Kingdom Hearts: Friendship's Turmoil

by Superdale33

Chapter 11: The Complications of Love

Kingdom Hearts: Friendship’s Turmoil
Chapter 11: The Complications of Love

Roxas rested on the front lawn of the school, simply lying on his back with his hands behind his head as he stared up at the sky, the clouds drifting by soundlessly. Though he was tired, sleep couldn’t find him, what with all the chatter that was present. It did, however, allow his mind to wander to the mysterious girl. Her actions were becoming more frustrating than frightening, and her hauntings were only growing worse. He couldn’t even understand why she was doing it in the first place. Maybe she was some witch messing with his mind until he cracked. Based on how he felt about the girl, that was probably the best conclusion. But that still didn’t answer why she was doing it. And why did he feel like he knew her?

Scowling, Roxas closed his eyes, growling slightly. “Just what do you want?” he muttered to himself, gripping his head disdainfully.

“Oh, did ya want to be left alone?” the voice of Apple Bloom asked, causing Roxas’ eyes to instantly open as he looked over. He saw Apple Bloom stand to his side with a slightly bashful expression. Her two friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, were right behind her, looking just as sheepish.

“Oh, uh, no,” Roxas started with a hint of regret for accidently speaking to them like that. He sat up a bit, resting his hands behind him for support, “I was thinking of someone else.”

Apple Bloom nodded, bringing her hands behind her back, “We just wanted ta know if we can see some more of your moves.”

“My moves?” Roxas repeated, raising an eyebrow, “Why do you want to see my moves?”

“Duh,” Scootaloo interrupted with swing of her arm. “We want to see some more awesome tricks with your keyblades!”

Roxas cringed a bit at her volume, glancing around to see if anyone was paying attention. He didn’t feel like trying to dissuade a court full of students from learning about the keyblade. Though many people did turn in their direction, they merely regarded Scootaloo like she was crazy, giving her a wide berth. In a way, it was rather humourous, and it made Roxas give a light chuckle.

The three girls didn’t see his actions, especially Scootaloo, whose eyes were twinkling with an idea, “Maybe we can make a movie from all that jumping around and taking out monsters!”

Sweetie Belle gasped, her eyes wide as she faced her friends, “Or a music video!”

The three girls were brimming with excitement at that prospect, barely holding back their squees. Roxas, meanwhile, was having trouble keeping up as he stood up to his feet. “Sorry, girls,” he apologized, brushing off the bits of grass that were stuck to his pants, “But the keyblades are for fighting back Heartless and Nobodies, not for showing off.”

The three girls sagged their shoulders as they faced down, and Roxas instantly felt guilty for ruining their mood. He rubbed the back of his head as he tried to think of something to make up for his answer. He glanced around the area in hopes of finding something to fix the situation. That was when an idea struck him as he smiled, the thought expanding as he put a hand on his hip.

“Although…” he said, trailing off to catch the girls attention. They looked up expectantly, curiosity on their faces. Roxas looked away from them, unable to contain the smile on his lips. “If I had a Struggle Bat, I could do it no problem.”

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow as she looked at Roxas, “What’s a Struggle Bat?”

“They’re like sticks with blue foam wrapped around them,” Roxas explained, holding out his hand as if he was holding one, “They’re used to fight against others for fun.”

Sweetie Belle brought a hand to her chin as she tapped it, humming to herself. Then her face erupted into joy as she thought of something. She faced Roxas with a small smile, “We don’t have Struggle Bats, but we have Clash Bats.”

It was Roxas’ turn to be confused as he tilted his head to the side, “Clash Bats?”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said with a nod, still smiling, “They were bats for this old sword fighting club in school called Clash. It wasn’t very popular though, and was canceled before we started here at school. But we still have the bats, and it’s the closest we have to a… Struggle Bat.”

Roxas didn’t know how Sweetie had all this information memorized, but his mind was on what she had brought up. Who knew that a school like this once had its own sword fighting club. Not only that, but from what Sweetie said, it was very similar to Struggle back in Twilight Town. Shaking off his mild shock, Roxas smiled back at Sweetie Belle, “Alright then, I can show you my ‘moves’ with these Clash Bats.”

All three gasped loudly as they huddled together, gazing up at Roxas like he was their idol. “Really?!” they said simultaneously, and Roxas nodded, before stifling another yawn, remembering how tired he still was.

“Well, not today,” he replied, scratching the top of his head, “I’m exhausted right now.”

The three girls deflated from that news, though not as much as when Roxas said he wouldn’t flaunt about with his keyblades. “How about tomorrow, before I head out to the party Pinkie has planned?”

Apple Bloom shook her head, “Na, we’ll be busy with... somethin'. But Monday is fine.”

“Monday it is then,” Roxas agreed as he took a deep breath, getting all the fresh air he could as he sat back down on the grass, crossing his legs. “I really need to hit the hay.”

Apple Bloom giggled, “Ya sound like my brother and sister after working in the fields for too long.”

“I bet,” Roxas said with a shake of his head, “I’ll catch you three later.”

“See ya, Roxas,” Scootaloo said as the three took off away from school, the other two girls giving quick goodbyes as well.

Roxas let his mind wander, before his face lit up in realization, turning back to the fleeing girls and cupping his hands around his mouth. “Don’t get into any trouble!” he yelled just as they disappeared around the corner of the school.

They didn’t respond to his shout, but Roxas was sure they got the message. He worried about them, especially since they knew about the other worlds. He wouldn’t know what to do with himself if they ever got hurt. Roxas rubbed his eyes; he was going off thinking about stuff like that while he still remained tired. He needed someplace to rest and fast, or he was going to fall asleep in public. Pushing himself back to his feet, Roxas slowly made his way back to the front entrance of the school, wanting to find Twilight and get his detention over with.

***

With the day officially over, Cadance could give a sigh of relief and prepare to pack up for the day. Having to keep track of many of the students at the school was tiresome, but at the same time, enjoyable. She wouldn’t trade it for the world. As she rested in her seat, she leaned her head back as she took a moment to collect her thoughts and relax.

That is, until three knocks were heard from the door. With a silent groan, Cadance sat up in her chair, brushed off any loose hairs that fell on her jacket, and took a deep breath. “Come in,” she said as pleasantly as possible.

The door opened slightly, and Twilight poked her head in, looking over with a blank face. “Am I interrupting anything, Cadance?” she asked, looking guilty for disturbing her. “I know you have the afternoons off, but I was hoping you could help a friend and I with something.”

Cadance was glad that it was Twilight and not some random student wanting out of his or her class in the middle of the semester. That was always a mess. “Of course,” Cadance answered with a nod, waving her hand for them to enter.

Smiling in appreciation, Twilight pushed the door open completely, revealing Fluttershy standing just behind her, her hair covering her face slightly. Cadance was somewhat surprised by that, and had to wonder what these two could want. The two came up to Cadance’s desk and sat in the two chairs that were in front of it. Through Cadance had no idea what could be on their minds, she could guess based off their expressions, but she’d rather not jump to assumptions.

“Is it alright if I have Spike out?” Twilight inquired quietly, lifting up her backpack. “He’s been stuck in my bag all day.”

“Yes you may, Twilight,” Cadance said kindly. She already knew that Twilight wouldn’t go anywhere without her dog, and allowed Twilight an exception for the ‘no pets’ rule. Twilight smiled back before pulling open the zipper, allowing Spike to poke his head out, looking around curiously. With both hands, Twilight lifted Spike out of her backpack and onto the floor. Spike stretched his legs a bit before bounding over to Cadance, rubbing his head against her leg in affection. Cadance reached her hand down and petted Spike a bit, scratching behind his ear as well. Afterwards, he walked back underneath Twilight and lied down on the floor, taking a nap.

Turning back to the two students in the room, Cadance waited patiently for them to start the conversation, silence filling the room. All they did, however, was fidget in their chairs, looking anywhere but at Cadance. Hoping to speed things along, Cadance cleared her throat, “So what’s the matter?”

Twilight flinched when Cadance spoke, being unsure how to state her problem. She sat up in her seat, glancing over to Fluttershy, who was equally nervous to speak. “We’re having…” she said, trying to find the right word to describe their plight, “boy troubles.”

“Ah,” Cadance said in acknowledgement, nodding slightly. She figured as much, especially since these two of their group of friends seemed to be the most fragile. They were lovestruck, plain and simple. “So, you two have fallen in love, have you?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Cadance,” Twilight warned with a pointed finger, though it was half hearted as she frowned, playing with her hair a little. “But yeah, I guess that’s true.”

Cadance tilted her head to the side, “What do you mean ‘guess’?”

Fluttershy muttered something, but Cadance didn’t catch it, causing Fluttershy to blush a bit as she repeated what she said, “I think I may like someone only because he’s helping me with my detention.”

Cadance frowned a bit in sadness, not liking that Fluttershy would think and feel that way. She looked over to Twilight, who also spoke about her problem. “And…” she said before cutting off, looking a bit ashamed, “Well, I guess I don’t really have a problem with a boy, but I’m just confused right now.”

Cadance nodded, facing each person in turn before standing up. Heading over to the door, she peeked around the hallway, seeing no one listening in. She locked the door and briskly made her way back to her desk, and the two girls just looked at her like she had gone crazy.

Cadance smiled broadly, sitting in her chair comfortably, “Okay, girls, time to get down to business.”

***

“And then I kicked it in for another score!” Rainbow said, giving an enthusiastic and dramatic kick in the middle of the hallway as she walked beside Applejack and Rarity. The two were unimpressed with the story Rainbow was telling, though Rainbow herself was relishing in it with a broad grin.

“We already know,” Rarity said with a shake of her head, “We were there, remember?”

“I know,” Rainbow said with a dismissive wave, her confidence evident in her tone, “I just thought I should remind you.”

“I think we’re plenty reminded,” Applejack replied, rolling her eyes. The three had joined up when classes had ended, deciding to hang out for a while before they left for their responsibilities. It was the rare time in the day where they could do so. However, Rainbow had used up some of their time talking about old sport events she had participated in. Despite the dull conversation topic, it was a relief to simply talk and not worry about some evil doer interrupting.

“So!” Rarity said aloud, changing the subject before Rainbow could go off in one of her stories. She had an excited smile on her face, “What do you think of Sora and Fluttershy?”

Applejack gave her a funny look, “I ain’t one to gossip, Rarity.”

Rarity sighed, giving Applejack a deadpan look, “Well, it’s either that or Rainbow’s tales.”

Applejack blinked before turning to Rainbow, who gave a half smirk. Applejack groaned, as she put a hand on her hat, tilting it a bit in front of her. “Oh, alright,” she grumbled before turning a small glare towards Rarity, “But I ain’t gonna hear a peep of this ta anybody else.”

“But of course,” Rarity agreed with a small giggle, “It shall be our little secret.”

“Rainbow?” Applejack questioned, making sure everyone was in agreement.

Crossing her arms, Rainbow faced away with a pout, “Yeah, yeah, fine.”

“Excellent!” Rarity said, her expression turning serious, “So, Sora and Fluttershy?”

“Uh…” Applejack said, looking to the ceiling, unsure where to start with that. “They… are cute together?”

“Most certainly,” Rarity nodded with a smile, “And to think they only knew each other for a short time. They may be a couple in no time at all!"

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Rarity,” Rainbow said, looking very bored already, “Like you said, they’ve only known each other for, like, three days.”

“Oh, but I can feel it!” Rarity said, stopping suddenly in the hallway, causing the other two to halt as well. Rarity looked at her hands intently, holding them out as if to display something. “In one hand, we have Sora! A nice, heroic boy who puts friends before himself! In the other hand, we have Fluttershy! A kind, naturally cute girl who deserves to have someone special in her life!”

“You and Counselor Cadance would get along well, I reckon,” Applejack commented with a chuckle as she gestured towards Rarity. “I hear she likes tryin’ ta get people together.”

“Oh, I already have,” Rarity responded, closing her eyes with a short laugh, “And the conversations we have. Quite astounding actually.”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked to each other, containing their mirth in smiles that only they could see. It made sense to them that Rarity and Cadance would hang out like that, but to actually hear it was somewhat ridiculous, to say the least.

***

Sora lead the way as he and Pinkie ran through the hallways, closely slipping by students who were unfortunately in their way. Their destination was the lobby, figuring it would be a good place to start looking for the others. When they arrived there, they stopped for a moment to scan the area, with Sora putting a hand over his eyes.

“Where do you think they’ll be?” Sora asked, looking to Pinkie who was rubbing her chin as she stared straight ahead. Then she looked over to the entrance doors, seeing Roxas walk through. Her face lit up immediately, grabbing a hold of Sora’s arm and shaking him vigorously as she pointed towards Roxas.

“There’s Roxas!” she shouted excitedly, though Sora was a bit distracted by the erratic movement. When Pinkie let go of him, she waved her hands in the air in an attempt to flag down Roxas. Sora simply rubbed his arm where Pinkie held him, finding it sore. As soon as Roxas took note of Pinkie, he gave a tired smile and made his way over to her.

“What’s going on, Pinkie?” Roxas said as he approached, crossing his arms.

Pinkie opened her mouth to reply, but stopped short, changing her smile to a pout. “Sunset Shimmer is what’s going on,” Pinkie said with a sigh, “She’s being mean again. And she has something planned for Sora tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Sora added, turning his gaze up to the ceiling, “and we have no idea what it could be.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Roxas said with an idle wave of his hand. “We’ve handled worse. What could a high school girl bring up that would be too much for us?”

“An entire army of Heartless?” Pinkie attempted, getting a bizarre and slightly alarmed look from Sora and Roxas. Pinkie giggled, “Just joking around.”

Giving a chuckle, Sora turned back to Roxas, feeling much more confident, though he was already quite convinced that Sunset wouldn’t be much of a threat. No matter what she did, Sora can live through it with his friends. And that’s all that really mattered to him.

“You’re right, Roxas,” Sora said with a nod as he brought his hand back. Roxas quickly caught on to what he was going to do, and did the same thing. Both of them brought their hands together and locked them in an arm wrestling hold, all the while, smiling broadly. “As long as we have our friends, nothing can stop us.”

As they pulled their hands away, Roxas gave a deep sigh, “As long as we take down the Organization, anyway.”

Sora put his hand on his face, hiding a smile underneath it, "Ah, don't be a downer, Roxas."

Roxas and Pinkie laughed at his remark, the latter much harder than the former, catching the eye the surrounding students. Then, the voice of Rainbow said, “What’s so funny?”

The three turned to see Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity standing their, curious as to the source of Roxas and Pinkie’s laughter. “Oh,” Pinkie said, clutching her belly, “It’s nothing important.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Applejack said with a playful roll of her eyes.

Sora gave an exaggerated shrug before relaxing his arms, remembering that he had been searching for everyone. “Before I forget,” he said catching everyone’s attention, “Sunset Shimmer is planning something for me tomorrow.”

“Ah, don’t worry about her,” Rainbow said as she crossed her arms, “Let that girl do what she wants.”

“Rainbow’s right,” Applejack agreed, a smirk emerging, “There ain’t nothing she can do ta get ta us.”

“Exactly what I said,” Roxas added with a nod. At that very moment, Sora knew he had some good friends. Having them nearby gave him immense happiness, and he didn't know where he would be without them. They were special to him, and he kept all of them close to his heart. He gave a content sigh, knowing what he had to do.

“No matter what happens,” Sora announced, placing a hand over his heart, “I won’t let anything happen to any of you. You’re all my friends…”

He gave a gentle smile, turning to everyone as he spoke, “And you all mean a lot to me.”

Everyone was touched by his words, sharing his smile and feeling ready for whatever Sunset may have in store for Sora tomorrow. A moment passed before Rarity blinked as she remembered something, nudging Applejack with an elbow. Glancing to her with a raised brow, she saw Rarity tilt her head towards Sora, giving her a knowing look.

A rock suddenly formed in Applejack’s stomach, knowing exactly what Rarity was implying. With a slightly shaky sigh, she spoke up as her eyes were trained on Sora. “Can I speak with ya for a minute, Sugarcube?” she asked, her face so downtrodden that it was clearly visible to everyone. And with Sora, it felt worse, especially after what he had said only a few seconds ago.

“Yeah,” Sora responded slowly, unsure about what could be on Applejack’s mind, “we can talk.”

Applejack quickly turned away from the others as she moved away towards the entrance. Sora looked to everyone else, silently asking what it could be about. Only Rarity seemed to have an idea of what was going on as she gave a shooing gesture towards Applejack. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to where Applejack stood, noticing how still she was with her back towards him.

“I was teased a lot when I was a freshman,” Applejack blurted out quietly, quickly turning to Sora with her hat down in shame. Sora jerked back with his mouth open, taken aback by her sudden announcement. Applejack glanced over to Sora seeing how confused he was, and gave a shaky sigh as she started with a question. “You remember when those two girls were talkin’ behind my back?”

Sora remembered quite clearly, the memory making him sad as he nodded. Applejack swallowed as she found herself playing with her hands. “Well,” she said nervously, “When I was a freshman, I was always made fun of for the way I am. I tried fittin’ in, but everyone kept teasin’ me anyway. It wasn’t until my friends helped me realize that I don’t need ta change who I am. Course, that didn’t stop people from makin’ fun of me. I usually ignore ‘em, but then…”

It wasn’t hard for Sora to put two and two together, making him clench his hands up at learning Applejack’s problem. “But I changed that, right?” he asked, looking up to her.

Applejack didn’t want to admit it, but she had no choice. Being an honest girl had its downsides. “Yes,” she whispered, staring right at Sora’s blue eyes. She found them very calming, but that didn’t stop her from speaking her mind, “When you’re around, I feel like I have ta keep an ear out for anythin’ suspicious, and it just makes the teasin’ much more noticeable.”

The thought of being responsible for a friend’s sadness wasn’t something Sora liked. He always strived to help as much as he can, but for the situation, it was actually making someone feel worse. Knowing what he had to say, Sora lifted his head up as if in thought before bringing it back down, seeing Applejack look up to him with her eyes watering ever so slightly.

“I’m sorry, Applejack,” Sora apologized, the finality evident in his tone, “but I can’t change who I am. I help my friends, even if it might make them a little sad.”

Applejack bowed her head a bit, understanding Sora completely. It wasn’t his fault that she was being teased, and there was no way she would blame him for anything. She had only told him so he would comprehend her minor bullying problem. Raising a hand, Sora put it on Applejack’s shoulder, knocking her out of her revery as she noticed his soft smile. “But I promise,” he said with determination, “I’ll help you through it. It’s what friends are for.”

It took a moment for his words to set in, but Applejack eventually broke into a smile. “Yeah, you’re right,” she said, feeling the knot in her guts lessen. Before Sora knew it, Applejack quickly wrapped him in a hug, resting her head on his chest. Sora, for his part, was surprised by the sudden contact, his hands hovering in the air as he stood there stunned. “Thank ya kindly, Sora.”

After the initial shock, Sora lowered his hands until he was hugging her back. Though Applejack was only a friend, Sora felt like she could use a hug, especially since she was the one who had started it. As for Applejack, she was smiling fondly, quietly giggling to herself.

Fluttershy was lucky to have a guy like Sora.

***

Cadance closed her eyes in thought, intertwining her fingers as she brought her hands up to her mouth. Thinking it over aided Cadance immensely, since it helped keep track of what she needed to say to assist Twilight and Fluttershy in the best way possible. Fluttershy met with Sora when she was serving her detention, and have bonded through that. That’s the reason she fears she may only like him for his help. As for Twilight, she suddenly found she liked Roxas, with no explanation whatsoever. It certainly was a challenge to figure out.

“W-Well?” Twilight inquired nervously, obviously on edge with how she felt about Roxas. Cadance knew she didn’t want to mess up her friendship, and so didn’t want to do something she would regret. “What do you think?”

Cadance took a deep breath, lowering her hands to her desk as she opened her eyes. “I may have an explanation for how you’re both feeling,” she said, glancing over to Fluttershy who sat up in her chair with hope. “Fluttershy, what you’re really afraid of is the unknown.”

“Um, the unknown?” Fluttershy repeated, her expression nothing but uncertainty as she bowed her head with her eyes still trained on Cadance.

Cadance nodded, “You don’t know enough about Sora to gauge his feelings, nor your own. Take the time to learn more about him. The more you understand, the better you can cope with your situation.”

Despite the sound advice, Fluttershy was still a little on edge, wondering how she would even start a conversation to know more about Sora. Nevertheless, Fluttershy nodded slowly at Cadance’s words, swallowing as she played with her hands. Satisfied that she had helped Fluttershy, Cadance turned to Twilight, who suddenly stiffened when she faced her.

“And Twilight,” Cadance started, pausing for a moment to collect her words, “There is a thing as love at first sight, you know.”

Twilight crossed her arms as she groaned, her annoyance toned down by how anxious she was. She should have expected such a response, but Twilight some how knew that Cadance was joking. And when she broke out into soft chuckles, it proved that Twilight was right.

“Sorry,” Cadance apologized, holding a hand in the air as she calmed herself down, “Everyone knows that’s ridiculous.”

The look Twilight gave Cadance showed how desperate she was for assistance, wanting the topic to remain focused. Cadance caught onto it and frowned, closing her eyes again for a few seconds before opening them.

“To be honest, Twilight,” Cadance explained, the guilt on her face causing Twilight to sag her shoulders in disappointment, already knowing what Cadance would say, “I don’t know what it was you could have felt towards Roxas. He wouldn’t answer a lot of my questions during his orientation, and he sounded like he had something on his mind. The best advice I can give you is to learn more about him too.”

Expecting such an answer, Twilight gave a deep sigh, nodding her head as her mind tried to work out what could be on his mind so much. Both Roxas and Sora did have to worry about protecting the magic of friendship, but Sora seemed to handle it just fine. Something else had to be going through Roxas’ head, and Twilight wanted to learn what that was.

"Thanks for the help, Cadance,” Twilight said, standing to her feet with a thoughtful nod. Fluttershy stood up as well, mimicking Twilight as she rubbed her arm. It was clear to Cadance that she hadn’t completely deterred Twilight’s and Fluttershy’s anxiety. However, it was the best she could do with what she had.

“It’s no problem,” Cadance replied with a wave, “But please tell me when you’re together. Shining would love to know.”

Twilight blushed, turning away as she whined, “Cadance…”

Cadance giggled at Twilight’s reaction, but Fluttershy remained silent, wondering if she could be with Sora. The thought made her heart fly, but the idea of denial made her lock up, almost wanting to cry. She hoped she could build up the courage to ask when the time came.

In the meantime, she smiled at the thought of being with Sora when they cleaned the hallways that day. It would the perfect time to learn more about him, and for her to hopefully understand him that much more.

Author's Note:

That amount of Heartless I had to slay to get this single chapter done... Ugh.

Comments

[Moongaze14]

This was a heartwarming chapter. Sora bonding with AJ; Roxas bonding with the CMC; Fluttershy and Twilight bonding with Cadence. It all makes weeks out to produce one cute chapter.

[Feather Note]

Adorable really ... everyone having their own problems... and of course I cannot wait to see how the relationships blossom.

[GoldenCyclone4]

When I saw this story get updated, I nearly wept in joy! This story is amazing, dude! The thing I worry about is how Twi will react when Xion is ultimately revealed. After all, Xion and Roxas really seemed to have something...

[621Chopsuey]

That moment between Sora and AJ warmed my heart.

[tobbydark]

You know I gotta learn what your stance with Sora and Kairi is. Cause I've always thought of them as together.

[Dawn Flower]

Ooooooohhhh, it is going to be awkward when Kairi shows up.