Chibified

Shizuka Usagi

Chapter 14

"The great ninja Yuffie strikes again!" Yuffie exclaimed triumphantly. "You're really bad at this, aren't you?"

Roxas groaned. This was the tenth time he lost at balloon dart. The score was two to twelve, so he wasn't even considered a worthy adversary. But she had an advantage over him. Ninjas were known for their accuracy with throwing weapons, such as shurikens and knifes. However, keyblade bearers were known for strength.

Yet he played the good sport. "I guess so. You have quite an aim," he replied, impressed.

"Of course, I do. Aim is my specialty. Although your shots were powerful… they weren't very precise," Yuffie commented.

"If only I had your precision and you had my power," Roxas said. "We would be equal."

"I bet I would still beat you." She stuck her tongue out.

"Is that so?" He questioned, crossing his arms and giving a challenging look.

Clapping from across the stall interrupted their playful banter. "You kids aren't half bad." A familiar blonde gummy specialist stepped out from the shadows.

"Cid?" Yuffie said, mildly surprised. "What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, brat. You're supposed ta be volunteering. Not goin' on dates." Cid responded gruffly.

The shinobi blushed slightly. "I'm not going on a date—just a friendly outing. Anyway, what do you mean volunteering? Don't we have enough help?"

"This is a HBRC function, meaning that we're hosting it. We're the ones who're supposed ta be helpin' out," he stated flatly.

"Oh… Well, Leon didn't…" Yuffie trailed off weakly, unable to come up with a good excuse. Now I feel stupid. I must look like an idiot in front of Roxas.

"It's okay. I can volunteer with you, if that's okay with Cid," Roxas suggested politely.

"No, Roxas, you don't have—" she protested, when the gummy specialist intervened.

"Forget it, Yuff. Go ahead," Cid said, waving his hand.

"What?"

"Don't worry about it. Me, Leon, an' Aerith will take it from here."

"But—"

"Go have fun while yer still young, brat. Don't waste it." Before she could object, he took a stuffed moogle from the wall and tossed it to her.

Yuffie caught it and smiled gratefully. The old man's being unusually nice. It's not even my birthday. It must be because of Roxas, or maybe he's becoming soft… Nah. "Thanks, gramps."

"Call me that again an' I'll put ya to work!"

Yuffie just laughed and ran off with Roxas. Cid watched them, shaking his head. Crazy kids. Though I hafta admit, the girl's growin' up. Normally, she wouldn't have given a second thought about working. I guess taking care of Sora has taught her responsibility."

—

It was night when the two reached the Ferris wheel. Although Yuffie's fear of heights was evident on her face, Roxas thought it was about time she got over her phobia. There was a short flight of stairs that led up to the boarding area. Roxas led the way, gently pulling Yuffie along with him. The line ahead of them was long and winding, but he was willing to be patient. He hoped the ninja would be too.

"Roxas," Yuffie began, on the verge of whining, "Do we have to ride this thing?"

"C'mon, Yuff. It's not a festival without the Ferris wheel," Roxas insisted. He didn't mention the real reason he wanted to go on the ride, because she would only deny it. He figured out that she had a fear of heights when she outright refused or made up an excuse for not trying out any of the rides. The only attractions she participated it were the prize booths, haunted houses, and others close to the terra firma. He had a suspicion of something else as well, but he couldn't confirm it.

"Fine." Yuffie deadpanned. She was only doing this for Roxas' sake, even if it was at the expense of her own. She sincerely hoped she didn't hurl all over him. What a perfect way that would be to end a dat—friendly outing. She had a hunch he thought she had a fear of heights. However, it was much worse—motion sickness.

A light tapping on her shoulder disrupted her thoughts. "Finally, it's our turn," Roxas stated. Without waiting for a response, he unlocked the gate of a colorful, rectangular shaped compartment. He held it open for her and stepped aside. "After you," he said, gesturing chivalrously.

"Why thank you," Yuffie replied, her voice laced with sarcasm. Yet, he either didn't notice or chose to ignore it as he stepped in after her.

There was a minute or two of waiting as the other passengers embarked. Soon after, the machine started up and their compartment lurched forward. It rose slowly and they ascended into the atmosphere.

Roxas leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head while Yuffie stayed stiff as a board. He cast a concerned glance in her direction before staring into the stars. "Beautiful sky, don't you think?" he asked conversationally.

"S—sure," she shakily answered, feeling bile burn up her throat. She swallowed a few times, attempting to keep her composure. Subconsciously, she balled her fists and took a few deep breaths. Her efforts to be inconspicuous were probably failing miserably. Stupid motion sickness!

Roxas became aware of her discomfort. He even thought he saw her face turn a slight tinge of green. He bit his lip, beginning to feel guilty for forcing her to come with him. He placed a warm hand on her naturally cold ones sympathetically. "Sorry, Yuffie," he apologized. "I didn't mean for you to be miserable."

Yuffie suddenly looked up from her gaze on the floor. The still ground helped her keep her head and stomach straight. "Oh, not at all. I'm just a little dizzy," she assured him. Red soon replaced the color on her cheeks when she felt Roxas squeeze her hand. Fortunately, the dark obscured their features.

"Okay…" Roxas responded, not quite convinced. He had to think of something to distract her from her uneasiness. But he came up with blank. Suddenly, a loud boom resonated in the air, startling them both. Bright red, green, and blue fireworks streaked throughout the black sky. He gasped and reached out to touch them. They were created by magic.

Yuffie giggled at Roxas' childish curiosity. He was so much like Sora sometimes. "Yep, they're not ordinary fireworks. They were made by magic. Not sure how but when you're as experienced as Merlin in wizardry, you can do some pretty neat stuff."

Roxas grinned, making a mental note to thank the old wizard. He was surprised and thankful that Yuffie didn't seem to notice that they were at the top of the Ferris wheel.

After the fireworks were over, their compartment jolted then descended. Yuffie abruptly remembered her motion sickness and felt her stomach clench painfully. "Ugh…"

Luckily, she held out, at least until the ride was over. Roxas helped her out, blissfully unaware of the following occurrence.

"Blegh!"

That was when Roxas learned the hard way that Yuffie had motion sickness not a fear of heights.