Chapter 1 - Council of Worlds
"Dyne! Dyne…? Where in the hell is that $&# boy!"
The moogles had no trouble sensing both Cid's presence and his anger. The stomping of his brown boots on the floor of the Highwind X as he moved toward the bridge and the steady steam of curses flowing from his mouth were both good indicators. The little white creatures with small red pom-poms sprouting from their heads moved out of his way quickly; they were, sadly, directly at kicking level for an angry adult human, and reports of violence toward the moogle population were relatively common.
"I told him to depart half an hour ago! And what does he do? Waits all day, and then calls me for help, I swear to $# &#$ &$!"
The man was gristly and mean-looking. He wore a pair of loose blue mechanic's pants and a simple white t-shirt. Perched on his forehead was a pair of pilot's goggles, and from his lips hung an unsmoked cigarette. There was an apparent agitation readable in his expression.
There was a hissing noise as the hydraulic doors leading into the bridge of the massive gummi ship slid open. The craft, one of several works of Geppetto's genius and toil, had incorporated both iron and steelworks combined with the natural interstellar capabilities of gummi to create a high-tech hybrid capable of navigation, combat, various operations and still enough room to include all the luxuries of home.
The bridge was filled with multiple seats, before each of which was a HUD displaying the various functions of that station. There was a station for navigation, for weaponry, for ship maintenance, the living areas- everything. The bridge was the brain of the ship.
Operating this brain was a crew of moogles, humans, and an octopus. They were all focused on their own individual stations, the sound of beeps and clicks popping around through the room as they worked. Cid glanced briefly at the panels, realizing that they were only now in the beginning stages of departure checks.
At the end of the bridge, near the viewscreen rather than by the captain's seat, stood a blond-haired young man. He was clad in a pair of white pants, the waist of which was black, a black t-shirt and a white vest. He sported a pair of white sneakers on his feet, and he had had the back of his vest embroidered with the King's crest, within which was the rank insignia of the captain of the ship. He was engaged in conversation with somebody, whom (due to the angle at which Dyne was standing) was unable to see, and nor did he really care.
"What the &#$)'s the matter, Dyne! Did you forget how to tell somebody to take off! I told you to have this ship ready a half-"
Cid halted as, in having come closer, he recognized who Dyne was speaking to.
"Queen Minnie! I-I-I…" Cid stammered, staring at the Queen, who was clad in the pink gown she was so fond of and wearing the royal crown on her head. The man dropped to a knee, bowing his head, his face turning red. In the motion, he feigned wiping his mouth and pulled the cigarette from his lips, sliding it in his back pocket in mid-bow. The Queen had a distinct dislike for cigarettes.
"Don't worry, Cid. Please, please, stand. It was I who ordered that the Highwind X stay in the docks."
Cid got to his feet, looking toward Dyne, trying to read something of the situation. He was able to tell by the boy's relaxed position and the look of excitement on his face that the matter wasn't negative. Relaxing a little, he nodded to the Queen.
"What is it, your Majesty?"
"I haven't been told much, but… we may have found a way to get Sora back."
"WHAT?"
The news stunned the pilot. He nearly lost his composition, his mouth having dropped open as his eyes widened with surprise. The man's outburst startled the rest of the crew, who all turned their heads in his direction. Dyne glared at him.
"Keep your voice down, old man. Jeez."
Shaking the surprise off, though no less excited, he babbled.
"Wha- when? Who said? Where is he? Are you sure!"
"Calm down, calm down. No, we're not sure. That's just it; but we may have a very strong lead. The King has made motions to convene council, and wants both you and Dyne to be there."
The hardness on Dyne's face melted, and he grinned at the old pilot. "What do you think, Cid? There might be a way."
Cid only shook his head, grinning, and nodded to the Queen.
"Alright, let's go."
The gummi docks were a new addition to the Disney Palace, and the Disney Palace was, effectively, a new addition to the Kingdom itself. Since the worlds had been haphazardly connected, a jigsaw puzzle of a pangaea chained by worldheart-links to a glow in the center of the universe, the Disney Palace had become the capital of the realm, which was now commonly called the Kingdom. The King ruled over the entirety of the Kingdom, and the leaders of what had been each of the individual worlds worked in council with him in service of the inhabitants of the Kingdom.
Only months before, the docks had been completed in order to house the set of massive ships that Gepetto had built. The gummi-behemoths, previously, had been force to hover around the Palace, and they were used both as transport for royal business, as weapons for defense against the Darkness if ever it should return, and were also, from time to time, used to explore out into the starless sky to see if any worlds remained.
Kairi moved down a red-carpeted stairway, Donald Duck on her right, Goofy flanking her on the left. Her pink sneakers, blue-and-red plaid skirt and white top adorned her, primarily because she didn't have anything more formal to wear. She looked out of the glass tube that sealed off the stairway from gummi space, and wondered at the size of the Disney Palace and at the complex transparent structure that was the gummi docks. Small ships navigated around everywhere, and it never ceased to amaze the girl.
What overwhelmed the awe inspired by the incredible construction was the hope shining in her heart. She had spent months in mourning for Sora when she had been told that he had sacrificed himself to bring the worlds back. He had been engulfed by the Light he fought to free, consumed by it, and his heart had been unable to withstand it. She had mourned Riku, as well, who had never returned from Memoria.
But still, for some reason, she had waited. She had waited for so long, for some kind of news. Selphie had, once, told her (and softly, at that) that she should move on, and try to find somebody else. It had ended with Selphie in tears and Kairi storming her way to the Secret Place. And now, perhaps, her waiting had been worth it; maybe now, she would have Sora back.
She glanced momentarily toward the dog and the duck that were accompanying her. She wondered if they ever changed their style of clothing; Donald always seemed to be wearing some manner of blue top, and with Goofy it was always green shirt, black vest, and orange pants.
At least Goofy wore pants. Donald never seemed to bother.
The duck looked up at her as she began to stifle a giggle.
"What's so funny?" he queried, in that duck voice that Kairi couldn't ever help but find to be a little funny.
"Maybe she's just excited," commented Goofy when the red-haired young woman didn't respond. "I mean, you heard, didn't you Donald?"
"No, I didn't. Nobody tells me anything around here."
Kairi, having regained her composure, looked over her shoulder at Goofy, smiling.
"You didn't look at my letter, did you?" she teased. "I don't think His Majesty would be too happy knowing you looked at his mail!"
"No way! I wouldn't read his mail! Unless a'course he asked me to, then I'd have to. Or what if-"
"Aw, we know, Goofy, we know," muttered Donald. "What do you know?"
"The King is congealing a special Council of Worlds-"
"Convening!"
"Right! Convening a Council of Worlds. Everyone's gonna be there."
"Who's representing Destiny Islands? My dad wasn't on the ship with us."
"He was on a smaller ship earlier," commented Donald. "I saw him while we were leaving."
"He didn't say anything about a Council of Worlds," Kairi murmured. "This must be really hush-hush business."
"It sure is," acknowledged Goofy before he directed Kairi to make a right turn as they entered into the palace. The place was bustling; moogles, squirrels, walking brooms, and even the occasional elephant were each going about their businesses through the halls, and both dog and duck made took the lead, Donald shouting 'make-ways' and Goofy pushing through as well as he could.
The Palace itself was immense. Kairi was simply overwhelmed by both the diversity of the inhabitants, the number of people moving in and out, the size and number of the halls, everything. How Goofy and Donald knew their ways through it, she had no idea. A left turn, a right turn, a random staircase, a jump, two dodges, and another mile or so of walking, and they still hadn't gotten to their destination.
"You know, it's a wonder why they don't have some other kind of transportation here, like… a golf cart, or something," Kairi commented.
"We're not far, Kairi," replied Donald.
The red-haired girl nodded.
The number of people in the halls had tapered down to a very few, and Kairi was still unable to recognize any familiar faces. She hadn't ever left the island, really; every now and then, Dyne would come to visit her, though the first time she had nearly broken down by the way he reminded her of Sora. The two looked so alike.
Dog and duck directed the girl toward a large hallway, at the end of which were a pair of massive red doors. Why all the doors around here were so massive, Kairi couldn't even begin to imagine, but perhaps it was just the preferred architecture style of the King.
The doors opened of their own volition, and the three of them entered. Within the doors, there was a massive room. The red carpeting changed to one lined with gold, and Kairi wondered at the sheer size of the room at the top of which she stood.
It was at least the size of the large arena in Olypmus Coliseum, and about the same shape, although it was circular. At the center of the domed room there was a podium, on top of which stood King Mickey, looking out at all the leaders of all the now-connected worlds. The girl saw that she was the last to arrive; all eyes turned to her as the red doors announced their closing with a loud boom. Donald and Goofy moved away from her and stood guard at the doors. The room buzzed with lowered voices.
Kairi brushed aside a few rebel strands of her deep red hair from her face, smiled faintly at the hundreds of officials in the council room. She stepped forward, looking at the stairway leading down toward the podium. She looked around, and saw an empty seat next to the blonde-haired young gummi-ship captain, Dyne. She slid in to the cushioned red seat next to him. He glanced to her, smiled.
"Hey," he said. "Heard you were coming. Glad to see you could make it."
She nodded. "Am I late or something?"
"Nah," he said, grinning lopsidedly. "His Majesty just wanted everybody to know you came in."
Mickey called the gathering to silence, and the hum faded, leaving the entire room devoid of noise. Kairi peered down at the mouse standing on the podium. She had only met His Majesty once, not long after the restoration of worlds. He had promised her that she would never have to worry about being taken care of, that she always had a place in the Palace if she wanted. She had declined; the Destiny Islands were her home.
"Is everyone here? Are we missing anybody?" called Mickey, and his voice was amplified by some kind of magical force. The congregation looked about, saw there were no empty seats. Mickey continued. "Leaders of worlds, princesses of heart, officials, honored guests… I have called a Council of Worlds today to announce news for you to relay to your people as you see fit, and to come to a decision regarding what action should be taken in light of recent events."
The buzz of low voices sounded once more. Kairi saw that Dyne was silent, leaning forward with his elbows braced on the ornate wooden desk in front of him. In the boy's blue eyes, Kairi could sense excitement, agitation, and relief all at once. She turned her attention back to King Mickey. As he spoke, the voices ceased.
"It has been said by a very reliable source that there is a way to bring the Keyblade Master back to us."
This statement was followed by a dead, shocked silence. Then the room erupted into cheers and cries of joy. Only a few remained under control, and it was either those who had already heard or had this next question to ask:
"Is this true, Your Majesty? Can it really be done, or is it only rumor?"
As the rabble quieted (after the King's directions to do so), Mickey replied.
"Two of the heros who traveled with the Keyblade Master to the very edge of the fateless realm have returned. They have been gone from us for two years, only now having found their ways home."
Kairi's heart pounded. Dyne grasped the desk in shock. Could it be them…?
"Riku and Lilka have returned to us from a realm beyond Light and Darkness, where they were stranded before the great battle against Darkness. They come bearing knowledge of how to bring Sora back to us, of how to protect us from the Darkness. Donald and Goofy, please escort them in!"
There was an explosion of cheers as the royal mage and the captain of the guard opened the two massive doors, and in them stood a young man with a loose black cloth robe wrapped haphazardly about his body, hood lowered to reveal twin tourquoise oculars, and beside him stood a girl wearing what could be considered fitting for a dancer in the desert.
Kairi whipped around as the doors opened, and was nearly barreled over by Dyne as he fought to get out of his seat and into the aisle. Donald and Goofy watched the young man, Riku, with mixed feelings, knowing they had spent more time fighting than being friends, but knowing what his return meant and what he meant to Sora and Kairi.
Mickey, with all the regal elegance of a king, was clapping as well, his smile wide. He was the first to learn of their return, and had nearly fainted of joy when he learned that his old friend was still alive and well.
Kairi threw herself at Riku, and he caught her, laughing. Dyne was grinning from ear to ear as he looked back and forth from Riku to Lilka, and he was (for once) caught with nothing he could say.
Riku squeezed the girl tightly, overjoyed. He swung around once, and as her feet landed, she pulled away, looking up at her, tears of gladness already wetting her eyes. Lilka was chuckling at Riku's apparent delight, and she looked to Dyne's cheerful face. She wondered what she should say. It seemed a moment that needed no words, but Kairi spoke anyway.
"Oh, Riku! Is it really you? Really, really you? I thought you were gone, forever!"
"Well, Sora's too lazy to take care of you, so somebody's got to pick up his slack!" laughed the silver-haired young man, looking down at her with an intense happiness. He had finally reunited with her, with untainted eyes.
"Sora…" Kairi murmered, slightly distracted suddenly. She looked back up at him, grinning. "You know how to bring him back to us? We can finally be together again!"
Riku nodded.
"Hey, Riku. What happened to you? When we reached the path to the Door… you and Lilka weren't there," said Dyne, nodding toward the young woman with brown hair. Kairi looked to her. They grinned at each other.
"That's a long story, and I have some of my own questions to ask you. But, later… all these people want information, too."
Lilka made her way toward the steps, and gave Dyne a light pat on the shoulder as she passed. The blonde haired kid smiled, and as Riku followed Lilka down toward the podium, he began to guide Kairi back to their seats.
The cheering died out by the time the two reached the podium. They had both gained their composure and, while they tried to keep their faces stony, they couldn't help but appear overjoyed; Riku was happy to be home, and Lilka was glad that Riku was happy. The two moved up the few steps to the podium, upon which Mickey stood. The King nodded, laughed, and extended a hand to his friend. The onlookers gasped.
Riku took the hand, shook it hard.
"I'm glad you're back, Riku," said His Majesty. "We need you more than ever."
"The Darkness isn't gone, is it?"
"No… but Sora is. Tell them what you know."
Both the man and the woman nodded, and stepped to the edge of the platform encircling the podium.
"My respectful greetings to you all," spoke Riku, bowing. Lilka made a slight curtsy, smiling. She wondered at the flowery speech he was making; it really wasn't his style at all, but she didn't mind particularly. She actually enjoyed it a little. "It is good to be home, and it's good to see all of you well and healthy."
Kairi watched on from her seat, beside Dyne. She was surprised at a slight change in Riku's voice. It was hard to place; it was a change in accent, but none like she had ever heard. Perhaps he had picked it up in whatever place he had been for two years.
"My love, Lilka," he indicated toward the young woman, "and I traveled with Sora and Dyne, who is now the captain of the Royal Gummi Force, as well as a warrior named Asher to the very farthest edge of Memoria. We faced the ravages of Memoria, defeated our own reflections, faced the guilt within our hearts, and stood off with the Fates themselves. When the door opened for us, we entered."
Dyne muttered an obscenity when Riku mentioned the name of Asher. It irritated him even more than Riku had referred to him as a 'warrior'; the term 'sleaze-ball traitor' fit a little better, in the blonde-haired kid's expert opinion. But Riku was embellishing the story, and with good reason- his words would be written down in history, so they'd best be good ones.
Kairi looked to him as the nasty words made their way out of Dyne's mouth, and frowned. Looking back down toward the podium, she thought of Asher. No, she hadn't forgotten the boy who had fallen from the sky, who held within himself a strange hybrid of timidity and raging fury, of impossible strength paired with crippling weakness. He had refused to take Kairi with him, but had been more than willing to take a message to Sora, the only communication she could manage to get to him. She also remembered that when he left, a monster came to the Destiny Islands. It had been the Darkheart Crystal, the Nemesis, and it had consumed her and her entire world.
"But where it was Sora, Dyne, and Asher's fate to combat the Darkheart Crystal, to defeat the Darkness and restore the Light, it was ours to discover an entirely new realm, separated from the Light, the Dark, and even the Kingdom itself. It was a realm that has existed since before Darkness and Light were two different things. The realm is called Envect."
The King was listening intently. He had traveled with Riku through realms, they had dragged each other out of the realm of Darkness itself. His knowledge and experience was vast, but he still had no idea that there was a realm outside of those of the Light, the Dark, Memoria, and the Kingdom.
Lilka looked out at the crowd. Riku let the information settle in, and glanced to the woman, taking in the way her soft features caught the spotlight above them, almost making her glow. She sensed his eyes on her, turned and smiled at him. She made a small motion for him to continue, sensing also that he was silently offering her an opportunity to speak. Lilka was not one for speaking to large crowds, though.
"Lilka and I struggled against the people of Envect, fighting not to have our minds and hearts wiped clean, fighting not to be assimilated into them, into forgetting our purpose. We learned their language, learned their histories, and learned of the Thirteenth Order."
Riku was the only one among hundreds in the council chamber speaking. The entire gathering waited for him to continue, their attentions focused singly on him. Lilka fidgeted a little, watching the congregation watching her.
"It was from the Thirteenth Order that I learned the truth. Our realm, as you may know, is engaged in a war, between Light and Darkness. But if the war has been going on for as long as it has, why hasn't one side come out victorious even once? For two reasons. The first is that our realm, until only recently, has been caught in a loop of constant repetition, which, we have learned, has only been temporarily thrown off. A force exists whose entire existence is bent on keeping us in a constant loop of Light and Dark, shifting dominance, destroying us only to create us again, over and over again.
"I took an oath, several years ago, to break this pattern. I was my oath, it was Dyne's oath, it was His Majesty's oath and it was the oath of two warriors, one named Kydran and the other named Knives. We have been given a window of opportunity. We must take advantage of it before we lose it."
There was a murmuring among the congregation. Mickey looked to Riku, nodding his assurance that the oath he took yet stood. The murmuring soon grew into a loud buzzing, and the King called the room to attention.
While Mickey was attempting to bring control over the Council, Kairi looked to Dyne, who had grown distant since the mention of the oath. She frowned, and leaned forward, looking up at his face, trying to get a better view of it. Sensing her, he snapped his head in her direction.
"…what?"
"Nothing. You just… nothing," she said, shaking her head and looking back down at the podium, where Mickey was now addressing the cloaked young man.
"You said there were two reasons," said Mickey, his voice amplified for all to hear. "What is the second, and what does all of this have to do with bringing the Keybearer back to us?"
Riku nodded, and looked back at the congregation. "The second reason is… Light and Darkness are not two separate forces. They are merely two faces of the same force: memory. If you were to try to eradicate Darkness fully, forever, then you would forever be denied the ability to forget, to carry on and to realize what it past, present and future."
At this point the Council nearly exploded as shock, disbelief, 'ah-hahs!' and shouts of anger erupted from them all. The King fought to bring them back under control, and Riku watched them, shaking his head slightly. Lilka turned to him, and uttered something that the King was unable to make out, and the young man nodded.
The girl's fingers danced behind the loose silk stretching from one shoulder to the opposite arm, hiding the gathering of energy as she prepared to cast the spell. There was a slight flash beneath the dark silks.
"GET A GRIP!" Riku's voice erupted out from the podium, instantly overpowering even the most boisterous argument in the Council room. All faces turned to the three people standing in the center of the room, and with the spell finished, Riku continued without Lilka's voice amplification, relying on the type Mickey had been using.
"I need all of you to listen to me," spoke Riku, his eyes narrowing. "Right now, a being called Caejan is trying to bring the Darkness back from whatever prison Sora created for it when he restored everything. He does it because it's the entire point of his existence to bring the balance back, and the only way he can do it is wiping the slate clean; he almost had it last time, and will have it if we don't act immediately."
Every person in the room sat a little straighter, either returning to their seats or listening more attentively. Riku glanced and saw the stone-cold seriousness written on the face of Jack, the Pumpkin King. He saw King Triton's normally-serious face locked in an expression of severity that amazed him. He saw Geppetto in the crowd as well, his mind already churning with ways to get them where they needed to go.
Riku's thoughts also traveled to how many of the people in the room he had wronged when he had let himself play into the Darkness's hands, when his overconfidence had been his downfall. He had not yet fully atoned; he would not rest until all was truly right.
"Sora's consciousness and memories still exist within the depths of the Light. His heart was ripped from his body by the Darkheart Crystal, and the structure of his heart simply couldn't handle all of the Light he was forced to accept to bring the worlds back. It broke down, and all of his consciousness was lost in the sea of Light that was left."
Dyne's brow furrowed as he listened. How had Riku learned about that? He hadn't been there. He hadn't been there to see that agonizing moment when he was forcefully severed from Sora, when the connection was broken forever, when he had truly become his own person like he wanted, much to his own dismay.
"Because Sora had no body any longer, and no actual heart, we have a couple of choices. We can create for him a new heart and a new body, and extract his memories from the Light into this artificial creation," Riku announced, and it was plain to see how distasteful this sounded to him.
Kairi was the first once to shake her vehemently at this course of action. Dyne knew why, and there were several reasons. To be encased in an artificial heart would be bad enough, but to have Sora living in an artificial body as well? Sora would never be happy. He would act as though it didn't bother him, perhaps take solace in the fact that he had his friends back, but it would be… unnatural.
"The other option," said Riku, looking up toward both Kairi and Dyne, "is that we bring Kairi to the edge of the Light, and use her to call Sora back to us, to anchor him back into reality until, maybe, his heart returns."
The red-haired girl watched Riku, and smiled oddly. Why he was saying all of this in council wasn't exactly apparent to her; she knew that Riku knew that she would do anything for Sora. But Dyne was able to see it. Getting Sora back would only be the first step. If Sora's heart did come back, because he was no longer connected to his body (and Dyne wondered at the fact that he had already, in his own mind, ceased to consider himself to be Sora's body), he would be sent straight to Kingdom Hearts. And when he was brought back, his shadow would be brought back as well, and…
Dyne laughed aloud at the sight of the layers upon layers of scheming and planning this must have taken. Riku was very obviously dead-set on upholding his end of the bargain; all he had to do here was, essentially, promise the leaders of the Kingdom that they would be safe and have their Keybearer back, even though they were going to beat Caejan at his own game. It was truly devious. But he would have to speak to Riku later. There were a few blaring flaws (as far as Dyne was concerned) in this plan.
The Council members each turned to each other, and began discussion. With the moment to rest, Riku turned to Lilka. He spoke in the tongue of Envect.
"I've said what I needed to say. I need you to see if Mazeura's still here or not," the boy spoke in the flowing-yet-artificial language. "He upheld their side of the bargain. I want to know if he's gone for our side already."
Mickey frowned. He didn't like the idea that Riku was saying something not meant for his ears. He gave it a second thought, and figured perhaps he was telling Lilka something he didn't want everyone to hear… or what nobody else really wanted to hear. They were grown-up, after all…
The girl nodded to him, but Riku could read a little anxiety behind her eyes.
"If he does something… rash, you know what to do. I'll be by your side in a heartbeat."
"I love you," she said. "I'll be back in a moment."
"Your Majesty," Lilka said, turning to the King. "There is something I need to go do…"
Mickey frowned.
"Nature calls," she said sheepishly, smiling in an odd sort of way. The mouse nodded.
"Far be it from me!"
The girl nodded, and the King displayed an astonished expression as her form faded from his sight in the span of a moment. There was a slight murmur in the congregation as she disappeared, because by that time they had finished their conversations and were now ready to listen to the King.
"Those in favor of giving our support to the effort of bringing the Keyblade Master back to us, say 'aye'!" the King called out.
A single, unanimous 'Aye!' filled the room.
The King nodded, and turned to Riku, voice still amplified.
"As far as how Sora is brought back… I believe that depends on Kairi. It is her choice whether she wants to go with you or not, and I believe I share every Council member's opinion in saying that it would be unfair to bring the Keybearer back into an unnatural heart and an unnatural body."
The sound of agreement rolled over the gathering. Then, all eyes turned to the red-haired girl sitting in the back. Riku faced her as well. Their eyes locked. The young man smiled.
Kairi took a breath, and got to her feet. Dyne, though he was unsure why, felt compelled to stand with her, so she wouldn't be alone. The boy stole a glance at her face. He could read the turmoil underneath the surface of her expression; it had nothing to do with the decision laid on her shoulders. It was a wasted question; everybody knew the answer. What he could read in her eyes, however, was the pain of dredging up the memories of her lost love, of having to think of the fact that she still didn't have him like she was supposed to.
"I've waited so long to see Sora again," Kairi began. "He promised me a long time ago that he'd come back to me… and if I don't go, he'll never be able to keep his promise. I'm going to go, no matter what it takes."
Riku was smiling from ear to ear. Yes; finally, his opportunity was coming. He, Sora, and Kairi would be together again, like old times; he wouldn't have the weight of his sins on his shoulders, and it everything would be right. But they still had so far to go…
"So be it!" the King announced. "We will begin planning immediately! I hereby appoint Riku as the head of this mission, and Lilka as the . I further appoint Dyne, Captain of the Royal Gummi Fleet, to handle all affairs related to this effort. Kairi is appointed as second in command, and Goofy, Captain of the Royal Guard, will be responsible for ensuring the protection of the crew and important persons. This proclamation shall be recorded and given the Royal Seal, so that none will interfere in this endeavor. This Council is now concluded."
Cheers erupted from every member of the congregation as each one expressed the joy they felt at the prospect of having Sora returned to them.
As the masses of kings, presidents, leaders, and chieftains all sifted out, Kairi and Dyne made their long way down to the central podium where Riku and the King stood discussing what they were going to do. Kairi was grinning at the silver-haired young man by the time she moved up the steps leading to the podium, and Riku turned to see her. He smiled.
"It's so good to see you again, Riku," said Kairi, moving to his side. "I didn't think I was ever going to get to see you or Sora again…"
Riku shook his head vehemently. "I couldn't let that happen, could I? It's funny. First it was Sora who came to help both of us… now it's us who have to go save him."
"We'll do it. No matter what," Kairi stated firmly, looking to Dyne. "Besides… how could anything get in our way? We have you and Dyne, and Donald and Goofy and the ships now, right?"
Dyne shrugged. "It's mostly formalities, Kairi," he spoke, but he knew there was something Riku wasn't telling them. He was going to find out, and he knew also that Riku was going to tell him.
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. We're getting Sora back," grinned the girl, looking at each of the others in turn. Riku's expression showed depth, Dyne's showed suspicion, and the King was apparently in deep contemplation. Was there something she was missing?
"That's right, but at the moment… I'm starving!" cried Mickey, who hopped off of the podium. "Come on guys, we've got a banquet waiting for us. Only the best for the Keyblade Heroes!"
The girl turned and followed Mickey, but upon realizing that neither Dyne nor Riku were following, she turned back and frowned. There were watching her. Riku grinned suddenly, and nodded toward her.
"Go with the King, Kairi. I need to talk to Dyne about the mission. We'll meet you there."
Kairi looked at the two of them, and they could both sense the gears turning in her head. Kairi wasn't stupid, this at least Riku knew. She had an intuitive sense like no other, and she knew something was going on. But if she knew the risks he was taking…
Finally, she smiled, the suspicion disappearing suddenly. Nodding, she turned and jogged to catch up with King Mickey, following him up the steps and disappearing through the massive red doorway.
With the hall empty, Dyne turned to Riku and his blue eyes suddenly turned hard.
"What's the plan, Riku? Really? It's obvious you plan on getting Asher back as well, but I don't see how doing Caejan's job for him is going to help us along."
The cloak-clad man sighed, and his twin aquamarine oculars shifted toward the doorway.
"Lilka and I had no choice. It's a small window of opportunity we've been given, but we have to take it," Riku began. "The Thirteenth Order-"
"You mentioned them earlier. So Caejan wasn't lying, then?"
"No, he wasn't, and there's a member of the Order here in the Kingdom now. Lilka went to see if he's already gone in search for Caejan… I sitll haven't heard from her."
"So let me get this straight… you're not only helping Caejan along, but you brought a member of the Order to help him out too! You've got to be kidding me, Riku, we can't handle them both at once!"
"I know," snapped the silver-haired young man, "and that's why I'm playing along for now. Neither Sora nor Asher can be brought back unless Kairi helps us, and they can't control Kairi, which is where we have our leverage. We'll bring Sora back and try to beat them to Asher… and once we're all together again, we can face Caejan and Mazeura."
"Mazeura? That's the name of the Order man?"
"Yes. But we have to handle this carefully. I still don't know whether the Order plan on controlling Caejan, or working with him to bring the Eight back into cycle, but we have to try to stop both. It's the only chance we have."
Dyne nodded, frowning, his eyes traveling to the ground. So there was the problem. Riku and Lilka had only one way back, and that was through the Order that created Caejan, that existed to keep the Kingdom in the constant cycle. They had come so close to breaking it, but they had been blind…
The blonde-haired kid moved down the steps and toward the stairway out.
"Dyne," Riku spoke as he walked away. "You trust me, don't you?"
"Duh," replied the dual wielder, not looking back. "Now let's go eat."