. I was never anyone's number one, but I was plenty of people's number three. It's an odd feeling to experience.

Because of this, growing up I always had these internal self esteem issues. My mind was always occupied with thoughts of my significance to other people. I wanted to be important to them, but as a kid, I was too shy to ask them what they thought of me. I decided to figure it out myself, and over the years, I studied Psychology books and read up on behavioral patterns to the point where I analyze every single movement, facial cue, and nervous tick that someone shows and am able to determine their thoughts and emotions from it.

Now, hold on, I know this all sounds serial-killer crazy, but it's not as hard as it sounds. A lot of kids are loud and obnoxious when around their peers, but not me. I was quiet and peaceful, and with serenity like that comes observation. I used those around me as research subjects, carefully taking note of their mannerisms as well as their speech and movement patterns. It didn't hurt that Psychology had already interested me from the get-go, so most of this stuff just came naturally to me. After a while it wasn't hard to tell where a conversation was going to go, when people were lying, or how to predict the outcome of a situation. I was pretty accurate most of the time, to even my own surprise.

Even though I didn't think much of myself as a kid, over time, with the help of those close to me, I learned to accept who I am and even love myself as a person. Not in any narcissistic, obnoxious way, but enough to be confident enough to speak my mind at all times.

I snap back to reality from the depths of my own thoughts and come to the realization that I was back in Axel's car, which has now been turned off, as he hops out of the driver's seat. Huh, I guess time really does fly by when you don't really care to pay attention to anyone else's presentations.

I open the door and step out of his red convertible, and half a block later I arrive to the stone steps of my apartment building. I'm just about ready to hop upstairs and take a well needed nap when I realize my path is obstructed by a body perched right on the second stone step. Her auburn hair falls straight and neat just below her shoulders. Wearing these pink high-waisted shorts with a white tank top tucked in with a purple belt to top it off, she completes a simple outfit made to highlight a face and a body that drove practically every guy she met wild. Her perfectly proportioned head shoots up from her perfectly pristine phone to reveal her perfectly purple eyes locking right onto mine. Remember when I said I never had that one person like everyone else did?

All of that changed when I met Kairi.

We hit it off instantly, our personalities just matched together like a key and a lock. From one fateful day in high school, through every heartbreak, every parental argument, every crazy illegal adventure, and every 3AM inebriated conversation outside of my childhood house, we were there for each other. She's the one person who can read me just as easily as I do her. To put it simply, she is my absolute best friend. Which is why my mood instantly skyrockets when I see her outside the apartment.

"Ugh, finally," she bounces up from her makeshift seat, "I rang the buzzer and texted Roxas and Nam like a million times, either they're dead or they're not home." Funny, I don't remember Roxas having any plans today.

"Come on, Kairi, use your brain," Axel starts as she gives him a hug, "they're obviously going at it furiously, you think they have time for your texts?" She rolls his eyes at him and turns her attention to me. A split second later my nose is flooded with the scent of what can only be the equivalent of an Edible Arrangement hidden inside of her hair as she wraps her arms around me in excitement.

"Aw, that's nice," I inhale dramatically, "is that Guava? Or maybe Blood Orange?" she pulls away and squints her eyes at me, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Very funny. Strawberry-Peach, for your information."

"Oh, good. I'll be sure to write it down in case I ever need to smell like the produce section." She punches my arm and follows Axel into the building as I trail behind. Good old Kairi.

"Hurry up, children," Axel calls from the second floor, "I wanna catch mommy and daddy in the act. That shit'll go viral!"

"Oh please, you act like that type of thing is hard to come by on the internet." Kairi and I catch up to him on the fourth floor and he puts his hand on my shoulder, giving me the most serious look I've ever seen him have.

"You underestimate the power of perverted creeps." I stifle a laugh and remove his hand with my own, turning my attention to the door and unlocking it. My friends follow me inside and I brace myself for the worst. Naturally, it's not what I see when I walk into my apartment that first catches my attention, it's actually what I smell, but what I smell is not exactly what I expected.

Fire.

My kitchen was on fucking fire.

After spending a good chunk of my childhood on this site (under a different, cringier name), I've finally decided to try my hand at creating my own story, inspired in no small part by the wonderful, talented authors that have left their mark on the SoKai AU scene. Milk and Marshmallows, Teenage Wasteland, Love Sick, Hotel Hearts, and I Thought I Was Alone are just a few of the many stories that have both served as my inspiration and molded me into the person I am today. I know there are probably much more to name, but it's been a while since I've had any real desire for reading or writing in general, so I'm sure there's plenty I've missed. After not really writing anything meaningful since I was about sixteen, I feel it's time for me to finally chase my dream of being an author, and it all starts here. So, to the authors of those aforementioned fics, as well as the great community I've come to recognize in the review sections, this one goes out to you. I'll try my best to make you remember me.

Most chapters will likely be longer than this one, but I don't doubt that some will be shorter. I just ask that if you have the time, please leave some feedback. Hearing what people think of my work, whether it be negative or positive, fuels me with motivation to not only continue, but to improve. It tells me that I'm not just talking to a brick wall, that there's people out there who have something to say about me, and that counts.I hope you all stick with me to the end, I have a lot planned for this and I can't wait to share.