AN: I know, I know, it's been a millennium since I last updated this fic. But, at least I'm updating, right? Yah, and since I made you guys wait so long, I decided to make this chappie a whopping 9 pages long! Enjoy! I hope to update sooner you guys, and hopefully I can update in DDR elite too!!
Mr. Moogle: aliasfan doesn't own Kingdom Hearts. But she does own all that homework.
Aliasfan: glares at homework
Chapter 17: The Wizard of Trav
"Are you sure you can defeat those Heartless, Sora?" Inez asked as they hurried to the defenseless fairy tale creatures.
"Yes." Sora said. "Just trust us. We all can defeat them. You can too if you try!"
"Are we almost there?" Kairi said, tired from running. Although she raced with her friends all the time at Destiny Islands, she didn't run as much as Riku or Sora.
"It's just beyond this clearing!" Digit exclaimed. They reached the spot where the Heartless were attacking but found that there were none. "What? They were here!"
"Maybe we were too late…" Jackie said sadly.
Riku scanned the area and spotted a brick house (made by one of the pigs). "Hey, maybe they're in there!" Everyone quickly ran to the house and burst through the unlocked door.
"They-they're okay!" Donald said, noticing that all three pigs and Cinderella were sitting at a table drinking milk.
Sora found everything a bit odd. "But how did you guys defeat the Heartless?!"
The little pig that made his house out of wood responded. "Oh, we didn't defeat them. He did!" the pig pointed to the doorway as someone emerged from the kitchen.
"Cookies are ready!" the person said.
Everyone gasped at the sight, and Sora's eyes grew wide. "Mesna?!"
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"So, this is Traverse Town?" Jahu asked, stepping out of the gummi ship.
"Yep." Mickey announced. "It's kind of like Bendugria but more modern."
"This place is crowded!" Tidus said. He, as well as Selphie, had never seen Traverse Town before.
"Garsh, this place has really changed!" Goofy said, staring in wonder. The world was indeed quite different from the last time he was there. People had moved back and the town was now lively, bustling with people.
Selphie was the last one to wake up, and the last to emerge from the ship, too. "Why did we have to come here?! I wanted to see that new world!" she exclaimed.
"You seem a little cranky. Did ya get enough sleep wittle baby?" Tidus joked.
Mickey shook his head and sighed. "Will you two stop it! We came here because of Jahu. She needs to learn to control and use her powers. Plus I wanted to get us new weapons and stock up on items."
"I see…" Selphie said. She apologized to Mickey for going off on him.
"So, we're going to see Merlin?!" Goofy asked excitedly.
'Correct." Mickey said. "But we're closer to the item shop so let's stop there first." The five walked into the small ship, and to Goofy's amazement, all three ducks were still there.
"Huey, Louie, and Dewey! You're still runnin' the shop?!" Goofy exclaimed.
The little ducks came running to greet them. "Yep! Guess we got lucky and ended up here again. But the Heartless aren't attacking this place, so no one has left since the second storm! In fact, people keep on coming!" Huey explained.
"We can tell." Jahu said. "By the way, my name is Jahujehu, but call me Jahu. Oh yah, and I've never seen a talking duck before, only a talking mouse and dog." she said, glancing at Goofy and Mickey.
"Nice to meet you all." the ducklings said after the rest of the group introduced themselves.
"Of course, you all know me!" Mickey smiled as he gave them a hug. "It's good to know you're all okay!"
"You too. So, what can we do for you?" Louie asked.
"We want to upgrade our weapons and stock up." Mickey said. The three ducklings gave the group more than enough supplies for their journey. Goofy traded in his Save the King shield for the Stormer shield. It was blue and black with gray swirls in the middle. Two lightning bolts made up the rim. Mickey's Keyblade was made from the keychain he got in Bendugria. It transformed so that it looked like it was made out of stone. Spikes came out along the hilt and at the top of the blade. The ducklings started searching for weapons for Tidus and Selphie.
"I think I'll stick with my katana." Jahu said, patting her side. "I got in a lot of trouble taking this baby. Xatoxeto loved this one in particular. Plus I fight the best with it."
"Fine then. Huey, did you find anything?" Mickey asked.
Huey emerged from behind the counter with a variety of weapons that Tidus and Selphie could choose from. "This is all we've got." He said, pointing to the pile. There lay the Save the King shield, a Magus staff, two small guns, and a bokuto (wooden sword).
"This is it?" Jahu asked. She was used to the huge stash of weapons that the Barbados used.
Tidus and Selphie stared at each other. "I don't know which one to pick!" Tidus groaned.
"Let's think this through to pick the best weapon for each of you." Mickey explained calmly. "Okay, none of you are wizards who can use magic, so the staff is out of the picture. I'm not sure the bokuto would do any good against the Heartless. I remember Sora telling me that the night his island was swallowed up by the darkness, his wooden sword was ineffective."
"So, all that's left are the guns and the shield, right?" Goofy asked.
"I don't think I could shoot anything. That's just not me. I'm usually nonviolent." Selphie said.
"Yah, nonviolent until you unleash your whip!" Tidus exclaimed. "If only I had my blitzball. Well anyways, I have no problem shooting something, especially if it's trying to kill me."
"I guess it's settled." Dewey said, handing the guns to Tidus and the shield to Selphie.
"Hyuck!" Goofy said. "You're a defender just like me!"
Mickey glanced over at Jahu, who looked restless. "Okay, we're gonna head over to Merlin's now. He's still in the Mystic House, right?"
"Yep." One of the ducklings said. "He still likes to keep a low profile. We're practically the only ones in Traverse Town who know he's there!"
"Right. Thanks for all your help. Nice meeting you!" Jahujehu said. They all exited the Item shop. "Now where is this Mystic House?"
Goofy knew his way around Traverse Town quite well. "Well, we could take the route through the three districts, or we could take the short cut through the secret waterway."
"Secret waterway? Sounds scary!" Selphie said.
"Sounds cool! Let's go!" Tidus said, pushing Goofy to lead the way. They did have to watch to make sure no one was looking as they swam in the murky waters. "Hey, no one said anything about getting wet!"
"Tidus, it's called a WATERway!" Jahu said, laughing.
"Oh, right."
After a short trip through the waters and the small elevator, they soon arrived at Merlin's house. Merlin was home for a change, busying himself with books and spells.
"Let's see, Quidditch today, teach Dark Arts tomorrow…" Merlin mumbled. "Oh! I didn't see you there!"
"Sorry if we scared you. Merlin, it's good to see you. Is this a bad time?" Mickey asked.
"What?! Of course not! You know you're welcome anytime. Ah, I see you've brought some visitors! But where's Donald and Sora?" Merlin asked.
"Oh, we don't know. Hopefully they're okay, but we got separated from them during the second storm." Mickey explained. "So you haven't seen them?"
"Nope." Merlin said. He eyed the new comers, smiling, but when his eyes rested on Jahu, they stopped. "You….so, Ansem was right."
"What?! Ansem's still alive?" Goofy cried.
"No no, I don't know if he's alive. I'm saying he was right in one of his reports." Merlin walked over to a small desk, patting a book that had a picture of Sora and Winnie the Pooh on it. Then he reached to some papers next to them. "This report talks of a girl who will be able to look into people's hearts. She will be able to see them for who they really are, and determine if they are good or bad. He called her…the Mystique Heart. I never thought I'd see the day…"
"Wait a minute." Tidus stepped in. "You mean, you didn't know that we were in the same room with you yet you can see some unknown force?"
"Well, do I look 16? My human senses may get weaker but my wizardry will always grow." Merlin explained. "Anyways, I assume you've come here so that I could help train…er..uh.."
"Jahujehu. Uh, call me Jahu." She said, a little freaked out, especially since she was in some writings by a guy she never heard of. "Who's this Ansem guy?"
"He was the one who unleashed the Heartless on the worlds, breaking down the barriers, and bringing darkness." Mickey said.
"I see. Well, it's good to know the name of an enemy." Jahu said, clenching her hands into fists.
"It's only well if you begin your training as soon as possible. I assume you can't control this power of yours yet, am I correct?" Merlin asked.
"Yah." Jahu said, as Merlin led her down to the training arena, leaving everyone else upstairs. "Wait, aren't they coming too?"
"Well, I suppose they can, but only if they won't distract you. But they will be useful for you to experiment on later." Merlin said.
"I've already used my power on Mickey. He's all checked out and a-ok!" Jahu said.
They took the elevator down one floor, and when the doors opened, everyone except for Merlin was surprised to see many people there. Some were fighting each other, while others were busy levitating things like it took no skill at all.
"Wow! This place really changed since the last time I was here." Goofy said, amazed.
Selphie cocked an eyebrow. "Hey, but didn't those ducks say that barely anyone knew you were here?"
"Ah, you are a smart one aren't you?" Merlin said, grinning. With one swish of his hand, all of the people disappeared. "Just used some of my magic to keep me company!" Tidus, Selphie, Goofy and Mickey all backed away to a little seating area as Merlin led Jahu into the center of the room. "Alright, Jahu, let's get down to business. I want you to block out everything in your mind. Concentrate on only one thing…me. Close your eyes, and take some deep breaths."
Jahu did as he told. She closed her eyes, trying to let go of everything that she was thinking. But she had a lot on her mind. Everything had happened so fast. One minute she was in Bendugria, the next she was in a new world with new friends and a new found power. Jahu was deep in thought. Well, if I'm ever going to master this ability, I have to clear my mind. Now, to focus on this old guy…
Merlin stared back at Jahu. 'I can tell you have a lot on your mind. Do the best you can. Okay, now when I say 'Go', open your eyes and look deep into mine. Say to yourself, 'I will look inside your heart.'" Merlin paused slightly. "Alright, Mystique Heart, show me what you got…go!"
Jahu opened her eyes and stared into the blue eyes looking back at her. I will look inside your heart. Then it happened, Jahu felt a strange tingling feeling inside her. It was different from last time. This time she felt more in control. It didn't hurt as much, especially since she knew what was coming.
Mickey and the gang were all out of their seats, staring intensely at Jahu. "She looks so concentrated." Selphie said.
"Yes, better than when she used her power on me." Mickey responded.
Jahu continued to look at Merlin, then suddenly her eyes went white, as before. "Quidditch today, teach Dark Arts tomorrow…" "Do not be discouraged Huey, the darkness will not overcome the light." "Fairy Godmother, are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?" Jahu heard all of these phrases, all the while light flashed before her. For one split second there was only darkness in her vision, but that was it.
Jahu's eyes suddenly returned to normal. Jahu looked around to find everyone huddled together, eyes fixed intently on her. "Uh…hi?" Jahu murmured.
"What'd you see? What happened? Is Merlin evil?!" Goofy asked all in one breath.
"Evil?! Of course not!" Merlin exclaimed in his defense. "How could you say such a thing?!"
"Appearances can be deceiving." Tidus said, reflecting on Vern. "People aren't alwys who you think they are."
"Anyways, go on Jahujehu." Merlin said.
"Well," Jahu explained, "I heard a couple of phrases that you said, all good. You have a lot of goodness and light in your heart, but I saw a glimmer of darkness."
"There's darkness in everyone's heart, no matter now pure, so as long as there's more light than dark, Merlin checks out okay!" Goofy said, finally settling down in his seat with the others.
Merlin let out a sigh. "Me being evil or not wasn't the point. I just want Jahu to be able to use her power only when she wants to."
"Do I need more practice?" Jahu asked.
"Perhaps. If you can stare into someone's eyes deeply and not look into their hearts, you will be fine." Merlin explained.
"Why not try it out?" Mickey asked.
"Okay, how about on you, Selph?" Jahu asked.
"Uh, sure." Selphie responded. "Selph?"
"Sorry, I just thought it'd be a cool nickname for you!" Jahu said as Selphie walked to the center of the room. Jahu steadied herself and stared deep into Selphie's eyes. I will not look inside your heart, Jahu thought to herself. Jahu winced a little bit, expecting to feel a sudden jolt. But nothing happened. "I…I think my powers aren't working. I'm not feeling anything!"
"Good!" Merlin said, resting a hand on Jahu's shoulder. "Then my work here is done."
"T-that's it?" Jahu asked. Even though she'd just met Merlin, she was already very fond of him.
"That's it." Merlin said. "Now, you best be on your way. You've got your friends to find, plus you don't want your power to go to waster, Mystique Heart."
As they went back up to ground level, Jahu chuckled to herself. "It still feels weird to be called that."