Chapter 24

After what seemed like hours, Geni had finally released all of her pent up emotions on her poor brother. At the moment they were sitting there together, Sora's protective arms still wrapped around her, as they watched the storm continue to rage outside of the cave. The lightning occasionally lit up the clearing in front of the cave, illuminating the shadowy trees in the half-light.

When it had passed half an hour and Sora had still not returned, Kairi decided to go and check up on the two of them. She found them together, with Geni still crying softly. Sora had heard Kairi's footsteps, turning to look at her. He smiled, giving her a small nod. When Kairi saw him smile, she knew that everything was going to be fine. She smiled back before carefully turning around and making her way to their warm niche in the back of the cave, thanks to Geni's magic.

Sora does have that effect on people, she thought with a chuckle. No matter how sad, how angry, or how negative we might feel, he knows just what to say or do to turn our moods around and make us feel like nothing could ever go wrong. That's just what I love about him. Kairi blushed at the thought, absentmindedly brushing some of her deep red locks behind her ear, but was happy about the twins nonetheless.

"Are they okay?" King Mickey immediately asked when he saw her appear suddenly from the darkness, his small nose crinkling.

She nodded. "I think Geni's finally accepted that tonight wasn't her fault in the least. I know what if feels like to blame yourself for the things you have no control over," she said, thinking about the time she was kidnapped by Organization XIII, forcing Sora to assault The World That Never Was blindly.

"I'll second that," Riku said knowingly from his spot on the floor. At that the moment, the four of them had been going over what kind of supplies they had left, and how they would have to ration it for their long trip if they were going to stay and help Geni.

"How's it going?" Kairi asked him as she sat down next to him, surveying their goods.

"Not too bad, but not too good either," he replied. "We haven't checked Geni's bag yet, but from what the six of us have, we have enough food and fresh water for several days if we go very sparingly on it. We also have three blankets already, but I remember seeing Geni put some into her own bag as well. Other than that, we have the potions and ethers Donald brought, and some of the information we gathered from the Library earlier today." Riku paused. "It feels so long ago that we were there…" he told them truthfully.

"A lot has happened since then," Donald quacked. "But getting back to our initial problem: we have enough supplies for three, four days at the maximum. After that, we'll either have to start scrounging for food or risk going into some town or village that we come to and see if we can barter or buy some from them. Still, it all depends on where exactly we have to go and how long it will take us to get there."

"Which leads us back to Geni," King Mickey finished. "I hate to say it, but right now the only thing we can do is try and get some sleep and start fresh in the morning. I have a feeling we need at least one night of rest before we plow straight into a mistake – which is the last thing we need right now. Where are they?" King Mickey asked Kairi, referring to the twins.

"Near the entrance to the cave," she quickly supplied.

"Good. The two of them will be able to keep watch for a while yet as long as they are there, but we had best take shifts. Anyone up for a couple of hours after them?" he asked the group.

"I'll do it," Riku quickly said.

"Good. We should probably tell them what we've decided –" King Mickey began to say before he was interrupted by Kairi.

"Why don't we wait a bit? I think the best thing for Geni is to be with Sora right now. At the moment she still seems pretty sensitive, and Sora is calming her down. I'll watch the sphere for a bit while you sleep Riku, and then I'll wake you up when it's your turn to go on watch duty. Okay?" she asked him.

"If you're sure," Riku said hesitantly.

"No problem," she replied with a smile. "Besides, I don't think I could sleep much as it is right now."

"Who could?" Donald muttered as he began to repack the bags, leaving out the blankets. "But still, we need those blankets that Geni brought. Even if that sphere is keeping the air warm, the stone floor is still freezing."

"I'll get them," Kairi offered, standing up. She walked over to Geni's large pack and pulled at a string that she thought would loosen the top. Peering inside, she was surprised to see how neatly it was packed with the amount that was actually inside of it. There were bottles of water and packages of food, mostly dried and readily edible without having to cook it or keep it cold; there was a first aid kit filled with bandages and several different types of potions; there were three more heavy duty blankets, so they were only one short; but what really caught Kairi's attention was a wooden box at the very bottom of the bag, a few inches tall but still quite large. She decided to leave it alone, figuring Geni must have had a good reason for packing it.

Carefully she pulled out the three blankets. "Here are some more," she said, offering it to the boys.

"Only three? I guess we're one short then, fellers," Goofy said, stating Kairi's previous thoughts.

"Well, since we'll usually be taking turns sleeping at night, that shouldn't be a problem unless it gets really cold," King Mickey said as he spread out one of the blankets he had brought on the ground underneath him. Goofy and Donald had each taken one of the other ones, while Riku had one of the durable blankets Geni had brought. Each of them spread it on the ground, before settling down on top of it, using their packs as pillows. "Well, I don't know how many of us will get any sleep, but wake us if you need anything Kairi," he told her.

"Thanks King Mickey. Good night everyone," she told them as she sat down on one of the blankets herself.

"Night Kairi," Riku said as he turned to face the wall.

Suddenly, a soft flapping noise was heard from the other side of the cave. Kairi turned her head and laughed quietly. Goofy was already snoring away, his long ears covering his eyes. Donald looked at him, sighing before he plopped down himself and covered his head with his backpack. Kairi thought she heard an utterance of "lucky dog" come from him before he quieted. As the noises in their part of the cave subsided, the gentle pounding of the storm could be heard once more. Kairi was grateful, for the most part, because it did sound quieter than it had earlier so she hoped it was finally abating. She watched the orb glow, feeling the tendrils of warmth radiating from it. Sighing, she closed her eyes and waited, thinking of how carefree their lives had been only two days ago – and now how they were once again confronting life-threatening evils from the darkness.

But then Kairi smiled. Well, I guess we wouldn't be Keybearers if destiny wanted us to have safe, normal, boring lives. Never a dull moment – and I know that none of us would want it any other way.

On the other hand, Sora had been thinking the exact opposite. Yes, the storm was finally abating; the lightning and thunder had stopped, but the rain continued to fall incessantly. Geni was quiet, lulled to a half sleep by the steady and strong beat of her brother's heart. She had quietly mourned for the past two hours, grieving for the family who had been so horrendously severed from her.

Sora had felt her pain so strongly when their mental link had been reestablished, and it had taken much effort on his part not to break down along with her because of what she had conveyed through it to him. He was also surprised that the two of them still had it, considering the ceremony that had been performed earlier that night. The Queen had said that Geni's connections to everything outside of the Realm would have been severed...so wouldn't their connection have been severed as well? He didn't understand it, but really didn't want to. He also thought about the crystals that the two of them still wore. Geni had not mentioned them before, during, or after the ceremony even though Sora was still wearing his, tucked safely beneath his shirt. He didn't know about his sister; she wasn't wearing it, but she most likely had it still with her. Still, in spite of everything, Geni was a strong girl, and even with losing people precious to her, she knew she must go on for their sakes. Which is why she was still now, resting while she had the chance.

Sora was still hugging her to his chest as the two of them watched the rain fall. He could hear her breathing becoming deeper and more even, and could see that her eyes were only half open. He smiled on the outside, but inside he was seething at Donovan – the man who had taken everything away from his sister. The man he knew next to nothing about, save that he was one of the Queen's personal advisors. He felt earlier Geni's dislike for the man, and even Lirona's statement about his want for power didn't do much to sway him from the fact that the man just felt evil. Sora scowled, furrowing his eyebrows.

Geni felt her brother shift ever so slightly. "Sora?" she asked in a confused whisper.

He stilled immediately. "It's nothing…try and get some sleep, 'kay?" he said quietly, smiling down at her. "We've got a long day tomorrow."

"Today," she mumbled, pushing down on him as if he were a pillow.

"Ah, you're probably right," he said with a small chuckle.

"Hey, Sora?" Geni said, heavy lids staring into his black jacket.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for everything I said before," she murmured.

"Don't worry about it," he told her firmly. "Your emotions were talking, not you. Anyone would have been angry with what happened."

"No…I meant about not wanting your help. I don't know what I would have done if all of you hadn't come after me. I would probably be sitting in a prison cell waiting to be executed." She paused, listening to the rain. "But with all of you there, I knew I couldn't just give up…to just sit there and mourn Hisako and Lirona. In a way, the six of you saved me – thanks," she finished softly.

"Hey, what are family and friends for?" he said, giving her a squeeze. "Besides, the guy who helped us to get back to the Palace – what was his name? Oh yeah, Aldous – wanted us to send word back that everything was okay. Oops – except we left right away," he said sheepishly. Geni went still, and Sora heard a hitch in her breathing. "Geni? What's wrong?" he asked her gently.

"All of them – every single person connected to me – they'll be hurt because of me," she whispered. "I couldn't save any of them. Even Elwen – who knows if knocking her out saved her from suspicion? In the morning, everyone will know what happened and will point their fingers at me. Everyone will assume that's the truth without knowing what Donovan did." Geni tightened her grip, one hand on Sora's jacket and the other on Lirona's necklace.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Sora interrupted. "I think many of your friends will take your side. I mean, how many people would actually consider that you would hurt, let alone kill, the two people you were closest to? You might have more friends in the capital yet than you thought," he said, poking her in the side.

Geni shifted, fighting the urge not to giggle. It was hard when you wanted to cry but were forced to laugh at the same time. "Maybe you're right," she told Sora, before a loud yawn escaped from her mouth.

"Maybe you should go and get some sleep," he told his sister.

"No, I'm fine – really," she insisted, immediately sitting up. Sora let her go and watched her closely for a moment. "I'm fine, see?" she said with a smile, trying to hide the bags that were slowly forming under her tired eyes.

Sora shook his head. "No. Out of all of us, you're the one that needs the most rest. You're the one who is going to have to lead us to safety, and to a place where we can plan to exonerate your name." Geni's mouth dropped open. "What?" Sora asked, embarrassed. "Did I say something funny?"

"Is it my imagination, or did your vocabulary just randomly expand?" she asked, incredulous.

"Ha ha," he said, standing up. "I know you're tired when you start making arbitrary jokes. Go," he commanded, hauling her to her feet. Geni swayed slightly, Sora steadying her, before she nodded to him.

"Okay," she said. "Thanks again…for everything Sora."

"Hey, what are brothers for?" he grinned. "Now go." Geni gave him a quick hug before she slowly walked to the back of the cave. Now that she was up and moving, she could feel how heavy her body was and the blurriness that was creeping in at the edge of her vision. Before she put her body on automatic, she carefully replaced Lirona's necklace back into the little purse she had on her waist, caressing the stone a few times before sealing it back in. Seeing the light in the back of the cave, she was bombarded with several different sets of soft snores. As she entered the circle of light, she smiled seeing Goofy, Donald, King Mickey, and Riku fast asleep on several blankets towards the back wall. Kairi was sitting against the outer wall, her eyes closed but definitely awake.

Hearing footsteps, Kairi immediately opened her eyes to see Geni standing several feet away from her. "Geni?" she asked quietly, standing.

"Hey Kairi," she replied, smiling a little.

"How are you feeling?" the redhead asked the brunette.

"Better," Geni admitted. "But tired. I see they beat me to it, though," she said, gesturing at the others.

"I think we're all a little tired right now. Is Sora up front yet?"

Geni nodded. "He's taking the first shift of guard duty. Who's next?"
"Riku volunteered. I'm supposed to wake him up in an hour or so, but it's hard to tell when I don't have a watch to know when sunrise is."

Geni was silent for a moment before replying. "It's about four hours away, as far as I can tell. You should get Riku up in a while so Sora can get some sleep too."

"How can you tell that?" Kairi asked, amazed.

"Internal clock. It was close to eleven when we finally left the city behind, and we traveled for another half an hour after that. We came to the cave almost two hours ago, so it's around two or three in the morning right now," Geni explained quietly as she grabbed one of the folded blankets near her pack. "I see you found the blankets I brought along."

"I went in there to get them," Kairi said apologetically as she sat back down on her own blanket.

Geni waved her off. "No big deal." She sat down on the blanket and proceeded to stretch out. "I'm going to try and get some sleep if I can. If you hear something like a bell ringing and I don't wake up right away, one of my sensory spells has detected something."

"Alright. Goodnight Geni."

"Goodnight Kairi," she replied as she laid her head down upon her pack, squishing it until it was just right. The last image Geni saw that night was of Kairi's worried face.

The rest of the night was thankfully uneventful. In a while Kairi woke up Riku who went to take Sora's place. Sora came back and both of them slept for a few hours until the sun began to rise and shafts of light pierced through the tall trees. The rain had stopped well before dawn, but the ground was very muddy and ridden with puddles. As much as many of them had wanted to, their sleep was too short and for some fitful. Geni fell within both categories; all night her mind had replayed the scene in the Audience Chamber over and over again.

"Come on Geni, wake up," a gentle voice said, piercing the haziness of her dream world.

Geni was running towards the throne for what felt like the thousandth time when she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder and shake her slightly. Geni's hand immediately whipped around and caught the person by the wrist. What she was surprised to see, however, was that the person holding her shoulder was none other than Lirona, who was still lying dead at the base of the throne. "Lirona...?" Geni said quietly, her bottom lip quivering.

"No...come on Geni, wake up," Lirona told her in a gentle voice. Geni closed her eyes briefly, and then opened them again. She was lying down on her blanket yet, with her right arm hugging her pack for dear life. On the other hand, the wrist she had thought belonged to Lirona belonged to Sora, who was looking at her concernedly while he kneeled next to her. "Geni?" he asked again in a worried tone.

"Sora?" she replied as she blinked once more, immediately releasing his wrist. Geni felt wet spots on her face. Bringing her hand up, she gently touched her cheeks to find tears all over them. She brushed them away quickly as she asked Sora, "Is it morning already?"

"Yeah. Having a bad dream?" he asked her quietly.

"...Mm-hmm. Sorry about your wrist," she said, sitting up with a yawn.

"No problem. I still can't believe how fast your reflexes are when you're sleeping," he told her with a laugh.

"Practice," she told him with a shrug. She looked around the cave, seeing only the two of them and the glowing sphere she had set up the night before. "Where is everybody?"

"Near the front of the cave. We all decided that out of all of us, you could use a little extra sleep."

"What?! What time is it?" Geni said, jumping to her feet.

"Don't worry," Sora told her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's only been an hour or so since the sun has risen. We were just eating a light breakfast when we thought that we had better come and wake you up."

"Oh, that's all? Well, I think I'll plan on walking and eating at the same time. We really do have a long ways to go until we rest tonight." Geni picked up her blanket and rolled it up, placing it in her pack which she then slung on her back.

"Speaking of which..." Sora said, turning to face the front of the cave. "Where exactly are we going?"

"To where some old friends of mine live," she told him as she went to the glowing orb. Touching it gently, she reabsorbed what was left of the magic in it and the cave immediately darkened. Straightening, she walked back to where Sora was standing, his silhouette slightly outlined from the little light penetrating into the back of the cave. "I'll tell you more when I tell everyone else."

"Okay," Sora said. "Let's go then." The twins walked back through the uneven path, the bright circle of light becoming larger and larger until the two of them emerged into a brilliant sunny morning. Even though the ground was very muddy, the enormous trees surrounding them stood tall and proud, their leaves dripping like a second shower. Each tree was easily several hundred feet tall, and at least fifty feet around the trunk. On some rocks next to the cave sat the rest of the group, eating a frugal breakfast.

"G'morning!" Goofy said brightly when he saw the two of them come out. "Nice of you to join us! Want some grub?" he said, holding out what looked like a granola bar.

"Not yet, thanks," Geni said, eying the rest of the group. "Any problems?" she said, tilting her head towards the forest.

Kairi shook her head. "It's been quiet all night and this morning so far," she told her.

"It probably won't be for long. As long as it was raining, we had pretty good covering for our tracks. But now that the sun is out, the Guards will be starting a search within the city. When they don't find us, however, they'll begin expanding outside of the city if they haven't done it already," she told them, sitting down on a rock.

"Could they track us easily?" Sora asked her, sitting down next to her with the granola bar from Goofy.

"Maybe...I cleared away the excess magic I used in getting here last night, but until we leave and I take down my sensory spells, there's still a chance of them tracking it. We should leave as soon as we possibly can," she told them straight out.

"Where to?" Donald pointed out.

Geni looked down at her feet. "I can only give you the barest details because I'm bound by silence not to give away the route. However, we'll have to head south towards the mountain range known as the Beast's Rest and cross over it. I figure it will take us at least one or two days of continuous walking to reach the mountains, and then at least another day to cross them if we stick to the narrowest part of them. After that, it will be another day or so to reach our final destination."

"We'll have to cross the mountains?!" Donald quacked indignantly. "I'm sorry, but when we left in such a hurry last night you conveniently forget to mention to us to pack our parkas!"

Geni was silent. "I'm sorry Donald, but it's the only way. And besides, I've heard that there are some tunnels within the mountains. Maybe if we can find one, it will take us directly through them to the other side without having to go through the snow. Still...there aren't many people that traverse the mountains – many take the easier routes of going around them by river or above them. Except for the general map I have in my head, I really don't know what the mountains will be like until we get there."

"Well, as long as you won't lead us in circles," Sora said with a laugh.

"Thanks for that vote of confidence Sora," Geni muttered, standing up. "Either way, let's get going. The trees will provide us with plenty of cover until we reach the mountains, so we should be fairly safe if we stay well out of any populated areas."

"Well, what are we waiting for then? Lets –" King Mickey said, until an abrupt ringing of a bell quieted him. Geni stiffened, closing her eyes and immediately feeling outwards with her magic. Everyone watched her closely, until her shoulders relaxed and she opened her eyes once more. "False alarm – just some big animals," she said with a tight smile. "Still, let's hurry and go. Grab your stuff and I'll disable the spells." Geni walked towards the forest leaving the others to quickly pack their things. She went and spread her palms on each of the large trees, the bark glowing softly as the magic given to them was taken back. "Thank you," Geni whispered to each of them as if they were intelligent creatures. "Please keep us safe on our journey, and keep our pursuers from finding us," she told them quietly as she leaned her forehead onto each tree. After finishing with all four trees, she went back to where her friends were standing. "Ready?" she asked them.

"All set," Sora told her, adjusting the straps on his pack.

Geni stood in front of the six of them for a moment, biting her lip. Six pairs of eyes gazed at her with expectancy. "This is the last time I'll ask all of you. Are you sure you want to stay and help? It isn't going to be easy, and you might get hurt. I can still send you back to the castle today yet, and –"

"Forget it," King Mickey said, coming forward to look up at her. "This isn't your fight anymore – it's all of ours. The legend of the Keybearers is somehow tied in with all of this...I'm sure of it. I believe if we can figure out what that Donovan's motives are, he'll lead us to the wielder of darkness that we're searching for. I have this feeling that whoever that is, that they are the one behind this mess. So no more of this. We're coming with you whether you like it or not," he told her firmly.

Geni's eyes flashed with an unknown emotion, but no one noticed it. "And all of you agree with him?" she said, looking at each of them in turn.

"Will you quit asking us that?" Riku finally said, giving her a pointed look. "All of us are going to help you and we won't take no for an answer. Got it?" he said, looking her in the eye. Geni slowly looked over, seeing in those aquamarine depths she had so often stared into, that he was telling the truth; however, even underneath that she saw an apologetic look to him.

She nodded, tightening her lips. "Alright, let's go. Follow me – we'll try not to stop until this afternoon if possible." And with that, Geni began walking to the south, following the sheer cliff. The six of them quickly fell in line behind her, and they began their long trek in silence, only the occasional chatter of birds breaking the calm.

Now...I won't go into much detail of the time they spent walking. Not that much happened anyway, so to speak. That morning the awe of the enormous trees quickly gave way to annoyance because some of them were so big that having to walk around them was troublesome. The forest floor consisted of a mixture of grass and shrubs, and the occasional large rock. It was also quite flat; the barely noticeable hills had been devoured by the trees. The only creatures in the forest were birds and small animals, but at one point Kairi swore she had spotted something large and hairy following them. Even though they stopped and Geni went to investigate, she came back saying there were no traces of any humans or animals following them. And so went their uneventful trek until they stopped in the early part of the afternoon for a rest.

"My feet!" Kairi said, plopping down onto a flat stone. "I don't think I've ever done that much walking ever!"

"Well, we've only gone about ten miles or so," Geni told her. "There is still a long way to go until we reach the mountains."

"How far from the capital are these mountains?" Sora asked her, sitting down on a dry spot in the grass. The canopy high above them was so thick at this point that only a small shaft of light every hundred feet or so pierced through the artificial twilight. The rest of the group had each staked out a small rock or dry spot of ground and were digging out some snacks or water. The air was warm, but a cool breeze continued to flow between the trees, keeping the day sunny and pleasant.

"Well...from the outermost point of the capital itself to the base of the mountains...I think it was around fifty miles or so. The mountain range itself spans several hundred miles in each direction, but straight through it is about ten miles or so."

"So we still have another forty miles until we get to the base of the mountains?" Kairi said to her, shock on her face.

Geni nodded. "Not bad for only hiking for six hours, huh?"

"I'm never going to make it!" Kairi said dramatically, holding the back or her hand to her forehead.

"Well, then Sora can carry you," Geni said, standing up. "I'll be right back – I thought I heard a stream somewhere around here. I want to go wash up."

"Don't go too far," King Mickey advised her.

"I won't," she promised, dumping her pack on the ground. "I'll be back in a few minutes or so. And if the stream is good enough, I'll come back and fill up some of the bottles from it." And with that, she walked off into the forest, disappearing behind several trees.

Everyone was sitting, resting their feet from the sheer amount of walking they had done. Even Sora, Donald, and Goofy when running around the worlds had never done this much in one go. At that point, Sora was very grateful that all of the worlds he had visited had their distinct landmarks very close to each other, and that the Heartless infestations weren't widespread on each world.

The going hadn't been very rough, but the hardest part was when they had hit patches of mud. It was sticky and thick, and clung to everything it touched. So naturally everyone's shoes were covered with the filth. Donald, being barefoot, got the worst of it with mud sticking in between his webbed toes. As they got out some water and food for their lunch, Kairi found a stick and began to try and pry the hardened mud off of the sides and underside of her purple sneakers.

"Having fun?" Sora asked her, watching and trying not to laugh.

Kairi looked up and sighed, before noticing how clean at least the sides and tops of Sora's shoes were. "How come your shoes are so clean?" she whined.

"Well, the clothes are magic," Riku countered from his spot across the way, watching his two friends with interest.

"Next time we come across some fairies, I swear I am going to get them to at least enchant my shoes," Kairi said with gritted teeth, renewing her attack upon the mud.

"Why don't you go and wash them off?" Sora suggested to her. "Geni went to find that stream – since she isn't back yet she must have found one – and I'm sure it isn't far away."

"That is the first good idea you've had all day Sora," Kairi said as she stood up. Walking past him, she swatted his spikes. Sora grinned up at her before returning to his sandwich. Kairi followed the footprints she could see in the wet earth, and before long she was out of sight of her friends. On the other hand, she could clearly hear the sound of running water. As she followed Geni's footprints for another five minutes or so, she suddenly came upon a small burbling stream running through the trees. It was as clear as glass, and she could see straight through to the bottom, which was only about two feet down.

Kairi looked to her left and right before she spotted Geni a ways down from her. She was kneeling on the bank, her face near the water as she scrubbed at it. Finishing, she splashed some water on her face and used her blue embroidered skirt to pat herself dry. It was at that point she noticed Kairi standing there. "Come to wash up?" she called. "The water is clear and there isn't anything bad in it."

Kairi walked over to her. "I can see that, but are you sure? What about germs and such? Those are too tiny to see."

She shook her head. "You don't have to worry about those. Follow me," Geni said to her. She put her finger up to her lips and turned around. Kairi silently followed her along the river, until they reached a large clearing in the middle of the woods where the sun could penetrate through the treetops. In the clearing was a huge meadow of tall grasses and wildflowers, and in the middle resting peacefully was what appeared to be a white horse. Its back was facing them as it looked out upon the terrain, but after Kairi accidentally stepped on a twig and snapped it in half, the horse turned towards them and Kairi's breath caught in her throat. A magnificent golden horn sprouted in the middle of the horse's forehead, marking it as a legendary and mythical beast: the unicorn.

"A unicorn," Kairi said, stating the obvious in her disbelief.

"Mmm-hmmm. It must have been separated from his glory during the last full moon," Geni said, walking up to it very slowly. She had one hand stretched out towards it in a gentle manner. The unicorn stood up and immediately whinnied softly when she got very close, stepping away from her. "Don't worry…I won't hurt you," she murmured softly. She stopped walking towards it but kept her hand out. After a moment, the unicorn took one cautious step forward. It brought its nose down to Geni's hand for a quaint sniff, before it nuzzled her gently. "That's a boy, good boy," Geni told the unicorn as she brought her other hand up and began to rub his long nose. The unicorn made small noises that could have been related to a cat purring.

"That's amazing," Kairi told her breathlessly.

"Come on over – he's friendly," Geni called. Kairi walked slowly and with caution towards the unicorn, but it never once flinched and it eagerly began to investigate her as well when she had reached the two of them. "Hey, that tickles," Kairi giggled as the unicorn blew a great burst of air out of his nostrils and into her hair. "It's unimaginable – a real live unicorn, and I'm petting it!"

"Unicorns used to be hunted for their horns, and still are in parts of the universe – at least if you can find them. There used to be millions of them, spread throughout the cosmos to protect the young and innocent."

"Young and innocent?" Kairi asked, turning towards her as she rubbed the unicorn's soft neck.

"Well…you could say virgins," Geni told her with a slight blush. Kairi blushed just as much, making them both laugh. "Male unicorns protect young girls, while female unicorns protect young boys. They're also one of the most intelligent creatures you'll find; even though they can't talk, they can understand speech perfectly." To help make this point, the unicorn whinnied softly and raised his head up and down in agreement. "So what are you doing all the way out here anyway? Are you lost?" she asked the unicorn.

He looked Geni in the eye, as if to say Who? Me? Lost? You must be confusing me with some other dashing creature.

"Alright…well, if you aren't lost, why aren't you with the rest of your glory? Are they around here at all?" The unicorn shook his head. "They aren't here? Were hunters after you?" Geni said, a hint of anger in her voice. The unicorn once again shook his head, and Geni smiled. "So, your glory isn't here, and you weren't being hunted. Are you just out to have fun?" The unicorn whinnied loudly and stamped his feet while shaking his large head up and down.

"So nothing is wrong?" Kairi asked, smiling at how playful the unicorn was.

"Nothing that I can see. It does happen that sometimes the younger unicorns like to go and take trips to random worlds to have fun at times, but usually they go in their own glories to protect themselves at least." Geni turned and stared at the unicorn, looking him directly in the eyes. "Next time use the buddy system, okay? It would be a tragedy if you weren't around anymore." The unicorn bowed his head low, as if apologizing. "Apology accepted," Geni said with a grin.

"Hey Geni?" Kairi said, interrupting the picture perfect moment.

"What's up?"

"I keep hearing you refer to a 'glory.' What is it?" she asked her.

"A 'glory' is the term for a herd of unicorns," Geni explained. "Like a gaggle of geese, a pack of wolves, or a pod of dolphins. I think it's one of my favorite words ever since I learned about it back in school," Geni said with a contented sigh.

Just then, the unicorn flattened his ears back and stepped in front of the two girls, his eyes darting upwards into the blue sky high above them. "Geni –?" Kairi managed to say as she tried turning around, but before she could Geni clamped her hand over her mouth and crouched down into the tall grass and flowers. Both she and the unicorn had their eyes glued to the sky.

It was at that point Kairi heard a soft, almost imperceptible rumble. A whirring, mechanical noise hummed somewhere in the distance but was quickly getting much louder. As it did, the unicorn whinnied softly and began to walk slowly towards the edge of the meadow. Geni crept along with him, keeping Kairi silent even though she was bursting to ask why they were doing so – however, considering what had happened the day before, she wasn't going to question the girl's actions.

Just as the trio reached the stream hidden under the trees, the whirring grew to its loudest, making many birds screech from their nests and take to the sky. Once they were safely hidden under the trees, Geni took her hand from Kairi's mouth, but put her finger to her lips. Then, she pointed to the opening in the trees. As Kairi bent to look, an amazing sight completely filled the sky above them.

An enormous flying ship crowded the skies. The hull was made of a shiny dark blue metal, but the sides and the top of it had metal poles that extended so cloth sails could catch the wind easier. There were three on each side, and one very long sail along the top of the ship. At the end of the ship several enormous spinning propellers were propelling the ship through the sky. What worried Kairi, however, was that even from their hiding spot, she could see that the deck on the very top of the ship held many people who were looking over the sides and down into the forest. "Search party," Geni whispered. The unicorn neighed softly in agreement. Ever so slowly, the ship made its way past them, heading north in the direction towards the capital.

As soon as the whirring and humming of the ship's engines had died down, Geni slowly got to her feet, Kairi doing the same. Geni rubbed the side of the unicorn. "Thank you for saving us," she told him gratefully. "We probably would have been spotted if it wasn't for those spectacular ears of yours." She walked forward and scratched the large appendages. The unicorn whinnied at her playfully, tossing his gleaming mane.

"Were they looking for us?" Kairi asked quietly.

Geni looked down into the shiny fur coat of their new friend, hiding the fear in her eyes. "Not unless there are more fugitives hiding in the woods with us," she told her. "We should get back to the others – they'll probably be worried, but hopefully they at least had the common sense to hide."

"I'm sure Riku and King Mickey did," Kairi told her. "Let's go…and thank you again for helping us," she told the unicorn as she patted his nose one last time. The unicorn tossed his head, before suddenly dipping down one of his knees so he was kneeling.

"Really?" Geni said to him. "Are you sure?" The unicorn snorted in reply.

"What?" Kairi asked. "Is something wrong with his leg?"

Geni shook her head. "No – he wants us to ride him!"

"Really?" she said excitedly, clapping her hands together.

"It is an extreme honor to ride a unicorn. However, it also means something greater – unicorn magic can never be erased from our beings."

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked her.

"It means that a part of this unicorn will always be with us; for one thing, if we're ever in trouble again, he'll be able to sense it no matter where he is and he will come to our aid if we call him." Geni turned to him. "It is a great honor," she told him, bowing.

The unicorn whinnied, dipping his head and horn as if bowing to her as well and also as if saying Thanks, but could you two please hurry up?

"Of course. Let's go Kairi – I'll get on and pull you up, okay?" Geni walked over and without a second thought leapt onto the unicorn's back. She settled herself before she held out a hand to Kairi. Kairi quickly walked up and grabbed Geni's hand. Maybe not as gracefully, but just as quickly Geni hauled her up and Kairi was sitting beside her. The unicorn stood up slowly so as not to jostle his riders.

"Whoa," Kairi said, hugging Geni. The unicorn's back had still been at least five feet off of the ground when he was kneeling, but now it stood at least seven feet tall from his hooves to his head.

"Hang on," Geni said before she patted the unicorn's neck. "Let's go!"

The unicorn immediately took off at a blinding pace, jumping over the small creek with ease. Geni had her hands curled within his mane, while Kairi held onto her middle. The two girls laughed despite the situation as the unicorn dashed and leapt, a white flash of lightning in the forest of green. To ride a unicorn, as anyone who ever has knows, is to feel pure freedom. You can do anything, be anyone; you can reach for the moon and grasp it in your palm. It is complete freedom from the mortal universe.

Like the girls, the five males of their group had hidden themselves under the roots of a large tree when they had heard the engines flying overhead. It was just then that they carefully ventured out, wondering what it could have been. "It sounded like some kind of ship…but nothing like a gummi ship," Donald stated.

"With this tree cover, we couldn't see what it was even if we wanted to. I suppose though, that that meant whoever it was couldn't see us either," King Mickey supplied.

"Well, hopefully they didn't spot Kairi or Geni either," Sora said, looking off into the forest. "I wonder what's taking so long."

"If they were hiding like we were –" Riku began, but at that moment he spotted a white flash coming towards them at a blinding pace. "Look out!" he shouted as he deployed his Keyblade. Sora and King Mickey did likewise, with Donald taking out his staff and Goofy his faithful shield.

Suddenly, a dazzling white horse landed gracefully in the clearing, with the two missing girls upon its back. "Sora –!" Kairi began to shout. However, seeing the weapons displayed, the unicorn whinnied loudly and reared its front legs. Geni and Kairi held on for dear life, not wanting to fall and possibly hurt themselves badly. Still, Kairi found her grip slipping and she fell off of the unicorn's rump, falling on her own. "Ow," she said with a wince, rubbing her sore bottom. Now her rear end had mud on it, not just her shoes. She groaned in frustration.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted, running up to her and standing between her and the unicorn. "Stay back!"

"Sora no! He's not an enemy!" Kairi yelled, stumbling to her feet and grabbing his arm.

"What?" Sora asked her, confused.

"He's a unicorn! Look at his forehead!"

Sora turned and saw what he thought was a white horse prancing while it tried to find a way open. He bowed his head up and down as he used his now apparent horn as a way to keep the males distance from him. Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were trying to get Geni to get off while she was trying to tell them that he wasn't a danger to them. With all of the shouting going on, nobody heard each other and so there was mass confusion.

Riku at one point tried running in between the unicorns deadly hooves, trying to reach out to Geni. "Let her go!" he said angrily as he clutched The Way to the Dawn even tighter, swinging it in their direction. While doing this, the unicorn looked at the tall human boy, peering into his eyes. As they say, the eyes are the window to the soul – and the unicorn saw very clearly what was within him. It was at that point the unicorn decided to jump over the circle they had made around him. As he hunched his rear legs, his powerful leg muscles sent him flying clear over the heads of everyone present and allowing him to dash off into the forest. Geni dug her fists even more into his mane, hugging her body to his. With her light brown clothing, she looked like a saddle sitting upon his back more than his rider.

"Geni!" King Mickey yelled. "We've got to save her!"

"On it!" Donald shouted, and quickly prepared a spell. "Thun-"

"Donald! No, wait!" Sora shouted, running over to him.

"-daga!" he finished, several enormous bolts of lightning striking the area around the unicorn's path to freedom. As it turned and twisted to get out of the way of the lightning, one bolt landed directly in front of him. The unicorn, frightened, bucked to stop himself and accidentally sent Geni flying off of his back – at least fifteen feet into the air! She didn't have time to prepare a spell for a soft landing, so shut her eyes tight and hoped for the best.

Crunch! Geni's back hit one of the large trees with great force, forcing all of the air out of her lungs and making her fall like a sack of potatoes. To make matters worse, when she fell to the ground she smacked the side of her head on one of the trees roots, if not giving her a concussion then cracking her skull. Geni landed with a thump at the base of the tree, her arms and legs splayed out, her head lolling upon her chest. She lay silent and unmoving, the second time within days.

"Geni!" Sora cried out, running towards her. As he dashed towards her, the unicorn beat him to her and he stood with his front legs splayed out, his horn pointing dangerously at him. He made guttural noises in his throat, warning the small human boy to stay away from the hurt girl. "Get out of my way!" Sora demanded.

"Sora, stay back! He won't hurt her!" Kairi shouted once again as she ran up with the rest of the group, having explained to them the situation. Dumbfounded at first, all four of them had suddenly realized all at the same what they had been about to do and felt very ashamed of themselves. "Put away your Keyblade!" she told him firmly.

"But Geni…" Sora said, looking over to where his sister lay. Her face was turned away from him, and he had a gut feeling that something was very wrong. He shook his head, reabsorbing his Keyblade back into himself. Once the six of them were disarmed, Kairi slowly walked towards the unicorn as she had seen Geni do before, holding her hand out to him.

"It's alright…we're friends, remember?" she told him gently. The unicorn looked them over, before he finally stood back up to his full height. Kairi thought that he had settled, and so took several more steps forward. The unicorn neighed loudly, stepping in front of her path. Kairi immediately stopped, frightened. Once she had stopped, the unicorn tossed his head, and pranced back to where Geni lay next to the tree.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, her temple had a large gash running down the side of it, with blood still flowing freely from it as her heart continued to beat. The blood had already run down her neck and was beginning to stain her asymmetrical top. She had several other smaller cuts and bruises, breathing very shallowly from when she had collided with the tree. Her poor clothes were stained with blood and mud, scratches and tears in the once immaculate uniform. The unicorn bent its knees so it could kneel next to Geni. As he gently folded his front legs underneath him, he whinnied softly and bent his head down. The unicorn brought his horn to the side of Geni's head and placed his horn within the cut itself, causing a small amount of her blood to stain the shining golden tip. A soft light matching the hue of his horn flooded the wound, and when it receded the cut was gone as well as all of the blood. To top that, the rest of her bruises and cuts were gone too, and she was breathing deeply and easily. The unicorn slowly withdrew his horn, looking as satisfied as he could with his long face.

At this point, Geni was swimming somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. What's going on? she thought to herself. Why is it so dark here?

You have been healed, little princess – now awaken, a rich, velvety voice told her.

Geni opened her eyes to find herself staring into large golden pupils which were sitting upon a long white face. Who are you? she asked.

You do not remember me?

It suddenly clicked. The unicorn! You healed me? Thank you, Geni said, dipping her head. She then suddenly looked around, seeing no one else in the forest with them. Where is everyone?

We are not in the forest, little princess. We are speaking mind-to-mind right now¸ the unicorn told her.

Geni blinked once; she was about to open her mouth and say something, but then changed her mind. You have telepathy? she asked him incredulously by thinking it.

Only to those who have bonded with me through the use of my horn. But little princess, what are you doing so far from your home with the other humans?

Geni was silent. Queen Hisako has passed away, she told him simply.

Ah-ha. So it is beginning.

It is, Geni agreed. You should leave, and tell your brethren to stay away from the Realm until it has passed.

As if anyone, even another unicorn, could tell another unicorn to do anything but what they themselves wish to do? Little princess, you ask the impossible. The unicorn whinnied in laughter. But I will consider your words. However, please do not hesitate to call upon me if you ever need help.

I will, Geni promised. The unicorn immediately sagged to the ground. Are you alright? she asked him in a worried tone. She didn't know a lot about unicorns, unless you count reading fantastical bedtime stories about them, and the myths and legends about them from different worlds.

I will be in a few moments – it takes a lot of magic to heal. He quirked his large head to the side. That boy seems to act strange when you are around…the one with the hair the color of moonlight.

Riku? she said. She shook her head. Maybe before, but now…

The prince, the unicorn stated plainly. You have feelings for both of them, however. Geni's head shot up to look at him. Suddenly, the unicorn looked her straight in the eye. She stared into the golden depths, losing herself in their radiance. The unicorn once again read Geni's own soul, seeing what she could not. You have been chosen, and so must take up the duty assigned to you. Do not blame others for your ignorance, and do not let others' ignorance be your shield. What will you do now? And with that, the unicorn was silent. He turned his head away from her, and bent down to take a bite of the grass in front of him as Geni's vision suddenly went dark.

Geni suddenly felt something wet on her cheek, and she squinted first before she slowly opened her eyes, blinking in the bright daylight. The unicorn was nuzzling her cheek with his large wet nose, pushing her head to the side. "That tickles," Geni mumbled.

"Geni!" Geni slowly turned her face towards the sound. She first saw Sora and Kairi standing a short distance away from her, followed by the other four behind them. All of them had worried looks on their faces.

"Hey Sora," she said quietly with a small grin, bringing her arm up to wave at him. She winced; her chest was exceedingly sore yet, even after the healing the unicorn had given her.

Not caring about the potentially dangerous animal, Sora ran from Kairi's side and almost collided into the tree in his run towards his sister. He enveloped her in a huge hug, eying the unicorn who had just saved his sister's life and which he knew was no longer and never was a threat to them. "Thank you," he mouthed to the unicorn. The unicorn, in complete understanding, nodded back to him, shaking his mane. "Are you alright?" he asked Geni, not letting her go.

"I'm fine Sora – just a little winded," she told him, her voice oddly muted. "But it would help if I could breathe a little."

"Whoops, sorry," he told her, immediately pulling away. Geni took as deep of a breath as she could managed, only wincing a little. "Does it hurt?" he asked her, his eyes narrowing.

"Just a little. It's nothing – I should be able to walk it off," she told him as she tried to stand up. Sora stood up with her, and she smiled at him. "See? I'm fine now. And I think we should really get going considering the search party we saw a little while ago."

"Is that what that ship of people was?" he asked her.

Geni nodded. "I didn't think they would be searching through the forests already, but they must know me better than I thought. We should try and cover as much distance as possible before we rest tonight." She turned around to face the unicorn. "You should go too," she added quietly.

The male unicorn whinnied before standing back up to his full height. He looked at the other group before his gaze came to rest upon the twins standing before him. Remember my words, little princess, he said to Geni.

I will, she told him. The unicorn trumpeted loudly before turning hoof and dashing off through the trees. Geni sadly watched him go; it wasn't often that you met a unicorn in these current times because of their learned timidity of humans. Goodbye, and thank you, she mentally called after him.

Sora watched his sister, noting her longing eyes as she followed the unicorn until his luminously white coat shone no more within the trees. "Ready?" he asked her quietly.

"Yeah," she replied, blinking and turning back towards the rest of the group. The two of them walked up to them silently.

King Mickey was the first to speak. "We didn't know," he told her apologetically.

Geni shook her head. "You wouldn't have. Until Kairi told you, you only saw a white horse, did you not? You couldn't see his horn."

"But why not?" Sora interjected. "Why could only you and Kairi see him as he was, but we could only see him after you told us the truth?"

"Because he was protecting not just us but himself," Geni told him. "Sora…there aren't many unicorns left. For thousands of years unicorns have been hunted for the magic they possess within that horn…to the point that the unicorn has become nothing more than legend on many worlds. Even today there are still people who would hunt them down and kill them for that promised power."

"That's terrible, a-hyuk," Goofy said, sniffing.

"Which is why you must never tell anyone about him," Geni finished firmly. "Even speaking about him will put him and the other unicorns in danger."

"We won't," Kairi promised her. "Still..."

"It's something you'll always remember," Sora said, interrupting the girls. "Now, how about that enormous ship…?" he said suggestively.

"Right," Geni said, pulling herself out of her temporary thought derailment. "Let's get going. We'll fill up the water bottles at the stream Kairi and I were at, and then keep going. Grab your stuff guys." All seven of them hurriedly gathered their things. As Geni walked over to get her own back, she turned to find Riku watching her with an odd expression, his hand momentarily resting above his bag with a bottle of water in it. "What is it Riku?" she asked him, cocking her head to the side.

Riku jumped slightly, shoving his hand into his bag. "N-nothing. We should hurry and get going before another one of those ships comes by," he said bluntly as he made himself busy.

Geni looked down at the ground. "…You're right." She turned around and finished repacking. Quickly gathering her things, she walked back to the center of the group and waited for everyone else to finish. While she waited, she took in several deep breaths, hoping that everyone did not hear the pounding of her heart. I was way off, she thought to herself. I assumed they wouldn't be sending out search parties until tonight, not this morning. I was right – someone who knows me all too well is leading the search. They knew I wouldn't have stayed in the city…unless I had been alone. That means we'll have to get to the mountains by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. I've heard that the storms there are treacherous, to say the least. If we get caught in one, I don't think all of us combined have enough power to last through it without decent shelter. And like Donald said, we don't have any protective gear – and there isn't anyplace to get any either. Magic will have to suffice, as well as the blankets we have.

"Geni?" Geni blinked, looking up. All six of her friends were ready and waiting for her to lead them…but to what? she thought to herself. "Time to go," Sora added gently and with a reassuring smile.

Geni adjusted her backpack. "No more stopping until the sun goes down," she told them. There were a few good natured groans, but nothing to horrible. "Sorry – we've got to hurry now that they're looking for us."

"Will they be able to find us easily?" King Mickey asked her.

She shook her head. "Not unless we aren't careful. This forest is good at hiding what should be hidden…" Geni paused, looking up at the large tree to her left and smiling a little. "…and will protect us as long as we protect it."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, looking confused.

"This forest is alive, in many more ways than one. These trees are so old that they've developed a sort of consciousness; they know when there are friends and when there are enemies in their forest. They will protect their friends, and defend against enemies. If we treat the forest as such, it will return the favor to us as long as we are beneath its boughs."

"Yet another friend," Sora said, smiling.

Geni heard the hidden meaning, smiling back at him. "Yes…many friends." Geni turned around, facing south towards their destination. "I suppose I should be more grateful for them, shouldn't I?" she said quietly into the air in front of her. As if in response, a strong breeze blew past them, picking up her braid and waving it like a banner next to her. She turned her head to face them, her ocean blue eyes blazing with a new resolve. "Let's go…everyone."

And so their journey continued.