Chapter 41: The Puppet
A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney company. This is a creative work that I do not profit off of in any way whatsoever.
Hello everybody! Sorry it took so long to get this one started, but here we go! Once again, I was somewhat sidetracked by the ever accursed writer's block!
But here we are! Onwards to Jiminy Cricket's world, at long last.
Read and enjoy, my dearest readers!
Deep in the Lanes Between, a Gummi ship floated in a state of semi-dormancy. The engines were not running, there was no ice cream being consumed for fuel. Near everything powering the ship was off. It was as if the ship itself was asleep.
As much as he cherished the ability to sleep, sleep and roll over and sleep some more, Lea had found himself awake. After…well, some sleep at least. He felt rested enough himself. He wasn't sure what time it was exactly—he had hidden the clock that had been on the nightstand in one of the drawers. But after everything that had happened over the last two days, he wasn't in a rush to check the time. Lea wasn't even sure he could get up and open the drawer if he wanted to, with the two half-pints smushed against him.
On one side, Xion was pressed against his chest, her cheeks smeared with tears. She had started crying almost immediately after Lea had given her the stuffed tiger. Crying from exhaustion from being awake so long (Pence had checked, apparently they'd all been awake for nearly forty hours from their departure from Twilight Town); crying from the pain from burns and cuts and being tossed around like a rag doll by Maleficent and the creeps working for her; crying from the fear from being captured and watching the turtles get eaten alive by the Big Bad Wolf…
"My fault…I could have stopped it Axel! I should have! I wanted to help…"
When was it going to end for her? Poor kiddo had been pushed around every which way the last few weeks. Lea had to admit he didn't see a way out of it this time. This wasn't something like being able to use a scary power and then knowing that she shouldn't use it anymore—it still irked him that Master Yen Sid hadn't actually apologized to Xion for snapping at her with that mordite sword. This wasn't something abstract. People—turtles—whatever…had died in front of Xion. That wasn't exactly new for them…Saix had been destroyed and faded away and they had seen it happen. And then there was what had happened to Kairi…shattered by that goat bastard Xehanort. And what had happened to Sora…fading away into nothingness…
Lea raised a hand as delicately as he could and stroked Xion's hair gently. In her sleep, she leaned against him. Poor kiddo had cried herself to sleep and neither he nor Roxas liked the idea of leaving her by herself. Not after that. And not with the nightmares she'd been having. Her stuffed tiger was smushed in between them. Xion loved it already. She had fallen asleep cuddling it.
Roxas leaned on Lea's other side, snoring lightly. He had fallen asleep almost immediately after Xion. He hadn't cried, but Lea knew something was bothering him. Roxas had seen something on his trip with Donald that had messed him up bad. Lea swallowed hard—it hadn't escaped his notice that Donald's sister had been absent from Disney Castle after everything had gone down. And that she was supposed to be dead.
Dead…but she'd been back, for a while at least. And she wasn't here now. So, something had gone down, and odds were that Donald's sister had had to go back to…wherever it was people went to when they died in Disneytown. And Donald's sister—Della was it? Della had more or less materialized out of thin air. If she had returned to the afterlife the same way…fading away…
Lea tightened his grip on Roxas's shoulders. Man, the kiddo was scrawny…and had such bony shoulders…and every time Roxas shifted in his sleep, Lea got thumped in the face with Roxas's new stuffed dragon. What had he been thinking when he decided on that stuffed toy?
But it was still peaceful, even with the occasional dragon attack. Still so much better than having to run from a Bigfoot—and to think Lea had thought that had been difficult. Roxas had traveled hours and seen, well, something. From what he had gathered, Xion had nearly died, first while fighting a giant and then while fighting a castle full of monsters. But she hadn't died. Both of his kiddos were here. Lea repositioned his arms to hug them closer—and get Xion's stuffed animal out of his side. Who knew something so soft could make someone so stiff?
Roxas and Xion…Lea smiled. The three of them were together again, as it should be. He definitely hadn't liked having not getting to work with them. If they'd all been together, odds were that Xion wouldn't have gotten hurt. If he could help it, Lea would make sure to keep a closer eye on them for a while yet.
What was waiting for them on this next mission? Lea wasn't sure he wanted to find out. They were heading to Jiminy Cricket's world. Weird thing really, Lea hadn't even known Jiminy had been traveling with Sora until that last meeting in Master Yen Sid's tower before the Keyblade War. Or that the little guy even existed in the first place. The little guy was nestled in the pocket of Xion's jacket. Lea wondered whether he may be sleeping, or if he was awake as well.
Shame they really hadn't had much of a chance to talk—Jiminy was apparently something of a chronicler. He wrote down just about everything that had happened to Sora on his six zillion adventures, and kept a catalogue of every monster they had fought along the way too. Given that during their time in the Organization they had all been told to keep journals as a record, Lea could imagine that there was a fair amount for the kiddos to talk to Jiminy about that.
Lea leaned his head back and concentrated on the light breathing that came from either side. The kiddos were still asleep and he could probably squeeze in a few more winks if he concentrated. Drifting…drifting…drifting…
Thump!
Stupid stuffed dragon.
oooo
Xion winced as she wiggled her fingers. Mickey had given her two Hi-Potions after everything that had happened in that horrible castle—and then Axel had made her drink an Elixir too. But her fingers still ached from being tied for so long.
Her fingers ached. Her arms and legs still throbbed. Her nose still hurt. But what hurt the most was the pain in her heart. Xion felt nauseous. She could still hear it….
"Ah ha ha—aaaah!"
The Big Bad Wolf seizes the little turtle in his hands. The turtle wails and tries to run, but he's lifted too high. Xion can see him squirming but he can't get away. No…no…she has to help him. She has to, has to, has to. She's a Keybearer. It's her job to help people. Light the darkness and make everybody happy.
But she isn't making the little turtle happy. She tries to free herself, but the ropes around her wrists and arms and knees and ankles are all very tight. And the ropes binding her fingers together is so tight, her fingers are tingling.
Xion can hear crunching now…she strains her neck. The Big Bad Wolf still holds the little turtle in his arms…but…where's his face?!
"My baby," The momma turtle screams, so loudly, it hurts Xion's ears. "My baby! You ate my baby!"
There are more baby turtles—being brought in by goblins and skeletons and Heartless. The Big Bad Wolf grabs one after another. He tosses them into the air, smashes them against one another. Xion can hear the cracks of the shells breaking and the baby turtles are all screaming and crying. And the Big Bad Wolf begins eating them—some are still alive. And their screams grow louder and louder…
The Big Bad Wolf and Maleficent and Seifer are all laughing. Doctor XXX grabs a baby turtle and…Xion can't really see what's happening now, but then there's a tiny skeleton. And the screams get louder and louder…
"You! Keyblade girl! Help my babies! Help my babies! Stop being useless!"
Xion strains her wrists again, but the ropes around her wrists and fingers feel tighter, if anything else. And there's a goblin looming over her, a knife in his hands…
"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
The mama turtle lets out the worst scream that Xion has ever head. Not even Sora's agonized cries when Kairi was shattered by Xehanort come close. Not even Kairi's sobs when Sora faded into nothingness…
"All my babies…every last one….this is is all your fault, you useless, rotten, ugly—hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
The Big Bad Wolf lifts the mama turtle up in his arms, he squeezes so hard that Xion can hear the mama turtle's arms breaking. Her blood turns to ice. She can barely breathe.
"I'm still hungry! Them little morsels were an appetizer…but you're the main course!"
Xion shook her head hard. She wasn't tied up in Doctor XXX's lab. She was sitting on her bed in the Gummi Ship, somewhere in the Lanes Between. She wasn't about to be blown to pieces, she was with her best friends, on their way to a mission. The night was over. It was morning…or at least Xion thought it was morning. It was always nighttime in the Lanes Between, or at least some sort of dusk. They were moving at least—Roxas and Axel were eating bars of sea salt ice cream.
But it still played over and over and over in her head. The little turtle, Shelby, screaming as he was yanked up by the Big Bad Wolf. The crunching of bones…the tearing of flesh. And the way the turtle screamed and cried. And then the Big Bad Wolf killed the mama turtle and ate her too. And then they had tied her to the mama turtle's shell….she had wanted to help.
That's not true. You wanted the little turtles to die. You did, you did, you did. If you truly wanted to help them, you would have been able to free yourself. You failed because you didn't want to really help. You're as evil as the monsters who ate the little turtles.
"Xion!"
Xion blinked in surprise. Roxas was standing in the doorway. He wasn't wearing his Organization robes anymore. He wore a jacket, kind of like hers, only his was blue…it brought out the color in his eyes. And his jacket had dark gold lines along the pockets. Under the jacket was a shirt…black with a white ring around the collar. And his pants were longer than shorts, but they weren't quite trousers either…but they were grey, with that same dark gold line. Oh…he had new shoes too…closer to boots than sneakers.
"When did you go shopping?" Xion asked, blushing.
"Apparently, Master Yen Sid dropped this off before we left," Roxas said. "It's made by the Good Fairies."
"Oh…" Xion said. "It's…nice."
Saying it out loud sounded kind of stupid, but still…it did look nice. It reminded her a bit of Sora's clothes…the kind he had worn during the Keyblade War. But blue and gold suited Roxas a lot better than brown and red did. Roxas crossed the threshold and sat down next to her. He handed her a bar of ice cream. When Xion took it, her fingers brushed against Roxas's.
"It's not your fault, you know," Roxas said gently. "What happened to the turtles…you can't blame yourself."
"I…I'm trying to remind myself of that," Xion said. "It's…hard, though. I wish it didn't happen at all."
"Xion, you need to stop talking about yourself like that," Roxas said. "Please."
"Roxas…"
"I'm serious," Roxas said. "Xion, you've done really, really great. And I'm tired of people being so hard on you. But especially you! You're awesome, Xion. Really awesome. You're smart and funny and sweet and silly and…you work really, really hard. You've saved loads and loads of people, Xion. You're a hero."
How many of those people were in danger because of you in the first place? How many people are dead because you weren't good enough? Sora would have been able to help them all, if it weren't for you…
Hero…
"I must say, I agree."
Roxas and Xion glanced down—Jiminy Cricket was staring up at them, holding a teeny, tiny notebook.
"Hello there, children," Jiminy said. "Now, if you don't mind, I was hoping I could ask you a few questions. I like to keep as much information in my journals as possible, so that we can have a full record of the events of our adventures. So…if you don't mind?"
Xion wasn't sure how to answer that. She took another bite of ice cream. Jiminy had such an honest face. And maybe writing down everything that had happened would help them see a new angle on this whole thing…maybe. Oh, she'd almost forgotten!
"Roxas…you can tell what happened in Olympus…I'd like to write a letter to Granny, if that's okay?"
oooo
Far from the Lanes Between, far from Disney Castle, far from any realm where them little pipsqueaks caused trouble, Pete was not happy at all. Not one wee little bit. The whole plan with the Cornerstone had come crashing down into a million pieces. It was more broken that the Cornerstone had been.
"You said this was going to work!" Pete stomped his foot. "And what happened?! They won! Again!"
"I kept my promise!" The Phantom Blot snapped. "The Replica and the Mouse were captured and subdued. It was not my intention that they escape! Less you forget, it was not my dog that freed the Mouse from his bonds!"
"Forget them getting loose, you could have taken the pieces of the Cornerstone with you!" Pete argued. "But ya had to go and gloat and rub it in. You didn't even have to put the Mouse in with that other pipsqueak. She was tied up tight enough, she weren't going nowhere!"
That was certainly true. If there was one thing Pete had always been good at, it was tying knots. It came with being a sailor. And he hadn't just been a sailor. He'd been the captain of a steamboat. So he had to be extra good at tying knots. And he had tied the little key-brat up good. She only got a little bit loose because the stupid doctor had fooled around with that knife. But then the skeletons had tied her up all over again.
"The intention was to break Mickey's psyche," The Phantom Blot said. "Having him be mere inches from his goal was part and parcel for that."
Okay, that was a point that Pete sort of understood. It was fun to rub it in when the pipsqueaks lost. But there was a difference between that and leaving them exactly what they wanted, exactly where they were.
"And you're always doing that!" Pete said. "I remember from back in the old days, you almost never smashed the Mouse when you had the chance. You just locked him up somewhere. At least the doc had the sense to have his skeletons rough that Keybearer up—she could barely stand!"
"She's a weakling," Seifer scowled. "She could barely stand in the first place. I remember, back when she was working at this real lame ice cream shop, she practically had a breakdown when someone splashed her with coffee. You just didn't do it right—the next time we get her, she's mine."
What was it with the new kid and his grudges? As far as Pete could figure, he had only known the Key-brats for a couple of months. And while they were pains in the butt, that still wasn't that long a time for hate like that. In the old days, when Maleficent had recruited that twerp Riku, she had played off how he'd known shrimpy Sora for years and years. A friendship and rivalry that had gone on for a long, long time had been easy to twist to hate. But then again, Riku had turned out to be as big a goody-goody as Sora had. Maybe they were better off with Seifer.
"She took out that Shadow of hers," Pete said. "That ain't nothing."
"Of course, it's nothing!" Seifer said. "It was made from her, so of course she could destroy it. We should have just cut her throat after we cut out the Shadow."
Ugggg…Pete was no stranger to punching and kicking and stomping. But throat-cutting…that was a bit much. He'd have just as soon as fed Xion and Mousey to a Heartless.
"Where they off to now, anyway?" Pete said. "Are we following them or are they following us?"
"Wherever they go, we must take steps to divide them!" Eris said cooly. "I underestimated the affection the King possessed. It is a mistake I will not make again."
"Is that your way of excusing your own weaknesses?" The Phantom Blot asked. "I recall you stating that your physical prowess was still superior to that of our enemies, and yet you didn't raise a finger against them!"
"I will not be spoken to that way," Eris snapped. "Least of all by a crackpot who builds devices that pale to even the weakest constructs Daeledus put together!"
"Silence!" Maleficent's voice rang out, loud and royal as a queen's. She glared at everyone gathered. "You are not going to be divided by petty squabbles! All of you are subservient to me!"
Pete kept his mouth shut. Maleficent had gotten him out of that spooky place that Queen Minnie had banished him to all those years ago. If she hadn't, he'd probably still be stuck there.
"I am an immortal!" Eris snapped. "Your desires lead to greater animosity and discord, and in that I gain strength and so I am willing to assist you, but make no mistake, I am the goddess of discord!"
"And I am the Mistress of All Evil!" Maleficent said, pounding her staff down. "All the powers of darkness, all the powers of Hell!"
She slammed her staff down again, and the shiny orb began to glow green. But not the kind of glowing green like a Cornerstone piece. It was green fire and for a moment, her eyes burned like fire. Eris stopped talking, but she was still glaring at Maleficent. Pete kept his mouth shut. This could mean trouble, but he hadn't made it this long by talking too much.
"My skeleton army is at hand," Doctor XXX said. "You may use them however you plan."
What was the plan exactly? Pete shook his head. He liked it better when they was just using Heartless. There was something about those skeletons that just wasn't natural. But they got good results, Pete had to admit.
"Indeed, this may be quite useful," Maleficent said. "It so happens that where we will be traveling hence is a world that may prove more useful to us than any so far! A world where a puppet gained a heart…"
oooo
Roxas rubbed the back of his neck as he walked down the path. This was the first time he had ever been to this world, having never gone during his year with the Organization nor through Sora's travels. Oh wait a moment…hadn't Sora come here before? For his Mark of Mastery test, when this world had been trapped in slumber? That part of his time within Sora was especially fuzzy. Roxas wasn't sure if he really remembered it happening, or if it was merely the knowledge that it had happened.
Xion walked next to him, taking slow, steady steps. Every now and then, she would stop, hesitate. Take a deep breath and clutch the stone of the necklace Roxas had given her. As if she needed to be reminded it was there. Or if she were there. Jiminy Cricket rode on her shoulder, answering all of her questions.
"And this is your home?" Xion asked. "Your family is here?"
"Well, as it happens, I haven't been here in over a year," Jiminy said. "And I haven't seen any other Crickets in…a far longer time than that. But the ones I cherish most are here. Geppetto and Pinocchio. It's a funny thing. The last time I saw them was in Traverse Town actually…and that was quite some time ago."
Roxas nodded lightly. Traverse Town was the first world that Sora had visited after the Destiny Islands had fallen to darkness. The memories there were…somewhat sharper than some of Sora's other memories. If Roxas concentrated, he could remember there being tall buildings…and a small house absolutely filled with dogs.
"It's been so long since I've seen them," Jiminy said. "I'm almost at a lost of what to even say. I can imagine I've missed quite a lot. Do you know what I mean?"
"Er, not really," Roxas said. This wasn't entirely true. There had been times in the Organization where he had gone weeks without seeing Axel or Xion. It'd been kind of tricky to try to get back into a routine of chatting and watching the sunset and eating ice cream, since there'd be so much awkward tension. But that was also due to what had been happening with Xemnas and Kingdom Hearts and Riku and DiZ working to restore Sora's memories. It wasn't the same thing as being away for a long time, from people who knew you and missed you.
Would things be awkward between him and Sora, if they were ever actually able to find him and bring him home?
A small boy, about Vivi's height, skipped by them. He was wearing a little blue shirt and red shorts and a little yellow hat. In his hands, he gripped a schoolbook. Roxas nodded at the boy as they passed.
"I'm going home from school, home from school, home from school," the boy chanted. "I'm going home from school—hi Jiminy!"
"Hello, Pinocchio," Jiminy said pleasantly. "Now, as I was saying—"
They had gone no more than three or four more steps before the boy dropped his schoolbook. He turned around slowly, his mouth open in surprise.
"Jiminy…is it you?"
"Pinocchio?" Jiminy said, pushing back his hat. "Is it you?! You're…you're…"
"A real boy!" Pinocchio said, patting his hands against his chest. "Oh, Jiminy! I missed you!"
Jiminy leapt from Xion's shoulder, using his umbrella to float gently down. Even before his feet hit the cobblestones of the street, he was running towards Pinocchio. Pinocchio got down on his knees and caught Jiminy in his hands.
"I missed you so much," Pinocchio said. "Where have you been? It's been a long, long time since Sora helped you rescue us from Monstro! You missed Christmas!"
"Oh, Pinocchio!" Jiminy said. "I missed you, so!"
It almost sounded as if Jiminy had a cold. He leaned against Pinocchio's cheek. Roxas felt a lump in his throat form.
"You brought Jiminy back to me!" Pinocchio said, getting to his feet. He darted at Roxas and hugged him—though he was so small, he barely came up to Roxas's waist. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mister Jiminy's Friend!"
"You're welcome," Roxas said. "Um…we were glad to help?"
"I think it's very sweet," Xion said. "Jiminy missed you very much, Pinocchio."
"Kairi! You helped too! I missed you, Kairi! Thank you! Thank you!" Pinocchio said. He hugged Xion's legs too, and she patted him on the head. But the look on her face…she was nervous. With one hand, Xion patted Pinocchio's head and with the other, she clutched her necklace.
"Kairi and Jiminy's Friend and…Really Tall Guy!" Pinocchio said. "You brought me back my conscience. Thank you!"
"Oh, now just a moment, Pinoc," Jiminy said. "That's not Kairi. Her name is Xion and the boy is called Roxas."
"And Really Tall Guy?" Pinnochio asked. "What's your name?"
"Er…Axel," Axel said. "Got it memorized?"
Roxas and Xion exchanged surprised glances. Axel usually referred to himself by his birth name, Lea, or else explained that "Axel" was the nickname they used for him. Roxas wasn't sure he remembered Axel calling himself that when they weren't already among people who knew he'd been part of the Organization. Hayner, Pence and Olette were one thing, and even King Mickey occasionally called him "Axel" but in Olympus and in the Land of Dragons, he at least had tried to go by Lea.
"Sure, I got it memorized!" Pinocchio said, nodding his head. "Axel and Roxas and Xion—those sure are nice names! Which makes sense, because you're all nice people for bringing Jiminy back home! I won't ever forget your names! I'm gonna memorize them just like I do my spelling words and multiplication tables."
"Multiplication, already?" Jiminy asked. "My goodness, I've missed more than I realized. It's truly wonderful to see you, Pinocchio. Tell me, how is Geppetto?"
"Oh, Father is doing very well!" Pinocchio said excitedly. "Just wait until he sees you, he'll be so happy!"
xxxx
Pinocchio led them down the street, chattering about how his father was the greatest clockmaker in the whole wide world. He walked back and forth, between Roxas and Xion and Axel, practically dancing in a circle.
"And then, last month, he got to build a clock that was bought by the governor!" Pinocchio said. "It was a great big clock, with a bell just like the one in Traverse Town! It was amazing!"
"That truly is wonderful," Jiminy said, this time perched on Pinocchio's shoulder. "But Pinoc, don't you think you should be a little more careful about talking about Traverse Town? There is a matter of the World Order."
"I dunno Jiminy," Pinocchio said. "I know we're not really supposed to talk about it, but lots of people around here know there's such things as magic. And everyone at school remembers the night of that really scary storm that separated all of us."
"I know, I know," Jiminy said. "But you don't want to get anyone else in trouble, do you? Roxas and Xion and…Axel don't want just anyone finding out they're from other worlds. It's got to be a secret."
Roxas paused and placed a hand on his chin. The issue of World Order hadn't really come up lately. In Disney Castle…or Disneytown…or what have you, he had spent most of his time around Hayner and Pence and Scrooge and Donald…they all knew about other worlds. So had Hercules and Phil in Olympus. And with Mushu as her family guardian, Mulan would have had some knowledge about other worlds…
Why was it a bad thing if people found out about other worlds? Jiminy himself came from this world, but he made his home in Disney Castle. And Sora…Sora was at home in pretty much every world he visited.
Sora…
"Roxas, head's up," Axel said. "I think we're almost there…"
"Here we are!" Pinocchio said, before Axel had even finished speaking. "This is my home!"
They were standing in front of a small, stone house. It was well-kept, with flowers painted along the door. Pinocchio knocked on the door and yanked it open. Inside, there were many, many clocks, all ringing their chimes. Large clocks and small clocks—each showing some creative scene. There was a farmer trying to chop off the head of a turkey, two ducks bobbing their heads in a pond, a a bee shooting out of a sunflower, two small dogs running around in a circle, and many more than that. There were several music boxes, too. At the farthest wall, a man was stooped over a bench, carving…well, something.
"Father! Father! Look who's come back home!"
The man, who was only a little taller than Roxas and Xion, looked up from his bench. He had white hair and mustache and wore a heavy red apron over his clothes. Honestly, he looked very old to be Pinocchio's father. Grandfather maybe… The old man gasped when he saw Jiminy standing on Pinocchio's shoulder.
"Why…bless my soul! Jiminy Cricket!"
"Hello, Geppetto," Jiminy said, taking off his little hat. "It's been quite some time since we were all together, but here I am!"
"Here you are," Geppetto agreed. "My goodness…oh, dear me! Kairi, is that you? We haven't seen you for over a year now! How are you, my child?"
"Er, I'm fine, sir, but…I'm not Kairi," Xion stammered, her face reddening. "I'm sorry…"
"Oh yes, now that I think of it, she would be a fair bit older than you," Geppetto said. "Well, then it's nice to meet you—"
"Xion!" Pinocchio said. "And that's Roxas and Axel! They brought Jiminy home to us!"
"Why so you have," Geppetto said. "Thank you, dear ones."
Pinocchio grabbed Xion and Axel's hands and led them to two wooden seats. He looked up at Roxas, his eyes wide and eager.
"Come and sit, come and sit!" Pinocchio said. "It's been so long since we've seen Jiminy!"
Roxas took the last empty seat and looked around the shop again. There had to be two dozen clocks. Had Geppetto built all of them? Across from him, a little black and white kitten leapt into Xion's lap.
"Nice kitty…"
"Oh-ho, Figaro wants to say hello!" Geppetto said. The kitten purred and leaned against Xion. Geppetto chuckled lightly. "Pinocchio, why don't you be a dear boy and get a pitcher of water?"
"Alright, Father!"
As Pinocchio scurried away, his little shoes clapping hard against the floor, Geppetto turned his head and looked at each of them in turn.
"Jiminy, I must say…I was wondering whether you would show up…so much has happened since those days in Traverse Town. But I am not surprised at all that you would bring Keybearers with you."
Roxas swallowed hard and stole a glance at Xion. She stared at Geppetto, her mouth open in surprise.
"We…?" Axel asked, scratching the back of his head. "I…er…well, this is awkward."
"Oh, it's hardly that, young man," Geppetto said. "Axel, was it? If you've been traveling with Jiminy, then I have no doubt that you're friends with Sora. And it would stand to reason that you too would be counted among such noble warriors. And of course, you, Xion, look remarkably like Kairi. So tell me, if you please. It's been quite some time since I've seen those children and I miss them very much."
"I…" Roxas said. "It's…yeah, I know Sora. We're…um…"
It was pointless to lie, especially since Roxas was aware he wasn't very good at it, but what else could he say? He was Sora's Nobody. Half of who Sora was. Sora's body that had gained sentience, more or less. But this wasn't the time…this wasn't the place…he couldn't tell Geppetto that. Not any of that.
"I'm…her…cousin?" Xion lied lamely, looking down at her boots. "Yeah…Kairi is my cousin…"
Xion blushed deeply and her knees began to knock together. Roxas reached out a hand and placed in over hers. Xion squeezed his fingers.
"Now Xion," Jiminy said, "You mustn't lie. It doesn't suit you at all."
Xion's face reddened and Roxas could hear Axel grit his teeth. He glanced down at Jiminy. Behind him, Geppetto raised a hand.
"If the story makes her uncomfortable, then it's hardly fair for her to tell me. I shouldn't have asked in the first place. Why, we've only just met," Geppetto said. "Though I suspect that at the root of all this, it is Keyblade business, no doubt. That leads me to my next question, why? I haven't seen any Heartless in many months. Is there trouble?"
"Well…we're not sure, exactly," Roxas said. "See…we've been traveling and trying to help people…because the lines between life and death have been blurred."
"And that got me to thinking," Jiminy said. "Pinocchio was a puppet, crafted by your own hands. And he was brought to life…"
"When I wished upon that star," Geppetto said wistfully. "Oh, I remember it well."
Roxas saw Xion wince, ever so slightly, when Jiminy said the word 'puppet.' A puppet that gained a heart… He glanced over his shoulder. Pinocchio was walking towards them, very, very slowly.
"I got water!" Pinocchio said. He looked up at Roxas and Roxas looked back down at him. Pinocchio's eyes were wide with wonder, his smile eager to please. He was every bit alive as could be…
A puppet that had gained a heart…
oooo
Pete grumbled to himself. He didn't like this world very much, but orders were orders. He and the Big Bad Wolf had worked their way to a little inn. The sign at the door read "Red Lobster," but they musta run out of red paint, since the inn itself was white. Made you wonder whether anyone was prepared for anything these days. Pete grunted to himself. He could go for a nice plate of lobster—it hadn't been his most common meal back in his steam-boating days, but it had been one of his favorites. The best part was crushing the claws to get to the meat.
The man that Pete was supposed to talk to was a large man, though not as big as Pete was. He wore a neat red suit and a little hat. In his hand, he clutched a large mug of beer and in his mouth, he smoked a long, thin pipe.
Pete and the Big Bad Wolf took seats across from him. The man in the red suit snapped his fingers. A figure somewhat shorter than him emerged from the shadows. Pete's first thought that it was a Heartless, but this shadow was too human-shaped. And it didn't have those weird little yellow beady eyes either. The man nodded and the shadow vanished, only to appear a minute later with two foaming mugs of beer, and a plate of fish and chips.
"Mmm," The Big Bad Wolf swallowed one of the fish whole. "That's some hospitality."
Pete took a swig of his beer. He watched the man cautiously. He was strong with darkness, that much was clear. But he hadn't joined up with Maleficent last time. What was his game?
"You wanted to speak to me?" The man said, between puffs on his pipe. "That's not normally how I do things. As it usually happens, it is I who makes the propositions."
"Yeah, yeah," Pete said. "Well, we've been sent by our boss, so you better listen good, and we'll make it worth your while."
"Before we go any further," The Big Bad Wolf said. "What's your handle, fella?"
"My name matters not. Just call me Coachman," The man nodded and pressed his hands together. "So, what brings you to my territory?"
"You ever hear of Keyblades?"
"Ah ha! Who hasn't?" The Coachman said. "Those sneaky little weapons. I've heard the stories. Some say the boys and girls who wielded those weapons destroyed the whole world in a terrible war. Others say the Keybearers are the only things keeping this world, every world, from absolute ruin. They can unlock anything, even hearts. Hearts of people, hearts of worlds. Funny things, hearts."
"You're not kidding," Pete said. "Them Keybearers are nothing but trouble."
"I like trouble myself," The Coachman said. "Stupid little boys making mischief is the best sort of trouble. They get their just rewards in the end."
Just rewards? What did he mean by that? That almost sounded to Pete like the Coachman thought he was doing 'em a favor. What stupid little boys were they talkin' about here? Had them little runts beat 'em here, already? Drat it all! Pete was getting mighty tired of the Keybearers.
"Jackasses, the lot of them. Stupid little boys are no better than stupid beasts of burden. And it was stupid little boys and girls with their stupid little Keyblades what broke this world in the old days. So it's up to the folks like me to set 'em straight."
Now that was definitely more Pete's angle. Someone willing to smash the pipsqueaks and take names?
"A funny thing's happened, just because of one of them Keybearers," The Big Bad Wolf growled. "He used a forbidden power to bring back the hearts of his friends that got themselves killed. And 'cause of that, all the life and death rules got broken."
"Intersting…" The Coachman said. "I did have an inkling of that. And that brings to mind one naughty boy in particular. The only one who ever got away from me. And he wasn't even a real boy, from what I hear."
Oh right, Maleficent had mentioned this world had one weird little puppet that had come to life and got a heart of his own. With the doc's weird skeletons, plus Maleficent's goblins, and Heartless and Nobodies and that pipsqueak Replica in general, puppets weren't the weirdest thing Pete had heard of, but still.
"You want my help?" The Coachman said. "That's fine with me. But let's make an arrangement. I don't work for free."
"Yeah, yeah," Pete said. "Get to the point. What do you want?"
"If it's true what you say, about these lines between life and death being blurred, then there is one thing I want," The Coachman said. "Help me do this one thing…and everything I have is at your disposal."
"Out with it!" Pete said, pounding his fist. He was getting tired of this fat old geezer and his little word games.
"Help me destroy the one who brought that stupid puppet to life," The Coachman said. And his face began turning red…and his smile got way, way too wide. "Help me kill the Blue Fairy."
A/N: I am dreadfully sorry that this one took so long everybody. I had meant to finish it a week ago.
But here we are! The newest chapter!
In the original drafts for Kingdom Hearts: 358 Days/2, there were plans to include Pinocchio's world, with Roxas and Xion meeting a puppet who had gained a heart, and sadly reflecting on that, as they were Nobodies and didn't have hearts.
Elements of this plot-line were later used in Dream Drop Distance, and I decided to incorporate some of the ideas here as well.
This was a tough cookie to write, for a variety of reasons, but I'm pleased with what I have now.
Thank you for reading, my dearest readers! Leave a comment if you're so inclined! Tell me what you think!
I appreciate each and every one of you!
