Chapter 8: The Heartless Grow, Someone's Taken.
Laura reentered the small house and sat down on the bed. "Well, what do we do now? We don't know where to begin to look for the one who opened the door." Sora said.
"We should start slowly and then work out way up." Riku said.
"But where to start is the question." Laura said. "Sora, where do you think that the Heartless may be?"
"They might be at Hollow Bastion but, I don't know." He replied.
"There's only one way to find out. We'll have to go there and check." She said.
"But that's so far away." Kairi said. "We should stop at other worlds to see what people know."
"Good, idea. Where would we get the most information at?" Laura asked.
"We could try Neverland. If the Heartless are at the castle, Peter would've seen them go by." Riku suggested. "But that nonetheless is also far from here."
"We need a closer place. How about Atlantica?" Sora suggested. "Maybe Triton might know something to help us."
"We'll go there first then." Laura said. She turned to Squall and Yuffie. "Would you two like to come with us?"
"We'd like to but the Heartless are roaming again and we have to protect the town." Squall said.
"I'll do it for you." Came a voice from the door. A silhouette of a figure appeared at the door. He stepped inside the house to reveal himself.
"You!" Laura yelled.
"I told you I was sorry about early." Cloud apologized again. He turned to Squall. "I'll watch after the town that way you can go with them to help seal the door again." Squall nodded.
"Alright, I guess we are coming with you." He said. "Let's get going. We have a long journey ahead of us. C'mon Yuffie."
"Wait a minute!" Donald protested. "We can't take them with us."
"Why not?" Sora asked.
"Because we don't have enough room for them!" Donald yelled.
"Oh, c'mon. The ship can fight 10 people inside it. Besides, with them coming along, that's only 8." Sora argued.
"Not again." Goofy said.
"They can't come!"
"They're coming anyways!"
Squall ignored the two arguing and motioned for everyone to follow him. "We don't have to take your gummi ship. Cid's been working on a new gummi ship that's huge. We can all use that." He said. They all walked to the first district, Sora and Donald not talking to each other. ((A/N: That's no big surprise.))
Cid was behind the shop as usual and saw Squall approaching him. "Hey Squall. You need something?" he asked.
"Yes Cid. You know that gummi ship you were working on?" He asked. "Well, is it finished yet?"
"Yep, just finished it today. Why do you ask?" Cid said raising an eyebrow.
"Well, we need to use it. The Heartless are roaming again and Sora's ship isn't big enough to fit us all. Could you possibly lend it to us?"
"I don't see why not. Hey Sora, you guys want me to make your ship bigger while you are away?"
"That would be fine." Sora said.
"What?!?" Donald yelled. "You can't just do whatever you want to do with my ship!"
"Donald, we do need to make it bigger. It is kind of small compared with the ones made today." Goofy said.
"Fine." Donald said.
"Alright follow me." Cid said. He walked down the stairs and entered the shop. Everyone followed after him. He walked behind the counter and knocked on the wall three times, making it slid away to stairs that led down. "C'mon." He said as he walked down the stairs. They all followed to find that the shop had a basement. It was a big room and it had a big thing in the middle covered with a tarp. Cid took the tarp off to reveal the new gummi ship. "Built it myself. A small kitchen, a sitting area was well as a couple of bedrooms but those are only big enough for the bed and to move around." He walked up to it and opened the door. "C'mon now, in ya go." Sora, Kairi, and Riku entered first, followed by Donald and Goofy. Then Squall, Yuffie and Laura entered.
"All set?" Cid asked before he closed the door. Donald and Goofy nodded and Cid slammed the door shut.
Goody walked over to the controls and began to ready the ship. "Where to?" he asked.
"Atlantica." Sora said.
Goofy set the controls and began to drive the gummi ship out from the basement into space.
"C'mon you two." Kairi said. "Make up already." Sora and Donald were still not talking to each other. Kairi sighed. "Oh, you two are such little kids, I swear."
"So what? You had a stupid argument. Just be friends again, please." Laura begged.
"Nope." Sora said
"Not going to happen." Donald answered in a cocky voice.
"Just stop it. You two have the stupidest arguments." Kairi said. "One of you apologize now!"
Sora turned and looked at Donald. "Well, I guess I should've asked you if we could take Squall and Yuffie with us. I'm sorry Donald."
"Me too." He turned and smiled at Sora.
"Well, now that that's settled, let's just have a peaceful ride there." Squall said. He walked down the little hallway and entered one of the bedrooms and closed the door.
"I'm pretty tired too." Yuffie said. She got up and walked down the hallway. She found another bedroom and entered it, shutting the door behind her.
Sora sighed and sat on the blue chair. He put his hands behind his head and sighed, closing his eyes. "So, what are we going to do when we get there?" He asked no on in particular.
"Well, found out who opened the door if possible and how we can close it again." Laura stated simply. She sighed and walked over to a loveseat by a window. She stared out it, with a distance look in her eyes.
"Is something wrong Laura?" Kairi asked, giving her a concerned look.
"Nothing. I just miss my family and friends.that's all." She stated sadly. "I left them all behind to be swallowed into darkness and taken away from me. My brother, my mom, even my dad, they're all gone now aren't they?" She looked at them.
"We can still save them. As long as we keep going, we'll defeat whoever opened the door and we'll save your family and friends." Riku reassured her. He walked over and sat down by her. "Don't worry so much. You have us as you're friend too you know."
Laura looked at Riku and smiled. "Yeah, at least I have some friends who I know won't be taken away from me."
Kairi, Riku, and Sora smiled at Laura. Laura sighed and closed her eyes. "I guess we just wait now." Sora yawned and reclined the chair and soon fell asleep. Kairi sat down on the loveseat near Laura and fell asleep there leaving her alone with Riku.
"Laura, can I tell you something?" Riku asked quietly.
"Sure. What is it?" She opened her eyes and they meet Riku's blue ones.
"Well, I can't describe this.feeling I have." He said slowly.
Laura smiled. "Riku, are you trying to tell me that you're starting to like me?" She asked, still smiling.
Riku nodded. "Ever since we met, I knew I had something special with me. I thought that my heart would never heal from such a wound as I had before." He smiled at her. "Now that you're here, my feelings have changed."
Laura sighed and looked at Riku. "I don't want you to get hurt over this thought Riku. Love is a dangerous game and has sharp bends around every corner. I don't want you to forget my words all right? You promise?"
Riku nodded. "Alright, I promise." He then stood up and began to walk down the hallway to one of the spare rooms.
Laura looked out the window. 'If I go back to my world, he'll be hurt more than he ever was but if I don't, I won't be able to see my family anymore.' She sighed and closed her eyes. She soon found herself being shaken. She opened her eyes to see Kairi shaking her.
"We're here." She then stood up and walked to the door. Laura sat up and looked around. She shrugged and walked to the door. "Umm.how are we supposed to get any information here if we can't hold our breaths very long?"
"Easy, Donald can perform a spell which can turn use into mermaids. From there, we can get the information we need." Sora said. He had been through this before. He remembered how he had to seal the keyhole here.
Donald performed the spell and Sora and Donald turned into mermaids while Goofy turned into a turtle. Next came Kairi, Yuffie, and Laura and finally Riku and Squall. Soon they were all following Sora, Goofy, and Donald to the palace. Along the way, a few heartless attacked but not many though there would be more. Soon after, they came to the palace and entered it to be greeted by Ariel.
"Sora, you're back!" Ariel smiled and looked at everyone else. "Oh, and you brought friends as well."
Sora nodded. "We came to ask you about the heartless. Do you know who might have unlocked Kingdom Hearts?"
King Triton sighed. "It is true. The heartless have returned and are once again wandering through worlds. I can't seem to figure out who could've opened the door though."
Laura swam into front. "King Triton, we know why the heartless are roaming and it's my fault."
"Laura." Kairi said gently.
"You all know that if I wouldn't have come here, you would all be fine and none of this would've happened." Laura sighed and the looked up at Triton. "They're looking for something very valuable and I have it. If I don't stop them, my world will be destroyed."
Triton nodded. "I see. Well, we will let you know if we find out any information about the heartless. Sora, be careful on your hunt. Don't let this girl out of your sight. The same goes for everyone else."
Sora nodded. "I understand. Thanks." He then began to swim off when he heard a shriek.
"I told you not to fight them! You're too weak!" A girl yelled.
"Sorry miss. It won't happen again." Came a male voice.
"I know that voice." Laura whispered. She swam outside to see her friend Lindsey and some other guy. "Lindsey! I knew it was you. I never forget you're shriek."
Lindsey turned around and looked at Laura. "Gee, thanks. You make me feel real special."
Laura laughed. Everyone soon came out of the palace and looked at the two girls. "Laura, who is that?" Riku asked, looking at Lindsey.
"This is one of my best friends, Lindsey!" Laura said smiling at him. "Lindsey, this is Riku. Riku, Lindsey."
Lindsey looked at Riku. "You mock my shortness, you die."
Laura sighed. "Liz, he won't mock you're shortness. She says that to new people she meets."
Riku nodded. "Nice to meet you?"
Sora looked at Lindsey. "What brings you here?"
"Well, I got a letter from some person named King Mickey saying I should leave my 'world' as he called it." Lindsey explained. "Soon enough, this guy came and got me. King Mickey told me of the Heartless and explained about the Butterfly's Kiss. He told me to do a search to find the one with it."
Laura's stomach sank. She was the one with it. She glanced at Riku, nervousness written on her face. "Oh I see. Well, would you like to help us? We've been trying to find the person who opened up Kingdom Hearts again. It was closed before but someone opened it again."
Lindsey nodded. "Sure, I don't see why not."
"But miss." The guy beside her said.
"I'll be traveling with Laura and everyone else now. You may go back to King Mickey and tell him that." Lindsey interrupted him.
Laura smiled and began to head back to the ship. "Let's get going. We have other places to visit." They all agreed and soon were back at the ship. They all boarded, no longer mermaids or any kind of fish, and took off back into hyperspace.
"Where too?" Goofy asked, sitting in the cockpit.
"Agrabah." Sora said. "We'll ask Aladdin about this. See if he can give us any clues."
Lindsey had taken quite an interest in Squall and began to talk with him. All the while, Laura sat staring out the window again. 'What will I do? What will Liz do if I tell her that I'm the one with the Butterfly's Kiss?' She suddenly felt someone sit down beside her. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Sora.
"Shouldn't we tell Lindsey about you having the, ya know." Sora said in a whisper.
"I don't know. I think we should just keep it quiet for now. I'll tell her when I think I should." She said, still staring out the window.
Sora nodded and walked away from her. 'I wonder if she'll tell her or not.' He let it go and walked down the hallway to a bedroom, closing the door when he walked in.
Laura still sat staring out the window. 'This is all too confusing. Why am I here? What will I do once I see the heartless away? Will I stay here or go back home?' She sighed and then stood up. She found Riku and caught his eye. She turned away and then walked down the hallway to the last bedroom. ((A/N: There are only 3 bedrooms on the gummi)) She didn't shut the door but left it open. She sat down on the bed and stared at the wall.
Lindsey saw Laura walk down the hallway and then looked at Riku. She smiled and walked over to him. "It's not your fault. She just needs time." Riku looked up at her and nodded.
"I know that but.I just don't know." He sighed. He got up and walked down the hallway. He walked into the room Laura was in and sat down next to her. "Are you alright?"
Laura looked at him. "I don't know. I'm just thinking of what I'll do after we solve this mystery. If I'll go back home or stay with you and Sora, I just don't know." She looked down at the floor. She then felt a hand on her shoulder.
"That doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that you're here with me and Sora as well as everyone else." He looked at her. "Don't push yourself so hard."
She looked up at him. "I know I shouldn't but I just do. For some reason, I feel like something bad is about to happen but I can't figure out what." She looked into his blue eyes. "I just can't figure it out."
He smiled at her. "Don't worry about it right now. Just relax until we can figure everything out, alright?" He put his arms around her neck. "Ok?"
She smiled at him. "Ok." She then sighed, closing her eyes for a brief moment. She then looked at Riku to see him staring at her. "What? Is there something on my face?"
He laughed lightly. "No, nothing. Just looking at how beautiful you are."
She blushed a little and then nodded. "Thanks. You're not bad looking yourself." She then looked up at him and he kissed her cheek. He pulled away and smiled. Her face was flush with pink by now but she smiled at him as well.
"Don't be embarrassed." He joked. He then got up and went to the doorway. He stopped and turned around. "You're even cuter when you blush." He then walked down the hallway back to the control room.
Laura fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes. 'Love is a dangerous game and has sharp bends around every corner. I don't want you to forget my words all right? You promise?' Her voice echoed in her head. 'Alright I promise.' She heard Riku say. 'How could've I have been so dumb to say that? He loves me and I can't even say that I love him back. Why can't I be more opened? I guess I just like keeping things to myself.' She sighed and opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. She suddenly heard a knock and sat up. Lindsey was in the doorway and looking at her. "What's up with you and that guy?"
Laura shook her head. "Nothing." She lied, remembering that he kissed her cheek.
Lindsey grinned. "You lie. C'mon, tell me Laura! Please?" She said in that annoying winy voice. ((A/N: She does this in real life too.))
Laura sighed. "Fine. He kissed my cheek alright?" She blurted out without even realizing it. She covered her mouth once she realized what she said.
Lindsey ((A/N: She is going to be known as Liz from now on)) grinned. "You have a boyfriend!" She sang. She then began to dance around that room doing her happy dance.
"He's not my boyfriend!" She said as Liz kept singing. "Well, he kinda is.but I don't know yet. He hasn't really asked me yet."
"That can be arranged." Liz said, doing her evil grin and tapping her fingertips together.
"Liz, don't you dare say anything to him." But before Laura could catch her, Liz was already half way down the hallway. Laura chased after her. "Liz, don't say anything!" She yelled.
Liz ignored her and ran into the control room. "Ohh RIIIIKU!" She chimed as she entered the room. Riku turned around and looked at her. "What?" She approached him carefully. Laura soon arrived and gasped. "Too late." She mumbled. Liz and Riku were talking. As they were, Riku looked over several times at Laura and so did Lindsey. Laura sat down on a nearby armchair and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. Soon Liz came trotting back over. "He's going to ask yoooouuu." She whispered to her, smiling. Laura could only shake her head. Liz soon then left the room and ran back to her beloved Squall. Riku walked over to her.
"Let me guess, she told you to..." She was soon cut off.
"She didn't tell me to do anything. I was thinking of when to ask you anyways." Riku smiled at her. He sat on one of the arms and looked at her. "Well, will you? You already know what I'm going to ask so will you?"
Laura looked up at Riku and stared into his blue eyes. "Yes.I mean, if that's ok with you." She began to blush lightly.
"That's fine with me." He smiled at her and ran his fingers over her cheek. "I told you, don't be embarrassed. It's only me." He then stood up and helped her to her feet. He smiled at her and then kissed her cheek again. "Let's go see what everyone else is doing." He then began to walk back to the main room where everyone was talking. Laura followed after him, staying close behind him.
When they re-entered the main room, they were just arriving at Agrabah. Suddenly, the ship began to shake.
"What's going on?!?!" Donald yelled frantically.
Goofy lost control of the ship and it began to steer itself. "This is really creepy." Goofy said as he got out of the cockpit. Then a sinister voice began to laugh. "You think that you actually killed me Sora?"
Sora looked around. 'I know that voice.but it couldn't be.' "Maleficent." he mumbled. "But the King said that you weren't behind this!"
"The King doesn't know anything now does he Sora?" Maleficent said. Everyone could only hear her voice. Her body was nowhere to be found. "I will make this quick and easy. Stay away from these worlds and go back to where you were. This doesn't concern you."
"It does now. We have two of the princesses with us!" Sora yelled. Kairi covered his mouth.
"Sora, shush!" She scolded him.
"Ah, I see you do. That won't be for much longer." Maleficent's voice then faded out.
"What do you think she meant?" Liz asked.
"I don't know but it can't be good." Sora said. "You two will have to be around people at all times. No going off on your own got it?"
Laura nodded. 'I can't let Maleficent take anyone away from me. I swear it.' She closed her eyes, clenching her hands into fists. "Let's continue. Ignore Maleficent."
They entered Agrabah and looked around. Laura had her sword out and was prepared for anything. 'I hope that the King was wrong about the whole Riku being taken too.' She looked over at him and then sighed lightly. Soon, a heartless appeared all around them. She began to ward some of them off whenever she noticed Riku was gone. "Riku!" She yelled. She then began to run deep into Agrabah, searching for him.
Riku was far from the marketplace and almost at the palace. "I know you're here Maleficent. Come out."
Maleficent laughed. "Still recovering my dear Riku? Or should I say my puppet?" She smirked at him.
Laura was around the corner and began to listen to there conversation.
"Leave Laura and Lindsey alone." He said sternly.
"You think I'm going to take orders from a little brat like you? I can still control you Riku. You can still join me." She extended her hand. "Come, and I'll show you the way again." She smiled at him.
"No. I'm not falling for that again. I refuse to do anything to harm anyone this time." He said, stepping back. "I won't do anything to harm them! Especially Laura!"
"Ah yes. You've fallen in love with a girl you can't have." She smirked at him.
"Don't say that! I love her. She may leave but I'd still love her!" He yelled at her. He shook his fist in anger by his side.
Maleficent frowned. "A shame you won't just give in.Oh well, it was your choice Riku. You just chose the hard way." Two heartless emerged and grabbed him.
"Let go of me!" He yelled. He then looked at Maleficent and growled. "Leave me alone!"
"I will. All in good time my boy." She smiled at him.
"Leave him alone!" Laura yelled as she emerged from her hiding spot. "Let Riku go! I'm the one you want!"
"Laura, leave!" Riku yelled. "Get out of here."
"Go ahead Maleficent. Take me instead of him! I'm the one you want anyways!" She yelled at her again.
Maleficent was in shock but them smiled evily. "Very well. Release the boy and grab the girl." The two heartless let go of Riku and then shot towards Laura.
"Laura, don't!" Riku yelled but it was too late. The heartless had grabbed her and she fell unconscious.
"It's her choice Riku my dear boy and she chose to give her life for yours." Maleficent grinned and then began to walk away, the two heartless following after her, carrying Laura. "We shall meet again Riku." She then disappeared, taking Laura with her.
"Damn you Maleficent!" Riku yelled. He then ran back to the others.
"Riku, where's Laura?" Sora asked.
Riku walked past them. "She's gone."
"What! What happened?" Kairi asked.
"Let's just go. We have to get her back." He continued walking.
End.
((A/N: YAY! I finally got this chappie done! ^.^^.^ meow))
Laura reentered the small house and sat down on the bed. "Well, what do we do now? We don't know where to begin to look for the one who opened the door." Sora said.
"We should start slowly and then work out way up." Riku said.
"But where to start is the question." Laura said. "Sora, where do you think that the Heartless may be?"
"They might be at Hollow Bastion but, I don't know." He replied.
"There's only one way to find out. We'll have to go there and check." She said.
"But that's so far away." Kairi said. "We should stop at other worlds to see what people know."
"Good, idea. Where would we get the most information at?" Laura asked.
"We could try Neverland. If the Heartless are at the castle, Peter would've seen them go by." Riku suggested. "But that nonetheless is also far from here."
"We need a closer place. How about Atlantica?" Sora suggested. "Maybe Triton might know something to help us."
"We'll go there first then." Laura said. She turned to Squall and Yuffie. "Would you two like to come with us?"
"We'd like to but the Heartless are roaming again and we have to protect the town." Squall said.
"I'll do it for you." Came a voice from the door. A silhouette of a figure appeared at the door. He stepped inside the house to reveal himself.
"You!" Laura yelled.
"I told you I was sorry about early." Cloud apologized again. He turned to Squall. "I'll watch after the town that way you can go with them to help seal the door again." Squall nodded.
"Alright, I guess we are coming with you." He said. "Let's get going. We have a long journey ahead of us. C'mon Yuffie."
"Wait a minute!" Donald protested. "We can't take them with us."
"Why not?" Sora asked.
"Because we don't have enough room for them!" Donald yelled.
"Oh, c'mon. The ship can fight 10 people inside it. Besides, with them coming along, that's only 8." Sora argued.
"Not again." Goofy said.
"They can't come!"
"They're coming anyways!"
Squall ignored the two arguing and motioned for everyone to follow him. "We don't have to take your gummi ship. Cid's been working on a new gummi ship that's huge. We can all use that." He said. They all walked to the first district, Sora and Donald not talking to each other. ((A/N: That's no big surprise.))
Cid was behind the shop as usual and saw Squall approaching him. "Hey Squall. You need something?" he asked.
"Yes Cid. You know that gummi ship you were working on?" He asked. "Well, is it finished yet?"
"Yep, just finished it today. Why do you ask?" Cid said raising an eyebrow.
"Well, we need to use it. The Heartless are roaming again and Sora's ship isn't big enough to fit us all. Could you possibly lend it to us?"
"I don't see why not. Hey Sora, you guys want me to make your ship bigger while you are away?"
"That would be fine." Sora said.
"What?!?" Donald yelled. "You can't just do whatever you want to do with my ship!"
"Donald, we do need to make it bigger. It is kind of small compared with the ones made today." Goofy said.
"Fine." Donald said.
"Alright follow me." Cid said. He walked down the stairs and entered the shop. Everyone followed after him. He walked behind the counter and knocked on the wall three times, making it slid away to stairs that led down. "C'mon." He said as he walked down the stairs. They all followed to find that the shop had a basement. It was a big room and it had a big thing in the middle covered with a tarp. Cid took the tarp off to reveal the new gummi ship. "Built it myself. A small kitchen, a sitting area was well as a couple of bedrooms but those are only big enough for the bed and to move around." He walked up to it and opened the door. "C'mon now, in ya go." Sora, Kairi, and Riku entered first, followed by Donald and Goofy. Then Squall, Yuffie and Laura entered.
"All set?" Cid asked before he closed the door. Donald and Goofy nodded and Cid slammed the door shut.
Goody walked over to the controls and began to ready the ship. "Where to?" he asked.
"Atlantica." Sora said.
Goofy set the controls and began to drive the gummi ship out from the basement into space.
"C'mon you two." Kairi said. "Make up already." Sora and Donald were still not talking to each other. Kairi sighed. "Oh, you two are such little kids, I swear."
"So what? You had a stupid argument. Just be friends again, please." Laura begged.
"Nope." Sora said
"Not going to happen." Donald answered in a cocky voice.
"Just stop it. You two have the stupidest arguments." Kairi said. "One of you apologize now!"
Sora turned and looked at Donald. "Well, I guess I should've asked you if we could take Squall and Yuffie with us. I'm sorry Donald."
"Me too." He turned and smiled at Sora.
"Well, now that that's settled, let's just have a peaceful ride there." Squall said. He walked down the little hallway and entered one of the bedrooms and closed the door.
"I'm pretty tired too." Yuffie said. She got up and walked down the hallway. She found another bedroom and entered it, shutting the door behind her.
Sora sighed and sat on the blue chair. He put his hands behind his head and sighed, closing his eyes. "So, what are we going to do when we get there?" He asked no on in particular.
"Well, found out who opened the door if possible and how we can close it again." Laura stated simply. She sighed and walked over to a loveseat by a window. She stared out it, with a distance look in her eyes.
"Is something wrong Laura?" Kairi asked, giving her a concerned look.
"Nothing. I just miss my family and friends.that's all." She stated sadly. "I left them all behind to be swallowed into darkness and taken away from me. My brother, my mom, even my dad, they're all gone now aren't they?" She looked at them.
"We can still save them. As long as we keep going, we'll defeat whoever opened the door and we'll save your family and friends." Riku reassured her. He walked over and sat down by her. "Don't worry so much. You have us as you're friend too you know."
Laura looked at Riku and smiled. "Yeah, at least I have some friends who I know won't be taken away from me."
Kairi, Riku, and Sora smiled at Laura. Laura sighed and closed her eyes. "I guess we just wait now." Sora yawned and reclined the chair and soon fell asleep. Kairi sat down on the loveseat near Laura and fell asleep there leaving her alone with Riku.
"Laura, can I tell you something?" Riku asked quietly.
"Sure. What is it?" She opened her eyes and they meet Riku's blue ones.
"Well, I can't describe this.feeling I have." He said slowly.
Laura smiled. "Riku, are you trying to tell me that you're starting to like me?" She asked, still smiling.
Riku nodded. "Ever since we met, I knew I had something special with me. I thought that my heart would never heal from such a wound as I had before." He smiled at her. "Now that you're here, my feelings have changed."
Laura sighed and looked at Riku. "I don't want you to get hurt over this thought Riku. Love is a dangerous game and has sharp bends around every corner. I don't want you to forget my words all right? You promise?"
Riku nodded. "Alright, I promise." He then stood up and began to walk down the hallway to one of the spare rooms.
Laura looked out the window. 'If I go back to my world, he'll be hurt more than he ever was but if I don't, I won't be able to see my family anymore.' She sighed and closed her eyes. She soon found herself being shaken. She opened her eyes to see Kairi shaking her.
"We're here." She then stood up and walked to the door. Laura sat up and looked around. She shrugged and walked to the door. "Umm.how are we supposed to get any information here if we can't hold our breaths very long?"
"Easy, Donald can perform a spell which can turn use into mermaids. From there, we can get the information we need." Sora said. He had been through this before. He remembered how he had to seal the keyhole here.
Donald performed the spell and Sora and Donald turned into mermaids while Goofy turned into a turtle. Next came Kairi, Yuffie, and Laura and finally Riku and Squall. Soon they were all following Sora, Goofy, and Donald to the palace. Along the way, a few heartless attacked but not many though there would be more. Soon after, they came to the palace and entered it to be greeted by Ariel.
"Sora, you're back!" Ariel smiled and looked at everyone else. "Oh, and you brought friends as well."
Sora nodded. "We came to ask you about the heartless. Do you know who might have unlocked Kingdom Hearts?"
King Triton sighed. "It is true. The heartless have returned and are once again wandering through worlds. I can't seem to figure out who could've opened the door though."
Laura swam into front. "King Triton, we know why the heartless are roaming and it's my fault."
"Laura." Kairi said gently.
"You all know that if I wouldn't have come here, you would all be fine and none of this would've happened." Laura sighed and the looked up at Triton. "They're looking for something very valuable and I have it. If I don't stop them, my world will be destroyed."
Triton nodded. "I see. Well, we will let you know if we find out any information about the heartless. Sora, be careful on your hunt. Don't let this girl out of your sight. The same goes for everyone else."
Sora nodded. "I understand. Thanks." He then began to swim off when he heard a shriek.
"I told you not to fight them! You're too weak!" A girl yelled.
"Sorry miss. It won't happen again." Came a male voice.
"I know that voice." Laura whispered. She swam outside to see her friend Lindsey and some other guy. "Lindsey! I knew it was you. I never forget you're shriek."
Lindsey turned around and looked at Laura. "Gee, thanks. You make me feel real special."
Laura laughed. Everyone soon came out of the palace and looked at the two girls. "Laura, who is that?" Riku asked, looking at Lindsey.
"This is one of my best friends, Lindsey!" Laura said smiling at him. "Lindsey, this is Riku. Riku, Lindsey."
Lindsey looked at Riku. "You mock my shortness, you die."
Laura sighed. "Liz, he won't mock you're shortness. She says that to new people she meets."
Riku nodded. "Nice to meet you?"
Sora looked at Lindsey. "What brings you here?"
"Well, I got a letter from some person named King Mickey saying I should leave my 'world' as he called it." Lindsey explained. "Soon enough, this guy came and got me. King Mickey told me of the Heartless and explained about the Butterfly's Kiss. He told me to do a search to find the one with it."
Laura's stomach sank. She was the one with it. She glanced at Riku, nervousness written on her face. "Oh I see. Well, would you like to help us? We've been trying to find the person who opened up Kingdom Hearts again. It was closed before but someone opened it again."
Lindsey nodded. "Sure, I don't see why not."
"But miss." The guy beside her said.
"I'll be traveling with Laura and everyone else now. You may go back to King Mickey and tell him that." Lindsey interrupted him.
Laura smiled and began to head back to the ship. "Let's get going. We have other places to visit." They all agreed and soon were back at the ship. They all boarded, no longer mermaids or any kind of fish, and took off back into hyperspace.
"Where too?" Goofy asked, sitting in the cockpit.
"Agrabah." Sora said. "We'll ask Aladdin about this. See if he can give us any clues."
Lindsey had taken quite an interest in Squall and began to talk with him. All the while, Laura sat staring out the window again. 'What will I do? What will Liz do if I tell her that I'm the one with the Butterfly's Kiss?' She suddenly felt someone sit down beside her. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Sora.
"Shouldn't we tell Lindsey about you having the, ya know." Sora said in a whisper.
"I don't know. I think we should just keep it quiet for now. I'll tell her when I think I should." She said, still staring out the window.
Sora nodded and walked away from her. 'I wonder if she'll tell her or not.' He let it go and walked down the hallway to a bedroom, closing the door when he walked in.
Laura still sat staring out the window. 'This is all too confusing. Why am I here? What will I do once I see the heartless away? Will I stay here or go back home?' She sighed and then stood up. She found Riku and caught his eye. She turned away and then walked down the hallway to the last bedroom. ((A/N: There are only 3 bedrooms on the gummi)) She didn't shut the door but left it open. She sat down on the bed and stared at the wall.
Lindsey saw Laura walk down the hallway and then looked at Riku. She smiled and walked over to him. "It's not your fault. She just needs time." Riku looked up at her and nodded.
"I know that but.I just don't know." He sighed. He got up and walked down the hallway. He walked into the room Laura was in and sat down next to her. "Are you alright?"
Laura looked at him. "I don't know. I'm just thinking of what I'll do after we solve this mystery. If I'll go back home or stay with you and Sora, I just don't know." She looked down at the floor. She then felt a hand on her shoulder.
"That doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that you're here with me and Sora as well as everyone else." He looked at her. "Don't push yourself so hard."
She looked up at him. "I know I shouldn't but I just do. For some reason, I feel like something bad is about to happen but I can't figure out what." She looked into his blue eyes. "I just can't figure it out."
He smiled at her. "Don't worry about it right now. Just relax until we can figure everything out, alright?" He put his arms around her neck. "Ok?"
She smiled at him. "Ok." She then sighed, closing her eyes for a brief moment. She then looked at Riku to see him staring at her. "What? Is there something on my face?"
He laughed lightly. "No, nothing. Just looking at how beautiful you are."
She blushed a little and then nodded. "Thanks. You're not bad looking yourself." She then looked up at him and he kissed her cheek. He pulled away and smiled. Her face was flush with pink by now but she smiled at him as well.
"Don't be embarrassed." He joked. He then got up and went to the doorway. He stopped and turned around. "You're even cuter when you blush." He then walked down the hallway back to the control room.
Laura fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes. 'Love is a dangerous game and has sharp bends around every corner. I don't want you to forget my words all right? You promise?' Her voice echoed in her head. 'Alright I promise.' She heard Riku say. 'How could've I have been so dumb to say that? He loves me and I can't even say that I love him back. Why can't I be more opened? I guess I just like keeping things to myself.' She sighed and opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. She suddenly heard a knock and sat up. Lindsey was in the doorway and looking at her. "What's up with you and that guy?"
Laura shook her head. "Nothing." She lied, remembering that he kissed her cheek.
Lindsey grinned. "You lie. C'mon, tell me Laura! Please?" She said in that annoying winy voice. ((A/N: She does this in real life too.))
Laura sighed. "Fine. He kissed my cheek alright?" She blurted out without even realizing it. She covered her mouth once she realized what she said.
Lindsey ((A/N: She is going to be known as Liz from now on)) grinned. "You have a boyfriend!" She sang. She then began to dance around that room doing her happy dance.
"He's not my boyfriend!" She said as Liz kept singing. "Well, he kinda is.but I don't know yet. He hasn't really asked me yet."
"That can be arranged." Liz said, doing her evil grin and tapping her fingertips together.
"Liz, don't you dare say anything to him." But before Laura could catch her, Liz was already half way down the hallway. Laura chased after her. "Liz, don't say anything!" She yelled.
Liz ignored her and ran into the control room. "Ohh RIIIIKU!" She chimed as she entered the room. Riku turned around and looked at her. "What?" She approached him carefully. Laura soon arrived and gasped. "Too late." She mumbled. Liz and Riku were talking. As they were, Riku looked over several times at Laura and so did Lindsey. Laura sat down on a nearby armchair and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. Soon Liz came trotting back over. "He's going to ask yoooouuu." She whispered to her, smiling. Laura could only shake her head. Liz soon then left the room and ran back to her beloved Squall. Riku walked over to her.
"Let me guess, she told you to..." She was soon cut off.
"She didn't tell me to do anything. I was thinking of when to ask you anyways." Riku smiled at her. He sat on one of the arms and looked at her. "Well, will you? You already know what I'm going to ask so will you?"
Laura looked up at Riku and stared into his blue eyes. "Yes.I mean, if that's ok with you." She began to blush lightly.
"That's fine with me." He smiled at her and ran his fingers over her cheek. "I told you, don't be embarrassed. It's only me." He then stood up and helped her to her feet. He smiled at her and then kissed her cheek again. "Let's go see what everyone else is doing." He then began to walk back to the main room where everyone was talking. Laura followed after him, staying close behind him.
When they re-entered the main room, they were just arriving at Agrabah. Suddenly, the ship began to shake.
"What's going on?!?!" Donald yelled frantically.
Goofy lost control of the ship and it began to steer itself. "This is really creepy." Goofy said as he got out of the cockpit. Then a sinister voice began to laugh. "You think that you actually killed me Sora?"
Sora looked around. 'I know that voice.but it couldn't be.' "Maleficent." he mumbled. "But the King said that you weren't behind this!"
"The King doesn't know anything now does he Sora?" Maleficent said. Everyone could only hear her voice. Her body was nowhere to be found. "I will make this quick and easy. Stay away from these worlds and go back to where you were. This doesn't concern you."
"It does now. We have two of the princesses with us!" Sora yelled. Kairi covered his mouth.
"Sora, shush!" She scolded him.
"Ah, I see you do. That won't be for much longer." Maleficent's voice then faded out.
"What do you think she meant?" Liz asked.
"I don't know but it can't be good." Sora said. "You two will have to be around people at all times. No going off on your own got it?"
Laura nodded. 'I can't let Maleficent take anyone away from me. I swear it.' She closed her eyes, clenching her hands into fists. "Let's continue. Ignore Maleficent."
They entered Agrabah and looked around. Laura had her sword out and was prepared for anything. 'I hope that the King was wrong about the whole Riku being taken too.' She looked over at him and then sighed lightly. Soon, a heartless appeared all around them. She began to ward some of them off whenever she noticed Riku was gone. "Riku!" She yelled. She then began to run deep into Agrabah, searching for him.
Riku was far from the marketplace and almost at the palace. "I know you're here Maleficent. Come out."
Maleficent laughed. "Still recovering my dear Riku? Or should I say my puppet?" She smirked at him.
Laura was around the corner and began to listen to there conversation.
"Leave Laura and Lindsey alone." He said sternly.
"You think I'm going to take orders from a little brat like you? I can still control you Riku. You can still join me." She extended her hand. "Come, and I'll show you the way again." She smiled at him.
"No. I'm not falling for that again. I refuse to do anything to harm anyone this time." He said, stepping back. "I won't do anything to harm them! Especially Laura!"
"Ah yes. You've fallen in love with a girl you can't have." She smirked at him.
"Don't say that! I love her. She may leave but I'd still love her!" He yelled at her. He shook his fist in anger by his side.
Maleficent frowned. "A shame you won't just give in.Oh well, it was your choice Riku. You just chose the hard way." Two heartless emerged and grabbed him.
"Let go of me!" He yelled. He then looked at Maleficent and growled. "Leave me alone!"
"I will. All in good time my boy." She smiled at him.
"Leave him alone!" Laura yelled as she emerged from her hiding spot. "Let Riku go! I'm the one you want!"
"Laura, leave!" Riku yelled. "Get out of here."
"Go ahead Maleficent. Take me instead of him! I'm the one you want anyways!" She yelled at her again.
Maleficent was in shock but them smiled evily. "Very well. Release the boy and grab the girl." The two heartless let go of Riku and then shot towards Laura.
"Laura, don't!" Riku yelled but it was too late. The heartless had grabbed her and she fell unconscious.
"It's her choice Riku my dear boy and she chose to give her life for yours." Maleficent grinned and then began to walk away, the two heartless following after her, carrying Laura. "We shall meet again Riku." She then disappeared, taking Laura with her.
"Damn you Maleficent!" Riku yelled. He then ran back to the others.
"Riku, where's Laura?" Sora asked.
Riku walked past them. "She's gone."
"What! What happened?" Kairi asked.
"Let's just go. We have to get her back." He continued walking.
End.
((A/N: YAY! I finally got this chappie done! ^.^^.^ meow))