When Darkness Turns to Light

Once Upon a Time, Twice Upon a Dream

Recappy From the Last Chappy: "You're right," I agreed calmly, regarding the try with her. It was bent oddly for a tree, turning sort of in an L-shape on the small island it was rooted in. The star-shape fruit was toward the top, bunched with green palm leaves. "It's a little girly, but . . . romantic."

Shaking my head with vigor, I added, "Oh, but that doesn't mean I want to try it or anything. . . ."

I could tell from the look on her face that she was calling my bluff on the inside, and she let her tone as she said, "Uh-huh, suuuuure," drip with sarcasm. I simply shook my head and gazed at the island again as we walked away.

From the new vantage point, I could see Riku and Sora with their wooden swords, dueling yet again. I smiled softly.

Chapter Twenty-One: Once Upon a Time, Twice Upon a Dream

Where did everyone go? So suddenly, everyone seems like they've gone, thought the young kunoichi. She gazed at the woods with lavender-white eyes of a gentle shape. Under straight bangs and forelocks kissing the sides of her face, stimulated veins and arteries marking usage of the Hyuuga Clan's byakugan were evident.

The rest of her hair settled across her back and shoulders down to her waist. Her dress was lightweight in accommodation to the sunny weather, not too loose and not fitting too closely around her sizeable bust and hips. The skirt of the dress would flare a little if she spun and came barely over her knee. It was colored a light violet.

Around her neck rested a blue Konoha hitaiate; the color was matched closely by her hair and strappy sandals. For a ninja, she had a rather timid demeanor, and did not stride confidently in spite of her familiarity with the area.

"Um, Piglet? Eeyore . . . ? Tigger?" she called somewhat loudly. For her soft voice, it was comparable to a yell, but next to one who spoke normally, she had hardly raised her voice. Possibly due to this, or the absence of the names called, she received no response.

She was ready to consider the option that they had started a game of Hide-and-Seek without telling her, but even then she knew she would see them with her special sight-"Is that . . . Pooh Bear?" Trusting her judgment, she deactivated her byakugan and walked in that direction.

Outside the thicket was an empty meadow. She could see it through the last line of trees before she would enter it. Though most of it was vacant, within roughly ten feet of where she stood a hollowed log had been laid to rest. Sitting atop it was a tubby yellow bear wearing a red shirt. His body structure was closer to a stuffed teddy bear than its feral counterpart. Pooh!

Smiling, she began to enter the meadow but retreated behind a tree almost immediately and peered around. Not far from where the bear roosted, a boy with a lot of spiky hair and blue eyes had materialized abruptly out of thin air. He was around her age, perhaps a little younger, and appeared a little lost.

The boy was Sora.

Keeping her presence hidden, the girl watched as Sora approached the bear. The latter had his brow furrowed in concentration and his arms almost crossed. One of his stubby paws tapped his forehead as he stared at the ground. Repeatedly, he muttered, "Think, think. Think, think."

"Hi there," Sora greeted. "What's wrong?"

Though he faced her, she realized he was speaking to the bear. Nevertheless, she shrank back and watched the bear continue his movements and respond, "Nothing. Just thinking." By the high concentration of his expression, there was no doubt that he was troubled. "I was thinking of how to say goodbye to Pooh."

"Pooh?"

The bear reacted and lowered his arm. "Yes?"

"Wait a second." The brunette raised a brow and hopped onto the log beside him. "You're Pooh?"