To reviewers of Uso:

NinjaSheik: Hehe. Thanks for the compliment.

Forgotten Lullaby: It really can, right? But right now (around Day 321), Roxas seems so clueless about everything.

Key of Blades: Haha, you're not the only reader who's been thinking that this was a multi-chapter thing rather than just a collection of random drabbles and stuff. And as for incorporating Xion more into my ficlets, I think it'll depend on the ficlet. As for the multi-chapter stuff that I've written, I'm not sure if Xion'll make an appearance. Right now, probably not, but who knows, XD.

CottonCandyHaze: It was amusing when I first saw a preview on ABC while flipping through the channels early one Saturday morning. At first I was like, whoa, there's actually advertisement for the game on network television. Then I realized that ABC's owned by Disney, of course they'll show a Disney game! Haha. There's a lot of stuff in KH 358/2 Days indeed, particularly regarding Castle Oblivion and of course, the situation with Sora, Roxas, and Xion. Hope you'll get a chance to actually play the game, X3.

Ficlet #38

Word count: 436

だから – Because

"Because…"

"Because…"

"Because…"

Sora slammed the door behind him angrily. That was the umpteenth time he's had to listen to Riku's half-assed excuse about why he was late to their date when he was the one who made the reservations. It was on Riku's schedule that they were having this date. And still that man had the gull to leave halfway during dinner, saying that there's an emergency after some call. Yeah, probably forgot a date with another girl based on the high pitched voice that came through the cell.

Of course, he was the one who ended up paying the bill and hoofing it home on his own.

He untied the scarf that was wrapped around his neck and shed the heavy overcoat, tossing them onto a barstool before making a beeline into the small kitchen to pull out a bottle of Captain Morgan and pouring himself a quick shot.

Just as he downed his second shot of the dark rum, frantic knocks on the door caught his attention.

"That better not be Riku," muttered Sora angrily. He brought the rum and the shot glass to the living room coffee table and opened the door.

Only to find the red-tinted face of one Roxas Betancourt standing in the hall, panting hard. From the way he was dressed, Sora could tell that the blond-haired man hadn't thought much about the bitter cold weather before he ran down the one block that separated their apartment buildings.

"Roxas?" Sora stared bug-eyed at his visitor.

"Hi," Roxas panted, "Can I come in?"

"Uh, sure," the other said, still stunned by the unexpected appearance of his friend. He stepped aside to allow the man in.

"I heard about what happened," Roxas said without preamble.

"Oh," the brown-haired man uttered lamely before plopping down in the sofa. Roxas took off the coat that he had tossed on haphazardly and set it next to Sora's own before joining his friend at the sofa. "It doesn't matter anymore," Sora added as an afterthought. "I'm done with Riku."

"Really?" questioned Roxas with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. I'm sick and tired of his excuses lately. We're through."

The two sat in silence for a short while.

"How did you know?" Sora asked, breaking the silence that fell between them.

"Uh, I was out with Xion and Naminé when I saw Riku at the Seventh Heaven with Selphie."

"You ran all the way from the Seventh Heaven?" Sora asked incredulously.

"Um… yeah," Roxas replied sheepishly.

"Why?"

The blond-haired man blushed, twiddling his thumbs in embarrassment.

"Roxas, tell me," Sora urged, almost pleading.

"Because I love you."

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. QQ.

A/N: It's not actually my intention to cast a negative light on Riku since it's a very common motif in Sora/Roxas fics (either him or Kairi being the jerk). But I had to get this clichéd ficlet out of my system, especially after playing more than three-quarters way through KH 358/2 Days. While by no means is Riku a jerk in the game (in fact, Axel's more of a jerk than Riku is around days 321), I know it changes at the end and maybe that's why I decided to do this.

And since I'm playing KH 358/2 Days, that hasn't given me much time to work on Heart of a Nobody. I've started working on it lately, but don't expect it to come out soon. I'll try to work on it more, but right now, I'm estimating that the chapter will be rather lengthy based on the amount of content that I want to fit into it. But a slight spoiler involves Nibelheim, Twilight Town, and, based on the last chapter, Ventus.