Thank-yous: to Butterman and Ixara for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

Enjoy the read.


XLIX. Snow
497 / 500

It was summer. Three best friends sat on the beach, resting after two hours of playing in the water. However, the sunshine was still too much for them to handle, so they took refuge in the shades of a paopu tree.

"It's this kind of weather that makes you wish winter would come sooner," said Riku.

"But we can't do anything in winter," Sora remarked. "It's too cold to play in the water, and it never snows. We can't build snowmen like the ones in movies."

"Snowmen are for kids. Big boys play snowball fight, and that's what makes snowy winters so fun."

"Well, you need snow for both of them."

"True."

Silence set in, and boredom followed right after. They would have plunged into the sea straightaway had they not been this tired. Sora and Riku lay down on the sand, feasting their senses on the sound of waves crashing against the shore and the occasional gentle breeze.

Sora suddenly sat up. He looked at his female friend—she was staring at the sea, appreciating its beauty—and shot her a question. "Kairi, does it snow where you came from?"

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed as she started to jog her memory. She had left her hometown at the age of three; because of that, she only had the vaguest memory about that place. She did remember, though, that Radiant Garden too had four distinct seasons, but unlike Destiny Islands, it snowed there due to its inland location.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied. "But dad and… mom, they never liked snow."

"Huh? Why? Isn't it supposed to be fun?" asked Sora. He was incredulous; how could anyone possibly hate snow?

Kairi shrugged. "I dunno, I thought so too. They said the fun is only for a day or so, then everything gets really messy. The snow melts into brown water and gets everywhere, and the ground becomes slippery. I don't remember how it looks like, though."

"Eww. Sounds disgusting…" Sora cringed.

"Looks like everything has its ups and downs, huh," said Riku as he sat up. He then scanned the surroundings, trying to spot a certain something. "Snow may be cool and all, but I wouldn't wanna do all the cleaning after it melts, thank you very much. I'd rather stick with… hmm…"

Riku's actions prompted Sora and Kairi to do the same. They asked him what he was looking for, but he responded that they would know once they spotted it.

Sora was about to pull off a disapproving face at Riku's secrecy, but he ended up smiling instead upon seeing someone pushing a cart loaded with goodness. "That's him!" he squealed in delight.

Riku looked at where Sora was pointing and nodded in agreement. "Yup, that's what I was talking about. C'mon, let's grab some snow ice."

With the thought of refreshing shaved ice—topped with syrup and condensed milk, too—in their head, the trio left their shaded sanctuary and headed in the direction of the ice vendor.