DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: HELLO THERE! YOU'VE COME JUST IN TIME TO SEE CHAPTER 5! IT'S JUST ARRIVED!
So, I wanted to thank you for all those Reviews so far. It has shown me how much you all Enjoy This Story! This makes me have more fun writing it, knowing you'll be there to enjoy it - Especially when some Chapters are NOT so easy to write!
Furthermore, unlike the first four Chapters, I Already had This One pre-written for the most part. I was so excited while preparing this story, I wrote a few parts ahead of time, and the majority of this Chapter is one of those parts. There are two or three others, so I shall inform you when they come - in case you're interested.
I thought it was important to point this out since my writing style is not to be exactly the same as the rest of the story because of I wrote them earlier on. Of course, there's still the possibility there'll be More Humor involved as well!
Plus, I wanted to inform you, I'll need to take a temporary break from This Story so I can prepare for exams. Once they're out of the way, I'll resume and post Chapter 6 as rapidly as possible.
Since this Chapter introduces three more of my Original Characters, I shall let you go on to read it.
GO AHEAD! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW ALIKE! DON'T FORGET TO THANK SORA AND SQUARE ENIX AND DISNEY, TOO (THEY CREATED THE KINGDOM HEARTS UNIVERSE)!
CHAPTER 5
The Carpenter And His Niece
The workshop was located on a side street close to the outer stone wall. As Sora and the others approached, it became clear the building was fairly new in comparison to the rest of the town. It was made of wood on all sides with one section clearly crafted from concrete. The walls were a bright yellow, which stood out. At the top of the concrete walls was a section with glass windows and a peaked roof of the same design. It was attached to the building on the opposite end from where the front door was. The roof of the shop was also peaked and covered with brown shingles.
Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad followed Sora as they neared the shop's entrance. A forest-green awning sheltered the doorway from the bright sun overhead. There was a large, rectangular window to the right of the door. Some words were painted onto a sign mounted above it. In neat, golden letters, the sign read,
MILLARD'S CARPENTRY SHOP
"This must be it," Sora concluded, observing the front of the workshop. Recalling how Geppetto's shop had looked in the dreams of Rascal's Dreamland, he realized the one before his eyes was much larger and modern in comparison. He was sure this was most-likely due to the difference of technology between the two worlds. Still, that did not explain why the building was so huge.
Goofy looked around the area. All around them were houses that appeared to have been thrown together in a hurry. The entire region gave the unnerving sensation of being in a run-down village — or the "slums" as some people tended to refer to such places.
"This here place sure don't look safe," the knight remarked, his right hand held up to his face. "Hope we ain't sittin' ducks."
Donald gave the Captain of the Guard a stern look. "Hey! What do mean by that?"
"If there's supposed to be a delivery here," Launchpad spoke up for the first time in a while. "It must be from a ghost living in this ghost town."
Donald nearly fainted from shock at the pilot's statement.
Sora turned his eyes to the left; they fell onto a couple of houses with some lights on inside. He relaxed, knowing the community was anything but a deserted ghost town.
"Come on," he announced, stepping up to the workshop's entrance. "Let's get that delivery."
Donald and Launchpad followed the brown-haired Keyblader into the workshop. Goofy took one last look around the vicinity before walking to the entrance. He thought he heard a strange noise and swung his head at the last second.
BAM! Goofy rubbed his nose after stepping back from the wall beside the doorframe. "A-Hyuck!" was all he could say as he strolled through the actual doorway.
The inside of the shop wasn't in the best condition, nor in the worst shape. When Sora had stepped through the entrance, he stopped and turned his head to gaze around the room. A bunch of paint cans were piled up in one corner with a ladder set-up beside them. The floor was covered by several bright-grey tarps and a few paintbrushes were laid out. The air smelled like the fresh coat of white paint that had recently been applied to the lower half of the walls; the upper halves were still blank and drywall could be seen.
Sora was so caught up in taking in the area, he didn't see Donald and Launchpad coming in from behind. Goofy strolled in a second later, got distracted by the unfinished interior, and stepped into an open can of paint sitting next to the door. As the knight hastily shook his leg to kick off the unwanted container, he bumped into Launchpad, who in turn collided with Donald followed by Sora. The group fell to the floor like dominos. Jiminy leapt from Sora's pocket and shook his head at the sight.
As they all scrambled back to their feet, Donald glared at Goofy. "What's the big idea?!" the duck magician snapped.
Everyone else whirled their attention to Goofy. The latter was pointing at the can stuck on his foot. "I didn't touch nothin'!" he told them. "This here paint can got stuck on muh foot, and I can't get it off!"
Sora shook his head before hurrying over to where Goofy's leg was raised. Launchpad was about to do the same, until Donald put his hand up and blocked the way. "Not you," the stubborn duck said. "You're a walking disaster!"
Launchpad's sigh would've sounded very dramatic. "Aw gee… "
Sora placed his hands around the container and started to pull. The can didn't budge. He tugged a little harder; same result. Sora sighed. "It's no use," he finally concluded. "It's stuck like glue."
"Pull harder!" Donald stated. "That's what the King and I did the last time this happened!"
Rubbing his hands together, Sora placed them onto the top rim of the can. As he yanked with all his might, the brown-haired teenager counted, "One… Two… Three!"
At the count of "Three", the container popped off with such force, Sora went flying backward and banged into a shelf. It collapsed, sending tiny pieces of wood falling onto the floor. Other than a few tiny splinters, Sora was uninjured; he was used to at least a few cuts and bruises here and there. Looking back at Goofy's foot, Sora took note of how the former's huge, long shoe was completely covered in dripping, bright-yellow paint. He shook his head and smiled.
At that moment, a dark shadow covered part of the room. Judging from the shape, Sora thought it looked like a tall man. He noticed Donald cowering behind Launchpad; the pair of ducks were behaving very anxious. Goofy covered his mouth with one hand while the other continued to wipe his shoe clean with one of the tarps from the floor. Jiminy hopped back into Sora's pocket as a very deep voice spoke. "…May I help you?"
Sora turned his eyes upward and saw what happened to be a tall, bald-headed man with dark skin and a clean-shaven chin. He was wearing a pair of long black overalls, brown boots, and an orange shirt. His hands were folded across his chest, although it was still clear they were covered by a pair of yellow working gloves. A transparent set of safety goggles covered his eyes, and he had a pair of round eyeglasses underneath. Around his waist was a yellow tool-belt carrying a variety of different tools such as a screwdriver, monkey-wrench, and hammer.
"Huh?" was Sora's initially reply. He rose to his feet and turned to face the man a moment later. "Oh yeah!"
Sora's enormous grin only seemed to make the man more suspicious. The spikey-headed youth rapidly decided to introduce the group. "I'm Sora," he gestured at himself. His hand indicated each of the others. "That's Donald, Goofy, and… "
"The name's Launchpad McQuack!" Launchpad proclaimed as he took a giant step forward. "If it's got wings, I can crash it!"
The man furrowed his brow, causing Donald slap himself in the face; Launchpad's intro had only made the man question the group all the more. "What is your purpose in coming here?" the man demanded, his voice showing signs of someone about to call "9-1-1". This made Sora gulp.
"Leon sent us," Sora explained with a nervous smile. "He said 'Mr. Millard' had a delivery ready for him and we offered to pick it up."
The man's suspicion faded away for a friendly smile. He extended his hand. "I'm Mike Millard, but you can call me Mike."
Sora accept Mike's hand. "Nice to meet you, Mike!"
"Gawrsh," Goofy said with a chuckle. "Leon never said you was so friendly, Mike Mill-err-d."
Launchpad shrugged his shoulders. "He must've assumed it!"
Donald rolled his eyes at the pair's statements. Mike shook his head. "It's pronounced 'Mill-lar-d'! With a long "A"." he corrected.
This made Goofy stare for a moment before saying, "A-Hyuck!"
Sora glanced around the room. "So, where's the delivery?"
"Sorry," Mike apologized. "I haven't finished preparing everything Leon requested. You're all welcome to stick around and watch if you'd like."
"Yeah!" Sora instantly nodded. He turned to face the others. "How 'bout it? Want to see a real carpenter at work?"
Donald crossed his arms and looked down. "I don't know… "
"Sure," Goofy said, rubbing his nose. "I've always been curious about 'car-pen-tree'!"
"That's 'carpentry'!" Donald corrected in irritation.
Goofy nodded in acknowledgement. "Oh yeah! A-Hyuck!"
Launchpad shrugged. "Why not?"
Sora turned back to face Mike. "Okay," he finished. "Let's go."
Mike nodded in agreement before turning toward a door at the back of the shop and gesturing for the others to follow. Sora, Donald, and Launchpad nodded in agreement before doing so. Goofy finished wiping the last spot of bright-yellow paint from his shoe before catching up with the others.
They stepped into a large room on the other side of the doorway. A few bright light-bulbs and a tinted window on the far wall (that was partly covered by curtains) lit up the nearly-empty chamber. A large workbench was located to the left. On the far left side of the room, a staircase led to the second floor. Sora gazed at it for a moment; he wondered what was up there. Mike handed each of them a pair of safety goggles. He and Sora strode up to the workbench. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad took the opportunity to sit down on a faded couch covered in a white sheet.
"So," Sora started to say. "What did Leon ask for?"
Mike's focus remained glued to the power-saw he was using. "He needs ten four-by-six boards, eighteen twelve-by-five boards, a couple ladders, and a dozen cans of yellow, white, and green paint apiece."
Sora crossed his arms. "Sounds like a lot of stuff," he muttered. As far as he could understand, the entire description sounded much like a shopping list of things he had never heard of before.
Mike gave what sounded like a small chuckle. "It'll be worth it. Once the town is rebuilt, everything will be perfect."
Through the corner of his eye, Sora saw an irritated Donald squished between a half-dozing Goofy and bored Launchpad. He shook his head before turning back to Mike. "What do you mean?"
"It's really quite simple," Mike explained. "Many years ago, this town was once referred to as the 'City of Light' for its peaceful state. It was truly no wonder why it was named the 'Radiant Garden'. It was more than perfect; the streets, the fountains, the houses — everything. Its appearance was worthy of its name. When those Heartless attacked, I was one of the few who made it as far as Traverse Town. There, I met an old friend, Cid, who had rescued three youngsters in the chaos; you probably know them as Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie. Ever since we returned here, I've resumed my career as a carpenter and provided much-needed supplies to the reconstruction and restoration of this city. The 'Radiant Garden Reconstruction Committee' is an excellent organization to be a member of, which I am sure you're well aware."
Sora listened intently, trying to take all this information in. It sounded like Mike Millard had been a resident of the Radiant Garden long before the Heartless had taken over it. The description of the city's former self sounded like the world had once been filled with Light and there wasn't anything to prevent its tranquility from being sustained.
Nothing, that is, except the Heartless… Sora had learned from Leon nearly two years ago how the Heartless had taken over this same land roughly ten years before. Apparently, Maleficent had travelled from her home world and unleashed an immense amount of Heartless all over the "City of Light". Though the evil fairy was no longer in control, the town was still plagued by continuous raids from the Heartless roaming the streets. Even now, the world was not as peaceful as it once was approximately twelve years ago.
"Is that why you're helping Leon and the others?" Sora inquired.
Mike gave a nod. "Yes, I am helping them rebuild this city. If we all pitch in a little at a time, the 'City of Light' will be restored to its former glory. I for one am looking forward to the day when we all can safely stroll through the marble streets of a completed city full of Light."
He gave a deep sigh. "That's one thing I wish I could've shown her… "
"Who?" Sora questioned.
Mike didn't answer and instead proceeded to saw another wooden board. Deep down inside, Sora wondered if the carpenter had lost someone in the chaos when the Heartless had first invaded the town.
A series of footsteps filled his ears. Whirling his head to the right, Sora stared in surprise. Coming down the stairs was a girl of about age fifteen. Her pale skin, long dark-green hair reaching down to just below her shoulders, and sky-blue eyes indicated she was probably not related to Mike Millard. She was slender and had a blue ribbon tied in a bow in her hair like Minnie Mouse. Her green dress with short sleeves reached down to a few inches below her knees and was secured in place by a yellow strap around her waist. A few patches of her dress were darker and others were lighter. On each of her wrists was a red bracelet and a matching chain was around her neck. Her feet were covered by a pair of dark-blue shoes.
When Launchpad saw her, his mouth fell open. The pilot nudged Donald, who stared before waking Goofy. All three of them stared in amazement.
"She sure looks lovely," Goofy awed.
"You could say that again," Donald added.
"Of course," Launchpad nodded. "She sure looks lovely… "
Donald glared at the pilot. "I didn't mean literally!"
The girl caught a glimpse of the three, shook her head, and turned away. She marched up to where Sora and Mike were standing at the workbench. "Excuse me!" she shouted with such volume, Sora had to cover his ears. "Hello?"
Mike switched off the power-saw and turned to look at the girl. "What is it now?" he grumbled.
The girl crossed her arms. "You got a call from Barret! He said to meet him and Tifa at the castle around four o'clock!"
Mike looked annoyed. "Don't tell me they've changed their minds again! How many times do I have to tell them they need to agree on the design before the addition can be built?!"
"Why should I care?" the girl snapped. "It's not like there's going to be flowers in it! Why don't you build another conservatory instead?"
Mike slammed his fist onto the workbench in anger. "That doesn't apply here!"
"It does so!" the girl countered. "What's the point in rebuilding this city unless it has some gardens?!"
Sora stared in alarm, wondering if he should get involved in their dispute. He recalled how many times he had ultimately caused fights to break out between himself and at least one other person because he interrupted an argument. Before he could restrain them, the words left his mouth in a hurry.
"Hey!" the brown, spikey-haired Keyblader shouted at the two. "Cut it out! Leon needs those supplies, right? And my friends and I aren't leaving without them!"
Donald was astonished. "We aren't?!"
Goofy and Launchpad nodded at him. Donald noticed them and said, "I wasn't asking you!"
Mike and the girl stared at the young man for a second. The girl spun around and ran back up the stairs. With an especially deep sigh, Mike returned to what he had been doing. Donald jumped from the couch and approached Sora.
"What're you thinking, ya big palooka?!" the duck snarled at the seventeen-year-old Keyblade wielder. His right finger was pointed threateningly at the young man's face. "That wasn't your fight!"
Sora crossed his arms. "Look who's talking!" he retaliated. "You've caused more fights than me!"
Donald hesitated for a full minute before shouting, "You're wrong! I'm smarter, kinder, and more handsome than you!"
The irony in the duck's words made Launchpad and Goofy turn away to prevent the former from overhearing their snickering. Sora shook his head and smiled.
"Sorry you had to see that," Mike sighed. Sora and the other three turned their attention over to the carpenter. "Lately, people have been sending me loads of requests for certain projects they want done, and I haven't been able to keep up. Some keep changing their mind about different aspects of the project and still expect it to be built quickly."
He sighed once more. "That's part of the reason why you've had to wait for the delivery to be finished."
Sora nodded in understanding. "Yeah," he said aloud. "I know the feeling. Sometimes people expect me to do a bunch of stuff at once, but I can't. I guess it comes with trying to help too many at the same time."
Through the corner of his eye, Sora thought he could see Donald giving a nod of approval. He smiled back.
Goofy was still staring at the staircase. "Say," he called out. "Who was that lady anyway?"
"I may not know her name," Launchpad added. "But she sure was lovely… "
Sora could tell Donald had ignored the pilot's comment, though it was still obvious the duck wizard was getting more and more impatient — like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
"That was Phoebe," Mike informed them. "My niece."
Sora swung his head back and forth between the stairs and the carpenter busy sawing another piece of wood. "You're… niece?"
Mike nodded. "'We've' been looking after her since her parents died during the last plague."
Sora looked shocked. "Wait! What… 'plague'?"
"It ended about fourteen years ago," Mike went on to say. "Many people were inflected by a new type of illness Lord Ansem came to refer to as 'Villa-pox'. It was said to have been transmitted by a flock of strange insects that had originated through one of many experiments conducted by the city's leading scientist. The plague remained until a cure was finally developed. By then, many people — including Phoebe's parents — had died."
"What happened to thuh scientist?" Goofy inquired, indicating he had been listening to at least part of the story.
Mike shook his head. "He was banished into another dimension for conducting several other unethical experiments, although many citizens insisted on his execution. I recall hearing rumors from some of my neighbors that he was actually considering something called 'Project C', but no one was ever able to discover what it was."
Sora crossed his arms and started to ponder deeply. Based on the account, it sounded like the Radiant Garden had once been plagued by an illness thanks to a high-ranking scientist's experiment. Although the scientist had been banished, the disease had continued to take people's lives; Mike's niece, Phoebe had lost her parents, too. It had remained until someone created a cure. Ever since, Mike had been the guardian of Phoebe.
His thoughts switched over to the identity of the unknown scientist. Since the scientist had been banished into another dimension, he could've been one of the members of Organization XIII. Then again, he might just be lurking in another world somewhere and continuing his experiments. Whatever "Project C" was supposed to be, Sora didn't know, and chances were the answer would remain a mystery forever. Unless… perhaps the information was locked away inside Ansem's computer. If so, maybe Tron would be able to access those files and reveal what the scientist had been up to.
Sora glanced at the staircase. Until Mike was done, he needed something to do to keep himself from becoming too impatient. "Is it okay if we go talk to your niece?"
Mike shrugged. "Go ahead! It'll be a little longer before this shipment is ready to go. Phoebe's probably in her bedroom. It's the first door on the right."
Sora nodded. "Got it!"
Goofy and Launchpad hopped off the couch and joined Donald as they followed Sora up the stairs.
The second floor was in the same condition as the shop's main entrance. A short hallway was at the top of the stairs, leading to the left. At the end was a small, curtained window. To the left and right of the window were brown, wooden doors. A ladder was located about halfway down the hall. Tarps were spread out along the entire length of the corridor while paint cans and brushes alike were situated beside the ladder.
Sora gazed to his right. Another wooden door was located a few inches away. The main difference between this door and the others was how it was a forest-green color and had the words "STAY OUT!" painted on it in bright-yellow letters.
"That must be her room," Sora murmured to himself.
He led the others up to the door and started knocking. From the other side, a voice yelled, "Stay out of my room!"
"Maybe we should go," Donald suggested.
Goofy strode up to the door and reached for the doorknob. It turned without a sound. The knight gave another "A-Hyuck!" when the door suddenly flew open. Goofy landed onto a pink carpeted floor covered by a few yellow pillows. As he tried to look up, another pillow slammed into his face. "Gawrsh… "
Sora took a speedy glance around the chamber. The walls were painted just like a forest with lots and lots of leaves and trees. A soft, blue bean-bag chair was situated in one corner with a matching dresser in another. A ceiling fan with a light was located on the ceiling amongst what appeared to be glow-in-the-dark star stickers (including a comet). A floor lamp was located to the left of a dark-green bed on the far end of the room. A light-green nightstand was situated on the other side of the bed.
Sitting on the bed with her legs outstretched was the same dark-green-haired girl they had seen earlier. Her face was full of anger as she continued to throw pillows at the group standing in the doorway. "I told you to stay out!"
A blue pillow hit Donald in the face. "What's the big idea?!" he snapped in annoyance. His fingers clutched the pillow tightly.
The girl threw another pillow. It bumped into Sora's arms as he braced for it. He'd had enough. With an annoyed glare on his face, the seventeen-year-old Keyblader marched inside and straight to the bed. He grabbed the girl's wrists and refused to let go when she started to struggle. She kicked his knee, but Sora wouldn't let her break free.
"Hey!" Sora demanded. "Stop it! We just want to talk!"
The girl stared at the spikey, brown-haired young man in surprise. Sora released his grip and stepped back a few paces. The girl gave a relieved sigh followed by a shy smile. "So sorry! I… I didn't know."
"It's okay," Sora reassured her. His hands flew behind his head. "This isn't the first time I've been hit by pillows."
The girl covered her mouth to conceal her soft giggles. In the open doorway, Donald dropped the pillow in his hands and gave an uneasy grin, though his cheeks failed to turn red. Launchpad and Goofy nodded at each other.
"I'm Sora," Sora said a second later. He gestured at the three gathered in the doorway. "That's Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad."
After checking to make sure she had the group's full attention, the girl spoke. "My name is Phoebe Forest," she introduced. "I noticed you've already met my Uncle Mike."
"Yeah," Donald agreed.
"He sure seems awful busy," Goofy remarked.
Launchpad paused for a few moments. "Like a busy bee?"
Donald rolled his eyes at the pilot's random statement. No one noticed Jiminy hopping out of the former's pocket and landing onto his shoulder. The cricket cleared his throat, startling everyone.
"Hmm," Jiminy began, gazing at Phoebe. "Seems to me, you and your uncle don't see things eye-to-eye. Do you?"
Phoebe sighed and looked down at her covers. "No, we don't. Uncle Mike is convinced this city will be completed once all of the buildings have been rebuilt."
"Yeah," Sora nodded. "Everywhere you look out there, there's something going on. This place has become one big construction zone."
"Exactly my point," Phoebe stated. She looked at everyone. "They're spending so much time laying out where it is believed the original neighborhoods were located and building newer sections where they are certain there wasn't."
Phoebe slid to the other side of her bed and set her feet on the floor. She stood and walked up to a small, circular window partly-shrouded by some navy-blue curtains. "But I can tell you one thing for sure," she emphasized. "This city is not named 'Radiant Garden' for its buildings! The word 'garden' does not mean an industrialized society!"
She spun around, taking account of how she still had everyone's undivided attention — including Goofy and Launchpad. "It means a place of beauty! A land where flowers blossom and parks full of green grass are abundant. Where peace reigns supreme and a rainbow can be seen every day."
"I thought it was funny how this place is called the 'Radiant Garden' when there isn't any garden," Launchpad blurted. "All I've seen-s a flea market, bunch of sliding houses, and piles of junk."
Donald slapped himself in the face when he realized the pilot had taken note of something important the others hadn't. This was just like when Goofy had noticed Ping was a girl pretending to be a boy when Sora, Donald, and Goofy had travelled to the Land of The Dragons over a year and a half ago. Both Goofy and Launchpad had proved they were smart in their own way — but Donald would never admit it.
Sora crossed his arms. "You mean this town will not be the same until there are some gardens in it?"
"That's part of it," Phoebe clarified. "Let me show you."
After walking around her bed, Phoebe approached a dark-green curtain on the wall to the left of the floor-lamp. She pushed it to one side, revealing a transparent glass door. After punching in a five-digit code into a small, black panel to the left of the door, Phoebe pushed the door open and gestured for the others to follow. Sora was the first one through with Jiminy still perched on his shoulder. Donald was next, followed by Goofy and then Launchpad.
Sora gazed around the immediate area on the other side of the doorway. The ceiling was peaked and full of glass windows. The walls were white and also contained windows. Rows of plants had been placed in the middle of the room upon long, metal tables while the majority of the perimeter had plants hanging from the ceiling. The only section without any plants was the far wall where a glass doorway led onto a curved balcony. In each of the corners was a giant sunflower in an orange flowerpot. Most of the plants were flowers and a few contained bulbs getting ready to bloom. The petals had such a variety of colors, they resembled a rainbow.
"Wow," Sora marveled at the sight of all the colorful plants.
He walked around for a minute, admiring the various aromas. His nose suddenly detected an especially bad odor. He, Phoebe, Donald, Jiminy, and Launchpad all glanced at Goofy, who reached into one of his vest's pockets and pulled out a moldy peanut-butter and jelly sandwich.
"It was a snack," the knight said, a sad look on his face.
Phoebe crossed her arms with a shy smile. "Sorry," she apologized. "I forgot to say the air's very, very humid in here."
Donald held his nose, noticing the greenish color forming on the bread. "Eww! Get rid of it — now!"
Spotting a nearby metal cylinder with a lid, Goofy stumbled over, lifted the lid and dropped the moldy sandwich inside. Before he could close the container, a small, black cat with yellowish eyes poked its head out. Everyone stared at it in surprise; the animal was chewing on a fish-bone the same way a dog would.
Phoebe's arms flew to her sides as she glared at the feline. "Rachel!" she scolded. "You know you're not supposed to be in there!"
The cat dropped the bone from its mouth and leaped out of the can and onto Donald's hat. The duck started quivering with panic and reached for the animal ferociously. "Help!" he screamed. "That darn cat will bring me bad luck — again!"
"Gawrsh," Goofy muttered aloud. "I thought you always had bad luck, Donald."
While the duck mage glared at the knight, the cat jumped off the former's hat and bounced onto Sora's shoulder. The brown-haired Keyblader was so startled, he nearly leapt back several feet. The cat hopped off his shoulder less than a second after and landed into Phoebe's open arms. Donald flinched as Phoebe knelt down, placed the cat onto the floor, and started to stroke the animal's fur. The cat gave a friendly purr.
Sora smiled, taken note of how the young woman seemed to care for her pet like he cared about Kairi — only different. "You sure are great with animals," he remarked, placing his hands behind his head.
Phoebe turned her gaze up to him. Her small smile made Donald and Goofy turn to keep the spikey-headed seventeen-year-old from hearing their snickering. "Thank you," she replied. "Rachel was a rescue. She was abandoned in Traverse Town, so Uncle Mike let me adopt her."
Phoebe turned away and gave a deep sigh. Sora paused, wondering if the girl had lost a pet she really cared for. "What's wrong?" he inquired.
Phoebe swerved her focus back at the brown, spikey-headed youth. "Oh!" she said with a hint of someone being startled. "It's nothing important!"
She returned to her feet. "So," the dark-green-haired girl said, seeing she had the group's full attention. "Can I show you around?"
Sora nodded before following her down the nearest aisle in the room. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were moments behind.
All the while, Sora was still pondering whether or not Phoebe was hiding something. Deep down inside, he wondered if she had been through some type of ordeal before.
When they reached the end of the aisle, Phoebe made a left and approached the large, glass doorway leading to the balcony. Sora and the others watched as she typed a few numbers into an electronic lock on the door before pushing it open. All five of them stepped out onto the stone porch, which happened to be shaped like a half-circle. It had a marble railing running along the outside perimeter that was as smooth as a mirror.
"Whoa," Sora awed softly as he peered into the distance.
At the peak of a steady-rising hilltop near the center of the town was the enormous, gadget-covered castle with a few cranes positioned at the base. The outside walls were just as silver as they had appeared from the town's marketplace except for a slight shade of pinkish-red coating along the foundation. He could now see the top of the structure was largely finished and even bore some bright yellow paint at the upper half of the tallest tower. A second tower was leaning out from the other side and the framework for two additional towers were jutting out from either side of the castle a few stories above the base.
Remembering what he'd seen the last time he'd come to this world, he had the feeling the building would soon be finished. The concept of seeing the Radiant Garden Reconstruction Committee's tireless effort paying off made Sora give a smile. It wouldn't have ever been possible if he hadn't forced Maleficent out of that castle and stopped Organization XIII's plans with the Heartless. However long it would take, one thing was clear — the "City of Light" would soon be restored… wouldn't it?
Through his peripheral vision, Sora caught a glimpse of Goofy and Launchpad taking turns peering through a long, black telescope on a tripod near the railing. Donald kept hopping up and down to get their attention, but the pair paid him no mind. Sora shook his head.
Turning his eyesight to the right, Sora found Phoebe leaning on the railing with her left arm tucked underneath. She turned her head as the spikey, brown-headed Keyblade wielder approached. The young woman moved her gaze out towards the horizon and pointed with her right index finger. "Take a look and let me know what you see," she said in a calm voice.
Sora carefully swept his eyes around the landscape. Noticing how nothing had really changed, he muttered, "Just the usual. Cranes… workers… pillars of smoke… a few dust clouds… nothing out of the ordinary."
Phoebe nodded as she placed her head onto her right palm. "That's the problem," she explained. "Imagine what this view will be once all the construction is completed. Houses… stores… people milling about… noise… pollution… nothing colorful or pretty."
With a sigh, Phoebe rose to her feet. "Some 'paradise'!" she added. "This town would be better known as 'Hollow Bastion' than 'Radiant Garden'. It wouldn't matter if Maleficent was still here."
Sora stared in surprise. Not once since his previous adventures had ended had anyone claimed Maleficent should've remained in control of any particular world. Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, and all the others he had met from this world had been extremely grateful once Sora and his friends had evicted the witch and her council from the castle. No one had… until now of course.
"What do you mean?!" he exclaimed in alarm, inadvertently seizing Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad's focus in the process. Phoebe sighed as she turned to face him. He somehow took into account how her right hand was placed on the railing; he didn't know why he was noticing such unneeded information.
"It's really simple," she stated. "Unless this town has at least two or three gardens and a city park or two, it will be impossible to restore the Radiant Garden to its former self — let alone anything better! It'll be no different than if Maleficent had rebuilt it while in control!"
As Phoebe strolled back into the peaked greenhouse, she left the door slightly cracked open. Sora turned to face his team as the three anthropomorphic animals stepped closer. "I get it," he admitted. "Phoebe and Mike don't see eye-to-eye. He's trying to rebuild all the town's buildings… "
"And Mister McDee's funding it!" Launchpad interrupted. Donald put his finger to the pilot's face. The latter sighed and crossed his arms.
"Like I was saying," Sora continued. "Mike wants to rebuild all the buildings so this place will look like a city again. But Phoebe's trying to persuade everyone to plant some gardens because the town is called 'Radiant Garden'. She believes it doesn't make sense to have the world's name reflect something it isn't."
"Yeah," Goofy agreed once Sora had finished his explanation. "This place sure could use some gardens. I'd love to get Sylvia a flower or two for Christmas. Maybe even a bouquet — I always wanted one! A-Hyuck!"
Donald slapped his face after hearing Goofy's comment.
Launchpad started staring across the town. "I still don't see any garden," he indicated. "Perhaps the flowers were all buried under the flea market."
Donald rolled his eyes and gently placed his hand onto his head.
"If you ask me," Sora went on, crossing his arms. "They should work together; rebuild the town and plant flowers. That way, no one can say this isn't the 'Radiant Garden' and it will be a city."
"Yeah," Donald approved. "I'd like to buy some flowers for Daisy! Where can I get them?"
Goofy paused in thought. "Gawrsh, perhaps your uncle has some, Donald. Why don't ya ask him?"
Launchpad switched his eyes back and forth between the two. "I'm totally lost, but I don't recall Mister McDee having any flowers! He said they were too expensive!"
As Donald sighed at the pilot's claim, Sora uncrossed his arms. He was about to speak when he spotted something approaching him from the left. He turned his gaze towards the greenhouse; Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad did the same. Their eyes all fell upon the black cat — "Rachel" — from before. As he took a moment to analyze the animal, Sora noticed a light-blue collar around the cat's neck.
"Hey, Rachel," he smiled, kneeling down to be closer to the cat.
Rachel gazed into the brown-haired teen's eyes. She blinked once… twice… before letting out an audible "Meow!"
As Goofy knelt down to pet her, Rachel spun around and jogged back inside. He started to follow and slammed straight into the window to the right of the door. Everyone else was completely taken by surprise while the knight remained in a daze for a couple seconds. "A-Hyuck!"
"I told you that cat was 'bad luck'!" Donald firmly stated.
Sora shook his head and rose to his feet. His eyes lingered on the inside of the greenhouse. "C'mon," he said to the others. "Let's see what Phoebe's up to."
Following a series of nods in return, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad trailed Sora back into the greenhouse.
Once they had re-entered the humid air of the greenhouse, Goofy closed the door leading out onto the balcony. Well… not exactly "closed". Being the last one in, he pulled it with such strength, it slammed behind. The glass frame vibrated for a few seconds before giving a small crack near the handle.
Donald glared at Goofy. "Nice going, ya big palooka," the duck scolded. "You broke the door!"
All Goofy could say was, "A-Hyuck!"
Sora gave a deep sigh before he led the others toward the middle of the room. There was Phoebe, checking the lush, green leaves of several different flowers in one of the rows. When the group approached, she turned to them in surprise.
"Oh, I thought you were downstairs," she admitted. "Uncle Mike just called from below to let you know the supplies are ready to deliver."
"Already?" Donald questioned, a look of shock on his face.
Goofy checked his digital, and only, watch. "Gawrsh," he said. "Looks like we've been here for twenty-three minutes."
Launchpad was startled. "How come twenty-three minutes lasts longer than twenty-four hours?"
With a slap on his face, Donald mumbled a series of completely illegible, garbled words that ended with "…Aw phooey!"
Despite the constant reactions of silliness and annoyance between his friends, Sora nodded to Phoebe. "Okay," he confirmed. "Then we'd better get going. Leon's counting on us for that delivery."
Although Donald would have preferred to be leading the others back downstairs, Goofy and Launchpad had dashed out the door two seconds before he realized they were gone. "Wait for me!" he exclaimed, hurrying out the door after them.
As he strode for the doorway leading to the bedroom and the hallway beyond, Sora paused long enough to gaze back into the greenhouse. There was Phoebe, inspecting the leaves of a long vine hanging from the ceiling. He smiled, knowing she was no different than how he viewed Kairi.
Sora stepped through the doorway. A picture hanging on the wall to his right caught his eye. He turned his head as he approached it. It was photograph of a teenage girl and two animals on a stone balcony lit up by some candles. Noticing how the curved railing on the left end of the image was curved in a strange way, Sora realized the location was on the second floor of an outdoor restaurant he'd seen in Traverse Town's shopping district.
His eyes shifted to the girl. She was wearing a tan-colored dress with two shoulder straps and a red-orange feather in her dark-green hair helped him identify her as Phoebe, only a little bit younger. She was sitting on the balcony, smiling at the camera. One of the animals was in her arms; it was a light-grey furred raccoon with a puzzled look on its face. The other was a small, green hummingbird scowling at the camera.
His mind started to move. Why was she dressed as a Native American? Had she been to another world where such tribes still existed? What about these animals? Sora had the feeling those questions would always be questions.
He shrugged the contemplation aside and proceeded out of the room and down the stairs.
Donald was standing in the workshop waiting for him when he came down the stairs. "Sora? What took you so long?"
Sora rubbed the back of his head and smiled a little. He glanced around the workshop, seeing Mike and the others weren't around. "Nothing… where's Goofy and Launchpad?"
Donald pointed at an open door on the other side of the room. "They're waiting for us."
Sora nodded before marching to the doorway. Donald was directly behind him. They strode through into a room large enough to fit two full-size automobiles. An enormous garage door had been opened and the sunlight was streaming through on the other side. The walls of the room were a white color and various boxes and crates were stacked in two neat piles on the far wall.
In the middle of the room, Mike, Goofy, and Launchpad were standing beside a flatbed cart with a rusty handle. A large pile of wooden boards, a few ladders, and a small mound of paint cans were secured on the cart by some strong straps.
"Hey, what's going on?" Sora asked as he neared the others.
Everyone else turned and smiled at him. "I was worried you'd gotten lost in the house," Mike joked with a grin. "The shipment is ready to go. All you've got to do is push it to the castle."
Sora and his teammates' eyes landed upon the cart. The objects on it didn't look unbreakable, but not smash-able either. Sora turned to Mike. "You sure we can take all this at once?" he inquired.
Mike nodded. "It's best to take one trip with this much supplies," he told the group. "Keep in mind, they're going to be heavy, so you'll need to proceed with caution to get them all to the castle without losing anything."
"Gawrsh," Goofy muttered. "Ain't the road to thuh castle somewhat steep?"
Mike gave another nod. "True, so you're going to need to be extra careful in case any of the Heartless appear on your way. This trip's not going to be an easy one."
Sora gave a nod of his own. "No sweat!" he announced. "We'll get these supplies to Leon — ASAP!"
Launchpad was both shocked and perplexed. "I know it'd be a nice crash," he spoke up. "But wouldn't everything break if we went as stupid as possible?"
"'As soon as possible'!" Donald corrected in irritation.
All Goofy did was mutter, "A-Hyuck!"
Sora shook his head and turned to Mike. "Thanks a lot, Mike," he said. "We'll take it from here."
Mike had to grin all the more. "Alright! Just tell Leon he can order more in case that's not enough."
Sora nodded. Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and the young man all rushed behind the cart. At the count of three, they pushed and the cart easily moved along the garage floor. The cheerfully waved goodbye to Mike as they proceeded out of the garage and down the road beyond.
Sora had to admit, perhaps this quest was not going to be a challenging as he had dreaded it would. At this rate, he might be back home on the islands by December 22ND.
A/N: If only Sora knew how long it WOULD take!
So, what did you think of THAT Chapter? Quite detailed in its own way, huh? You also saw the way I view the Radiant Garden from "Kingdom Hearts 2". After they revealed its true identity, I was Always questioning, "Where's the gardens?", so I chose to make that a major point in the world's story here.
Also, the design for the greenhouse is based on a real one I've been to before. Of course, the flowers themselves aren't real, just fictional.
So, I Hope you enjoyed Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad's comical sides in there! I think I nailed their characters EXACTLY!
Plus, Mike Millard, Phoebe Forest, and Rachel the cat are among My Original Characters.
In addition, try to GUESS who the Scientist mentioned in there was! He MIGHT appear somewhere in this story!
Try to figure out who the two animals in the photograph are!
All that said and done, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!
REMEMBER THIS - A MINIMUM OF 214 IS REQUIRED FOR THE SEQUEL! IF 240 ARE POSTED, I WILL INCLUDE A "SNEAK PEEK" FOR THE SEQUEL ITSELF! HOWEVER, THAT/THOSE GOAL(S) MUST BE MET BY THE TIME THE-SECOND-TO-LAST-CHAPTER IS POSTED! THAT WAY, I WILL HAVE TIME TO ANNOUNCE WHETHER OR NOT EITHER GOAL WAS MET!
This Is SoraLego278 Saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!" Plus, "Have A ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH DAY!"