[Summary: Yosuke goes to Disneyland with kid Souji.]

[Author's notes: Another non-shippy one based vaguely on Nanako Explains It All. Please read it for more cute little kid Souji :)]

Day 18 - Amusement Park

Yosuke didn't know how he'd ended up taking a 6-year-old to Disneyland, but here he was. He'd thought it would be fun, you know. Little kids love Disney.

Right?

Wrong. Souji was just too shy and quiet a kid to enjoy the crowds of people. Most of the rides were a bust too. Yosuke understood being afraid of the Matterhorn Bobsleds, but Peter Pan? It was tailor-made for kids his age. Kids even younger than Souji had been waiting in line. Heck, Yosuke kinda wanted to go himself. But Souji refused to go on the pirate ship, so that was that.

The one ride they had gone on without any trouble: It's A Small World. Yosuke hadn't minded that much—the water and the fact it was indoors meant it was a refreshingly cool from the sun outside, plus there was just so much to see on the ride—but there was also something off-putting about have so many animatronics in one place. Yosuke could easily imagine how creepy this ride was when the park closed. All the little child-sized dolls locked into place when the power was down...

Anyway, after that, they were about to join the line for Alice in Wonderland, but Yosuke hesitated before the entrance. Something about the name 'Alice' gave him chills. He decided they should pass on that and go to Pinocchio instead.

While they waited, some people ahead in the line began to laugh at some joke they shared. "L-look, partner!" Souji said, pointing at them. "It's a world of laughter."

"Uh, yeah," Yosuke said. "Sure is."

Then Souji began to hum the rest of the "It's a Small World" song.

That's when Yosuke realized starting out with that ride had been one of the worst ideas he'd had in a long time. He'd almost had the song out of his head, but now the earworm was back in place. Yosuke could only sigh dramatically and hope it would go away.

The Pinocchio ride was nice and peaceful, though Yosuke hardly remembered the movie, and Souji admitted he'd never seen it. Surprisingly, Souji took the big whale part in stride.

They ate lunch after that. Souji couldn't finish his kids' meal, so he offered it to Yosuke. Yosuke didn't see anything wrong with finishing it off—it was just a small plate of fries anyway—but when he did, Souji said, "There's so much that we share."

"Really?" Yosuke complained. There was the earworm again! Yosuke thought hard about his favorite song, trying to get it in his head instead.

He almost had it when a kid at another table dropped his ice cream and began to cry.

Souji leaned forward in his seat. "It's a world of tears," he confided, following it up with the rest of the song.

Yosuke buried his face in his hands. "Please, Souji. I just got that out of my head!"

After lunch they passed through Sleeping Beauty's castle to Main Street, where a lot of mascot characters were giving out autographs.

"You've got an autograph book," Yosuke said, looking down at Souji. "You ought to fill it out."

When they approached the nearest one, though, the boy hid behind him and muttered something about it being a world of fear.

"It's just Pooh!" Yosuke said. "Everyone loves Pooh."

Souji shook his head vigorously, singing the rest of the song as if it was a mantra.

Yosuke sighed and relented. "All right, all right... but please give me a break with that song!"

In the end, it was more often a world of fear than anything else, as they skipped most rides except the ones intended for all ages. Souji did have a good time exploring Minnie and Mickey's houses in Toon Town, and didn't mind the riverboat ride to and from Tom Sawyer Island, so Yosuke couldn't consider it a complete loss. The most famous rides had lines that were over an hour long, anyway. He could never stay still for long periods of time like that.

The day ended with them taking the Disneyland Railroad back to the entrance of the park. Since the park was near closing, there weren't many people on the train with them.

Souji cuddled up to his side.

Yosuke smiled down at him and tousled his hair. "Long day, huh? You walked twice as far as me, since you're just a kid and all. You must be tuckered out."

The boy nodded while yawning. Then he blinked, focusing on Yosuke's face with a serious look.

"What is it?" Yosuke asked.

"A s-smile," he said after a moment, "means... friendship to everyone."

Yosuke's expression flattened. For the last hour a pleasant, ambient tune had been in Yosuke's head. That peace was shattered as that song returned with a vengeance.

But now Souji was looking at him with sleepy gray eyes. Yosuke thought about how, of all the people Souji could be with right now—his mom, his big sis, his big bro, his little friends—he was here with Yosuke.

"You know," Yosuke said, smiling once more. "It really is a small world, after all."