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Dance While You Can

Chapter 10: An Imperial Affair

In which a mission is finally accomplished.

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Kairi had never met an emperor before. Really, she'd never met anyone more important than the mayor of Destiny Islands (who didn't count, because he was her dad), except for King Mickey (whom she'd only ever met in passing, for that matter). She supposed Yen Sid was pretty important, actually, but he definitely wasn't a king or an emperor or anything. She was a little nervous about this meeting, and it probably showed, because Lea kept putting his fingers over her hands when she started fidgeting with them.

"Quit it," he chided quietly. "You don't have to be so worried. The emperor's a powerful guy, but he ain't really scary." He made a gesture with both hands, pantomiming a mustache. "His beard is like as long as Merlin's, you can't be afraid of that."

"Did you ever meet him?" Kairi asked, her eyes wide, and Lea pressed his lips together.

"Not face to face," he said. "I saw him once, but Xigbar was the one who spent more time on this world."

She crinkled her nose. "Which one was Xigbar?" she asked.

He gestured at one eye. "Eye patch, ponytail."

Her nose remained crinkled. "I didn't like him," she said, and Lea chuckled.

"Yeah, I don't really like him much either," he said, rolling his shoulders backward uncomfortably. "Was he a creep when you were in the castle?" he asked. "'Cuz he's already on my list of Jerks to Punch in the Face, so if there are infractions I need to add, to personalize his punch in the face, you need to let me know."

Kairi giggled, then shook her head. "No, he didn't do anything to me," she said. "He was just... creepy. And the one with the silver hair and the bad tan was creepy, too."

"That's Xemnas," he said, his lip curling. "He was in charge of the Organization. He's definitely on the list."

"Is there a reason you're giving Kairi a crash course in Who's Who in Organization XIII?" Riku asked, leaning over to chime in, and Lea pulled awkwardly at the back of his neck.

"Hey, she asked," he said; "it was relevant." He made a bit of a face then. "Actually now I'm kind of wondering what we call Xemnas, to be honest. We all got our names back when we got our hearts back, but... 'Ansem' was never his name in the first place."

"I don't think that's really something we should worry about, Lea," Riku said, pinching the bridge of his nose in that way he did when someone was being a little too ridiculous.

"I'll go with Buttface for now," Lea said decisively. "It's a work in progress."

Kairi snorted a laugh, covering her mouth with one hand. "You could just call him Names. Like literally."

She could see the gears in Lea's head turning, and when the anagram clicked, he joined her in laughter. Riku swatted at both of them.

"Would you guys please be serious for a minute?" he asked, looking a little flustered. "We're about to meet with the most important person on this world; I don't want the two of you just giggling through the whole thing."

"I do not giggle," Lea insisted, unable to keep a straight face, and Riku just sighed heavily.

"Riku, relax a little," Kairi said, taking his arm. "I'm nervous too, but something tells me the emperor isn't going to bite, you know?"

"I'm not nervous," Riku insisted, and Kairi knew he was lying. Something was really bothering him about this meeting, but she couldn't determine what. Riku was serious by nature and stoic by default, but he'd been wringing his hands, his fingers closed in tight fists, and he usually only did that when he was very perturbed about something. "I just want this to go smoothly," he said. "I don't want to have to impose on the Fa family another night; I want this to be easy and over with."

Before she could ask what he was so worried would go wrong, the gilded door to the emperor's chambers opened, and a tall, broad-shouldered man emerged. He was young, clean shaven, and as he looked each of them over, Kairi was certain Riku was going to faint dead away. The man's eyes narrowed a bit, and then he stepped fully out into the hall, letting the door close quietly behind him.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," he said. "I'm Li Shang, captain of the imperial army and a personal bodyguard to the emperor. We don't usually allow civilians audience with the emperor directly, but Mulan tells me you three are here on behalf of Yen Sid." He lifted his chin a little. "That isn't a name I know, but the emperor assured me it was important, so the exception is being made."

"We appreciate the leniency," Lea said, fidgeting a little in his borrowed clothes. "It's important we talk to the emperor about this directly."

Kairi's eyes flicked from Lea to Shang and then to Riku, who was avoiding eye contact with the captain at all costs. She glanced back at Lea again as Shang turned to open the door for them. He was so perceptive, she had noticed; she had known Riku for years and knew how he got around strangers, especially those with clout. Lea only had a couple months' experience with the way Riku acted, and yet he seemed to pick up on his particular quirks easily, speaking up when Riku found himself unable. It was really interesting to her—she tended to notice things before other people as well, and the idea that this perceptiveness of hers wasn't strange was comforting. Sora and Riku were kind of oblivious when it came to little cues, she'd discovered, and so watching Lea hone in on those things the way she did was fascinating.

Lea nudged Riku with one elbow. "You're gonna make him suspicious if you keep avoiding eye contact," he said quietly, and Riku stiffened visibly.

"I do that with everyone," he said, and Lea frowned.

"One does not preclude the other," he said, and Riku just shook his head.

"What does that even mean, Webster?" he asked, sounding exasperated.

Lea folded his arms.

"It means you better make eye contact with the emperor when you're talking to him, because avoiding it is really suspicious, even if you do it to everybody," he said sternly. "Besides, it's rude."

There it was: she knew Lea made a good point, but saying something was rude was the sticking point for Riku. He wasn't worried about looking suspicious so much as he concerned himself with propriety. Being rude to an emperor—more than that, a friend of Yen Sid's—was completely unacceptable in Riku's book. Kairi found herself surprised all over again that Lea had read that book so quickly, so easily.

Shang held the door open for them, and the trio stepped through the grand doorway and into the throne room. The room was enormous—Kairi was sure she could have fit like two of her whole house in here—with long golden carpets that led from one end of the room to the other. At the far side from the door, there was a staircase that went up about two-thirds of a story, and at the top was a huge, comfortable looking chair on a platform, flanked by heron statues. In the chair was a man, elderly and distinguished, with a long beard and mustache and dressed in a flowing yellow robe.

Kairi noted absently that his beard was not quite as long as Merlin's.

Following Shang down the carpeted walkway, Kairi stole a furtive glance at Riku and Lea. Riku's jaw was set so tightly she could practically hear his teeth grinding, and he was walking stiff-legged, almost like he was trying to stand at attention while still moving forward. Lea, meanwhile, looked completely unfazed by all of the grandeur; the clothes he wore lacked pockets or she was confident that was where his hands would have been as he ambled casually behind Shang, his eyes scanning the huge room.

She felt somewhere between the two of them, and not just because she was walking in the middle. She wasn't quite so uptight as Riku was, because she knew that they weren't in trouble and they were here for a good reason, but she wasn't nearly so laid back as Lea was about this. After all, this was still the emperor they were meeting, and that alone was cause for one's best behavior at the very least.

Shang took to a knee and lowered his head. "Your Excellency," he said, and then gestured behind him to the trio.

Kairi looked up at the emperor and then quickly bowed her head, unsure if she was supposed to kneel like Shang was. She stole a glance at Riku, who had also bowed his head, his arms tight against his sides, and decided that bowing was probably okay. Even eternally irreverent Lea had dipped his head.

"So you three are the ambassadors from my old friend Yen Sid," the emperor said, getting to his feet. Slowly making his way down the stairs, he regarded each of them for a long moment. "What is the news you bear?"

Riku cleared his throat awkwardly, then straightened where he stood, shoulders thrown back and chin lifted a little.

"Ah... sir, we've come to ask about the safety of this world," he said stiffly.

"Is that safety in jeopardy?" the emperor asked, and Riku fidgeted.

"No, sir," he said, and then shook his head. "I mean... I don't know. Master Yen Sid asked us to come here to make sure the world was secure."

Lea held up one hand, like he was asking permission to interject, and then gave Riku a sidelong glance.

"Yen Sid wants to open up a safe path between the world where he lives, and this one," Lea said, turning his gaze back to the emperor, "but we can't do that if it could possibly be compromised. We're just here to make sure the Heartless are under control and that you feel comfortable connecting this world with others again."

"I see," the emperor said, and Riku deflated a little, though Kairi wasn't sure if it was in relief or embarrassment. Knowing Riku, it was probably a little of both. The emperor tilted his head a little, then tugged briefly at his beard. "And just who are you three, anyway?"

Riku straightened again, looking a little more serious again now. "I'm Master Riku," he said, and then gestured beside him. "These are my students, Kairi, and Lea."

"If Yen Sid has sent a Keyblade Master on this errand, then it must be very important indeed," the emperor said, standing in front of Kairi now, only two steps above them. "I have only heard of a few straggling Heartless being seen on the summit of the mountain," he said, "but those accounts are not recent. Since Sora sealed the heart of this world, however, the Heartless have caused us no trouble here."

"That's wonderful news," Kairi said, and then clapped both hands over her mouth. Wait, was she even allowed to talk? ... Wait, of course she was allowed to talk—Lea had talked! Oh, why hadn't she said something useful instead?

"Do not censor your happiness, child," the emperor said kindly. "It is wonderful news, that this world is no longer plagued by the perils of the Heartless. Thanks to your colleague Sora, this world has been safe for quite some time now."

Kairi nodded. "Sora's pretty great, huh?" she asked, a little shyly, and the emperor smiled.

"It is a great service he has done to the worlds," he said, "and a service I trust the three of you will continue to uphold, as a master and students of the Keyblade."

Kairi straightened her spine a little. "O-of course, sir," she said, doing her best to look serious. "We'll do our best!"

The emperor turned to Riku then, nodding slowly. "I will allow this world to be connected," he said, "so long as those who would travel between it remember that discretion is paramount until such time as all worlds can be reconnected and their people joined once more."

"Yes, Your Excellency," Riku said with a nod, and Kairi noted that he seemed to have taken Lea's advice to heart: he held the emperor's eye for a moment, then bowed his head again. "Thank you. I'm sure Yen Sid will be very pleased to hear your decision."

"Do give him my regards," the emperor said, and then started to climb the stairs back to his throne.

Riku cast a furtive glance at Shang, then turned quickly to head for the doorway that led back to the corridor. He seemed very eager to get out of that room, and Kairi wasn't quite sure why, but she followed him, and glanced over her shoulder to make sure Lea followed her.

"Oh, and... Master Riku?"

Riku paused in his steps when the emperor called his name, and he turned to look back at him. Kairi and Lea turned as well, and the emperor gave Riku a knowing look.

"I appreciate your not beating anyone up this time," was all he said, and Riku looked instantly mortified, his face turning several shades of scarlet. He hunched his shoulders and swiftly fled the throne room, shoving through the doors that led to the hallway beyond.

Kairi heard Lea start laughing with abandon, but she didn't understand. Who had Riku beaten up?

"Riku? Riku, what's he talking about?" she asked, following him into the corridor. "Riku, what happened the last time you were here?"

Riku just covered his face with one hand and shook his head as Lea pulled the door closed behind him, laughing so hard he doubled forward and leaned against the wall.

"Forget it, let's just get back to the train," Riku said, "before Captain Shang puts two and two together."

Kairi had a feeling that this was a story that came with a lot of explanation.