The Ties that Goof
Goofy relaxed in his chair as best he could, always keeping one eye glanced at Sora for good measure.
The poor kid, probably suffering a lot since losing his best friend to the forces of evil. Still no sign of the King, or his other friend Kairi. Though that didn't stop Goofy from trying to think positively as best he could. He knew Donald though was starting to get a sense of dismay. But that was always the case with his friend.
Goofy couldn't blame Donald though, ever since losing his sister Della Duck, it would be easy to believe once someone was lost it was hard to find them again. Still Goofy couldn't let himself give into despair like that, the King depended on him.
"Ah a nice sandwich." Sora sighed as he looked upon the juicy delight in his hand. "Just like mom used to make."
"Don't eat it all in one go." Donald muttered. "You'll choke-again."
"Hey only twice!" Sora glared before taking a large bite, and started choking but quickly managed to get it down after a few coughs. "Ha! Avoided it"
"Hardly."
Jiminy was sitting on the arm rest watching, "Now, now Sora...Listen to them, your eating habits haven't been the best since we started this whole thing"
"Hey my eating habits are great".
"Blasted thing!" Donald muttered from the control panel throwing a wrench into the machinery. "Chip Dale, any luck."
"Sorry Donald." Chip said getting another wire together. "Still working on it, you know it's hard to get any sort of communications out here the farther we are from home."
"I know-I know…" Donald sighed. "But I want to make my report to the Queen and well Goofy-".
"Don't worry we know." Dale bit on one of the cords. "Nothing yet."
"Ugh," Donald groaned, "We also need to get a message to Leon about the report, if we find more of Ansem stuff we may be able to defeat the Heartless because of it"
"Yeah," Sora said remembering Halloween Town, "Maleficent gotta be using that science stuff for evil right? Though it's kinda weird since isn't she like a witch or something, so doesn't she not like believe in science or something"
"She can probably use both" Goofy suggested.
"True, guess it's not a science versus magic thing"
Goofy wondered if they would ever get the comms back online. It had been malfunctioning the past few days. One too many hits to an asteroid would do that, especially since Donald had been letting Sora drive a bit more lately, just to get his bearings. In retrospect perhaps not the greatest idea but the Keyblade Master should learn to fly one of these things from time to time.
"Come in." Goofy spoke through the microphone giving it a few tabs. "Anyone there, hello…..Hello."
Slowly a familiar sounding voice come from the screen as it began to come clear as a younger looking Goofy began to appear on a screen. "Dad-Dad, are there."
Goofy smile widened as he saw the face of the most important person in the worlds to him.
"Howdy son!" Goofy said beaming running up to the screen to give it a hug. "Finally glad to see yuh again."
"Is the Queen there." Donald asked trying to take the microphone. "I want to give my report - I have a bunch of…..
Sora grabbed Donald by the feathers and pulled him back frowning. "Let him talk to his son k."
"But-" Donald stopped as gave him a disapproving glare. "Ok, ok fine."
Sora let Donald go and returned to his sandwich he wanted to give Goofy this time.
He owed him that.
"Yeah through a computer screen." Max said disappointedly, putting his own hand on the screen.
"Ah don't be like that son, as long as we get to talk that's good enough. .Just seeing yuh is already making me warm up." Max gave a small smile. "That's my boy. Been getting farther so it's gonna get harder to talk but I send yuh letters every day "
"I know I've been reading them." Max said looking embarrassed. "Hope you are doing ok".
Sora gave a soft smile, he couldn't help but marvel at that father son connection. "I feel the same way when I see my mom."
"I'm good, Sora been keeping us safe." Sora blushed feeling he'd been getting them in trouble then helping them "So how are you doing Max?"
Max shrugged seeming a bit sad. "Not much happens here, just the average insanity that is home. Queen is a bit nervous because of what's going on more and more. Apparently some world called Mewni was the latest place to be taken, something about losing the Magic High Commission, whatever that means or meant" He paused for a minute and looked almost embarssed "Dad I um-I wish i could be with you fighting."
"Now son-"
"I know, I know, I have responsibilities here in case something happens, but come on Dad I know I can fight by your side, fight the Heartless go on all the adventures you are talking about in your letters. Also-you know...I miss yuh" Max blushed red from embarrassment, teenagers weren't supposed to miss their parents in his eyes. "I want to be by your side fighting the good fight, not just stuck back home all day."
"I know-" Goofy nodded. "I'm sure you can, I know you are going to be a great knight but we all gotta play are part in all this now. No breaking ranks. Everyone gotta play their role."
"Yeah but-" The screen started to fizzle again. "Dad-Dad!"
The screen went dark, and the connection was gone. Donald tried to get the thing to work again as Goofy walked back to his seat, looking sad, yet happy as well. Happy that he was able to have talked to his son again, if only for a little while. Still, the fact that he was doing okay...That was enough for now. Max was strong, he knew that, he raised him to be like that. He would be okay.
"You really believe in him don't you." Sora said taking another bite of his sandwich. "Don't see a lot of parents who'd actually want to put in there kids in danger."
"Tell me about it" Donald sighed, his expression turning sad, "I know Della would have been the same"
Goofy smiled. "Of course, he's my son, I gotta believe in him and of course I don't want him in danger, but I know I'm not gonna prevent it. Max has gotta grow up his way, and I gotta let him. Trust me I learned the hard way a few times that I gotta let go. Even though he'll always be my little Maxy."
"Well we made the right decision keeping him their." Donald muttered as he tied two wires together. "Why Scrooge is letting the boys in Traverse Town is beyond me, I would have kept them back home were I know they are safe."
"To be fair Donald nowhere is really safe with the Heartless out their." Goofy said, Sora grimace at the thought. "That's why we all gotta do our part."
Donald sighed and muttered under his breath. "At least they'd be safe in my mind."
"Now you know that's not how it works Donald."
"Something wrong Sora?" Goofy asked.
Sora shook his head. "Nothing, just, I kinda feel guilty about keep you guys away from your families."
Goofy smiled.
"Nonsense Sora, as far as I'm concerned we are family too in our own way." Goofy said patting his shoulder in a comforting matter. "Donald you and I, we've been going on adventure staying in this ship dealing with one another every day. We said at the start all for one and for all, and we mean it to this very day."
It was true, they had been growing closer as friends since the start of there travels. Gone was the mistrust and awkward nature at the start. Gone was even Sora's original thought that they were only using him for his power and nothing else. Sora did see these two as as good as friends as Riku and Kairi. Or at at this point Kairi considering Riku betrayal.
Goofy knew now that Sora felt close to them and them him. In many ways he was becoming like a second Son. Never could he take the place of Max, but oh how he hopes one day the two could meet, maybe even like brothers.
All for one and one for all.
"Thanks guys-" Sora smiled, he was really starting to think of them as true family.
Suddenly a high pitched squeak came from the controls, Chip and Dale hurried there way. Sora didn't need the screen to know what was going on, a world was coming up on the horizon. Everyone pressed their noses up against the window ceiling to take a good look at it.
"Well this is the last world the King went too according to his Gummi Block." Donald said as he pointed to the last location on the map.
"The last one." Sora sighed as he slumped into his seat rubbing his forehead in exhaustion. "Hard to believe that we been this far and yet we haven't found anything. Do you think that the King is even..."
"Of course he is!" Donald interjected immediately almost incensed by the idea. "He has to be, we've been looking everywhere, he just has to be."
"Sorry, sorry ...I'm just worried. What if we don't find him here. I mean, so much has happened"
Goofy shook his head. "We'll we just gotta keep looking even harder then."
"Like that will do us any good…." Sora took a deep sigh. "We've been looking everywhere! Are you sure he's even out there!"
"If he wasn't then we'd know." Donald said defensively, his eye twitching at the thought of losing there king permanently- he feared for himself but also for what might the Queen think.
Goofy nooded. "Yep, we'd have a feeling deep, deep, deep down in our hearts."
"Hey don't frown, we got very little smile power left on this thing." Dale chided as he gaged the power meter.
"Sorry!" Sora perked up immediately giving a big wide grin."Well, at least will be able to see another cool world. That's something, maybe will learn about the Keyblade along the way too. We've been pretty lucky on that front."
"That's the spirit." Goofy said
"Yay...More meddling." Donald muttered with a sarcastic tone.
"Oh come on our meddling normally works out...At least recently." Sora snickered.
"Sure it does." Donald groaned.
"So, which world is it?" Sora asked trying to get the horrid image out of his mind quickly.
"Let's see."
Donald began fiddling with some of the buttons on the Gummi Ships control panel and activated a screen of a large rock like world covered with water, just a bit of land in the distance. Sora and Goofy sat up to take a better look. Both looked a bit nervous at the sight of all that water and very little land that made up most of this world.
"So…..Do you have a spell to make us breath under water?" Sora asked.
Donald shook his head. "Nope, I got something better."
Sora seemed unsure as he began to take them down, wondering just what it was that Donald had up his sleeve. He could only hope it wasn't that bad, whatever it was.
But oh how wrong he would be.