The door to darkness has been reopened;
The worlds are once again connected.
One keyhole sealed, three to go,
Before the worlds are truly protected.
The door had never been truly sealed. Shortly after Sora had been separated from Kairi and Riku, the door had reopened, once again allowing the darkness to pour out and plague the worlds with misery, pain, and despair. King Mickey, after much struggle, had been captures by winged Heartless and brought to a dark, secluded castle in one of the remote worlds. There, the forces of Darkness and the Heartless had established a haven, strengthening themselves and contriving a plan to plunge the worlds and all their inhabitants into Darkness. It appears that the keyblades of Sora and Mickey alone hadn't been enough to put a permanent end to the loathsome Heartless, and for that reason it was Kairi who was chosen to be the third keybearer. And thus, the struggle to save the worlds continues on.
Mickey was in a cramped, black jail cell. He had his tail tucked underneath him, his head to his knees, and his arms wrapped around them. His eyes were sullen and downcast, staring bleakly at the cold, hard, concrete flooring. The cell was dark, with one small barred window, set high in the stone wall that let in only thin rays of moonlight.
Mickey raised his head from his knees to peer through the bars of the cell. A menacing Heartless, which Mickey recognized to be a Dark Ball, caught his gaze. It narrowed, its vibrant, yellow eyes, and opened its wide, gaping mouth to reveal sharp fangs before floating away down the corridor lined with cells on both sides, its dark, smoky aura trailing behind it.
So they are still relentless in their watch. No matter; it appears I will just have to wait for the right moment, Mickey thought, glancing at a sleeping wolf Heartless with a keyblade in its mouth. But I will wait as long as it takes. I can only hope that my letter to Sora had been received, and that Pegasus, that noble animal, was able to get the third keyblade to Kairi. It is Kairi and Sora that may be the worlds' only hopes, as well as mine.
As if on cue, Mickey heard a faint whinny coming from the barred window. He looked up, seeing the face of a pegasus in the window, its curious, sparkling eyes beaming with a sense of accomplishment, its enormous, feathered wings keeping it aloft in the high reaches of the castle where the cells were located. Mickey whispered to it:
"Did you get the keyblade to Kairi?" Mickey questioned. The intelligent horse nodded, radiating with pride.
"Good boy. Now, get back to Hercules, and be careful; the Heartless are on their guard," he warned. With a quick nod of its head, the pegasus reversed its direction, flying away into the night sky.
Keep safe, Pegasus, Mickey thought. If the Heartless found out that a third keyblade had chosen Kairi, and that it has been successfully received, Mickey thought, grinning with satisfaction. Then they would kill Pegasus and me both. He shuddered at the thought.
Mickey uncurled his legs, wincing as old wounds were reopened. He had been savagely abused by the Heartless ringleaders, whom Mickey had yet to discover names for, in their attempts at interrogation. But he had held fast, and leaked not a word to his interrogators. But he wondered dimly how much more abuse he could endure, how much his battered body could take before giving up altogether. Now the only thing he could do was wait. Hope and wait.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kairi surveyed the Gummi Ship in awe of its sheer complexity. The interior was a colorful mix of blues and greens, in stark contrast to its outer red and yellow shell. Computers displaying the ship's status and numerous maps lined the walls. The front end had two seats fixated to the floor in front of what appeared to be a control panel, which was a mosaic of knobs, buttons, and levers.
So this is the machine able to get Sora from world to world, Kairi mused. What a fantastic device! She felt a surge of importance at being privileged enough to ride aboard such a machine, to see other worlds. To see other worlds… she thought, absorbing such an alien concept. The thought sent a rush of excitement through her. And yet another thought drained her mind of any semblance of excitement that may have been present. The thought of encountering more Heartless, the sight of which turned her blood cold, plagued her. She wondered if she could sum up the courage to fight them again, wondered if she could muster the strength just to even face those hellish beings again…
It was then that Sora boarded the ship, keyblade in hand. He flashed her a smile before seating himself in one the seats in front of the control panel. Kairi smiled back, warmth surging through her. Maybe everything will be alright after all. Maybe with Sora around, I won't be afraid. She took comfort in this thought, but memories of the Heartless still danced in back of her mind, mocking her and exacerbating her fear. She recalled the pain, the fear of battle, and….dare she think it? Becoming a Heartless. It was this memory that was the most fresh in her mind, the easiest to recall. She was able to bring back all the details of this experience, all the feelings, the strength, the abilities of the Heartless. So accurately was she able to recall her experiences as a wolf Heartless she thought white fur would sprout from her skin at any moment.
Goofy's tall, gangly form entered the ship along with the stout, irritable Donald. Goofy seated himself in the other front seat next to Sora, in front of the steering wheel. Pressing one of the many buttons of the ship's mess of controls, the ramp used to enter the ship folded upwards with a hiss to become part of the wall. Goofy looked back at her.
"Ya ready, Kairi?" he asked. She nodded. She guessed that at this moment, she was as ready as any. But if the ship did not take off soon, she feared that she may flee from the ship, and get as far away from this destiny as possible; from the peculiar experience that she still believed to a certain extent was somewhat of a nebulous, yet still realistic, dream.
To restrain herself, she gripped her seat more tightly, in preparation of embarking into a future unknown.