Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is in no way mine. I don't own the universe, the characters or the storyline. This story is written for entertainment purposes only (and to appease my muse who has taken the evil form of my demanding best friends) and I am making no money in the writing.
Author's Note: This is dedicated to Hex, who sees the same things I do when I play the game and always wants a story to keep her entertained, Regi who supports me in everything I do, and Hood, who is my inspiration since I like seeing him turn red.
0 0 0
Mickey Mouse, King of Disney Castle awoke early out of a fitful sleep and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He had been dreaming of the Organization members again, the many faces of the nobodies that wouldn't give him a moment's peace. He glanced to the side where Queen Minnie still lay in a peaceful slumber beside him, and smiled slightly before slipping silently from bed and into his dressing room.
Fully dressed in a simple pair of black leggings and red tunic, his feet padded softly on the carpets as he made his way down to the throne room. The tiles against his feet hummed softly with the bound power of the Cornerstone of Light far beneath and the feeling buzzed up his legs and made his heart race. He sank down into his throne, the cushion and back lined with soft red velvet and propped his chin in his palm. Something was wrong.
It had been six months since the Door to Light had been opened and they had all gotten home, six months since the darkness had been vanquished. There was only one problem with that thought, however, and that was that the darkness HADN'T been vanquished. As long as there was darkness lingering in a single heart the worlds would remain apart, the Heartless would run rampant through the worlds leaving chaos and destruction in their wake. The worlds would slide into darkness as long as a single heart nourished shadows…and there were shadows in every heart.
The question remained, was Mickey growing paranoid in the wake of his previous adventures, or was there another rising force looming over them? Did Sora and Riku feel it too? And what of the nobodies…
Mickey was startled out of his brooding as the door opened and Donald Duck waddled into the room. His clothing was his customary bright blue, a pointed hat on his head. He carried a staff in one hand that positively glowed with power. "Good morning Your Majesty." He greeted cheerfully. "It's nice to see you this morning."
Mickey smiled wanly at his court magician. "Good mornin, Donald. Have you seen Goofy?"
Donald gave a snort of dismissal and his right foot tapped impatiently as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Asleep in the garden."
Mickey suppressed a smile. That didn't surprise him. As a castle guard Goofy was basically useless, but as darkness was obliterated by the Cornerstone of Light, that had never been a problem before. Yet Goofy's gentle nature, endless optimism and fierce loyalty made him an excellent guard indeed when faced with the darkness threatening them all. "Well go wake him, I have an important mission for you two."
Donald's eyes widened slightly. "A mission?" He repeated, looking a little uneasy. After a moment he bowed his head and hurried out of the room.
Mickey didn't even have to wait five minutes before the door flew open and Donald herded Goofy into the room. Goofy's green hat and tunic had lightning scorches, betraying the method Donald had used to rouse him out of dreams. Despite being awakened in such a manner, Goofy's amiable smile lit up the room. "G'mornin, yer majesty!"
"Mornin, Goofy." Mickey replied absently before fixing his two most loyal subjects with a serious look. "I have a job for you two and I think you'll like it." He waited for Donald's foot to start tapping impatiently, the only sound in the quiet room.
Did he want to do this? It had only been six months, was it too soon to call them back to arms? Was he just being paranoid? It wouldn't do to alarm them…yet if he was right… "I want you to take the gummi ship to Destiny Islands and pick up Sora and Riku."
Dumbfounded silence met this request and Mickey awaited his friends' reactions. "Is there trouble, Yer Majesty?" Goofy asked in alarm.
"I'm afraid so, Goofy. I want to talk to Sora and Riku as soon as possible."
Donald crossed his arms, his staff sticking up in the air awkwardly behind him. "But the gummi roads have all closed!" He protested. "How will we get there?"
"You're going to find Sora." Mickey said gently. "I believe that a road will be made available." Sora was the key that bound them all together. His remarkable heart was the destiny of every world even if they didn't know it yet. Mickey had no doubt in his mind that if he was correct, when Donald and Goofy got into the gummi ship it would lead him to Sora…and Sora would be waiting for them. It didn't even occur to the mouse king to doubt if his letter had reached the spiky haired brunette, and he could see by the expressions on his companions' faces that they had no doubts either.
"Well all righty then." Goofy said cheerfully and Mickey relaxed beneath his optimistic good humor. "We'll be seein ya, Yer Majesty."
0 0 0
Sora sat beside Riku on the paopu tree, cupping his chin in his palm as he stared impatiently out over the water. "Where ARE they?!"
It wasn't that he meant to whine (and he knew he whining because Riku looked like he wanted to kill him) but Sora was excited. This was what his heart had been yearning for after the first initial days on the islands. His heart ached for the people he had known, the worlds he had visited…and now he had the means of getting there again. "They'll be here. Relax, Sora." Riku sounded quietly amused and Sora stuck out his tongue in reply, making the silver haired boy chuckle.
Kairi stood alongside the tree, her eyes distant, arms crossed protectively over her chest. She was unnaturally pale, but a slight smile softened her features. Sora felt bad about leaving Kairi…but things hadn't changed much since their initial adventure…if she went with them she would slow him down. Kairi was strong, bold and true, but she was not a warrior…and she had an irritating habit of being captured by the bad guys. The last thing Sora wanted was to see Kairi get hurt just because of her ties to him. Again.
"Sora! Sora!" Sora whirled around as a heart-stoppingly familiar voice called out to him. Goofy was crossing the beach toward them, his loping gait awkward for his lanky frame, his eyes bright as he waved his hand wildly. Sora waved in reply Donald's smaller figure joined Goofy's.
"Donald! Goofy!" Sora leaped from the paopu tree without hesitation, stumbling and falling to his knees but up a moment later as he leaped from the island into the shallow water below so that he could stumble onto the beach and into his friend's arms.
Sora hadn't realized until they had left how much he would miss them. Donald and Goofy had been his constant companions for two straight years, his friends, his allies, his strength when times got hard. He found that he missed Goofy's cockeyed optimism and infectious laugh, missed Donald's temper and cheerfully argumentative nature. Sora held them tightly against him as he breathed a soft sigh of relief. "It's so good to see you!"
"It's good to see you too, Sora." Donald patted his back awkwardly. "Now put me down!"
Sora laughed and obeyed, not even realizing that he had lifted the wizard duck off of his feet. Goofy grinned at him. "How ya doin, Sora?"
"I'm great." Sora replied sincerely, stepping back with a grin. His heart felt lighter than it had in months, more at peace.
"Hiya, Riku! Kairi!" Goofy greeted enthusiastically, and Sora turned to watch his friends approach. Kairi was smiling, but there was an odd expression on Riku's face, a slight hint of fear that made Sora's heart clench. He sent Riku his best curious glance but was met with a blank wall as Riku shrugged in reply and nodded politely to Donald and Goofy.
"Sorry we can't stay long, Kairi but the King needs us back as soon as possible." Goofy was explaining as Sora broke eye contact with Riku and uneasily rubbed the back of his neck.
"What's going on?" Kairi asked, her hands on her hips.
"We don't know yet." Donald replied calmly. "The King is going to explain it to us when we bring Sora and Riku back."
Sora saw Kairi's face fall and knew instinctively that she had still been hoping that they would ask for her to come too. He touched her shoulder gently and as she turned, drew her into his arms for a tight hug. "Remember. I'm always with you." He whispered into her ear. "That hasn't changed."
She sniffled in his ear but nodded against his shoulder and after a moment he released her and stepped back to watch her embrace Riku.
The gummi ship waited for them, and the lightness in Sora's heart lifted even farther at the familiar sight of the ship. "I think the Highwind's been missin you too, Sora." Goofy teased.
Sora opened his mouth to reply but paused as he saw a strange expression cross Riku's face. "Riku? What's wrong?"
Riku's turquoise eyes were gem bright as he looked at Sora. "The Highwind?"
Sora looked away and dug his toe into the sand beneath his feet. "Yeah." He said finally. "I named her during our first adventure." He didn't meet Riku's eyes, not wanting to answer awkward questions about why he had decided on that name. Truth be told Sora wasn't sure himself. It had just seemed…right somehow, a way to keep his ties to Riku when they had been separated. He carried Kairi's lucky charm, the Oathkeeper keyblade…naming the ship gave Sora the same comfort that Kairi's charm had given him.
The awkward silence stretched between them as they made their way up to the ship. "Sora!"
Sora turned around at the sound of Kairi's voice and watched her stop on the edge of the dock. "Don't forget me, okay?"
A shiver rolled up Sora's spine at her words. A year ago he would have answered confidently, would have laughed and said that it was impossible…he COULDN'T forget her. A year ago he was a different person. He gulped and nodded, throwing her what he hoped was his best carefree grin. "Course not." He replied cheerfully and saw by the way she relaxed that she believed him.
As Sora climbed aboard and took his seat, he could feel a pair of aquamarine eyes on him and knew that while he didn't say anything, Riku hadn't been fooled.
0 0 0
Riku hadn't realized how good it would be to see King Mickey again, and he felt his heart lift at the sight of the mouse with the large ears. "Mickey!"
King Mickey smiled at him and Riku felt some of the tension that had stretched between himself and Sora slip out of his body. "It's good to see you, Riku." Mickey stepped into a hug and Riku pulled the mouse king tightly against him. Like Donald and Goofy had been to Sora, Mickey had been Riku's companion, had been a light in the endless darkness of Kingdom Hearts during the time they had been locked in. As he lifted his head from the embrace, he saw Sora watching with his trademark smile and allowed himself to smile back.
"I wanted to know…" Mickey began as Riku released him. "…if the two of you can feel disharmony in the worlds."
Riku glanced at Sora who shrugged in reply. "What kind of disharmony?" Riku asked flatly. There were a lot of answers to that question. He and Sora felt disharmony with the Island surely, it had been growing harder and harder to live there peacefully, he knew now that something still drove Sora on and who knew, maybe that was what drove him on too. Maybe they couldn't settle down and be content until this was finished. Riku wasn't sure if this thought pleased him or made him sick inside.
"Just use your instinct. Tell me what you're feeling." Mickey insisted.
"The nobodies." Sora replied instantly and Riku saw Mickey stiffen ever so slightly. "I've been thinking about them, dreaming about them. Axel, the rest of the Organization members. Your Majesty, I'm not sure that the nobodies, at least the strong ones capable of keeping their own forms are really without heart."
Mickey tilted his head. "Why don't we sit down to dinner and you can tell me what you mean, Sora."
0 0 0
Sora wanted very badly to skip as he walked beside the Gummi Navigators, Chip and Dale. It felt MARVELOUS to be back in Disney Castle, felt good to reunite with some of the people who held ties to his heart, to renew those ties and make them stronger. His footsteps echoed in the massive dining room as they entered, Riku already sitting beside Queen Minnie and looking on with a characteristic smirk on his face as across from him, Daisy was talking to Donald.
Sora's eyes lingered on Riku's form, slightly slouched in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest, aquamarine eyes wickedly amused as he regarded the couple. He was insolently beautiful, waves of silver hair framing his face, and looked…content sitting there. Sora didn't bother trying to analyze his relief at seeing the peace on Riku's face, he only threw Riku a grin and sat down beside him. "What's going on?"
Riku leaned over, his lips brushing Sora's ear as he whispered his reply. "I don't think Daisy is too thrilled Donald may be leaving again." Riku's hot breath on Sora's ear and neck made waves of shivers roll up his spine, gooseflesh breaking out over his arms as Riku sat up straight again.
Mickey entered the room and smiled at them as Sora took the opportunity to rub the gooseflesh off of his arms. "Good evening, everyone." Mickey said with a smile, settling down at the head of the table. The door to the kitchen opened and enchanted broomsticks entered, each carrying platters. Sora laughed in delight when he heard Riku's gasp of wonder, poking his friend in the ribs. Riku quickly schooled his expression but Sora could see the traces of a smile still lighting up his face.
"Eat." Mickey waved his hand around absently, his eyes already pinning Sora down. "And you tell me what you meant, Sora."
Sora took a deep breath. "Nobodies aren't supposed to have hearts, right? They're the empty husks left behind when a strong heart becomes a heartless. I don't think it's right though. I don't think that they're missing their hearts."
"What makes you say that?" Mickey asked curiously, and Sora was vastly relieved that the King wasn't instantly rejecting his words.
"Axel." Sora murmured and put his hand into his pocket to pull out the keychain Axel had given him. Like Kairi's lucky charm which she had given back, Sora never took the fiery keychain out of his pocket, but unlike Kairi's charm, he wasn't sure why. It seemed important though to carry it always, to have it close to him. "And Roxas."
"But Roxas is you." Donald looked confused and Sora didn't exactly blame him…HE was confused.
"Yeah I know, but when he wasn't, when we were asleep he wasn't. He was Roxas. Your Majesty, even living in a simulated town Roxas reached out to the real Hayner, Pence and Olette." Sora hurriedly pulled the picture of all four out of his pocket. The picture Riku had given him. "And when we left Twilight Town the first time the real gang saw us off and I cried at the thought of leaving them." Sora frowned and looked away. "And Axel said that Roxas…and me too I guess…made him feel like he had a heart again." Sora frowned, feeling himself blush beneath their gazes for reasons he didn't wan to contemplate. "Their hearts connected, Roxas and the gang, Axel and Roxas, Axel and me. Our hearts are one."
"But Nobodies have no hearts." Goofy didn't look like he was deliberately trying to be argumentative, only trying to understand, a cob of corn in his hands.
"Yeah I know." Sora put in quickly. "But I don't think the hearts are gone."
Riku looked thoughtful. "Do you think that's the reason you're remembering some of the events that took place while in Castle Oblivion? That Namine's heart connected with yours?"
"Not with mine." Sora whispered. "With Roxas. She connected with Roxas." He didn't know how or why he knew this, he only knew it to be true deep in his heart where he knew Roxas dwelt.
Silence stretched around the table, the only sound being forks or the gentle thump of a glass being placed down. After a long moment Goofy broke the quiet. "So where do ya think the hearts are?"
"Kingdom Hearts." Sora looked sharply at Riku, whose face was serious as he contemplated his dinner plate. "The hearts gather in Kingdom Hearts when they're released, we saw that. Just because we destroyed the world they were building doesn't mean the hearts aren't still gathering there…or that the Organization was wrong in thinking that might have been the answer to the riddle…they just might have gone about it in the wrong way."
"Courtesy of Xemnas!" Sora could feel his heart hammering in his chest, a wild thrill of excitement that echoed from that chamber deep within his heart where he knew Roxas lay.
Mickey was looking thoughtfully between Riku and Sora. "So what do you plan on doing?"
"Find Kingdom Hearts." Sora replied instantly. "Start in The World That Never Was and search."
Silence met this statement before Mickey nodded. "We should have two teams for this."
Sora saw Riku stiffen and visibly pale. "Riku's with me." He said firmly and was rewarded by a flash of aquamarine eyes. "I won't leave him behind again."
Mickey hesitated for a moment, looked at Donald and Goofy. "All righty then, Sora." Goofy said cheerfully. "Donald and I'll go with King Mickey."
Sora saw some of the tension slowly drain from Riku's back and he winked. Riku looked startled for a moment before a tired smile crossed his face and he nodded.
"What's going to happen when we DO find the hearts?" Donald asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't look too pleased about the traveling arrangements.
"I don't know." Sora admitted. "But I think Axel will."
"Axel?" Riku looked at him sharply, and Sora found himself pinned by many pairs of curious eyes. "But Axel's…" Riku trailed off and Sora shuddered.
"He's not gone." Sora finally said, his voice quiet. He avoided looking at anyone, staring down at the fork on his plate, watching the way it caught the light. "I can feel it in my heart. He's not gone, he's still there…or at least his heart is. I have to find it, and when I find it I'll know what to do."
Sora quickly began to eat again, knowing the others were exchanging uneasy glances but ignoring all of them. Saying the words somehow, insisting that somewhere Axel's heart remained and that he could find it…it made it REAL to Sora. He had no doubt in his mind that he was going to find Axel and could feel something inside unclench as he admitted it aloud. Axel wasn't dead…and Sora was going to find him.
