"Sora, it's just a blizzard spell!" Kairi sighed, watching the boy strain with effort to cast the low tier spell. She shook her head and walked over
"Here, you just imagine your Keyblade growing cold-" the moment she touched his hand fire spurted out of the key. "Good grief Sora! Blizzard, not fire!"
Donald, who was working with Riku, glanced over. "Sora, you should feel how cold the spell should be. If you're letting your emotion get in the way it won't work. Detach yourself."
Sora sighed, and raised his Keyblade at the training dummy "You're going to freeze you dam-"
"Sora we don't use that kind of language anywhere!"
"-Whatever. You DARN dummy!"
Another burst of flames left a charred pile of ash. Kairi pouted "Seriously, you can't let anything go, can you-"
"I can let plenty of things go!" Another dummy was burnt to ashes. Riku walked over "Kairi, I think I'll help him." He then grabbed Sora's ear and pulled him aside "First off, you have no reason to be treating Kairi like that. Second, the trick is to detach your anger, not let it grow stronger. There is a difference." He then walked back to Donald, resuming his lesson. While Sora was struggling with blizzard, he was struggling with fire.
The problem was something Sora had only admitted to himself: he COULDN'T let go of his anger. He always felt it, the only times when it was dulled was when he was depressed to the point of not doing anything. Kairi didn't make anything any easier, she made him feel too warm to focus on the chill.
He watched her as she flawlessly pulled off higher tier and different kinds of spells. Spark, Stop, Reflect, Cure, Thunder, Blizzard, Fire, Aero, Gravity... The list went on and on. She then finished with a cry of "Light!" And the whole room was temporarily lost in white. Sora felt anger and pain wash away into the light and he felt... Happy, calm, his problems didn't bother him-
The feeling vanished with the light. His inner turmoil returned easily.
Donald and Riku both blinked, then Donald exclaimed happily "That was fantastic Kairi! I see Her Majesty taught you a few more tricks."
Kairi nodded, now rocking back and forth on her heels "Mom said she learned them straight from dad. Speaking of which, he's coming back today, right?"
"Yep, King Mickey's gonna be back any moment no-"
"YOUR DAD'S THE KING?!" Sora and Riku exclaimed.
Kairi jumped at the sudden noise, then held a hand to her chin with a blush beginning to form "Well I didn't want you to treat me any different than a normal girl-"
"I'msorry!" Sora said in a quick burst, bowing. Riku blinked in surprise "Did you just say-"
Sora stood again, the burst of apology having left him just as fast as it had come. There was a grim countenance that drained any laughter from the air around him.
Kairi blinked slowly, then said plaintively "You don't need to say sorry for yesterday. I want you to treat me just like you would anyone else, okay?" she walked forward and held Sora's hands, making absolutely sure he returned her gaze "No 'Your Majesty', no 'Princess'. Just Kairi, do you understand?"
Sora nodded, but ripped his hands away from Kairi's. He didn't like it when she did that. It stirred up too much love in his opinion. If there was one thing he knew about love, is that it was one of the best leverages to use in combat, mental or physical. He had seen far too many people become consumed by Heartless because of it. Taking one for their family, giving themselves up so a fiancé could live... Love had always seemed dangerous to Sora.
Love got you killed.
As much as he wanted to die, he wanted it to at least be in his control.
But dear Kingdom Hearts she was a princess. Princess of Heart and Princess of Disney Castle. Even if he got past his own demons he didn't have a chance with her. Even if she liked him back, they were out of each others social classes. Another reason not to love Kairi sprouted in his head:
She's off-limits and out of your league.
And yet the list of reasons to love her grew:
She's a princess and she seems to like you.
Kairi then grew even brighter, and she rushed to the doorway "DAD!" She scooped up a small anthropomorphic mouse, who giggle back in a high-pitched voice "Kairi! I missed ya too!"
Sora's face screwed up in confusion "He's-"
"-The King?" Riku finished his sentence, equally confused. Kairi then set King Mickey down, saying "Nose tap!" They affectionately rubbed noses.
King Mickey then extended his hand "You two must be Sora and Riku. Welcome to Disney Castle, please call me Mickey!"
Sora and Riku stared at the mouse king uncomprehendingly. Riku was the first to snap out of his stupor and he knelt down to accept Mickey's hand.
"Thanks, I'm Riku and he's Sora." Mickey smiled "Okay then, you're Riku." He then let to of his hand and reached for Sora "And you're Sora, right?"
Sora stared at his hand, still stunned, then said stupidly "I- um, kinda expected you to be taller..."
Mickey laughed "Yeah, I get that a lot!" He then took Sora's hand in his, saying "It's gonna be a pleasure teaching you two how to properly use the Keyblade!"
Sora had never seen so many books. Books on the history of this world, books on other worlds, books on anything he could think of. But King Mickey directed their attention to his desk
"Sora, Riku, I think the first lesson I'll give you is a history of the Keyblade wielders. Specifically the three that came before you."
"But dad," Kairi protested "you've already told me the story-"
"I've only told you the bare surface. It's a lot sadder than what I've told you..." King Mickey picked up his only picture of his old friends, and showed it to Sora and Riku.
A young woman with blue hair and a dazzling smile, a young man with brown hair and a stoic, but caring look, and a boy with cresting gold hair and dazzling blue eyes-
"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING THERE?!" Sora screeched, slamming his hands on King Mickey's desk and pointing at Ventus. He looked furious. Riku noted that, yes, it was the same boy from all that time ago, except he had more happiness and joy in his expression.
King Mickey, meanwhile, had set the photo aside and folded his hands pensively in front of him. "Two things, Sora," he began in a steady and ice cold voice "one, we don't use that kind of language. Two, 'he' is Ventus-"
"I DIDN'T ASK FOR HIS NAME! I ASKED WHAT IS THAT MURDERER-"
"THAT IS ENOUGH." Mickey harshly cut Sora off. "I am not letting you accuse my friend like that!" He then took a calming breath, and resumed "I understand from Donald and Goofy that you two have had it rough, but I do not tolerate you attacking Ventus like that. He was a sweet child..." He faltered briefly, eyes starting to become teary "he wouldn't hurt a fly. Calling him a murderer is-"
"The absolute truth!" Sora snapped. He was starting to cry now "THAT BASTARD KILLED MY DAD RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!"
Kairi jumped, not even beginning to comprehend how traumatizing that could be.
Riku gently wrapped an arm around Sora, saying "Calm down, that was the only time we saw him-"
Sora quickly used Riku's arm as a leverage and flipped the older teen over his shoulder. He then resumed his rant "That bastard-"
"-Ventus-"
"Who cares if he has a name?! Anyways, he came to our islands eleven years ago with some other jerk and TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING I LOVED! EVERYTHING! GONE!"
Mickey calmly watched as Sora took shuddering breaths, then collapsed onto his desk, burying his head in his arms.
Riku, still sore from Sora, sat up. He tried getting onto his feet, but gasped when his shoulder became inflamed in pain. "S-Sora, calm down." He said, trying help as best as he could.
Kairi finally got out of her stunned state and gently wrapped herself around Sora "Shh... Just let it out-" Sora suddenly stood, glared at her, and left the study. Everyone cringed when the oak doors slammed behind him.
"... I think that could've gone better..."
More mentally unstable Sora, LOL... review please!