AN: Hello everyone!! I thought I'd have to update when I got back from school, but guess what? My computer was fixed. So now we have VirusScan on our computer and I got Microsoft Word. I'm so glad that I'm able to update. I'll try to update more in this, but I have to update in DDR elite first before I write another chappie for this. Ah, it's Christmas break! I wish it could go on forever. –sigh- But it can't, and I know I'll have to go back to school soon. I used to love school, but now I can't stand it. I can't wait till the summer! I applied to two colleges and got accepted to one of them so far. I want to go to the other one more, so pray for me that I'll get in. It'll be great to go to a whole new school next year, but I know I'm gonna miss high school, so I might as well make the best of it now. Anyways, school won't be out for a while, so I don't know why I'm rambling on about this. And I'm sure you want to start reading!
Mr. Moogle: KH: Chain of Memories is such a fun game! If you haven't bought it, I highly recommend it. It's so exciting, but I won't spoil anything for you. Aliasfan still doesn't own Kingdom Hearts. Same old, same old. Anyways, here's a nice 9 page chappie for you all!!
Chapter 19: The Second Reunion
"So, what're we going to do know?" Riku asked. Cyberchase's keyhole was sealed, and Hacker and the Heartless were nowhere to be seen.
"Well, we're gonna follow Mesna's lead. He's the only one who knows where to find the door to the light." Sora said. Everyone was outside of their ships in Solaria. They had gone there just to make sure that the problems they had earlier were gone.
"Yes, we gotta get out of here. It's too hot!" Kairi exclaimed, fanning herself, which actually made her less cooled off.
"Soon we'll be able to go back home, to Destiny Islands! I can't wait!" Sora said happily.
"We couldn't do it without you, Mesna!"
Evelsone gave a sly grin. "Yes, of course."
Donald spoke up, responding to Sora's exclamation. "Oh, so you want to leave me yet again?!"
"No, no! But I'd like to see my home again, and Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka!" he gave Donald a playful punch. "You know I'm gonna miss you! But hey, for all we know, Selphie and Wakka could still be Heartless, right Kairi?" Sora asked, trying to remember what she had told him.
"Yep. I was with Selphie and Tidus, but only Tidus transformed back to human. He did have to be hurt though, just like Vern when she turned back." Kairi explained. She got up and hid under the wing of the ship, trying to acquire as much shade as possible. Jackie and Digit followed.
"You're right." Donald said. "I'm gonna miss you all too. But I can't wait to see Goofy, that big palooka!' Donald laughed. Throughout this whole journey, Donald had reminisced about Goofy. Even though he could be annoying at times, Donald really did miss him.
"What about me?' a different voice spoke up. It was Vern. "I mean, the first time when Ansem was destroyed I ended up on Destiny Islands for some reason. But this time, we're sealing this final door for good. No more Heartless, no more traveling to other worlds. Do you think I'll go back to Disney Castle, or somewhere else?" As much as Vern loved the castle and all her friends there, she really wanted to live on Destiny Islands. She especially wanted to be able to see Tidus again. She had hurt him by kissing Sora that sunny day in the tournament, and she never got a chance to explain everything to him. She prayed that she would get the chance to.
"I don't know what will happen. We'll just have to see." Evelsone said. He shifted his eyes back and forth. "We need to get a move on." You're getting impatient. Good, because so am I. I can't wait any longer! Lead them to the door to darkness, now!
Jackie and Digit came from under the ship as Inez and Matt emerged from a portal sent by Motherboard. "All the other worlds in Cyberchase seem just fine." Matt said.
"Hey, do you guys wanna check out 'Our Fair City'? It's a really fun amusement park world. It's so cool! And of course, this amusement park doesn't cheat on games, hence the name Our Fair City." Inez explained.
"I wish we could." Sora said truthfully, getting up from leaning on the gummi ship. "But we need to be on our way. Our work here is done, so we must move on. That's just the way it goes."
Jackie frowned. "We're gonna miss you! Will we ever see you again?" They gave each and every one of their new friends hugs. Of course, the guy hugs again took 3.78 seconds (this one's for you Selphie Louise).
"If everything goes as planned, no." Donald said.
"You never know. Maybe we will get to see each other sometime." Riku said, giving the kids some hope.
I think not, Evelsone thought. Once we reach the door to darkness there's no way you'll come out alive!
Suddenly, a swirling portal emerged. Next to the portal popped up Motherboard. "Jackie, Matt, Inez, there are some newcomers here. Some of them are your kind-human. I'm not sure what they want, but I'm teleporting them to you now." The portal glowed and beamed, then finally the group Mother B was talking about appeared.
Sora's eyes grew wide. "Selphie?! Tidus?! Is it really you?!"
The two ran up to Sora. "Yes, it's us!" they yelled in unison.
"Y-you're not a Heartless, Selphie?" Kairi asked. "How did you defeat the Firebird?!"
"Long story. Let's just say we both got a little wet." Selphie gave Kairi another hug.
"What happened to you?! All we know is that you were taken."
Kairi laughed. "Again, long story. Basically, the Heartless took me, I got traded for this guy" Kairi pointed to Evelsone, "But he escaped, and well, here we are."
Sora and Riku were talking to Tidus. "So, you had to get the huge gash across your chest in order to change back?" they asked. Tidus nodded.
"Umm…hi." the three guys turned around to see Vern standing there. I feel like such an idiot. Tidus will never forgive me. He probably doesn't even want to talk to me, Vern thought to herself. "Tidus, it's, uh, good to see you."
Tidus was stunned to see Vern there. He wasn't expecting to see her. In fact, he had practically pushed her completely out of his mind that he had almost forgotten what she looked like. "Uh, yah." he said. Then he turned around and continued talking to Sora and Riku.
A sudden wind blew hard. Vern's hair was in her way so she pushed it back, along with her tears. "Tidus, I really need to talk to you."
Tidus stopped talking but didn't turn around to face Vern. "We can talk later. Right now I have to talk to my real friends."
Vern knew it was no use trying anymore at that time. "Guess I'm stuck with the girls." she said, walking over to Selphie and Kairi.
Selphie looked up as she saw Vern coming over to her. "Hey Vern! Whoa." she suddenly stopped.
"What?" Vern said, glancing around her to look for a problem.
"What happened to your face? Wait a minute, is that what the Heartless did to you?" Selphie asked. Vern nodded her head. "It's okay. We all got stuck with physical damages. Well, I drowned, that's how I turned back to my old self. But I'm glad I didn't stay like I was when I drowned, otherwise, you'd be talking to a very blue and pruny Selphie!"
"Selphie!" Tidus said, running up to her. "Why haven't the others arrived yet?" As if on cue, the portal was suddenly activated, swirling in a mass of colors and equations. "I think they're coming!" In a flash, the travelers were revealed. Standing there was a dog, a mouse, and a seventeen-year-old girl. This time, someone else's eyes grew wide.
Evelsone shook his head in disbelief. "It can't be…Jahu?!"
Jahu stepped out of the portal, the flash of light fading as the swirling colors dissipated. Jahu looked up upon hearing her name. Her heart began to beat fast, but she slowly walked up to her friend. "M-mesna?" Her eyes began to get watery. She tried to hold back her tears, but they spilled down her face. "I've…found you…."
Evelsone wiped away Jahu's tears. "You…you have…found me…" He hugged Jahu tightly, not wanting to let go. "After all this time of searching…" Evelsone? Evelsone? This is not you. This is the old you. The old you loved Jahu. The old you didn't want power. That was your weaker self. You are not Mesna anymore, remember? Now you are Evelsone. You don't need anyone now that you are stronger. You can't waste your time on these people. We must carry out the plan, and if you develop feelings for anyone, it'll only get in the way. You don't want to become weaker do you?
Evelsone thought to himself, responding to Ansem. What? I know the old me was weak. I don't want to be weak, I want to be strong. The old me loved Jahu…and the new me still loves her. I had almost forgotten about her in my heart. But now that I can see her beautiful face and hear her voice, I don't want to let that go. Evelsone stepped back and looked at Jahu. I don't and I won't…
Evelsone could feel Ansem's anger burning inside him as he spoke. Listen to me Evelsone!! You DO and you WILL!!!!! This girl is nothing but trouble. She will only ruin our plans. The mystique heart…
Jahu could sense something was wrong with Evelsone. "Mesna, is something wrong? You seem…troubled."
Evelsone's head was hanging low, and he looked up. Evelsone, you tell me that you want to be strong but you also want to love this girl. I tell you that you cannot have both. Loving this girl will only make you weak. If true power is what you seek, then no love can be in your heart. Every single nook and cranny of your heart needs to be filled with darkness. Not even a hint of light! But, if you'd rather be weak… "I'm fine. I…just still can't believe you're here. I mean, how long has it been since I've seen you? Months?"
Jahu hugged Evelsone again. "It seems like an eternity."
"Sorry to interrupt," Sora said, "But we should leave soon. Mesna knows where the final Door to the Light is, and he was going to take us there!"
Jahu's eyes lit up. "Really? You mean all of this can be over soon? We can go back to the way things used to be?!"
Sora smiled. "Yep, very soon! We just need to get there. Then King Mickey, Riku, and I can seal the door."
Goofy lowered his head. "Garsh, that means we'll all have to say goodbye again. I don't like goodbyes…"
"Cheer up Goofy!" Kairi said, giggling. "We've barely said our hellos!"
"Let's get out of Solaria and fast, this heat is killing me!" Tidus said, fanning himself. Everyone agreed that their skin was getting just a little too sun burned. Amazingly, everyone was able to fit on the gummi ship. Donald and Mickey were experts at driving the gummi ship, so they jumped into the cockpit. Goofy, Riku, Kairi, and Selphie all decided to hit the hay after a long day. They paired up and slept in the double beds (guy with guy and girl with girl). Everyone else, which included Sora, Tidus, Vern, Jahu, and Evelsone, sat in the main room.
Donald quacked loudly from the cockpit. "Hey, Mesna! Where are we supposed to be going? You're the only one who knows."
That's it…lead them to the door to darkness. They'll never suspect a thing… Evelsone responded to Ansem, now able to reply silently. Ansem, I really don't know where the door is. You'll have to tell me. Ansem told Evelsone where they needed to go first, then Evelsone repeated it back to Donald and King Mickey. "Well, it's kind of a long way from here. You don't really need me right now. Just keep going straight until you get to the Blue Meteora. Once you get there, take a right. I'll tell you where to go next from there. Just call me, I'll be in the main room." Evelsone walked back to where Jahu was, but slowly. Ansem…you're right. Love will only get in my way. After all, I don't even know if she loves me back…so why bother trying, right?
Ansem replied. Right. I'm glad you made that decision. It's the best one you can make. Now, if you don't screw anything up, our plan will work perfectly.
Sora met Evelsone on his way back to the main room. "Hey Mesna, did you tell Jahu you love her?"
"Uh…no." Evelsone said. Great, now he's on my case again. I should have never told him my feelings for her back in Hawaii. Now I hafta make something up. "I…don't think I'm going to. I'm scared to tell her, and she might not even like me. She probably just sees me as her friend and nothing else."
Sora shook his head. "How do you know that? Remember what I told you about me and Kairi? We were both too shy to say anything. I was afraid she was in love with Riku, but once I told her how I felt, everything was right. I know she might not feel the same way about you as you do for her, but you've got to try! You told me you would, and now you're choking up."
"I just don't want to, okay?!!" Evelsone yelled, brushing past Sora. He ran past the main room into the storage room, as Jahu gave a distressed look on her face. "Why can't they leave me alone?" They will leave you alone…once they're dead, Evelsone.
That's true, Ansem. But, will everyone on this ship die from the Heartless attack?
Yes. Except you of course. You will only grow stronger from their demise. And once the three keyblade wielders are destroyed, nothing will stop you from taking over the whole universe!!
But…Jahu too?
Boy, don't you toy with me. Those feelings are still there, aren't they?
No, they're not! I've made sure of it. I still feel bad though…
Don't. Don't feel bad.
Evelsone thought for a bit. I don't know…Helooked around the small room he was confined in. There were some blankets, tools, gummi blocks, potions, and some food. Evelsone finally realized he was hungry when his stomach grumbled. He hadn't eaten the cookies he made back in Happily Ever After. He searched in the dark until he came upon a small package. It was wrapped tightly and had a tiny bow on it. There was a little card attached to it.
It read: You'll know what it's for.
"Strange…" Evelsone said out loud. Curious as to what delectable food was in store for him, he ripped open the package. There lay a paopu fruit, still ripe and sweet smelling. "Hmmm…the card was right. Wait a minute…if I share the paopu fruit with Jahu, then our destinies will become intertwined. So she can't be destroyed in the end with the others if she's meant to be with me!" Evelsone, what are you thinking? Stop this at once! Just because you share a paopu fruit with her doesn't mean she'll survive the attack. You can't do this!!
Evelsone grinned. Oh yah, just try and stop me.
-Knock knock-
Oh great, Sora's coming back to get on my case again. "Who is it?"
"It's Jahu, can I come in?"
Jahu…perfect… "Sure!" Evelsone quickly placed the paopu fruit in his pocket as Jahu entered the small room.
Jahu sat down and Evelsone shifted positions. It was now kinda cramped in the room. "I'm sorry if you wanted to be alone, but I got worried about you. I knew Sora got up and then all of a sudden you burst through the room and locked yourself in the storage room. I don't know what Sora said but-"
"No, you're fine. I know you just want to make sure I'm okay." Evelsone said.
"I just can't wait. You're the one who's going to save us from all this. Finally we can be together on Bendugria again. Everything will be like old times…"
Evelsone, I demand you stop this inst- Evelsone blocked out Ansem's voice as he listened to his friend. "Jahu, do you want everything to be like old times?" Evelsone's heart beat faster and faster. Wait, am I going to tell her? I don't know…I don't want her to make me weak but…
"What do you mean? I want all the worlds to be in peace. I don't want the Heartless terrorizing our lives anymore. And…I don't want to be separated from you again. You're my friend, Mesna, and it scared me to think I'd never see you again."
Evelsone was happy to hear those words, yet sad because she said he was her friend. He still wanted to be more than that. "Jahu…I…I want to give you something."
Jahu brushed back some hair that had fallen in her face. "Really? What is it?"
"This." Evelsone pulled the fruit out of this pocket. "I found it just now…and…I was wondering if you…if you would share it with…me."
Evelsone closed his eyes, expecting to hear Jahu decline his offer. But he opened his eyes when he felt Jahu embracing him. She let go, smiling at him. "I'd love to."
"R-really? I mean, I thought you'd say n-no…because…"
"Because what? Mesna, I want to be your friend forever. This way, I'll know we will."
There's that word again. Well, even if we do stay just friends, at least she'll be alive. Evelsone smiled weakly. He broke the paopu fruit in two, holding the other half out for Jahu. She placed her hand on his, grabbing the piece. "Jahu?"
Jahu giggled, looking down at the fruit. "Yes?"
"Thank you for doing this with me. You don't know how much it means to me."
"You're welcome. Um…after we eat it this, I have something very important to tell you." Jahu's eyes now looked deep in thought.
Evelsone was taken back by that. "Y-you do?" Is she really going to tell me that…she loves me?
A faint screaming could be heard from out the door. Jahu quickly opened the door to hear Donald yelling.
"MESNA!!! MESNA!!"
Evelsone sighed. Kill the moment why don't you…"Jahu, stay here, I'll be right back." He marched quickly to the cockpit. "What do you want?"
King Mickey laughed. "Sorry about Donald. He's always like that. We just turned right past Blue Meteora. Now where do we go?"
"Uh…lemme think for a moment." Okay, Ansem, where do we go from here?
Oh, so NOW you want to listen to me?
What? Ansem, no, you have to tell me!! We need to carry out the plan. I need to tell them where to go!!
Well, well…I'm sure I could tell you for a price…
What?! No, Ansem, you can't do this!!
Heh heh…oh yah, just try and stop me. I'll tell you the directions to the door to darkness, but you must promise me you will not share that paopu fruit with Jahu. And you cannot express your feelings to her.
No, I can't do that. I just gave her half of the fruit? How can I just take it back?
"HELLO?!! Mesna!! We're floating in the middle of nowhere here!! Why can't you tell us the directions?!" Donald screamed.
"Just hold on, I'm pretty sure I remember. Let me think…" Evelsone said.
"Well, hurry up!!"
"Okay, okay! I will!" Ansem, tell me now!!
Only if you promise me those things.
Evelsone sighed. I promise…
Excellent, now, here's where they have to go next…
"Okay, Donald, keep going in this direction. When you see the Red Meteora, make a left. From there, keep going straight until you see a huge swirling mass of black and blue. That's Black Meteora. That's where the door to d- uh the light is." Almost blew it there.
"Thanks, but it took you long enough!!" Donald quacked.
Evelsone made his way back to Jahu, hating what he was going to have to do. He went in to storage room and closed the door. Jahu was sitting there patiently waiting. "What did crabby bills want?"
"More directions." Evelsone said.
Jahu looked up, excited. "Well, let's eat!"
"No!" he exclaimed.
"W-what?" Jahu asked, confusion in her eyes.
"I…I can't let you eat that." There's a good boy. A good, evil boy…
"Why not?" Jahu said, putting a hand on her hip.
"I just can't."
"Oh, so you don't want to be my friend forever?" Jahu asked, her eyes starting to well up.
"No, that's not it at all!"
"Then tell me why!"
"I-I can't tell you. I'm sorry Jahu. It's not that I don't want to be your friend…it's just that…uh…we don't need a fruit to decide our destinies. I know in my heart that we will always be together, and no fruit needs to tell us that." Evelsone said off the top of this head.
Jahu sniffled. "Really?"
"Yes. Really." Evelsone said. "Now, there was something very important that you wanted to tell me…"
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Sorry to leave you guys at a cliffhanger, but I needed to stop somewhere! Wow, this fic is going to be ending very soon. There's only going to be a couple chappies left!! -cries-