Whelp, I got a bit of the fic bug again...actually had this one for awhile, and finally got around to writing it down. Visiting Taro and Emi once again, but also a bunch of Sora, Riku and Kairi as bitties! Basically, it's just my personal headcanon on how Sora got his crown necklace. XD

Title: The Best At Anything
Rating: Safe for childrens
Disclaimer: Don't own anything that Squeenix and Disney do.
Spoilers: None, actually!



Taro felt that he was finally beginning to settle into his job.

It had been a month since he'd signed on as a fisherman at the Islands' fishery. Despite the very early mornings, he was getting used to the way things worked; to the rhythm of the ocean. He wasn't nearly so skilled as some of the other veterans there, but of course, he was not as old as some of them. At least by now, the nervousness of a new job had worn off.

Now, there was just getting used to the loneliness. The fishermen had all staked out their spots along the shoreline, and Taro had finally picked out a spot on the docks out of sight of everyone else. Right now, it was just him and the ocean.

But that didn't seem too bad at the moment. He just concentrated on each new bite, thinking about what could be on the other end, or what Emi was doing at that moment. In fact, most of his thinking was about Emi...they'd only been married for a few months, after all, and Taro was still riding some of that new-marriage high. Landing this job had certainly helped...Emi had been proud of him and wasn't that shy about saying so. He let all those thoughts run through his head as the sun slowly rose, lighting the water red and gold. Thoughts of Emi easily kept him occupied for hours.

When suddenly, he got a strong bite on his line.

The force of the bite was so strong that it almost yanked the pole out of his hands. Taro stood up immediately, hands tight on the pole to keep the fish from getting away. This fish was definitely a fighter--

And then, right by his line, Taro saw a triangular fin break the surface.

His eyes widened with realization, and a feeling of fear and dread hit him hard in the stomach. All good thoughts about this day were now forgotten.

It's a SHARK!

A shark practically was impossible on the islands. They were almost never seen, and certainly not anywhere near the shore. But there was no mistaking that fin, or the dark blue-gray shape underneath...it was a shark, and a large one at that. How had it even gotten onto his line?
The shark tugged hard against his line, and Taro fought to hold onto it. He was afraid the line may break, but then the shark flipped over in a couple of circles, wrapping the line around its head. The hook must've lodged in the back of his throat...it wasn't getting away now.

And that just frightened Taro all the more. He'd only started fishing here a little while ago, and he didn't think he could bring it in by himself. He yelled out to the rest of the shoreline, hoping one of the fishermen would hear:

"HEY! HEY, I NEED HELP HERE!"

But there was no answer. The shark, now caught up in the line, thrashed harder in the water. Taro could already feel the strain on his hands from the pole. He thought about just cutting the line, but soon realized he couldn't do that...if this shark got away and was still roaming around the Islands, it could bite or maybe even kill one of the children on the kids' island. Adults here were so trusting of letting their kids play unsupervised that no one would ever expect a shark to attack them. He couldn't let that happen.

"HEEEY! I'VE GOT A SHARK OVER HERE!"

Still no reply. Taro scanned the surrounding docks for any sign of movement before turning his attention back to the flashing fins in the water. A heavy feeling sank into his stomach. It was just him, and the shark...the shark fighting for its life, and him fighting for the safety of the Islands' children.

Taro edged over to his fishing gear on the other side of the dock, and yanked up a rarely-used weapon: a harpoon. Still holding onto the pole, he readied the harpoon in his hand, pulled back, and threw it at the shark's head...only to have it miss by a long shot. The harpoon buried itself in the shallows a couple of feet away.

Taro cursed under his breath and put both hands back on the pole. The reel wouldn't be enough to pull it in, so Taro grabbed the line itself and tried to wrap it around the pole. He pulled the shark a little closer, but in response, the shark thrashed its tail and head back and forth. He tried again, slowly yet surely, feeling the line cut into his hands. The shark's form inched closer, fighting every step of the way. He remembered suddenly that sharks had sandpaper skin, and he would have to grab it at some point. Why hadn't he thought to pack any gloves?

Taro didn't know how long he wrestled with the shark...it could have been hours, for all he knew. He was hoping that slow and steady would work in his favor. Little by little he pulled on the line, the pole whipping back and forth with each struggle the shark gave. He was sweating, straining as his energy drained, but still unwilling to give up the fight. Every once in awhile he would call out for help, but still no one came.

And just when the shark was close enough for him to nearly reach out and touch...it surprised him by suddenly darting towards him, into the shallow water beneath the dock. The move shocked him so much that in his effort to hold onto the pole, he toppled off of the dock and into the water.

There was a moment of panicked confusion; of sand in his clothes and salt in his eyes. The water only came up to his waist, so it didn't take him long to find his footing and break through to the surface, even if he was still on shaky ground. Still keeping a grip on the pole, he shook his wet hair out of eyes...just in time to see the shark swim around one of the dock posts and back towards him.

Taro's breath stopped. The line yanked hard; the shark was now wrapped around the post and trying to free itself. The only thing now separating himself from the shark was how well he could hold onto the pole...and he was losing his grip.

He looked at the desperate shark...at its deep, black eyes. He glanced behind him, and saw the harpoon still buried in the shallows, about two or three feet away. He couldn't possibly hold onto the pole and go for the harpoon at the same time.

He looked back at the shark. It's me or you.

Taro gritted his teeth, dug his heels into the sand, and let go of the pole.

The next few seconds seemed to pass in an agonizingly long, thick blur. He lunged for the harpoon, kicking up columns of water in his efforts to reach it. He almost tripped, but grabbed it, and spun back around. The shark wriggled free from the post, and swam towards him.

Taro didn't know where he pulled the strength or the will from. But as the shark charged him, he pulled back and threw the harpoon at it.

And this time, it hit home just ahead of its dorsal fin. The shark began to flail about wildly, tossing up great foamy waves tinged red. Taro did his best to grab it...its sandpaper skin rubbed hard against his palms, and the thrashing tail left cuts on his arm. Taro yanked the harpoon out of its back, using it to cut it free of the tangled line. He tossed the harpoon back onto the dock, wrapped both arms around the shark, and heaved it up onto the wooden planks.

It was still flopping around on the dock when Taro hauled himself back up and out of the water. He grabbed the shark's dorsal fin, snatched up another one of his spears left on the dock, and in one swift movement jammed the spike into the shark's skull. It gave a few more desperate flops, and finally expelled the last of its strength and lay still.

Taro sat there on his knees for a moment, unable to believe what had just happened. His arms were still shaking from the strain and adrenaline rush, and his hands and arms were cut up from the line and shark fins. He felt like his breath was coming in quick gasps. But he'd done it. He'd caught and killed the rarest fish to ever appear in these waters. A part of him felt bad for doing so -watching a shark fight for its life was different compared to the feeble efforts of fish- but mostly, he was just filled with relief and disbelief.

"HEY! TARO!"

Of course, now two of the other fishermen had thought to come and see how he was doing. Taro just glanced up and waved half-heartedly at the two older fishermen approaching. He was too tired to even get up off his knees.

One of them must have spotted the shark, because they suddenly quickened their pace and ran up to him. One of them, a shorter, brown-haired man, got there first and stared at the shark, slack-jawed.

"...That's a blue shark!"

Well, it was a shark, and it was blue. Taro just nodded.

"Did you catch that all on your own, Taro?"

Had he? Well...there'd been no one else in the water but him, as unbelievable as it seemed. He nodded again. "...Yeah."

The other two fishermen stared at each other. Finally, the taller, blond one said, "I'm gonna go get Koji!"

The next six hours felt to Taro like a blue, but they also got progressively better as the afternoon and night went on. All of the fishermen, including the head of the fishery himself, stopped what they were doing to come and see his catch. There were congratulations, exclamations of amazement, a doctor to check up on his cuts, and several men to haul the shark in and clean it. They spent the rest of the day ignoring the rest of their fishing just to focus on the shark, stringing it up to measure it, removing all the line wrapped around it, and pulling out a few of the teeth to see the size of them. Emi was called in...obviously, she was worried to death upon hearing he'd battled a shark, but relieved at discovering he'd won.

By evening, practically the whole island had stopped their work to come and congratulate him. They decided they'd hold a barbecue for everyone, using the day's catch and including some of the shark itself. At the end of the day, the exhaustion from the fight had finally worn off, and Taro was just surrounded by friends and family congratulating and praising him for his feat. He'd never felt so proud and accomplished in his life.

---------------

But that sense of pride and accomplishment actually came to a head about a week later.

By then, most of the shark had been used in some fashion or other...the Islanders knew better than to waste anything they caught or grew. The meat and fins were cut up and sold for food, the skull was put on display in the fishery as a monument to the event, and most of the back teeth had been sold for jewelry for souveniers. Work wasn't nearly as interesting anymore, but Taro felt he preferred that to having to battle a shark again.

That is, until one evening. He and Emi had dinner together as usual, although Emi spent most of the meal with a quiet and secretive smile on her face. He didn't ask her about it...and by the end of dinner, he didn't need to.

"Taro, I have something for you."

He gave her a curious smile. She just stood, left for the hall closet, and returned with a small paper bag. "Actually, something for both of us."

Now he was really curious. "What is it?"

Emi reached into the bag, and pulled out two necklaces. They looked nearly identical...both had simple leather bands, and were decorated at the ends with beads. One was colored with orange beads, and the other with blue. Most importantly, tied to the ends of both was a shark tooth...teeth from the shark he had caught. Emi handed him the one with the orange beads. "These are for us!"

Taro caught the necklace in one hand, admiring the workmanship. Clearly Emi had wanted to make sure these were made well. "And what's the occasion?"

Emi's smile grew wide. "The occasion should be obvious," she said. "These are to show that you are the best fisherman on all the Destiny Islands."

That pride and happiness that had begun the day he'd caught the shark welled up again; just hearing it from Emi. He fingered the shark tooth in his hands. "You really think so?"

"I know so," she said, stepping closer to him. "And this is so you don't forget it."

Taro definitely couldn't argue with that. And he didn't protest at all when Emi wrapped her arms around his neck and caught him up in a deep and lasting kiss.


------------------------------------------------------------


Sora had just turned six years old when he finally asked about the necklaces.

It was after he'd finally come in for the night, happy and tired from a full day of playing on the kids' island with Riku and Kairi. While Sora had seen his parents wearing those necklaces for his entire life, he'd never gotten curious enough about them to ask what they were for until now.

"Dad? Why do you and mom always have that necklace on?"

Both his parents paused, and smiled at him. "There's a story behind it actually, Sora," his mom said. "Why don't you get into bed and I'll tell you it?"

"Okay!" Sora normally wasn't that eager to get ready for bedtime, but he'd definitely do so for a story. He sped up ahead of his parents, brushed his teeth, threw on his pajamas and jumped up onto his bed. His mom sat down on the end of his bed, while his dad remained in his doorway.

"Well, many years ago, before you were born, your dad had just gotten his job at the fishery. He was still very new at it. And one day, when he was out fishing all alone, he accidentally caught a shark! No one's ever seen a shar around the Islands...not for years and years!"

Sora's eyes widened in amazement. He'd heard sharks talked about before, but they were practically mythical with how rare they were. It certainly wasn't like he'd ever seen one himself. "What happened?"

His mom leaned in closer, building up the suspense of the story. "He couldn't let the shark go, because if it got away it might hurt someone later! And he couldn't get anyone to come over and help him, so he had to bring it in all by himself. He fought with the shark for hours and hours, because it was very strong and trying hard to get away. But your dad just held on and didn't let go, even though it kept getting harder and harder."

Sora's eyes remained wide as he listened, his full attention on the story. He glanced over at his dad in the doorway, who was just smiling to himself.

"Finally, the shark pulled so hard that it dragged him down into the water! But even then, your dad didn't give up! Just when the shark was about to get him, he grabbed up a harpoon and stuck it into the shark! Then he threw it up on the dock and finished it off!"

"Wooow!" Sora exclaimed. He could just imagine his dad wrestling valiantly with the shark. It must have been so cool to watch.

His mom sat back a little bit, and stole a glance with his dad. "And all the Islanders were so proud of him, and they held a big party to celebrate his bravery! Not many people can catch a shark all on their own." She showed him the necklace she was wearing, with bright blue beads surrounding the white shark tooth. "So, we have these necklaces to commemorate the event. They show how your dad is the best fisherman on the Islands."

Sora stared in wonder at the necklace. So these really were special...special enough that his parents wore them all the time. And it was no wonder, with a story like that. He looked back up at his mom. "Can I have a necklace, too?"

His mom's face fell. "Oh, Sora...we don't have any more of the shark teeth. They all got traded away a long time ago.

Sora's heart instantly sank. So, not only did he miss out on seeing this event, but now he couldn't even get his very own reminder of it, either? It felt like he was being shut out of something special. "But I want a shark tooth necklace..."

"Sora, there's no way to get you one. Your dad got the shark a real long time ago," she replied. His dad moved further into the room.

Sora felt as if this cool story had come to a bit of a sad end. While logically he knew he couldn't get a special necklace, emotionally he was still upset with this fact. "But..that's not fair!"

His dad strode up to his bed, his face serious. "Sometimes things aren't fair, Sora. We already told you why we can't make anymore. It's not going to help getting angry."

Sora knew that, but couldn't help sulking. But his mom and dad were giving him that look that said he needed to stop arguing, so he just sighed and gave a heavy "Okaaaay."

"Good." His mom leaned over and left him a kiss on the forehead. "Don't worry about it anymore, okay? Good night, sweetie."

"G'night," he replied.

"Sweet dreams, Sora."

He nodded as his parents turned off the light and left the room. He snuggled down under the covers and tried to think of catching sharks and other brave deeds. But even as he drifted off to sleep, he still felt disappointed at not being able to get his own symbol of such bravery.

---------------

"...And he said I couldn't have one, because there's no more shark teeth to use for necklaces!"

By the next day, Sora still couldn't let the conversation he had with his parents go. It was starting to eat away at him, and he had to explain it. Sora finished spilling the whole sad story to Riku and Kairi, hoping they could offer some advice. The three of them sat in the sand of the children's island, watching the waves lap against the shore. While Sora had hoped a couple of games with his friends would help take his mind off what his mom and dad had said, he just couldn't seem to let it go. He wanted a necklace, too! It was a symbol of something special, of being the best.

Riku sighed, and shrugged. "That stinks. But what can you do about it, if there's no more shark teeth?"

"Hmmm..." Sora frowned, running his fingers through the sand. He looked back up towards Riku and Kairi, but they didn't offer any suggestions. His gaze went past them, out to the vast blue ocean...

When suddenly, Sora got an idea.

"I know!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet and startling Kairi a bit. He pointed out towards the ocean with a look of resolve. "I'll go and catch my own shark! Then I'll have teeth for necklaces and it'll show that I'm the best at fishing!"

Kairi looked worried, but Riku just looked skeptical. "I don't think you could ever catch a shark, Sora."

"Why not? I've caught fish before."

"Yeah, but those are way smaller than a shark. Anyway, no one's even seen one since the one your dad caught," Riku insisted.

"Still! I bet I can totally find and catch one! If my dad did it, I can too!" Now, SOra was all fired up. He was eager to prove to Riku, Kairi and everyone that he could pull off such a feat. Riku, especially...he was always beating him at their games and races. Now this could be a chance to show how he was really the best at something!

Sora ran over to where he'd stashed his fishing gear by one of the palm trees, and pulled out a child-size trident. Surely something as big as a shark would require more than just a hook and line! Certain he didn't need anything else, he started back towards the shoreline. Riku and Kairi got to their feet.

"Sora..." Kairi started to follow him down the sand, her tone fearful. "I don't think you should try it..."

He just shot her a smile. Kairi had only arrived on the Islands a few months ago, after all, so she didn'y really know the islands and waters here as well. Sora had confidence in his abilities. "Don't worry, Kairi! I'm gonna bring back the biggest shark you ever saw!"

"I bet you're not," Riku countered, following him too.

"Just watch me!" Sora lifted his trident to the sky. That shark wouldn't know what hit him!
He tossed off his sandals and started into the crystal water. There was no need to change into swim trunks; the kids were used to getting their clothes wet anyway. With barely any waves hitting him thusfar, the water quickly went up to his ankles, then his knees, then his hips. He saw the usual small fish flitting about around the bottom, but he wasn't after them right now. Sharks were bigger, so it only made sense that they lived in deeper water. He squared his shoulders, gripped his trident and strode further out.

From the beach, Kairi and Riku watched him wade out farther and farther. Kairi turned to Riku with wide eyes. "Riku...what if Sora..."

"Don't worry, Kairi," Riku responded before she even finished her question. "If Sora's ever in trouble, I'll go right out and rescue him."

Kairi still looked worried, but accepted that answer for now.

Sora continued to wade even deeper, until the waterline was up to his neck. The sea was warm, so he didn't care about getting wet. However, he was frustrated at the distinct lack of sharks so far. Wasn't this deep enough water for them? He turned to look back towards shore, where he saw Riku and Kairi watching him. They looked quite small, but were still visible at least. Riku had his hands on his hips.

He frowned. There were no sharks here, but he couldn't very well go back empty-handed. There was only one thing to do: go further out and try his luck there.

So, he swam out even further. A couple more steps, and the ocean floor dropped out from under him -- too deep to stand in. He'd been taught to swim almost as soon as he could walk, so that wasn't a problem here. The problem now was attempting to swim while still holding onto the trident. Looking down, the ocean's seafoam green had given way to a much deeper blue, and he couldn't see the bottom. Would he even be able to find a shark in water like this?

Still determined, he kept paddling out. The waves out here began to get rougher; a little choppier, sometimes slapping up into his face as he tried to swim. The distance between himself and the ocean floor grew, making the water beneath him feel colder. And what's more, he was beginning to get tired. Each stroke felt a little tougher than the last. And still, there were no sharks around. Even the fish seemed to have gone.

Sora looked back to shore again, only to find that Riku and Kairi looked much smaller than before. When had he gotten so far from the island?

For the first time, Sora began to feel a little worried. The waves kept sloping over his head and pushing him this way and that. He had no way of knowing how deep he was now, just that he had to tread water and it was cold. Sora decided not to go out any further...this had to be deep enough for sharks, and he'd have to carry it all the way back to shore, anyway. Just treading water was tiring him out more and more. But he was patient...he could wait for the shark to show up.

It was after five minutes of treading water and holding his breath with each new wave over his head that a horrible realization reached him...he was still getting further from the shore, without actually swimming away from it. His dad had told him about this: the current was dragging him out to sea!

Sora immediately turned and tried to swim back to shore. But he was already tired, and the ocean was tugging at him from all sides. While he made fast strokes in the direction of the beach, it felt like he wasn't making any progress. The waves sloshed up against him again, filling his nose and throat and seawater. The more he tried to reach the shore, the more he just exhausted himself.

Finally, fear overcame his pride, and he waved to his friends. "RIKU!"

Back on the beach, Riku heard his friend's cry, and did not hesitate for a moment. "You stay here, Kairi!" he told her, before tearing off his own shoes and running headlong into the sea. He splashed through the shallows until he couldn't touch the ground anymore, and then he began swimming stroke over stroke to where Sora splashed in the waves. None of them noticed Kairi ignore Riku's command and take off sprinting for the docks.

Sora paddled furiously as Riku finally reached him out in the water. He was tiring himself quickly, and that tiredness was in turn filling him with panic. But Riku had to know what to do, right?

"Sora grab my hand!" Riku cried out, his last words a sputter as a wave sloshed over him. He reached a hand out to him. Forgetting about the shark for now, Sora threw aside the trident and reached for Riku. With one hand he grabbed Riku's outstretched hand, but with the other he grabbed his shirt, and ended up pulling them both down beneath the surface.

For a moment, there was nothing but darkness and confusion, then Riku kicked upwards and they both bobbed up, sputtering for air. "Sora--" Riku paused to cough out water. "--Just hold on!" Sora tried to wrap his arms around Riku's shoulders, hoping to just cling to him, but his extra weight was dragging Riku down. "Just grab my hand!"

The waves just seemed to be getting higher. Sora gripped his fingers tight around Riku's, and tried to use the other hand to paddle with. But now the current pulled at them both, making every stroke feel further and heavier. Riku tried to swim against it, but didn't seem to be doing much better. "Riku..."

"I'll get us back!" his friend said, his voice determined but garbled by the water.

It seemed to take forever for them to go even a few strokes, and yet, the safety of the beach didn't appear to come any closer. Sora felt some great weight in his stomach, dragging him down. His head dipped below the surface, and out of instinct he grabbed Riku's arm and shirt, pulling him down with him.

This time, he couldn't bring his legs to kick back to the surface. He was sinking, falling slowly into the endless blue below. And despite the fact that he was dragging Riku down with him, Riku refused to let him go. He tasted salt and felt it stinging his nose; felt Riku's hand in a deathgrip around his. The light above them faded, and all the world in his vision fell into darkness...

When suddenly, he felt something wrap tight around his waist. He and Riku were dragged back upwards, and broke the surface with a terrific splash. Sora coughed up seawater he'd swallowed, too blinded by the light and salt in his eyes to see what was actually happening. He just knew that he had air again, and something was dragging him back through the waves. Sora was too exhausted to move or protest in the slightest.

he wasn't sure how long it took, but eventually the water gave out from underneath him. It was then he realized he was being carried, and through his bleary vision he thought he saw the blue of his dad's jacket. Finally, the ocean and the feel of the water left completely, and he was dropped on the sand next to Riku. The two of them began coughing up what seawater remained in their lungs.

"Sora! What were you doing?!"

Sora wiped the rest of the salt out of his eyes, only to find his dad looking down at him. He was also sopping wet, and his expression held both anger and fear. Kairi dropped down next to them, looking equally fearful. "Sora, Riku! You're okay!"

Sora tried to sit up a bit, and felt his dad's hand on his shoulder. The grip felt tighter than it should have been. "What were you thinking, Sora?! You know better than to swim out that far!"

Sora suddenly didn't want to explain himself at all. Catching a shark seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that his dad had had to save both him and Riku, he was embarrassed to admit so now. Sora cast his gaze down to the sand, not willing to meet his fatehr's eyes.

The hand on his shoulder shook him. "Answer me!"

"I..." Sora choked on his words, still pointedly not meeting his gaze. But it was clear his dad wasn't going to just let this go. "I was just trying to catch a shark..."

This just seemed to make his dad angrier. "You and Riku could have drowned! If Kairi hadn't come and found me..."

Now Sora's words came out in choking sobs, as the weight and severity of what had happened settled on him. "I...I just wanted to catch a shark so I could get the teeth and have a necklace, like you! So I could be the best at fishing, and..." He broke off into hiccuping sobs. There was no way around how badly this had turned out, and despite his best efforts to put on a brave face for Riku and Kairi, he couldn't stop the tears that slid down his cheeks. "I just thought I could be the best at that..."

"Sora..." His dad released his shoulder from his tight grip, and instead wrapped his arms around him in a firm hug. Sora threw his arms back around him, clinging tight.

"I'm-s-sorry...I'm sorry!..." Sora cried.

Sora wasn't sure if it was just himself, or if his dad was shaking, too. They stayed that way for a long while, before finally his dad released him and stood back up. He sighed heavily, as if thinking something over. "Come on. I think maybe you three should come home now."

None of them were in a position to argue, Sora least of all. He nodded, and rubbed at his nose in an attempt to chase his snuffles away. He stood himself up slowly, as his legs were still tired and shaky from treading water, but he could at least walk. His dad waited until all of them were standing, then started back to the dock.

Riku and Kairi said nothing to him as they walked back, but he caught their looks well enough. Kairi was coming down still from her fear, into relief. Riku...Riku looked a little fearful himself, a little relieved, but mostly just disappointed. Whether that disappointment was direct at Riku or himself, he didn't know, but he couldn't help feeling that it was at him. Sora finally couldn't stand to look at them anymore, and just watched the sand all the way back to the docks.

One thing was clear...he couldn't possibly be the best at fishing now.

---------------

As the next few days passed, Sora got the sense that his dad was still mad at him for going out into the ocean so far. He only really saw him at dinner now, and he seemed to talk to his mom more than to him. That first night after it happened was especially awkward...his mom had fussed over him even more than his dad did.

He and Riku and Kairi continued to head to the kids' island every day to play. Although for the next few days, they kept their games restricted to the land. No one brought up Sora's attempt to catch a shark, for which he was thankful. He had lost bets and contests with Riku all the time before, but never in a situation where Riku had to come rescue him.

As time went on, though, they fell back into their usual play routine. Sora felt like maybe the incident could be forgotten by all...that is, until about a week later, when his dad called him up to his room after dinner.

"Sora, can you come see me? I need to speak with you."

Considering his dad hadn't said much since rescuing him last week, Sora could only assume that it was about that. As such, after dinner he trudged upstairs to his parents' room rather slowly, thinking over and over on how to respond to what would likely be a lecture.

He paused for a moment outside the door before finally swallowing down his worry and entering. He walked inside his parents' bedroom to find his dad sitting on the bed, holding a small box in his lap. Sora paused in the doorway.

"Come on in, Sora. I ant to give you something."

This was not the sort of invitation Sora had been expecting. He stood for a moment, confused, before finally sliding in and climbing up onto the bed. "What is it?"

His dad sighed, looking at him with concern. "Listen, Sora. I'm sorry we don't have any more shark tooth necklaces for you. I know you rally want one. But you can't just go out and do dangerous things like that."

"I know..." Sora said, hanging his head. He knew he'd get some kind of lecture.

"What's more, and what's most important, you don't need to prove that you're the best fisherman for that. You don't need to be the best fisherman. You definitely don't need to go out and do something like try to catch a shark. I don't want you to feel like you have to do what I do just to be special or good at something. I want you to feel like you can do anything you want to do."

Sora looked back up...this was starting to sound less like a lecture. His dad opened the small box, and pulled a necklace out of it. It was made up of a silver chain, with a silver charm in the shape of a crown on the end of it. Sora could tell that his dad had had this specially made, since he'd never seen anything like it in the stores. He just stared at it with wide eyes.

"I know you can't have a shark tooth necklace, so this is for you, Sora." His dad held it up, and the silver caught the light. "This is to show that you are the best at anything you want to be."

"...Really? For me?"

"Yes. Just as long as you promise to stay safe and to stay near friends when you try out new things!"

Sora's whole face lit up as if it were Christmas morning. This...this was just amazing, and it really was for him! He held his hands open as his dad offered the necklace, and then dropped it into them. The necklace felt solid and bright in his fingers. Still grinning, he immediately reached up and tied the necklace around his neck. he felt his chest immediately light up with warmth upon wearing it...maybe it was just receiving the unexpected gift, maybe it was his dad forgiving him for the mistake he'd made and encouraging him to try other things, but it felt like anything was possible wearing it.

His dad smiled down at him. "I think this fits you much better than a shark tooth necklace."

Sora turned back to his dad, his worries about his shark-catching attempt now forgotten. He pulled himself up and embraced his dad in a tight hug. "Thanks, dad! This is great!"

His dad hugged him back. "Just make sure you're careful from now on, okay?"

"I will!"

Reenergized and ready for anything now, Sora practically jumped off the bed and ran back down the hall. He couldn't wait to show it to Riku and Kairi, and as far as he was concerned, he didn't ever want to take it off.


Drawing: Almost done with a commission now

Writing: Finished this, whole buncha tags