AN: Where did this come from? I honestly have no idea. Enjoy! XD

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix, Disney Interactive, Tetsuya Nomura, etc.


"Sora, I don't care how long you've been gone. You cannot just go around looking like that! It's embarrassing to all of us!"

Sora's furious red blush at Selphie's less-than-tactful assessment of his fashion sense was the talk of the island for the next week, but even he had to admit that she'd been at least partially right. He was not yet prepared to part with the clothes the three fairies had made for him - partly because of their magical properties, but mainly because, in between reassuring his parents that he wasn't about to vanish again any time soon, dodging questions about what he'd been up to during his absense, and catching up on a year's worth of homework ("You're telling me school still exists?!"), he simply hadn't had the time to go clothes shopping, and the black outfit was the only one he owned that still fit. However, the clothes were nonetheless passable, and were not the issue.

Wearing rounded shoes that were at least three or four sizes too large, on the other hand, was no longer considered stylish. Granted, they were certainly convenient when he first awoke from Naminé's suspended animation pod; as huge as they'd been when he went to sleep, they had been quite snug when he'd awoken, and if he had been wearing something normal-sized, he wouldn't have been able to walk! But, as Kairi pointed out, sleeping for a year was probably not something he was likely to repeat.

"This is ridiculous..." he muttered as he browsed through the store shelves.

"Tell me about it," Riku agreed from his position behind him, leaning casually against another shelf. "How did I get roped into this again?"

"Because Kairi told you to," Sora replied absently. "And because you need to get out more."

A grunt was his only reply, and Sora smirked slightly. He finally came upon a box that looked mildly promising, so he pulled it out and examined the pair of sneakers inside. They were still rounded on the end, and a little brightly colored, but at least they were smaller. "What do you think of these?"

Riku's expression was part wince, part grimace. "...No comment."

Taking that as a "no," Sora rolled his eyes and replaced the rejected box. "This is so stupid..." he said again. Then he noticed his friend's perfectly acceptable footwear. "How did you manage to keep up with this?" he protested. "You were gone just as long as I was!"

Riku smirked. "Just file that one in the category of Something Riku Will Always Be Better At."

Sora made a face at him and continued browsing. Typical.

Four rejected pairs later, they finally agreed on something that might be workable, from a purely asthetic standpoint anyway. His feet felt strange at being confined so tightly, but they did feel significantly lighter. Sora stood up and gave an experimental jump, being careful not to jump too high and arouse suspicion. And possibly cause property damage. Munny, while surprisingly easy for a Keyblader pick up here and there off-world, was not in abundance for a high school student with the ability to defy physics.

It felt all wrong. It was only a small jump, but the difference in the weight ratio of his top and bottom would definitely take some getting used to, as it nearly made him lose balance in mid-air. The landing was wrong too, as his regular stance no longer worked in this position, and the lack of cushioning made him jar his knees. He did not fall over, but he almost stumbled. And, despite being safely home, two years of honing his fighting instincts told him that stumbling would be a Very Bad Thing.

"This is dumb!" he repeated loudly, drawing odd looks from one or two other customers. "What I'm wearing was never an issue when I was out fighting heartless!"

Riku chuckled. "Neither was school, but apparently it still has to happen."

Sora put his own shoes back on and put the sneakers back on the shelf in disgust. "Forget this. I don't care if I look silly; I'm wearing what I'm comfortable in."

His friend nodded. "Confident as always, I see. Well, it's certainly not a bad thing, I guess."

For a moment, Sora felt a grin come to his face in triumph.

That is, until Riku added, "And it's not as though you could possibly look less silly, no matter what you wear."

Sora tackled him.


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