Sora's Dream

The party eventually made it to the top of the high cliffs through a series of old stairwells and passage ways. They thus looked out over the horizon. They rested along the Cliffside.

"What do we do now?" Donald asked. "The Leviathan was damaged and it's probably sitting at the bottom of the sea."

"Isn't that obvious?" Mickey replied. "Thank goodness we have spare gummi ships." Mickey deployed another gummi. The classical Kingdom gummi. "A little old fashioned, but it'll do."

"So, our mission was a success." Riku said. "We defeated another shinobi as well as stopped another act of the Dark Empire."

"Too bad we didn't get any techniques from Caesar." Sora uttered. "We would have gained another strength."

"Yeah, that's the one thing that we missed out on."-

It was then that Lu Bu began to walk away from the group.

"Hey, Lu Bu!" Riku shouted. 'Where are you going!"

"I did my part." Lu Bu replied. "I made sure that you didn't die. So I have no reason to be here any further." Lu Bu suddenly turned around. By the way, these are for you and Sora. Lu Bu threw two energy items at the two key bearers. Sora and Riku, when clutching the stones in their hands, they had gained a new power. Sora had achieved the infamous foot stomp, while Riku achieved the powerful musou. "Maybe you can make yourselves useful using those attacks I gave. What Caesar didn't give up, I'll give up in return."

"Why would you give up such powerful attacks for us?" Riku asked.

"I expect you to be a challenge for me when we rematch!" With that, Lu Bu flew into the distance, disappearing into the blue sky.

"Well, there he goes again." Sora said.

"Then, we better get a move on too." Riku replied.

"We won't be going anywhere for a while!" Donald shouted.

"Why's that?"-

"The gummi ship's electrical system is faulty right now! So, I'm gonna try and see what's wrong with it!"-

"But I thought you said you weren't a mechanic, or an electrician!" Sora said.

"But thanks to the mechanics at Traverse Town, I managed to pick up a few basic skills! So, I'm gonna look into the problem and hopefully I can somehow troubleshoot the system to work again!"-

"Well, I hope you know what you're doing." Riku said. He then looked at the others. "Well, we might as well sit down for a while, until we can get that stupid gummi to function properly."

"Aren't there any other spares besides the Kingdom, Donald?" Mickey asked.

"Excuse me, but I didn't know we'd be traveling this much in gummi ships!" Donald replied, angrily. "This is not like before, when we were fighting the Heartless!"

"No use trying to argue about it now!" Riku stated. "We'll just go along with it for now."

Sora decided to rest his weary muscles and rested himself against a tree. He took of his leather jacket and placed it next to him. He then flipped his sheathed sword onto his shoulder. He leaned his head against the bark and closed his eyes. The shade was cool and breezy, allowing the young man to sleep soundly beneath the braches of the tree. It was here that he had that dream. A dream of events that passed and what would be.

It was a beautiful day on DestinyIsland. The usual activity continued to take place there. On the beach, Wakka would twirl his battle ball on his index finger. Selphy would gaze out into the clear blue waters of the ocean, dreaming her little dreams without care. Tidus would be training himself upon the upper pier. His skills excelled like nothing before. And of course, Riku, Kairi, and Sora would be doing things together on the other side of the island. The time saw different though. They were older now and were exposed with thoughts of new worlds and new memories. Their adventures in other worlds may have separated them. But their hearts could be no closer than ever before. There were talks of their adventures amongst the six friends. Each would tell their own story of their adventures. Gathering around a small campfire in the secret place, they would converse about the peril they experienced. But none was greater to them than that first encounter.

One day, when the sun was going down, and everyone was heading home, Sora walked up to Kairi and Riku.

"Well, we'll see you tomorrow." Riku said as he boarded on his boat.

"Another great day, eh Sora?" Kairi added.

"Guys." Sora uttered. "I was wondering. You guys doing anything later tonight?"

"Not that I know of. Why do you ask?"-

"What's on your mind?" Riku asked.

"I just wanted to know." Sora replied. "I was just wondering."

"Well, I don't know. If you want us to come here later tonight, then sure."-

"Will the others be here?" Kairi asked.

"I guess so." Sora said. "Hopefully."

"At what time do you want us?" Riku asked.

"How about around 7:00 at the secret place."-

"We'll be there."-

There was a silence between the three before they went off on their separate ways. However, Sora remained on the island for a little while longer. He walked onto the beach of that quaint little island, letting the sand caress itself around his shoes.

"I must be ready for their return." Sora uttered.

Later that night, around 7:00 p.m. Kairi and Riku returned to the island. They tied their boats and walked onto the path leading to the secret place.

"I wonder if Sora's here yet." Kairi said.

"I don't know." Riku replied. "Let's wait in the secret place if he hasn't arrived yet." But as they entered the main chamber, they noticed a round table placed in the center of the room. And sitting next to is was Sora.

"Hey, Sora!" Riku said. Sora looked around and laid his eyes on his lifelong friends.

"Hey, you guys." Sora replied. "I'm glad that you could make it."

"Where is everyone?"-

"They're not here. It's just the three of us."-

"Well that's no good." Kairi said. "Wouldn't it have been better if all of us were here?"

"The truth is that I only wanted you two to come. The others don't know about our gathering."-

"But why?"-

"I wanted to do something with both you and Riku for a long time. And I can't keep delaying it."-

"What are you talking about, Sora?" Riku asked.

"We've been together for so long." Sora explained. "I wanna make sure that it last a little longer." He took out from under the table a brown, leather sack. Untying the string, he opened the bag and pulled out a large, ripe Paopu. The largest ever found on the island.

"Sora." Kairi uttered.

"We've always been friends, we three. Now I want to see if our destinies will truly be inseparable." He pulled out his pocket knife and cut the Paopu into three separate pieces. Riku and Kairi gathered with Sora around the table. They each took a piece and gazed at it for a second, or two.

"A vow." Sora said.

"A vow?" Riku asked.

"What kind of vow?" Kairi added.

"By this fruit, I vow that our destinies become one. That we shall forever become a part of each other's lives." Sora said, holding his piece of the fruit high above his head. Riku smiled and held his piece up high.

"Then, we pledge our loyalties to the end of our days." Riku added. Kairi smiled as well and held piece up too.

"From this day forward, our destinies will be converged forever." She said. "Only until death do we part." The three then placed the fruit to their mouths and bit into the yellow meat. The taste of the Paopu however was different from how the Paopu was usually described in taste as being bitter and sour, which is the reason why Paopu fruits are seldom plucked from their trees. This Paopu was sweet to the taste and soothing to the tongue.

"That's unusual." Riku said. "Why is the Paopu so sweet?"

"I don't know." Sora replied. "I understand that Paopus are supposed to be more sour than lemons and more bitter than grapefruits. But this tastes so good."

"I think it is part of the legend." Kairi said. "Only when a true vow is made between people, is when the paopu changes its flavor. The intensity of the sweetness depicts the closeness of the relationship. The stronger the bond, the greater the sweetness."

Sora smiled at his two friends who took on another bite from their individual slices. It was then that the door suddenly opened and a wave of darkness consumed the chamber. Sora suddenly felt himself falling through space and darkness. Through his eyes he could see his past and his present. Each event making itself known in a sudden flash of light.

"What is this!" Sora cried. "Where am I! What's going on!" He cried out for his friends amidst the darkness, but there was no reply. He suddenly felt heavy, falling through the darkness of the void. It was then that he saw threatening shapes lurking in the shadows. Then a voice began to speak.

"You will meet a great tragedy in your life." The voice uttered. "Your vow will never be fulfilled. As we speak, a new destiny awaits you. You will be abandoned and you will search. Your strength grows great, but your heart weakens with the impact of its sorrow. Innocent blood will be spilled to linger with the blood of your foes. A link between companion and nemesis." Sora suddenly saw the faces of his companions flash in the darkness. "The challenge you face will not be the end. It will only be the beginning. But it is the nothing that you will not witness. Return to paradise with a great sorrow on you heart. It will be with you, engraved in stone and etched in gold. Your vow will thus be broken, when death comes at your door."

Sora could suddenly see the faces of his foes glaring at him with cold eyes. He then suddenly saw Kairi crying over a shadowed body. Sora didn't recognize the figure she was cradling in her arms. Then there was another flash and Sora suddenly saw Riku fighting a battle. His body was beaten and bloodied, as if he had engaged in an intense battle. Suddenly, Sora saw Riku fighting himself. Another Riku, but different in appearance. This new Riku had bright yellow eyes that glowed like fireflies in the darkness.

It was then, in a final scream, that great red eye began to look at him dead in the face. Sora cried out in terror as skeleton hands reached out for him in the darkness.

Sora suddenly awoke in a cold sweat. He heard the engines of the gummi ship running. Donald had managed to fix the ship. And now, the ship was ready for take off.

"Hey, Sora!" Riku cried. "It's time to get up! Rise and shine!"

"How long was I out?" Sora asked.

"You were out for a good forty-five minutes, or so."-

"It seemed longer than that."-

"I finally got the electrical system to function properly." Donald said. "Now we can head out."

"But before we take off," Mickey stated, "we should look at that info disk that we got from Caesar first."

"Oh yeah." Sora said. He pulled it out of his pocket. "Here you go." Donald took the disk and placed it into the decoder and analyzed the data.

Energy stones lost in the "Rurouni Realm." Master Kahn will be assigned to retrieve these energy stones. They are vital to our upgraded mobile droid and mobile doll systems. These stones, when planted into the main generator, will effect all units of that link. Thus, the combative capabilities will be increased ten fold.

"Those Imperials never give up do they!" Riku said. "If they get their hands on those power stones, they might be able to affect the outcome of this conflict by turning it in their favor!"

"Then, there's no time to lose." Mickey said. "Let's go fellas."

"The 'Rurouni Realm' eh?" Sora uttered. "I wonder what awaits us there?"

"Well, we don't have time to think about it now." Riku said. "We gotta go."

"Wait!" Ico cried. He ran up to Riku and Sora, handing them the rune sword. "Here. You'll need this more than I will. With the shadow queen gone, there's no reason to have this weapon here any further. So, I thought it may come in more useful to you guys."

"Thanks Ico." Sora said. Riku took the sword from the young boy, while Sora placed his hand on his shoulder. "You take care of yourselves alright." Ico nodded.

"Will you ever come back?"-

"Maybe."-

"Stay strong." Riku said, rubbing the kid's hair. He turned to Sora. "Let's go."

"Right." Sora replied. The two boarded the ship along with the others. The rockets roared and the gummi ship inched its way up into the atmosphere. Then, with a sudden gust, the ship dashed at the speed of light into the distance.

Ico stood there, watching as the ship disappeared like a twinkle in the sky. He then turned to Yorda.

"So our ordeal is finally over." Yorda said.

"Yeah." Ico replied.

"Now where do we go?"-

"Let's go back to my village. Perhaps these passed events might enlighten their logic a little bit. Horned boys like me are not sacrificial items. We have hearts and destinies as well." He took Yorda by the hand and they disappeared into the wilderness, heading back to the village and home.

Meanwhile, back in Vandor, General Ameba was complaining again. This time, it was to General Kai.

"I'm telling you!" Ameba bickered. "Where are Sora and Riku now!"

"Don't ask me where their present course is right now because I don't know." Kai replied.

"But those two key bearers are fighting your men!" Ameba said. "Are you trying to tell me that you can't even keep track of your own shinobis?"

"I told them to be where they needed to be. I never gave them a specific time. Besides, I haven't received word from Caesar yet."-

"Have you considered the thought that she has already been defeated!"-

"That's a possibility."-

"Then why don't you check it out to confirm?"-

"I will not have you interfering with the efforts of my men. I know your tactics, General Ameba!"-

"Efforts, Kai! So far, five of your elemental ninjas have failed! That's over 60 of your outfit! Now only two of you remain! You think this is some sort of a game!"-

"You should talk, General Ameba!" Kai said angrily. "You think it's easy! My best men are putting their lives on the line and I can't do anything about it so long as I have been ordered to stay here!"

"So the lives of your best ninjas mean nothing to you!" Ameba replied.

"They live to fight and die for the sake of the Empire! If they die, they die in the line of duty! Nothing more to it!"-

"Listen you! I want to know where Kahn is! If you give me his whereabouts, I could help him fight against Sora and his friends!"-

"I can't let you do that, General Ameba. Unlike the other shinobis, Kahn knows better than to engage in unnecessary battles. His goal is to retrieve those power stones. However, he must avoid getting himself involved in other affairs. If I know Kahn, he'll fulfill his assignment in no time at all. However, if you were to interfere, that would only complicate matters."-

"But we'll only take over that realm sooner, of later! Let me finish the job now by aiding Kahn!"-

"No!"-

By now, Ameba grew angry and grasped Kai by the front of his cloak.

"Listen you! I'll…"-

"I wouldn't press my luck!" Kai warned.

"Don't you dare threaten me, shinobi!"-

"That is enough!" a voice suddenly exploded. The two generals saw Lord Arakis coming towards them. And next to him, the venerable Lord Exavier Crassus, ancestor of Vegeta and lead strategist of the Dark Empire. He and Arakis walked towards the two. "I will not have the Imperial forces fighting amongst themselves."

"This unnecessary action is bad for morality." Crassus added.

"Lord Arakis!" Ameba said. "I demand to be allowed to take out Riku and Sora now!"

"You may do as you please." Arakis replied. "However, General Kai holds seniority over this next assignment and I would thank you not to be so insubordinate and defy his word. He says he wants no interference with the activity commencing in the 'Rurouni Realm.' So it is said, so it will be done. No further argument about it."

"But I am missing a grand opportunity!" Ameba said.

"If you are to capture Riku and Sora, do it with a person who's encountered them in the past. Someone with experience."-

"And where do you suppose I will get that experienced individual to help me? From what I understand, the foes who fought Sora before are either dead, in custody, or have changed their ways entirely!"-

"There is still one I know of roaming about." Arakis explained. "A buccaneer to be precise and I have met with him to strike a bargain. If you meet with him, you can lay out your own agreement."

"Where will I meet this man?"-

"He's taken port at Gombria. Meet him there and arrange your own plans. He has the ability to intercept Sora and is friends, so he'll prove a great value to you."-

"Then I will see this man." Ameba walked away hastily.

"A wise move, my lord." Crassus uttered. "That should keep Ameba out of trouble."

"Right now, I want to make sure that my own plans are carried out successfully." Arakis explained. "I want to see how far Sora and Riku will go for their friend, Kairi."

"So far they have proven successful."-

"But at what cost?" General Kai uttered.

"You will be compensated, general. I assure you."-

"I know Kahn. He'll succeed. But if anything happens to him…"-

"I understand how you feel, General Kai. Especially, since Master Kahn happens to be your best friend."-

"We both grew up in the Vantibria region." Kai explained. "Since we were kids, we were always together. We joined the Imperial forces after the Alliance decided to burn out homes to the ground. Now, for the sake of the Empire and the dream of unification throughout the universe and all dimensions linked, we will continue to battle faithfully for the Empire."

"But what were to happen if Kahn is defeated by Sora and Riku?" Crassus asked.

"If that should happen, then I will no longer remain dormant here! I will attack them and kill them myself. However, I believe there will be no need for revenge. Kahn is equally skilled as I in the dark element. There is no way that he can fail."-

"Very well." Arakis said. He then turned to Crassus. "Now then, Crassus. What is the present situation right now?"

"We are in the process of invading the spirit realm with our new mobile droids." Crassus replied. "His Excellency, Lord Viro is heading there to overlook the progress as we speak. He wishes for you to accompany him."

"Alright, then inform Lord Viro that I shall be with him shortly." Arakis and Crassus began to walk away from Kai. Kai could hear the final words of the Death Lord conversation. "Once we take over spirit world, then the Z team will have no place to run and regroup themselves."

"But what about those warriors of the dead? You know, the ones who guard spirit world?"-

"They'll be easy to take down. Spirits are most vulnerable in their own world. Who says that you can't die twice? Once we kill off the spirits, those souls will no longer exist as if they never were in the first place."-

As Crassus and Arakis went about their business, Kai was left standing, looking out into the now night sky over Vandor.

"Stay alive Kahn." He uttered. "I'm entrusting you to come back victorious."