Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is copyrighted Square-Enix. I'm jumping right to the end of Chain of Memories. Do remember that these are all based on MY speculations and of course, original ideas. So don't go yelling at me that my story is wrong, this is a fanfic and should be treated as such. This chapter is still mainly introducing more characters of the story. But don't worry, the pace should pick up from here ;) Italics without quotation marks are thoughts. It should be obvious who is thinking at the time…
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Dream Sequence
Chapter 2
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Traverse Town
Footsteps echoed in the perpetual darkness of the Third District, the owner never really minded the strange phenomenon of the ever-clouded sky. There are some things that cannot be explained after all, like talking animals or upside down castles.
Like his destiny.
With a fire spell he opened up the mahogany door leading to Merlin's cave. As it was, the cave was abandoned – Merlin having disappeared some months ago, 'left to return to where I'm needed'. The cave had significantly changed over the months. The former pool had dried up to cracked mud, the stepping-stones embedded deep inside it. He silently mused how Merlin could travel to the brick house. The only way around was through the waterway, but even that had such a stale smell that even he himself refused to tread. Gathering up energy, he glided over to the front yard of the broken architecture.
"Come in..."
He literally jumped at the familiar voice. Gears turned in his mind as he tried to recall the one whom it belonged to and found none. But he swore he had heard the voice before. Frustrated, he ran into the house as fast as he could.
Only to trip and land on his face.
"Owww…" He comically rubbed his offended nose. Easing the pain took up his concentration until a wet tongue gently lapped his cheek. Waves of familiarity flooded over him again. With a jolt he remembered the familiar voice and swept his eyes over the circular room – only to find a brown dog on its haunches, cheerily panting beside him.
Huh? Was it this dog's voice? He tried to remember again the owner of the voice, but his mind could only get as far as a flash of gold and then nothing. But dogs can't speak, can they? Wait… Goofy can, so why not? Curious, he decided to try his hypothesis. This dog must be a talking dog.
"Umm… Hello…"
Panting noises.
"What are you doing here, doggy?"
Panting noises.
"Err… Were you the one speaking to me?"
More panting noises.
He felt more stupid than he had ever been in his life. Talking to a panting dog no less! It must have been his mind playing tricks on him. The dog couldn't talk, and that's final. With a shrug he arose and circled the room, suddenly remembering his purpose of coming here in the first place. With haste he took out a knife and started digging out a brick block on the far wall. The dog just watched with amused eyes as he peeled them one by one.
Upon inspection, a small alcove was seen behind the wall. Bingo. He groped around the small space until his gloved hand touched a small pouch. With a smile he drew it out and stored it in his pocket. Satisfied that his work is done he returned the blocks to their previous position.
The dog kept his vigil even as he turned to leave. His shoes had just touched the dried moss outside when the familiar voice called again.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
He whipped his head around so fast his neck hurt, but saw no one except the dog.
"What… What was that suppose to mean? Who are you? Show yourself!"
Echo. Echo. Echo. No one could possibly be there. He would have felt it. Seriously freaked out, he turned to run but paused again when he noticed a white envelope between the dog's teeth. His eyes never left the object even as the dog approached his legs and nudged the starched paper at his knee. Is it for me? The dog nodded mutely and resumed his sitting position when the envelope was taken.
"Thanks." I better tell Donald about this. This is a bit too strange.
With one last look to the dog he left. Unknown to him, the dog then vanished behind the brick wall.
Secret Place
To any other person, the musty aroma of the cave would have made the place non-preferable for afternoon walk. But for one girl, this was the place of Memories – even now she could smell the distinct scent of his childish cologne.
Sora…
Kairi wiped the surface of the big stone, frowning at the dust which covered part of the drawings. How long has it been seen she visited the site? How long has it been since she cried her heart out everyday at the happy faces on the stone? She sighed and rested her forehead on the cold surface.
Sora wouldn't want to see me cry again. I have to be strong.
Swallowing a lump of tears, she stood up again. No more tears, she had promised. With one last sorrowful look on the picture, she left – in her mind the sketched images of Sora and Kairi moved forward to complete the ritual. Her feet felt lighter yet leaded with a dawning determination.
But she missed the sight of the glowing Keyhole on the Door.
Hollow Bastion
"Have you got any clues on the whereabouts of the portal?" The silent voice felt deafening in the empty library. Upon the shrug of his blonde colleague he sighed. This wasn't going well. He felt a hand tugged his elbow.
"Ne, Squall. Why are we suddenly searching for a portal?"
"…The Heartless are coming back, Yuffie. Or at least the presence of a new Darkness lingers around the palace."
"But Leon, is it not too early to judge it as so? There has been no strange sighting, or unordinary happenings. Someone must have felt anything aside from you." Another feminine voice let out her opinion.
"Aerith, he is not the only one feeling it. Working with Hades gave me a mean to identify Darkness quite easily. Some evidence has been found. Apparently a few guards had disappeared when in patrol and another one reported that the Heartless machine spewed strange noises and rattles. Also… The underground felt more like a tiger cage. You can feel eyes on you. And Leon here has seen a shadow hiding near The Door." Leon opened his mouth to speak but the door to the library opened to reveal a small old man.
"Sir Leon, there is someone here who wish to see you."
"Who is it, Alfred?" The man known as Alfred stepped aside and promptly the four of them leaped into a cautious stance. Before them stood a most peculiar figure – all dressed in black, yet there is no mistaking the two circular shapes accentuated by his cloak. He walked past Alfred with an aura of nobility that even the man couldn't fail to notice and stopped before the gaping Leon.
"K-King Mickey!" The figure just nodded at him before he pulled down his hood to reveal his face, black eyes swept over the other individuals in the room with kind fire and the promise of good intention. Immediately everyone relaxed, except for Leon. The disbelieving look on his face told all.
"But how did you get here? The world border has been restored… You can't travel from world to world just like that… Besides¾"
"I know you have a lot of questions, but we have a pressing matter that we must attend to." Mickey's voice cut any other speech coming from Leon. "How I got here matters not, but how the Heartless got here does."
Everyone fell silent at once.
Traverse Town
"Sora, what's wrong?" The voice snapped him back from his reverie.
"Huh? I'm fine Donald."
"Uh-uh. And you expect us to believe that?"
"Really Donald, I'm okay."
"But, urh, you've been awfully quiet tonight, Sora."
"I'm okay Goofy, trust me." He scooped a spoonful of beans into his mouth, signifying that he wanted to drop the subject. Donald, as stubborn as ever kept on pressing.
"Look, thank you for taking the pouch for me, but you've changed after you got back. I am not taking any excuse until you tell us what happened!" To make his point across Donald stood and stomp his foot against the chair.
"Donald, calm down, you're making a scene!" Sora tried to keep his voice as quiet as possible.
"I DON'T CARE!" He tapped his duck foot onto the chair. The noise was enough to drive away the customer sitting beside him.
"Donald, please… Don't make a scene here. I'm fine and that's all you need to know." Goofy just watched the banter between his best friends goofily, not completely understanding why Donald was so mad and why Sora was so secretive.
"I am not going down until you tell me what's wrong. And you better tell me quick before I lose my…" "TEMPER!" A hand grabbed Donald's tail and flung him over the swinging door.
"Quaaack!" CRASH!
The poor Duck Mage landed on a heap of trash across the street. The owner of the establishment was stood tall on the door brandishing his knife. The glint on it was enough to make Donald's tail stood on its end.
"If you dare disturb my customers again, you can kiss your feathered skin goodbye, DUCK!" He threw one last menacing glare before returning inside. Donald just spit out some fish bones stuck in his mouth before Goofy came running to him.
"Gawrsh, Donald. Are you okay?"
"Of course I'm NOT okay! I smell worse than Tarzan's apes! Ahh, never mind… Where's Sora?" He futilely dusted away the sticky remnants of organic waste on his clothes.
"He was, er, apologising to the owner. He should be out soon." As if he was a prophet, Sora took that exact time to fly outside as well. He landed just beside Donald, spraying him with more trash.
"Don't you dare go near my establishment anymore! Get lost, brats!" The owner mimicked his own expression against Donald before going inside again. Probably to let out all his steam in the kitchen. Donald turned to Sora, who was trying to rid himself off the smelly garbage. He tapped his foot again, a grin plastered on his face.
"Still think you're fine?"
Sora sighed heavily. His reluctance to tell a trivial matter had been blown out of proportion. "Alright Donald, Goofy… I'll tell you what happened. But mind if we get a bath first? I stink like hell." Donald nodded and then laughed. Goofy just guffawed over the whole thing and followed the two back to the rented room they call 'home'.
Ever since the World Border was returned, the original inhabitants of Traverse Town had returned. The city was now bustling with people all shapes and sizes. The districts grew in size, including the Third District, despite the ever-present black sky. However people preferred to go the First or Second District, and also Fourth – Where the sun shone and entertainments abundant. Only a glimpse of people dared to call the Third District their home, including Sora, Donald and Goofy.
After a nice long bath to soak off the grime, the trio sat around a wooden table. Soft steams wafted from three mugs of hot chocolate in each hand. Sora let his towel drape over his bare chest and began to recite his story…
"…So then I took the envelope from the dog and left. It looks important to me but considering how I got it, it feels… like an omen instead." He shoved the object in question to the table. At once Donald and Goofy jumped at it and gasped.
"It's the King's seal!"
King…? Which king? Sora asked himself silently.
"But how did he send it?"
"It must have been Pluto again!"
Pluto… The name sounds familiar… Was it the dog I met? Sora muttered inwardly.
"But how? He disappeared after we got out of the Castle."
Are we talking about the same castle that I vaguely remember? More question formed in Sora's mind, and yet the associated memories were vague at best, and he found himself involuntarily shaking his head from the clouded vision.
"I don't know…" Donald look dejected as he drop his head. Goofy took the envelope and opened it. Meanwhile, Sora just watched the two of them, in his mind a thousand thoughts swam like little fish in deep oceans.
"Dear Sora, Donald and Goofy…" Donald's eyes comically scan the letter before blinking a few times. Suddenly he dropped the letter. His tall companion took it from the floor to get a turn… And almost copied Donald's reaction, although the letter was still held firmly in his hand.
"What? What is that letter about?" Sora stood up and snatched the paper from Goofy's hand.
"Dear Sora, Donald and Goofy,
I hope that you are well and safe in Traverse Town. I'm sending you this letter again through Pluto, hopefully he's been a good boy to you all. Donald, the Darkness is back in action. Their whereabouts and methods of travel are still unknown, but they are getting near to your world. I want you and Goofy to protect Sora at all cost. If what you said about him is correct, then no doubt the Heartless would make him their first prey. You MUST not let anything happen to him. He is the only Keyblade wielder of that world and we will need him to open the Door. Right now you cannot travel out of Traverse Town, but as soon as you get a mean to do so, do it.
Sora, you are an important person in the Worlds' destiny. Remember who you are. Do not lose faith in your friend. Keep the light in your Heart burning strong.
Goofy, I trust you to be at Sora's side at all times. Remember, this is still a part of your original assignment. Take care, you all. I will contact you again as soon as possible.
Mickey
"Donald, Goofy… What did this… King Mickey meant with 'Keyblade wielder'? And 'Worlds'? What does this letter mean?"
Donald instantly knew that they are on for the biggest journey of all.
To be continued…