Author Note: Probably my most proudest chapter yet-if you think so or even you don't, please leave a review, I'd really appreciate it.
Tales of the Gummi Ship
Destiny Island, 8 Years Ago.
"Come on, Sora! Hurry up!"
The young 7 year old made his way to the darkened cave inside the large hill on the island. An echoing sound rang by the entrance. Sora found himself freezing in his boots as he stood in front of the dark cave. Riku seemed invigorated, he was always one for adventure, Sora on the other hand, not so much. The closer he got to the cave, the more scared he felt, something about it felt unnatural like it was nothing more than a empty dark void that lead to nowhere. Strange sounds started ringing from within it, sending shivers down his spine.
Riku had wanted Sora and him to investigate this strange cave after he had found yesterday while doing one of his 'investigations' for hidden treasure. Riku seemed really excited to go in, he kept talking about it as if it was something really special, saying it was like nothing he had ever seen before. But what, Sora could not tell. Perhaps buried pirate treasure, or a ghost that haunted it's dark depths. That last one though sent a shiver down his spine, for Sora feared the spirits that could wander from beyond the land of the dead.
As both boys stood in front of the cave's entrance, Sora tried to take step forward only to find himself unable to move for he was petrified by fear. He did not have his friend's brave or adventurous spirit, he just wanted to run around the beach all day building sand castles and napping.
"Let's go in and take it on!" Riku declared, lifting his sword ready for a fight.
Sora, however, seemed less than thrilled, clenching onto his sword. "I-I don't know...Sounds scary."
"Come on, don't be chicken." Riku snickered making chicken sounds.
"I-I'm not chicken."
Sora hated it when Riku called him chicken, he wanted to be brave like him. It was demeaning, and hurtful to boot, though he did have a tendency to get easily scared. A part of him wondered if his mom would approve of going in here, she didn't like it when Sora went into the more dangerous parts of the island, he was still very young after all.
Sora looked at Riku with a concerned expression. "I don't know Riku, mom might-"
"Oh who cares, stop being such a mama's boy and take a little risk." Riku said getting annoyed now.
"I-I…."
"Well?"
Sora sighed. "Ok, ok, I'm going."
"Then come on, we got a cave to explore!"
Sora sighed as Riku rushed off, he hoped that whatever was in there was nice and didn't want to eat him or anything.
Riku paced back and forth in his personal cabin given to him by Donald as he tried to get the transmission to work. It wasn't the first time he had done this. Ever since he left Traverse Town with Sora, he had been in secret contact with the Pines twin Dipper, normally trying to find out any secret information he could give as well as a few other details here and there. With such a contact, he hoped that he would learn the secrets of the Heartless and what better way then with a kid whose journal had their secrets, not to mention the only report from a scientist studying them. However, it was becoming difficult to do this in secret with Sora, Donald and Goofy sniffing around. Donald being the most suspicious out the group, always checking in for no apparent reason. At least with Sora, he had a good reason of wanting to be by side.
"Loyal to the end," Riku muttered looking out the window into the stars. "I know you are."
Suddenly, a small flicker came from Sora's transmission watch. He had showed it to Riku earlier and must have left it on the counter. Slowly a small image of a young 12 year old boy in pine tree hat appeared looking for a sign of Sora.
"Hello….? Riku….? You there?" Dipper pines called. "Hello...Maybe I called the wrong number? Wait, what if I called the enemy number-does the enemy even has a number?"
Mabel's voice echoed in the background. "Tell him I say hi, oh and ask him what kind of music he likes, or flowers, or anything that he might consider a turn on!"
"Mabel, not now!" Dipper hissed. "I could have called the enemy number!"
"You didn't call the enemy number." Riku growled, getting annoyed. "Paranoid weirdo."
Riku rolled his eyes, he had hoped that Dipper would keep their communications a secret. He was doing it with Sora for his own good, but if his sister knew then perhaps she would blab. A bit of annoyance came across Riku as he had hoped that Dipper would be better at secrecy. Having to rely on too many people would just end up in trouble. Yet he would have to keep that to himself as the young boy fidgeted around, Riku could see the girl running around doing whoever knows what.
"Hey, I had a question that maybe your journal could answer." Riku said getting straight to the point.
Dipper quickly got out the journal. "Fire away!"
"Does it say anything about genies?"
Dipper blinked and looked confused. "Genies? Why genies?"
"My business, just answer-please." Riku said trying to keep his annoyance intact, he didn't want to give away his hand.
Ever since getting Jafar's lamp, Riku wanted to know anything he could about genie magic. He know that this being Jafar, he would surely try to trick and outmaneuver Riku even if he was now his personal wish slave. Riku would need to be careful in order to make sure that the former vizier did not do any damage to him or Sora, and now Kairi if he was looking for her.
Riku wanted to ensure Jafar's loyalty or at least obedience.
"Genie's, genies…." Dipper flipped through the pages of his book. "Ah, here's something….Mckay...Genies….They grant up to three wishes, yet all come with a innate consequence to them….Can be quite tricky and wish to be free of there lamps….here's something, if they are free from the lamp however they will lose of there omnipotent power."
"Interesting," Riku said scratching his chin thinking. "Any way to increase the wish count?"
"Nope, it's kinda vague…."
"If I had a genie, I'd wish that I had power over all candy and sweets, I would be the candy queen!" Mabel declared in the background.
Dipper groaned. "Mabel! I'm trying to have a private conversation here! Go play with Pinocchio and Waddles somewhere else-preferably far away from me as possible."
"Sorry, geez Mr. Grumpy Pants." Mabel ran out.
"Now sorry about-"
"Poke." Mabel finger pinched Dippers check.
"Stop that." Dipper muttered
"Poke."
"Mabel!"
"Poke poke diddle dope!" Mabel than ran off laughing leaving a very annoyed Dipper.
"Pinocchio?" Riku asked surprised to hear that name again, trying to change the subject quickly.
Dipper sighed "Yeah, he's living with us. Stan has him perform, so long as he gets paid, and Mabel enjoys going on stage with him so….you know. Mabel's happy, what can I do? But yeah, sorry Riku, nothing much on genie's apart from that."
"Thanks Dipper." Riku sighed as he sat down on the side of his bed.
Dipper noticed and looked concerned. "Everything okay?"
"What? Oh yeah I'm fine- Never better." Riku said, trying to hide any anxiety he might have had. "Just uh, you know, fighting the forces of evil with Sora the Keyblade Master."
"Oh, okay- you sure you don't wanna talk about anything, I'm a good listener and…."
"No!" Riku sneered coming angier than he meant too. "I'm fine….See you later, I guess."
Riku turned off the communicator and sat down, he looked up at the ceiling and let his mind wander. All this secrecy, he hated it, even if he was secretive kid. Still, the tension of Sora finding out was starting to get to him. Sora was a bit of a sensitive kid and if he got the wrong impression it could really damage their friendship. Once Sora thought everyone was ignoring him when all they were doing was just trying to throw him a surprise party, it got so bad that Riku had to give up the surprise early before Sora threw a fit. But on the other hand, Sora had to understand that what he was doing was right, this was all going to be for the best for him and Kairi. They would see, they would see and realize that everything he did, he did for them.
Closing his eyes, he let his mind wonder into deep images of the past. As his mind grew, his feelings of dread turned into anger, thinking of how Sora had chastised him about taking the lamp, saying it was immoral and wrong. Those words caused something in Riku to twinge, his hands clenched into fist.
"Why does Sora have to be so weak sometimes?" he muttered before falling asleep. "Why can't he just learn that sometimes you have do what's wrong for the right reasons? It's the only way to get what you want."
Destiny Island, 5 Years Ago
It was a sunny island afternoon, the wind was breezing gently, and the ocean sweet smell tangled the aura. Riku was only ten at the time. Even then, he was starting to get antsy about leaving. Boredom of seeing the same thing each and every day was starting to get to him. Only his friends, Riku and Kairi were keeping him sane at this point. Yet on that day, which made it stood out from the rest, Sora came running to him, tears down his cheeks, his left eye bruised.
This wasn't the first time Riku had come across Sora looking sad, though it seemed to be getting worse after his father had passed away. At first it was understandable for Riku, though he and his own father were distant didn't mean everyone was. Yet the longer this went on, the more Riku was starting to wonder if Sora was just a crybaby about everything. Perhaps Sora, for lack of a better term, was weak.
"What happened to you?" Riku asked, getting on his knees to check his wound. "Why are you crying!?"
Sora sniffed. "I was playing on the beach when two boys pushed me."
"Did you fight back?" Riku asked, having a good idea of the answer.
"Um...No."
Riku frowned, of course he didn't. "Sora, you need to fight back."
"But mom said…."
"I know what she said, but she's wrong." Riku said his voice getting angry. "When someone punches you, you need to punch back harder."
Sora would always use this excuse, or excuse in Riku's mind. His mother told him to do this, or his mother told him to do that. Even if Riku wished his own family was that attentive, he learned even at this young an age that one needed to be tough in order to survive in the world. Still, part of him respected Sora's mother for at least being attentive, and for that Riku hoped that perhaps he could toughen him up.
Sora looked confused. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Look, you gotta do this...Otherwise they'll keep picking on you...This is how it works, strong people, respect strong people. Weak people get beat up.."
Sora still looked unsure. Sighing, Riku headed off to deal with them himself but Sora stopped him, tugging at his yellow jacket as he held him down.
"No Riku! This is a bad idea. Let's forget about it and play somewhere else."
Riku gritted his teeth. "Oh come on, Sora, don't be such a baby about this."
"Come on, let's go. Mom wouldn't want this.."
"Ugh! Fine!"
Riku huffed off, he didn't want to deal with this anymore, if Sora was going to be weak then so beat it.
Present Day
But Riku did go back to those kids, gave them a good run down with his fists. He remembered how scared they were as he threatened them to never pick on Sora again, less they knew what was good for them. He remembered enjoying his dominance over them, gaining their fear and obedience. He never told his friend, one of many secrets as of late. Sora would probably be mad and if he told his mom, she would be mad and Riku did not want Sora's mother disapproval or his reputation as a good child ruined. But it was a lesson he still had to learn, that sometimes you needed to do what was necessary, especially to protect yourself or in Riku's case, protect the ones he cared about the most.
"Maybe I protect him too much?" Riku thought, only to shake his head. "No-No, he's practically my brother."
Whenever bullies attacked Sora, he'd strike back hard. Whenever he was dealing with something Riku always made sure, even in secret, that whatever bothered him was gone. After all, Sora really didn't have anyone else to do this for him. Father dead, no brothers and sisters, and Sora's mother couldn't be there all the time. Riku had it in him, and he wanted to do right by Sora's family, wishing it could be his family as well.
Despite his frustration with Sora's own weakness, his own personal love for him turned that hate into protectiveness. If Sora wouldn't protect himself, then he would be Sora's protector. He'd do it for him and he'd do it for his mother who he deeply respected.
"Must be nice having parents who care Sora." Riku thought to himself as he continued to gaze up at the ceiling.
Taking a moment, he went to the drawer that was in the room and pulled out Jafar's lamp. He could feel the dark power emanating from it, even if the evil vizier was gone, off on his mission to find Kairi. He wondered how she would react to see a red genie, perhaps he should have been clearer on his instructions.
"Already trying to back out of our deal I see." Said a cold female voice echoing from the room.
"Maleficent!" Riku yelled looking around, yet the witch was nowhere to be found.
Riku summoned his sword though, although he was allied to the evil witch he didn't necessarily trust her, and he knew that her power was quite advanced. As he looked around he could see no sign of the witch, but a looming horned shadow did appear before him that took the shape of her image. She was projecting herself to him while not entering the ship personally. Smart choice if she didn't want to get caught.
"I must admit, I admire your tenacity. One minute you continue to go through without our deal, yet now you look for a way out. Such brilliance must be rewarded, but it could be in vain, beware...darkness without knowledge is deadly. Knowledge without darkness is pointless, you should find balance in both if you wish to best me. I, myself, did not know everything until I was told and learned."
"I hate riddles." Riku growled as he laid back down on his bed not even bothering to look at the witch. "Just say what you want and get out of here, I have things I need to do thanks."
"Believe what you wish, but know that I am still on your side, helping to find your friend. Even now, my Heartless are searching the worlds for her, along with Jafar. Though, I do hope to regain him before the end. Despite his incompetence in Agrabah, he can prove quite useful if wielded correctly."
"If I feel like it." Riku leaned back smirking, now he had the advantage. "Otherwise, I think I like having a magical slave to do my bidding. Maybe I'll wish him to make me and Sora immortal or give us powers. I think he'd like that."
"Of course, master of the lamp-good to see you take that title with full embrace. Also, you know controlling the Heartless will take more than a machine and a few books."
Riku groaned. "Oh yeah, then why not give me that power then? Or are you scared?"
"Are you asking me?"
"N….Wait, you are offering? Really!?" He paused not sure if he wanted to go that route just yet. "Well….hmm…."
It would be a useful tool. Ever since leaving Agrabah, he could tell, just by instinct, but what he had seen that the darkness was growing in strength. When he was alone, he would spend his time looking out at the sky, there he would see large patches of black. Symbols of worlds taken by the Heartless, and day by day they grew larger and larger. A sign of coming evil, perhaps one no one could stop. Still, he could join such evil if it meant his friend lived. He imagined himself wielding that power, what he could do with it. He thought of the people he could make pay who had wronged him. He thought of his friends and loved ones who he could protect. But then, he thought of what they would say and stopped himself at once.
"You hesitate, yet I can sense you wish to experiment. I will say that one requires a strong heart in order to control them. Beings of darkness can be dangerous, even I am aware of this. But it can be done. If one allows there heart to go darkness, but I feel that your efforts to protect your friend will go in vain if you do this. He will not understand like I do."
Riku scowled hard, "He will! You'll see, I'll tell him and he'll understand. At the end of the day, Sora is loyal to me and Kairi, we've been his friends longer! I've done everything for him, he wouldn't turn on me that easily!"
"Will he? For I believe when he sees yourself sleeping in darkness, his light will quickly turn on your darkness. After all, it is the way of things..light, darkness, clashing forces that constantly fight for dominance."
"And you want darkness to win, I get it." Riku grumbled. "I don't have time for philosophy class, lady."
"I really care not for either-only what will insure my ultimate victory, a victory I hope you can share in with me."
The witch cackled as her shadow vanished Riku let out a large groan. Maleficent's constant talk annoyed him, let alone the fact that he was getting more and more frustrated and keeping his secret. Yet how was he going to explain this all to Sora when the time came, if at all.
"Again Sora, why do you have to be so-"
"Hey, you okay?"
Looking up Riku saw Sora poke his head from the door, a concerned expression on his face as he walked into the room. Slowly, Riku gave him a smile, needing to hide any of his thoughts. The time wasn't right yet. Quickly, he put away the lamp before Sora could see before turning around.
"Oh….Um…." Riku looked around trying to think of a good excuse. "I'm just stretching, that's all. Yep, good old stretching."
"Right." Sora raised a eyebrow before coming in. "You've been brooding in here all day, haven't you?"
"You are one to talk. I see you in the training room of the ship for hours. Most of the time, it's just you trying to summon the Keyblade." Riku held out a hand to mimic Sora's failed attempts of the past.
"Oh ha, ha very funny." Sora grumbled. "We've been through a lot though you and me."
Riku nodded. "Yep...Best friends together forever, and when Kairi comes back, nothing's gonna stop us."
"Yeah….But, what are we gonna do if we find Kairi before we find the King? I mean, what happens after….all this?"
"We be exploring worlds forever….Free to do what we want, whenever we want. Life without limits or boundaries, purly and finally free...From everything." Riku eyes widened as a wild expression of joy appeared upon his face as he continued to think about the possibilities.
Sora looked taken aback as one thing came to his mind. "But what about home?"
"What about it?" Riku's face darkened all the joy leaving him..
"Well, I'm gonna wanna see my mom again. I mean, I'm already getting homesick. After finding Kairi I kinda wanna….wanna…
Riku raised a eyebrow. "Wanna what?"
Sora paused for a moment trying to think of the proper words, before sighing." Nothing….Just uh...Come on...Donald and Goofy want us on the bridge."
"Why?"
"Because...Cid's calling to give us a update." Sora said nudging his head to the hallway
Riku rolled his eyes, he didn't really want to talk to any of Sora's new friends, he hardly knew them, yet he decided to get up anyway if Sora wanted him to be there.
"Fine." He grumbled
"Come on Riku, you are part of the team!"
"Some team." Riku muttered as he headed out.
Despite Sora's best efforts, Riku had not faith in any of his new found friends and allies. If there was any team to be had it would be just him and Sora, and maybe Kairi, but either than that nothing else just the three of them that was the real time. In terms of his new friends, Riku thought they were all so weak in his opinion, and really, really dumb. How this small gang thought they stood a chance against Maleficent and her army is beyond him.
-000-
Sora lead Riku to the bridge, on the monitor, Cid appeared through the large computer screen, a massive grin on his face as he began picking at his teeth with his tooth pick. Donald was sitting in the Captain's chair while Goofy leaned on of the guest seats. Along the main control panel, Chip and Dale were busy scurrying around checking the control and fuel gauge, it was at full. Sora had been smiling his mouth out for the last few hours.
"We're here, sorry, had to get sleepy out of bed." Sora chuckled.
"The irony." Riku grumbled.
"Hey kids, I'm down here still in H.Q. Scrooge's tech is really good, didn't know he was such a wiz at this stuff., at least when Launchpad ain't touching-
KABOOM!
Cid flinched to look around with a annoyed grunt.
"I'm, ok." Launchpad called out from a distance.
Riku gave a bit of a groan as he sat on the back arms folded, looking almost like he didn't wish to be there, it was always awkward being around Sora's other friends. Sora didn't understand why, but he was always a bit of a grump. Yet, for some reason, he seemed to more so ever since leaving Agrabah. Perhaps he was upset about losing Princess Jasmine, wherever she now went. Speaking of, apparently Cid had a update on the situation hence the small gathering on the bridge.
But for Riku it was easy, Sora was his friend first, his first friend really. He didn't like to share and when he was around others he didn't know or trust he would clamp up easily. Riku preferred it when it was just him and Kairi, familiar, easy to understand, and predictable. All these people were becoming too much for him.
"Alright Cid, we're all here." Goofy said smiling.
Donald nodded. "Yeah, now tells us what's up!"
"Alright, alright! Now we got word from the grapevine about a string of kidnappings, not just your Alice and Jasmine. Apparently, it happened in a few worlds before they got sent away. Been happening for a while too, and sadly that's normally followed by the world going bye,bye. We don't have the names yet but we've been working on it but getting spies to other worlds is becoming hard and Merlin's magic and Phineas and Ferb Proto-Gummi's normally just don't cut it."
"How long?" Sora asked looking curious.
"I don't know. Rumor says around two years tops, hard to believe we are just picking up on it now. This must be a top secret Heartless project, otherwise most of our agents have not been able to find diddly squat."
"Two years?!" Sora looked shocked, that was a long time.
"Yeah, things have escalated since then. More worlds have been going out, my guess is that whatever Maleficent is planning it's nearing endgame." Cid took a deep sigh. "Leon's been stressing about it a lot recently. Not only do we have dang domestic issues like Stan's and Scrooge's escalating business war, but now this. Course, last week that Doofenshmirtz fella tried to make one of those inators thing that would get rid of the letter Q. Don't ask why, had something to do with a stupid backstory involving his father making him a garden gnome, it's weird and stupid if you asked me. Also, Yuffie's being trying to step up on the day to day work here but she's still not that good at leadership yet. Aerith is pretty much the only one keeping her head if you ask me."
"Oh, Uncle Scrooge, why?" Donald sighed "He's gonna be the death of me I know it."
Sora sat back in the chair with a deep sigh. "Man, things are really getting bad, and the more time it takes to find the King the worse things seem to be getting."
Riku grimaced noticing Sora starting to go into one his his states. Always one for doing the right thing, Sora wasn't know to deal with things well, and put a lot of the blame on himself. Even when a problem wasn't caused by him he would somehow find a way to blame himself, Riku never knew why this was.
"Makes me wonder what the King was looking for when he left." Goofy asked scratching his chin. "He must have known something was going up."
"Some King, he didn't tell you anything useful." Riku muttered under his breath as he sat down next to Sora. "He just left you guys without any warning, pretty crummy king if you ask me."
"Hey! Our King knows what he's doing!" Donald yelled looking insulted.
"Well he definitely went to Agrabah and Wonderland, and that's were Alice and Jasmine were. Maybe there is a connection?" Goofy suggested.
"Wouldn't be surprised if your King knows more about what's going on there than I do. From what Leon said he's definitely a character..." Cid replied taking another chomp on his tooth pick. "Also, you guys locking Keyholes?"
"Yep." Sora nodded.
"Good, more Keyholes mean less worlds can get destroyed. Means less people here and less nuisances for me to handle, especially since the Heartless seem to have increased their rampage"
Sora gulped. "Increased?"
"Yeah, word has it now the Heartless are doubling there attacks on the worlds. They must be getting closer to whatever there penultimate goal is. Whatever it is they are getting bolder and, according to some of our agents, bigger!"
"Bigger?!" Sora eyes widened.
"Yeah, they are growing in all shapes and sizes." Cid replied taking another bit of his toothpick. "Phineas and Ferb have been trying to make a way to block them from getting Keyholes or somehow forcing them to flee whenever they get near one-if we find it first."
"How does that work?"
Cid sighed. "Toffee's research when he had the big old Heartless-Sure it's a bit ambiguous, but the only person who knows more about the Heart is Ansem, and we don't have much of his stuff sadly. Our guess is that old Maleficent has it."
Riku eyes narrowed. "You guys seem to be vastly outnumbered, doesn't seem like you have much hope if you ask me."
"Well, yeah, but we gotta keep trying, still have our ace in the hole with Sora. So long as we got the Key on our side, there is still a chance. At least, that what Leon says anyway. Personally, I think it's a load of bull and we should be making giant weapons that can take down the Heartless homebase with a single blast!"
"We get it Cid," Sora tried to sound confident, yet a underlying fear still lingered on his face. "I'm not that much of a hope though that last part does seem a bit violent.."
"Point being, just keep doing what you've been doing, at the end of the day you are the Keyblade master! A kid….Keyblade-Master…." Cid realized that his negativity was showing and beamed before waving - "Cid out!"
With Cid gone, Sora just leaned back in his chair his cheery demeanor vanishing and groaned. 'Just keep doing what you've been doing' he's been doing that since he started. It seemed like with every step forward they made it was two steps backwards. Go to a world, help someone, repeat. It was getting tiresome. He wanted to find Maleficent and take her down, he wanted to find the source of these problems, take it down, he wanted to stop the Heartless and take them down. But he couldn't, he knew he couldn't. He could barely summon the key let alone do all those things. Even with his friends by his side, he wondered if he could do it. His mind began to wonder in the silence of the main cockpit of the ship.
"Keyblade Master, indeed." Sora muttered to himself.
Riku snickered. "Good to see you haven't gone completely egotistical on me yet."
"Hey, I hate my job just like anyone else!"
"Hey! Don't frown, we need the fuel!" Chip shouted.
"Sorry!" Sora smiled widened.
Riku chuckled, glad to see he still had that same sense of humor. It was amazing to see how Sora could keep going with this. Part of Riku though wondered if this was nothing than just his friends normal delusions of optimism, seeing the world as a pure good place, for in reality it was nothing more than a morally grey area. He hoped that one day, Riku would be able to cleanse Sora of this point of thinking soon enough though, he'd just need to find a good example as to how.
Donald went back to piloting as for Goofy and Riku both looked at Sora as he gazed out the window, his eyes darting at the twinkling stars around him. Gummi Space could sure be a sight to behold. So many stars, each a world. The ship became relatively calm and relaxing as they spread through the vast void that was space, only every now and again having to avoid a field of asteroids or whatever large objects headed there way.
"Hey Sora, keep smiling, we need the smiles to keep this thing afloat." Chip said checking the engine gage.
"Oops, Sorry." Sora said giving a big grin.
Jiminy got out from Sora's pocket as began leaning near the window and began to write on his journal.
Riku looked at the other crew still unsure of what to make of them. He didn't trust them, yet didn't think they were any threat. If anything, he thought they were a pair of blithering morons, running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Yet something about Goofy though made Riku wondered, the way he looked at Sora, almost- parental.
"So….uh….." Goofy tried to think of something to say breaking the silence. "Sora, you know we've never really asked, how long have you and Riku known each other?"
Sora looked at Goofy surprised, have they really not had time to sit down and just talk since they left Traverse Town? Thinking back, they really didn't. It was always action and adventure. They hardly had time to sit down and really talk, as a team.
Smiling Sora took a deep breath. "We've known each other for 10 years."
"Our dads worked together, we met that way." Riku muttered instantly. "Well, more like my dad was his boss, but it tended to meet around at the office, until Sora decided to come and talk to me that one day outta the blue."
"I was bored." Sora defended himself. "Besides, best decision I've made in my life since then we became best friends."
"More like you didn't leave me alone."
A small smile appeared over his face as he remembered that day. It was rainy and he was only four. His father, who face he vaguely remembered took him to the office for whatever reason. Being little he didn't know, he just remember how boring it was. Yet he could still remember how big and large it was, with all the cubicle lining down the hall. However, he was a curious child and remembered crawling around the place, his dad not even noticing as if he went off to explore. The place he remembered was boring, until he heard one small voice.
"Hey."
He remembered Riku's face. It looked quite, calm with a certain dullness in his eyes. Something he never really rid himself of. Still something about Sora's good hearted nature and pure optimism really did attract his younger self to him at the time. That and the fact Sora didn't really seem to leave him alone. Always following him around even when he didn't want to, always talking up a storm when Riku wanted quite, it was a strange friendship at first, but the more time passed the more Riku just got used to it and enjoyed the company. A stark difference from being alone all the time. Wasn't like his family cared anyway, they couldn't tell what he was up too most of the time, and Riku liked it that way.
But then he remembered meeting Sora's family, how they treated him with such kindness and warmth, and how he wanted nothing more than to be apart of his life. Always sulking when he had to go home to his own cold family. Then always feeling a twitch of jealousy when he got to see Sora being embraced by two parents who loved him with all their hearts, eventually dwindling down to just his mother.
Again that twinge of jealousy came across him, it seemed like everything tended to fall onto Sora on a silver platter. No struggle, no sacrifice, Sora had all the friends and loved ones he could ever hope for, and what did Riku have? He paused and rid himself of those thoughts for now.
He turned now to Donald and Goofy, still the strangest of all of Sora's friends he had met.
"So, what's your deal?" He pointed to Donald and Goofy. "How exactly do a Duck and a Dog fly a spaceship with two teens."
"Riku!" Sora hissed looking at his friend, he didn't need to be so rude. "Sorry guys."
"It's okay." Goofy thankfully didn't seem bothered. "Well, I'm the King's Captain of the Guard, loyal to King and World! That's my job, and I've been friends with him for a long time, even before he was king."
"And I'm the King's Grand Wizard!" Donald said with pride. "Same like Goofy, I've known the king for years, he's my best friend."
"Magic hug." Riku put his leg up against the wall. "Some magic you've shown, nothing but a few specks of lighting and nonsense."
Donald huffed. "Hey, we're great warriors!"
"And Sora's gonna be the best of us one day." Goofy said, giving him a big smile.
Sora blushed. "I won't ...I mean….I've never been that good."
"Take it from me, he hasn't." Riku snickered. "Now me on the other hand...Won my first sparring match when I was still in diapers."
"Did not!" Sora said, giving him a small punch on the shoulder. "And I have beaten you a few times."
"Hardly."
"I did too."
"Not."
"Too."
"Not."
Riku grabbed Sora putting him in a headlock and started giving him a nuggie. The two boys began rough housing a bit, and laughing.
Sora's heart rose. Moments like this reminded him of home, just the random play of the Island. Jumping around and messing about without a care in the world. Those were the moments that made life worth it. It was also incredibly painful though, Riku's grip was definitely stronger than he last remembered. But it didn't matter, here now in this moment Sora was reminded on just why he loved Riku as a friend and brother, the two of them, the way they interacted and got along, the sheer enjoyment of his company, made what was becoming a harsh adventure all the more easier to swallow.
"Okay….Back hurts." Sora muttered getting out of the headlock. "Ouch…..Oh boy, i'm gonna be feeling that for week."
Riku let go allowing Sora to stretch. "You were always a little shrimp."
"Am not, Kairi never thought so."
Destiny Island, 7 years ago.
Sora just looked at awe at the new girl. She was mysterious. But people who just showed up on the beach one day with little to no memory of anyone or anything. Yet here she was, sitting on the beach, her newly adoptive parents trying to get her to socialize with the other kids. Most of his interactions with girls have been limited to the occasional wave, most of the time he spent with Riku, other than that, he didn't have friends outside of that circle of two.
"Still staring?" Riku walked up to him as Sora laid on a rock.
"What?" Sora said his voice a bit dreamy, still a bit dazed.
He couldn't explain it but he was having a strange feeling in the pit of stomach, like tiny butterflies were swirling around him. It was a weird feeling and he wanted it to stop.
Riku rolled his eyes. "Come on Sora, me and Tidus are gonna go into some of the caves and look for dead pirate gold, wanna come?"
"Nah….that's ok." Sora said, again in that dreamy state.
For a brief moment Riku looked at Sora and then at Kairi, and then back at Sora, before smirking. "HEY! NEW GIRL! OVER HERE!"
Sora froze in terror. "W-What are you…"
"Too late." Kairi walked up to them, a bit of confusion on her face. "Kairi...This is Sora, I'm Riku….I gotta go do something but, uh, Sora will give you the grand tour for the newbies."
With a single pat, Riku ran off leaving Sora and Kairi alone.
Seconds passed and the two kids just stood there looking at one another. Both had trouble looking at each other in the eye, instead they looked down on the ground or even at their own feet before making eye contact. Something inside Sora caused him feel very nervous, he never felt this way before, It was all so new, his voice shook as he tried to speak. Those butterflies were fluttering even faster now, and Sora could feel his legs shaking as he tried to speak.
"H-Hey….I-I'm Sora." He said voice shaking
The girl smiled. "I know…"
He liked her smile, it made him all warm and fuzzy inside.
"Yeah….So um….Liking the island so far?" Sora asked, trying to keep talking.
"Yeah….it's nice." She gave a small frown. "I know it's nowhere I used to be though."
"Where did you used to be?"
Kairi took a moment before speaking. "I-I don't know."
Sora held out a hand, before a large beam appeared on his face. "Well….You live here now….I'll show you around." Suddenly his eyes darted to something she was holding in her hand. "What's that?"
Kairi looked around before slowing opening her palm. In her hand was a tiny golden like bird. Fluffy and outright adorable. The tiny bird looked up at Sora and gave a faint chirp causing the boys eyes to widen with curiosity. It was nothing that Sora had ever seen. It was so small and innocent, a tiny baby bird, a new born, just now seeing the world and all it had to offer. Looking upon this creatures gave Sora a certain joy he had never experienced before.
"Wow, that's cool!" He said, his eyes widening.
"It's a co-co bird, they are native here. Well, that's what my new daddy tells me." Kairi explained gently petting it's head with her finger
"It's so awesome looking…."
"Yep. I'm it's mommy….I found its egg all alone. I didn't want it to get cold."
Sora got down on his knees and waved at it. "Hey, um, can I help take care of it?"
"Hmmm, I don't know…." Kairi looked unsure."Are you sure you can be gentle with it?"
"Please, I'll be really careful!"
"Well, I'll show you first, see if you are up to it."
"Don't worry, I am!"
And so Kairi did, the two of them kept close to the co-co bird all day. Sora was probably the most careful he had ever been in his entire life. When his mother later caught the two, she was amazed to see how still and not agitated he was compared to how he normally acted. She told Kairi later that she was the only thing that could get Sora to pay attention for longer than a few seconds.
"What did your mom mean by that?" Kairi asked as she followed Sora to the docks.
"Mom says I sometimes have trouble paying attention but I shouldn't worry, it's not my fault." Sora said still smiling after the fun day he had. "She says I just should be me, and that it makes me special."
"Well, that's nice." Kairi replied. "She seems like a nice mommy, my new mommy is nice too, I love her a lot."
"Yeah, my mom is the best! And now you're the best too! And Riku too!" Sora cheered, not understanding the idea of a new mommy.
Kairi blinked and looked behind her. "You mean the white haired boy, he's your friend?" Kairi asked with surprise.
Sora nodded giving a wide grin "Yeah, you'd like him, trust me!"
Present Day
"You've always did push me, didn't you Riku?" Sora said chuckling, leaning down on his chair. "In a way, you introduced me and Kairi."
"You spent weeks taking care of that thing before it flew off." Riku muttered. "I remember you were devastated."
Sora chilled. "I remember Kairi being particular sad that day too but I cheered her up, that's around the time we got my pet cat."
"Yeah, cat…." Riku muttered remembering several of it's attempts to tear his face off.
The two boys sighed as they just thought about the past. Each and every memory they could fathom with one another. Memories of each other, with Kairi, sometimes with their parents. Their parents. Sora never had good memories of Riku's parents, both being quite stern and proper. The only cool thing he remember was seeing Riku's large house for the first time. It was a nice villa on the mainland's shore. Yet Riku never liked being there, he much preferred the comfort of Sora's own home, always being greeted warmly by his own parents.
A brief smile came across Riku's face as he remembered Sora's parents, sometimes thinking them as his own.
"You know, I do miss your mom." Riku said looking down at his own shoe to avoid eye contact. "If there is one reason to bring the island back, it would be for her, she was a kind person."
Sora smiled. "Yeah…." A small tear dropped. "I miss her….I hope she's ok….If she's still..." He froze not wanting to finish that sentence.
If there was one thing Sora knew that would break him, it's the idea of never being reunited with his mother. Apart from Riku and Kairi, she was one of, if not, the most important person in his life. His constant, his rock, the bright light of stability.
Goofy sighed putting Sora's shoulder causing him to shudder and calm. "I'm sure she will be, and from what I've seen she must have been the best mom ever, she'd be proud. Believe me, as a parent, I would be too."
"You think so?" Sora smiled.
"I know so!" Goofy beamed.
Donald nodded. "Yeah, you've been doing….Uh….Good...So far." That reassurance backfired as the ducks doubts started to come to him.
"Thanks for that!" Sora snickered. "I mean I found Riku, that's probably the best thing to happen to me since I started this adventure."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Donald glared back at Sora
Sora blushed. "Not that you guys haven't been great, I mean Riku is my best friend and I've known him for a long time and well you know-"
"Yeah, yeah….Well….We are still alive, that's something." Donald said. "Right? That's-thats a good thing?"
"You're a sight for optimism." Riku muttered.
Again the atmosphere in the ship began to chill. Sora could tell that Riku, Donald and Goofy never got on well. Goofy sure was friendly but Donald and Riku, that was a different story. An air of distrust still surrounded them all. Sora wanted to rid themselves of it quickly, for it was going to be a long journey, longer still if they find Kairi first before the King.
"I know let's sing a song." Sora suggested, causing everyone to look surprised.
Riku groaned. "I'm not singing."
"Oh come on Riku….It will be fun, I know some good one's like….How about that song you're parents used to dance to when they were younger...What was it called, Once Upon a Drea-"
"I don't like that one." Riku said, his eyes narrowing in anger. "Never, ever! Ever!"
Riku had personal reasons to despite that song, it held a certain emotional significance to him to a time he would rather not think about. Sora remembered instantly why and tried to quickly calm down the situation.
"Okay...Okay, sorry... just thought you could get into the mood." Sora said, forgetting Riku's sensitivity when it came to his parents. "Wait...I got it, the perfect one!"
"What?" Riku grumbled
"My favorite song of all!"
"Which is?" Goofy asked.
"A old one…..A song about an island, a place where children never have to grow up, where we can scatter a play as long as we want. For a long time I used to think I lived there."
"We pretty much did? Minus the magic part that would have made it cool." Riku snickered.
"What's the place called?" Goofy asked.
Sora looked up at the sky and gave a Nostalgic look. "Neverland."
Sora sat down, and looked out at the Gummi Ship, looking at the stars and how they twinkled brightly in the light, taking a deep breath. He thought of his mother, how the two would just look out at the stars when he was younger.
Sora
The Second Star to the right.
Shines in the night for you.
To tell you the dreams you plan
Really can come true
Closing his eyes Sora thought about how his mother sang this very song, he went back to hear his mother voice in his mind, thinking of a time that was far more peaceful than now.
Sora was younger then, he would look out into the sky, sitting on his mother lap as they sit on the edge of the window sill. He would just look out, remembering how there were so many lights in the sky. Some of them twinkling bright amidst a sea of darkness. His mother's soothing voice whispering in his ear.
Aiko
The second star to the right
Shines with a light so rare
And if it's Neverland you need
It's light will lead you there
Sora would just look up at his mother's smiling face leaning close to her chest, feeling her heart beat as she ruffled his hair.
Twinkle Twinkle little star.
How i wonder where you are.
Gleaming in the skies above
Lead us to the love we dream off
Those memories were so pure and innocent.
Sora
And when our journey is through
Each time we say goodnight.
We'll think of the little star that shines
The second star to...the right.
Donald and Goofy both gave small claps as the song ended. It was quite a majestic song too. Something very mythical about it. Sora was told later that the song itself was not from the island, but one of the few of islanders had brought it back many years ago. Many a night, Sora's own mother would sing it to him as he dreamed of what lies beyond his home. Fantastical worlds, magic, fairies, everything he had read about! He wondered what the song meant to him now that much of what he had thought was mere myth.
"It was our thing even before the island-you know." Sora said blushing. "That song always made me feel good, made me believe in what could be out there, what is possible. All the beauty and wonder that lied beyond the island, never having to grow up, going on adventure. She'd always know how to calm me down too in case I had a bad dream or something."
"Aw...Beautiful." Jiminy said wiping away a tear. "Lovely song Sora, really lovely."
"You and your mom must sure have some connection." Goofy smiled as went into his pocket to take out a photo. "Reminds me of my boy Max."
"Or the boys." Donald said taking out a picture he had of them. "They sure do like getting into trouble."
"Kids." Goofy sighed happily. "They sure have the brightest hearts."
Sora smiled, he always forgot that all in all these two were practically parents. "Yeah- it's the one thing that keeps my fighting, for friends and family." Sora replied looking out in the stars. "I just think about that song, and I'm not sad anymore."
Riku smirked. "Yeah, I remember she sang it to me when I slept over a few times, though you enjoyed it the most. I didn't say anything then but….It was nice….You two always had a good relationship Sora, your lucky."
"Yeah…." Sora looked up at the stars one more time. "I miss her."
Soon the excitement in the ship died down again. Nothing appeared but constant empty sky as far as the eye could see. Again everyone was getting bored. Yet the quiet did allow for Sora to indulge in one thing he liked doing. Napping. If there was one thing Sora loved to do more than eat it was nap, and when he did it took quite a lot to wake him up. Now it was just Riku, Donald and Goofy who were awake now. The white hair boy looked at Sora as he avoided eye contact with the King's royal friends. Both did the same although Goofy kept looking up trying to make some eye contact. Finally the Captain of the Guard spoke, getting tired of the quiet.
"You sure do care about Sora, don't ya?." Goofy said, kindly.
Riku grunted. "Of course I do, he's practically my brother, I'd do anything for him!" Gently he ruffled his hair a bit.
"Why are you so protective?" Donald asked.
"Because!" Riku said angrily, before calming down. "He told you his dad died right?"
Both nodded.
"Sora was devastated that day….So was his mother. I was really his only confort, oh sure they had each other to grieve but….Well, Sora was always a bit sensitive, I needed to be his rock….And he's been good to me, I owed him that."
Goofy sniffed. "Gawrsh, that's so sad."
"Yeah." Donald said trying to hold back his sadness.
"So that's what I've been doing...Making sure Sora stays safe, and I don't care what I have to do to make sure he is." His mood darkened a bit.
Riku, again felt that twinge of jealousy, even if Sora had that one hint of tragedy Sora's life was still better than his own. Always managing to find the bright side of life, and having those around him, while he Riku had to suffer the brunt and responsibility of trying to be everyone's emotional rock. Again Riku could feel his fist clench, why did Sora seem to get everything in life so easily?
"What about your parents?" Goofy asked causing Riku to wake up from his thoughts..
Riku scoffed. "What about them?"
"Well...Don't you miss them? I'm sure they would be worried."
"No." Riku said rather bluntly. "Trust me….You don't wanna know my parents….Believe me!"
Donald and Goofy seemed taken aback. They knew Riku and Sora's worlds were definitely different from the their own world. Disney World was a lot more cheerful than even some of the places they had visited since they department. Traverse Town being a prime example, so they weren't used to the idea of bad parents. Both of them especially being good parental figures of their own right. The notion of bad parents seemed almost alien to them, scary even.
"Why were they so bad?" Goofy asked, sitting down.
Riku rolled his eyes, becoming quite uncomfortable. "Where to start, cold, distant….Always so….So focused on a tiny bubble of a much larger world. I'm living the dream, I'm traveling the world, not stuck on a puny island. You may think Destiny Island is great but it's not...It's a prison...surrounded by water."
Both companions grimace at one another.
"But it's your home." Donald suggested.
"My home is with my friends, a place is not a home."
Goofy scratched his chin. "Well, I guess you have a point. I consider anywhere where Max is my home."
Riku looked surprised, Donald did as well. Goofy was so loyal to the King and the Castle and to his world, that this statement came as a surprise, yet the old Goof was wiser than most gave him credit for, and it appeared it was going to be a moment that showed this wisdom. Yet, the old Goof seemed quite content with his statement as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I might wanna go back to Disney Castle, and I would hate that my world was destroyed by the Heartless." Goofy spoke, everyone listening in with intent. "But so long as I got my boy...Donald...The King….Queen Minnie...and my other friends...Then, I'd be home. Granted, I miss my bed and my prized collection of trading cards, but I'd be home. So, I get it."
Again, Riku looked shocked, he sat down next to the two looking at them observantly before giving them both a brief smile, he really didn't expect anyone to understand let alone someone named Goofy.. "T-Thanks….I'm glad you understand and I hope you know whatever I do...It's for Sora."
"We know." Goofy said, Donald though remained more skeptical."You gotta help your friend."
"Yeah….help."
Inside something Riku's heart burned, a sickening sensation almost, it repulsed him. These two were so drenched in light, he could practically feel it burn onto his skin. Though he would never say this out loud, it was a feeling he had around both his friends back home, especially with Kairi. Her light burned the brightest upon him, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was the reason why he had never been as close to her compared to Sora. Yet why did he care, whether or not something was light or dark? What mattered was protecting Sora and Kairi, and if darkness was the best way to go, so be it. Yet still he could not help but feel a bit repulsed by such light, as if they were alien to him.
Tired of sitting Riku tapped Sora on the shoulder.
"Hey….Ugh, are we there yet?" Sora muttered wiping of the drool from his face.
"Wanna spar?" Riku asked bluntly.
Sora took a moment to comprehend what he said before nodding. "Y-Yeah, of course."
Sora lead Riku to the ships personal training area, and took out one of the training swords holding it out to Riku but he declined holding his own sword instead. Sora gulped looking at it nervously, it was quite a sharp and dangerous object.
"Uh are you sure we should-"
"Use your Keyblade." Riku said smirking.
Sora shook his head. "You know it has a mind of it's own and doesn't always-"
Suddenly the Keyblade appeared just as he was about to finish his sentence, Sora sighed and he glared back at his weapon. Of course it would come just when he least wanted it too, but it didn't matter at this point. Riku took his battle stance, Sora took his own defensive position.
"Ok…." Sora took a deep breath. "On three...One….
Riku jumped into the air and clashed causing Sora to jump and dodge.
"Enemies aren't going to wait to attack you, Sora!" Riku said as he began his assault on him clashing his blade against him.
Sora never saw Riku go this far before, quickly he tried to dodge as best he could, but Sora wasn't always quick enough, but he was swift to dodge and get out of the way as Riku chased him around the room. It seemed that he had gotten stronger in the way of the sword since last they had spared back home on the Island.
"You can't afford to be weak Sora, you have to be strong, only the powerful are going to win!" Riku yelled.
Sora held back. "That seems a bit harsh."
"That's life Sora, life is harsh, I'm not always going to be around to protect you, sometimes you have to rely on just yourself."
Sora yanked back to get some space in between them. "That-that just doesn't seem right Riku...Seems rather dark."
"Again, life is dark!" Riku said slashing again only to be blocked. "Life is dark, and it's about strength."
The two boys had at it for several minutes, Riku constantly on the attack as Sora tried to dodge. It was only a matter of which one would wear down first. Sora had a long nap but Riku always had a lot of stamina towards him that allowed him to press on his multiple attacks several times. They kept at it again and again not even noticing that now they had a visitor come in from the other room.
"What's the big idea?!" Donald yelled causing both boys to stop and take notice. "Are you trying to kill each other?!"
Riku looked at Sora and dislodged his sword. "Whatever."
"Riku?" Sora blinked unsure what was going on. "That was strange."
"What's wrong with him?" Donald asked.
"I don't know-" Sora shrugged. "He gets a little intense whenever we fight, even when we were kids he always wanted to make sure he won. Said it was important for him to be the best and the strongest. Though this seemed a lot more intense than I've ever seen him before. Maybe the trip is starting to get to him, we have been out for a while."
"Well we don't have another world to go to yet and according to our maps-"
The moment of reflection ended quickly as a loud roar came from outside. Sora instantly ran to the main deck to look outside. Out the window, he saw something massive approach, something large, black and grey.
Jiminy Cricket eyes widened in shock. "Monstro!"
"What?"
"Monstro! A whale….A whale of a whale! From my world."
Donald quickly began making emergency maneuvers, but it was to late, they already were taken in by the suction of the whale, it's large teeth overtaking them before closing its mouth covering them in it's darkness. The Gummi Ship had become food, and the hero's inside, salt on the meal.
Destiny Island, 8 Years Ago.
Sora and Riku entered the main cave, but instead of the monster they were hoping for, all they found was just a small enclave of rocks and one singular wooden door edged into the wall. Both boys looked around at awe, Sora especially taken in by the place, it was like a secret hideout that he read about in the books about pirates.
"So cool." He muttered.
Riku chuckled and you were scared to home.
"Was not!"
"Whatever." Riku walked to the door and touched it putting the palm of his hand over the wooden frame. "Strange, it won't open."
"We can make this our secret lair!" Sora spoke, the excitement on his voice going. "We can put our treasure here and…."
"Let's not go nuts Sora. We aren't pirates."
"But we could be." Sora got excited by the prospect. "We could have big hats and eye patches, sails a big ship, I get to be captain of course."
"Whatever." Riku smirked. "We will make this our secret spot….So long as you don't tell….Promise?"
"Promise."
But Sora didn't, he broke that promise the moment he introduced Kairi to this place. Although Riku would never admit it, part of him still resented that their own private area was tainted. What's worse that other people did find the cave in time. Yet Riku would always have that day they found the cave, and especially that door. For when he was alone, Riku could have sworn he saw the door have a large Keyhole embedded into it, one had appeared and vanished with each and every visit. One that would would prove to be a sign of a grand power, the likes of which the young white haired boy, was ready to embrace.
