I just have to say, I love all you people for reviewing. ;o; I promise the story'll get more exciting, trust me. cx And I just realized Gummi Ship is two words. *facepalm* And yes, it all takes place after Kingdom Hearts II and Re:Coded.
Return
Donald safely landed the gummiship in an empty lot nestled between houses of the tram common. The group of now seven unloaded themselves from the ship, a few rubbing their sore cheeks.
"...and those are the key steps for properly landing a Gummi Ship," Donald finished his lecture to Sora, who pouted and kept his arms crossed.
"You tell me that like you'll let me drive," he grumbled. Donald ignored Sora's complaints to turn to Goofy.
"So what did the King ask us to do here?" he quacked as he scratched the side of his head with a feathered finger.
"To look for Heartless, ahyuck! He said that since this world's the closest one to the darkness, it's in the most danger out of all of 'em," Goofy explained as the group walked about aimlessly while looking for Heartless, attracting a good amount of attention from the few residents that wandered the town.
"We should probably go see Hayner, Pence, and Olette! They'll be able to tell us if there's been trouble, and it'd be nice to see them again." Sora gave a hopeful grin at the prospect of seeing some old friends again. Riku nodded and motioned for the rest to follow as they kept their eyes peeled for trouble.
Walking up to the pathway to Station Heights, they passed by the small shop selling desserts. Axel slowed to a stop in front of it, watching the old woman lean over to grab a box of ice creams and put them in a large fridge. The others began to match his slow pace and waited for him to come along, but he didn't come.
"What are you looking at, Axel?" Sora looked at him curiously with eyes that looked so much like those of Roxas. Before he could respond, the old woman turned around, startled at the arrival of so many people. Her eyes wandered over the new faces until she found a familiar one.
"Well hello there! I haven't seen you or those two friends of yours come by here for quite a while." She addressed Axel, who seemed to be searching for the right words.
"We had some... troubles," he said hesitantly as he gazed at the ice cream bars she had not yet put away.
"I do hope everything's alright," she said with grandmotherly concern. "I didn't even see you three on the clock tower and began to wonder if something happened to all of you."
"...You could say some things happened."
"Well, I do hope to see you and your friends around again. You three were always so cheerful; it put a little sparkle in my day." She smiled, wrinkles gently crinkling beneath her eyes.
Axel smiled back sadly. "I hope I see them too." He turned away with his hands in his coat pockets.
"What's everyone waiting for? Don't we have a world to protect or something?" They hesitated a bit before making their way up through Station Heights, many of them stocking up on potions and the like from a nearby store. Axel found himself in what would normally Riku's spot between Sora and Kairi as Riku trailed behind to talk to Aqua about becoming a Master.
"So who was that lady, Axel?" Kairi asked, looking over curiously.
"She sells the sea salt ice cream here," he replied, half listening to the conversation Kairi started.
"Hm, I guess I would have met her before, but Pence normally went to buy ice cream for us. So you guys came here a lot?"
Axel paid more attention but looked less thoughtful and more depressed. "Just like that island was where you three would hang out, this was our special place." He quieted as he stared off in the distance at the clock tower. Sora just listened to the two silently in a very out of character moment. Kairi opened her mouth to say more, but Axel stopped her.
"Look, Kairi. I know you're a curious person and all and your intentions are good, but these aren't things I want to talk about. It's good you care, but care isn't making my friends come back," he said in one of those rare moments of seriousness.
"Well, maybe it can make one of them come back," another voice offered. They looked to Sora in surprise and instead found Roxas walking in his place. Axel grinned widely, but the smile faded slightly.
"Not permanently, it seems."
"I'm about as clueless as you. Though with Kairi and Namine, it looks like they can change back and forth at will. Not that Sora and I ever tried willingly- it just happens."
"Wonder why that is," Axel mused, tapping his chin. Kairi looked a bit worried for Sora, which Roxas must have noticed. He tapped his chest with a single finger.
"He's still there, Kairi. It's like being asleep but still able to see some of what's going on, probably the same as with you and Namine. I wish I could tell you why this is happening."
Riku walked up to the three, about to say something, but he interrupted himself when he saw Roxas, alarmed.
"What happened?"
"I just... appeared. I don't know how or why it happens, it just does. We're not like Kairi and Namine," Roxas explained to ease Riku's concern.
"It seems to happen when Axel's around," Kairi thought aloud.
"That's probably just because I'm that amazing," Axel said proudly as he puffed his chest out and jabbed a thumb into it, acting like the Axel Kairi had expected to end up getting to know.
"Axel is my best friend, after all. Even if he's pretty crazy sometimes," Roxas added in, soon finding himself in a headlock. Kairi watched the two with mild interest, her mind on other things.
"I don't know..." Why could she and Namine go back and forth at will, but not them?
"Heeey, it's Kairi!" Pence came through the open fence of their usual spot waving, followed by Hayner and Olette. "And Goofy, and Donald, and..." His eyes stopped on Axel. Hayner ran up beside his friend.
"Hey, you're that guy who kidnapped Kairi!" Hayner yelled angrily as he clenched his fist. "Stay away from her!"
Before he could make a move against Axel, Kairi stepped in between the two.
"It's ok, Hayner- He's good now. He saved Sora." She put an arm out to separate the two.
"Good? They must've brainwashed you or something!"
"She's telling the truth!" Sora jumped into the situation, his image and voice flashing dangerously and distorting between his and Roxas's.
"...Sora?" Hayner squinted at him, trying to discern a solid image. Sora solidified, and Pence and Hayner jumped back.
"Sora, it's you!" Pence yelled happily. Hayner lowered his fist but continued to glare at Axel suspiciously. Kairi put he arm down as well. Axel just stood in the same spot with an amused look on his face.
"Yep, I saved Sora, so I'm a good guy and all now, I guess." He yawned and stretched his arms up to the sky, Hayner tensing a bit at his sudden movement. "Let's not waste our energy bickering amongst ourselves and get on to the real issue. Have you guys seen any Heartless around?"
It was Olette who answered, obviously sensing their- well, perhaps excluding Axel's- urgency and trusting Kairi and Sora's word. "Yeah, they've been seen around the Plaza- but that's not all."
Sora looked over at her in alarm. "There's more than just the Heartless?"
"It's the person we think who's controlling them- he's been showing up there too. He's got grey hair, not because he's old but that's just its color, and these creepy yellow eyes..."
Axel became serious and narrowed his eyes. "Xemnas," he hissed.
"Not Xemnas anymore- Xehanort." Riku had a mix of anger and determination on his face.
"Xehanort?" Aqua burst in, finally learning of something she already knew about. "He really is back?" Yen Sid had warned them about Xehanort during their conversation in his tower.
Anger and indignation flashed across her blue eyes. "I will defeat him, and I will save Terra."
She saw the others' confusion through fury veiled eyes. "He's my best friend who Xehanort tempted with darkness. He stole his body!"
Riku clenched the vest over his chest where his heart was.
"He did the same to me, too," he said bitterly. "We have to help him."
Suddenly, a loud blast sounded from the plaza. They all looked up to see a pillar of darkness shoot up into the clouds and disappear. All began running towards the station as fast as they could, mentally preparing themselves to face Xehanort.
