Author's NOTE: Wowee! Okay, let me see now...counts fingers lovelyangelyuki
(don't you ever have any time to read now?), Doomboy2000, DemonSurfer, and
cammy-world666 THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! gives out candy Finals week, no more
Finals, happy today so here's a gift to you guys: two chapters this week!
Have fun!!!
Secrets of Memories
Chapter 16: The Legend of Sherwood Forest
"Goofy, you're a mechanic?" Sora was astounded as Goofy screwed in the last of the bolts on the gummi ship.
"Yup!" Goofy answered emphatically as he put the wrench back in the emergency toolbox. "This ship's now good as new."
"This is what he gets from hanging around Chip and Dale too much," Donald muttered. "Who's ever heard of a knight who specializes in mechanics?"
"Me," Sora and Goofy chimed at the same time.
"Stop dawdling around," Aozora growled as he emerged from the inside of the gummi ship. "Goofy's done a great job. Goofy, the wires are all reconnected. The ship should be working completely by now."
By completely, he meant that everything in the ship was working, including the brakes on the ship; Sora had somehow managed to break the brakes moments before take-off.
The three watched as the blond teenager stomped back inside.
"What's his issue?" Donald said darkly.
"I don't know," Sora narrowed his eye at this. "But he's right. There's no time to lose. Let's go."
He ran into the ship. Without further ado, Goofy bounded after him. Donald, now brooding, brought up the rear. He shut the door behind him and settled in a spot very far away from a gloomy-looking Aozora.
Sora jumped into the pilot's chair and pushed the lever forward. The Firaga engines on the gummi ship came to life and lifted the ship off the ground. Then they were soaring away, above the white mountains that nearly killed them, out of the atmosphere, into the purplish space that teemed with asteroids, spinning rings, all manners of obstacles, and Heartless ships.
It was then and there Sora repeated his question to Aozora.
"It's not words you'd want to know," Aozora replied rather coldly. "Utter them at the wrong place, the wrong time, the wrong way, with the wrong intent, and everything around you gets destroyed, including yourself."
The gummi ship was silent for a long time.
"What did the Emperor say to you?" Goofy finally ventured to say as he let go of Sora's chair; the silence was partially due to Sora's antics. Sora had played 'chicken' with a Heartless ship (think ' Pearl Harbor') and nearly rid the universe of them.
Aozora did not answer. He glared at his feet.
"Oh come on, Aozora," Sora exclaimed. "Do tell us!"
Aozora shook his head. "I don't feel like sharing."
"Oh, is that so?" Donald grumped. "As a team, everybody shares."
"Not all the time," Goofy interrupted. "I think the Emperor and he talked about something very, very serious and important. Like how King Mickey talks to Queen Minnie. Daisy never could get anything out of her and they're closest of friends."
"Did you just say 'team'?" Sora was half-mocking, half-astounded.
Donald looked like he wanted to kill himself.
Aozora ignored Sora's antics. He leaned against the wall inside the gummi ship furthest away from the three. He needed to be alone, needed to think.
His conversation with the Emperor was still very much alive in his mind. He didn't like what the Emperor had said, something very ominous, very sinister.
"You will have to watch out for the Keyblade Master, young one," the Emperor had told him. "In fact, you must watch out for him. Whatever you do, you must protect with all your life, regardless of the consequences. There are those you have worked with who are plotting your downfall and the downfall of the Keyblade Master. The incident back in Twilight Town? They were only- I am aware of these things, young one, so do not give me that look-they were only putting into motion their dark machinations, their evil schemes of destruction and power. The Society is corrupted, young one. It is best to stay a good distance away from them."
"Why do you tell me this but not him?" Aozora had asked in confusion. " If he is in danger, tell him."
"The Society would change their dark plans if they learned that Sora was aware of them," the Emperor had answered. "It is best to keep them focused on the present plans while the others and I try to find out what is it they are trying to do to you two."
"Others?" Aozora demanded.
"You need not know until later," the Emperor did not advance that subject. "You must know, however, that the incident back in Twilight Town was played out for a reason. That reason is very dangerous to this whole situation, Aozora. You must find out what they had done...or suffer the consequences..."
And Aozora remembered something the Unknown and the homeless man were saying. Something about a device...
But he could remember no more.
"Learn from your journey with the Keyblade Master and protect him," the Emperor also said. "We have lost one of our own to the Society and the Society had sent one of theirs to conquer my home and my people. The Society is set to conquer the worlds, Aozora. Learn what you can and use what you've learned to your advantage. Find out what had happened back in Twilight Town and, of everything you can do while still breathing, while still standing, protect the Keyblade Master to the very last."
Aozora mulled over the words. The Emperor sounded very frightened, a characteristic not common in emperors that people revered. There was something in that incident at Twilight Town that shook the Emperor down to the core. And he had put a huge emphasis on protecting Sora. That provided support for the feelings he had about the future: there were worse things to come.
But the device...I don't understand, he thought. What does the Emperor mean?
"What happened between you and that Unknown back there?" Sora asked. " What happened to him?"
"Huh?...oh, him," Aozora recalled. "Nothing much, really. Had a hell of a time trying to beat him. Didn't quite succeed. He got away."
"You let him get away?!" Donald snapped.
"Not 'let him get away'!" Aozora retorted. "He got away. There's a big difference between 'let' and 'got', you idiot!"
"Why you cheeky-"
Goofy stuck out his shield in front of Donald just as the wizard was just about to charge the one who so insulted him. Sora winced as he heard a banging noise and Donald slumped to the ground, knocked out. Aozora stared first at Goofy, then at Donald, "You know, you really didn't have to do that..."
"Needed to knock some sense into him," Goofy explained amiably and without a care in the world.
"Oh ok...well then..." Aozora sighed. "Anyways Domitan got away and we might as well be expecting him at the next stop, depending on whether or not we're going to meet either the Nobodies or the Heartless."
"Domitan?" Goofy mouthed, before it dawned on him that Aozora was referring to the Unknown that he dueled.
"If its Heartless, I'm going to kill myself," Sora groaned.
"And the rest of the universe will go down with you if you keep to those words," Aozora snapped at him.
Sora gripped the controls tightly; something was wrong with Aozora. What did the Emperor tell him that made him so wound up against everybody?
"They are coming, Master," the hooded one told the being swathed in red. " They are not aware of our plans."
"Good," the being nodded its head in anticipation. "Perhaps our plans would work after all."
"They always have, Master," the hooded one told the being. "There is no need to worry."
"Do not be so sure, my protégé," the being reprimanded. "Be careful, be precise, and never be too sure of oneself."
"Yes Master," the hooded answered humbly.
"Sigh...don't you ever wonder what Ansem is really up to?" the being asked, voice tinged with amusement. "It is only fools like him who throw their forces against ours. They may have overwhelmed us back at China-thanks to that accursed Mulan- but that is only one battle. He has been battling us elsewhere to no avail; he is a real fool."
"Master," the hooded being then asked. "When will we strike Old Universe?"
"When we have conquered New Universe," the being answered calmly. "When we have taken over those worlds and have cast aside the Order of the Hearts and Souls. The Order is a greater danger than the Society; they must be rid of."
"Then do you also plan on exterminating the Society, Master?" the hooded being asked.
The red-coated being shook his head. "Not yet. Now is not the time. They will help us greatly in the near future; in the end, we will rid of them."
The hooded one bowed. "The Society won't know what hit them."
There was amusement in his voice. The red one answered, "They are foolish, the Society. They seek to destroy the Heartless by joining the Nobodies; it will be their downfall. They pledged to go about without power; they have broken their vow, save a few. Those few will be contained. He has assured to me that it will be done. The extermination will begin with the elder among the Society. Was he not called Eldest?"
When the hooded one nodded in affirmation, the red one continued, "He believes Eldest will destroy the Society and must be contained. I know what Eldest has been doing. Eldest must be contained. Must."
The hooded one bowed to him in agreement. "I understand. Master, what is the next step?"
"The next step?" the red one repeated. "The Nobodies are gathering at Sherwood Forest. John will take charge from there. I want you to ready some for Anthill. I fear the Heartless will be targeting there and you and your charges must be ready for battle, in case I do not get through to him."
The red one spoke this certain 'him' with contempt and disgust.
"Very well, Master," the hooded one began to walk out of the room.
"Don't let anybody know of these plans," the red-coated being stated. " This is confidential. Only tell them what needs to be done and everything will be perfect."
The hooded one nodded and strode out of the dimly lit room, with the only source of light being the sun outside. The red one sat in his chair, his hands together before his face, thinking, musing of the future and of future plans.
The King must never surface in this Universe, in this lifetime, forever in fact. The King must never return...
In a clearing deep in the midst of a very green and healthy forest, there are two 'men'. Technically speaking, one's a big, robust bear who was wearing a rather lacy apron and the other's a quick-witted and clever fox who isn't being quick-witted and clever fox at that moment in time; he's stirring the stew in a pot from a sitting position, his head propped up against a stone, daydreaming and humming.
"La, da, di, da, da, da, di, dum. Da, da, hm, hm, hm, hm..." He had a very droopy and lazy look in his eyes.
"Hey lover boy, how's that grub coming? Man, I'm starved," the big bear made an attempt at getting the fox to pay attention to what he was doing as he hung the laundry up on the tree branch to dry.
"Hm, hm, hm, da, da, dee..." the fox was humming mechanically.
"Rob?" the bear tried to get his attention, a futile attempt.
"Hm, hm, hm..."
"Robin?"
"Hm, hm, hm..." the fox, apparently named Robin, did not hear him.
"Robaire, hey!" the bear yelled out in exasperation from behind a cloth.
"What? What did you say?" Robin asked, barely surprised by the exclamation.
"Ah forget it. Your mind's not on food," the bear, who was called Little John (why 'Little'; he's so huge), waved the matter aside. "You're thinking about somebody with long eyelashes. You're smelling that sweet perfume-" he sniffed the air suspiciously, as a horrible smell drifted by his nose.
At that moment the pot began the boil over frantically and black smoke billowed from the great maw of the pot.
"Hey, whoa, it's boiling over," Robin stepped backwards in surprise.
Little John exclaimed, "You're burning the chow!" rushed at the pot and flapped away the smoke with a cloth.
Robin shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Johnny, I was thinking about Maid Marian again. I can't help it. I love her, Johnny."
Little John, putting the pot on the stone to cool and dumping ladlefuls of water in, said straight to the point, "Hey, look, why don't you stop mooning and moping around? Just marry the girl."
Robin whirled on him. "Marry her? You don't just walk up to a girl under a bookcase and say, "Remember me? We were kids together, will you marry me?" No it isn't just done that way.
Little John, slightly rolling his eyes, countered, "Oh, come on Robby. Climb the castle walls. Sweep her off her feet. Carry her out in style." He scooped up some chow in the ladle, stared at the wilted carrot hanging from it in disgust, and flung it away.
Robin, shaking his head, sighed, "It's no use Johnny. As I told you it just wouldn't work. Besides, what can I offer her?"
Little John began to tick off what Robin Hood couldn't do on his fingers. " Well, for one, you can't cook." He sniffed the food and his nose crinkled up instantaneously.
Robin sighed as he headed to the tree to finish putting up the laundry.. " I'm serious. She's a highborn lady of quality."
Little John shrugged. "So she's got class. So what?"
As Friar Tuck approached, Robin Hood, now the one exasperated, explained, " I'm an outlaw. That's what. That's no life for a lovely lady, always on the run kind of a future is that?"
Robin Hood was unaware of Friar Tuck when the fat friar literally shrilled into his ear, "For heaven's sake, son! You're not an outlaw! Why, someday you'll be called a hero!"
Robin Hood jumped back in surprise, then laughter crept up his face as the friar's words registered in his mind.
"A hero?" Robin Hood laughed; in fact, he laughed so hard, he stumbled backwards and fell into the now-empty laundry basket. "Do you hear that Johnny? We've just been pardoned."
Little John chuckled over the pot of stew. "Ho, ho, that's a gas. We ain't been arrested yet."
While the two laughed it off, Friar Tuck shook his head, and headed for the previously burning pot of stew, saying, "All right. Laugh you rogues, but there's going to be a big to-do in Nottingham-" he tasted the burnt stew "- Well-done, ain't it?-" he coughed out smoke circles, tears streaming out of his eyes "- Old Prince John's having a championship archery tournament tomorrow."
Both perked up at this bit of news.
"Archery tournament? Rob could win that standing on his head, eh Rob?" Little John stated proudly about his partner. Robin Hood bowed to the compliment.
"Thank you Little John, but-" he wilted "-I'm sure we're not invited." Robin Hood sighed.
Friar Tuck, still testing the stew (maybe he's just eating it for free), stated boldly, "No, but there's somebody who'll be very disappointed if you don't come."
Laughing, Little John said, "Yeah. Old Bushel Britches-the Honorable Sheriff of Nottingham."
"No," Friar Tuck countered quickly. "Maid Marian."
Robin Hood perked up once more. "Maid Marian?"
Friar Tuck ladled up more stew. "Yeah. She's going to give a kiss to the winner!" He began to laugh again.
Robin Hood had a very 'evil' look on his face. "A kiss to the winner? Oo- de-lolly! Come on Johnny! What are we waiting for?" He cartwheeled about with exuberance.
Little John had a rather sour look on his face. "Wait a minute, Rob. That place will be crawling with soldiers."
Robin Hood, decked out with a full quiver of arrows and a rather long longbow, jumped up on the log table in the clearing and cried out, "Aha! But remember, faint hearts never won fair lady. Fear not my friends. This will be by greatest performance!"
He was very Shakespearean about it.
As the two bounded off to prepare for the archery tournament, Friar Tuck sighed and placed the ladle back in the pot. He then looked up at the sky, as though he was waiting for a sign. Presently, something shot across the sky. That was enough to satisfy the friar. With a knowing smile, he disappeared into the greenery of Sherwood Forest as well.
"This is the next stop?" Aozora peered over Sora's shoulder as they approached the green world, dotted and lined with blue.
"'Pears to be so," Goofy was happy; he was going to be on solid ground again. "That's a nice world, right Donald? Huyuk!"
Donald had a very furious, ruffled look about him. Sora believed he'd never forgive Goofy for smacking him unconscious.
"Maybe," Donald finally peeped out.
"A rather peaceful world," Aozora was saying. "Hate to have any evil running around this sort of place."
"New World was a nice place, too," Goofy pointed out. "But the Nobodies were there."
"The Nobodies are out to destroy the goodness of the worlds," Aozora shook his head. "They are just as evil as the Heartless."
"Just one question," Goofy was still talking more than usual. Sora marveled at this change. "Why are the Nobodies white? Ain't black supposed ter represent evil and white supposed ter represent good?"
Aozora thought for a moment. Goofy did have a good point. "You know, Goofy, that's a very good question. Wish I had an answer for that."
The ship suddenly jolted, slightly, but just enough to unnerve them all.
"What was that?" Donald demanded when he finally got his bearings.
"Atmosphere," Sora explained calmly. "We've hit atmosphere."
"We never hit atmosphere before New World, ya know?" Goofy mused.
Sora nodded. "Strange it should start happening now. The other worlds we've been to never had atmospheres like these."
Maybe this side of the universe has atmospheres, Aozora thought. "There seems to be activity going on over there-" he gestured to a large, swarming area in one of the green clearings "-maybe we should check that place out."
"You think?" Sora asked. Well, there was something funny about that place, something cold and strange.
Aozora nodded. "There's something strange. I can feel it."
"I don't feel nothing," Goofy commented.
"I don't either," Donald was starting to sound challenging again.
"Oh no," Sora groaned. But no argument came.
Aozora was staring at the exact same spot on the world as they drew closer. "Land outside the area. I don't like it. There's a very bad feeling about this."
"You sure?" Sora could feel it, too. That was surprising, on his part at least.
Aozora nodded confidently, his coppery eyes flashing. "There's a power here, some mysterious power. Let's land away from other people and approach on foot. We can mingle in more easily that way than by landing in the middle of the clearing in the gummi ship."
Sora nodded; it sounded logical. He steered the gummi ship towards the great green forest surrounding the clearing. As they flashed over a startling dark lake, fringed with lilies, Sora shuddered. There was something about that lake that bothered him. He peeked at Aozora; his look- a-like was even paler than usual. Did he feel it, too? There was something funny about that lake. It was calling to him. And Sora did not like it at all.
Prince John sat on in the royal seat as the procession began for the archery contest. He had a huge, evil grin on his lion face. Sir Hiss, his ever-ready accomplice, was coiled in the chair next to Prince John, looking just as evil.
"Hiss, this is a red-letter day. A "coup d'etat" to coin a Norman phrase," Prince John grinned. He thought his plan was perfect. No doubt Robin Hood, the greatest archer around, would be able to resist entering this contest. The golden arrow was, after all, the prize. As well as a kiss from Maid Marian, King Richard's niece.
"Yes, indeed, Sire. Your plan to capture Robin Hood in public is sheer genius. Hoo, hoo, hoo!" Sir Hiss agreed, being oblivious yet again to the fact that Prince John did not like being called 'Sire'.
Prince John whirled on Sir Hiss. "Hiss, no one sits higher than the King. Must I remind you, Hiss? Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk."
He glared at Sir Hiss, who quailed under the hard stare. "Do forgive me. I didn't mean..."
Prince John pushed the matter aside and practically shouted out, "My trap is baited and set. And then, revenge! Ah, revenge!"
Sir Hiss was astonished. "Shhh! Not so loud, Sire-" again, Sir Hiss forgot what Prince John had told him "- Remember, only you and I know, and your s- s-secret is my s-s-secret."
While saying so, he coiled around Prince John's neck and hissed, his tongue tickling Prince John's ear.
"Stop hissing in my ear," Prince John snapped at Sir Hiss and the snake quickly drew back. "Secret? What secret?"
Sir Hiss could've rolled his eyes. "The capture of Robin Hood, Sire."
Prince John's mood quickly changed. A dark look set in his eyes and he grimaced at the name. "That insolent blackguard. Ooh! I'll show him who wears the Crown!"
He pumped his fist in the air angrily and the crown on his head slipped.
"I share your loathing, Sire," Sir Hiss agreed insistently. "That scoundrel fooled you with that silly disguise, who dares to rob you, making you look utterly ridiculous."
Prince John did not want to be reminded by it all. "Enough! Hiss, you deliberately dodged."
Sir Hiss shrank away again. He knew what was coming. "But, but—but Sire...please."
"Stop sniveling and hold still."
Sir Hiss braced himself and presently, Prince John bonked him on the head with his fist.
"Thank you Sire," Sir Hiss said crookedly.
Maid Marian, King Richard's beautiful niece, and her maid, Lady Kluck, a huge white, tough hen, approached the area of the archery contest through a road near where Robin Hood and Little John were putting on their disguises. Robin Hood looked up immediately when he heard her voice drifting towards him.
"Klucky, I'm so excited," the vixen was telling Lady Kluck eagerly. "But how will I recognize him?"
Lady Kluck knew Maid Marian must keep her hopes up of seeing Robin Hood, her childhood friend, again. "Uh, he'll let you know somehow. That young rogue is full of surprises, my dear."
Robin Hood looked after Maid Marian as she and Lady Kluck entered the perimeters of the tournament area. "There she is, Little John. Isn't she beautiful?"
He started to walk out of the bushes after her on rather high stilts.
"Cool it, lover boy," Little John quickly snatched him back into the underbrush. "Your heart's running away with your head."
"Oh stop worrying," Robin Hood retorted as he put on the rest of his disguise. "This disguise would fool my own mother."
He was transforming himself into a patched up stork from the middle of nowhere.
"Aha," Little John countered, "but your mom ain't here. You got to fool old Bushel Britches."
He pointed to the Sheriff of Nottingham, a rather rotund wolf, who was walking down a path in between tents confidently. Robin Hood winked, then stepped out of the underbrush in his disguise, and eagerly approached the Sheriff.
"Sheriff, Your Honor. Meetin' you face to face is a real treat. A real treat," he greeted the Sheriff with a fake accent, shaking the Sheriff's hand eagerly.
"Well now," the Sheriff was pleased. "Thank you. Oh excuse me. I gotta go win this tournament."
The Sheriff hurried away and Robin Hood went another way merrily.
Little John nodded at this. "Hey, Rob's not a bad actor, but wait till he sees this scene I lay on Prince John."
He was decked out in pink, with a wig, a moustache, and a round glass on his right eye. He walked with a cane, radiating nobility. Pretending to be a visiting duke from Chutney, he approached the royal box with a swagger, the plume on his pink hat bobbling.
"Ah...me Lord, my esteemed Royal Sovereign of the Realm, the head man himself," Little John started by laying praise upon praise on Prince John and giving him a sweeping bow. "You're beautiful."
Little John set out to conquer the trust of Prince John, gaining the animosity of Sir Hiss in the process.
"What a place!" Sora exclaimed upon reaching the edges of the clearing and seeing the stone towers, the flags, the tents, and the people. There were trumpeters, guards, announcers, archers, and everyday people mingling in the sea of tents and fancy stands.
"I wonder what's going on around here," Donald commented. "Looks like-"
"A festival," Aozora interrupted. "Or a tournament. Yes, I think it's a tournament. Look at all those archers. Maybe an archery contest."
"You think?" Goofy beamed. "I'm not bad at archery myself. Maybe I should join-what is the prize?"
"Like I would know," Donald snapped back.
"We should explore," Sora suggested. "Look around this place. Maybe we can figure out why some of us here are having bad feelings about this place."
He was referring to Aozora and himself.
Aozora nodded. "Good plan. Goofy can be some sort of a distraction. We'll be standing out here if too many people have nothing to distract them. Goofy can join the contest and people would be looking his way. We can go about unnoticed, then, and check this place out."
"You good at archery, Goofy?" Sora asked, trying to confirm Goofy's abilities.
"The best back home," Donald confirmed.
"Well then, Goofy," Sora turned to the rather ecstatic knight. "Go and have fun!"
Goofy bounded off to the tournament, immediately gaining stares from the common folk. He was also gathering odd looks from the guards. A big, gray wolf in pink-red clothing that was striding by with a snobbish air, froze upon seeing Goofy. Sora immediately knew that the wolf would give them a lot of trouble; he looked like he was high-class and he didn't give Goofy a happy look at all.
Instead, he looked angry. But why?
"We should've have him leave the shield behind," he heard Aozora say quietly.
"Huh?" Sora turned on him. "Why?"
"Carrying the emblem of another king, in this case the King, would not make the royalty here all that happy," Aozora explained. "What if he won? The royalty here would not be happy and, in general, nobody here would be happy."
"Too late now," Donald snapped, his voice sounding rather accusing.
"Well, we've got to go join the crowd anyways," Sora said, "and we'll still be standing out. Why don't we split? We'll go in different directions and not follow Goofy's trail. I'm sure Goofy would do well alone so we can worry about the problem surrounding his circus."
Aozora and Donald nodded.
"Maybe the Nobodies are here," Aozora was musing quietly as they went their different ways.
The Sheriff whispered in the crocodile's ear, who then turned to Prince John. "He was right, sir. They have come after all."
Secrets of Memories
Chapter 16: The Legend of Sherwood Forest
"Goofy, you're a mechanic?" Sora was astounded as Goofy screwed in the last of the bolts on the gummi ship.
"Yup!" Goofy answered emphatically as he put the wrench back in the emergency toolbox. "This ship's now good as new."
"This is what he gets from hanging around Chip and Dale too much," Donald muttered. "Who's ever heard of a knight who specializes in mechanics?"
"Me," Sora and Goofy chimed at the same time.
"Stop dawdling around," Aozora growled as he emerged from the inside of the gummi ship. "Goofy's done a great job. Goofy, the wires are all reconnected. The ship should be working completely by now."
By completely, he meant that everything in the ship was working, including the brakes on the ship; Sora had somehow managed to break the brakes moments before take-off.
The three watched as the blond teenager stomped back inside.
"What's his issue?" Donald said darkly.
"I don't know," Sora narrowed his eye at this. "But he's right. There's no time to lose. Let's go."
He ran into the ship. Without further ado, Goofy bounded after him. Donald, now brooding, brought up the rear. He shut the door behind him and settled in a spot very far away from a gloomy-looking Aozora.
Sora jumped into the pilot's chair and pushed the lever forward. The Firaga engines on the gummi ship came to life and lifted the ship off the ground. Then they were soaring away, above the white mountains that nearly killed them, out of the atmosphere, into the purplish space that teemed with asteroids, spinning rings, all manners of obstacles, and Heartless ships.
It was then and there Sora repeated his question to Aozora.
"It's not words you'd want to know," Aozora replied rather coldly. "Utter them at the wrong place, the wrong time, the wrong way, with the wrong intent, and everything around you gets destroyed, including yourself."
The gummi ship was silent for a long time.
"What did the Emperor say to you?" Goofy finally ventured to say as he let go of Sora's chair; the silence was partially due to Sora's antics. Sora had played 'chicken' with a Heartless ship (think ' Pearl Harbor') and nearly rid the universe of them.
Aozora did not answer. He glared at his feet.
"Oh come on, Aozora," Sora exclaimed. "Do tell us!"
Aozora shook his head. "I don't feel like sharing."
"Oh, is that so?" Donald grumped. "As a team, everybody shares."
"Not all the time," Goofy interrupted. "I think the Emperor and he talked about something very, very serious and important. Like how King Mickey talks to Queen Minnie. Daisy never could get anything out of her and they're closest of friends."
"Did you just say 'team'?" Sora was half-mocking, half-astounded.
Donald looked like he wanted to kill himself.
Aozora ignored Sora's antics. He leaned against the wall inside the gummi ship furthest away from the three. He needed to be alone, needed to think.
His conversation with the Emperor was still very much alive in his mind. He didn't like what the Emperor had said, something very ominous, very sinister.
"You will have to watch out for the Keyblade Master, young one," the Emperor had told him. "In fact, you must watch out for him. Whatever you do, you must protect with all your life, regardless of the consequences. There are those you have worked with who are plotting your downfall and the downfall of the Keyblade Master. The incident back in Twilight Town? They were only- I am aware of these things, young one, so do not give me that look-they were only putting into motion their dark machinations, their evil schemes of destruction and power. The Society is corrupted, young one. It is best to stay a good distance away from them."
"Why do you tell me this but not him?" Aozora had asked in confusion. " If he is in danger, tell him."
"The Society would change their dark plans if they learned that Sora was aware of them," the Emperor had answered. "It is best to keep them focused on the present plans while the others and I try to find out what is it they are trying to do to you two."
"Others?" Aozora demanded.
"You need not know until later," the Emperor did not advance that subject. "You must know, however, that the incident back in Twilight Town was played out for a reason. That reason is very dangerous to this whole situation, Aozora. You must find out what they had done...or suffer the consequences..."
And Aozora remembered something the Unknown and the homeless man were saying. Something about a device...
But he could remember no more.
"Learn from your journey with the Keyblade Master and protect him," the Emperor also said. "We have lost one of our own to the Society and the Society had sent one of theirs to conquer my home and my people. The Society is set to conquer the worlds, Aozora. Learn what you can and use what you've learned to your advantage. Find out what had happened back in Twilight Town and, of everything you can do while still breathing, while still standing, protect the Keyblade Master to the very last."
Aozora mulled over the words. The Emperor sounded very frightened, a characteristic not common in emperors that people revered. There was something in that incident at Twilight Town that shook the Emperor down to the core. And he had put a huge emphasis on protecting Sora. That provided support for the feelings he had about the future: there were worse things to come.
But the device...I don't understand, he thought. What does the Emperor mean?
"What happened between you and that Unknown back there?" Sora asked. " What happened to him?"
"Huh?...oh, him," Aozora recalled. "Nothing much, really. Had a hell of a time trying to beat him. Didn't quite succeed. He got away."
"You let him get away?!" Donald snapped.
"Not 'let him get away'!" Aozora retorted. "He got away. There's a big difference between 'let' and 'got', you idiot!"
"Why you cheeky-"
Goofy stuck out his shield in front of Donald just as the wizard was just about to charge the one who so insulted him. Sora winced as he heard a banging noise and Donald slumped to the ground, knocked out. Aozora stared first at Goofy, then at Donald, "You know, you really didn't have to do that..."
"Needed to knock some sense into him," Goofy explained amiably and without a care in the world.
"Oh ok...well then..." Aozora sighed. "Anyways Domitan got away and we might as well be expecting him at the next stop, depending on whether or not we're going to meet either the Nobodies or the Heartless."
"Domitan?" Goofy mouthed, before it dawned on him that Aozora was referring to the Unknown that he dueled.
"If its Heartless, I'm going to kill myself," Sora groaned.
"And the rest of the universe will go down with you if you keep to those words," Aozora snapped at him.
Sora gripped the controls tightly; something was wrong with Aozora. What did the Emperor tell him that made him so wound up against everybody?
"They are coming, Master," the hooded one told the being swathed in red. " They are not aware of our plans."
"Good," the being nodded its head in anticipation. "Perhaps our plans would work after all."
"They always have, Master," the hooded one told the being. "There is no need to worry."
"Do not be so sure, my protégé," the being reprimanded. "Be careful, be precise, and never be too sure of oneself."
"Yes Master," the hooded answered humbly.
"Sigh...don't you ever wonder what Ansem is really up to?" the being asked, voice tinged with amusement. "It is only fools like him who throw their forces against ours. They may have overwhelmed us back at China-thanks to that accursed Mulan- but that is only one battle. He has been battling us elsewhere to no avail; he is a real fool."
"Master," the hooded being then asked. "When will we strike Old Universe?"
"When we have conquered New Universe," the being answered calmly. "When we have taken over those worlds and have cast aside the Order of the Hearts and Souls. The Order is a greater danger than the Society; they must be rid of."
"Then do you also plan on exterminating the Society, Master?" the hooded being asked.
The red-coated being shook his head. "Not yet. Now is not the time. They will help us greatly in the near future; in the end, we will rid of them."
The hooded one bowed. "The Society won't know what hit them."
There was amusement in his voice. The red one answered, "They are foolish, the Society. They seek to destroy the Heartless by joining the Nobodies; it will be their downfall. They pledged to go about without power; they have broken their vow, save a few. Those few will be contained. He has assured to me that it will be done. The extermination will begin with the elder among the Society. Was he not called Eldest?"
When the hooded one nodded in affirmation, the red one continued, "He believes Eldest will destroy the Society and must be contained. I know what Eldest has been doing. Eldest must be contained. Must."
The hooded one bowed to him in agreement. "I understand. Master, what is the next step?"
"The next step?" the red one repeated. "The Nobodies are gathering at Sherwood Forest. John will take charge from there. I want you to ready some for Anthill. I fear the Heartless will be targeting there and you and your charges must be ready for battle, in case I do not get through to him."
The red one spoke this certain 'him' with contempt and disgust.
"Very well, Master," the hooded one began to walk out of the room.
"Don't let anybody know of these plans," the red-coated being stated. " This is confidential. Only tell them what needs to be done and everything will be perfect."
The hooded one nodded and strode out of the dimly lit room, with the only source of light being the sun outside. The red one sat in his chair, his hands together before his face, thinking, musing of the future and of future plans.
The King must never surface in this Universe, in this lifetime, forever in fact. The King must never return...
In a clearing deep in the midst of a very green and healthy forest, there are two 'men'. Technically speaking, one's a big, robust bear who was wearing a rather lacy apron and the other's a quick-witted and clever fox who isn't being quick-witted and clever fox at that moment in time; he's stirring the stew in a pot from a sitting position, his head propped up against a stone, daydreaming and humming.
"La, da, di, da, da, da, di, dum. Da, da, hm, hm, hm, hm..." He had a very droopy and lazy look in his eyes.
"Hey lover boy, how's that grub coming? Man, I'm starved," the big bear made an attempt at getting the fox to pay attention to what he was doing as he hung the laundry up on the tree branch to dry.
"Hm, hm, hm, da, da, dee..." the fox was humming mechanically.
"Rob?" the bear tried to get his attention, a futile attempt.
"Hm, hm, hm..."
"Robin?"
"Hm, hm, hm..." the fox, apparently named Robin, did not hear him.
"Robaire, hey!" the bear yelled out in exasperation from behind a cloth.
"What? What did you say?" Robin asked, barely surprised by the exclamation.
"Ah forget it. Your mind's not on food," the bear, who was called Little John (why 'Little'; he's so huge), waved the matter aside. "You're thinking about somebody with long eyelashes. You're smelling that sweet perfume-" he sniffed the air suspiciously, as a horrible smell drifted by his nose.
At that moment the pot began the boil over frantically and black smoke billowed from the great maw of the pot.
"Hey, whoa, it's boiling over," Robin stepped backwards in surprise.
Little John exclaimed, "You're burning the chow!" rushed at the pot and flapped away the smoke with a cloth.
Robin shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Johnny, I was thinking about Maid Marian again. I can't help it. I love her, Johnny."
Little John, putting the pot on the stone to cool and dumping ladlefuls of water in, said straight to the point, "Hey, look, why don't you stop mooning and moping around? Just marry the girl."
Robin whirled on him. "Marry her? You don't just walk up to a girl under a bookcase and say, "Remember me? We were kids together, will you marry me?" No it isn't just done that way.
Little John, slightly rolling his eyes, countered, "Oh, come on Robby. Climb the castle walls. Sweep her off her feet. Carry her out in style." He scooped up some chow in the ladle, stared at the wilted carrot hanging from it in disgust, and flung it away.
Robin, shaking his head, sighed, "It's no use Johnny. As I told you it just wouldn't work. Besides, what can I offer her?"
Little John began to tick off what Robin Hood couldn't do on his fingers. " Well, for one, you can't cook." He sniffed the food and his nose crinkled up instantaneously.
Robin sighed as he headed to the tree to finish putting up the laundry.. " I'm serious. She's a highborn lady of quality."
Little John shrugged. "So she's got class. So what?"
As Friar Tuck approached, Robin Hood, now the one exasperated, explained, " I'm an outlaw. That's what. That's no life for a lovely lady, always on the run kind of a future is that?"
Robin Hood was unaware of Friar Tuck when the fat friar literally shrilled into his ear, "For heaven's sake, son! You're not an outlaw! Why, someday you'll be called a hero!"
Robin Hood jumped back in surprise, then laughter crept up his face as the friar's words registered in his mind.
"A hero?" Robin Hood laughed; in fact, he laughed so hard, he stumbled backwards and fell into the now-empty laundry basket. "Do you hear that Johnny? We've just been pardoned."
Little John chuckled over the pot of stew. "Ho, ho, that's a gas. We ain't been arrested yet."
While the two laughed it off, Friar Tuck shook his head, and headed for the previously burning pot of stew, saying, "All right. Laugh you rogues, but there's going to be a big to-do in Nottingham-" he tasted the burnt stew "- Well-done, ain't it?-" he coughed out smoke circles, tears streaming out of his eyes "- Old Prince John's having a championship archery tournament tomorrow."
Both perked up at this bit of news.
"Archery tournament? Rob could win that standing on his head, eh Rob?" Little John stated proudly about his partner. Robin Hood bowed to the compliment.
"Thank you Little John, but-" he wilted "-I'm sure we're not invited." Robin Hood sighed.
Friar Tuck, still testing the stew (maybe he's just eating it for free), stated boldly, "No, but there's somebody who'll be very disappointed if you don't come."
Laughing, Little John said, "Yeah. Old Bushel Britches-the Honorable Sheriff of Nottingham."
"No," Friar Tuck countered quickly. "Maid Marian."
Robin Hood perked up once more. "Maid Marian?"
Friar Tuck ladled up more stew. "Yeah. She's going to give a kiss to the winner!" He began to laugh again.
Robin Hood had a very 'evil' look on his face. "A kiss to the winner? Oo- de-lolly! Come on Johnny! What are we waiting for?" He cartwheeled about with exuberance.
Little John had a rather sour look on his face. "Wait a minute, Rob. That place will be crawling with soldiers."
Robin Hood, decked out with a full quiver of arrows and a rather long longbow, jumped up on the log table in the clearing and cried out, "Aha! But remember, faint hearts never won fair lady. Fear not my friends. This will be by greatest performance!"
He was very Shakespearean about it.
As the two bounded off to prepare for the archery tournament, Friar Tuck sighed and placed the ladle back in the pot. He then looked up at the sky, as though he was waiting for a sign. Presently, something shot across the sky. That was enough to satisfy the friar. With a knowing smile, he disappeared into the greenery of Sherwood Forest as well.
"This is the next stop?" Aozora peered over Sora's shoulder as they approached the green world, dotted and lined with blue.
"'Pears to be so," Goofy was happy; he was going to be on solid ground again. "That's a nice world, right Donald? Huyuk!"
Donald had a very furious, ruffled look about him. Sora believed he'd never forgive Goofy for smacking him unconscious.
"Maybe," Donald finally peeped out.
"A rather peaceful world," Aozora was saying. "Hate to have any evil running around this sort of place."
"New World was a nice place, too," Goofy pointed out. "But the Nobodies were there."
"The Nobodies are out to destroy the goodness of the worlds," Aozora shook his head. "They are just as evil as the Heartless."
"Just one question," Goofy was still talking more than usual. Sora marveled at this change. "Why are the Nobodies white? Ain't black supposed ter represent evil and white supposed ter represent good?"
Aozora thought for a moment. Goofy did have a good point. "You know, Goofy, that's a very good question. Wish I had an answer for that."
The ship suddenly jolted, slightly, but just enough to unnerve them all.
"What was that?" Donald demanded when he finally got his bearings.
"Atmosphere," Sora explained calmly. "We've hit atmosphere."
"We never hit atmosphere before New World, ya know?" Goofy mused.
Sora nodded. "Strange it should start happening now. The other worlds we've been to never had atmospheres like these."
Maybe this side of the universe has atmospheres, Aozora thought. "There seems to be activity going on over there-" he gestured to a large, swarming area in one of the green clearings "-maybe we should check that place out."
"You think?" Sora asked. Well, there was something funny about that place, something cold and strange.
Aozora nodded. "There's something strange. I can feel it."
"I don't feel nothing," Goofy commented.
"I don't either," Donald was starting to sound challenging again.
"Oh no," Sora groaned. But no argument came.
Aozora was staring at the exact same spot on the world as they drew closer. "Land outside the area. I don't like it. There's a very bad feeling about this."
"You sure?" Sora could feel it, too. That was surprising, on his part at least.
Aozora nodded confidently, his coppery eyes flashing. "There's a power here, some mysterious power. Let's land away from other people and approach on foot. We can mingle in more easily that way than by landing in the middle of the clearing in the gummi ship."
Sora nodded; it sounded logical. He steered the gummi ship towards the great green forest surrounding the clearing. As they flashed over a startling dark lake, fringed with lilies, Sora shuddered. There was something about that lake that bothered him. He peeked at Aozora; his look- a-like was even paler than usual. Did he feel it, too? There was something funny about that lake. It was calling to him. And Sora did not like it at all.
Prince John sat on in the royal seat as the procession began for the archery contest. He had a huge, evil grin on his lion face. Sir Hiss, his ever-ready accomplice, was coiled in the chair next to Prince John, looking just as evil.
"Hiss, this is a red-letter day. A "coup d'etat" to coin a Norman phrase," Prince John grinned. He thought his plan was perfect. No doubt Robin Hood, the greatest archer around, would be able to resist entering this contest. The golden arrow was, after all, the prize. As well as a kiss from Maid Marian, King Richard's niece.
"Yes, indeed, Sire. Your plan to capture Robin Hood in public is sheer genius. Hoo, hoo, hoo!" Sir Hiss agreed, being oblivious yet again to the fact that Prince John did not like being called 'Sire'.
Prince John whirled on Sir Hiss. "Hiss, no one sits higher than the King. Must I remind you, Hiss? Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk."
He glared at Sir Hiss, who quailed under the hard stare. "Do forgive me. I didn't mean..."
Prince John pushed the matter aside and practically shouted out, "My trap is baited and set. And then, revenge! Ah, revenge!"
Sir Hiss was astonished. "Shhh! Not so loud, Sire-" again, Sir Hiss forgot what Prince John had told him "- Remember, only you and I know, and your s- s-secret is my s-s-secret."
While saying so, he coiled around Prince John's neck and hissed, his tongue tickling Prince John's ear.
"Stop hissing in my ear," Prince John snapped at Sir Hiss and the snake quickly drew back. "Secret? What secret?"
Sir Hiss could've rolled his eyes. "The capture of Robin Hood, Sire."
Prince John's mood quickly changed. A dark look set in his eyes and he grimaced at the name. "That insolent blackguard. Ooh! I'll show him who wears the Crown!"
He pumped his fist in the air angrily and the crown on his head slipped.
"I share your loathing, Sire," Sir Hiss agreed insistently. "That scoundrel fooled you with that silly disguise, who dares to rob you, making you look utterly ridiculous."
Prince John did not want to be reminded by it all. "Enough! Hiss, you deliberately dodged."
Sir Hiss shrank away again. He knew what was coming. "But, but—but Sire...please."
"Stop sniveling and hold still."
Sir Hiss braced himself and presently, Prince John bonked him on the head with his fist.
"Thank you Sire," Sir Hiss said crookedly.
Maid Marian, King Richard's beautiful niece, and her maid, Lady Kluck, a huge white, tough hen, approached the area of the archery contest through a road near where Robin Hood and Little John were putting on their disguises. Robin Hood looked up immediately when he heard her voice drifting towards him.
"Klucky, I'm so excited," the vixen was telling Lady Kluck eagerly. "But how will I recognize him?"
Lady Kluck knew Maid Marian must keep her hopes up of seeing Robin Hood, her childhood friend, again. "Uh, he'll let you know somehow. That young rogue is full of surprises, my dear."
Robin Hood looked after Maid Marian as she and Lady Kluck entered the perimeters of the tournament area. "There she is, Little John. Isn't she beautiful?"
He started to walk out of the bushes after her on rather high stilts.
"Cool it, lover boy," Little John quickly snatched him back into the underbrush. "Your heart's running away with your head."
"Oh stop worrying," Robin Hood retorted as he put on the rest of his disguise. "This disguise would fool my own mother."
He was transforming himself into a patched up stork from the middle of nowhere.
"Aha," Little John countered, "but your mom ain't here. You got to fool old Bushel Britches."
He pointed to the Sheriff of Nottingham, a rather rotund wolf, who was walking down a path in between tents confidently. Robin Hood winked, then stepped out of the underbrush in his disguise, and eagerly approached the Sheriff.
"Sheriff, Your Honor. Meetin' you face to face is a real treat. A real treat," he greeted the Sheriff with a fake accent, shaking the Sheriff's hand eagerly.
"Well now," the Sheriff was pleased. "Thank you. Oh excuse me. I gotta go win this tournament."
The Sheriff hurried away and Robin Hood went another way merrily.
Little John nodded at this. "Hey, Rob's not a bad actor, but wait till he sees this scene I lay on Prince John."
He was decked out in pink, with a wig, a moustache, and a round glass on his right eye. He walked with a cane, radiating nobility. Pretending to be a visiting duke from Chutney, he approached the royal box with a swagger, the plume on his pink hat bobbling.
"Ah...me Lord, my esteemed Royal Sovereign of the Realm, the head man himself," Little John started by laying praise upon praise on Prince John and giving him a sweeping bow. "You're beautiful."
Little John set out to conquer the trust of Prince John, gaining the animosity of Sir Hiss in the process.
"What a place!" Sora exclaimed upon reaching the edges of the clearing and seeing the stone towers, the flags, the tents, and the people. There were trumpeters, guards, announcers, archers, and everyday people mingling in the sea of tents and fancy stands.
"I wonder what's going on around here," Donald commented. "Looks like-"
"A festival," Aozora interrupted. "Or a tournament. Yes, I think it's a tournament. Look at all those archers. Maybe an archery contest."
"You think?" Goofy beamed. "I'm not bad at archery myself. Maybe I should join-what is the prize?"
"Like I would know," Donald snapped back.
"We should explore," Sora suggested. "Look around this place. Maybe we can figure out why some of us here are having bad feelings about this place."
He was referring to Aozora and himself.
Aozora nodded. "Good plan. Goofy can be some sort of a distraction. We'll be standing out here if too many people have nothing to distract them. Goofy can join the contest and people would be looking his way. We can go about unnoticed, then, and check this place out."
"You good at archery, Goofy?" Sora asked, trying to confirm Goofy's abilities.
"The best back home," Donald confirmed.
"Well then, Goofy," Sora turned to the rather ecstatic knight. "Go and have fun!"
Goofy bounded off to the tournament, immediately gaining stares from the common folk. He was also gathering odd looks from the guards. A big, gray wolf in pink-red clothing that was striding by with a snobbish air, froze upon seeing Goofy. Sora immediately knew that the wolf would give them a lot of trouble; he looked like he was high-class and he didn't give Goofy a happy look at all.
Instead, he looked angry. But why?
"We should've have him leave the shield behind," he heard Aozora say quietly.
"Huh?" Sora turned on him. "Why?"
"Carrying the emblem of another king, in this case the King, would not make the royalty here all that happy," Aozora explained. "What if he won? The royalty here would not be happy and, in general, nobody here would be happy."
"Too late now," Donald snapped, his voice sounding rather accusing.
"Well, we've got to go join the crowd anyways," Sora said, "and we'll still be standing out. Why don't we split? We'll go in different directions and not follow Goofy's trail. I'm sure Goofy would do well alone so we can worry about the problem surrounding his circus."
Aozora and Donald nodded.
"Maybe the Nobodies are here," Aozora was musing quietly as they went their different ways.
The Sheriff whispered in the crocodile's ear, who then turned to Prince John. "He was right, sir. They have come after all."