The Queen Of Hearts (Kingdom Hearts Story)

A New Chronicle

"Well, I was trying to relax" Akira claims, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Tidus takes a seat on the other side of Akira. Akira is confused when the young boy moves his face fairly close to hers. He peers at her through narrowed eyes.

After a few moments he stops and shrugs his shoulders. He places his palms behind him and glances across the beach, looking at the dawdling brunette.

"That's new. You're usually jumping all around the place with Sora" Tidus mentions.

Akira looks down at the tranquil waters beneath her and swings her legs back and forth. As her shoes make contact with the water, she creates small ripples. She looks down at the bandaged leg, the material limiting the movement.

"Yeah, well, I got hurt and now Riku is treating me like a baby" Akira explains.

Wakka releases a boisterous laugh. He yanks Akira back onto her feet and wraps an arm around her shoulders.

"That's our Riku!" Wakka exclaims.

Without hesitation, he pulls Akira's head to be pressed against his chest. He ignores Akira's clear struggles to escape his hold. Selphie kicks back and lays her back against the dock. She appears to swoon at the mention of Riku's nature.

"He worries about you all the time, like an older brother. It's kind of cute!" Selphie claims.

Tidus' reaction completely opposes Selphie's. He sticks out his tongue to exhibit his disgust. Once his tongue returns into his mouth, he narrows his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest.

"What isn't cute are those obsessive theories of his. There are other worlds outside our own? Please!" Tidus scoffs.

Akira pokes her head out of Wakka's arm and peers curiously at Tidus. Not only did he seem to be in a sour mood, but he had a very different vision than Riku, Kairi, and Sora.

"You don't believe it?" Akira questions.

Tidus shakes his head. Wakka looks down at Akira with a raised eyebrow.

"That story about the boy that left the island? It's just some old bedtime story" Wakka explains.

Selphie says nothing to add to this perspective but Akira can tell that she believes the same. Wakka releases his hold of Akira and waves his hand dismissively. He sits in between Tidus and Selphie, one leg curled into his chest and the other hanging off the dock.

"You're all wasting your time trying to get off this island. The four of you will die all on your own" Wakka says, his tone unusually serious.

The four enter a tense silence. The little enthusiasm and hope shown toward their efforts discourages Akira. Selphie frowns and looks between the three. She attempts to brighten the mood.

"You know... there is this other legend" Selphie starts, breaking the silence.

Her timid voice succeeds in attracting the attention. Tidus raises an eyebrow, noticing the girl nervously flick around her jump rope.

"A story about a certain star-shaped fruit..." Selphie continues.

Wakka was unimpressed and Tidus groaned in disgust. Selphie bites her lip and stifles some of her laughter. Despite the reactions she received, she managed to break through the uncomfortable silence. She pokes fun at Tidus, seeing his cheeks turn slightly pink.

She giggles and jumps onto her feet, sprinting off onto the island. With a cheeky grin Tidus jumps up and follows after her. The two laugh and run around with glee. Wakka watches the two and laughs, tossing the blitz ball up and down in his hand.