Ok so before we even start this one, I need to make a clarification. Yes, I KNOW the credits of KH2 basically show the ending of Beauty and the Beast, what with the Beast turned back into a human and everything. Buuuuuuut, I'm sort of retconning that for my purposes, because I feel like the climax of the movie itself is very KH worthy, hence why we're basically getting it here. It also ties quite nicely into what I want to do on my own end of things, especially in the second chapter of the world. So hopefully you won't mind that retcon too much, especially since these chapters aren't hugely focused on the Disney world aspect anyway and are kind of more focused on driving original stuff forward? Which is always a good time of course ;) So, with all that out of the way, let's get started! (UPDATED 11/7/20)
Chapter 32: Tale as Old as Time
Tale as old as time
Tune as old as song
Bittersweet and strange
Finding you can change
Learning you were wrong
Before setting out from the tower with his fellow lights, Riku had decided to seek some much-needed advice from Yen Sid and Mickey about exactly how he should proceed as the group's new leader. He'd taken care to conceal his own abundant doubts about even being thrust into this new role as he went to the pair in private, asking them to clarify exactly what was expected of him, both on the initial group mission they were all about to set out on and whatever came after it. Fortunately, they were more than happy to offer the kind of guidance he was hoping for, surprisingly commending him for being perceptive and prudent enough to even ask for it to begin with.
Naturally, they'd started with a reminder of the most immediate task at hand: to venture into the worlds alongside the other lights, track down a Key while keeping it out of the reach of the Organization and maintaining the always-important world order all the while. A task that would be daunting enough on its own, but even more daunting for Riku since he's to take charge of the entire endeavor. According to Mickey and Yen Sid, as leader, it's his job to keep the others focused on their central mission, to decide what course of action they should follow as a team, to strategize, to plot and plan and guide that team to success through whatever means he believes to be best. He is to be firm, yet fair in his judgement, to treat each member of the group as even equals while still ensuring that they all stay on track and that the safety and security of the other lights isn't put in jeopardy by the actions of just one of them. And above all else, he is to strive toward the ultimate goal of protecting the worlds from Xehanort and the Organization alike, and to ensure that his fellow lights are ready to do the same.
With all this momentous, yet helpful advice in mind, Riku ventures out alongside the others early that next day, determined to do whatever he has to in order to carry that advice out to the letter. To not let the sorcerer, the king, his friends, or himself down.
Even so, he finds that taking charge like he was instructed to do might be much easier said than done, particularly when it comes to actually doing so in the presence of his fellow lights. Or more specifically, when it comes to doing so in regards to Sora. Kairi, Axel, Donald, and Goofy had all largely shown that they were ready and willing to follow his lead into their first mission together, and their previous overwhelming support of his new role from yesterday carries over into today. However, before he can so much as come up with a single starting plan, Sora suddenly usurps control of the Gummi Ship right out from under him, insisting that he knows where they need to go to look for the next Key. While the rather smug way he does so doesn't sit very well with him, Riku begrudgingly decides to allow it, mostly since he really has no idea where to start looking for any of the Keys himself. In truth, Sora does have more experience when it comes to the task ahead of them, but still, that doesn't mean Riku intends to let him take the lead throughout. Especially not when the entire point of this mission is to help him establish himself in his new role as leader in the first place.
The world Sora steers them toward seems to be one he was familiar with, and as they come in to land, Donald and Goofy confirm that the trio has traveled there before. As they emerge into a rather eerie night-covered forest, Riku can't help but think that their familiarity with this world will be both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that it's bound to help make their search for the next Key just a bit easier since half of them know exactly what they'll be dealing with here. And a curse when he realizes just how eager Sora still seems to be about taking the lead from just about the very moment they arrive.
"Ok, so this looks a bit different from where we landed last time we were here," he notes as he steps forward into the dark, densely quiet woods surrounding them. "But that's ok. The castle's gotta be around here somewhere…"
"Castle?" Kairi curiously asks as she walks forward to join him. "Is that where we'll find the Key?"
"Eh… maybe?" Sora shrugs. "It's as good a place as any to start looking for it, at least."
"What makes you so sure we'll even find a Key in this world in the first place?" Riku asks, looking around the seemingly lifeless forest dubiously.
"Uh, because I can sense them. Duh," Sora sends him a dry, almost cocky look at this.
"You can… sense them…" Riku repeats, raising a doubtful eyebrow at such a bold claim.
"That's right," Goofy vouches. "Sora's got a special Keys Instinct that's been pointing us in the right direction of all the ones we've found so far. It hasn't steered us wrong-"
"At least not yet," Donald adds much more caustically.
"Well, this 'Keys Instinct' sure does sound pretty helpful," Axel smirks, his hands on his hips. "What, is it like some sort of radar that's gonna show us where the Key is and then we can just call it a day?"
"Eh… it… doesn't work exactly like that…" Sora clarifies, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's like… I can feel when we're in a world that has a Key in it, but that's about it. We usually just find them on our own after that."
"Then we should get looking before anyone from the Organization realizes we're here and gets to it before us," Riku resolves, glad to finally establish a solid goal they can all work toward. A goal that quickly crumbles as it's met with an openly sardonic laugh from Sora. "What's so funny?"
"You don't just go looking for Keys," he chuckles with a broad smirk. "That's not how they work."
"Then how do they work, Sora?" Riku huffs in growing annoyance, wishing that he'd just make this easy for him already.
"Oh, what, you mean you don't know?" Sora maintains his coy, teasing grin as he crosses his arms. "But you're the leader, Riku. Doesn't that mean you should always know what we're supposed to be doing all the time so you can lead us in the right direction?"
His clearly condescending tone isn't lost on any of the others, especially not Riku. While Donald and Goofy shake their heads disapprovingly at just how brazen he's deciding to be, Axel awkwardly clears his throat while Kairi prepares to scold him for such uncalled for behavior if Riku doesn't. Fortunately he does, his jaw set and his hands in tight fists as he takes a wide step toward Sora, easily towering over him as he stares down at him sternly. "Yes, I am the leader," he says, his tone quiet yet rigid and solid to the point that it immediately chases Sora's smug smile away. "Don't forget that."
With that, Riku simply walks past him, not feeling like he really needs to say anything else. After an uncertain beat of silence, both Kairi and Axel hesitantly follow after him, with the former letting out a small, disappointed sigh as she passes Sora by. Even so, his palpable shock at just how severe Riku had gotten with him is quick to shift into appalled anger that he makes no qualms about showing as he shoots a bitter glare behind him at his "leader".
"D-did you hear what he just said to me?!" he asks Donald and Goofy in a sharp, heated whisper. "He can't just talk to me like that! Who does he think he is?!"
"The leader, Sora," Donald deadpans, rolling his eyes. "Just like he said."
"Maybe you oughta respect him as the leader instead of trying to challenge him like that," Goofy admonishes with a worried frown.
"I wasn't trying to challenge him," Sora scoffs. "A-and I do, uh… r-respect him." He glances down at this much more reluctant admittance, one that is certainly still as true as it's ever been in some ways, but somewhat shaky in others in plenty others.
"Then you should act like it," Donald asserts as both him and Goofy continue on their way as well. "Because you throwing another temper tantrum about this is only going to slow us down when we should be looking for the next Key."
Sora spins around, more than ready to fire off a fierce, defensive retort at this, though he stops short upon noticing the trouble brewing just a short way down the path ahead. A large horde of various types of Nobodies materializes out of thin air just a few feet in front of Riku, Kairi, and Axel. All three of them waste no time in calling upon their Keyblades to confront this already intimidating horde.
"Alright," Riku begins, his tone steady as he does a quick headcount of just what they're up against here. "We're outnumbered, but not by much. If each of us takes on two out of this first wave, then we should-"
Before he can even finish, Sora suddenly rushes forward with a brazen battle cry, Keyblade in hand as he charges straight into the pack of monsters. "Sora, wait!" Riku shouts after him, though Sora hardly heeds him, instead opting to slash away at the surrounding Nobodies without much tact or precision at all. None of the others make much of a move to enter the fray themselves, at least until Riku hesitantly gives them all the go-ahead, his prior plan completely worthless now thanks to Sora's unexpected, unwarranted head start. As soon as the pack of Nobodies is cleanly wiped out just a few moments later, he doesn't waste any time voicing his disapproval over that head start.
"What was that?" he turns to Sora with a thoroughly irritated scowl. "I had a plan-"
"Yeah, a plan we didn't need because I took care of the problem first," Sora cuts him off with a satisfied smile. "You're welcome, by the way."
Riku barely manages to restrain a harsh scoff at this. "Sora, you can't just rush into a fight on your own like that."
"Why not?" Sora coolly counters, hanging his hands behind his head. "It's always worked for me before."
"Well, this isn't before, It's now. And now, we're a team, which means we need to fight together like one like Master Yen Sid said. And you running out alone into danger without a plan isn't doing that team any favors."
"But it was just a bunch of Nobodies. It's not like it was even that big of a deal."
"That's not the point, Sora."
"Then what is the point, Riku?"
"The point is-" Riku starkly cuts himself off, letting out a long, tired sigh as he pinches the bridge of his nose. Growing up with Sora has given him something of an advantage when it comes to dealing with him at his worst, which goes a long way in helping him realize exactly what he's playing at with all of this resistance and pushback. He would have liked to think that Sora is just testing him and his capacity to be an effective leader, to help him better equip himself with the skills necessary to guide the group onward moving forward, but he knows better than that. Because unfortunately he knows exactly what Sora's aim is here.
He's trying to pick a fight. And even if he has no idea why that's what Sora wants, it's a fight that Riku has no intentions of stooping down to his level to engage in any more than he already has.
"Look, I don't want to argue," Riku says. He makes sure his tone and expression are equally calm to combat the challenging glare Sora is sending his way. "I just want to get on with the mission. Can we do that much? Please?"
Despite this earnest request, Sora is more than ready to keep this largely pointless debate going out of sheer spite alone. After all, even if Riku had been chosen to be the leader of the lights, that doesn't mean he necessarily has to stand by and accept his leadership meekly. Especially since he'd already coldly demonstrated just how much he's willing to exercise his relatively newfound authority over him.
Yet just before he can shoot back another cutting remark, he happens to catch sight of the almost pleading look Kairi sends his way, a silent, fretful frown that practically implores him to stop before he goes too far. And while Riku's careful request for him to recant his defiance isn't quite enough to prompt him to do so, her unspoken asking, particularly as he meets her soft, sad, begging blue eyes, somehow is.
"Fine," Sora says simply, glancing down as he shoves his hands into his pockets. Riku can tell, just from the disgruntled look on his face alone, that is far from the end of it. But as he spares a glance back at the others, he knows they can't afford to waste any more time dwelling on this than they already have. Not when they still have a Key to find and a mission to carry out.
"Thank you," Riku replies, not really wanting to say too much else on the matter beyond that. "Now, let's head to that castle you mentioned earlier. Maybe we can find some clues about that Key there."
"It should be just a bit further on down thataway," Goofy points out the path ahead, largely since Sora clearly has no intentions of doing so.
Riku nods and begins leading the rest of the group in that direction, holding back a sigh of relief when he notices Sora wordlessly following along with the others. As a result, the relatively short walk to the castle is quiet and uneventful, without any further threats from Nobodies along the way, even if everyone is on guard for more of them all the while. It doesn't take long for them to arrive at the imposing castle, its sharp, lofty spires towering high into the dark, cool evening air as an aura of almost unsettling, unnatural silence permeates the area around it.
"This definitely is… some castle…" Kairi mutters diffidently as she falls in step alongside Sora. She offers him a slight smile as he glanes her way, hoping to raise his still quite sullen spirits as they travel across the long stone bridge leading to the castle. "Who lives here anyway?"
To her relief, he finally perks up a bit at this. "Oh, just some old friends of ours," he says as he happens to recall a detail that will make reuniting with these friends all the more interesting. "In fact… Riku knows them too."
"Oh, I do?" Riku sends him a suspicious look over his shoulder. "And who exactly are these 'friends'?"
"You'll see…" Sora says with a vague, coy smile, one that grows a bit more eager as Riku pushes the palace doors open.
The group ventures into the castle's wide, open, elegant foyer, one that carries a bit more of an air of warm festivity than it had the last time Sora, Donald, and Goofy had been there. That trio is the first to notice they aren't alone in this wide entry hall as they happen to spot a familiar group lingering near the large set of stairs on the far end of it. A group that, to Riku, Kairi, and Axel at least, appear to be nothing more than a set of ordinary household objects upon a first glance.
"Hey, you guys!" Sora calls to these objects as he, Donald, and Goofy run ahead to greet them. "How's it going?"
"Ah! Sora, Donald, Goofy! Bonjour, les amis!" the candelabra among the group suddenly turns to cordially wave a candlestick at the trio. Something that completely stuns the other group still remaining near the doors.
"Uh… am I crazy or did that candle just talk?" Axel mutters, exchanging an incredulous glance with Riku and Kairi.
"Uh… I think so…?" Kairi frowns, aptly confused.
"It certainly is a pleasant surprise to see the three of you again after all this time," the clock accompanying the candelabra adds brightly. "Especially on such a fortuitous evening as this."
"What, can everything just walk and talk in this world?" Axel asks, still keeping his voice low as the other trio tentatively begins to step forward through the hall.
"Looks like it?" Riku guesses with a shrug as he wonders if that was really the case.
"We're having a party!" a small teacup exclaims excitedly to Sora, Donald, and Goofy.
"Now, now, Chip, remember to mind your manners," his mother, a teapot, naturally, quiets him down with a small laugh before she turns back to the trio. "Who are your friends, dearies?"
"Oh, this is Kairi, Axel, and Riku," Sora introduces the rest of the group as they join the trio.
"It's a, uh, pleasure to meet you all," Kairi speaks up, offering the group of living inanimate objects a polite smile, Even despite how downright bizarre this situation is.
"Ah, the pleasure is all ours, mademoiselle," the candelabra lightly kisses the hand she extends for a shake. "I am Lumiere, and this is my colleague, Cogsworth."
"Welcome, welcome all of you!" Cogsworth greets the group. "Any friends of Sora, Donald, and Goofy are friends of ours, isn't that right, Mrs. Potts?"
"Indeed it is," Mrs. Potts warmly nods her agreement. "Of course, we can't quite speak for the master, but after just how much the three of you did for us last time you were here, I'm sure he'll have no problem with all of you staying here however long you need to."
"Yeah!" Chip adds with an encouraging grin. "He's been extra nice lately 'cause of Belle!"
"Wait… Belle?" Riku flinches, sending Sora an incredulous, somewhat concerned glance at this. "So this is where-"
"Uh huh," Sora nods with a broad, complacent grin.
"And those 'friends' you mentioned before are-"
"Yep."
"Which means their 'master' is-"
"You got it."
A rather awkward beat of silence passes at this before Riku breaks it stiffly. "We should leave."
"What? Why?" Kairi asks, largely oblivious to what Sora and Riku are both aware of. Something that brings a sense of amused satisfaction to the former and rising dread to the latter.
"It's a… long story," Riku rebuffs, making an attempt to turn and leave.
"Aw, c'mon, Riku," Sora goads, still smirking. "I'm sure everyone would love to hear about what you did."
"I-I'm sure they wouldn't," Riku counters, not particularly liking to think back on the mountain of mistakes he'd made around the time in question. "Now, come on, let's head out so we can keep looking for the-"
"Oh! Here comes the master now!" Cogsworth interrupts, pointing toward the top of one of the staircases. While Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku already know who is coming, Kairi and Axel are both quite startled to see a towering, monster-like being emerge from the western side of the stairs, clad in a surprisingly distinguished blue suit that does serve to make him look less ferocious, though only slightly.
"Oh, you don't gotta worry about the Beast," Goofy assures the pair upon catching their shared startled gasp. "He's a good friend of ours!"
"That's right," Donald readily agrees. "He wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Well… almost anyone…" Sora mutters, grinning knowingly as he glances Riku's way to catch his aptly nervous expression. "Heya, Beast!" he cheerily calls to catch his attention. "Long time no see, huh?"
The Beast glances down to the main floor at this, his already upbeat expression brightening into a wide, fanged grin the moment he spots the trio below. "Sora, Donald, Goofy!" he gladly hails the trio, though his pleased smile immediately falls when he sees who else is with them. "YOU!" the Beast suddenly snarls at the mere sight of Riku, bearing his sharp teeth and displaying his equally dangerous claws as he vaults over the stair railing with a single powerful leap. He slams down into the foyer, landing directly in front of Riku, who does everything he can to keep himself from summoning his Keyblade on instinct alone. "How dare you show your face here after what you did!"
"W-what did you do, Riku?" Kairi asks, wondering what in the world could have happened to set the Beast off like this.
"Oh, that's easy," Sora cuts in before Riku can have even a spare second to try to defend himself. "He-"
"He kept me away from Belle…" the Beast growls, locking Riku in a hateful glare all the while.
"And I helped him save her!" Sora interjects with a rather boastful smile. "And we also helped drive the Organization off the last time we were here, but really, who's keeping count of all that?"
"Sora…" Kairi scolds under her breath, shaking her head in disapproval over his continued conceited behavior.
Even so, Sora largely ignores her in favor of eagerly watching the display of obviously rising tension before him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear you apart…" the Beast hisses, his tone low and vicious.
Nearly everyone in the room flinches in apt fear at such a direct, deadly threat, and even Sora's amused smile is instantly replaced with newfound concern upon hearing it. "Uh, B-Beast?" he takes a small step forward, looking between him and Riku with growing worry. "You don't have to-"
"Because," Riku suddenly speaks up, his tone firm yet genuinely remorseful. "I'm sorry… for what I did to you. To both you and Belle."
"Hmph, you're 'sorry'," the Beast scoffs, clearly not believing him.
"I am," Riku reiterates sincerely. "I… made a lot of mistakes back then that I'm not proud of. But ever since I've been doing what I can to set those mistakes right. I doubt a simple apology is enough to make up for what happened, but-"
"You're right," the Beast snarls crossly as he raises a large, clawed paw. "It's not!"
"W-wait!" Sora and Kairi exclaim in frightened unison, and likewise, Axel, Donald, and Goofy all tense up in apt alarm alongside the castle staff. Yet for his part, Riku is prepared to accept the proper punishment for his past actions; after all of the atrocities he'd willingly committed in his time working alongside Maleficent, it's certainly what he believes he deserves. Fortunately, the Beast's hand is stalled just in time by a concerned call from the top of the stairs.
"What's going on?" Belle asks with a confused frown as she emerges from the east wing, clad in a sparkling, beautiful golden ball gown. She had heard the Beast's furious outburst from her room and had decided to come out a bit early from getting ready for the evening to investigate. "Is everything alright?"
The Beast is quick to recant his former anger at this, only flashing Riku a harsh warning glare as he turns to face her. At the same time he catches a mindful glance from his staff as they silently remind him to keep his temper in check. "Y-yes," he says, awkwardly adjusting his suit coat. "E-everything is… fine."
Belle smiles at this, though her grin only grows as she happened to spot who else was down in the foyer. "Oh, hello!" she hurries down the stairs to greet the familiar trio.
"Hi, Belle," Sora eases up as Donald and Goofy both offer her friendly waves.
"It's so good to see the three of you again!" Belle says cheerfully. "I see you brought some friends with you too."
At this, another round of introductions kicks off, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy quickly bridging the gap between the Beast and Belle, and Riku, Kairi, and Axel. Fortunately for Riku, he hasn't formally met Belle before, which means that her reception of him is by far less harsh and more cordial than the Beast's had been. The rest of these initial meetings are mostly friendly enough, especially between Kairi and Belle as they both brightly commiserate over their shared statuses as Princesses of Heart. Still, throughout most of the conversation, Riku remains apprehensively alert under the stern scowl the Beast keeps sending his way, which, to his surprise, Sora keeps trying to deflect away from him by distracting him with casual, upbeat conversation instead. A sudden, yet relieving change from his prior unnervingly uncharacteristic demeanor, to say the very least.
After a while, the topic of the conversation moves onto what the group has come to the castle for, a question that Riku finally feels comfortable enough to speak to after mostly remaining silent. "We're here to look for a Key, actually. Sora, you don't happen to have one of them on hand, would you?"
"Uh, of course, I do," Sora says matter-of-factly as the most recently claimed Key flashes into his grip. "It would look like this, but it's ok if you guys don't know where we should look for one around here. After all, they're pretty hard to find."
"...You won't find anything like that here at the castle," the Beast says with a doubtful frown.
"B-but they're welcome to look around anyway, right?" Belle asks upon noticing the group's shared disappointment at this news. "Just in case?"
"I… guess so," the Beast relents as he meets her soft, pleading gaze. "Just as long as you stay far away from-"
"The rose," Sora nods knowingly. "No worries, we already know."
"Know about what, exactly?" Axel asks in a whisper, just as out of the loop as Kairi and Riku are.
"We'll fill you in later," Donald assures, aside.
"We would help you look, but… well.." Belle smiles, a soft blush filling her cheeks as she links arms with the Beast.
"We have, uh… p-plans for the evening," he adds, clearly flustered.
"Oh?" Sora asks curiously, though upon spotting the eager smiles of the castle staff standing by, he's quick to glean exactly what's happening here. "Ohhhhh. Well," he grins wryly as he begins to part ways with the pair first. "Don't let us stop you. We can just take a look around for that Key on our own."
"Oh, we can?" Riku asks, knowing that isn't Sora's call to make. It's his.
"Yeah, they're busy," Sora says with a flippant shrug. "Plus, we can handle finding just one Key on our own, especially with you in charge, right, Mr. Leader?"
Riku jolts at this, realizing that whatever show of amiability Sora had given him earlier had only been temporary at best. Still, as much as he might want to, he found he can't really argue as he catches the icy glare the Beast is still aiming his way. "...Right…" he begrudgingly agrees, taking point so they can begin their search in another part of the castle.
"We'll check back in later to let you know if we find anything," Donald says to the Beast, Belle, and the staff as they head off.
"Have fun, you two!" Goofy adds warmly.
"Ah, we intend to make sure that they do," Lumiere waves the group off with a debonair flair.
"After all," Cogsworth mutters, somewhat nervous that this plan might not work as they watch Belle and the Beast head to the ballroom together. "That's what we're all counting on…"
As for the other group, it doesn't take long for the questions to begin pouring in as soon as they begin working their way down one of the castle's many winding corridors in search of the Key. "Sooo…" Axel speaks up first, keeping his tone casual enough despite his curiosity. "What's the deal with, uh… those two?" he points a thumb back at the foyer they'd just left behind, though the trio immediately understands who he meant.
"Long story short, the Beast isn't actually a beast," Sora begins to tell the tale they'd been told on their last visit to this world.
"That's right," Goofy nods. "He's actually a prince!"
"But he was cursed," Donald continues. "And so was everyone else here in the castle."
"And the only way to break that curse is for the Beast to fall in love with someone," Sora goes on. "And for them to fall in love with him back."
"So is that someone… Belle?" Kairi guesses.
"Uh… maybe?" Sora replies with a slightly concerned frown. "Last time we were here, it seemed like things were going pretty good between them, but… I guess it's still not good enough if everyone around here is still cursed…"
"Well, what about that rose you mentioned earlier?" Riku asks, hoping to put more pieces of this puzzle together. "What's that got to do with all this?"
"That's the time limit," Goofy says fretfully. "If the Beast can't break the spell before the last petal falls…"
"Then he'll be stuck like that," Donald picks up where he left off just as sadly.
"F-forever…" Sora finishes with an earnestly worried sigh. "It'd be great if we could do something to help him, but…"
"I don't think there's anything we can do about this, Sora," Riku says, his tone sympathetic despite the sentiment.
"What are you talking about?" Sora counters, caught off guard. "There's always something we can do to help."
"But forcing two people to fall in love?" Kairi asks diffidently. "Isn't that a bit… extreme?"
"We don't have to force anything," Sora assures. "They're already in love. They've just gotta realize it."
"Since when do you know so much about love?" Riku asks with a bit of a teasing smirk.
Even so, the levity of such a remark is completely lost on Sora as he bristles in embarrassment. His face is warm as he glances away and mutters a barely audible, somewhat flustered reply. "I know more than you think I do…" Even so, he does perk up a bit as they approach a familiar set of large doors. "They are in love and I can prove it!" he marches toward the doors, pushing one of them open as he motions for the rest of the group to follow. "Come on. See for yourselves."
"Sora, we don't have time for this," Riku shakes his head. "We need to actually start finding some leads about that Key before-"
"Riku," Kairi is surprisingly the one to interject here with a soft, understanding smile as she steps past him. "Maybe we could just… let him have this one? Besides, I'm sure whatever he wants to show us won't take very long."
Despite his lingering exasperation, Riku relents, prompting the rest of the group to trail after him as he follows Sora's lead through the door. It leads to the castle's grand ballroom, a vast, wide, beautifully built hall shining warm and crisp in the glow of the candles lining its walls. The group quietly files in to stand on the outer edge of the floor to find that it's only being used by one couple: Belle and the Beast, harmoniously dancing together to the aptly romantic tune Mrs. Potts is weaving for them.
"Just a little change, small to say the least," she joins Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Chip on the far side of the room as they all gladly watch the couple spin around the room. "Both a little scared, neither one prepared, Beauty and the Beast…"
"See? Told ya," Sora says, sending the others a broad, satisfied smile. "Try taking one look at those two and saying they're not in love. I dare you."
Indeed, they're all hard-pressed to do that, especially as they catch sight of the gentle, affectionate smiles Belle and the Beast are sharing as they swiftly sweep across the floor. Their sights are set solely on each other and nothing else, almost as if the world around them has completely faded away and nothing within it matters in the slightest.
"Ever just the same, ever a surprise…"
As their dance continues, the Beast begins to grow more confident, especially as Belle easily lets him take the lead to guide her around the ballroom, trusting him more than enough to do so well. Trust that has taken quite some time and plenty of turbulent trials to foster, but trust that is now firmly, unshakably there all the same.
"Ever as before, ever just as sure, as the sun will rise…"
Despite their important mission, the lights can't help but begin to settle into their spot on the sidelines to watch the touching scene before them. If anything, it serves as a perfect reminder of exactly what they're fighting for, the kind of peaceful bliss they hope to obtain, not just for themselves, but for every inhabitant of every world that they're striving to protect.
"Tale as old as time, tune as old as song…"
"Well, I guess I stand corrected, Sora," Riku whispers with a quiet grin as he leans over a bit. "Looks like you might know a thing or two about love after all."
"Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong."
Sora takes a long pause at this, largely unsure of what to say as he looks to Riku in surprise, that rush of warmth flooding his face once again as he looks down at his feet. "Y-yeah…" is all he says, bewildered by the confusing, conflicting feelings starting to swirl up inside his heart. Feelings that only flourish as he happens to notice Kairi inching closer toward him out of the corner of his eye.
"Certain as the sun, rising in the east…"
"This is so romantic…" she says to him, standing so close to him that their arms are practically touching. "How often do you get to see things like this out in the worlds?"
"O-oh, you know…" he replies absently, managing a weak, yet warm smile as he meets the gentle one she's sending his way. "O-often."
"Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme…"
"I've never really danced like this before," she admits, her smile widening as she watches the Beast gracefully twirl Belle around. "But I always thought it'd be fun to try. Don't you think?"
Suddenly, he feels steadier, lighter as he realizes what she's implying. What she is asking, without even putting the question into words. "Yeah…" he sighs contentedly, briefly glancing at her hand as he tries to will his own to take it. As he tries to act upon a longing long held within his heart. "I do…"
"Beauty and the Beast…"
By now, both the lights in the ballroom and the melody itself have begun to dim, but that hardly matters, either to the couple currently dancing and the couple that's thinking about taking the floor along with them.
"Tale as old as time… Song as old as rhyme…"
By now, she's all but given him her hand and he's all but taken it. And in doing so, they've all but embarked on a journey that neither of them know the destination to, but a journey they still want to go on together all the same.
"Beauty and the Beast…"
Their hands skim ever so slightly but that's all they do. Because before they can so much as lace their fingers together, they both happen to notice the exact same thing at the exact same time. That all of their friends are watching them with the same sort of knowing smirks spread wide across every single one of their faces.
"Well, looks like the floor is free now," Axel says, grinning as he nods to Belle and the Beast, who are making their way out onto the balcony. "Plenty of room for you two to go out there and have a real good time."
Almost as soon as he says this, he's met with an elbow slamming directly into his ribs courtesy of Kairi. Her face is bright red as she draws her hand away, and as she does, Sora finds he has no choice but to do the same as chilling disappointment takes the place in his heart where a warm sense of curiosity had just been.
"Aw, shucks…" Goofy mutters to Donald, aside. "I really thought they were finally about to go somewhere…"
"Eh, maybe next time," the magician shrugs, knowing it's bound to be only a matter of time before the inevitable happens. Especially now that the pair in question is traveling together.
For his part, Riku initially says nothing, instead only offering Sora and Kairi a sympathetic frown before wisely deciding to spare them any further embarrassment in favor of getting the group back on track. "Uh… we should probably get back to looking for that Key…" he says, leading the way out of the ballroom.
None of the others really argue, not even Sora and Kairi as only briefly exchange a muted glance as they file out of the room. As they both once again bury their shared, unspoken, unheard longing back where it had always been: in the very deepest depths of both of their hearts.
The early spring night air is cool and crisp out on the balcony, though both Belle and the Beast feel warm and lighthearted as they venture out onto it in the aftermath of their dance. Belle sits on the edge of its stone railing, with the Beast taking a perch a respectable distance away from her as he tries to think of something to say, ultimately coming up with a question he's been meaning to ask her for quite some time now.
"Belle?" he begins with a soft, fond smile. He slides a bit closer to her, taking her gloved hands into his paws in the process. "Are you… happy here, with me?"
"Yes," she replies, though her own gentle smile slightly fates immediately after. Something that isn't lost on the Beast as he notices her wistfully staring off into the night.
"What is it?" he asks with newfound concern.
"If only I could see my father again…" she admits, sighing. "Just for a moment. I miss him so much…"
The Beast can't help but frown upon hearing this, a pang of guilt filling him as he remembers that he's the reason for the prolonged separation between Belle and her father, all because of a moment of unkempt, uncalled for rage that he wishes he had the foresight to take back now. And yet, it doesn't take him long to come up with a way that could, maybe in some small, meager way, make that mistake up to her after all this time. "There is a way," he says, gently escorting her to her feet.
He brings her to the West Wing, her immaculate gown contrasting starkly with the dark disaster of a room that is his quarters. Still, he leads her to the table his coveted rose rests on, his other most important treasure laying right next to it as it always does. "This mirror will show you anything," he carefully hands it over to her. "Anything you wish to see."
Awestruck by such a concept, Belle takes the mirror, staring into its reflective glass in the hopes that it might actually work. "I'd like to see my father, please," she requests anxiously, and true to the Beast's word, the mirror does exactly as she asks. It illuminates a bright shade of green before giving her a magical glimpse of none other than her beloved father, though the condition and location he's in was far from comforting. The elderly man stumbles through the high winds and frigid conditions of the vast, dark forest that connects the castle and the village she had once called home. The map in his hand flies out of it as he ultimately collapses to the cold ground, coughing and shivering uncontrollably. "Papa!" Belle cries, gripping the mirror tightly as she realizes just what he's doing out there in the wilds on his own. Without a doubt, he's looking for her, to bring her home despite the freedom she'd bought him at the cost of her own. "H-he's sick! He may be dying a-and he's all alone!"
Upon hearing just how distraught Belle clearly is, the Beast slowly turns to his rose, which, by all accounts, is steadily on the verge of wilting completely. He has days, maybe not even a week left to spare before the loathsome curse upon him and his entire castle becomes permanent. And the only one who could possibly free them from it, he knows, has always known from the moment he first met her, is Belle.
And yet…
Her father is in trouble, the very person she'd given up everything for when she'd resigned herself to be his prisoner for the rest of her life. That sacrifice alone had proven just how pure and kind her heart truly was, a heart his own had begun to yearn for more and more as he slowly got to know her better. He knows how he feels about her, feelings that are every bit as strong and unwavering now as they were the day they'd saved each other from the wolves in the woods, the day she'd been stolen from him and whisked off to another world completely, the day he'd resolved to do everything in his power to protect her from whoever might seek to bring her harm. And those feelings, feelings that are as bright and as beautiful as she was herself, are more than enough to compel him to do the unthinkable. To give his very last chance up, and with it, any chance of the life he had once dreamed he might get to have with her.
Because he loves her. And through that love, he knows there is only one thing he can do now.
He has to let her go.
The Beast's castle is nothing if not massive, and after searching through just about every nook and cranny of it, the lights all congregate back in the foyer as Riku delivers the obvious verdict. "Well, the good news is, we haven't run into anyone from the Organization yet, and we haven't seen any Nobodies since the woods," he begins, crossing his arms. "Bad news is that we're still no closer to finding that Key than we were before."
"That's because we're not looking for them the right way," Sora mutters, rolling his eyes at their frustrating lack of progress.
"Then how should we be looking for them, Sora?" Riku asks with a tired sigh, his patience towards both him and his near-constant berating starting to wear quite thin. "Because you still haven't bothered telling us anything about how to look for these Keys that might actually help."
"Fine," Sora counters just as crossly. "Here's something that'll help. The Keys are all connected to emotions. You have to feel a certain way to get one to show up. That's why I said, you don't just 'look' for them; they find you."
"Yep, that's right," Goofy adds thoughtfully. "The Keys we've found so far have appeared because of all sorts of feelings, like friendship, fear, curiosity…"
"Joy, conflict, compassion, memory…" Donald continues listing off the still incomplete set.
"Then what emotion will bring out this world's Key?" Kairi asks, intrigued.
"I… have no idea," Sora admits with a small, sheepish grin.
"Aw, c'mon, really?" Axel lets out a small, indignant huff. "I thought you said you could 'sense' these things!"
"I can sense what worlds they're in," Sora reiterates. "But I never find out what emotion each one is tied to until, well, I find one."
"And you've managed to find five of these things so far?" Axel asks, throwing his hands up. "How?! This whole thing sounds like a wild goose chase to me."
"Lea's right," Riku nods, resolved. "If we want to beat the Organization in finding the last six Keys, then we need to have a much better plan than just winging it and hoping we get lucky."
"We don't need a plan," Sora argues stubbornly. "Not when we've been managing just fine without one." "And just fine without you too," he wants to add, aiming the remark at Riku in particular, though he refrains just in time. Even if he doesn't really want to.
Riku is just about to make another claim to the contrary, though before he can, the conversation comes to a swift end as they all notice Belle rushing down the stairs before them. She's changed her ballgown out for her usual more casual attire, a traveling cloak wrapped around her shoulders as she totes a bag packed with her few belongings. Her expression is grave, awash in worry as she keeps up a nearly frantic pace, only bothering to stop for the briefest of seconds as Sora calls out to her.
"Hey, Belle! Where are you heading in such a hurry?" he asks in both confusion and concern.
"Is everything alright?" Kairi frowns, noting Belle's clear distress.
"No, it isn't," she answers truthfully, coming to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. "My father is in trouble! He's lost out in the woods, all by himself, see?" She holds the magic mirror the Beast had gifted her with up for the group, allowing them to see just how sorry of a state her father is in. "I have to go find him and get him home. It's too dangerous for him to be alone out in those woods. There are wolves and-"
"And Nobodies too," Riku adds. "We fought some on the way here."
"Well, that's all the more reason for me to hurry up and help him," Belle insists, well aware of just how threatening those bizarre creatures can be.
"Are you sure it's such a good idea for you to go out there all by yourself?" Goofy asks.
"We could go with you and help you find him!" Sora suggests with an encouraging smile.
"Really? Thank you," Belle offers a small, relieved smile as she begins to continue to the main entrance. "But if we're going, then we need to leave now. I'm worried Papa might not have much time left to waste…"
"Sora, you really shouldn't volunteer us for things we don't have time for ourselves," Riku mutters disapprovingly as soon as Belle is out of earshot.
"Might as well get used to it," Donald deadpans. "That's what he does all the time."
"Well, what's wrong with lending her a hand?" Sora shoots back, fixing Riku with a stern glare. "You said so yourself, there are Nobodies out there. It's not safe for her to go out on her own."
"Sora does have a point, Riku," Kairi speaks up. "I know we're supposed to be looking for the Key, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't help people where and when we can."
Riku can't help but agree to that, though largely since Kairi's appeal had been much more earnest and altruistic than Sora's. Speaking of Sora, his familiar condescending grin has returned as he flashes it to Riku, almost as if he's silently bragging that Kairi is on his side on the matter. A ridiculous claim, by all accounts, since there really are no "sides" in a situation like this, but it still manages to give Riku a timely idea all the same.
"Ok, we'll help her," he concedes, quickly voicing his plan before Sora has a chance to say a single word on his decision. "But we're splitting up to do it."
"We're… what?" Sora asks, genuinely caught off guard.
"Kairi, Lea, and I will help Belle find her father," Riku explains, keeping his sights pointedly set on Sora all the while. "Since you have so much experience when it comes to finding these Keys, Sora, then you can stay here and keep looking for it with Donald and Goofy. Does that sound fair to everybody?"
"That's fine," Kairi nods with a supportive smile.
"Sounds good to me," Axel shrugs just as amicably.
"Works for us," Donald adds as Goofy dutifully salutes.
"Sora?" Riku looks to the only member of the group who hasn't said a single word in regard to this plan, mostly since he isn't sure what to say. It's taken Sora mere seconds to figure out what Riku's goal is with this new plan: to get him to comply with his orders by tasking him with something that was already his mission to do, to keep him from resisting those orders by pairing him up with his usual companions in the process, knowing that they'd do their best to keep him in line. While Sora normally would have welcomed such a return to the usual status quo, he can't help but find himself somewhat frustrated with it when he thinks about just how much it benefits Riku and works against him. Because under this new plan, Riku won't have to contend with his defiance any further; he can lead the rest of the team in a much more peaceable atmosphere while essentially brushing Sora aside to take care of much less important matters.
In essence, what Riku is really doing is pruning the team of its weakest link. And as far as Sora can tell, he's clearly already decided that he is the weakest link of them all.
Still, that doesn't mean he can't come up with a plan of his own to counter Riku's. Which is why he's able to mask his rising anger so easily behind a calm, easy smile as he nods complacently. "Sure," he says, his arms perched behind his head as he turns toward the stairs. "We'll catch up with you guys once we find that Key. Like you said, Riku, it won't be that hard for us since we're basically experts at tracking them down by now."
"Right…" Riku lets out a diffident sigh, letting Sora take his leave before stopping his companions just shy of trailing after him. "Can you two keep an eye on him for me? Please?"
"Of course, we can," Goofy readily agrees. "You can count on us!"
"Not that he ever makes it very easy for us to do that…" Donald grumbles with an annoyed scowl.
"Believe me, I know what you mean..." Riku quietly, tiredly agrees before he turns to catch up with Belle.
Knowing that they needed to hurry, Kairi and Axel don't take too much more time sending their own brief farewells to the trio as they hurry to join Riku and regroup with Belle to head out. For their part, however, Sora, Donald and Goofy barely even make it to the top of the staircase before they come across a very frantic group of castle servants rushing toward the foyer.
"Ah, monsieurs!" Lumiere exclaims with a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you're still here! We have the most terrible news!"
"You see, dearies," Mrs. Potts adds just as fretfully. "The master has let Belle go, and-"
"Oh yeah, we know," Sora interrupts. "To go find her father. Our friends went out with her to help. I'm sure they'll be back soon."
"No, no, no, you don't understand!" Cogsworth protests. "He let her go, permanently! Before the spell could be broken and we could all return to our former selves!"
"What?!" the trio exclaims, aptly alarmed by such a distressing revelation.
"Why would he do that?" Donald asks, confused.
"I think I might have an idea," Sora says, looking to the servants sympathetically. "He loves her, doesn't he?"
The staff members all let out a shared, sad sigh as they nod in unison. "Yes…" Mrs. Potts says solemnly. "After all this time, the master's finally learned to love."
"Well then shouldn't that break the spell and change you all back?" Goofy wonders, scratching his head.
"It's not enough," Mrs. Potts counters. "She has to love him in return."
"And now… it's too late…" Cogsworth concludes in downcast defeat.
Despite the servants' shared sense of hopelessness over their plight, the trio exchanges a resolved glance, knowing that this can't be the tragic end of the road for them or for the Beast. There has to be something they can do to help their friends regain their long-lost humanity; and even though they had been instructed to find a Key, they can't help but feel as though they'll somehow find it by doing exactly that.
"It's not too late," Sora counters, offering the group an encouraging smile. "We'll figure out some other way to break that curse and set you guys free. And the best way to start is by… going to talk to the Beast!"
"What makes you think that's the best way to start?" Donald asks, aside.
"It's the only thing I can think of right now, ok?" Sora whispers back just as flippantly. "Besides, it's bound to be just as good of a 'plan' as Riku would come up with," he lets out a disgruntled huff, ignoring the tight frowns both of his companions send his way at such a cutting remark.
"Merci, Sora," Lumiere says with a grateful bow. "We are truly in your debt."
"Best of luck with the master, boys," Mrs. Potts adds with a small, hopeful smile. "Do try to be sensitive with him. I'm sure he's already missing Belle terribly by now."
"B-but also try not to dawdle too long if you can!" Cogsworth anxiously calls as the trio heads off. "As far as the rose is concerned, time is running short. For us and for the master…"
With this, Sora, Donald, and Goofy begin to make their way toward the West Wing to meet with the Beast, their immediate mission clear, though their overall goal is still as elusive as it always seems to be. "So do you really think breaking the curse on the castle might help us find that Key?" Goofy voices the question him and Donald are both thinking.
"It just might," Sora ventures confidently. "And if it doesn't, then we're gonna find it anyway, way before the others do."
"Why does it matter who finds it first?" Donald raises a suspicious eyebrow. "Is it because you wanna be able to brag about it if you find it before Riku does?"
"N-no!" Sora exclaims, flustered. "It's because I have a plan."
"Gawrsh, but didn't you tell Riku we didn't need a plan to find the Key?" Goofy asks with a befuddled frown.
"We don't," Sora insists. "The plan's not about that anyway; it's about what happens after we find it. If we get our hands on it all on our own without any help from the others, then we can take it back to Master Yen Sid and the king as proof that we don't need any help tracking the rest of them down. Then we can go back to looking for them on our own and-"
"And let me guess," Donald interrupts with an exasperated scowl. "You won't have to worry about Riku and Kairi accidentally finding out the truth, right?"
"Exactly," Sora admits, knowing that he'd be a lot less stressed if he didn't have to constantly stay on guard to hide so much from his two closest friends. From the two people he wants to know about any of this the least.
"You can't hide this from them forever!" Donald scolds, frustrated by his sheer stubbornness on the matter.
"Donald's right, Sora," Goofy adds much more patiently. "It's not fair to keep them outta the loop like this, especially not about something so important and dangerous. When they find out that you kept this from them for so long-"
"They won't find out," Sora asserts firmly, knowing that the very idea of the opposite happening is unthinkable. "Not until we've found a way to fix this." He briefly glances down at his hand, wondering just how far the shadows have progressed on it underneath the concealing power of the glamour spell still hiding the truth away. Wondering just how much of his hair has turned white and just how golden his eyes have gotten. And wondering most of all just how much time his heart truly has left and just how much more of that time he has left to spend with his friends, with Riku and Kairi-both still in the dark about the truth, exactly where he intends to keep them-before it's too late. "I'll make sure they won't…"
Belle is more than glad to have Riku, Kairi, and Axel's company in helping her search the forest for her father, especially after the group is beset by a plentiful pack of Nobodies and Heartless alike almost as soon as they leave the castle grounds. The trio of Keyblade wielders defend their companion and her trusted steed well, and continue to do so as they venture deeper into the uncharted woods. Along the way, such shadowy creatures are common, though no Organization member seems to be accompanying them, which keeps the trio on increased alert as they constantly wait for one to show up. Yet that member, whoever they might be, still refuses to make an appearance, despite the numerous monsters they continue to send in an apparent attempt to impede the group's progress.
All the same, they do have a rather useful tool to keep them from getting too lost amongst the endless maze of dead and decaying trees: the magic mirror. Belle asks it to guide them to where her father is, and sure enough it does, pointing them in the right direction until they finally find the poor man lying face down in the melting snow. A wild pack of Heartless close in around him, ready to finish him off, but Riku, Kairi, and Axel rush in to take them out just in time, allowing Belle to hurry to her ailing father's side. He's semi-conscious, largely incoherent as they all work together to hoist him onto Belle's horse, which knows the way back to the family's home well. The journey takes only about an hour, and even still the Nobodies and the Heartless trail them throughout. But Belle is the first to voice her immense relief as a small, homey cottage comes into view over one of the surrounding hills. A cottage she hasn't been to in quite some time, to the point that she has almost forgotten just how much she had missed it during her time at the castle.
Even so, what no one in the group happens to notice as they enter that abandoned cottage, was that they're being carefully watched by more than more than one set of eyes all the while.
For her part, Belle is prepared to nurse her father back to health for however long she has to, though fortunately, her new friends readily, kindly volunteer to assist her. And even more fortunately than that, one of those friends happens to excel when it comes to healing magic, which Kairi doesn't hesitate to use to help however she can. Belle lingers close to her father's side all the while, watching for any signs of his terrible fever breaking, which slowly but surely enough, it finally does.
She's in the midst of dabbing a cool, damp cloth on his forehead when he begins to stir, and she can't help but smile warmly as opens his eyes to blearily look at her. "B-Belle?" he weakly mumbles, believing that he's merely seeing a vision of his dear daughter as opposed to her actually being there before him.
"Shh," she quiets him gently. "It's alright, Papa. I'm home."
Upon realizing that she is truly home after all, her father sits up in bed a bit, wasting no time in bringing her into a tight, welcome embrace. "I thought I'd never see you again!" He stops short as he happened to glance up from their hug to see they aren't alone in the house's small den, as Riku, Kairi, and Axel stand by watching this touching reunion with shared smiles. "Oh! Belle, you didn't tell me we had guests!"
"They're friends of mine, Papa," Belle explains, offering the trio a grateful nod. "They helped me find you and bring you back home."
"Ah, well then, I certainly owe all three of you my thanks!" he exclaims cheerily, warmly shaking each of their hands as they step forward. "I'm Maurice, by the way; don't think I properly introduced myself."
"We're glad to see that you're feeling better," Riku nodded before introducing the group. "I'm Riku, and this is Kairi and Lea."
"It's nice to meet you, sir," Kairi says politely as Axel waves a cordial greeting.
"The pleasure's all mine, my dear," Maurice beams as Belle helps him properly sit up. "Especially if you three were the ones to rescue my precious Belle from that horrible Beast's awful castle!"
"Uh… just curious; why would we have needed to rescue her?" Axel asks, confused.
"You wouldn't have," Belle speaks up, placing a comforting hand on her father's shoulder. "Not anymore at least. Papa, he... he let me go."
"What?" Maurice asks, incredulous. "That unspeakable monster just let you go? I don't believe that. If they didn't come to your rescue, then you must have escaped on your own, right?"
"No, Papa," Belle chuckles softly, a fond, yet somewhat sad smile on her face all the while. "The Beast is… different now. He's… changed somehow…"
Before she can explain any further, however, a sudden noise coming from Belle's satchel at the foot of the bed catches the entire group's attention. Out of the bag spills not just the magic mirror, but none other than Chip, who had happened to sneak into her pack just before she'd left the castle.
"Hi!" he greets the group brightly, hopping up to take a perch on Maurice's lap.
"Oh, a stowaway," Belle laughs alongside the trio, all of them pleasantly surprised to see the curious young teacup.
"Why, hello there, little fella," Maurice chuckles himself as he scoops Chip up into the palm of his hand. "Didn't think I'd see you again."
"Belle," Chip's cheerful smile fades as he turns to face her. "Why'd you go away? Don't you like us anymore?"
"Oh, Chip, of course, I do," Belle assures. "It's just that-" She stops short as a sudden harsh pounding on the front door catches everyone off guard. "Now who could that be…?" Belle wonders as she goes to answer it. When she does, however, she's met with the sight of a tall, gaunt, unsettling old man whom she isn't familiar with. "M-may I help you?" she asks, aptly unnerved.
"I've come to collect your father," the man says simply, succinctly.
"My father?" Belle raises an eyebrow, though a newfound burst of fear filles her as she finally spots what waits in front of the house just beyond the man. Namely a crowd composed of more than a few torch-toting townsfolk from the nearby village, most of whom seem to be angry or upset for a reason she can't begin to place in the slightest.
"Don't worry, mademoiselle," the man smirks, stepping aside to reveal the wagon the townspeople are gathered around. Namely, the cart that is well known in town for hauling those deemed unfit for society off to the local insane asylum. "We'll take good care of him…"
Belle gasps, absolutely horrified as she realizes what was going on here. "My father is not crazy!" she boldly explains, stepping out onto the porch. At the same time, Riku, Kairi, and Axel happen to overhear the confrontation at the door, and, upon sensing trouble, the latter pair doesn't hesitate to head to Belle's aid. At least until Riku suddenly holds them both back.
"Wait," he whispers, pulling them out of sight so they can watch whatever was unfolding first. After all, simply charging ahead into an uncertain situation is a rash, reckless move, the kind of move Riku knows all too well Sora would probably make if he was there. But when it came to his decisions and dictation as a leader, Yen Sid and Mickey had advised him to be much more cautious than that. To wait and listen rather than react without thinking.
"Maurice was raving like a lunatic at the tavern!" a short, plump man in the crowd accused, stirring the surrounding mob up even more than they already were. "We all heard him, didn't we?!"
The mob lets out a harsh, angry cheer, one that frightens Belle all the more as she realizes just how many of them are completely willing to turn against her kind, harmless father. "No, I won't let you take him away!" she protests firmly, resolved to put an end to this madness.
By now, Maurice has stumbled out of bed, curious to see what was going on as he heads for the door, despite the trio's quiet attempts at coaxing him to stay back. "Belle?" he asks, poking his head out of the cottage to see the chaos unfolding outside.
"Maurice! Tell us again, old man!" the plump man, LaFou chides teasingly. "Just how big was that beast?"
"H-he was… I mean he was enormous!" Maurice exclaims before Belle can stop him. "I-I'd say at least eight, no, more like 10 feet tall!
Despite his obvious dread, the mob simply erupts into a round of callous laughter, none of them taking his concerns seriously in the slightest. "Well, ya don't get much crazier than that," LaFou concludes as the crowd continues their various mocking jeers.
"I-it's true, I tell you!" Maurice professes as he steps down into the yard. He's instantly grabbed by two men from the crowd, who waste no time hauling him off toward the asylum wagon. "N-no! Let go of me!"
"Wait," Riku insists once more as Kairi and Axel move to intervene.
"Why?" Kairi whispers harshly, peering out the window they've been taking refuge near. "You see what's happening out there, don't you? We need to help!"
"And we will," Riku assures steadily. "But we need to wait first."
While neither Kairi nor Axel really understand the point of such a plan, they hesitantly agree to it all the same, hoping that Riku doesn't intend to keep them waiting until it's too late to do anything at all.
"No! You can't do this!" Belle cries, racing forward to rescue her father, though the crowd quickly bars her from doing so.
"Poor Belle…" She flinches, caught off guard by the interjection of a familiar voice. "It's a shame about your father."
"Gaston!" Belle exclaims, looking to the town's famous hunter pleadingly. "You know my father's not crazy. You have to make them understand, please!"
Gaston grins at this, satisfaction filling his handsome features over a crafty, cunning plan that's coming together perfectly. "I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding…" he begins leadingly. "If…"
"If what?" Belle asks, desperate and willing to do anything to help her innocent father.
"If you marry me…"
Anything, except that. "What?" she hisses, appalled as she tries pulling away from him, only for Gaston to forcibly draw her back in.
"One little word, Belle. That's all it takes," he smirks, knowing he has her right where he wants her. Even so, Belle isn't about to give him what he wants so easily, especially not when she realizes that he is, without a doubt, the one behind all of this.
"Never!" she rigidly pushes him away, rejecting him just as sternly and resillantly as she had before.
"Have it your way then," Gaston rebuffs her coldly, turning to ensure that Maurice is properly restrained. A horrific sight that Belle refuses to stand by and watch willingly.
On distraught impulse alone, she rushes back into the cottage, barely sparing any regard to the trio still standing by watching everything unfold as she retrieves the magic mirror from the bed. "Belle?" Chip pipes up, largely unaware of what was going on entirely as he hops toward her.
"What are you doing?" Kairi asks in apt concern.
"I have to help Papa," Belle insists, running back to the door with the mirror in hand. "I just got him back, I'm not losing him again!"
"Whoa, hold on-" Axel attempts to interject, but by then Belle is already garnishing the attention of the mob once more.
"My father's not crazy and I can prove it!" she calls, gripping the mirror tightly as she hastily offers it a request. "Show me the Beast!"
The mirror complies, glowing bright green as Belle holds it up for the mob to see what it has to show: an image of the Beast himself, letting out a ferocious roar that sends a stark ripple of fear running through the crowd below. Frightened whispers and murmurs begin among them, and it doesn't take long for that fledgling fear to begin to shift into a much more acute, much more manic sense of dread.
"Is it dangerous?!" someone in the crowd cries.
"No, no, he'd never hurt anyone!" Belle professes intently as she runs toward the mob, still clutching the mirror. "Please, I know he looks vicious, but he's really kind and gentle and brave. He's my friend…" she can't help but smile as she looks back at the mirror and the Beast's image within it, finding herself strangely missing him already even though they'd only just parted ways a few mere hours ago.
"If I didn't know any better," Gaston grips her shoulder, the bitter jealousy dripping into his tone clear. "I'd think you had feelings for this monster."
"He's no monster, Gaston," Belle shoots back as she swiftly pulls away from him once more. "You are!"
The cutting remark infuriates Gaston, especially given just how much he prides himself on his good looks and renowned reputation. A reputation that, fortunately for him, will work well on his side in a situation such as this. "She's as crazy as the old man!" he accuses, snatching the mirror clean out of Belle's hands. "The Beast will make off with your children!" he shouts to the crowd, scaring them even more than they already were. "He'll come after them in the night!"
"No!" Belle protests, realizing the sudden newfound danger the Beast is in. Danger that he is now only in because of her own panic and haste.
"We're not safe till his head is mounted on my wall!" Gaston yells, rallying both fear and outrage among the villagers. "I say we kill the Beast!"
As an uproarious outcry bursts out from the crowd, especially as more and more rumors about this supposedly monstrous, dangerous Beast spread through it like wildfire. Rumors that, by all accounts, are completely unfounded and untrue.
"Yikes," Axel winces as he cautiously peers out the window. "This just keeps going from bad to worse, huh?"
"We need to go out there and help now, Riku," Kairi pleads urgently.
"Not yet," Riku holds a hand up to stop her, keeping his sights set on the rising intensity outside.
"But if they go to the castle, everyone there could be in trouble!" Kairi argues. "Including Sora, Donald, and Goofy. We can't just stand by and do nothing!"
"We will do something," Riku counters as calmly as he can. "But like I said, we need to wait first."
"Why?!"
"Because, Kairi," His tone is a bit sharper than he means for it to be as a particular burst of frustration strikes at him. "We can't just rush into a fight that isn't ours, just like-" "Like Sora would do," he nearly says. But he only stops short as he meets Kairi's clearly upset expression squarely, knowing that the last thing she likely would want to hear is him comparing her brashness to Sora's. Even if the two of them are so very alike in plenty of good and bad ways, a fact that Riku knows all too well by this point. "We need to be smarter than that, more careful. Which is why we're going to wait."
She finally recants upon hearing the stern authority he slips into his tone, backing down much more gracefully than Sora would have for sure, even despite the disappointed glare she sends to the floor as she does. For his part, Axel fortunately seems more ready to comply without any arguments, simply shrugging to show that he's willing to go along with whatever plan Riku has in mind. A helpful attitude that Riku can only hope that both Sora and Kairi alike will eventually adopt in the moments when they need to view him as less of a friend and more of a leader instead.
By now, the mob outside is in an all-out-frenzy, one that Belle can do little to quell as Gaston gladly stokes up their ire and hatred for the Beast. "Through the mist, through the woods, through the darkness and the shadows, it's a nightmare, but it's one exciting ride!" he sings to rally the townsfolk to arms against this "monster" supposedly threatening them all. "Say a prayer then we're there at the drawbridge of a castle, and there's something truly terrible inside. It's a Beast, he's got fangs, razor-sharp ones!" He shows off the Beast's image in the mirror once more, sending an all-new wave of panic through the crowd. Panic that services Gaston's vengeful agenda quite well, unbeknownst to all of them. "Massive paws, killer claws for the feast. Hear him roar, see him foam, but we're not coming home till he's dead. Good and dead! Let's kill the Beast!"
"No!" Belle shouts, brazenly rushing forward to try and reclaim the mirror from Gaston. "I won't let you do this!"
"If you're not with us, you're against us!" Gaston hisses back, gripping her arm tightly to restrain her. "Bring the old man!" He orders his cronies, who readily drag Maurice off toward the cottage's cellar before roughly tossing him inside. "We can't have them running off to warn the creature!" Gaston wastes no time in shoving Belle into the basement right after her father before slamming the door and locking it tight.
"Let us out!" Belle cries, banging against the barred-off door, though she goes completely unheard by the riotous mob outside.
"We'll rid the village of this Beast!" Gaston exclaims, raising the glowing mirror high into the air. "Who's with me!?"
Just about all of the townsfolk raise their voices in loud, undaunted support for Gaston's violent cause as they all rush to prepare for the battle ahead. "Light your torch, mount your horse," they chime into the mounting mob melody.
"Screw your courage to the sticking place!" Gaston commands as he leaps onto his own steed, already armed with his trusty bow and musket alike.
"We're counting on Gaston to lead the way!" the mob cheers, their own weapons in hand as they trail behind him toward the forest. "Through a mist, to a wood, where within a haunted castle something's lurking that you don't see everyday! It's a Beast, one as tall as a mountain! We won't rest till he's good and deceased! Sally forth, tally ho, grab your sword, grab your bow, and here we go!"
"We'll lay siege to the castle and bring back his head!" Gaston proudly proclaims, and sure enough, every single villager following foolishly in his footsteps is ready to do exactly that.
"We'll kill the Beast!"
"Ok," Riku finally relents as the last few mob members clear the immediate area surrounding the cottage. "Now we can go."
"Now?" Axel asks incredulously as they begin to head to the door. "Seems like we're a bit late to the punch, don't ya think?"
"We are too late," Kairi sends Riku a frustrated scowl. "We'll never be able to stop them from going after the Beast now, not when there's so many of them."
"Then it's a good thing that Sora, Donald, and Goofy are still there to help him fend them off," Riku offers her a small smile in the hopes of calming her down. One that, by all accounts, doesn't really work as she still tries and fails to understand the point behind his hands-off plan.
"Are they really gonna try and hurt the master?" Chip asks, catching the trio's attention.
"Oh, uh… n-no!" Kairi's tune quickly changes into a comforting smile as she picks the young teacup up. "We won't let them do that, I promise."
"What about Belle and her papa?" Chip presses with a concerned frown.
"Don't worry," Riku assures as he leads the way out of the house. "We're going to help them out right now, and then we'll all head back to the castle to stop that mob together."
"A noble objective." The entire group stops short as this sudden voice coolly chimes in, its source being the dark corridor that has just formed a few feet away. "But ultimately a pointless one."
"Saïx!" Axel snaps, his Keyblade immediately flashing into his grip the moment he catches sight of his former friend. For his part, Saïx steps forward to meet the group calmly, his expression unreadable by all accounts as the lights before him realize he's the Organization member they've been expecting to see.
"Axel," he says simply, raising an eyebrow as he sets his sights on his former fellow member's Keyblade. "So the rumors are true. You really have joined the other side after all. The losing side."
To his credit, Axel wisely says nothing in response to such a cutting remark, and neither does Riku. But Kairi isn't about to let it stand unchallenged, especially given just how cruelly Saïx had attempted to use her against Sora in the past. "We'll show you who the losing side is once we get the rest of those Keys and-"
"Kairi," Axel interjects, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder as he shakes his head warningly. "Cool it."
"How ironic that you'd be telling someone else to 'cool it', Axel," Saïx notes evenly, coyly. "Especially considering that infamous heated temper of yours."
Axel finally jolts at this, some of that temper surfacing as he brandishes his flaming Keyblade once more, glaring relentlessly at Saïx all the while. "What are you even doing here?"
"I would think that'd be obvious," Saïx rolls his eyes sardonically. "I'm here for the Key hidden within this world, of course. Sent specifically by my master to find it just as all of you have been instructed to do the same."
"Well, if you're expecting to get that Key from us, then you won't be getting very far," Riku counters, calling upon his own Keyblade as Kairi does the same. "Because once we find it, we're going to do everything in our power to keep it far away from you."
Saïx simply smirks in response to this, something that sets the trio before him off even more than they already are. "Am I really supposed to be intimidated by an incomplete set of lights?" he asks, making no moves to bring out his own weapon in response to the ones pointed at him. "How pathetic that you've only managed to gather four guardians-"
"Five," Riku corrects, yet even so, Saïx doesn't change his stance.
"Four," he reiterates, knowing well what the others don't as he refuses to elaborate any further. After all, they'll find out the truth soon enough. "But that's hardly the point. I see you've made little progress in the way of finding that Key. Also disappointing, but not exactly unexpected when you clearly don't know the first thing about how to actually find any of them."
"Oh, and you do?" Axel retorts with an incredulous huff.
"You should know better than anyone else, Axel," Saïx says condescendingly. "That the Organization gains information through careful reconnaissance rather than stumbling around in the dark like you lights seem so keen on doing. And through our reconnaissance we've uncovered a foolproof way to look for them. One that involves keeping a close eye on a certain someone who has developed a noticeable knack for tracking them down."
Kairi gasps, and Riku and Axel both tense up, all three of them immediately knowing exactly who Saïx was referring to. "Sora!" Kairi cries, already immensely worried for him..
"Stay away from him!" Riku warns fiercely, determined to keep Sora as far out of the Organization's range as possible. Especially after the far-too-close call that had been their shared Mark of Mastery exam.
"Yeah, and get lost while you're at it!" Axel adds just as sharply.
"Oh, I intend to," Saïx says with a smooth smirk. "Just as soon as I rip that Key right out Sora's hand the moment he finds it."
"If you so much as try that, I'll make sure you regret it!" Riku threatens. He's gripping his Keyblade so tightly that his hand is practically shaking.
"Then maybe you should try to get to him first to make sure you won't have to go through all that trouble," Saïx counters confidently, calling upon a dark corridor to get this newly-established race started. "After all, it'd be such a shame for you to head home from your first mission as a team empty handed."
Surprisingly, Kairi is the one to let out a frustrated shout as Saïx disappears into the darkness. "The only one who's going to leave empty handed is you!" she yells, blatantly furious even though the Organization member hasn't stuck around to hear her.
"Hmph, same old Saïx," Axel mutters to himself crossly. "He gets a second chance and what does he do with it? Wastes it going back to work for them."
"Come on," Riku urges the pair to follow him toward the house's cellar. "We've gotta get back to the castle and fast."
At the same time, Belle is in the midst of doing whatever she can to break out of that cellar, Maurice helping her search high and low for any possible escape. "I have to warn the Beast," she laments as she tries prying a window open. "This is all my fault. Oh Papa, what are we going to do?"
"Now, now," Maurice comforts her with a secure embrace. "We'll think of something."
Fortunately, they don't have to, because just a second later, a bright flash of light illuminates between the cracks on the locked cellar door. And as that light fades, those doors swing open, revealing that, much to their relief, Riku, Kairi, and Axel have come to their rescue.
"I can't thank you enough for helping us again," Belle says, rushing up the stairs to meet them. "But we have to hurry back to the castle; the Beast is in trouble!"
"We know," Riku nods gravely.
"So is Sora!" Kairi adds, her worried frown mirroring Belle's as she remembers what Saïx had said.
"If we didn't have any time to waste before, then we sure don't have any time to waste now," Axel concludes, crossing his arms.
"No, we don't," Riku agrees, turning to lead the way back toward the castle. Back to where an intense confrontation is unquestionably about to unfold on all sides, a confrontation they all have to face, even if none of them feel truly ready for it. "So let's go."
Sora, Donald, and Goofy have seen the Beast distraught and despondent before, both times over Belle, in fact, but now is quite different by far. Because now, he is, by all accounts, completely inconsolable as he grieves for the love he'd just lost, the love he'd set free, completely on his own accord.
Still, that doesn't mean the trio is just going to stand by and let their longtime friend simply lose himself to that grief entirely.
"C'mon, Beast, cheer up," Sora encourages gently. "I'm sure Belle will come back soon."
"No…" the Beast mutters mournfully, his back turned to the trio as he lingers close to his precious rose. "She won't. I set her free…"
"But that doesn't mean she'll never come back, does it?" Goofy asks with a fretful frown.
"Why would she ever want to come back?" the Beast sighs, shaking his head in remorse for all of the moments he'd treated her so horribly before. Moments that, as much as he might wish otherwise, he knows he could never take back, even in light of how much he cherishes her now.
"For you!" the trio answers in unison all the same, as though it's obvious.
"She cares about you, just like you care about her," Sora says, narrowly deciding against using the word 'love' instead for the Beast's sake. "And that's why she'll come back for you. After all, you went all the way to Hollow Bastion for her, right?"
The Beast doesn't bother to respond to this, still largely caught up in his own remorse to care about the trio's attempts at coaxing him out of it, however earnest they might be. For their part, Sora, Donald, and Goofy notice this too as they exchange a worried glance before huddling in to discuss their next move.
"This isn't working," Donald concludes staunchly. "And we're no closer to finding that Key either!"
"What should we do?" Goofy asks, completely at a loss.
"Uh… well…" Sora trails off, unsure of how to handle such a delicate situation himself. "Maybe we could-"
"Pardon me, Master," Mrs. Potts catches the trio's attention, as well as the Beast's as she hops into the door frame, her expression awash in rising dread and fear.
"Leave me in peace…" the Beast orders, sending a scowl over his shoulder at the trio standing behind him. "All of you."
"But, sir!" Mrs. Potts persists frantically. "The castle is under attack!"
"What?!" the trio exclaims in apt alarm as they rush past the Beast to look out the window.
"Is it the Heartless?" Goofy asks, peering down to the bridge below.
"Nobodies?" Donald adds just as suspiciously.
"Could be the Organiza-wait," Sora stops short, confused as he catches sight of the large crowd marching toward the castle. A mob armed with plenty of torches, swords, and all sorts of other dangerous weapons. "Who is that?"
"Whoever they are, they sure don't look happy!" Goofy says anxiously as a loud pounding noise begins to echo throughout the entire castle. Namely from the log the mob had cut down to use as a battering ram to break down the front door.
"What shall we do, Master?" Mrs. Potts asks in urgent concern, knowing that the rest of the staff are busy preparing to do what they can to hold down the fort in their master's stead.
"It doesn't matter now…" the Beast relents, pulling his cloak around his wilting rose. After all, without Belle, there isn't really much that matters to him at all anymore. "Just let them come…"
"What?!" Sora exclaims, appalled as he spins around to face him. "How can you say that?! We can't just let them break in here and wreck the place! This is your castle, you've gotta protect it!"
"The only thing I had that was truly worth protecting is gone now…" the Beast sighs in defeat, closing his eyes as he holds the rose close. "And she's never coming back…"
"So you're just… giving up?" Goofy asks in disbelief.
"You can't do that!" Donald scolds. "Not when everyone in the castle's in danger!"
"The Beast we know would never give up that easily," Sora says sternly, though even that resolved reminder does little to stir the Beast to action. Instead, he simply continues clinging onto his rose, seemingly accepting both his fate and the pack of marauding invaders coming to beset his castle and staff alike. "...But that doesn't mean we will," Sora continues after a moment of uncertain silence, knowing that someone has to do something, even if the Beast himself won't. "Let's drive these guys off and save the castle!"
"Right!" Donald and Goofy readily agree with his courageous intent, both of them hurrying out after Mrs. Potts so they can regroup with the rest of the castle staff to do exactly that. Sora is right behind them, though he does briefly stop short at the door, sparing a brief, sympathetic glance back at the Beast. He knows it likely won't do any good to try and convince him otherwise, but he hopes that the Beast might somehow regain his usual ferocious bravery in the face of adversity, just as he'd demonstrated both at Hollow Bastion and to the Organization in the past. The only problem is that what had pushed him forward in both of those daunting instances had been his love for Belle; without her, what does the Beast truly have to fight for then?
Even so, Sora sets out after the others, knowing that time is of the essence both when it comes to stopping the mob of invaders and finding that elusive Key alike. Still, what he doesn't see as he rushes to rejoin his companions, is the pair of figures standing by in the shadows of one of the castle's higher balconies, watching him closely from above. One of whom just so happens to be someone he hopes he'll never run into again in light of what she'd done to him not so long ago.
"Oof," Pete flinches as the castle shudders noisily once more. "Sounds like them fellas outside are really tryin' to barge in, huh?" His attempt at humor is all but lost on Maleficent, her expression set in a cross, cold scowl that had settled solely on Sora quite some time ago. Her henchman shifts uneasily alongside her, worry filling his own face as he spares a glance down at the boy traversing the halls far below them and dreading what she has in mind for him once more. "Uh… Maleficent?" he begins tentatively, making sure to tread carefully given just how irritable she has been since losing her "prize" the last time. "Ya know how we saw the kid show up here with a whole bunch of his friends earlier? Maybe-a-and just hear me out here-maybe this might not be the best time to-"
"I couldn't care less about a single one of those miserable fools," Maleficent finally speaks, her voice quiet and rigid as she grips her staff tightly. "The only thing that matters to me now is getting my wayward little Heartless back under my sway."
"Uh… you mean Sora?" Pete asks with an anxious frown.
"I see no use in bothering with names when we've both seen what he truly is…" Maleficent rebuffs haughtily. "A creature of darkness, right down to his very core. A creature that rightfully belongs to me…"
"Um… y-yeah…" Pete swallows nervously, hoping there's still a way he can somehow dissuade her off this persistent dark pursuit. After all, he isn't so sure he'll be able simply set Sora free again given what he knows of Maleficent's newest plans for him. "B-but what if we didn't-"
"I refuse to let that pathetic boy slip through my grasp once again," Maleficent cuts him off, her gaze sharpening as she watches her former prisoner enjoy whatever freedom he has left before he's hers again. "I'll have my loyal Heartless back." She pauses, only briefly, as her scepter illuminates with the glow of the very same poison she'd used to subdue Sora before. A poison that she's now perfected to a deadly degree, one that will be more than enough to wipe out any trace of humanity left in him if she has her way. And this time, she's going to ensure she gets exactly that and then some. "And anyone who dares to stand in my way… will fall by his own hand… I'll make sure of that."
Ah boy looks like this chapter set a lot up for the next one, huh? We got an angry mob, Saix, Maleficent, rising tension between Sora and Riku? I know I'm pretty excited to see all that come to a head next time around (in a chapter I've been looking forward to for QUITE some time by the way). Until then though, don't forget to REVIEW! Until next time :)
