Cammy-world: where in the world did you get that idea? It goes like this: Mr. Eldest has been working for the Society for some time now so he ought to know of that they plan to do…meaning that the others can prevent things from happening. Cheer up, we've got a long way to do.
Aoki-chan: please tell me you don't mean you actually made a bet with people! as for the number of chapters left, I'll say this: the official last chapter is an even number. And depending on how the story ends, yes I will write a sequel and a prequel.
Lena-jade: honestly I thought I was one of the first to think that Sora and BHK were twins but I guess that idea, and idea-haters, spread around. Glad to see that it actually works out with my story, though. Cheers
Tina: unstuck from your seat, eh? Well I hear you're off to Costa Rica so have fun! Yes, Chapter 61 was rather enlightening, hence one of my favorite chapters.
Cutekitty: I hope your emails are functioning correctly now. And what's with you and Cammy and Aozora being naked? I mean…oh well, can't suggest anything now, can I? How long will this story go on? Read the response to Aoki-chan!
Tangledways: here's the update!
XD Thank you so much people! But now the bad news: next weekend I'll be off to Korea (again) and I've been forbidden to bring my precious laptop, which has all my chapters on it. So saying, I will be kind and update until we return to Sora's story, so expect plenty of updates the next couple of days. That would mean…three more chapters. Meaning this is the first of the three…har har har…
I will be gone for a month, w00t w00t, so bear with me here and enjoy what you've got! Thank you and I'll stop ranting now.
Secrets of Memories Chapter 62: Tale as Old as Time
" It's so quiet…I don't like this."
Sora stopped in the middle of the dirt road and crossed his arms, biting his lip and staring up at the sky.
Donald and Goofy had to agree. The forest was just too quiet, the mountains were too ominous, the clouds seem frozen, and there was no wind. It was as though the world had died. Or someone cast Stopga.
" Well, we've got to keep moving," Donald huffed, pointing at the looming castle before them. " Something tells me we should check it out."
" A-hyuk, let's go!" Goofy grinned and began windmilling his way towards the castle gates as he usually did.
Sora hung back a bit. " Something's definitely wrong here…"
Donald tapped the ground with his staff. " Well, we're not going to find out unless we actually get to the source of the problem."
" And what would that be?"
" I'd say the castle, right there!" Donald pointed at the only building in view.
Sora thought for a moment. " I guess we can try there."
He ran after Goofy, who had gone so far ahead he couldn't see the knight. And that could be a problem. Maybe not this time, though. He spotted the knight pushing a massive iron gate open.
" Gwarsh, its like…these people don't care who comes in and who comes out," Goofy huffed, pushing it more.
" Here, let me help," Donald pressed his shoulder against the gate and shoved forward with all his might. Goofy put his back into it – literally – and shoved at the same time.
Sora stood there for a few seconds, then slipped in through the space between the gates. " Guys, you don't need to open it all the way. You two can fit through here, can't you?"
Donald glared at him for a few minutes. " Shut up, Sora."
" Loser!" Sora grinned and gave him a thumbs up.
Seconds later, Sora made a mad dash for his life, as Donald cast off a succession of Fire spells on him. " Hey! You're not supposed to attack the Keyblade Master!"
So…he has returned.
He smiled, watching the trio try and play tag with magic spells on the narrow stone walkway that connected the castle with the rest of the world.
Does he remember me? Or am I simply another…Nobody?
Axel had made it rather painful for him, after destroying his hologram back at Castle Oblivion. Worked well in messing with Sora's mind but still it made him mad.
Once I deal with the Beast, we'll see how Sora will fare against this new challenge.
The Unknown turned around and left the balcony.
''
" Gwarsh, it's quiet in here!" Goofy poked his head into the main hall. " Gwarsh! Look at the staircase!"
" Wow." Sora had never seen anything like this before.
Red carpeting gilt with gold spread out to a huge main hall, with huge marble staircases winding up to the east and west wings of the great castle. A bronze chandelier hung from a chain on the gilt ceiling; candle holders lined the walls, along with tall lamps. Doors of rich wood were scattered along the walls and before them, on the second story, was a mass of great windowpanes, giving them a view of a rose garden in the distance.
It was a magnificent sight. One that would take your breath away.
" Amazing," Donald gapped in awe as the trio slowly inched their way in.
" Hello?" Sora called out. " Anybody home?"
They heard muffled cries but were they of welcome? And where did they come from?
" Hello?" Sora repeated. " Anybody here?"
The muffled yelling was much louder now, but nobody was appearing.
" Huyuk, ah ha!" Goofy was busy pinpointing the source of the muffled voices. " Sora, Donald, they're coming from in here!"
He gestured at a door to the direct left of the double doors of the castle.
" Open it."
Goofy did just that and peeked in. " Well, whaddya know? It's a talking clock!"
" Cogsworth, actually," a nobly refined voice corrected immediately. " The name's Cogsworth. And who are you?"
" Have you come to save us?" a little child's voice demanded.
" Now, now Chip dear, calm down." That must be the child's mother.
" Sora, Donald, lookee what I found here!" Goofy called out, pointing madly.
" It's rude to point, please don't do that," Cogsworth reprimanded.
" Der…sorry?"
Sora and Donald joined Goofy. " A talking clock?"
" Cogsworth!"
" Hi, I'm Chip!" a chipped teacup jumped up and down excitedly.
" Chip, dear, that's not how you act around strangers," a teapot with a gild handle and purple points said in a motherly tone. " Hello, I'm Mrs. Pott. Some tea?"
" Ah…no thanks, I've no time," Sora laughed back nervously. He was talking to a teapot!
" I'm Babette," a black and gray feather duster bowed and flashed a grin.
" And Lumiere, master of the household," the golden candle holder bowed gracefully.
" No you're not!" Cogsworth snapped back. " I am!"
" Oh shush," Lumiere brushed him off. " How may we help you three?"
" Can you tell us where we are?" Sora asked.
" And why are you guys in this here closet?" Goofy added.
The four looked at each other. " Well…we're hiding from our master," Cogsworth replied nervously. " He's thrown another fit over the great rose."
" I'm sorry?"
" This is Fabled Countryside," Lumiere remarked. " This castle in particular is the castle of our master."
" Lumiere, I've a feeling we should send these three on their way," Cogsworth pulled at what was apparently a sharp moustache. " We've answered their questions; we've no permission to allow these three to enter. Remember the last time that happened?"
" Ah…well, she's still here, so perhaps he's had a change of heart," Mrs. Pott stated.
" A change of heart? After that dreadful man started talking about the rose, he's locked Belle in her room day and night!" Babette exclaimed indignantly. " You know, I have to get in her room; imagine the dust collecting on the poor dresser-"
" Belle?" Sora demanded. " Belle's here?"
" Well, yes." All four looked up at Sora. " You know her?"
" A-hyuk, yup!" Goofy grinned. " We saved her and some other princesses a year ago from an evil witch-"
" Ugh, that dreadful woman!" Mrs. Pott exclaimed. " Threw our master into a fit! Then he left the castle the next day. Didn't come back for two months!"
" Who's the master here?" Donald demanded.
" Beast."
Donald and Goofy looked at Sora. " Good point. That makes sense…"
" So this is Beast's home!" Goofy stated. " Nice one, too."
" Where's Belle?" Sora suddenly remembered what Babette said about some 'dreadful man'.
" She's in her room, fifth door of the third hall to the left of the staircase," Lumiere informed. " You know what, I'll take you along."
" Oh you're not going anywhere!" Cogsworth snapped. " If the master catches you, you're done for!"
" All the better to stick with these three, then," Lumiere winked. " Come along, I'll show the way."
''
' And here we are," Lumiere bowed before white double doors.
Finding no answer, he looked behind him to the three stragglers. Donald and Goofy were lumbering along steadily but slowly; Sora was literally dying, crawling his way to Lumiere and the doors. " Oh come now, the castle isn't that big!"
" Well it is to me!" Sora shot back.
" And we haven't been to Disney in a long time," Goofy nodded emphatically.
From behind the double doors, they heard some noise. " Sora?"
" Madam Belle, I have brought three visitors," Lumiere informed with a knock and a sharp rap on the door.
The double doors creaked open.
" Belle!" Sora exclaimed.
The brunette woman stepped out into the hall. She was wearing a blue and white dress, nothing like the golden gown she had worn the last time they saw her. " Sora! Donald! Goofy! Oh am I glad to see you three!"
She picked up and hugged Donald, causing him to squawk from indignation and embarrassment.
" But what are you three doing here?" she asked.
" Well, this world got in the way so we decided to stop by and see what it was like," Sora shrugged. " What's going on here? Why's Beast keeping you prisoner?"
" My question exactly," Donald grumped, still a prisoner of Belle's hug.
" Oh gosh, I don't know, really," Belle sighed. Then she looked at Lumiere sharply. " Lumiere, where are the others? Are they still hiding?"
" Indeed."
" Tell them they can come out now. Sora, Donald, Goofy? Come with me. I think you guys need to talk to Beast."
" Uh…Belle?" Lumiere looked very worried. " You know he's not in the mood. He won't like you interrupting him."
" West wing, right?"
Lumiere sighed. " Yes, yes, yes. I'll get the others. If that nasty man comes around again, we're giving him a welcome party he won't forget."
" You should be careful." Sora had a strange sensation about this 'nasty man'. " He might be powerful and if he is, he can really hurt you."
" Do not worry yourself, Monsieur," Lumiere replied, hopping away. " We are not as dumb as you think. Take care not to get lost and don't go near any of the suit of armors. Once in a while, one has the itch to slash at whatever gets too close."
" Great, thanks for the information," Donald huffed.
" Come on, we have to go talk some sense into Beast," Belle said, striding off down yet another hallway. " Hurry, I'll tell you the whole story while we get to the West Wing."
" Oh man…" Sora groaned and ran after the woman, Donald and Goofy following. " So, what exactly did happen, Belle?"
" Some man came here a few weeks ago," Belle said hurriedly. " He wouldn't show his face; he was dressed in all black and didn't look too friendly. But the Beast let him in anyways, and the two went up to the West Wing. After a while, we all heard a commotion. The Beast was yelling something like, " Who'd trust a bunch of traitors like you!" or something like that. Then the Beast came rushing down, grabbed me by the arm and put me under house arrest! I haven't seen him since but I know who he is and what he's like – he's probably in the West Wing, hovering over the great rose."
" What is this great rose you guys keep talking about?" Sora demanded.
" Yeah, we keep hearing about some rose or something like that," Donald agreed emphatically. " What's the big deal about this rose?"
" A witch cast a curse on the Beast long ago," Belle began yet another story as they hurried down some stairs and entered yet another huge hall, lined on both sides with suits of armor. " He was once a prince without heart; the witch punished him by turning into something hideous and gave him a great rose. She told him that if he does not find true love by the time all the rose petals fall, he will be a beast forever and die miserably."
" Gosh, that's horrible," Goofy quipped, covering his mouth with his hand in shock.
" The Beast locked you in your room for a reason, then," Sora thought aloud. " I mean, first he calls this weird man a 'traitor', then he locks you in your room. You think he's protecting you from something?"
" I'm a Princess of Heart," Belle shot back. " I can hold on my own quite well. Not only that, I belong to the Order. That's a double-blow. I don't know what Beast got into his head…"
" Well, we're about to find out," Sora declared, noting an ominous set of stairs crawling up, then turning left and rising higher into a dark place."
" You have to be careful." Belle carefully walked up the stairs. " I've been up here before and Beast didn't like it. He threw a fit the last time I came here and I ran away. I didn't get far, though; wolves attacked me."
" And then what happened?" Goofy asked in hushed tones.
" Beast came and wiped them out. It took me forever nursing him back to health. He behaves like such a kid sometimes I wonder how it is that he can live here in the castle alone with only furniture to help him about."
They reached the top of the last flight of stairs, a long dark hall into the deep abyss of night and fear. Donald looked scared.
" We have to go there?" he squalled.
" yes," Belle replied, picking up a lit candle holder. " Come on, you three really need to talk to him about that weird man."
Sora stared at the candle holder as they entered the darkness. Why did he have the strange feeling that Belle was holding Lumiere?
The candle holder winked at him.
" Lovely," the Keyblade Master muttered. " Just plain lovely."
However, they walked into a room that did not match what Belle had described earlier. It was a cozy room, with velvet armchairs, a lit fireplace, thick carpeting, and several bookshelves.
" No, this is not the room," Belle murmured, looking around and spotting another doorway. " Beast must've added this not too long ago; looks too new for me."
" I wonder why…" Sora murmured, his head sideways as he read the titles of the books on the shelves.
Power of the Hearts…
The Winged Dragon and the Fire Phoenix…
The Legacy of Angels…
Hearts Reborn…
Final Distance…
The Garden of Everything…
" Those are weird books for sure!" Goofy commented, staring at another set of books on another bookcase.
Donald was busy peering at the fire. " I don't like this one bit…"
" Wherever the rose is, Beast ought to be," Belle commented, carefully sticking her head into the adjacent room. " Sora!"
" What!" The Keyblade Master whirled around.
" The rose," Belle replied. " Come on."
The adjacent room was a larger, roomier, but emptier version of the other room. The large windows opened to a balcony and the curtains were streaming in the cold night wind. Sora shivered; the curtains were shredded.
" The rose!" Donald exclaimed, pointing to an antique, lacquered table in the center of the room.
" Oh wow," Sora breathed. He couldn't believe just how beautiful it was.
Protected by a flawless glass case, the rose hovered all on its own. It seemed to sway slowly to a wind; it glowed reddish-pink and gave off soft rose sparks. It was a rose glistening with life. But at the feet of its evergreen stem were four crumpled petals. As they watched, another petal slowly detached itself from the rose and softly fell on top of the other petals.
" Its…gwarsh, so beautiful." Goofy gaped at it.
Sora kept staring at it. Somehow…somehow it reminded him…of someone…
She was staring out at a gray sea, brushing shoulder-length red hair behind her ear. She looked so sad, as though something terrible had happened…
…someone named Kairi.
" The rose…" Sora slowly approached the table. " There's something the rose -"
With a great roar, something huge, full of muscle, and raging with anger rushed into the room and shoved Sora aside, throwing him against the wall. Donald and Goofy rushed to help him but the something threw them back.
Beast kept his hands protectively on the glass case and growled at Sora. " How dare you touch the rose!"
Sora stared at him as he slowly got up to his feet, wincing in pain. " Beast, it's me, Sora!"
" What do I care?" Beast snarled back. " You tried to touch the rose!"
" And you've got a problem with that?"
" Of course he does," Belle remarked, holding up the candleholder. Unfortunately she was not the only one to say that.
" Ah! You!" Sora backed off half a step from the shadowy Unknown as it approached the center of the room. It had materialized out of nowhere.
" Interesting how your heart is so ignorant," the Unknown smirked. Sora stared. The voice…he knew the voice! " The Keyblade Master has finally run into a wall. He continues life not knowing everything that had taken place."
" What are you talking about?" Sora demanded.
The Unknown was smirking. " Have you forgotten me?"
He pulled down his hood and Sora could not help but cringe. " You oughta change your hair; I thought I've seen ugly but apparently I haven't!"
" Looks are not what count," the Unknown snapped. He could easily pass off as a very ugly, masculine woman; he had long blond hair to support that statement. " It is up here-" he tapped his head" – and here-" he briefly touched center of his chest" – that count. Fortunately for me, I have my head. Unfortunately for you, you have your heart. And the heart lies. You have forgotten all that had transpired since you last closed Kingdom Hearts."
" No I haven't!" Sora snapped back. " Listen you ugly son of a-"
" You…" Beast growled, stepping forward and protecting the rose at the same time. " Why are you here? I told you I don't want anything to do with you!"
" This teenager threatens the power of the rose," the ugly men commented. " If you kill him…the rose will be protected and you may get what you wish. But if you do nothing, his mere presence will kill the rose."
Beast slowly looked at Sora. Everyone could hear him growling under his breath.
" Oh shit," Sora backed away. " This looks bad, this looks very bad…"
The Unknown began to laugh. " Let us see what you can do now, Keyblade Master. Oh I shall see, oh yes we shall see…"
He faded away.
Everyone stared at where the Unknown had vanished. Then Beast sighed. " I'm sick of charades."
" What!" Donald screamed at him.
" Yeah, I'm sorry for fooling all four of you…and the household included," the Beast sighed, acknowledging Lumiere in the process. " However, Vexen's threat was quite real and they are known for carrying out whatever they threatened to do. It was either pretend to really hate you, Sora, or I give up all hope of returning back to normal."
" Vexen?" Strange, his mind spoke of another name, one that was similar but definitely not Vexen. But the resemblance was there; Sora just knew it was there.
" Yes, his name is Vexen," Beast nodded. " He is a member of the Society, a very powerful member. You know what the Society is."
" Yes…I do," Sora said slowly. He knew quite well what the Society was.
" They've been quite busy messing around with the worlds here," Beast continued," or so Vexen told me. He's been trying to turn me against you when you come here. He threatened to crush this rose…and that, I cannot allow to happen."
" What does the rose do, exactly?" Sora asked quietly.
" It…controls the curse of this castle," Beast answered quietly, eyeing Belle as he spoke. " If the rose dies before I lift the curse, then we are all doomed to live the rest of life as we are now. That includes Lumiere."
" Monsieur," the candleholder nodded. Belle nearly dropped him in surprise.
" If only the spell can be broken…" The Beast bowed his head, sighing. The curse did not break when we returned to the castle of Fabled Countryside. I still don't know what we must do…to break the curse that holds this castle…"
" Who cast the spell?" Donald asked curiously.
" Apparently an angel witch. Her spell was not meant for evil; I was a selfish brat in the younger days and this is my just reward."
" Oh…" Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other.
Then they heard sounds in the distance, somewhere down the hall.
" Sounds like Cogsworth!" Lumiere exclaimed.
" Help!"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other. " This does not sound good."
Belle set Lumiere on another table, then rushed out of the room. She returned within seconds, looking very pale. " Sora, you're going to have to fight your way out of this castle."
" What? Why?" Sora demanded.
" We're being invaded!" Cogsworth rushed in, followed presently by Mrs. Pott, Chip, Babette, and what looked like a footrest but acted like a dog. " Angry villagers outside the castle gates! And strange black creatures somehow found their way inside. They haven't attacked us yet but Master, I think they are dangerous."
" What are they?" Lumiere demanded.
" Heartless."
Sora looked at Belle and Beast. " Looks like this world's invaded, too. C'mon, guys. We've some Heartless to fight."
" Wait," Belle said. " Listen, Sora, you can't stay here long. An emergency's come up in Traverse Town and you have to get there immediately. Something about Hollow Bastion."
" What!"
" Wait, how'd you contact them?" Beast asked, puzzled. " I did lock you up in your room."
" Your magic mirror is quite useful, Beast," Belle smiled. " I managed to reach Friar Tuck and he's told me enough. He's got news from some traitors within the Society about Hollow Bastion; they're waiting for you at Traverse Town. He seems pretty urgent about this; I think you're going to have to let us deal with the villagers."
" The Heartless?" Goofy reminded them.
" Like I said, don't think we can't do anything," Belle smirked at them, in a very uncharacteristic fashion. " We aren't part of the Order for nothing, guys. If we can't fight, we still have powers. And if not powers, then we are full of wisdom and are the strongest of hearts. Of course, except Sora's and King Mickey's. After all, aren't they the ones wielding the Keyblades?"
" Have you…uh…seen King Mickey recently?" Goofy asked hopefully.
" Not recently but yes I have seen him," the brunette woman nodded. " You neededn't keep a look out for him anymore. He is quite safe, more than capable of handling the Darkness on his own, and he is the leader of the Order."
" Thank goodness," Donald sighed in relief. " Wait-wha!"
" Go," Beast rumbled. " We will deal with the villagers. Heartless, you can eliminate some on the way out; you can't avoid what's attracted to you. However, I will deal with the rest of the Heartless threat. Mostly everyone else here can't be affected by the Heartless but Belle is not only in great danger; she can't leave this castle without protection. And I alone cannot protect her. Her status as both a Princess of Heart and a member of the Order makes her doubly dangerous and doubly a target."
" Alright then," Sora agreed, albeit reluctantly. He didn't like leaving a world with an unsealed Keyhole and Heartless running amok all over it. " Ready for a mad dash to the gummi ship?"
" Der…how are we supposed to reach the gummi ship if there's people all over the gates?" Goofy asked, his arm raised at the same time.
"…" Sora thought for a moment. But Donald had the answer.
" Jump the wall, that's what," Donald grumbled.
" Yeah!" Sora picked up the idea. " Let's High Jump it! Better yet, let's Super Glide over it!"
He then turned to Belle, Beast, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Pott, Chip, Babette, and the strange furniture dog. " You sure about this?"
Both Belle and Beast nodded." Alright then…good luck."
The three made a mad dash out of the room and ran through the room adjacent to it. They were halfway down the hall of the West Wing when a row of Shadows popped up, their yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. Sora's temper bubbled; how he hated them! Not only that; they were in the way.
" Charge!" he screamed, his Keyblade materializing into his hands with a sparkle of white light.
''
Gasping and stumbling, they rushed their way through the dark forest, stumbling over roots and shying at every branch that moved in their direction.
" The gummi ship!" Sora yelled. " Let's go!"
Donald slammed at a button on the yellow ship's side and a side door opened. They hastily climbed in, Goofy yanking his foot in before the door closed. Donald rushed to the controls and shoved forward a lever, then pressed several buttons. The engines roared to life.
" Gwarsh, I hope they're okay," Goofy commented, peering through the glass in the direction of Beast's Castle. " I mean…we didn't get rid of the Heartless for them."
" And the villagers," Sora nodded. He didn't like the look of the hostile crowd, in particular a man dressed in red and who had a very cocky attitude. He didn't like that man at all. " And I didn't' even seal the Keyhole!"
" We don't have a choice," Donald replied, pushing another lever. " Hang on!"
He pushed that same lever all the way and the ship jolted. Then it slowly began to rise up in the air. Its engines sputtered but kept going.
" We're running out of power," Goofy commented.
" That's why we're going home first!" Donald growled back, fussing over with the controls. The ship rocked badly while still rising and rammed into the evergreen trees around them.
" Damn! Donald, what are you doing?" Sora yelled, trying to hang on.
" The ship's so busted, it can't handle the crap!" Donald screamed back, pulling back and pushing forward levers. He also kept turning on and off switches.
" You did it again!" Goofy gasped. " You swore!"
" Goofy, do you really think we have time for-" Sora began to yell at him.
" Gaaahhhh!" Donald screamed as the gummi ship shot forward, running over evergreen trees in the process.
Sora and Goofy didn't have anything to hold on to. The warning came a bit too late.
Donald turned around just in time to see two bodies hurtling at him at maybe thirty miles per hour." Yaaaahhhh-"
"Autopilot. Course set for…Disney," an automated voice spoke calmly from speakers located on a smoking control board. The steering wheel lay a little distance away, snapped off by three bodies piled onto the control board.
""
If only for a moment, he saw him. A little child, no older than three, staring into a pool of water as silver and still as glass. All around them were tall evergreen trees and soft grass. The soil was dark; there were two white butterflies fluttering about. The sky was colorless.
The toddler had golden blond hair, rising madly to one side. He was growing bangs; the toddler was a pale child, with eyes that were predominantly blue but streaked with bits of brown and green. He was wearing a black shirt and long pale pants. No shoes; the child was barefooted.
" Who – who are you?" Sora asked in astonishment.
The little child looked up, his eyes lonesome.
" When are you coming home, Shirozora?"
"I'm not Shirozora!" Sora exclaimed in surprise. " I'm Sora."
" Are you sure?"
Sora had no answer. He did not know.
Chapter 63…" Give your seat to the poor woman and find another yourself."
" You know where he's gone."
" This is where you come in as the Guardian."