KINGDOM HEARTS III: Final Mix

Disclaimer: I do not own the story or characters featured in this story. They are the sole creation of the Walt Disney Co., PIXAR, Marvel Comics, Tetsuya Nomura, and Square Enix. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy.

WARNING! Contains story spoilers for Kingdom Hearts III, so read with caution if you haven't played the game yet.


Chapter 29: When My Life Begins

Okay, Rapunzel, just take a second to calm down and breathe. You stuffed a ruffian in your closet, there's no reason to pani- wait, I have a person in my closet...

These were the thoughts that were running through Rapunzel's mind after she took the unconscious form of the stranger that broke into her tower, and stuffed him inside her small cabinet. "Boy, would that be a surprise for Mother," she thought. "Maybe after she sees him like that, she'll stop thinking that I can't keep myself safe."

Her attention then shifted towards the satchel that laid aside at the spot where the stranger fell. As she rummaged through it, she found an ornate crown inside. Curiosity started to overtake her, as she set the crown on her head, feeling some spark of a familiar memory come to her, only to then pass like a fleeting shadow...


Meanwhile, Sora, Donald and Goofy passed through the spot where Goofy pointed out Flynn was running off to, finding a hidden pathway through a cave, veiled by low hanging leaves.

"I hope that Flynn is doing okay," Sora remarked as they wandered through the caverns until they found an opening letting in daylight. Sora and the others rushed on through with enthusiasm, finding a secluded tower in the distance.


Back inside Rapunzel's Tower, the girl had pulled the 'ruffian' out of her cabinet, and set him upright in a chair, restraining him with her long bands of hair just to be on the safe side, gesturing for her chameleon friend Pascal to wake him up. Pascal crawled up on the stranger's shoulder and tried to slap him awake with his tail. No response came; it was time for Plan B. Pascal stuck his tounge inside the stranger's ear and then bounded off as the stranger snapped awake.

"What happened?" Flynn muttered to himself as he squirmed in his bonds, finding himself heavily restricted in terms of movement by tight yellow strands. "Is this... hair?"

"Struggling is pointless!" a voice called from the shadows. "Who are you? Why are you here?" the voice demanded, stepping forward to reveal a eighteen year old girl in a purple dress, barefoot and with long blonde tresses of hair she held in her hands like a rope.

"Uh, I know not who you are or why I'm here, but may I just say... hi. How are you doin'? The name's Flynn Rider," he told the girl as he introduced himself. Unfazed, the girl kept her guard up and continued her interrogation.

"Who else knows of my location, Flynn Rider?" she asked.

"Okay, listen, blondie..."

"Rapunzel," she clarified.

"Gesundheit. Now the thing is, it's been a long day of running and then I came across your tower, so..." Flynn began to explain, before he stopped and dug around his pockets with his free hand. "Oh no, where is my satchel?"

"I've hidden it, somewhere you'll never, ever find," Rapunzel answered, as if proud of her clever act of trickery.

"It's in that pot right there, isn't it?" Flynn asked flatly.

"Shoot," she thought to herself as she lifted the frying pan up again and knocked Flynn out with another *Thwack!*. A moment later, Pascal woke Flynn up again with his tongue through the ear trick. "Now it's hidden somewhere you'll never find it," she told Flynn. "Tell me, what do you want with my hair anyway? To cut it, sell it?"

"Wha-? No, all I want is to get out of your hair- literally!" Flynn remarked in frustration.

"So, you don't want my hair?"

"Why on Earth would I want your hair? I just saw a tower, and climbed it. End of story," Flynn told Rapunzel, who then turned towards Pascal and began conversing with each other.

"I know, but he does seem a little more trustworthy now," she whispered, met with the response of Pascal's squeaking of skepticism. Eventually, the conversation ended, and Rapunzel turned her attention back to Flynn. "I'm prepared to offer you a deal. Do you know what these are?" she asked, pointing to her carefully painted mural of the 'floating lights'.

"You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?" Flynn asked from his position face-first against the floor.

"Lanterns? I knew they weren't stars," she thought before continuing. "Well, tonight they will light the night sky with these 'lanterns'. You will take me outside, guide me to the lanterns, and bring me home safely. Then, and only then, will I give you your satchel back."

"Oh, no can do," Flynn told Rapunzel apologetically. "See, the kingdom and I aren't exactly 'simpatico' at the moment, so I'm afraid I won't be taking you anywhere." Rapunzel then eyed her friend Pascal who then gestured with a balled fist hitting inside his other hand, as if to say "He's playing hard to get. Get him where it hurts: about the satchel!"

"Something brought you here, Flynn Rider; and that is why I made the decision to trust you."

"Terrible decision, really," Flynn replied sincerely.

"But trust me when I tell you this: you can tear this tower apart brick by brick, but without my help, you'll never find your precious satchel," Rapunzel threatened.

"So... I take you to see the lanterns, then you give me my satchel back; right?" Flynn asked to clarify.

"I promise," Rapunzel assured him. "And know when I promise something, I never go back on that promise- ever."

"There still might be more of those monsters out there... what to do? Oh! Those three guys in the funny getup look tough enough to take them on," Flynn thought to himself, remembering about the Heartless that have been popping up lately.

"...Alright, I'll do it, but on one condition," Flynn told Rapunzel.

"Really? And what is this condition of yours?" Rapunzel asked.

"There are three sidekicks of mine who will accompany us on the way to the kingdom. They will be sticking around with us two until we reach the castle."

"Deal," Rapunzel told Flynn in agreement, putting her hand out to shake on it, not realizing her grip sent Flynn falling face-first again to the floor. "Oops."

"You broke my smoulder..." Flynn groaned weakly, as Rapunzel helped free him from her hair.


Back outside the tower, Sora and the others were taking care of more Heartless that popped up in the area, quickly managing to clear them out in time to see Flynn climbing down the tower.

"Hey, look! There's Flynn!" Goofy exclaimed, when they were caught off-guard by a long mound of hair falling down from the tower window like a rope, past Flynn as a young girl slid down the hair rope before stopping and clinging to it just a few inches off the ground. Slowly, she put her foot down on the grass, giggling cheerfully as she enjoyed the newfound sensation of freedom.

"Just smell the grass! The dirt! Just like I dreamed they'd be!" she started to sing, as she ran past the others.

"Just feel that summer breeze - the way it's calling me.
For like the first time ever, I'm completely free!
I could go running, and racing, and dancing, and chasing, and leaping and bounding... hair flying, heart pounding, and splashing, and reeling, and finally feeling...

Now's when my life begiiiiiiinnnnssss!"


And that finishes this another chapter. I hope you enjoyed this little update and please remember to leave a review to let me know what you think about the story! See you all next time, and may your heart be your guiding key.