Kingdom Hearts: Reconnection of Souls
Chapter 4: The New Journey Begins
Disclaimer: All copyrights belong to Square Enix and Disney
The halls of Disney Castle were quiet as usual. The Gummi Garage, however, was as noisy as ever. Next to a platform near the gummi ship, Donald and Goofy stood in front of King Mickey.
"Guys, while I'm on this trip, I'm trusting you with the castle's safety" Mickey said. The two saluted their King.
"Yes sir, your Majesty!" Donald replied.
"We'll make sure it's safe!" Goofy promised. Mickey nodded and entered the gummi ship. He faced Chip and Dale.
"Everything looking good, boys?" Mickey asked. The chipmunks saluted him.
"All systems are ready for launch, your Highness!" they answered. Mickey smiled, and entered the cockpit. A huge gate opened, and the gummi ship rotated so that it was facing it. Mickey waved Goofy and Donald goodbye, and the ship accelerated out of the castle.
As usual, it was a sunny day on Destiny Islands. Sora and Riku were waiting by their tree, awaiting King Mickey's arrival. Kairi approached the two.
"How do you know he's coming today?" she asked.
"We don't. We're just hoping he is" Riku answered.
"Well you waited all day yesterday, and nothing happened" Kairi remarked. Sora shrugged.
"He said it would be a week. Maybe he's a bit behind schedule" Sora said. Suddenly, Riku stood up as he saw an object approaching in the distance.
"Wait, I think I see something!" Riku said. He smiled as object sped towards them.
"It's the gummi ship!" Riku exclaimed. The object got closer, and he frowned at what he saw. It was a couple on a speedboat. They made a sharp turn right before hitting the land, and continued to speed on the water. Sora grinned and looked at Riku.
"Man, I haven't seen that gummi ship design before!" Sora mocked. Riku glared at him while Kairi laughed. Suddenly, the two heard an engine roar, and looked above them to see a gummi ship descending towards the island. It landed on the water near the dock. King Mickey exited out of a ramp on the ship. The three met him at the wooden dock.
"Hey there guys!" Mickey greeted.
"Hello your majesty!" Kairi responded.
"Long time no see!" Sora replied.
"Great to see you, Mickey" Riku said. Mickey noticed that Sora was holding the letter.
"I see that you got my letter" Mickey said. The hero nodded.
"Yeah, I read it" he answered.
"Well, are you guys gonna help me?" Mickey asked. Kairi's head hanged low.
"I'm sorry your majesty, but school is really important for me right now, and I just can't leave the islands" Kairi explained. Mickey put his hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, Kairi. Only you know what's best for you!" he encouraged. The King turned to Riku.
"I'm ready when you are" Riku said. Mickey smiled.
"Thanks, Riku. I knew I could count on you" Mickey said. He faced Sora.
"I'm coming with you" Sora stated affirmatively. Mickey nodded.
"That's good, because we really need you" Mickey said. Riku and Mickey headed towards the ship, while Sora walked to Kairi.
"Now you can say goodbye" Sora said, referencing to when she wished him a safe trip earlier. She held him and kissed him. Riku turned to look at the two.
"Uh oh, the lovebirds are saying goodbye" Riku joked. Mickey turned to see the two kissing, and he smiled at the sight. Kairi ended the kiss.
"Make sure you come back" Kairi said. He nodded, and ran towards Riku and King Mickey. The three waved goodbye, and Kairi waved in return. They boarded the ship, and it vanished in the blue sky.
The Radiant Garden Restoration Committee members were eating breakfast in the basement of Ansem the Wise's former castle. Leon was eyeing Lea cautiously. Lea glanced at him, and realized that Leon was staring at him.
"Something wrong?" Lea asked. Leon crossed his arms.
"I heard what you said the other day. You said that you gave into darkness once" Leon stated. Axel looked at him in shock, and put down his fork.
"Well, there goes my cover" Lea muttered. He stood at the table.
"I wasn't always a normal person. I didn't always look… like this" Lea began to explain.
"About nine years ago, the Heartless invaded this world. When they did, I accepted the coming darkness. I gave into it, and became a Heartless. When my Heartless was created, my Nobody was also created, a Nobody in Organization XIII named Axel." The other members glared at Lea, while he stared at the ground.
"I've made so many mistakes, hurt so many people…" Lea said. He looked at the others again.
"But that part of my life is behind me! I don't want to be a cruel person!" Lea declared passionately. The room was silent for a moment. As far as Leon and the others knew, the entire Organization may be back, and Lea could just be trying to spy on them. On the other hand, Lea didn't seem like he was kidding.
"Alright, I believe him" Leon said. The others nodded in agreement.
"What made you give into darkness?" Yuffie asked. Lea rubbed the temple of his forehead.
"Man, it's hard to remember" Lea said.
Isa and Lea were standing outside of Ansem the Wise's castle. Isa faced the castle.
"There are rumors going around about this place" Isa said. Lea looked at him strangely.
"Really? Like what?" Isa asked.
"Supposedly, they're experimenting on people's hearts in there" Isa said.
"Why would they do that?" Lea asked.
"I heard that they're trying to study the darkness of hearts" Isa replied. Lea didn't understand it.
"What's so great about darkness anyway?" Lea asked.
"The real question, is what isn't great about it" a voice said. The two jumped around to see a muscular man with silver hair.
"Who are you?" Lea asked nervously.
"Xehanort, an apprentice of Ansem the Wise" the man answered. He approached Lea
"So, you want to know about darkness?" he asked. The two nodded, and Xehanort smiled.
"I'm sure that you two, like the rest of this world's residents, have been taught to fear darkness, to be wary of it. However, there is no need to fear the darkness" Xehanort began to say.
"Darkness is the true essence of the hearts of worlds and people" Xehanort said. Lea eyed him with confusion.
"Hearts of worlds?" Lea asked.
"There are many worlds besides this one, and their hearts keep them intact" Xehanort explained.
"So darkness is the essence of the universe?" Isa asked. Xehanort smirked.
"Yes, you seem to understand it well" Xehanort answered.
"What kind of power does darkness offer?" Lea asked. Xehanort summoned a small purple and black sphere of energy. He threw it at a wall, and it exploded, creating a huge hole. Lea and Isa stared in amazement.
"Darkness is the strongest source of power. If you want to achieve your full potential, you must completely give in" Xehanort told them. Before leaving, he looked at the two.
"There's something interesting about you two… it's as if I know we have a destiny together" Xehanort said.
"Perhaps if we all follow darkness, we will" Isa said. Xehanort nodded.
"Yes, perhaps you're right" he said. The apprentice walked away, leaving the two alone.
The others stared at Lea, intently listening to his story. "We thought he was right, so we decided that one day, we'd give into the darkness" Lea said. Cid scratched his head
"So wait a minute, if you turned into a Heartless and a Nobody, then how'd you turn back to normal?" Cid asked.
"Well, it turns out that my Nobody, Axel, wasn't truly gone. He just ended up in the Realm of Darkness. There, he found my heart, for my Heartless had already been defeated. When my heart merged with him, I returned, with all my Nobody's memories and those of my own" Lea explained.
"But wait, if you survived, then does that mean the other Organization members survived?" Leon asked.
"I'm trying to figure that out. I've spent the past year searching all over the worlds, trying to make sure that they haven't come back. As far as I could tell, they haven't yet" Lea said.
"But does that mean they could still be out there?" Merlin inquired. Lea nodded.
"That's what I'm afraid of" he admitted. The group continued eating their breakfast, wondering if the Organization would return. But if those Nobodies did, Leon and his group would be ready.
Riku nervously gripped his seat as he sat in it. Sora looked at him curiously.
"Riku, why are you so scared?" Sora asked. Riku looked at him, his face full of fear.
"I didn't think you'd be driving!" he yelled.
"Give me a break, I've piloted this thing over a dozen times" Sora said.
"Then I feel sorry for Donald and Goofy" Riku said with a bit of humor. Sora ignored him and put the ship on autopilot. He turned to Mickey.
"Where are we going?" Sora asked.
"Well, the gummi ship normally can't go to the Realm of Darkness. So I want to head for Radiant Garden and see if Merlin knows a way to do that" Mickey explained. Sora nodded, and set the course for Radiant Garden. The ship automatically headed for it.
Sora was still worried about Vanitas. He hadn't made contact since their battle, but Sora knew he was inside of him.
"Your Majesty, could I ask you something?" Sora inquired.
"Sure thing, Sora" Mickey responded.
"You know how you guys said that you defeated Vanitas?" Sora asked. Mickey nodded his head.
"Yep, he's long gone" Mickey said.
"Well, I met him the other day" Sora revealed. Mickey looked at him in shock, his eyes wide open.
"What!?" Mickey yelled. Riku looked at Sora as well, his face filled with confusion.
"I had this dream where I was on a huge pillar. I've been there before, and I know that it's not just a dream. So I saw a man in a red and black jumpsuit. We fought each other, and I finally broke his helmet" Sora began to explain.
"But when he turned to face me, he had the same face as me! The only difference is that he had black hair and yellow eyes!" Sora exclaimed. Mickey was completely perplexed. He didn't know how Vanitas returned, and he never saw the man's face.
"I'm afraid I don't understand it Sora" Mickey said.
"But what does he want with me?" Sora asked.
"He wants to possess you" Riku answered. Sora looked at Riku in surprise.
"What did you say?" Sora asked.
"While we were in Castle Oblivion, Xehanort's Heartless kept trying to gain control of me. At one point, he succeeded, but I got my body back soon after" Riku explained. Sora continued to stare with confusion.
"Castle Oblivion… that's where I lost my memories, right?" Sora asked. He remembered Riku explaining it to him last year. Riku nodded at his friend. Suddenly, the keyboard began to beep. The group out of the cockpit, and saw that they were approaching Radiant Garden.
"Well gang, looks like we're here" Mickey said.
Sora, Mickey, and Riku walked around the marketplace. They noticed that the area seemed to be deserted.
"Where is everybody?" Sora asked. Suddenly, the three felt a huge shockwave come from behind them. They turned to see a huge black Heartless that had dark shades of purple. The creature had two horns on its head, two arms with claws, and two legs with claws as feet. It also had a long tail with spikes on it. The three Keyblade warriors summoned their weapons. Riku began to attack the head. The creature blew fire at him, and he barely dodged it.
"Whoa!" Riku yelled. Mickey jumped next to him to help fight the monster. The monster continued to lunge its head and blow fire at them, yet every time the two evaded the beast.
"Sora, we could use some help!" Riku called out.
"I'm on it!" Sora replied. He jumped on the creature's back, and ran up to its head. He stabbed his Keyblade into it, and the creature screeched in pain. It flung its head around, and Sora fell to the ground. He dizzily got up, and faced the Heartless with his Keyblade. His blue eyes looked at the creature's yellow ones. Suddenly, two circles of fire flew into its head, and it cried out in pain again. Sora turned to his left in shock, as he saw who he thought was Axel. The man smiled at Sora.
"Sora, long time no see!" Lea said. Riku and Mickey looked in shock at the person.
"Axel!" Sora called out.
"Actually, its Lea, but now's not the time to catch up!" Lea said. He turned back to see the monster swipe his claw at him. Lea surrounded himself in a shield of fire, burning the claw. The creature howled in pain.
"Sora, use your Keyblade!" Lea said. Sora hurled his Keyblade like a javelin at the monster, but it merely deflected off its tough skin. Mickey and Riku aimed their Keyblades at the beast, and shot beams of light into it. The creature was stunned, and could barely move. Lea considered the situation, and his eyes lit up with an idea. Sora aimed his Keyblade, but Lea lowered it.
"Wait, I have a better idea. Throw your Keyblade again" Lea said. Sora nodded, trusting him. He threw the Keyblade, and Lea ignited the weapon on fire. It cut into the Heartless, and came out on the other side. The creature screamed in pain again, as it faded away in a burst of light. Riku and Mickey approached Sora and Lea. At that moment, the townspeople opened their doors. They saw that the monster was gone, and cheered for the heroes. Leon ran towards the group.
"Oh, I see you've taken care of it" Leon said. Sora approached Leon.
"What gives, Leon? You won't even say hello?" Sora asked. He stared at the boy.
"Hi" Leon said. Leon walked away, and Sora turned to Lea again.
"So how'd you come back?" Sora asked.
"Turns out, when a Nobody finds his original heart, he becomes his original self. After we fought together, I ended up in the Realm of Darkness. I wandered for a long time, until I finally found my heart. We merged, and I came back here" Lea explained. Sora looked at him seriously.
"Are the other Organization members back?" Sora asked. Lea lowered his head.
"I honestly don't know. Even if they are, most of them are probably content with having a heart. That's what the majority of them truly wanted" Lea said. Sora suddenly looked worried.
"But if Xehanort's back…" Sora began to say. Lea became serious.
"Then we're in for trouble" Lea finished. He examined the others.
"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Lea asked.
"We need Merlin's advice" Mickey answered.
"Funny you should mention that. That's where I'm going. Come on" Lea said. The group walked down the road towards the wizard's house.