Kingdom Hearts

Ch. 5

Traverse Town

A New World

"Where's that key" said Donald. now donning a sailor uniform with a red tie crossed his arms.

Goofy was also wearing casual clothes in the same vein as Donald. He donned an orange shirt and blue pants. He wore a small vest over his shirt as well as long brown shoes. Topped all off with his favorite green hat like no other. "Hey, ya know, maybe we ought to go find Leon." They reached the top of the steps in front of an accessory shop. Pluto sniffs around a dark alleyway, while Donald walks off to the right on his own course. Goofy notices Pluto and stops. He points to Pluto calling Donald "Uh, Donald. Ya know, I betcha that..."

Donald interrupts him saying "Aw, what do you know, you big palooka?" as he walks away.

"What do I know?" he said to himself. He calls out to Pluto to come back. Pluto continues his search down the alley, turning a corner at a pile of wooden crates. He comes across a sleeping Sora and licks his face. Sora's eyes blink open slowly and he peers around sleepily, seeing the dog, who happily wags his tail at the sight of him. "What a dream..." he said before nodding off again and Pluto pounces on him. He gives off a startled yell. "This isn't a dream." He squints at the dog, his eyes focusing for a moment, before standing up. He looks at his surroundings. Several notices are pinned up on a wall nearby, but even in the dimness of the alleyway, what he sees is not familiar.

"Where am I?" He turns toward the brighter end of the alley. He bends down to address Pluto "Do you know where we are?" Pluto hears a voice calling him and runs back the way he came. "Hey…" he said as he followed the dog to the main part of town, where he can finally see in the brightness of the streetlights.

This world was unlike anything Sora could have ever imagined. The district had a Victorian era design. The cities countless streetlights kept the town alight in the dead of the night. Several people walked around in diverse outfits as if they all came from other worlds themselves. Plenty of stores were scattered throughout the district and a giant door was built at the end of the square.

"This is totally weird... I'm in another world!" Sora walks into the Accessory Shop directly across from the giant door. A blond man standing behind the counter turns to face him. He wore a white shirt and goggles on his head. His hands were to his side and a cigarette was perched in his mouth. "Hey there, how can I... Aw, it's only a kid."

Sora almost offended speaks back "I'm not a kid! The name's Sora."

"Okay, okay, simmer down. So why the long face, Sora? You lost or somethin'?"

Not wanting to cause trouble. "No! Well, maybe. Where are we?" The man closes his eyes and sighs. He walks around the desk and sits Sora down before explaining everything to him.

"Traverse Town... So, gramps, is this really another world?" said Sora as he looked around the room. He was both scared and excited about this situation.

"Don't call me gramps! The name's Cid!" He grits his teeth, nearly crushing the cigarette bud in his mouth. "Anyway... Not sure what you're talkin' about, but this sure ain't your island."

"Do you think anyone else from my world made it here?" said Sora trying to be hopeful.

"I don't know you could probably look around to see if there's anybody you recognize.

Sora leaves the shop and finds the entrance to the Second District. As he enters, a man stumbles out in front of him. A glowing heart bursts from his chest and floats over to an orb of darkness. They merge and form a creature similar to a Soldier, with a strange emblem on its chest. It moves awkwardly, doing a somersault in the air before disappearing. Sora rushes over to where the man's body once lay and a group of Shadows surrounds him.

"It's those creatures from the island!" he says as he summons his keyblade. Sora defeats the creatures before running back towards the town's entrance. Sora relieved to be out of danger here's a man talking.

"They'll come at you out of nowhere."

Sora whirls around to see a man coming from around the corner. A tall man in a leather outfit and a lion necklace swinging against his chest. He raises a gloved hand and points at the Keyblade, his blue eyes gazing at Sora through his long dark hair. There is a large scar above his nose. "But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?" He places a hand to his forehead.

"What's that supposed to mean" said Sora in defense?

"Never mind. Now, let's see that Keyblade" said the man as he walks slowly towards Sora, his arm reaching out. Sora takes a defensive stance. "What? There's no way you're getting this!"

"All right, then have it your way," said the man. The man takes out a Gunblade, slinging it over his shoulder before holding it firmly in his strong hands. He summons a Fire spell and shoots it at Sora, who dodges and runs toward the man. He gets in a few hits with the Keyblade before taking a large hit from the Gunblade, knocking him backward. He runs further away, but the man leaps over and corners him.

Sora leaps over the wall to the main square while the man shoots another Fire spell at him, which Sora blocks and sends flying back at the man. Sora stops for a second, hearing nothing and runs back over the wall to find the man stunned. As Sora gets closer, the man snaps back and strikes him hard in the chest. Sora stands for a second, wobbling on his feet, before falling over backward onto the cobblestone ground. The man stands back up, hearing a voice behind him.

"Hey, you found it. Nice going, Leon." He turns back to see a smiling young girl with dark hair. She wore some tiny shorts and top and had a blue belt wrapped around her waist. She had a yellow scarf wrapped around her neck and a sliver band around her head. Orange gloves and fish nets graced her arms with long socks and matching shoes for her feet. Leon peered back at Sora. "Still... It looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse." He looks toward the Keyblade in Sora's hands.

Meanwhile in another world, Riku awakes on a cold stone platform. His fingers twitch and he opens his eyes, seeing a large waterfall and crystalline rock platforms floating in the air.

The sounds of the Rising Falls fill his ears, and he slowly gets to his feet. "Where...am I?" He looks around at the area. The waterfalls flow upwards rather than downwards, filling his vision on nearly every side. He sees no one else around. He calls out for Sora and Kairi, but no one answers. Getting no response, he stares at the tiled ground. Unbeknownst to him, his arrival is noticed by a tall figure in a black cloak, who walks toward him on a much higher platform. The figure's greenish-gray hand and long violet fingernails subtly twitch in the air.

Back in Traverse Town, Donald and Goofy walk down the Alleyway in the Second District, having no luck in their search. The dim light complements the empty atmosphere.

"Gawrsh, there's nobody here. Sure is spooky!" says Goofy as he looks around. Jiminy pops out of Goofy's pocket.

"I told you he wouldn't be back here."

Donald leads the pack with confidence "Ah phooey, you guys I know where I'm going. I'm not scared." He feels a tap on his shoulder and screams, leaping into the air and hanging onto Goofy's back, shivering.

"Excuse me. Did the king send you?" At the mention of the King, Donald stops shaking and the three of them turn to see a young woman with flowing brown hair tied in a bow. She wears a long pink dress and brown boots. She smiles at the three of them.