"I haven't seen sand since I was a kid." Yuffie paused, introspectively, memories of one home island playing on the carousel of her mind, each gaudy horse carrying a memory, bobbing up and down and going nowhere but a circle. Her memories of home were miniscule, more flashes of glinting materia than of pristine beaches.

"Really? Well, it's really great. Makes me think of home."

"Was there lots of it on your world?"

Sora nodded vigorously. "It got everywhere too. My mom would always get so mad because I'd track it through the kitchen when she was cooking and it would get in all the food."

That was the first time he'd mentioned anyone from his home other than those friends of his, Kairi and…Riku, was it? Yuffie and Cid had started a betting pool on the idea that Sora and his friends ran wild on their island, like those feral children that swarmed Midgar, well, after, (but it hurt too much to think about Midgar, yes, Hollow Bastion was her home Hollow Bastion was her home Hollow Bastion was--) with no parents, who bathed in rainwater and cut their own hair. It would certainly account for the state of Sora's (and Riku's, but Yuffie had never seen him and had no such views on the subject, nor did she actually think about it). But this was obviously not the case. She'd have to go filch her gil—munny—back off of Squall when he collected it. He'd been reluctant to bet in the first place, so why should he get the whole prize?

All of this ran through Yuffie's head in the time that it took Sora to stop talking.

"How did you manage to do that?" she asked.

"Well, sand gets in your hair, your clothes, your shoes—hey!"

Giddy, Sora plopped onto his behind, frowning a bit when the stony ground met his derriere, and began to tug off one of his oversized clown shoes. He was having a hard time of it.

Yuffie bent down, elbows propped comfortably against her knees. "What're you doing?"

"You'll see," he grunted, trying to pull his shoe off sideways now. It worked, and Yuffie jumped back, like a great rockin ninja, before it sideswiped her. When Sora safely held the yellow giant in his palm, Yuffie drew close again.

Sora was smiling wider than she'd ever seen anyone smile before, and, without a word, turned his shoe upside-down. A torrent of sand streamed out onto the ground below.

"See? Sand. Cool, huh?"

Yuffie tapped a finger to her chin, thoughtfully. "Oh. I get it now."

"Huh? Get what?"

A giggle threatened her poker face, and then more shattered it completely. "So that's why your shoes are so big!"

Sora didn't get it.

0-FIN-0

I'm trying to remember how this happened…and I don't. It was probably the Oxycodone. Or the whipped yogurt (which looks like insulation, but so doesn't taste like it). Or both. But sand does get everywhere, and the idea of Sora's shoes being too big to leave room for the sand seemed like too good an idea to pass up, and one that would only enter Yuffie's head.

Yes, FFVII cannon is mentioned here (I just got/beat the game) but I'm not the first to do this, so sue me. Have a nice day. ^^

I'm taking requests, even though I so should be working on my new KH story, or even my novel, and I will finish them both one day. But…well, I just can't help myself.