DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: ALOHA! WELCOME TO THE LONG-AWAITED CHAPTER 44!
I know. I apologize for this Chapter taking MONTHS to complete (and post). I was actually stuck on the first scene all that time. Around the same time, that happened, I also struck a major clashing with my "RESISTANCE" side. For those of you who do not know, "RESISTANCE" refers to a storyteller/writer/author's dark side. In other words, when you find yourself having a difficult time trying to tell a story, the "RESISTANCE" inside of you will always try to convince you to stop in one way or another. For me, this not only affected This Story, it also affected my original story, too.
Therefore, unless you care about a story enough to let it practically flow out of you, I recommend NOT STARTING IT.
Fortunately, I have managed to overcome that attack from "RESISTANCE", and here I am!
On the plus side, I have seen Disney's "Wreck-It-Ralph (2012)"! Since that movie is going to have a sequel next year, I have actually started to consider including them both in my next KH Story. Yet, before I do that, I MUST revise my profile's list.
Yes, I DID see the latest "Kingdom Hearts III [3]" Trailer earlier this year! In fact, I was among those watching the broadcast live on Twitch. Although I enjoy the idea of getting to explore a Disney-Pixar's "TOY STORY" world! Yet, I still continue to wonder about... What shall the world's name be?
So, anyways, would you like some more TRIVIA for today?
DID YOU KNOW? Alan Silvestri was the composer of the Disney's "Lilo & Stitch (2002)" soundtrack. Are any of you familiar with his work? You might be.
He was also the composer for the "Night At The Museum" movies, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)", and even for "Back To The Future", among other things...
So, are you ready to roll now? LET'S SWIM BACK TO THE HAWAIIAN SIDE OF DEEP SPACE!
PLEASE READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW ALIKE!
CHAPTER 44
"O'hana Means Family"
The Sun was shining down quite brilliantly across the island. The birds were chirping, cawing, and squawking from the nearby trees. A smooth wind had started to blow as Herbie rolled along the street following Nani's blue car.
Even with the windows down, Sora felt so comfortable, he just wanted to jump out and race to the beach. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore in the distance reminded him of the waves back home. The sweet, sweet waves he had longed to hear again for more than a year during his previous quests….
At least he could hear them this time — during this quest. Most worlds either lacked an ocean, or Sora and his team were just too far away from it to hear the waves.
The two cars came to a halt beside an outdoor market. A short, older woman was outside, watering the plants and vegetables with a garden hose. She was wearing eyeglasses with large, round lenses. Her gray hair was tied in a bun, and she donned a brown shirt, green apron, and sandals.
Nani approached the woman with a newspaper in hand. "Mrs. Hasagawa? I'm here to answer your newspaper ad."
Lilo and Stitch headed to another spot close by. Lilo had a red wagon with her and few boxes in it. She turned around a photograph of someone's face in it. One look at the picture and Sora was wondering who it was supposed to be. Lilo pointed to the photograph with a pointer. "Elvis Presley was a model citizen," she instructed to Stitch. "I've compiled a list of his traits for you to practice."
Sora could only stare when he heard the name of the former singer. He knew that name, mainly since his Mom had several old records of Elvis's music. He had grown tired of hearing those songs playing over and over back home. Just because the man had been a superstar. Clearly, Lilo was a fan of his work, too.
"Who is that in the picture?" Indigo inquired, gesturing to the photograph.
Sora had to take a double look. "You've never heard of him?"
The angel shook her head. Amemi strode forward. "Hey, that's Elvis Presley. Remember, Sora? Mom has many of his songs on records."
Sora had to roll his eyes halfway. He had just been thinking the same thing. Talk about great minds thinking alike!
"Sora!" Donald's shout stole Sora and the others' attention. They spun around. The duck had his wand out and was ready to clobber a glowing Neoshadow Heartless that had just risen from the ground. A few more quickly followed it. Their neon glow made the creatures appear darker than a typical Shadow Heartless.
"Not here, too!" Sora scowled. He summoned his Keyblade in a flash of Light. He rushed over and joined the duck mage. Goofy ran over, shield in hand. It was not long before Amemi and Indigo had joined them. The angel took to the air and used her wings to stay aloft.
"Let's go!" Sora declared. He charged into the horde and started his slashing, slicing, and stabbing battle routines. Donald sent chunks of ice raining down from above, crushing several Heartless with the frozen blocks.
With a shout of, "C'mon!", Goofy spun around like a top and whirled his way into the enemies. Three of the Heartless were shoved into the air, where Indigo swooped low and clobbered them away with the tip of her wand.
"Hey, guys!" Everyone swerved their focus to the side. There was Launchpad, standing by one of the market stands. He had his arms loaded down in citrus fruits. "All this is fifty percent off! Ya need to tell Mister McDee, Donald! He'll love to shop here!"
Sora and his teammates could not believe their ears. Donald marched forward and began scolding the pilot for not helping in the fight. No one saw Stitch leaving Lilo and rushing into the fray. The bluish creature slashed his way through the enemies and obliterated. He snarled as he attacked each enemy one by one.
Sora turned back in time to see Stitch eliminate the last of the Heartless. "Whoa," was all he could say in response. He recollected how helpful Stitch had been in that fight against the thousand or so Heartless. However, it now seemed his friend was capable of a lot more than that!
With that battle won, Stitch turned to Sora and the others. "Ih," he smiled and leaned his paw against a barrel to strike a pose. The barrel toppled over and bounced down the slight incline.
Launchpad was heading up the incline, his arms still weighed down by all the fruit. The moment he saw the approaching barrel, he groaned. "Aw, gee…. "
The barrel smashed into the pilot like a rouge snowball combined with a bowling ball. The fruit went flying high into the air. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Amemi, and Lilo all turned to take cover as all the food splattered across the ground. Donald turned back to see a pineapple splat him in the face. A coconut bonked Goofy on the head. "Gawrsh," the knight muttered, rubbing his head.
Even after hitting Launchpad, the barrel continued on its way. Indigo took flight and soared after it. "Stop!" she shouted.
Either the barrel did not hear her, or the angel had forgotten barrels have no ears. Whatever the case, the container continued down the incline and slammed into the older woman talking with Nani. The latter gasped as the woman now had a barrel stuck on her head. "Why is everything so dark?" she questioned.
It was now apparent to Sora and the others the time to move on had come. Nani grabbed Lilo, and Lilo grabbed Stitch. All of them clambered into their car and raced down the road. Not wanting to be left behind, Sora pointed to Herbie. "C'mon!" he called.
His companions trailed him to the modified racecar. Once they had all gotten inside (and buckled up), Launchpad put the petal to the metal. Literally — his giant foot had practically smashed the pedal through the floor. Herbie charged down the road as a knight would when heading into battle.
Sora held onto his armrests as the vehicle bounced over hills and swerved around corners. After several long minutes of ups, downs, side-to-sides, and one brief airborne flip (Launchpad had raced up a hill, flown through the air, and landed on the next hill over), the vehicle came to a stop. Everyone looked out the windows. There was the market, the older woman still trying to find a way to get the barrel off her head.
Donald turned from green to red. "Nice going, ya big palooka!" he snarled at Launchpad. "You drove us in circles!"
"Heh," Launchpad gave a nervous grin and shrugged. "This whole town looks the same. If they had less palm trees, I might've found our way through."
Amemi shook her head. "You were joyriding."
"Yeah," Donald nodded in a very stubborn way.
Launchpad banged his fist against the steering wheel. "Aw, gee," he groaned as a loud BEEP filled the air. Several more HONKs, BEEPs, and AH-OO-GAHs joined it.
Goofy glanced through the back windshield. "Gawrsh. Looks like traffic's backed up."
Sora stole a look back. A long line of cars, trucks, and a few motorcycles could be seen leading down the road and over a high hill beyond. People were poking their heads out of their windows and waving fists. A few were shouting illegible words. For all the brown-haired youth knew, the shouts were long lines of things he would rather not hear.
At once, Indigo sat up straight in her seat. "Darkness," she said. All eyes spun to the angel. "I sense Darkness."
"Huh?" Donald questioned.
"Whaddaya mean?" Goofy inquired in turn.
"She's right," Sora approved. His eyes had landed onto the angel's vibrating antennae a few seconds prior. He knew that movement. Violet had the same thing happen to her every time a Nightmare was in the vicinity. "There's Heartless somewhere."
"The beach," Indigo proclaimed. "The Darkness is coming from the sandy beach."
"Let's go there," Amemi stated. She took out her slingshot and held it up high for all to see. "This world's counting on us!"
Before Launchpad could grab the steering wheel, Herbie's back wheels spun like a racecar. The vehicle reared back like a horse about to charge, nearly knocking Donald into Goofy. The modified racecar rushed away down the street, leaving flaming tire trails in its wake.
Even as Herbie rushed down the long road, Sora found himself struggling to hold on. The rocking, twisting, and turning reminded him of the time he and Donald had fought over the Gummi Ship's controls. That mishap alone had caused them to crash-land into the Deep Jungle, where they had met Tarzan and Jane. A leopard named Sabor had then attacked him until Tarzan came to the rescue. Hopefully this rough ride would have a more-pleasant ending.
At last, the vehicle screeched to a halt. Sora felt his seatbelt yank him back into place. He took a deep breath and looked around the interior. His sister was the only one raring to jump out and fight. Goofy was rising from his seat, his hand rubbing the side of his head. Donald was poking his head up from the floor, having fallen out of his seat and been bounced around. Indigo had not moved the slightest amount the entire ride.
Launchpad was pouting. "Aw gee," he was now banging his fist against the dashboard. "I could've done all that."
All Sora could do was shake his head. He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door. He swept his eyes across the immediate area. The sight was worse than he had pictured.
All along the beach, people were either screaming, fleeing, or both. Toppled umbrellas, ruined sandcastles, and abandoned beach towels littered the sand. A lifeguard lookout tower lay sideways several feet away. Every-which-way, the shadowy creatures Sora and his teammates had come to identify as "Heartless" were roaming about.
When he saw Lilo and Nani surrounded by the enemies near the toppled tower, Sora summoned his Keyblade and charged across the sand. "Let's go!" he declared.
Donald took out his wand and rushed across the sand. He did not get far before his webbed feet dug him into the beach. He set his wand on the sand and began pouting. "Aw, phooey!"
Goofy hurried across the sand, his large shoes spraying it into the air behind him. Launchpad sped alongside him. His large feet did the same thing. Amemi jumped from the car door onto the beach. With her slingshot still in hand, she dashed along the shore, careful not to step on any of the various sea creatures who were poking their heads out to witness the scene.
Indigo was the last one to exit the vehicle. After closing the door, she summoned her mystical wand. With a deep breath, she nodded in determination. Her wings started to flap and before long, she was airborne. She soared across the sky and started to send a mystical spell or two raining down upon some stray Heartless creeping along below.
The first to reach the toppled station, Sora positioned his Keyblade into his signature fighting stance. Goofy and Launchpad stood at his sides. Then Amemi arrived, her slingshot aimed and at the ready. "We'll take it from here!" the spikey, brown-haired youth announced.
Nani grabbed Lilo and the two hurried away. Stitch emerged from a nearby pile of sand and launched an assault against a Heartless that resembled a surfer. Sora rushed over, slashing his weapon through any Heartless in his path.
Goofy and Launchpad stood back-to-back, surrounded by some Surfer-looking Heartless with razor-sharp, orange-colored surfboards. "Gawrsh," Goofy remarked. He ducked behind his shield when one of the Heartless charged forwards and tried to attack him. "These guys sure are tough."
"Heh," Launchpad muttered. "I can handle these a-guys anytime, anywhere."
The pilot aimed his gas-gun at a Heartless. The instant he squeezed the trigger, the shiny-black bullet shot out. The projectile struck the Heartless and then passed through to the next one behind it. A series of question marks started to hover above the pair of Heartless. Before Goofy or Launchpad could react, the two were shoving their way through the other Heartless.
"A-Hyuck!" Goofy grinned. "Them Heartless are attackin' each other."
Launchpad chuckled at his weapon. "Looks like DW's gas-gun has some use after all."
Further down the beach, Amemi and Indigo were working together to eliminate some large Shadow Heartless. As the sandy-haired teenager shot a few into Darkness, the sand beneath her feet started to shake. She leaped out of the way in time to see a giant Heartless emerge from below.
"Amemi!" Indigo exclaimed from the air. "Look out!"
Amemi stared at the colossal creature in shock. It was as big as a small bus and had long, pointed tentacles sticking out of its sides. An enormous, yellow eye could be seen on either side of its head. The body was a dark-blue color while the tentacles were a bright orange. Spikes could be seen coming out of its back and it possessed a mouth of glowing, razor-sharp teeth.
"Amy!" Sora shouted as he and Stitch fought their way over. Goofy and Launchpad were directly behind them. They reached the scene in time to watch the Heartless fling its tentacles around. Two of them nearly snatched Sora from his place. The young man hopped backwards in the air, landing just inches away from the waves. "Okay!" he scowled. "Now you have my attention!"
He charged at the enemy and began clashing his weapon against the tentacles.
Amemi aimed her slingshot and fired a few times. Each attack struck the Heartless's body, making the monster shrivel a little. Goofy blocked a suddenly counterattack aimed at the girl.
Launchpad fired a few projectiles from his gas-gun. One of them struck the Heartless in the eye, causing a dark mist to appear over the creature's body. Another dark cloud emerged from underneath. Certain this was a dark spell, Sora jumped out of the way and landed in the sand beside his sister.
"It's no use," he said. "We can't beat it."
"Yeah," Goofy cried as he blocked another attack or two. "All our attacks ain't doin' no damage."
"We must fight fire with fire," Indigo declared. She smiled. "I know that was very unoriginal, yet it is still true."
Sora gave a nod. An idea suddenly clicked into his mind. He reached into his pocket. A couple seconds later, he pulled his hand out to find that two-sided trinket he had stumbled upon back at the Beast's Castle. One side depicted the badge of a law enforcement officer. The other looked like a jet-pack with some white and green colors. He held it up high and shouted, "We need power!"
There was a bright flash of Light as the item activated. When it died down, someone had appeared before the group. It was a slender, gray, anthropomorphic rabbit sporting a pink nose and purple eyes. She was wearing a blue officer's uniform complete with a black vest, light-gray knee pads, and a black utility belt.
Sora was a bit surprised, along with his teammates, when the rabbit appeared. Had that item been another Summon Charm?
The rabbit turned to Sora and saluted. "Officer Judy Hopps reporting for duty!" she proclaimed in a loud, clear voice.
Goofy and Launchpad saluted back. Sora gave a nod and pointed to the Heartless still trying to lash its tentacles at them. "We gotta get rid of this guy."
That was when Stitch charged at the Heartless. He latched onto the creature and bit down on its head. A section of the head was torn away as the monster whirled about, attempting to throw the bluish creature away. Stitch remained clamped on, even as the top of the head tore away, revealing the Heartless emblem beside a yellowish button.
Judy pointed at the button. "We have to hit that," she announced.
Sora nodded. "Let's do this!"
The two raced at the Heartless. Sora held his Keyblade tightly with both his hands, making sure not to lose his balance. The Heartless turned to them and flung its tentacles. Sora and Judy made the giant leap from the sand and onto the enemy's head, just in time. The tentacles struck the sand, send it spraying all over the place. Goofy used his shield to keep it out of the other's eyes.
Once on the monster's (somewhat squishy) head, Sora and Judy turned to one another. "Ready to make the world a better place?" the latter asked.
Sora gave another nod and smiled. "Yeah!"
The two jumped into the air and flipped in sync. They landed onto the button at the same time. The Heartless shriveled up before collapsing into the sand. Sora and Judy hopped off as the creature released a captive heart. As the heart drifted into the sky, the Heartless vanished from sight.
Sora and Judy high-fived. "We did it!" he cheered.
"Call me again if you need more help," Judy said. "I'm always ready to make the world a better place."
Another bright flash of Light occurred. When it faded, Judy was gone, having returned to whatever world she had come from. Sora nodded and slipped the Summon Charm back into his pocket. He smiled, knowing he had another friend he could count on in times of need.
His friends. They meant so much more to him than he could imagine. When desperate times came along, they were always there to help him out. Just as Riku and Violet had done for him in the Sleeping Worlds.
And just like that one time, long ago….
"The next thing I knew, I was lost in the Darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through, I started to forget some very important things. My friends, who I was — The Darkness almost swallowed me whole. But then, Kairi's voice called out to me. She brought me back."
"Yeah! I was so worried, Sora."
"At least you came back."
"But when I turned into a Heartless, who was that one who took forever to notice and clobbered me?"
"That's what you SHOULD have forgotten as a Heartless!"
"You also said, 'Confounded Heartless! Get lost, will ya?!'"
Indigo set down in the sand, a foot and a half away from the young man. Her feet hit the beach so gracefully, not a single grain of sand was disturbed. She looked at the Keyblader, a curious look on her face. "Sora?"
Sora snapped to attention and whirled his focus to the angel. "Huh? What is it?"
"You were staring off into space."
"I was?"
Indigo nodded. Sora was perplexed. Since when did he start having staring spells? He remembered some of his friends back in the day used to have the same problem. Was it because their minds were preoccupied? Or was he recalling a hidden memory? He was never any good at knowing the difference between the two.
"Is something on your mind?" the angel pressed.
Sora shook his head. He allowed his Keyblade to disappear and placed his hands behind his head. "Nah," he grinned. "Why would there?"
"Same old Sora," Goofy commented.
"He's always been this way," Amemi pointed out.
"Oh, thanks!" Sora laughed.
The others laughed along — except for Launchpad. The pilot was mystified. "I don't get it…. whatever 'it' is. How can someone be old and stay so young? Maybe it's that water in the Foundation of Truth…. "
The sound of webbed feet crunching across the sand in a hurry stole everyone's attention. There was Donald, panting as he approached them. His wand was in his right hand and his tongue was sticking out. He stopped before Sora and bent down to catch his breath. "Are they gone?" he asked.
"Yeah," Sora answered.
Donald threw his wand and hat into the sand and stomped on both as his face lit up like a firework. A long line of illegible jibber-jabber came from the duck's mouth, along with the noise of a tantrum. For all anyone knew, the mage could have been cursing like a sailor.
Sora knew that was the reputation of those who worked at sea. Same with the military. Yet, having never spoken with genuine sailors in that manner, and never having signed up to join the military, the seventeen-year-old was not if it was just a rumor or if it was accurate.
Deep down, he had always suspected Donald of having sailor blood in him. It could very well explain his extreme temper.
Sora looked down the beach. His eyes landed upon Lilo and Nani. The two sat in the sand beside the fallen lifeguard tower. Stitch was crawling up to them, a confused expression written across his face. Wondering what was going on, Sora headed their way. In no time, Goofy, Amemi, Indigo, and Launchpad were doing the same. When he realized the others had left, Donald grabbed his hat and wand, shook the sand off both, and hurried after them. "Wait for me!" he called.
When they reached the two sister, Sora noticed how dismayed they looked. Both were looking at the sand and giving deep sighs. "Something tells me you didn't get a job," Sora stated.
Nani shook her head. "No."
"And Stitch destroyed my ukulele," Lilo groaned.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Amemi acknowledged.
At that moment, someone else came strolling over. "Hey, Lilo!" called the young man from the restaurant. He was carrying a pair of surfboards in each of his hands. One was red, another was blue, there was a yellow one, and the last was green. "Howzit… Nani?"
"We've been having a bad day," Lilo told the man.
The man's smile faded. He turned to Sora and the others. "I remember seeing you at the luau."
Sora waved. "I remember you, too."
"Call me David," the man smiled. He put down the boards and offered his hand. Sora and him shook hands. As David shook everyone else's hands, Sora introduced his teammates. "Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, Indigo," he said, gesturing to each of them.
"Hmm," David paused in thought. "I might not be a doctor, but I know that there's no better cure for a sour face than a couple of boards and some choice waves. With your help, we can cheer these two up. What you think?"
All eyes shifted to the pair of sisters. Nani and Lilo looked at each other. They smiled. "I think that's a great idea," Nani said.
Sora gave a nod. "Yeah! I've done my share of surfing."
"So have I," Amemi declared. She had an excited look in her eyes. To Donald and Goofy, her shiny-blue eyeballs seemed to be sparkling. It was similar to what one might see the Sun's light doing on the surface of the ocean.
Launchpad sighed. "And here I never learned how to swim," he grumbled, crossing his arms and turning away to pout.
Ten minutes later, Sora was lying flat on the blue surfboard, Goofy helping him make their way out to the ocean. The young man had returned to Herbie and gotten his navy-blue swim trunks before entering one of the changing tents and getting ready for the ocean. Goofy was wearing his dark-green swim trunks. The two were paddling rapidly out to the incoming waves.
Sora felt beyond delighted. This was the first time he had swum in the ocean during this entire journey. Well, okay. Maybe it was the second time. However, it was the first time he had done it for fun instead of for exploring some ancient Atlantian ruins.
The yellow surfboard passed them by. Paddling away on it were Amemi and Donald. The sandy-haired girl had somehow managed to stuff her one-piece golden-yellow swimsuit in her purse in case an opportunity like this came along. Donald was in his blue swim trunks that were the same color as his magician's uniform. As they passed by, Amemi had that look in her eye.
Sora knew that view. It was the sight of someone looking for some competition. It was a common thing to see back home on the islands. During the last week of Summer, the town held a surfing contest to determine who would be deemed "Surfer of the Year". Last year, Riku had entered. In turn, Sora himself had done the same. Yet, both of them had lost to Kairi's sister. That reddish-haired girl had somehow managed to make it through the waves' tubes even as both Sora and Riku had been washed ashore beside her. Ever since, the two had desired a rematch.
After nodding to his sister, Sora turned his eyes ahead. There was Nani, paddling the red surfboard away from the beach. Lilo and Stitch both sat on the board, eager to ride the waves. Well, at least Lilo was. Stitch looked amazed, not sure what to make of their activity.
Beyond them was David, using the green surfboard to climb a steep wave. The wave started to come crashing down. The young man rose to his feet and managed to keep his balance as the wave rolled along. Nani started to do the same with Lilo and Stitch. Then it was Amemi and Donald's turn. Sora and Goofy were the last ones to climb the wave.
In a matter of seconds, all of them were riding the crest towards the shore. "Whoa," was all Sora could say. He had nearly forgotten what it felt like to be at the top of the wave. He felt like he was king of the world. The top man. It was as though he had accomplished a major feat. He kept his eyes trained ahead. The wave made a slight shift to the left. He tilted slightly in that direction. Goofy did the same.
Nearby, Amemi and Donald were maintaining their balance as the wave carried them along. Sora was sure he and Goofy could do better. They rode to the middle of the wave. That was when Donald and Amemi passed them from above and jumped into the air. The two conducted a perfect flip before landing back on the wave. Sora and Goofy stated in disbelief at the feat. They were so distracted, neither saw the wave's tube forming around them.
In a matter of seconds, the wave had swallowed them up. The two were shoved into the water.
As the wave came crashing down on Goofy and Sora, Launchpad shook his head. He nudged the angel standing beside him. "Why don't ya go into the water, too?"
Indigo shook her head and waved her arms in front of her face. "No, thank you. If I leap into the water, I might never come back out."
Launchpad was puzzled. "Why? You'll sink like an airplane?"
The angel smiled and tried not to laugh. "Wet wings are heavy. Similar to a fairy, they can drag you down. By the time you could reach the surface, you would have already drowned."
"Heh, heh," Launchpad felt a little stupid. Maybe Mister McDee was correct. Maybe he did have water on the brain….
"Aloha!" Amemi cheered as she rode the wave along. Donald laughed along with her until he started to wobble. He tried to regain his balance, only to tumble off and crash into the water. The surge of the wave shoved him into the shore. Amemi landed her board on the beach, not far from him.
"Aw, phooey," he groaned. He banged his fists onto the sand in anger.
Amemi could only laugh. That was when Sora and Goofy came washing ashore, their surfboard landing between them. The knight stood up and shook the sand off his body like a dog or cat would. Sora held his hands in front of his face.
"Hey, hey! Cut it out!" he called.
"A-Hyuck!" was all Goofy could say.
Amemi stood before her brother, her laughter ringing through the air. "You got wiped out," she said between laughs. "You're still no match for Miiku."
Sora clambered to his feet. "I want a rematch," he told her. "I'll prove to you I can be the next 'Surfer of the Year'."
Amemi gave a sarcastic yawn. "I'll believe that when it happens."
"Hey! It could happen to anyone!"
The sandy-haired girl turned away and waved her hand. "Sure, it could," she walked away, still smiling and struggling to hold back her laughter.
He looked down, a tad exasperated. Deciding now to allow a simple failure like that ruin his day, he turned his attention back to the ocean. Nani, Lilo, and Stitch were still on the surfboard. Only now, they had ridden the next wave and were flowing nicely down the tube. As they rode along, Stitch smiled and rose to his feet. He held on as the board shifted a little here and there.
David was coming ashore as Amemi turned to see what was going on. At once, she screamed. "Look!" she pointed.
Sora did not have to look twice. Out of nowhere, a dark silhouette emerged from the inside of the wave and came splashing onto the board. The unknown shape seized Stitch and then landed back in the water. The sudden action knocked the surfboard off balance, sending Lilo and Nani splashing into the sea. The wave came crashing down on them.
Sora could not believe his eyes. Had a Heartless just ambushed them? It would not be the first time he had seen the Heartless in the middle of the ocean. The memories of Ursula using the hostile creatures to conquer the kingdom of Atlantica still rocked around in his mind. He also recalled the group of Heartless that had blocked the way in the underwater ruins back in Atlantis. Whatever that dark shape was — Heartless or not — he knew he had to act.
Sora grabbed the blue surfboard and paddled out as fast as he could. Amemi saw what her brother was doing and did the same on the yellow surfboard. The two found the red surfboard bobbing in the water. Moments later, Nani emerged from below, an alarmed look in her eyes. "Lilo!" she gasped, practically on the verge of yelling.
"What happened?" Amemi asked.
"Oh… some lolo must have stuffed us in the barrel."
"Where's Lilo?"
The young woman's eyes grew. "Stitch dragged her down!"
Sora's eyes became as wide and alert as they had when he had first encountered the Heartless that fateful night. "Oh, no!" he shouted. Not wasting a single second, he dove into the water and swan down as hastily as he could.
The deeper he went, the darker the water became. It was no surprise, though. The Sun was setting. Everything would be pitch-black in a matter of minutes. He had to find Lilo before then. Same with Stitch.
That was when he saw the black-haired girl coming into view, Stitch clinging onto her. He swam as strongly as he could to her. That was when he saw Amemi swimming up to him. She pointed to Lilo. Sora nodded. The two made their way down, fighting the undertow as they went. When they reached the girl, Sora grabbed one arm and his sister grabbed the other. In the process, the sandy-haired teenager kicked Stitch in the head. The bluish creature let go and continued to sink. Sora and Amemi swam back to the surface.
The instant they broke through the current wave's crest, Sora and Amemi handed Lilo over to Nani. Lilo gasped for air. She looked around wildly. "We lost Stitch!" she realized.
Sora was shaken. He had never known his friend to be fond of water. In fact, during the Heartless showdown in Hollow Bastion, one of the enemies had shot a blast of water at Stitch. The latter had backed off, not wanting to get mixed into that fight. Instead, he left that opponent to Yuna, Rikku, and Paine.
If Stitch truly was afraid of water as Sora had come to believe, he most-likely did not know how to swim. Maybe he could not swim — just as Violet had once upon a time. It might be for the same reason why Indigo had stayed ashore instead of joining them in the sea.
Fearing the worst, Sora gulped a large amount of air and dove back down. He kicked his way down, down, down, down into the darkness below. His eyes were wide open, looking for any sign of Stitch's bluish fur.
That was when he saw it. There was Stitch, being carried down by a pair of odd-looking silhouettes. One of them seemed to resemble a diver with an oxygen tank. Certain these two were the cause of the incident above, Sora summoned his Keyblade. He charged lower and swung his weapon at the two unknown shapes. His blade clanged against the tank-like shape. There was a burst of air. Out of the blue, the two silhouettes were blown away by the exploded oxygen tank. Sora shook his head and put his Keyblade away. He dove deeper and found Stitch lying on the sandy bottom. He reached out and grabbed his friend. He turned around and proceeded to the surface.
It was a slow trek. He had not anticipated his friend to weigh so much. Either he was too dense to be in water, or he had gained a lot of weight since the last time the brown, spikey-headed youth had seen him.
The beach was abuzz with activity. Launchpad and Indigo could only watch as Amemi and Nani carried Lilo ashore on a surfboard. Donald and Goofy stood off to the side. The former had his wand in hand, just in case a healing spell was needed.
Nani patted her sister's cheek gently. "Lilo? Lilo, look at me. Are you hurt?"
Lilo sighed in discouragement. "No."
Amemi felt relieved. At least the little girl was okay. She looked back out to the sea. Just a few moments ago, two strange figures had burst through the surface and bounced away into the distance. She wondered if they had anything to do with what had happened to Lilo and Stitch. If they had, who were they?
That was when Sora emerged from the water, Stitch in his arms. Everyone gathered around the two. Sora's legs suddenly gave way and he tumbled onto the sand. Stitch landed before him. David knelt down and leaned his ear against the bluish creature's chest. "He's unconscious," he concluded. "But I think he's alive."
It was in that split second when Stitch woke. He spat out seawater, seaweed, and clawed at the ground. He growled and snarled, acting a little like a confused predator. Nani grabbed Lilo and held her tightly in her arms. Donald and Goofy backed up. Same with Launchpad. Indigo held her arms out to the sides.
Amemi was now as shaken as Sora. It took a couple moments for her to catch her breath. She watched as Stitch regained his composure and calmed down. In no time, he had somehow gone from vicious and violent to sane and relaxed.
Sora rose from the sand to his feet. "Man, he got dragged deep," he murmured out loud.
Nani turned her eyes to the other end of the beach. There was Cobra Bubbles, standing there looking at the group. All eyes shifted over to him. Nani sighed and turned to David. "David, take Lilo," she said, handing her sister over to the young man.
Nani ran over to the well-dressed social worker. Sora was directly behind. Amemi could only watch as her brother hurried after the young woman.
"This isn't what it looks like," Nani told Cobra. She seemed to be in a state of panic. "We were…. "
"It's not their fault," Sora broke in. "Something in the water dragged them down. We were only…. "
Both their voices trailed off when the social worker removed his new pair of sunglasses. He looked down a little, a melancholy look evident in his eyes. "I know you're trying, Nani," he admitted. "But you need to think about what's best for Lilo… even if it removes you from the picture."
Nani sighed deeply. Her eyes started to fill with tears. Cobra closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face her. "I'll be back tomorrow morning for Lilo. I'm sorry."
He turned around and headed away. Sora gave a deep sigh. He could tell this was not what Nani had wanted. Being separated from someone you care about is one of the worst feelings. He knew what that was like. The same emotion had helped maintain his determination to find Kairi. Even after Riku had told him to back down, he had refused to give up.
He was confident he would find his friend. And, in the end, he did. It just took a while — that's all.
David, Amemi, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Indigo, and Stitch all gathered around the two. "Nani," David said. "Is there something I can do?"
Nani sighed. "No, David," she turned to him. "Uh, I need to take Lilo home now. We have a lot to talk about, Lilo. Thanks."
As David handed Lilo back over to the young woman, Sora sensed something he had not noticed before. It was the sort of feeling you could have when the dim light of a candle went out.
David sighed deeply as he watched the two sisters stroll away. "You know, I really believed they had a chance," he reflected. He turned his eyes to Stitch. "Then you came along."
He sighed and turned around. As he walked back over to surfboards to collect them, Sora sighed deeper than he had lately.
He had not felt this way in a while. It was like the king of Atlantis had just died, the war between Pocahontas's tribe and the settlers was starting, Esmeralda was about to be executed, Kim Possible had been captured, Forté had gained the upper hand, McLeach had gotten his hands on Marahute, and Doctor Terminus had captured Elliott all over again. It was that sensation of lost hope he had come to dread.
Without a word, he headed back to Herbie. Wondering what was up, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad followed the Keyblade wielder. Amemi and Indigo were not far behind. Once back in the vehicle, Sora threw his jacket over his torso and climbed into the cab. Everyone else took a few minutes to change in some nearby tented stands. Seeing this, Sora decided to do the same. He ran over to the next available stand and went inside.
Herbie pulled up to the house just after nightfall. A faintish pink tint could be seen clinging in the sky above. Launchpad switched up the ignition and unbuckled his seat belt; he was not about to stumble out of the vehicle as he had back in Ancient Empire. Sora climbed out of the cab, followed by Indigo. From the backseat area, Amemi, Donald, and Goofy exited the modified racecar. Everyone took one look at the house and noted its dark windows. Chances were, Lilo and Nani were not inside.
"They must be around back," Donald suggested.
"I suppose they are," Indigo approved.
"Let's go see," Sora decided. He ran ahead. Amemi shook her head. Same old Sora, always rushing ahead of others. She gave chase. Next in line were Goofy, Donald, and Launchpad. Indigo took flight and soared after the group.
Sora led the way around the house to a somewhat rocky backyard. It was here he and his team found a series of wooden steps leading up an incline to a hammock. The torches around the hammock were lit. Sora felt a little sad. When his Mom's mom — his Grandma Sayuri — passed away, a line of torches had been on either side of the aisle at her funeral. There was one torch for each year of her life. If he recollected correctly, there had been close to seventy-five torches there that night five years ago. Once everyone there had said their goodbyes and the coffin was sealed, his Mom and Grandpa Sayuri went around dousing each torch, one-by-one.
On the islands, it was a custom for the surviving members of the immediate family to douse the torches. Only once had someone on the island died who was an orphan and had no siblings. That night, everyone on the island had taken a turn dousing the torches.
After all the torches were doused, the coffin was placed into the ocean were the waves would take it out to sea. That was the customary procedure for someone's funeral, to be buried at sea. After all, it was an island. On the main island, there was a small, hurricane-proof structure on a high point of the island were the names of everyone who had ever been buried at sea were inscribed both in books and in pictures. The walls of the building contained illustrations of the legendary people who had first settled on the island centuries before. The ones who used to be voyagers and then later settled there.
As Sora recalled seeing his Aunt Shelly's name and picture in one of the books (along with a note that read "Missing"), he heard Nani speaking against the crickets. "Lilo, honey… we have to, uh…. "
"Don't worry," Lilo said. "You're nice, and someone will give you a job. I would."
Nani seemed to smile. "Come here."
Sora and his companions stood at the base of the hill watching the display. That was when the brown-haired Keyblader saw Stitch with them. He was focused on what was going on above. Nani took a small, reddish-white flower from her hair and one from Lilo's hair. She put the flowers between both their hands and started to sing a soft song. "Aloha Oe, Aloha Oe, E ke onaona noho i ka lipo… One fond embrace, a ho'i a'e au… Until we meet again."
Together, the sisters released the flowers. The plants drifted away in the nightly wind. Stitch watched as they both spun off into the distance. Sora sighed deeply. To him, the flowers represented the same virtue the Paupu fruits did. If only he had brought one along with him for Lilo and Nani. If only he had….
Goofy leaned in close to Sora. "Stitch sure seems an awful lot like thuh ugly duckling."
Sora noticed how the knight was indicating a family of ducks passing by on the steps. He gave a nod. "Yeah."
The next few hours moved by slowly. Having nowhere else to really stay for the night, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo all joined Nani, Lilo, and Stitch for dinner. It was a solemn meal of spaghetti and meatballs. No one spoke. Goofy did not eat; he shoved the plate away and removed the napkin from around his neck. Launchpad only ate one meatball and decided he had had enough. Donald was the only one who ate. He gobbled down three platefuls and then saw everyone else just stirring with their forks and their eyes being downcast. He gulped slowly, now feeling guilty.
After dinner, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all gathered around the television and turned on an episode of ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos". Despite the silly stuff in the clips and the roars of laughter coming from the set, no one laughed. Donald even dozed off after a few minutes.
Sora, Amemi, and Indigo were up in Lilo's room with her and Stitch. Lilo was lying on her bed, a disappointed look in her eyes. Sora knew why. She had tried very hard to convert Stitch into a model citizen as Cobra Bubbles had requested. Yet, it seemed she had failed, just as Nani had failed to get a new job.
"What will you do now?" Amemi asked.
"I don't know," Lilo sighed. She rolled over. "Leave me here to die."
"That is terrible self-talk," Indigo spoke up. She approached the little girl and sat on the bed beside her. "I know it can be hard when you know your family might be split up. I have been separated from my sisters for nearly twenty Angel Years."
Sora was perplexed. "'Angel Years'?"
"Angels live much longer than people or animals," Indigo elaborated. "One year for me is the same as ten years for you."
"Oh," Sora gave a nod. His eyes lit up and he almost jumped back. "Wait! That means you're…. "
"You're two hundred years old?!" Amemi exclaimed.
"In your time, I am slightly more than that age," the angel stated. She gestured with her left hand. "I am twenty-two Angel Years old. Violet would be about twenty-four Angel Years."
"What about Teal?" Sora inquired.
"She would be nearly twenty Angel Years."
Lilo rolled over again. "Your family is broken too?"
Indigo lifted her hands into the air. Her antennae moved a little to the right. "You could say that."
"Eh?" Stitch cocked his head in puzzlement.
Lilo took a deep breath and climbed off the bed. She lifted her pillow. Underneath was a photograph of her and Nani taken a few years before. Two adults were also in the shot. One looked like an older version of Nani. The other was a smiling man with sunglasses and nicely-trimmed hair. "That's us before," Lilo paused for a moment. "It was rainy, and they went for a drive."
Amemi shivered at the thought of what had happened. "How terrible," she commented.
Lilo turned to the sandy-haired teenager. "What happened to yours?"
Amemi was about to speak, but Sora beat her to the punch. "What about Stitch?" he gestured to the bluish creature.
There was Stitch, intently listening to the conversation. "I hear you cry at night," Lilo told him. "Do you dream about them? I know that's why you wreck things and push me."
She climbed out of her bed and approached him. "Our family's little now and we don't have many toys, but if you want, you could be part of it. You could be our baby and we'd raise you to be good."
"F-F-Family," Stitch started to say. The words clicked into Sora's head. He had never imagined he would hear his friend utter such a term. He knew family was important, even if he valued friendship more these days.
"Yeah," he said at last. He felt a pair of arms fly around him. That was when he realized Amemi was hugging him. Although he felt a tad awkward, he returned the embrace.
"'O'hana' means family," Lilo added. "'Family means nobody gets left behind, but if you want to leave, you can."
Stitch looked across the room. He picked up a large, red book with a drawing of a yellow duckling on the cover. He carried to the book to the open window and clambered through. He took one last look at everyone in the room and then disappeared from sight.
"I'll remember you, though," Lilo said as she climbed into bed. After Indigo tucked her in, the little girl looked longingly at the photograph. "I remember everyone that leaves."
After switching the light off, Sora, Amemi, and Indigo headed downstairs. They came into the living room to find Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all dozing in front of the television. The show was still one, and it was showing another long batch of clumsy cats. Sora and Amemi took their places before the television. Having seen enough, Indigo shook her head and strode up to the television. She switched it off.
The sound of the set turning off roused Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad. "Guys," Sora said with a deeper sigh than earlier. "Stitch left."
Donald frowned. "It's not my problem."
"Gee," Goofy thought aloud. "He could be in trouble. Remember all them Heartless runnin' amok out there?"
"I'd rather watch AFHV any day," Launchpad grumbled. He glanced out the window. "Or night."
Sora rolled his eyes. He yawned and stretched. "First thing tomorrow, we'll go look for him."
"Right," Amemi approved her brother's decision.
Indigo smiled before she switched the television back on. The credits were rolling, followed by an announcement of another episode up next.
"Aw, phooey," was all Donald could mutter.
Outside in the tropical rainforest, Stitch was wandering about in the foliage. Only the moonlight shone through the treetops. He soon reached a small clearing and put the large, red book down. He opened it and turned to his favorite page. On the right side, he saw the illustration of the duckling with his family.
He looked at the left page. There was the same duckling. He was crying tears all over the ground. A speech bubble read, "I'm Lost!". "L… L… Lost," Stitch read. He said down and looked up into the star-filled sky. For some reason, he longed to have tears in his eyes. Two words crossed his mind, so he said them aloud.
"I'm lost."
A/N: ...((SIGHS DEEPLY)... I honestly feel like crying every time I see that scene...
Well, anyways, at least THE CHAPTER'S DONE!
Now, it is time to go over some things.
(1.) I do believe I have to go over that whole "Elvis Presley" thing mentioned at the start of This Chapter! He was such a popular superstar, just about everyone then knew of him. Still, I will tell you this. His last concert was held in my hometown; that arena no longer stands, even though people fought its demolition because they wanted to make it a National Landmark.
(2.) Judy Hopps is from Disney's "Zootopia (2016)"! Yes, she was a Summon in This Story. The reason why I suggested her as a possible Summon in the voting is because she is voiced by one of my Favorite Actresses - Ginnifer Goodwin!
(3.) Sora and Amemi's surfing competition was my FAVORITE part of This Chapter! It was one of this world's highlighted sequences I spent so much time looking forward to including! For the record, any connection to the movie, "Surf's Up (2007)", is purely coincidental.
(4.) That whole "Funeral" concept from Sora's point-of-view was something I added as I went through telling the story. It was not in my Storyline Summary.
(5.) ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" is one of the few shows I watch on that Disney-owned channel!
(6.) So Then, I'll See You Next Time!
In other words, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!
REMEMBER THIS - A MINIMUM OF 214 REVIEWS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE SEQUEL! IF 240 REVIEWS 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!" In Addition, "I SHALL FLY WITH YOU LATER!"