The fifth installment of the Triad of Keys. You know what? I'm
getting bored with this one. The only reason I'm even continuing it is
because Dee wants to. And it gets him reading books.
My incentive is that he read a chapter of the fourth Harry Potter book before we write. I ask six questions from the text, and for each one correct, he gets five minutes of write time. Unfortunately, he's a real smart listener. He usually gets them all right! Even one from chapter four, asking for the two Quidditch teams from the World Cup (Bulgaria and Ireland). He didn't even know Bulgaria was a country until I told him!
Anyway, enough of my rants. Here's the story.
Chapter 5: Gummi and Wonder ***
"When the Heartless came.everything changed."
I heard the voice, and registered it as a woman's. The pounding headache between my eyes made me forget most everything else. I moaned in pain as I sat up.
"Seems like our other guest finally woke up," said the woman. She was scarcely clothed in a yellow tube top and a mini skirt, but not much else. I recognized her as Yuffie, a ninja.
"David! Are you okay?"
"Ow." I said, plainly. "Besides a massive migraine, not much. You?"
"These two were explaining everything," Sora said. "Like the Keyblade."
"Question," I said, sitting up. "Why did Squall Lionheart attack us?"
Squall blinked at me. Not quite in surprise, though I knew that's what he meant. He was quite a bit indifferent to the rest of the world, the lone wolf type. I knew a great deal about him from the Final Fantasy game.
"The name is Leon," he said. "How did you know my past name?"
"I'm from another world," I grinned. "That can't be too new to ya, am I right?"
He smirked at me, picking up the Keystaff. It disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared in my hands.
"At least you know a little about what's happening, then," he said. "You don't, however, know why you have that Keystaff."
"No," I shook my head.
"Three keys were made, the Triad," Squall said. "The Keyblade, the Keybow, and the Keystaff. The Keyblade was made to lock Kingdom Hearts, the world from which the Heartless, those without hearts, appeared. However, it also will separate the worlds again. No one really knows why the Keybow or the Keystaff was made. It's a mystery, even to King Mickey."
"So, what you're saying is that you've no idea why I have this staff," I said. "That perhaps it really has not purpose at all?"
"He didn't say that," said Yuffie. "He said it's a mystery. The Heartless fear all of the Triad separately. We've no idea what would happen if all three keys were together at the same time."
"Who has the Keybow, then?" Sora asked. (AN-I know he was with Angel, don't worry. He was just focusing more on surviving than being observant, you know?)
"We don't know," Squall said. "Nor do we know where it is. We do know that it is a maiden who hails from a destroyed world."
"As do I," I said. "And Sora, I think. Because, the last I saw of Destiny Islands, it was swallowed by darkness."
"Is there any way to restore it?" Sora asked.
"Only one," Squall said. "Lock Kingdom Hearts."
"So.we lock Kingdom Hearts, everything goes back to the way it was?" I asked.
"Basically," Yuffie said.
"So.we can lock worlds, too, right?" I asked. "The ones overrun by the Heartless?"
"Yes, each Triad key can lock a door on its own. That's why the Heartless have great fear of the Triad. That's why they'll keep coming after you, no matter what."
"We didn't ask for this," Sora said.
"The Triad of Keys chooses their masters," Yuffie said. "They chose you."
"Sooner or later, the Heartless will find-"
A soldier Heartless crashed through the window of the hotel room.
"Leon!"
"Yuffie, go!" Squall shouted. "Sora, David, come with me. Forget about the little ones, find the leader!"
Sora and I raced through, cutting down small Heartless on the way, destroying all that lay in our path. We found the door to the Third District and took it. I heard loud screaming, but I didn't find where it was coming from until Sora crashed to the ground behind me.
"The keys!" both of the fallen said. It was Donald and Goofy, and both were staring at us strangely.
RUMBLE.
SHOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOM! The tiles, all around us, shot to the sky, blocking any exit whatsoever. More soldier Heartless appeared, and we cut them down, too. The ground quaked again, and an enormous monster, made up of separate parts, dropped from the sky. It spun around, faster and faster, striking us all, cutting the flesh, chopping wounds into our sides.
"Donald, go around that side! Attack the foot!" I shouted. "Goofy, that side, the other foot. Sora and I will take care of the hands! Let's go!"
I hacked away with my magic at the left hand, fire, ice, fire, ice, making the metal, for surely it was metal, brittle. Soon, it cracked and shattered into a million pieces, like glass. Sora's enemy hand was badly beaten and at last shattered, too. Goofy and Donald still worked at the feet, so Sora and I set to work on the head, and at last, the entire beast shattered and left nothing behind. ***
"So, you were looking for us?" Sora asked as we spoke to Donald and Goofy. They nodded and grinned. Squall approached us.
"They, too, seek the Triad of Keys,"
"Hey, why don't you come with us?" Goofy asked. "We can go to other worlds on our vessel."
"I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi..." Sora glanced to the right, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"And Angel."
"Of course," Donald said. Sora glanced up sharply, but I sensed something about the duck's voice that I didn't like.
"Sora, David, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."
"Yeah, I guess." Sora said.
"Maybe."
"But you can't come along looking like that. Understand?" Donald said. "No frowning. No sad face. Okay?"
"Yeah, ya gotta look funny, like us!"
Goofy and Donald grinned at us together.
"This boat runs on happy faces."
"Happy?" Sora and I asked together. I chanced a glance at Sora and shared a wink. Putting on our cheesiest grins, we turned back to the duo.
"That's one funny face!" Goofy and Donald nearly fell over themselves laughing.
"Okay, why not?" Sora said.
"Yeah!" I agreed.
"Donald Duck!"
"Name's Goofy."
"I'm Sora."
"David's my name."
In a typical football huddle, we placed our hands one on top of the other.
"All for one and one for all!" ***
"WOW!" Sora and I shared a grin as we stared up at the huge Gummi Ship. It was pink and orange and green and yellow, all stuck together like some weird puzzle gone wrong. And yet, I liked it. The clear bubble over the top opened with a whoosh and we clambered in, ready to begin our journey.
"Strap on your crash webbing," said Donald. "It'll be a good ride."
"Here's a map of different places we can go," said Goofy, handing it back to us. "I've got no clue where to go. Why don't you pick a place first, Sora?"
"How about this place here, 'Wonderland," he said. "That sounds like a place Kairi would like. Maybe she ended up there."
"Good idea," Donald said. "The King might try there, too. You never know."
"Then Wonderland it is!" I shouted. "Let's go!"
The engines ignited, the sound of a rush of wind and fire and water all at once and we shot out of the Traverse town and toward the two-day journey to Wonderland.
As the journey continued, Donald, Goofy, Sora, and I began to talk about where we'd come from, and, more importantly, where the last place we'd seen our friends was.
"I don't know," I said. "One second I'm asleep and the next my sister wakes me up over a storm surge and a tornado picks us up and then.I met Tidus, and then Riku. And then, I was here."
"Angel and I saw the darkness over the islands, and we went to find Kairi and Riku, and maybe you, and we fought that black creature. And then.she was gone."
"I worked in the castle," Donald said. "I was the local wizard, and advisor to the king. I walked into his throne room to report to him, and Pluto hands me this note to go find the Triad with Goofy here. King Mickey told me to talk to Leon to get to the keys, and then, we found you."
Goofy was snoring. The rest of us laughed out loud and followed his example. We fell fast asleep, every last one of us.
By the time we reached Wonderland, we were all good friends. Sora and I were closest, still, I think, because of all that we had in common. I knew, without even seeing her, that he loved Kairi. And I knew he was still troubled by Riku's decision to be immersed in darkness.
But most of all, I missed my sister. Wherever Angel was, I would find her. I'm going to find my sister, no matter what it takes.
"I'm late! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! Oh, the queen'll have my head for sure! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" A little white rabbit screeched as soon as we'd tucked the Gummi ship out of sight in a thicket of trees.
"Follow the bouncing bunny," I shrugged. "Can't be nothing else."
"Right!" Goofy laughed.
So down the rabbit hole we went. If cliches mean anything, it's that stupid rabbit hole that you see in nearly every movie that has a weird fantasy thing going on. I've seen this one before. It's the one where a little blonde girl almost gets her head cut off and then the dashing young heroes go save her. Sure enough.
"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"
"No, no, no, wait!"
"Have you anything to say in your defense?"
We walked onto the scene, staring straight down into a dictatorship- style courtroom, where the only justice was the queen's words and the cards' quick cuts to the throat. Four Asian-style characters in a Disney- style setting. And believe me, I was just now getting to know the very crude, rude difference. No wonder Angel always liked Anime over cartoons.
"We should help her out," Sora said.
"But wouldn't that be muddling?"
"Meddling!" Donald corrected.
"We should still help her out," I said with a sigh. "I don't see no other heroes about. Maybe we're supposed to help."
Donald glanced at me.
"Guilty as charged for the attempted theft of my heart!" the fat queen shouted.
"That's our cue, boys!" I shouted. "Queen of Hearts, she isn't the one you're lookin' for!"
"We know who the real culprit is!" Sora added.
"Do you have any proof?" she asked, her voice bittersweet.
"Um."
"Bring me proof!"
And so we began our trip through the Lotus Forest. Angel always said that the actual places of the game were much larger than it ever depicted. Or the movies, for that matter. Places were always shortened for the sake of pace. It was one of her favorite things about stories.
Lotus Forest was no different, I guess. And the path was not set in stone, nor would it ever be. A story always shortened the journey. My guess was that it would take us at least a week to get through it. I hoped that we would find our evidence in short time. Alice wasn't going to be so easily helped if we were gone for two weeks.
"Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing!"
"The Cheshire Cat!" I glared at the riddle-maker of Wonderland. "Did you see the Heartless run through here?"
"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers-but doesn't always tell. The answer, the culprit, the cat all lie in darkness. They've already left the forest. I won't tell which exit. There are four pieces of evidence in all. Three are a cinch to find. The fourth is tricky. Big reward if you find them all." He faded away.
"Should we trust him?" Donald asked.
"To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide!"
"We can trust him," I said. "There are four pieces, but their location is our problem."
"How do you know all that?" Sora asked.
"I'm from another dimension," I said. "I think maybe an 'origin', or something like that. Angel was always talking about dimensions. She said literature is what became other dimensions."
"Literature?"
"Yeah, like books, movies, and art."
"So.you know me?"
".sort of. Come on, we're losing time. I'll explain on the way." ***
Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. What do ya'll think? Honestly! I know it sounds rushed, I'm still writing while listening to Dee, you guys. Please don't judge me on cowrite works with me brother. So yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Review!
My incentive is that he read a chapter of the fourth Harry Potter book before we write. I ask six questions from the text, and for each one correct, he gets five minutes of write time. Unfortunately, he's a real smart listener. He usually gets them all right! Even one from chapter four, asking for the two Quidditch teams from the World Cup (Bulgaria and Ireland). He didn't even know Bulgaria was a country until I told him!
Anyway, enough of my rants. Here's the story.
Chapter 5: Gummi and Wonder ***
"When the Heartless came.everything changed."
I heard the voice, and registered it as a woman's. The pounding headache between my eyes made me forget most everything else. I moaned in pain as I sat up.
"Seems like our other guest finally woke up," said the woman. She was scarcely clothed in a yellow tube top and a mini skirt, but not much else. I recognized her as Yuffie, a ninja.
"David! Are you okay?"
"Ow." I said, plainly. "Besides a massive migraine, not much. You?"
"These two were explaining everything," Sora said. "Like the Keyblade."
"Question," I said, sitting up. "Why did Squall Lionheart attack us?"
Squall blinked at me. Not quite in surprise, though I knew that's what he meant. He was quite a bit indifferent to the rest of the world, the lone wolf type. I knew a great deal about him from the Final Fantasy game.
"The name is Leon," he said. "How did you know my past name?"
"I'm from another world," I grinned. "That can't be too new to ya, am I right?"
He smirked at me, picking up the Keystaff. It disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared in my hands.
"At least you know a little about what's happening, then," he said. "You don't, however, know why you have that Keystaff."
"No," I shook my head.
"Three keys were made, the Triad," Squall said. "The Keyblade, the Keybow, and the Keystaff. The Keyblade was made to lock Kingdom Hearts, the world from which the Heartless, those without hearts, appeared. However, it also will separate the worlds again. No one really knows why the Keybow or the Keystaff was made. It's a mystery, even to King Mickey."
"So, what you're saying is that you've no idea why I have this staff," I said. "That perhaps it really has not purpose at all?"
"He didn't say that," said Yuffie. "He said it's a mystery. The Heartless fear all of the Triad separately. We've no idea what would happen if all three keys were together at the same time."
"Who has the Keybow, then?" Sora asked. (AN-I know he was with Angel, don't worry. He was just focusing more on surviving than being observant, you know?)
"We don't know," Squall said. "Nor do we know where it is. We do know that it is a maiden who hails from a destroyed world."
"As do I," I said. "And Sora, I think. Because, the last I saw of Destiny Islands, it was swallowed by darkness."
"Is there any way to restore it?" Sora asked.
"Only one," Squall said. "Lock Kingdom Hearts."
"So.we lock Kingdom Hearts, everything goes back to the way it was?" I asked.
"Basically," Yuffie said.
"So.we can lock worlds, too, right?" I asked. "The ones overrun by the Heartless?"
"Yes, each Triad key can lock a door on its own. That's why the Heartless have great fear of the Triad. That's why they'll keep coming after you, no matter what."
"We didn't ask for this," Sora said.
"The Triad of Keys chooses their masters," Yuffie said. "They chose you."
"Sooner or later, the Heartless will find-"
A soldier Heartless crashed through the window of the hotel room.
"Leon!"
"Yuffie, go!" Squall shouted. "Sora, David, come with me. Forget about the little ones, find the leader!"
Sora and I raced through, cutting down small Heartless on the way, destroying all that lay in our path. We found the door to the Third District and took it. I heard loud screaming, but I didn't find where it was coming from until Sora crashed to the ground behind me.
"The keys!" both of the fallen said. It was Donald and Goofy, and both were staring at us strangely.
RUMBLE.
SHOOM! SHOOOM! SHOOM! The tiles, all around us, shot to the sky, blocking any exit whatsoever. More soldier Heartless appeared, and we cut them down, too. The ground quaked again, and an enormous monster, made up of separate parts, dropped from the sky. It spun around, faster and faster, striking us all, cutting the flesh, chopping wounds into our sides.
"Donald, go around that side! Attack the foot!" I shouted. "Goofy, that side, the other foot. Sora and I will take care of the hands! Let's go!"
I hacked away with my magic at the left hand, fire, ice, fire, ice, making the metal, for surely it was metal, brittle. Soon, it cracked and shattered into a million pieces, like glass. Sora's enemy hand was badly beaten and at last shattered, too. Goofy and Donald still worked at the feet, so Sora and I set to work on the head, and at last, the entire beast shattered and left nothing behind. ***
"So, you were looking for us?" Sora asked as we spoke to Donald and Goofy. They nodded and grinned. Squall approached us.
"They, too, seek the Triad of Keys,"
"Hey, why don't you come with us?" Goofy asked. "We can go to other worlds on our vessel."
"I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi..." Sora glanced to the right, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"And Angel."
"Of course," Donald said. Sora glanced up sharply, but I sensed something about the duck's voice that I didn't like.
"Sora, David, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."
"Yeah, I guess." Sora said.
"Maybe."
"But you can't come along looking like that. Understand?" Donald said. "No frowning. No sad face. Okay?"
"Yeah, ya gotta look funny, like us!"
Goofy and Donald grinned at us together.
"This boat runs on happy faces."
"Happy?" Sora and I asked together. I chanced a glance at Sora and shared a wink. Putting on our cheesiest grins, we turned back to the duo.
"That's one funny face!" Goofy and Donald nearly fell over themselves laughing.
"Okay, why not?" Sora said.
"Yeah!" I agreed.
"Donald Duck!"
"Name's Goofy."
"I'm Sora."
"David's my name."
In a typical football huddle, we placed our hands one on top of the other.
"All for one and one for all!" ***
"WOW!" Sora and I shared a grin as we stared up at the huge Gummi Ship. It was pink and orange and green and yellow, all stuck together like some weird puzzle gone wrong. And yet, I liked it. The clear bubble over the top opened with a whoosh and we clambered in, ready to begin our journey.
"Strap on your crash webbing," said Donald. "It'll be a good ride."
"Here's a map of different places we can go," said Goofy, handing it back to us. "I've got no clue where to go. Why don't you pick a place first, Sora?"
"How about this place here, 'Wonderland," he said. "That sounds like a place Kairi would like. Maybe she ended up there."
"Good idea," Donald said. "The King might try there, too. You never know."
"Then Wonderland it is!" I shouted. "Let's go!"
The engines ignited, the sound of a rush of wind and fire and water all at once and we shot out of the Traverse town and toward the two-day journey to Wonderland.
As the journey continued, Donald, Goofy, Sora, and I began to talk about where we'd come from, and, more importantly, where the last place we'd seen our friends was.
"I don't know," I said. "One second I'm asleep and the next my sister wakes me up over a storm surge and a tornado picks us up and then.I met Tidus, and then Riku. And then, I was here."
"Angel and I saw the darkness over the islands, and we went to find Kairi and Riku, and maybe you, and we fought that black creature. And then.she was gone."
"I worked in the castle," Donald said. "I was the local wizard, and advisor to the king. I walked into his throne room to report to him, and Pluto hands me this note to go find the Triad with Goofy here. King Mickey told me to talk to Leon to get to the keys, and then, we found you."
Goofy was snoring. The rest of us laughed out loud and followed his example. We fell fast asleep, every last one of us.
By the time we reached Wonderland, we were all good friends. Sora and I were closest, still, I think, because of all that we had in common. I knew, without even seeing her, that he loved Kairi. And I knew he was still troubled by Riku's decision to be immersed in darkness.
But most of all, I missed my sister. Wherever Angel was, I would find her. I'm going to find my sister, no matter what it takes.
"I'm late! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! Oh, the queen'll have my head for sure! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" A little white rabbit screeched as soon as we'd tucked the Gummi ship out of sight in a thicket of trees.
"Follow the bouncing bunny," I shrugged. "Can't be nothing else."
"Right!" Goofy laughed.
So down the rabbit hole we went. If cliches mean anything, it's that stupid rabbit hole that you see in nearly every movie that has a weird fantasy thing going on. I've seen this one before. It's the one where a little blonde girl almost gets her head cut off and then the dashing young heroes go save her. Sure enough.
"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"
"No, no, no, wait!"
"Have you anything to say in your defense?"
We walked onto the scene, staring straight down into a dictatorship- style courtroom, where the only justice was the queen's words and the cards' quick cuts to the throat. Four Asian-style characters in a Disney- style setting. And believe me, I was just now getting to know the very crude, rude difference. No wonder Angel always liked Anime over cartoons.
"We should help her out," Sora said.
"But wouldn't that be muddling?"
"Meddling!" Donald corrected.
"We should still help her out," I said with a sigh. "I don't see no other heroes about. Maybe we're supposed to help."
Donald glanced at me.
"Guilty as charged for the attempted theft of my heart!" the fat queen shouted.
"That's our cue, boys!" I shouted. "Queen of Hearts, she isn't the one you're lookin' for!"
"We know who the real culprit is!" Sora added.
"Do you have any proof?" she asked, her voice bittersweet.
"Um."
"Bring me proof!"
And so we began our trip through the Lotus Forest. Angel always said that the actual places of the game were much larger than it ever depicted. Or the movies, for that matter. Places were always shortened for the sake of pace. It was one of her favorite things about stories.
Lotus Forest was no different, I guess. And the path was not set in stone, nor would it ever be. A story always shortened the journey. My guess was that it would take us at least a week to get through it. I hoped that we would find our evidence in short time. Alice wasn't going to be so easily helped if we were gone for two weeks.
"Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing!"
"The Cheshire Cat!" I glared at the riddle-maker of Wonderland. "Did you see the Heartless run through here?"
"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers-but doesn't always tell. The answer, the culprit, the cat all lie in darkness. They've already left the forest. I won't tell which exit. There are four pieces of evidence in all. Three are a cinch to find. The fourth is tricky. Big reward if you find them all." He faded away.
"Should we trust him?" Donald asked.
"To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide!"
"We can trust him," I said. "There are four pieces, but their location is our problem."
"How do you know all that?" Sora asked.
"I'm from another dimension," I said. "I think maybe an 'origin', or something like that. Angel was always talking about dimensions. She said literature is what became other dimensions."
"Literature?"
"Yeah, like books, movies, and art."
"So.you know me?"
".sort of. Come on, we're losing time. I'll explain on the way." ***
Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. What do ya'll think? Honestly! I know it sounds rushed, I'm still writing while listening to Dee, you guys. Please don't judge me on cowrite works with me brother. So yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Review!