Tales of the Gummi Ship

A Genie's lamp.

Riku's prize for going to Agrabah. It was definitely worth it, though he did feel bad for Sora, he did seem to care about that princess. But it would be a sacrifice worthy to have something like this. Three wishes, a way to find Kairi, and perhaps gain a bit more power in order to protect his friends from what could await them in the outside world.

When it was all said and done, Sora would have to appreciate all the hard work he was putting into keeping him safe. Far more work than those two idiots Donald and Goofy were putting into it. There bumblings had probably almost cost Sora his life on multiple occasions.

"Enjoying the spoils" Riku turned around to see Maleficent appearing in a nearby mirror inside his cabin smirking.

"Yeah," Riku sneered, "You aren't getting Jafar back by the way"

"Believe me, it is no large loss"

Riku turned facing Maleficent now, "Be happy I'm a good actor, but I'm getting tired of pulling Sora along. I want Kairi and then I'm out of here"

"Of course, of course," Maleficent said, "I just hope your friend appreciates everything you've been doing for him".

"He will. Trust me".

Maleficent chuckled, "Will see child...Will see…"

Riku sneered, Sora would understand, he just need a good time to tell him and explain. Once he had complete control of the situation, he would explain everything. Yes. Sora would have to understand that everything he was doing was for the betterment of his friends, nothing more. It would make absolute sense.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The door to his room opened as Sora entered the room. Quickly Riku rushed to wear he kept the lamp and put it behind his back before putting it underneath his bed to hide it. He wanted to tell Sora about it...Just not yet.

"Hey," Riku said, seeing Sora seemed a bit down.

"Hey"

Sora walked over the bed rubbing his head, "Well...Agrabah was a disaster"

"Are you still mopping about that?" Riku asked.

"How can I not!" Sora said looking exasperated, "We lost Jasmine, who knows what Maleficent is doing to her right now ...So far I've been nothing but a really sucky Keyblade Master"

Riku frowned, "Well...No one asked you to be a Keyblade Master Sora, you aren't responsible for anything they're doing"

"But I'm a Keyblade Master now, I kinda have that responsibility"

"No, your only responsibility is finding Kairi, which I'm helping you with, so we can get on and see the worlds like we always wanted. All of this...It's not important, they are just using you at this point".

Sora seemed taken aback, "Using me? Come on Riku, Donald and Goofy want me to find there King, but they aren't using me. There my friends too, they've been nothing but nice and sweet since I've met them. Okay Donald was a little skeptical and probably still is, and he's cranky. But apart from that, they've been good friends"

Riku frowned. It seemed that Sora was caring more and more about his other friends them him and Kairi. He couldn't let Sora get distracted with such things. Only he and Kairi should matter. Nothing else.

"Come on Sora…" Riku took Sora's hand looking into his big blue eyes, "Trust me, I'll take care of everything"

"Don't put everything on yourself Riku" Sora smiled, "I can handle myself too you know, I mean, I've been doing it for a while now"

Riku flinched, "Y-Yeah, I know...But I still want to help"

"I know" Sora chuckled sitting back up, "Come on, let's get back to the main deck, I'm sure Donald and Goofy are doing something funny"

Riku chuckled nervously "Yeah...Funny" frowning he got up and followed along.

He could care less about Donald and Goofy right now.

-000-

As the entered the main deck Riku saw Goofy talking to his son Max on the screen. Sora had told him about them. A Father son relationship that actually was actually healthy.

"Oh come on," Max yelled, "Two kids now, how come you have two and I can't come"

Goofy calmed him, "now now Max Riku is Sora's best friend we couldn't not let him come along, especially after promising to find him and Kairi"

"Alright dad," Max gave in leaning back in his chair, "Well….Take care please, stay safe"

"We will Maxie, don't worry about it"

The screen went off as it was replaced with a window of infinite space. Various rocks and stars passed them buy as they had normally done so each time they traveled. Riku was at first captivated by it just like Sora was, but quickly it got old for him. Things tended to get old for him, but the euphoria of travel wasn't clicking with him as much as it had for Sora. It was like his mind was always somewhere else, though what he did not know.

Donald entered the room now, taking the drivers seat.

"Morning Donald, been keeping the ship steady" Goofy said.

Donald yawned, "Yeah, yeah yeah…"

Suddenly one of the buttons turned red, Chip and Dale scattered towards it and monitored the screen.

"Hey look, it's a message from Traverse Town" Dale said.

Chip pushed a button, "Let's see who it is".

"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. Large amount of smoke began churning from the back of the screen.

"I'm, ok." Launchpad called out from a distance.

Sora chuckled as Donald just rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oh brother"

"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."

"Believe me, Leon has more trouble with Stan Pines then he does your Uncle" Cid replied, "Granted he could learn to pay a bit more"

"Yeah, I know" Donald sighed.

Sora sat back in the chair with a deep sigh. The news of the princess was not what he wanted to hear right now "Man, things are really getting bad, and the more time it takes to find the King the worse things seem to be getting better."

"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!"

"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.

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."

"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.

"Okay ...Back hurts." Sora muttered getting out of the headlock. "Ouch…..Oh boy, i'm gonna be feeling that for a week."

Riku let go allowing Sora to stretch. "You were always a little shrimp."

"Am not, Kairi never thought so."

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 haired boy looked at Sora as he avoided eye contact with the King's loyal 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 comfort, 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 ...Believeme!"

Donald and Goofy seemed taken aback. They knew Riku and Sora's worlds were definitely different from 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.