Chapter 4: Paradise of Worlds
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, or any of their properties, characters, or logos. This story is made solely for fun.
Disney World - Disney Castle
Daisy Duck pressed her head against the door of the king's study, straining to hear what was going on. Since the book went missing, the queen had spent most of her time sitting alone in her husband's office, only emerging for meals which were eaten in silence. While they normally spent the days together, Minnie had become withdrawn and solitary as of late, worrying her best friend.
"Is there something wrong, Miss Daisy?"
She practically jumped ten feet in the ear before glaring. "Don't sneak up on me like that! You trying to give me a heart attack!?"
Goofy's son ran a hand through his spiky hair. "No ma'am."
"Sheesh, you could at least walk a little less quietly. You're supposed to be a guard, not a ninja."
"Yeah, sorry about that."
"No need to apologize. I guess things have been a little nuts around here for the last week." she sighed wearily. "So out with it. What do you want?"
"Nothing really. PJ and I noticed you were spending a lot of time standing outside the king's study lately. Is something wrong with her highness?"
"Minnie blames herself for allowing one of the castle's treasures to be stolen. I know how she feels, but this moping around of hers really worries me."
"Maybe she just needs to be alone for a while. With the king absent, she's got a lot of responsibility on her hands."
"He's spent the better part of three years gallivanting around and she's never been like this. The situation is much more serious than you know."
Max slumped his shoulders before daring to ask. "What was written inside that book, anyway?"
"That's classified information that we would die before revealing." she noticed his expression drop and reassured him. "Look, if there was something you could do to help, we would've asked."
He wondered if his father would have been able to help were he here, but quickly pushed the thought away. The younger Goof had spent the majority of his life being compared to his father, who stood out as one of the greatest heroes in their world. Despite his old man's simple-minded and cheerful approach to life, he was also very loyal and kind. These shared qualities are what brought his father, Donald, and the king together in their early days serving the kingdom. It was said before Mickey took the mantle of ruler, they were completely inseparable.
In old times, the trio had traveled throughout different worlds, exploring new places, and foiling plots by devious villains. Max only knew because his father would occasionally tell him stories as a child. During his preteen years he began to doubt that any of it was true, but when he was old enough, his father returned to the castle to resume his duties as captain of the guard. That day was the first time Max saw his bumbling ordinary dad as the person from his stories.
"Hey kid, you still with us?" the female duck waved a hand in front of his face.
"Oops, sorry... I was just remembering what it was like growing up with my dad. I'm surprised someone important as him worked part-time as a photographer and stayed home just to raise a kid."
"Poor guy was heartbroken after your mom passed away." she looked away. "Being a good dad to you was all he could do to honor her memory. I'm sorry for your loss."
"No worries... It feels weird to say, but I never really knew her. Whenever I think about my childhood, all I see is my dad messing up." he snickered at the countless memories. "And embarrassing me to death."
"That's Goofy!" Daisy smiled, knowing his doting nature all too well.
As the unlikely company shared a laugh, the doors behind them swung open, revealing the disheveled form of Minnie Mouse. Her black fur looked scruffy from lack of maintenance and her normally pristine dress wrinkled, but her expression spoke of urgency. Daisy had only heard bits and pieces of what was said and had expected new developments.
Daisy curtseyed while her companion saluted. "Is there something wrong?"
Queen Minnie sighed wearily as she pocketed her Gummi Phone. "To think things would turn out this way." she turned on her heel and quickened her pace, the others following. "I need you to come with me."
"What's going on, your highness?" Max jogged to keep up.
"Yeah, what's the hurry!?"
"I received word from Ienzo that Kairi has been discharged from the lab."
"Why would Ansem the Wise suddenly do that? Unless... ... ..."
Minnie twirled around. "After months of feeling nothing, Kairi can sense Sora's heart. It's like it suddenly reappeared out of the blue."
The female duck's eyes widened. "How does she know its really him?"
"The connection between those two is far stronger than any of us believed was possible. I doubt that even Master Xehanort completely understood it. If Ansem the Wise believes this connection can be used to locate Sora, I'm not about to question it!"
"True, he did specialize in researching the heart."
Max glanced between them confusedly. "Um, I'm a little lost here"
"You wouldn't be the first." Daisy exclaimed, looking wearied of the intricacies herself. "I'm no expert either, but I believe we should do whatever we can to help."
"Did you tell his majesty and the others, yet?" the young guard questioned their leader.
"I already attempted to contact Mickey and Riku, but neither of them is answering."
Her old friend suddenly appeared worried. "Why not? Is Donald's magic on the fritz, or are those phone thingies malfunctioning again?"
"Neither." the queen held up her own, revealing a signal bar. "Ansem the Wise enhanced the communication functions, but there are still certain places where it can't reach."
"You don't mean... ... ..."
"Yes I do, Daisy. The situation with that missing book has Master Yen Sid deeply concerned, so he called off the search for Sora and asked them to find Aqua, Terra, and Ventus."
"But to do that, they'd need to go into the Realm of Darkness."
"Exactly." Minnie knew full well what dangers dwelt within that forsaken place, and it did little to brighten her spirits. Nonetheless, she pressed on. "I did manage to contact our friends in Twilight Town, but they don't have a Gummi Ship."
"And here I thought things were beginning to look up." the duck placed one hand on her hip, tapping her foot ruefully. "Even with a working vessel, it's a pretty long ride to Radiant Garden, especially if we go off course to fetch the others."
"Yes, very true. It's become more trouble than we asked for."
Daisy thought for a moment. "Hmmm... Last time I checked Leon's team had one in usage. If Cid was willing to lend it out, Kairi could leave immediately!"
"That was the first thing Ansem the Wise suggested, but it turns out their Gummi Ship was damaged the last time Yuffie used it."
"The kid's got spunk. It must've been something crazy."
"She was attacked by hoards of Gummi Heartless while passing through the airspace around a world called Gaia."
The queen's friend looked disturbed by the news. "With everything going on, this can't be a chance encounter."
"My Mickey tried exploring it for clues about Sora, but he wasn't able to get close. If we didn't have enough problems already, learning more about it would be a bigger priority." She moaned. "Oh, this isn't how we imagined things going."
The two old friends slumped in resignation. "We'll just have to do the best we can."
Max watched them, quietly wishing he could do something to help until an idea popped into his head. "Wait! I just remembered something!"
"What!?" they piped up in unison.
"What about that hyper speed Gummi Ship the tech department was working on!? PJ told me the guys in R&D were almost done with it!"
"That's brilliant, Max!" Minnie's eyes lit up as she took off in the opposite direction. "If the team has a working model, we'd be able to reach Radiant Garden in the blink of an eye." she shouted over her shoulder.
Her sprinting was such that even Daisy had trouble keeping up, forcing the noble duck to lift her dress like a princess while running. Max sometimes wondered how people with such short legs could move so quickly. He supposed that emergencies and necessity could motivate anyone under the right circumstances. After all, his father had a tendency to trip over his own two feet in normal situations, but during battle even he had a certain rhythm.
Descending a flight of stairs, Minnie opened a wooden door, revealing an office littered with any number of random machines and gadgets. A drawing board in the corner of the room contained the blueprints for an unfamiliar device, but the area was so cluttered, there was barely any room to stand.
Goofy's son noticed a pile twitching violently. "Whoa... What's that?"
"Just one of that gear head's annoying toys." Daisy dismissed, scowling as a tiny light bulb with legs burst out from its hiding place and ran for the exit.
Minnie ignored the disruption, shifting impatiently. "Oooh, where is that man?"
"Your majesty, what're you doing here?" a voice from behind made all three jump in surprise.
They turned to greet the lab's owner; a lanky anthropomorphic chicken with a large round head, messy red hair, and a pointed beak. Like Donald and Daisy, he also had white feathers, but his eyes were smaller and he stood taller and lankier like Goofy. He wore a simple black coat, rolled up jeans, and collared shirt with a yellow bowler and a pair of tiny round spectacles hanging from his beak.
The queen placed both hands on her hips. "There you are, Gyro. I was worried you had already left for today."
He casually bent over, picking up the bulb-headed minibot from before. "Nope, I got caught up working on one of my newest inventions."
"Yeah, sure you were..." the female duck bit out sarcastically.
"I tried to clone an army one time, and you people never let me forget about it."
"Wait, who is this guy?" Max blurted out, earning a sigh from his companions.
"You haven't been working here long, so I suppose you wouldn't have met." Minnie gestured to the lab's owner. " He only signed on last year, so I guess you're both newbies. This is Gyro Gearloose, a scientific genius we hired as the castle's tech expert. "
"Genius... You give him too much credit." Daisy deliberately snorted. "This idiot's inventions have a habit of comically backfiring, and he had the nerve to use my Donald as his personal guinea pig for years!"
Her friend shrugged. "He still came highly recommended by Scrooge McDuck."
"That old Scottish buzzard probably just wanted to get him off the payroll."
"I'm standing right here!" Gyro protested.
The young guard did his best to ignore the awkwardness and shook hands with the inventor. "I'm Goofy's son, Max. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Gearloose."
"Pleasure's all mine." he returned the gesture kindly. "Your dad also had a hand in testing my creations back in the day. I'll never forget the strange screaming sound he made whenever something went badly."
Daisy rubbed her temples, clearly not very fond of the scientist. "Enough with the pleasantries, didn't we have something urgent to attend too."
"Of course." the queen's expression became serious once more. "Gyro, we need a Gummi Ship for an important mission. Have you finished the new high speed model or not?"
"Ah, right... that... ... I haven't put the finishing touches on it yet, but we did manage to test the engine, and she's working perfectly. When do you need her ready for takeoff?"
"Immediately." she answered, causing him to blink twice in bewilderment.
"Well, I suppose that can be arranged. Perhaps you would you like to see it first?"
"Naturally."
Gyro approached the farthest wall and knocked gently, causing a previously invisible door to appear. "Right this way." he motioned, holding out an arm to stop the party's last member from entering. "Authorized personnel only, kiddo."
"I am over 18, y'know?" Max looked to the queen for help.
"He has my permission." she stated, prompting the scientist to allow him passage.
The door led to a raised platform overlooking a cavernous room filled with several of the inventor's more successful creations. The walls were covered in sleek metal plating, their lustrous sheen giving off a futuristic feel. Max stared in awe at the mysterious collection of machines, his eyes darting two and fro as he watched the light bulb-headed tiny robots performing maintenance and inspecting everything. Upon seeing the visitors, the mechanical helpers scattered like roaches.
"You sure made a lot of those guys." Goofy's son commented.
"They're called Little Bulbs. Made the prototype from a broken reading light on his majesty's desk. Having a helper worked so well, I decided to mass produce the little guys to do menial jobs so that I don't have to."
Minnie cautiously stepped over a wire. "Looks like you've been busy, Dr. Gearloose."
Daisy huffed indignantly. "You could've just trained the castle's enchanted brooms instead of wasting the research budget on these glorified walking lamps."
"Shows how much you know about efficiency. Unlike those dirty housekeepers, my assistants don't have to be trained." Gyro held up the one he was still carrying. "Plus, who needs magical floor cleaners when you have technology like mine?"
"Oh yes, because that robot babysitter you built for Donald's nephews years ago did such a good job."
He leaned over, facing her eye-to-eye. "I'll have you know, madam, that not every robot is guaranteed to turn evil."
"Yeah, just the ones you build for other people." she rolled her eyes.
"Will you two stop that!?" Minnie groaned loudly, slapping her forehead. "Please show us what we came here to see."
"Of course, your highness." The scientist bowed his head, barely giving Daisy a second glance as he led them to a hanger in the rear.
Minnie's gaze gave the lab a once over before settling on a series of aircrafts. Gyro directed his guests to the largest one, a sleek golden structure resembling a sideways rocket with five large engines situated around the back and single bubble-like cockpit on top. A number of laser cannons were mounted on the front and sides, while an angry shark-like face was painted on the front for purely cosmetic effect.
"Unique design, though I've seen Chip and Dale come up with crazier ones."
"I think it's pretty cool." Max shrugged. "Though I don't know much about space travel."
Daisy furrowed her brow. "Don't you think gold is a little too flashy?"
The queen scratched her chin, seemingly in agreement "Was that the only paint color available?"
"This isn't paint, it's a golden alloy produced by Von Drake Industries. Inside there's enough room to live comfortably for days at a time, and the outside is protected by this wonder metal." he approached the gigantic craft, looking positively tiny in comparison as he wrapped a knuckle against the shell. "Dang near indestructible. Attacks from the average Gummi Heartless wouldn't even be able to scratch it."
"We never said it was supposed to be a stealth ship, but anyone with eyes would see this gaudy thing coming from a hundred miles away." Daisy pointed out.
"You would think that." Gyro pulled a remote from his jacket and pressed a button, causing the ship to seemingly vanish. Looking pleased by his audience's dropped jaws and wide-eyed stares, he deactivated the stealth mode before testing the engines, causing one to ignite after the other. "All this, plus the turbo speed engines designed by yours truly."
Max moved closer so he could get a better view. "How fast does this baby fly?"
"About ten times faster than the average Gummi Ship, and at least five times faster than the most advanced model commercially available."
"I think Cid would disagree." Donald's girlfriend folded her arms.
The queen let out a chortle. "Very impressive work, but what else can it do?"
He pressed another button, causing several blasters to emerge from hidden compartments. "Here we have the best state-of-the-art weapons system ever built!"
"Awesome!" Max replied, earning a nod from the queen.
"And its ready to go right now?" she asked.
"All she needs is a pilot, and as luck would have it, I promised the first ride to the best flyer in Duckberg." The clang of metal subjected to frenzied knocking caught everyone's attention. "Sounds like our guest is already here."
"Open this door, you crazy lab hack!" a gutsy female voice rang out.
When the loud pounding did not subside, Gyro reluctantly used his control the open the giant hanger door, revealing a comparatively small person standing on the other side. She was an anthropomorphic duck like Donald standing roughly his height, but with long white hair reaching partway down her shoulders and parted to the side in the front. She was female like Daisy, but lacked the latter's more feminine lashes and posh dresses; instead opting for a brown flight jacket, blue scarf, aviator goggles, and cargo shorts. The most striking detail of her appearance was a metallic prosthetic in place of her left leg.
"Sorry I'm late... Just flew here from Twilight Town. Had to do some deliveries for Uncle Scrooge." the newcomer walked up to the inventor and thumped the back of his head. "So, where's the new rig you've been working on? Been dyin' to test it out since you called."
"Ahem..." Gyro cleared his throat. "We have some rather important guests, in case you didn't notice."
"Oh sorry, didn't see 'em standing there." the female pilot turned, practically falling over herself as she saw the queen. "Oh, your majesty." she lowered her head respectfully. "Didn't expect to meet you down here."
"Oh that's quite all right, dear." Minnie replied courteously. "It's been years since your last visit. Where does the time go?"
"Likewise." she replied.
"Aren't you forgetting to greet someone?" Daisy placed both hands on her hips and smirked. "Or do we have to start calling you Dumbella?"
"Damn my brother for coining that nickname. I told you never to call me that again!" she raised a fist challengingly before pulling the other duck into a large hug. "Daisy, it's been ages!"
"Oh dear, it certainly has." she answered.
"Um, everyone..." Max approached the group, trying not to come across as rude. "Who would this charming lady be? I don't believe we've ever met before."
Minnie stifled a giggle using her hand. "Oh, I don't suppose you have." she cleared her throat authoritatively. "Max Goof... Meet Della Duck?"
"Nice to meet ya, kiddo. I'm guessing you must be Goofy's son?"
"I haven't been a kid in some time, but yeah." the young guard rubbed the back of his head bashfully, knowing his father still liked to talk about him as if he were a child. "Wait, did you say Della Duck? You mean, you're the annoying know-it-all sister that Donald mentioned!?"
"Wait, what did he call me!? Next time I see that little punk, he's straight-up toast!"
"I see neither of you have mellowed after all these years." Daisy exchanged a knowing glance with her royal bestie.
Della's expression softened as she remembered those long afternoons she and her brother spent bickering as kids. "Speaking of which, where is that idiot relative of mine, anyway?"
"Donald's still traveling with the king, I'm afraid. I really do miss him so much."
"I hope he's gotten used to adventuring by now. Back when Uncle Scrooge used to take us backpacking up Mount Neverest, all he ever did was complain."
Minnie shrugged. "Granted you were only kids at the time, and that mountain happens to be the highest point in this world. Even a seasoned hiker would've had trouble."
"I never had any problem, even as a hatchling. Meanwhile, Donald spent his time whining about the avalanches, cave-ins, and that tribe of abominable snowman that tried to eat us."
"No wonder he's so cautious about everything." Max said out of the corner of his mouth, earning a giggle from his companions.
Gyro Gearloose shook his head disapprovingly, having heard it all a million times before. Spending time around the Duck-McDuck Family was exhausting for him, and it didn't become easier with time. Of course, when the wacky inventor first met them he was a much younger man. Between the constant arguing, dangerous treasure hunts, and Scrooge's Scottish catchphrases, there was never a quiet moment whether you wanted it or not.
"Your highness... With all due respect, didn't you have an important favor to ask of our new guest?"
"I suppose we got a little caught up in the moment." the queen faced Donald's sister, her frown eliciting concern from the rambunctious pilot. "Something recently happened, and we need your help to resolve it."
"I'm always up for a good adventure. What do you need?"
"I'm certain you're aware of the recent Keyblade War?"
"Not all the details, but Uncle Scrooge and my boys filled me in on the important stuff."
"You probably know that one of Donald's best friends was lost in the aftermath; the Keyblade Wielder, Sora." Daisy looked saddened by the memory as well, something their guest easily picked up on.
Della's expression softened once more. "Donald did always speak very highly of him, but if he's gone, what can I do to help?"
Minnie Mouse knew she wasn't involved in such things, but prayed nonetheless she would understand. "His friends have spent the last year searching for clues as to what happened to him, but less than four hours ago, Sora's friend Kairi recently sensed his heart still exists."
"How's that possible?"
"Don't ask!" Seeing her confusion, Daisy's blunt nature got the best of her. "Bottom line... Everyone's in a jam, a friend needs some help, and we need a pilot skilled enough to make use of that screaming golden deathtrap!" At this last part, Gyro resisted the urge to say something.
"Will you help us?" Queen Minnie beckoned.
Della sensed the dismal mood and smiled confidently to ease the tension. "The situation sounds crazy and possibly dangerous... ... ... Nothin' I like more than a challenge! I'll handle everything!"
"You will?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "As if I could ever deny a joint request from the queen and my brother's best girl."
"You better mean his only girl." Daisy fumed.
"Just messin' with ya!" she made a pointing gesture and clicked her tongue before turning to the royal mouse with a much more dutiful demeanor. "Don't worry your majesty, I promise to do my best or die trying."
"Hopefully it won't come to that. You have three young boys who need their mother."
"I know." she looked away, the reminder bringing back an old shame. "I was away for so long that Donald hatched the eggs and practically raised them by himself. When I finally came back, I promised I would never neglect my family again."
Minnie held her hands kindly. "And I know you'll keep that promise."
She pulled her into a supportive hug, which Donald's sister slowly returned. "Thank you, your highness."
"That's quite all right... Oh, and just call me Minnie from now on."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely!" the queen nodded happily.
"I'm not trying to be unsupportive, but we do have a situation here." Gyro tapped his wristwatch.
"Right, I'll leave immediately." Della separated from the queen, before looking over the golden marvel behind her. "Been dyin' to give this thing a good test drive, anyhow."
The wacky inventor handed her the remote. "I've already programmed the systems to guide you to all of the worlds we know about. There's also a virtual map of Radiant Garden that should lead you straight to Ansem the Wise."
Donald's sister used the device to open the hatch door, glancing back at the others. "I could use an assistant. What about you Daisy? Wanna go for old times sake? We can give Donald a kick in the pants next time he shows up."
She found the thought quite appealing, but a single look from the queen deterred her. "We have some really important matters to attend to here. Maybe next time."
"Suit yourself..."
Minnie looked up at the young toon. "What about you, Max? You've been training with Goofy's old shield for months now. Maybe it's time to put it to good use?"
"Thanks for that, but I'm nowhere near as good as my dad, yet."
"You're much better than he was at your age, that's for sure. I'd say this is the perfect opportunity for you to get some real experience as a royal guardsman."
He looked up at nothing in particular. "Well, I always did want to go into space... Maybe see some other worlds while I'm at it."
"That's the spirit kiddo, I'll be glad to have you aboard!" Della pumped her fist.
"Wait! Can't I have a little more time to think about this!?"
"Where's the fun in that!? With this kinda attitude, you'd never have lasted a summer with my uncle." she pushed him forward from behind until he reluctantly began moving his feet. "That's the spirit, kid!"
Gyro scrambled across the room to a computer terminal. "All right... All systems are go! Preparing for launch!"
"What about food and toiletries?" Max questioned.
"I've already stocked the amenities, extra fuel, and enough provisions for five people to travel for a month. Not to mention some oxy-chew gum in case you get stranded in outer space with no air." the inventor explained.
Max gulped nervously. "Wait! That can actually happen!?"
"Happened to me twice... Or was it three times?" Della Duck did a sweeping motion with her hand to allay his fears, though it seemed to have the opposite effect. "I've learned since then. Don't worry, you're flying with a real pro!"
"Good luck, you two... Do your best to help Kairi find Sora." the female mouse called after them.
Max tightened his grip on his spear and saluted with the opposite hand, watching Daisy and the queen as the hatch doors slammed shut. Della's head poked up from the glass dome atop the Gummi Ship as she toggled the ignition, causing several small tufts of flame to flash from the rocket's engines.
"And we're ready for takeoff." she called through the loudspeakers.
"Roger that." Gyro opened the hangar doors with a few keystrokes.
With a loud roar, the engine propelled the Gummi Ship through the exit at blinding speed, kicking up a trail of dust as it bolted upright and into the air. By the time the air had cleared, the remaining three could barely see the golden craft spiraling off into the distant sky, moving faster than any other of its kind previously built. Gyro smiled proudly at his handiwork as the queen's jaw dropped in a most unladylike fashion.
"What do ya think of my work?"
Daisy looked on in disbelief. "Wow, that thing moves like comet. You really weren't kidding earlier."
"And since when have I ever."
Minnie watched as the tiny speck completely disappeared from view. "Oh dear, I hope we made the right decision..."
Shibuya - Trail of Sinners
The seventh and final day of the Reaper's Game had come, and while most players would consider themselves fortunate to have survived for so long, this wasn't the case for a certain duo. To Sora and Neku, all it meant was that they were living on borrowed time. Failure to complete the task would result in their very real deaths, and there would be no more do-overs this time.
By suggestion of his partner, the hero of worlds found himself searching the area where the Reaper's Headquarters was supposed to be in order to find the people in charge and end things once and for all. With no sign of the Game Master and Neku's burning desire to destroy the problem at its source, he was left with little other choice then to go along with the new plan.
Sora found himself standing in an area beneath a freeway overpass, the sight of several abandoned bikes and graffiti, unfamiliar. They had explored a lot of the city recently, but this was the first time this particular spot hadn't been blocked by a barrier. It felt too easy.
"Kinda suspicious how we were able to just walk through here."
"True, the place has been blocked off all week by the Reapers." The gloomy teen slowly took off his headphones. "Doesn't sound like anyone's trying to sneak up on us, either."
Sora saw a shadowy figure out of the corner of his eye. "Look out!"
He jumped between the newcomer and his partner, only to notice the man wasn't moving. Standing several yards away was a person clad in a black hoodie and cargo pants, the wings growing from his back revealing his status as a Reaper, but he was strangely silent and unmoving like a statue. After some tense moments waiting to be attacked, Neku walked up to the man, snapping his fingers below his sightline. Still there was no response.
"He seems kind of off, doesn't he?" the brunette relaxed his shoulder before joining his friend.
His partner looked more irritated. "Not much of a guard, are you?"
The Reaper's gaze remained fixed and his body still as stone, but a faint murmuring could be heard beneath the bandana covering his face. "Urrg... To right the countless wrongs of our day, we shine this light of redemption, that this place may become as paradise. What a wonderful world such would be..."
"Freaky! He sounds like a zombie. That monologue also sounds kinda familiar."
"Don't be an idiot. It's the same garbage that every random person in town's been spouting for the last two days."
"Really!?" Sora commented, instinctively moving away. "Now that you mention it, all the Reapers we've been fighting lately have the same creepy glowing red eyes as this guy."
"They must be brainwashed." Neku began walking away without so much as a backwards glance. "Let's keep going. We don't have time to fix everyone else's problems."
The unlikely duo continued through the underpass before reaching the bridge that overlooked the Shibuya River. The remains of a broken door littered with mysterious symbols lay in pieces on the asphalt.
Neku jumped in surprise. "The wall's busted! No way!"
The Keyblade Wielder quickly recognized the rampant destruction, his eyes narrowing in disgust. "Looks like somebody already came through here. I'll give you three guesses who."
"Must've been the math freak... ... ... Which means we're definitely on the right track."
"Then that must mean the Composer's somewhere beyond here. If he beats us there, who knows what'll happen."
"Panicking right now won't make things any better. We need to keep going and see for ourselves."
"Good call!" Sora ran into the passage beyond.
His partner hung back, taking a moment to compose himself. It wasn't an impressive place, but Joshua had been bent on coming here. Whether or not he thought they would find the Composer here was something Neku didn't know. The obnoxious boy had been incredibly secretive, sharing his thoughts with no one unless it furthered his own agenda. Still, after all he had done for them, trust wasn't an issue. He couldn't help but wonder why.
"You coming or what?" a familiar voice called back to him.
"Yeah." the gloomy teen slumped further into the dark underpass, quickly catching up with his optimistic companion. As they continued, his phone beeped loudly to alert him of an incoming text. "Now!? Why?"
"Another message? Who's it from?"
"Don't know, but you oughta take a look." His partner held up the device for him to see.
Sora squinted through the darkness before reading it out loud. "It says 'Konishi wields shadow and illusion. You'll find only lies with the naked eye. During battle she always hides in the white darkness. When you find where she truly lurks, the battle will begin.'"
"What the Hell's that supposed to mean?"
"Heck if I know." he shrugged.
"We meet again. Small world ain't it?" an unpleasant voice rang out. The two came to a screeching halt as a familiar figure emerged from the darkness, his boisterous attitude and obnoxious grin the same as ever. "Sooo zetta slow!"
"Y...you!" Sora exclaimed.
"What the factor took you so long?" Sho Minamimoto greeted them.
"Damn it! We don't have time for this!" Neku held up a pin while his companion summoned his own weapon. "Out of the way, you're not the one we're after!"
"FOIL! First, Outer, Inner, Last! And this is the last stop. Not even I can break the barrier ahead. Her Iron Frostiness put it up."
"She's here?" the brunette hero looked around suspiciously.
"We should've known. Hiding in a place we couldn't get to sounds like something a bitch like her would do."
"Stupid hectopascals!" The rogue Reaper smirked. "She's not through here."
Sora clenched his fists. "Then where is she!?"
"You zetta morons! You haven't noticed? She's been with you..."
"... The whooole time." a musically feminine tone finished his sentence.
The young Keyblade Wielder flinched as he noticed his own shadow moving around on its own, having witnessed something similar in the cabin of Captain Hook's ship long ago. He knew danger was certain to follow. The dark shape beneath his feet stretched and contorted unnaturally as another shadow emerged from within, taking on the silhouette of a familiar woman. After a moment, Mitsuki Konishi materialized from within.
"You were hiding in my shadow the entire time! How did you do that!?"
"I didn't expect to have to reveal myself like this. By my forecasts, you two should've been erased yesterday." She straightened her glasses, her icy glare settling on her former colleague. "Speaking of anomalies... Mr. Minamimoto."
"Heh! Don't get too full of yourself. I'm only here cause your barrier's blocking me out."
"Unforeseen circumstance aside... My plans are proceeding without a hitch." she addressed the boys with a chuckle. "You've yielded far more data than even I projected. You should be impressed by my power of foresight."
"Looks like we've been pincered." Sora muttered, shifting so that he was standing back-to-back with his partner.
"Who gives a digit?" Sho interjected loudly. "Hurry up and open this barrier before I turn all three of you into Shibuya River sludge."
"About that." Mitsuki Konishi eyed him coldly. "I'll remove the barrier under one condition."
"Yeah? What're you scheming this time?"
"When you become Composer, I want you to make me your Conductor. Otherwise, the barrier stays."
The math-loving villain grinned wickedly. "Heh! You're double-crossing Megs?"
"Analysis shows that Shibuya is heading toward an untimely end. If revolution is upon us, then who has the highest probability of surviving the ensuing chaos?" She gestured towards him. "A free spirit like you."
"Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally! I zetta dig your style! You and me think alike. Fear 'n' mercy are garbage! All right! You got yourself a deal."
"Then I'll take care of the barrier." she held up a pin with a picture of a key on it, dispelling the invisible wall leading further into the underground.
Sho turned to face the players, who had remained on guard since the conversation began. "Attention, binomials of the UG! Introducing your new Composer... His name... is ME!" he turned to leave.
"Not so fast!" Sora broke into a run, only to be impeded by the female Reaper.
Konishi blocked his path, her countenance unyielding. "I'm afraid I can't let you take one step further."
"You'd betray the Composer?" Neku stepped out from behind his partner.
"Betray? I simply choose to align with the man in charge. It hardly matters who."
"You really have no loyalty to anyone, do you?" Sora deduced out loud. "No wonder this world is going through so much strife with people like you in charge."
"What a child you are. A person with any real intelligence always picks the winning side. That's how they gain the upper hand over others." she brought a hand to rest on her porcelain white cheek. "As far as I'm concerned, anyone could be the Composer."
"What do you mean?"
"Suppose Minamimoto fails. By then, Kitaniji will have sustained serious injuries in the process of protecting the Composer... ... at which point, I could finish him in a heartbeat."
"There's really no one you care about other than yourself, is there?" the hero of worlds placed a hand over his chest. "Your heart must be completely empty!"
"What difference does that make to me? No matter how this ends, I will be Conductor."
"Scheming witch..." Neku spat with distaste.
"When the Composer started requiring O-Pins, I knew the UG revolution had already begun."
Sora appeared completely lost. "Wait, what!?"
"She's talking about those red pins everyone in town's been wearing." Neku explained, putting two and two together himself. "Those weird things are the reason why all the Reapers are acting like zombies and spouting that nonsense about a new world order."
"Why would the Composer brainwash his own men..." the brunette paused as he remembered the strange before they reached the underpass. "Everyone we've seen today has those creepy glowing eyes. It's not just the Reapers, but almost every person in Shibuya!"
"What's the deal!?"
"I don't presume to know the Composer's true intentions, but I intend to outlive this chaos." she reached into the pocket of her one piece. pulling out two more pins. "And I don't need to worry about you fools so long as I have these!"
"What're those?" Sora asked.
"Just a little insurance. Those brats you seem so fond of saw fit to upset me, so what better way to punish them than by using them as leverage."
Neku recognized the symbol from Beat's hat on one. "It can't be!? Those pins are..."
"That's right! We Reapers decided to place them inside of pins in case your performance outstripped my calculations."
"Give them back!" the Keyblade Wielder swung only for his target to parry his strike with a pair of demonic golden wings.
"I don't take orders from a monkey like you!" she removed her glasses, her eyes glowing a bright green color. "If you want them back so badly, then let's see you take them..."
The duo found themselves slowly backing away as the blonde Reaper's body began glowing, her limbs contorting and changing shape while the wings on her back grew larger. Her face twisted, becoming cat-like and feral, and as the light faded, they discovered her curvaceous form was covered in a layer of golden fur lined with black tiger stripes. A pair of pointed fuzzy ears protruded from beneath her now shaggy hairline, and several long razor-like claws extended from her enlarged hands and feet with blue spikes shooting out from her elbows.
Sora instinctively braced himself. "She's a monster!?"
"Real surprise, there." his companion retorted with a deadpan look.
She rose with a beat of her wings, hovering several feet above the ground. "This is my Noise form, Tigris Cantus. Let's see how long you pea-brained troglodytes can survive!"
Neku held out his arms and surrounded his body in a bright blow before propelling himself at the beastlike woman, only for his attack to phase through her body. As he contemplated what had happened, the real enemy appeared behind him and lunged with her claws, only to be stopped dead by Sora's trademark weapon.
The two attacks locked dangerously before the Keyblade Wielder forced her back, slashing wildly at the mad woman in a ferocious counterattack that caught her off balance, allowing Neku to bombard her with a flurry of glowing energy bullets, forcing her to take flight to escape. As she attempted to put some distance between them, Sora tossed his glowing Keyblade at her, the object colliding with her in midair, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Had enough, yet?" he caught it like a boomerang.
"If you hand over my friends without a fight, I promise to erase you quickly."
"Only fools become overconfident... Just what I'd expect from a pair of vexatious worms!" she conjured two more copies of herself, the trio of winged tigers flying erratically to confuse the enemy before surrounded the players from all sides. "It's over!" she shouted, her voice coming from all three at once.
Neku closed his eyes, telekinetically manipulating several pieces of street debris to fly towards the Reaper and her duplicates. The flying tigers cleaved through his makeshift projectiles with their gigantic claws, two of them charging the duo from different directions. The moved to intercept the incoming enemies, but the real Konishi moved between them with surprising agility, slashing them both with her mighty claws.
"Ugh..." Neku grasped his midsection in pain, activating his healing pin to reverse the damage.
"Firaga!" Sora ignored the sensation and blasted her with a high-level spell, which passed harmlessly through her bestial form. "How'd she do that!?"
"Not sure, but I know that's the one who just slashed my stomach!"
"Wait! So she can touch us, but we can't touch her!? Well that's all kinds of fair."
"Fair!? What are you, little kids!?" Konishi laughed at their plight. "This isn't some fight on the playground, or have you learned nothing while living the last week in this virtual Hell?"
Sora frowned. "She's definitely a tricky witch."
"Don't let her throw you off. No one's invincible, especially in this place."
"What makes you think that?" she questioned smugly.
"No matter how unfair it is for players, there's always a way for them to win." Neku glared directly into her pitiless glowing eyes. "I know for a fact this wouldn't be a game if there was no way to win. Whoever the Composer is must know that, too."
After a moment longer she blinked, her arrogant smile wavering ever so slightly. "Well, it looks like at least one of you has some semblance of intelligence." she shrugged. "But either way, unless you can somehow figure out my weakness, you won't even stand a fighting chance."
"The real you has to be here." Neku glanced at his partner. "Sora, think you can hit all three of 'em at once."
"Thundaga!" he cried, causing several bolts of lightning to fry all of their targets at once.
The real Konishi staggered as her two duplicates vanished, dropping a pair of pins in the street as Neku barreled into her with his charging attack. Before she could recover, Sora slid across the ground, snatching up both of their friends' pins as the female Reaper was sent crashing into one of the tunnel's concrete walls.
"Got 'em." Sora held up Beat and Rhyme's soul pins.
"Good job! We've wasted enough time on her. Now let's finish this bitch and find the composer."
"You, defeat me!?" Konishi took flight again, creating a half-dozen illusionary copies. "I never thought a pair of reprobates would force my hand, but it looks like I have no choice."
"Hat to break it to you, but doubling the number won't make this any harder." Sora used his thunder spell a second time, but the copies remained, each wearing an identical evil grin on their tiger-like faces.
"Why didn't it work!?" Neku shouted.
"Dunno, it should've struck all of them at the same time."
"Oh it did, but that doesn't mean it'll be so easy." The flying tiger women bore down on them before laughing simultaneously. "I was planning on making this quick, but now I'll make sure you live long enough to regret underestimating me."
Without further banter, the six enemies swooped in and began slashing wildly, forcing the duo to focus entirely on defense. Sora dodged and jumped to avoid being hit, taking only a small graze here and there. He considered using the Keyblade to defend, but knew that it would be less affective to stop an assault coming from all directions at speeds he could barely track with the naked eye.
Neku retaliated by surrounding himself with a fiery aura, but found it ineffective against her razor sharp claws, causing him to succumb to his quickly accruing injuries. Seeing he was in danger, Sora pushed him out of the way only to receive a large gash across his chest, causing him to collapse onto the street. The swarm attacked again, but Neku held up a hand to create a barrier, using what little energy was left in the healing pin to partially fix their wounds.
He felt a sting, knowing that while the pain had subsided, it was not fully gone. before angrily tossing the pin aside "Fuck! Looks like this won't help us now."
Sora stood again, his eyes narrowing as he watched the enemy's movements, his eyes settling on a strange glow coming from above them. "Wait, what's that!?"
"Don't know, but..." Neku suddenly remembered something. "That creepy e-mail you got earlier talking about the Game Master's powers."
'What about it?"
"It mentioned not to trust what we see." he mused before turning back to Sora. "I've got an idea! Can you keep her distracted for a minute?"
"Sure, but..."
"Just trust me!" Neku shouted, earning a single nod from his unlikely friend.
Sora moved out from the barrier, a small skip in his step. "Hey cat lady, is that all you've got!?"
"Looking confident for someone who's about to die!"
"If you ask me, you're the one who's being overconfident. I've seen things that would make you want to run and hide. You're not so scary."
"Keep talking, and I'll show you real fear!"
All six copies rushed them, but Sora slammed his Keyblade down to create a shockwave and spun wildly, causing old tires and scrap metal from the streets to fly everywhere. Using his partner's flashy moves as a distraction, Neku used his telekinesis pin to redirect the debris towards the tiny glowing spot above them, a muffled groan echoing from the spot, followed by full blown screams. The six copies vanished in that instant, the real Konishi tumbling from the sky and landing shakily on her feet.
"Damn you brats... I'll disembowel you both!"
"Not today!" Sora performed a dodge roll to move beneath her guard and jabbed the end of his Keyblade into her midsection, the impact sending her to her knees.
She swiped at him with her claws, but he somersaulted backwards to avoid it, as Neku countered with another barrage of light. Falling back once more, she used a hand to brace herself against the aging walls of the tunnel before stumbling, her body slowly reverting to its human form. Mitsuki Konishi stood haggard and defeated, her clothing ruffled and glasses laying broken at her feet. She inhaled before coughing violently, a trickle of blood at her lip.
"Ready to give up?" the brunette hero dismissed his weapon with a flick of his wrist. "It looks like you're just about ready to collapse."
Neku eyed her with much less pity than his partner. "You've lost."
"So what if I did... Just because I couldn't get what I want, doesn't mean you'll fare any better,"
"What do you mean?"
"You may have defeated me, but now that I've seen your moves, I know for sure..." She let out a sadistic laugh marred by her own pain. "You will die against the Composer!"
Sora balled both fists angrily. "What makes you think that!?"
"It's all according... to my... ... calculations!" she spoke through labored breaths, the sadistic glint in her eye never wavering for a second as her body began to phase out of existence. A moment later, she was gone, leaving the players standing alone in the tunnel once more.
"She was an obnoxious whore right down to her last breath." Neku cracked his neck into place and continued on.
Though he couldn't deny it was an accurate assessment, Sora wasn't the type to speak to rudely, not did he seek to disrespect the dead. He stared at the spot where the female Reaper had met her end before resuming their adventure through the dark tunnel. The pass seemed to go on forever, and as they crept further through the darkness, he began to feel unsettled.
Neku stopped suddenly. "Wait!"
"Something wrong?"
"Behind us... Someone's coming." The unlikely partners prepared to face another enemy, but the soft moan that sounded behind them seemed about as hostile as an injured butterfly.
"Ooooh... What is this place? It's so dark... and spooky... And stinky..."
The gloomy teen's jaw dropped, though it remained hidden by the high collar of his shirt. Sora realized he too vaguely recognized the voice, though having met so many people, he wasn't entirely certain until a familiar girl slowly stepped into the limited light. She was a very pretty girl with a slender figure, brown eyes, and long dark red hair partially concealed by a newsboy cap. Her top consisted of red short sleeved shirt that exposed her midriff, and a short yellow hooded vest. A green colored denim mini-skirt exposed the majority of her legs, which were partially covered by her knee-length brown medium heeled boots.
"Shiki... Shiki!" Neku shouted, his outburst unusual to his new partner.
She raised her hands in fright. "Whoa, Neku! Is that you!?" the girl strained her eyes upon seeing his companion. "And Sora!?"
He smiled at the recognition. "Yeah, I'm here too... Not that we're not happy to see you, but what are you doing in a place like this?"
"I woke up here all by myself." she placed her hand demurely over her exposed stomach. "So where are we? Are we alive again?"
Neku remained confused by her appearance, but didn't seem unhappy either. "No, not yet. This is the Shibuya River in the UG."
"The UG? But why!? I was supposed to be brought back to life after we won the first game."
"You've already won before?" Sora glanced between the two friends, trying to resist the urge to ask a million questions. "Then how come you're both still here?"
"It's my fault." the gloomy teen struggled to meet her gaze. "They forced me to keep playing... And they made you my entry fee. I'm sorry..."
"Huh? I was your entry fee? Then..." she waved her hands, her face turning beet red. "Who-whoa! So I'm your... I'm the... Whaaat? Oh, Neku. Talk about embarrassing... I mean, this isn't like you at all!"
He turned away with exasperation. "That's cause you haven't seen me in ages. You missed a lot."
Sora watched their bashfulness before piecing the puzzle together in his mind. Neku mentioned once before that a fee was taken from a player before each game, and returned after the person won. The toll for playing the game was apparently whatever was most important to the player in question, and while his own entry hadn't required the same sacrifice, it was painfully clear what was going on here.
"Oh, I get it." he smiled devilishly, causing them both to look away.
"Never mind that, now!" Neku's serious demeanor quickly returned, a tiny smile hidden by his collar. "I'm glad you're still with us."
"Yeah! If we're together now, you must've won, right? Now we can all come back to life!"
"Not yet."
"What? Why not?" she asked.
The gloomy teen crossed his arms. "We beat the Game Master, but there hasn't been any type of announcement from the Conductor."
"Well we did break a ton of rules. Not to mention I was brought here by some disembodied voice and I wasn't even born in this world. My participation was probably illegal to begin with." Sora reasoned out loud before concluding. "They probably let us play hoping to erase us, but overall, I'm pretty sure this game is null and void."
Shiki trembled nervously. "Null and... But what about our lives!?"
"We need to find the Composer." Neku stated bluntly. "I'm betting if we can take him down, one of us can replace him."
The Keyblade Wielder balked. "For real!?"
"Why else do you think math man ran ahead like that."
"Wow, looks like you're really serious. So I guess that must be the only way." Shiki shrugged. "So let's not waste any time, then!"
The newly former trio resumed their trek, Neku hesitating for a moment before following his friends. A minute later, they came to another abrupt stop, the sight that awaited sending all three into a state of shock. In the center of the tunnel stood a giant tower of broken cars and vending machines mingled with several other large objects, and at the base was a man, crushed under the weight of the pile.
"Omigosh! There's a person under there!" Shiki gasped in horror.
Sora examined the victim, immediately recognizing the lifeless yellow eyes. "It's him!"
"The Grim Heaper got... crunched." Neku replied, his voice wavering. "He was practically invincible... Who could've done this to him?"
The Keyblade hero turned away from the gruesome sight. "I don't know, but whoever it was must've been even tougher. Worse, something tells me we'll be meeting this person very soon."
"Now we have to beat the guy who did this... Super scary!" the group's female exclaimed.
"Just our luck..."
As the tunnel began growing lighter, the group stepped into an unfamiliar room that seemed completely out of the place from the dingy passage. Looking like a high-class nightclub, the area beyond was well lit with several stylish couches and a glass floor, underneath which was an aquarium containing countless colorful fish. A bar with expensive food and drink could be seen on the opposite side of the room along with a foosball table, but the dark-suited man standing in front of it seemed like he was there to do more than say hello.
The light glistened off of Megumi Kitaniji's dark sunglasses as he faced the trio, his smile and demeanor mirroring that of the Game Master. "Welcome players... Ex-players, that is. Your Game has ended. Now you are simply dead."
"So this guy is the Conductor?" Sora eyed the man, noticing the pair of headphones he wore around his neck was similar to his partner's.
Neku skipped the pleasantries. "Where's the Composer?"
"Oh, is that why you're here?" the Reaper stroked his chin thoughtfully. "And why would you kids want to meet the Composer?"
"We were promised our lives back if we won. We'll get what we want, even if we have to take him down!"
The Conductor sneered derisively. "Not a chance. You're not even fit to look upon Him, for he is the true master of everything you have seen here."
Sora remained stalwart in the face of his arrogance. "If this world is supposed to be paradise, then your boss has done a pretty crummy job."
"The Composer's utmost concern is mankind's happiness. He exists to shepherd the human race toward the right future, and thus all His acts are motivated by boundless love. You think egotists like yourselves have the right to lay eyes... let alone a finger... on a being so far above you? You're not even on the same plane."
The gloomy teen remained unconvinced. "Seeing this freakshow, I find that hard to believe."
"The force that brought me to this world said I would be brought back to life if we could win the game." the Keyblade Wielder felt his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands. "Not only am I still here, but my friends are also stuck in this limbo. I won't let this stand!"
"I don't know how you came to this world, or how were able to take part in the game, but this self-serving garbage you spout is the true root of all pain."
"Is it wrong to want to see my friends again? Is it wrong to save the people who helped me get this far?" Sora looked at his fellow players, feeling an aura of desperation from both that only made him angrier.
"You think of the lives of those close to you, yet what about the harmony of the universe." Mr. Kitaniji stared into the brunette's eyes from behind his sunglasses. "I can tell with just a glance... Oh yes... You have committed some great taboo in the past... ... One that violated the very fabric of creation!"
Kairi's gentle smile flashed through his mind. "I did it to save someone I cared about, even if it cost me my own life!"
"And yet here you are, going against nature once again for your own benefit." the Conductor replied with a sense of mirth. "This same egoism and disregard for others is what caused the downfall of this very world. That is why the Composer must rebuild it from scratch!"
"What did he say!?" Shiki's voice quivered with fear.
"None may stand in the way of that noble goal!" the Conductor extended a hand, causing her to flinch violently.
Neku reached out to help, but the girl slapped his hand away, her eyes glowing a bright red color. "Shiki, what's wrong?"
"... ... ..."
"She's not answering you." a feeling of dread coursed through Sora's spine.
His partner advanced on the Conductor. "Bastard! What did you do?"
"Do not despair... You will join her soon enough."
Neku reached out to help his first friend, only to be stopped cold by a feral growl which passed her lips. Her expression turned violent as she summoned an anthropomorphic stuffed black cat to her side, the plushy glowing with the same malice. He knew from being her partner that Shiki's fighting ability allowed her to used "Mr. Mew" as a weapon. She could endow the toy with super strength and move it with a form of telekinesis, but had never been on the receiving end.
"Snap out of it!" he screamed.
Shiki's puppet slid across the glass floor and hit him with an uppercut, sending Neku stumbling into Sora. It levitated into the air and began performing a series of acrobatic punches and kicks with its diminutive limbs, but the Keyblade Wielder easily absorbed the blows with few swings, adjusting each strike to guard against the individual angles from which it attacked.
"This is beyond low..." Sora began, not needing to look upon his partner's face to understand.
"Now what!?"
"I'll take care of Shiki, you handle that big jerk." he thrust a thumb over his shoulder, earning a nod from his partner.
While he wasn't sure how deep their relationship was, the idea of having to fight Kairi unsettled him, and he would do anything to spare his unlikely friend from feeling the same way. He quietly pondered what it would take to free her from enemy control without causing any lasting damage, knowing things could get difficult either way.
"Try this on for size!" Neku swung his arms like swords, creating air blades which struck the Conductor, forcing him into a defensive stance.
"Child's play... Now submit!" the dark-suited man lunged, his own arm transforming into the head of a dragon, which clamped down on the boy's wrist, pinning him in place. He followed up the attack by scattering several red objects into the air, each taking the form of lightning bullets that gravitated towards his target.
Neku responded by conjuring a giant wall of ice around himself, freezing the enemy's hand in place and shielding him from the oncoming projectiles. With a powerful kick, he managed to free himself from the Conductor's grip, and fired a gigantic beam of light back in retaliation, only for the man to vanish, reappearing just a foot to the left, and out of the attack's range. Megumi Kitaniji formed a pair of large orbs in his hands and pitched them like baseballs, forcing the boy to raise a barrier to defend.
"I see how you managed to come so far, but this ends now."
Meanwhile, Sora was continued blocking all of Shiki's attacks, delaying the event in which he may have to strike back. As a player, it was clear that she wasn't quite as powerful as Neku, and yet he imagined anyone without proper combat experience would easily be overwhelmed by the odd stuffed animal's befuddling movements.
It hovered and fired lasers from its eyes while performing punches that could probably shatter concrete, a far cry from any plushy he had seen before. As the toy continued its relentless assault, he could hear several monotone words coming from the mouth of its master, the red-eyed stare and creepy message all-too-familiar.
"To right the countless wrongs of our day, we shine this light of redemption, that this place may become as paradise." she paused maddeningly. "What a wonderful world such would be..."
"Of course." Sora's mind quickly established the connection, causing his eyes to notice the red-colored pin she was wearing. "It's one of those!"
Neku barely dodged another rush of exploding energy balls before clamoring over to his partner. "Damn this jackass! He's tough for a guy in a disco suit."
"Never mind him, I think I know how top save Shiki!"
"How!?"
"She's wearing a red pin and repeating that weird poetry. You know what that means..."
"All right." Neku nodded, once again backing into his friend. "I wanna do it myself! You mind if we trade dance partners?"
"Not at all." Sora returned his gesture before swapping spots, the two players now facing their new adversaries. "Anything I should know. first?"
"It's the way he dodges attacks. I think the bastard can stop time somehow. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen you do it once before."
"Got it!"
The two hive-fived each other before dashing in opposite way. Mr. Mew dove towards Neku in an attempt to intercept him, but the crafty player used his ice wall to separate the toy from its master and closed the distance between them with a mad dash. He fired a tiny light bullet at close range, removing the brainwashing O-Pin from Shiki's jacket in the blink of an eye.
Sora charged the Conductor on his side, easily scattering the enemy's red projectiles with a Thundaga Spell. The Reaper followed his first attack by tossing a handful of exploding energy balls at the boy, but he easily reflected them with a parrying thrust from the Keyblade, sending them spiraling back at their caster. The explosions interfered with his vision for a moment, allowing Sora to move within striking range, his weapon now glowing with charged magical power.
"Let's see if you can handle my empowered strike!"
A bead of sweat ran down the man's forehead as he saw it coming. "Time be still!" he shouted, attempting to warp the temporal area around him.
"Stopza!" Sora countered, both time spells canceling each other out as they collided.
"No!" Megumi Kitaniji held his arms over his head in a pitiful attempt to defend himself, only to receive the full blunt of the slash across his chest. A gash appeared on his suit, the pain burning into his very soul. "Gaaaaaaaahahhhhh!" he fell backwards with a cry of anguish.
As the Conductor's body smashed clean through the foosball table, the trio of players stood over his defeated body. He expected to be attacked again, but when no such injury came, the man managed to return to his feet, injured but still mobile. He staggered painfully before regaining his footing, a look of revulsion clearly plastered across his face.
"Damn you all..." his eyes moved from one to the next, a glimmer of realization dawning on him. "I see now why He picked you..." his frown deepened as he looked upon the brunette. "Both of you..."
"Where's the Composer?" Neku held up a pin, preparing to strike him down.
"Heh, still going on about that..." he mused. "If you desire the truth, than continue beyond this point."
Sora swung his Keyblade, but the man vanished before it struck. leaving the players alone in the Death God's Pad. He dismissed the weapon with a deep-seated sigh, sharing a look of anguish with the others. No one spoke for several minutes, but Neku was the first to recover from the shock of the fight.
"Hey Sora, think you can use that healing magic. We're still pretty banged up."
"It'll chew up a ton of mana, but I suppose we need a rest." he closed his eyes, raising his right hand above his head. "Heal!"
In that instant, the previous fatigue vanished, allowing them to move feely once again.
"Damn, I'll never get over how useful that is... Works twice as good as a healing pin."
Shiki suddenly pulled both boys into a hug, pushing the air out of their lungs. "I'm so sorry for attacking you guys! I couldn't help myself!" she cried, their struggling prompting her to turn them loose.
"It's fine... That wasn't really you." Neku rubbed the back of his head, turning to hide a pink glow in his cheeks.
"Don't worry about it." Sora added, taking a moment to stretch his limbs. He gave the room a once over before shrugging. "Where do you suppose that guy ran off too?"
"Don't know." Neku closed his eyes and focused, his right hand feeling something he couldn't see. "Um, guys... I think there's an invisible wall here!"
"Let me see!" Shiki face displayed visible shock as she walked over to him, bumping into something solid. "Ouch!" She pounded a fist against what looked like thin air, causing a loud thud. "What is this!?"
"Stand back!" The others moved as Sora raised his Keyblade and pointed at the empty spot, a magic blast shooting forth.
The weapon's mysterious power seemed to dispel whatever illusion was protecting it, revealing a mysterious door floating in the center of the room. The entry opened invitingly, but beyond it was another dark tunnel.
"Looks like we have our answer." the brunette gestured.
"Let's keep going..." Neku entered, the others following his lead.
The new tunnel led them straight into an open room that was mind-bendingly large, and much more foreboding than the last. Three giant stone monoliths stood before them each marked with graffiti-like symbols. The tallest one in the center was emblazoned with the image of a winding serpent, and at its base was a single black throne marked with the stylized skull that each Player Pin bore. In spite the impressive display, the room was deathly quiet, and the throne still and empty.
Neku approached the pillars before calling out. "Come on out, Composer! Fight me!" He raised a fist defiantly. "You want me to defeat you, right? Isn't that it!? Then show yourself!"
Shiki placed a hand on his shoulder. "Neku, there's nobody here."
The Keyblade Wielder felt a pang of doubt in his stomach. Did they come all this way for nothing? If so, was their victory meaningless? These questions burned inside of him, and yet he couldn't bring himself to voice them.
"Come out, already!" Neku shouted desperately. When no one answered again, his shoulders slumped. "Show yourself and fight..." he paused. "Mr. H... ... ..."
"Who's Mr. H?" a voice called out, the familiar tone causing all three players to raise their guard once more.
The gloomy teen let out a gasp. "You again!"
Sora stepped to the front, the familiar weight of his Keyblade returning to his hand. "I thought we defeated you!?"
Megumi Kitaniji slapped his forehead, letting out a low chortle. "I'm amazed! Here you stand on the final stage, and still you don't know who's playing what!"
"What do you mean?" Shiki questioned.
"All right... You want answers?" Their bewilderment earned another laugh from the Conductor. "First off, the Composer is not the man you envision. Second, the Composer is not here, and hasn't been since before you came to the UG. So sorry you missed Him."
The brunette cautiously lowered his blade. "What does that mean?"
"I have been in charge of the UG since his departure."
Neku's curiosity grew. "Mr. Hanekoma's not the Composer? Then that means you're responsible... Why... Why would you do this to Shibuya?"
"Oh Neku, don't you like music?" The Reaper smiled at the boy's baffled look. "Music requires many things: Melody, performers, instruments... But the key element in the most divine music is a Conductor, to hold it all together."
Sora's gaze hardened. "What's that have to do with anything?"
"The world is very much the same. Under one Conductor, one ideal, the world of men marches toward bliss."
"One ideal?" Neku reiterated, still not quite following.
"Didn't you feel it in Shibuya? Rage... Hate... Misery... Envy... Fear... Self-deprecation... A cacophony of countless selfish wants. As that noise swells, it turns into crime, warfare... All the worlds ills can be traced to individuality."
The Keyblade Wielder opened and closed his mouth, everything making sense. "Those pins, the weird chanting, those brainwashed people... It was all your desire!"
"Indeed! It has made the people of this world one with the collective... No pain or suffering... Just harmony. By tearing down the differences between us, I can make this world a paradise!"
"By making everyone think alike... That's completely messed up!" Sora shouted, causing the older man to frown. "I've seen people try to force their way of thinking onto others, and all it ever does is cause trouble. It doesn't matter what world. The results are always the same!"
"Mindless dribble from one too optimistic to see the truth." Mr. Kitaniji turned to the gloomy teen. "Tell me Neku, what have you dealings with other people brought you? Join me! Help me create perfection from the ashes of this world!"
The Keyblade Wielder opened his mouth to say something, but his partner raised a hand to stop him. "I'll never help you!" Neku shouted with a ferocity that surprised his friends. "Maybe living in your Shibuya WOULD be easier... Maybe... Except one problem... ... It wouldn't be Shibuya!"
"Neku..." Shiki murmured, her eyes widening.
"I was never good with people... I covered my ears and blocked them out... But you know what? If I don't clash, I don't change. I learned that if the world ends with yourself, then the best moments slip away. Shibuya's full of people waiting for those moments, when we clash together and find something new." he looked to his friends and smiled. "Here in the UG, I clashed and changed. And now I know... Shibuya should stay as it is!"
The Conductor brought a hand to his lip. "Then let me ask you this... Do you like people?"
Neku fell silent, his fists clenching tightly. "There was a time when I might've said no... But now I know better! Without other people, our lives would be empty. My answer is... ... I do!"
"I can't fathom why you would. It looks like you need to be reformed, along with the rest of this hideous plane."
Sora felt a change in the air, the hairs on his neck standing straight up. "Get ready, guys! He's coming!"
The man's amusement deepened as his victims prepared to resist. "You three can't stop me... Shibuya is a mere podium I shall use to reach all of existence. I will erase you all and spread my ideals to all worlds!"
"We'll beat you just like the others." the brunette retaliated.
"We will see!"
Megumi Kitaniji revealed his own Reaper Wings, both a brilliant shade of crimson. His entire body seemed to be pulled into a large dark void, but emerging from within was not a simple monster, but the head of a gigantic dragon. The beast had two large glowing yellow eyes and a large lower jaw lined with razor-sharp teeth, a pair of overly long fangs protruding from its upper mouth, and a forked tongue sliding in and out from within. As the horror slithered from the darkness, it revealed a serpentine body thicker than a car, and long enough to surround a skyscraper. Sora noted with awe that his sheer size far surpassed Maleficent's own dragon form, rivaling even Chernabog's immense size.
Rearing up and snapping his jaws, the Conductor slammed his coils down, the force sending his enemies scattering away. He roared in a voice that shook the city like thunder. "Now, you will all SUBMIT!"
Author's Note: I know I promised to bring this arc to a close, but I apparently forgot just how much substance was in the last day of the Reaper's Game. I suppose Nomura and company really have a habit of pulling out the stops to make an engaging story. Hope I'm doing their work justice.
Della Duck isn't an original character, she really is Donald's sister and the mother of his nephews. She features prominently in the 2017 reboot of Ducktales and in many ways is the opposite of her brother (talking in a normal voice, loves danger, and has the personality of a daredevil). Along with Max Goof and PJ from 1990's era Goof Troop, she's one of the Disney character relatives who doesn't get much attention in most media.
This took a long time to write. Would really appreciate some reviews and support. In the past I've seen some really nice stories get pretty much NO support, and have been actively reviewing them. You can thank reviewers: Mad Dr. Matt, Disney Boy, YamiChaos27, and Sentinel07 for this chapter. Their support and feedback was infinitely valuable to me as a writer.