Had an amazing dream about fighting and beating the lingering will in KH2 except that it was on the world map for some reason. Since I have 2.5 I guess it's time to make that dream come true. Hope it's the same for everyone else. Anyway, shall we continue?

Chapter 14

Astra

The humming of the Highwind brought Sora's mind at peace, especially during such a crucial time. His could feel a knot being tied in his stomach as the prospect of nearing the place that would get them into the Realm of Darkness became a nerve-wracking one the closer they came to it.

The question that had been on their minds very shortly after leaving Stitch's new home was where they could find somewhere to get into the Dark Realm. Sora had remembered something in Ansem the Wise's Secret Reports mentioning that Dark Corridors opened up at random times throughout the realm between, thus a place like Twilight Town, Traverse Town or even The World That Never Was naturally would have been the best place to look. That said, they were random so there was no telling where or even when they would pop up.

Aqua turned out to have an answer to this, or at least a guess. Sora didn't like having to rely on guesses but the idea that Luna was in the other realm was a guess in itself so once again he had nothing to lose. Her answer came in the form of a mysterious fog she had seen in Snow White's world. Although she hadn't dared go deep into the fog, she had sensed a familiar darkness coming from it that could only have come from the experience of actually being in a place with that familiar stench.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to his left to see Kairi giving him a reassuring nod with her soft, comforting yet confident eyes. Right, Luna wasn't just his friend. He wasn't the only one going through this uncomfortable feeling of an unknowable pressure squeezing his torso. If he was bad he could only imagine how Astra felt. He placed a hand on Kairi's and gaze it a squeeze.

Oh right, Astra.

After arriving on the Gummi Ship, she had done little to communicate with the other four on the ship with her. She had located her temporary quarters and had locked herself in. Starting to feel worried he gently moved Kairi's hand away from his shoulder before getting up from his seat.

"I'll see how Astra's doing." Sora said to her and the other occupant in the room, Riku. Kairi nodded with a smile but Riku simply looked his way, his features expressing disapproval.

"Yeah, I think we get it Riku. Now stop acting all moody." was what Sora wanted to say to him but figured that it was Astra's actions that would inevitably make up the silver-haired teen's mind. Sora made for the hallway but not before stopping to grab some food from the fridge.

He soon arrived at two doors adjacent to each other near the end of the hallway, both closed. One of them was the room Kairi shared with Aqua, who was resting up for the journey ahead. He knocked instead on the other door.

There was a painful silence for the next few seconds and Sora was about to leave when the lock clicked and the door opened revealing an incredibly peeved Aqua.

"Whaddya want?" she asked.

"Um, nothing, just, uh- I was just wondering if you wanted anything to eat." Sora babbled foolishly. How she had managed to end up making him feel like an idiot even when tired, he had no idea.

"You woke me up just so you could ask me that?" Astra eyed him almost in a way that made her seem as if she was trying to dehumanize him from a stare alone. Whatever she thought of him wasn't much—that was for sure.

"Oh, you were sleeping. Well, I could just leave it on the desk and then go if you want." Sora said. Inside, he was mentally slapping himself. He felt like he was being overly submissive here, as if he was on a leash being made to do different tricks as his master instructed him to. She was certainly looking for something as a weapon to criticize him with and Sora knew that he couldn't give her that advantage. He just wished he was back with Riku and Kairi.

Urgh, why do I have to be so kind sometimes? Darn you oh kind Sora.

"No, please… come in." Astra said before widening the gap between Sora and the door allowing for him to enter. Now that was a surprise coming from Miss Sarcastic. Her voice had portrayed a genuine sincerity and, if Sora wasn't a mistake, a need to it. No, it was probably just her still being drowsy.

Sora laid the plate containing the sandwich he had brought on the desk before propping himself against the wall. He tried to think of something to say. He couldn't begin to guess how she would react when he mentioned certain things. He had usually always found it easy to talk and make friends with someone but Astra was a wild card.

"Sorry I interrupted your sleep. Had any good dreams?" he started, hoping he was going on the right track with this.

"The best." Astra replied.

Okaaaay that conversation went everywhere and nowhere at the same time, Sora thought closing his eyes before continuing, "Luna told me she was a dreamer. Was she like that with you?"

"All the time. Her eyes always shone so brightly like the stars when she talked about that stuff, going to other worlds I mean. At some point I… no, maybe some other time. But I was certainly captivated by her otherworldly ambitions… that much was for certain," Astra said heading over to the desk. "Ooh, a cheese and pickle sandwich, my favorite. Looks like you chose wisely Keyblade Master."

"Uh huh, I could tell after you secretly raided our fridge a couple of times over these past few days. Always the same type of sandwich. It wasn't hard to figure out who it was." Sora said.

"There are only five of us on here after all. Well, eight if you count those three pixies that hang out with you guys." Astra said whilst munching into her sandwich.

"I haven't summoned them once since we left Kauai though I'm planning to let them help us once we get into the Realm of Darkness. The more help the better I would say." Sora decided. He really had to get on fulfilling his promise to make them human. The problem was he had no idea where to start with that.

"Just as long as they don't slow me down. I can't afford to screw this up." Astra insisted.

"We can't afford to screw this up," Sora corrected before another question crossed his mind. "How exactly did you and Luna become best friends anyway?"

"She didn't tell you- Oh, right… lost memories and all," Astra reminded herself. Sora had made sure to inform Astra on what had happened with Luna the moment they had taken off, even Alexander being lost to the darkness. She had appeared on the surface to take it with nonchalance but he had to assume that she had confined herself to her room because of that news. "Well I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you. Since you woke me up and I doubt I'll be able to go back to sleep 'cause of it." She flashed him a cold stare causing Sora to make an audible gulp. Maybe he shouldn't have given her that sandwich after all. She set down the half eaten sandwich and sprang straight into her tale:

They were like secret lovers passing notes Ping-Pong style under the desk in the classroom. Except they were only friends. The best of friends.

But this was somewhere in the middle. It had more accurately started on a rainy lunchtime in the school cafeteria. 7th grade in junior high. Astra having picked out her lunch, set off for her regular table with the regular sports track team she always hung out with. She wasn't a picky eater, and had never really fussed over any organized schedule of eating unlike the rest of her friends. Well, that was with the exception of the gruel they served. And the tapioca. And the fruit, she avoided most of that stuff like the plague… okay—maybe she was a bit picky after all.

"I'm so jealous of you guys. I mean I refuse to eat this food since I'm on a diet at the moment but it looks so delicious." Tabitha groaned attempting to shy her face away from the food on the table but failing on purpose.

"Uh, why exactly?" Momo replied in a fashion that implied she was offended. In reality, it seemed that such an expression was permanently glued on her face. Astra would never admit it out loud but she didn't like the girl. Not only was her face annoying with her mouth always parted like a blowfish but her incredibly emphasized valley girl accent and chatty nature could leave even the most positive person drained without any effort.

"Well I have to keep my figure in shape if I want to join the cheerleading squad next year. I can't be slacking off." Tabitha fumbled with her hair as she spoke. She certainly was going to be a looker in the future when it came to attracting boys, anyone could tell that much. Even she knew it and she certainly didn't hide that awareness. Compared to her, Astra had more of a tomboyish personality—something that she doubted was considered an attractive trait.

"Well considering you already look like a toothpick, maybe it would help to put on a few pounds." Astra jested resulting in a fit of giggles and oohs along the table.

"Hey, toothpicks don't look this good when I'm through with them usually." Tabitha declared pointing to herself (or more precisely her developing bust) proudly.

"I don't think we want to know what you do with your toothpicks in your spare time." said Astra before attempting to coax Tabitha into giving up her diet with the spaghetti and meatballs that were on her plate. The others laughed as Astra slid the tray slowly over to Tabitha taking enjoyment in her wincing.

A strange silence covered the table. Astra followed the cold stares of her friends to the person they were looking at. Like a puzzle piece that had somehow found its way into the presence of another, the girl clearly didn't fit in the overall picture. She looked at them awkwardly, her mouth trembling as if wanting to say something. Perhaps she wanted to join them. Before Astra could ask if that was what she wanted, one of her friends to her left, Sonata, was quick to jump on the girl's hesitation.

"I'm sorry, you're blocking our view so could you leave now?" The girl tensed up on the spot at Sonata's snide tone and swallowed. Eventually she turned around and walked over towards one of the only empty tables to sit at it. "She's such a weird one. I feel sorry for her parents."

"That girl's name is Luna, right?" Astra recalled keeping her eyes on the girl as she set her head on the table.

"Certainly fits her the way she stares off into space all day and talks crap about seeing the stars, whatever that's supposed to mean." Momo said. Astra didn't pay much attention in class herself so she couldn't exactly blame this Luna.

"Maybe all she needs is a friend." Astra suggested feeling some sympathy. It was starting to come back to her, moments in class where the teacher had called out on the girl's name only for her to spout incredible randomness. Just a few weeks ago when they had been told to give a presentation on what they wanted to be when they were older, said girl had started rambling, albeit dreamily, about wanting to leave Alexander and visit the stars. Actually now that Astra thought about it, her presentation was the one that Astra could remember the most out of the entire class. That had to count for something.

"Oh she has a friend, her stupid fantasies and the clouds. Other than that, no one would want to be her friend." Tabitha said. She pulled a compact mirror out from her pocket and flipped it open to apply a thick supply of lip balm to what were already moisturized lips.

Astra pulled her meal back towards her and returned to eating her food. Were it not for the next few critical minutes, she would still be sitting around the same table talking to the same friends about things they usually talked about. She would also have found school life much easier to get through.

Astra's eyes veered off the food on her tray again to where the girl was sitting. Two boys, both fairly popular in her class and in the year in general, were approaching the girl while whispering and sniggering to each other. Astra had some hope that they would walk past the poor girl but her hopes were dashed when they stopped right behind her. Biggs slammed his tray on the table causing the girl to jump at the unexpected invasion of space. Over the incredibly loud voices filling the cafeteria, it was hard to decipher what he and his friend Wedge were saying to her but Astra was sure it couldn't have been anything good.

"One moment." Astra said excusing herself from the table. She got up from the table and walked slowly over to the girl's table. Biggs and Wedge were sitting down on either side of her now undressing her with various questions to which they most definitely didn't care about. They were definitely teasing her, but why hadn't the girl called them out on it? She was a shy one so it only made sense that she was too scared to talk out.

Only, the following words she heard from the two boys set alight a fire of fury in her eyes and answered her question at the same time.

"Come on, hand it over."

"I-I told you, I left it at home... I d-don't have it."

"Stop lying to us. Just hand over the lunch munny and we'll be on our way."

"I don't have it." The girl's voice was almost at an unbearable squeak now, and yet the two boys seemed unrelenting in their conquest to destroy whatever little confidence she had in herself.

"You're so useless you know that? But I guess we should expect that from Luna the lunatic. This is such a pain." Wedge scoffed.

With Astra's fists curled up into a ball, she strode over to the table and tapped Wedge on the shoulder. "You two think you can just come in here like you own the place and order someone to do whatever you want? I suppose you'll be able to do that if you end up owning a business in the future and goodness knows how many times I've wanted to order people around but this certainly isn't the place to do it, and certainly not by bullying."

Biggs' face turned a bright tomato red before replying, "Hey Astra, just butt out of this alright? This is between us and her."

Astra shook her head. "No no no, it's between you and me friends. Just wondering though, what would you have done to her if I hadn't come here to stop you?" she asked darkly.

"What does it matter to you? No one cares about her anyway. You know something's wrong when not even those dorks in the library will make friends with her." said Biggs loudly allowing for the two to let out a volcanic eruption of laughter.

Or she's too afraid to talk to them.

Astra looked at the downtrodden girl, a sudden passion arising within her. She didn't know what happened in the next few seconds. She had snapped and lost control. Acted on impulse. Before she knew it, both her hands were reaching out for the two glasses of orange juice that were on each of their respective trays, then she threw both drinks right in their faces.

By the time she had recovered Astra was facing the painful silence of the entire cafeteria and two completely drenched boys who, like her, could hardly comprehend what had just happened. Luna's almost tired demeanour had completely gone, now replaced by shock and yet wonder and curiosity at the same time.

There was really only one thing that fit Astra's situation right now. "Oh son of a-"

"ASTRA! Do not swear in front of the Principal!"

"I wasn't swearing, I was just about to say I had an itch. I might even be allergic to something in this room," said Astra with a shrug before sniffing. "Are you wearing perfume today Miss Cranberry? I think it smells simply delightful, don't you sir?"

Principal Crawley was taken aback by the question for a moment before responding in his usually cool manner. "Oh yes, it's… quite an interesting smell."

"Sir!"

"B-but that has nothing to do with why you're hear Astra. Not for the first time you are in very serious trouble." Crawley warned with waning attention throwing down her student report file onto the table.

Astra let out a small smile. She had certainly been in here enough times to know both the Principal and the school secretary inside and out. For example, she knew that even bordering on the age of 50, the man still seemed to turn heads wherever he walked. Even some of the cheerleaders in the upper years would lick his boots if he allowed them to but none more so than Miss Cranberry. She was practically waiting for the day when Crawley asked her to do it. The expensive perfume, the slightly buttoned down shirt… as much as Astra was disgusted by it, she almost felt it within her prerogative to act as the Cupid in getting them together. This in turn benefited her because it would get them to relax on her a little, or at least she hoped.

"Look, can we just get this over with? We know the standard procedure by now, you list all the horrible things I've done since the beginning of the year and I nod my head pretending to sound interested except that I'm not. Then you warn me that if I cause further disruption to the class you will be forced to bring my grandmother in and I nod and say that I understand and will never do it again. Huh, if there was an exam on my life I think I'd get an A in it without much effort." Astra summarised sarcastically.

"I'm sure you would, in fact you did pretty well on your English test so I know you can do well if you put your mind to it but the fact is you don't seem bothered. And now this incident-"

"Okay, this time it wasn't me. Well, it was kind of me but it kind of wasn't. Two boys in my class, Biggs and Wedge, they were bullying another girl in my class, Luna, and I decided to step in and teach them a thing or two. Actually now that I think about it, wouldn't it be your fault? Aren't you supposed to be checking to make sure incidents like that don't happen? I mean, I'm not telling you how to do your jobs or anything but, well yeah, I telling you how to do your jobs. Maybe you should check up on your priorities. Yep."

So Astra stepped out of the principal's office with another warning and feeling quite powerful. She had managed to convince the principal to investigate into her claims though she didn't expect any immediacy to the whole thing given her tendency to tell fibs in the past.

"Um, your name is Astra, right?"

Astra turned to see the girl she had been defending trying to form a smile on her face. She clutched to her chest a book, a thick one at that which no ordinary 12 year old girl would dare consider reading, or at least not Astra.

"That's right." said Astra. Well, this conversation is off to a great start.

Luna stared at the ground for a while, her mouth opening slightly and closing. Astra figured that she had to be the one to move the conversation along.

"Listen…" They both said at the same time. They looked at each other before letting out a fit of giggles.

"You first." Astra prodded.

"No, go ahead please."

"I'm not talkin' if you're not talkin' sista." Astra joked.

Luna nodded with an adorable smile that Astra had never seen from the girl before, not that she had been paying much attention until today anyway. "Well, I wanted to just say thank you for helping me. Why did you help me anyway?" she asked.

"So I should've left you instead? No way am I gonna stand back and watch someone get bullied around by the whole school. It's kind of pathetic." Astra answered.

"I am kind of pathetic huh?" mumbled Luna with a sad smile.

"I- I didn't say you were, I said-"

"It's okay," Luna said with a giggle. "I am pathetic. I try to fit in but no one seems to want to be around me. I can understand if you're the same. You have friends and probably think I'm weird."

"I don't… think you're weird," Astra refuted. OK, maybe you are weird but… "But I suppose I helped you because I was intrigued? I don't know. Even if you are weird, that's not really a bad thing. If anything it means you're less boring that all the other people here. I admire that. You're a dreamer."

"Yeah, a dreamer grounded in a little girl's body," Luna replied before asking, "So does that mean you believe me? About seeing the stars I mean?"

"Sure. Who's to say one day we might not be able to go out there. It'd certainly be more enjoyable than this place. I'm counting on you little trooper." Astra said.

"Thanks, but… you don't want to be seen talking with me. I've already caused enough trouble for you as it is. Sorry, I'll be going now." Luna said. She was about to walk off down the corridor when Astra made a quick decision.

"Wait!" she called after the girl. Luna stopped short and looked back at Astra. "You hang out at the library usually, don't you? I guess it's time for a crash course in reading books."

Astra had never forgotten the warm and appreciative smile Luna had given her after she had said that. In hindsight, if she had to question whether she had made the right choice on that day, it would be impossible to say she hadn't for the days with Luna then and thereafter were the best of her life. Additionally, she had come to gain a respected (or feared she supposed) reputation for defending Luna. From that moment onwards Astra's life really had dramatically changed to passing notes under the desk and having lunch under the oak tree in the school field. Luna had shown Astra that having even one true friend was enough to repair the cracks that had been in her heart that however many fake friends couldn't repair.

It's also why Astra couldn't forgive Sora if they were too late to save her.

"We're here." Kairi told them. Astra felt something churn in the pit of her stomach. It felt like these last nine months of searching were culminating and were about to explode and bring about some amazing conclusion. She was nervous. Who wouldn't be after not seeing their best friend in so long?

Her feet seemed foreign as she stood up. Her heart was beating rapidly. One concerned look from Sora told her to stop this foolishness. It was only Luna and she couldn't be seen to be acting weak now in front of them. She inhaled and exhaled deeply before following Sora and Kairi out of the room.

Astra's story was still on Sora's mind as he arrived at the entrance to the mine. It was really until she had mentioned those things about Luna's past that he had begun to see some of her actions in a different light, and even his own inability to prevent it. Luna had felt insecure and unsure of herself, and while she had become an amnesiac after her world had been destroyed, the feelings from her memories had remained. She had thought the Keyblade a way to prove that she wasn't those things, that she could be confident in herself. In the end, he was the one who tried to take that confidence away by telling her that he didn't want her travelling with him anymore. Even though he had meant it as a way of protecting her, it had done more harm than good.

"Sora, are you listening?"

"Huh, sorry what?" Sora asked snapping out of his deep thinking. He amused himself by thinking that he could have put Pooh Bear to shame with the many things on his mind at the moment.

"We're almost there Sora. Just a little longer," Aqua said seeing the pain in his eyes. "I was asking if you were prepared because once we step in there there's no going back."

"Yeah, I've stocked up on potions and ethers. I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Sora replied. It was thanks to the Beginners Level Synthesis Kit that Kupopo had supplied to them that they were able to have as much supplies as they did. It wasn't just him. Everyone was stocked up on items just in case something went wrong.

"Sora, you don't have to do this. What if you're paralysis starts acting up again. I'm not sure we can take that risk." Riku reasoned.

"You're right Riku, things haven't exactly gone my way lately, but we've been through this before back at Radiant Garden, remember? If I didn't think I could do this I wouldn't be here, but I am. Either way, I made a promise that I would rescue Luna and I'm going to meet her with a smile." Sora said. Riku's stare had Sora fear that he was about to strike down Sora's counter with his own thus erupting into another argument. Instead he smiled and chuckled giving him a nod.

"We'll all go in with smiles. As long as we share that one hope, that will be what drives us and keeps us going," Aqua agreed before chuckling. "You really do remind me of Ven sometimes. I guess he rubbed off on you."

"Sora has a lot of people rubbing off on him, but it also works the other way around." Kairi said.

"Oh dear, this is gonna be one of those moments isn't it?" Sora asked in a monotone voice.

"I'm afraid that's one danger you'll have to face on your own," Riku said with a hearty laugh. "But maybe we should save the teasing for after we've rescued our friend. I think someone's getting a bit impatient over us messing around." He looked at Astra who was in the process of checking her fingernails.

"Oh, don't mind me. I was just comparing my nails with Kairi's. Are we done yet or do we all want to go to the dwarves' house and have a tea party while we're at it?" she complained.

"She's right, there's no time to waste. Let's go." Riku said.

Sora could feel a change in atmosphere as they stepped into the mine. Or maybe it was an internal fear that was creeping up his body slowly and dramatically. He only hoped they weren't too late.