End of the Road
They continued to travel the road, and Sora almost always expected Donald to complain every twenty minutes. Sora and Aleisa walked side by side, while Donald and Goofy took a slower pace behind them.
Sora couldn't help but notice Aleisa glancing at him. He tried to break the tension.
"So, Aleisa," he started, "Kairi's your sister?"
She nodded shyly.
"Well, um, how come she doesn't remember where she's from?" He stopped briefly to let Donald and Goofy catch up. "Why didn't she ever tell me that she had a sister?"
"A few years ago, Kingdom Hearts was first opened. That happened about eight years ago."
"That's when Kairi came to the island," Sora interrupted.
"Yes, and that's the same time that the door appeared and she walked through it. People who move to another world quickly forget about where they orginally came from."
"So, she forgot she was from Hollow Bastion?"
"I suppose so."
"So, why haven't you forgotten where you're from?"
She held up a locket. Sora couldn't see it before because it was tucked away in her shirt. She opened it to a picture of Kairi and Hollow Bastion. "It is all I have." She tucked it away. "That's how I remembered Kairi and Beast."
Sora stood in thought for a moment. "I knew three people: Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith who said that they were from Hollow Bastion. Then there was Beast. Do that many people live there?"
"You see, the castle belongs to Beast." She looked down to the ground. "My mother died very early, and I cannot remember my father, so Beast took us in."
"You mean that's not your real home?"
"Well, no, but it's where I've lived all my life, so I consider it a home."
Sora took the time to sit down and rest for the while being. "Man, it feels like we've been here forever."
Donald and Goofy and caught up. "Say, Sora," asked Goofy," how long you think we've been on this road?"
"At least a few days," quacked Donald.
Aleisa blinked. "You're not even close." They all looked to her oddly. "You didn't know? Depending on what world you live in determines how fast time passes. This is a small world, unimportant, so time slows down significantly here."
"So, Miss Smarty Pants," Sora grinned, "how long have we been walking? A year?" He laughed.
"Precisely," she answered calmly.
Sora's, Donald's, and Goofy's jaws all dropped at the same time.
"You can't be serious?" Donald asked.
"It's true. Once you pass through the door, into another world, you'll find that time passes quickly." She looked to Sora. "You are from an island, correct? You world doesn't have much value to it, and it probably felt as if the days dragged on by."
It was true, and Sora couldn't deny it, but a year? They'd been traveling a year?
"So, if time's passing slowly here, then we have daylight longer," said Sora as he stood. "Let's get going." He looked down the road, and hesitated to continue. He saw a figure in the middle of the road about 200 yards away.
"That the door?"
Before he could get an answer, he sprinted down the road. Aleisa, Goofy, and Donald all had difficulty catching up. Within minutes, they had reached the end, all out of breath. Sora looked up to the door.
"We're finally here," he said, panting.
He drew his keyblade from his side, and held it out, but then hesitated. He remembered Aleisa saying that opening the door of one world will pour heartless into the others. He was willing to risk it, though. He would send them all back, and be back with Kairi again. He cared not about the consequences.
He swung his keyblade, and a blue light illuminated from the end of it. A beam flashed into the keyhole, and they heard a click. They all waited at first. The sky had suddenly turned dark. Heartless.
He touched the cold metal of the knob, and turned it slowly, then pressed forward. Aleisa, Goofy, and Donald followed eagerly behind. The door slammed shut behind them when they all walked through.
Sora looked up to the skies. The rain was pouring down, and they were soaked within minutes. The city was dark, and lit only with the building lights. The buildings stood so tall. Much of the ground around him was dirt, and he wanted to avoid stepping in the mud, so he stayed on the line of asphalt. They all bundled together. Yellow, flickering lights glew from the ground. The lights increased. Sora found this all too familiar.
Dark figures rose from the ground. Shadow heartless. They surrounded them, in a circle, and were closing in. Sora held tight to his keyblade, prepared for the worst. Aleisa, frightened, grabbed his arm. Donald and Goofy stood ready for attack with Sora.
They continued to travel the road, and Sora almost always expected Donald to complain every twenty minutes. Sora and Aleisa walked side by side, while Donald and Goofy took a slower pace behind them.
Sora couldn't help but notice Aleisa glancing at him. He tried to break the tension.
"So, Aleisa," he started, "Kairi's your sister?"
She nodded shyly.
"Well, um, how come she doesn't remember where she's from?" He stopped briefly to let Donald and Goofy catch up. "Why didn't she ever tell me that she had a sister?"
"A few years ago, Kingdom Hearts was first opened. That happened about eight years ago."
"That's when Kairi came to the island," Sora interrupted.
"Yes, and that's the same time that the door appeared and she walked through it. People who move to another world quickly forget about where they orginally came from."
"So, she forgot she was from Hollow Bastion?"
"I suppose so."
"So, why haven't you forgotten where you're from?"
She held up a locket. Sora couldn't see it before because it was tucked away in her shirt. She opened it to a picture of Kairi and Hollow Bastion. "It is all I have." She tucked it away. "That's how I remembered Kairi and Beast."
Sora stood in thought for a moment. "I knew three people: Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith who said that they were from Hollow Bastion. Then there was Beast. Do that many people live there?"
"You see, the castle belongs to Beast." She looked down to the ground. "My mother died very early, and I cannot remember my father, so Beast took us in."
"You mean that's not your real home?"
"Well, no, but it's where I've lived all my life, so I consider it a home."
Sora took the time to sit down and rest for the while being. "Man, it feels like we've been here forever."
Donald and Goofy and caught up. "Say, Sora," asked Goofy," how long you think we've been on this road?"
"At least a few days," quacked Donald.
Aleisa blinked. "You're not even close." They all looked to her oddly. "You didn't know? Depending on what world you live in determines how fast time passes. This is a small world, unimportant, so time slows down significantly here."
"So, Miss Smarty Pants," Sora grinned, "how long have we been walking? A year?" He laughed.
"Precisely," she answered calmly.
Sora's, Donald's, and Goofy's jaws all dropped at the same time.
"You can't be serious?" Donald asked.
"It's true. Once you pass through the door, into another world, you'll find that time passes quickly." She looked to Sora. "You are from an island, correct? You world doesn't have much value to it, and it probably felt as if the days dragged on by."
It was true, and Sora couldn't deny it, but a year? They'd been traveling a year?
"So, if time's passing slowly here, then we have daylight longer," said Sora as he stood. "Let's get going." He looked down the road, and hesitated to continue. He saw a figure in the middle of the road about 200 yards away.
"That the door?"
Before he could get an answer, he sprinted down the road. Aleisa, Goofy, and Donald all had difficulty catching up. Within minutes, they had reached the end, all out of breath. Sora looked up to the door.
"We're finally here," he said, panting.
He drew his keyblade from his side, and held it out, but then hesitated. He remembered Aleisa saying that opening the door of one world will pour heartless into the others. He was willing to risk it, though. He would send them all back, and be back with Kairi again. He cared not about the consequences.
He swung his keyblade, and a blue light illuminated from the end of it. A beam flashed into the keyhole, and they heard a click. They all waited at first. The sky had suddenly turned dark. Heartless.
He touched the cold metal of the knob, and turned it slowly, then pressed forward. Aleisa, Goofy, and Donald followed eagerly behind. The door slammed shut behind them when they all walked through.
Sora looked up to the skies. The rain was pouring down, and they were soaked within minutes. The city was dark, and lit only with the building lights. The buildings stood so tall. Much of the ground around him was dirt, and he wanted to avoid stepping in the mud, so he stayed on the line of asphalt. They all bundled together. Yellow, flickering lights glew from the ground. The lights increased. Sora found this all too familiar.
Dark figures rose from the ground. Shadow heartless. They surrounded them, in a circle, and were closing in. Sora held tight to his keyblade, prepared for the worst. Aleisa, frightened, grabbed his arm. Donald and Goofy stood ready for attack with Sora.