Sunshine and Shadows (An Amphibia AU Fanfiction)

Chapter 1: Her Notebook

Anne took a deep breath before picking up her phone and calling Sasha.

"...Hey..." came Sasha's voice.

"...Hi..." Anne responded, "...How are you...?"

Anne normally would've just asked Sasha that sort of question at school or something, but the two weren't going to school for the time being... They both just needed a while off...

And it was hard to see each other face-to-face right now. Successfully saving the world felt pretty amazing... but it also felt strange... and that wasn't the only significant elephant in the room that happened about a week ago...

They just needed some time before jumping back into life.

"...Fine..." Sasha responded.

There was a moment of silence.

"...I mean, I'm not doing good... I'm sorry if that's what you wanted to hear. If anything, I'm doing bad..." Sasha sighed, "...Look, I'm sorry if I sound like a brat, I'm really trying not to... And hey, I'm not exactly doing horrible. I'm finally back home and it feels nice, and I can still visit Grime, Percy, and Braddock back in Amphibia..."

Anne chuckled a bit, "No, you're ok. And hey, I'm not exactly doing good either..." Anne prepared herself for the next thing she was going to say, "But... um... I did wanna call you to check in on you... but I also have something else to say... and I don't think you're going to like it... It's about... you know what... and-"

"ANNE, NO!" Sasha suddenly exploded, "Please don't talk about it..."

"Sasha!" Anne responded, now in tears, "I don't wanna think about it either! ...But... we have to... at least until after her funeral."

Silence.

"...Fine... You're right..."

"Look, my parents were wondering if you'd like to say something at it. They thought it would be better if I asked you instead of them."

"Yeah," Sasha agreed, "...But I don't wanna say anything..."

"Sasha, I know we both don't want to acknowledge what happened, but we were her best friends! We need to say something..."

"It's not even really about that," Sasha responded, "I'm not even going to the funeral, so..."

"What!?" Anne responded, "Sasha-"

"...Murderers don't attend their victims' funerals, Anne."

Anne was confused for a moment, until she finally got it, "Sasha, no! You can't seriously be blaming yourself for what happened to Marcy! If anyone's to blame, it's King Andrias!"

"Ok! Ok! Look! I know! I'm just going through a lot right now and I don't know what to think! ...I'm still not going though... I don't think I can handle it..."

"Sasha, we're going through a lot right now. It's important that me and you stick together through this... And I don't think I'll be able to survive the funeral without you... It would also be good to see each other again."

"...Alright... fine," Sasha responded.

"...Thank you... I'll see you then, I guess."

"Yeah. Bye."

"...Bye," Anne hung up and sat her phone down on her bed next to her.

She sat there in thought for a moment.

She glanced over at her nightstand drawer.

Ever since her and Sasha got back from Amphibia, they had made this unspoken promise to not bring up Marcy's death. They wanted to avoid thinking about it as much as they could... which included hiding away the last gifts Marcy had given them: her notebook, which Sasha had, and her barrette, which Anne had hidden in that very drawer.