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“Hwat haboot hat ride?”
Isa stopped walking, scrunched his face into a frown, and inhaled sharply. “Roxas, in this house we do not talk with our mouths full.”
“Hwere nawt in arr ouse,” Roxas insisted.
Isa put the fury of an angry Yen Sid behind his glare. Roxas swallowed. Xion and Lea joined in commiseration, even though their own ice creams had already been scarfed down to the stick.
“But we’re not in our house,” Roxas repeated.
Lea slammed his palm into his face. ‘Go take a few days off together’, they said. ‘Isa and the Sortas (Riku’s words, not Lea’s) need to learn to get along if you want to live with both groups’ they pushed. ‘I found a world with a neat theme park, here’s some tickets,’ they insisted.
‘They’ being Kairi, Riku, and Sora- in that order- who shoved four three-day Tokyo Disney passes in Lea’s hands, blindsiding him with the gift while he was coming back to their modest Twilight Town apartment after what was probably the fiftieth failed job interview. Say what one would about the Organization, but room and board had always been provided. Striking out on their own was honestly the most frightening thing Lea could ever remember doing, even with friends every step of the way.
After a cup of tea in the tiny apartment, Sora had launched into a quick explanation of what to expect about the world- Sora had hastily called it ‘the Upside Down Underground’ before Riku shoved an elbow in his gut to wind him- they were told the world was Heartless free and safe. If they saw any strange shadows out of the corner of their eyes, it wasn’t their problem to solve, and if they saw a teenage looking blonde who called himself Joshua, to whistle loudly and walk in the opposite direction, fast. Other than that, the world was to be a riot of color and magic, the three would fit right in without worrying about world order so long as they didn’t start pulling out keyblades in the middle of the park.
Lea wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially not a gift horse that took his mind off getting an adult j-o-b, but the first morning had been nothing short of disastrous. So far, it had been nothing but Roxas and Isa finding every possible way to claw out each other’s throats, with Xion trying to avoid Isa’s eyes and Lea caught playing moogle-in-the-middle.
Some family vacation this was.
Some family this was.
Lea smiled weakly, putting his hands up in a stopping motion. “Okay, okay, house rules still apply. Roxas, you can talk when you’re not eating, and Isa, loosen up. Just a hair? We are on vacation.”
Isa’s fury dialed back, if only on a technicality, as he followed the line of sight to Lea’s outstretched hand, slightly confused by the sight. He was expecting magic, but nothing like who was smiling and waving before them, up on a platform at the entrance to a ride. “…Pooh?”
“You know it?” Xion asked, diffusing the tension that had built among the rest of the group as her gaze followed his.
“When Lea and I were young, there was a wizard nearby that had a board game featuring that bear. When you played, you were shrunk down to the size of the pieces and hopped about the board,” Isa said, a bit nostalgic, a small grin playing on his face. “And I do believe Sora has met the creature through a storybook himself. Why not? I’m curious to see Pooh in this world.”
Lea broke into a weak smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
It was a start, at least.
“Hoo! Hello to you, and you, and you and you!” An owl bowed from a perch. Lea’s grimace finally reached to a full-blown grin. Maybe the child-sized owl wasn’t the same as the board-game piece from their childhoods, but there was no mistaking the voice ushering them onto the line.
“Owl!” Lea exclaimed. It was quite the surprise seeing their friend in the flesh, not a magical simulacrum. He wondered briefly if Pooh and his friends originally came from this world, but that was for another time. There were families behind them; they needed to keep moving and not be rude.
“And whooooo do we have here?” Owl whistled at them, sliding a headband on Lea as they passed the gate. “Bounce along, you four!”
Isa’s frown had lost his crease, and for the first time in Lux-knew-how-long, Lea saw something grace his deepest friend’s features.
The inkling of a laugh.
“He gave you Tigger ears!” Isa choked out.
“Tiger ears? Like the big cat that can eat people?” Xion asked, worriedly, gripping one of Lea’s matchstick arms as she recalled a jungle world with a frightening tiger named Shere Khan. “Was this board game scary?”
“No, no, scamp,” Lea sad, mussing Xion’s hair, almost dislodging her own headband sporting some familiar mouse ears. “Tigger. He’s a tiger, yes, but the only scary thing about him is how high he can jump.”
“I swear the beast cheated,” Isa muttered under his breath, a chuckle escaping along with the words.
“Yeah, he did,” Lea agreed, elbowing Isa in the ribs. “Come on, we need to move up the line. Rox, toss your stick in the next trash can.”
Roxas snorted. “You look stupid.”
“‘Scuse me, mister, I always look good in stripes. Now you heard Owl, hop to!”
“Please keep your arms and legs inside the hunnypot at all times.” The ride operator smiled gently, lowering the bar down on their row.
“Thank you, Kanga,” Isa said with a little nod, still equally surprised as Lea to see their childhood friends. Growing up, the two boys had never been liked at school, so it was very much them-against-the-world, with little more than Merlin’s magicked toys to keep them company sometimes.
Kanga, ever the motherly sort, beamed. “Anytime, dear! Oh, and if it isn’t too much trouble, one of our friends seems to be missing. If you see him in there, please let me know once your journey’s done. Now do be careful, it’s quite blustery today!”
She took a hop back, nodding at the safety bar.
“Wait,” Roxas started, turning his head around to ask their attendant for a description, but it was too late; their car was already trundling forward into the ride.
“Are we going inside a book?” Lea hissed at Isa, who only shrugged as a massive tome, softly illustrated with watercolor, came into view around the bend.
“Hush, Lea. We’ll find out soon enough.”
“Umph!” a voice squeaked. Xion and Roxas looked down between them. A small pink piglet poked his head up from under a fold in Xion’s oversized sweater.
“Oh right, the entry said these were five seaters. You from the single rider line?” Xion asked gently, but the small pig only shook like a leaf.
“You ok, man?” Roxas asked, leaning over.
“N-n-n-not man. Piglet!” the diminutive one squealed. Lea leaned to stand up to look over at the small one, but Isa kicked him.
“They’re fine, Lea,” Isa hissed. “Sit, or we’ll be removed from the park.”
Lea grumbled and eyed the front of the pot warily. “You and your rules.”
“Some rules are meant to be for a reason.”
The vehicle lurched forward, into a bright fall forest. Lea leaned back and smiled a little. It reminded him of training with Kairi, although Kanga was right, the breeze was picking up something fierce.
Xion looked down at her new little charge next to her in the rolling pot. Piglet was slowly uncurling himself, smiling even, at the warm trees and strong breeze. Xion eyed Roxas, often even grumpier than Isa, actually smiling at the soft yellow bear floating overhead on a balloon, calling out for honey.
“Pooh!” Piglet cried out. “Oh… P-p-p-p… oh, bother.” The bear hadn’t heard Piglet at all, over the shouts of the animal townsfolk trying to pull in their laundry in the ever-increasing winds.
The hunnypot spun, entering a darkened room. A bouncing tiger gallivanted by, grinning, making the entire room bounce with him. Xion held on to the handlebar, giggling explosively from the welcome and unexpected surprise.
“Now I get it!” Roxas laughed out, before adding under his breath, “Okay, I want a headband, too.”
“Oh-ho-ho-hooo!” Tigger yelped as he bounced with the room. “I’m just bouncin’ on through, looking for a little friend of mine, f you’ve seen him, won’t you say hi?”
“Hullo Tigger!” Piglet shouted as loud as he was able, which, between the bouncing and the pot sliding down and away into the hollow of a tree, was audible to little more than Xion alone.
Xion cupped her hands to holler, but the pot jerked backwards again, Piglet sitting upright in the seat as he recognized where they’d ended up.
“Oh!” Pooh’s house!” he piped up, excited, before his eyes went as huge as saucers. Magic, strong as Yen Sid’s, caused the entire tree to vanish, Pooh tumbling through his dream of sweet honey among a cavalcade of stars.
Piglet latched on to Xion, whose fingers curled around air as their pot whirled into a dream.
“The sleeping realms?” Roxas hissed low over Piglet’s head, checking over his shoulder at an equally nervous Lea and Isa. Sora telling people not to worry about a world was oftend a coin toss as to whether something was truly safe, as oblivious as the teen often was. However, Riku and Kairi, two of the most level-headed Keyblade wielders they all knew, had reassured them all this place was fine to visit. Maybe the shadows they’d been told weren’t a concern… truly were? Roxas bit his lower lip, clutching Xion’s shoulder with a hand, ready to rip open a portal of darkness if needed.
Lea’s hands were in a grip to summon his keyblade. Even more surprisingly, Isa leaned closer into him, concern creasing his own features.
Isa, a Somebody again, had neither magic nor weapon to protect himself anymore.
In that instant, Roxas and Xion understood his concern for the rules and their safety. He had no defenses of his own.
The narrow dream-hallway chanted low. Piglet holding Xion’s pinky finger like his life depended on it, and the pot exploded out into a honey-fueled fever dream.
The room was a dizzying array of colors and sound, more so as their pot began spinning out of control in time to the music. But it was just that- a dream, an illusory trick- they were in a theme park, not the sleeping realms, not danger. Isa exhaled, and loosened the white-knuckle grip he had on the bar; nothing would harm him.
Nothing could harm them.
He’d make sure of it, even if he himself couldn’t protect them anymore. Xion, Roxas, and Lea could take care of themselves. He did need to learn to loosen up. Relax. Be less strict.
The pot swirled again, and he smiled, doing one quick check of his companions- his family- in the rolling hunnypot to make sure they, too, realized it was all just a show.
He had to let go.
So he did.
Xion held Piglet tightly. “I’m s-s-s-so s-s-s-s-scared…” he whimpered, trailing off.
“It’s just a dream,” she reminded him.
“More like a-a-a-a-a ni-nightmare….”
“It’s okay, I promise! See? Look at the shine, its just plastic! It’s meant to trick us.”
“It-it-it is?” Piglet asked incredulously as Roxas’s shoulders relaxed, patting him on the head.
“Yep, but hold on, becauseeeee~” Roxas laugh-screamed, the pot flinging the five backwards.
xxx
Lea looked to his side. Isa wasn’t the type to put on giant goofy grins, so he’d do it for both of them.
“You look idiotic,” Isa smirked.
Lea simply pouted and gripped his Tigger headband tighter in a bid to keep it on his head, whooping as a plastic cannon pretended to shoot them backwards, their pot flinging in reverse. He understood that was Isa’s way of saying ‘having fun, aren’t we’? He elbowed Isa for good measure and got a kick in the shins for his trouble as he laughed louder and Isa deigned to let loose the tiniest of appreciative grunts.
The pot spun faster and Roxas cheered. Maybe he could drag them on that space coaster next. He grinned at the thought of Isa going green but spied the blue-haired ice king from the corner of his eye… almost smiling.
Almost.
They were definitely doing the coaster next.
Xxx
The pot slowly rolled back into Pooh’s home, now completely slathered in honey. Pooh was delighted as a cat swimming in cream or… well… a Pooh Bear up to his elbows in the sticky stuff.
“Oh, thank you ever so much helping me find this… heaping helping of honey!” he cried excitedly. “And thank you too, Piglet!” Pooh scrunched up his face in confusion. “Wait… Piglet?”
But their pots had already left his home for the exit.
The five slid out with a smile. “Thanks for joining us!” Xion said, kneeling down to speak with Piglet at eye level.
“No, t-t-t-thank you, new friend!” he chirped. “I was so-so-so scared, but you made it okay.”
“PIGLET!”
The five whipped their heads around, to see the started attendant bound up to them. “We were looking everywhere for you! Roo said he lost you in line!”
Piglet nodded, addressing his ride-mates. “We-we were going to try and ride it together, Tigger said it mi-might be too scary for us alone.”
“I even sent Pooh in with his balloon to look overhead!”
“Miss… Kanga, ma’am?” Xion asked. The attendant nodded. “Piglet was very very brave! Even in the scary part at the end.”
“I was-was-wasn’t very brave,” Piglet admitted.
“You said you were scared, but I never saw you shut your ears or close your eyes,” Roxas admitted with a grin. “I’d say that’s super brave.”
“Oh, bother, Piglet!” Pooh trundled up, still dripping with honey. “I completely missed you with my balloon, didn’t I?”
“It-it-it’s okay!” Piglet said cheerfully. “Maybe I should ride again? With Roo this time.”
“I’m sure Roo would love to,” Kanga said, patting Piglet on the head. “And when I’m on break I’ll get you boys some churros.” Kanga hopped slowly, making sure Piglet kept pace with her as she headed back to the load in area for the ride. Pooh waved at them with a honey-soaked paw and waddled back off into the attraction.
The four released a collective exhale.
“So, he was the one who was lost all along,” Isa said aloud, a relaxed sigh escaping his lips. The four of them knew he wasn’t just talking about Piglet, but Isa himself, too. “Come then, there’s a lot more to do. We have three days until Lea and I need to go back to finding employment and you two a suitable preparatory school.”
Roxas and Lea groaned loudly.
“I did say three days from now, did I not? Come, let’s go eat something else spectacularly unhealthy and get in line for the roller coaster. You two whelps may not know this, but Lea is a high-pitched screamer.” Isa let the smallest of smiles cross his face. “I, for one, wish to hear him squeal like a small child.”
“Hey!” Lea whined, giving chase as Isa shrugged and power-walked to a nearby churro stand. “And I want a lemonade, got it?”
Roxas shook his head and shrugged to Xion. “Well, hey, if the ride was like that, you and I need to find this board game they played as kids.”
“I’ve been shrunk in Wonderland already,” Xion whined. Roxas shuddered, his own memory coming back like a jolt.
“Y’know what? Maybe we can teach the old farts to Struggle instead.”