Chapter 13: Conundrums
Canis here, updating once again when you least expect it! You can blame the tardiness of this chapter on a lot of things. Firstly I got addicted to Birth by Sleep and FFIX (at the same time, which makes a very dangerous combination), and secondly, I have some course work and university applications I've had to take care of. The reason I've pushed myself to update today was mainly since it's my birthday and I wanted to give you all a treat.
Oh and since no one answered by question last chapter, I've decided to include references from other KH games, probably nothing big though.
Disclaimer: Yo no soy la dueña de Kingdom Hearts, es propiedad de Disney y Square Enix!
It was the perfect sunset. The way the clouds filtered the sun, making them shine like liquid gold. The way the sky became alive with purples, reds, and yellows. The way the light from the shining sun made the buildings glow like flames. It was simply breathtaking, and made every fiber of his being feel alive. He could honestly say he had never seen anything so beautiful in his short existence. It made everything else seem so trivial. And as he sat at the top of the clock tower, ice cream temporarily forgotten in his hand, Roxas knew he couldn´t be happier…
Though, Nobodies weren´t supposed to have feelings, were they?
"Hey, Roxas. Bet you don't know why the sun sets red." His companion said.
Roxas looked at his red headed friend questioningly.
"You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest." Axel answered smugly.
"Like I asked! Know-it-all." Roxas laughed, while elbowing him playfully.
The time he spent at the top of the clock tower after missions was really one of the only things he ever looked forward to. Yet there was a certain part of him that told him that something wasn't quite right. In truth his mind felt somewhat hazy, as if his brain had been replaced with cotton, and everything felt so wonderful it was almost too good to be true. Yet he decided to ignore that little voice inside his head. As the saying went; Ignorance was bliss.
Roxas took another bite of his sea salt ice-cream, closing his eyes as the salty sweet flavor danced in his mouth. Axel did the same thing right next to him, before lying down on his back with his arms crossed behind his head. The blonde shifted his gaze back to the warm sunset suddenly thinking about how oddly bright Axel's hair looked in this light; the exact same color of the sky. It was so unreal.
'Now if only she were here, then it would be perfect.' Roxas thought wistfully.
"Roxas"
Roxas was stirred from his thoughts as he heard the somewhat distorted male voice. He looked around to find the source, but other than Axel, there was no one there.
"Roxas"
It repeated with more insistence, this time he felt a numb weight on his shoulder, but once he looked at it there was nothing there except for the familiar black fabric of his organization cloak. Roxas turned towards his friend and deep blue met emerald colored eyes with confusion. The red head broke his gaze and frowned, as if knowing what was happening.
"ROXAS!"
The blonde saw his world blur and distort as he felt his mind begin to clear. The buildings at the edge of his vision had faded and disappeared to be replaced with darkness, Roxas he knew he would be joining them too. Yet a part of him did not want to leave his perfect place. Here he was free to be with his friends and watch the sunset, without any problems or worries.
Roxas felt a tear roll down his cheek as realization took hold of him. None of his friends would be there on the other side. Axel, seeing his friend's reaction, gave a sad smile and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"It's alright, as long as we don't forget each other; we will never be truly gone." Axel said while ruffling the blonde's spiky hair. "Got it memorized?"
Then Roxas felt it. A familiar presence made itself known to him, as he felt a pair of arms hug him from behind. He turned his head to look, but the figure's features were concealed within a blinding display of light. It didn't matter though, because Roxas's suspicions were confirmed when, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Roxas heard her voice; a voice he had never imagined he would ever hear again.
"It's time to wake up now Roxas, but don't be sad, we'll be together again someday."
"X-Xion!" Roxas stuttered, getting just a single glimpse of the raven haired girl standing next to Axel, before the whole world faded to black and his dream ended.
It was already dark out when Leon had come to check on their patient, and well, also their most recent guest. After they came back, they were surprised to find the brunette not twitchy and feverish, but once again in that unmoving coma-like state. The meaning of such thing however was completely lost to him. He had left a while ago leaving the former nobody to look after the brunette. Although he didn´t think anything would happen considering Sora´s current state, he did not want to take chances. They had even gone as far as making Tron set an alarm that would warn them if something happened to Sora.
Yet with all his worrying about Sora, he completely forgot about some of his most basic needs, like food and water. Since Aerith had already gone to bed after hours and hours of watching after Sora, the task of preparing food for himself and Roxas had fallen unto him. That´s why he'd come back with a tray laden with sandwiches and some drinks. Though, he had to admit he wasn't sure if the blonde could even eat in that state.
Yet once inside the house, Leon was surprised to find the former Nobody asleep next to Sora on an uncomfortable wooden chair. Leon was even more surprised to see the blonde murmuring softly, a telltale sign that he was dreaming. It was amazing how sleep seemed to soften his features and make him look younger and at peace. He honestly regretted having to wake him up, but it really would be best if he got something to eat, since the last thing he remembered eating was a small breakfast that same morning. And in any case, he was sure that the blonde would regret sleeping on that chair. His own back hurt just thinking about it.
"Roxas." Leon called softly, so he didn't startle the blonde kid.
Leon waited for a moment for a reaction but when none came he called again, a little louder this time.
"Roxas." This time Leon laid a hand on his right shoulder and shook it gently.
It felt a little odd trying to wake up a person that he had just recently met and wasn't all that familiar with. Well technically he had been there since the beginning of their last adventure, but no one was really aware of that. To make manners worse he had never been that good at this kind of thing, he was better at it than Cloud though, which was really his only consolation. But the only teens he had ever had to wake up were Yuffie and Sora whenever he visited. He could only wish that Roxas wasn't like Sora when it came to sleeping, the kid could sleep through anything.
"ROXAS!" Leon called, all traces of patience lost.
He almost immediately regretted it.
That did effectively wake Roxas up, however the minute he awoke he had one of the saddest looks Leon had ever seen on a person. The brunette was even sure he saw a tear trail down his cheek before the blonde wiped it off as if pretending to be rubbing the sleep off his eyes. Leon was sure he could have asked him what was wrong. Heck, he may have been able to do something about it, but instead he decided to leave it at that. He didn't want to pry into the blondes business, he didn't know him well enough, and most importantly he really didn't want to make Roxas feel uncomfortable.
"Sorry to wake you but I thought you'd be hungry." Leon said as if nothing happened, while pointing at the tray of food.
Roxas seemed a little surprised, but surprisingly grateful that the brunette had let the subject drop.
"Thanks." Roxas said as he grabbed a sandwich and began munching on it slowly. Although he was hungry, he just couldn't stop from thinking about the dream he had.
Leon also grabbed a sandwich and began to eat it once he sat down. Neither spoke to each other as they ate in a silence that could only be classified as 'awkward'. In reality they both had their minds preoccupied with something else, and well, they weren't very talkative people to begin with either.
Leon was the first to break the mutual silence as he got up and took the now empty tray.
"Anyways, if you need to rest you can use the guest rooms in the building outside. They aren't that far and I'm sure they will be more comfortable than that chair." The swordsman said as he opened the door to leave.
Roxas looked surprised, but gave a small nod since he was still slowly but surely finishing his food. He wasn't sure if he would be able to fall asleep again. If he did, would he dream of his friends again?
"Goodnight." Leon said with a nod before closing the door and heading out into the night.
Roxas sat there tasting that word on his tongue. Before Sora became aware of him, he had never been wished a 'goodnight'. He had been wished a 'good morning' by his friends, and well, he had been told many painful 'goodbyes' as well. Yet it became a small new routine, since Sora never fell asleep without wishing him a goodnight first. Also, during his days in Organization XIII, he became aware that there was no room for comfort within the member's lives. He always slept in a small and plain room, on an equally uncomfortable bed. That's why he was surprised when Leon had shown concern for him, a person he barely even met.
"Goodnight." Roxas said smiling.
Small gestures sometimes made the biggest differences.
Riku had always considered himself to be a calm and somewhat mature person, especially compared to his two friends. As a kid, he prided himself in being the undefeatable champion, the one person all kids wished they could surpass one day. He wasn´t just good at fighting either, his mind was just as sharp too. That coupled with being the oldest made him the guy kids turned to when looking for answers. And though a lot of things had changed since those blissful days, there was one thing that never changed, one thing that most people didn´t know about him;
He was not the kindest person when woken up.
That´s why when he woke up to a series of angry squawks from Donald, who had apparently gotten in an argument with Goofy, he was seriously considering to bring out Way to the Dawn right there and then. It wasn´t that he hated mornings, he just hated being woken up. It was something that Sora had to learn the hard way.
The only thing that stopped him from getting his revenge on the duck was the sudden lurch that made him fall out of his seat. Thankfully, Riku was able to put his arms before him just before the ground greeted his face. Riku glared at the offending floor as he got up. He stretched his stiff back, slowly working out the kinks, and after looking around and recognizing one of the ship´s rooms, he grudgingly decided it was time to get up and left through the door, but not before he directed a final glare that froze the Disney duo.
He had to constantly lean on walls or risk falling from the sudden turns the ship made. In retrospect, it was really a wonder he managed to sleep with Cid driving. Even if he didn´t sleep for long and sleeping on that seat was really uncomfortable. Being as tired as he was, he could have slept anywhere. The same probably applied to his companions.
Once he finally made it to the large control room, Riku was greeted by the sight of Cid and King Mickey. Mickey seemed to be in a middle of a discussion with Cid, while said blonde seemed to have no problems to keep up his part of the conversation, while driving the ship at what looked like breakneck speeds, and at the same time lighting the cigarette in his mouth. Needless to say Riku didn´t know if he should have been amazed at the feat or terrified for his life.
"Hey, morning sleepin beauty." Cid said as he pocketed his lighter.
"Oh, goodmornin Riku." Mickey waved once he caught sight of him. "We'll be arriving at Traverse Town in a while. I was thinking it would be best to eat a quick breakfast before leaving so could you go get everyone else?"
Riku glared at the pilot but gave a small nod, and left to find the others.
It was gonna be a long day.
Sora felt his consciousness drift lazily like the second before waking up from a long dream. His mind was at the moment a sluggish hazy mess, completely unaware of everything around him or even himself. It was like his brain was shut off and thus unable to process anything. All he knew was the darkness that surrounded him.
Slowly, bit by bit, his mind became more aware. The first thing he realized was that he was feeling much better than he had felt over a long time, in fact, he felt great. The second thing he noticed was that he was laying on something extremely warm and comfortable. The third thing he noticed was that the darkness surrounding him was really due to the fact that his eyes were closed. He groggily tried to open his eyes only to be temporarily blinded by a bright light.
The light was enough to force his system into waking up. As he did, his senses began to feed him with new information. The pleasant movement of waves and the cries of seagulls flooded his ears in an island melody. His nose was flooded by the salty smell of sea. His exposed fingers felt the warm, thin sand cushioning him. He could also feel the warm kisses of the sun against his exposed skin. As his vision focused, he was able to make out a familiar sea. It was all like a familiar lullaby that calmed his spirit.
'Where am I, and how did I get here?' Sora thought groggily to himself. Taking another look around, this time he noticed the smaller island with a crooked palm like tree with odd star shaped fruits. 'Wait, this is home. What am I doing here? What happened?'
With his mind now free from the haze of sleep, it quickly began to search for the answer, causing Sora to be assaulted by a wave of memories that almost overwhelmed him.
'The Heartless! I beat it, but what happened afterwards?I-I couldn´t have made it out!' Sora asked himself clearly in panic.
"Hey Sora!" Called a voice. Sora looked up in relief after recognizing Kairi's voice. But what met his eyes almost made his heart stop. "There you are you lazy bum! Are you gonna come or what? I thought you wanted to race."
Sora could only gap dumbly at the sight before him. In front of him, wearing a white top and purple skirt was Kairi, but not the Kairi he last saw in Radiant Garden. No, this was a younger Kairi, exactly like he remembered her from before their journey started.
"Hey, are you okay?" Younger Kairi asked. Sora only nodded, too stunned to do anything else. "Maybe you should stay out of the sun for a while. Anyways, Riku and I are gonna be at the other side of the island, if you need anything just tell us alright?"
Younger Kairi left, leaving behind a stunned Sora. Sora simply sat there in complete shock. He could feel his erratic breathing, and his heart beating rapidly within his chest. Maybe he was just under too much stress and this was all a dream. Maybe he really had been too long under the sun.
"Ugh! What's going on!" Sora cried out, but as soon as the words left his mouth he stopped. A completely stunned look plastered on his face. "M-my voice!"
The pitch was much higher than he remembered. He brought a hand up to his throat and quickly noticed something was off. He was wearing fingerless gloves, but they weren't his usual black and yellow ones, these were white and blue. Then he noticed the rest of himself and realized he was wearing different clothes and was much smaller. He was wearing yellow shoes, a red jumpsuit with a blue belt and a crown themed chain, a white and black short sleeved hoodie covering him. His crown necklace was the only thing that remained the same.
'My old clothes!' Sora thought in alarm. A foreboding feeling invaded Sora as his looked at his gloved hand.
Sora tumbled to his feet, and catching sight of the ocean, he ran there, tripping twice on his way over. Once there, he looked at his reflection almost fearing what he would find. And sure enough, staring right back at him was a younger, darker haired version of his own distraught face.
"What happened to me?" Sora cried out, his worries now turned into a full blown panic attack.
'This can't be, there's just no way! It's a dream right? It has to be!' Sora quickly pinched himself in the arm but winced at the ensuing pain. It was most definitely not a dream. "I must be going insane."
'Well, first thing´s first. Must breath.' Sora thought once he realized that he was holding his breath and that black spots were starting to overcome his vision. After a series of long deep breaths, Sora managed to clear his head, if even a little, and to slow his frantic heart rate.
The brunette sighed as he looked at the vast expanse of sea before him. The ocean, the sun, the trees, the wind, the birds, even the sand beneath his feet was just too real. His senses remembered everything too well for this to be fake. And even then, he was just way too aware of everything, every tiny detail, for it to be a dream.
"But if this isn't a dream, then what is it? It just can't be reali-" Sora muttered to himself but his train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a familiar shout.
"Yo watch out man!"
But the warning came too late, because the next thing Sora knew was that he had a face full of sand and a growing bump on his head where he was struck.
"Oh man, that must've hurt." Another voice called as Sora heard muffled footsteps approach him.
"Hey Sora, you ok?"
Sora groaned as he righted himself so that he now sat on the sand. He gently rubbed his head, and tried to spit out the sand that got in his mouth. He then looked down at the white and blue ball that was now lying innocently on the sand. It was definitely harder than it looked. At that moment he remembered he wasn´t alone and he let his gaze fall on the two individuals before him.
"Tidus! Wakka!" Sora called in surprise.
Surely enough, the two younger versions of his friends stood before him. Wakka offered his hand to help him up which Sora took, still in a bit of shock.
Wakka was a carefree youth, older than himself with tanned skin, brown eyes, and unique orange hair that stood proudly as an enormous coif. He wore green sandals, yellow baggy pants with black 'X' patterns on each knee, pale yellow tank top, blue wristbands, and a blue head band.
Tidus on the other hand was like everyone´s energetic kid brother. Just like Wakka, he had a love for games and sports, but unlike him, he lacked the ability to sit still. He was slightly shorter than him, with sun kissed skin, blue eyes, sandy blonde hair, and a small scar in his right cheek. He wore yellow and grey sandals, an open yellow and white short sleeved shirt, and a pair of blue pants that had one leg cut shorter than the other.
"Hey Sora, you ok?" Tidus asked, noticing Sora's expression.
"O-oh, I'm fine." Sora bluffed.
"Are you sure, you look kinda sick ya?" Wakka said.
"You didn't fall asleep under the sun AGAIN did you?" Tidus asked jokingly.
"N-no I didn't!" Sora said, as he tried with all his might to hide his embarrassment. Well maybe he did, but that wasn't the reason he was like this, and besides, they certainly didn't need to know that.
"Well, he doesn't look like he has a heatstroke. As long as he didn't get stung by a flarefish it's ok ya?" Wakka said with a laugh.
'Flarefish?' Sora thought. It somehow sounded a bit familiar.
"Oh yeah, that's the poisonous fish right, the one that messes your head up?" Tidus asked the older boy.
"Ya, legend says that the fish has this toxin that makes your head go all funny. People sometimes wake up washed up on the beach and they start saying all sorts of crazy things. That is, if they survive the toxin." Wakka said as he scratched his chin in thought.
'Might it…could it be that maybe I was stung?' Sora mused. Yet he quickly dismissed the idea, it would mean denying everything that happened, and everyone he met.
"Wow, that would be pretty cool though." Tidus said.
"Nah, I think I pass." Wakka said as he picked the white and blue ball from the ground.
"TIDUS! WAKKA! WHERE ARE YOU!"
"Oh man, we forgot about Selphie. She's gonna kill us!" Tidus said, worry evident in his expression.
"Ya, we should get going." Wakka said. "Take care, ok Sora?"
"See ya around!" Tidus said before the duo took off.
Sora stood silently for a few minutes, his mind was going over the previous conversation. Wakka´s words had struck him to the core, leaving behind quite the dilemma. Could he have fabricated his adventures under the influence of that so called toxin? Or maybe the world he was experiencing now was an illusion. Yet everything felt real. He had never really thought about what made something real, usually he could only tell a dream from reality once he woke up. And even then there were cases where he just wasn´t sure himself. But then, if those memories were real, whatever happened after that supposed fight with that heartless? Could it be that maybe he died and this was the afterlife? Or maybe he was sent to the past, right before his first adventure took place? Did he have a way to get out or was he stuck?
Would it be so bad to stay here?
Sora shook his head at the sudden thought, wondering where it came from. He had friends he had to get back to, he couldn´t stay. Donald, Goofy and King Mickey probably had no idea what happened, but Riku and Kairi must be worried sick. Sora suddenly realized something else. He could neither hear nor feel Roxas. The former nobody was gone without a trace from within the depths of his mind. It felt like his heart was now missing a piece, but more than that he felt lonely. Although the blonde had a personality quite different than his own, and likely hated him at first, he felt they had gotten real close during their time together. More than his 'other', Roxas had become a friend. It actually made him feel bad for not realizing he was gone sooner.
Even if there was a chance he never existed?
Sora once again shook his head at the surprising thought. Roxas wasn't an imaginary friend. He was as real as any other friend of his.
Then, what about the ones waiting at the other side of the island?
Sora's thoughts were jerked back to the younger Kairi that greeted him earlier. She was just like he remembered Kairi, her hair, her eyes, her voice, even her smell were the same. Then, how could she possibly be an illusion? Sora closed his eyes. He really had no way of knowing what was real or not at the moment. Maybe it was best if he went to the other side of the island to meet her and 'Riku'.
With that thought in mind, Sora opened his eyes and took a deep breath as he left towards the other side of the island. Although his heart told him that his friends and his adventures were real, Wakka's words managed to sow the first seeds of doubt, seeds that with time would grow into something more dangerous.
Sure Heartless could be slain with a keyblade, but what could ever destroy an idea?
Kairi looked behind her as the other members of their group began to disembark 'Shera'. Cid had stayed behind to rest while they promised to make it back as soon as they got all the fragments in this world. As the group walked past the entrance gate, they were met with the sight of cobblestone streets, Victorian style buildings, bright neon lights, and an eternally dark sky lined with many shining stars. They had finally made in to Traverse Town.
Everyone was more than thankful to be on solid ground again, even Naminé who was now catching up on some sleep in the safety of their shared mind. She was honestly surprised that they had survived that trip since Cid´s driving skills were nothing short of terrifying. She was already cringing at the thought of having to board the ship once more.
"So where to now?" She asked the group as it proceeded to walk on the cobblestone streets.
"Well we have to look for places that Sora would consider important. We know for a fact that Traverse Town was the first world Sora visited once the islands vanished." Riku said.
"So the fragments of light could either be in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd districts." Donald squawked.
"Gawrsh Donald, don't forget about Merlin's house." Goofy added.
"Yeah, that too. Thankfully, Traverse Town isn't all that big." Mickey said.
"That's true, but we can't search through every nook and cranny, we are still on a timer. There has to be an easier way." Riku said as he crossed his arms.
"What if we just ask around, ahyuck." Goofy said shocking everyone else. He too had his moments of brilliance.
"He's right! I mean, in a town as populated as this one, someone must have seen at least one of the lights right?" Kairi said.
That thought in mind, everyone headed to the nearest shop to ask around. Unfortunately the item shop was closed and neither the women from the restaurant nor the clerk from the accessory shop knew anything other than seeing strange shooting stars the day before. They didn't even bother with Geppetto and Pinocchio's house since according to what Jiminy had once told the king, they no longer lived in Traverse Town. They were about to leave the shop when they caught sight of the ladder that led to the building's second floor shop: the synthesis shop. Once at the top, the group found a middle sized room with several strange machines. There was what appeared to be a chemistry set was set up on one of the larger tables, and there were several papers and charts strewn around the room. But what surprised the group the most were the dozen moogles that seemed to be going through and organizing a pile of letters taller than the King.
"Sorry for the mess kupo, but we are working to fully reboot the Mognet mailing system." One of the moogles said as it flew towards them. "My name is Moggy kupo, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Well we really came here to ask if any of you have seen these flying balls of light around town. It's really important that we find them." Kairi said.
"Mmmm, I can't say I have kupo. I've only heard about these strange falling stars that fell a bit ago. Now that I think about it, it happened right after the system rebooted kupo. Something happened that made us lose contact with the mail carrier moogles in other worlds. I do hope they are ok. This is actually the first batch of mail we've gotten since then kupo." Moggy said while pointing a small peach colored paw at the big pile of mail. "We are still trying to get things working again. Ahh, I wish I knew what happened kupo!"
"Gawrsh, now we will have to search the whole town to help Sora." Goofy said as his head drooped in disappointment.
"Wait kupo! Did you say Sora?" Moggy asked. The other moogles seemed to perk up at that.
"Do you know Sora too?" Kairi asked.
"Sora isn't just one of our most valued customers, but a great friend to us moogles kupo." Moggy said. "Since us moogles run shops and deliveries in other worlds, we occasionally run into him too. The last time I saw him, I had to deliver that package to him in his home world, kupo."
"A package?" Kairi asked curiously. Sora never mentioned ordering a package. Had he been hiding something from her and Riku? "And what exactly was this package?"
Moggy seemed to stiffen for a moment as if in realization. "Err, I-I can't tell you kupo! We have a moogle-client confidentiality policy, kupo!"
Kairi looked at the peach colored moogle skeptically but otherwise just let it pass. They were still under a time limit and didn't have time for this.
"Well thanks for the info, but I think it's about time we get back to the search." King Mickey said as if reading her thoughts.
"Wait kupo, before you guys leave." Moggy said before he began to shuffle through seemingly random packages. Before picking up a small one, and handing it to Riku. "Take this, it's the least we can do to help Sora."
"That small thing?" Donald asked, clearly referring to the package.
"Gawrsh Donald, maybe you shouldn't uhh-" Goofy paused while scratching his head in thought. He then snapped his fingers as he recalled the saying, a grin spread out on his face. "Look a gift horse in the mouth!"
Riku lifted one of the flaps that closed the small box, giving a small peek inside. He recognized most of the small items inside, as Hi-potions and ethers, but the last item made him raise a single pale eyebrow.
"Are you sure you want to give us this." The king asked, but was caught off by Moggy who just waved a small peach paw in dismissal.
"It's alright, we are glad to help." Moggy said. "Oh and before I forget, there is this thing I heard, though I doubt it's related to what you are searching for. I heard from Mogster, who heard from the owner of the hotel in the 2nd district, who said there have been ghost haunting recently, dunno if it helps though kupo."
"We'll keep that in mind, thanks Moggy." King Mickey replied.
That said, the group gave their farewells and left the building through the second floor door on the right.
"So, do you think we should check the hotel haunting out?" Kairi asked. It was after all, the only thing they had to work with so far.
"It's got nothing to do with us. Let's not meddle, we should just keep searching." Donald squawked out.
"But Donald, it could be important! I think we should at least check it out." Goofy said pouting. "Besides, isn't err meddling what always helps us out in the end?"
"He's got a point Donald." Mickey said in a defeated smile.
"Hey, do you guys see that?" Riku said while pointing towards what looked like a small alley on the street below right the side of the building they were just in.
"See what Riku?" Kairi asked. She looked towards the alley, and even though it didn't last more than a second, Kairi was sure she saw a flicker of light and shadow.
"What was that?" Donald squawked, apparently having seen it too.
Riku and King Mickey quickly jumped over the ledge unto a few wooden crates, and then landed on the level below, with the others following close behind them.
Whatever it was, it was certainly alive and moving. Even if the group could not see anything, except for the monstrous shadow that formed in the brick wall. King Mickey signaled for the group to stop before summoning his Keyblade. The others quickly understood and brought forth their own weapons. They knew that whatever this thing was, there was a chance it could be a heartless or at the very least, would attack them. Best to be safe than sorry in any case.
With all weapons present, Goofy took the lead with his shield held in front of him to protect himself and the others should it come to that. He took a cautious step forward and quickly ducked his head under his shield as he saw the shadow shift and then jump, followed quickly with the clattering sound of metal. The 'monster' was then revealed as a large tabby dashed out of the alley, past the group, and into the streets beyond, making the group let out a collective sigh of relieve.
"Ahyuck, it was only a kitty." Goofy said with a laugh.
"Wait but then what was giving off that light?" Kairi asked. Everyone seemed to perk up at this.
The group snuck closer to the alley to get a good look inside. They were shocked to find, next to a pair of fallen trashcans, a glowing ball of light.
"Why would there be a fragment here?" Donald squawked.
"Yeah, what could be so special about this alley?" Riku pondered.
"I guess there's only one way to find out." Kairi said, as she approached the light.
She got within a few feet to it and was about to fish out her charm from her pocket when, much to everyone's surprise, the ball shifted and shot out of the alley.
"What the-" Donald squawked, before dodging out of the way as the ball whizzed past him.
"Come on, it's getting away!" Riku said, sprinting after the fragment.
Shock quickly gave way to a chase as the group ran after the speedy ball of light. They followed it past the Accessory Shop and down a set of stairs to the restaurant, making quite a commotion when Goofy tripped on his feet and desperately grabbed unto a tablecloth, which pulled it off the table making every plate, glass, and silverware that was on it to come crashing down on the ground.
With a passing apology to the shocked owner and the promise to pay for the damage, the group continued to run after the ball of light. They once again ran up the steps, and this time they headed up another series of stairs, to the side of the accessory shop, past the synthesis shop, and once again down the ledge where the alley was.
'Oh, come on!' Riku mentally yelled as he realized that the light fragment had just made them do a whole lap around the 1st District. To add insult to injury, once they reached the accessory shop again, the floating ball slowed down to a stop, making it now float lazily in front of the entrance, just like that.
Riku too came to a stop, panting at the sudden exercise. While normally he wouldn't have any problems with such a small distance, he had to admit that he wasn't exactly in his ideal state of being. The last week had been so draining, physically and mentally. His sleep hadn't been very pleasant either; he knew he probably had some killer bags under his eyes to prove that. Riku took in deep breathes to calm his adrenaline crazed heart rate while waiting for the others who had fallen behind. Soon enough, they joined him in front of the store.
"You have got to me kidding me!" Donald squawked angrily, a scowl on his face and the feathers on his head ruffled.
"That was odd, the fragments before didn't take off like that." Kairi said.
"I think it would be best if we take the light before it runs off like that again." Mickey said, he too was taking long deep breaths.
Kairi gave a quick nod before once again approaching the floating fragment, this time with her charm in hand. The ball of light approached her slowly and then began to glow brightly like the other fragments in Radiant Garden.
What a dream...
This isn't a dream!
I'm in another world!
Don't call me gramps! The name's Cid!
Still haven't found 'em? Keep your chin up.
It's those creatures from the island!
They'll come at you out of nowhere,
as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade…
Riku opened his eyes once the light was over, and the last of the emotions ran over his body like water. There was a lot of confusion, amazement, and worry. He felt partially guilty for the last, Sora never stopped looking for them during that time, yet he had accused the brunette of replacing him and Kairi with Donald and Goofy. Granted, Maleficent was the one that planted the idea, but still, he was sure those words had stung. In any case, he was glad that the memory wasn't as strong or overwhelming as the ones in Radiant Garden.
"So do we check the hotel now?" Kairi asked, snapping him from his thoughts.
Riku gave a small nod. "We ran all over the 1st District anyways, if there was another fragment here I'm sure we would have seen it already."
"Well then, let's go." Mickey said with a smile.
That being said, group made their way swiftly through the door to the 2nd District.
That same morning Roxas woke up to an unfamiliar place. Once he blinked the bleariness out of his eyes and looked around, he felt his heart race with panic at the unfamiliar setting. Realizing that he was in his transparent form and with Sora nowhere in sight, he almost lost it. He was about to bolt to the nearest exit when he caught sight of the window next to him and the view beyond. That´s when everything came back.
'That's right, I'm in Radiant Garden now.' Roxas thought, now recognizing his surroundings as the guest room where he briefly stayed with Sora.
Deciding that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again and that he should go and check on Sora, Roxas left the room and building altogether, and then headed over to Merlin's.
"Good morning sleepy head!" A voice greeted as he entered the house.
Roxas looked at the source to find a VERY awake Yuffie, who was in the process of shoveling food into her mouth. Looking at the broader picture, Roxas found himself staring at what had to be a typical morning at the HBRC headquarters. He couldn't help but smile as he greeted them and went to join them.
Sora still slept safely on the bed, Roxas didn't know whether it was the mood or just his imagination, but Sora looked better, more peaceful even. Aerith was next to the stove, cooking breakfast, while humming a tune. Gathered around the round table were the other HBRC members, well minus Merlin who left to do some research in order to help Sora. It was overall a pretty comical sight. Leon and Cloud, who were still practically asleep and unaware of his presence, sat next to each other drinking slowly from a freshly made batch of coffee. Tifa was trying to talk to a sleepy Cloud about something, whilst throwing small glares at Yuffie who seemed to be trying to steal food from her plate as well. Cid was calmly sipping tea, only stopping occasionally to tell Yuffie to 'sit down and shut up'.
Roxas had to admit that when they sat down together like that, they looked so much like a family, albeit a very bizarre one. He stopped his musings when his stomach gave a small growl, demanding to be fed. Giving a small sigh in defeat he sat down, put some bacon, scrambled eggs and bread on his plate, and got to business.
"So Roxas, is there anything you have planned for today." Aerith asked.
Roxas just shook his head since his mouth was full. He had planned to stay here with Sora but seeing how he was stable, and under the careful watch of Tron, he doubted he would be of any use. In fact, he was probably going to bore himself to oblivion. What's worse is that he couldn't go too far away and risk worsening Sora's condition.
"Great! Then you wouldn't mind helping out a bit would you?" Aerith said cheerfully, to which Roxas shook his head in response. He didn´t really mind, it would at least give him something to occupy himself with. "Ok then, you and Leon can go together after breakfast."
So after Roxas was done, he left with Leon who was now fully awake and ready to tackle today's activities. Today they would be cleaning up a section of the town where a building and its surroundings had collapsed due to the Heartless's attack. To Roxas's relief, Leon had already closed off and evacuated the area so that no one would be there to interfere with their work, or in the blonde's case, gawk at him.
They arrived at the place which was a little ways further from the town's square. Sure enough, the place was littered with shattered glass, splintered wood, broken pipes, chunks of stone and cement, as well as blue colored rocks from the nearby cliffs that most likely fell in a landslide. While most of the houses seemed to have made it out ok, others had broken windows and missing chunks of walls, exposing several webs of plumbing. A particularly unlucky house now lay in ruins. The only piece that still stood was a small wall that was in complete shambles. Whatever force had taken down the house had also destroyed an adjacent wall revealing several more twisting pipes.
Once Leon handed the blonde a broom, both males got to work. They worked quickly and silently, stopping only to give instructions or ask questions related to the task at hand. They would each sweep a different section to divide their work, and then put the gathered bits of debris in large trash bags to be thrown away later.
Roxas didn´t mind the silence since it allowed his mind to wander off. As he swept pieces of broken brass pipes, he couldn´t help but wonder why there were so many pipes in seemingly random places. Even the large castle was practically covered in them. But why? As far as he´d seen, they had no real purpose. He supposed that the pipes were there from before the Heartless invaded all those years ago. But if that was the case and all the broken plumbing was part of a long, forgotten inner system, then just how much had this place changed since its origins? Present day Radiant Garden wasn't exactly radiant. A more insensitive person would have considered it a dump.
Roxas paused his sweeping to look at Leon who was just tying his last bag. The blonde noticed the brunette's somewhat stiff movements and his eyes then caught sight of a bandaged section of his arm. Suddenly, the former Nobody remembered that Leon had yet to fully recover from battle, and yet he was still working so hard.
The blonde got back to work as he swept the last of the gathered debris into a trash bag. He realized that although this place was partially in ruins, it was still considered a home by many. And even though he couldn´t really relate to them, since he never really had a particular world he called home, he still admired their efforts to rebuild.
'Maybe I can ask them more about Radiant Garden sometime.' Roxas thought to himself as he finished tying his own bag.
"Are you done?" Leon asked him, abruptly bringing him out of his thoughts.
Roxas gave a nod.
"Alright then, let's head back." The brunette said.
They left the trash bags in a corner for them to be disposed of later, and then made their way back to Merlin's House.
The group headed straight to the hotel once they entered the shop littered streets of the 2nd District. This was mostly because other than the hotel, the only other places large enough to house a light shard were the Gizmo shop and the house where the 101 Dalmatians lived. Riku couldn't really understand what the purpose of the Gizmo shop was and he really wasn't particularly eager to get bombarded by more than a hundred playful dogs. Besides, the rumors coming from the hotel were their best bet at the moment. He just hoped it wouldn't take long.
Once they entered through the door and into the long hallway, King Mickey immediately took the lead. He rang the bell once they reached the counter and waited somewhat impatiently for someone to answer. After what seemed like an eternity, a snowy white head poked out from one of the rooms.
"Oh, hello there. We weren't expecting any customers. My name is Migelo, how may I help you?" Said the grandfatherly old man.
"Well, we were actually wondering about these ghost rumors that have been going around town." King Mickey said.
"Oh I see." Migelo said as he frowned. "Not only has it scared the townsfolk and slowed business down, but that useless nephew of mine refuses to enter the green room after the surprise it gave him. Though I can't understand what all this fuss is about, it hasn't hurt anyone so far."
"So this 'ghost', is it in the green room?" King Mickey asked.
"Yep, most of the time anyways. Thankfully not many people have seen it since no customers have stayed in that room for a while. Last person who stayed there was that poor boy that we dragged in here half dead. He had some very nasty wounds…" Migelo ranted.
"Wait, boy?" Kairi asked suddenly feeling a weight settle in the pit of her stomach. "Was his name Sora by any chance?"
"Actually yes, do you know him?" Migelo asked.
"We are actually looking for something to help him right now. He is not…doing so well." Kairi said with a small wince.
"That's why we need to see this 'ghost', do you think you could take us to it?"Riku asked, while putting a hand on Kairi's shoulder.
Migelo took in the sight before giving a nod. "Follow me."
From the hall, he led them right to a green door. He produced a golden key from his pocket and opened the door with a small 'click', rushing the group inside. As the name suggested, the green Room had quite an obvious green theme. Yet it was quite obvious that the floating, white ball of light was not part of the original design. By the way it was slowly drifting around the room; it was no wonder why people mistook it for a ghost.
'Case closed.' Riku thought to himself. "Come on, let's grab it before it-"
But it was too late. In the blink of an eye, the ball dashed out the window to the balcony, and then down to the alley below.
"Come on let's go!" Riku called out, suppressing the rather violent thoughts called by his frustration.
Riku dashed out the door leading to the balcony, and once at the balcony's ledge he jumped down to the alley below, bending his knees to minimize the damage from the fall. He faintly heard Kairi thanking the old man before coming after him. He didn't even wait to see if the rest of the group followed, all that he really cared about at the moment was to follow after that light. He followed the speedy fragment through cobble stone streets and half flooded paths, wondering briefly if the others were behind him. A small crash and an angry squawk later confirmed his thoughts. Yep, they were following him.
Before he even knew it, he was following the light through a narrow, second-story ledge between some cramped buildings. His heart was now beating wildly in his chest, though his legs were begging him to end the chase. Once the light fragment flew downwards to the square below, Riku had to nearly sink his feet in the ground to stop his own momentum from pushing him down there. He let out a breath of relief. Had he blindly jumped down onto the concrete below, he was sure he would have ended up with more than just bruises.
'Though, apparently Sora had no problems.' Riku thought with just a hint of amusement. 'Still, it looks like I'm gonna have to follow.'
Riku gently lowered his body while holding onto the ledge with his arms for support. Once he had his whole body hanging over the ledge with only his hands holding him up, he let go. He knew that by shortening his fall the damage would be less. Once he felt the solid ground under his feet, he once again bent his knees, while landing on the balls of his feet, and then finishing with a cat-like crouch. He knew that this way, his arms and legs would share the brunt the fall, with his more resistant legs getting the worst. Falling this way would spare him of unnecessary damage.
Though, the same could not be said for his companions.
Riku looked on as his companions arrived, and winced as the bickering duck and dog fell from the high ledge and splat against the cobblestone, landing in a comical yet undignified heap. Mickey however fared better as he jumped and, just like Riku, landed in a crouch with (mouse-like?) grace. When it was Kairi's turn to go down, she jumped from a seated position on the ledge, and at the bottom, Riku was ready to catch her.
'She could probably manage on her own, seeing as she has jumped from higher heights before, but I would rather not risk it.' Riku thought as he put her down.
"Hey look, there it is!" Goofy called as he pointed towards the wandering light fragment.
Kairi quickly took out her charm, while Riku decided to avoid taking chances and proceeded to block any possible escape routes. Just in case. Kairi held her charm out as she approached the fragment and once again, a blinding light surrounded them.
The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade
Well, I didn't ask for this.
That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what
What happened to my home? My island? Riku! Kairi!
You'd best prepare yourself to fight for your life
Are you ready?
The key!
Hey, why don't you come with us?
We can go to other worlds on our vessel
I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi...
Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends.
Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys
Donald Duck
Name's Goofy
I'm Sora
All for one, one for all!
Riku frowned when the memory finished. During that time he thought that Sora was just replacing him and Kairi. But no, instead he was just trying to find them. He even cared about them more than his own well being. And when he was told he held the power of the Keyblade, he didn't even want it! And Riku couldn't help but think how right Sora was back then, being a Keyblade wielder was tough, and sometimes it was even more of a curse than a blessing. Not only did it turn you into a trouble magnet, but also a trouble magnet that had to solve those troubles.
Leaving what he now recognized as the 3rd District behind, the group walked absently back to the busy streets of the 2nd District. They were all most likely engrossed in their own thoughts. Even the Disney trio seemed to be unusually silent.
Riku too reflected over the memories he had just experienced. He finally understood why this world was so important to Sora, even though he rarely visited it. This was the beginning of his grand adventures. Everything that happened here had a huge impact in the future. And not just Sora's future either, but that of everyone connected to him.
'Had he not gone with Donald and Goofy that day, we may have never seen each other again. And if we did, I'd most likely still be allied to Maleficent, while Kairi would have permanently lost her heart.' Riku thought. He was sure the others were thinking about something along these lines as well.
"So are we done in Traverse Town?" Donald asked suddenly breaking the silence.
Kairi looked at her charm, out of the five shells; one shell was shining brilliantly, while a second shell was nearly filled, but not quite there yet.
"Gawrsh, looks like there is still one more." Goofy said as he looked at the charm.
'Just perfect.' Riku thought with sarcasm.
"Yeah, but where?" Donald squawked.
"Well the 1st District is out, so is the 3rd District." Mickey counted off.
"So here in the 2nd District?" Goofy asked.
"Somehow I doubt that." Riku interjected.
"Maybe it's in Merlin's old house past the 3rd District." King Mickey pondered.
"But what could be so special about that old place!" Donald argued.
'Special…' Kairi thought to herself as she looked down at the charm in her hands. This charm she made was very special to her, but more than the charm itself, it was her friends that she valued the most. That's why she decided to give this charm to Sora, so that he would always return safely.
Suddenly it hit her.
"I know where the last fragment is!" Kairi said with excitement.
Without even waiting for a response, the redhead grabbed Riku's wrist and proceeded to run at full speed with the male in tow. With the rest of the group running behind her, she ran through an opened wooden door located near the decorated mural in the 2nd district. The passage led them back to the alley behind the hotel, and once there, she walked over to the half-flooded area. There, behind a 'keep out' sign and a series of chains held together by a large padlock, was the entrance to the Waterway.
Kairi quickly summoned her Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, and with it, she unlocked the large padlock, making the chains fall from their place and into the water with a splash. Pulling aside the 'keep out' sign, she motioned for the others to follow her through the opening. The waterway itself was a narrow partially flooded stretch of cavernous tunnels that seemed to be come alive with the flickers of magically powered torches. The air had an earthly smell to it and the water was refreshingly cool on the skin. To move, they had to wade through the waist-deep waters carefully to avoid tripping and falling in completely. Kairi only hoped that what they were wading through was actually water. She really didn't mind the fact that her clothes were getting wet, but swimming in sewage was another thing entirely.
The tunnel eventually led to a larger area where dry, albeit mossy, ground stood sporting an exit that Kairi knew would take them back to Merlin's old house in the 3rd District. In that same area, right next to the tunnel they came from, was a straight tunnel that held a moon themed mural at its end. But the most noticeable thing in the cavern however, was the floating ball of light whose lethargic movements cast moving shadows on the mossy stones and cavernous walls.
"Looks like we have our last piece." Mickey said. "Well done Kairi!"
While Goofy and Donald chorused their congratulations, Riku smiled and gave her a playful pat on her back, which earned him an equally playful shove. Kairi once again approached the light fragment with her charm out. A brilliant light enveloped the whole cavern as the memory began to play.
A light at the end of the tunnel...
I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along.
You saved me, remember?
You brought me back
Even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore
It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me
Promise
Don't ever forget.
Wherever you go, I'm always with you.
Kairi felt a tear roll down her cheek once the memory ended, though it wasn't out of sadness. The emotions in that memory were so overwhelming, but not in a bad way. There was just so much love and a deep desire to protect. She blushed a bit at the implications. Was that what Sora truly felt for her?
As a kid, she never saw Sora as anything more than a friend. With his goofy grin and his childish antics, he was never her definition of 'Prince Charming'. But then one day that goofy boy comes in and saves her, and then she saved him. And suddenly he is much more than the boy she knew from all those years ago.
Kairi looked down at the charm to see a pair of completely filled seashells, each radiating a strong white light.
'Maybe once this is all over…' Kairi thought.
"Finally!" Donald squawked.
"Yeah, looks like it's time to move on to another world." Mickey said. "Let's head back through Merlin's old house."
The group nodded and exited the secret waterway through the nearby opening flanked by two torches. They passed a platform that seemed to magically raise the group to the floor above, leaving them inside the now empty house. To Kairi, it was really more of a hut than a house, a hut in the middle of an island in a large, submerged cavern. A set of moving stepping stones was the only path to the house though if one did fall into the water, one could easily swim back to the shore in the entrance. Donald and Goofy demonstrated that when the later tripped and dragged Donald down with him. It really made him wonder if Merlin made it like that to discourage unwanted visitors.
Once they left the cavern, they found themselves back in the 3rd District, and from there, it was as simple as going through the large gate to the 1st District and then to through the main gates to leave Traverse Town and meet up with Cid. Said pilot would probably be wondering what was taking them so long.
Once in the 1st District, Kairi gave the town a last glance before they crossed the gate and headed back to the gummi ship. It was when she saw the Accessory shop that something quickly came to her attention.
"Hey Riku." Kairi called, turning to look at the silvery haired teen.
"Hmm?" Riku replied.
"Remember the package that moogle, Moggy gave you?" Kairi asked.
"Yeah, what about it?" Riku asked back.
"What was it anyways?" Kairi once again asked.
"Oh yeah ahyuck, you never did tell us." Goofy said.
Donald however ranted angrily about 'Cheap moogles and their small boxes'.
"Well, there is an elixir, but I don't know what to make of the rest." Riku said.
"What do you mean Riku?" King Mickey asked this time.
"See for yourselves." Riku said as he fished the package from one of his pockets, opened it, and showed it to the rest, who leaned in to take a better look.
Surely enough, there was an elixir inside, glowing in a ethereal golden light, but there was also something else. With upmost care, Kairi gently plucked the other item from its container, holding it up for everyone to see.
"What is it?" Kairi asked while looking at the curious object in her hand.
"I honestly don't know." King Mickey said, his eyes transfixed on the object too.
In Kairi's hand was a large soft scarlet feather with an unearthly golden sheen.
Sora closed his eyes as he ran his options through his head. He could either go meet his 'friends', or he could quickly take his boat, row back to the main island, run home, hide under the covers and hope everything would be back to the way it was. With a sigh, he made his way under the bridge and to the other side of the island.
"It's just never easy is it?" Sora muttered to himself, but winced once he heard his changed voice.
The moment he reached the other side of the island, he was immediately 'assaulted' by 'Kairi' who was wondering what took him so long and if he was getting sick. Sora vaguely wondered if he really looked that bad, especially since everyone he saw seemed to make mentions of it.
"That's a real shame. And here I was looking forward to our race." A sudden voice called out.
Sora quickly turned to the source of the voice only for his eyes to widen in shock. There walking calmly towards the pair was a younger Riku. He looked just like he remembered him, with shorter silver hair, yellow and black tank top-like shirt, blue pants held by suspenders and strapped to his legs at the bottom, a pair of blue and white sneakers, and of course, his cocky attitude.
"And you were so eager to settle the score too." Riku continued.
"I-I." Sora stuttered but he really couldn't find the right words at the moment. Looking at them was just so disturbing. He was finding it increasingly hard to even focus his eyes on them. But if he kept averting his gaze like this, then they would know there was something wrong with him for sure.
"I'm fine." Sora said, his eyes settling back to his friends with determination.
"Well then, shall we race?" Riku said with a mock bow.
Sora gave a nodded, his jaw set in a stubborn line. He walked right to the 'starting line', with Riku, while Kairi took out a handkerchief to use it as a makeshift flag.
"Alright then, you guys know the rules. First one to touch the star post and come back wins." Kairi said and then raised the handkerchief up high. "On your mark, get set, GO!"
The moment the redhead lowered her arm, the two boys shot out like bullets.
Sora really couldn't help but feel happy and somewhat exhilarated as the wind whipped against his face and adrenaline shot through his system. It had been such a long time since he raced. Even after he came back from his adventures, there just wasn't as much fun and games as they had when they were kids. They did have fun, just not as much. He really supposed it was a part of growing up, but still, he did feel like his duties as a Keyblade Master were at least partially responsible for this. He had practically lost a whole year after his first adventure. Being chosen had really taken a heavy toll in his life.
Sora ran up the small slope and jumped over to where the star post was, to his surprise, he was actually winning so far, though Riku was still close on his heels. With a quick pat on the yellow star, he quickly turned around and made his way back. On his way he gave Riku a triumphant smirk, inwardly laughing when he say the boy scowl. He watched his step as he ran down the slope, and then ran quickly across the beach. Sora panted as he realized that his smaller body just wasn't used to the physical exertion he usually dealt with when fighting Heartless. Yet despite the pain accumulating in his muscles, he let out a grin when he saw Kairi and the finish line in full view.
He could almost taste victory now.
With a quick look behind him, Sora realized that Riku was quickly gaining speed and catching up to him. The brunette quickened his pace as well, though his muscles protested against his actions. He was almost there! He jumped over the trick step on the bridge that was known for falling down and did the same with the second trick step. He was just about to finish crossing the bridge when disaster struck. Sora almost felt as if time slowed down as his foot got caught by a protruding plank of wood and he tripped, his body almost flying through the air. Whether it was his fatigue, or just his inexperience in this smaller body, he had no idea, but what he did know was that before he even registered what had happened, he felt the sand meet his limbs and saw a silver and blue blur leap over his fallen form and rush to the finish line.
At least he didn't get any sand in his mouth this time.
"Are you ok?" Kairi asked as she knelt over to get a good look at him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora said with a sigh as he got up and brushed the sand off his clothes.
"You know, I really thought you were gonna beat me back there." Riku said as he walked towards him. "Guess I should thank that plank."
Sora glared at the offending plank of wood that cost him the race, but otherwise just smiled. He really did have fun despite everything. It had also buried his problems in the back of his mind for now. Looking at his friends now wasn't all that awkward like before, maybe he could figure out the rest later and enjoy this while he could. And if he was so close to victory this time then next time he was almost sure to win.
"Hey guys, it's almost noon. Let's head back for lunch ok?" Kairi said as she walked towards the wooden door that separated the island halves and opened it. "Last one there is a rotten egg!"
Kairi bolted through the door leaving two startled males behind, who quickly regained their bearings and dashed after the redhead.
"Hey, no fair Kairi!" Sora found himself shouting. Riku sped by him, ruffling his brown spikes while laughing. Sora pouted as he was left behind, but then laughed along as well.
He ran across the beach to reach the others who were already at the boats, when suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. It was strange but he could have sworn he felt someone's eyes boring into the back of his head. Looking around he saw nothing out of the ordinary, and as soon as it came, it was just gone.
"Hey are you coming or what?" Riku called over to him just as he was untying his boat and pushing it out into the water.
"Yeah, I'll be right there." Sora called back. 'Maybe I am just being paranoid.'
Canis: "So this is it for now."
Crystal: ""I don't know whether to say 'awkward' or 'sooo cute!'"
Canis: "The fact that Sora shrunk? Yep, definitely both." *smiles evilly*
Crystal: "I hope that smile's directed at the characters you feel like torturing and not me or my cookies."
Canis: "Nah, it's cool. Besides, I have birthday cake! Which reminds me; whoever finds a FF reference in this chapter gets a virtual piece of my cake. If you get all three of them, you also get a party hat (for some reason). There is a FFX, and a FFIX reference. as for the final one, anyone who has ever played an FF game should recognize it (hint: it also happens to be a plot device)."
Crystal: "As long as there is no catch."
Canis: "Are you saying the cake is a lie? *laughs* But seriously, no catch. Anyways, I guess I should be hitting the old trail. Thanks to everyone that has read, reviewed (these seriously motivate me to write), or added this story to their lists. Until Next time!"
Crystal: "Bye!" *blows party horn*
I
I
Make a writer happy today!
I
V