"So, Wendy is not one of the chosen ones?" Captain Hook shouted, his blood boiling as he seethed with fury.
Riku crossed his arms and gazed out the window of the captain's quarters as he dealt with Hook's increasing frustration. "There are seven, supposedly, and Maleficent says she's not one of them." He turned to face the exit towards the deck. "Hoist anchor as soon as possible. Leave all the dead weight behind, including her."
Captain Hook saw nothing but red. "After all the trouble of capturing her?" he boomed, "And why those seven? What is Maleficent planning anyway?"
"Who knows," Riku answered coolly, "As long as it means getting Kairi's heart back, I couldn't care less."
The captain scoffed. "You're wasting your time. The Heartless have devoured that girl's heart. I'll stake me other hand it's lost forever."
Riku furrowed his brows. "I will find it. No matter what."
Captain Hook turned his nose at the young teen, but never offered his answer. It was clear Riku wouldn't listen to a word he said. If the hot-blooded teen wanted to throw himself into the darkness for a lost cause, so be it; it wasn't his problem.
The mess that followed, however, proved itself to be just so.
"Uh, Captain…" echoed Mr. Smee's voice from the speaking tube on the wall, "The prisoners have escaped. What's more, Peter Pan is with them!"
"What!?" Captain Hook screeched, "Blast that Peter Pan!" He walked over to the speaking tube, grumbling into the receiver. "All right, then. Bring the hostage to me cabin, Smee! Hop to it!"
"Y-yes, Captain!" Smee cried as a loud thud came blaring through the receiver, no doubt from the commotion on Mr. Smee's end as he rushed to follow his captain's orders.
And amidst the panic from the ship's captain and his first mate, Riku balled his hand into a fist, gritting his teeth as he glared at the receiver.
In the galley past the hold, where a hole tore through the ceiling and was covered in mesh to allow for ventilation, Tinker Bell fluttered towards the steel lattice screen, jingling furiously as she tried to grab Peter Pan's attention. Still being the only one able to fly in the group, he soared towards the pixie near the ceiling, examining what lay beyond with what little room he had. "What is it, Tink?" he asked as his four new friends scurried towards him.
The sound of footsteps pitter-pattered across the floor, grabbing his attention as they drew closer. "Peter? Peter Pan?" came the soft voice of a demure young lady from beyond the mesh. She looked to be the same age as Peter Pan, with short brown locks tied with a blue ribbon behind her head. She straightened her matching blue night dress as she kneeled on the floor close to the grate, gazing at Peter Pan with turquoise eyes filled with wonder. "Oh, Peter, it is you!"
"Wendy!" he exclaimed.
Pangs and thuds could be heard from beyond the walls of her enclosure, and she laced her fingers around the steel lattice as she pleaded with him. "Please hurry! The pirates are coming!"
"Don't worry! I'll be right up there. Just hold on!"
Wendy smiled softly, reassured by his words; yet, the opportunity was too good for Sora to pass up. He had to ask. He had to know.
"Wendy?" he called from the ground beside Peter Pan.
"Yes?"
"Is there another girl in there with you?"
Wendy lifted her head, gazing at the figure sitting against the wall on the other side of the netting. "Oh, why yes. But she seems to be asleep; she hasn't budged an inch."
Sora's eyes lit up at the mere mention of another person in the room. "Kairi? Kairi!" he called.
"Sora, over there!" Akira exclaimed, pointing to the other end of the mesh. Nothing more than an idle hand could be seen through the wiring, but the bracelets on the wrist were unmistakable; the black and yellow bands belonged to none other than Kairi.
Sora scrambled to the other side of the wall, placing his foot on the galley's unused stove as he attempted to reach her. He extended his hand as far as he could, but still felt so far away. If only he could fly, if only he could fly, if only… if only.
And almost like magic, as if there still was a piece of her left within her lifeless form, her fingers twitched, and Sora beamed with joy.
There was a loud thud. Wendy quickly stood up and darted towards the dresser in her room, attempting to block the door with heavy furniture as the pirates threatened to enter the room. "Wendy!" Peter Pan called but received no answer. There was nothing but the sound of pirates storming the room, Wendy's cry for help, Kairi's limp hand vanishing from their sight… and silence. Dreadful, distressing and utter silence.
"H-hurry everyone! We have to get up there!" Peter Pan cried.
"How?" Donald asked.
"Follow me; I know the way. Quickly, now!"
He hurriedly darted towards the exit, Donald and Goofy swift at his heels as he called Wendy's name. Yet, Sora remained motionless, his mind clouded as he gazed at the spot where Kairi had been mere moments before.
Akira quickly grabbed his arm, tugging at it as she attempted to guide him towards the exit. "Sora! We have to go!" she cried.
He remained still, refusing to tear his gaze away from the ceiling as Akira pulled harder at his arm. No matter where he went, no matter what they did… Kairi was always within reach, and somehow always slipped away at the last moment. "Kairi…" he muttered, clenching his teeth together as he felt the mist forming in his eyes.
"If we don't hurry, we'll never catch up with them," Akira responded firmly, "We have to go. Now."
He reluctantly nodded and allowed her to pull him towards the exit, fumbling over his feet as he adjusted himself to her speed. He thought to tell her that she was tugging at his arm too hard and was causing him some pain. But his thoughts were far beyond his reach, and he could do nothing but let her lead him through the motions.
Peter Pan led them to the top of a flight of stairs, practically knocking the door down as he dashed up the steps. They burst into the captain's quarters, looking every which way for any sign of Wendy or Kairi. Sora tore through the room, examining every pillow, every couch, every paper on Hook's desk… he had regained his composure during their short trek to the captain's quarters, and his resolve was solid; he'd find Kairi if it was the last thing he'd do.
"Wendy? Wendy!" Peter Pan called frantically.
"Kairi, where are you?" Goofy hollered.
Sora and Akira turned the corner of the wall together, making their way towards the door leading to the deck when they were stopped in their tracks by a familiar face. One they weren't too keen on finding.
"Riku! Wait!" Sora called, stretching his arm out to him.
Riku held Kairi in his arms, pulling her close as Sora approached them. Darkness swirled at his feet as he slowly backed towards the door, watching Sora intently as his old friend drew closer. With a flick of his eyebrow, Sora's shadow emerged from the pool of darkness on the ground, putting itself between Sora and Riku. This time, AntiSora's features were more pronounced, and it seemed eerily identical to Sora. It watched him with the same beady yellow eyes its Heartless comrades had, an evil smirk plastered on its shadowy face. Sora took a step back as he took in the horrific sight.
Akira shook her head as she bared her teeth; all Riku ever did was bait them and run away, and she was getting sick of it. "Riku!" she shouted furiously as AntiSora pressured Sora to take a few steps back.
Riku grinned at her as he allowed the darkness to consume himself and Kairi. Yet, before making his escape, he permitted himself one last parting gift to his old friend; amidst the tendrils of darkness that swirled around him, he winked at her. And that gummi block in her pocket never felt heavier.
She clasped her hands on her mouth and gasped as he and Kairi disappeared into the darkness. He never intended to let them find Kairi, but she was the perfect encouragement for them… to follow him wherever he went.
"Wendy! Are you all right?" Peter Pan cried, snapping Akira out of her trance.
The young girl lay unconscious on the couch near the window, visibly knocked out by a prior blow to the head. She seemed unharmed, though, and her heart intact. Peter Pan sighed with relief, but this was no place for someone unconscious and unarmed; he had to get her out of there as soon as possible.
"Well, this is as far as I go," he said reluctantly as he took Wendy into his arms, "I've gotta help her."
He quickly unlocked the window and flew off into the Neverland sky with Wendy secured in his arms. Donald stood beside the window, jaw agape, and looking as if he was ready to blow his top. "What? He's going to leave now?" he quacked.
"Well, he did say he would stay with us until we found Wendy," Goofy added as he scratched his chin.
"That's all well and good, guys, but I need a little help over here!" Sora shouted.
AntiSora had summoned a shadowy Keyblade of its own and had gotten so close into Sora's personal space that its nose was a mere inch away from his own. Its hollow yellow eyes watched him intently with a wicked grin on its face as he scrambled to summon his Keyblade. Akira quickly summoned her staff and slashed at the shadow, but it had vanished a mere fraction of a second before she landed her hit; like the eponymous Shadow Heartless they had encountered so often on their adventure, AntiSora had sunk into the floor beyond their reach, crawling in the same manner as it escaped her blow.
It quickly skittered below Donald before emerging from the ground once more, sending the duck flying into the air with a swing of its Keyblade. He let out a frightened quack as AntiSora soundlessly giggled at his misfortune. The duck landed into Goofy's arms, looking none too pleased as he drew his staff and gritted his teeth in anger. "Fira!" he quacked furiously.
In his rage, he missed his target by a mile, sending an explosion of fire towards the door and narrowly missing the real Sora by an inch. "Watch where you aim that thing!" the teen shouted.
"You both look exactly the same!" Donald screeched as he jumped to the floor.
"What? It's a literal shadow! And I'm a real person, hello?"
"Fellas, should we really be arguing about this right now?" Goofy called as he cowered behind his shield.
AntiSora flipped in the air, obviously enjoying the ruckus he was causing. He sank beneath the floor once more as he crawled around the room at breakneck speed, confounding the four of them as they relentlessly chased him from one end of the room to another.
Akira gritted her teeth. "Get up here and fight, you coward!" she called.
The shadow silently chuckled and took her up on her offer. It emerged from the floor and faced them, eager to show off its next trick; it separated into several identical clones, strolling and skipping around the room as it relished in their shock. Akira gulped, intensely regretting what she had just said.
"Which one's the real one?" Goofy cried.
"Just set them all on fire and go from there!" Donald answered.
With his best attempt at a battle cry - though it sounded no more than a shrill quack - Donald unleashed a string of fireballs and violently targeted every corner of the room. Goofy raised his shield over his head to protect himself from the oncoming blaze, redirecting stray fireballs towards their targets. Akira slashed two of her own while the oncoming firestorm took care of the rest that surrounded her, watching as each shadow vanished with a single blow. Surely, the real one wouldn't be so frail…
"Got you," Sora growled, eyeing the shadow that stood before him.
The shadows that surrounded him were reduced to cinders, leaving the real AntiSora weak and alone as the Keyblade master stared him down. Sora clutched his weapon in his hand, cornering the shadow as it cowered in fear. He slashed at it several times with all his might until it burst into a wisp of black smoke, disintegrating into the air as it met its end.
Donald slumped his shoulders in relief. "Glad that's over with," he sighed.
"But gee, Sora, why did that Heartless look like you?" Goofy asked.
Sora hesitated for a moment before responding. "It was… one of Riku's tricks."
"Oh…" Donald said sympathetically, approaching Sora and gently placing his feathered hand on the teen's arm.
"Well… come on then!" Goofy said encouragingly, "He can't have gotten too far. Why, I'll bet he's still on the ship; and with Kairi too!"
Sora picked his saddened gaze from the floor. "You really think so?"
"We gotta have faith," Goofy responded, offering a tender smile to Akira as well, whose spirits seemed to also be dampened despite her lack of words.
"Faith, trust, and a little pixie dust, huh?" Sora said, glancing at all of his allies as he reassuringly balled his hand into a fist, "Okay. Let's get going, guys."
He marched towards the door leading to the deck of the ship, his shoulders broad and his head held high as Donald and Goofy followed behind. It was a strange sight for Akira to see, though she had seen him do this so many times before. Sora rarely gave up hope, even in the darkest of times, and his constant encouragement and good attitude was usually too infectious to ignore. And yet this time…
You know he's no longer in this world, don't you?
Her soft smile fell.
You know he took Kairi with him too, don't you?
Riku and Kairi weren't here anymore, and she knew it.
Why do you hesitate to tell them?
"I don't know," she whispered.
Are you afraid?
More than anything, she was afraid. She put her hand on her chest where her heart resided, softly clutching the fabric of her clothes for something tangible to hold.
I understand. But you must know the time will come when you will seal this word's Keyhole, and your journey must continue.
Of course, she knew; the clock was ticking, and the time to confront their demons was almost upon them. The time to be afraid had come and past, and yet she couldn't simply let it go so easily. She breathed in, releasing her hand and letting it drop to her side as she searched for any shred of courage she had left. "Hey…" she began.
Yes?
"Do you know about it? Hollow Bastion, I mean."
Hm. I can't say I have ever heard of such a world.
She sighed and dropped her gaze to the ground.
But, from what little I can recall… there was once a grand castle by that same name.
"Do you think it's the same place?"
I truly cannot say…
No matter how many clues she amassed, more questions would arise. No matter how many Heartless they defeated, the shadows grew in number and in strength. No matter how often they had Kairi within reach, she always somehow found a way to slip from their grasps…
And in that moment, despite the constant omnipresence that followed her every move, Akira felt truly defeated.