"How much longer?" Akira asked from her passenger seat.
Donald grumbled as he pushed a few more buttons on the console. "Hold your horses, we're halfway there."
She sighed dramatically as she sunk into her chair, earning herself a glare from the angry duck. The Gummi ship had been floating through the endless sky for quite some time, much longer than normal, and its passengers had begun to get restless. However, the coordinates on their console showed the next destination was still quite a distance away, forcing Donald to sit through the bothersome whining of a very bored teen.
"I don't see you doing anything to help drive this ship!" Donald retorted.
Akira pouted. "You and Sora still argue about who's pilot to this day, and you want me to try and take that away from you now?"
Donald let out an angry quack as Goofy rose from his seat, pointing to a grey mass in the distance. "Guys, look, we're almost there!"
Donald sighed. "Goofy, that's impossi-"
Sure enough, a solid grey mass floated up ahead and was gaining distance fast on the little Gummi Ship, but Donald's coordinates were still marked to be much further away.
"What is that thing?" Sora asked anxiously, standing up from his seat.
"It's just a massive grey… rock," Akira said, cocking her head to the side in confusion.
"Bah, it's just an asteroid," Donald said, readying his cannons, "Nothing our artillery can't hit."
He pressed a red button at the top of the console, sending two small rockets towards the asteroid. They exploded upon contact but did little to damage the rock; instead, the mass shuddered in pain, opening its wide mouth to reveal hundreds of small sharp teeth. It roared as the Gummi Ship approached, ready to swallow it whole.
"That's not a rock!" Sora yelled.
"Is it a Heartless?" Akira cried as she fell to the floor amidst the rattling of the ship.
Jiminy Cricket made his appearance by hopping out of Goofy's hat, landing on the console as he anxiously watched the massive thing prepare to feast on them. "No! It's Monstro the Whale!" he cried.
They had little time to question how Jiminy knew this mysterious whale in the sky, or how to escape it. The ship had become sucked by the sudden force, unable to escape as Monstro's massive tongue came into view. They held on for dear life as the whale swallowed them whole, their lives flashing before their eyes.
"And you're the laziest of all!"
And so what if she was lazy? She had spent the whole day securing the mast Sora had so graciously knocked over while carrying a basket of fruit; she deserved the afternoon off. And the evening. And the next day. She'll work when the weather wasn't so nice; yeah, that's a good compromise.
Akira smiled as she kept her eyes closed, feeling the warmth of the sand beneath her body as she lay sprawled near the shore. The sound of the nearby waterfall was soothing amidst the yells of two teenage boys duking it out on the small islet up ahead. She wasn't sure which boys were play-battling this time, but whomever they were would just lose to Riku anyways.
She felt the warmth of the sun's rays burn her cheeks; she'll probably get a sunburn if she doesn't move soon. But if a sunburn was the worst of her worries right now… she couldn't be bothered to move.
She heard the clanking of wooden swords, the sound of the waves, the sound of Kairi forcing a whiny Sora to wake up from his nap. She never imagined how happy she would be to hear these sounds again.
You like it here, don't you?
Her eyes slowly fluttered open when she heard the voice speak. She gazed at the sky as she felt the weight of metal beneath her right hand, curled around the hilt of her staff. She almost wanted to laugh; the damn thing strikes up a conversation whenever it feels like it.
"Of course I do. It's my home," she said as a passing cloud covered the sun, allowing her to fully open her eyes.
Do you miss it?
She remained silent for this one. Of course she missed it; but if she never left, she would have never seen the outside worlds. There was a time when she wished she could freely explore all the worlds beyond her home with the knowledge that she could come back whenever she wanted; but life rarely worked itself out the way you imagine it would.
Who's Kairi?
She furrowed her brow. Now that was an odd one to ask. "She's one of my best friends. Shouldn't you know that by now?" Unless her staff had selective hearing, it was almost impossible to be ignorant about who Kairi was, considering the amount of times she and Sora mentioned her.
You love her, don't you?
She sighed, gazing at the sky. That one stung a bit. "Very much."
They lay on the beach in silence as the time passed around them. She heard her friends stomp on the sand around her, smiling softly at the sounds of Kairi weaving a charm out of thalassa shells beside her as Sora challenged Riku to a duel again, and losing miserably again, the sounds of Selphie talking about the legend of the paopu fruit for the fifth time that day as Tidus and Wakka discussed the score of the blitzball game. They went about their daily lives around her and her staff, laughing and playing, kicking and screaming, without so much as a blink in her direction.
She knew this was all a dream; but she was in no hurry to wake up.
"Are you the one showing me this?" she asked softly.
No. You're the one showing me this.
She closed her eyes and snickered. What a dumb idea. "Oh really now?"
I want to see what's in your heart.
She blinked. "I don't think there's anything interesting in there."
You're a bit of a pessimist, aren't you?
Akira chuckled. "I wasn't always like this."
What happened?
Her smile fell as the sun began to set over the horizon, the islands basking in a beautiful glow of orange and red. She heard her friends sitting by the shore, sharing stories and complaining about homework. She never thought she'd miss homework. "I... grew up. And then I guess…that night happened. And you."
The voice stayed silent for a short while. Do you hate me?
"No. You did save my life."
She took a few moments to enjoy the sunset before speaking again. "Why did you choose me?"
Because we're the same.
"Same how?"
You and I shouldn't exist.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. That 'shouldn't exist' garbage was getting old. Who was the pessimistic one here? "That doesn't tell me much…"
I'm sorry.
She stayed silent for a few moments longer as she listened to the sound of her friends climbing into their boats for the night. "Will we ever find my friends and go home?"
That's up to you to decide.
"Why just me?"
I'll follow you wherever you go.
She smiled as the first stars began to light up the evening sky. "That's reassuring. And what if I go somewhere you don't approve of?"
Then I will stay right by your side.
She chuckled. "You sure about that?"
I trust you.
There is a strangely comforting feeling in knowing that you'll never walk alone; but Akira knew her discomfort didn't stem from loneliness.
I will help guide you when you are lost. But ultimately, it's up to you to follow your heart.
She sighed as she looked to the sky. Easier said than done, isn't it? "I'll keep that in mind."
Do you want to go back?
She nodded. "Yeah. It's about time, isn't it?"
Akira woke with a jolt, choking and spitting out water. She flipped herself around got on all fours, sputtering on what was left of the water in her mouth. The ground below her felt soft and malleable, with small puddles of water littering the area. She turned her head to see a massive pair of clenched teeth, confirming her suspicions; the whale had swallowed them whole, and they crash landed in its mouth. She could have asked herself if the water she had awaken in actually was water, but she elected not to think too much about it, lest she hurl on the spot.
"Akira!" she heard Donald call out to her.
She turned to see Donald swimming towards the shore with Goofy following close behind. Donald shook himself dry while Goofy shook his leg to drain the water out of his shoe. "Where's Sora?" he asked.
Akira shrugged her shoulders. "I only just came to."
"Look!" Donald shouted, pointing to the unconscious teen just a few steps away. They hurried over to his side, turning him over and checking his vitals.
Goofy breathed a sigh of relief. "Looks like he's just passed out."
Akira took a seat at his side, gazing at the roof of the giant whale's mouth. "I guess we play the waiting game now," she said as she attempted to fix her now messed-up hair, straightening out her fringe with a flick of her finger.
Donald's eye twitched to the rhythm of a clanking noise that came from behind them, growing increasingly angry with every tick. "What's that racket?" he quacked.
Towards the far corner of the whale's jaw stood a rickety pile of scrap wood, with a stream of items falling rhythmically from above. Donald and Goofy stood up to go investigate while Akira stayed seated in her spot. She gazed at Sora, whom looked almost as if he was asleep. Almost like that moment in Traverse Town... She recalled that day when their adventure first started, when she went to wake him up only to find herself a part of his dream.
"Try not to dive so deep next time."
"Were you responsible for that?" she whispered, addressing her staff. She was so frazzled when it happened the first time, she didn't think to ask herself if her weapon was to blame; she wouldn't be surprised either, considering all the other crazy things she'd seen on this journey. And considering the cryptic phrase it left her with, it was almost impossible not to be suspicious. However, whether it responded to her or not was a different story; as she expected, no answer came.
Still, it couldn't hurt to try. She had to test her theory, and she had nothing to lose. As she took a deep breath and attempted to clear her mind, she slowly reached out her hand and placed it on his shoulder, the sound of Donald and Goofy's shouts drowning in the distance.
"It's true! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"You sure you didn't just hear it this time?"
"What difference does it make? There's a huge monster in there, I tell you!"
The warm wind blew through the palm trees, their massive leaves swaying in the wind as two little boys scurried towards the waterfall. The young, seven-year-old Sora dragged a similarly aged young Riku across the beach by the arm, rushing excitedly towards a secret hollow he had found earlier that day. He was certain he heard a monster growl from within, and he was determined to let everyone know of his discovery.
"If Akira finds out we went hunting for a monster without her, she's gonna be real mad," Riku said candidly.
"Pfft. She'll be around for other monster hunts. It's not our fault she forgot to do her homework!"
Riku sighed as they approached the entrance of the cavern. "Okay, and suppose there really is a monster in there… think we can beat it by ourselves, Sora?"
Sora continued marching towards the secret cave with his head held high. He wasn't afraid of any monster! "No problem! Let's do it!"
He stopped right at the entrance, keeping still. He brought his hand to his ear as he listened closely, trying to decipher the sounds coming from the cave over the crash of the waterfall beside them. "Listen! Can you hear it growling?"
Riku crossed his arms. He couldn't hear anything, but he was still apprehensive. "We've got to be careful."
The two boys carefully crept into the secret cavern, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of danger. Sora jumped at the sound of a small bug skittering by, earning him a warning glare from his friend. They stepped further into the cavern to find a small hole on the ceiling among massive rocks, vines and roots that littered the small clearing. Yet, no monster was in sight.
Riku lifted his eyes to the hole in the ceiling, noticing the wind making a whistling sound as it rushed by. "See that? It was just the wind making noise."
Sora slumped in defeat. "Aw man! I thought it was a monster!"
Riku stepped further into the cave, exploring his surroundings. All seemed well and normal until his eyes fell on a massive wooden door amidst the rocky walls. The door had no handle, but it was decorated with a golden lining. "Hm? What's this? A window, or a door?" he asked.
He placed his hands on it and felt around for a door knob, but found nothing. "It won't open…" he frowned.
Sora sighed, placing his hands behind his head. "Geez, is that really all that's in here?"
"What do you expect in a boring place like this?"
Sora continued examining the walls of the cavern, at a loss of what to say next. He didn't particularly find the islands boring, but he knew of Riku's longing to embark on a grand adventure.
"Hey, Sora?"
Sora snapped out of his daze, laying his eyes on his friend.
"When we grow up, let's get off this island. We'll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!" Riku said, his eyes growing wide with anticipation.
Sora chuckled. "Sure. But isn't there anything fun to do now?"
Riku thought for a moment before marching forward with a smile, beckoning to Sora as he began to exit the cave. "Did you hear? There's a new girl at the mayor's house…"
Akira quickly pulled her hand away, feeling as if she had gotten an electric shock. She felt the hilt of her staff grow hot underneath the palm of her hands as she watched Sora stir in his sleep.
"So that was the day Kairi came to the island," she thought, "I know something happened because I wasn't there when they found the cave… But I didn't pass out like last time. Why? Was it because I only watched this time?"
She glanced at her staff and sighed. Of course, when she wanted answers, it didn't say anything. So much for 'guiding' her…
"W-what happened?" Sora asked, grabbing his head as he slowly sat up, checking his surroundings.
Akira's attention immediately shifted to her now conscious friend. "Looks like Monstro swallowed us," she answered.
Sora gulped when the sight of clenched teeth came into view beside him. Now there was a sight he wished he'd never seen. "Yikes. And what are Donald and Goofy yelling about?"
Akira shrugged her shoulders as she got to her feet, taking Sora's arm as she helped him stand up. "Who knows?"
Goofy was covering his head with his shield when the teens approached them, crouching forward as if he was expecting to be attacked from above. "Hey, guys! Good to see you're okay!"
"Knock it off!" Donald yelled to the ceiling, earning himself confused looks from Sora and Akira.
"What in the world is going on?" Sora asked.
"We're expecting showers!" Goofy said candidly as a large item fell from above, clanking onto his shield, "Heavy showers!"
"Where are all these items coming from? And who's throwing them?" Akira questioned as she picked up one of the items from the ground. It seemed to be an empty bottle.
They heard the sound of small footsteps coming from the top of the pile of wood, followed by the sound of a chest closing. The young boy's head poked out from the ledge, gazing at the group below as a smile formed on his face.
"Hey guys! It's me," Pinocchio said in a cheery voice.
"Oh, it's just Pinocchio," Donald sighed, "…wait, Pinocchio?"
Jiminy Cricket hopped out from Sora's pocket at the mention of his old friend's name, frantically jumping on his shoulder as he attempted to catch a glimpse of the puppet. Pinocchio had already begun skipping across a trail of wooden boards as he made his way deeper into the whale's mouth, seemingly excited about something.
"Pinocchio! Where are you going?" Jiminy called. The young puppet continued jumping from one plank to the next, unable to hear the little cricket's calls. Jiminy straightened his small jacket and pointed towards the inner area of the mouth. "Come on, everybody! After him, quick!"