Inner Confrontation
The Gummi ship was making its way towards Traverse Town. Donald had charted the course and was piloting the gummi ship to its proper coordinates.
"How much longer before we get to Traverse Town?" Goofy asked.
"We'll arrive there in at least fifteen minutes." Donald replied. "Although we would be their sooner if that dag blasted teleportation system didn't fry up!"
"Well, no one would've been able to predict that would happen."-
"Just as long as we get to Traverse Town safely," Riku said, "I have no complaints about it." Riku then turned to Sora, who was humming the tune 'No Place like Home.' "Are you homesick, Sora?"
"You don't know how much." Sora uttered. "I miss my home and my family on Destiny Island. But at the same time, I can't forget about Kairi. She has no one to comfort her. That's why I must stay focused."
"Don't you worry about that, Sora?" Riku said. "We'll find her and we'll rescue her. Then, we can all go home."
"I can't wait."-
Suddenly, the radar picked up something large and foreboding coming towards them.
"A large object is approaching us at a very high speed!" Donald said.
"Can we evade it?" Mickey asked.
But before Donald could give a response, the gummi ship was struck and entangled by what looked like a large net. Suddenly, an electrical surge reverberated through the gummi ship, knocking out everyone on board.
"You guys." Sora uttered before he fell to the floor. His eyes could only see a blur and he eventually closed them.
Sora slowly opened his eyes again, looking about to where he was. What he saw was not the gummi ship, but rather what looked like an old wooden from a Spanish galleon, or a British Man-o-war. He staggered to his feet and looked about. I saw the tall sails and the grand masses over his head. Cannons were lined up on each side of the vessel.
"Where am I?" Sora uttered. He looked about to find no one. He then realized that there was no one about. Not even his friends. "Mickey! Donald! Goofy! Where are you!" Sora suddenly heard a moan from behind him. He turned to see Riku laying there against the front of the ship. "Riku!" Sora ran up to his friend and slapped him in the face a little. "Riku, wake up, wake up."
"What…where am I?" Riku uttered. He gazed up at Sora. "Sora?" He staggered to his feet and gazed about at this eighteenth century style warship. "Where are we?"
"I don't know." Sora replied. "I just woke up and found us here."
"Where are Mickey, Donald, and Goofy?"-
"They're nowhere to be found."-
Riku gazed up and down the old deck and realized where he was.
"This ship looks awfully familiar." Riku uttered.
"It should be!" a voice suddenly shouted out. The two turned to see a familiar face looking down upon them, a face, which both knew very well indeed.
"Captain Hook!" Sora said.
"I see that you remember me, boy." Hook replied. "And I've seen that you're no longer the scurvy little brat that I remember you for. You've grown up into a big scurvy brat!"
"What is it that you want from us?" Riku asked.
"I would say that I have done this to extract my revenge, but in reality, I'm doing it as a paid privateer, you might say."-
"What do you mean paid privateer?"-
Hook stroked the tips of his mustache. A smirk was on his face.
"Would care to make yourself known, Sir?" Hook beckoned. From the upper deck, another familiar face appeared.
"General Ameba…" Sora uttered.
"It's nice to see you two again." Ameba uttered. "I didn't think that you'd come."
"Where…where are Mickey, Donald, and Goofy!"-
"Are the lives of those three so dear to you? More important than some of your old friends? Instead of worrying about them, I would suggest that you worry more about her fate!" Ameba pulled out a hologram disk and revealed to the two key bearers the image of Kairi.
"Kairi!"-
"That's right! While you two are goofing off doing little deeds for people you don't know, this poor young girl slowly decays of neglect. She will eventually diminish from her loneliness."-
"Tell us, where is she!" Riku demanded.
"As if that's any of your business!" Ameba replied. "But I have what I want now! Two keys that will lead to my promotion to lord!"
"Promotion to lord?" Sora asked. "So this is what this is all about! That's the reason why you abducted us."
"Was this Arakis's idea?" Riku asked.
"Not that it's any of your business, but yes." Ameba chuckled. "If I turn both of you in alive, then I will be given the rank of lord. And finally, I will be recognized as I deserve to be." Ameba edged even closer to the railing of the upper deck. "By the way, if I were you, I wouldn't try anything funny. Not unless you find the lives of your other three comrades expendable!"
"You mean you…"-
"Correct, I took the liberty of maintaining a watchful eye on your other three comrades. So if you tried to use any of your skills to escape, all I have to do is press this button on the hologram disk and your friends will be killed by my troops. So stand down!"-
Riku and Sora withdrew their defense.
"That a boy." Ameba said. "You can go and see your friends now!" A trap door suddenly opened and Riku and Sora fell through. Ameba turned to Hook. "Let's get underway already! And make sure to keep those five under lock and key until I ask for them, understand Hook!"
"Of course I do, general sir!" Hook replied. "And we still have our agreement right! I help you and you give me fifty million gorginite for my efforts."
"I always keep my word." Ameba chuckled. With that, the general headed back into the hull.
"Yes, this will be a definite turn for us, Smee!" Hook chuckled.
"We could spend the rest of our days living like kings!" Mr. Smee uttered.
"Yes, and as privateers of the Empire, we need not fear any harassment from any sort of authority!" With those final words, Hook danced for glee back into his cabin with Smee following close behind.
Meanwhile, in the deepest hull, Riku, Sora, and the others were once again reunited.
"No kidding!" Goofy said. "Kairi's real close you said?"
"That's right!" Sora uttered. "And once we find her, we can go home!"
"Then, we all can live in peace!" Riku added.
"Well, then let's get out of here and continue our mission!" Mickey said.
"That sounds great, but first…" Donald uttered as the others still lay on top of him, "HOW ABOUT GETTING OFF!"
"Oops, sorry." Sora uttered. They all got up and looked about.
"Well, this is different." Goofy said. "This room's made of steel."
"That's because it was made to be escape proof." A voice uttered from behind one of the barrels.
"Who's there!" Donald asked.
"It's me." A figure appeared from behind the barrel and was a face that was familiar to Sora.
"Peter Pan?" Sora uttered.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it Sora!" Peter replied.
"What're you doing in here? Don't tell me that you've been captured again."-
"It was thanks to that no good General Ameba! With that stupid net cannon in the front of the ship, they managed to get me all tangled up!"-
"That was probably what hit the Gummi ship." Donald said.
"Well, where's Tinker bell when you need her?" Goofy asked.
"She isn't much help in this situation." Peter said. He pointed to a lantern hanging from the main beam. "She's been captured too."
"You mean you can't get out?" Riku asked.
"That's about the size of it. That door is too thick for me to knock down."-
"I guess that's why they didn't post a guard at the door." Mickey uttered. "They must think that this room is completely secure." Mickey drew out his keyblade. "However, they never really counted on adding the new techniques we learned into their equation." Mickey placed the keyblade in left hand and crouched down, bending his legs slightly.
"I see." Sora uttered. "You're going to use the Gatotsu!"
"What's a Gatotsu?" Peter asked.
"It was an attack that we picked up from the 'Rurouni Realm.'" Riku explained. "Compliments of the Hajime Saito, former leader of the third squad of the Shinsengumi. The Gatotsu is a thrusting technique that virtually nothing can stand against."
Mickey lunged forward and bashed to door with the keyblade. The steel door was knocked off its hinges and fell to the ground. The party emerged out of their prison and Peter freed Tinker Bell.
"Great." Peter said. "Now that we're out, how do you plan to escape?"
"We'll just have to wing it!" Riku said. "Sora, give me a hand with this door."
"Right." Sora replied. The two young men pushed the door back up right and placed the hinges back in their place.
"A little crude, but at least they'll think that we're still in our cell." Riku then opened the door leading to the galley. "Now to escape."
At the same time, Hook sat in his cabin scratching his chin and smoking his double cigar pipe.
"Things have turned out for the best, Smee." Hook chuckled.
"They certainly did, Cap'n." Smee replied.
"And not only will I get a large reward for turning those two young scallywags into the Empire, but I'll also be able to savor my own revenge by finally doing away with that blasted Peter Pan! What do you say we celebrate with a swig of my best rum!"-
"That sounds like a good idea, Cap'n."-
"Go down to the hull and see if you can get it!"-
"Aye, aye Cap'n." Smee opened the trap door just in front of the main entrance and worked his way down.
Smee walked through the hallway to the galley where the rum was stored. But as he did, he heard voices coming from the other room. They were the voices of General Ameba speaking to a Major, who acted as his subordinate.
"Are you sure that it was wise to promise the payment of so much money to a mere pirate?" the Major said. "The Empire wouldn't allow such a price to be paid!"
"You think I don't know that?" Ameba replied. "I will keep my word to Hook and see that he's paid well. However, I don't think he'll live long to wallow in such riches."
"What do you mean?"-
"Hook doesn't know our true intensions, but I intend to shorten his life dramatically. In only a few minutes, our cruiser will be intercepting the Jolly Roger. When that happens, I will have Riku and Sora transferred to the cruiser. Then all of our men will soon follow. Then, when we have departed from the ship, I will dispatch the mobile dolls acquired from the 'Wing Realm' and blow Hook and the rest of those imbeciles from the face of the universe. Problem solved and we return to Vandor where I shall present the two key bearers to the Imperial council. Then Lord Arakis will have no other choice, but to keep his world and promote me to lord. Then, I would have earned my rightful position within the Empire."-
"But what if someone gets suspicious, sir?" The Major implied.
"If someone somehow managed to find out about our plan, then we must make sure to quiet them. Deploy our troops throughout this ship. No one will get passed their vigilant eye."
"Oh dear." Smee said. It was at that moment that he heard footsteps nearing the door. He quickly dashed into the galley just before the door opened and Ameba and the Major stepped out of the room. Ameba then turned.
"Is there something wrong, sir?" the Major asked.
"It's nothing." With that, the two Imperials walked out of the hull.
"Whew, that was close." Smee sighed.
"Well, what do we have here!" a voice said from behind. Smee turned to see Riku and the others standing there.
"I'm so glad to see you." Smee uttered.
"What do you mean you're glad to see us?" Sora asked.
"I just overheard General Ameba talking to one of his officers. They say they plan on destroying this ship and killing everyone, spare the two key bearers."-
"I see." Riku uttered. "Sora and I seem to be the only ones valuable to the Imperials. Ameba intends to turn us in, in exchange for his promotion to lord." He looked at Mr. Smee. "OK, Smee, you will take us to Hook."
"Are you crazy?" Peter asked. "Hook would never believe in a story like that."
"We don't have much of a choice. Lead us to Hook now."-
"Right away." Smee uttered.
The party entered the cabin of Captain Hook.
"Excuse me, Cap'n sir." Smee uttered.
"Oh did you manage to get my best rum?" Hook asked. He turned to see Smee suddenly accompanied by the prisoners. "What! What are these scallywags doing here!"
"No time to talk, Hook." Riku said. "You and this ship, as well as everyone on it, will be destroyed."
"Is that supposed to be a threat?"-
"A warning, we're here to help you Hook, because we don't think anyone should fall victim to the Empire's plot."-
"You should listen to him Cap'n sir." Smee uttered. "I heard the entire conversation from Ameba. He doesn't intend to pay us the fifty million gorginite. He means to kill us before that ever happens."
"You mean that this was all just a plot of General Ameba's?" Hook asked. "Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into?"
"If you help us, we can help you." Sora uttered.
"And how do you propose we do that?"-
"This is what I think we should do." Riku explained. "Gather round, you guys." The party enclosed around Riku and he pointed out the plans of his strategy.
Meanwhile, Ameba and the Major kept a sharp lookout for the cruiser. It wouldn't be long before Ameba's plan went into affect. Within minutes, a large object began to hover not to far away from the ship.
"Sir!" the Major suddenly cried. "Here it comes! The battle cruiser!"
"Excellent." Ameba replied. He turned around to beckon Hook to the deck. "Hook, come out here for a moment if you please!"
Hook emerged from his quarters with Smee standing next to him.
"What is all the commotion about?" Hook asked. "If you would be so kind as to explain."
"It appears that one of our cruisers has intercepted our course." Ameba replied. "Tell my men to bring up Riku and Sora immediately."
"I don't know what this is about, but I'm sure you know what you're doing." Hook turned to Smee. "Smee, retrieve the prisoners if you please!"
"Yes, Sir." Smee replied and descended into the hull of the ship.
"Now if you don't mind explaining…"-
"It's quite simple, Hook." Ameba uttered. "We'll be letting the Empire take over for now."
"We're still in agreement though, right? You would pay me fifty million in exchange for the lives of the two key bearers?"-
"Of course, Hook. I always keep my word."-
Sure enough, Riku and Sora emerged, their hands tied behind them, with Smee and four Imperial troops following close behind.
"You three are dismissed." Smee uttered. "You will stay and guard these two, Soldier."
"Sir." The one soldier said. He edged Riku and Sora on while the other three diminished to mingle with their comrades.
"Well, here they are, Cap'n Hook sir. The two keyblade masters."-
"Excellent work, Smee." Hook implied. "Well, you have the prisoners. How about the money that was promised us?"
"In due time, Hook," Ameba chuckled, "You will receive the money in due time."
"You won't get away with this!" Sora uttered, angrily.
"I already have, boy. And there's nothing you can do about it."-
"This is your last warning!" Riku said. "Let us go, or you and your men will suffer the consequences."
"Ha, that's funny, Riku. You almost sound convincing. But look at the reality of the situation. Your hands are tied, you are unarmed, you don't have your friends to help you, and as far as I can see, you are surrounded by loyal Imperial troops. There is no way in hell that you'll ever be able to escape."-
"That's what you think!" Riku suddenly threw his hands in front of him and slid on the deck. He boosted himself up and kicking upwards, pummeled General Ameba off the deck.
"What in the…?" the Major uttered.
"Now!" Riku shouted.
"Catch, you two!" Hook shouted as he took out both Riku and Sora's blades from beneath his coat. Riku and Sora grabbed their blades and began cutting their way through the horde of attacking Imperials. Hook and Peter joined in the fray, fighting off the Imperial masses a little at a time.
Ameba dragged himself on board again, a look of anger in his eyes.
"Damn those keyblade masters!" he uttered. "They had this planned all along!" He then saw Hook fighting alongside Riku and Sora. "Why are you fighting on their side, Hook?"
"Just to repay you for the lie you gave to me!" Hook replied. "You never intended to pay me in the first place!
"How did you find that out?"-
"Guess you never reckoned on Smee hearing those words coming from your own mouth."-
"Well, it's too late for you now!" Ameba pointed to the cruiser. "They're coming to give us a hand now! So stand down!"
"That won't be necessary!" a voice shouted from the front of the ship. Ameba turned to see one of his Imperial soldiers take off his helmet. Once the soldier's identity was revealed, Ameba realized that the soldier was not a soldier at all, but King Mickey. "Sorry to foil your plans, Ameba, but we can't afford to kick the bucket this point in the game!" Mickey activated the electron cannon and fired an electro-magnetic net at the Imperial cruiser. Within minutes of contact, the net sapped away all power from the cruiser. The cruiser thus hovered in mid-air, not able to maneuver.
"Blast you all!" Ameba roared.
"Heh, don't get all bent out of shape about it!" Riku chuckled. Ameba angered by that further insult rushed against Riku. He pummeled the young man and the two went crashing back into the hull of the ship.
"Riku!" Sora cried.
Ameba and Riku regained their stance. Ameba drew his sword and prepared to fight against the young man.
"You!" Ameba sneered. "You took away my victory!"
"You talk to much!" Riku uttered.
"What was that!" Ameba and Riku went into a violent sword fight, battling each other to the point of death. But despite their extensive battle, neither was able to scathe the other.
"You and your friends will pay for this humiliation!" Ameba shouted.
"It's more than you deserve!" Riku implied. They continued to clash swords. "You were the ones who got yourselves into this! If you and your bosses hadn't decided to provoke us, by snatching away Kairi, then you wouldn't have had all this trouble on your hands in the first place!"
"The Destiny Islands are just part of a backward realm that wasn't even worthy of our attention! The only reason why we decided to invade a middle-of-nowhere hole like that is because we thought it would be fun to see how well you would do and how far you would go for you friends. That's the only reason."-
"You and your comrades have a sick sense of humor. You only do this for you own entertainment, by making sport of people who have no intention of playing. You screwed around with our world and our lives. And for that, you have to pay the price!" The two continued to clash with one another. "But in reality, getting us involved was a big mistake on your part. If it wasn't for you having to get involved in our world's affair, you might have been able to take over all those other realms that you failed to subdue."-
"You and your friends have been nothing, but a thorn in the side of the Empire! For that you will die an agonizing death."-
"But if you kill us, then that would mean there would be no lord promotion for you!"-
"It doesn't matter right now! If there is one thing I know, Riku, it's that my bloodlust always ranks above my own ambition! For what you have done, you and your friends will scream in agony! I will see you gasp and scream in agony! So you will suffer!"-
"Then, come and get me if you can!"-
"You impudent fool!" The two continued to clash with each other beneath the decks of the Jolly Roger.
At the same time as Riku and Ameba were engaging in their terrible confrontation, Sora and the others had managed to subdue many of the Imperial troops. They slashed up and down the ranks, killing the Imperials one at a time. Many were knocked unconscious in the scuffle and posed no real threat. While Sora, Peter Pan, Hook, Goofy, and Mickey were fighting off the Imperials, Donald managed to regain possession of the gummi ship and ignited its rockets. He hovered the gummi ship over the Jolly Roger's wooden decks.
"Hurry!" Donald cried. "Climb on board!"
"But what about me ship?" Hook asked.
"Trust me; you don't want to stay here!" Mickey implied. "You'll be at the mercy of the Imperials if you do!"
"He has a point, you old codfish!" Peter uttered.
"I'm not a codfish!"-
"Codfish, or not, just get onto the gummi ship!" Sora ordered. Peter went away, shoving Hook into the gummi's cockpit. "Goofy! Smee! Let's get going while the getting's good!"
"Right behind ya!" Goofy replied.
"Is that everyone on board!"-
"What about Riku?" Peter asked.
"Riku!" Sora gazed around and saw no sign of Riku; he stepped onto the deck again. "Riku! Riku, where are you!" Sora ran to the passage leading to the lower hull. "Riku! Riku!"
In the midst of their fight. Riku could hear his best friend calling him.
"Sorry Ameba," Riku said, "I can't play anymore!"
"You'll stay and fight me boy!" Ameba lunged at Riku for the last time, but the young man evaded the thrust and with one blow of his sword upon Ameba's saber, cut the general's blade in half.
"Now you have nothing to fight with!" Riku scurried away.
"You won't get away with this!"-
"As you said earlier," Riku quoted, "I already have." Riku smirked. "Soon I will confront Kai and Arakis and I will beat them. And then we will rescue Kairi and be on our way home!"
"Why should you even have a chance when your best friend already had his chance against both of them!"-
"What do you mean both of them!"-
"Oh, you mean Sora never told you!"-
"Tell me what!"-
On the deck, Sora continued to cry out for Riku's name.
"Riku, Riku!" he cried. "Please hurry!"
"Maybe, Riku's in trouble." Goofy said. "We should go in and find him!"
"We better hurry!" Donald shouted. "By the looks of it, those Imperials we managed to knock out won't be unconscious for long!"
"Riku!" Sora cried. "Please hurry!"
It was then that Riku finally did appear from the lower decks. He walked to the gummi ship.
"Riku!" Sora said. "I'm so glad that you're not hurt." But Riku only glanced at Sora and passed by without saying a word. Sora, confused about what just happened, turned to watch Riku pass him, as if giving him the cold shoulder. "Riku?"
"Let's get underway already!" Riku shouted, his voice having an angry tone to it.
"Is something wrong, Riku?" Mickey asked.
"It's nothing!"-
"Come on, Sora!" Peter shouted. "Let's get going!"
Sora nodded and jumped aboard the gummi. The rockets ignited and the ship made its course to Traverse Town.
Meanwhile, General Ameba emerged from the lower decks as well.
"You may have gotten away this time, but next time, you won't be so lucky!" he uttered. "Next time, the rift would have already divided you."
"Sir!" the Major shouted staggering to his feet. "Shall we go after them?"
"And risk a confrontation with the Alliance? I think not! We'll let them go for now!"
It wasn't long before the team made it back to Traverse Town. However, that short period seemed like an eternity for there was a sense of tension within the gummi's cockpit. For the duration of the trip, Riku had remained silent as if something had been bothering him. When Sora would ask if something was wrong, Riku would only look away. This concerned the entire crew, wondering what it was that made Riku so aggravated. The gummi landed safely and Riku was the first out. He didn't bother waiting for his friends. He only went on his way into the town.
"Hey, Riku, wait up!" Sora cried. But Riku continued to walk away. "Riku!"
"Something's wrong with Riku." Peter said. "He's been edgy since we escaped the Imperials."
"Oh, me poor ship!" Hook cried. "I've lost me poor ship to Davy Jones!"
"Don't worry." Mickey said. "We'll make sure that you're properly compensated."
There was a great deal of hustle and bustle in the town now. And Sora and the others were curious of what type of refugees had been recovered. At the gate, Goten and Lu Xun were there to greet the weary party.
"Well, I see that you guys made it back!" Goten shouted, as he approached the party.
"We were starting to wonder if you guys would ever make it back at all." Lu Xun added.
"By the way, what's the matter with Riku? We tried to say hello, but he didn't acknowledge us."-
"We don't know what's wrong with Riku." Mickey explained. "He's been rather up tight since we escaped the Jolly Roger."
"Jolly Roger!" Hook sobbed. The pirate captain burst into tears.
"Oops, sorry about that."-
"What's his problem?" Goten asked.
"He just lost his ship to the Imperials." Peter uttered.
"Well, come on in." Lu Xun implied. "But because of all the refugees we had to take in, we had to move our meeting place to Merlin's house."
"It's not as if the old wizard ever objected to us being there. He said he enjoys the company."-
As the party entered the premises, they set sights on the most shocking thing they ever set their eyes on. Traverse Town had been transformed into a tent city. Hundreds, if not thousands of canvas tents were squeezed so close to each other in neat little rows. The shops and inns had been converted into shelters and hospitals. Every window had a shirt, or trouser drying in the evening breeze. The street lights were lit, illuminating the camp from end to end.
"Look at this." Goofy said. "How sad."
"All these people," Donald implied, "who have been driven out of their homes, their worlds."
"You'd be surprised how many familiar faces we see." Goten said.
"How could someone be so cruel as to cause these people to lose their homes?" Mickey asked.
"That's the Empire for you. They show no mercy and give no shelter to those in need, or are in dire strength."-
The party moved their way into the second district to see even more tents taking up room in the plaza. The shops had been opened and acted as shelters as well. The hotel and the upper levels had been modified to accommodate the refugees.
"Man," Peter uttered, "I've never seen so many people here."
"You think that this is bad," Goten said, "You should see what they did to Pinocchio's house. They transformed that into a hospital."
"Really?" Sora asked. He ran to Pinocchio's home and saw a line of wounded men and women awaiting their turn to be inspected. "How tragic."
"Sora!" a voice shouted. Sora looked to see little Pinocchio, now a real boy, run up to him.
"Pinocchio? Is that really you?"-
"Yep! I'm a real boy now!"-
"And you've grown up so much too. Where's Jiminy?"
"Right here!" another voice cried out. On Pinocchio's shoulder, the little cricket with the top hat and tails jumped up. "It's nice to see you again, Sora."
"Still as open minded and cheerful as always, eh Jiminy." Sora then looked again to their home. "I'm sorry about your house though. Having it transformed into a hospital."
"Aw, it's alright!" Pinocchio chuckled. "I'm glad to know that we're helping people get better."
"Sora, is that you?" a voice utter from behind. Sora turned to see the face of Van Flyheight looking straight at him.
"Van?" Sora asked. "What are you doing here?"
"The Empire retaliated against us a second time." Van explained. "This time they came full force with destroyers and these so called mobile dolls. They had so many of them, we couldn't fight them off."
"I'm sorry. Are any of your friends here?"-
"I don't know. I was the only one to be rescued by the Alliance forces, who managed to intervene and fight off the Empire as best they could. As far as I know, I was the only one who was saved." Van's eyes were filled with tears. He wiped them from his cheeks and made a temporary smile.
"Well, maybe this guy will cheer you up." Sora said, patting Van on the shoulder. He threw out his sword and summoned forth Zeke. Zeke emerged before the company.
"Zeke!" Van cried. The silver organoid growled with delight and nuzzled Van on the cheek. "Thanks, Sora, for taking good care of him."
"You'd be surprised how brave Zeke was when we needed him."-
"Is that true, buddy?" The organoid growled and nodded. Van smiled again. "I am so proud of you!"
But their reunion was short lived as there was sudden screaming heading towards the hospital. Sora gazed to see what all the commotion was about. He suddenly saw three other familiar faces coming towards them. They were the faces of Quatre Raberba Winner, Kenshin Himura, and Athrun Zala. Athrun seemed to have been severely wounded and was being carried on the shoulders of Quatre and Kenshin. They ran into the hospital before Sora could even utter a syllable.
"What are Kenshin, Quatre, and Athrun doing here?" Sora asked.
"Who are those guys?" Van asked.
"Other friends we met in other worlds." Sora ran to the hospital to see the three arguing with the doctors.
"You don't understand!" Kenshin said. "This young man needs help right now!"
"I don't think he'll last long!' Quatre uttered. "He's lost a lot of blood!"
"I'm sorry, but we have others just as severely crippled as this one." The doctor replied. "You'll just have to wait!"
"He may not live long enough though."-
"I told you to wait over there!"-
"Doctor!" Sora shouted. "That won't be necessary. Just let me handle this!" Sora turned to Pinocchio. "Find Goofy and tell him to bring that bag of senzu beans with him."
"Alright."-
"I'll take it from here!"-
"Sora?" Kenshin uttered.
"Is that you?" added Quatre.
"Good to see you guys again." Sora said. "But don't tell me that your worlds fell too."
"We were attacked a second time by the Empire, that we were." Kenshin said.
"Same here." Quatre replied. "They came in full force. We didn't stand a chance against them."
"How did you come across Athrun Zala?" Sora asked.
"Athrun Zala? Is that this guy's name?"-
"Kira…Kira…" Athrun uttered. "Don't leave me…Kira…Don't die…"
"What?" Sora uttered to himself. "Kira? He's dead?"
"He's been rambling like this since we picked him up, that he has." Kenshin implied.
"Athrun! Athrun Zala!" Sora said. Athrun gazed up at Sora.
"Sora…?" he uttered.
"Yes, Sora."-
"Kira…He's dead…he killed him…"-
"Who killed Kira?"-
"That man with…the red eye…" Immediately, Sora's heart began to thump with fear as he remembered gazing upon that single red eye in the darkness of shadows back on Destiny Island.
"So, Athrun also had an encounter with the red eyed man." Quatre said.
"You mean you've seen this guy too?"-
"I have as well, that I did." Kenshin added. "He was in fact the one who attacked us."
"Do you know what he looks like?" Sora asked.
"I couldn't tell. He was moving beyond my own capable speed. I couldn't properly identify him."-
At that moment, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy entered the hospital.
"What's going on?" Donald asked.
"Goofy," Sora said, "I'll need a senzu bean to help Athrun."
"I gotcha!" Goofy replied and handed a bean to Sora. "Have to watch out though. We only have two of these senzu beans left."
"It'll be worth it."-
Goofy handed a senzu bean to Sora and he gave the bean to Athrun. Athrun swallowed it and within seconds, was back on his feet.
"Thanks you guys." Athrun uttered.
"Sora!" Cuchulain shouted, as he entered the hospital. "All of us are to assemble at Merlin's house right away. Sneer has some new plans for us."
"On our way." He turned to Athrun, Kenshin, Van, Pinocchio, Jiminy, and Quatre. "You guys take care of yourselves."
"Is it alright if we tag along too?" Jiminy asked.
"I'd certainly like to know what's going on." Van added.
"I think we all would like to know what it is that the Dark Empire wants." Athrun implied.
"Well, I guess it'll be alright." Sora uttered. "Why not, just follow us to Merlin's house."
The group pushed their way through the crowd, making their way to the third district. Entering through the fire doors, Sora and his companions observed tents set up in the dry areas of the region as well. Merlin's home had remained isolated from the threat of the refugees. There, Merlin, Sneer, Goten, and Lu Xun, the coming of the rest of their allies. Riku had already made it to Merlin's and was now leaning against the wall, his arms folded in front of him.
"It's about time you guys showed up!" Goten shouted as he watched Sora and his friends hop along the moving stones.
"Sorry that we're a little late." Mickey explained.
"Better late than never I suppose." Sneer said. The party assembled within Merlin's house. Sora saw Riku standing there, leaning against the wall.
"Riku, I didn't know you were here already." Sora uttered. But Riku only gave temporary glance. There was some fury and hatred in his eyes, as if he had been severely irritated. "Riku, are you alright?"
"What do you think, Sora!" Riku uttered, angrily. Before Sora could respond, Sneer began to speak aloud.
"Now, let us begin this council. Our first order of business is to discuss how the fight against the Cavendish Shinobis has been."
"Well, we managed to defeat six of them." Sora replied. "One more left to defeat."
"However, by the presence of Athrun Zala, Van Flyheight, Kenshin Himura, and Quatre Raberba Winner," Mickey explained, "it seems that our efforts were in vain."
"I understand the situation." Sneer replied. "In all points made, there was no way for us to see where or when the Empire would strike next."
"But can't Merlin see the future?" Donald asked. "Why can't we use him to predict the initial movements of the Empire?"
"Do you think that if we had that option open to us, we would have used it already?" Sneer implied. "Merlin has tried, but the outcome is somewhat hazy. If not, blank in his mind. The Empire has somehow managed to block out Merlin's abilities."
"The future is uncertain." Merlin uttered. "I do not know where the tide will turn."
"There must be something that we can do." Athrun said. "The Empire took the lives of my closest companions, including my best friend, Kira. All I want now is revenge!"
"I too must avenge the deaths of my friends as well, indeed I must." Kenshin replied. "The Empire cannot continue on its path of destruction."
"I too will fight for the deaths of my friends and the destruction of my world." Van added. "Those bastards took the lives of Fiona, Irvine, Moonbay, even Raven! I can't allow them to go unpunished!"
"If we continue hide from them, then the Empire will take over all worlds." Quatre said. "I've already lost most of my friends. Heero, Trowa, Wu Fei! They all died before my eyes, by the hands of the Empire! That's why I can't let the Empire continue."
"What you four say are just a bunch of empty motives!" a voice suddenly shouted out. From the doorway, the figure of Lord Thundro emerged. He was cloaked completely in black. "You say that you are willing to give up your own lives in order to destroy the Empire's advance. In reality however, none of you are qualified to fight the Imperials head on."
"What do you mean by that?" Van said, angrily. "Who do you think you are anyway!"
"What gives you the right to judge on what we can and can't do!" Athrun added.
"I like your fiery spirits." Thundro implied. "But even sheer determination is not enough to meet the might of the Empire. Not only must you have courage, wisdom, and determination, but you must also have the physical capacity to fight them as well. Tell me, out of the four of you, which one of you have actually fought the Imperials in a one on one fight."
"I did."-
"And whom did you fight against, Athrun Zala!"-
"A General named Marcus Durovano or something like that."-
"General Durovano you say? That man is an utter weakling compared to the top lords of the Empire. Why do you think he only obtains the rank of general?"
"What do you know about this, Mister!" Van said. "I bet you never fought against the Imperials before!"
"On the contrary, I never fought the Imperials. The reason why this is," Thundro unfurled his cloak, revealing the familiar uniform worn by the top officers of the Dark Empire, "is because I am an Imperial!"
"You're an Imperial!" Quatre uttered.
"You bastard!" Athrun shouted. He drew out his melee knife and attacked Thundro, but the former lord only dodged the attack quickly drew his blade. The blade was held to Athrun's throat.
"If I were an enemy, Athrun Zala, you would have already been dead." Thundro said. He released Athrun.
"What are you doing here anyway? If you're an Imperial, what's the use of helping us?"-
"I am a former Imperial lord. I defected from the Empire for my certain reasons. I can tell you this much, Athrun. Imperials are very hard to defeat in a one on one fight."-
"Maybe if you actually tried hard enough, you might see results." Riku harshly stated.
"For crying out loud, Riku," Sora shouted, "What is it with you! All of a sudden you act as if we're aggravating you."
"You wanna know what's aggravating me, Sora. I'll tell you what's aggravating. Being accompanied by incompetence! That's what's aggravating me!"-
"What are you talking about incompetent! No one is incompetent here!"-
"There's only one person that's incompetent here and I'm looking at him!"-
Sora sneered at Riku.
"You take that back, Riku!" Sora demanded.
"Why should I!" Riku replied, harshly. "It's true isn't it!"
"I told you to take it back! What do you mean by biting my head off like that! You know, I do not like your attitude lately!"-
"You aren't worthy to receive my sympathy! I have my reasons!"-
"You bastard!" Sora lunged into Riku and the two slammed into Merlin's pile of books.
"Stop it, you two!" Goten shouted. "That's all we need right now, is a fight!"
"What the hell, Riku!" Sora bellowed. The two friends suddenly turned into rivals, or even enemies, as each delivered a blow each other's gut, face. Riku even pushed Sora into the wall and slugged him in the gut. Sora retaliated and lunged into Riku again. Both boys were rolling about on the floor, grappling with one another. Riku got on top of Sora and began punching him in the face. Sora thrashed his legs upward and forced Riku off. The fight continued as each shoved each other out the door.
"That's enough you two!" Sneer shouted. "Cuchulain, Goten, break those two up!"
Goten and Cuchulain along with Lu Xun, Van, Kenshin, and Athrun, separated the two combatants. Both Riku and Sora emerged with minor bruises.
"You wanna piece of me, boy!" Riku taunted.
"Riku! You…" Sora implied.
"I said that's enough!" Sneer roared. Riku released himself from Goten's grip and straightened his coat.
"That's fine." Riku implied. "I don't wanna waste anymore of my energy on that weakling."
"You're crazy!" Sora protested, but Athrun, Cuchulain, and Lu Xun held on to him. "You're crazy! What did I ever do to you to make you so angry!"
"This could all have ended a long time ago and we could've saved Kairi and gone home by now and rejoin our other friends on Destiny Island! Instead, you decided to strike a bargain with Arakis!" Sora's eyes suddenly grew wide with fear and his aggressiveness died out completely. He could only look at Riku and the anger in his eyes. "Did you think I wasn't gonna find out! You had your one chance to finish this! The one chance to defeat Arakis and end our trek to save Kairi and you blew it, Sora! You had that single opportunity and you let it slip right through your fingers."
"You know about that duel? But how?"-
"General Ameba told me the whole story." Riku visualized that single event when Ameba revealed everything
Under the decks of the Jolly Roger, Riku and Ameba had fought for such an extended period of time, but now Riku had emerged victorious.
"Why should you have a chance when your best friend already had his chance against both of them?" Ameba uttered.
"What do you mean both of them?" Riku asked.
"You mean Sora never told you?"-
"Tell me what!"-
"He and Arakis had a little one on one duel back in the 'Seed Realm.' Unfortunately, Sora did not get the better of the deal."-
"So what! I'm sure that Sora put his entire heart and soul into that fight and didn't stop until he was dead tired"-
"Your friend didn't even dare to continue the fight."-
"You…you're wrong!" Riku shouted. "Sora would never back down from a fight when he knew the goal was crucial."
"Then, you truly don't know your friend as well as you thought you did." Ameba uttered. "He didn't bother finishing that fight! He knew that trying to tackle someone as big as Lord Arakis was out of the question! To my humblest opinion, I think Sora cowering before the mighty Death Lord was a smart move!"
"I don't believe you!"-
"You don't believe me then! Well maybe you'll think twice when you see this!"
From the hologram disk, Ameba played a segment of that fight from the "Seed Realm." What Ameba said was true as Riku as Sora not dare to fight Arakis again. There was no commentary between the two, however, only a silent image. But to Riku, what he saw broke his heart and filled him with a great sense of anger.
"It's true, it's true," Riku uttered to himself, "So he backed off from the fight! He backed off from the fight when he could have finished it there and then!"
"The evidence he gave to me was as clear as day!" Riku said. "I saw you back off from fighting Arakis without a second thought! I can't believe that you would act in such a cowardly manner!"
"You don't understand!" Sora said. "I would've been killed if I had continued!"
"That is no excuse!"-
"I thought that no one else besides Arakis and me knew about it."-
"So that's the reason why you tried to keep it hidden from me! You forget though, Sora, you can't hide anything from me!"-
"I didn't want to tell you because I knew how you would react." Riku only turned his back on Sora. Sora approached his best friend, but because of the stress and the guilt he bore upon himself, Sora only collapsed just a few feet away from Riku. "I could see it in your eyes Riku. You were so full of determination and anger. If I had told you that I fought with Arakis and failed to continue fighting him to the end, you would have never forgiven me!"
"You're right about that! Not only did you back away from a fight that could've ended our strife, but you decided not to tell me until we had suffered enough! And to make matters worse, I have to hear the secret revealed from an enemy!"-
"Riku, I'm sorry." Sora uttered. He tried to stand, but couldn't. His eyes now filled with tears and he looked up at Riku. "Please forgive me."
"You've gone beyond any possible apology. I know now that you're not fit to save Kairi! You've reached your limit, Sora! I will save Kairi myself!" Riku began to walk away and didn't look back.
"Riku!' Sneer shouted. "You must remain here! This attitude of yours is illogical! Sora never meant to hurt you! You're just being impatient and pigheaded!"
"You can say what you want, but the damage is done." Riku replied. "I know now that I can only trust one person and that's me and me alone. From this point on, I strike out on my own. You guys go ahead and stop the Empire from spreading. I know that if I stick with you guys, I'll only be postponing Kairi's rescue and right now her safety is all that matters to me. I'm going straight for the kill."
"But you don't even know where she is." Goten stated. "She could be anywhere. In order for you to find Kairi, you have to defeat Arakis, but in order to defeat him, you have to find him. And in order to find him, you'll have to defeat General Kai! And even then, you don't even know where he is."
"Then, I'll just have to find them on my own! Just sitting hear won't change a thing. I'll only be procrastinating more." Riku walked to the edge of the island. "As of this day forward, Sora, you're on your own."-
"Riku." Sora sobbed.
"Our friendship is over." Riku glided to the other side, leaving Sora and the others standing astonished.
"It's alright, Sora." Goofy uttered, as he kneeled down to comfort Sora. "Riku will come back."
"I can't believe it." Sora sobbed. "Riku hates me now! We've been friends since childhood! Now because of my weakness, I've lost him forever."
"Don't blame yourself, Sora." Mickey added.
"Riku's just being stubborn that's all." Lu Xun added.
"Maybe one of us should go talk to him." Cuchulain said.
"Leave him alone." Thundro implied. "Riku needs to figure this out on his own."
"You mean you'll just let him waltz out of here?" Athrun asked.
"Riku is a stubborn young man and it'll take more than our words of advice to persuade him otherwise. If he wishes to fight Arakis, then let him do it. Mind you, he may not survive long when he does. But if action is the only way that Riku will learn, so be it."-
"How can you say that?" Sora uttered, tears still dripping from his eyes.
"I know this through experience. I was a cold-hearted mercenary once, until I actually had interaction with and befriended an enemy. Only then, did my perspective change, seeing the right, which they held dear to, and the corruption that my own comrades possessed. But when you're completely blind of one side, you always tend to stick to the side you favor."-
"Well, I suggest that we take a ten minute recess." Sneer suggested. "After this last incident, it's left everyone mentally exhausted and uneasy. I suggest ten minutes to rest and then we'll continue with out discussion."
The party diminished for a time, but Cuchulain, desperate to talk some sense into Riku, left Merlin's little island and went in search of their missing comrade.
Riku in the meantime, sat at the loading dock, where the gummi ship was being repaired. He sat on one of the crates and gazed out into the starry night.
"Riku?" a voice uttered. Riku turned to see Cuchulain standing behind him.
"Oh, it's just you, Cuchulain." Riku said.
"You mind if I have a word with you?"-
"What is it?" Cuchulain sat down next to Riku.
"Listen Riku, don't you think you were just a little too hard of Sora?"-
"No I wasn't."-
"He took your reaction really hard, you know. When you left, you should have seen the tears flow from his eyes. Sora was really hurt when you left. And to further the pain, you declared that the friendship between the two of you was over."-
"Which it is. I can't believe that I ever reunited with him those years ago. No, I can't believe I ever befriended him in the first place. In all the years I've known Sora, he's never changed, even to this day. He's still soft, naïve, and carefree as before. I can't take it anymore. He insists on continuously helping others like we have all the time in the world. But doesn't he realize that there's a close friend out there who still waits for us to rescue her." Riku punched his fist into the deck. "I just can't believe Sora's incompetence! He had the fight against Arakis in his hand! That single fight and he blew it!"
"Funny," Cuchulain uttered, "you didn't seem to react in the way you do now, when Sora fought General Kai at Halloween Town and emerged nearly half dead."-
"That was different."-
"In what way?"-
"Sora at least put all his effort into that fight. He didn't give up, even when he was threatened by death. But the fight against Arakis is inexcusable! Sora didn't even bother to continue fighting! He didn't even bother to make an effort!"-
"Perhaps he knew that he had no chance against Arakis."-
"I don't believe that! Sora's fighting skills are excellent. It's just the manner of how he uses them that get on my nerves. That one chance could've ended this trek! Kairi could've been saved by now! No, instead I find that we're still stuck here in Traverse Town!"-
"I'm sure that Sora had his reasons for…"-
"No! I don't want to hear it! And I won't listen to anything that anyone says regarding Sora. You guys might forgive, but I never will." Riku lowered his head and sighed. He turned his head away. "Now, just leave me alone, Cuchulain. Go back and give Sora your support with your words of comfort. You're just wasting your time with me."-
"I understand." Cuchulain excused himself and walked away, leaving Riku alone on the loading dock. However, Riku's solitude did not last long as another presence made its self known. Riku, however, felt this presence and thought it to be another team mate trying to cheer him up.
"I told you before to leave me alone. I have no intention to changing my mind this time about Sora."-
"Now that isn't very nice." A voice uttered. But this voice was not familiar to Riku. Riku instantly turned to see a hooded figure, cloaked in black. He was wearing the old Unknown coat and had it covered with a black cape, with silver shoulder boards. Quickly, Riku stood up to face this figure, his fingers grasping at the handle of his sheathed sword.
"Who are you?"-
"I bring a message from General Kai." The figure uttered. He handed Riku a letter, sealed with the crest of the Empire, the Cross of Conquest. Riku took the letter and opened it. He read the message given. He looked up again to see that the specter had vanished from sight, perhaps mingling in with the crowd of refugees near the gates of Traverse Town. Riku crumpled up the letter and dropped it on the ground. He then gazed at the gummi ship.
"Sir." The mechanic of the Kingdom gummi uttered. "The gummi ship has been refitted with supplies and has been repaired to be as good as new."
"Thank you." Riku uttered. As the mechanic walked away, Riku entered the gummi and closed the airtight doors behind him. "This time, I'm taking matters into my own hands." Riku ignited the engines and departed from Traverse Town on his own, not letting Sora and the others know of his action. On the pier, the crumpled letter remained, only to be picked up by yet another individual.
"So that's where they're headed, eh?" the individual uttered. "Well, maybe this'll work out better for me." The figure waved his hands over the letter and made it as good as new. "Now to make the delivery."
Meanwhile, the ten minute recess had ended and the party once again assembled.
"How is everyone feeling now?" Sneer asked.
"I think we're feeling a little bit better." Goten said.
"That's good." Then Sneer realized that amongst them, Sora was nowhere to be found. "Where's Sora at?"
"He went to the back alley of the Second district." Mickey implied. "He was still feeling a little down, so he told me that he was gonna stay away for a while, until he's recovered from his loss."
"Well, it is his right. He was in fact the one who Riku's anger descended upon. It's best that he be left alone."-
"I hope that he'll be alright." Van implied. "Will this event affect him emotionally?"
"It's up to Sora to see whether, or not he will get over this." Thundro implied. "But he can't allow himself to wallow in a state of self pity, so people would feel sorry for him."
"Thundro's right." Athrun agreed. "Sora can't allow his own guilt to weigh upon him. He has to overcome it on his own."
"A fat chance of that happening!" A voice suddenly blurted out. The group turned to see another dark figure hanging in the doorway of Merlin's house. This figure however, was not the same figure as the one who confronted Riku, but rather the one who repaired the crumpled declaration of General Kai. "A message for you."
The figure handed the letter over to the group, still hiding the identity of the face in the shadows. Thundro took the letter and opened it and read it aloud.
Key bearers,
I can no longer remain idol as you continue to eliminate our efforts to try and expand the Empire. These events cannot go unpunished. It has been burdening me since the start. Not only have you defeated all six of my best men, but you also happened to kill my closest and best friend, Kahn. My dearest companion since we were children, his death by your hands, in such a barbaric fashion, has left an imprint in my mind. And it is an imprint that will haunt me until the day I take your lives. Only then, will I be able to satisfy myself. Your lives will be taken as atonement for the crime against Kahn. From this moment on, I will not allow you to have your way. This has now become a personal issue between you and I. For the sake of Kahn, I will see you dead. Meet me at the Coliseum within the next twelve hours. Only then, will we settle the score.
General Kai
"So, General Kai is behind this is he?" Sneer said.
"It seems that he has an old score to settle with Riku and Sora." Thundro added. "Then it is best that the two reply and finish this. They will fight General Kai and defeat him."
"However, if they do defeat Kai," Goten implied, "wouldn't you be promoting for the death of your former pupil?"
"If Kai is defeated, that'll only prove that he is amongst the weak. Not only in strength, but in motivation as well." He turned to where the figure stood. "Were you assigned to give this to us?" But the figure had disappeared from sight.
"Uh…where did he go?" Goofy asked.
The party scoured the area, looking for the figure who delivered the message. But there was no sign of the messenger anywhere.
"He's gone." Mickey said.
"What do you mean he's gone?" Donald added. "How could you lose track of someone that large?"
"It makes no difference trying to go after him now." Sneer said. "Right now, you have to find Sora and Riku and tell them. It's up to those two to make the call."
"Well, I know where Riku is." Cuchulain said. "I'll go get him."
"We'll, get Sora." Mickey added. "We know he's wandering somewhere about in the back alley."
"Then get those two back here then." Sneer ordered. With that, the party separated to retrieve the two key bearers. Unfortunately, it was too late for any of them to realize that Riku had already left.
Sora sat against the wall, isolated from everyone. Hustle and bustle was coming from the balconies of the hotel. Sora had curled himself up in a ball and wept silently.
"Riku…" he uttered. "I'm so sorry for what I've done. It's all my fault. It's all my fault." Sora tucked his head on his knees. He then saw a shadow hover over him. He looked up to see a familiar face looking at him.
"S…Sojiro?" he uttered.
"Yep, it's me." Sojiro replied.
"You look different."-
"You think so? It's just the clothing they gave me." Sojiro was dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans. He wore a flowing white trench coat with black neck and wrist collars, and pocket covers. His sword was tucked under a white belt. Sojiro still had that same smile on his face, but he realized that Sora had recently been crying. "Are you OK, Sora? You look like you've been crying."
"I have." Sora uttered. "Riku's no longer with us. He left us, he left the group."
"But why?" Sojiro sat next to Sora.
"It's because of what I've done. I let Riku down again, so I'm to blame. I didn't finish a fight."-
"Is that all? I'm sure you had your reasons."-
"I did, but Riku never heard those reasons. He was so full of anger, I couldn't say anything. It's because I'm weak!"-
"It has nothing to do with you being weak, Sora." Sojiro placed hand on Sora's shoulder. "I know your type and you would never do anything that might jeopardize the lives of your friends. The reason why is because you have that same look in your eye like Mr. Himura does." Sora only lowered his head again.
"I'm just weak. If I were more like Riku and just focus on our own objective, then all this might never have occurred."-
"But being weak isn't bad. I have only learned that recently. I remember Mr. Shishio saying 'If you're strong you live, if you're weak you die.' However, the battles that took place against Kahn made me realize that even the strongest men, no matter how invincible they think they are, always have a weakness, whether they are small, or large. A man is just a man and he can never be anything more than that. That's what you, Riku, Mr. Himura, and all the others told me. But as a man, true strength doesn't lay within his own abilities, but in what he uses those abilities for. That is why I've joined the Alliance as an independent fighter, so I can save the weak and the helpless from tyrants who would try to deprive them of their happiness. How much you are loved by others is the real objective. Even if there is only one person that cares, then that in itself is a great achievement."-
"I guess you're right, Sojiro. I won't let this single incident ruin the lifelong friendship that Riku and I forged when we were kids. It's too strong to be broken that easily."-
"That's the spirit, Sora."-
Just then, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy came running towards the two.
"Sojiro, is that you?" Mickey asked.
"You look good, kid." Goofy added.
"A slick lady's man, eh?" Donald chuckled.
"Anyway," Mickey turned to Sora, "Sora, we just received word from General Kai."
"Yeah, he sent a message."-
"What did it say?" Sora asked.
"He wishes you to challenge him in a final battle." Mickey continued. "He wants to fight both you and Riku in a duel to the death."
"Where at?"-
"At the Coliseum." Goofy said.
"Why the Coliseum?"-
"We don't know," Donald said, "but we can tell you this much. He wants to end your lives for the death of Kahn."
"So he wants to take revenge for Kahn, eh?" Sora stood up and clutched his fists. "Then let it end here! I will defeat Kai and come closer to saving Kairi! Then maybe Riku will forgive me!"
"That's the Sora we know and love!" Goofy said.
"Let's get going!"-
"Yeah!"-
"Then, I wish you guys the best of luck." Sojiro uttered and began to walk away.
"Where are you going, Sojiro?"-
"I still have people who need some assistance. I'll still be around here though." He placed his hand on Sora's shoulder. "I wish you all the best of luck." Sojiro smiled at the group and returned to tend to the needy refugees in the second district. Sora turned to his fellows.
"Well, let's be on our way then."-
"Alright." Mickey said and the four went off back to Merlin's house.
However, as they returned, no one had reassembled there yet. Only Merlin and Sneer were there, both drinking a cup of tea.
"Glad to see you decided to join us again." Sneer said.
"I just came to realize that there are greater matters to attend to than just my own needs." Sora said. Sneer only smiled with those narrow Froggy lips of his and took another sip of his tea. Sora then turned to Merlin. "Merlin, I found this in the 'Ico Realm.' Can you tell me what it is?" Sora took from his pocket the thunder stone he had found after the fight against Madam Caesar.
"Well, this is rather interesting." Merlin said as Sora handed the stone to him. He examined it closer and closer and realized what it was. "Why this is a summoning stone."
"A summoning stone? Like before?"-
"Yes. Give me a moment and I'll see if I can free this poor individual." He placed it on the table and waved his wand over it. "Now how did Fairy Godmother say it? Oh yes, Bibboty Bobboty Boo!" Waving his wand, Merlin unleashed a pintsized creature from the stone. There, from the light, a short yellow, mouse like creature, with a volt shaped tail, sat upon the table.
"Pikachu." It uttered.
"Hey, he's cute." Sora uttered. "What is he?"
"Do you have a name little one?" Merlin asked.
"Pikachu." It said again.
"That is a Pikachu." Thundro uttered from the doorway. "A remnant of what is left of the 'Pokemon Realm.' He may have been the only survivor."
"What special ability does a Pikachu have?" Sora asked.
"It's able to accumulate strong electrical surges. Very powerful electrical surges that even pass the electricity of the Thundaga spell. I would suggest keep him as a trusted ally."-
"Would you like that?" Sora asked the yellow mouse.
"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded. Merlin patted the Pikachu on the head and gave it a biscuit to eat. Pikachu gladly sat on the table top and munched away.
Suddenly, from the doorway, Cuchulain appeared, tired and out of breath. Van, Athrun, and the others were close behind him, gathering around the doorway.
"Cuchulain," Sneer said, "what's wrong."
"We have a problem." Cuchulain said. "We have a big problem!"
"Well don't leave us in suspense, young man. Tell us what's going on!"-
"It's about Riku!"-
"Riku?" Sora turned. "What about Riku!"
"He's hijacked the gummi ship!"-
"WHAT!" everyone said, shocked at what they had heard.
"What do you mean Riku hijacked the gummi ship!" Donald asked.
"As in he took it and flew away with it!" Cuchulain explained. "Apparently, He caught wind of the declaration before we did and took off on his own. That's what the mechanic, who saw him leave, said."
"Then that means Riku's planning on handling the whole situation on his own." Sneer said.
"Oh no, Riku!" Sora cried. "We have to leave now! Riku may need our help!"
"After what he said to you," Van said, "you're still gonna help him!"
"Riku and I may not always see eye to eye and we may get into fights once in a while, but I know this much! I will always be there for him no matter what! That is the vow that I made to him when we finally returned home from confronting the Heartless and the Unknowns those three years earlier. He was there before Kairi, before Namine, before Tidus and Wakka and Selphie! He's my best friend and I will be there for him always!" Sora rushed to the moving stepping stones.
"STOP!" Sneer shouted.
"I won't! I have a friend that needs me!"-
"Then tell me how you plan on fighting them without a weapon?"-
Sora looked down at his belt and realized that his sword wasn't at his side. He remembered then that he left his sword on the gummi. But now the gummi was gone and so was his sword.
"Oh no." Sora said. "I left me sword on the gummi."
"That's alright then."-
"What do you mean that's alright?"-
"Because there has been something I've been meaning to give you." Sneer called for Merlin and Merlin came out with a mahogany box. "Perhaps this will feel more to your liking." Merlin opened the box to reveal something, which Sora could not resist staring in aw at. In the box was a keyblade.
"It's a keyblade." Sora uttered.
"This is the upgraded version of the keyblade, which we have dubbed 'Aungla Noria.' Meaning 'The way of light.' Forged by the five mystic smiths of the Alliance, they have made it to be virtually invincible. To top it off, we have also asked several of your former allies to assist you once again. They come in the form of summon spells. Genie, Mushu, Dumbo, Bambi, Simba, and Tinker Bell. That is if she ever DECIDES TO SHOW UP!" Suddenly, there was a jingling sound like bells. From the distance, the group saw Tinker Bell coming along with Peter Pan.
"Sorry we're a little late." Peter said. "We had to accommodate ourselves to a tent. I can't believe Hook, Smee and I are sharing the same tent. It's like the odd couple, or something like that." Peter rubbed the back of his head. "Anyway, Tink here is ready, willing, and able to help out."
"That's excellent." Sneer said. "I'm glad that she decided to reconsider." He turned to Sora again. "Now you have a larger arsenal of summon spells."
"That's right." Van shouted. "You ready to help Sora out again, buddy?"
Zeke roared and vanished as a beam of light into the keyblade. Tinker Bell did the same thing and absorbed herself into the keyblade.
"Just one more then." Mickey said. They watched as Pikachu made his way to the scene. Merlin placed down the keyblade and Pikachu absorbed himself into the workings of the Keyblade. Merlin again picked up the box and then handed it Sora. Sora pulled out the blade. Consisting of silver and gold, it was so elaborately designed. On its handle, the symbol of the Alliance was forged.
"Use this blade to your discretion." Sneer said. "It is yours now."
"Thank you so very much." Sora uttered. "It's so beautiful." Sora diminished the keyblade into his being.
"If you could also give this to Riku when you see him," Sneer asked Merlin to bring in a second box, "I will be most grateful." Merlin opened the box to reveal a second keyblade. "This one we have dubbed 'Ginroio Noria.' The Way of Justice. I think it best that you both use these twin keyblades. They will be an absolute essential in the fight against the Empire." Merlin handed to box to Sora. Sneer then turned to Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. "Now, don't go thinking that I forgot about your three. I too have a little something for each of you too." Athrun, Quatre, and Kenshin emerged from the doorway and presented boxes before the three of them. The boxes were opened to reveal their own unique weapons.
"Gawrsh," Goofy uttered, "are these for us?"
"That is correct." The three friends picked out their new weapons from out of the boxes. "Each has greater strength than that of even your present weapons. At least ten times greater. These weapons should be a match against the Empire. Mickey, I give you 'Garion Concorte Noria,' The Way of his Lordship. This keyblade equals to both Sora's and Riku's new keyblades. For Donald, I give you 'Evernios Glukon,' the Master's Staff. Capable of accumulating devastating spells at a wide range. And for you Goofy, I bestow upon you 'Elgoron Aungla Nocht,' the Grand Defender of Peace. This shield excels in high defense and attack. Use these weapons proudly and they will carry you to victory. Now go and defeat the last of the Cavendish Shinobis."
Sora, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy bowed in respect and started their continuation.
"Wait a minute!" Donald suddenly said. "We don't even have a gummi ship!"
"That's right." Goofy added. "We have no way of getting there."
"Wait a minute." Mickey said. "What about the other gummies? The ones that are compact? We can still use those, right?'
"That would work if I hadn't foolishly left them on board the Kingdom." Donald replied.
"Oh boy, that's not good then." Mickey said.
"What'll we do now?" Sora asked.
"Sneer, do you think that you can help us?"-
"That, I can't do anything about. I just provided you with weapons, not transportation." Sneer implied.
"Hey wait a minute." Pinocchio uttered from behind the group. "I have something." He pulled out a spare gummi from his pocket. "I got this years ago and have kept it ever since. I thought there might be a case where you'd be stuck here, so I held on to this for safe keeping."
"Great work." Donald said as Pinocchio handed it to him. "Let's see if we can get this worked on, so we'll be in great shape for our trip."
"Good idea." Mickey said. The four said their good byes to their friends and went on their way to the pier.
"Good luck my friends." Sneer said. "You'll need it."
The KH group made their way to pier when Sora suddenly heard Cuchulain calling out to him.
"Hey, Sora," he cried, "wait up."
"You guy's go ahead." Sora said. "I'll catch up."
"Whatever you say." Donald implied and the three kept going, leaving Sora to meet with Cuchulain.
"What do you want, Cuchulain?"-
"I forgot to give this to you." Cuchulain pulled out a leather neck collar with a silver buckle.
"What is it?"-
"It's something that I call 'the Rage Collar.' You may need it in this upcoming fight with Kai."-
"What does it do?"-
"You put this collar around your neck and it'll allow you to summon the rage."-
"Really?"-
"Really."-
"Thanks Cuchulain." Sora began to strap the collar around his throat.
"There's just one warning I have to give you, Sora."-
"What's that?"-
"Don't depend too much on the Rage's power. If you let the rage consume you completely, there's no guarantee that you'll be the same lovable Sora as you are now. Remember to analyze your enemy first before deciding to use the rage."-
"I understand." Sora said. "Thank you." He held out his hand.
"You're entirely welcome." Cuchulain shook Sora's hand tightly. "Now get out there and kill some Imps for us."
"Right." Sora waved and ran off to join the others. Cuchulain turned and returned to helping guard Traverse Town from any Imperial attack.
