Sora calmly looked out the Centigrade's windows while Rikku and Brother
argued again. Auron was somewhere below deck, practicing with his
katakana. Goofy asked if Auron always liked to be on his own, which Sora
verified.
"So Goofy, you're an expert at Al Bhed?" Sora asked, still looking out the window. Goofy looked up from the shield he was polishing at smiled at Sora.
"Ah yup! Ask me anythin' Sora!" he offered. Sora turned from the window and rested his cheek on his hand and thought for a moment.
"How about....friend...?" he asked.
"Aw, that's an easy one vneaht!" Goofy laughed. Sora managed a laugh and shook his head. Goofy looked over Sora for a moment. "Aw, don't be so serious vneaht. After we find Donald, we get to go to your island first! Ain't it great?" Goofy asked. Sora's smile faded a bit.
Back to Besaid? Back to Riku and Kairi...together? Sora shook his head mentally. How could he face that? It was hard enough as a foggy thought, but if he was confronted with the actual thing...
"Awww don't pout kiynteyh!" Rikku said cheerily, hugging Sora from behind and giving him a tight squeeze. Sora felt his face redden, then redden more and Brother laughed at his face. Rikku rested her chin on Sora's shoulder, and Sora could smell a faint aroma of desert flower perfume Rikku had used earlier. She said something that Sora didn't hear, then tickled his sides as revenge. Sora laughed out loud and glared at Rikku, who had jumped away from him. "You should laugh more. I like your laugh." She said, with a sensitive smile. Sora blushed again and rubbed the back of his head.
---
Donald swam around in a relatively small lake, deep in thought. He rarely allowed himself to rest, mostly because of the attacks against him, and this swim was a welcomed break.
As much as he despised the fighting, Donald couldn't have wished for a more beautiful world to be trapped on. The trees in the forest were a frosty blue, with the older trees tipped with white at the tops. Here was a mysterious path that appeared now and then in different parts of the forest, but never seemed to lead to the same place twice and usually led to fiends that tested Donald's magical strength. Because of this, Donald was nearly five times stronger then he was when he, Goofy and Sora had defeated Ansem.
Donald sighed and went underwater.
Sora. Goofy. It had been too long...even the beauty and mystery of Macalania wasn't enough to erase them from his mind, or heart.
---
"Well, where do you think Doland..."
"Donald"
"Right! Donald, would end up? Except for Sora, all of the pieces of our world seemed to grab everyone and hold them close, so I think he's nearby." Rikku suggested, leaning over a globe that showed the worlds, reconstructed as one. Sora had spent an entire day gaping over the 3-D globe, mystified that his world was so large.
"Well..." he said, scratching the back of his head and watching the globe revolve. "What about that forest where some Al Bhed reported seeing a blue and white creature wandering around? Should we check there first?" he asked. Rikku looked at Brother.
"Fro ycg sa? Oui hajan lyna ypuid so ubeheuh yhofyoc!" he snapped, looking out the cockpit. Rikku sighed.
"Brother, if we didn't care about your opinion, I wouldn't ask!" Rikku said wearily. Sora noted that Rikku seemed to fuss over the happiness of the crew in general more over the past few weeks than she did for herself. He wondered what their arguments were about, but always decided not to ask. He knew Goofy understood, but he knew once he asked Rikku or let it slip that he knew, then he may get Goofy in trouble or offend her by not asking.
Brother's yelling brought Sora back to the real world from his musings. Sora looked at the two Al Bhed, completely confused, then at Goofy who was pretending to polish his shield. Auron was bent over the globe, staring into it deeply. Sora wondered at what he was looking for, for the slightest of seconds, then his attention went to Rikku, who left the room, tears streaming down her face. Sora got up and followed her.
"Brother, steer us towards Macalania Woods." Auron ordered. "I trust you know the fastest way to get there." He said. Brother beamed a bit at this recognition and sat in the pilot's seat, steering sharply to the right. Auron felt himself slide slightly, but he stood straight, then looked at Goofy. Goofy grinned back.
"So...yer name is Auron, huh? I'm Goofy!" Goofy extended a hand, that Auron shook, but Auron said nothing. Goofy took this in stride and began to talk about how he met Sora, and his stay with the Al Bhed. He quiet seemed to scare Goofy, but Auron said nothing.
--
"Rikku? Rikku, what's wrong?" Sora asked, walking down the short flight of steps into Rikku's cabin. Rikku turned to look at Sora, then turned away, blushing.
"Nothing, it's nothing you should worry about." She said, trying to keep her voice light and upbeat. Sora, who had spent 5 years in misery, saw right through this and sat next to the depressed Al Bhed.
"Don't worry Rikku, you can tell me." He said, comfortingly. Rikku smiled up at him through her tears, then rested her head on his shoulder. Sora stared down at her, a bit confused, but was glad she had stopped crying.
"You've been looking better." She said, running her fingers up and down his forearm. They were silent for a moment, and Sora found his eyes wandering. He turned away, blushing. "It's been hard, hasn't it? Living every day, not knowing if you were going to be killed and powerless to do anything about it." Sora didn't remember her moving, but Rikku was closer now and removing his black vest. Sora looked at her oddly, but she smiled and began rubbing his back.
"You know, I came down here to comfort you..." he faltered. Rikku looked down and blushed, then jumped off the bed with Sora's vest on.
"How do I look?" she asked flipping her hair and drastically changing the mood and subject. Sora smiled.
"Fabulous." He said, then walked to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Rikku stopped tossing her hair and found herself looking deeply into Sora's eyes. "Rikku..."
"He hates me!" she wailed, burying her face into Sora's chest. Sora was stunned for a moment, but he held her close, for support, while she cried. "He says if it weren't for me being on the team, he wouldn't have to baby- sit me and he calls me useless and that I just take up room!" she sobbed.
Sora looked down at her, a bit surprised. For years, he was told the same: he was useless, slow, stupid, a waste of space and air. He considered for a moment, that the reason she was crying and the reason he never did, was because his life was at stake about how he handled his emotions, and hearing it from a blood relative were two severely opposite things.
"Rikku, I know if I tell you to ignore him, you'll say it's too hard...but I want you to promise me that you won't take the things he says to you to heart." He said, cradling her face in his hands. Rikku looked up at Sora, then nodded. Sora wiped the tears with his thumbs, and smiled down at her. Rikku managed a watery chuckle.
"We will be landing soon. Brother has found a warp hole."
Sora jumped, hearing Auron's voice. Rikku squeaked and jumped backwards into the wall of her room.
"Sir Auron! Didn't anyone teach you to knock?" she asked, wagging a finger at him. Auron turned slightly, sized Sora up for a moment, then headed back to the cabin. He was gone for a moment when Rikku asked, "Should we go now?" Sora nodded and walked up the stairs. Rikku ran up behind him , then kissed him on the cheek. Sora nearly fell, trying to turn in the small staircase to look at her. She giggled and shoved him upstairs.
"We'll be arriving in Macalania Woods in feefty minutes!" Brother bellowed, making odd hand/arm movements. Sora looked Brother over, then nodded. Brother's tongue seemed to be harsh at times, but then again, he barely knew a handful of Al Bhed words.
Rikku pulled Sora over to where Goofy continued to tell Auron about their adventures, then sat down to listen. She looked up at Sora, and patted the ground next to her. Sora smiled and sat down.
--
"What the---uwaaaaaaah!" Donald yelled, as the crystalline path disappeared under his webbed feet. He heard a distant roaring, but it was barely heard over his loud cursing. The combined noise scared out some of the weaker fiends, but a Blue Element and an Evil Eye appeared.
--
Sora nearly fell out of the Centigrade, amazed at the beauty around him. The blue trees seemed to reach up endlessly, but the tips were white, making some of the 'sky' look like stars. He wondered how Brother was able to find a clear spot to land. Goofy asked Brother, and Brother simply said 'that's what I'm here for!'. Sora looked over at Rikku, who was looking away from Brother.
"Come on! I bet'cha Donald is somewheres around here!" Sora yelled, grabbing Rikku's hand and running off.
"Hey! Wait until we make groups! You stupid getc!" Brother yelled. Goofy simply jogged after the two, and Auron slowly followed. Brother sighed, and resentfully stayed with the ship.
-- "Firaga!" yelled Donald, pointing at the Blue Element. At the same time, he was struck with a blinding attack by the Evil Eye. "Uwa-wa-wa-wa-wa- wa!" he yelled, slapping his eyes, trying to see again.
"Gravira! Thundaga!" Donald turned, hearing someone yell a Gravity and Thunder spell, but his eyesight still hasn't returned.
"Is this him?" a female voice asked. Apparently, someone nodded or made another affirmation gesture, because Donald heard nothing. "Doland, it's great to meet you! I've heard all about you!" the female said, shaking his wing, er, hand.
"His name is Donald." Said a male voice. Donald barely recognized it, but then a third joined in.
"Gawrsh! It's been forever Donald!" Donald yelled out, being suddenly lifted in the air and squeezed.
"I've been blinded you dope! That stupid fiend made me blind!" Donald yelled out frantically. The girl giggled, and she said something to Goofy. Donald was let down, then a cold liquid was dropped into his eyes. "Hey!" he yelled, then started quacking in anger, until his vision began to come back. A familiar face began to form before him... "SORA!" he yelled, rushing to his old, young friend.
---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\--- //\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---
Read my other fics? Go to for updates and why your favorite has been neglected ^_^
"So Goofy, you're an expert at Al Bhed?" Sora asked, still looking out the window. Goofy looked up from the shield he was polishing at smiled at Sora.
"Ah yup! Ask me anythin' Sora!" he offered. Sora turned from the window and rested his cheek on his hand and thought for a moment.
"How about....friend...?" he asked.
"Aw, that's an easy one vneaht!" Goofy laughed. Sora managed a laugh and shook his head. Goofy looked over Sora for a moment. "Aw, don't be so serious vneaht. After we find Donald, we get to go to your island first! Ain't it great?" Goofy asked. Sora's smile faded a bit.
Back to Besaid? Back to Riku and Kairi...together? Sora shook his head mentally. How could he face that? It was hard enough as a foggy thought, but if he was confronted with the actual thing...
"Awww don't pout kiynteyh!" Rikku said cheerily, hugging Sora from behind and giving him a tight squeeze. Sora felt his face redden, then redden more and Brother laughed at his face. Rikku rested her chin on Sora's shoulder, and Sora could smell a faint aroma of desert flower perfume Rikku had used earlier. She said something that Sora didn't hear, then tickled his sides as revenge. Sora laughed out loud and glared at Rikku, who had jumped away from him. "You should laugh more. I like your laugh." She said, with a sensitive smile. Sora blushed again and rubbed the back of his head.
---
Donald swam around in a relatively small lake, deep in thought. He rarely allowed himself to rest, mostly because of the attacks against him, and this swim was a welcomed break.
As much as he despised the fighting, Donald couldn't have wished for a more beautiful world to be trapped on. The trees in the forest were a frosty blue, with the older trees tipped with white at the tops. Here was a mysterious path that appeared now and then in different parts of the forest, but never seemed to lead to the same place twice and usually led to fiends that tested Donald's magical strength. Because of this, Donald was nearly five times stronger then he was when he, Goofy and Sora had defeated Ansem.
Donald sighed and went underwater.
Sora. Goofy. It had been too long...even the beauty and mystery of Macalania wasn't enough to erase them from his mind, or heart.
---
"Well, where do you think Doland..."
"Donald"
"Right! Donald, would end up? Except for Sora, all of the pieces of our world seemed to grab everyone and hold them close, so I think he's nearby." Rikku suggested, leaning over a globe that showed the worlds, reconstructed as one. Sora had spent an entire day gaping over the 3-D globe, mystified that his world was so large.
"Well..." he said, scratching the back of his head and watching the globe revolve. "What about that forest where some Al Bhed reported seeing a blue and white creature wandering around? Should we check there first?" he asked. Rikku looked at Brother.
"Fro ycg sa? Oui hajan lyna ypuid so ubeheuh yhofyoc!" he snapped, looking out the cockpit. Rikku sighed.
"Brother, if we didn't care about your opinion, I wouldn't ask!" Rikku said wearily. Sora noted that Rikku seemed to fuss over the happiness of the crew in general more over the past few weeks than she did for herself. He wondered what their arguments were about, but always decided not to ask. He knew Goofy understood, but he knew once he asked Rikku or let it slip that he knew, then he may get Goofy in trouble or offend her by not asking.
Brother's yelling brought Sora back to the real world from his musings. Sora looked at the two Al Bhed, completely confused, then at Goofy who was pretending to polish his shield. Auron was bent over the globe, staring into it deeply. Sora wondered at what he was looking for, for the slightest of seconds, then his attention went to Rikku, who left the room, tears streaming down her face. Sora got up and followed her.
"Brother, steer us towards Macalania Woods." Auron ordered. "I trust you know the fastest way to get there." He said. Brother beamed a bit at this recognition and sat in the pilot's seat, steering sharply to the right. Auron felt himself slide slightly, but he stood straight, then looked at Goofy. Goofy grinned back.
"So...yer name is Auron, huh? I'm Goofy!" Goofy extended a hand, that Auron shook, but Auron said nothing. Goofy took this in stride and began to talk about how he met Sora, and his stay with the Al Bhed. He quiet seemed to scare Goofy, but Auron said nothing.
--
"Rikku? Rikku, what's wrong?" Sora asked, walking down the short flight of steps into Rikku's cabin. Rikku turned to look at Sora, then turned away, blushing.
"Nothing, it's nothing you should worry about." She said, trying to keep her voice light and upbeat. Sora, who had spent 5 years in misery, saw right through this and sat next to the depressed Al Bhed.
"Don't worry Rikku, you can tell me." He said, comfortingly. Rikku smiled up at him through her tears, then rested her head on his shoulder. Sora stared down at her, a bit confused, but was glad she had stopped crying.
"You've been looking better." She said, running her fingers up and down his forearm. They were silent for a moment, and Sora found his eyes wandering. He turned away, blushing. "It's been hard, hasn't it? Living every day, not knowing if you were going to be killed and powerless to do anything about it." Sora didn't remember her moving, but Rikku was closer now and removing his black vest. Sora looked at her oddly, but she smiled and began rubbing his back.
"You know, I came down here to comfort you..." he faltered. Rikku looked down and blushed, then jumped off the bed with Sora's vest on.
"How do I look?" she asked flipping her hair and drastically changing the mood and subject. Sora smiled.
"Fabulous." He said, then walked to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Rikku stopped tossing her hair and found herself looking deeply into Sora's eyes. "Rikku..."
"He hates me!" she wailed, burying her face into Sora's chest. Sora was stunned for a moment, but he held her close, for support, while she cried. "He says if it weren't for me being on the team, he wouldn't have to baby- sit me and he calls me useless and that I just take up room!" she sobbed.
Sora looked down at her, a bit surprised. For years, he was told the same: he was useless, slow, stupid, a waste of space and air. He considered for a moment, that the reason she was crying and the reason he never did, was because his life was at stake about how he handled his emotions, and hearing it from a blood relative were two severely opposite things.
"Rikku, I know if I tell you to ignore him, you'll say it's too hard...but I want you to promise me that you won't take the things he says to you to heart." He said, cradling her face in his hands. Rikku looked up at Sora, then nodded. Sora wiped the tears with his thumbs, and smiled down at her. Rikku managed a watery chuckle.
"We will be landing soon. Brother has found a warp hole."
Sora jumped, hearing Auron's voice. Rikku squeaked and jumped backwards into the wall of her room.
"Sir Auron! Didn't anyone teach you to knock?" she asked, wagging a finger at him. Auron turned slightly, sized Sora up for a moment, then headed back to the cabin. He was gone for a moment when Rikku asked, "Should we go now?" Sora nodded and walked up the stairs. Rikku ran up behind him , then kissed him on the cheek. Sora nearly fell, trying to turn in the small staircase to look at her. She giggled and shoved him upstairs.
"We'll be arriving in Macalania Woods in feefty minutes!" Brother bellowed, making odd hand/arm movements. Sora looked Brother over, then nodded. Brother's tongue seemed to be harsh at times, but then again, he barely knew a handful of Al Bhed words.
Rikku pulled Sora over to where Goofy continued to tell Auron about their adventures, then sat down to listen. She looked up at Sora, and patted the ground next to her. Sora smiled and sat down.
--
"What the---uwaaaaaaah!" Donald yelled, as the crystalline path disappeared under his webbed feet. He heard a distant roaring, but it was barely heard over his loud cursing. The combined noise scared out some of the weaker fiends, but a Blue Element and an Evil Eye appeared.
--
Sora nearly fell out of the Centigrade, amazed at the beauty around him. The blue trees seemed to reach up endlessly, but the tips were white, making some of the 'sky' look like stars. He wondered how Brother was able to find a clear spot to land. Goofy asked Brother, and Brother simply said 'that's what I'm here for!'. Sora looked over at Rikku, who was looking away from Brother.
"Come on! I bet'cha Donald is somewheres around here!" Sora yelled, grabbing Rikku's hand and running off.
"Hey! Wait until we make groups! You stupid getc!" Brother yelled. Goofy simply jogged after the two, and Auron slowly followed. Brother sighed, and resentfully stayed with the ship.
-- "Firaga!" yelled Donald, pointing at the Blue Element. At the same time, he was struck with a blinding attack by the Evil Eye. "Uwa-wa-wa-wa-wa- wa!" he yelled, slapping his eyes, trying to see again.
"Gravira! Thundaga!" Donald turned, hearing someone yell a Gravity and Thunder spell, but his eyesight still hasn't returned.
"Is this him?" a female voice asked. Apparently, someone nodded or made another affirmation gesture, because Donald heard nothing. "Doland, it's great to meet you! I've heard all about you!" the female said, shaking his wing, er, hand.
"His name is Donald." Said a male voice. Donald barely recognized it, but then a third joined in.
"Gawrsh! It's been forever Donald!" Donald yelled out, being suddenly lifted in the air and squeezed.
"I've been blinded you dope! That stupid fiend made me blind!" Donald yelled out frantically. The girl giggled, and she said something to Goofy. Donald was let down, then a cold liquid was dropped into his eyes. "Hey!" he yelled, then started quacking in anger, until his vision began to come back. A familiar face began to form before him... "SORA!" he yelled, rushing to his old, young friend.
---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\--- //\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---//\\---
Read my other fics? Go to for updates and why your favorite has been neglected ^_^