Chibified

Shizuka Usagi

Chapter 9

"You have to take a bath, Sora."

"No."

"C'mon, Sora."

"No."

"Sora!"

"No!"

The caretakers sighed in exasperation. Nobody knew how to make the stubborn, little keyblade bearer take a bath. Nothing worked on him. Not even a rubber ducky or action figures brought down his resolve. Roxas didn't manage to coax him either. He was going to have to take a bath sooner or later. All the times he spent sullying his clothes dirtied him, as well.

Sora's new garments were already covered with dirt and grime. His arms were caked in mud from making 'chocolate pies', so he said. His spiky hair was disheveled. To top it off, his cheek had a smudge. His lips were fixed into a pout. His sky blue eyes held childish determination.

"We can't take you to Merlin's looking like that. He'll have a fit. Not to mention Aerith if she's around. She's even worse. She'll give us a lecture about shirking our duty or some sh—I mean stuff."

Roxas gave her a meaningful look before speaking. "Your mom has a point, Sora. If you don't take your medicine, you'll get more sick and—"

"—medicine! Gross!" Sora shouted, scrunching his face in disgust.

"Nice going, Rox." Yuffie whispered. Roxas slapped his forehead at his stupidity and the idiocy of the situation.

"Was he always like this, Rik?" Yuffie asked.

"For the most part, yeah. But… he seems more dogged."

"I'm not a dog!" Sora insisted, crossing his arms. The caretakers emitted another sigh.

"He means stubborn, Sora." Roxas informed tiredly.

"This is getting old, and we don't have much time. We need to give him a bath, go to Merlin's, and go to the cleaners before sundown. Which is… in about two hours." Yuffie notified.

"She's right. But what are we going to do?" Riku asked.

The caretakers had a moment to brainstorm before the obvious solution hit Yuffie.

"How about this, Sora? If we get you Sea Salt ice cream, will you take a bath?" Yuffie offered.

"But Yuffie—" Roxas protested. Yuffie placed a finger on his lips to silence him.

"Listen, Roxas. I know we already went. But a second time couldn't hurt—especially if it gets him to take a bath."

Riku looked on curiously as Yuffie managed to quiet Roxas. She has a lot of influence over him. If I remember, he used to be a lot more unyielding, much like Sora is now.

Sora considered this for a moment. He imagined the sweet, salty goodness of the ice cream. The way the sticky substance dripped down your fingers. The way it melted on your tongue on a hot day. Just thinking about the blue popsicle made his mouth water. Unclean or ice cream. Unclean or ice cream. The phrase repeated itself over and over in his immature mind until he finally came to a conclusion.

"Deal." Sora confirmed, shaking Yuffie's hand with his own filthy one. Yuffie resisted the urge to puke.

"Okay." Yuffie agreed, promptly wiping her hands on her shorts. Not the best thing to do. But Sora was quite… soiled—even for her.

"Why don't you guys help him out? While I go and change." With that, Yuffie left the bathroom and rinsed her hands in the kitchen.

—

"Hey, Merlin!" Yuffie greeted. Sora was piggybacking on Roxas who stood next to Yuffie. Riku leaned on the door sill.

"Yuffie, Roxas, Riku, it's good to see you all." Merlin addressed, looking away from his experiment. There were many potions and elixirs among other things bubbling in beakers.

"Have you concocted a cure for Sora by any chance?" Yuffie asked, pointing at the worktable.

"Actually, we're in luck. You told me Sora became ill after several encounters with the Heartless, am I correct?" Merlin questioned.

"Yeah." Roxas said, wondering where this was going.

"Do you know what kind of Heartless in particular?" Merlin inquired.

"No." Roxas shook his head.

"But why would Sora become sick from a Heartless? He's the keyblade master! Wouldn't he be immune to the effects of them?" Yuffie asked.

"Not unless his heart was weak at any time. Then he would be vulnerable." Merlin answered.

"When was there ever a time he was like that?" Yuffie inquired.

"There was a time when his heart was weak. It was when you all were fighting to save Hollow Bastion. He had to fight thousands of Heartless. And then Saix messed with his mind… I don't remember exactly…" Roxas scratched his head in thought. He racked his brain for memories, yet he came up with null. Since he was separated from Sora, he didn't share the brunette's thoughts and feelings anymore.

"That is a possibility." Merlin said, then he held up a green vial. "In any case, this is what may cure Sora's condition. It is a combination of antidote, elixir, and cure. The antidote is for any poison; the elixir is for memory loss. As you know, cure is a form of white magic. It will expel any darkness in Sora's system."

"Thanks, Merlin." Yuffie expressed her gratitude by shaking the wizard's hand heartily. After he recovered from shock, he adjusted his spectacles and smiled.

"But there's more. The treatment will take a week or so to come into effect. So, if it's not too much trouble—" Merlin began but was interrupted.

"We'll take care of Sora for how long it takes." Riku said. Yuffie nodded vigorously.

"I second that notion." Roxas added.

"I see Sora is in very good hands." Merlin observed.

"You bet." Yuffie said.

"You best give it to him right away." Merlin advised.

"Will do." Yuffie confirmed.