Hiya! Hey if you haven't noticed I put up the second story in my training series. I'm warning you, some parts in this chapter might be confusing if you haven't read it yet! I would like to thank TWI1IGHTMAST3R for favoriting and following.
Hey if you would please review, I would really like some feedback on the chapters and any opinions you might have. I would like to thank everyone who has already reviewed and KHLegacy and The Unknowing Herald for reviewing nearly every chapter!
And again... I own nothing!
Chapter 9: Paris
Late one night a man drove down a county road on a motorcycle, a basket with a blanket over it sat behind him. Suddenly two dogs came out of nowhere and got in front of the motorcycle. The man swerved and the basket fell out and three cats fell out.
Thunder boomed over the lonely road as a mother cat and her three kittens huddled in the basket under the bridge.
(The next morning)
"I knew this world would be trouble!"
"Oh chill out Lea! It's not so bad," Kairi said, "the only thing bad is that we got caught in that rainstorm last night." She came out from under a small wooden bridge but not as a human! Kairi was a pink Burmese cat with red on her face, paws, and tail. Lea followed her out as a red Turkish Angora cat. Behind him came a Cornish Rex cat with silver fur covered in black and yellow short stripes; it was Riku. Sora was a brown Selkirk Rex cat. Ven came out as a golden colored Savannah cat with bronze, black, and red spots. Donald, an Aegean cat with white fur on his front and face, and blue fur on his back, paws, and tail, followed him. Last was the black with green and yellow spots American Bobtail that was Goofy.
Lea looked himself over glumly, "Did I ever mention I hate cats."
"It's a good look for you Lea-o," Sora grinned. The said Turkish Angora presently pounced upon him.
"Want to say that again!" Lea hissed at the pinned Selkirk Rex. Riku came over and pushed Lea off his best friend.
The red cat was about to argue when the sound of singing reached their ears. They saw a mangy looking orange cat come trotting up the road singing. While the others watched him, Kairi noticed a basket under a stone bridge the orange tomcat was walking on. A beautiful white Persian cat with a golden collar came out of the basket and looked him.
The tomcat saw Sora and co. but paid them no mind, but when he saw the Persian, who had come out from under the bridge, he came closer and began to sing to her…
"Tellin' my friends of the social elite
Or some cute cat I happen to meet
That I'm
Abraham de Lacy
Giuseppe Casey
Thomas O'Malley
O'Malley the alley cat!"
The whole time he was singing he climbed into a tree and was showering pink flowers over her.
"Why, monsieur," she laughed, "you name seems to cover all of Europe."
O'Malley continued with his song…
"Well of course. I'm the only cat of my kind.
I'm the king of the highway
Prince of the boulevard
Duke of the avant-garde
The world is my backyard
So if you're goin' my way
That's the road you wanna seek
Calcutta to Rome or home sweet home
In Paris
Magnifique, you all."
Now the entire Keyblade gang had noticed the basket, and that now there were three kittens poking their heads out. One was a white like the older Persian with a pink bow around her neck and tying her top fur up, another was a skinny black kitten with a red ribbon tied around his, the third one was orange and little bit bigger than the other two with a blue bowtie.
The orange kitten looked at the O'Malley and grinned, "O boy! An alley cat!"
"Shh! Listen!" the white kitten shushed.
"I only got myself
And this big old world
But I sip that cup of life
With my fingers curled
I don't worry what road to take
I don't have to think of that
Whatever I take is the road I make
It's the road of life, make no mistake
For me,
Yeah, Abraham de Lacy,
Giuseppe Casey
Thomas O'Malley
O'Malley the alley cat!
That's right, and I'm very proud of that.
Yeah!"
The Persian laughed and clapped along with the Keybladers, "Bravo! Very good, you are a great talent!"
"Oh, thank you and what might your names be?" O'Malley said with a smile. "My name's Sora and this is Kairi, Lea, Riku, Ven, Donald, and Goofy."
The Persian looked at the tomcat and answered sheepishly, "My name is Duchess."
"Duchess", O'Malley completely ignored the Keyblade gang, "Beautiful, love it, and those eyes… ooh. Why your eyes are like sapphires, sparkling so bright, they make the morning… radiant… and light."
The little white kitten sighed, "How romantic…"
"Sissy stuff," the black kitten and Lea groaned.
Duchess batted her eyes, "Oh, c'est tres jolie, monsieur."
"Very poetic," Kairi sighed, "but it's not quite Shakespeare." This made Sora scowl at the tomcat.
"Of course not. That's pure O'Malley, baby. Right off the cuff, yeah. I got a million of 'em."
Duchess waved a paw, "Oh, no more, please."
"Yes," Ven agreed in a low voice, "no more. We get enough mush with Sora and Kairi around the gummi ship." Riku, Lea, Donald, and Goofy snickered while Kairi and Sora glared Ventus down.
"Please, I really am in a great deal of trouble," the Persian told them.
The Keybladers perked up their ears at this but O'Mally stepped in front to solve the problem, "Trouble? Helping beautiful dame… uh, damsels in distress is my specialty. Now, what's the hang-up, your ladyship?"
"Well," she told the group, "It is most important that I get back to Paris, so if you'll would be so kind and show me the way."
"Well," Sora said with a smile, "we don't kn…"
The Orange tomcat cut him off, "Show you the way? Perish the thought! We shall fly to Paris on a magic carpet, side by side, with the stars as our guide, just we two."
"Ooh," the white kitten came running up to them, "that would be wonderful!"
O'Malley was surprised to see her, "Three?" Suddenly the other two kittens ran up, "Four, Five!"
"Oh yes, monsieur O'Malley, these are my children."
"Oh, how sweet…" The tomcat looked over at Sora and the others, "I suppose you guys want to make it twelve?"
Out of the blue, a group of Mad Dog Heartless popped up. The group of cats huddled together while the Keyblade gang summoned their weapons in their mouths. It didn't take them long to wipe out the enemies.
"Uh," the orange cat gave up, "You guys better come as extra protection for Duchess and the kittens."
The black kitten exclaimed, "Hey we have names too!"
"Then do tell."
"My name is Berlioz."
The orange kitten lumbered up to O'Malley, "I'm Toulouse, and I'm a tough alley cat too!"
The white kitten, instead of going to O'Malley, went to Kairi, "Bonjour, I'm Marie." Kairi bent down, picked Marie up in her mouth, and set her beside her mother.
"Now look guys," O'Malley had gone onto the road atop the bridge, "If I said magic carpet, magic carpet it's gonna be. And, it's gonna stop for passengers right… here. Using his claw, he drew an X in the dirt.
"Oh boy," Berlioz exclaimed, "We're gonna fly after all!" Ven rolled his eyes at this; a cat couldn't make them fly.
Riku was also skeptical, "Another flight into the fantasy, Thomas?"
"No, no, no, guys! Now you just hide over there and leave the rest up to J. Thomas O'Malley," he climbed into a tree that hung over the road. The group went under the bridge and waited. Soon a low roar began to approach; Sora poked his head out and saw a truck driving their way. The tomcat in the tree called down to them, "One magic carpet coming up!"
"A magic carpet," Sora whispered to Donald and Goofy, "try a truck!"
As the car drove under O'Malley's perch he dropped down onto the windshield and gave his loudest screech. "SACRE BLEU!" the driver slammed on the breaks. "SAPRISTI! STUPID CAT! BRAINLESS LUNATIC!" He began to restart the car, Duchess hopped in as Sora and the gang lifted the kittens up and jumped in after them.
"Livin' on the edge, niiicccee," Lea smirked.
"Why, Mister O'Malley," Duchess gasped, "You could have lost your life!"
"Like Lea said, 'livin' on the edge', but it was my pleasure entirely." The truck began to move, but O'Malley stayed behind. "Aloha, Auf wiersehen, Bon soir, Saranora, and all those goodbye things, fellows."
Marie went to the edge of the truck bed and waved back, "Sayonara mister…" She lost her balance and tumbled out of the back.
"MARIE!"
The tomcat dashed over, picked the kitten up in his mouth, and hopped into the truck. Duchess cuddled her daughter, "Oh Marie, are you all right?"
"Yes mama."
Riku gave the panting O'Malley a sly look, "Haven't we met before?"
"Yes, I believe we have," the tomcat returned the look.
"Oh," Duchess sighed, "and I'm so glad we did."
"Thank you Mr. O'Malley for saving my life!"
"No trouble at all, little princess, and when we get to Paris, I'll show you all the time of your lives."
Duchess shook her head, "Oh I'm so sorry, but, well, we just couldn't."
"Why not?" Kairi asked, a night on the town in Paris sounded like fun.
"You see, my mistress will be so worried about us." Kairi nodded, in understanding.
O'Malley kept pushing, "Oh come on, humans don't really worry too much about their pets."
"Oh, now that's not true," Lea snapped, to the shock of his friends.
"Lea is right," the Persian continued, "You just don't understand. She loves us very much. Poor madam… in that big mansion, all alone. In all our days, in tender ways, her love for us was shown. And so, you see, we can't leave her alone. She'd always say that we're the greatest treasure she could own. Because with us she never felt alone."
Ven got in front of O'Malley, "No matter what you say, we are taking them back to their owner."
"Alright," the cat gave in, "If you mean that much to her and her to you we'll go."
As this had been going on Goofy had been poking around the parcels in the back of the truck. His head popped up as he exclaimed, "Anyone for breakfast!"
"What breakfast?"
"Where is it?"
Goofy threw off a rug to reveal a can of milk.
Berlioz cried out, "Look, mama, look!" Using his claws, Sora took the lid off, and the kittens began to drink.
The driver, who hated cats, looked into his rearview mirror and saw the gang of cats in the back, drinking his milk. He slammed on the breaks, "SAPRISTI!" He got out, and in a last minute decision, Lea jumped on his head and hissed. The driver was beyond furious, "SACRE BLEU! THIEVES! ROBBERS! MANGY TRAMPS!" The group ran off the road as the man chunked an assortment of objects at them. With a huff he got back inside his truck and drove off.
"What a jerk," Lea hissed.
O'Malley shrugged, "Well, some humans are like that. I've learned to live with them."
Toulouse jumped onto the road, "I'll get 'em!" He began to hiss and spit in the funniest looking way.
Ven pulled him back with a paw, "Cool it little tiger."
"That guy's dynamite!" Donald quacked.
"But," Toulouse wined, "he called us tramps."
Duchess sighed, "Oh, I'll be so glad when we get back home."
"We better get going, because Paris is a long way off," Goofy said as he began to walk in the direction the truck went. They all went along until they came to a railway that crossed a bridge.
The orange kitten gasped and cried out, "Gee whiz! Look at that bridge! Come on, lets play train!" The kittens ran over to the bridge and hopped on the rail with Toulouse in front, Berlioz, and then came Marie.
Riku warned them, "You kids be careful."
"Marie's the caboose," yelled Toulouse, as Marie glared him down. "All aboard!" The three began to walk along the rail making train noises. "Choo-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo -choo. Whoo-whoo! Choo-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo. Whoo-whoo!" Then Toulouse took over, "Clickety-clickety-clickety-clickety." The entire group jumped at a real train whistle.
"Oh no!"
The kittens ran under Sora's paws, "All right, now don't panic!"
"Down under here," O'Malley yelled. The group ran under the bridge and hung on by their claws as the train passed overhead. They all sighed in relief as the train left.
"MAMA!" The group looked down and saw that Marie had fallen into the river below.
"Marie!" Cried Duchess and Kairi.
O'Malley and Sora both yelled, "Marie, here we come!" Both of them plunged down into the river after the kitten. The rest of the gang ran down the river bank after them. O'Malley caught Marie and him and Sora caught onto a log.
Duchess ran onto a branch that hung over the water, "Thomas! Sora, up here!" They tossed Marie up to Duchess and continued to float downstream.
"O'Malley, Sora! Hang on!"
"Don't worry!" yelled the Selkirk Rex, "We'll see you downstream!" They floundered down the river, trying to stay afloat.
(Downstream)
Two geese were walking down a path beside the river giggling; both were in bonnets one pink and the other blue. The one with the pink bonnet began giggling more, "What beautiful countryside, Abigail. So much like our own dear England"
Abigail nodded, "Oh, indeed, yes. Amelia, if I walk much farther I'll get flat feet."
"Abigail, we were born with flat feet." The two broke out again in giggles.
Abigail looked over at the river and started, "I say, look over there." They saw Sora and O'Malley floating on the river. The boys had left their log and had grabbed a willow branch in their teeth.
"Oh," gasped Amelia, "Oh, how unusual."
"Fancy that, two cats learning how to swim." The two tomcats paddled towards the shore, with the branch still in their mouth.
Amelia giggled even more, "And they're going about it the wrong way."
"Quite, we must correct them," the two got into the water and paddled out to them.
Amelia smiled big and cooed, "Sirs, sirs? You are most fortunate we happened along."
"Yes, we're here to help you."
Sora, with the willow branch still in his mouth, told them, "Oh no, back off ladies, we're fine."
"First," Abigail told them, "you must gain confidence by striking out on your own." She swam over to the willow branch.
"Go away!" O'Malley, "we're trying' to get to shore!"
"You'll never learn to swim properly with that willow branch in your mouths," Amelia chuckled.
"Indeed not."
As Amelia swam up to the willow branch, Sora and O'Malley had just gotten their hind legs onto a large rock in the river. The goose smiled, "Snip, snip! Here we go."
The two tomcats opened their mouths and cried, "NO DON'T DO THAT!" They both began to sink and splashed around, attempting to swim.
"You're both doing splendidly!"
Amelia agreed with her sister, "Yes, and don't worry about form, it will come later."
"They take to water like fishes," Abigail giggled, "don't they? A very enthusiastic…" While trying to swim O'Malley grabbed at their tail feathers, causing them to shriek.
"No!" Abigail exclaimed, "Now this is no time for fun and games!" Sora and O'Malley sunk beneath the surface. Amelia and Abigail laughed, but as they stared at the bubbles coming from the two cats their laughter faded. Both faces of the geese grew serious, "Gracious me, you don't suppose…"
"Oh yes," gasped Amelia, "Yes, I do! Bottoms Up!" Both dipped their heads and necks under, they popped back up and exclaimed, "DEEPER!" The geese dove all the way under the water, and came up with Sora on Amelia's back and O'Malley on Abigail's.
By now the others came running up to the bank, scanning the river for the two tomcats. "Look!" yelled Toulouse, "There they are!"
When the geese got to the bank Riku and Lea pulled the two onto the shore. Kairi rubbed her face against Sora's soaking wet one, "Oh, Sora! You're alright!" When all the others had turned their attention away from them she licked his face. He blinked a few times before returning the kiss with one from him.
"Oh Thomas! Thank goodness you're safe," Duchess sighed in relief.
Ven asked the orange tomcat, "Need any help O'Malley?"
"Help?" he gasped, "I've had all the help I can take!"
"What about you Sora?" asked Donald.
"I'm with Thomas!"
Riku bowed his head to the two geese, "Ladies, thank you for rescuing our two friends."
Amelia giggled, "Of course, young sir. But first, introductions."
"Yes," Abigail continued, "We British like to keep thinks proper."
"Now, I am Amelia Gabble, and this is my sister…"
"Miss Abigail Gabble."
"We're twin sisters."
"You might say we're related." Both geese giggled. "We're on a holiday!"
"For a walking tour of France."
"Swimming, some of the way."
"On water, of course!" They again broke into a fit of laughter.
Duchess turned to the soaking wet Thomas and sweetly said, "Thomas, this is Amelia and Abigail Gabble."
"Yea honey," he scowled, "Get those two web-footed lifeguards outta here!"
Riku cuffed him sharply, "Be nice to the two ladies who just saved your life!"
"Ok," O'Malley growled, "Hiya, chicks." Everyone glared at the tomcat, even Sora, who somewhat agreed with him.
The twin geese found this hilarious, "We're not chickens, we're geese!"
"No," Thomas said sarcastically, "I thought you were swans." The entire group face pawed, while duchess gave him a look.
Amelia giggled, "Oh, flatterer!"
"Your husband is very charming and very handsome," Abigail told Duchess.
"Well, uh, you see…" O'Malley rolled over, "I, I'm not exactly her husband."
"What about those two?" Amelia asked, pointing to Sora and Kairi who were lying sitting very close together.
Donald and Goofy laughed as the two cats separated, Kairi stuttered, "No, no, we're not together." This sent the rest of the Keybladers into a frenzy of laughter.
"What did you mean not your husband?" Amelia asked O'Malley, "You either are or you're not."
"Alright, I'm not."
Amelia leaned over to her sister, "It's scandalous."
"He's nothing but a cad," Abigail agreed.
"Absolutely, possibly a reprobate."
"A roué, his eyes are too close together."
"Shifty too."
"And look at that crooked smile."
"His chin is weak too."
"Obviously a philanderer who trifles with unsuspecting women's hearts."
Marie batted her eyes, "How romantic!"
"Not really," Muttered Goofy.
Duchess held up her paws, "Please, please, let me explain! Thomas and these others are good friends of ours. Their helping us get to…"
"Come on Duchess, Sora, guys, let's get out of here." O'Malley began to walk off, "Well girls, see ya around. We're on our way to Paris."
Abigail smiled widely, "Oh how nice! We're going to Paris ourselves."
"Why don't you join us?" Amelia suggested.
Ven smiled, "That sounds nice!"
"Oh, no," Sora and Thomas moaned. The two geese put everyone in a specific order; the twin geese in front, Sora Riku and Kairi next, then Ven Lea Toulouse and Berlioz, after them came Duchess and Marie, and last was Thomas.
They began to walk and Amelia turned her head back, "When we get to Paris you must meet Uncle Waldo."
"Waldo?" Riku cocked an eyebrow.
"Yes, he's our uncle. We are to meet him at Le Petit Café," Amelia giggled.
Duchess gasped in delight, "Le Petit Café? Oh, that's that famous restaurant."
"Ah, c'est magnifique," Lea declared in a phony French accent, making the entire gang smile. Then the strange group of cats and geese went down the road to Paris.
(In Paris)
The group walked up to Le Petit Café just in time to see a commotion going on in the restaurant kitchen. The chef and a large bird were chasing each other around. The chef yelled, "Sacre blue! Ow! Oh! He bit my finger! Get out! Go! Go! Get out! Scram!" A goose ran outside and landed on his tail. "Good riddance!"
The goose picked up a ragged green top hat and stuck it on his head; he sighed loudly, and gave a loud hiccup. Abigail smiled and exclaimed, "Why, why, it's Uncle Waldo!"
The old goose noticed the gang and cried wildly, "Ahh, Abigail! Amelia! My two favorite nooses!"
"Uncle Waldo," laughed Amelia, "I do believe you've been drinking."
Abigail noticed Waldo's missing tail feathers, "Oh dear! What happened to your lovely tail feathers?"
"Girls, it's outrageous! Why, you won't believe what they tried to do to your poor old Uncle Waldo [hiccup] look at this!" He went over to a sign on the wall and read, "Prime country goose a la provencal, stuffed with chestnuts, and basted in white wine [hiccup]."
"Basted?" O'Malley questioned.
Lea agreed, "He's been marinated in it!"
"Dreadful," Waldo whined, "Being British, I would have preferred sherry." The trio of geese busted out laughing. "SHERRY! SHERRY!"
"Oh," Amelia giggled, "oh, oh, oh Uncle Waldo, you're just too much."
Sora bent over to Kairi and Riku, "You mean he's had too much."
"Abigail, Abigail!" She leaned over to hear her sister whisper, "We best get Uncle Waldo to bed."
"Why, I say there, now, what's all the whis-whispering about, huh?" The twins tried to hush their uncle but he grew louder, "Now, now, now, now, girls, girls! Don't shush your old Uncle Waldo! Why you'll, you'll wake up the whole neighborhood!" The girls continued to shush him but he yelled out, "WHOOPEE! NEIGHBORHOOD!"
Abigail and Amelia took their uncle and began to take him away, "Come to sleep, Uncle Waldo."
"Oh, yes, I think we'd better be going."
Uncle Waldo wasn't finished, "Oh, righto, girls! Birds of a feather must [hiccup] together."
"That's stick together!" They began to walk off giggling and stumbling along.
Riku stared after them, "That was…"
"Weird," Donald finished.
O'Malley had a different view though, "You know something? I like Uncle Waldo."
"Especially when he's marinated," Duchess chuckled.
(Paris rooftop that night)
The group of cats walked in a line along the rooftops of Paris, Thomas in the lead. Marie was sitting on his back, Berlioz sat on Sora's back, and Lea carried Toulouse on his back. Duchess asked the orange tomcat, "Thomas, Madame will be so worried. Are you sure we can't get home tonight?"
"Mama, I'm tired," Marie sighed.
"Me too," Berlioz whined, "and my feet hurt."
Kairi went up to the white Persian and quietly said, "Oh Duchess, it's late."
"Baby, the kids are bushed," O'Malley kindly told her.
Toulouse was so tired, "I'll bet we walked a hundred miles."
"I'll bet it's more than a thousand," cut in Berlioz.
Duchess tried to comfort her kittens, "Now, now darlings, cheer up, Mister O'Malley knows a place where we can stay tonight."
"Hey alley cat," Lea groaned, "I'm with the little ones. How much farther is it?"
O'Malley smiled back and chuckled, "Keep your whiskers up guys; it's just beyond the next chimney pot." The gang went on and he soon pointed out an old attic. "Well, there it is! My own penthouse pad, it's not exactly the ritz, but it's peaceful and quiet." Suddenly the lights came on inside and a trumpet blared from inside, followed by more music.
"Peaceful huh?" Donald glanced at Thomas.
The orange cat looked surprised himself, and a little embarrassed, "Oh! Oh, no, sounds like Scat Cat and gang have dropped by."
"Oh, friends of yours?"
"Uh-huh, yeah," Thomas told them as the kittens and Sora went to poke their heads in the window, "They're old buddies and they're real swingers."
Duchess was confused, "Swingers? What is a swinger?"
"You know, uh, not exactly your type, Duchess. Maybe we'd better find another place, huh?" All the Keybladers thought that these 'swinger' friends of O'Malley sounded like fun to hang out with.
"Oh no, no, no, I would like to see your pad, and meet your Scat Cat."
"Well, Okay." The group followed Sora and the kittens and soon they all were peaking in the rooftop window. They saw a fat black cat on the bed blowing a trumpet, a light brown Italian cat playing a accordion, a cream colored English cat playing a guitar, a dark brown scraggly Russian cat playing a bass, and a yellow Chinese cat playing the piano. O'Malley smiled and cried out, "Hey Scat Cat! Blow some of that sweet stuff my way!"
The fat black cat blew a long not on his trumpet and laughed, "Well, looky here! Big man O'Malley is back in his alley! Swing on down here, Daddy."
Thomas swung down and slid across the piano, spinning the Chinese cat around in his chair. "Lay some skin on me, Scat Cat, yea!" The black cat high-fived him.
"Buona sera, paesano," the Italian cat smiled.
The English cat took off his sunglasses, "Welcome home, O'Malley!" Sora and the gang hopped down after Thomas. Duchess went up to Scat Cat and O'Malley introduced him, "Duchess, this is the greatest cat of 'em all."
"Oh," Duchess cooed, "I'm delighted to meet you, monsieur Scat Cat."
He kissed her paw, "Likewise, Duchess. You're too much." He raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, ho, ho," Duchess giggled, "You are charming! And your music is so… so different, but so exciting."
"It isn't Beethoven, mama," Berlioz smiled from atop the piano.
Ven was right up there with the black kitten, "But it sure bounces!"
Scat Cat chuckled, "Say! These kitten cat knows where it's at!"
"Knows where what's at?" Kairi was confused.
"Well, young lady," Scat Cat exclaimed, "Let me elucidate here." He began to sing…
"Everybody wants to be a cat!
Because a cat's the only cat
Who knows where it's at."
O'Malley joined in…
"Tell me!
Everybody's pickin' up on that feline beat
'Cause everything else is obsolete."
Scat Cat looked up at Lea on the bedpost, "Strictly high-button shoes."
O'Malley: "A square with a horn
Makes you wish you weren't born
Every time he plays."
But with a square in the act
You can set music back."
Scat Cat: "To the caveman days… otto- toe- tom- oh- day"
O'Malley: I've heard some corny birds who tried to sing…
Scat Cat: "Still the cat's the only cat
Who knows how to swing
Russian cat: "Who wants to did a long- haired gig
And stuff like that."
O'Malley and Scat Cat: When everybody wants to be a cat
A square with a horn
Makes you wish you weren't born
Every time he plays
O'Malley: "Oh, a- rinky- tinky- dinky"
O'Malley and Scat Cat: "With a square in the act
You can set music back
To the caveman days"
Marie and Kairi joined in…
"Oh, a rinky- dinky- tinky!"
O'Malley: "Yes!"
Sora and Kairi joined up with O'Malley and Marie…
"Everybody wants to be a cat
Because a cat's the only cat
Who knows where it's at
When playin' jazz he always has
A welcome mat"
O'Malley, Marie, and Scat Cat: "Cause Everybody digs a swingin' cat."
Lea launched Toulouse into the air and he grabbed the light cord, causing multicolored lights to dance around the room. "Oh boy fellas!" The Chinese cat exclaimed.
Lea followed him up, "Let's rock the joint!"
"Ha-Ha!" laughed the Russian cat, "Groove it, cat!" The beat of the music stepped up and everyone began to dance around the room. They were all smiling and have a wonderful time.
Toulouse began to dance on the piano keys, playing a swift melody. The Chinese cat began to play on the piano with chopsticks…
"Shanghai, Hong Kong, Egg Foo Young
Fortune cookie always wrong. Oh ho, that's a hot one!"
The music played on, and everyone's spirits lifted higher. Thomas went over to Duchess, "How 'bout you and me, Duchess?"
"Yes," she replied, "Let's swing it, Thomas." The two got up on their hind paws, put their front paws together, and began to dance.
"Wanna join 'um, Kairi?" Sora asked the pink Burmese.
She giggled, "Oh yes!" They joined the tomcat and Persian in dancing.
"Groovy," Toulouse and Goofy exclaimed.
Scat Cat pulled off his bolar hat, stuck it on Berlioz, put his trumpet before the kitten and exclaimed, "Blow it, small fry, blow!" The orange kitten blew one sharp blast, that took up all the air in his lungs.
Lea laughed at the kitten, "Boy, he blew it!"
"But he was a-close," the Italian cat agreed. The music and dancing continued for a few more minutes before it slowed down and was replaced but Duchess strumming away lightly on a harp. All the boys lay down and sighed as she quietly sang…
"If you want to turn me on
Play your horn, don't spare the tone
And blow a little soul into the tune
O'Malley: "Let's take it to another key"
Scat Cat: "Modulate and wait for me
I'll take a few ad-libs and pretty soon
The other cats will all commence"
O'Malley: "Congregatin' on the fence
Beneath the alley's only light"
Duchess: "Where every note is out of sight."
There was a moment of silence before Scat Cat began the jazz music again. All of Scat Cat's gang jumped up atop the piano, playing their instruments, stomping, and singing…
"Everybody, everybody
Everybody wants to be a cat!
Everybody, everybody
Everybody wants to be a cat!"
The floor began to break under the piano, they fell six stories down, still singing the same verse over and over. When they got to the bottom they all filed out with broken instruments, still singing as they walked on the fence out of sight. The entire group watched Scat Cat's gang going off into the distance.
Donald put out the lights as Lea, Ven, and Kairi brought the three exhausted kittens to their mother. She put them in the bed as they hummed the song from Scat Cat. "Happy dreams, my loves." The Keyblade gang curled up in different places around the room and fell asleep, while Duchess and O'Malley went out on the rooftop to talk.
Sora tossed and turned in his sleep. He remembered something from his time alone, almost nine months ago. A vision of Riku, Lea, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, now Ven, five obscured figures, and Kairi lying on a field of battle. All were covered in lethal wounds, and death had take most, or all of them. This time he saw something he hadn't seen before, a figure in a black coat stood above Kairi with a gear themed Keyblade, about to deliver the final blow. Sora jumped into wakefulness, waking Ven who was sleeping nearby. The destiny islander got up and went to the rooftop, O'Malley and Duchess were asleep by now, and Ven followed him.
"Sora?"
The Selkirk rex jumped at the sound of his voice, "Oh Ven, it's just you."
"Sora," the Savanna asked, "What is it?"
"Ven, do you remember in Edoras, when I touched that black globe and saw that vision?"
"Yes."
"I saw the vision again in my dream, but this time you were in it there was someone, probably one of Xehanort's thirteen darknesses, was about to kill Kairi. You remember that vision was what made me share the Paopu with Kairi at the time that I did. I wanted to show her how I felt before the vision came to pass."
"I remember, and I'm sorry Sora." The two sat in silence on the Paris rooftop.
Lea was also tossing in his sleep. He heard Roxas's voice in his head saying, 'You promised us Axel'. Then a girl's voice joined his, 'You promised that you would always be there to bring us back'. Lea saw Roxas and then another figure in the behind him.
"Roxas!" Lea exclaimed, "Who is your friend?"
Roxas turned to the slim figure in the Organization coat and smiled, "You don't remember, the memories are leaking out; soon you will recall everything about her."
"What do you mean, Roxas?" The blonde boy faded from view, as did the slim figure behind him. "ROXAS WAIT!" His yelling didn't help; he awoke soon after to morning light just coming on the horizon.
(Later that morning)
The group walked down a fancy street, lined with mansions. Everyone was impressed with the neighborhood's very fancy appearance. Especially O'Malley, "Hey! Mee-oww! What a classy neighborhood! Dig these fancy wigwams!"
"Wigwams?" questioned Duchess.
Sora was also stunned by the niceness of the houses, "Are you sure we're on the right street?"
"Yes, yes!" exclaimed Duchess, "Let's hurry, we're almost home!" The kittens ran ahead to the large mansion on the end of the street.
"Hooray! We're home," yelled Berlioz.
His sister joined in the excitement, "Wait for me, wait for me! Me first, me first!" The three up to where the cat door was but since it was closed all three bonked their heads on it.
"It's locked."
Marie got an idea, "Come on, let's start meowing." The three little ones began to meow loudly.
A mouse ran up to the window and began motioning to the cats. Toulouse cried out, "Look! There's Roquefort, Hi Roquefort!"
"He's sure glad to see us!"
The others were saying their goodbyes to Duchess.
Duchess was sad to see Thomas and the others go, "I don't know what to say. I only wish that…"
Lea sighed, "Maybe a short goodbye would be easiest."
"I'll never forget you Thomas O'Malley, or you Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Kairi, Ventus, and Lea, bye."
"Goodbye Duchess."
"It was nice to meet you."
O'Malley was the saddest one of the gang, "So long, baby." Duchess left them and went to the door with her children.
A skinny butler opened the door for the four cats, "Duchess, wherever have you been?" They came inside and when the door was shut the butler, Edgar, grabbed them in a sack and slammed them in the oven as Madame came their way.
This treachery was unknown to Sora and the others as they slowly walked around the street corner. They hadn't gone very far when the mouse from the mansion window ran up to them panting, "Mister O'Malley! Sora! Hey! Stop! Duchess! Kittens! In trouble!" Butler did it!"
"DUCHESS AND KITTENS IN TROUBLE!" They all began to run back to the house. O'Malley yelled back to Roquefort, "Look, you go get Scat Cat and his gang of alley cats!"
"A-a-alley cat?" Roquefort stuttered, "But I'm a mouse!"
"Look, we're gonna need help."
"You mean you want me?"
Thomas pushed the mouse on but Donald followed, "I'll back him up in case Scat Cat tries to eat him!"
"Fine," the tomcat cried, "Tell him O'Malley sent you and you won't have a bit of trouble."
(In a backstreet alley)
"No trouble he said," Roquefort whined, "Well, that's easy for, uh, for what's- his- name to say. He's got nine lives, I only have one." He didn't notice the Italian cat behind him until it was too late.
The mouse was thrown before Scat Cat, "What's a little swinger like you doin' ion our side of town?"
"Oh please," begged the frightened mouse, "Uh, I was sent here for help by a cat."
"This is outrageous! This is crazy!" The alley cats busted out in roars of laughter.
"B-but honest! He told me just to mention his name."
The Russian cat grinned evilly, "So? Start mentioning name, rodent."
The little mouse was placed in Scat Cat's paw, much to its horror, "Oh, now, wait a minute, fellas. D-d-don't rush me. His name is… O'Toole."
One of Scat Cat's claws sprung out, "I don't dig him, strike one."
"Oh, ooh, O'Brien."
"Strike two."
"Oh, boy," Roquefort stuttered, "You believe me, don't you?"
The English cat glared at the mouse, "Keep talkin', mousy."
"How about O'…Grady?"
All of Scat Cat's claws extended, "Mousy, you just struck out." He stuck one claw under Roquefort's chin. "Any last words?"
Roquefort yelled in desperation, "Oh! Why did I listen to that O'Malley cat?!"
"O'MALLEY!"
"Hold it cats," cried Scat Cat, "This little guy's on the level!"
"You're darn tootin' I'm on the level," the mouse spat.
"Oh," the Italian cat stammered, "We didn't mean-a to, to rough a-you, squeaky!"
Just at that moment, Donald ran up, "Don't worry about him! O'Malley and the others need your help! Duchess and the kittens are in trouble!" All the cats hunched their backs and hissed in anger at this news.
"Come on cats, we gotta split!"
"Hey wait for me!" yelled Roquefort as they all took off. He just managed to grab onto the Russian cat's tail as Donald lead them toward the mansion.
(The mansion stables)
The butler dropped the sack holding the cats in a trunk and padlocked it. "Now, my little pesky pets. You're going to travel first class, in your own private compartment."
O'Malley and the others were sitting in the rafters above him waiting to strike as Ven thought, "The butler… why is it always the butler?"
Edgar continued happily, "All the way to Timbuktu, and this time, ha, you'll never come back. Oh, no, we've got to hurry! The baggage truck will be here any moment." At that moment the group in the rafters leapt down onto Edgar. He jumped back, waved his hand, and suddenly a hoard of Mad Dog Heartless appeared. "These puppies will take care of you meddling felines!" The guys summoned their weapons as O'Malley went after Edgar.
In a moment Scat Cat's group bounded in and attacked Edgar. Goofy yelled, "Sora, open the chest with your Keyblade!"
"I can't! There's no Keyhole, it's a combination lock!"
Roquefort ran over and tried to crack the code, but there was too much noise from the battle. After a few minutes of trying he yelled, "QUIET!" Everyone froze as he listened and cracked the lock. Then the battle recommenced. Lea and O'Malley jumped into the chest, "Everybody, outta here, fast!" But before they could jump out Edgar had broken away from the furious cats and closed the lid on all of them.
He growled, "You're going to Timbuktu if it's the last thing I do!" Darkness began seeping from him and surrounded the trunk. He grew larger and Edgar turned into a large dog like Heartless. His body was colored a dark grey and it was covered in white lines. The chest, with Duchess, Marie, Toulouse, Berlioz, O'Malley, and Lea hung around his neck like a ID tag on a collar. The Heartless insignia was glowing on his back. The Frenzied Beast Heartless, once Edgar, roared loudly.
"So it was him that drew the Heartless here." The group summoned their weapons to destroy the giant Heartless. Ven and Sora attacked first, both blasting it with a barrage of fire spells at it. The Frenzied Beast Heartless countered with a sweep of his front paws, Ven and Sora were thrown back into the gang of alley cats. Kairi leapt up and drove her blade into the insignia on its back, it roared loudly with pain and rolled over onto the Princess of Heart.
"KAIRI!" Scat Cat pulled her out from under the monster while Sora cast Curaga on her. Donald paralyzed it with a thundaga spell as Goofy bashed it on the head as hard as possible. All the alley cats jumped on it's head and scratched it like crazy. As the Heartless tried to bat them off Riku jumped over and cut the chest, that contained the others, from the Frenzied Beast's neck.
It fell and Lea, O'Malley, Duchess, and the kittens jumped out. When this was done the Heartless shrunk to a normal dog size. O'Malley and Lea charged it, knocking it into the chest, Sora sealed it in, and the alley cats pushed it outside the barn. Just in time to, for the mail truck drove up at that very moment
"Well Mac," on of the men said, "this must be the trunk, eh?"
Mac answered him coworker, "Yup, and she goes all the way to Timbuktu." They heaved the trunk contained Edgar into the truck and drove off.
Toulouse jumped out into the road behind the truck and began to snarl and hiss, making everybody laugh.
Kairi was at the back of the pack when she heard a low voice calling to here, "Kairi…Kairi." She followed the sound of the voice outside the barn and around a bend. She heard nothing else so she was about to go back, when suddenly a blast of magic hit her. She gasped, but it didn't hurt her; she opened her eyes and squeaked in surprise, she was human again. But she had no time to think on this, for all of a sudden she was grabbed from behind and a cloth was pressed over her mouth and nose. She struggled but her captor had her in a strong grip, and by now she could tell that the cloth was covered with chloroform. Kairi tried to keep her eyes open but the chloroform was beginning to take it's toll.
With one last burst of energy she screamed, "SORA!"
"KAIRI," he turned and took off, the others not far behind him. He turned a corner and saw Xigbar/ Braig with, now unconscious, Kairi in his arms. "LET HER GO!"
He smiled evilly and as a dark corridor appeared behind him, he replied, "No way hero boy! Xehanort needs your girlfriend, so I'll be going now." Sora summoned Ultima Weapon and charged Braig. The sharpshooter laughed and gave Sora a hard kick, sending him flying back into the others. "Bye bye heroes!" He slung the Princess Keyblader over his shoulder and walked through the corridor.
"KKKAAAAIIIIRRRRIIII!" Sora turned to the others, "We've gotta go now! I'm sorry but we've have to go now."
Duchess understood, "Yes, you must go. We'll miss all of you, and thank you for saving us."
"You're welcome," Riku said, the Keybladers took off.
Marie stopped Sora and pulled off her pink ribbon, "Give this to Kairi when you find her." Sora smiled at the kitten and nodded.
(On the Gummi Ship)
Sora paced back and forth around the cockpit nervously, "How are we gonna find her? And even if we do, how will we get to her?"
Lea was thinking very hard about this dilemma, Sora could probably locate her, but getting to her was the biggest problem. Suddenly, he had an idea; the pyro grabbed Riku and pulled him into the hallway.
"What is it Lea?"
"Riku, I have and idea of how to get to Kairi!"
Riku's eyes widened, "How?"
Lea scratched his head, "I used to be able to bring up dark corridors, but Master Yen Sid sealed that ability away, so as not to attract any unwanted attention from Xehanort." Riku remembered well. "What if I could bypass the seal and open a corridor to rescue her?"
"Do you want to tell Sora?" Riku asked the red head.
"No," Lea told him, "Xehanort would expect Sora to come save her, and if we tell him he'll want to come. I don't believe Xehanort would expect someone who kidnapped Kairi in the past to rescue her."
Riku nodded, there was some truth to this, but Master Yen Sid had specifically told Lea not to even attempt at making a dark corridor. "It's risky Lea, even if you could create one it would still put everyone at risk."
"Do we have any other options?" Riku was quiet, but he had to admit that Lea was right. This was the fastest way to get the Princess back, whether they liked it or not. "Riku, you've gotta back me up here. Kairi is like a little sister to me, she's one of your greatest friends, and Sora is in love with her; we really don't have any other choice."
Riku sighed, "Fine, I'll help you out." Riku had some training in magic, so Lea was able to temporarily use his ability. "Lea, you better bring her back, or both Sora and I will kill you!"
Lea nodded, "Alright… I get the picture." He opened a corridor and grinned, "Don't wait up." Then the red head dashed through the corridor, the dark portal closed behind him with a rush of dark energy. Riku turned and headed back to the cockpit, he was going to have some serious explaining to do.
Family
Duchess is a great mother to her three kittens; she defends them, loves them, and cares for them. Whether you have a family or not, anyone can see how much she cares for her children. Even with Lea and Kairi, he now sees her as a sister, family. Some of us don't have a family or at least parts of our family, maybe a mother or a father. If we don't have an earthly family, anyone can be in God's family. He sees us as his children and loves unconditionally. So if you ever feel alone or that you have no one just look to God and he will be your comforter in all circumstances.
Yea… now it's going down. You see that the relationship between Lea and Kairi has grown from being just friends; now Lea sees her as a sister, and he watches over her like a big brother. Please review!
Next time… Lea goes to save Kairi and they end up on a new world, which is secretly being protected by a group of aliens in disguise. Next time in Cyber Cite!
