I Want to be a Hero {KH Romance}

I Want to be a Hero (Chp. 13)

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"It's 11:11!!" I point to the clock with a smile "What do you wish for?" Blair sighs and stares me down.
"I wish you'd tell me just what the hell is up with you.. Why are you so.. happy all of the sudden?" I shrug and take a seat on the bed beside Blair. "Are you in Denial?" I shake my head and pick at my nail polish.
"No, just getting over him. I feel like ignoring the feelings will help."
"So, suppression AND denial. That's healthy" Blair laughs and pull the covers over herself. I cross my arms.
"It's not denial! I know it's there, I just don't want to express it. The last thing I need is Sora knowing I'm upset about it. I'm 17, it's about damn time I grew out of these school girl crushes and focused on the important things.." I lay beside her and stare up at the ceiling "I need to get my sister back.."
"I'm not sure whether you're being wise or foolish.. But, I wish you luck with whatever you do" Blair yawns "I'm sure you'll.. figure it out.." She finishes her sentence just in time before she passes out beside me. I sigh and turn on my side, facing the door to Sora's room.
It wasn't denial. I know how I feel, I've addressed it several times, and now.. Now I'm going to deal with it the only way I see fit. Not showing how I really feel is going to save me from a lot of awkward situations and tears that I don't need. It's wise...
I just wish it didn't hurt so bad.
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"Back to Atlantica! Finally!" Sora stretches before smiling "I sort of missed having a fish tail!" Blair and I stare blankly at him.
"A..what?" Blair blinks. Sora bounces on his toes.
"Do you guys believe in Mermaids?!" He asks excitedly. I fake his enthusiasm.
"OHMYGO--no." I give him an unimpressed face and Blair sniggers. Sora rolls his eyes.
"Well, you will!" He looks to the hall as Donald and Goofy arrive. Sora's smile widens. "We're here! Use magic! Cmooon! I'm so excited!" Donald looks to Goofy with a smirk and I feel my entire body tingling. I close my eyes as I feel my body falling, but when I expect an impact, nothing comes. I open one eye, seeing surroundings that look like they come straight out of the discovery channel.
"Woah.." I whisper "When did we enter Deep Sea Diving?" I bring my hand up to brush my hair out of my face when I see that it's bare. "What the hell?" I whisper, investigating my arm. Nothing, no scuba gear. I could talk as well?
"WHAT THE HELL AM I WEARING?!" Blair shouts, and I look to her, seeing her nearly exposed breasts covered by only sea-shells. I laugh.
"More like what are you NOT wearing!" She turns to me and Raises an eyebrow.
"I don't think your one to talk teeny-bikini" I look down at my nearly exposed chest and let out a gasp.
"SERIOUSLY?! SHELLS?" I sigh and go to kick some kelp boredly.. when I notice.. "No..feet?" Nope. None. In their place.. A fin. Monofin. Like.. "A mermaid." I laugh. "Oh, Mikoto will NEVER believe this!" I push the bottom of my fin and feel myself rise in the water "Oh, this isn't hard at all!" 
"What!? I've done this before and I'M having trouble how can you..." Sora turns to me and pauses mid sentence. I swallow hard as my eyes wander down to his COMPLETELY exposed chest..and torso.. and abs.. very..pretty abs. Very nice abs. Very I-want-to-touch-those-sexy-things abs.
"Dude. you're jacked.." I say, attempting to cover up the small staring problem I had. Sora's head shoots up and his eyes meet mine. His cheeks redden a little but a smirk comes to his face.
"Well, you knooowww~" He flexes "I work out and stuff.. saving the worlds.. whatevs." I laugh and swim over to Blair, who's arms remained crossed over her chest.
"Oh cmon.. How is this any different that normal?" She glares.
"Fuck you." I roll my eyes.
"It's not like Riku's here to stare."
"That's exactly the problem.." She mutters, but follows me over to meet the rest of the group.
"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" A red haired mermaid approaches us. Is there anyone these guys DON'T know?
"What brings you under de sea? Is something going on?" A little red crab beside her asks. Jamaican accent. EPIC.
"Kind of.. But it seems pretty peaceful here." Sora says as he glances around. The red haired girl giggles.
"Oh yes! Everything here is alright.." she rolls her eyes "So long as daddy's in a good mood" She glances over to a small section of coral and swims over, examining it.
"Hey, we got us a concert very soon. Why don't you sing in my musical extravaganza? Please say yes! Ariel's been actin' strange lately. But she might settle down and practice if you're dere, too." The crab notices me finally. "Do you know these two?" he asks.
"There my slaves" Blair smacks Sora on the back of his head "Owww. I was kidding!"
"I'm Blair." I smile and wave to the crab.
"And I'm Rea. We're just traveling with the group, helping out." He nods.
"Please, join in with the concert! How good are you at singing?" I blush.
"I dunno.. I was in my school's choir. Blair's better than me though." The crab rolls his eyes.
"Oh hush, I'll teach you all everytin' you need to know!" He waves his claws and Sora scratches his cheeks.
"Uhh. what do we have to do?"
"It's easy! All you gotta do is feel de rhythm! Hear de beat and put a little shake in it! Ready? Let's go!" Some upbeat music plays and everyone besides Blair and I begin dancing.
"I have a plan." She whispers. "On the count of three.. we make a break for that cave over there." I nod.
"One..two...three" I flip over and swim upside down towards the cave, not looking back. I flip myself over and hide behind a coral pillar, seeing Blair being sucked into dancing. I laugh and prepare myself to go join her.
"Psst. Rea." I freeze and turn around, seeing another mermaid swim out of the cave.
"Who are you?" I raise my eyebrow "How do you know my name?" Her purple bangs contrasting against her original brown hair throws me off.
"My name's Cali.. Tell me.. Are you happy? "I tilt my head.
"Of course I am.. Who exactly are you?" She rolls her eyes.
"I told you!"
"N-no, I mean, do I know you?" She shakes her head, but gives me a small smile.
"I'm sure you'll know me soon enough though." She crosses her arms. "Mikoto misses you, you know." My eyes widen.
"What do you know about Mikoto?!" Her choker glows brightly and she gives me a wave. "wait! please!"
"Later! I promise!" She swims into the dark cave and I go to chase after her before I feel a hand pulling me away. I see Blair dragging me over to the crab.
"Sing." She instructs, I go to protest and she punches my arm. "No arguing. Sing. Now" I pout and sigh.
"Sing what?"
"anything. just do it." I take a deep breath.
"your fingertips across my skin, the palm trees swaying in the wind.. images" I whisper nervously, feeling my hands shake.
"Louder!" the small crab instructs. I do as told.
"You sang me spanish lullabies, the sweetest sadness in your eyes. Clever trick." I clench my shaking hands. "Well I'd never want to see you unhappy, I thought you'd want the same for me. Goodbye my almost lover, goodbye my hopeless dream. I'm trying not to think about you, cant you just let me be? So long my luckless romance, my back is turned on you, should've known you'd bring me heartache, almost lovers always do." I continued, mainly because my musical adhd forbids me from stopping mid song. I see Blair smirking out of the corner of her eye and my heart still pounds nervously. I had never been comfortable with solos. Auditioning in chorus sucked for me, it was mainly the attention. I could sing loud as hell if they weren't all staring at me, but if they were watching? Not so much. "Did I make it that easy to walk right in and out of my life? goodbye my almost love, goodbye my hopeless dream. I'm trying not to think about you. Cant you just let me be? So long my luckless romance, my back is turned on you. Should've known you'd bring me heart ache, almost lovers always do.." I swallow and feel my hands still shaking nervously.
"Great job!" Blair pats my back and I let out a relieved sigh.
"You're definitely going to be singing.. Let's see.. How about you pick your favorite song and you can sing a solo?" I bite my lip.
"My favorite song is a duet." I spit out, avoiding a solo at all costs.
"What is it?" Blair smiles.
"Uhm.. White Balloons?" Sora smiles.
"I love that song!!" Blair smirks.
"Great! You can sing it with her!"
"Wait wha-"
"curtains up in five minutes! Cmon!" Ariel grabs our hands and drags us to the palace's theatre. What had I just gotten myself into?
"This'll be great! the crowd always loves new acts!!" Ariel giggles and swims off. Sebastian catches up.
"Now den you two, you'll be up dere first, but I'll be directin' you from in front of de stage, so when you're done with dis duet, watch for my cues." My eyes widen as the crab swims off.
"Shit. I didn't pay attention at all when he was teaching you guys!!" I panic and Sora grabs my shoulders.
"It's okay!! all you do is sway your hips to the beat. Seriously, If I can do it, you can!" I let out a sigh. A music cue begins and Sora drags me out onto stage. He nods and i swallow hard, closing my eyes. It's just mermaids. Even if you suck, you'll never see them again. Right. Right.
"I'm holding onto white balloons up against the sky of doom, tell me you see them." I begin, and I hear Sora sing in reply.
"Because what's inside of me is invisible to most.. even in clear view" He had.. a really great voice.
"I'm sending out a signal to the possibility of you cause right at this moment.."
"I know you're connected to a part of me" we sing in harmony.
"That I don't even know myself" thank god he remembered to sing that alone.
"The changes in me are likely to be like the weather."
"Stormy and clear, strength, interfere, bound together." The music cue plays again and I hide my shaking hands behind my back. "But I'll break my silence, if I believe that you and me could ever be more than just what's been behind us. I tried and left, they came I went. I got rejected out again, but no one believes me. I've worn a hundred faces of the character placements and now nobody sees me." God he's TOO good.
"The changes in me, are likely to be like the weather" I cue in. "Cloudy at best."
"Angels lift me, are you with me? I'm holding onto you like I'm holding on to white balloons"
"Carry me away. I hope that you don't break." This was a beautiful remake of the song.. more orchestrated and less focused around an electric guitar. It was soft. "Angels lift me, Are you with me? I'm holding onto you like I'm holding onto white balloons.. Carry me away, I hope that you don't break.."
"I hope that you don't break.. Don't break" The small melody plays again. "Because what's inside of me is invisible to most.."
"Even in clear view" we both finish. I feel my heart pounding. Was it nerves? Or was it my new found respect for him? Another reason I like him? The crowd cheers but my eyes are glued on Sora. He turns and makes eye contact with me, Smiling brightly and grabbing my hand, pulling me off stage.
"We did great!" He laughs, dancing a little.
"We did?" He nods.
"You were great, Rea!" Blair smiles and swims around me. I bite my lip.
"guys! the next song is up!!" Ariel waves up into places on stage.
~-~-~-~-~
"Why'd we leave again?" I frown, staring at my feet. You know that feeling you get when you spend all day ice skating or jumping on a trampoline and your legs aren't used to staying still? that's what it felt like. Almost unnatural.
"We need to find a magnet or magnet spell to drag that statue out to give to Ariel." Sora says, toothbrush hanging halfway out of his mouth. I sigh and roll over on his couch.
"I knowww. I just didn't want to leave" Sora walks to the bathroom to put his tooth brush away. Blair smirks from her seat on Sora's bed.
"You just wanted to see Sora shirtless more." I groan.
"That too.." I stare up at the ceiling, my pj's cool against my warm skin.
"What about me?" Sora asks as he walks in, taking a seat on his bed.
"Just talking about how you didn't mind seeing two girls shirtless all day" Blair covers for me and I let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm not a perv, you know." Sora mutters and Blair laughs.
"No, you're a CLOSET perv. Don't you remember the magazines?" his eyes widen.
"I don't know what you're talking about.."
"Oh really because I remember how you begged me not to show them to Kai-"
"--I'm ready for bed. It's been a long day." He pushes Blair of his bed and sees her to the door. She laughs and willingly goes to lay down. He closes the door with a sigh.
"I'm still here. You want me out so you can sleep?" He faces me and I stare boredly at him "Cause you'll have to carry me out.. I can't walk right." He laughs and sits on his bed.
"You'll never learn to walk again if you don't try, you know." I scoff. "Lazy." I gasp.
"The term is energetically handicapped, stop making fun of my disability. That's a hate crime.. jerk." He laughs and lays down. "whatever. you can sleep there if you want just don't snore." I roll my eyes.
"Yes, because out of the two of us, I'M the one with the snoring problem." I laugh and he raises his arms up.
"Finally! You admit it! That's the first step."
"Are you saying I was in denial?" That word again.  Buh.
"Yup." I shake my head with a smile.
"Allrighty, psycho.." I put my hands behind my head. "Hey Sora?"
"Yeah?" I feel myself smile.
"You're a pretty great singer."
"..Thanks" I could hear the smile in his voice and it made my heart skip a little.
"I think.. I'll go make some ramen and let you sleep." I pull myself up off of his couch and head out the exit that leads to the hallway.
"Oh.." He replies.. almost sadly? "Well, Goodnight Rea.." I smile.
"Night."
"Oh and Rea?" I turn and  see him sitting up in his bed, His blue eyes shining brighter than ever. "You're a pretty great singer too.."
My stomach warms and I feel myself get a dorky grin "Thanks.. Goodnight" I whisper before closing the door. I begin to walk towards the kitchen but stop myself in my bedroom doorway, prepared to ask Blair if she'd want some ramen. That is, if she hadn't all ready passed out. I smile and walk to the kitchen, grabbing a water from the fridge and feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I close the door and peek out the doorway, nothing.
"Evening." I jump and spin around, my eyes immediately narrowing as I summon poison ivy.
"What the fuck do you want?" I growl at my unexpected company, the hag who stole my sister.
"I want you to keep your part of the deal, Rea."
"Like hell, I will! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't scream my lungs out for backup and kill you right now!" I grit my teeth and she smirks with her dark lips.
"Because I know where your parents are." My eyes widen but I shake it off.
"what do YOU know about my parents?" She stares at her nails.
"Who do you think made them disappear?" I narrow my eyes.
"I didn't meet you until a week ago." I spit back and she laughs.
"Silly Rea.. I created you." Maleficent drops her hand and stares me down with a confident smirk "I created you, I created those pathetic being you try to call your parents. Tell me Rea, why do you think you never got your home repossessed? Why there was always food for you to eat? Always heat and electricity in your home?" She laughs "because I've been raising you." I shake my head, lining up the pieces of her twisted puzzle. "I wanted you to get stronger so you could come help me. And now, you're all grown up. You're strong and powerful.. but I can make you even more powerful. And what's more.. I can give you back your family." I feel my chest being constricted and more confused than ever. She was lying.. She had to be..
"Did.. Did you hurt Mikoto?"
"She's fine. She's even made a friend.. You can see her, if you come with me" I feel my eyes water up and she smirks, opening her hand and letting a pile of clothes appear in them. "Change.. and come with me."
"I..." My eyes are wide, and I'm not quite sure what to do. I look up to her "Can I.. just have a moment to myself?" She sighs.
"Fine. But if you awaken anyone, our deal is off and you will not see your parents OR your friend ever again." My test tightens more and I grab the pile of clothes from her hand. "Come back here when you're through." I feel my legs shake as I step out of the kitchen, walking to my bedroom, careful not to wake Blair. I stare at her for a moment, seeing her sleeping peacefully.
"What am I doing?" I whisper. I sigh and quickly change into my new attire. I clutch my ipod nervously in my hands and stare down at Blair. "I'm so sorry.." I sigh and place my beloved ipod beside her on the bed. I let a few tears fall from my eyes before opening the door to Sora's bedroom. He was asleep. I tiptoe over to his dresser and grab a pen and a piece of paper. What would I write? What could I even say to him? No matter what he'd hate me..
She has my parents too. I had to go.
Please, don't hate me.
-Rea 

Would he understand?
I gently slip the note beside him and exit the room, letting out a quiet sob I had been holding back. I feel my chest squeeze again before I man up and wipe my tears away. I manage to swallow past my choked throat and arrive back in the kitchen.
"Ready, My child?" My fists clench. I was not her ch.. I .. I was her child.
"..as ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."
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