Destiny Island

"N…no! Mina…Mina don't go…" Sora yelled in his sleep. Same usual nightmare. "Mina!" He sat up in bed, breathing hard and sweating. He wiped his face as he looked out the window at the bright stars and full moon. No sound except the waves down on the beach and crickets. "B-bad dream," he muttered, throwing off the sheets and tossing on some shoes. He been up late star surfing for Mina again and hadn't bothered to get in to P.J.s to go to bed.

Tiptoeing down the stairs wasn't that easy anymore. His parents slept so lightly now a day, afraid of loosing him again to the other worlds, but this time he couldn't even hear a breath coming from their room. He slipped out of the house and down to the beach. As a kid, how the water disappeared and blended with night had scared him. But now… Gave him a soothing, calm feeling, knowing that there were friends out there in the sky.

"Giving up so easily, Key-boy?"

Sora jumped about a foot in the air, startled by the voice behind him. The figure stood in a white cloak, female shape and voice, face hidden under a hood. "Where'd you come from?" he asked, slightly paranoid.

"What is that any importance?" the woman asked. "Obviously more important then…" She seemed to smirk under her hood, "Dearest Mina and Riku."

Sora didn't breath. "You…You know where they are!? You gotta tell me!"

"How should I know where they are?" she chuckled. "You, Key-Barer, have to find them."

"How am I going to do that?" Sora was getting frustrated, "There's millions of worlds out there! It isn't possible to search all of them for two people!"

"Alright…Alright," she sighed, putting her fingers to her forehead, "I'll give you a hint…Ummm…Oh!" she snapped her fingers, "Call that King fellow. He'll be able to help you."

Sora gave her a cross look. "How do I know I can trust you?"

The woman shrugged, and disappeared.

"Ah! Wait!" Sora said, but the woman had gone. He stood blankly for a moment, not sure what to do. He took off up the beach, running on pure adrenaline. Mina was alive! She was out there some where and King Mickey could help. He busted though the front door, rather loudly that woke his parents up, and slammed into the chair at the communicator, almost tipping it over. "Your Highness!" he yelled at the blank monitor. "Your Highness! Are you up!"

A voice came from the other end. "Oh, Sora! You're awake." Mickey appeared on the monitor. "I was going to call you in the morning, but seeing that you're awake-"

"Your Highness! Mina's alive! Where is she?!" Sora exclaimed.

Mickey was silent, giving Sora a cross and worried look. "How did you know that I got a lead?"

Sora shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Where is she?

Mickey looked at a separate screen. "In a city called Iron Town. I'm getting a signal from her Weapon of Heart."

Sora put his elbows on the table. "How do we know it's her? There's plenty of Key-Blades. One could've ended up on that world and someone was just playing with it."

"We're not entirely sure," Mickey said. He gave Sora a cross look. "Since when were you so pessimistic?"

"I don't know. It's been a long year of searching and now…With a lead… It doesn't seem real." Sora let out a sigh. "Will Goofy and Donald be with me?"

"Of course!" Mickey laughed. "And were Mina is,"

"Riku'll most likely be close." Sora grinned. "Let's do it!"

"Oh, one more thing, Sora," Mickey said.

"What?"

"You'll have an additionally passenger if that's alright."

Sora looked puzzled. "Who?"

Iron Town, Japan

"Hey… Maria! Maria! Wake up!"

Maria groaned and turned over. "Five more minutes," she muttered.

"Uh-huh! I let you sleep in already," Toki scolded, kicking her gently with the heel of her foot.

"Fine. Fine." Maria sat up and rubbed her eyes and tied her long dark hair back in a bun, dark eyes still tired. She looked up at Toki who finally smiled. "You sleep just as much now as you did as a rookie and you've been here what? Nine months?"

"Leave me alone." Maria smiled. Toki handed her a plane rice ball.

Toki sat down and whispered, "I mixed in a little sugar for ya."

"You need to quit that, Toki." Maria gratefully at the rice ball, "You're gonna ge us e trouble," she said, mouth full of rice.

"Ashitaka's here!" one of the women exclaimed.

"Ashitaka!" said another. A flood of the women, of all ages rushed to great the young man.

Toki stood up also. "C'mon." She offered her hand down to Maria.

"Na. I got a shift to start," Maria said getting up on her own.

"Suit yourself," Toki sighed, looking at Ashitaka who smiled at something one of the women had said. She whistled. "Wow. If I wasn't married and didn't love my man so much," she chuckled.

"Wouldn't matter." Maria tightened her work kimono. "Him the wolf girl, San, are together, remember?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Don't ruin the girls' fun though. He was the first young fresh face in a while, and now that he's stayed for a few months, they're over joyed. Well, see you in a bit." Toki walked towards Ashitaka and the group of women.

Maria watched the group for a moment before walking to the bellows. "I'll take over," she said to a middle-aged woman.

The woman moved aside and let Maria take over. With a smile, Maira began to sing their Work Song. Some of the woman who looked tired and were breathing hard from pushing the bellows looked up and over at Maria. They smiled and began to sing with along with her. Maria was known for lightening mood by her voice. Suddenly, she heard a lower, male voice coming from across the bellow. She looked over, and there was Ashitaka, pumping along with the women and singing with them. Most of the women had stopped singing and began whispering about the young man and giggling.

"Hello, Ashitaka-kun," Maria said with a smirk.

"Hello," he grunted, not looking up from the bellow.

Maria pushed down hard on the bellow, making it go higher then usually. Some of the women squealed and jumped on. They knew what was going on. It was a bit of a game between Maria and Ashitaka. Each would pump more then usual, seeing who could go the longest. They usually went to the brink of collapsing and Toki would call it a draw, but every once and a while Ashitaka would win because it was the end of Maria's long shift and she was already tired. Maria had gotten better and she had the leg strength to prove it. She was probably the fastest runner in Iron Town. Along with out-jumping all the boys, taking extra shifts some time if she felt like pushing herself, and running and climbing on the roofs of the town much like the wolf girl, San did.

Ashitaka pushed down hard also and the game was on. "What do you know… About other worlds?" he asked.

Maria gave him a cross look. "I could ask the same of you."

"They're going out. San's seen them for the past few nights. One at a time… Not very often, but slowly it's happening faster."

"What do you think I know about it? And what am I gonna do about it?" Maria asked, still cross.

"You came from another world right?" Ashitaka asked, looking up for the first time. "You must know how to move around then."

"Ashitaka-kun! Some stranger just dumped me in front of San a year ago. I don't know anything. I shouldn't even be alive!" Maira snapped.

"Then that weapon that you had. Why did you throw it away into the lake?" Ashitaka asked, tone serious, "You've been hiding something from us all this time!"

His accusation threw Maria off guard and when the bellow, now higher then before, came her way, it knocked her back off her feet and on her back.

"You need to go home, Maria," Ashitaka continued, slowing the billow to its normal speed and height so the women could get off and pump it again. "The worlds are open again, you can go where you belong!" He was silent for a moment, "Why won't you, Maria?" he asked, "I'd give anything to see my sister again, but my laws and customs forbid me to return home now that I've left."

Maria sat up. "You don't get it!" she yelled. The women were silently watching the ongoing fight between the two. "Why do you think I'm NOT trying to get home?!"

"Alright guys, brake it up," Toki said, helping Maira up. "You guys at it again?"

Maria didn't answer, only took her place on the bellows, not even giving Ashitaka a glance as he gave the woman her spot back and left.

"What is it with you two lately? You've been at each other's throat for the past few months," Toki said.

Maria didn't answer. After my shift… she thought, I'll go to talk to San.