My next chapter is here! Sorry for the wait, seriously, my internet has been very scarce, lately. Not able to use it often enough. But, I think you'll like what I've got for you in this new chapter. It's pretty cool. And really long!
I have actually had it ready to send in for a while now...I'm already on my next chapter. Lol
Before you get into the story, I'd like to say thanks, to all my supporters out there who like reading my story. Especially a big thanks to the ones following me and leaving nice reviews, some even helpful tips.
I made it to chapter 10, and its all thanks to my readers, for encouraging me to keep writing. It will keep going down road from here, can't wait to continue Sora, Riku, and Kairi's greatest adventure yet!
Now, chapter ten is all yours! Please, enjoy.
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Chapter 10
Nothing Is As Hopeless As It Seems
Outside of the Mysterious Tower, just off of the threshold, the wise old wizard, Yen Sid, stands by while watching multiple balls of light hover above the ground. He watches as the glowing balls circle around the young princess holding a key, observing her every move very closely.
"You mustn't let your surrounding enemies interfere with your concentration. Study your opponent's moves carefully. Then, cease the opportunity once there's an opening, and strike back!" Yen Sid instructed her.
Kairi had started her training with Master Yen Sid shortly after Sora and Riku left the tower. She was very determined to do her best and get it right.
After she had received her keyblade from Riku, she was barely given the chance to learn how to fight with it. Sure she had successfully knocked away a few Shadows, but that was hardly any real experience for her. To help her get the feel of battling Heartless, Yen Sid used his magic to conjure up several balls made of light for her to target. It was much safer than fighting real Heartless too.
( "Note" The balls of light are very similar to the ones Master Eraqus conjured up for Aqua and Terra to battle during their Mark of Mastery Exam in Birth By Sleep. Since Yen was once a keyblade master as well, I think it's very likely he knows how to do this trick too.)
As the orbs of light continued to circle around the girl with red hair, she found it hard to stay focused on the one that came closest to attacking her. When she thought she was swinging her keyblade at the one about to come at her, she was hit from behind by another ball of light!
"Ugh!" Kairi cried. "Sorry, Master. I guess my timing must have been off."
Master Yen Sid stroked his long beard with a grin. "There is no need for apologies. I was not expecting you to get it perfect on your first try." Yen Sid said sympathetically "Would you like to try again?"
Kairi smiled at him. "Of course! I don't give up that easily," she said.
"Very good," Yen Sid said. "I will give you time to prepare. Just let me know when you're ready."
"Okay." Kairi replied.
Kairi went back into her battle stance while Yen Sid kept the glowing balls still. She gave him a nod to show him she was ready.
After receiving her signal, Yen Sid waved his hand to control the balls of light, and they began circling around her at his command. Kairi kept a close eye on the glowing targets as they drew closer toward her. This time she held her keyblade up for defense, instead of going straight for an attack. Yen Sid could tell she was a lot more focused this time.
"That's right. Use your key to protect yourself as you study your opponents battle strategies. Leave no opening for a surprise attack. You must always be wary, and remember to keep your guard up," he told her.
Kairi continued to watch the balls of light while protecting herself.
As she saw two of the balls coming closer toward her, she waited for the right moment to make her move. There was a ball coming toward her from the left and another flying toward her at the right. As far as she could tell, it looked like the one on the right was the closest to hitting her, while the other was a few seconds behind. She moved her full attention to the orb of light on the right side of her. The ball flew faster, aiming straight for her! Before it could hit her, she blocked the attack with her keyblade just in time, knocking the glowing ball back! Which caused it to disintegrate and vanish. Remembering that there was another attack from one of the hovering balls heading for her, she hastily turned to her left to block it. Her timing couldn't have been more perfect! The ball flew right into her keyblade and was also destroyed.
Now, the rest of the balls came flying toward her, one after the other. She found it was easier to block their attacks after gaining experience from eliminating the first one.
Although she had preferred to stay more serious during her training sessions with the wise wizard, her victory was so exciting for her that she forgot how to act, and found it hard to hide how she felt from her instructor. She happily started to jump up and down after all of the orbs of light had been defeated.
Yen Sid was pleased by her successful countering. He didn't even have to explain defensive actions to her before giving her a test. This made the confidence he had in her fast learning capabilities grow. However, the fact remained that time for preparing the young princess of heart for what was coming was running out.
He realized he would need some assistance to help with her training if she was to ever master the art of the keyblade in such a short amount of time. Which was why he had already made the arrangements in getting someone to help Kairi improve in her wielding skills.
Even though he had already asked a friend of his to assist him, he didn't say anything about it to Kairi to let her know.
Before Yen Sid turned to his tower doors to return to his chamber, he looked toward Kairi...
"You did splendidly on your first lesson. You should be very proud," Yen Sid complimented her. "No student could have done a better a job."
"Really? Thank you!" Kairi replied, as she bowed her head at her master. The wizard nodded back at her with a smile.
"For now...you should take a break from your practice," Yen Sid insisted. "I will return to you soon. In the meantime, feel free to roam the tower grounds, if you'd like. But remember to always be on your guard. It should be safe here, but one can never tell where the darkness lurks."
"Okay. I will," she agreed. Yen Sid then turned around and walked into his tower, leaving Kairi outside to take a rest.
Kairi wasn't really tired from training, she was eager to learn more. But she had to respect Master Yen Sid's wishes, since he was going to provide her with training sessions. She wanted to make sure she carried out everything as Yen Sid wanted, so he wouldn't be disappointed in her. After all, this was such a great opportunity for her, and she really appreciated her good fortune. Her friends, Sora and Riku, had to learn how to use their keyblades the hard way, and figure it all out for themselves. It took them two years to get where they were. Then recently, after all those years of training, they ended up having to start completely over to be shown the correct way to use a keyblade.
Having all this time to herself began to make her think of her two best friends. She was very concerned for their safety. While she was walking around outside alone, she found that she was starting to talk to herself.
"It sure seems quiet out here," she said out loud to herself. "I wonder how much longer Master Yen Sid will be...What's he doing? Could it be something he doesn't wish for me to know about? Hmm..."
She was continuing her stroll outside the tower when she walked past the shrubs just off of the porch steps. It reminded her of the spy Sora had spotted there earlier, and how uneasy he seemed to be feeling afterwards. She recalled the way he had rushed into the room to alert everyone, and how bad he felt for failing to stop the intruder from making his escape. He almost looked too embarrassed to face his friends.
After knowing Sora for so many years, and being around him almost every day, Kairi had never seen her friend this way before.
Whenever he would lose in one of his and Riku's usual challenges, or got teased by his older friend, he would usually take it well and not get upset over it. He would even take humiliating situations well. So why did he seem to let a little thing like Pete's escape bother him?
She was very confused by his behavior, and couldn't help feeling a bit concerned for the friend she thought she knew very well. She supposed that failing his test could have something to do with the change she noticed in Sora. Did it cause him to lose confidence in himself? She wondered.
As Kairi pondered through her thoughts she looked down...
She found that her hands were being clenched tightly beneath her chin. She realized all this thinking to herself was causing her to worry and feel too tense. This was no way for a princess of light to be acting. After all, it was her job to make sure she kept her faith in her friends and believed in them.
She took a deep breath, then let it all out, trying to get more relaxed.
~Destiny's Union plays (KH BBS OST)~
Kairi looked up, and gazed at all of the twinkling stars that shown above her.
The starry night sky gave her new hope, making her heart feel light again.
She was so distracted by the beautiful sky that she did not notice the tiny charm on her necklace was slightly glowing.
"Soon, the worlds will be full of light again. There will be no more darkness left to fear. Peace and laughter will last forever. I just know it!" She said with a smile as she closed her eyes...
In a place very far from the realm of light, where the night seems to never end, waves from a dark sea with the reflection of a blurry moon shining down upon it washed onto the shore, filling the air with sounds of water splashing against the rocks...
Standing on the edge of the sand, where the water met at the end, was a young women. She had short blue hair and blue eyes.
She too was thinking about her dearest friends during the same time Kairi was thinking of her own.
For many years this girl has been trapped in this dark place surrounded by water, unable to return to her own world.
Without knowing the reason for her suddenly feeling the way she did, she looked up at the night sky above her and began to smile hopefully.
In this place she hardly ever felt like smiling, for it seemed to be a world very close to the darkness. But for that moment she thought she could feel a comforting light around her. Something told her that she would be rescued, and would soon be reunited with her friends.
Still smiling, the blue haired girl stared back down at the endless ocean, accepting the truth that she would have to continue waiting for help to come along for a little while longer.
~Destiny's Union ends~
Back on the grounds of the Mysterious Tower, Kairi was still staring at the starry sky. Yen Sid looked down at her through his star shaped window from the top of his tower, wanting to make sure she was safe.
He was discussing Kairi's situation with the previous mentioned friend he had invited over.
As Yen Sid turned himself away from the window, after checking on the princess, he resumed to his talk with his guest...
~Magical Mystery plays (KH II OST)~
"So now that I've finished explaining, what are your thoughts on this matter? Yen Sid inquired. " I believe that in Kairi learning to use her keyblade properly not only will she be more capable of protecting herself, but she may prove to be of some help in this conflict we are up against. I know with her being able to defend herself it will be of great help to everyone. Naturally her friends will want to do everything in their power to keep her safe, but as Darkness continues to spread, they may find themselves too busy battling Heartless to have time to protect her. By knowing how to defend herself she will not be completely helpless in the heat of battle, and Sora and Riku will be able to stay more focused on their opponents. It will be most dangerous, but I do not see any other way around it, I am afraid. Kairi must be thought how to use her keyblade. One other good thing that can come out of this is it will be very difficult for Master Xehanort to perceive. He will not be expecting one of the princesses to wield a keyblade. Don't you agree?" he asked, while looking at his wizard friend.
The other wizard nodded with a grin. Yen Sid walked toward the door and said,
"Come with me to see her potential for yourself, then you can make your decision," he motioned for his guest to follow him outside. The two made their way out the door and down the spiral staircase.
Outside, Kairi was still patiently waiting for Yen Sid to return.
She decided to wait on the tower steps, so she walked in that direction.
As she did, Shadows suddenly came up out of the ground in front of the tower, making a surprise ambush!
~Working Together plays (KH II OST)
Kairi gasped at first, then without even thinking about it, her keyblade appeared in her hand. Seeing how there was no way to get inside for help, her only option was to fight them off on her own.
It didn't take long for the Shadows to surround her by outnumbering her with the amount of nine.
This was just like her training session with Yen Sid, she thought, as the Shadows began crawling around her. The only difference was before she was practicing with harmless balls of light, this time her opponents were real foes, which meant real danger. But the reason for training was to prepare her for situations like these. As long as she remembered everything she had learned, she was sure to win!
When one of the Shadows leaped straight at her with it's offensive claws, Kairi swung her keyblade before the Shadow could touch her, and eliminated it with a single blow. She waited for the rest of the Heartless to make a move before attacking them, this made it easier to determine where her surrounding opponents were at all times. Her patience with waiting for the right time was really paying off. One by one, the Shadows were felled by her keyblade.
While she was finishing off the Heartless, Yen Sid walked out onto the tower steps, and was stunned to see Kairi battling a group of Shadows. It was usually rare to find Heartless invasions on his home world, so he was surprised to see them.
From his point of view, Kairi seemed to have everything under control. He was very impressed by how much progress she had made after her first lesson. He was sure about her being able to master the keyblade now!
There were only a couple Shadows left, and Yen Sid was having trouble deciding whether or not he should intervene with his magic. He could tell the young girl was in need of a break from battling, she appeared very worn out to him, and he could not allow harm to come to one of the seven princesses. As he was about to conjure a spell to assist her, his wizard friend put his hand on Yen Sid's arm to stop him. This surprised Yen Sid, but when he looked back at the other wizard's confident smiling face, he understood that he wished to see Kairi battle them on her own. He withdrew his spell and did nothing, just as his guest had requested.
~Working Together ends~
Kairi was breathing hard as she prepared to finish off the last two. These remaining Shadows were difficult to beat because they were both unreachable shadows in the ground, she could not land any attacks. This was becoming frustrating for her. She was curious to see what would happen if she walked away from the Heartless that were blending in beneath the surface. She wondered if they would rise back out to follow her.
"Only one way to find out," she thought.
Without dismissing her keyblade, she began walking slowly in the opposite direction, and to her delight, they rose from the ground, leaving themselves open for attacks.
Kairi wasted no time in making her move, she thrust toward them both after she quickly spun around to confront them, swinging her key straight across at them. Her quick slice made a direct hit on both Shadows, and they soon disappeared.
"Yes," she exclaimed happily. Eager to tell what had just happened, she started to run back to the tower, but she was surprised to see Master Yen Sid standing in front of the door with someone else beside him. It looked like they were both staring right at her. She felt a little uncomfortable as she walked over to them, worried that she might have done something wrong while they were watching her. Yen Sid did not appear to be smiling, but then, he rarely did that anyway.
"Master Yen Sid," she addressed the wise wizard respectfully, as she approached him. "I was just on my way to see you. Some Heartless showed up out of no where! But don't worry, everything is safe now. I took care of them."
"Yes," Yen Sid nodded, "you did. I saw the way you finished those last two..."
"You did?" Kairi asked.
"Most impressive, indeed," he replied. Kairi was left speechless, and began to blush a little.
"Thank you," she said at last. Turning to the wizard next to him, Yen Sid began to explain his intentions to Kairi.
"To help you improve on your skills, I have asked one of my most trusted friends to help you with your training," Yen Sid said. The shorter wizard wearing a blue, full body length top, and pointed hat to match, stepped forward to meet Kairi.
"I must say, that was a very good show," he praised Kairi on her brilliant performance. "You sure seem like you know how to deal with those ravaging Heartless. Why, those Heartless will have more than just Sora to watch out for now. I can just see it now!" Kairi's blue eyes widened after hearing her friend's name.
"Sora? You mean you know him?" Kairi asked.
"Oh, yes," the wizard replied. "He is such a fine lad. During his first adventure, when he was just starting out, I was more than happy to help him with his magic. He would always learn everything so quickly! I'm sure you will too, my dear."
"Do you think so?"
"Why of course!" He laughed.
"Wow! I had no idea you helped Sora learn magic," she exclaimed. "You must be a very good teacher."
"Well...I certainly try to do my best," the wizard modestly agreed. Kairi couldn't help but giggle at the blushing wizard with a long white beard.
"I'm Merlin, by the way, " he added with a smile. "I have heard so much about you from your friends. It's so nice to finally meet you, Kairi. Face to face, that is."
"I'm glad to meet you too," she said. Once the two had been acquainted, Yen Sid cleared his throat while stroking his gray beard.
"I trust you have made your decision, Merlin?" He asked the cheerful sorcerer.
Ah, yes. I have, indeed," he replied thoughtfully, then he looked over at Kairi. "My dear, how would you like it if I were to help with your training, and teach you how to use magic?"
"Would you?!" She asked anxiously. Merlin lowered his head and bowed before her.
"Why, it would be my pleasure," he assured the young princess. All Kairi could do was show her gratitude with a warm smile.
"It sounds like everything is settled," Yen Sid spoke up. "Would you like to continue to your next lesson?"
"Yes." Kairi returned with a nod. Merlin the wizard began pulling his sleeves up, and brought out his wand with a flick of his wrist.
~Laughter and Merriment plays (KH II OST )~
"Now, let's see..." he said, while looking around him, "how's about I use some of my magic to make a more 'customized' training area? Because we certainly wouldn't want to damage any part of Yen Sid's yard while we're practicing magic spells, now would we? Ooh! I believe a few of my tea sets and tea tables would come in handy as well, don't you?" Kairi looked at him confused...
"Uh..do you mean for taking tea breaks?" She asked politely.
"Oh, no, my dear!" Merlin replied. "We'd use them as moving targets for you to fire your spells at, of course. That's the only way to learn how to aim at your opponents correctly. Don't you agree, Yen Sid?"
The retired keyblade master did not reply, but stood silent, with his eyes closed and his hand stroking his long beard. Kairi covered her mouth while giggling softly to herself, not wanting to offend the imaginative wizard.
"Ah heh, of course it is!" Merlin agreed with himself. The enthusiastic wizard went off to work, trying to decide which spells he would use to create the kind of practicing grounds he had in mind.
~Laughter and Merriment ends~
While Merlin got everything setup, a dark corridor suddenly appeared, and a tall guy with red spiky hair, wearing a black organization coat, walked out of it. Kairi was shocked to see the guy who had once kidnapped her standing there, and was not very delighted to see him again.
She did not yet know he was on their side, so she called out her key to prepare for a fight.
When Lea, who used to be known as Axel, saw Kairi standing there, and noticed she had a keyblade in her hand, his green eyes widened with surprise.
"What's she doing here? And since when did she start wielding the keyblade?!" Lea asked Yen Sid very excitedly. Yen Sid, as usual, began stroking his beard calmly. Kairi, who was lost in all the confusion as well, so she waited for Yen Sid's answer.
"It appears I have a lot of explaining to do..." Yen Sid said, "but first, I have something to say... Welcome back, Lea. I am grateful to see you have returned." Kairi could not believe what she was hearing!
"Huh?" She said confused. Lea walked toward Kairi, grinning.
"Relax, princess! I'm one of you, now. See?" He said before summoning his own keyblade. Then, in a flash of light, his special flame designed keyblade appeared before him. Now Kairi really couldn't believe what she was seeing! So many things were going through her mind...
"If keyblades choose their own wielders, and only the strong hearted ones were counted worthy, then why would a thug like him be equipped with one?" Kairi thought to herself. "Could it be...that he's telling the truth about being good, now?" Lea was wondering why she was being so quiet, but as he looked at her blank face, he guessed that she must've been too busy thinking to say anything.
"Are you alright?" He asked her, showing a little concern. "You seem a little distracted...Oh! I get it! I guess I must've left you speechless, am I right? Ha ha." After Kairi heard what Lea was saying, she gave him an angry look. Lea was getting the message that she did not trust him, and she was probably going to avoid talking to him. So he turned his attention back to Master Yen Sid.
"So...master wizard, sir," Lea began, "I came back hoping that maybe you could give me a few more pointers in this keyblade fighting stuff. I'm still pretty new to this thing, you know. Not really sure I'd even know how to fight with it if I ran into trouble." The old wizard motioned for Lea to come with him to talk. Still keeping her distance from her old nemesis, Kairi slowly followed the two into the tower, hoping to find out what this craziness was all about. Merlin, who was still at work outside, watched Kairi from the corner of his eye and grinned to himself, for he knew all about Lea changing sides since he had taken part in helping him gain a keyblade.
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Far into the woods they had followed John Smith, and soon discovered that they had been right about where their new friend was going.
When they first started tracking him from camp, they had lost sight of him when they got to the thicker part of the forest. They were relieved to find him again.
John was sitting by a large old tree, accompanied by his Indian friend, who they had seen before.
They watched them from a distance, it looked like the two of them were just talking.
Sora prompted that they go over and join them.
"You guys wanna go over to get a closer look?" He asked Donald and Goofy. "I'm sure John wouldn't mind." The others were unsure about whether they should go or not. However, they were both as excited to going over there as Sora was, so they decided to agree with him.
The trio walked toward the big tree where John sat, figuring that it was okay to intrude on the two.
As they got closer, they were able to hear what John and his friend were saying, they hoped they weren't popping in at a bad time.
"Hey, John!" Sora called out to his friend as he approached the big weeping willow tree, with Donald and Goofy at his side. Pocahontas was so frightened by the sight of the trio that she quickly went behind John to hide from the unexpected visitors. John was confused in all the commotion.
Sora was horrified by the Indian's reaction, and felt really bad for scaring her like that.
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, feeling guilty for making her jump.
"Er...sorry if we scared you," he began to apologize, "but it's okay. We won't hurt you." Wanting to help, John tried to comfort Pocahontas by telling her they were friends of his.
"Don't be afraid," John said softly, while looking over his shoulder. "I know them, they're friends of mine. You can come out. I promise you, they're not dangerous." Pocahontas believed John, and she slowly crawled out from behind him, cautiously.
Sora, Donald and Goofy began to smile as they watched her come out of hiding.
Once she was sitting out in the open again, Sora and his buddies walked closer to the tree stump John and Pocahontas were sitting upon.
As he walked under the willow tree, some of the long vines wrapped around Sora's spiky hair when the wind blew against them. He crouched down a little as he continued walking beneath the tree, so he wouldn't get tangled in the vines.
They were now climbing up on the stump to join them, luckily there was room on top for all of them. The trio saw Meeko, the raccoon, and a little hummingbird, who went by the name of, Flit. The little animals seemed to like Pocahontas, so they figured they must have been friends of hers.
"Hi there..." Sora made another attempt to show kindness toward the timid Indian. "My name's Sora, this is Donald, and he's Goofy." He introduced him and his friends to her. A smile appeared on Pocahontas's face.
"My name is Pocahontas," she replied, beginning to feel a little more comfortable around them. Sora and his friends perked up as they heard her speak to them. It was starting to look like she trusted them, more than she did at first, anyway.
"Sorry about popping in on you two like that," Sora apologized a second time, feeling his words were getting through to them better now.
"That's quite alright," John said. "Are you sure you three are the only ones out here?"
"Yeah. It's just us!" Sora assured him. John let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew! That's good," he said. "So what made you want to look for me today?"
"Well...we were just following you, this time." Sora answered, while he tucked his hands behind his head. "I'm glad we finally caught up to you, though!" John smiled at that remark. Pocahontas continued to look at Sora and his friends. Something was on her mind, but she was afraid to ask them about it.
"Um..." Pocahontas started to say, "What were those strange..." When they heard the Indian girl speak again, they turned their attention to her.
"Yes?" Sora urged her to continue with her question. "What is it?" The hesitant Indian tried to ask them again, this time without stopping in the middle of her sentence.
"I was just wondering, what were those strange weapons you used before?" She asked curiously. "I've never seen anything like them." Hoping that it wouldn't scare her this time, Sora calmly summoned his kingdom key.
"You mean this?" He held his key out for her to see. Pocahontas's eyes grew wide with fascination.
"Yes!" She exclaimed excitedly. "What is it?"
This was a question Sora always found tough to answer, since he wasn't supposed to meddle in other worlds. He even experienced throughout his journeys that some already knew of the keyblade, and this would either lead to an unwelcome feeling, or trouble, being caused by villains. So he was unsure if he should be honest, or just make something up. He knew that he had to say something, especially after encouraging her to proceed with the question.
Maybe it was alright to tell the truth this time, he thought.
"It's called a keyblade," he explained, despite his conscience warning him not to. "I use it to protect others, and keep them safe." Pocahontas leaned closer to look at it.
"Protect others?" She questioned him. "So you use it to do good things?" Sora smiled while nodding his head...
"Yep!" He confirmed, then he dismissed his keyblade. Pocahontas was delighted to hear this, and she gave them a warm smile.
As they all exchanged smiles, the wind began to blow, sounding like it was whistling. This startled Sora and the others at first, while Pocahontas was the only one to remain calm.
When John and the trio looked around them, they couldn't help noticing a large knothole on the front of the weeping willow, something about it seemed odd. As they stared at the spot on the tree, it suddenly seemed to take the shape of a face! It lasted for only a few seconds before it completely disappeared. Everyone but Pocahontas and her small animal friends jumped back at the sight of it, while the others were totally spooked. John's eyes opened wide with shock! Sora and his friends began looking at each other.
"What was that?" John asked in a gasping tone. "Di-did anyone else see that?!" Donald and Goofy, who were almost white with fright...except for Donald, since he was already naturally white, nodded slowly at John with a shiver. Sora tilt his head with a confused expression on his face.
"I, uh...think so?" Sora replied in an unsure way. Pocahontas was finding it hard not to laugh as she saw how scared they all were.
"Did you see something?" She asked John Smith, who still had his eyes open wide in amazement.
"No, no. I just...It was nothing," he replied unconvincingly. "I didn't see anything. Did I?" Pocahontas looked at all of them, still grinning.
"Why don't you all look again," she suggested. This made them even more confused, but they decided to listen to her advice and take a second look.
To their surprise, the face reappeared! This time humming the tune to a song.
None of them could believe their eyes!
"Whoa! The tree is alive?! And it can talk?!" Sora cried in all the confusion.
"Waak!" Cried Donald. Goofy yelped a little at first, too. The tree gazed her black, hollow, eyes at them.
"Why, hello," she greeted them. But everyone, except for Sora, were too stunned to answer back.
"Er...hi," Sora replied, waving his hand slightly. The face in the tree smiled at Sora, then turned her attention to John.
"Hello, John Smith," said the tree with the voice of an elderly lady. Again, John was overwhelmed by the old tree. He leaned back toward Pocahontas.
~Innocent Times plays (KH BBS OST)~
"Pocahontas," he whispered, "that tree is talking to me."
"Then you should talk back," she replied in a soft voice.
"Don't be frightened, young man," the tree said, while growing impatient. "My bark is worse than my bite." Donald and Goofy looked at each other, slowly beginning to smile.
Pocahontas urged John to say something to the tree, who she knew as, Grandmother Willow. But John staggered back, unsure what he should say to a tree, since he'd never talked with one before. She encouraged him to say anything he felt like saying, and John let out a sigh as he stood up to face the tree.
As he came closer to the face on the tree, the old tree used her willow vines to push John up toward her eyes, saying...
"Come closer, John Smith." She said, as she squinted her eyes while she looked straight into his. "He has a good soul," she stated. "And he's handsome, too!" She quietly teased.
"Oh, I like her." John admitted with a big grin. Sora and the others started to laugh.
"Let me have a look at you three nice boys, too," the tree requested, while looking Sora, Donald and Goofy's way. Still a little shaken up, the trio did as she asked.
~Innocent Times ends~
As they stood before her, she stared at each one carefully, enough to see what kind of heroes they were. To be polite, Sora tried to introduce himself and his friends to the tree.
"Hi. My name is-"
"Your name is Sora, his is Donald, and that's Goofy," the tree interrupted. The three looked at the tree surprised!
"Yeah..but, how'd you know that?" Sora questioned.
"I know much, young man," she replied. Besides that, I've been here, listening to all of you the whole time."
"Oh..." Sora said, feeling a little nervous around her. "We're sorry about...you know, getting all jumpy like that. We've just...-"
"Never seen a talking tree before?" The tree finished his sentence. "I know...it's fine." Sora and his friends smiled at the kind tree.
"Smith! Where are ye, lad?" A man's voice suddenly shouted. They knew someone was coming their way, and by the sound of it, he was close!
"They must've sent some men out to look for me," John whispered to the others. "We can't let them see us!" Grandmother Willow told the group to hide behind her vines and stay quiet. Everyone did as she said and went into hiding.
As the men looking for John got closer to the willow tree, Grandmother Willow got ready for them.
There were two men, Ben, and a guy with red hair, both armed with rifles. When they walked beneath the willow vines, they sounded a little creeped out, fearing that they would be ambushed at any second.
~Broken Reality plays (KH 3D OST)~
"This place gives me the creeps. Savages could be hiding anywhere," the red head guy said to the other. Ben, on the other hand, was not as nervous as his companion.
"If you spot one, don't ask questions. Just shoot," he commanded him, gruffly.
To stop them from coming any closer, Grandmother Willow tripped the two men by pulling her long root out of the ground. The men tumbled on their faces with a thud, smack onto the ground.
Ben quickly accused the other guy for tripping them.
"Watch your feet, you big oaf!" He yelled in an angry tone.
"It wasn't me! It was the tree." He cried in his defense. As they tried to stand up, Ben scoffed at him.
"Of course! The tree just felt like lifting it's roots..." But not long after he said that, the men looked at the pulled root behind them and watched it lay itself back down in the ground. Now the men were really spooked!
~Broken Reality ends~
"Let's get out of here," Ben said to the other. But before they could get up on their feet, the tree coiled its vines and with them whipped the two men on their rear end. The men jumped up screaming!
"Ow! They cried.
"Run!" Ben exclaimed, with his feet already running ahead him.
"But what about Smith and the other three?" The other cried while running away.
"They're strong lads, they can take care of themselves!" Ben replied, as his voice was heard echoing further and further away from the willow tree. The two men screamed all the way back to camp.
Everyone who'd been hiding behind Grandmother Willow came out, laughing so hard that they ached.
"I'm glad you're on our side," John smirked at the victorious old tree.
"There's still some snap left in these old vines," Grandmother Willow added. Sora, Donald and Goofy were still laughing.
"Nice one!" Sora said to the willow tree, feeling a lot more relaxed around it, despite the fact that it had a live face on it. "You sure took care of them."
"Gawrsh, that sure was exciting!" Goofy exclaimed. Grandmother Willow started to laugh, too.
"We better get back before they send the whole camp after us," John told them. This made Pocahontas look sad.
"When will I see you again?" Pocahontas asked while looking up at John.
"Meet me tonight, right here," he replied. John seemed to have that dreamy look in his eyes again, as he left the Indian's side. Sora and his pals noticed this, and began laughing to themselves.
John looked at the trio suspiciously, "Now what are you three laughing about?" John asked them, sounding completely clueless. Sora scratched the side of his cheek playfully.
"Aw, it's nothing," he replied, trying to sound like nothing funny was going on.
"Hmm...somehow, I get the feeling that isn't true," John reasoned. "Alright, now that its just us, why don't you tell me why you three were following me," he said, while they walked toward camp.
"Well, we just wanted to talk to you is all," Sora assured him. John put his hand up to to his chin.
"About what?" He asked, curiously. John and Sora stopped walking to talk.
"Um...it's kinda about what happened back at camp," Sora explained, "when everyone there talked about fighting the Indians. Do you think...they're really planning an attack?" John shrugged his shoulders.
"There is no telling what they might do..." John regretfully answered. "You see, I'm afraid they have their minds set on finding gold, and now it looks like they believe that the Indian tribe are keeping it all to themselves." Sora looked upset by what John had just got done saying.
"But that's not true!" Sora replied with disgust. "Shouldn't we tell them that?"
"Hmm...well, your intentions maybe good, but I don't think it'll change anything," John frowned. "I doubt that the rest of the crew would believe us." Sora let out a sigh...
"So...even if we told them we met one, and found out that they're no different than we are, it still wouldn't work?" Sora asked in a depressed tone.
"I don't think so," John shook his head. Sora kicked a rock sticking out of the ground in front of his large shoe, completely out of frustration. Seeing how upset he looked, John laid a hand on Sora's shoulder, attempting to cheer him up. Donald and Goofy looked at their friend with concern.
"Now, don't take it so hard," John said sympathetically, while Sora was still looking down."It's not your fault..."
"But..." Sora paused, "..it isn't fair for Pocahontas. After meeting her, I realized just how wrong those guys were about Indians! They said that they're dangerous, and will attack anyone who comes near them. But they don't know what they're saying!"
"Sora... I will try to talk some sense into the governor the best I can," John assured him. "I won't let them attack Pocahontas, or her people for no reason. Trust me." Sora looked up, feeling a little more hopeful.
"...okay," he said. "Sorry. I just...really wanted to do everything I could to help."
"I understand," John replied with a grin. "I also do whatever I can to help people. So I know how you feel." Sora smiled back at him.
"Thanks, John," he said.
"Of course!" John replied. "But remember what I told you. It isn't going to be easy to convince the governor that the Indians come in peace. All we can do is try, though."
"Yeah...that's better than nothing," Sora admitted.
"I sure hope it all works out okay," Goofy added.
"Me too!" Donald agreed. They continued on their way back to camp.
"So when do you think you'll have that talk with the governor?" Sora asked while walking alongside John Smith.
"Hmm..." John thought, "I'll probably give it a try once we get back..." John was very quiet for some reason, and this made Sora wonder.
"Is everything okay?" He asked, hoping to figure out why he was so still.
"Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't it be?" John said quickly. Sora looked at him confused.
"Hey, John?" Sora said.
"Hmm?"
"How about if I go with you...you know..when you decide when to see him." Sora offered himself to accompany him, thinking that John might be feeling a little nervous about going alone.
"You mean you'd like to come with me?" John said surprised. Sora made a smile.
"Sure," he answered. "It'll be easier to face him if we go together."
"Well, you must find yourself in battles quite a lot. You're almost making it sound like I'm getting ready to go in and fight him." John teased him. Sora looked at him a little awkwardly.
"Eh, heh...yeah, I guess it does. I mean, It's not like something like that would actually happen...right?" Sora pretended to agree, even though inside he was finding it hard to believe that was really true. So far, to him, he has noticed that Governor Ratcliffe may not be what he seems to be. He had seen his kind before, and every time, that person would end up being corrupted by the Darkness.
"I know Ratcliffe might have his own way of doing things, but I'm sure he's still a sensible man," John replied. "But I think you coming with me sounds like a good idea. It may look more convincing if two show up. That is, if you want to..."
"You can count on me!" Sora assured him.
"Great," John exclaimed. "And don't worry. I'll handle most of the talking.
"Sounds good," Sora said. Donald and Goofy couldn't help overhearing them, they looked at each other with unsure faces.
"I sure hope Sora knows what he's doing..." Donald said quietly to Goofy while walking next to him.
"Me too..." Goofy agreed. "You know...I think I might have an idea!" Donald's eyes began to light up.
"What?" The duck asked, very eager to hear his idea.
"How's about while they're talking to the leader back at camp, we try talking to some of the crew, and see if we can convince them to change their minds about Pocahontas and her friends?" Goofy suggested.
"Yeah," Donald said excitedly. "That's a great idea!" The four of them hurried back to camp, anxious to put their plans into action.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Meanwhile, back at the place where the old weeping willow stood, Pocahontas was talking to Grandmother Willow about John Smith. She was wondering if it was the right thing to see John again, after her father had told her not to go near any of the strangers.
~Missing You plays (KH II OST)~
"What am I doing?" Pocahontas asked Grandmother Willow. "I shouldn't be seeing him again. I mean, I want to see him again." The willow tree made a face at her.
"Who wouldn't? " she said with a playful smile. "I want to see him again." Pocahontas began twisting her long black hair, with her friend, Meeko, beside her.
"But, still, something inside is telling me it's the right path," Pocahontas admitted.
"Perhaps it's your dream," the tree supposed.
"My dream?" Pocahontas thought. "Do you think he's the one the spinning arrow was pointing to?" The willow tree made no comment, while only acting as if she didn't know either.
"Hmm," she said, mysteriously.
~Missing You ends~
After their short conversation, Pocahontas headed back to her village, only to find that the warriors her father, Chief Powhatan, had asked to help protect his tribe were just arriving, and rowing their canoes to shore. She was beginning to fear a war would soon be coming.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Hidden within a deep part of the enchanted forest, Riku and King Mickey could see a small cottage sitting in a glen. They had followed Flora, the pink fairy, all the way to the spot where one of the seven princesses were being kept safe.
~The Silent Forest plays (KH BBS OST)~
It was further out from the kingdom than they had thought, but they had finally arrived.
"So, the princess is inside their, huh?" Riku said, after taking a long look at the tiny cottage. The pink light transformed back into her fairy form.
"Yes," Flora replied. "Let us hurry inside. Follow me!" Riku and Mickey followed the pink fairy over to the cottage door.
~The Silent Forest ends~
When they reached the door, Flora quickly pushed it open to lead them inside, but Riku and Mickey began to fear the worst when they found the main floor of the cottage was empty. Flora was horrified by the sight, as well.
The cottage was dark, and seemed very quiet...too quiet. Until, suddenly, they heard a loud banging sound, coming from behind a closet door. Flora hurried over to the closet door, and as she got closer, she could soon hear familiar voices yelling from inside the closet!
~An Intense Situation plays (KH OST)~
"Over hear!" Flora called to the keyblade masters. "I found them! They're in here!" Mickey and Riku ran over to the closet to help the fairy.
Flora tried to open the door, but it was locked.
"Get back! I'll open it." Riku said as he summoned his keyblade. Flora quickly moved away from the door.
"Don't worry! We'll have you out of there, soon." King Mickey exclaimed, letting the ones who were trapped know they were rescuing them.
The door was sealed by a special lock, one which had darkness forming around it. This let Riku know that this was no accident, but was done to prevent whoever was inside from getting in the way.
With a bit of light from Riku's key, the darkness disappeared, and the door's lock soon released.
Flora's fairy friends rushed toward her as soon as the door was opened. They both looked very worried! The King and Queen were inside the closet, too. Mickey and Riku waited to hear what happened.
"Hurry, upstairs!" The fairy in green, by the name of Fauna, cried.
"Yes! You must hurry!" The blue fairy Merryweather, added excitedly. "Aurora and Phillip are upstairs, with that, that, mean hooded man!" Flora looked terrified!
"A hood?" Riku said.
"Oh no! We'd better hurry!" Mickey exclaimed. After the fairies had shown them where the stairs were, the two keyblade masters ran as fast as they could to the top floor, with the three fairies flying behind them, as small glowing balls of light.
~An Intense Situation ends~
Once they came to the top, they burst through the single door. As they looked around inside, they were all shocked by what they saw!
Upon the kneeling princess, lied an unconscious Prince Philip, with a black hooded figure standing over them, holding some type of keyblade.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Haha! Am I cruel, or what? That oughta leave you guys in suspense for a while. Getting exciting though, right? Don't worry, I'm on my next chapter now. It shouldn't be too long...hopefully.
Wasn't it nice to hear some about Kairi for a change? It was about time she had her part in the story. It was fun writing about her. I also enjoyed writing about Sora and the gang meeting Grandmother Willow. That was so much fun!
Well, until next time, and feel free to leave your reviews. Thanks for reading! ;-)