"Are we there yet?"
"Ask that again, and I'm going to throw you out." Amaya answered spitefully.
Being stuck in a cramped gummi ship for who knew how long was no one's idea of getting anywhere fast. Relying on Amaya's undeveloped instinct had Donald bored and frustrated. Sora had fallen asleep, as well as Gooffy, but Kairi and Riku were just left to think. Amaya felt nervous and frustrated herself, but she couldn't put something together. If there were so many other worlds, why hadn't they come across even one yet?
"I don't think anything is here anymore." She stated, almost as if she were in a trance.
Kairi was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Like, everything just went up and disappeared."
Donald shoved Goofy over, who fell outof his chair. This woke Sora up, though he pretended that he was paying attention the whole time. Riku rolled his eyes at him, then looked out the cockpit window. "There is plenty of space, we could have just missed one...right?"
"See if Cid will answer on the comm-link."
Riku looked at Amaya. "Why?"
"Just do it." She instructed.
Puzzled, Riku turned the dial on the console. A small video screen blinked on, showing nothing but static. Amaya turned on the navigation chart. It had absolutely nothing recorded on it, not even Radiant Garden. This achieved getting the attention of everyone, and established the fact that apparently, they had come from no where, and there was nothing in this space, but them and the gummi ship.
"Where's Radiant Garden?!?"
"Not where it should be...?" Goofy attempted to be optimistic about the situation.
"That's not helping." Donald retorted with a glazed glare on his face, then looking at Amaya. "What happened to it?"
"Why am I supposed to know?" Amaya inquired defensively.
"Because you got us all into this! You're the leader here!"
"Oh no. I am not. Guide, yes, leader no." Amaya corrected. "We all know that the first obligation as leader is that everything is their fault, and it certainly isn't mine."
Sora decided to butt in. "Then what are we supposed to do?"
Amaya paused for a second, before speaking again. "There is one thing...but...it's only a theory."
Riku coughed. "Better than nothing..."
Amaya ignored him. "It's said that the Nexus had the ability to join all the worlds together, by bringing them from their designated space, and putting them together in it's core." Everyone looked at her with a blank stare of 'In English please'. "Basically, it's like a world magnet, and it puts all of them inside the very middle of it."
That didn't seem to help her explaination muchf further. "So, all the worlds...are stuck inside the Nexus?"
Amaya nodded at Kairi. "That's the jist of it."
"How is that possible?" questioned Riku in disbelief. "Isn't it a world itself?"
"Yes, but it's not like any of the ones you've been to. It's basically a giant scale to balance the powe—" Amaya clasped her hands over her mouth. Everyone looked at her suspiciously, giving her a look to finish her thought, or else something was going to happen to her.
"Well?" Donald said impatiently.
"I can't tell you. That's something else you're not—I mean I'm not supposed to say." Amaya couldn't find the right wording for her statement. She wanted to tell them, but it was against the regulations she was taught.
"So...I think that we're involved enough to know about the secrets of your secret society." Riku mocked.
"You're not going to let me off about it will you?"
"No." A smile crept across Riku's face as Amaya glared at him.
"Fine...I'm going to get my head cut off for this..." She groaned under her breath. "I'll explain on the way."
"Way to what...the Nexus?"
"Well where else are we going to go? Candyland? Sit down, this won't take too long."
Everyone did as instructed, though weren't sure how they were going to go to a world of worlds if nothing showed up on the navigation and no one answered the comm-link. Amaya sat down in her own seat, near the window. Everyone could only wait as the gummi ship turned and started a new course. While the flight continued, Goofy had a paper fortune teller out, and repeatedly told Donald's fortune for an empteen amount of times. Sora just hung back and relaxed, Kairi looked out into the vast space beyond. Riku couldn't help but watch Amaya, being suspicious of her intentions. As for Amaya, all she felt was utter disorder within herself. She glanced out the window, waiting for the right moment to stop. She was well aware that Riku was watching her, but said nothing, nor moved.
Eventually, the solemn silence broke. "Hey! Okay, just a sec, we missed it."
Donald flew forward out of his seat. "Missed what?"
"I don't see anything..."Kairi commented.
"Good, you're not supposed to yet." Amaya replied.
She made a fist with her gloved hand, and put her left over the gem. Closing her eyes, she focused on a small space outside the ship. No one asked what she was doing, just incase and break in concentration would obliterate the lot of them. After a minute, a small white sparkle glistened about ten meters away from the ships hull. Amaya opened her eyes, and started to twirl one finger in circles. The sparkle followed her movements, leaving a trail of silver dust behind it. Everyone looked out the window, watching the entity swell into another shape and size. After Amaya had stopped moving her finger, the once small speck had changed into an oval-shaped gate. It opened, you might have heard it creak if anyone was listening hard enough. The gummi ship was pulled into the opening, and blinded with an array of white light.
Once it had faded, everyone opened their eyes, and examined their new surroundings. Before them, stood a very large world, where towers, pinacles and a metropolis covered the entire sphere. The party was in awe. Everyone except Amaya. She looked at her home almost with remorse.
"That's it guys."
After a few minutes of hovering around, the gummiship landed down in a small space. It looked like the back alley's of Tranverse town, only much darker. Everyone stretched out, happy to have more than a foot of leg room. Riku was put off by how dark it was. However, Amaya already had an answer for his question before he said anything.
"It's daytime, but it's dark because alot of the taller buildings block out what light comes from the sky." Amaya pointed upward, and everyone followed.
It was true, the sky was barely visible, only bits of grey came through whatever space was left. Sora looked around. It seemed to him that this was the slum of the Nexus, however, it wasn't in his knowledge to judge anything by the way it looked.
"Where are we exactly?"
"The..."Amaya counted on her fingers for a moment. "The...the Di-Semi District. The second lowest level of the entire Nexus. Going to the very bottom isn't possible. It's bee built upon by other establishments."
Amaya swung her keyblade onto her back, and took a leather strap so that it fit comfortably around her torso. The others prepared their own weapons, knowing that something was going on here that shouldn't have been. "You were attacked by Heartless here right?" Goofy remembered Amaya's explanaiton when they met back in Radiant Garden.
Amaya nodded. "However, that was in the Terras District. The second level of the commercial district. That is about sixteen levels up from where we are."
"Why are we down so low then?"
"In any mystery, you start from the bottom up. I'm assuming that any world gates will be from here on up."
"How right you are."
Amaya turned right around and looked for the owner of the voice. She had heard it before, but couldn't place it on anyone. On one of the small storage rooftops, was a young man, probably a bit older than seventeen, with auburn hair highlighted with red streaks, wearing an ash hued gunners cloak over an old, tye-dye shirt in earthen tones and cargo capris. His eyes were a dark mahogany and seemed to be piercing through your very soul with blazing streams of fire. In his hand, he held a thick metal staff with a sharp, yet large pike at the end.
"Wait...you're.."
"Amaya, darling, don't tell me you've forgotten one of your own Gatekeepers."
"Maroko? You disappeared along with so many others! Ayamei and—"
Maroko held up one of his fingers, instructing amaya to stop. "Yes, but during my 'absence' I learned so much. My experience taught me much about the Impurities and Purities."
Amaya didn't say anything, but felt unsure of where Maroko was going with this. The others watched him pace the eaves carefully, as if they were waiting for him to fall. Riku seemed to be gaining nothing but bad vibes from Maroko as well.
"We were told that you and the Keyblade Bearers were coming, and prepared for your arrival. I'm the first of the greeting party, however, I can't stay, I have something to attend to. You can find me through the next world gate you find, and we'll converse...say, the Gate of Chaos and Tranquility?"
"Maroko, what did Maraxis do?" Amaya demanded angrily. "What are you doing with the Gate?!?"
Maroko laughed. "Wait and see." He snapped his fingers and vanished in a burst of grey flames. Amaya only stood there, watching where he stood last. Everyone knew that what happened wasn't good, but what they were talking about was another story. Amaya hung her head for a second, only lifting it when another white gate opened before them. She turned to everyone else.
"This is the World Gate. We go in, and we'll be in another world." She explained. "You ready."
Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy anf Kairi all nodded. Taking in a deep breath, they all followed in, one after the other. There was another bliding flash, before everyone felt that they were able to see again.
Ahead of them, was a stone pavilion, and a foreboding castle in the distance. Sora recognized it immediately, as did Goofy and Donald, however, the following thunderous roar put everyone off.
"Something is wrong. This is Beast's castle, but nothing has changed." Goofy said. "Why is that?"
"Maroko messed things up, that's why." Amaya answered in total regret.
Riku started walking towards the castle. "Some friends you've got."
"They aren't—rrrrrrrgh." Amaya was frustrated with the silver haired teen since the gummi ship, and didn't bother arguing with him.
The sound of thunder echoed in the distance, quickly followed by the sound of rain. Everyone ducked and ran to the castle's front doors, where another roar followed. Then, there was music playing. The sound of an organ. Preplexed, Sora slammed his fist on the door, attempting a knock, but only found the door slowly creak open. Without discussion, they all walked in to the dark halls.
