Author's Note: Any of you who really, REALLY hate my cliffhangers, raise
your hand. sees the sea of raised hands and ducks away before the tomatoes
start flying Anyways, here's a chapter that would not only make you wait
for the next chapter, I hope all you readers, yes you, will understand how
important Riku and Kairi's sides of the story will be. Thank you, readers
and reviewers, for your wonderful support. Now on with the story!
Secrets of Memories
Chapter 22: A World of Silence
The silence was just deafening. And he hated it. Riku hated the silence, but he could do nothing about it. He chose to do nothing about it.
Phil, Meg, and Pegasus seemed to be in mourning, mourning for the destruction of their home. And that horrible explosion that destroyed that place clung tenaciously to his mind.
"Where are we headed next?" Tarzan demanded, fiddling with the controls with his feet..
"Wherever we go, I have to go to Traverse Town," Meg spoke up, her voice serious.
"Why?" Phil barked; he was in the nastiest mood.
"I need to talk to Leon and the others," Meg responded coolly. "It's confidential."
Phil opened his mouth to object but Riku cut him off.
"The world we're headed to...can you go to Traverse Town from there?" he asked calmly.
Meg nodded. "Pegasus can actually take me there; he is a unique winged horse, created by the gods and bestowed upon with special powers. He can take me there."
She smiled to the noble white horse. Everybody else except Pooh gave them both a skeptical look.
"No really, I'm not kidding!" Meg protested. "We've done it before, flying out there and to another world!"
"So that explains your unexpected and unexplained disappearing act!" Phil said.
Meg 'sweat dropped'. "Well, "
"Damn!" Phil growled.
Then Tarzan uttered something and, for the first time, sat up straight. He then said something else and rubbed his back, while returning it back to its original formation.
"What?" Riku barked. "What is it?"
"Look," Tarzan pointed to the front of the gummi ship. But nobody needed to come close to the glass. They could already see it. Or what was left of it.
It seemed to be Agrabah. Or what was left of it.
"Oh, by the gods," Phil murmured stunned.
Debris drifted in space; that was all that drifted. Except for a golden dome of the palace of Agrabah. Debris and the golden dome were the only remnants of the great world called Agrabah.
"This was Aladdin and Jasmine's home..." Meg whispered. "We are just so lucky they made it out of there alive."
"Holy shit," Riku whispered.
"You've said it, kiddo," Phil agreed.
Tarzan carefully maneuvered through the floating debris, taking care not to get too close to the floating chunks of Agrabah.
"So this is what...the Coliseum would look like right now," Riku said quietly.
"...oh bother...and I thought honey was messy," they heard Pooh mumble to himself.
Everyone then fell silent for several minutes, contented with merely watching Tarzan steering Cid's gummi ship through the mess created by the Heartless.
"We're headed to Halloweentown, right?" Phil suddenly barked, as they moved out of the mess and into deep, clear space.
"I believe so," Tarzan replied. "That's what the map here says."
He pointed to the hologram of the map of the universe. They were headed straight for a war-ravaged world named Halloweentown.
"But Sally," the great pumpkin king, Jack Skellington, begged. "I promise you, nothing will happen. Just let Dr. Finkelstein and me tweak things just a bit-"
"Please, Jack," the young woman pleaded. "Don't. We've already caused enough trouble last time, remember? Not anymore. We must look to the safety of the people first before considering what to do about the Heartless."
"I'm sorry, Jack," the two-faced Mayor agreed. "We don't have time for you and Dr. Finkelstein to experiment again. Last time was a disaster-"
"That was one year ago!" Jack exclaimed in exasperation, throwing his long, bony arms up in the air for emphasis. "We've got a good plan- a great plan, in fact!
"Really?" the Mayor was suddenly interested. "Tell us about it!"
Jack's face fell. "Uh...I'm sorry, but it's confidential."
"If it's controlling the Heartless, Jack," Sally said, "then I've had it. Look to the people first, Jack, not to controlling the enemy. Cid said help will arrive soon; we must look to our own people."
"Sally is right," the Mayor agreed. "Jack, I will not let you and Dr. Finkelstein carry out this 'confidential' plan of yours."
Jack drooped briefly, before jerking back up and exclaiming, "When are they going to be here?"
"As soon as they get through the barrier surrounding Halloween Town," Dr. Finkelstein wheezed as he rolled to them in his wheelchair. "Mayor, the portal is ready. If needs be, it can take everyone to Traverse Town. Of course I hope that would never have to happen but when worst comes to worst- "
"What will become of us all?" Sally murmured as she knelt down and petted Zero, Jack's ghost dog. Her arm came off in the process but Jack helped her put it back on.
Nobody knows like I do, Sally thought sadly as they all looked up at the ominous sky, lit with the glowing lights of Heartless ships. Nobody knows what would come out of this; nobody suffers like I suffer, holding that dark, dark secret within me...I was not chosen as a Heart and Soul for a good reason, for the inevitable will happen, no matter how hard they try to stop it. No matter how hard they try to protect him, they will fail, they will ultimately fail...
"Damn, that was crazy," Riku growled as he stumbled his way out of the smoking gummi ship and into a very dark and gloomy town.
"You've said it, kiddo," Phil agreed with a hacking cough as he tumbled out, followed by Pooh, Tarzan, Meg, and Pegasus. "Tarzan here's kinda dangerous; why don't somebody else do the piloting?"
"I don't know how," Riku answered as he gestured to a gathering crowd around them.
The well next to the gummi ship swirled in an eerie green color; they soon found out why the green liquid within was churning.
Jack Skellington leaped out of the well and landed on his long, lanky legs before Riku and the others. They jumped back in surprise as the pumpkin king looked at each of them and smiled.
"Welcome to Halloweentown," Jack said with an unusually demonic grin.
"Thank you," Riku stammered back. "Are you Jack Skellington?"
Jack nodded. He knew who Riku was and he wasn't really surprised that Riku knew something about him as well. After all, this kid had been near Oogie Boogie, hasn't he?
"See Jack, they are here," a woman who seemed to be made up of many different body parts appeared, along with a glowing, floating little pumpkin, an egg-shaped man, and a cripple in a wheelchair.
"Say," Meg turned to the man in the wheelchair. "You're Dr. Finkelstein, right?"
The cripple was taken by surprise by the fact she knew him but he nodded. Then recognition registered in his voice."Yes, of course I am. What is it you wish?"
"Cid told me not too long ago you were making portals for the worlds with many people on them, right?" Meg demanded. "Portals that can take people to Traverse Town?"
"Meg, why-" Phil began.
"Of course, of course-ah, I see," Dr. Finkelstein nodded." Of course, it is always available. Come this way."
He began to wheel away, prompting nearly everyone to cast confusing looks upon the cripple and Meg.
"He created portals that can take us to Travers Town," Meg explained as she whistled to Pegasus and moved to follow Dr. Finkelstein. "And, I need to get there."
"Leaving already? Oh bother..." Pooh seemed to deflate by the second.
"Good luck, then," Riku said with a wave.
Tarzan merely nodded but Phil looked downright furious. However, he bit his tongue and watched as Meg and Pegasus followed Dr. Finkelstein deep into Halloweentown.
We need more people with us when we travel, Phil thought to himself quietly as Jack, the woman named Sally, and the egg-shaped man who was the Mayor of Halloweentown began to brief Riku and Tarzan about the situation at Halloweentown while Pooh tried to make friends with the floating pumpkin. I'm stuck with mostly a bunch of no-nothings – well, maybe except Riku – and Meg, who's also a member of the Hearts and Souls, is gone! I'm the only one here, for crying out loud! Why didn't he let Sally be one? Oh, damn! I forgot, of course I forgot...damn Dr. Finkelstein!
He glared at the crippled doctor as he wheeled back.
"Pegasus and Meg are off to Traverse Town to...er, report to Leon and the others," Dr. Finkelstein replied, obviously attempting to sound as casual as possible.
"That's good!" the Mayor said. "It's been a while since we've sent a report to them; they must be worried out of their minds-"
"What exactly do we need to do here?" Riku asked, aiming straight for the reason why they were there in Halloweentown.
"We must save Halloweentown," Sally offered an explanation. "This is one of the last worlds now; Wonderland, Coliseum, -" Phil cringed "-Deep Jungle, and Agrabah are officially destroyed. Monstro has not been seen for months; I expect he is where he needs to be."
"And what the hell does that mean?" Phil barked.
Oddly enough, everyone chose to ignore that question. All except Pooh, whose reply was, "Oh bother...my ears..."
"You have no idea how strong the Heartless have become, have you?" Tarzan asked.
"The Heartless have conjured new forms," Dr. Finkelstein said. "They are multiplying faster than ever and appear even more quickly, allowing them to assemble into massive armies within minutes. And believe me, its not pretty."
"Our main goal is to destroy the blockade above us," Jack said, gesturing to the sky. "The blockade is the most dangerous thing right now; if all those ships blast us at the same time, we'd all be gone in seconds."
"Well, what's one gummi ship gonna do against them damn Heartless?" Phil fired.
"Right now, we're barricaded in Halloweentown," Jack quickly added. " There are many Heartless out there. I believe they came from the Heartless ships but I never really did think the ships could carry so many Heartless."
"What the heck does that mean?" Riku demanded. There were thousands of Heartless ships up there in the sky; what did Jack mean? "Are you saying there's an army of millions of Heartless outside Halloweentown?"
"One million three hundred thousand two to be exact," Dr. Finkelstein offered. "It's worse than before."
"One million?" Riku was aghast. "How the hell are we supposed to defend Halloweentown and everybody in it against one million Heartless?"
"If there was a way, I would've said it," Phil shot. "But look at this town; its old, rickety, and practically pathetic. You people been lucky for some time now but if one million Heartless makes a surge against Halloweentown, we're all toast!"
For a while, everyone was silent.
"Oh bother..." Pooh sighed and for a while, it seemed like the most sensible comeback to the situation.
Riku heaved a massive sigh as Phil began to lecture everyone on what he thought was most sensible: sent your most able-bodied fighters to the edges of Halloweentown and herd everyone else towards Dr. Finkelstein's portal, just in case the Heartless break through.
I sense disaster everywhere, Riku noted, sensing the ominous feeling in the heavy dark air. There is disaster wherever we go, wherever I go. I just don't understand, what can I do to help Sora? Why does the King want me to go on this sort of journey, with two very mismatched partners? What are his intentions? What are his purposes? What are mine?
"The air weighs heavily with doom," Sally was suddenly at his side, her kind voice low and solemn, filled to sadness. "The doom that would weigh all of us down. We cannot run away from it; we can only fight it, defend the defenseless, and find a way to reverse that doom."
"What is the doom?" Riku asked, as Phil started to bark at the Mayor about his ideas on what should be done to Halloweentown. Tarzan and Pooh had gone to group up able-bodied fighters and were taking them to the walls of Halloweentown.
Sally had a tragic smile on her face. "One nobody wants to know. If it weren't for my foresight, I would have been a member of the Hearts and Souls, doing what Phil and Meg are doing. But my foresight is dangerous; not only do they always come true, it is also inevitable. There are very few times when it seems the doom can change but the doom I have carried in my heart for years...it is inevitable. No matter how hard you or the princess will try, no matter how hard the King and the Guardian would try, it will happen. And the doom I spoke of earlier...it will come to pass."
Riku didn't like it at all. Sally was saying about him and a princess, King Mickey, and some Guardian not being able to stop something that obviously was of importance. And because it was what she said was inevitable, it was impossible to stop the other doom from coming.
"Death at the doorsteps, leading to the darkness, and the never ending light fades into night," he heard Sally whisper.
Riku left to muster the defenses of Halloweentown.
"How do we get information from the Queen of Hearts?" Selphie asked sullenly for the third time as they cautiously approached the entrance to Wonderland.
"Surely there's another way," Hercules agreed. "Arguing won't help us at all and every other 'possible' way seems hopeless."
Kairi had a look of determination plastered to her face as she pondered on what they were going to do. Should they discuss what to do or should they just let the whole thing play itself out?
"Maybe we should just let the whole thing play itself out," Kairi suggested. "We can figure out what to do as it goes."
"That could be a good idea," Selphie nodded.
"But I'm still bringing my sword," Hercules said adamantly. "If something happens, I've got to keep you two safe. Oracle Kenaii said you two were of major importance and must stay alive the whole time. I intend to do as he told me to do."
Must stay alive? What the heck does that mean?
"Visitors, Your Majesty," the White Rabbit chimed as he rushed into the lush throne room. "Visitors from Real Universe!"
"What?" the fiery-tempered Queen of Hearts rose to her feet. "They enter without my permission to visit? Off with their-"
"No Your Majesty, no, no, no!" the White Rabbit yelped. "Please don't; I think they are important visitors, Your Majesty!"
"I'm important!" the Queen of Hearts barked. "I don't give a card's ass who's important or not! I'm the important one here and I most certainly did not give permission to let these unwanted trespassers in there. Arrest them and off with their heads!"
"But Your Majesty!" the White Rabbit was trembling. "One of them is the son of Zeus! You know what that means, Your Majesty!"
The Queen of Hearts froze, her face fixated with a look of fear. "The son of Him...very well, let them pass. But one moment of disturbance and I want their heads off!"
The White Rabbit nodded, bowed, and scurried off to escort these visitors to the throne room while the Queen of Hearts sat in her chair, brooding over what possibly could have drawn the son of Zeus into Wonderland.
"This way please."
Kairi jumped. A white rabbit, dressed in an oddly colored suit with strange glasses and a huge hand watch, appeared right before them. Trembling slightly, he bowed and said, "This way is to the throne room. Please follow me."
The white rabbit scurried off. Kairi gave Selphie and Hercules an odd look and they shrugged. They followed the white rabbit into a very strange small room, with hedge walls to the right and left. Before them, the walls turned to each other at ninety-degree angles, then froze and formed an archway in the shape of a heart.
And apparently, beyond that room, was the throne room.
"And I thought my mother looked bad when she was mad," Hercules murmured, referring to Hera, his mother.
The Queen of Hearts was the most ruffled-looking woman Kairi had ever seen. She seemed to have a scowl imprinted on her face and she wore a very medieval, puffy dress with a tall, stiff white collar. Her tiny golden crown sat daintily on her oblong head and in her right hand, she had a scepter in the shape of a red heart.
Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules tentatively approached the queen on her throne. Spades and Hearts Cards guards lined up on the right and left of the throne room, standing at attention, ready at a moment's notice to obey the Queen's wishes. Before them was a podium that faced the Queen's seat and, to her right, was another podium. The white rabbit that led them to the throne room scampered up the long stairs to the top and stood at attention. To the Queen's left stood a shredded cage, seemingly lathered in dark, dry red.
To Kairi, it seemed that the broken cage was drenched with blood.
"Is that blood?" Selphie demanded in a horrified voice.
"Silence while in the presence of the Queen until you are acknowledged," the white rabbit called out.
"Why are you here?" the Queen of Hearts barked. Her angry stare bore down on all three of them. Hercules actually seemed to cower away.
"We-uh...we...um..." Kairi searched for the right words in her mind.
"Wait a minute," the Queen of Hearts narrowed her eyes as she stared at Kairi. "I know you. You were one of the seven Princesses of Heart, am I correct?"
Kairi gave a meek nod.
"Are you here to know of Alice's plight?" the queen barked.
"What plight?" Selphie exclaimed.
"What happened to Alice?" Kairi asked evenly, forcing her fears down to a bare minimum.
"White creatures assumed to be Heartless came and attacked Wonderland," the white rabbit piped up, as he unscrolled a rather important-looking document and read from it. "They seemed to be after Alice. Though the reasons are unclear, we believe it is because of her status as a Princess of Heart. However, not only had Heartless had not been seen in these parts of the Old Universe for some time, we became suspicious that these white creatures could be the new enemy. Then a strange, hooded being arrived. He took off his hood, if only for a moment, to speak to Alice. A redheaded stranger, he quickly replaced the hood and ordered the white creatures to attack Alice. Blood has been spilt but we do not know if Alice survived or not."
"Oh no...Alice," Kairi murmured, her knees trembling.
"What else do you know about these white creatures?" Hercules demanded.
"And why do you wish to know?" the Queen of Hearts snapped back.
"Oracle Kenaii wishes it that you tell us all you know about these so- called Nobodies, the white creatures that attacked Wonderland," Hercules answered in a clear, commanding voice.
Silence.
"They are Nobodies, then," the Queen of Hearts seemed oddly reluctant in getting that out of her mouth. "I do not know what they are or where they came from. I do not know why they went after Alice. Right now I don't care. Right now I want to know why you three are here!"
She thundered the last sentence in their faces.
"He said it already," Selphie said. "What do you know about these white creatures? That's why we're here."
The Queen of Hearts was rather taken back. They came to Wonderland only to ask about the Nobodies? But of course, Oracle Kenaii was a strange on indeed. But she had promised him she would never reveal the information...
"The situation is dire," Hercules said. "You do know the known universe is on the brink of war."
"War?" Kairi and Selphie spun on Hercules.
"And information on the Nobodies is supposed to help you stop the war?" the Queen of Hearts laughed. "Fools, what you know about the Nobodies are pitiful compared to what you need to know. Why is Oracle Kenaii making you focus on childish issues when you should be focusing on how to stop this war from happening?"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Selphie yelped. "Let's back it up here; what war?"
"Between the light and the dark," Hercules and the Queen of Hearts chimed as one.
"For as long as the known universe had been in existence," Hercules explained, "there had been war. For years now, the darkness has been winning. They have been able to create many creatures and demons from darkness, they were able to convert the innocent of the light into darkness, they were able to do what we could not do. Oracle Kenaii wants us to find out as much as possible about the Nobodies so that we can understand how to destroy them."
"Impossible," the Queen of Hearts scoffed. "You have much a chance of destroying the Nobodies as you do of Heartless. They are both born from darkness, as we all know, and so far, the little brat with the Keyblade has done nothing to destroy the Heartless. And I thought the Ansem Report would reveal it all!"
"Ansem Report revealed nothing of destroying Heartless!" Kairi answered angrily. "It only told of his discoveries on the Heartless and their origins."
"Then the Other Report won't help you at all!" the Queen of Hearts lashed out. "It says nothing of destroying Nobodies as well!"
The queen just realized she told them she knew what was in this 'Other Report'.
"Tell us about the Nobodies," Kairi demanded. "We must know, so we can stop evil and do what must be done to stop this war from happening."
"War is inevitable," Hercules sighed, "but we can lessen the impact of war. Queen of Hearts, tell us about the Other Report, lest you want to see all you know and love be destroyed!"
He knew deep in his heart and soul that the Queen of Hearts was as vulnerable as was everybody else. The only question was: what was one vulnerable to?
She glared at them, angrily, hesitantly, suddenly unsure of what to do.
"If he finds out," she began in a voice trembling with anger-or was it fear? "If he finds out, he'll know how to deal with you three. But let us put that matter aside. You want to know of the Other Report, don't you? Well, let me tell you now, I have read the two Other Reports. I know what is written in them. However, only one of the Other Reports is here, scattered. What you must do is to go to the other worlds here in In-Between and find them. The other Report is to be found by Ansem's son. He will be the first one to find it and he will know what to do with it. But you, Princess of Heart, once you find this Other Report, you will know what to do with it, do you understand?"
Kairi nodded numbly, before everything registered in her mind. Ansem had a son?
"What I know and have of the Other Report is small but should be of importance," the Queen of Hearts said. "What I know is very dangerous in what it is, because if word leaks out about it, the results would be disastrous. Do you understand? You cannot start talking about this information to just about anybody!"
"So what is it you're trying to say?" Selphie demanded impatiently.
"What I'm saying is that you three need to be careful!" the Queen of Hearts barked. "Finding all the pieces of the Other Report is very difficult and it all must be done before the feathers fall!"
The White Rabbit hiccupped and covered his face. "Oh no, please Your Majesty, please, don't mention it! I beg of you, don't speak those three words! Oh, oh, oh..."
Everyone stared at the White Rabbit but he ignored them.
"The feathers fall..." Hercules mused. "I believe Father mentioned those three words to me once but he never explained it to me. What is so important about it?"
"It has been foretold that something will happen that is unstoppable," the Queen of Hearts snapped. "If we do not find any way to stop this 'unstoppable' event, it was told that feathers would fall from the sky. You, son of Zeus, knows what would come afterwards, am I correct?"
Hercules stared at her blankly. Kairi was confused. I don't understand...
"War comes if the feathers fall," the queen said harshly. "Feathers from the sky means the war between the light and dark would be at its greatest, harshest, the worst war of all. You three are destined to find the other pieces of the Other Report, to piece it all together. You must find out for us the past of the Universe, what happened that unleashed the full fury of the Heartless, of the Nobodies, and you will find out what truth about the Keyblade Masters!"
Her ringing words echoes in the huge throne room. Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules were aghast. They didn't think what they had to do could be so important, so significant.
"I choose not to take off your heads," the Queen of Hearts spoke, " because Hercules is the son of Zeus and Kairi is a Princess of Heart. Those two facts alone kept you alive here. And now I understand your true purpose. White Rabbit, the chest please!"
The White Rabbit removed his hands from his face and stared at the queen for a fifth of a second. Then he dashed off to the left, through some mysterious dark doorway. He came back after some time, carrying with him a tiny, lacquered chest in his hands. He approached the Queen of Hearts and carefully transferred the chest to her, as though whatever was in it was the most precious thing in the world.
"This," the Queen of Hearts told Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules, "this holds a piece of the Other Report. This will begin your journey. I wish you luck, because I know your purpose is greater than my purpose in this lifetime."
Kairi approached the Queen of Hearts and took the chest.
"Take the chest with you," the Queen of Hearts told them as they turned to leave. "It can carry all the pieces of the Other Report. You will need something to hold them all together, as I should know. I've seen the whole of them both."
Kairi nodded, Selphie and Hercules bowed, and they left for the room to tell the Doorknob and the Cheshire Cat their discovery.
"What does it say?" Hercules demanded after they returned to their original sizes.
Kairi carefully opened the small chest and they all looked inside, the Cheshire Cat carefully balancing himself on Hercules' head.
A single piece of paper sat in the chest. Written in a clear, bold handwriting, the words on the paper read:
"The Heartless take hearts, the Nobodies take the souls. Those who are unaffected by loss of 'humanity' and morality are termed soulless and are a cause for worry, as they attract Nobodies who would devour the souls. The people do not turn into Nobodies or Heartless; they merely vanish. Therefore, the Nobodies are actually fewer in number than Heartless; however, they are actually stronger than Heartless and therefore, would pose a more serious threat than the Heartless."
Secrets of Memories
Chapter 22: A World of Silence
The silence was just deafening. And he hated it. Riku hated the silence, but he could do nothing about it. He chose to do nothing about it.
Phil, Meg, and Pegasus seemed to be in mourning, mourning for the destruction of their home. And that horrible explosion that destroyed that place clung tenaciously to his mind.
"Where are we headed next?" Tarzan demanded, fiddling with the controls with his feet..
"Wherever we go, I have to go to Traverse Town," Meg spoke up, her voice serious.
"Why?" Phil barked; he was in the nastiest mood.
"I need to talk to Leon and the others," Meg responded coolly. "It's confidential."
Phil opened his mouth to object but Riku cut him off.
"The world we're headed to...can you go to Traverse Town from there?" he asked calmly.
Meg nodded. "Pegasus can actually take me there; he is a unique winged horse, created by the gods and bestowed upon with special powers. He can take me there."
She smiled to the noble white horse. Everybody else except Pooh gave them both a skeptical look.
"No really, I'm not kidding!" Meg protested. "We've done it before, flying out there and to another world!"
"So that explains your unexpected and unexplained disappearing act!" Phil said.
Meg 'sweat dropped'. "Well, "
"Damn!" Phil growled.
Then Tarzan uttered something and, for the first time, sat up straight. He then said something else and rubbed his back, while returning it back to its original formation.
"What?" Riku barked. "What is it?"
"Look," Tarzan pointed to the front of the gummi ship. But nobody needed to come close to the glass. They could already see it. Or what was left of it.
It seemed to be Agrabah. Or what was left of it.
"Oh, by the gods," Phil murmured stunned.
Debris drifted in space; that was all that drifted. Except for a golden dome of the palace of Agrabah. Debris and the golden dome were the only remnants of the great world called Agrabah.
"This was Aladdin and Jasmine's home..." Meg whispered. "We are just so lucky they made it out of there alive."
"Holy shit," Riku whispered.
"You've said it, kiddo," Phil agreed.
Tarzan carefully maneuvered through the floating debris, taking care not to get too close to the floating chunks of Agrabah.
"So this is what...the Coliseum would look like right now," Riku said quietly.
"...oh bother...and I thought honey was messy," they heard Pooh mumble to himself.
Everyone then fell silent for several minutes, contented with merely watching Tarzan steering Cid's gummi ship through the mess created by the Heartless.
"We're headed to Halloweentown, right?" Phil suddenly barked, as they moved out of the mess and into deep, clear space.
"I believe so," Tarzan replied. "That's what the map here says."
He pointed to the hologram of the map of the universe. They were headed straight for a war-ravaged world named Halloweentown.
"But Sally," the great pumpkin king, Jack Skellington, begged. "I promise you, nothing will happen. Just let Dr. Finkelstein and me tweak things just a bit-"
"Please, Jack," the young woman pleaded. "Don't. We've already caused enough trouble last time, remember? Not anymore. We must look to the safety of the people first before considering what to do about the Heartless."
"I'm sorry, Jack," the two-faced Mayor agreed. "We don't have time for you and Dr. Finkelstein to experiment again. Last time was a disaster-"
"That was one year ago!" Jack exclaimed in exasperation, throwing his long, bony arms up in the air for emphasis. "We've got a good plan- a great plan, in fact!
"Really?" the Mayor was suddenly interested. "Tell us about it!"
Jack's face fell. "Uh...I'm sorry, but it's confidential."
"If it's controlling the Heartless, Jack," Sally said, "then I've had it. Look to the people first, Jack, not to controlling the enemy. Cid said help will arrive soon; we must look to our own people."
"Sally is right," the Mayor agreed. "Jack, I will not let you and Dr. Finkelstein carry out this 'confidential' plan of yours."
Jack drooped briefly, before jerking back up and exclaiming, "When are they going to be here?"
"As soon as they get through the barrier surrounding Halloween Town," Dr. Finkelstein wheezed as he rolled to them in his wheelchair. "Mayor, the portal is ready. If needs be, it can take everyone to Traverse Town. Of course I hope that would never have to happen but when worst comes to worst- "
"What will become of us all?" Sally murmured as she knelt down and petted Zero, Jack's ghost dog. Her arm came off in the process but Jack helped her put it back on.
Nobody knows like I do, Sally thought sadly as they all looked up at the ominous sky, lit with the glowing lights of Heartless ships. Nobody knows what would come out of this; nobody suffers like I suffer, holding that dark, dark secret within me...I was not chosen as a Heart and Soul for a good reason, for the inevitable will happen, no matter how hard they try to stop it. No matter how hard they try to protect him, they will fail, they will ultimately fail...
"Damn, that was crazy," Riku growled as he stumbled his way out of the smoking gummi ship and into a very dark and gloomy town.
"You've said it, kiddo," Phil agreed with a hacking cough as he tumbled out, followed by Pooh, Tarzan, Meg, and Pegasus. "Tarzan here's kinda dangerous; why don't somebody else do the piloting?"
"I don't know how," Riku answered as he gestured to a gathering crowd around them.
The well next to the gummi ship swirled in an eerie green color; they soon found out why the green liquid within was churning.
Jack Skellington leaped out of the well and landed on his long, lanky legs before Riku and the others. They jumped back in surprise as the pumpkin king looked at each of them and smiled.
"Welcome to Halloweentown," Jack said with an unusually demonic grin.
"Thank you," Riku stammered back. "Are you Jack Skellington?"
Jack nodded. He knew who Riku was and he wasn't really surprised that Riku knew something about him as well. After all, this kid had been near Oogie Boogie, hasn't he?
"See Jack, they are here," a woman who seemed to be made up of many different body parts appeared, along with a glowing, floating little pumpkin, an egg-shaped man, and a cripple in a wheelchair.
"Say," Meg turned to the man in the wheelchair. "You're Dr. Finkelstein, right?"
The cripple was taken by surprise by the fact she knew him but he nodded. Then recognition registered in his voice."Yes, of course I am. What is it you wish?"
"Cid told me not too long ago you were making portals for the worlds with many people on them, right?" Meg demanded. "Portals that can take people to Traverse Town?"
"Meg, why-" Phil began.
"Of course, of course-ah, I see," Dr. Finkelstein nodded." Of course, it is always available. Come this way."
He began to wheel away, prompting nearly everyone to cast confusing looks upon the cripple and Meg.
"He created portals that can take us to Travers Town," Meg explained as she whistled to Pegasus and moved to follow Dr. Finkelstein. "And, I need to get there."
"Leaving already? Oh bother..." Pooh seemed to deflate by the second.
"Good luck, then," Riku said with a wave.
Tarzan merely nodded but Phil looked downright furious. However, he bit his tongue and watched as Meg and Pegasus followed Dr. Finkelstein deep into Halloweentown.
We need more people with us when we travel, Phil thought to himself quietly as Jack, the woman named Sally, and the egg-shaped man who was the Mayor of Halloweentown began to brief Riku and Tarzan about the situation at Halloweentown while Pooh tried to make friends with the floating pumpkin. I'm stuck with mostly a bunch of no-nothings – well, maybe except Riku – and Meg, who's also a member of the Hearts and Souls, is gone! I'm the only one here, for crying out loud! Why didn't he let Sally be one? Oh, damn! I forgot, of course I forgot...damn Dr. Finkelstein!
He glared at the crippled doctor as he wheeled back.
"Pegasus and Meg are off to Traverse Town to...er, report to Leon and the others," Dr. Finkelstein replied, obviously attempting to sound as casual as possible.
"That's good!" the Mayor said. "It's been a while since we've sent a report to them; they must be worried out of their minds-"
"What exactly do we need to do here?" Riku asked, aiming straight for the reason why they were there in Halloweentown.
"We must save Halloweentown," Sally offered an explanation. "This is one of the last worlds now; Wonderland, Coliseum, -" Phil cringed "-Deep Jungle, and Agrabah are officially destroyed. Monstro has not been seen for months; I expect he is where he needs to be."
"And what the hell does that mean?" Phil barked.
Oddly enough, everyone chose to ignore that question. All except Pooh, whose reply was, "Oh bother...my ears..."
"You have no idea how strong the Heartless have become, have you?" Tarzan asked.
"The Heartless have conjured new forms," Dr. Finkelstein said. "They are multiplying faster than ever and appear even more quickly, allowing them to assemble into massive armies within minutes. And believe me, its not pretty."
"Our main goal is to destroy the blockade above us," Jack said, gesturing to the sky. "The blockade is the most dangerous thing right now; if all those ships blast us at the same time, we'd all be gone in seconds."
"Well, what's one gummi ship gonna do against them damn Heartless?" Phil fired.
"Right now, we're barricaded in Halloweentown," Jack quickly added. " There are many Heartless out there. I believe they came from the Heartless ships but I never really did think the ships could carry so many Heartless."
"What the heck does that mean?" Riku demanded. There were thousands of Heartless ships up there in the sky; what did Jack mean? "Are you saying there's an army of millions of Heartless outside Halloweentown?"
"One million three hundred thousand two to be exact," Dr. Finkelstein offered. "It's worse than before."
"One million?" Riku was aghast. "How the hell are we supposed to defend Halloweentown and everybody in it against one million Heartless?"
"If there was a way, I would've said it," Phil shot. "But look at this town; its old, rickety, and practically pathetic. You people been lucky for some time now but if one million Heartless makes a surge against Halloweentown, we're all toast!"
For a while, everyone was silent.
"Oh bother..." Pooh sighed and for a while, it seemed like the most sensible comeback to the situation.
Riku heaved a massive sigh as Phil began to lecture everyone on what he thought was most sensible: sent your most able-bodied fighters to the edges of Halloweentown and herd everyone else towards Dr. Finkelstein's portal, just in case the Heartless break through.
I sense disaster everywhere, Riku noted, sensing the ominous feeling in the heavy dark air. There is disaster wherever we go, wherever I go. I just don't understand, what can I do to help Sora? Why does the King want me to go on this sort of journey, with two very mismatched partners? What are his intentions? What are his purposes? What are mine?
"The air weighs heavily with doom," Sally was suddenly at his side, her kind voice low and solemn, filled to sadness. "The doom that would weigh all of us down. We cannot run away from it; we can only fight it, defend the defenseless, and find a way to reverse that doom."
"What is the doom?" Riku asked, as Phil started to bark at the Mayor about his ideas on what should be done to Halloweentown. Tarzan and Pooh had gone to group up able-bodied fighters and were taking them to the walls of Halloweentown.
Sally had a tragic smile on her face. "One nobody wants to know. If it weren't for my foresight, I would have been a member of the Hearts and Souls, doing what Phil and Meg are doing. But my foresight is dangerous; not only do they always come true, it is also inevitable. There are very few times when it seems the doom can change but the doom I have carried in my heart for years...it is inevitable. No matter how hard you or the princess will try, no matter how hard the King and the Guardian would try, it will happen. And the doom I spoke of earlier...it will come to pass."
Riku didn't like it at all. Sally was saying about him and a princess, King Mickey, and some Guardian not being able to stop something that obviously was of importance. And because it was what she said was inevitable, it was impossible to stop the other doom from coming.
"Death at the doorsteps, leading to the darkness, and the never ending light fades into night," he heard Sally whisper.
Riku left to muster the defenses of Halloweentown.
"How do we get information from the Queen of Hearts?" Selphie asked sullenly for the third time as they cautiously approached the entrance to Wonderland.
"Surely there's another way," Hercules agreed. "Arguing won't help us at all and every other 'possible' way seems hopeless."
Kairi had a look of determination plastered to her face as she pondered on what they were going to do. Should they discuss what to do or should they just let the whole thing play itself out?
"Maybe we should just let the whole thing play itself out," Kairi suggested. "We can figure out what to do as it goes."
"That could be a good idea," Selphie nodded.
"But I'm still bringing my sword," Hercules said adamantly. "If something happens, I've got to keep you two safe. Oracle Kenaii said you two were of major importance and must stay alive the whole time. I intend to do as he told me to do."
Must stay alive? What the heck does that mean?
"Visitors, Your Majesty," the White Rabbit chimed as he rushed into the lush throne room. "Visitors from Real Universe!"
"What?" the fiery-tempered Queen of Hearts rose to her feet. "They enter without my permission to visit? Off with their-"
"No Your Majesty, no, no, no!" the White Rabbit yelped. "Please don't; I think they are important visitors, Your Majesty!"
"I'm important!" the Queen of Hearts barked. "I don't give a card's ass who's important or not! I'm the important one here and I most certainly did not give permission to let these unwanted trespassers in there. Arrest them and off with their heads!"
"But Your Majesty!" the White Rabbit was trembling. "One of them is the son of Zeus! You know what that means, Your Majesty!"
The Queen of Hearts froze, her face fixated with a look of fear. "The son of Him...very well, let them pass. But one moment of disturbance and I want their heads off!"
The White Rabbit nodded, bowed, and scurried off to escort these visitors to the throne room while the Queen of Hearts sat in her chair, brooding over what possibly could have drawn the son of Zeus into Wonderland.
"This way please."
Kairi jumped. A white rabbit, dressed in an oddly colored suit with strange glasses and a huge hand watch, appeared right before them. Trembling slightly, he bowed and said, "This way is to the throne room. Please follow me."
The white rabbit scurried off. Kairi gave Selphie and Hercules an odd look and they shrugged. They followed the white rabbit into a very strange small room, with hedge walls to the right and left. Before them, the walls turned to each other at ninety-degree angles, then froze and formed an archway in the shape of a heart.
And apparently, beyond that room, was the throne room.
"And I thought my mother looked bad when she was mad," Hercules murmured, referring to Hera, his mother.
The Queen of Hearts was the most ruffled-looking woman Kairi had ever seen. She seemed to have a scowl imprinted on her face and she wore a very medieval, puffy dress with a tall, stiff white collar. Her tiny golden crown sat daintily on her oblong head and in her right hand, she had a scepter in the shape of a red heart.
Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules tentatively approached the queen on her throne. Spades and Hearts Cards guards lined up on the right and left of the throne room, standing at attention, ready at a moment's notice to obey the Queen's wishes. Before them was a podium that faced the Queen's seat and, to her right, was another podium. The white rabbit that led them to the throne room scampered up the long stairs to the top and stood at attention. To the Queen's left stood a shredded cage, seemingly lathered in dark, dry red.
To Kairi, it seemed that the broken cage was drenched with blood.
"Is that blood?" Selphie demanded in a horrified voice.
"Silence while in the presence of the Queen until you are acknowledged," the white rabbit called out.
"Why are you here?" the Queen of Hearts barked. Her angry stare bore down on all three of them. Hercules actually seemed to cower away.
"We-uh...we...um..." Kairi searched for the right words in her mind.
"Wait a minute," the Queen of Hearts narrowed her eyes as she stared at Kairi. "I know you. You were one of the seven Princesses of Heart, am I correct?"
Kairi gave a meek nod.
"Are you here to know of Alice's plight?" the queen barked.
"What plight?" Selphie exclaimed.
"What happened to Alice?" Kairi asked evenly, forcing her fears down to a bare minimum.
"White creatures assumed to be Heartless came and attacked Wonderland," the white rabbit piped up, as he unscrolled a rather important-looking document and read from it. "They seemed to be after Alice. Though the reasons are unclear, we believe it is because of her status as a Princess of Heart. However, not only had Heartless had not been seen in these parts of the Old Universe for some time, we became suspicious that these white creatures could be the new enemy. Then a strange, hooded being arrived. He took off his hood, if only for a moment, to speak to Alice. A redheaded stranger, he quickly replaced the hood and ordered the white creatures to attack Alice. Blood has been spilt but we do not know if Alice survived or not."
"Oh no...Alice," Kairi murmured, her knees trembling.
"What else do you know about these white creatures?" Hercules demanded.
"And why do you wish to know?" the Queen of Hearts snapped back.
"Oracle Kenaii wishes it that you tell us all you know about these so- called Nobodies, the white creatures that attacked Wonderland," Hercules answered in a clear, commanding voice.
Silence.
"They are Nobodies, then," the Queen of Hearts seemed oddly reluctant in getting that out of her mouth. "I do not know what they are or where they came from. I do not know why they went after Alice. Right now I don't care. Right now I want to know why you three are here!"
She thundered the last sentence in their faces.
"He said it already," Selphie said. "What do you know about these white creatures? That's why we're here."
The Queen of Hearts was rather taken back. They came to Wonderland only to ask about the Nobodies? But of course, Oracle Kenaii was a strange on indeed. But she had promised him she would never reveal the information...
"The situation is dire," Hercules said. "You do know the known universe is on the brink of war."
"War?" Kairi and Selphie spun on Hercules.
"And information on the Nobodies is supposed to help you stop the war?" the Queen of Hearts laughed. "Fools, what you know about the Nobodies are pitiful compared to what you need to know. Why is Oracle Kenaii making you focus on childish issues when you should be focusing on how to stop this war from happening?"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Selphie yelped. "Let's back it up here; what war?"
"Between the light and the dark," Hercules and the Queen of Hearts chimed as one.
"For as long as the known universe had been in existence," Hercules explained, "there had been war. For years now, the darkness has been winning. They have been able to create many creatures and demons from darkness, they were able to convert the innocent of the light into darkness, they were able to do what we could not do. Oracle Kenaii wants us to find out as much as possible about the Nobodies so that we can understand how to destroy them."
"Impossible," the Queen of Hearts scoffed. "You have much a chance of destroying the Nobodies as you do of Heartless. They are both born from darkness, as we all know, and so far, the little brat with the Keyblade has done nothing to destroy the Heartless. And I thought the Ansem Report would reveal it all!"
"Ansem Report revealed nothing of destroying Heartless!" Kairi answered angrily. "It only told of his discoveries on the Heartless and their origins."
"Then the Other Report won't help you at all!" the Queen of Hearts lashed out. "It says nothing of destroying Nobodies as well!"
The queen just realized she told them she knew what was in this 'Other Report'.
"Tell us about the Nobodies," Kairi demanded. "We must know, so we can stop evil and do what must be done to stop this war from happening."
"War is inevitable," Hercules sighed, "but we can lessen the impact of war. Queen of Hearts, tell us about the Other Report, lest you want to see all you know and love be destroyed!"
He knew deep in his heart and soul that the Queen of Hearts was as vulnerable as was everybody else. The only question was: what was one vulnerable to?
She glared at them, angrily, hesitantly, suddenly unsure of what to do.
"If he finds out," she began in a voice trembling with anger-or was it fear? "If he finds out, he'll know how to deal with you three. But let us put that matter aside. You want to know of the Other Report, don't you? Well, let me tell you now, I have read the two Other Reports. I know what is written in them. However, only one of the Other Reports is here, scattered. What you must do is to go to the other worlds here in In-Between and find them. The other Report is to be found by Ansem's son. He will be the first one to find it and he will know what to do with it. But you, Princess of Heart, once you find this Other Report, you will know what to do with it, do you understand?"
Kairi nodded numbly, before everything registered in her mind. Ansem had a son?
"What I know and have of the Other Report is small but should be of importance," the Queen of Hearts said. "What I know is very dangerous in what it is, because if word leaks out about it, the results would be disastrous. Do you understand? You cannot start talking about this information to just about anybody!"
"So what is it you're trying to say?" Selphie demanded impatiently.
"What I'm saying is that you three need to be careful!" the Queen of Hearts barked. "Finding all the pieces of the Other Report is very difficult and it all must be done before the feathers fall!"
The White Rabbit hiccupped and covered his face. "Oh no, please Your Majesty, please, don't mention it! I beg of you, don't speak those three words! Oh, oh, oh..."
Everyone stared at the White Rabbit but he ignored them.
"The feathers fall..." Hercules mused. "I believe Father mentioned those three words to me once but he never explained it to me. What is so important about it?"
"It has been foretold that something will happen that is unstoppable," the Queen of Hearts snapped. "If we do not find any way to stop this 'unstoppable' event, it was told that feathers would fall from the sky. You, son of Zeus, knows what would come afterwards, am I correct?"
Hercules stared at her blankly. Kairi was confused. I don't understand...
"War comes if the feathers fall," the queen said harshly. "Feathers from the sky means the war between the light and dark would be at its greatest, harshest, the worst war of all. You three are destined to find the other pieces of the Other Report, to piece it all together. You must find out for us the past of the Universe, what happened that unleashed the full fury of the Heartless, of the Nobodies, and you will find out what truth about the Keyblade Masters!"
Her ringing words echoes in the huge throne room. Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules were aghast. They didn't think what they had to do could be so important, so significant.
"I choose not to take off your heads," the Queen of Hearts spoke, " because Hercules is the son of Zeus and Kairi is a Princess of Heart. Those two facts alone kept you alive here. And now I understand your true purpose. White Rabbit, the chest please!"
The White Rabbit removed his hands from his face and stared at the queen for a fifth of a second. Then he dashed off to the left, through some mysterious dark doorway. He came back after some time, carrying with him a tiny, lacquered chest in his hands. He approached the Queen of Hearts and carefully transferred the chest to her, as though whatever was in it was the most precious thing in the world.
"This," the Queen of Hearts told Kairi, Selphie, and Hercules, "this holds a piece of the Other Report. This will begin your journey. I wish you luck, because I know your purpose is greater than my purpose in this lifetime."
Kairi approached the Queen of Hearts and took the chest.
"Take the chest with you," the Queen of Hearts told them as they turned to leave. "It can carry all the pieces of the Other Report. You will need something to hold them all together, as I should know. I've seen the whole of them both."
Kairi nodded, Selphie and Hercules bowed, and they left for the room to tell the Doorknob and the Cheshire Cat their discovery.
"What does it say?" Hercules demanded after they returned to their original sizes.
Kairi carefully opened the small chest and they all looked inside, the Cheshire Cat carefully balancing himself on Hercules' head.
A single piece of paper sat in the chest. Written in a clear, bold handwriting, the words on the paper read:
"The Heartless take hearts, the Nobodies take the souls. Those who are unaffected by loss of 'humanity' and morality are termed soulless and are a cause for worry, as they attract Nobodies who would devour the souls. The people do not turn into Nobodies or Heartless; they merely vanish. Therefore, the Nobodies are actually fewer in number than Heartless; however, they are actually stronger than Heartless and therefore, would pose a more serious threat than the Heartless."