Well, I just beat Kingdom Hearts 2 a few days ago, and I must say that I absolutely loved it. I loved it so much that I wanted to attempt a fan-fiction for it. Just to warn you… you may find this story kind of… odd.
Also, as a warning: There are slight indications of a homosexual relationship, and if that offends you, then don't read it.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, settings, situations, or anything else in the Kingdom Hearts games. It all belongs to Square and Disney.
The Limits of Artificial Intelligence
A free system: That's what the security program desired, and that's what he got. No longer were the corrupt, virus-like programs exterminating the vital resources of the computer for their own benefit. Ansem's computer was back to normal, and Tron had taken it upon himself to prevent any horrible mishap such as the creation of the MCP from ever happening again. The Hollow Bastion—no, Radiant Garden database was now secured.
Only one problem remained, however. The motherboard of Space Paranoids was almost desolate. Most of the fundamental programs had been de-rezzed while under the MCP's rule, and the computer had to function on basic resources. Since Tron now essentially had control of the data, he found it difficult to perform even the most simplistic functions, as he had hardly any aid. Life was not entirely as easy as it once was.
Tron constantly found himself having a strange yet uncomfortable sensation in his chest and head area. It was not anything drastic or painful, but it was definitely mood-altering. He figured that this must be some sort of User-like feeling, an emotion felt whenever one lacked companionship. It was not a pleasant feeling.
Somewhere in his memory storage, Tron could barely make out the time before Ansem had copied him and several other programs from ENCOM. Since Tron was only a copy of another similar program from the system at ENCOM, his memory had been altered during the transition, but he could still remember that camaraderie he shared with so many other programs, and that freedom that they all thrived on since the first defeat of Sark and the MCP. If he recalled correctly, it was a User who helped him end the tyrannical rule of the MCP at ENCOM. Ansem had copied the data of the MCP and all his cronies, however, and Tron's new system was once again corrupt.
Tron's memory of his life at ENCOM slowly faded microcycle after microcycle. He often wondered, however, how his clone at ENCOM was doing; whether or not he was still alive; whether or not he still had the company of several other programs; whether or not his clone's life was better than his own. Eventually, though, Tron would probably forget that he even had a clone in another system. Maybe it would be better that way. Maybe then he wouldn't long for the help, no, company of other programs so much.
If only Sora had never come… Maybe then Tron wouldn't discover all these hidden sensations… emotions… that had made his life so miserable. Yes, he was miserable. There was hardly a program around to make his life bearable. Tron often tried to remember what it was like not to care, to only function on logical assumptions. It was only now that he remembered losing the ability to feel after being copied to Ansem's computer. But, at ENCOM, he felt… good. Whatever sensations happened inside him back then, it made him feel… what was the word? Happy. Now he was… sad.
Oh, how he wished he could return to the moments when he was first copied to Ansem's computer. He didn't have to feel emotions then. He even forgot how to feel back then. It was better that way. Sora just had to come and remind him of what emotions are. At that time, though, he liked those feelings. Whenever Sora was around, he felt happy. He had someone to share data with. Now that Sora was gone, though, he had relearned what the emotion of sadness was like. The sadness was accompanied by another unpleasant feeling… loneliness.
The loneliness was almost unbearable. Tron almost wished that the MCP would come back so he could have a purpose, and he wouldn't feel so isolated, even if his only company was from a malicious spinning cylinder who would probably kill him when given the chance. As Tron sat in the middle of the central database, he laughed a slow and rhythmic laugh, realizing how ridiculous that notion would be. The last thing he wanted was something as corrupt as the MCP to return. No, he wanted a thriving database, full of useful programs to help him keep a benevolent rule over all of the data.
It was useless for Tron to convince himself that he only wanted other programs around simply for technical reasons. He wanted a… friend. He wanted Sora to come back. Sora's bright attitude brought out such wonderful feelings in him, and he wanted those feelings to return.
The last time that young man had left this world, Tron had wrapped his arms around him, much to the boy's surprise. It was at that moment when Tron felt the most euphoric he had ever felt in his rather long life. It was very rare when he came into such thrilling physical contact with another, and he never knew just how good it felt. He wanted to experience that exhilaration again, but unfortunately, it seemed that an opportunity like that only arose when one had to say a tearful goodbye.
Tron did not want to say goodbye to Sora again. He wanted the wonderful feeling of being with that particular User to last for as long as he could stand. He knew, however, that Sora was on a quest to save the cluster of worlds that existed outside of the Radiant Garden, and to find his own world once again. Sora had no time to visit the lonely security program, a security program who was probably destined to suffer from isolation for the rest of his life.
Trying to suppress his awful sadness, Tron began uploading some data to another drive. Perhaps working would change his desires for the time being. So, he continued uploading data, byte by byte, hoping to create some backup files in case the hard drive malfunctioned.
"Hello?" an extremely recognizable voice suddenly echoed through the hallways of the I/O Tower. It was the voice of a duck, speaking English yet quacking at the same time.
"Garwsh, Donald, I don't think he's here," another familiar voice rang out.
"Come on guys, Tron's gotta be somewhere around here!" That was the voice that the security program knew. That was the voice he desired to hear. It was also wonderful that there were two other voices accompanying his, because this meant that there was even more company for Tron.
But… that was Sora's voice. It had to be. By logical reasoning, it meant that this User was indeed inside Ansem's computer. Tron immediately abandoned the data that he was uploading, and ran as fast as he could to find the three who desired to give him company.
"Sora!" he cried out, sprinting through the long hallway, "Where are you?"
And there he was. Tron stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the odd-looking trio standing before him. Donald and Goofy, the duck and the dog, stood in their electronic attire. Goofy had his usual sheepish grin, with his lanky arms limping at his sides, and Donald had that conceited look with his arms across his chest. And Sora… he looked as happy and innocent as ever, with his spiky brown hair sticking out on either side of his helmet, and that impenetrable smile that dominated his face.
"What are you guys doing here?" Tron asked the three Users who stood in front of him.
"Well…" Sora began, as his large blue eyes looked to the floor, giving the impression that he was thinking of a decent answer.
"Sora here just insisted on visiting you, ahyuck!" Goofy finished, slapping the brunette on the back.
"Yeah, because… I was wondering how well the system was faring, now that the MCP is gone!" Sora said brightly.
The security program couldn't help smiling at the young User. No matter what Sora said, it would always make Tron feel elated. "The system is working much better without the lagging that the MCP caused," he replied, "But it is difficult for me to control the system without the help of other programs. It seems that most of them were exterminated when the MCP was in power."
A computer program always had to be honest, no matter how he felt. However, because Sora never specifically asked how Tron felt, he had no obligation to explain how lonely he was all the time, yet how overjoyed he now felt at the User's arrival.
"Aw, that's too bad," Sora responded to Tron's explanation, "I mean, I don't know much about computers, but, I'm sure it must be tough. Besides, you must get pretty lonely around here…" The young User looked around, eyeing the grids of the blue and gray walls, observing the lack of other programs.
"Well… Yes, the lack of fellow programs makes things quite uninteresting, to say the least," the security program responded, showing the slightest bit of hesitation, "And yes, I am quite… lonely, if that's what you Users call that kind of sensation."
As Sora and Tron continued their conversation, Sora's two companions stood a few feet away, arguing as usual.
"And you call a shield a weapon!" Donald exclaimed to the tall dog, standing on the tips of his webbed feet to give a proper glare to his good friend.
"Well, gawrsh, Donald, you know I do the best physical damage out of the two of us!" Goofy backed away slightly, proudly holding up his decorative shield.
"Oh yeah?" the duck quacked loudly as he held up his staff, preparing to cast a thunder spell.
"Hey, take it easy, guys!" Sora called, running over to pull his two friends apart. As he did, he had to stifle a laugh, just looking at Donald's typical yet comical angry glare, and Goofy, who looked equally as funny, yet less fierce than the short duck. Sora smiled at how humorous his friends' short attention spans were. He would leave them alone for a few seconds, and next thing he knew, they would be going crazy on each other.
Tron observed the trio and felt himself longing for such constant companionship. As delighted as he was to currently have the company of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, he knew that they would not stay too long. According to his calculations, the three Users would probably be leaving in just a few microcycles.
As soon as Donald and Goofy stopped arguing, Sora walked over to where Tron was standing, and resumed his conversation, trying to ignore the duck constantly tapping his webbed foot in impatience.
"Donald and Goofy are quite an interesting duo," the security program commented to Sora, noticing the two glaring at one another.
"Yeah," the User chuckled, "They definitely are. They provide some funny moments."
There was silence between the two for a few moments, until Sora once again spoke up. "Going back to our conversation, Tron, I'm sorry you're lonely. I felt that way too, when I was separated from Kairi and Riku back in my home world. It wasn't long, though, 'till I made lots of different friends, like you. You're bound to find other programs. Besides, I think Cid is installing some software later today to help you out."
"That is excellent news, Sora! Please give my thanks to Cid!" Tron replied happily.
"Are you done yet? We have to find the other pages to that stupid book!" Donald's irritated voice called out.
"Oh, Donald, just leave Sora to his friend, ahyuck!" came Goofy's response.
"Well, I think it's best that I leave," Sora sadly said to Tron, "I mean, Donald seems to be getting real impatient."
"Wait, Sora, I…" the security program stopped mid-sentence, confused by this new sensation that tingled within his torso and stomach area. It was a feeling that felt so good, yet so… painful. According to his knowledge of Users, it seemed to be a rather common feeling, but he wasn't sure what the word was to describe it. However, Users usually did one particular thing when encountered with this emotion, so Tron resolved to do that too.
Tron bent forward slightly, lowering his head a bit. He raised his left hand and placed it on Sora's cheek, causing a bit of alarm in the young User. Wanting to complete the User-like gesture, the humanoid program softly placed his lips on Sora's, causing his blue eyes to widen even more. He did not resist or push away however, most likely because he was stunned.
As Tron pulled away, the brunette choked, "T-Tron, what was that for?"
"Is that not what you Users do when you feel an extreme form of camaraderie… a friendship that is so strong that it's almost painful?"
"I-In certain cases, I guess," Sora responded, his tone still full of shock. He turned his head around slightly and saw that his two other companions had their mouths hanging open, and looked equally as shocked as the receiver of that kiss.
Tron felt absolutely elated when he performed that gesture on Sora. To him, it felt even better than that time he had embraced the User. It fulfilled his needs for companionship, but unfortunately, that exuberance only lasted a few moments, and would probably never happen again, seeing as Sora had to leave. The security program knew that he would soon be accompanied by more programs upon their installation, but even that notion did not change the sadness he felt at the User's imminent departure.
He probably would never meet another character like Sora again. Programs normally could not feel as Tron could, unless a lively User such as Sora came into their lives. But even then, Tron would not get the company he desired, now that he could feel almost as a User could. He would have nobody to share his emotions with, unless Sora came back. He probably never would, though.
"I will not see you again, will I?" Tron asked the trio as they prepared to leave.
"Our hearts will always remain connected, Tron, even if we never see each other," Sora replied, quickly wrapping his arms around the program's waist. He then smiled up at him, and took off without another word. Donald and Goofy followed after, but not without each calling out, "Goodbye, Tron!"
The security program's eyes still seemed fixed on the brunette, who was now off in the distance, sprinting towards the nearest terminal. "But I have no circulatory system…" he whispered.
Back on the gummi ship, Sora, Donald, and Goofy took their usual seats, but Goofy of course had to bring up the question, "Gawrsh, Sora, what was that all about?"
"What was what all about?"
"Well, you know… Tron went right up and kissed ya!"
"I have no idea, Goofy…"
It was true: Sora didn't have any idea why Tron acted in such a strange way. He had just received his first kiss, from a computer program nonetheless! However, it did not feel too bad. It was sweet, actually. He had almost wished that moment lasted longer, but it was overly awkward with Donald and Goofy standing in the background.
What was it that Tron was feeling, though, when they shared that kiss? He had said that it was a friendship so extreme that it was almost painful. Was he talking about love? Could a computer program love? Did Tron, a computer program, love Sora? Perhaps he did. But Sora, no matter how big his heart was, could not bring himself to romantically love a security program. Or maybe he just didn't want to. Maybe it was just justification for the fact that Sora would probably never see Tron again, and it would be futile to harbor such feelings for him. Either way, he knew that their hearts were strongly connected, even if Tron had no heart.
Yes, I know, I just wrote about one of the strangest couplings ever. Why? Well, it's something new and different (Well, I wrote this before any other Tron/Sora fics appeared on the net, but posted it after). Besides, I think they're cute together… in the strange way that a computer program and a human are cute together… Yes, I know I'm weird.
Feel free to review and critique.