Kingdom Hearts: Friendship's Turmoil

by Superdale33

Chapter 20: Feelings

Kingdom Hearts: Friendship’s Turmoil
Chapter 20: Feelings

The animal shelter was silent as Sora entered through the door. It was a receptionist area, fit with a counter just to his left and a see through room in the far corner. The many colorful tubes in the secluded room proved that it was for hamsters, if the rodents inhabiting it didn’t give it away. Besides the hamsters, there was no sign of any pet or person, like it was meant to be closed for the day.

“Fluttershy,” Sora called, unwilling to walk further into the room. With the lack of life, it put him in an awkward position if he was not meant to enter. Thankfully, a door opened on the left side of the wall, past the counter.

“Oh, I’m sorry, we’re…” Fluttershy started before trailing off, her eyes landing on Sora. She immediately looked away with her hands gripping her arms. It didn’t take an expert to know that she was still uncomfortable around Sora.

“I wanted to apologize,” Sora stated, “I didn’t mean to frighten you when I… changed into that form.”

The room felt like it was pressing itself against Sora, and it didn’t help that there was not a sound to be heard, inside or outside. Fluttershy didn’t respond, almost acting like she was ignoring Sora, which made his heart heavy. Scratching the back of his head, Sora tried to think of something to help him in the situation. Idly, he stuck a hand into his red pouch, searching around without really looking for anything.

His hands brushed against a star made of seashells, and it made Sora freeze up. Pulling it out, he found the good luck charm Kairi had given him. It had seen better days, but it was still intact and clean, and it held the warm radiance that Kairi gave off. With a little more thought, Sora felt that Fluttershy shared that same feeling.

“What’s that?” Fluttershy whispered, barely giving a glance at Sora. Seeing her speak up made Sora smile, which didn’t go unnoticed by Fluttershy, giving a weak one in return.

“It’s Kairi’s good luck charm,” Sora explained, tossing it up before lightly catching it. “She made it before our world was taken from the darkness. Before I went out to fight Xehanort’s Heartless, she gave it to me. I’ve tried giving it back, but she wanted me to keep it.”

Fluttershy deflated at the mention of Kairi, closing her eyes in defeat. Sora could tell Fluttershy was sensitive around the name Kairi. Whenever Sora had brought her up during the long story back at the club, Fluttershy would turn away like she had been hurt. Why Fluttershy would behave in such a way, when she had never even met Kairi, made him sadder.

“You remember when I turned into a Heartless at Hollow Bastion?” Sora asked, clutching the lucky charm as he raised it up. “How I had sacrificed myself to free Kairi’s heart?”

It was something Fluttershy could never forget. She couldn’t even imagine Sora disappearing, but coming back as a Heartless to boot was even worse, and in a dreadful place no less. Fluttershy quickly nodded, hoping the conversation would move past that point.

“Her heart lead me back to the light,” Sora said, rubbing a thumb on the lucky charm, “And I wouldn’t be here today if it hadn’t. But…”

It was the moment of truth, and Sora could tell his heart was urging him to go through with it. Lowering his hand, he stepped forward towards Fluttershy, reaching into his pocket again. He deposited the lucky charm before finding the little orb in the lower reaches, and pulled it out just as he stood in front of Fluttershy. Her breathing was ragged, looking off to the side, though he could tell she was struggling to not look up to him.

“Here,” Sora said, holding out his hand to display a small blue crystal, perfectly rounded and fragile. Fluttershy gazed at the object in awe, transfixed by its beauty. She may not have been one for jewelry, but Fluttershy felt special as she picked up the orb. Afraid she would drop it, Fluttershy cupped her hands, rolling it around in her palms.

The way Fluttershy was acting made Sora smile. He knew she wasn’t one for expensive, shiny objects, but he felt she would cherish it. “I got it in Twilight Town, after learning that Kairi had been kidnapped,” Sora said, “When I held it, I felt something deep inside of me. Like someone else was reaching out to it.” Sora grunted in amusement as he crossed his arms. “I think it was Roxas, he always did get a little protective with his stuff.”

Fluttershy gave a quiet giggle at his quip, and it made Sora happy, even if he did bring up Kairi again. He pointed at the orb as he continued, “This crystal was what made me feel like I wasn’t alone, that someone else was in my heart.”

Fluttershy was still staring at the crystal in bliss before her face fell back to a frown. Sora’s heart dropped, dreading the reason behind the action. He didn’t want Fluttershy to reject his gift; he felt like he was close. “W-Why are you giving it to… me?” she asked, finally looking directly up to him. Looking into her aquamarine eyes caused him to blush and smile at the same time. It also allowed him to just look at her fully. To him, she was beautiful, with a heart of gold to match. It brought relief to know that he loved her with all of his heart. However, bringing it out into the open made him blush, barely finding the words to respond.

“Because,” he said, lifting a hand up and placing it against the side of Fluttershy’s head, feeling her soft hair between his fingers, “I want you to know that you’re a part of my heart, as much as I’m a part of yours.”

Fluttershy met Sora’s hand with her own, holding the crystal tightly. She knew what Sora meant by that statement, and her blush matched his own. She had no idea how to respond; she didn’t have a lot of friends, and to have someone who had arrived merely a few days ago say something like that put butterflies in her stomach.

“Sora…” she said, taking a single step forward.

Suddenly, a solid kick to the door snapped them out of their trance-like staring as they hastily backed away from each other with heavy blushes. With the door ajar, Rainbow Dash leaned into the doorway with a curious expression. She turned between Sora and Fluttershy before a large smile emerged.

“Have you guys made up yet?” she questioned with a hint of impatience, “Standing outside waiting for you guys is so boring.”

The question brought back the subject that drove Sora and Fluttershy apart in the first place. It wasn’t resolved either, leaving the true answer in the dark. Sora faced Fluttershy with a desperate feeling he hadn’t felt since the Dream Worlds. Fluttershy simply stood there in contemplation, and Sora could only wonder what could be passing through her head. He really didn’t want it to be a negative remark.

“Yes…” Fluttershy said slowly, holding the crystal orb tightly as she smiled shyly, “I think we did work it out.”

The immense pleasure Sora felt was euphoric, and it made him release a chuckle. He was on top of the world for the moment after the harrowing situation he had on his hands before. Rainbow was pleased as well, giving a genuine smile that wasn’t cocky or absurd.

“Finally,” Rainbow said before sweeping an arm for them to follow, “Come on, lunch is on me.”

Though Rainbow was really eager, Fluttershy held a finger, turning to a few papers on the receptionist's desk as she sorted them out. Sora could tell she was closing the animal shelter properly, and wasn’t at all in a rush, though Rainbow groaned as she heaved a restless sigh. The short period gave Sora time to think about how things would turn out with Fluttershy. She didn’t really confirm whether she wanted to share the same feelings Sora did, but he felt like it wasn’t something that needed an answer. He kind of already knew, and it made his heart skip a beat whenever he reminded himself of it.

However, his mind drifted over to Kairi which made him frown slightly. Sora had no idea how Kairi would react to him loving Fluttershy, but he felt she would accept it. He didn’t want to break the deep friendship he had with her, and he was willing to bet she didn’t either. He still remembered the radiance that her lucky charm gave off. It was more than a trinket, that much he would never deny, and it showed their connection as friends. No matter what happened, he knew that she would understand, and bring a smile to his face along with it.

***

A hooded stranger, wearing a black cloak, sat next to the doorway leading into the animal shelter, the occupants that had once resided inside were long gone. It left an empty feeling to the area, like all the happiness and friendship had left with those three kids. The stranger didn’t care, or at least that’s what he kept telling himself. The exchange Sora and Fluttershy had put him in a rut, one that caused him to contemplate his very motivations for being in this world in the first place.

He had stated that he was merely observing, watching and waiting for something, but exactly what, he hadn’t a clue. Maybe he was lying to himself, covering up for what he had done, and likely for what had happened before his time with Organization XIII.

“How long?” the stranger asked himself, gripping his leg tightly, “How long has it been since that morning? The moment when everything I held dear had been snuffed away like a small flame.”

He turned to the sidewalk where he saw Sora and the two girls walk down. “That boy had experienced the same loss,” he mused, “But he gained everything back. He doesn’t know how lucky he is.”

Standing up, he held his hand in front of him, staring at the palm like it would provide him the insight he desired. It didn’t tell him why he was the one to become a Nobody, why he had wronged Sora, why he didn’t just fade away. It was just a hand, a hand that couldn’t do anything but what he wanted it to do.

“Maybe this is my reason for appearing here,” the stranger said, gazing around, “A form of punishment for my actions. The evidence stands with it; black coat, memories of my past, and the girl.”

The stranger paused, remembering the first time he had seen Rainbow Dash, practicing. She played a game he wasn’t familiar with, but it hardly changed his feelings towards her. Rainbow Dash was so much like her, it hurt to just look at her. The times they had shared was long gone, and could never be repeated, and fate chose to torment him with someone that resembled her so much.

“She is not her,” the stranger emphasised, shaking his head slowly, “She is not my… sister.”

His sister was gone, end of story, though not the end of his memories. As much pain as they brought him, those small moments with her was all he had left. And Rainbow Dash, how she pranced about boastfully, imitating her, mocking her. She acted like her but never being her in the first place.

“She is not my sister!” he bellowed, lashing an arm to the side. He almost summoned his weapon, but restrained himself, knowing nothing good would come out of losing control. He gave a few long breaths, lowering his anger, though not doing well. He had to distract himself, that’s how he had kept sane. He just needed to observe, nothing more.

“Even if she isn’t her,” the stranger continued, walking forward, “I can’t resist the urge to assist her. I hope it wanes out with time. It is cumbersome to watch her like I did with my sister.”

With that in mind, he made his way down the sidewalk, where the three kids had trekked down. The stranger could easily pull up a Corridor of Darkness, but the day was far too sunny. He should enjoy the light while it lasted.

***

With three apples coming his way, Riku smirked with his keyblade ready for another strike. Three quick swings was all it took to cut the apples once more, adding to the other apple halves that littered the ground around him. His sweat was nothing to him as he breathed heavily, feeling like he was in his element. A rigorous training was what he really needed to feel alive, though the last barrage wasn’t enough to sate him.

“Three apples?” Riku asked, shouldering his keyblade with a smirk, “Why are you taking it easy on me?”

Applejack chuckled with a smirk of her own, five apples in her hands. A baseball pitching machine stood in front of her, still humming with its rubber wheels in motion. Apple Bloom and Rarity stood beside Applejack, their arms full with so many apples they could hardly keep balance. Applejack laid her apples on the ground before tipping her hat, “It’s mostly cause ya sliced enough of ‘em for the apple pies, but also cause ya look like ya could slip like Granny Smith on a banana peel.”

A glance around did show Riku that he had little room to maneuver. Most of the space had been filled up, to the point where stepping anywhere out of the barren circle he stood in would be hazardous. Grunting, Riku dismissed his keyblade with a nod, and Applejack shut off the pitching machine. Rarity and Apple Bloom dropped their apples with a drawn out sigh, relief flooding their mind.

Applejack was still impressed how Riku was able to cut that many apples in a few hours. They had barrels full of the apples halves, more than they probably should have cut really. However, seeing the proud smile on Riku reminded Applejack of herself; the feeling of doing a good day’s worth of work.

Taking hold of a wooden bucket, Applejack tossed it to Riku who caught it nimbly, already knowing the procedure. He collected whatever apple was in reach, along with Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Rarity, with the latter whining under her breath.

Applejack stopped a moment to glance to Riku, “Ya sure do like ta train, huh?”

“Yeah,” Riku said with a shrug, examining an apple half before tossing into his bucket, “It’s become more of a habit than anything.”

Rarity could believe that, considering she had helped him alongside her friend for longer than she would have liked. Why couldn’t he be like most boys, who did sports or played music? At the very least, he enjoyed doing what he loved, and Rarity knew how it felt when she was designing a new dress. The fact that both Applejack and Riku were both content on what they were doing at the same time was somewhat baffling. Cutting apple halves was a perfect fit for the two of them.

“So,” Riku asked, standing to his feet, “You enjoy picking apples?”

“Are apples red?” Applejack asked back with a chuckle, “Me and AB were raised on this here farm, and there ain’t nothing tearin’ us away from it!”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom cheered, dropping her bucket as she raised her hands into the air, “We’re apples to the core!”

Riku hummed to himself as he pondered their words. He hadn’t met anyone so dedicated to their work, especially with a girl like Applejack. She was in school yet used her free time to work in an apple orchard. It reminded him of himself, though with a clearly long term goal with her profession. He knew he would probably continue being a keyblade master after the whole mess with Xehanort was cleaned up, but it felt so far away, and what exactly he would be doing was still up in the air.

His worries spiked for a moment before he took a deep breath, but the heat of the sun finally made him realize how weary he had made himself. Putting his bucket down, Riku stretched his back, releasing a breath afterwards.

(Stop music)

“I think we could use a break,” he admitted. As much as he wanted to help Applejack with the apples, he couldn’t deny that he was tired.

“Yes, I agree with Riku,” Rarity said quickly with a pointed finger, letting her bucket fall out of her hands and nearly tipping it over in the process.

“I guess it couldn’t hurt,” Apple Bloom said with a nod.

“Ya’ll can go on ahead,” Applejack said without a glance, “I’ll wrap up this mess real quick and pick a few more apples.”

With a raised brow, Riku crossed his arms studying Applejack intently. She had picked apples the whole time, and that wasn’t counting the hours before he had arrived. By the look of her, she was struggling ever so slightly to reach for the apple halves strug around. It wasn’t blatantly obvious - whether she was trying to hide it or not - but she was most likely as exhausted as Riku.

“Come on, Applejack,” Riku chided with a wave, “We can pick up the rest in a few minutes.”

“It’s alright, Sugarcube,” Applejack said pushing herself up with a smile that promoted her fatigue. “Ya’ll run along.”

“I think you can manage a few minutes without working on apples,” Riku said rather sharply, his tiredness ebbing into his mood.

“I don’t work with apples all the time,” Applejack snapped back, furrowing her brow, “Besides, ya should follow your own advice with your training.”

“And I do,” Riku said curtly, “And I also know my limitations.”

“But ya don’t know mine, so just back off a bit,” Applejack retorted, turning her back to him as she picked up more apples. It was simple gesture, but Riku grew angry, and Rarity and Apple Bloom saw it plain as day.

“Perhaps we should be moving along,” Rarity suggested with a nervous laugh.

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom drew out, taking a few steps back, “Just a quick breather for every-”

“Why do you have to be so prideful?” Riku questioned loudly, causing Applejack to freeze up. Rarity and Apple Bloom groaned, knowing their attempts to break up the fight were fruitless. “You know you can spare a break, but you choose not to. What are you trying to prove?”

Applejack stood to her feet slowly, turning her head to Riku with the harshest glare possible. It didn’t faze Riku, though inwardly, he did wince, feeling he had passed some invisible line. Her hands were shaking a bit too, like she was suppressing a violent urge.

“I think it’s high time ya left,” she said rather coldly and quietly, startling him as his face broke away from his anger. Before he could respond, Applejack stormed away, her apple bucket still in her hands. Turning to Rarity and Apple Bloom, he silently asked for some sort of explanation for her behavior, something to show he hadn’t ruined a friendship without some other factor contributing to the argument.

Unfortunately, they didn’t say anything. They weren’t mad by any right, but they looked as troubled as he was. Either they didn’t know or they didn’t know how to word it, or even if they wanted to tell him. They broke eye contact with him as they walked by him, heading in the same direction as Applejack. Alone, Riku couldn’t come with any reasoning behind Applejack’s behavior, and in his frustration, made his way to the path leading out of Sweet Apple Acres, punching a tree as he passed it.

***

“Done,” Roxas breathed, falling onto the counter as he breathed heavily. After hours of working in the hot bakery, the store had finally closed for the day, giving Roxas time to finally rest. He knew helping Pinkie take care of all those customers would be a handful, but he didn’t think it was be so demanding. Glancing to across from him, he saw Lea lean against another counter, his chakrams still in his hands.

“Remind me again why it was so busy?” Roxas requested as he turned to Pinkie, who was putting away the last of the ingredients, looking no worse for ware. In fact, if Roxas didn’t know better, she appeared to not have worked at all. He really had to give her credit for her stamina. Compared to how she was a few hours ago, Pinkie was clean, energetic, and happy. Roxas had to wonder if he and Lea had something to do with that minor transformation.

“Well, after you burned the first batch of muffins…” Pinkie started, staring wistfully at the ceiling.

“It was a spur of the moment thing,” Lea defended with a shrug.

“Remaking all of them took twice as long,” she continued, “and with three times the customers, mixed in with half as many bakers, and four times as many ingredients, we come to one abnormal day of work.”

Lea gazed at her, his eyes half closed as he stood up straight. “Right, sure,” he said, rubbing his back, “Add math to anything and it gets complicated. It almost sounds like you don’t know.”

“That’s part of it,” Pinkie agreed as she tossed the last bag of flour into the cabinet. “But still, it’s a shame Twilight didn’t show up. She said she’d help out.”

“Twilight?” Roxas asked, perking up.

“Yeah,” Pinkie said with a nod, “She must have been busy at her house. Though her family had plans all day, so I didn’t think anything would come up.”

To hear that put Roxas on edge, remembering what Riku said the night before. The Organization had every chance to attack her when no one was there to defend her, and if she wasn’t here at Sugarcube Cafe, then something must have stopped her. With his fatigue forgotten, Roxas rushed up to Pinkie, causing her to lean back from his sudden approach.

“Do you know where she lives from here?” he asked desperately, growing uneasy with each passing second.

“Yeah,” Pinkie replied, standing up straight with a smile, “A few streets down, first purple house on the right.”

“Thanks,” Roxas said before taking off out the kitchen door.

Lea reached a hand out in surprise, watching Roxas leave the cafe. “Wait, Roxas!” he shouted, but the door had been shut before he could be heard. “Aaaaand he’s gone.” He pushed off from the counter, dismissing his chakrams before putting both hands on his hips, muttering, “Just how much does Twilight mean to you?”

Lea couldn’t recall a time when Roxas was so apprehensive over one girl. It didn’t worry him too much, but it did raise the question whether Roxas was feeling something that he couldn’t understand. Chuckling to himself, Lea imagined a moment as Roxas as a bumbling fool in front of Twilight, much like Sora could be at times. He may be a powerful keyblade wielder, but there was still a lot he needed to know about the real world.

These amusing thoughts still didn’t put Lea at ease. He had no idea where Roxas was going, and by the look on his face, it didn’t look like he was heading for a tea party. He hoped nothing would happen to him, and that he knew to head back to the school at the end of the day. It was a shame they didn’t get a chance to hang out though. Trying to relax, Lea glanced over to Pinkie, seeing her wipe another counter absent mindedly. Considering she had scrubbed that particular counter clean three times already, he had to wonder if she even noticed Roxas’ demeanor upon his departure.

“Pinkie,” Lea said, gaining her attention. He had his mouth open, preparing to question a lot of her actions, but stopped himself recalling what Roxas said when they had first arrived at the cafe. The memory drove his questions away as he smiled, asking, “Ever heard of Sea Salt ice cream? It’s a delicacy where I come from.”

***

Roxas replayed the directions Pinkie had given him, finding it hard to breath, especially with the anxiety of all the possibilities. Twilight could be hurt, captured, or worse, and he had been spending the day baking! Just the thought of it made his heart drop, and it made him pick up speed. He had to find Twilight; he couldn’t rest until she was safe. His dedication somewhat baffled him, but not to a certain degree. He had felt the same anxiety for another girl before, possibly for Xion. However, that was in the past, and Roxas put it behind him as he focused on where he was going.

A house to the side looked like the one he had left with Twilight a few days ago, and he cornered around the grassy front yard to the door. Without missing a beat, he pounded a fist against the door.

“Twilight!” he yelled, stopping a moment to listen. There was no sound of movement nor any reply, making his uneasiness build up. “Twilight, if you’re in there, please answer me!”

He pounded a few more times on the door with no avail. In desperation, he tried the doorknob, but found it to be locked, causing him to jiggle it in hope it would come loose somehow. Growling, he banged on the door one final time before shouting, “I’m coming in!”

Stepping back, Roxas summoned the Oblivion keyblade, swinging it out before pointing it at the door. Just as he did, the lock clicked, and the door swung open. Roxas would have associated such an action with his keyblade, but there was no light like the other times a keyblade had unlocked a door. Lowering his keyblade, Roxas watched as Twilight slipped out of the house, her head low with a very crestfallen expression.

However, Roxas was just glad Twilight was alright, breathing a long sigh of relief upon seeing her. Dismissing his keyblade, he ran up to her with a wide smile. “I was worried about you,” he said, “Pinkie said you were going to help her today.”

“I…” Twilight stated, barely moving her head, “had some things on my mind.”

“Well,” Roxas said, putting a hand on his hip, “Maybe I can help you out. I’m all finished at Sugarcube Cafe.”

“Help?” Twilight asked, finally facing him with a hint of animosity, “Help like my friends did by lying to me?”

“Lying?” Roxas asked, “Your friends wouldn’t-”

“But they did!” Twilight screamed. Roxas’ heart hurt when she said that. He didn’t like seeing her so upset, and with his small experience with friendships, he didn’t feel very confident in handling the conversation.

“Can’t you just talk to them about it?” Roxas asked, trying not to pick sides. He would have stuck with Twilight and agreed with what she said, but the girls lying didn’t sound like them at all.

“It’s not that simple, Roxas,” she snapped, heading for the door again, “You just don’t understand.”

“Then make me understand,” Roxas demanded, stepping closer and resting a hand on her shoulder. As soon as it touched, Twilight swatted it away with her eyes furrowed, making Roxas flinch.

“They know something about me,” Twilight said, putting both hands on her chest, “Or something that isn’t me but at the same time is me, and they never brought it up because it has something to do with the magic of friendship. They don’t trust me enough to tell me it.”

“Of course they trust you,” Roxas said desperately. He couldn’t stand seeing Twilight like this, not after everything they had gone through so far.

“How would you know?” Twilight barked at him, “You don’t have any experience with friendship because you were just a Nobody for most of your life!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Twilight gasped before putting her hands over her mouth. Roxas stared at her in horror, unable to see any valid reason for bluntly saying something like that. Had her friends really affected her that badly that she’s resorting to push away her other ones? And Twilight had met Lea, she knew Roxas had some knowledge about friendship. She had no reason to go off like that.

Furrowing his brow, Roxas turned away, “I ran all this way to be told I don’t know anything about friendship. What a friendly thing to say, huh?”

He strode away, and though Twilight reached out to apologize, the words died in her throat as her heart broke. All of these foreign memories supplied by Young Xehanort had been stirring in her head, and she had released all her confusion and tension on Roxas. She had no idea how she was supposed to fix something like that, and she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

“Maybe I’m the one who doesn’t know anything about friendship,” she muttered to herself, shuffling back inside. Roxas didn’t look back when he heard those words, nor when the door closed. At that point, he didn’t care, and refused to see if Twilight had really meant what she said.

***

Though his heart was full of glee, Sora felt dread in his heart as he sat on the ledge of the school roof. It was like there was something negative in the air, tainting it like a foul odor. He couldn’t really pinpoint it either, like it originated from the world itself. And as he thought about this, he remembered that he never confirmed if Fluttershy really liked him back, or if he had even said it clear enough. His head was so full of uncertainty that it just made him uneasy. Not even the beautiful sight of the surrounding town brought him any delight. Even still, he and Fluttershy had become good friends again, at the very least.

The sound of footsteps broke his thoughts as he looked back to see Riku walking across the roof, his hands in his pockets. With a boost of energy, Sora pushed off the ground and walked over to meet Riku, a smile on his face.

“So how’d it go?” Sora asked, putting his hands behind his head.

“Terrible,” Riku grumbled, briskly passing by Sora without pause. His attitude made Sora look back at him as he made his way to the Gummi Ship, “I’m heading to bed early.”

Crossing his arms, Sora contemplated on what could have put Riku in a bad mood. He had went to Applejack’s orchard to train, and as far as he knew, Riku enjoyed doing that. The sounds of more footsteps caused him to turn around to find Roxas, behaving just as sulky as Riku.

“How was Pinkie’s?” Sora asked, but Roxas didn’t even bother replying, stepping right past him for the Gummi Ship. Sora sagged his body in defeat, feeling really left out. If his friends weren’t happy, then it was pretty difficult for him to be happy. “What’s with everyone?”

Even more footsteps were heard and Sora whipped around to find Lea with four Sea Salt ice creams in his hand. He didn’t look at all bitter like Riku and Roxas, and was actually pretty happy.

“Hey, Sora!” he said cheerfully, “Check out what Pinkie Pie made.”

He waved the ice creams, and though the thought of eating one made Sora salivate, he couldn’t bring himself to be cheerful, sighing. Lea frowned at Sora upon seeing how he was acting, offering an ice cream to him.

“Things didn’t turn out well with Fluttershy, huh?” he asked, holding two ice creams together as he bit into a different one, unable to suppress a smile at the taste.

“No,” Sora said with a shake of his head, accepting the ice cream as he stared at it, “Just how Riku and Roxas seem to be down in the dumps.”

Lea hummed to himself, tapping the ice cream to his chin, “Sounds like girl problems to me. Riku was heading to see Applejack, and Roxas ran off to check on Twilight. I bet my ice cream that something happened between them and those girls.”

“What does that have to do with how their acting?” Sora asked, giving a shrug.

Lea chuckled, “Not all friendships are roses and daisies all the time, especially when girls are involved.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sora asked, still puzzled.

Chuckling again, Lea took a large bite out of his ice cream, turning away to fully appreciate his dessert. Sora didn’t think he would be getting a solid answer from him, turning his gaze to his ice cream, seeing a bit of it melt off.

“You know,” Lea said, “Kairi tried Sea Salt ice cream for the first time.”

“Really?” Sora said, his spirit rising at hearing a friend try the delicious food. “What’d she think?”

“Salty,” Lea said with a smirk, “And that’s pretty much it.”

Sora looked at him playfully, finally licking his ice cream, “That’s all she had to say about it?”

Lea shrugged playfully, his ice cream finished as he left the stick in his mouth. “Sweetness may have came into it too,” he said, which left Sora fairly happy, knowing she truly did like the ice cream, if he was interpreting Lea right. However, it didn’t last when he remembered the feeling he had felt in the air earlier, turning to the Gummi Ship where Riku and Roxas resided.

The drama that was going on, along with the three groups fighting for the magic of friendship, left a mess of worries in Sora. There was just so much going on, he was afraid he would neglect something and the whole thing would come crashing down. And with the risk of all friendships ending didn’t make things easier on him either. Still licking his ice cream, Sora looked to the sky, still blue from the sun. Behind that shroud of blue was the many worlds, counting on their success, whether they knew it or not.

Lea looked up as well, not commenting on his action. He knew the stakes as much as Sora, and it came as a bit of a surprise when he pulled the stick out of his mouth holding it over his head like he was showing the finished ice cream to the worlds. Lea didn’t hold back a large smile on his face as he kept his arm in the air, twisting the stick ever so slightly between his fingers.

Comments

[Moongaze14]

Great chapter. Really liked how the guys are having girl troubles.

[GoldenCyclone4]

Okay, AJ's issue probably has something to do with her parents... As for Twi, hot damn, that was harsh...

[Maxout020]

Your right about that Axl, girls are overly complex that its a miracle that us guys can understand them even ONCE A YEAR!!!

Am I right men?

[Xavy T Drag]

This is wonderful in story, detail, and drama, but would you object to me proofreading it? I noticed some things that seems out of place. Send me a note if you do.

[gpopeKH04]

5898656 She COULD have been harsher, in my opinion. But, yeah, tiny bit uncalled for.

[621Chopsuey]

Tough luck for everyone, huh?

Calling it now, Isa has the sister.

[Xorn]

You know what would have been great? If Pinkie had put 'Winner' on that stick