A/N: Finally, I reach the double digits in my story! (yay) Sorry for the extra long wait. This chapter just refused to be written, I swear!
Chapter 10: The Reality of Things
Alan and Mickey trudge through the jungles of Isla Nublar alone after dismissing Riku, Zack, and Zero from their little troupe. Earlier they had succeeded in radioing for help at a radio tower, although for Mickey he discreetly used a bit of magic to contact Cid and ask for a rescue Gummi Ship. With help on the way for both groups of survivors, Mickey requested that Riku returned to the hideout with Zack and Zero for support. The young men had protested a great deal about leaving the two with less protection but the mouse king assured them that he and Alan would be fine. Mickey knew that traveling in such a large group would likely attract the attention of the carnivorous dinosaurs on the island. The Heartless could be easily be dispatched, but there was sure to be trouble should they encounter any more prehistoric predators. Gloved white fists clenched, Mickey walked along with Alan, ready to summon Darkside at a moment's notice.
After about half an hour of walking, bending, and climbing through dense foliage, Mickey and Alan finally reached the visitor's center. Cautiously, they made their way to the dining area where Ellie and the kids, Lex and Timothy, were supposed to meet. The tyrannosaur that once stalked the main lobby was long gone, the damages it left behind a reminder of its destructive strength. As he recalled how Aya managed to take down the giant beast, Mickey could not help but feel that something was different about the girl since the first and last time they met. She was a complete stranger upon the first encounter, but something in his heart felt a familiar resonance.
But why? thought Mickey. Back in Castle Oblivion, Riku told me that Sora was in the castle as well. My heart says there were two hearts, but my gut tells me there were three…
Mickey was taken out of his thoughts upon hearing the sound of two children clamoring over to them. Ellie was not far behind and panic was plastered all over their faces.
"Good grief, what happened to you three?" exclaimed Alan.
"We've gotta get out of here now!" stammered Lex, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest.
"Velociraptors!" added Timothy with equal anxiety.
No more words needed to be exchanged to explain the urgency of the situation. As the sound of bestial barking echoed throughout the center, the group ran outside and into the dense jungle. Bushes and branches scratched at their bodies as they jumped over rocks and roots in a desperate effort to simply stay alive. Far behind came sounds of scurrying and screeching as the pursuing velociraptors rushed to capture their prey.
This isn't good, thought Mickey as he ran alongside the others. They're just too fast for us to escape. We can't split up nor stay together in a group.
Suddenly, a pack of Raptors and Rhampys appeared ahead of them, pinning the group between the Heartless and the velociraptors. The group had nowhere to go now that they were blocked in both the front and back. There was no time to think of alternative routes as the predators close in on the group. Things were going from bad to worse.
Or is it?
In a flash of brilliant light, Darkside appeared in Mickey's hand. With determination brimming in his eyes the mouse king cut through the group of Heartless before them, only destroying those within his reach.
"Keep running!" he tells the others.
Allan, Ellie, and the kids did as they were told as Mickey continued to slash through the Heartless. Looking behind briefly, Mickey could see that his plan was working. The Heartless that he missed ended up getting in the way of the pursuing velociraptors, giving them the perfect opportunity to escape their fate of becoming dinosaur food.
With that problem out of the way, the group reached their hideout in no time at all. All eyes were on them the moment they ran through the steel door and shut it tightly behind them.
"Your majesty!" squawked Donald worriedly. "Are you allright?"
"We've got to go, now!" interrupted Allan with urgency, going over to Ian to help Ellie pick him up.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!" winced Ian as the two adults hoisted him onto his working leg. "Easy on the merchandise, please."
"Wait, this isn't going to work, Allan," spoke up Ellie, supporting Ian on his bad side. "There's no way we can avoid the dinosaurs with Ian injured like this."
"You're right," agreed Allan, supporting Ian on the man's other side. "We're going to need a jeep or something." He thought for a moment and then finally noticed the now conscious Sora and Goofy standing not far from him. "Oh, I see you're up and about."
Aya made quick with the introductions seeing as there was not enough time for everyone to properly get to know each other.
"Well, now that that's out of the way, I have something to tell you guys," spoke up Zack. "While you guys were gone, Zero managed to dig out a working jeep."
Zero merely stood in silence, not saying a word to affirm those of Zack's.
"That's great!" exclaimed John Hammond, who had been napping earlier. "We can use that to get to the heliport."
"But what about them?" asked Allan, motioning to the otherworldly group.
"Don't worry about us, Dr. Grant," assured Riku. "We'll be fine."
"Besides, you guys need that jeep more than we do with Mr. Malcolm injured like that," affirmed Kairi.
"Thank you all," said Ellie. "I don't know what we'd do without you."
"I'll go on ahead and make sure there's nothing predatory outside," suggested Aya. "Once you guys get on the jeep, the rest of us will cover you to make sure you get away safely."
"Allright then," agreed Allan. "We're counting on you all."
"No way we're going to let you guys down," asserted Sora confidently. "That's a promise."
With the plan agreed upon, Aya led the way up to the entrance of the hideout. Opening the door slowly, she notes that the coast was clear and emerges with her spear out and ready. Behind her came Allan, Ellie, and Ian, followed by the kids and John. Zero forges ahead and leads them to the jeep. Allan and Ellie carefully lay Ian out on the back while Lex, Timothy, and their grandfather took places in the back seat. Once everyone was settled in, Allan and Ellie moved to the front to the driver and passenger seat respectively. Zero hands Allan the keys and with that, the man starts up the engine.
As the car moves out towards the entrance to area, Sora, Riku, Mickey, Goofy, and Aya surround the vehicle at all sides. Donald remains close to the jeep in case of aerial attacks along with Kairi with her keyblade out and ready.
The formation remained like that until the group managed to successfully find their way to a nearby road. John picks out directions to the helipad using a map they found back at the hideout. Now that they were on the road, encounters were less likely and easier to handle with the durable park jeep. Before the jeep left the other group, Allan calls Aya over to have a word with her.
"Aya, thank you for all your help," he tells her. "It would be great if you came with us, but I think you should go with those guys."
"Are you sure, Dr. Grant?" asked Aya. "What if the velociraptors or maybe another tyrannosaur finds you?"
"We've managed to outrun a tyrannosaur before with a jeep," answered Allan. "And if we see any raptors, we'll just run them over."
"But…"
"Don't worry about us," assured Allan with a smile. "Something tells me you should go with them. There's a lot for you to discover and learn out there and you won't find any of that if you stay in one place forever."
"I understand," responded the girl. "Thank you for being my mentor, Doctor Grant."
"You just take care of yourself, Aya," bade Allan. "I'm sure you'll become a fine paleontologist."
Changing gears on the jeep, Allan turns into the road in the direction of the helipad at high speed. Aya could do nothing but watch as the jeep disappeared in the cloud of dust it left behind. With a sigh, she turns to face her new traveling companions.
"Well guys," she says with a smile. "You've got yourselves a new traveling buddy."
"Are Doctor Grant and the others going to be okay?" wondered Kairi worriedly.
"They'll be fine," assures Aya. "They didn't survive this long because of me alone."
Silence. And then.
"So, where to now?" asks Sora.
"Cid told us to head to the highest point we can find on this world," said Mickey. "He'll pick us up from there and take us to Radiant Garden to recuperate."
"Do you know of any high points here, Aya?" questioned Riku.
The girl raises a hand and began scratching her head in thought. "Well, there's that peak we were on before…"
At the sound of that, Riku, Mickey, and Goofy all simultaneously felt a chill run down their spines at the prospect of scaling the steep slope of that inhumane mountain.
"Or… there's Mount Pteradactyl," continued Aya. She turns to the others with a proud grin. "I named it myself."
"Please tell me there's a road that goes up there," gulped Goofy.
"Actually, there is," answered Aya, pointing to a path opposite the road much to Goofy's relief. "We just follow this up to the mountain. It should take use about 2 to 3 hours or so."
"Well, let's get going then," said Sora. "No time to lose, right?"
"You should take it easy, Sora," urged Donald. "You haven't fully recovered yet."
"I'll be fine, Donald," assured the teenage boy. "If anything, I can just cast Curaga on myself to keep going."
"Curaga has its limits, Sora," warned Donald. "Don't be so dependent on it."
"Don't worry," said Sora.
"If we're all ready here," intervened Aya, who seemed slightly annoyed by the arguing. "Follow me."
With the group back to being just Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Zack, and Zero, with the addition of Aya, things should be a little easier since most members can fight one way or another. Together they trudge towards their new destination with tired hearts and renewed hope. At the very least they were all together again so that main concern is taken care of.
An hour passed uneventfully, though there were some false alarms along the way which included mysterious noises and rustling in the foliage to keep the group on edge. Coming into a clearing in the forest, Aya stopped and stared in shock at the scene before her. The others came around and all eyes widen at the horror facing them. Scattered all over the ground were the remains of bloodied velociraptor carcasses. Flies and maggots have already made their homes in many of the bodies while smaller dinosaurs like compsognathus and buzzards ate away at the unoccupied bits of flesh. Upon seeing the new arrivals, the scavengers immediately scurry off in search of other sources of food.
Kairi gasps in horror at the sight. "Oh my gosh…"
"This… is horrible," spoke up Sora, scouring the area.
"What kind of dinosaur could've done this?" wondered Goofy, being careful not to step on the carcasses as the group tries to pass through.
"This wasn't done by a dinosaur," spoke up Aya as she kneels down next to a dead velociraptor to examine the corpse. "See these cuts? This was done by a weapon. And by the looks of it, it's probably something like…"
"A keyblade?"
All eyes turned to the source of the voice. Emerging from the dense trees was an armored warrior, covered in metal from head to toe. The green of his armor glinted in the sunlight as he stepped forward with Jungle King and Circle of Life in both hands, blood dripping from the keyblades' tips.
"You…" growled Sora, summoning his Kingdom Key as Riku, Mickey, and Kairi summoned theirs in turn. "You did this?"
"You must be blind or something to ask me that when the evidence is right in front of you," spoke Claw as he approached the group.
"How could you?" Aya slowly stood up, anger burning in her red-orange eyes. In the blink of an eye, she whips out her spear and stands ready to fight.
"These heathens of darkness must be eliminated in order for light to prosper," explained Claw. With his right hand, he raises Jungle King and points it at Sora. "Those who stand in the way of all that is good will perish."
"These creatures were just living the only way they can," growled Aya. "They have no other choice. To punish them this way for merely existing the way they are… that's the true road to darkness!"
In a flash Aya's eyes changed to an azure state as she leapt from where she was to attack the Chaser. "You have no right to decide what lives and what dies!"
Swinging her spear in a blur, the weapon connects with the staff of Claw's Jungle King and immediately puts him on the defensive.
"Everyone! Follow the path to the mountain and wait for your friend!" yelled out Aya as she continues to fight the Chaser.
"We can't just leave you!" argued Sora.
"I'll catch up later!" responded Aya. "Don't worry about me, just go!"
"We don't have a choice!" said Zack, pulling Sora back.
"But..." protested the Keyblade Master.
"Believe in her, Sora," said Mickey. "Everything will turn out all right."
With much reluctance, the teenage boy follows the group, leaving Aya to cover their escape.
"You're not getting away that easily!" cried out Claw as he heads for the group.
Before he could lay either of his keyblades on Sora, Aya blocks the Chaser with her spear and whips out her ninja sword in time to catch the warrior in the side.
--
Sora could feel the slope of the mountainside getting steeper as he climbed forward. Behind him he could hear the sound of weapons clashing and magic spells executing in the midst of the forestry. His heart wanted so much to turn back and help the girl, but he realizes this is one battle he cannot fight. With a burst of strength he rushes forward to get as far away from the fighting as he can. Everyone had begun holding hands to get up the mountain which was slowly becoming vertically challenging to climb by foot. Kairi held out her hand for Sora to take it and become part of the chain. Zack had taken the lead of the group since his physical strength allowed for him to pull the others forward. Riku took up the rear to keep anyone from falling back while Zero is set in the middle should anything go wrong.
The trek seemed to take forever, but the group managed to make it to the top. The mountain was high enough to give them a great view of the island yet low enough to provide them with ample amounts of oxygen to sustain them. Finding a flat spot, the group finally settles down to rest from the action-packed adventure they've just endured.
"Aww, my feet are killing me," groaned Goofy as he plops down on the soft earth.
"I feel dizzy," noted Kairi, trying to maintain her balance.
Sora was quick to help her sit down even though he was feeling a little light-headed himself.
"Careful, now," warned Zack. "At higher altitudes, the slim oxygen level and increased air pressure can take a toll on those inexperienced with mountain climbing. Don't exert yourself too much."
Soon enough, silence overtook the troupe as they waited for the rescue Gummi Ship Cid sent. Kairi had fallen asleep on Sora's shoulder while Riku and Sora struggled to cope with the lower oxygen level.
"This sure is a lot different from the islands," noted Riku.
"Yeah, it is," agreed Sora, recalling his time in the Land of Dragons. "I've only been on a mountain once, but that was only for a short time and it was a little higher than this."
"At least we're all together now," said Riku. "Having adventures like we planned to."
"Yeah, but I never expected to get kidnapped in the process, though," added Sora.
"Yeah," chuckled Riku. "That put a real damper on things."
"Hey!" exclaimed Sora in protest. "You're no better with the whole 'becoming dark' deal."
"That's true," responded Riku. "And this whole time, Kairi's left all alone wondering what happened to us."
"It wasn't really fair to her, was it?" uttered Sora guiltily.
"Well, we're making it up to her now, aren't we?" noted Riku. "Let's make the best of it."
"Yeah…" spoke Sora, looking up at the sky.
Not long after their friendly banter, Sora spots a small spark in the clear blue sky. Soon a discernable colored object comes heading towards them. With relieved elation, Goofy and Donald began jumping up and down to wave the Gummi Ship over to them. Sora gently wakes Kairi as the aerial vehicle swoops down to them and opens its hatch to reveal an ecstatic Yuffie and ever so stoic Leon waiting to help them in.
"Wait, what about Aya?" spoke up Goofy.
"We can't wait any longer," said Leon. "We just barely managed to escape from Heartless on the way here. We can't afford to wait for whatever friend you guys are waiting for. I'm sorry."
"But…" said Sora. He feels a nudge on his leg and looks down to see Mickey smiling optimistically.
"Don't worry, Sora," the mouse king tells him. "Something tells me this won't be the last we'll see of Aya."
"I hope you're right, your majesty," said Sora, going over to enter the Gummi Ship along with the others.
--
"So, this is how it's going to be, is it?" said Claw as he leaps back from another of Aya's swipes.
Aya said nothing as she strikes again with both of her weapons. In this situation, Claw could do nothing but block her attacks. She was much more experienced fighting in this environment then he was and he knew it.
"Aeroga!"
Aya barely managed to evade the gust attack that shot out of Claw's keyblade. Landing clumsily on the sloped ground, she counters with a blast of Firaga from her spear. Using both Jungle King and Circle of Life, the warrior blocks the attack with a round of Reflega, causing dirt and plant life to throw up around him. As soon as everything settled, he lowered his keyblades in time for Aya to attack with her ninja sword point-on. There was no time to dodge the strike as the blade of her sword slid through his armor and pierced his left shoulder. At full force, Aya slams Claw hard into the thick trunk of a tree behind him with the warrior crying out in pain as he went.
"Why…" he uttered softly as blood leaked from his wound. "Traitor…"
Suddenly a light engulfed Aya's sword and changed it into its ethereal green keyblade form, Faith. With her feet planted firmly on the ground, Aya tears the keyblade's point from the warrior, who slumps down weakly. His helmet cracks slightly and falls off his head as a result.
"I joined the Chasers because I thought you all aimed to do what was for the good of all living things," began the girl as blood dripped from the tip of her keyblade. Her eyes had changed back to their normal red-orange hues. "But when I saw the way you guys went about doing it, I just couldn't remain a Chaser anymore."
"Sometimes, sacrifices are necessary," said Claw as he holds his hand over the wound. "You realize that, don't you?"
"Genocides are never necessary except for the good of darkness," argued Aya, her black bangs hanging over her face and concealing her right eye. "To think that, you're no better than the Heartless."
"Isn't that the truth, though?" asked Claw. "We Chasers are just the product of what happens when a Nobody and a Heartless are fused together. All that governs us is logic, not emotions."
"Maybe that is what's wrong with the Chasers," said Aya. "In the end, you're all still Heartless at heart."
"Heh," scoffed Claw as light began to engulf him from below. "Now that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one…"
Aya made no move to keep the Chaser from escaping. She merely stood there and watched as the young man disappeared from sight.
A/N: I was browsing through the North American site for SquareEnix products and Mickey's keyblade was labeled there as Darkside. (Kind of odd since his keyblade's so shiny and bright.) So for now on, his keyblade will be known as Darkside for the duration of this story.