I'm sorry for the delay. This chapter is un-beta'd, by the way, so I apologize if the quality is bad. I'll probably get another chapter of Dark Dueling out soon for those of you reading it.

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is owned by Kazuki Takahashi. Kingdom Hearts is owned by Tetsuya Nomura and all that.

Duel Disks and Keyblades

By FlikFreak

Chapter Thirty-Six: Sentimental Star Journey

Cid slammed the engine door shut on the Excalibur, clapping the dust and dirt off of his hands before heading to the sink nearby to wash up. Ever since Sora had crashed the Kingdom into the Deep Jungle, he had taken the liberty of keeping a close eye on the Gummi Ship the keyblade master chose to travel in. Unfortunately, this time Sora wasn't the one that crashed it, so Cid had to vent his steam elsewhere.

"How's it coming along?"

"Dandy," Cid grumbled. "Warp gummi's been busted, and it'll take a good while to get one shipped in or built…"

A sigh came from over the phone. "So I guess those two are going back the old-fashioned way?"

"There's no other choice," Cid replied. "Besides, Sora's gotten through too many tough spots to count. He'll be fine." He dried off his hands. "I'm ganna go find the boys. They'll have to head back sooner or later."

Hayner sighed, obviously expecting this. "So you're going back, huh?"

"But you just got here!" Olette protested. "You should stay a while…"

"We can't," Sora replied. "Domino City is under attack as we speak. If we don't set things to rights quick, it'll disappear."

"But that's only if that Anubis guy finds the keyhole, right?" Pence said, optimistic as always. "If he doesn't find it, then that world is safe."

"For the most part, yeah, but I don't want to take any chances."

Yugi rubbed his head. This is complicated…

You're telling me, Yami replied. It's hard to imagine that a week ago we didn't know anything about this whole mess, or even about Sora when we first met him.

"Now that I think about it," Pence continued, directing his thoughts to no one in particular, "Hasn't there been a pattern whenever you found a keyhole?"

Sora furrowed his eyebrows and leaned on a wall. "Yeah," he replied, somewhat slowly. "The keyhole at home was in the secret place that we always went to. In Deep Jungle, it was in the cave beyond the waterfalls. For Atlantica, it was in the grotto…everywhere the keyhole seems to be, it's usually either somewhere really important or really peaceful."

Yugi's eyes widened. If what Sora said was true, then he knew just the place it was. "The Museum!" He cried suddenly, causing all four of them to jump. "I always felt at peace there, and it's where Yami first learned about his past!"

"You think so?" Sora replied, ignoring the other three teenagers' confusion about the identity of Yami.

"Of course! It's definitely there!"

"'bout time I found you two."

All eyes turned to the entrance, where Cid stood with his hands on his hips. Hayner didn't look too pleased to see him, but fortunately Cid had come without a cigarette and was instead chewing on a piece of straw, sparing him the blonde's wrath. He rubbed his nose casually. "I've been lookin' all over for ya. The Excalibur's been fixed up. She's ready to take off when you are."

"Then we'll leave now," Sora said before Olette could protest again. "Yugi and I are going to settle things."

Cid blinked. Apparently he hadn't expected such a quick response. "Already? You sure make up your minds quick…"

"Anubis is looking for the keyhole," Yugi explained, "And we think we know where it is. If we can get to it before him…"

"Right," Cid concluded, nodding. "Meet me at the port. You know where it is." With that, he walked off.

Yugi thought for the slightest moment he had walked into the world's largest (and most extravagant) garage. Not only was the ship they rode in on in here, but there was also a miniature workshop corner filled with freshly oil-stained tools (Cid had probably done some repairs recently), a sink not far from that, and an enormous garage door.

"Welcome to the Gummi Garage," Cid announced. "The Excalibur's ready to board."

Sora smiled. "Thanks, Cid. We couldn't have done it without you."

Cid nodded. "Don't mention it. Oh, by the way, I won't be going with you this time."

The boys did a double take. "What?!"

"You heard me," The engineer responded. "I can't come this time. I'm taking my own ship to Radiant Garden. We've still got some restoration to do there."

"Cid…" Sora began. Yugi could tell that the keyblade master placed some huge trust in this man. As odd as the engineer seemed, it was like the two had known each other all their lives.

"This is your fight," Cid continued. "You and Yugi are the only ones that can take that creep down. Besides, you've got your friends to help you."

That sounds familiar, doesn't it? Yami commented softly. Yugi just smiled.

"By the way, we got a message in from someone in Domino City."

Yugi's ears perked up at the mention of his hometown. "What did it say?"

Cid shrugged. "It said, 'At last resort, use the secret card.' Stiltzkin didn't tell us who exactly sent it, but we knew it was meant for you."

Pegasus, Yami stated simply. He knows a lot more than meets the eye.

Yugi nodded. Yeah. That card he gave Sora must be the one he's referring to.

Sora nodded. "Take care, Cid!" He called as he climbed up the ladder into the cockpit, Yugi close behind.

Cid shot the boys a salute. "Good luck."

Axel groaned. This sort of thing was a lot easier when the Dusks were on his side, but not only had he betrayed them, but now he was going against an army and a half of Heartless. Added to the fact that things would not stop, the replica had no clue if he could manage to hold them off much longer, even if he did have Jounouchi's help.

This simply was not his day.

"Think we should call for help?" Jounouchi suggested as he smacked another shadow with his trusty pole.

"Nah," Axel replied. "We can handle them. Sora and Yugi won't be gone for long."

What he didn't tell Jounouchi was that he knew what Anubis was really after. Sure, getting Sora and Yugi out of the way was a step up for him, but what he was really after was the keyhole. Whatever it took, he couldn't let the man near it. There was no telling what Anubis was planning, but with the way things were going so far, he didn't feel like finding out…

Yugi tightened his seatbelt as tightly as he could. After the previous encounter, he didn't want to risk being thrown around (or out) again. Sora, meanwhile, was in the pilot's seat. Yami quickly informed Yugi that he wasn't entirely sure he could trust Sora to drive a car, let alone pilot a space ship, judging by Sora's normally care-free behavior.

"Begin system check," Sora said firmly, his eyes narrowed.

"Roger," Cid answered.

"Hey, Sora?"

The keyblade master turned around in his seat. "What is it, Yugi?"

"I was just thinking…" He paused. "That prophecy thing in the museum. I'm not sure about most of it, but some of it I'm definitely sure of."

"Takeoff will be a while," Sora replied. "Let's hear it."

Yugi nodded. "'The eye that sees what's yet to come, its vision shall be fulfilled unless blinded by events predetermined, thus light and shadows both be killed.' The only thing I'm sure about is that the shadow is me and the light must be you."

"But what about the rest?" Sora asked. "Like the eye that sees, and all that."

He's surprisingly calm about this, Yami commented. He's referenced in a prophecy but he acts like it happens every day.

Sora's gone through a lot, Yugi replied. I'm sure this isn't really that out of the norm for him. "I don't know, but I bet we'll know it when we see it." There was another pause before Yugi brought up another question. "By the way…how did you come to know Cid? You two seem like you've known each other for a long time."

Sora just smiled. "After I woke up in Traverse Town, he was the first person I met. He was running a store at the time since he lost his own world to the heartless. He looked after me and gave me the encouragement I needed." He looked away, an odd smile on his face. "Sure, he's pretty odd, but he's one of the most dependable people I know."

"Ready for takeoff, Sora!" Cid announced over the intercom.

The keyblade master nodded, and revved up the engine. Yugi made sure that his seatbelt was tight and the Millennium Puzzle was secure before he fixed his eyes ahead. The ship slowly tilted and pointed upward at the now-open roof as Cid came on the intercom. "Listen up, Sora. The warp gummi got busted on our way here, so you'll have to get back to Domino the old-fashioned way. There's quite a few enemy ships on the way there, so I upgraded a few of your cannons."

"Got it," Sora replied. He then shot a quick glance to Yugi. "Get ready. This'll be a bumpy ride." He thrust a lever forward, and the ship took off at a blinding speed, racing through the open rooftop and into the starry sky above.