Search Party
By Kikofreako
Summary:
Sora's whereabouts are unknown, Kairi has some strange power, and what's up with this Blonde Haired Kid that's carrying around a set of Keyblades? Everything's spinning out of control as Donald, Goofy, the Destiny Islands crew and the FF crew are jammed together in efforts to find a certain brunette. SoraXKairi Some: Squiffie and SelphieXTidus.
Disclaimer:
I own the riddle, so don't steal! But I don't own Kingdom Hearts. -hides under a table-
The Random Quote of d00m:
"I tell you what man, there is nothin' freakier than Halloween Town gettin' ready for Christmas." -Wakka
XxX
"What in the heck is that supposed to mean?" Yuffie queried, leaning down to get her umpteenth look at the piece of slate. "Alpha squared..." She clutched her head. "I'm getting a mirage."
"You mean migraine."
"Whatever."
"We have to solve this," Tyson declared. "Anyone here good at riddles?"
Yuffie hopped up and down."Squall is! He's like, the best!" she gushed.
"It's Leon. And no, I'm not."
She pouted. "Come on, you know you are. Even Aerith couldn't solve the one about the lilies and the dogs. You did." Yuffie crossed her arms defiantly, sticking out her lower lip childishly. Kairi handed the stone to him.
"You might as well try it. We aren't getting anywhere." she remarked. Leon sighed in defeat and studied the tablet, eyes roving the page for any clues.
"Anyone have a piece of paper? Thanks." Carefully, he copied the riddle onto the looseleaf paper Naminé had given him from her sketchbook, methodically transcribing each line and verse in neat handwriting. Finishing quickly, he turned back to the original copy and pointed at a small hash mark between two lines of text.
"That's a stanza line. We have to take this one at a time. Each stanza could be independent of one another." Leon boxed each stanza on the copy, numbering each one 1, 2, 3, and 4.
"Right," Naminé murmured, taking out a pencil from behind her ear and making a small mark next to the last stanza. The lead was suddenly jarred, making a long slash along the paper. Goofy poked his head through the doorway.
"We've landed."
"So I've gathered." Tyson mumbled. "Leon, do you want to stay here and work on the riddle?"
"Nothing better to do, other than walk around in a Halloween costume."
"Okay. We'll be back in an hour." There were footfalls as the docking platform touched down with a thump as the group clambered out of the ship. You could hear hints of Donald muttering spells to conceal their other-worldly attire. Leon sighed and leaned back in his seat, pushing the riddle aside in one fluid motion. Alone at last.
He pulled himself off the chair and scrawled a note. Do this before you lose your nerve, Lionheart, Leon thought to himself. He walked to Yuffie's room and placed the note on her bed, plush blankets almost engulfing his hand. He reached his hands to his neck and paused. The inner voices in his head were in a dogfight.
You can't give it to her. Are you insane? She got you one lousy chain. Big deal.
That chain was 2,000 munny.
So what?, the cynical side of him retorted flippantly.
That's a lot of munny, his kinder side responded. When Sora first showed up, we could only scrape up 100 munny. 2,000 was probably all she had..
It was pretty clear who was winning the battle at this point. The cynical side of him switched tactics.
You really are pathetic. Big tough Squall Lionheart, falling head over heels for a ditzy girl who can't even get your name right.
I'm not falling for her, he argued. She gave me a chain. I have to give her something back.
Oh, right. So instead of munny, the logical solution, your brilliant self decides to give her-
Before his cynical side could complete the train of thought, Leon carefully sealed the pure white envelope and walked out of the room. He looked back at the door. Then locked it in case he had a weak moment later on. Too late for second thoughts now.
XxX
"Woah." Kairi stated, looking out at the vast expanse of land that lay before her. "You're telling me this used to be a mansion?"
"Yup. Oogie Boogie's, but then when Sora defeated him, it self-destructed, in a way." Namine smiled devilishly, not an often seen expression on her angelic face. "There's only one way to get down there, you know."
"You don't mean..." Kairi trailed off. "Oh, you better be kidding!"
Namine shook her head. "I've got magic. We're fine. Think of it like the Space Shot."
"I hate drops!"
"Well, we don't have much of a choice."
If there was a wall, the redhead would have knocked her head against in. Hard. "Do we really have to jump down there? I mean, the view is pretty nice up here. We could just sit here and eat those little bread thingies we got from the guy in Agrabah, and-"
"Too late!" Namine said gleefully, as she thrust Kairi off then leaped down after her.
The air was ripped from her lungs as they fell story after story, the black dirt rushing toward them at a Mach 5 pace. Tears filled Namine's eyes as she laughed, enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing past her in a howling gale. Kairi, however, didn't seem to be enjoying the experience. Her eyes were open just a crack as she waited desperately for the fall to end.
"Um, we're pretty close to the ground." Kairi yelled. "You think now would be a good time?"
"Not yet!" Namine responded. "If I cast the spell too soon, we'll hit too hard and hurt ourselves!"
The redhead whimpered, trying not to imagine the sickening splat if she cast it too late. Although, getting a bruise seemed like a better option than falling for an eternity.
"Okay...five... four... three... two... one... NOW!"
Namine quickly found her center like Kxerrix had taught her (Before she decided to turn into a Heartless extrodinare and disown her, of course.) and pointed two fingers at the ground, unleashing a Gravira spell. They froze about six inches from the ground, then the thrust from the enchantment catapulting then another four feet up. The two teens landed with a thump on the hard, cold ground. Namine was giggling madly.
"That was awesome!"
"ARE YOU JOKING?" Kairi leaned back and tried to catch her breath again. "That was possibly the WORST thing I have EVER done in MY WHOLE FREAKING LIFE!"
"You're a stick in the mud."
"You're crazy."
The blonde giggled again. "I can live with that." Carefully, she dusted off her jumper and got to her feet. "Okay, are you ready?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Okay." The redhead looked at her for a moment.
"So you're just going to do a memory tap, right? I'll still have all of my memories after you do it?"
"Yeah. Just a quick peek to see what your emotions are like when you use the Keyblade. That'll help to see what you're feeling, and how to control it. Then we can practice here-" she gestured around at the wide open space- "and make sure we don't accidently hurt anything."
Kairi took a deep breath. "Let's do it."
XxX
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
The sound echoed through the room, reverberating off the walls as metal grated metal in a harsh, conflicting tones. Sora set down the small piece of worn metal, stopping temporarily to massage feeling back into his hands. For an agonizing two weeks, he had been using the buckles from his boots to gradually wear down his shackles. It looked like it was about to pay off- the last of four chains was thin, looking much like Silly Putty that had been stretched out to the breaking point.
He stared at his hands, now tough and calloused. The first three days had been pure hell- the Organization quite forcefully "asked" him to take back the Keyblade and hand it over to them- quite an easy task of simply calling it to himself and then passing it to their filthy palms. It had finally gotten through their skulls that he wasn't about to cooperate, and now they were apparently going capture a few others- like Kairi, Tyson, Donald, Goofy...Sora could withstand torture, but he wasn't sure if he could stand watching his friends in such pain. He had to escape before they got to them.
He picked up the buckle once more and began sawing at the chains.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
XxX
"I tell you what man, there is nothin' freakier than Halloween Town gettin' ready for Christmas." Wakka mumbled, shaking his head.
"Yeah, I liked Halloween better," Donald mumbled, sliding open the cockpit door and taking a seat, flipping dials and switching...eh, switches. "Next stop, Neverland. Wait till you see it- you can fly."
"Seriously?" Selphie sounded like she might lift off then and there. "It's like a fairy tale...if you just believe, you can float above the clouds!" She leaned back happily, pure bliss etched across her face as she spun around slowly.
Leon just stared out the window. Yuffie peered at him curiously, a million thoughts going through her head as she watched him, his chocolate brown hair swaying slightly as the ship rose. His mouth was set in a seemingly permanent expression of indifference, arms akimbo across a muscular chest. Leon's leather jacket framed his neck, a simple white t-shirt underneath, and several belts slung across his waist. Yuffie averted her eyes suddenly, trying to break her stare. "I uh, I'm gonna see if I can catch a few z's," she mumbled, quickly pushing past a quietly conversing Kairi and Namine, who seemed to have kindled a strong affinity in the last few days. Yuffie's face burned. Why? She thought furiously. Why can he make me feel like a little girl? How come I get so tense whenever he's around? The door slid open before her and she flopped down over to her bed, rolling over with a sigh. She scrunched her face up as a cold metal object poked her back rudely. The ninja turned over, hands fishing for the cool surface. Her fingers brushed a piece of paper. She unfolded it carefully, smoothing it out to nullify any creases. A simple word adorned the parchment: Yuffie.
What the... Her face took on a bemused expression as she recognized Leon's handwriting. Her hands dived under the blankets again. Grasping metal, she pulled out the object. Her breath froze in her throat as she stared at the thing before her, hands trembling as she touched the ash-gray chain and ran over the pointed Celtic-like cross. The majestic head of a lion perched at the top of it magnificently, pointed teeth bared in a growl.
It was Leon's necklace.
XxX
Vexen watched the gummi lift off, roaring filling the air as twin rockets fired into stagnant air. He had watched Kairi and Namine practice, resisting the impulse to gag as the giggly girls tried to practice. Kairi had potential, no doubt. But would she be able to stand up to the enormous task ahead of her? Only time would tell.
"Wow, that coat's really thick!" He groaned as Shock clung to the hem of his cloak, poking it repeatedly.
"Come ooooooooonnn, Shock!" Barrel wheedled. "Jack's gonna be mad if he finds us gone!"
"Aw, you're just a big wimp."
"I am not!"
"Are too."
"Am NOT!"
"Are too!"
"If you don't stop your incessant prattle, I will have to use physical force. Understand?" Vexen growled. The three looked at him like a deer caught in headlights. The Organization member scowled at them. A few months ago, these little urchins would be lucky to escape with all body parts intact if they were to treat him like this. But a few months ago, he had been oblivious to the murderous plans of Axel, oblivious to the fact that he wasn't indispensable, oblivious that his creations had a mind of their own. This was not a few months ago.
"Um, mister..."
You could hear the grating of Vexen's teeth as he turned to look at Lock. Then caught sight of Kxerrix standing in the shadows, yellow eyes glinting in mirth as she watched him. "Are you a babysitter now too?"
With a snort, he kicked the three kids away. "You should talk. I'm sure Axel and Marluxia are fun to work with." He paused. "What do you want?"
Her eyes hardened. "I'm here to deliver a message from the Organization."
"So you're a courier now?"
Kxerrix grated her teeth, resisting the urge to sock Vexen in the face and hear the satisfying crack of his smug little nose shattering. Just wait a little longer. Just a little longer. "Here's your message, traitor: You can come back and rejoin the Organization. Forget your treasonous ideas, and we'll take you back. You can regain your status as a scientist. Or you can refuse. And we'll kill you."
"So I can go back so you can use my talents until someone else has learned all I know, then dispose of me? I don't think so. If it's as successful as the last murder attempt, I think I'll be fine." Vexen stared at her with narrowed eyes, the smallest hint of a grin creeping into his mask of apathetic indifference. "I'd be careful. Didn't they say that Axel's knock to the head might have had a toll on my sanity?"
Kxerrix turned her back to him, snapping. A portal appeared in front of her, swirling inky blackness filling the void. "It's your choice. You have until morning." She glanced at him over her shoulder murderously. "I actually hope that you refuse. I cannot wait to finish the job that Axel started."
XxX
"It's amazing!" Selphie squealed, hopping out of the cockpit and onto the deck of Hook's ship, feeling the ebb of the tide below her. Hopping up and down, she flapped her arms. "Hey! I'm not flying?" The look on her face was so funny that Tidus burst into laughter.
Slap.
"Ow!" He rubbed the back of his head. "I thought you'd stopped doing that."
"You thought wrong."
Donald tapped Selphie on the back, hovering two feet in the air. "Just think happy thoughts, and you'll fly."
She closed her eyes, squinting. "Thinking happy thoughts...not flying..."
Goofy snapped gloved fingers. "Uh, Donald, don't we have t' sprinkle 'em with fairy dust or something?"
"Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Tink?"
A fairy poofed in the air suddenly, only as big as your palm. Her frail limbs were clad in a short green shift. Blonde hair was tied into a messy bun atop her head, sharp blue eyes peering behind long bangs. Pointed green shoes were topped with small pom-poms, the fairy's pale skin seeming to glow like moonlight. Most noticeably, two translucent wings sprouted from her back, glittering with a delicate beauty, like blown glass, small rainbows appearing for a millisecond and then disappearing as she flitted around in the air, making tinkling sounds.
"Oh, great." Donald quacked. "Can anyone understand her?"
"Oh sure, I'm fluent in fairy language." Tidus said sarcastically.
Slap.
"GAH! WILL YOU QUIT THAT?"
"Hey, what's going on here?" A boy poked his head around a corner, slanted eyes peering at them inquisitively, then a spark of recognition appearing in them. "Donald? Goofy?" He smiled. "It's been awhile! Hey, Tink. Have you been giving them too much trouble?"
Tinkerbell chimed indignantly, crossing her arms across her chest. "I'm kidding, Tink. Don't get all huffy." He turned and offered Selphie a hand. "Pan, Peter Pan. Nice t' meet ya. I'm thinking that we'll have company in a minute or two."
Selphie shook his hand tentatively. "..Company?"
Just then, another face stuck out of the corner. "Hey, Tootles! I found Pan!" A little boy dressed as a skunk flew over his head, landing with a bound. The other boy, who was apparently incognito for a bear, grabbed him by the tail. "Hey! Show a few manners, there's some people here, you big idiot!"
"I didn't know, Cubby." Tootles whined. "C'mon, put me down!"
Obliging, he dropped the skunk right on his head on the dock, gaining a shriek from the boy. One more head from the corner.
""Ey, what's all this racket?"
Another dressed as a rabbit bounded out. "People! Hey y'all. Name's Nibs."
"Yeah, 'e's Nibs!"
"Nibbers!"
Two raccoons ricocheted out, giggling madly. "Nibbers 'n Tootles n' Cubby n' Pan!"
By now, every person in the group but Pan looked like someone who had just been given a surprise pop quiz. Yuffie clutched her head and Wakka tried to uncross his eyes. Tidus had long since given up trying to keep everyone straight, and was now trying to balance on one foot for no apparent reason.
"Hey! We have company! Line up!" Peter sounded much like an army commander. In a mad dash, the quintet stood in a perfectly straight line, one of the raccoons on his head, tail flopping down in front of his face. "Now everyone, say a nice hello."
"'Ello, everyone." they chorused.
"Go back to the treehouse and clean it up, got it?" With a bit of hustling, the group was cleared out. "Sorry 'bout that," Pan said. "They're a little rowdy when they meet new people."
"Just a little." Leon muttered sarcastically.
"We're checkin' all the worlds for Heartless," Donald stated. "Mind if we take a quick look around?"
Peter shrugged. "Sure, take your time. If you want, you could chill at Big Ben for awhile before you take off. Figuring you're busy and stuff."
Goofy nodded. "Thank'ee, we probably will."
XxX
Kairi meandered through the compartments of the ship, allowing memories to wash over her. She stopped in the cabin, where she had been with that girl- Wendy was it? Kairi had been conscious, but without emotion- almost. Sora's voice had broken a deep wall inside her, let her reach out her hand. She had wished so badly to spring up and jump into his arms, that everything would be all right. But nothing had come, except the almost unnoticeable motion of her hand moving ever so slightly.
Leaving the room, she carefully scaled the wooden ladder into the captain's quarters. That red couch, so many memories. Riku, with that horrible woman, the woman who reeked of darkness like a junkyard dog reeks of garbage. She wanted to tell Riku so badly, that she wasn't worth this, that he was going about it the wrong way. But something had stopped her, the notion of not having a heart.
She sat down abruptly on the couch, tears blurring her eyes. Riku...where are you? Why did you have to care so much? Her hands strayed over the blood red cushions unconsciously. Her eyes sprang open when she felt a piece of paper hidden deep inside the soft hassock. Pulling it out hastily, she goggled as her own name adorned the top fold- Sora's neat handwriting. Riku had always teased him about how he wrote like a girl, so much so that in the fourth grade, Sora had tried writing with his left hand to make his script sloppier. She smiled at the memory, then stared back down at the paper in her hand. It was folded hastily, as if Sora didn't want anyone to notice. No duh, Kairi, she chided herself. He's been taken by the Organization, think he's gonna want them to know he's writing notes? A small part of her hoped that it was coordinates of his location, but her pessimistic side quickly shot that theory down like a fighter jet annihilating an enemy plane- unlikely that they would tell him where they were headed. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and slid her finger under the folded paper, opening it as if it might shatter into a million pieces.
Thinking of you, wherever you are.
We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows; starting a new journey may not be so hard, or maybe it has already begun..
There are many worlds, but they all share the same sky- one sky, one destiny.
Kairi became aware that her hands were clutching the paper so tightly, it was on the verge of ripping. "Thinking of you, wherever you are..." she whispered. A tear fell onto the paper, the water soaking the paper and blurring the ink. "S-sora, you big idiot..." Her voice cracked and gave way to an anguished sob, then another and another until she gave up trying to hold it in and buried her face into her arms and wept.
XxX
So...sad...I almost cried writing that last part. I really wanted to incorperate the poem from the begining of the game in here; there it is for you to enjoy! Some new things going on...anyone who doesn't read the author's notes... READ THIS! -cough- Now that I have your attention... has now made the "review reply" button. So it is now prohibited to put review responses within your story. But never fear, I will reply to each and every one of you when I update. I cherish all of your reviews; I freak out my friends a little actually in that way. There is nothing better for me than to see bot fanfiction. net in your stories. And if there's any spelling errors in this author's note, it's because I am doing this in the Edit box so no spellchecker.
I may put out a KH Christmas ficlet; I'm not quite sure yet if I can worm one in because of a few writing contests I'm entering, and I'm also trying to set up two Code Lyoko fanfics. Anyways, all in all, I am a very busy person. I update as often as I can; please be patient! Thank you new C2 member Absh; I am happy to see you active already. -gives you a cookie-
Thank you so much for reviewing, and a special thanks to Per. for illustrating some scenes from my story -also gives her a cookie- Ah well. Everyone have cookies! -throws cookies up in the air and sings the "Cookie Song"
Akiko
