Chapter Previews

All Chapter Previews are Organized Under Here.

Love Sick
Chapter 19  

Hotel Hearts
Initial Concept
Chapter 10
Chapter 11

Sora's Epic Journey
Initial Concept

Artwork
Sora (Love Sick)

Sora's Epic Journey: The God Quill

This is the first concept for Sora's Epic Journey Through Fanfiction.  The story was originally called "The God Quill," but as you now know, I decided to go for a more eye-catching title. While this and the current story are not the same, it does give hints as to the kind of person Sora was before he started going nuts with the god quill.

Hotel Hearts Chapter 11 Preview

 Listening to Selphie's advice, Kairi decided to give it a shot. She already agreed to the date, but now she won't approach it as an unwelcome and miserable method of passing time. She owed Riku that much. Despite how charming and gentlemanly he might be, she had no expectations of love. She had priorities, and a boyfriend was the lowest item on that list.

Hotel Hearts: Initial Concept

I was digging into old files when I found this interesting piece. I actually approached the concept of Hotel Hearts from different angles. The premise in this one is kind of mysterious. 

Bent over the kitchen floor, the boy furiously scrubbed until the surface started to shine with a silver sheen. With a heavy sigh, he picked up his dirty rag and tossed it over the kitchen counter; he threw off his rubber gloves and pulled the bandanna that was holding his hair in place loose. His hair sprung to life, gasping for air previously denied by the cloth, and the boy stretched, letting his joints crack freely. After ironing out the kinks, he proceeded upstairs to his room to get ready for work.

Love Sick Chapter 19 Preview

A dramatic moment.

It's something that, in movies, is usually accompanied by excessive amounts of slow motion, agonizing music, and a lot of suspense.

Unfortunately, life doesn't slow down to give us room to breathe. Blink once and you're already six-inch deep, with one foot out the door and the other trying desperately to stay inbounds. When something bad comes, it hits hard and fast.

Which is why, by the time I see her, it's already too late.

Damn.

What the hell is Xion doing here?

If she finds out that I'm here with Roxas, she'll definitely tell Kairi about it. My first thought is to hide, but that's when my dramatic moment comes. As my mind probes for possible solutions, it dawns on me that I'm here with Roxas.

It's a crippling realization.

Roxas could never read a situation well. His capacity for subtlety is nonexistent. At the slightest prod, he'd fold and spill out his guts. He's the kind of guy that would tell you far more than you ever wanted to know. I just hope he keeps his mouth shut.

I use the moving bodies on Starwalk as cover until I make my way to a wall. I back up against it and peek over the edge to see them talking. Time to just wait it out. I pull myself back, lean against the wall, and slide down until I'm squatting. Staying low should minimize my presence.

Hopefully, Roxas just hit on her and got rejected, and that would be the end of that. Worse case scenario, she recognizes him. With recognition comes curiosity, and with curiosity comes attention, and with attention comes a retch session with a toilet bowl.

What are the odds that she just happened to be here? I'm inclined to believe in coincidences as substitute for fate, but when things are this convenient, I believe in volition. Could she have followed us from school? Why would she? Maybe she's spying on us for Kairi?

I don't know what scares me more: that I'm this paranoid, or that it might actually be justified -- schizophrenia be vindicated.

Hotel Hearts Chapter 10 Preview

The cellphone sprang to life, spitting out the catchy chorus of the latest pop song that lit up the sales charts. Xion's hand poked out from under the covers and doused it immediately. She hated the song now. It probably wasn't a smart move to make her favorite song her alarm ringtone. It seemed like a good idea at first, but every time she heard the song, it brought back horrible memories of trying to wake up. After squelching the phone, she rolled off the bed and hit the ground. She pushed herself up and groggily searched for the bathroom. She stumbled inside and rinsed her mouth. She squeezed the tube and a column of paste topped the bristles of her toothbrush. She started scrubbing her teeth vigorously when she heard noises from downstairs. It was six in the morning, what was Sora doing up? She descended downstairs while brushing and looked into the living room.

She almost spit out her toothbrush.

"Are my eyes fooling me?" she mumbled, froth threatening to spill out from her mouth. "Are you actually studying?"

Sora looked up from his notebook and grimaced. "Spit it out before it gets on your shirt."

She went to the sink and followed his instruction. She turned the faucet to wash the bubbles away. "What's gotten into you?" she asked clearly, the brush no longer stuck in her mouth.

"There's a quiz today. If I don't get a decent grade, heads will roll--mine specifically."

"Oooh," she drawled tantalizingly. "Kairi's got you in a vice-grip?"

"No," he answered. His job was in jeopardy, Kairi had nothing--actually, it was all Kairi's fault!

Xion sat down on the sofa and watched as he examined his notes. "You know, I've been wondering...what do you do all night?"

Sora stopped his review and sat up. He thought she would've ignored his absences but it was kind of weird when he was coming home at four every night. "I got a midnight job," he answered truthfully.

"Really? Hmmm..."

He sighed. She always did that for further prompting. "What is it?"

"I just thought that you were staying out all night with Kairi."

He almost choked on his spit. She was closer with that assessment than she thought. "Nah, just work."

"Why are you working anyways? Do we need money that much?"

He wouldn't say it was for her medical bills. "With mom on vacation, somebody's gotta pick up the slack." Their mom actually found a donor and called to tell him about it yesterday. She told him to keep it quiet to Xion since she was still in the process of "negotiation." He didn't know what there was to negotiate. Most "donors" are actually dead, since people can't live without a heart. It was apparently a complicated situation.

"Well, don't run yourself to the ground. School's important!" She was starting to sound like Kairi.

Learning that there was a potential donor was a load off his chest. Once these days of working stopped, he could focus on school. With the free time, he could start thinking about his future. Kairi repeated the word "future" like it was the be-all end-all of everything. He never gave it much consideration since he lived day to day."Do you have a dream, Xion?"

The dark haired girl flipped her feet on the coffee table. "Of course!"

She surprised him sometimes. Even when she stuck in a hospital bed, she dared to dream. He envied her. "What is it?"

"I want to be a nurse," she replied. There was no hesitation. She knew exactly how to answer the question.

"A nurse..." It made a lot of sense. She spent a lot of time in the hospital. The nurses were probably the only company she had most of the day.

"Nurses are amazing people. They do all the dirty work to make sure the patients are comfortable and smiling. I want to be just like them," she admitted enthusiastically.

Sora was warmed by her words. This girl, despite her difficulties, looked forward to the future with no uncertainty. The question of death didn't even exist. It was as is she knew she'd be alive to see her wish come to fruition. "I'll support you the best way I can."

"What about you?" she asked back.

"I'm not sure," he confessed. "I haven't really thought about it."

Xion got up and gave him a pat on the back. "You'll find it eventually. Just study hard!"

He smiled. "That's the plan."