"Ugh, are we there yet?" Sora whined from his seat.
Donald shot him a death glare. "Don't you start with me…"
The teen defeatedly slumped back into his chair as Donald continued to pour over the controls on the dashboard, examining the data that popped up on the screen. It just didn't make any sense; the Gummi ship could detect the faint signal of a world in the vicinity, but beyond its border lay an ominously powerful darkness. What in the world could it be… He pondered and pondered, but he hadn't the slightest clue.
"Uh, fellas?" Goofy asked shyly, breaking Donald's concentration.
"Not now, Goofy!" Donald fumed.
"But a big pirate ship is catching up to us!"
Donald immediately peered out of the windshield to investigate as Sora perked up from his seat. "Pirate ship?" the teen asked with glee.
Akira frowned at him. "Oh no, no, no. This could be dangerous!" she warned, pointing a finger at him.
"But pirates!"
She sighed in disappointment as she shook her head. Pirates had been one of Sora's favourite things since childhood, and there was no convincing him of the potential danger that lay ahead, no matter how hard she tried.
"Quit gawking and hang on tight!" Donald quacked as he furiously pressed a multitude of buttons on the console.
Hang on tight? Oh no.
"Don't tell me…" Akira pleaded.
"It's going to ram into us!" Goofy cried, shielding his eyes as the massive pirate ship grew exceedingly close to their vessel.
"Not again!" she shouted, grabbing onto her chair for dear life.
And as it had twice before, the familiar crash they had unfortunately grown accustomed to rattled the airship, sending it plummeting into the unknown.
The Jolly Roger floated peacefully through the vast, unending ocean. Not a sound could be heard from either the ship nor the sea, not from the swashbuckling crew nor the monsters of the deep. It was almost inconceivable that an airship had even crashed into the boat just a few moments prior. Things were much too quiet, and Sora was going to get to the bottom of it.
After he found the rest of his friends, of course.
When he awoke, the teen found himself alone on deck, with surprisingly few to no injuries from the crash. Though he felt overcome with excitement at the idea of simply setting foot on a pirate ship, the overall desolate nature of his surroundings put him in quite a slump. Shouldn't the crew be running about, adjusting sails and moving cargo? Shouldn't the captain be barking orders from the helm, adorned with a feathered hat and a hook for a hand? The eerie quiet was much too suspicious. Sora walked over to the edge of the ship, gazing out into the ocean as he searched for any kind of clue.
"I didn't think you'd come, Sora."
It wasn't the voice he was looking for. It was something much, much more. Sora whirled around to face his old friend, confidant, and friendly rival; though nothing in the boy's face begat any form of amiability.
"Good to see you again," Riku smiled, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he watched him from the main deck.
After their last encounter in Monstro, Sora had grown suspicious of Riku's strange behaviour, and was having none of it. "Where are the others?" he asked.
Riku rolled his eyes. "Are they really that important to you? Instead of worrying about them, you should be asking… about her."
He stepped aside, and Sora could hardly believe his eyes.
"Kairi!" he called desperately.
Though his old friend would not answer. She sat motionless on the floor beside Riku, her eyes blank and lifeless, and Sora could do nothing but stifle a horrified gasp. It was like what Riku had hinted at back in Monstro… that she could have possibly lost-
Sora shook his head. He didn't want to believe it.
Riku smirked. "That's right. While you were off goofing around, I finally found her."
Sora gritted his teeth and began to lunge towards Riku, though he screeched to a halt almost as soon as he had begun. A long arm had stretched out before him, barring his path with a polished, silver hook. Sora gasped as he laid eyes on the man who had stopped him in his tracks; a tall, mustached man adorned with a fancy, red, pirate's garb and a matching feathered hat. There was no doubt in his mind; this man was certainly the captain of this ship.
"Not so fast," the captain said in a booming voice, "There will be no shenanigans aboard my vessel, boy." He glared at Sora as several pirate-attire clad Heartless slowly approached the teen, their nicked pirate swords pointed threateningly at his throat.
Sora gulped as he desperately locked eyes with Riku. This pirate captain and his horde of Heartless were threatening his old friend and yet… he did nothing but watch with a smile. "Riku, why are you siding with the Heartless?" he asked.
"The Heartless obey me now, Sora. Now I have nothing to fear."
Riku's tone and empty smile exuded such an air of eerie venom, it made Sora's blood chill. He gritted his teeth, balling a hand into a fist as he addressed his friend. "You're stupid!" he cried, "Sooner or later they'll swallow your heart!"
Riku scoffed. "Not a chance. My heart's too strong."
"Riku…" Sora knew in his heart there was nothing he could do or say; Riku's mind was made up, and he was too stubborn to see the light.
"I've picked up a few other tricks as well. Like this, for instance," he said with a grin as he flicked his hand out.
Sora's shadow rose from the ground, gaining a corporeal form as it came to life. He gasped, astonished as he took a step back; even though it lacked any colour, the shadow looked identical to him, locking its hollow and soulless eyes with his as it gently floated off the ground.
Riku smirked at Sora's shock; this was exactly the reaction he had been hoping for. "You can go see your friends now," he said in a condescending tone.
Almost as soon as he had spoken, a trapdoor opened beneath Sora's feet, sending him plummeting to the depths of the ship. Though he had gotten what he had wanted, sending Sora away in such a way seemed almost anticlimactic, and it left him with a sour taste of dissatisfaction. Riku flicked his hand once more, dismissing the shadow he had summoned; he'll get another chance to taunt him soon enough, and this shadow would come in handy.
Yet before he did that, he had one more stop to make.
"Let's get under way, already," he barked at the captain as he began walking towards the staircase next to the captain's quarters.
"And where do you think you're going?" the captain asked, none too pleased with the teen's tone.
"I still need to see the girl who landed here, the one you tossed into the hold. In the meantime, hoist anchor and get the ship moving. And keep Sora away from Kairi until we're ready to land," he snapped without turning back.
The captain of the ship wrinkled his nose, his eyes seething with rage as he watched the rude teen sink further away from view. "That scurvy brat thinks he can order me around!" he growled to his first mate, whom stood beside him.
"W-what shall we do, Captain Hook?" he asked nervously.
"Nothing! The hold is crawling with Heartless!" Captain Hook yelled exasperatedly, "Unless… why, that's it, Mr. Smee! Let them keep an eye on the scurvy brats!"
Mr. Smee wasn't comforted by the thought. "But, Captain! You-know-who is also down –"
Captain Hook swiftly interrupted his first mate, placing his non-hooked hand over his mouth to silence him. "Shh… Did you hear that, Smee? Oh, that dreadful sound!" he wailed. His disposition had completely changed, and he now shook with fear as he hid behind Mr. Smee.
"N-no, Captain," Mr. Smee answered.
"Are you quite sure? Did I imagine it?" Captain Hook asked anxiously, "Oh, my poor nerves…"
Mr. Smee patted the captain's back, as he had done many times before when Captain Hook began hearing phantom noises. He comforted the captain as he yowled and wept, his cries drowning out the very faint sound of a clock ticking by the ocean…
"Where's a Keyblade when you need one?" Akira wondered aloud, slumping her back against the wall as she let herself slide to the floor.
The door is made of wood. I'm certain a fire spell will do the trick.
"This whole room is made of wood," she responded with a sigh, "If I lit the door aflame, all the walls will light up with it."
Then what do you propose we do?
That… well, she didn't have an answer for that.
Akira awoke several moments prior only to find herself surrounded by grim, wooden walls. She was in the pirate ship's hold, no doubt, but the room was rather small, and the only exit seemed to be a locked wooden door she had spent the greater half of her time fiddling with to no avail. Still, it begged the question… how did she get in here? Last thing she remembered, she and her friends were plummeting through the sky and heading straight for the ship. But, if that were the case, she would have fallen through the ceiling. If the room was completely unscathed, and the door suspiciously locked, there could only be one explanation: someone found her after the crash knocked her out and threw her into this prison.
And she didn't even want to begin imagining where her friends may have ended up.
Someone's coming.
Akira snapped back to reality, clutching her staff as she scrambled to her feet. The lock clicked, the doorknob turned, and her heart suddenly began to beat a mile a minute.
"Took you two long enough to get here," came the familiar voice she had learned to fear. It simultaneously filled her with relief and made her skin crawl, and she just couldn't seem to make up her mind.
"Riku," she whispered under her breath as her silver-haired friend entered the room.
"Hm, glad to see you remember me."
She lowered her eyes to the floor. He spoke with the same aggression he had back in Monstro, and that did nothing but break her heart. "Why are you acting like this?" she asked.
"I suppose I'm a little annoyed you two had fun goofing off while I put my life on the line to find Kairi."
Alarm bells rang in her head when he mentioned her name. "Kairi? You found her?"
Riku laughed. "Of course I did. Unlike you and Sora, I actually want to save my friends." He smirked, taking pleasure in her distress; it was almost as fun as teasing Sora.
She gritted her teeth. "You know that's not true," she said with a scowl.
"Spare me," he scoffed, "I waited forever for you guys to finally get here. I thought you'd never leave Halloween Town. I almost sent a rescue party after you."
"You were waiting for us?"
"Yes. I had to make sure you knew I found Kairi, and that you'd follow me to Hollow Bastion."
She had never heard the name before, but just hearing those words sent a chill down her spine. "H-hollow Bastion?" she repeated, "Is that another world? Why do we need to go there?"
"Maleficent wants you to pay her a visit; she's interested in your weapon. Whatever, I'm not getting involved," he said, shaking his head, "But, I need to make sure Sora comes with you. There, we'll settle things once and for all."
"W-what?" she asked in utter confusion, "Maleficent wants to see me? And what do you mean 'settle things'?"
Riku smirked. "You'll just have to find out when you get there." He walked towards her with his head held high, reaching out his hand. She reluctantly offered hers in return, and she watched with narrowed eyes as he dropped what looked like a gummi block in her hand.
"A gummi block?" she asked, perplexed.
"You have this one's sister, don't you? Install them on your ship and use them to reach Hollow Bastion. We'll all be waiting for you… even Kairi."
This made no sense. He was divulging too much information… She clutched the gummi block, her hand shaking as she squeezed it with all her might. He wasn't being subtle at all.
"This is a trap," she muttered.
"If it is, it's your only hope to see Kairi again. You do want to see her again, don't you?" he goaded.
"Is that even a question?" she spat, growing increasingly frustrated.
"Hm, could've fooled me," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "You spent so much time gallivanting in Halloween Town, I thought you'd decide to never leave. Or that you were just too lazy to."
"I had some business to take care of there, in case you didn't notice."
"Like what?"
Her scowl softened ever so slightly. This whole adventure started with travelling to see the outside worlds, with the underlying hope of finding hers and Kairi's respective home worlds. He had to understand that; if there was any shred of the Riku she once knew left in him, he had to understand. "I… I was born there. It's where I come from."
His smirk faded, and, for a moment, Akira thought she had gained his sympathy. But, it was only for him to stifle a laugh.
He burst into a fit of laughter, clutching at his chest as he quickly inhaled between laughs. Akira watched him in disdain, her distress mounting as he showed no signs of stopping. There was a time when seeing him laugh in such a way would bring she and her friends exuberant joy… and she didn't think something as serious as finding her home world was very funny.
He was finally able to compose himself enough to speak but couldn't stifle a few leftover chuckles. "Did I hear you right? You come from there?" He let out another laugh as Akira glared at him. "Oh boy, now that's rich. Imagine, coming from a place like that… I suppose it makes sense; you fit right in with the rest of that toontown."
Her eyes seethed with rage, her teeth gritted with fury, and Akira aggressively drew her weapon at him, only stopping a mere inch from his nose. In the same instant, several pirate-suit clad Heartless spawned around her, drawing their blades at her as she wordlessly threatened their leader. Her hand shook slightly, but the fury that instantly overtook her washed away all hesitation. She didn't care who he was; she didn't care that the Riku she once knew would never speak to her that way. No one spoke of her family in such a hostile way, not if she had anything to say about it.
Even in the threat of harm, Riku remained stoic, gazing at his friend with disinterest and boredom. He no longer laughed. "Since when did you grow a spine?"
"You missed a lot," she hissed.
The Heartless inched closer to her as Riku took a step back, putting some distance between himself and her weapon. "You should watch what you say; the Heartless obey me now, and they won't take too kindly to threats."
He turned towards the door and strolled towards the exit. He gave her the gummi block; spending any more time chatting with her was a waste of time. She dropped her arm as she watched him leave and quickly scurried to join him, though she didn't get far; his Heartless minions surrounded her once more, blocking her path. He stopped at the doorway and glanced over his shoulder, smirking as he watched her take a few frightened steps back.
"Did you really think I'd let you escape? Where did you think you could go?" he sneered.
Where did she think… she could go? Only one thing popped in her head, and it brought her nothing but pain.
It hurt to say, but she let the words flow through her lips anyways. Maybe… maybe it's what he needed to hear. "I'm going… wherever the wind will take me."
He balled his hands into a fist as he whirled around, brows furrowed and nostrils flared. "Don't even try it," he spat.
It was strange; seeing the distress in Sora and Akira's eyes had made him so happy until now. He had more power than they could ever imagine; the power to control darkness, the Heartless… and a heart as strong as tempered steel. A heart fitting for a Keyblade master, if Sora wasn't so busy running around playing hero with it… And yet, as he perceived a tinge of agony in her azure eyes, he couldn't help but feel a modicum of the sadness they held.
He quickly looked away, tearing his gaze away from hers. "Tch. The outside worlds aren't what we thought they were, Akira," he said softly, "I outgrew that a long time ago. It's about time you did too." He motioned his hand towards her, addressing whatever creature stood behind her. "Take her to the brig with the others," he barked.
As he exited through the door, Akira focused her gaze on the thing Riku had shouted orders at. It was one of the most terrifying things she had ever seen; Sora's shadow, given bodily form, hungrily extending its arms towards her with an unnerving grin visible amidst its shadow-covered face. And yet, at that moment, the fear seemed like nothing but a distant dream.
She simply didn't want to outgrow it. Not yet.
"You don't say?" Goofy remarked.
"Yeah. It was definitely Kairi. I've finally found her!" Sora exclaimed.
"All right, a-hyuck! Then let's go up and talk to her."
"Sounds great!" Donald agreed, "Okay, but first… how about getting off?"
Prisoners aren't given the highest of care when thrown into the brig. Donald, Goofy, and Sora were piled one on top of the other, like a stack of breakfast flapjacks.
"Oh, haha, sorry..." Sora said apologetically.
He fidgeted as he tried to remove himself from the top of the stack, though he would soon find out it would be to no avail; the trapdoor opened from the ceiling above, and another person came tumbling onto the pile.
Donald squawked in pain as Akira crashed on top of Sora, landing atop the heap of friends with a loud thud. "Ow," she moaned, though nothing she felt could rival the discomfort Donald felt at the bottom of the pile.
"Akira! You made it!" Sora said in a cheery tone.
"Glad to see you again!" Goofy added with a smile.
"Oh, you guys!" Akira exclaimed, "Boy, am I glad to see you!"
"Once again," Donald grumbled as his fury grew to insurmountable heights, "How about getting OFF?"
Akira quickly scrambled to her feet as she grabbed Sora's arm, attempting to remove him from the pile as quickly as possible. Goofy picked himself up off the raging duck, who quacked a slew of angry and incomprehensible terms.
"Sorry," she said with a chuckle, dusting herself off as Donald calmed down, "So, how did you guys end up here?"
"Gawrsh, me and Donald were thrown in here as soon as we landed," Goofy explained, "And Sora came tumbling from the ceiling soon after."
"Yeah. Riku cornered me on deck before tossing me in here as well," Sora added.
Akira brought her finger to her chin in thought. "He did the same to me. After we talked for a little while, he ordered this awful shadow that looked a lot like you to lock me up in here."
"He showed me that shadow too!" Sora said with a gasp, "After he showed me Kairi! Guess what? She's here too!"
"Like, here here!?"
"Yes!"
Akira's eyes grew wide with excitement. "Then what are we waiting for? We have to go see her!"
"Ahem," Donald said loudly, clearing his throat as he crossed his arms, "In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of locked in here."
Akira and Goofy glanced at the door as Sora approached it, poking his head at the window as he searched for a way out. He fiddled with the doorknob, but it wouldn't turn. "One step at a time, I suppose," he chuckled under his breath. Maybe he could use the Keyblade on it...
"Ahem."
Their ears instantly perked up at the sound of the candid voice behind them. They quickly whirled around, examining the corner of the room where the mysterious voice came from but saw nothing more than a few empty boxes and barrels. They were clearly not alone, but entertaining the idea of being haunted by ghosts was not something they were too keen on doing. "H-hello?" Akira called as Donald hid behind her, shaking in fear.
A young preteen, not a day over twelve, jumped out from behind the boxes, watching the group with his hands on his hips and a cheerful smile on his lips. He was dressed all in green, with a matching feathered hat over his fiery red hair. "Hi, how ya doin' there?" he asked with a wave, "Looking for a way out?"
Goofy scratched his head. "Uh, yeah. Who are you?"
The boy beamed from ear to ear. "I'm the answer to your prayers!"
Donald wasn't buying it. He crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently as he narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. Yet, the young man looked none too bothered. "Okay then, Fine. Have it your way," he said nonchalantly.
Sora scratched his head. "But you're stuck in here too, aren't you?"
"No, I'm just waiting for someone," the boy scoffed as he crossed his arms.
Akira cocked her head to the side. Who in the world waited for someone inside a locked prison? Who was this guy? And just as she was about to ask, a small light floated swiftly around Sora before skidding to a halt in front of the young man.
They both seemed to be acquainted, for the young man furrowed his brows at the small light before him. "Tinker Bell!" he shouted, "What took you so long?"
The light dissipated, revealing a tiny pixie in a green dress, no taller than the young boy's hand. She jingled as she fluttered about, quickly waving her arms at him.
The boy's scowl melted into a smile. He seemed to understand the language of jingles and chimes the pixie named Tinker Bell communicated with. "Great job!" he praised, "So you found Wendy?"
Tinker Bell excitedly spun around, releasing another slew of chimes.
The boy seemed perplexed. "Hold on. There was another girl there, too?"
Sora and Akira's eyes lit up as they quickly exchanged glances. Tinker Bell couldn't mean Kairi, could she? They both lightly nodded to each other in understanding, wordlessly communicating their intentions. Wherever this Wendy girl was, Kairi was there too, and they were going to follow this young boy until they found her.
Tinker Bell crossed her arms as she scowled at the boy. He let out an exasperated sigh in response. "Are you crazy? There's no way I'm going to leave Wendy there!" he cried.
Donald let out a chuckle. "Aha. Sounds like she's jealous!" he teased.
The easily enraged pixie glared at Donald, stamping her foot in the air before flying over to him and kicking him in the beak. He grabbed his beak in pain as she flew away in a huff, darting out the window as she left a trail of furious jingles in her wake.
"Come on, Tink! At least open up the door!" the young boy pleaded.
There was a small click as the door unlocked. He crossed is arms and, with a large grin, scampered towards the door; that is, until Sora blocked his path.
"Ahem," the spiky-haired teen said as he narrowed his eyes at him.
The young boy took a step back and shook his head; all four of them eyed him suspiciously, and he knew there was no leaving them behind. "I'm Peter Pan," he said, extending his hand out towards the teen.
"I'm Sora," he responded, attempting to take Peter's hand to shake it.
But Peter Pan was having none of it. He retracted his hand almost instantly, addressing Sora in a warning tone. "Okay, we're in this together, but only until we find Wendy." He petulantly put his hands on his hips, and Sora shrugged. If that's what it took…
Peter Pan opened the door and led the way to the ship's undercarriage, followed closely by Donald and Goofy. Akira began to follow in silence, but a tapping foot behind her made her stop in her tracks.
"Whatever Riku said to you really brought you down, huh?" Sora said.
She sighed, pursing her lips. Was she really so easy to read? "How did you know?" she asked.
"Just a feeling I got," he responded, casually walking up to her side, "You wanna talk about it?"
She instantly shook her head. "It's not that important. It can wait until we find Kairi."
"Alright, if you say so," he said with a grin as he strolled to rejoin the group, arms casually placed behind his head.
She closed her eyes as she shook her head. Of course, she'd have to tell him sooner or later; keeping something involving Riku hidden from him was just asking for trouble. But how in the world does she even begin to explain all the ominous things he spoke of?
You'll have to tell him sooner or later.
"I know…"
You can't keep this hidden forever.
"I said I know," she hissed.
She was successful in silencing her staff for now, but the gummi block still burned a hole in her pocket.
As they made their way through the ship's hold, and through the mounds of Heartless that threw themselves in their path, the group couldn't help but notice something fairly strange about this Peter Pan. He fought with the little dagger fastened to his waist like any normal boy his age would and could certainly hold his own against the Heartless. He was fun conversation, and his cheery outlook was hard to overlook. However, there was one small glaring issue that they simply couldn't shake from their heads…
"So, uh, how come you can fly?" Goofy asked him after they had laid waste to another wave of Heartless.
Peter Pan smiled as he floated over to the group, crossing his arms with a chuckle. "Anyone can fly! You wanna try?"
They were momentarily taken aback by his proposal; people don't just offer to make one fly on a daily basis. He took their perplexed expressions as agreement and brought two fingers to his mouth, letting out a shrill whistle. Tinker Bell fluttered down from the rafters, stopping in front of Peter Pan's nose with crossed arms and a glare.
"Aw, come on, Tink. You haven't cooled off yet?" Peter Pan asked, "At least give our friends a bit of pixie dust so they can fly."
Tinker Bell dramatically sighed, rolling her eyes in disdain as she fluttered over the group. Sparkles of shimmer and gold rained over their heads like a magical drizzle, and they couldn't help but smile in excitement. To think, this was all it took to fly…
"Just a little bit of pixie dust and there you have it!" Peter said with a grin, "Now you can fly!"
Donald excitedly flapped his wings as he jumped off the ground, expecting to take wing and soar through the air. However, he came crashing to the ground with a loud thud, angrily tapping the ground with his finger as Tinker Bell burst into laughter beside him.
"Uh, what happened?" Akira asked as she scratched her chin, "Shouldn't we be flying?"
"Hm," Peter Pan responded, lost in thought, "Well, the rest of the saying goes like this: 'All you need is faith, trust, and a little pixie dust'. Maybe you guys are lacking the 'faith and trust' part."
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Sora said, defeatedly slumping his shoulders. It's not like one can sprinkle faith and trust over their heads so easily.
Peter Pan scratched his chin, but was at a loss for ideas. "I think that's something you need to figure out for yourselves," he replied sympathetically.