Chapter 3 – Together
Sora’s mouth goes dry, and his eyebrows upturn as he calls out with the tiniest voice possible, deftly afraid to break the possible illusionary spell cast before his eyes.
‘…Jewel?’
She makes no reaction, only looking at him curiously as if he were some sort of stranger.
Lead runs through Sora’s veins and he can only stand there in silent anticipation among the cacophony of running water, barks, chew toys, and duckling quacks.
After a moment or two, she slowly gets up and warily approaches him as he watches her through unbelieving blue eyes.
When she reaches his side, Sora gapes with a mix of awe and shock, noting that she now stands at about as tall as his thighs, when before she barely even reached his ankles. He quickly shakes it off, though, and holds out a hand to her, much like he had done for Perdita earlier.
His fast movement has the opposite effect, however, as she startles in response and backs up with caution.
‘Ah!’ Sora’s eyebrows upturn, and he pulls his hand back as if he had been burned.
The two of them stare at each other for a few long, significant moments, and Sora barely breaths when Jewel finally dares to move closer again. Her head is down as she stares up at him wearily with her ears pulled back, taking her time reaching his side once more.
She cautiously sniffs his offered hands, and with every second that passes Sora can feel his heart drop further and further down into his stomach.
There is… no recollection in her eyes.
‘Do you really not recognize me?’ Sora’s voice wavers as he slowly lowers himself down to his knees.
Jewel, of course, does not answer, and occupies herself by continuing to sniff him all around, much like any normal dog would when meeting a new stranger.
‘But Pongo and Perdita… they remembered.’ Sora questions, feeling the lead in his veins grow that much heavier as his thoughts consume him.
They had recognized him, yes, but they were also already adult dogs when they first met back in Traverse Town.
Jewel had only been a baby. She never could have understood what had happened that day; how he could have been there one day, and then gone forever the next.
She must have thought he abandoned her. That he didn’t want her anymore.
Sora’s eyebrows scrunch with pain as he recalls the last time he saw Jewel.
‘I love you, Jewel.’ He could hear his own broken voice ring back in his ears. ‘Please, don’t forget that.’
But, she must have forgotten, surely. Too much time has passed, after all.
He should have found her faster. He should have tried harder…
Sora is suddenly brought out of his spiraling thoughts when a whimpering sound enters his ears. He blinks out of his stupor and looks at Jewel, who is now sniffing his crown necklace with great interest.
The world around them grows silent as Jewel moves closer, alternating between shaking her head, and smelling the pendant.
‘Jewel… what-?!’
Sora doesn’t have time to do anything but gasp as Jewel suddenly jumps onto him, barreling them both backwards towards the ground. She whimpers and howls as she bites at the necklace, her tail wagging about a mile a minute as he stares at her in wide-eyed disbelief.
‘Jewel!’ Sora shakily calls her name again, causing her to bark as his hands tangle in her short fur.
Not half a second later, she pulls away to lick his nose, causing him to let out a wheeze that is a mixture between a joyous laugh and an overwhelmed sob.
Happy tears gather in Sora’s eyes as he watches her break away to run around him in an excited circle, before pausing to unceremoniously slam her paws down onto his shoe. Her weight is much heavier now, but the impact is still the same as it was years ago.
‘It really is you. Jewel, you’re really here.’ Sora says, his eyebrows upturning as this fact finally settles in his heart for good, allowing for the floodgates to open. His vision is blurred with tears as Jewel pushes against him again and tries to worm her way into his chest. ‘I missed you so much!’
Sora wraps his arms around her and buries his face into her fur, promising never to let go ever again.
After what feels like an eternity of hugs, kisses, licks and tears, Anita finally approaches the happily reunited duo.
Sora doesn’t bother to try and hide the remnants of joyful tears in his eyes as Anita takes a seat next to them on the grass. Her own eyes are soft as she looks at Jewel, and her expression appears relieved somehow.
‘After all of the dalmatians came home, we took them to the doctor.’ Anita starts, causing Sora to look up at her with curiosity. ‘All of them were physically unharmed, thank goodness. But there was one that caused us to worry.’ Her shoulders drop with a sigh as she reaches out and runs a gentle hand down Jewel’s back. ‘She wouldn’t eat, and was always crying. She would run around for hours. As if looking… for someone.’
Anita looks between Jewel and Sora. The two of them are stuck together like glue, with Jewel’s face hidden inside the crook of Sora’s elbow.
‘Eventually, she just gave up.’ Anita continues as her face twists into a frown. ‘It was as if someone sucked all the joy out of her, and she spent her days lying in one spot while all her siblings got along without her.’ She takes a deep breath through her nose. ‘Jewel was always such a happy puppy, too. We just couldn’t understand it.’
Anita looks Sora in the eye then, her expression soft.
‘I haven’t seen her so happy in a very, very long time.’
Sora lets out a breath, those words sinking in as he looks down at Jewel. Her tail is wagging steadily against his thigh as she has gotten herself comfortable laying on his lap. He pets her gently, causing her to lick his arm before burying her face into it even more.
‘Jewel and I were pretty much inseparable ever since we met.’ Sora shares, causing Anita to hum and nod, listening to his story with interest. ‘She followed me everywhere and we played together all the time. Perdita had to actually come and find us once because we spent so long together, just the two of us.’ Both he and Anita share a laugh at that, before Sora’s eyes then turn a bit darker. ‘She was always there for me. Always. Whenever I was feeling down, or needed someone to listen.’ He pets her again as his eyebrows upturn and his lips pull into a frown. ‘I was the same way, when I lost her. I tried looking for her, but…’
Sora grows silent, before a shameful memory enters his head and he turns to Anita with guilty blue eyes.
‘I don’t want to lie to you, Anita.’ He says between the lump in his throat. ‘I did think about it. About just taking her away with me.’ Sora grasps at Jewel’s collar and turns the golden pendant over to read the engraving. ‘But I couldn’t do it, not when she already had a home. It wouldn’t have been right.’
Anita looks at Sora, taking in the honest expression on his face.
‘Thank you for telling me.’ She says softly, before placing a hand onto Jewel’s back. The dalmatian has no outward reaction, the opposite from when Sora had touched her just moments ago. ‘Jewel is very special to us, you know. Rodger and I were both there when she was born. When she started walking, when she grew her spots.’ Anita holds out her hand as a smile graces her features. ‘She was so tiny. She fit right there. Right in the palm of my hand.’
Sora makes a face of awe, causing Anita to laugh, before her expression grows thoughtful.
‘We made a promise when we first opened up the plantation. We had just so many dalmatians, that we decided that most of them could be eligible for adoption into the right home.’ She holds up three fingers. ‘The exceptions are Pongo and Perdita, of course. And, their fifteen biological puppies.’
She looks from Jewel to Sora with an air of significance.
‘Jewel is one of those puppies. Do you understand, Sora?’
Sora feels time freeze itself around him as realization grows in his eyes. He takes a deep, sudden breath, and the action causes Jewel to stir and look up at him with concern.
Even after all this time, her eyes are still the same, and they read and understand him like an open book.
If Sora were honest, he never thought that he would actually find her again; had silently resigned himself to it long ago.
So, in the end, the words came out a lot easier than he thought they would.
‘Yea… I understand.’ His hand absentmindedly pets Jewel as he looks up at Anita with determined eyes. ‘But, can I ask you one thing?’ His words cause Anita to tilt her head with curiosity. ‘Can I come to visit her?’
Anita blinks, looking as if she was not expecting that question.
‘This is Jewel’s home, and you and Rodger love her. And so do I, but…’ He pauses, looking down at Jewel with a bittersweet smile as he scratches behind one of her black ears. ‘I can’t take her away from you. From her family. I know that now.’ He nods with an earnest expression. ‘And… at least now I know where she is. That’s enough.’
Anita’s shoulders relax with a soft expression. Before she can reply, however, the sound of the gate opening catches their attention.
Rodger pokes his head in, waving a brown, heavy looking book in his hand.
‘Am I interrupting?’
‘Oh, no dear.’ Anita motions for him to join them. ‘We were just talking. Did you have a hard time finding it?’
‘Well, I had to move more than a few boxes, but I managed in the end.’
Rodger joins them on the grass, and he looks at Sora and then to Jewel before a grin comes over his face and he playfully rubs the dalmatian’s head.
‘Jewel, you little rascal.’ He says with a click of his tongue. ‘I knew something like this was going on.’
‘Hm, dalmatians are velcro dogs after all.’ Anita hums, as if there is no helping it. ‘Always wanting to follow their owners everywhere.’ The sound of the door can be heard again, and she shakes her head. ‘Speaking of which.’
Pongo and Perdita can be seen entering the backyard through the barely open door that Rodger had left. After pausing to greeting their other children, the two parents come over to join everyone by the riverside.
Sora gains an odd feeling of camaraderie in his chest as Perdita warms up to Anita’s side and Pongo flops himself over Rodger’s ankles. He looks down at Jewel, who has gone back to relaxing against him, looking about as happy as a clam as she lazily rests her head on his forearm.
‘Anyway, here it is.’ Rodger says and opens the worn leather book. He thumbs around for a few pages, before putting it down on the grass next to Sora.
‘What’s this?’ Sora cocks his head to the side and pulls the book closer with his free hand to get a better look. ‘Ah! This is…’
‘Baby pictures.’ Anita says with pride. ‘I told you she was small.’
‘Yea! No kidding!’ Sora gapes like a fish as he looks further.
The page has elegant cursive at the top, the name ‘Jewel’ written there along with the label ‘Two Hours Old’. The photo shows an all-white Jewel, with the pinkest nose that Sora has ever seen. Her little eyes are closed, and true to Anita’s word, she fit perfectly into the palm of her owner’s hand.
The next photo is labeled ‘Two Weeks Old’, and it’s of a still very small-looking Jewel opening her eyes for the first time alongside her siblings.
More photos of Jewel can be found as Sora flips between the next few pages, before pausing at the one listed as ‘Three and a Half Months Old’.
Jewel is seen sitting on a couch and playing with a stuffed pickle squeaky toy, her necklace of spots now prominently shown on her fur.
She looks… exactly how he remembered her.
Memories flood through Sora as he looks at the photo with great care, finding himself getting a bit emotional as he flips through the remaining baby pictures.
‘Wow, these are…’ Sora lets the sentence hang as he looks between Jewel and the pictures, comparing them.
‘Pick whichever photo you’d like to take with you.’ Rodger hums, causing Sora’s eyes to snap to him.
‘Um, sure. Thank you.’ He tilts to the side, getting the feeling that there is something more going on here. ‘But why?’
‘We let all new owners take home one puppy photo, as a keepsake.’ Rodger explains as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Sora’s eyes widen in response.
‘What? But you said that-…’ He turns to Anita in shock.
‘Yes, I did say that Rodger and I made a promise to never adopt Pongo and Perdita’s puppies.’ Anita says, cutting him off. ‘But, I think we can make just one exemption.’ She reaches out and grabs hold of Sora’s hand, looking at him honestly from one dog lover to another. ‘Sora, you told me that you could never take Jewel way from her home or her family. But don’t you see? You are her family. She needs you. And we can’t take you away from her anymore.’
Sora can feel relieved tears catch in his eyes, and he is only able to clutch Anita’s hand tightly as new, grateful tears enter his eyes.
‘Thank you.’
The next hour or so flows by in a joyful, overwhelming breeze for Sora. He ends up choosing the picture of Jewel with her stuffed toy, and signs multiple adoption forms as Anita and Rodger give him a crash course on the very basic ins and outs of being a new dog owner.
Eventually, they all make their way back towards the deck, where Rodger wastes no time corralling Sora and Jewel to take a picture for the adoption wall.
As Sora is signing the board underneath his new photo with Jewel, Nanny makes her presence known as she slams open the screen door to the house.
‘Oh, look what I found, dears.’ She says while approaching them joyfully. ‘I almost thought we lost it. But look!’ She says, while waving an object in the air.
‘Hey, that’s…’ Sora quickly recognizes it as that stuffed pickle that Jewel had as a puppy. It looks as if it’s barely been used in ages, the only marking of age on it being the faded green color.
‘Yes, here it is. Oh, and it still works too!’ Nanny squeezes the toy, making it squeak loudly.
Jewel’s ear perks up in response to the sound, and she runs to Nanny from where she had been leaning against Sora’s legs. She barks and slams her paws onto the ground, leaning into a typical canine playbow posture as her tail excitedly wags back and forth.
Nanny gapes and looks absolutely stunned by Jewel’s actions; her eyes wide as she brings her free hand up to her mouth with shock.
Jewel doesn’t give Nanny any time to collect herself, however, as she jumps up and bites at the toy. The maid weakly tugs at it, causing the pickle to squeak again as Jewel rips it away from her and plays with it on the ground.
‘Oh, good heavens…’ Nanny says in disbelief. ‘She is… she’s playing! She’s actually playing!’
‘I know!’ Anita says in very much the same tone of voice. ‘I could hardly believe it either.’
‘Jewel, I haven’t seen you so happy in such a long time. Oh, you little angel.’ Nanny wipes at her eyes before cupping the dalmatian’s face and kissing her forehead.
Jewel seems none the wiser to all the commotion, however, and continues to play with her toy while Nanny then goes over to Sora and hugs him without a second thought.
‘Ah! Um…’ Sora tenses in response, not knowing how to react. Sudden hugs were never his forte.
‘Young man, thank you.’ Nanny says, her tone grateful. ‘You truly are a miracle worker.’
Sora opens his mouth to respond, but the words die on his tongue as Jewel comes back to his side. The pickle is still in her mouth, and she looks up at him with a happy, relaxed expression.
Somehow, he is unable to protest Nanny’s words.
It is sometime later, once Anita and Rodger give Sora and Jewel some gifts consisting of treats, toys, leashes and food to get them started, that the reality of what had just transpired really kicks in for Sora.
‘Well Jewelie, this is it, huh?’ Anita says. Her voice is soft as she kneels in front of Jewel and removes her collar, before giving the dalmatian a kiss on the forehead. ‘You be good for Sora, okay? No more sad faces.’
‘That’s right.’ Rodger scratches Jewel affectionately behind her ear. ‘Now take care, little one. We’ll be thinking of you here, always.’
A peripheral sense of déjà vu comes over Sora as Anita and Rodger say their goodbyes, reminded of when he had to do the same only two years ago.
This time is much different, however. Jewel is moving from one happy home to another, and there are no underlying worries about worlds collapsing or Kingdom Hearts reforming.
‘I promise we’ll both come back to visit.’ Sora offers some words of comfort in what he knows is a difficult goodbye as he fastens Jewel’s new collar around her neck. He had earlier chosen a nice pink one from Anita and Rodger’s stock, and the new golden dog tag shines in the early afternoon sun.
‘Oh, I have no doubt.’ Anita says with a bittersweet smile.
Sora gives a smile of his own back before looking to Pongo and Perdita as they move to give Jewel their own goodbyes.
He had always found it a bit odd back then that Pongo and Perdita seemed a bit… too intelligent, as if they could understand humans to some extent. But Sora was grateful for that strange gift now as the two parents are able to properly say their farewells to their daughter.
Pongo and Perdita also extend their farewells to Sora as well, and lick his hands and face as he pets them goodbye.
‘Thanks guys, for everything.’ He says in a whispered voice as he gives both adult dalmatians a squeezing hug. ‘I promise, I’ll take care of her.’
Perdita nuzzles her nose against Sora’s cheek, the two of them sharing a quiet moment of understanding before she steps aside so that Jewel can fill in her spot.
‘Ready to go, girl?’ Sora smiles as he stands up and places a hand onto Jewel’s head.
‘Farewell Sora.’ Rodger hums. ‘Be sure to write or call us if you have any questions or trouble.’
‘Yes, and do be careful on your way home!’ Anita says.
‘I will, and thank you guys again for everything!’ Sora clasps the new pink leash that they had given him onto Jewel’s collar.
Jewel herself appears to be unbothered by all of the goodbyes, but there is something in her eye, a sort of twinkle that Sora can’t decipher as she barks and jumps up at him excitedly.
Even now, in the presence of her family, it’s plain to see that Jewel still only has eyes for him, and Sora can feel a knot that had formed in his chest loosen in response.
He had been so worried about Jewel ever since they were separated. He worried that she might have thought he abandoned her, and that if he ever did manage to find her again, that she would never forgive him.
But Jewel still looks at Sora as if he has all the stars in his eyes, as if nothing at all had changed between them, and a warm, soothing feeling comes over his heart as they both turn towards the road ahead.
‘Bye now!’ Sora says as he walks backwards and waves with his free hand while Jewel jumps and barks her own goodbye.
Anita, Rodger, and Nanny wave back from their places on the front porch, with Pongo and Perdita barking their farewells together as the happily reunited duo cross the bridge and disappear along the road into the forest.
Once the black and white plantation is far behind them, Sora and Jewel find themselves running together along the fallen leaf speckled road, both of them relishing in each other’s presence after being separated for so long.
Somewhere along the way, Sora takes off her leash, confident that Jewel would stick by his side, same as always, as the two of them played impromptu games of tag on their way back towards Regent’s Park.
The sun is starting to go down now, the remnants of the warm Autumn day still in the air of the serene park as Sora all but collapses onto the grass in a secluded little area by the water’s edge.
His heart beats wildly and his lungs take in deep breaths. He can feel Jewel curiously sniffing at his hair by her place at his side, and Sora looks up at her with an adoring smile on his face.
‘I still can’t believe it.’ He says, having probably repeated this phrase over 101 times by now. ‘I never thought I’d find you, Jewel, but you’re really here.’
Jewel only licks his nose in response, causing Sora to laugh as she settles down beside him on the grass.
Sora pets her absentmindedly, staring up at the clouds above as his thoughts racing about a mile a minute in this hard-earned, tranquil moment.
‘A lot’s happened since I last saw you, you know.’ He looks at her with a grin. ‘Wanna hear about it?’
Jewel only huffs and leans against him further, which Sora takes for the affirmative.
He spins a tale to Jewel all about what’s happened in the last two years, sparing no details about how much he had missed her and the adventures that he had been on while looking for her.
Jewel, for her part, seems interested enough, as she settles her head on Sora’s stomach as he talks, just the two of them together in their own little world.
‘Donald and Goofy helped me look for you too.’ Sora says while unconsciously petting his hand up and down her back. ‘They thought it was impossible, though. But boy, won’t they be surprised when they see you!’ He grins, before his face suddenly falls. ‘Well, when being the important word…’
Jewel sits up then all of a sudden with her eyes pricked forward, causing Sora to blink.
‘Hey, don’t worry. We’ll see them again, you’ll see.’ Sora tries to soothe her, thinking that his distress has upset her. ‘I found you now, so-‘
Sora is then cut off, though, as the real source of Jewel’s concern makes themselves know as approaching footsteps can be heard from behind them.
‘Oh, hello boy!’
Sora sits up in surprise and turns around to find those two ladies that he had talked to before.
‘Oh, hi again.’ He greets them politely with a wave.
‘We were going to inquire if you had found your way, but I assume you got there alright.’ One of them says as their gaze catches onto the dalmatian at his side.
‘Yes. And just who is this pretty little lady?’ The other woman asks as Jewel looks at the two strangers with curiosity but does not move away from Sora.
‘This is Jewel.’ Sora says with a grin as he puts a proud hand onto her head. ‘She’s…’ He pauses, the words he wants to say both new and familiar at the same time, before he sits up straighter and finally finishes his sentence with a confident grin. ‘She’s my dog!’
‘I see.’ The old lady hums. ‘Well, we are glad you found your way.’
‘Did you end up finding everything that you were looking for?’ The other one inquires.
Sora looks at Jewel, and there is a small moment of silence between them before a grin as bright as the sun comes over the teen’s face.
‘Yea, I sure did!’
It doesn’t take long after that for the afternoon sun to dip dangerously low, causing the night to begin its fall across this world, and for Sora to decide that both he and Jewel should cease their lounging and head on back towards home.
‘Ah! There it is.’ Sora says, having had to search for a few minutes to remember where exactly he had left the portal to Quadratum.
Jewel looks at the pink floating ball of spikes hidden among the pricker bushes with caution, noticeably understanding that it is something otherworldly and dangerous. She lifts one paw slightly off the ground, looking uncertain, as Sora summons his keyblade.
‘It’s okay, Jewel.’ Sora says in a comforting tone as he pets her back. ‘We don’t need to go into the bushes, trust me. I already did that earlier.’ He laughs, trying to lighten the mood.
Though, he is pretty sure that he is actually more nervous about this than she is.
After all, he’s never brought an animal through a portal before. Other humans and inanimate objects, sure, but he didn’t have a single clue how Jewel would react once they passed through.
Sora lets out a contemplative breath, thinking back to the first portal that he had ever passed through. It had been bright, and a bit nauseating when coming out on the other side to a completely new environment, but nothing too overwhelming to a human at least.
To a dog, it would probably be absolutely terrifying.
The thought of putting Jewel through so much distress causes Sora to have second thoughts, but… they’ve already come all this way, and have spent so long apart.
There was no way they could back out now.
‘It’ll be really quick, and I’m gonna be right here beside you.’ Sora says, his voice low and reassuring as he loops her leash around his wrist securely. ‘Nothing bad’s gonna happen to you when I’m here.’
Jewel doesn’t answer, though her tail wags against Sora’s thigh as she looks up at him. Her eyes are just like her mothers, understanding things that any normal dog should not, and Sora takes that as a great comfort as he nods to her and raises his keyblade.
The jump is quick, and with a grand flash of light, they are back in Quadratum, in that same dark downtown alleyway that he had found just this morning.
Jewel is understandably frightened as she touches down onto the new world, and startles with the sudden change of scenery flashing before her eyes. If Sora had not had such a good grip on her leash, she might have just taken off running right then and there.
Sora’s arm is jerked to the side almost painfully as Jewel pulls away from him in a panic with her tail turned between her legs. His fingers burn as he struggles to hold onto the biting nylon of the leash, but he pays it no mind as he immediately tries to comfort her.
‘Hey, hey.’ He says in a gentle voice. ‘It’s alright, Jewel. Calm down.’
With nowhere to go, Jewel hunches over, her ears flat again her head, and Sora feels a painful tug at his heart as he is reminded of that one time in Traverse Town, back when the Heartless attacked her.
She had been frightened back then, just like this, and guilt eats away at him as he kneels on the dirty ground and carefully gets her to look at him.
‘It’s alright, I promise.’ Sora whispers. ‘I’m right here.’ He pets her slowly, not breaking eye contact. ‘I’m here, and I’ll protect you. Always.’
It takes some time and gentle coaxing, but eventually Jewel is able to relax enough for them to exit the alleyway. The night is still young, so there are plenty of people out and about as Sora slowly weaves them through the familiar streets with care.
He keeps an eye on Jewel as she is taking in all of the new sights, smells and sounds. He allows for them to stop often on their way, giving her time to interact with the flowers on the sidewalk, the vines growing on people’s fences and around utility poles, or even the few odd brightly colored fire hydrants.
All the while, as he watches her, Sora can’t help but think about when he had suddenly been cast into a whole new world, back at the start of his first journey.
Everything was so overwhelming and scary, and he had been all alone, but thankfully Donald and Goofy had come along at just the right time. The two of them had been his rock when he needed it most, and Sora vowed to be that for Jewel now as she got used to this new place.
After a few blocks of walking, Sora’s relaxed nature rubs off onto Jewel, and she seems to slowly gain a bit more confidence as they walk through a few city blocks.
Eventually, they come to a red pedestrian crossing light, and while they are waiting, Sora suddenly gasps as he remembers something important.
‘Oh! That’s right. Anita said we should get you some things.’ Sora hums, feeling comfortable by now to take his eye off of Jewel for a few moments as he fishes around in his pockets. ‘Let’s see, where’d I put the list?’
Jewel leans against his leg as they stand together as a pair, noticing with interest as another dog and their owner come to stand across the street.
‘Let’s see.’ Sora says when he finally finds the list in his back pocket. He reads it over while counting off with his fingers. ‘Food and water bowls, a dog bed and blankets, nail trimmers, doggy bags, a brush, and some shampoo…’
The light then turned green, and Sora and Jewel are nudged along with two or three other people to cross the street.
‘Hm, I guess I know where we can get all of these. I think at least.’ Sora scratches the back of his head and puts the list away just in time to notice the other dog approaching them.
His reaction time is ultimately slow, however, as the dog starts barking at Jewel.
‘Hey! Cut that out.’ The dog’s owner chides their schnauzer and pulls their leash backwards.
Jewel likewise barks in response to the other dog as she jerks forward on the leash in Sora’s grip.
‘Ah-!’ Sora blinks, unsure of what to do in this situation and looking like a deer in headlights.
Is he supposed to pull her back too? Or let Jewel say hello?
His indecision costs him as Jewel gets a little too close to the schnauzer and the dog bares its teeth and lunges at her.
‘Hey!’ Sora quickly pulls Jewel back towards him as he and the other owner swiftly and awkwardly pass each other by on the crosswalk, keeping their distance.
‘Sorry! He doesn’t like other dogs.’ The owner calls back over their shoulder, sounding sincerely apologetic.
Sora shakes his head.
‘H-hey, no worries.’ He calls back, even though he is clearly lying as he and Jewel safely make it across the street.
Jewel herself seems a little tense but otherwise fine after that interaction, probably having gotten used to such greetings when living with 98 other siblings. Sora, however, feels a bit shaken as he leads them to an emptier section of the sidewalk and slows to a stop.
‘Sorry, Jewel.’ He apologizes to her and worriedly checks her over, finding no injury or lingering indications of fear. ‘Heh, being a new dog owner is a bit harder than I thought it’d be.’
Jewel licks at Sora’s hands, and puts a foot onto his shoe, leaning her weight against it, and causing Sora to smile regardless of the situation.
‘You’re right, I shouldn’t worry about it. I’ll do better next time.’ Sora says and ruffles her ears. ‘But hey, let’s go and get you your things, okay?’
Not being one to let a single bad interaction get him down, Sora shakes his worries off and proceeds with Jewel to the pet store a few blocks away.
‘Alright, I take it back. This is a LOT harder than I thought it would be.’ Sora says to himself as he is presented with rows upon rows of toys, beds, food, treats, medicine, leashes and collars.
‘Uhhh….’ He says unintelligently, feeling overwhelmed by choices, and looks down to Jewel for guidance.
Jewel predicably has no advice to give in this situation, and simply looks happy to be here per her wagging tail.
‘Right.’ He says, before deciding to just look for an employee to help them.
Thirty minutes later, Sora’s infinite bag space is a little fuller and his wallet is a little smaller as he and Jewel exit the store and make the trek towards home.
The employee that had helped them had been nice enough, but they were just as overwhelming as the store was, giving Sora recommendations and suggestions for things, problems and situations that hadn’t even crossed his mind yet.
As in things that every new dog owner should consider, like checking in with a veterinarian, getting heart dewormer and flea/tick prevention, registering Jewel with the city, microchipping, pet insurance, and getting her a rabies shot(which sounded very VERY important).
These were all things that Sora either didn’t know existed, or had never considered before, and they piled up very quickly, leaving him feeling like he had once again gotten himself in too deep with something way too over his head.
‘I didn’t think that this would be so hard.’ Sora admits to Jewel as they round a corner, and he can see his apartment building looming in the distance. ‘But I guess I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to be with you again.’ He sighs and absentmindedly kicks a stray rock on the sidewalk. ‘I guess nothing much has changed about that, Jewel. I always just, don’t think things through when I need to. It’s how I ended up here in the first place.’
Jewel leans into him as they walk, and he pets her gently, taking in her offered comfort.
‘But, at least you’re here with me now.’ He says, a small grateful smile on his lips as he scratches behind her ear. ‘I gotta be grateful for that.’
When they have crossed the street and are now passing through a small park on their way towards home, Sora is surprised when Jewel suddenly stops dead in her tracks.
‘What’s wrong, Jewel?’ He asks, titling his head to the side when he notices that she is staring into some bushes intently, purposely putting herself between it and Sora.
Her hackles and tail raise, and a growl leaves Jewel as her nose wrinkles and she bares her teeth. Silence fills the air for a moment or two before Jewel barks at the bush, causing a Heartless to pop out of its hiding place.
‘Heartless!’ Sora shouts in alarm, his keyblade coming to his hand on instinct as a small group of shadows and flutterings appear.
Without thinking, Sora uses the leash in his hand to pull Jewel back behind him and rushes at the enemies, taking the weak Heartless down with one controlled spell of Thundaga.
More heartless appear however, and Sora bites his lip with worry as he and Jewel are surrounded by soldiers and large bodies. He can hear Jewel growling and barking behind him, and worry fills Sora’s heart as he grips his keyblade tighter.
The last time the heartless had attacked Jewel, it had left them both traumatized. If he had thought she had been feeling that fear before from the portal, he knew for certain that she had to be feeling it now as the Heartless move in closer.
That familiar, deep feeling of guilt overcomes Sora as he uses an Aeroga spell to harshly disperse the enemies away from them.
Once they are out of immediate danger, he bites his lip, thinking about what to do now as the Heartless struggle to get their bearings.
He hasn’t even been a dog owner for a whole day yet, and he’s already messed up so badly. He hasn’t been thinking about what was best for Jewel, not at all, and the realization hit him like a punch to the gut as he continues to use his magic to pick off the Heartless from a distance.
Donald and Goofy had warned him that taking Jewel with them would be too dangerous; that their lives as guardians of light was too unstable, too unsafe.
Just because Jewel was older now didn’t change that fact. Sora should have listened to them.
Slowly, the Heartless dwindle down to only a few individuals, none of them thankfully coming close to either Sora or Jewel, until a large body suddenly stomps red with anger and charges at the two of them.
With no time to react, Sora expertly blocks the attack with his keyblade, but the force of the hit still sends him careening harshly backwards.
The action causes the loop of Jewel’s leash to slip out of his hand, and panic rises in Sora’s chest as he sees her run away from approaching Heartless.
‘Jewel!!’ He calls before parrying the large body’s attack and dodge rolling along the ground to sidestep the Heartless and destroy it with one single slash to the back.
The enemy disappears into a stray heart and Sora gasps as the smoke clears and he sees Jewel running towards him.
‘Jewel!’ He calls to her again, and holds out his arms, thinking that she is running to him for safety and comfort.
Sora is quickly surprised, however, as Jewel continues to run right past him and sink her teeth into a soldier that had been sneaking up on him from behind.
Sora can only stand there, mouth agape as he watches Jewel, who had once been terrified of the Heartless, bite and tear at the enemy’s arm that had been raised to slash at her owner.
It’s only when the soldier starts to thrash in Jewel’s grip that Sora comes back to himself, and he rushes forward to cut it down with his keyblade.
The other Heartless are quickly disposed of after that, with Sora and Jewel working together as an effective team.
Adrenaline courses through Sora’s veins, and he can’t take his eyes off of Jewel as she courageously protects him from any approaching Heartless, giving him enough time to effectively destroy them before any harm can be done.
Sora breathes heavily when the air eventually grows still and the last of the Heartless disappear into dark smoke.
Jewel is panting beside him, looking about as worn out as he is, and he looks at her with amazement.
‘Jewel, you…’ He says, his keyblade falling away into particles of light as he turns towards her in disbelief. ‘You… fought the Heartless.’
She only comes toward him and paws at his leg, as if seeking praise, and Sora happily obliges her as he gets onto his knees and pets her head.
‘Good girl, Jewel! You did so well!’ He kisses her forehead and scratches behind her ears, causing her to wiggle in place as her tail goes wild. ‘But how? You used to be so afraid of them, remember?’
Jewel tilts her head, a moment of contemplation seeming to come over her, before she only leans forward and bites at his necklace. When he leans away to look down at her better, she only doubles down on her grip and paws at one of his shoes, as if saying that she doesn’t want him to leave.
‘So you too, huh?’ Sora says, his voice small and emotional as he hugs her to him, holding onto her for a long time as neither of them want to pull away just yet.
It’s sometime later before they eventually get up and stumble the rest of the way towards home, both of them feeling content in each other and their bond.
The apartment is as dark and as clean as Sora had left it, but something about it is so much lighter now as Sora settles down for bed that night.
After calming down from their fight, Jewel had made quick work of curiously sniffing everything at eye level in the apartment. Sora could only watch her with a fond expression, looking at this place with a new perspective as he set about getting her things set up for the night.
Dinner was a comfortably silent affair for the both of them, and Sora couldn’t help but give Jewel some table scraps from his own plate, before taking her out one last time before bed.
The person at the pet store had said to do that; and that it would be something he would just have to get used to, as Jewel would now be depending on him for everything.
It was a concept that Sora was apprehensive yet excited to learn about, having to take care of someone else, and it made the prospect of the future seem so much less lonely.
Sora sighs and snuggles further into his blankets, feeling too overwhelmed with happy thoughts to sleep. He can hear Jewel shuffle into the room from where she had been exploring his ensuite bathroom, and he watches her as she approaches his bed.
‘What is it, girl?’ He asks, causing her to whine in response.
He sits up immediately, thinking that something is wrong, before his gaze softens as she only paws at the blankets, wanting to come up.
‘What’s the matter? You don’t like your bed?’ He looks at the plush dog bed that is lying on the floor behind her. It hasn’t been touched.
Jewel only whines again in response, causing him to cave as she probably knew he would. He never could figure out how to say no to her, after all, even back during their days in Traverse Town.
‘Alright, alright. You can come up here.’ Sora lays back down and pats the bed, causing her to jump up and cuddle against him. Sora wheezes out a breath as she rests her entire weight on his chest, just like she used to do when she was a puppy.
‘Sheesh, you’re a lot heavier than I remember.’ He says with a laugh and pets her gently, already feeling his eyes start to droop closed.
This feeling, this weight, its familiar, yet different, but still incredibly comforting, and Sora couldn’t possibly be happier as Jewel snuggles up to him and licks at his chin and nose in a goodnight kiss.
‘Goodnight, Jewel.’
A smile comes to his lips, knowing that the two of them will have many trials ahead as he navigates being a new owner, and Jewel adjusts to living alongside a guardian of light.
But in this moment, Sora’s just so grateful not to be alone anymore, and he falls asleep looking forward to what the future holds now with his precious Jewel by his side.
The End
Bonus Scene:
A few weeks after Jewel had officially been adopted, Anita is pleasantly surprised to find a letter in their mailbox.
‘Rodger! Nanny!’ Anita calls into the house. ‘We have a letter from Sora, come and see!’
‘Coming, dear!’ Rodger calls from inside, though by the music that is still fluttering from upstairs, Anita can tell that it will probably take a few more minutes than necessary.
Rolling her eyes at her husband’s antics, Anita opens the envelope and takes a seat on the front porch swing, where Perdita had already been cuddled up beside her.
‘Hey Anita, Rodger and Nanny,’ She reads from the letter out loud. ‘Just wanted to let you know that Jewel and I are doing great! But between you and me, this whole being a dog owner stuff is really hard!’ Anita chuckles in response as Nanny joins her on the porch with a fresh cup of tea. ‘But I’m getting better and better at it every day! Jewel and I play together a lot too, just like old times. We’ve even started going to dog parks together, too, and she’s even made some new friends!’ Anita pauses and laughs a little as she notices the doodle in the corner that Sora had drawn of Jewel with her new canine companions. ‘Thank you for everything. Really. We will both come by to see you soon! Say hi to Pongo and Perdita for me! Much love, from Sora and Jewel.’
‘Oh, that boy sure has a big heart.’ Nanny hums while taking the offered letter once Anita is through with reading it.
‘He sure does.’ Anita agrees with a smile and looks down at Perdita, who is curiously sniffing at the envelope as if there is something else there to uncover.
Her curiosity peaked, Anita opens the letter further, and is surprised to find a whole gift bundle in the form of photos.
The pictures range from Sora and Jewel playing together on a tropical beach with white sands, to exploring a bustling city at night, to visiting a colorful house with peculiar looking doors, to playing together at the aforementioned dog park, or lounging on a tranquil river boat with what looks to be some sort of snake or dragon swimming in the background (Anita might have done a double take on that one).
The last photo is a candid shot of Jewel playing with her pickle toy on a fancy looking couch. The sight of it causes Anita to grow a bit sentimental as she places a hand over her heart.
‘Oh, looks like those two are getting along like a regular house on fire.’ Rodger makes his presence known as he finally joins everyone on the porch and peeks at the photos over his wife’s shoulder.
Pongo has joined them as well now and is immediately interested in the photos as he moves to Perdita’s side to look them over together.
Anita’s gaze softens and she flips through the pictures again for the two dalmatians. The last photo in particular causes Perdita and Pongo to tilt their heads, having the same expressions as Anita did only a few moments prior.
‘I know, I’m glad they’re doing alright too.’ Anita hums and pets Perdita’s head before doing the same to Pongo’s soon after.
‘I knew they would. The perfect pair, those two are.’ Rodger says with a nod, causing Pongo and Perdita to bark in agreement, as they all happily look over the photos once more.
‘Alright, are you ready Jewel?’ Sora calls as he starts gathering his things and tying up his shoes to head out for the day.
The sound of shuffling paws against hardwood floor causes Sora to laugh as Jewel practically barrels into his side. She looks at him with an excited, happy dog smile on her face as her owner stands up and grabs the pink leash from its resting spot on the wall.
‘Well come on, let’s go!’ Sora clips the leash on before the two of them head out onto the everlasting busy streets of Quadratum.
The air is crisp with early morning fog and dew as Sora lets his heart guide him to wherever it is they need to go.
‘Strelitzia said that she found another portal last night.’ He hums in explanation as they weave through the streets with practiced ease, seemingly without a clear destination in mind.
Another dog owner can be seen up ahead, and Sora pauses in his chat with Jewel as they move to pass them by on the sidewalk.
Both Jewel and Sora are relaxed as the dogs extend a friendly hello to each other, and the interaction goes smoothly between both pairs of humans and canines, before they all easily part ways.
‘Looks like it could be a new world.’ Sora picks up the conversation as if nothing happened as he and Jewel continue on their way. ‘Oh, and she told me in her letter to say hi to you by the way. And that she can’t wait to see you again soon.’ He says and pets Jewel with a proud smile. ‘Maybe we can visit her shop again, and she can give you more rose petals to try. I still can’t believe those are safe for dogs to eat!’
Jewel only licks Sora’s hand in response, both of them relishing in the feeling of no longer being alone as they head off towards a new world, and a new day.
Together once more, and for always.
Dream Eater Allyphant Creations 
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