The klinks of the entity's bones being grounded by each other echoed throughout the dark chamber. Leaning its head on the heel of his palm he raises his arm and points and swishes his finger in a circle. A series of white screens pop up out of nowhere all around the figure. Copious amount of information flashes on every screen. Photos of various things ranging from condors to bleeding mushrooms were throughout the screens. The figure opens his palm the size of a held sandwich. A smaller screen similar to the ones around him appears in his hands. He throws it into the fray of screens in the air. The figure makes a diving gesture with his hands towards the small screen and extends his hands outwards and fans his fingers outwards extending the small screens into a much larger one.
"Data entry number oh-five-seven-zero , folder, Delta - oh-one-seven-zero. Save in subfolder RIKU, subfolder RIKU updated."
The screen flashes and does as commanded without the manual need for fingers.
The loading bar pops up in the downloading phase.
He swipes his hand to the left and pulls up information about organization 13.
He switches screens and re-reads Xehanort notes.
"Human Duce, poor misguided lamb should have stayed where his designated role was. No matter, he was efficient in finding the information I needed."
He swipes a couple of times to the left. After a few minutes of swiping he lefts out an irritated grunt.
"Computer, pull up information about kingdom hearts."
Several screens light up and move closer around him showing him photos, articles, videos, and probable locations about kingdom hearts.
He pulls up the photo of Sora holding the X-Blade in his hands pointing it towards kingdom hearts.
He brings this photo forward towards himself, grabs the air halfway in front of the photo and it gets as small as a phone screen. He pockets the screen.
"If I am going to take over kingdom hearts I will need an army. A useful army."
He looks at the files of the members of organization 13 resentfully.
"A very useful army, indeed. Perhaps I need assistance on… recruitment of worthy candidates and even in the inhuman category"
He chuckles. The grinding of bones rebounded throughout the room.
The figure claps his hand together effectively closing all the screens.
"It's time for me to visit a certain professor and co."
He makes a dark corridor and heads towards Shinras bases.
-0-
"Riku!"
He groggily opens his eyes blearily as he tries to match the face of the person calling for him.
After a couple of blinks, the foggy feeling in the back of his head ebbs away.
the faces of a worried Kairi and Xion appear. Too close to his face.
"Guys… please back off. I need breathing room."
The looks of relief cascade down their faces and they back off a little.
Kairi helps him sit up a little.
"Are you okay? Do you need a potion? What happened?" Kairi fires at him.
"Kairi, I'm fine. Just a killer headache forming in the back of my head."
Kairi thrusts a potion his way and forces him to drink it. He begrudgingly does so.
After a bit, Xion speaks.
"Is he okay?" She asks holding the front of her robes.
Kairi confused looks at Xion questioningly.
Xion looks towards Riku.
"I don't know what happened but somehow sora was able to summon me in my dream eater form to the plane of wherever he is."
"Sora!?" Kairi exclaims. Standing up. "What about sora?!"
Riku rubs at his temples trying to ease the headache away but it seemed to link deeper than a regular headache.
"Kairi, please. I'd like to hear about sora as much as you. I felt this terrible tug in my heart that someone was hurting. Someone close to me. To us."
After a few moments, Riku speaks.
"He's fine for now. The same as you described Xion has happened to me. I could feel sora calling for me. It almost felt like my soul had taken flight to wherever he was and I was summoned to him. I found him in a distressed situation. "
Riky relays his encounter with sora. He takes out his Gummiphone and sends a log to jimmines catalog data.
"I think sora is in more trouble than we think… if that idiot just didn't take all the responsibilities on his shoulder!" Riku bangs the side of the trunk of a tree that he is leaning on.
Kairi and Xion look at each other with weird expressions.
"What? Is there something on my face?" he asks.
"Look who's calling the kettle black," Kairi says with a smug look.
Xion just giggles.
"What is that supposed to mean?" He asks confusedly. Frowning.
"Figure it out yourself" Kairi replies with a singsong voice.
Just before any of the three could say anything else a strong gust of wind blows over them and a boy in a white and blue trim in traditional Taiwanese clothes appears.
"New girl! Your shift had started hours ago! Come with me before Yubaba finds out or someone reports your incompetence." The young boy grabs Xion's arms and starts to drag her towards the bathhouse.
"Wait! Haku! These people there um… Guests! Guests for the bathhouse and they were looking for directions!" Xion exclaims.
Haku looks back at Riku and Kairi while holding Xions arms tightly.
Haku bows towards them in respect.
"I apologize for my actions, I had overseen the situation. I hope you can forgive me for the disrespect I've shown" he kneels in front of Riku and Kairi in deep remorse.
Riku speaks ahead first of the baffled girls.
"Raise your head, you can repay for the disrespect you've shown by taking us, including the girl in your hand to Mistress Yubaba."
Haku, having no choice but to follow the guest's requests nods solemnly and answers with a strong "yes, master. Follow me."
Kairi looks at Riku worriedly, Riku only looks at her, smirks, and winks. Now knowing this is a sign to play along with her, Riku and Xion follow Haku silently.
-o-
"Master Yubaba, I have brought guests who would like to file a formal complaint of service." Haku knocks twice more. They then hear very loud crying and the floor shaking.
"Is there an earthquake!?" Kairi exclaims.
"My apologies mistress, that is-" Haku attempts to reply.
"My baby! Oh! Don't cry! Don't cry! Mommy's got you" is what they hear after a particular sheer voice of baby cry slam open the office doors of Yubaba.
Toys are strewn everywhere, draperies torn, couches turnt, green sludge (weirdly smelling like broccoli) clinging to the walls, ceiling, and floor.
As they enter they see the person in question trying to calm a big red baby down by trying to give it toys, snacks, and the like to bribe it.
The wailing of the baby's voice was ear-splitting.
The baby banging its limbs on the floor sends things flying to the floor shattering items and flipping furniture.
Three green heads jump to Yubabas aid to calm and cheer the child but the child doesn't relent.
Kairi steps up summoning her keyblade and dangles in front of the baby.
"Does baby want a new toy? Does he? I'm sure this handsome boy would like a shiny new toy!" Kairi baby talks to the baby.
The baby, seeing Kairi's glittering, shining keyblade drabbles and claps. He makes grabby hands towards the keyblade.
Yubaba, shocked at the baby's sudden liking to Kairi decides to slowly approach the baby.
"Is that what you wanted baby? A new toy? Mommy will make you a toy just like that! A better toy even!"
Yubaba says while holding the child's arm with both her hands.
The baby looks like it's about to start a new crying bout all over again, so Kairi pipes up. "Have you patted his back yet?"
Yubaba looks at her confusingly.
"Your supposed to do it after each meal so they burp. Kids get really anxious from not being able to release gas as adults do!"
Kairi goes towards the back of the baby and pats its back. After a few wacks, the baby burps, giggles and claps.
Shortly, after the mayhem, the baby goes to sleep.
They soon join together at yubabas desk where she was thanking Kairi.
Kairi introduces herself as a princess of light and the mission she was on and gives yubaba the letter from King Mickey.
Yubaba puts on her reading glasses and skins through the letter, looks up and her eyes flicker between Kairi and Riku.
She lets out a thick sigh as she reaches for her drawer for her smoking pipe that she lights up.
"My bathhouse has Harbord nearly every entity under and above the sun. If what Mickey's letter is saying is authentic then you must understand the situation his subjects have caused in this world. I don't tolerate that kind of behavior, much less from keyblade masters like yourselves."
Riku then joins the conservation. "Mistress yubaba, I would like to ask for their forgiveness. You see, they have been through many circumstances and thus their actions. They are not keyblade masters but keyblade master students under the pretenses of keyblade masters aqua and terra. They were brought to this world for observation to report back to the king. They can be bullheaded and incompetent but their heart is the right place."
Yubaba taps her fingers on her table and taps the burnt ashes off the end of her pipe. Lighting red like kindling fire, yubaba lets out a long string of smoke.
"Your Freind here has already paid the price for their incompetence. What makes you think they learned their lessons?" She snaps her fingers and brings in two big fat pink pigs slobbering.
"I'm afraid their ignorance and greed have turned them into pigs. If they can comprehend what you say please, by all means, take them."
Riku, Kairi, and Xion look at each other anxiously and back to the pigs.
"A-Axel?" Kairi tries calling out hesitantly.
The pigs continue to roam around the room family.
An idea goes off in Xions head.
"Boys! If you don't do as I say no sea salt ice cream for the rest of the month!" Xion exclaims.
The pig's noses flinch dramatically as they run towards Xion. She could see the recognition in their red and blue irises.
"There they are, my favorite boys." Xion smiles as she pets them.
The boy's bodies foam and pop back to their original human bodies.
"Wha.. what happened? Gods, my head" Roxas says as he holds his head.
"Honestly, I wouldn't have minded the swine life. Except the being eaten and sacrificed part of course." Axel says in his supine form on the floor.
Xion puts on a stern face.
"Apologize for the disrespect you have shown Master Yubaba!" she says angrily, her hands on her hips.
Grouchy they let out "We are deeply sorry for our actions"
Yubaba nods her head in recognition.
Xion hugs the boys fiercely with tears.
"Mistress yubaba, Xion is still bound under your contract-" kairi starts.
"Listen,' princess of heart. I like you, you helped me with my sweet darling. I will release your Freind as long as you keep this one condition that those boys are never allowed to set foot in this world or bathhouse again. If I find them next time I will be far less lenient. As for you dear, you and any professional keyblade masters would like to stay they are welcome."
Yubaba reaches towards xions face and grabs out her name. She replaces the "X" in its proper place no longer to be "Ion" but "Xion" once again.
"Of course, we humble your request and I will give the word to king Mickey" kairi says smiling.
Soon after the group talk and kairi and riku made sure to give suburb praise for Haku.
"This reminds me a story of a girl, similar to this. It wasn't a long time ago either. Perhaps a decade? Maybe two? What do think boy?" Yubaba addresses Haku.
Haku closes his eyes and tries to envision her. "It's been 25 years past since then yubaba. Her name was Chihiro. She too was a human who stumbled into our world.
"Why does this sound so familiar…" Kairi ponders and then lets out a gasp. "Chihiro! We know a Chichiro! We met her in the nearby temple."
Haku looks a little surprised and relieved.
Shortly they say their goodbyes and they leave as the fireworks graze the sky in the bathhouse that they had left.
A breeze grazes them. Kairi holding her hair back so it's not her face sees a long silver and tourqioze dragon in the sky heading towards them.
"Dragon!" Kairi exclaims as she sees it coming towards them.
The group readies themselves into their respective defensive positions.
The dragon lands graciously and bows its head towards the group.
"Mistress Kairi…" The Dragon speaks.
"Haku?" Kairi says in surprise as she recognizes his voice.
"I would like you to deliver something for me…"
Kairi receives a decorated hairpin.
"Please give this to Chihiro… and this is for you."
Kairi recves a manjou.
"Food in our world is not suited for humans but this is special. It keeps your true form for a little while longer. The human nature is greedy… sometimes little is enough then the overwhelming of everything" Haku says breathlessly.
Kari touches Hakus snout.
"Thank you, Haku. I will be sure to give this to Chihiro"
Haku closes his eyes and stretches out of kairi's reach and begins his descent towards the sky and back to the bathhouse.
-o-
The group goes back to town and Kairi finds Chihiro at the temple that they had visited before.
"Chihiro!" Kairi calls out.
Chihiro looks behind her to see who is calling her.
"Kairi?" she asks.
"Yeah, um I have something for you. It's from an old friend… past the abandoned amusement park and across the lake" Kairi says winking.
Chihiro looked shocked and surprised.
"Haku?!, you've been to the other side and! Is-is he ok? Er, what about-" Chihiro says stammering over her words.
'Kairi! We gotta go!' someone yells in the far distance.
"Sorry, ChihiroI gotta go! Maybe pay a visit to your friend sometime?"