Chapter 9
By the time the rest of the troop had headed downstairs, Aerith was busy setting a small stack of pancakes in front of Geni, with plenty of butter and syrup. Sora was sitting next to her, pouring himself yet another glass of orange juice. They were conversing as if nothing had happened, enjoying the moment and the company for all its worth.
"Delicious," Geni mumbled, between devouring piece after piece of pancake.
"Are you sure you're not just hungry?" Sora said, laughing.
"Mmm-mm," Geni said, giving him a sinister look. Even so, she slowed down slightly, pausing once and a while to drink some milk.
"I see your appetite hasn't diminished," Leon said with a smirk.
"My dear, it is good to see you up and about. How are you feeling?" Merlin said, taking up his usual chair.
"Better, to say the least. I see you all are doing well, despite the influx of Heartless and Dusks here in Hollow Bastion."
"Yes and no. Speaking of which –" Merlin was cut off by Aerith.
"More tea, Merlin?" as she poured him a steaming cup anyway. "Queen Minnie and Lady Daisy will be quite happy to see you. I bet Sora, Donald, and Goofy could give you a lift to the castle, considering it's not far from Hollow Bastion."
Geni didn't say anything, but continued to eat. Only Sora and King Mickey noticed the slight pause she took when Aerith mentioned her adopted home and family. "Yeah…sure." Geni took a long swallow of milk.
"Geni, I know it might be uncomfortable, but we really need to talk about –" Leon started.
"Leon, coffee?" Yuffie said, butting in.
"Stop that! I know it's hard, but we have to talk about this, damn it!" Cid yelled, banging his fist on the table. Yuffie and Aerith jumped slightly, and then guiltily sat down at the table. "Now, we all know this is a sore subject. However, Geni, we need to know if you have any information on the Heartless, Dusks, or Organization XIII. Since you had the most contact with them, and some control over them, it would be very helpful with the hordes we have camping just outside of the city walls to know if they are planning something." All eyes went from Cid to Geni. Slowly, she put down her fork, folded her hands, and closed her eyes.
"There's not much to tell unfortunately," she began slowly. "Ever since I woke up this morning, I have had this foggy feeling in my mind. Also, whenever I tried to remember anything from that time period, my head began to hurt and I was unable to recall any memories. I can remember glimpses of things: a gray castle, many individuals in black, a city of darkness, and a moon shaped like a heart. That's about it…sorry." She finished her small oration and stared down at her plate, watching a small pat of butter slide off the pancakes into a pool of syrup.
"Hmmph, well, that's not much help. Can't be helped, I suppose," Cid said. He stood up from the table. "Excuse me, but it seems like my work isn't finished yet. Call me when lunch is ready." He walked over and plopped himself down at his computer, quickly clacking away at the keys.
Geni quickly looked up from where she was sitting and watched Cid walk away. Her hands tightening, she quietly intoned "I'm sorry" once more.
"Don't be," Leon stated. "If you can't remember, you can't remember. You'll just have to work harder to help us get rid of those parasites."
Geni snapped her head up. "Really? You all still…want my help?"
"Of course; but don't overdo it. You're still a little weak, and those bruised ribs won't fully heal for another week or so. You can help all you want as long as you take better care of yourself and don't push yourself so hard," Aerith said. "Now, finish eating."
"Yes ma'am," Geni said with a small smile. She picked up her fork and resumed eating.
Sora could only smile in return between the exchange of words among some of his closest friends. Watching Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Donald, Goofy, and Geni converse, he felt a tightening in his chest. He chugged down the rest of his orange juice, and then motioned to Donald and Goofy. "We had better go check up on the gummi ship, and then prepare to get underway again."
Donald nodded. "I'll go refuel the ship and do an overall diagnostic. It won't take more than two hours."
Goofy chimed in. "I'll re-supply the potions, ethers, and food stock from the market. I hope they have those canned rutabagas I like on sale!"
Sora and Donald could only groan. Goofy had the strangest sense of taste and what supposedly tastes good. As Donald and Goofy got up and headed their separate ways, Sora turned to his sister.
"Hey, Geni. Did you want a quick ride to the Disney Castle as long as we are heading in the general direction?"
Geni had just finished the last bite of her pancakes. "I suppose; these clothes aren't that old, but I'll need more than this. I also need to have a long talk with Queen Minnie, which I'm not looking forward to, as well as gather things from my room while I'm there. Is King Mickey coming along as well?"
"No," Merlin said blatantly.
"Why not?"
"Because he already left." Merlin gestured to the empty seat next to him. The chair next to Merlin was slightly pushed out, indicating its occupant had left quietly and wanted little notice of it.
"When did he –? Never mind, he's probably spent too much time here already. I guess it is just the four of us then. Excuse me." Geni got up from the table and took her dishes over to the sink and rinsed them out. "I'm going out to stretch my legs before we leave. I always get cramps when I ride in the gummi ships."
Sora got up quickly. "I'll go with you." Geni nodded, and then the twins headed out the door. The residents of Hollow Bastion could only smile at the young pair. It seems the twins completed each other; one coming from the darkness and the other coming from the light to help and balance each other. Seriousness and playfulness, sadness and happiness, knowledge and ignorance; Geni and Sora were definitely half of each other.
Walking out into the bright morning sun, Geni covered her eyes and looked up. The sky was so blue, with nary a cloud in sight; the sun was shining down on a busy morning in Hollow Bastion. Sighing happily, she turned and motioned for Sora to follow her. The twins walked in silence for a while, until Sora interceded.
"Anything look familiar?"
Geni nodded, her hands folded behind her back, taking in the sights. "Mmm, it's strange; Hollow Bastion never seems to change, no matter how long I leave it. The last time I was here was about a year ago, just before I was deceived by the Organization. I was helping Merlin strengthen the town's defense system with Cid using a new random physical apparition spell. It was spring, and the hills above the town were in full bloom. The last of the residents that had been scattered due to the darkness had just returned and the town was returning to normal. The bailey had just been finished, and the archeological digs around the old castle had begun. It seemed like Hollow Bastion would finally be seeing an era of peace with the Heartless gone; we were only keeping up the defense systems just in case – and I'm glad we did. Two months after my visit the Heartless and Dusks started showing up in droves once again."
"That must have been sometime between when we closed the door to Darkness –" Sora sighed at this "– and when Donald, Goofy, and I woke up in Twilight Town in the basement of that old mansion. I wonder, was it the Organization's doing?"
Geni nodded. "Most likely. I remember just before I was placed under the spell that King Mickey was worried about their rise to power." Geni shook her head. "Not only beings without hearts, but beings with no bodies that don't even exist – although we can see them plain as day. What are we going to do, Sora?"
"I don't know," Sora replied, scratching his head. "We need more information so I can finish this quest and find Riku, so all of us can go back home to the Destiny Islands where Kairi is waiting for us."
Geni stopped. Sora walked a few more paces before turning around. "What is it?"
"Do you really mean that?" she said quietly.
Sora walked back and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Every word of it. I promise you that no matter what, Riku, you, and I will all go back to the Destiny Islands together."
"I'll hold you to that," Geni said, cocking her head to the side and giving Sora a smile.
Smiling in return, Sora turned and the two continued walking together. Not really noticing where they were walking, Sora and Geni ended up on a hill overlooking the main part of Hollow Bastion, mostly the market and town square. The noontime sun glinted off the city, making it sparkle like a jewel.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Geni murmured.
"It is," Sora replied. "I've never seen it from so high up. But, of course, the last time I was here there wasn't really a city. Only the old castle where Maleficent lived when she tried to open the door to the darkness."
"Old hag," Geni muttered. "She's been up to no good for as long as I can remember. She was the one who corrupted Hollow Bastion in the first place; much of Hollow Bastion disappeared when the darkness came the first time, and declined over the years until almost nothing was left. That's why everyone was living in Traverse Town when you first met them. Actually, her home world isn't Hollow Bastion."
"Really?" Sora said incredulously. "Where is she from then?"
"She comes from the world of Princess Aurora, otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent was one of the most powerful evil sorceress' to ever live; with the help of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather Prince Phillip was able to slay her, but only for a time. The darkness gave her the power to rise again, and so you battled her at Hollow Bastion. The last I heard the three faeries were staying with Master Yen Sid."
Sora laughed. "What's so funny?" Geni asked.
"Just remembering; those three can't agree on anything."
"Have you met them?"
"Of course; they are the faeries that gave me these new clothes. I had outgrown my old ones by several inches. However, it seems like you have the same predicament that I did," Sora said, pointing at Geni's exposed ankles and slightly too-tight shirt.
"Oh, this? I hadn't noticed. One moment." Geni closed her eyes and mumbled a few inaudible words, stretching her hand out in front of her. A blue glowing sphere appeared in her hand, which after opening her eyes she placed against her stomach. The soft blue light enveloped only her clothes, and when it had dissipated her skirt was the normal length and her shirt fit properly once more.
Sora's eyes boggled. "That…was…amazing! How did you do that? Could you teach me?"
Geni laughed. "Of course. It was only a simple spell, one of the most basic ones. I just took the existing fabric and made it weave more of itself into the original clothes to lengthen the skirt and stretch the shirt. Can't you perform magic like that?"
Sora shook his head with a slight embarrassment. "No, my magic is really only good in battle; fighting and summoning, stuff like that. Everything I know I learned from Merlin."
Geni nodded. "Well, I could definitely teach you. You have the talent for it, apparently, or Merlin would have taught you nothing. He's good at seeing the potential in people." Geni and Sora sat down on the warm grass and surveyed the scene before them. "I'm quite advanced in all the magical forms, but my specialties are battle, healing, transformation, and communicative spells."
Sora stretched his arms and legs out and proceeded to lie down on the warm grass, hands crossed behind his head. "I didn't know magic could be used like that." Sora closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the midday sun. Geni sat beside him, her knees bent to her chest and her arms crossed around them. She stared at a fluffy white cloud overhead for a while, then said, "Hey Sora, watch this."
Sora opened an eye; Geni waved her hand towards the fluffy cloud and it instantly changed from a shapeless pillow in the sky to an oddly shaped ball with two lines coming off the side like a V. "Guess who?"
Sora squinted, and then realization dawned on him. "Ha ha! That's Donald's loud beak, if I'm not mistaken." The twins laughed, and Geni changed the cloud into Goofy, King Mickey, and Pluto until Sora was clutching his sides from laughing too hard. "Stop, stop! I can't take anymore of this!"
Geni smiled, returning the poor cloud to normal and sending it on its way. Sora collapsed back onto the ground, a huge wide smile plastered across his face. His cheerfulness was rubbing off on her – she couldn't help but grin at his silliness. Sora lay still for a while, his eyes closed and his breathing even. Geni felt calm, more relaxed than she had in a long time. "Sora?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you tell me about the Destiny Islands?"
Sora smiled, his eyes still closed. "Of course. There are several islands that make it up, with most of the people living on the largest one. That's were Riku, Kairi, and I live. We only live about fifty miles from the mainland, so the ferry usually runs from us to the mainland once a day. There are no really large buildings, besides the school – it's a kindergarten through twelfth grade, the hospital, city hall, and the marketplace where all the major stores are.
It's beautiful, though; there are palm trees everywhere, and the sand at the beach is as soft as silk on your feet. The breeze is always light, and you can smell the paopu fruit wherever you go. There are several large hills that dot all of the islands; some people say they are extinct volcanoes from when the islands were first formed. My favorite place, where Riku, Kairi, and I always played was a small island just off of the shore closest to our homes. The adults built a small hut, a deck, and several platforms so all the children could play there. We rowed out there almost everyday when school was out, and watched the sunset from on top of the hill. In the summer we were there all the time, and once in a while we stayed overnight to have a bonfire."
In Geni's mind, the islands came alive. She could see herself at the beach, a brilliant sunset in the distance. The breeze played with her hair, gently caressing her check. A fruity and salty smell filled her nose, and she inhaled deeply. She could feel a sense of belonging to this place, and it welled up in her until it burst forth.
Opening her eyes, Geni began low and slow at first. Sora paused, staring at his sister. Geni's eyes were closed, but the melody leaving her mouth was so magnificent. It rose and rose until he could see the waves of the melody; the song was Destiny Islands manifested. There were no words, but the melody soared like the gulls, rose and fell like the waves, and blew softly like the wind. Sora could only stare in wonder at the sound his sister was producing with her vocal chords. The song began like a sunrise, and ended like a sunset fading into the twilight. When she was finished, Geni opened her eyes, a solitary tear streaking down her cheek.
Sora sat up slowly, never taking his eyes off of his sister. "That…was…amazing," Sora said haltingly. Geni wiped away the lone tear and smiled.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was on the spur of the moment, but overall the quality was quite good," Geni said.
"Where did you learn to sing like that?"
Geni looked down, a sad smile on her face. "From a great and wonderful teacher, a long time ago."
Unbeknownst to the conversing twins, an individual in black watched them closely from a distance. "It seems she has recovered quite quickly, but we cannot allow her to aid the Keybearer anymore than she already has. She will lead him to the truth, and we need him to keep slaying Heartless for us." Snapping their fingers, a company of Heartless and Dusks appeared before them. Stretching out their hand towards the duo, the Heartless and Dusks quietly approached their prey from behind.
Suddenly Geni stopped mid-sentence, furrowing her eyebrows. Jumping up, she scanned the area around them and spotted the company of Heartless and Dusks coming towards them, not one hundred yards away. "Sora! We've got company!"
Sora jumped and followed his sister's eyes. "Oh great! And I was hoping to finish my nap!" Sora released his Keyblade from his being, readying himself to attack.
"Sorry Sora, naptime's over! Besides, it's almost time to go and I needed some exercise before we left." Sora turned to his sister just in time to see her stretch her hand out in front of her. "Utahime songuraita!" The black staff that Geni had used in her fights against Sora appeared in her hand, but this time its appearance was altered. It was still black, but not so dark and evil; it was more of a hematite black which merrily reflected the sunlight. Also, strange runes were etched into it at each end, circling the staff like a vine. Grasping it tightly, Sora and Geni looked at each other, then leapt with a shout towards the onslaught of Heartless and Dusks.
Sora was slicing and dicing left and right, thrusting and dodging, occasionally using elemental spells to rid himself of a few foes at one time. However, during a short pause, he happened to turn and was amazed at the battle prowess of his sister. Like an elegant dance, she swung and thrust her staff with deadly accuracy. She leapt about like a graceful dancer, confusing the Dusks and attacking them from behind, their weak spot. At one point she began to spin her staff so fast above her head it became a blur, and power began to spark off of it. The spinning created a lightning-like power, striking at all of the enemies closest to her. She jumped up, still spinning the staff, and then slammed it into the ground, creating a giant wave of energy that obliterated at least thirty or more Heartless and Dusks around her. After a few more minutes of fighting each, all of the Heartless and Dusks were gone.
Sora panted happily. Over one hundred Heartless and Dusks and it took them less than six minutes to destroy them all. "Hey Geni –" Sora began, but stopped as he looked over at his sister. She was on her knees, one hand grasping her staff for support and the other clutching her side. Sora ran over to her, kneeling down and placing his hand on her shoulder. "Hey! Are you alright?"
Geni was breathing heavily, but turned towards Sora with a large smile on her face. "I'm…fine. I haven't…had that much…of a workout…in a while." She winced slightly. "Also, my ribs…are still healing…but it only…hurts a little bit."
Sora frowned in worry. Even having bruised ribs, she seemed too weary. He was finally seeing firsthand just how hard it was for his sister to live with only half of a heart. It was only a short battle where Sora had barely lost any energy, whereas his sister was quite spent already just from those few minutes. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Geni gingerly stood up, leaning on her staff for support. "Mm-hmm. I'll be fine in a few minutes, don't worry." She gave Sora a large smile, and her breathing was already returning back to normal.
Sora nodded, smiling back, but inside he was still worried. Now I know why King Mickey did what he did; even though he knew Geni would resent his decision, he knew she couldn't come along. Otherwise, she might end up worse than she already is – especially if they happened to run into prolonged battles. "Well, let's head back then. I'm sure a nice slow walk will help." The twins headed back down the hill and towards the city, the mysterious person in black still watching them, an evil and maniacal grin on their face.
By the time the two got back to Merlin's house, Donald and Goofy were waiting for them. The gummi ship was sitting with its hatch open, waiting for liftoff. "'Bout time you two got back! We've been waiting to take off!" Goofy exclaimed.
"Sorry, just seeing some of the sights," Sora said.
"Well, it's time to stop sight-seeing and time to start flying! We still have plenty of stops to make!" Donald lectured.
"Okay, okay! I get the hint. I have to go say goodbye to everyone first though," Geni said as she walked into Merlin's house. She stopped at the doorway, her hand on the frame. Sora, Donald, and Goofy came up behind her. "What's the hold –" Merlin, Cid, Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie were all standing there.
Merlin was the first to speak. "My dear, it was so wonderful to see you again. You had better visit soon, otherwise my magical arguments that I've formulated will go to waste on these un-magical people."
"I've installed a new seat on the gummi ship that is slightly more padded, so you won't be so uncomfortable on those long trips," Cid added, doing his trademark of wiping his thumb across his nose.
Aerith stepped forward. "Come visit as soon as the routes between the worlds' are safe again, okay? And here." Aerith handed Geni a small package. "This is some medicine I've been working on with Dr. Ubito that is infused with herbs for extra energy and stamina."
"I…I…don't know what to say," Geni said, her eyes glistening.
"How about 'thank you' or 'I'll be back soon'?" Yuffie said, bouncing around Geni.
Leon came forward and placed a firm hand on Geni's shoulder. "Be careful out there, and take care of those dense friends and family of yours, okay?"
Geni nodded, looking around at all of her family and friends. Even though one lonely tear trickled down her cheek, she said "Thank you all, so very much. I can't express how much all of this means to me, considering the trouble you had to put up with through me. We will all be back to visit very soon. Thank you, my friends." Geni held the package tightly to her chest, and bowed deeply to the people she cared about the most.
After a long pause, Sora decided to interrupt. "Time to go," he said to no one in particular.
Geni turned around and nodded to them. Waving goodbye, Sora, Geni, Donald, and Goofy boarded the gummi ship that had been parked outside of Merlin's house. Strapping themselves in with Donald at the controls, he started the engines and secondary rockets underneath the ship. They slowly began hovering in the air above the street until they were far enough away to ignite the primary rockets. Everyone came out to wave as the ship blasted off and flew into the sky, towards worlds unknown.
Aerith whispered quietly as the ship disappeared, "Take care, little sister. And keep her safe and sound, Sora."