And unfortunately, all other stories will not be updated in a long while. Rain of Sorrow and Best Deceptions are currently in the writing/plotting/theorizing stages, and Our Last Memories as run into a roadblock of sorts. No matter; they will be updated. Expect Our Last Memories by next week, I promise you that…unless I'm busy working on two Hanukah presents for this two Jewish guys at my high school…
Copyrights: All characters belong to Square-Enix and Disney, as far as I can tell and remember. The plot remains mine, as well as a certain few characters like Crimson, Ashita, Yuri, and Aozora. Hey, who loves Aozora? Anyone?
Secrets of Memories
Chapter 76: White Tears
The glowing yellow eye bore into their minds, piercing them as they stood there, huddled, their heads bowed in shame. With dread they awaited his verdict.
All had gone according to plan but something astonishing and unexpected had come out of it. Nobody knew what to make of it. And yet they knew that one amongst them knew the ancient secrets buried in the old kingdom of Old Citadel.
" Call off the attack."
They jerked their heads up, stunned. What?
" Something…unexpected has presented itself. Since we don't know what it is precisely, it is best not to risk it all with an attack now. We're going to have a meeting instead, to discuss it. Don't attack. It's too late anyways."
" Master, are you-"
" Don't question me, Roxanne! I know what I'm doing; I know what I'm saying. We're going to regroup and discuss the next course of action. Some of us messed things up. And Axel…"
" Yes, Master?"
" You fucked everything up. Don't you dare do that again with your little escapades, understand? We were so close…then you had to go and fuck things up! Don't do it again, understand?"
Axel nodded. " Yes, Master, whatever you say."
Crimson, who had gone by other names, nodded with approval. " Get everyone together. There's going to be a lull in the war and we need to use the time right…"
""
" Cheshire Cat!" Alice shouted, running into the gardens. " Your Majesty!"
" Alice, you're back!"
" And about time, too!" the Queen of Hearts sniffed. " Kairi and the others fixed everything up but I still need to talk to you."
" About what, Your Majesty?" the young girl asked politely, twirling a lock of blonde hair in her finger.
" About the Heartless-"
" Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" the White Rabbit cried out as he bolted into the room from one of the side entrances. " Feathers! It's raining white feathers! I've never seen anything like it-"
" White feathers?" Alice gasped.
" Oh my, oh my, oh my, hmmm…" the Cheshire Cat mused thoughtfully. He had that insane grin on his face but for once he was also looking thoughtful. " Wouldn't that mean the Keyblade Master's-"
" Oh geezes, people, can't an old man have his rest!" the Doorknob yawned and shouted from where he was locked onto the door Alice went through.
Alice whirled around and screamed at the door. " Doorknob, quit your sleeping! White feathers are falling! Sora's dead!"
""
" Oh Tarzan?" Jane smiled, hugging the warrior for the first time in half a year. " I've missed you so much, especially after everything we've gone through…"
" Me, too, Jane," he whispered into her ear.
" And your English, who taught you-"
" Oh, people I know," he smiled mysteriously. They rubbed noses, then shared a rather long kiss. That bothered Terk and Tantor, who happened to be nearby and watching.
" Geezes, you people take a long time saying 'hello'!" Terk huffed while Tantor shied away and yelped, " Is that even allowed in the jungle!"
" Relax, everything's alright, Tantor," Jane laughed. The cheerful sound drifted through the eaves of the forest, then was abruptly cut off.
" Jane, what's wrong?" Tarzan asked tersely, as her laughter froze at her throat and she began to pale rapidly. " Jane!"
" T-Tarzan," she whispered, pointing a shaking finger at Tantor. " L-look at t-that!"
" Me?" the poor elephant pointed at himself.
" No…" Jane pointed up. " Feathers, Tarzan. Above Tantor. Thos are white feathers…"
The four of them looked up, as white feathers slipped through the empty spaces among the treetops of the dense jungle.
" Wow, there's a really big bird shedding up there," Terk observed, scrutinizing a white feather she picked up. " Hey, since when did feathers glow like this?"
Tarzan and Jane knew much better. They had to.
" Oh no…" they whispered as one, looking at each other with fear.
" Sora…" Tarzan added quietly.
""
" Well, that takes care of that!" Aladdin grinned proudly as he wiped his hands free of any remaining grit, dust, and grease.
Thanks to the Genie, he and Jasmine had created a stand to place the great red gem that the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders had given them in exchange for that mysterious sculpture the Sultan had in his keeping.
" The Red Eye is finally in place and we can pa-artay all night long!" Genie cheered, dancing around in circles.
" Oh my, oh my, this is wonderful!" The Sultan rushed over to study the great gold and ivory stand. " This is marvelous!"
" Isn't it?" Genie agreed cheerfully, hugging the three people. Abu jumped onto Genie's head and chattered loudly while triumphantly waving around a banana. He was followed by an indignant Iago.
" That's my banana, you monkey brain!" he screeched.
The others began to laugh, and even Iago was forced to join in. The cheerful frivolity abruptly ended, however, when in the other room, something fell over and shattered violently.
" Oh my," the Sultan gasped. " I hope that's not the vase your mother-"
The Magic Carpet rushed into the room through the doors, its tassels spinning around frantically.
" Hey Carpet, what's wrong?" Aladdin asked at the unusual behavior. Genie released the three people and stepped back, scratching his head. He then stretched his neck at the Carpet.
" Al, I think we have a problem here…"
The Carpet lay flat on the ground. Jasmine gasped.
" By Allah!" she whispered, then rushed out to the windows. She leaned out and looked down on the people in the bazaar and the streets. All movement had ceased as people shouted and pointed up, not at her, but the clouded sky.
" Dear," the Sultan began, eyeing the three white feathers on the Carpet's back, then turning to his daughter and the feathers falling outside. " What is it? What's wrong?"
" Jasmine," Aladdin began slowly as he joined her at the window. " Didn't you say something about feathers falling from the sky?"
" Unfortunately yes, I did…"
""
" Ariel!" Flounder shrieked, rocketing through the waters wildly. "Ariel!"
" Flounder, what's wrong?" Ariel asked, turning around quickly.
" Yeah, what's going on?" her dark-haired young daughter Melody added, as the two were returning from a visit to King Triton.
" Look up!" the yellow and blue fish yelled, swimming back and forth wildly in front of his best friends. " Look up, look up, look up!"
" What are you-" Ariel looked up to the surface of the sea, then began swimming towards it.
" I don't get it…" Melody pouted, confused by her mother's and Flounder's odd behavior. She followed her mother and Flounder, though.
" I think I do…" Ariel whispered. Her voice was laced in uncertain fear.
" What's going on? What's with the racket?" Sebastian demanded as he began windmilling towards them from afar. He was apparently following them.
" Sebastian, there's something funny going on up at the surface!" Flounder gasped out; he was done hyperventilating and was now trying to catch his breath. " Something-something really funny! You won't believe it!"
" Let me see…" Sebastian grabbed onto Flounder's tail and the fish pulled him upward. At the surface, he popped his head out of the water and immediately sputtered under a soggy white feather. He managed to shove it to the side, though, then looked around.
All across the water's surface, as far as he could see, feathers lay all about. It was as though a whole flock of seagulls had molted and he spoke what he thought.
" Well, the seagulls were shedding quite a bit today," he remarked, misunderstanding the look of horror on Ariel's face, and the look of confusion on Melody's.
" I don't get it. What's going on, Mother?"
Ariel looked up at the sky, as the white feathers continued to fall down gracefully onto the blue waters of Atlantica. She then turned to her daughter and, quite unexpectedly, reached out and hugged her tightly. Melody remained still, but could still feel what seemed like a teardrop fall on her shoulder.
" Melody…I'm so sorry you have to live through a time like this, but we're at war…he's dead…"
""
" Snow!" Jack Skellington laughed as he twirled around in circles. " Dr. Finkelstein, this is snow! How I love it. Don't you, Zero?"
Jack's ghost dog barked cheerfully as the trio reached a signpost that read: Christmastown.
" It's very nice, I agree, but I'm shivered a bit," Dr. Finkelstein muttered, poking at a mound with his finger. " Quite cold, I must say."
" I think it's wonderful!" Jack exclaimed, then fell backwards into a hill of snow. E waved his arms and legs about. " Look, a snow skeleton!"
" Indeed," Dr. Finkelstein grumbled, not at all liking the colors of the homes nearby. " This place is much too cheery for me…"
" Then we'll have to bring Halloween into it, don't we?" Jack said. He reached into the snow, felt about, then pulled out a branch. " Zero, fetch!"
He threw the stick and Zero, yapping all the while, flew after it.
" You know," Jack began slowly, looking at the brightly lit houses, " I think this would be an improvement over Halloweentown. I was starting to get tired of place, trying to think up something new to bring to the people every year…but I will miss it sorely. Halloweentown…"
" So you say…" Dr. Finkelstein looked around, then up at the night sky. " I need to build another laboratory, but without Sally here…"
" I wonder where Sally is…" Jack wondered, agreeing. He had nearly forgotten all about her. Then something cold landed on his bare head. " Oh look, it's snowing!"
He looked up, laughter on his face as a snowflake touched upon his nose. " So much snow!"
" You call this snow!" Dr. Finkelstein grumbled. There was something in his voice that made Jack hesitant.
" What are you talking about? Isn't this snow, doctor?" Jack Skellington asked, looking at the man in the wheelchair. " Wait a minute, that's a feather. Where'd you get that?"
" Well from the sky, what do you think? I didn't just pick this up from the ground, wherever that is!" Dr. Finkelstein snapped. The cold was clearly dampening his mood. He then studied the feather. " What a beautiful feather it is, though…of such wonderful make…how lovely…"
" Dr. Finkelstein?" Jack looked up at the sky again and this time his usually fearless voice was filled with it. " It's not snowing."
" So I've surmised," Dr. Finkelstein replied hurriedly, intent on examining the feather. " I don't feel anything cold, either."
" That's not the point…"
Dr. Finkelstein, upon hearing the growing horror in Jack's voice, looked up. " Oh, what's with you-"
A feather landed on his face. Another brushed by his head. A few decided to rest on his lap. As Dr. Finkelstein looked about, he saw feathers falling. Beyond, in Christmastown, there was a commotion as people streamed out of their homes, to shout and point as feathers continued to fall from the dark sky.
" Feathers…"
Jack and Finkelstein looked at each other. " White feathers are falling…"
""
Another evening had fallen and they had come out to the high hill and the tall lonely tree that overlooked all of Hundred Acre Woods. Every night since Pooh came back from nowhere they had come to this special hill, watching the stars, counting and hoping to find a shooting star to make a wish upon.
" Say, Pooh, tell us exactly where you've been, hm?" Tigger questioned with unbound curiosity.
" Yes, yes, I must agree. All I can guess is that your journey is most spectacular. Wandering out of the Hundred Acre Woods, imagine that!" Owl agreed.
" Well…" Pooh thought. " Do you remember Sora?"
" S-S-Sora?" Piglet stammered. " Oh yes, oh yes. I r-r-remember him."
" Well, I met one of his friends, see," Pooh began. " His friend was looking for Sora, I think. I can't remember; everything became…what's that word…crazy? But he was looking for Sora, so I decided to help him. I thought," Pooh, maybe you can find your friends, too, if you follow him." After all, he was Sora's friend. His name was Riku."
" I don't like this 'Riku'," Rabbit decided automatically. He crossed his arms and frowned for emphasis.
" Oh, be nice, Rabbit," Roo remarked as he leaned against Tigger and relaxed.
" I'm sorry, his name just sounds-"
" He's really nice, actually," Pooh said, coming to the defense of the teenager's honor. " He did bad things before, Tarzan told me-"
" Who's Tarzan?" Tigger interrupted. " Don't sound like a tigger to me!"
" He's human, like Sora, like Riku, like Christopher Robin," Pooh explained, then stopped. " Have you seen Christopher?"
The others shook their heads.
" Haven't seen him in a long time," Eeyore remarked gloomily.
" Oh…" Pooh was speechless for a moment. " I wonder where he's gone…"
" H-hey, everyone! L-look, a sh-sh-shooting star!" Piglet stuttered and pointed and jumped madly, all at the same time.
" Wow!"
" Amazing!"
" Make a wish, everyone!"
There was a sudden silence, as each bowed their heads, and wished with all their might. The silence, though, was abruptly shattered, when they heard a clear whistle.
" Don't mind if I interrupt a little something here?" Mole demanded, bursting out from the ground next to Roo. " Got a little something here you oughta see!"
The others turned to their good friend, who was holding something white in his hands. " Fell on my head while I was scouting around a little ways back. It's like a wave comin'-would you look at that!"
Mole gave a clear long whistle and pointed up. Owl, who had been staring at the thing in Mole's hands, then said, " Why, it's a feather…and another…and another…and another…I've never seen anything like this!"
They all looked around, as slowly clouds covered the sky and brought along white feathers with them. Pooh was silent, while the others bustled about, shouting happily as they tried to catch as many feathers as possible. Somewhere deep in his good heart he knew something wasn't right.
" A white feather, hm…think, think…"
""
Laughing, Peter Pan bowed to Jane, who returned it. Tinker Bell, a little distance away from the two children, huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face.
So far, all Peter Pan and Wendy's daughter, Jane, had been doing was fly around Big Ben. They had been dancing across the sky for hours, playing tag and all things young children "should" play.
Of course they also had a tussle with Captain Hook when he tried to come back to Neverland. With help from the others, in particular the crocodile, they had sent Captain Hook packing…again.
In the process, Tinker Bell had become jealous. As usual, of course. Pity Peter Pan was so oblivious to that.
" Catch me if you can!" Peter Pan called out, then shot up into the sky.
" Get back here, you!" Jane flew after him, somersaulted over him, and snatched off his hat in the process. " Tag, you're it!"
" Damn, Jane, you're getting good!"
" What's the worth of a little practice?" she grinned, tossing him back his hat.
It was obvious that something evil was going through Peter's mind, as he had a scheming grin on his face. That was interrupted, however, when they were both dumped by a flurry of white feathers.
" Tink!" Peter Pan shouted. " That wasn't funny!"
Tinker Bell flew up in his face, her face contorted with outrage. She gestured to herself furiously and blinked in rapid succession.
" Peter, I don't think that was her fault…" Jane realized, then pointed up.
" What the!"
Feathers were falling from a suddenly clouded sky. As they watched in wonder, the rapidly moving black clouds rolled across the moon, throwing London into darkness, save the lights of the city below. And following the black clouds were feathers.
" Amazing…"
Below they could hear the Londoners shouting and pointing up, their lives halted by this incredible display…
""
Pocahontas sighed, as she sat down against a tree on a rocky cliff overlooking the bay. It had been weeks since John Smith left, months since Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aozora had gone, a long time since she had found Grandmother Willow dead, lifeless, as a black blight ate her away.
" Hey, Meeko," she whispered with a smile as her friend raccoon approached her tentatively, gripping a golden cob tightly in his hands. " Hey, Flit."
Her other friend, a hummingbird, settled on her shoulder, taking a break from the stress of caring for a family of hummingbirds. " How are you?"
Flit buzzed a bit, while Meeko gnawed the kernels off the cob.
" I wonder what everybody's up to right now…" she murmured, as she looked out to the sapphire sea. Oh how she wished she could go back to the time when she climbed up Grandmother Willow to see those strange white clouds again-
She blinked. A single white feather had interrupted the beautiful view. It fell to her feet, as clean and pure as snow.
" What's this?" She picked up the feather and looked at it closely. It seemed to glow in its own little light, pulsing in her hand.
She felt Meeko tug at her arm furiously. Chattering, he pointed out at the bay. Pocahontas followed the finger out to the bay and gasped.
Feathers, feathers everywhere, falling all around her, all over the bay, in such a magical way…
""
" Wow…it's been so…quiet, hasn't it?" Mulan remarked as she kept a tight hold on the reins. Khan had been a bit feisty; he had a splint in his left hind leg and was cooped up in his stall for weeks. Being a warhorse, that wasn't the best thing for him, and he was a bit too eager to rush out and run once the splint had healed.
" Besides Khan nearly breaking his leg, yeah," Shang agreed. " It's been a bit too quiet, actually…"
" Makes me all jittery," Mushu grumbled from his sat on Mulan's shoulder. " We need some action here!"
" We must be too used to warfare," Shang laughed, as they tried to enjoy the scenery in the mountains near Mulan's village. Truth was, the beauty of the trees and bushes that were in bloom, and the butterflies that floated all around them was a bit too…boring. But they had nothing to do; after Shan-Yu's demise at the hands of Mulan and Mushu's friends, the world of China, the Land of Dragons, had healed and life was now filling in the late spring that had crossed the ancient empire.
And yet, something was still amiss…
As black clouds suddenly rolled across the sky, Shang's white mare snorted and half-reared.
" Easy, girl, easy!" Shang exclaimed as she came to an abrupt halt and started stomping and snorting at the white feather lying in the middle of the path.
" What's wrong, Shang?" Mulan asked. She was ahead and had to wheel around a reluctant Khan to face him. She then saw the outworldly white feather. " Where'd that feather come from?"
" I don't know," Shang responded, scratching his head in confusion. The white mare was now calm but her antics were still puzzling. " But wherever it came from, there's more coming."
" What?" Mulan and Mushu both looked up at the overcast sky through the canopies of the trees.
Cri-Kee chirruped as he hopped onto Mushu's head from who-knows-where.
" Hey, now where in hell did you come from?" Mushu grumped.
" Mushu, what's going on?" Mulan asked, as more feathers began to fall.
" Why you asking me?"
" Because you've been to more places and you just seem to know more. You're also older, wiser, and did one forget you're a dragon and one of the guardians of Mulan's family?" Shang explained.
" Well, sorry, but I don't know what's going on this time…except…I heard that feathers had something to do with Sora…"
""
He knew where to find the fiery friar. Every since he and Marian had come back from their honeymoon and put their world into good order, Friar Tuck had periodically gone off on his own to the mysterious lake deep in Sherwood Forest. Being a member of the Order meant that communication was very important, especially constant communication across several worlds.
" Well, Friar, how are you today?" Robin Hood asked cheerfully as he jumped down from the last tree to join the portly monk.
" Quite busy and quite worried, Robin," Friar Tuck admitted, scratching his head. " We haven't had any news from some people…"
" You mean those four people, two being Sora and Aozora? Who were the other two again?"
" Riku and Kairi. Riku's safe in Twilight Town, doing things with Cid, and Kairi is being very well protected in Traverse Town. But we've had no news from either Sora or Aozora since they both departed for Hollow Bastion…and that's a very bad thing, I'm afraid."
" What, that King Richard just exiled Prince John instead of beheading him?" Little John asked cheerfully, joining the two.
" Nope, Johnny," Robin Hood replied. " Something more serious that that…"
" Lady Kluck, admit that you're shedding!" they could hear Marian exclaiming back at the camp.
" My dear, I'm not shedding, I've told you seven times already! And I don't fly, so these feathers are not coming fro me."
"…Oh my goodness! When where are they coming from?"
Friar Tuck gasped. " Feathers!"
Robin looked up, saw black clouds rapidly shrouding the sky. Little John, in the meantime, asked the friar, " Why, what's wrong?"
" Robin, Robin!" Marian called out. Her voice was fearful. " Please come here! I don't like the looks of this!"
" She has a right to feel that way," Friar Tuck murmured as Robin dashed off, shouting for her to calm down, as he bowed his head and pulled on the hood of his frock. " She most certainly does…"
A feather floated down and gently rested upon the surface of the lake.
""
" Phil!" Eucletes shouted as he lugged an amphora of grape wine imported from Sparta into his little stand. " Phil, I could use a hand here!"
" Right, right, right!" the satyr grumbled, wiping his hands clean as he rushed over to help Eucletes fill up his new stand next to the temple. " Wow, from Sparta? I gotta taste this-"
" Not until you help me move this over there!" Eucletes grumbled. " And you're only getting half a cup! This is for profit, as you should know! I am a merchant!"
" Kids," Phil snorted. " Don't know how to repay their elders-"
" Don't be such a freeloader, Phil," Hercules laughed as he carried in more amphorae. " Where do I put these?"
" Over there," Eucletes mumbled, pointed in a random but opposite direction. " Careful, though; if the seal breaks, the fish is going to rot faster."
" Aren't they both salted?"
" Well, not the one with the "Do Not Break Seal" seal on it."
" Oh, I see."
Meg and Pegasus, who were out exploring the bustling market, rode up to the stall, watching the two men and the satyr organize the shop. As she slid off the horse's back, she studied the food, the wares, and the occasional dagger scattered throughout.
" My, my, aren't you busy?" she smiled.
Pegasus snorted and opened his wings, throwing feathers out everywhere.
" Hey, hey, what did I tell you about shedding?" Meg reprimanded while rubbing his nose.
Bowing his head in shame, Pegasus closed his wings and scratched at the ground with his right foreleg.
" It's okay; just don't do it again," Meg smiled and produced a hidden apple. She raised it up to Pegasus, who snatched it.
"…and the tournament's in a few days!" Phil was grumbling as Eucletes scooped out half a cup of wine. " Where's the kid anyways?"
" Maybe he's busy ," Hercules suggested, shrugging.
" And maybe someone can explain to me why there are still feathers falling from the sky," Eucletes remarked casually, gesturing.
" Pegasus, did you-" Meg began accusingly, turning on the white horse. Instead, she froze, turned her head to the sky. Her face became chalky as blood drained away.
" Meg, are you alright?" Hercules rushed out of the stall, while Eucletes and Phil, who was draining his little wine sample, leaned out of the stall and looked up at the sky.
Feathers, feathers were falling from the sky…
" By Zeus Almighty, what's going on here?" Phil demanded.
" By the gods…" Meg whispered.
" Meg, are you okay?" Hercules asked worriedly as Meg grew paler by the second. " What's going on? Tell me."
" We-we failed, Hercules. Aozora failed…"
She slumped to the ground.
""
The last day of school was here and so Andy was not home. He had been invited to an end-of-school-year party by a friend and would be coming home late. That meant the others could celebrate.
" Yeeha, got you again, Buzz!" Jessie laughed as she beat Buzz again at chess.
" Uh…yes, yes you did," the Space Ranger replied, blushing. Truth was, he wasn't even paying attention to the chessboard.
" Any word from out there somewhere?" Woody asked Bo Peep as he leaned out the window. The shepherdess had been looking more and more forlorn as the days passed by and he knew this had something to do with the Order.
" Nope, not a word," she sighed. Her sheep inched to the hem of her dress and one of them mournfully wailed, " Baa!"
" Not a single word," Wheezy agreed as he waddled up to them. " It gets me worried."
" I know…it scares me, Woody," Bo Peep whispered as she leaned against her staff. " This silence, it frightens me. Its not normal for things to be so quiet…"
" I hope they're not having any trouble," Buzz remarked as he left the chessboard and walked over to them. " Whoa there!"
He sidestepped a sheep, then was nearly broadsided by Bullseye, who had been galloping about, ridden by the Alien Squeeze Toys. They pointed at him.
" Oooh, Buzz!"
" Okay, let's not go there…So, what's going on here?"
" We've got no word from the Order about anything," Bo Peep explained softly. " Usually we get news from Friar Tuck every three days but for the past week, we've gotten nothing."
" Not even a word from that king of yours?" Jessie asked as she skipped over to them.
" Nope…nothing," Wheezy sighed as he shook his head. " The last time I saw him, he was readying himself for a journey he wouldn't specify. The others, too, they've been oddly quiet. Either there's nothing to report…"
"…or they're too busy to report," Bo Peep finished.
In the silence, they could hear Bullseye snorting about as the Squeeze Alien Toys continued their rather annoying droning and chants of, " Oooh, Buzz!"
" Oh will you give it up!" Buzz finally cracked, and turned around. " Here I am, the almighty Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger from Star Command. How may I help you?"
" Rescue us."
" Yes, rescue us."
" From war."
" Yes, terrible, terrible war."
" Dark times are coming."
" Very dark times, indeed."
" Be…"
"…very…"
"…ready."
Buzz stared at the three toys, obviously wondering if they lost their minds. Bullseye simply snorted. Then Hamm shouted, " Hey, look, it's snowing!"
" What!" everybody down below shouted back.
" Snowing? It's only June! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, snow out of season! I'm loving it!" Rex yelled gleefully as he, Slinky, Mr. Potato Head, and Mrs. Potato Head followed Hamm up on top of Andy's bed and onto his desk.
While the toys below created a wave of talk, the group they met on the table was strangely silent.
" What's barking up your tree?" Slinky asked Buzz as they slowly approached their friends.
" Rescue us."
" Yes, rescue us."
" From war."
" Yes, terrible, terrible war."
" Dark times are coming."
" Very dark times, indeed."
" Be…"
"…very…"
" Will you just shut up!" Mr. Potato Head cried out.
Bo Peep and Wheezy were looking at each other. Dreaded thoughts flashed back and forth between their eyes. Then Wheezy nodded and turned to Woody and Buzz.
" Sheriff Woody? Buzz Lightyear of Star Command? We need to talk."
" What?" Woody turned around, surprised by Wheezy's serious tone.
" What's going on? Somebody tell me something," Buzz ordered.
" But first, you two need to make an announcement to the other toys in this room," Wheezy interjected quickly. " Before you start asking questions."
" You'll need the Sarge as well," Bo Peep added. " You must make sure the others understand what's going to happen to us."
She gestured to the white feathers falling outside the window, while her sheep baaed mournfully and the Squeeze Alien Toys mumbled amongst themselves.
" Woody, Buzz, I need you to tell the others that this world isn't safe anymore," Wheezy sighed in defeat. " We're at war. All of us."
""
" What of the defenses?" Queen Kidagakash, otherwise known as Queen Kida, asked sternly of the kneeling man in front of her.
" We're near completion, Your Majesty. However we need to ask this: do you want us to barricade against the entrance of the volcano?"
Queen Kida looked at Milo, who shook his head.
" No, keep the entrance to the volcano open. If we need help, our allies can reach us through the volcano and help us. If they need our help, we can go out that way and help them. And there are few amongst us who will have to leave once the defenses are completed."
The kneeling man was no longer looking at the ground but somewhere off to the side. His eyes were wary but he did not hesitate as he said, " As you wish, Your Majesty. By your leave?"
The queen nodded and the man stood up, turned, and left at an unusually quick pace. She smiled, knowing why.
" We've no attacks in a while, Kida. Not only that, we've got no news from the others. This is starting to worry me," Milo said thoughtfully after a moment's silence. He then nearly lost it when a voice behind them spoke, " Well, I've something you can worry over."
" Whoa! Where'd you-"
" That's not the point. Simba, what's wrong?" Queen Kida questioned, turning in her seat to look at the golden lion. He had a stern frown on his face, his eyes flashing.
" I need to go to Traverse Town immediately," Simba answered, pacing out from behind the shadows and around to the front of the throne. He refused to sit as he usually did, but paced back and forth. His tail whipped about as he continued to speak, " I've kept the workers away from the entrance to the dead volcano. I was exploring it, was planning to discuss building a landing base with Milo once I was done surveying, but something's happened. You know the reason why it's been silent?"
" No…" both Milo and Queen Kida replied.
" Well, something's happened, something you two need to see…now!"
He suddenly whirled around and bounded away. Queen Kida and Milo looked at each other, then Queen Kida picked up her spear and the two ran after him. Milo held onto his glasses tightly as possible while they followed Simba down the streets of Atlantis, over the minor stone bridge, and into the walls that surrounded the city. Up ahead they could see the light shining down from the mouth of the volcano, yellow sand, peculiar burn marks, and…
" Look!" Simba shouted, coming to an abrupt start and throwing up sand everywhere.
" Oh no…" Queen Kida whispered, stopping as well as she stared up the towering walls. " Oh no…"
" Wait….wait…wait for-for…me…" Milo gasped, staggering in and falling on his face. He didn't move for a few seconds, then picked himself up. He blinked, then realized that it was snowing… " But, that's impossible. It can't snow here…"
" It's not snow," Simba said coldly. " They are feathers. White feathers."
Milo blinked, then looked straight at Queen Kida while brushing sand from his face. " Wait, didn't you say something about feathers?"
She didn't answer him. Instead she stood there in the sunlight that shone into the belly of the volcano, her arms outstretched, as feathers fell all around them.
" He's dead…the time as come for war…"
""
" Hey, Dad, look what I can do!" Nemo yelled as he spun in a vortex through the waters.
" Alright, Nemo!" Marlin shouted. " High five, son!"
He held up his fin and Nemo had no trouble doing the same with his small fin.
" Uh…is that safe for children?" Dory asked worriedly.
" Nope, not at all," Mr. Ray chuckled, reassuring her. " I'm so glad he's getting better at controlling his little fin so…no worries."
" Oh okay…is that safe for children?"
Mr. Ray pat her on the back sympathetically.
" I wanna do that!" Tad shouted.
" You can't, you're a sea horse," Pearl countered.
" Yeah, only real fish can do that!" Sheldon agreed emphatically. " Watch!"
He, too, pulled off a perfect vortex.
" Phooey," Tad muttered.
Nemo grinned, then vortexed again. This time, though, he bumped into someone.
" Oh, sorry! I'm sorry-" Nemo began.
" It's okay, Sharkbait. Glad to see you're getting better with your little fin," Gill smiled as the Tank Gang materialized behind him.
" Bonjour!" Jacques shouted, wheeling towards the clearing around the coral reef.
" Hey!" Bloat boomed.
" Yay, they're here! Where's Flo? She must say hi, too…" Deb said, looking around worriedly.
" No…bubbles?" Bubbles whimpered, backing up into Gurgle, who then shrieked, " Germs!"
" Gill, this is my dad, Marlin. And that's Dory, our friend. She helped him find me!" Nemo exclaimed, as the Tank Gang congregated in the clearing with Marlin, Dory, Mr. Ray, Tad, Pearl, and Sheldon.
" Ah, so you're the one Nemo talks about all the time," Mr. Ray remarked. " A pleasure to meet you. I'm Mr. Ray, this teacher."
" Same to you, Mr. Ray," Gill replied gruffly. He had the air of a veteran.
" Wow, so you're Gill?" Tad asked.
" The one who cut his fin trying to escape the tank?" Pearl added eagerly.
" And helped Nemo escape Darla the Fishkiller?" Sheldon whistled.
" That's right, kids," Gill smiled. He then muttered to Bloat, " I hate fame."
" He's a hero, alright!" Bloat chucked out loud, banging him on the back.
" Awesome, we're all here!" Nemo giggled, weaving in and out and around his friends.
" Wait, aren't we missing someone here? I think his name was Nemo or something…" Dory mused when three shadows suddenly fell over her. " Ah, here they are! And your names are?"
" Bruce."
" Chum."
" Anchor."
The three sharks bowed. " At your service!"
" Oh yeah, hi, we're just having a little party here. Seems like Bob's brought home some new friends-"
" Actually, we're looking for Gill," Bruce explained. " Some moonfish came to us asking if he's jumped the tank yet."
" As a matter of fact, I did," Gill announced as he swam over to them. " What's the news, Bruce?"
" You guys know each other?" Marlin gasped in shock.
" Whoa…" Nemo whispered.
" Oh yeah, we go back ages," Anchor replied. " He's a real hero."
" Told us what it's like not to eat fish!" Chum agreed, with a rather hungry look in his eyes.
" Okay, boys, spit it out. What's the news from the moonfish?"
" Well, they got their news from some pelican named Nigel. Nigel's reported some nasty storm coming our way."
" Oh really, Bruce? And…?"
" The clouds are black, fast-moving," Chum added.
" Oh yeah, and its raining," Anchor agreed with a nod. " Raining feathers."
" FEATHERS!" Gill barked.
All traffic in the Great Barrier Reef stopped.
" What about the feathers? Its raining feathers? Black clouds, they're coming from black clouds? Are you sure – what the heck, let's go!"
He shot for the surface, followed closely by a group of baffled fish – Nemo, Marlin, Dory, Bruce, Chum, and Anchor.
" Oh my…" Marlin gasped as soon as they surfaced. Dory sputtered as a feather stuck to her face,
Feathers. White feathers. Snowing everywhere. Then Gill dived down and took a deep breath of fresh seawater.
" Oh no….this bad, this is real bad. We're not ready for this…"
" Ready for what, Gill?" Nemo asked worriedly, and with a bit of fear.
Gill eyed him not without sadness and pity.
" War."
""
" Now what?" Lumiere asked tiredly as he plopped down on the edge of the dresser next to Cogsworth.
They looked around at the debacle left after clearing out both the Heartless and the villagers.
" We're going to need a lot of help," Mrs. Pott determined as Chip hopped towards her from the top of a pile of broken wooden dressers.
" We're going to clean this up," Belle decided as she pushed back a strand of hair behind her ear. With her was Beast, his chest wrapped in bandages. Babette and the foot stool followed them, the foot stool yapping all the way. " With Gaston gone, everything will get back to normal…in this world at least."
" Well, we're going to need to clean up the rose garden, too, then," Babettle called out as she hurried up the stairs and peered out the windows. " Someone's opened up all the mattresses and pillows upstairs and dumped them outside.
" What?" Mrs. Pott yelped.
" Not my best pillows!" Cogsworth wailed as everyone rushed up the stairs. They peered out into the rose garden, where a few rose bushes could be seen under a faint moonlight. Then the only light came from the castle as the moon was clouded over by black clouds. What was really glaring, though, were the white feathers, falling like the rain that came during the deadly fight. There was only one problem, though.
" Momma!" Chip exclaimed, jumping up and down on top of the foot stool. " Look! Look at the sky!"
And suddenly it was so clear where the feathers were coming from.
" Oh no…" Belle whispered. " This can't be happening…"
""
" Have we had any news from him recently?" Daisy asked curiously as she dusted the books in the great library of Minnie's out of boredom.
" Just one," the queen sighed. " He said he was off to the Order's H&Q…and that if anyone mentions him drinking, it's all a lie."
" Oh boy…" Daisy sighed; she could hear the tension in her voice. " You know, Minnie, sometimes a guy does want to get his mind off of things. A guy does want to drink. Then again, once in a while we all like to drink."
" You know what I've been through when I was young," Minnie sighed, looking at the crinkled note on her rosewood desk.
" Not all men are the same," Daisy said gently, walking over the Minnie. " I should know. If Donald was anybody else, I don't know what I'd do. And besides, at least he had enough sense to write that note."
Minnie laughed. " I totally forgot-"
Metal screeched as something made of steel crashed to the floor outside the library. Then Pluto bolted into the room. He screeched to a stop a few feet in, looked around, then spotted Minnie and an indignant Daisy. Within seconds, he was barreling his way towards them, yipping all the while.
" Pluto? Pluto, what's wrong?" Minnie asked worriedly, kneeling down to scratch him on the head and under his jaws. He calmed down slightly, smiled a bit.
" Whoa, what happened to the suit of armors over there!" Chip and Dale Dalton yelped as they rushed in after Pluto. " Your Majesty! Your Majesty, Your Majesty-"
They skidded to a stop at the look of fury on Daisy's face. Luckily, that was mostly directed at Pluto.
" Pluto, what did I tell you about reckless bounding through hallways lined with suits of armor?"
The yellow dog whimpered, bowing his head and tucking his tail between his legs. Then his eyes caught something behind Minnie and he was off yelping again.
" Pluto, are you hurt? What's wrong?" Minnie repeated her question. She had never seen him so agitated before and Pluto was far too smart to do something dumb and hurt himself.
Hopefully. He was a peculiar dog.
" Whoa, check it out!" Dale rushed to the window. He squashed his huge red nose against the window. " That has got to be one big bird! Totally shadowed everything and its shedding like crazy!"
" No, you dolt!" Chip smacked him on the head. " There is no bird that big with feathers that tiny and its just clouding over! And besides, there's no birds up there! Or anywhere for that matter!"
" Good point," Dale agreed emphatically. " Okay, then, where's all the feathers coming from-"
Minnie screamed, and Pluto abandoned his whimpering and started barking.
" Minnie, what's wrong?" Daisy asked tersely; the queen was leaning against her desk, a look of utter shock on her face. She was breathing erratically as she stared at the white feathers fall right outside the windows.
" Mickey warned me…of those feathers…" she gasped. " That…that means…war…"
""
Twilight Town was unusually quiet. Maybe it was because of the gloom surrounding the world; hours earlier the beautiful twilit sky had gone dark as black clouds rolled over the horizon, darkening the world.
It was a peace granted by the gods, sure, but the clouds were ominous, portending something. Perhaps it had something to do with the sudden silence of the Heartless, perhaps not.
Riku knew this. Blind or not, he knew something dangerous was going to happen.
" Riku…" Yuri sighed as the teenager kept twitching. " Can you please calm down and tell me what's wrong?"
" I-I told you, I don't know," he replied rather rigidly, his fingers fiddling. " Ashita, where's the radio?"
Ashita, who was sitting in the 'communal' dining table and was enjoying a late-night snack, glared at him and said, " You are not going anywhere near the radio."
" Why not?"
" With fingers as twitchy as yours, you're going to break it for sure."
" I won't."
" I bet you will."
" How much?"
" Fifty munny."
" What, that's it? Fine, fifty munny, a hundred gil, and I'll throw in two gold doubloons."
" Doubloons?"
" Yeah, you got a problem with that?"
" Where'd you get the doubloons?"
" You think I'm gonna tell you? Either agree or I'll go there myself and find the radio. Who knows, maybe I'll stumble over something precious to you in the process and accidentally make it break-"
" Oh knock it off," Yuri interrupted, rolling her eyes. " Ashita, c'mon, give him the radio."
" Fine, fine…" Ashita sighed, dug his teeth into the half-eaten apple, then turned around. He mumbled something incoherent as he fished out the small handheld on the kitchen counter, then tossed it to Yuri. She caught it, then handed it to Riku while Ashita took a bite and pulled away the apple.
" Why do you want the radio?" she asked curiously as she sat closer to Riku.
" I don't know. I just have a feeling I should see what's up…" he murmured then turned to her. He could see perfectly now; being with Ashita and Yuri for a few days had somehow refined his senses to crystal-clear precision. He just didn't bother to tell Ashita that. He loved to screw over the other boy.
" Music?" Yuri questioned as his fingers worked the dials swiftly. Ashita, though, wasn't paying attention, and wasn't able to realize he could've played Riku one over by proving he was betting while lying about his abilities.
" Maybe…." Riku leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. He then pulled back and returned to the radio. " Or…something's happened and I don't know it."
" Mr. Busybody I suppose," Yuri rolled her eyes, though she was flushing. She then leaned against his shoulder. " I wonder how the others are doing…"
Riku nodded. " Exactly…"
Ashita, who was busy biting as close to the core of the apple as possible without hitting anything sour, suddenly jolted, banging his feet on the floor. He stared at the window, at the three white feathers falling erratically. He saw faint white dots in the distance as well, glowing in the light of the buildings. He then turned to Riku and Yuri, who were getting far too close for comfort. He decided to ruin the moment anyways.
" Hey, guys, I think you might want to check this-"
" Wait!" Riku interrupted abruptly. He then twisted some knobs. " Something's come up."
Yuri peeked over the couch at Ashita and shrugged. She then turned to Riku again, waiting for him to say more.
" Something about Yuna…"
""
" Are you sure you want to do this?" Tidus asked once more as he sat on the bed in the Red Room and watched Yuna check herself in the mirror one last time.
" Yes, Tidus, I'm sure. You know me. I want to cheer people up, especially in times like these," she replied, looking back at him and smiling. She then hid a giggle and turned back to the mirror as Tidus's face flushed. " Even if it's going to be embarrassing…"
" Of-of course not!" Tidus grinned. " I think it's a great idea!"
Yuna laughed. " And you just asked if I should do it!"
She then took a step back from the dresser, and reached into her pouch at her belt. From within she pulled out a tiny glowing blue sphere with gold speckles shimmering all over it. She held it close to her chest; the gold speckles turned to a shower of gold dust that fell all over her, changing her clothes. She was now wearing airy purple clothing with white ruffles and a black skirt. Her boots had turned black as well, and there was a mike at her waist where her gun holsters were.
She looked at the mirror, twirled around for a few seconds, then looked at Tidus with a smile. " See? How embarrassing can that be?"
" I don't think it's embarrassing," Tidus replied, getting off the bed and approaching her.
" Hm…you know," she said, as Tidus came to stand in front of her. " Whenever I…I use this sphere, I always feel that there's someone…watching me, in the back of my mind. Weird, huh?"
" I guess…" Tidus answered, not really paying attention to her words at all. " Didn't you say this dressphere belonged to someone a while back?"
" Yeah…she died…months before Sin struck Zanarkand and took you up and away…" Yuna whispered, suddenly no longer giddy. She sighed and looked at the floor.
" Hey," Tidus said softly, touching her chin and lifting her face up. He studied her mismatched eyes, then said, " It's okay. Everything will be all right. You're going to pull off one heck of a performance…and I'm going to see it. You're not embarrassing…you're going to be great. And beautiful."
He pressed his lips against hers, held the position for a good moment, then pulled back. The smile returned to her face and she hugged him tightly.
" Thanks."
Outside, they heard someone rush into the Hotel's hallway.
" Yuna, hurry up! The crew's ready and the people are ready to rock and roll!" Yuffie shouted.
" Front row, okay?" Yuna said with a smile. They kissed one more time, then she broke away and headed for the door.
" I'll be there. Go get 'em."
''
" Kairi? Kairi!" Selphie shouted as she dashed ahead of the cluster leaving the Hotel. Tidus, Yuffie, and Leon remained at a respectable distance; Cloud and Aerith had already gone to help out Cid and the hired crew, and control the crowd. " Kairi, are you coming?"
The slender redhead was leaning against the railing that overlooked the courtyard of the Second District. She seemed rather intent on a certain spot in the courtyard near the fountains. She said nothing, only shook her head as she shifted slightly on her feet and refused to look at them. Tidus studied her, knew what was going on through her mind. Then she spoke, at a bare whisper.
" No, I'll stay here."
" Are you sure? C'mon, we can't have you miss all the fun!" Yuffie asked tersely; Leon elbowed her. " Ow! Leon-"
" Are you sure about this?" Tidus said quickly. " Are you okay with it?"
" I can hear everything; I don't need to see everything," Kairi sighed, still keeping her back to them. She was now looking at the overcast sky. " Just go on ahead…Yuna's waiting for you, Tidus. You know it."
" Oh…right…heheheh…" Tidus blushed and rushed ahead, avoiding the others' questioning looks as they left Kairi alone to her thoughts.
Tidus reached the doors first, but as he pulled them open, he looked back once, to Kairi. All at once, his mind overflowed with the memories that changed his childhood friend drastically; ever since she ran into that mysterious blond teenager on Celt Circle, she turned from a cheerful girl to a solemn teenager. And what he saw in that courtyard the other day…well… As the others neared him, he saw her shoulders shake slightly, heard her muffle her sniffing. He sighed, then proceeded to push the doors open.
He knew she was crying.
Author's Endnote: Must I make it any more obvious what the next chapter's going to be about? Anyways, we've got about four more chapters after this, then its on to a nice long break and, as some people have already requested and I have planned for a year and a half, a sequel. Yes, Kingdom Hearts: Secrets of Memories is finally coming to an end. It's been a wonderful three-year run and I thank you all for your support prematurely. I'll ask again when we actually do reach the end. In the meantime, do check the Bio page for updates concerning this story and all other stories I am currently writing, including my AU work and my two 'pet projects'. Long reviews and questions are most welcome but any review will do. PASSION!