8/29/16 edit: changed and extended some of the sequences in the second half of the chapter, since I wasn't satisfied with how it turned out. Check it out if you haven't already!
A/N: Hello everyone, Tempura here with the next chapter of Re-sketch. And it's something rather interesting this time around. I'll not spoil it before we get to that part.
A quick thank you to readingchameleon! A moment of respite is needed on a long journey. And Traverse Town is one of my favorites too. Music, atmosphere, everything.
So without further ado, let us begin.
Enjoy.
Re-sketch
Chapter 25: Reminder
"Everything ready?" Goofy's voice came from the cockpit.
It was early morning on the fourth day of their stay in Traverse Town, but they wouldn't be staying for much longer. Sora went over everything in his head. Fridge full, cupboards stocked, water storage refilled, soap and detergent checked, toilet paper loaded up… He closed the closet door and turned to take one last contemplative glance around the inside of the Highwind. "I think we're good."
"Great!" Donald said, starting up the engine. A familiar rumble filled the ship, making the seats and walls vibrate. "Then it's time to get going!"
Sora walked back to the front of the ship, moving to the open door where Hikaru was standing with a box of sendoff pastries from Leon carried in her arms.
Leon and the others themselves were right outside of the Highwind, positioned near the door amidst the clutter of the gummi garage. "See ya," Yuffie said with a grin, giving a little two-finger wave. "Come back soon. Maybe that seafood joint all the moogles keep talking about will be open by then."
"Sounds good," Hikaru said with a nod.
"Take better care of your ship this time, ya hear?" Cid said, his extinguished cigarette held between his teeth as he crossed his arms. "I'd better not see you pinheads coming back in a wreck."
Sora winced and gave a nervous laugh. "Right…"
"Good luck," Leon said.
With the exchange of goodbyes completed, Sora retreated back to the passenger seats at the heart of the ship, buckling himself in as the Highwind started forward toward the open gummi garage doors. The engines roared to life, louder and stronger than ever, and the Highwind shot off into the starry sky, the wind sliding smoothly across the ship's new wings.
"Which way now?" Sora asked as he stared out the window, watching the colors and shapes blur on past them, along with asteroids and ships floating in the distance like specks in the glowing, swirling void of space.
"Hmm… Well, there's still that world out past Agrabah we were headed to before Monstro swallowed us." Goofy brought up the star map on the main navigation screen, visible from the back of the ship between the pilot and co-pilot's seats. He examined the incomplete diagram closely with a squint. "Ahyuck! Looks like if we head on past the water belt, we'll get there in just three days."
"Then that's the route we'll take," Donald said, adjusting the coordinates and pulling up the communication screen. "Highwind to Disney Castle. Chip, Dale, are you there?"
It took a moment before the staticy window was replaced by the image of the two chipmunks staring into the camera. Scattered around the room behind them were dozens of colorful gummi blocks, arranged into the shapes of tiny half-built ships armed with cannons and guns. "We read you, Donald, loud and clear!" Chip squeaked, saluting. "What's going on?"
"We're sending you the coordinates to the next world," Donald said. "Make sure to log it with the others."
"Roger that," Dale said, tapping away at the console buttons.
"So, how are things back at the castle?" Goofy asked.
"Things are doing pretty fine," Dale said. "The Queen is working hard as ever."
"Max is doing good too," Chip added. "He doesn't want to say it, but he misses you."
Goofy chuckled lightly, rubbing his nose. "Tell him I miss him too."
"Oh, and Donald, Daisy wants to know when you'll be back for your date."
Donald grumbled under his breath, slumping a little in his seat as he tried to hide the embarrassed look on his face. "I'll figure it out soon."
Sora couldn't help grinning as he listened in on the conversations in the cockpit. He leaned back, unbuckling his seatbelt before folding his hands behind his head to watch the stars. The Highwind had leveled out into a steadier flying speed, and he could see all of the space debris that floated idly around them. Meteorites, moonstone, stardust—and even chunks of earth with living trees and plants, like broken fragments of other worlds. Meanwhile, the distant worlds visible only as the faint flickering lights blinked at them as if in greeting. How far away were they? Farther than Sora could measure. And there were more of them than he could count.
At first, the flight went on uneventfully. It took a while to fall back into that familiar rhythm aboard the ship, considering how disrupted their last gummi ship rides had been. Soon enough, though, he was settled in, snacking on crackers and potato chips as he and Hikaru played a game of cards that both of them seemed to take a little too seriously. When Donald left the pilot's seat to take a coffee break, Sora volunteered to take over, and he amused himself with shooting down the occasional enemy ship that came for them.
It was nearly five hours into the flight before anything of note happened. According to the navigation system, they were getting close to the first leg of their journey, and it wasn't long after that Sora spotted the indicative landmark (or rather, spacemark). From far away, it looked like white ribbon, twisted and winding, hanging suspended in the low gravity. But as they got closer, Sora could see the way the light gleamed against the water belt. It was a floating river that seemed to go on forever between the distant stars.
"Hey, guys, check this out," Sora said, glancing back over his shoulder. Hikaru looked up from the book in her hands, while Donald paused mid-bite in eating one of the jelly donuts from the pastry box.
"Wow," Donald said. "It's bigger than I thought."
"That's amazing." Hikaru peered over the top of Sora's seat to the water belt that stretched out to their left.
"I wonder if we have a camera in here…" Goofy ducked down and reached for the compartments near his feet, rummaging around through the papers and gummi ship manuals.
"I knew there were ice belts in space, but this is pretty cool," Sora said. He adjusted his grip on the controls, easing the Highwind closer to the water until they could see the blurred reflection of the ship in the smooth, glossy surface.
"Hold on." Hikaru leaned over the console. "The water's flowing, isn't it?"
Sora grinned. "Maybe we could catch a ride on it—we'll get to the next world in no time!"
"Don't even think about it!" Donald gave him a light smack on the arm.
A loud thunk rattled the console and made them jolt. Goofy sat up, rubbing his head. "Ow… Looks like there's no camera," he said at the same moment the monitors began to flicker.
"Uh-oh," Hikaru stepped back. "What's going on?"
"Wak!" Donald pulled down the top monitor as streaks of gray static cut through the star map displayed on the screen. "Goofy!"
"Gawrsh, it wasn't me!" Goofy said, still rubbing his head.
Sora turned in his seat, keeping one hand clutched on the ship controls as he checked the weapons screen. "This one is acting up too."
"Darn ship!" Donald gave the monitor a rough shake. "Don't tell me it's already broken!"
"Maybe Cid did something to it," Sora said, though he would never dare to make that suggestion in front of the mechanic.
"I'll do a diagnostics check." Hikaru took the monitor from Donald, letting it slide back into position over the console and quickly typing in a series of commands. But midway through, she stopped, her gaze focusing back on the map. "… Guys."
"What is it?" Goofy asked.
Before Sora could get a good look, the communications screen blinked to life. Chip and Dale were there, but like the other screens, the display was malfunctioning. "Guys," Chip said, his voice clipping as the image distorted. "We're picking—weird readings. You gotta—careful! Something's—ahead!"
"Chip, say that again!" Donald said. "We can't understand you!"
The whole gummi ship lurched, knocking Donald and Hikaru to the floor. Sora yelped, both hands back on the controls as sirens blared in the cockpit around them.
"What's going on?" Hikaru shoved herself back to standing, gripping tightly onto Goofy's seat.
Sora shook his head. "I'm not sure!" Something was pulling at them, dragging them off course. Warning messages flashed on every monitor. He tried to turn the ship, firing up the thrusters and pulling as hard as he could. "Oh, crap!"
"Sora, that is not something you want to hear from the person flying the ship!"
Donald squawked, jumping over Sora's seat and grabbing the controls. "Pull!"
"I'm trying!" Sora shouted through gritted teeth.
"Fellas, look out!" Goofy cried. "We're going to—!"
Sora felt the impact slam him in the chest as the Highwind crashed into the water.
Groans rose up all around him. Sora grimaced, his hand reaching for the spot where the belts of his seat crossed over his chest. That was definitely going to bruise later.
He looked around. The dim orange emergency lights glowed along the floors and walls, illuminating the buttons on the console. But another glow was coming from outside the ship. The windows along the right side hadn't been submerged under the water, and the soft ambient light of gummi space filtered in through the glass. The left side, however, was completely immersed in the water belt, casting a blueish tinge through the darkened ship.
"Oww…" Donald was sprawled upside down on the console, his tail pressed against the windshield. Hikaru had been knocked to the floor again, but she hauled herself back up on her own.
"Is everyone okay?" Goofy asked. He unbuckled himself from his seat and tried to stand, but the gummi ship shuddered again, and he had to grab the headrest for balance. Sora suddenly realized how fast they were moving through the water.
"Fine," Donald grumbled, climbing down from the console. "What was that just now?"
"I think we got caught in something," Goofy said, reaching for the navigation monitor and flipping the switch. It took a moment, but the black screen eventually flickered back on in low power mode.
"Radar was picking something up just a little further ahead," Hikaru said, working with Donald to reboot the Highwind's power. "I think it pulled us into the belt."
"What was it?" Sora asked.
"I don't know. But it looked pretty big."
"Fellas," Goofy said, frowning as he zoomed in closer on the navigation screen. "Look at this."
Sora leaned over to look. "Huh? That's…" Something was pulling the water from the other side of the belt, drawing streams of it in like spiraling whirlpools. And at its center… "Is that a world?"
"It looks like it," Hikaru said, her voice quiet. "But the readings are…" She looked out the window with growing alarm.
The lights on the Highwind came back to life, and the familiar hum of the air conditioning that Sora hadn't even realized was missing returned. Sora immediately turned up the Highwind's engine, listening to the gurgling rumble behind them. "Hold on," he said. "I'm going to get a closer look."
The ship began to tilt under his command, disappearing completely into the wall of water. Warning signs flashed across the distorted monitors once more, but Sora kept moving. Slowly, carefully, flying with the current and not against it.
The left side of the ship emerged at the other side of the belt. Water streaked off the gummi blocks and windows, leaving droplets suspended in the empty space. Sora leaned forward to get a better look through the windshield.
His heart skipped a beat.
It was a mass of clouds, thick and dark, rotating like a whirling vortex. Water was being drawn towards it like runoff, branching streams extending out from the main belt. But at the center of that mass glowed a roiling red energy that sent a chill down his spine.
"That's a world!" Sora said, nearly jumping out of his seat. The belts that strapped him down sent pain shooting through his chest. "It's being destroyed by the Heartless! We gotta…"
What? What could they do? Sora's hands tightened around the controls.
"If we get any closer, we'll be sucked in too," Goofy said.
"But…"
"We can't stay here," Donald said. "The pull is getting stronger."
Sora clenched his jaw, squeezing his eyes shut before he shook his head. "Right," he said, steadying his grip and pulling the ship towards the right.
But the Highwind shuddered again, and Sora felt it as the ship began to tilt.
"Oh, no!" Hikaru said. "We're too close!"
"Sora!" Donald squawked.
"I know!" Sora turned up the thrusters again, pulling hard on the controls to steer the Highwind back into the water belt. Donald reached over to help while Goofy monitored the Highwind's systems and Hikaru started up the emergency boosters. The Highwind creaked under the stress, but it started to inch closer to the water.
"It's too much," Goofy said. "The engine's about to go!"
"We need another boost," Hikaru said, scanning all of the data that was flashing across the screens. "The gravity is too strong, it's—"
Sora's head jerked up, a light going off in his eyes. "That's it! Hikaru, take over!" He undid his seat belt in a swift movement, jumping to his feet and dragging Donald with him. For a moment the Highwind dipped closer to the left, but Hikaru threw herself at the controls and heaved.
"Sora, what the hell are you—?!"
"We're going to fight gravity with gravity." In a flash, the Keyblade appeared in Sora's hand. A second later, Hikaru, Goofy, and Donald understood.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Hikaru said, dropping into the pilots seat and buckling herself in with one hand.
"I hope so too," Sora muttered under his breath as he straightened his back. "Donald, help me out."
Donald nodded, readying his staff. "This had better work."
"Emergency booster is almost charged up again," Goofy called out. "Three… two… We're good to go!"
"Okay…" Hikaru raked a hand through her hair, clearing it from her eyes as she took a deep breath. "Ready, guys?"
"Ready!"
"Go!" Hikaru shouted.
"GRAVITY!"
The dark pressure field bloomed across the right side of the ship. The entire Highwind jerked an inch towards the belt. Hikaru and Goofy pulled at the controls, tilting the nose of the ship away from the crumbling world. Sora and Donald only had a split second to throw themselves onto the passenger seats before the boosters lit up with a roar and sent them hurtling back into the water.
Everything was a blur. Just a thin layer of water separated the Highwind from the chaotic storm outside. Sora looked out the window to the churning shape and the red glow of the dying world visible beyond the icy liquid wall. The edge of the Highwind's left wing still stuck out of the belt, too close for comfort.
"Come on, come on!" Hikaru's hands remained locked around the controls, her arms trembling. "Just… keep…!"
A light began to shine beyond the water. For a moment, it was like time slowed. The darkness surrounding the world seemed to compress down, the roiling red light growing smaller and smaller, disappearing under the shadowy mass as a white light further within cracked through the surface.
It was all erased in an explosion of darkness and light. Sora slammed into the wall as the Highwind was blasted back. Lights streaked around them, a dozen tiny pieces that faded into the void and the awaiting clutches of the shadows. The Highwind went tumbling through space, through the remnants of the water belt, as the last light of that star was snuffed out.
"This is the RLS Legacy responding to an emergency distress signal. What is your status?"
Sora slowly opened his eyes. A dull ache in the front of his skull blurred his vision, while the belts pulling at his chest made his body throb. It took a moment for him to realized he was upside down.
A message flashed on the communications monitor, a notification on the incoming call.
"RLS Legacy to unknown spacecraft," the woman's voice came again through the crackle of static. "Do you copy? I repeat, do you copy?"
The Highwind remained still. Sora raised one shaky hand towards the distant communications monitor while he hooked his fingers around the seat belt with the other.
His arms dropped, his head going light as the blood pulsed in his ears. His eyes began to slide shut, and the last thing he saw was the shadow of something big approaching them outside the window.
"Nngh… Ugh…"
"I think he's waking up!"
Click, creak. Click, creak. The sound of heels against wooden floorboards. "Stand down, you rowdy busybodies. Give the boy some space."
Sora jolted awake, then released a sharp groan. He collapsed back down on the floor, eyes turning towards the starry, color-streaked sky. It took another moment for it to really register that there was no roof over his head, and he sat up once more.
The crowd of men, women, and humanoid animals backed away, giving him a clear view of the ship he was riding. And it really was a ship—with a rig and masts and a bowsprit, sailing freely through a sea of space and stars.
What the…?
"Stand down, I said," a voice came. "Need I remind you that there's still plenty of work to be done before we exit the belt? I won't have slackers on my ship."
The crowd parted, trudging off to man the ship as a slender figure approached. The woman had an angular face and pointed ears and bright cat-like eyes, while behind her followed a tall, broad-shouldered man with skin as hard and gray as rock. Both were wearing high-ranking uniforms—appropriate for a ship like this one.
"Still hanging in there, lad?" the man asked.
"Y-yeah." Sora rubbed his head. "I think so." He managed to push himself to his feet, massaging the kink out of his neck, though the pain in the rest of his body made his movements a little stiff.
"Very good," the woman said. "I must say, you and your ship were in much better shape than I'd have thought after a supernova."
"A bit of quick thinking, and a hefty portion of luck, I suspect," the man said with a small smile, his arms folded behind his back.
"That's to be expected with any proper adventurer," the woman replied. "Regardless, you're still capable of standing. Sora Shinonome, I presume," she added, offering a gloved hand. "Captain Amelia of the RLS Legacy at your service. This is my first officer Mr. Arrow—brilliant man, first one to spot your ship around the bend of the Serpens Water Belt. We've heard quite a bit about you already."
Sora was still having a bit of trouble following everything the captain was saying. "Um… You have?"
"My crew and I have been to Traverse Town enough times to hear word of your adventures," Captain Amelia said. "You've acquired a favorable position in the eyes of townspeople. Mr. Lionheart and his associates in particular. They would've been disappointed if your journey ended so soon."
Sora would've been disappointed too, he had to admit. "Where are my friends? They were on the Highwind with me."
"They're in the sick bay," Captain Amelia said. "No, no, not to worry, they're quite alright—we just wanted to avoid crowding the deck."
"We were in the process of moving you there too, though it seems some of our crew have rather slippery fingers," Mr. Arrow added with a quirk of an eyebrow.
"Sorry," a frog-like sailor called from the stern deck, his cheeks inflating and turning bright pink.
Sora just scratched his head, giving a light, awkward laugh before following Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow into the ship.
"So, a journey to save the worlds. That's quite impressive for one as young as yourself."
Sora was sitting in one of the ornately decorated chairs in the Captain's cabin, sipping on a cup of tea and nibbling on a biscuit, watching as Captain Amelia paced around and Mr. Arrow remained standing, tall and still, near the rear windows where he could just make out the Highwind being towed by a rope behind the RLS Legacy.
Hikaru, Donald, and Goofy were there too, sitting down next to Sora with their own teacups and biscuit plates. They were fine like Captain Amelia had said, just a little shaken from the ordeal. A collapsing world had done less damage than being swallowed by a whale—who would've thought?
"It reminds me of my own adventures back in the day," Captain Amelia went on. "Danger, exploration, discoveries. But tell me, how did you get wrapped up in an ordeal like this?"
"Well…" There wasn't too much to keep secret about the worlds—not when they were talking to fellow space travelers. "Our King sent us on a mission," Goofy said, dipping one of his biscuits in his tea. "Me and Donald had to go investigate why all the stars were blinkin' out."
"Ah, yes, the disappearing worlds…" Captain Amelia rubbed her chin. "That's been quite a problem for sailors like us. I hear it all has to do with those yellow-eyed creatures."
"The Heartless," Donald said with a nod. "We're trying to stop them."
"Sora's got a Keyblade, and that helps a bunch," Goofy added.
"A Keyblade?" Mr. Arrow repeated. "Why, Captain, it's just like those stories you used to hear."
"You know about the Keyblade?" Sora asked, perking up.
"Oh, nothing more than childhood fairytales." Captain Amelia gave a wave of her hand. "Light and darkness, incredible feats of power, battles that could raze an entire countryside—but I never thought I would come across a real Keyblade. May I?"
"Uh, sure." Sora held out his hand, summoning the Keyblade. Captain Amelia stepped closer, leaning in to observe closely, her ears twitching. She ran a finger along the crown-shaped teeth of the blade, rubbing off a smudge of dirt.
"Extraordinary," she murmured. "Mr. Arrow, come take a look."
"I'm quite alright, Captain. But thank you," Mr. Arrow said.
Captain Amelia gave a sort of half-smile as she straightened up. "You're a lucky young man, Mr. Shinonome, being chosen by an invaluable artifact such as that."
"Thanks," Sora said, letting the Keyblade vanish, though he didn't think there was much to be praised about when it came to being chosen.
"So, Captain," Hikaru said as she poured herself and Donald another serving of tea. "How did you find us?"
"We were in the quadrant," Captain Amelia said. "Our sensors detected a supernova that was about to burst, and we were well out of reach of the explosion—but then our radio picked up a distress signal. 'What poor sods got themselves into a sticky situation like that!' I thought. Of course, we couldn't just let the signal go unanswered, so we changed course."
"Gawrsh, sorry we put you through all that trouble," Goofy said, scratching his cheek.
"Nonsense." Captain Amelia shook her head. "What sort of captain would I be if I ignored a cry for help?"
"Thank you," Sora said. "We would be in a pretty bad spot without you."
"Well, the appreciation is always welcome," Captain Amelia said.
"The stop did put us behind schedule," Mr. Arrow remarked. "It'll take another day until we can reach the aqua mundus."
"Oh, I'm sure they won't mind," Captain Amelia said. "Restaurant won't be open for weeks. The lobsters can wait."
"You must do this a lot," Goofy said. "Sailin' around and makin' deliveries."
"It's one of the many things the RLS Legacy is enlisted to do," Captain Amelia said. "Ever since this whole business with the disappearing worlds began, we've been especially busy with supplying Traverse Town and the refugees. Before that, our crew was mostly an amalgamation of adventurers and treasure hunters."
"Before?" Donald said. "But, weren't the worlds separated?"
"There's more going on between the worlds than you might think," Captain Amelia said with a sly look. "And at any rate, even when the worlds are separated, their hearts are often connected in other ways. A veteran explorer comes to understand that quite well."
"Huh…" Donald crossed his wings in contemplation, while Goofy seemed quite thoughtful. Sora and Hikaru, on the other hand, just glanced to each other and shrugged.
"Well." Captain Amelia clapped her hands together. "Where shall we drop you off? Back to Traverse Town, is it? Or is there somewhere else you'd like to go?"
"Oh, no, no," Sora said, waving his hands. "We'll just head off on our own. We were heading to another world before we got caught up in all that."
"The world past the arabia mundus?" Captain Amelia said. "I checked the data in your ship's auto-pilot," she explained when she saw the surprise on Sora's face. "It seems we may be heading in the same direction… Why don't we travel together for a while longer, then? We can give your ship a once-over, just some extra maintenance to make sure nothing was damaged in the blast."
"Uh, sure," Sora said. "If it's no problem."
"Not a problem at all."
The RLS Legacy looked blue under the ambient glow of the gas clouds and distant stars reflecting off of the broke remains of the water belt. Laughter and music rose up from the crowd amassed on the deck of the ship. A huge bear was strumming away on a lute while a pair of foxes danced in the middle of the circle, moving light on their feet as they linked paws and spun in circles.
Goofy clapped along with the beat from the sidelines, smiling from ear to ear as Hikaru settled down on a wooden cask with a bowl of gruel in hand. Donald had a chuckle at the antics of the Legacy's crew until a plump hen reached over and grabbed him by the wings, dragging him into the dance circle despite his frantic protests.
Captain Amelia watched it all with a light smirk on her face from where she stood on the quarterdeck, overseeing the entirety of her ship. She was so quiet, Sora hadn't even realized she was there until he heard her voice call from above.
"Not joining in the festivities?" Captain Amelia was leaning over the railing, arms crossed before her.
"Uh, nah," Sora said. As much fun as it looked, he… didn't really feel that much in the mood for song and dance. He took a careful sip of water from the flask he had picked up from the galley.
"Your friends look like they're having fun," she said. "The girl… Miss… Stonewall, was it? Have you known her for long?"
"Not that long," Sora said. "She wound up on our world a while back after hers had been swallowed up by the Heartless. Then Destiny Islands was destroyed. We've been sticking together ever since."
"And this is the first adventure for the both of you, is it?" Captain Amelia tapped her chin. "Interesting. I thought that perhaps…"
"Huh?"
She paused and shook her head. "Never mind, it's nothing important. How are you taking to space travel?"
"It's fun," Sora said. "Donald didn't really want to teach us how to fly the ship at first—guess he thought we'd crash it or something…" He tried to ignore what had happened to land them in the Deep Jungle. "It wasn't that hard, though. Kind of boring on the long rides, but racing the Heartless is a blast." He was the one who usually got into those not-so-friendly competitions. Goofy just played along with his antics, and Hikaru preferred to keep her eyes on the monitors rather than fly herself. Donald was the one who always yelled at him to stop goofing off… But even that didn't bother him as much anymore. Sora managed a lopsided smile.
"Hm…" Captain Amelia gave him a thoughtful look. "The duck and the dog… They're working for a king, you said?" She tilted her head, looking out to the distant stars off to the side of the ship. There were objects too—tiny in appearance from a distance, though probably much bigger in reality. Heartless ships that were giving the Legacy a wide berth, Sora suspected. "I haven't heard anything about royalty traveling the cosmos in recent times."
"Well, he's keeping a low profile," Sora said. After all this time, he still didn't know much about this king. What he was like, or how he looked. But Donald and Goofy always had only good things to say. King Mickey—strong and kind, a fighter and protector who knew all sorts of things about the worlds and the Keyblade. Sora hoped that he'd get to meet him one day. "He's trying to figure out what's going on with the worlds and the Heartless… Why everything is falling apart."
Captain Amelia paused again. "You know, lately, what with all the chaos that's been going on in the worlds, I can't help but be reminded of the old stories I've heard."
That caught Sora's attention. "The ones about the Keyblade?"
"Well, in some ways, I suppose," Captain Amelia said. "This isn't the first time darkness has infiltrated the worlds, if you believe the stories… Young men and women who have lost their lives to a corruption like the plague. A corruption that almost led to the end of everything." She shifted her gaze from the stars to the remains of the broken water belt, and Sora felt his throat tighten as he watched her speak. "The Keyblade is a powerful object, but there are things that are too much for a single person to accomplish on their own. So I sincerely hope your king finds the answers he's searching for."
At this late, the RLS Legacy was largely quiet. The decks had been cleared, and the lights around the ship were dimmed to a soft glow. Most of the crew had gone to bed, and the night shift was a stark contrast to the music and raucous laughter of earlier in the night. Aside from the watchman positioned up in the crow's nest, strumming away at a mandolin, Sora didn't see many people out and about.
"Sora?" The voice that came from behind him made him jolt. "What're you doing still up?"
"Oh, Goofy." Sora stretched out his stiff arms and scratching the back of his head. "Donald and Hikaru awake?"
Goofy shook his head. "They're sleepin'. You should be too. Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Sora said. He rubbed the bruise on his chest with a wince. "Just a little sore. Could be worse, though…" He tried to keep his voice light and cheerful, though he couldn't help the way his words dropped off at the end.
Goofy frowned. "Something bothering you?"
"No, I…" Sora started, but something stopped him.
He remembered Hikaru, slumped over in the Second District, all but screaming to the stars.
"You're just like her," Lyon had said.
And then Sora's own words: "You're not in this alone, you know. You have me and Donald and Goofy here."
He turned back around, staring out over the ship railing to the floating pools of water that lingered amidst the broken limbs of the belt. "… We couldn't do anything," he said, letting his chin drop to his arms. "That world… We go around trying to help everyone, but we couldn't do anything. What's the use of having the Keyblade if I couldn't do anything?"
"…" Goofy was quiet at first. He stood there, hesitant, before reaching out and resting a hand on Sora's shoulder. "But we're doing something, right?" he asked. "That's important. All those worlds we've been to—they're safe because of us. Because of that there Keyblade. They won't be going anywhere any time soon."
"But what about all of the other worlds?" Sora asked. "Destiny Islands, and Hikaru's world, and Leon's world… And all of the worlds that are gone. All of the worlds we can't get to. The Heartless could be there right now. All these stars," he said, gesturing out at the countless lights that gleamed far beyond reach, "and any one of them could blink out like that world."
He couldn't help all of them, could he? He was just a boy looking for his friends. He didn't ask for this, for the Keyblade, but now that he had it… He had a responsibility, didn't he? He had to help these people. His friends and strangers. The threatened worlds.
What would Riku do? What would Kairi do? Did it even matter what they would do? It was all him. Him and the Keyblade.
"I just…" His throat tightened, silencing the words that were trying to come out.
I feel so helpless.
A silence lapsed over the ship, the only fading sound coming from the faint hum of the Legacy's engines and the twang of the mandolin being played up in the crow's nest. Sora raked his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. Goofy just stared at him with sad eyes.
"It's a lot for us to do, isn't it?" Goofy said.
Sora sighed. "Yeah… A lot."
"But you know, even if it is a lot, we can't just give up," Goofy said. "We just gotta keep doin' what we're doin' and seal as many Keyholes as we can." He gave Sora's shoulder a light squeeze. "It doesn't have to be all work—when we need to take a break now and again, we can do that too, stayin' at Traverse Town and seeing Leon and the others. We can protect some of those worlds, at least. As many as we can. And if we stop Maleficent and the Heartless, then we won't have to worry about the worlds being swallowed up any more."
"But what about our world?" Sora said. "Destiny Islands… It's gone."
"Well, maybe we can find a way to get all those lost worlds back," Goofy said. "Their hearts are somewhere out there, I'm sure of it. The worlds and the Keyblade'll guide us."
"Huh." Sora scraped a fingernail against the wooden railing. Keyblade, chosen one, light and darkness. "Maybe."
"And if not, you're welcome to come stay with me and Donald," Goofy added.
It took a moment for Sora to understand what he was saying. He looked up, nearly hurting his neck with how fast he jolted. "Seriously?"
"Ahyuck! Sure." Goofy nodded. "The Castle is more than big enough, and I'm sure the King won't say no."
Sora just stared for several moments. His voice had disappeared with his train of thought, leaving him unable to find the words. And when he did, finally, it wasn't as complicated as he'd thought it'd be. "… Thanks, Goofy," he said with a smile.
"Don't mention it, Sora," Goofy said, giving him one last pat on the back. "Now, come on, it's about time to turn in. Gotta be ready to leave by tomorrow, right? Ahyuck!"
Sora swiped a finger under his nose, the smile still lingering on his face. "Right," he said, and he and Goofy headed towards the sleeping quarters.
It was a flurry of activity on the RLS Legacy's deck. Not quite chaotic, but lots of shouting and calling out orders and moving around. The crew were hard at work to pull the Highwind in from its spot being towed behind the Legacy. Sora helped them drag the ropes and chains out of the cargo hold before taking a moment to just pause and look out at the gummi space that stretched out before them.
The water belt was just a gleam of blue in the distance behind them. The Legacy had made quite a bit of progress overnight—Sora would have to say even faster than the Highwind. Now all he could see for infinite stretches all around were stars and clouds and the floating spacemarks that lingered in the gaps between the worlds. It was a change. And a welcomed one. Out here, now, Sora felt he could finally breathe again.
Although, thinking about it, he still had questions about breathing in space… Maybe that was something to ask Cid about next time they were in Traverse Town.
"Hey, Sora." A light bump on his shoulder made him look up. Hikaru came up to his side, dropping her hands to rest them on her hips. "Ready to go?"
"Ready to get this show on the road," he said, giving a grin.
Hikaru laughed. "That's the Spiky we know."
"Glad to see you're back to yourself too, Carrot Top," Sora replied.
Hikaru stuck her tongue out at him, but it was all in good fun. They clapped their hands together, just as the sound of contended chuckling drew their attention to Donald and Goofy, who were standing nearby and watching in playful amusement.
"So, you two done?" Donald asked, crossing his wings. "Don't hold up the Captain any longer."
"Yeah, yeah, we're going," Sora said good-naturedly, starting forward with his hands folded behind his head.
Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow stood at the foot of the ramp leading to the Highwind's open door, waiting patiently while the rest of the crew lingered nearby and bade their farewells. Goofy shook hands with the fox lad from the night before, while Hikaru and the vixen exchanged a polite curtsey and the hen pulled a reluctant and embarrassed Donald into a tight hug that lifted him off of his feet.
"Mr. Shinonome, Mr. Goof, Mr. Duck, Miss Stonewall," Captain Amelia said once they gathered before her with their backs straight and turned to attention. She retained her air of rank and business, nodding her head to each of them even as she smiled. "It was a pleasure meeting you."
"Ahyuck, it was nice meetin' you too, Captain," Goofy said. "Thanks again for helping us out."
"Anytime," Captain Amelia said. "Perhaps if we're in the same star system again, we can have another cup of tea. Or if we run into each other in Traverse Town—whichever comes first."
"Sounds good," Sora said. "We'll see you guys then."
Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow seemed rather amused as they glanced to each other. "I wish you the best of luck," Captain Amelia said.
Mr. Arrow nodded, and they stepped aside to let them board. "Have a safe journey."
A/N: Ta-da! And here we have it, a little appearance from the crew of Treasure Planet. (There was a vague little hint to it in the last chapter, if you caught it.) It was interesting trying to figure out how to incorporate Treasure Planet, but this was a fun bit. There's so much potential for gummi space outside of the missions. The original Kingdom Hearts sort of played with it, what with Monstro and Neverland, so I decided to tap into a bit of that for this chapter. A bit short, but what did you guys think?
Oh! And I keep forgetting to mention this, but there are a couple of other art pieces on my profile for this story. Mostly some designs for Hikaru and her siblings. Check it out if you like.
Next time, we'll be arriving at our next world. And it'll be a little different from the original version.
Thanks for reading!