"You're doing great Sora," Telary assures the young Keybearer, standing behind him to supervise while the boy tries his hand once again at Gummi piloting. He seems to be a natural, but then again who wouldn't be a natural at flying through empty space in a straight line?
They're alone in the cockpit, Azlyn once again holed up in the turret. She'd grudgingly offered Sora his turn, but he'd declined, opting instead to get a few more hours of flying time in.
What he hadn't told her or Telary was that he simply doesn't want to be alone right now. Sora fears that too much time sitting idly by, waiting for threats that may never appear, might leave him too much time to think.
And there is still a lot to think about: Keyholes, Maleficent, Jasmine and Alice, where Riku went… Kairi…
So he's making an attempt to distract his focus and keep the bad thoughts at bay. He'd figured flying would leave him with plenty else to worry about, but the trip so far has been dully smooth.
Not that you'd figure that by watching Telary, who despite the easy ride has not yet moved more than a foot from Sora's chair, trying and failing to keep his nerves discreet. It actually takes more concentration from the boy to not snap at the mage, who he knows is just trying to help, than to fly the ship.
"Seriously, Sora, this is wonderful work you're doing," Telary babbles, more for his own reassurance than the amateur pilot's. "I remember the first few times I got behind the controls, I couldn't even get the sim-ship out of the virtual hangar. Seriously, a bunch of stuff broke. Digital stuff, I mean. Not the real thing."
Sora nods along to his friend's words, though he really isn't paying that much attention. Where did Riku go after their encounter in Traverse Town? Should Sora have stuck around longer to look for him again? After all, it wasn't like Riku could leave the town, he didn't even have a ship. He has to still be there somewhere, right?
Why had he left then? Sure Azlyn had been pretty against him joining them on the journey, but Sora knew he'd be able to wear her down eventually. Then again, he still remembered the look in Riku's eyes when he'd seen Azlyn and Telary, the disdain in his voice when he asked who they were…
"Um, hello!" Azlyn's voice echoes through the cockpit, startling Sora out of his thought process. He nearly turns back to look at the knight, but quickly realizes that it would be a supremely bad idea to take his eyes off the road. Er, space. Whatever.
"Hi, Az," Telary greets his counterpart, taking a few steps away from her as she arrives at the top of the ladder from below.
"Why did you turn my comm off?" she demands, scowling at the mage. "I've been trying to signal you!"
"Sorry," Telary apologizes, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was showing Sora some more piloting stuff, and I thought, y'know…"
"I might come on the comm and heckle him?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Azlyn shrugs. "Well, truthfully I probably would have, so… Whatever." She shakes her head, her expression gaining seriousness. "I came down to tell you that I saw something on the radar. Something big."
"Heartless?" the boys ask in unison, Sora even taking his eyes away from the vastness in front of him to look at the knight.
"Nah," she replies with a shake of her head, "it wasn't giving off the right kind of reading. More like a world than a Heartless. But it was moving, and fast."
"And you're sure?"
"Well, if it's anything like what I read in the manual…."
"Okay, hold up, hold up!" Telary interrupts, waving his hands in front of himself to catch attention. "Azlyn, you read the manual?"
The knight rolls her eyes. "I got bored, and there was a copy in my room so…"
She's interrupted once again, though this time not by one of her companions. There's a slight bump against the stern of the ship, sending the whole cockpit shaking. Then suddenly a huge shape moves past the viewport. Whatever it is, it's big and colored a blue so deep that it looks almost black.
Eventually it passes and heads for the infinite space ahead of the Gummi ship, revealing its full shape and identity.
"A WHALE!" Sora, Azlyn, and Telary all exclaim in unison, shocked by what they're seeing in front of them. Even considering the oddities they've encountered so far, this is disconcerting.
"Monstro!" Jiminy, who apparently has been in the cockpit the whole time, suddenly cries out. The trio look down at the chronicler to find him shaking all over, knees knocking together.
"You know this giant space whale?" Azlyn asks incredulously.
"He's from my world," Jiminy explains, shaking his head to clear it. "He used to terrorize anybody looking to travel by sea. Oh, he's a whale of a whale, and vicious besides!"
"Well he's coming back around!" Azlyn points out, gesturing to the viewport, outside which the giant whale can be seen banking left, putting himself on a straight collision course for the ship.
"Get us out of here, Sora!" Telary screams frightfully at the young Keybearer. He doesn't respond, simply gripping the control yoke tight enough to discolor his knuckles. "Sora, c'mon!"
Monstro's mouth is open wide now, revealing a huge dark maw that will be plenty sufficient in size to swallow the ship whole. He charges forward, unwavering in his devotion to catching his meal.
"Too late!" Jiminy yells, ducking under a chair. "Brace for impact everyone. It's gonna be…"
KH-KH-KH
"…Real, I swear! I'm telling you, Riku, I saw it with my own two eyes!"
The older boy rolled his eyes once again at his 5-year old best friend, well used to the boy's tall tales by now.
"Really?" he asked, following the lad across the wooden dock of the play island. His aunt and Sora's mother were at that moment unloading their boats, prepared for a relaxing day of reading at the beach while the children played about. Kairi had taken ill, some kind of flu that was pretty harmless but nasty to look at, and so was forced to stay home.
"Remember to be careful!" Sora's mother called absently over her shoulder, a warning that she had been giving at least once a day since her son had learned to walk. A warning that very rarely was heeded.
"Now you actually saw it, right?" Riku asked again, raising his eyebrows at Sora. "You didn't just hear it, did you?"
Sora hesitated, stopping his skipping walk for a moment. "Well, so what if I did, huh? It's still worth checking out, unless you wanna spend the day running around the beach like usual. I just know there's something in that cave!"
"Fine, fine," Riku sighed with another eye roll. "You're right, it's better than the same old thing."
Sora grinned manically and charged into the undergrowth separating the beach from the small waterfall clearing, Riku following along.
"So suppose you're right, and there is some kind of monster in the cave," Riku asked. "What are we supposed to do about it? You really think we can beat it by ourselves?"
"Sure can! Now, shhhh!"
The pair stopped in front of the hidden entrance to the cave behind the waterfall, a place they've often seen and heard whispers of from the older kids, but never actually been inside.
"Can you hear it growling?" Sora whispered to Riku, breaking his own command for silence.
Riku turned his head to one side and listened in closely. There was definitely a sound echoing out from the cave, a low, hollow noise that raised the silver hairs on the back of his neck.
"Okay, I believe you," Riku relented, frowning at Sora's little victory jig. "Now we've gotta be careful, right?"
Sora nodded solemnly, ready to take orders from Riku as per usual. The older boy nodded back and began to silently stalk into the cave, remaining low to the ground. Despite the momentary fear he felt at a sudden resurgence of the monster's growling, the noise actually vibrating the pit of his stomach, Sora followed.
The pair crept along the path into the cave proper as slowly as possible, not wanting to give away anything to the monstrous beast they were sure to encounter inside.
When they reached the inner chamber, they found nothing. Just an empty cave. A few roots from nearby trees poked through the walls, and a small hole from above filtered in sunlight. The walls were splashed here and there with half-faded drawings done in old white chalk.
"Nothing," Riku sighed, looking back at Sora with a raised eyebrow. The younger boy merely shrugged. "Wow, Sora. I can't believe you mixed up what was obviously just the wind with…"
"What's that?" Sora asked, pointing to something behind Riku. The silver-haired boy turned to see, noticing a large piece of wood sunk into the wall. It looked like a door, but had no handle. It was an odd thing to find in an empty cave, wasn't it?
"I guess it's a door," Riku answered, shrugging and moving closer. He ran his hands all over the parts of it he could reach, but found nothing but smooth wood beneath his fingers. "But I don't know how to open it. Damn."
Sora gasped. "Riku you can't say that! It's a bad word!"
Riku realized that. He can still remember the scolding his aunt gave his uncle after he'd used the word in front of Riku. The older man had been hammering nails and struck his own thumb.
"Whatever."
"So, is that all that's in here?" Sora whined, shaking his head. "Man, what a ripoff!"
"What do you expect?" Riku replied, chuckling and shaking his head. "A monster? In a boring little place like this? Please."
"Well, yeah…"
"Hey Sora," Riku said, drawing the younger boy's attention back to him. Sora could not recall a time he'd ever seen his friend look so serious. "When we grow up, let's get off of this island and have some real adventures, huh? I'm getting sick of this kid stuff, y'know?"
"Uh, sure Riku," Sora answered hesitantly, hoping that fun things like climbing trees and hunting frogs didn't qualify as "kid stuff". He liked doing that too much to ever give it up. "But what now?"
"Let's go see who can hold their breath the longest underwater," Riku suggested, moving to the cave's exit. "Loser has to clean up Kairi's puke pail!"
"Oh, you are so on!" Sora said with a broad grin that highlighted his single missing tooth.
KH-KH-KH
Something squishy falls on Sora's head, restoring his mental clarity. All he sees is pitch black darkness, but he knows that's only because his eyes are still closed. He should probably open them soon, but then again, it's not like it's a school day or anything…
"I know you're awake, key boy," Azlyn's mocking and oh so loud voice cuts through the fugue of his half-consciousness. "You can't just lay there playing dead and expect to get out of helping!"
The Keybearer opens his eyes to see the female knight standing over him, hands on her hips. He moves his eyes down her legs and sees her foot tapping impatiently.
He rolls over and sits up, taking in his surroundings. He's still in the Gummi ship, though he sees that a large hole has been cracked open in the viewport, high above which is a dark red roof of some sort.
"Well, so glad you could join us," Azlyn says, smirking as she offers down a hand to help Sora up. He takes it and rises, looking over the cockpit once more. Everything is more or less intact.
"What… how are we…?"
"That bastard Monstro swallowed us," his companion explains with a shake of her head. "Now we're inside him."
Sora grimaces. That explains the faint, odorous smell his nose is beginning to pick up on.
"My thoughts exactly," Azlyn agrees with a solemn nod.
There's a loud noise as Telary swings into the cockpit through the hole, carefully avoiding the jagged edges where it has been broken. Sora notes that situated by his staff's holster is a small scanner and a welding torch. His left hand holds a blue handkerchief to his nose, to block out the smell. Jiminy sits on his shoulder.
"Well, I'm happy to report that it's mostly good news," he explains, his voice muffled and nasal through his hankie. "A few minor scrapes, obviously a new windshield is necessary, but there's nothing I can't fix up with my tools and a few of the spare Gummis we've got onboard."
"We can get out of here?" Sora asks.
Telary nods confidently. "I could probably build a new ship with the parts we won't need. Everything will be fine!"
No sooner has Telary made that declaration than a small orange Gummi block goes flying through the hole in the viewport, ramming into his back and sending him sprawling to the ground. Jiminy slows his own descent by opening his umbrella wide, floating gently down to the floor.
Sora has the Keyblade out in a microsecond, rushing to the viewport to look for the source of the thrown block. He skids to a stop and takes a look out at the ship's bow, which is angled slightly up into the air. Standing atop one section, prying loose Gummi blocks with already tenuous grips to the ship's frame and stuffing them in a sack, is Pinocchio!
"Uh, Jiminy!" Sora calls back into the cabin. The cricket covers the distance to him in two hops, landing on the Keybearer's shoulder. "I think somebody out there is in need of a lesson about stealing."
Jiminy peers out the window and sees his former charge toss his full to bursting bag over his shoulder and turn to leave.
"What in the blazes are you doing, Pinocchio?" he calls down, startling the wooden boy. When he turns to locate the source of the noise though, a broad smile comes to his face.
"Hi Jiminy! Sora!" He waves enthusiastically. Suddenly the waving stops and he takes a few cautious steps back, looking scared.
Curious, Sora turns to see Azlyn standing beside him, glaring hard at the life-infused puppet. The Keybearer himself moves away from the knight as nonchalantly as he can manage.
"Well, I gotta go," Pinocchio says, flinging the sack over his shoulder and stepping for the port edge of the bow. "Thanks for lettin' me borrow these blocks!" With another nod, he jumps and is gone from sight.
"Pinocchio!" Jiminy calls, leaping out the broken viewport and charging after the puppet boy, holding his hat to keep it steady.
Sora almost pursues, but a groan from Telary reminds him that the mage was felled by a Gummi Pinocchio had rejected. He and Azlyn race to their comrade's side, encouraging the groggy young man to sip from an offered potion bottle.
"I'm starting to think that Jiminy isn't that effective of a conscience," Azlyn says as Sora helps Telary sit up, rubbing lightly at the point of his back that had been struck. "Either that, or the puppet kid needs to see a therapist about his raging kleptomania."
Sora shrugs. "They have been separated for a long time. He probably just needs some lessons repeated."
"Well I'll tell you one thing," Azlyn says, cracking her knuckles and making her way to the viewport exit, "if Jiminy doesn't start teaching that kid lessons that stick, I'll have to give it a try."
Sora and Telary watch her exit, going through the window and sliding off the bow to the ground in a single, fluid motion.
"She wouldn't actually…?" Sora asks Telary, a cautious hitch in his voice. "I mean…"
"Well, I…" Telary begins, without follow-up. With a single look, the boys decide that it will be best for everyone if they don't leave Azlyn near Pinocchio too long without supervision.
Monstro
It takes a brief swim in the several feet of liquid that has accumulated at some point in the chasmic chamber, but the trio manage to reach the large, mostly derelict wooden vessel that is propped up against one "wall" of Monstro's mouth. Bobbing gently next to it is a small green Gummi ship that looks just cozy enough for two passengers.
"And you say that I can use these blocks to fix the boat Pinocchio came in?" an old, bent-backed man with a kindly face and droopy grey mustache inquires of Jiminy, who nods along happily.
"Sure can, Geppetto!" the little conscience confirms, nodding proudly.
"One problem, though," Azlyn points out, clambering aboard the ship's deck. "Some of those are our Gummis."
"Pinocchio!" Geppetto scolds his boy. "I thought you were over your little thieving phase! How are you ever to become a real boy if you can't learn to respect other people's property?"
"Aw, Papa!" Pinocchio protests, looking away and holding his hinged arms to his chest. "I was only thinking of ways to help us get outta here."
"We have spares," Telary announces, shrugging. "And we definitely wouldn't feel right just leaving you here with a broken ship, so…"
"Oh, bless you!" Geppetto exclaims, pulling the mage into a very awkward hug. Azlyn and Sora snicker quietly. After a moment, the old toymaker pulls back. "My goodness, I can't believe the whale swallowed you up too!"
Azlyn shrugs. "All things considered, it's not that much of a departure from the normal levels of insanity we deal with." The boys nod along in agreement.
"Jiminy tells me that you've already been acquainted with Pinocchio," Geppetto says conversationally, sifting through a few Gummi blocks. "I'm his father, Geppetto. Now I know that may seem a bit preposterous, but it's actually a sweet little story."
"We're aware, actually," Telary interrupts, hoping that he isn't coming off as rude. "Jiminy told us all about it. And you're right, it is very sweet, you wishing for Pinocchio to come to life and all."
"By the by," Azlyn says, sidling up to the old man, "having recently been reminded of the power of wishes, I have to ask. I've been talking to every star I can, and so far I've got nothing. So, did this Blue Fairy by chance leave a card with you, or maybe a contact number?"
While Geppetto clumsily tries to explain that he doesn't know how to get in touch with the Blue Fairy beyond wishing on stars, Pinocchio's mind begins to wander. He'd thought that he would be the big hero when he presented his father with a way to escape Monstro, only to be scolded for not doing things "the right way", and pushed aside for Jiminy's new friends.
Where does that cricket get off, replacing him like that? Jiminy had said when they first met that he was going to stick with him and keep him on the straight and narrow. And now here he was running around with a bunch of strangers! All told, it makes Pinocchio feel real rotten inside!
Looking back further into Monstro's mouth, he spies something standing near the darkened entrance of a "tunnel" further back. He squints, and realizes that it's an older boy!
The boy sees Pinocchio looking and nods in a friendly manner, silver hair shaking on his head. Then, with a smirk and broad "come over here" gesture, the boy turns and runs deeper into the tunnel.
Curious, Pinocchio follows after.
"But really, I'm happy just to have us all together again, eh Pinocchio?" Geppetto turns to his boy, only to find him gone! "Oh dear, he must have wandered off! Oh my goodness, I hope he doesn't get himself hurt…"
Sora steps up. "It's okay, Geppetto, I'll go get him," the Keybearer offers. It might be nice, he thinks, to actually retrieve someone he sets out to save for once.
"Oh, thank you! I do worry ever so about my little boy…"
"I'll go too," Azlyn chimes in, stepping up beside Sora. If she doesn't get away from this rambling old man soon, she's going to lose her mind.
"I, uh, guess I'll stay here," Telary volunteers lamely, thinking over the amount of repairs needing to be done. He'll have Geppetto's help, sure, but the toymaker is old and doesn't look so spry, besides being an amateur. "I can work on the ships."
Sora nods and turns to leave, but a thought strikes him and he turns back, reaching into his pocket. He retrieves the blue stone Genie gave him and holds it up, rubbing it lightly with his thumb. The gem glows briefly, and then Genie appears in a puff of blue smoke, shocking Geppetto into taking a few steps back.
"Hey Genie," Sora greets the big blue lug, offering up a high five, which is accepted.
"I gotta say Sora," Genie says, shaking his head, "I didn't think you'd call me up so soon! Then again, I can understand why you'd miss my fabulous conversation!"
Sora chuckles. "Yeah, that's it. Actually, we've got kind of a technical problem and Telary could really use your help with some of the construction…"
"Say no more!" In a flash, three more Genie's appear on the deck of the dilapidated ship, each wearing orange safety vests and hard hats to match. The original Genie is similarly attired. He turns to Telary. "Me'n my crew are the fastest, most reliable craftsmen this side'a Philly. We'll fix what needs fixing, and we'll do it fast."
"Thanks Genie!" Sora and Azlyn exit, leaping off the side of the boat into the water below.
"Uh, one more little thing," Genie says to Telary, leaning in close. "Our union is pretty serious about the mandated breaks, so…"
The mage sighs.
KH-KH-KH
Sora and Azlyn stroll casually into the chamber directly off the mouth, finding themselves in a tiny space, surrounded by fleshy purple walls that mildly pulsate every few seconds. Bioluminescent patches of various colors provide enough soft light to see by, though the effect is a bit akin to walking around inside a disco ball.
"Y'know," Azlyn pipes up, drawing her partner's attention, "I think I may have been seriously lowballing it when I told Geppetto this place was on the low end of oddity for us. By the way, what do you think that water back in the mouth is?"
Sora frowns. "I'm actually trying really hard not to, Az."
The conversation is interrupted by the familiar clacking of wood. Looking up, Sora and Azlyn see Pinocchio, standing atop a higher purple ledge. He giggles and waves at them.
"Now see here, Pinocchio!" Azlyn yells up at the puppet authoritatively, shaking a threatening finger at him. "Knock this crap off and come back to the boat!"
"She's right," Sora agrees, nodding firmly in the knight's direction. "This is no time for games!"
"Hey, now!" a familiar voice cuts through the chamber, causing a severe skip in the beat of Sora's heart. Riku appears by Pinocchio, leaning over with one arm resting across his thigh, grinning down at the pair below. "I thought you liked games Sora! Remember how much we used to play back on the islands? All the monsters we faced?"
"Riku…" Sora breathes, his brain having a distinctly difficult time processing the fact that Riku is somehow here. And apparently, not as happy with the reunion as the Keybearer may have thought he'd be.
"Oh, wait, I get it!" Riku continues mockingly, playfully tapping his wrist against his forehead. "You must think you're too cool for playing games now, huh? What with you wielding the Keyblade and all."
"What are you doing here Riku?" Sora asks, very slowly. "How did you get here? Do you have a Gummi ship too? Do you know anything about where Kairi is?"
Riku chuckles lowly, straightening up. "Wow, that's a lot of questions, Sora. I guess you haven't changed all that much, eh?" He reaches his hand out for Pinocchio, who happily takes it. "If you want answers, well then I guess you'll just have to catch us, won't you?" With another condescending laugh, Riku and Pinocchio exit the chamber the same way they entered.
Sora is stunned into silence. What could have gotten into Riku? Did he have information about Kairi, and if so, why would he withhold it so childishly? How could Sora's oldest friend be acting like such a…
"Jerk!" Azlyn exclaims bluntly, scowling up where Riku had been moments earlier. Sora gives her a light smack on the arm. "Hey! I was just expressing my feelings! Telary says that's healthy to do!"
"That's my friend you're talking about," Sora protests, jumping to try and grab the ledge and pull himself up after Riku and Pinocchio. It's too high, several feet out of reach. "And sure, he's being a little weird, but he just…" The boy sighs, leaning against the wall, which gives a bit against his weight. "Look, Azlyn, I don't have any clue what's gotten into him, okay?"
"Really?" Azlyn asks, raising her eyebrows at the dejected boy. "Because it's pretty obvious to me."
"What?"
"He's jealous. Of the Keyblade."
Sora frowns at her, not liking the implications of her statement. "I… Maybe. I mean, we've always been kind of competitive with each other, but it never got this bad! And he won't even talk to me about Kairi..."
"That could be another problem," the knight suggests, speaking a bit quieter.
"Huh?"
"Nothing." She turns to another exit, a lightly glowing green portal just a few feet across the chamber.
They move through a few more chambers, all equally strange, until they find themselves right back where they'd started, though this time they're on the ledge Riku and Pinocchio had been.
"I might have said this before," Azlyn sighs, "but I really hate this dumb whale. I can't imagine anything that could make this worse!"
Of course that's when the Heartless arrive.
Out of three portals spring a trio of ghostlike creatures, one eye dangling on a chain out of their bulbous white heads, the other set back in them. Red lights spring from the empty sockets, swinging back and forth like spotlights with every turn of the head.
One attacks Sora, its sharply clawed hands actually moving a few inches away from the rest of its arms to slash at the boy. He ducks and swings the Keyblade, eliminating it in a single blow.
Azlyn deflects a two-handed swipe, then stomps her foot down on her opponent's wispy tail, pinning it. She grins and unleashes a hard punch, knocking the Search Ghost so hard into the ground that it actually rebounds back up towards her, upon which she seizes the moment to make another jab, eliminating the threat.
Sora finishes off a second enemy with a simple diagonal swing of the Keyblade.
"Why are the Heartless here?" he asks no one in particular, frowning at the Keyblade while he dismisses it.
"Well, you said the Heartless track the Keyblade, right?" Azlyn suggests. "It's probably just a hit squad."
"Just a hit squad, eh?" Sora shoots back sardonically. Azlyn grins back at him and they continue on.
Several chambers later, they're still lost in the vastness of Monstro's insides, with no sign of either Riku or Pinocchio. Sora is beginning to get the gnawing feeling that he may be failing at yet another rescue operation.
Luckily, at that moment a familiar giggle is heard, and Pinocchio runs by in between Sora and Azlyn. After taking a second to get their bearings, the pair head after the little wooden boy.
But where's Riku?
KH-KH-KH
Riku heaves a sigh and decides that he has more than earned a bit of a rest. He sits gingerly down on a fleshy protuberance growing up from the "floor".
He can't help but replay his conversation with Sora over and over, recalling the younger boy's confused face with no small amount of glee. What a rube his friend was! How would he take it, Riku wonders, if he learned that his fancy Keyblade wasn't actually the greatest thing in the universe?
"Why are you wasting your time here?" Maleficent's voice suddenly cuts through his thoughts, nearly sending the silver-haired boy toppling off his seat. He looks up to see the jade-skinned witch standing over him, one eyebrow perched high on her forehead. "Bothering with that traitorous boy? Need I remind you how he replaced you? Cast you aside for his new friends and the Keyblade."
Riku shrugs and looks away. "I'm just jerking Sora around is all. Having a little fun with him, y'know?"
"Ah. Well, I'm afraid 'fun' is a bit outside my realm of expertise," Maleficent comments dryly. The look on her face keeps any possible retort firmly locked in Riku's head as an idle thought. "But, whatever your motives, do not fail to recognize the darkness inherent in your jealous posturing."
"Jealous!" Riku rages, standing up with both gloved fists clenched.
"You must see what I mean."
Riku relaxes a fraction of a percent. "Yeah, well maybe. Still, would it kill you to mind your own business?"
"Certainly not," Maleficent replies coolly, already fading away. "But it may yet be the death of you."
She's gone before Riku can think of a response. And then Pinocchio rushes into the chamber, laughing like a madman. Well, madpuppet. Moments later, Sora and his new lady friend come scrambling after.
Pinocchio continues on into the next chamber, but Sora stops short, once again giving Riku his best confused face.
"Okay Riku!" he demands stepping up and thrusting a finger at his friend. "You owe me an explanation!"
"Do I though?" Riku shoots back with a scowl. "Well fine, I'll explain if you will. What's with you huh? Seems to me all you want to do is run around flashing your Keyblade!"
Sora looks down at the blade in his hand. Oddly, he doesn't remember trying to call it to him…
"And I'll bet you care more about your new girlfriend than you do saving Kairi." Riku dismissively flicks his hand towards Azlyn.
"What?" Sora exclaims. "What are you talking about? Azlyn isn't my girlfriend! I mean that'd be…" The boy stops himself, realizing somewhere in the back of his mind that it wouldn't be a great idea to continue this line of defense. "Well, she's not, anyway! And of course I care about Kairi, but you've gotta understand, Riku, the Keyblade comes with a lot of other responsibilities…"
Sora's explanation is interrupted by a piercing, frantic scream from the next chamber over it can only have come from Pinocchio. All three teens rush immediately to the puppet boy's aid.
They arrive in a massive chamber, a large pink bowl-like place. In the middle of it all sits a large Heartless, purple and pink and all-trouble. A long, pipe-like arm sprouts from either side of its bulbous pink head, tiny yellow eyes staring down at them. Its body is structured like a cage, long sharp teeth acting as bars to imprison Pinocchio inside its belly. The whole thing is held up on four blue stalks that seem to have found firm purchase on the "floor".
The trio draw weapons and lean into their fighting stances, all conflicts put aside in the interest of Pinocchio's welfare.
Riku attacks first, diving straight for the pink head of the Heartless, thrusting out his purple and red sword. One of the teal arm-tubes reaches up and effortlessly swats the boy away. He goes flying, impacting against a "wall".
Azlyn and Sora charge together, ducking and weaving to avoid the thrashing arms of the Parasite Cage. Sora lands a hit against the purple bars of Pinocchio's prison, and in the process realizes that Pinocchio has ceased making any noise at all, sagging limply against the back of his cage.
Sora is so distracted by the puppet's state that he doesn't see the arm coming. It hits him like a ton of fleshy bricks, knocking him back against one side of the chamber. Azlyn joins him moments later, grunting angrily.
Riku rises, clenching the hilt of his sword so hard it actually hurts. Reaching into a deep, dark part of his mind that seems to regard his anger as fuel of some kind, an idea suddenly springs to his mind.
With a grunt and a defiant yell, the boy thrusts his hand forward, palm out, towards the head of the creature holding Pinocchio captive. With a loud whoosh of unchecked power, a ball of purple fire the size of the boy's torso flies through the air, striking the monstrosity's head.
The Parasite Cage rages, thrashing its arms all about madly, throwing its enflamed head back in sheer agony. It leans so far back that the "bars" of its stomach cage fly open, leaving Riku with a perfect opportunity to leap in and grab Pinocchio.
Sora and Azlyn try to intercept, but the erratic waving of the creature's tentacles prevents them from moving.
Finally the Heartless seems to get itself under control, thrusting its arms up to hold the ceiling, while the "floor" below it opens a dark hole. With a last roar, it releases its grip on the ceiling and drops down.
With a flippant grin and mocking salute, Riku, Pinocchio's limp form held in the crook of one arm, drops down the hole as well.
Sora and Azlyn rush for the portal, stopping short at its lip.
"Before we go, Sora…" Azlyn says, fixing the Keybearer with a look he can't quite decipher. "Before, when you were telling Riku I'm not your girlfriend because 'that would be…', what exactly were you gonna say?"
Sora rolls his eyes and laughs too loudly. "C'mon Azlyn, we… This is… He took Pinocchio so, I mean…" With nothing left to say in his defense, Sora leaps up and drops down the hole without another word.
"Uh huh," Azlyn mutters to herself, nodding gently. "That's what I thought."
KH-KH-KH
Sora and Azlyn float gently down to the deck of Geppetto's ruined ship, landing next to Telary.
"Feather Fall," the mage explains with a self-satisfied nod.
"Oh, won't you please give me back my son?" Geppetto pleads to Riku, practically fallen over on his hands and knees. Riku stands on a nearby high mound of wood, looking down at Geppetto like a gnat flitting in front of his face.
"No can do, grandpa," Riku replies derisively, shifting his grip on the unconscious form of Pinocchio. "There's something I need this puppet for. It…"
"He's no puppet!" Geppetto calls back, sounding angry this time instead of scared or pleading. Azlyn nods appreciatively. "That's my little boy you're holding and…"
"Yes, I suppose it is pretty unusual," Riku admits coolly, holding up Pinocchio and inspecting him. "Not many puppets have hearts after all. Could be the key to helping someone I care about who's lost her…"
"Kairi!" Sora interrupts, distraught. He takes a few steps forward and looks up at Riku with pure fear in his eyes. "Are you talking about…? Did something happen to Kairi?"
"Does it even matter to you?" Riku shake his head and begins walking away, heading for another dark hole leading out of Monstro's mouth. "Why don't you just run along and let me take care of things. After all, I'm sure there are a few worlds you haven't flashed your Keyblade around in yet."
With that he exits, taking Pinocchio with him to some unknown fate.
"No!" Geppetto cries out, futilely reaching out a hand towards the withdrawing Riku. Tears are openly streaming down his cheeks now. "Not my little boy. Not when he's so close to…"
"Don't you worry about a thing, Geppetto," Jiminy assures the toymaker, a fiercely determined look in his eyes that belies the moisture that has accumulated within them. "We're going to get Pinocchio back, no matter what it takes. Bet on it!"
"Yeah we are!" Azlyn confirms, cracking her knuckles threateningly.
Sora nods as well. "Riku's my friend, but he's gone way too far, even if it is for Kairi. I won't let him do anything to Pinocchio. Not even if I have to fight him myself."
"Very well," Geppetto says with a heavy heart. Despite meeting Sora only but an hour or so ago, he can tell that the Keybearer is capable, strong, and big-hearted. He's the kind of real boy the old toymaker hopes his son will be one day.
"Both ships are as ready as they're going to be, repairs-wise," Telary explains to Geppetto. "I want you to get them both prepped for takeoff, like I showed you. I don't know about you, but I'd like to be out of this smelly space mammal as soon as possible. Do you think you can handle it?"
The old man nods, determination replacing his fear.
Sora, Azlyn, Telary, and Jiminy all set out, climbing up the woodpile Riku had been standing on a minute ago to the high exit.
"That was a good thing you did for Geppetto," Azlyn tells her partner appreciatively, relishing the smile she gets in return. "Having something to do will keep him from worrying about Pinocchio. Plus, I want out of this place too."
The group enters a small, conical chamber with a high ceiling. A small sphincter opens and closes rhythmically at the top. Spaced out every few yards up are platforms constructed of bones and blue flesh leading all the way up.
Telary frowns at the setup. "Okay, so… Based on context clues, this is the throat, right? But there was that lower exit. What did it lead to?"
Sora and Azlyn look at one another and shrug, clueless.
"There were a bunch of uh, chambers or whatever," Sora replies.
"And, well… Glowing," Azlyn adds in, sputtering out an approximate explanation of what she'd seen while pursuing Pinocchio. "Then we were in some kind of, uh… bowl."
Telary regards the pair wearily, his face scrunching up in further confusion.
Jiminy jumps up on Sora's shoulder and interrupts the scene. "We can ponder the biology later, people! Or have you forgotten that every moment we waste is a moment that despicable boy could have spirited away Pinocch?"
"Right," Sora says, uncomfortable Jiminy's description of his best friend. Or perhaps just uncomfortable with the fact that Riku's actions are making such a characterization an accurate one.
The climb to the top is a bit arduous, and each member of the trio nearly takes a spill at some point, but eventually they all reach the highest platform. Telary looks up at the closed sphincter and frowns.
"How do we get it open?" Sora asks, shifting from one foot to the other.
"And do we really want to?" Azlyn chimes in, a repulsed look on her face. "Seriously, it looks like we're gonna be jumping up into a bu…"
"Nyah!" Telary interjects, waving his hands about to stop his counterpart from completing her filthy comparison. "To be perfectly honest, I'm pretty sure that, um… One of us is going to have to," he takes a big, audible gulp, "touch it."
"Not it!" Azlyn screams, her fingers flying to her nose.
"Not it!" Telary responds in kind.
Both of the Disney Castle dwellers fix Sora with a look.
The Keybearer sighs and reaches up, brushing his hand against the pink flesh. It shudders a moment, and then the muscles inside relax. The sphincter opens, and a sudden current of air grabs the trio and pulls them up and inside.
For several seconds their universe has no meaning. Up and down and sideways they bounce through a thin blue tunnel, moving upward to a peak and then sharply downward.
They finally tumble down into a huge chamber, nearly as big as Monstro's mouth, landing on a pink, fleshy platform in a figure eight shape. The rest of the chamber is filled with a seeming lake of glowing green liquid.
Riku stands at the other end of the platform, and when Sora finally reorients himself he see that his friend is fixing him and his partners with an enigmatic look.
"Why, Sora?" Riku sighs, shaking his head sadly, like he used to when they were kids and he'd find Sora stuck in strange or embarrassing situations. "Why can't you just let me help Kairi? This puppet had a heart, and now it's lost it to the Heartless. It could hold the key to helping Kairi!"
"What happened to Kairi?" Sora asks, standing and taking a cautious step forward. Azlyn and Telary rise and take up positions next to him, and out of the corner of his eye he spots Jiminy Cricket take off towards Pinocchio in a full sprint.
"Oh, Pinocchio…" Jiminy sighs, tears dripping from his eyes as he regards his fallen friend.
"We can help her, Sora," Riku says pleadingly, giving his best friend a half-smile. "If we team up, and we use the puppet…"
"His name," Sora interrupts, taking another step forward and calling the Keyblade to his hand, "is Pinocchio! And there's no way I'm letting you use him, no matter what it's for!"
Riku takes a step back, and his usually so carefully composed face collapses under the weight of an immense sadness.
"You'd rather fight me?" the boy stutters out brokenly, his voice so full of pain it affects even Azlyn. "Over a puppet that has no heart?"
"He may not have a heart," Sora replies, fighting hard to keep his voice steady and calm, like a hero's should be, "but at least he has a conscience."
"Conscience?"
"Yep."
Pinocchio moans out something indecipherable, just barely managing to raise his head to regard Jiminy.
"I feel terrible, Jim," the wooden boy groans, his eyes dizzy and unfocused. "I… I don't think I'm gonna make it…"
There's a flash across Pinocchio's face, and when it fades, the boy's nose has grown a full inch. He's lying!
"Oh." He raises his head, suddenly as perky as usual. "I guess I'm okay!"
Jiminy laughs loudly, jumping and crying out with pure joy.
"Sometimes, even when things don't make sense, your conscience can be the only thing left to guide you," Sora says in strong tones, regarding his former friend with a sharp determination in his eyes. "And right now, mine is telling me that you're on the wrong side!"
Riku scowls at the Keybearer, his own sword appearing in his hand. "I see. Well Sora, I guess it's time I stopped messing around with…"
Riku's challenge dies before it can be fully issued, as with a flash of dark energy the Parasite Cage reappears, dropping down from above and landing hard enough to shake the platform.
Sora, Azlyn, and Telary stumble back as the vibrations shift the platform underneath them. Pinocchio and Jiminy streak past, headed for another sphincter exit.
The Heartless issues a roar of challenge, distracting Sora enough that he barely notices Riku wave his hand to open some kind of purple-black portal. With one last sneer, he steps into it and disappears.
The Parasite Cage roars once more and swings out its arm, sending the trio back another few steps. Azlyn stumbles and takes a single step off the platform, her shoe barely breaking the surface of the neon liquid below.
A loud sizzle rises to her ears, and she yelps as she raises her foot quick as a striking snake and places it back on the platform.
"Aw man!" she exclaims. "My shoe!" The edges of it are burned black, and a faint steam can be seen rising upwards.
Telary nods. "I was thinking that might be stomach acid. We're gonna want to avoid that."
"Uh, that could be hard," Sora points out nervously. Confused, Telary looks out to see the Cage with its arms submerged in the acid, pumping occasionally like an elephant filling its trunk for a bath.
"Uh oh."
With barely a moment's warning, the tiny mouth on the pink head of the Heartless opens wide, and ugly green liquid spurts forth like a blast from a cannon, spreading acid everywhere.
Ignoring his comrades' screams, Telary elbows his way to the front and concentrates on protecting the two people he holds most dear…
The acid stops dead, splashing against an unseen barrier held only inches in front of the trio. Telary's forehead scrunches up, and he screams against the strain.
After a minute that feels like an eternity, the deadly spray ceases. Telary takes a deep breath and collapses, Azlyn only barely managing to keep him from falling down completely.
"Oh, ow!" he groans. "Not… not sure I can do that again…"
"I don't think you'll have to," Sora says over his shoulder, his eyes focused on several spots of steam rising from burnt portions of the Parasite Cage's body. "The acid hurts it too, on the outside. If we can push it into the pool…"
"No problem," Azlyn says, laying her partner gently on the ground and stretching the tendons in her neck. With a loud scream she throws her shield, impacting the Heartless right in the chest.
The creature wobbles unsteadily, and Sora presses the advantage, charging forward and ramming his shoulder straight into it.
The Cage topples back, landing in the acid with a splash and sending green liquid gushing into the air. It screams, an animalistic sound that threatens to pierce the party's eardrums. It screams so long and hard that the "teeth" of its stomach cage open, revealing an orb of pure black darkness within.
"Easy target," Sora declares, thrusting the Keyblade out and preparing a fire spell. But before he can work through the necessary mental commands, light gathers at the blade's tip, just as it does when about to seal a Keyhole. When it coalesces, an orb of pure white Light ejects from the blade, colliding with the Heartless's dark orb. A burst of light, dull orange like a sunset, explodes from the point of contact.
When it clears, all that remains of the Parasite Cage is a crystal blue heart, floating away into the air.
For a moment Sora just stands, looking around the chamber while underneath the acid begins to sizzle and bubble, splashing up tiny drops of acid that, while not deadly, could cause severe burns.
"Riku!" he cries out in anguish. All the strength that allowed him to brandish a weapon at his best friend leaves him, and he can barely stand, let alone move.
What has happened to Riku?
Dimly, he feels a tug on his arm. He turns and regards Azlyn, who has a grip locked around his wrist, pulling him forward forcefully. He stumbles towards her, and she just keeps pulling. Telary has recovered from his dizzy spell, and is already waiting at the exit.
"C'mon, you idiot!" she yells, pulling Sora forward and actually throwing him over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. "We gotta get outta here!"
"Riku…"
"I know, Sora," the knight sighs sympathetically. "I know."
I honestly feel like there's a lot of untapped emotion in the Monstro stage of Kingdom Hearts, and I kinda wanted to bring that to the surface more. Dunno how I did exactly, but I feel okay about it. The original plan for the world called for a lot more of Telary questioning the biological inaccuracies of Monstro's design, but I cut quite a bit of it out because I couldn't get the phrasing sound as funny on paper as it did in my head. Just a bit of a behind-the-scenes look for y'all.
As per usual, leave a review if you feel inspired to do so. It can really be about pretty much anything. Your feedback is like a Cure spell for my soul.
'Til next time!