DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: ALOHA! WELCOME TO THE LAST CHAPTER FOR DEEP SPACE—HAWAII!
Plus, HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE EVE! THIS IS IT! THE LAST CHAPTER OF 2017!
So, to start things off, I would like to give a moment of silence for all the well-known actors and actresses we have lost in 2017.
(1.) Richard "Dick" Gautier (October 30TH, 1931 TO January 13TH, 2017; AGE 85) - He was probably best-known for playing Hymie on the Classic Show, "GET SMART", and for starring as Robin Hood in the short-lived television series, "WHEN THINGS WERE ROTTEN".
(2.) Mary Tyler Moore (December 29TH, 1936 TO January 25TH, 2017; AGE 80) - She was best-known for playing Mary Richards on "THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW", and as Laura Petrie on "THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW". Upon hearing the news, The Disney Legend, Dick Van Dyke (himself), told the media that "he discovered her".
Interestingly, she passed away the day after "Kingdom Hearts 2.8 -HD Final Chapter Prologue-" was released on the PLAYSTATION 4. Plus, I also saw her voice Granny Rose in the animated movie, "How The Toys Saved Christmas (1996)".
(3.) "Sir" John Hurt (January 22ND, 1940 TO January 25TH, 2017; AGE 77) - He has been considered by many to be England's "Finest Actor".
Among the roles he had were The Horned King in Disney's "The Black Cauldron (1986)" and Dr. Harold Oxley in "Indiana Jones And The Kingdom OF The Crystal Skull (2008)".
(4.) Don Rickles (May 8TH, 1926 TO April 6TH, 2017; AGE 90). He was the voice of Mr. Potato Head in the Disney-Pixar "'TOY STORY'" Movies. John Lasseter, Steve Jobs, and the others from Pixar wanted him to play the character because they considered him a "'COMEDY TREASURE'" and did not want an entire generation to not know who he was.
He also made LOTS of guest appearances in Classic Shows, including (yet certainly not limited to), "'Get Smart'", "'The Lucy Show'", "'The Dick Van Dyke Show'", and "'Gilligan's Island'". It turns out, he was best friends with Bob Newhart, the actor who voiced Bernard in Disney's "'The Rescuers (1977)'" and Disney's "'The Rescuers Down Under (1990)'".
FUN FACT: When others asked about his plan of retirement, Don Rickles told them, "'I'm in good health. I'm working better than I ever have. The audiences are great. Why should I retire? I'm like a fighter. The bell rings and you come out and fight. My energy comes alive. And I still enjoy it.'"
Sadly, he will not be reprising his role in "TOY STORY 4". His agent informed Disney that he was unable to record his lines before he passed away. This might also be one of the reasons why Mr. Potato Head has not been shown in the "Kingdom Hearts 3" trailers.
(5.) Erin Moran (October 18TH, 1960 TO April 22ND, 2017; AGE 56) - She is best known for her role as Joanie Cunningham on "'HAPPY DAYS'" and its spin-off, "'Joanie Loves Chachi'".
(6.) June Foray (September 18TH, 1917 TO July 26TH, 2017; AGE 99) - She is best known for her roles in various animated movies and shows, as well as appearing in radio broadcasts. She was the main character voice for Rocky: The Flying Squirrel in the classic show, "The Adventures OF Rocky And Bullwinkle".
Among the many other roles she had were several Disney movies and shows, including Lucifer The Cat in "Cinderella (1950)", a "Squaw" and a Mermaid in "Peter Pan (1953)", Mrs. Featherby in "DuckTales -The Movie-: Treasure OF The Lost Lamp (1990)", Magica De Spell and Ma Beagle in "DuckTales", and Grandmother Fa in "Mulan (1998)" and "Mulan 2 (2004)".
Her last role for Disney was as Magica De Spell in the video game, "DuckTales: Remastered", which was released in 2013.
As a side note, I know for a fact she was the voice of Mama Brickolini, Polly Gone, and a Parrot in the 1997 Computer CD-ROM game, "LEGO Island". I know this is true since that was the first video game I ever played (and it was the first LEGO video game ever created).
(7.) Jerry Lewis (March 16TH, 1926 TO August 20TH, 2017; AGE 91) - He was nicknamed "THE KING OF COMEDY" and appeared in numerous movies and shows over the years. He and Dean Martin were considered the perfect comedy duo of their time.
Among the movies he appeared in were the classic comedy, "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)", and the animated DTV movie, "Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! (2010)". My Mom still considers him to be one of her favorite actors.
(8.) Robert Guillaume (November 30TH, 1927 TO October 24TH, 2017; AGE 89) - He was best known for appeared in many movies and shows for over 50 years.
One of his most-memorable roles, as it just so happens, was as the shaman, Rafiki, in Disney's "The Lion King (1994)", "The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (1998)", as well as the rest of the Disney's "The Lion King" franchise. Yes, that DOES include "Kingdom Hearts 2"!
I also remember when he voiced Mr. Thicknose in Universal's "The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze (2001)".
(9.) Jim Nabors (June 12TH, 1930 TO November 30TH, 2017; AGE 87) - Without a doubt, he was best known for playing Gomer Pyle on both "The Andy Griffith Show" and its first spin-off, "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.". Although I have still not seen any confirmation on this, it seems he might have done additional voice-overs for backdrop characters in Disney's "Recess".
He also was known for singing "Back Home Again In Indiana" at the start of the the world-renowned INDIANAPOLIS 500 from 1972 to 2014. Being from Indianapolis myself, I can relate to how sad it was to know he passed away. My Mom still considers him to be one of her favorite actors, too.
Overall, not as many to name as last year (in 2016). Yet, we did lose several who worked with Disney.
That is why I have decided to give them all (among others) a moment of silence.
-GIVES SEVERAL LONG MINUTES OF SILENCE-
So, with all that out of the way, how about a piece of TRIVIA?
DID YOU KNOW? Chris Sanders was not only the voice of Stitch in Disney's "Lilo & Stitch (2002)". He also was the creator of that movie's concept, in addition to being a Disney designer and animator. One of the characters he personally designed was The Beast for Disney's "Beauty And The Beast (1991)".
While he might not be involved with Disney anymore, his style has captured the public eye in more ways than one.
Well then, I believe it is time for me to let you go on ahead and read Chapter 46.
So, GO ON! YOU CAN READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW - PRETTY, PRETTY PLEASE!
CHAPTER 46
Soaring To The Rescue
The clouds were rolling past rapidly as the ship rose closer to the edge of the atmosphere. All looked clear to Gantu as he eyed his ship's consol. "This is Gantu," he said into a microphone. The gadget was tiny compared to his enormous hands. "Requesting hyperspace clearance."
"Stand by for clearance," the computer replied.
Gantu gave a grin. Everything was going according to plan. He had that abomination, Experiment 626. All he needed to do was take him back to Planet Turo where the Grand Councilwoman would be awaiting his return. She might return him to his former position as captain of her flagship again. Maybe even award him a medal of honor.
All he could think of was how he was win this time. It did not matter what that stupid Aqua had tried to do back then. He was rectifying that mistake and going above-and-beyond the call-of-duty. He was going to score huge this time — and he was looking forward to it all.
"Clearance is granted in vector C-12," the computer announced.
Gantu squeezed his receiver again. "Connect me to the Grand Councilwoman."
There was a brief pause. "Gantu, what's going on?"
Gantu grinned all the more. "I thought you'd like to know that the little abomination is…. "
The sound of music playing to his right caused him to lose his train-of-thought. Gantu gazed out the window to see the source of the commotion. He stared in total disbelief.
A gigantic, red ship with a white underbelly was soaring close behind and below. Through the cockpit's windshield, he could see a bluish creature laughing at him.
Experiment 6-2-6.
"Yes, Captain?" the Grand Councilwoman pressed.
Gantu grunted. "I'll call you back," he hung up his radio and grabbed his controls. He swerved his ship around in a circle until he was behind the larger one. He squeezed the triggers. His laser blasters started shooting onto the other ship.
"How did you get out of there?!" he shouted, enraged at the sight of Experiment 626 no longer in his captivity. He was not about to let him get away! Not this time!
Sora practically leapt into the ceiling when the laser blast surged through the seating area. Goofy and Donald rushed out of the middle compartment and entered the cockpit to join everyone else. "That was close," Sora muttered.
"Too close," Donald added.
Pleakley looked ready to panic. Amemi was relatively calm, despite Jumba trying to steer the ship through the sky. His flying skills felt worse than Launchpad back when he had come in for a crash-landing in the snow outside the Beast's Castle. Every now and then Nani would ask if they were sure this was a good idea. In reply, Jumba would say, "Don't worry, is all part of plan. We are professionals."
That was when Stitch seized a control lever with his teeth and attempted to eat it. Jumba glared his four eyes at him. "Hey! Get that out of your mouth!"
Launchpad was strapped into a side seat so tightly he could not break free. Sora knew why. After boarding this ship, the duck-pilot had announced he would be taking over for the pilot. In turn, Donald had personally shoved him into a seat and strapped him into place. "You're a passenger here," he had stated in his typical, slurry voice.
Goofy, Nani, Indigo, and Amemi were all gazing out the window, watching as the other ship circled around behind them. Sora turned to Jumba and Pleakley. "So, what's the plan?" he asked.
"We will circle around until we are even with Gantu's ship," Jumba answered. "Then 6-2-6 will open door and rescue little girl from other ship."
"Gee," Goofy remarked. "Who is 'Gantu'?"
"He's a captain in the Galactic Federation," Pleakley rose up high and placed his right hand over his chest. "He got into some trouble a long time ago and has been assigned to a patrol ever since."
Jumba laughed. "All because 6-2-6 got away from him. Now we just need to keep an eye out for trouble. You can never tell when someone will show up out of nowhere to help or hurt us."
Although he was not sure what Jumba meant exactly, Sora decided not to let his mind dwell on it for long. After all, what was done was done. There was no point in living in the past. That was something he had picked up from Simba's friends, Timon and Pumbaa. "Hakuna Matata," they had always said.
Yet, Sora found it extremely difficult to always live in the moment. His mind would wander back to what had taken place long ago in one way or another. Either way, he also knew he needed to focus on the task at hand. Balancing between these two was not always easy, nor was it always hard.
He decided to shove the unneeded contemplation aside and turned his undivided attention to the view from the windshield. They were now not far from Gantu's ship. Sora found himself clenching his fists. He had the feeling Stitch would not be able to take down that gigantic alien on his own.
"Hold on!" Jumba said. He jerked the controls back. The ship slowed a little. He turned to Stitch. "Okay, is show time!"
Stitch gave a rather maniacal laugh as he opened the hatch. The suction from the air outside tore the door clear from the side of the ship. Away the small, bluish creature went.
Sora summoned his Keyblade and rushed after him. "SORA!" he could hear everyone else shouting as he jumped through the open hatchway. The brown-haired young man was not able to hear anything for several, long seconds as the wind roared all around him. He found himself feeling rather weightless as he was scooped up by the air currents and sucked into the sky.
At first, he was tossed around like an old ball drifting away on the surface of the moon. He hastily sprawled his arms and legs out. Next thing he knew, he was gliding across the open expanse similar to the way that flying squirrel had back in The Outback.
It took less than five minutes for Sora to reach the other ship. He could see Stitch crawling along the roof to the front. However, his eyes were focused on the transparent tube attacked to the back. Inside was Lilo, her hands pressed against the glass.
Sora knew he could not let anyone down. He soared over and reached out his hand. He grabbed the right engine, only to lose his grip moments later. He thrust his Keyblade forward. The end of the blade latched onto the ship's engine, allowing the seventeen-year-old to climb his weapon to reach the spaceship.
As soon as he reached the engine, Sora carefully made his way to the tube. He held his Keyblade back like a lumberjack about to cut down a tree. "Stay back!" he instructed.
Lilo ducked while Sora swung his blade. The weapon clanged against the side of the tube, shattering it in a hurry. He shifted to the side to avoid the flying shards of glass. Next, he reached into the tube and gently scooped the little girl up and into his arms. "You okay?" he asked.
Lilo nodded. "Yeah."
Sounds of a commotion echoed from the front of the ship. "Abomination!" came a deep voice.
"Stupidhead," went another, which Sora instantly recognized as Stitch. There was the sound of glass shattering. The next thing Sora saw was a huge whale-like being falling through the clouds down to the island below. Then, Stitch showed up, laughing with glee. Sora smiled to his friend, who gave a delighted smile in return. The two hopped from the ship as he descended into a free-fall. They landed upon Jumba's large, red ship.
Down, down, down spiraled Gantu's black and golden ship. It splashed down into the ocean, a few miles from the island. An enormous explosion could be heard as the engines blew sky-high.
"That was close," was all Sora could say.
"Nega-jiva," Stitch said in turn.
Sora could only roll his eyes halfway as he set Lilo down onto the wing. The ship came in for a landing. Water sprayed along the edges of the wings as the vehicle slowed to a stop. A giant wave came rolling out from under the ship.
Noting how close they were to land now, Sora hopped off the ship and hurried to the shoreline. Lilo and Stitch were not far behind. A ramp appeared from the base of the hatchway on the spaceship. Strolling down it and onto the beach came Amemi, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Indigo, Jumba, Pleakley, and Nani. They all quickly crowded around the three.
Donald and Goofy practically jumped onto the spikey-headed young man. "You did it, Sora!" they cheered with glee.
Launchpad wrapped his muscular arms around the three and lifted them into the air. "Heh, you did a good turn. You're a regular Junior Woodchuck."
"Launchpad," Donald struggled to speak. The pilot's arms were so burly, he was nearly squeezing the three to death.
Launchpad gave a humiliated grin and dropped them in a heartbeat. He reached into his pants' pocket and pulled out a rather thick, paperback book. "Maybe I should re-read 'hugs' in the Junior Woodchucks' handbook…. "
Amemi approached her brother. "Way to go, Sora."
Sora had to smile as he rubbed his head. "Thanks, Amy."
Indigo offered her hands. Sora accepted them and let the angel help him back onto his feet. "You flew as smoothly as I do," she commented. "What would it be like if you had wings?"
Sora placed his hands behind his head. "I dunno."
Lilo embraced Stitch. "You came for me."
"No one gets left behind," Stitch answered.
Sora and Amemi smiled. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad all looked confused while Indigo shook her head and smiled. It was simply another peaceful, innocent moment in time.
A loud growl and yell interrupted it. At that precise second, a series of ground-shaking footsteps filled the air. Out of the jungle came the giant, whale-like being Sora had seen fall out of the ship. A yellow blaster was in his hand. "Little savage!" the creature shouted. "We finish this now!"
Sora gasped at the mere sight of the gigantic being. "Who are you?" he exclaimed.
"It's Gantu," Pleakley worried. He waved his arms around as though panicking.
Stitch raced down the beach in a hurry. Gantu stormed after him. His legs almost stomped onto Lilo as he ran. Sora and his teammates all ducked down. "Lilo!" Nani cried as she rushed to her sister.
Stitch dashed down the shore until he came across a tall sand dune. "Huh?" he cocked his head. How had this gotten here?
"Abomination!" Gantu roared as he reached the little creature. "Nowhere to run? Aww, too bad!"
Stitch stared in alarm. Just watching this made Sora scowl. He summoned his Keyblade and charged down the beach. "Stitch!" he hollered.
In took less than two minutes for the spikey, brown-haired youth to reach his friend. He skidded to a stop in front of Stitch. He turned to face Gantu, his Keyblade positioned into his fighting stance. "Stop!"
Gantu growled. "You!" he pointed his blaster at Sora. "Stay out of this."
Sora shook his head. "Not a chance! Stitch is my friend!"
Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo came rushing over. They all stood by Sora's side, weapons in hand.
"And we're his friends, too," Donald stated.
"We always stick together," Goofy approved.
"Friends and family alike," Amemi agreed.
"Besides, he has good crashing skills," Launchpad declared.
"His heart is full of Light," Indigo clutched her Keyblade firmly. "That is something you shall never understand."
Gantu shook like he was a volcano on the verge of eruption. "If you choose 6-2-6, I'm taking you all into custody."
"Sora! Ven! Frien!" Stitch cried, jumping up and down.
Sora was perplexed. "'Ven'?" he had never heard of such a name. What could it mean? For a moment, it felt like his heart was pumping harder than normal. He shoved it all aside and regained his concentration.
Gantu fired his blaster at the group, forcing everyone to either jump, sidestep, or duck. He fired it a second time. The blast bounced off Goofy's shield as the knight ducked behind it.
Sora circled around the alien and delivered a huge smack from behind. Gantu tumbled over. He quickly got back to his feet and spun around. "Why, you little!"
Sora slid across the sand, barely avoiding a series of blasts from the enemy. He stumbled and fell over. His Keyblade went skidding up to where the waves were washing. He hastily clambered to his feet and grabbed his weapon. He turned his attention back to the battle.
"Fira!" Donald shouted. He lurched his wand forward. The flaming sphere smacked into Gantu's knee, causing the enemy to stagger for a second. The magician sent a chunk of ice and a barrage of lightning down in turn. Gantu stumbled a little, yet he persisted to aim his attacks all around.
One of those blasts nearly struck the duck's tail. "Watch where you're shooting, ya big palooka!" he scolded in anger. "I'll show you!"
He jerked his wand straight up. "Watera!"
A sphere of water came crashing down onto the enemy's head. Gantu growled in annoyance. While trying to wipe the water from his eyes, he fired his blaster. The blast headed straight for Goofy and Launchpad. The former raised his shield and deflected it. "Gawrsh," was all he could say.
Launchpad aimed his gas-gun and fired a single shot. The cartridge slammed into Gantu's thigh, sending a dark-purplish cloud out. "Poison?" he glanced at the weapon. "Looks like I need to reset this thing, but I don't know what to set it on."
Indigo was airborne, swooping across the sky, searching for an opening to land a hit. Here and there, their opponent staggered for a few seconds, giving a chance to deliver a hit or two. She frowned, her antennae shaking a little from side to side. "There has to be a way to take him down," she said to herself.
That was when she saw Amemi hop onto the side of the sand dune and fire her slingshot. The attack bounced off Gantu's head, forcing the alien to grab his head for a mere second. Indigo smiled, knowing she had another opportunity. She soared lower and clobbered Gantu in his stomach.
The alien groaned as he knelt down. He clutched his stomach. "Now's our chance," Sora called. He turned to Stitch. "Let's do this!"
Stitch grinned and jumped onto Gantu's chest. The larger alien tumbled back into the sand. "Impossible!" Gantu growled. "You're vile! You're foul! You're flawed!"
"Also cute and fluffy!" Stitch cheered. He hopped down and grabbed Gantu's legs. He lifted him up and slammed him down into the sand the other way. "Punch buggy!"
He lifted the alien and slammed back down the other again. He lifted and slammed Gantu down over and over again for several seconds. After the same time, he raised his arms and flexed his muscles. "No punch back!"
Gantu growled. "We're not finished yet…. "
"Enough!" The loud shout filled the air. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, Indigo, Stitch, and Gantu all turned their eyes towards the nearby beach. Not too far from where Lilo, Nani, Jumba, and Pleakley were standing on the beach, a large, capsule-like spaceship was standing upright. Several others were gathered around it. Two aliens dressed in white, laboratory uniforms hurried over and seized Stitch, locked his arms in silver cuffs, and carried him back. Certain this was not a good thing, Sora's team hurried after them. Gantu did the same. He scrambled to his feet and rushed past Sora and the others.
"We have 6-2-6," one of the aliens announced.
"Take him to my ship," another alien said. Sora noted how this alien was a tall, thin, humanoid individual with pale blue-green skin, four-fingered hands, a wide head, and a long face. She had three dark-green stripes on her forehead, slanted blue eyes with black sclera, and pointed white teeth in her mouth. Her high-collared uniform was a bluish-black color with gold highlights. A long strip of cloth with red inner lining covered the back of her legs. To the Keyblader, she seemed dressed as a leader.
"Leave him alone," Lilo demanded. She tried to run after the aliens. That was when Cobra Bubbles stepped over and blocked her with his arm. "Hold on," he said.
Gantu reached the ship in no time. "Grand Councilwoman," he said. "Let me explain."
The Grand Councilwoman held up a hand. "Silence! I am retiring you, Captain Gantu."
Gantu stared, completely speechless. Without another word, he took off into the rainforest. Sora had to smile, knowing justice had been done. He watched as the other aliens started to carry Stitch to the spaceship. "What're you doing to him?" he asked.
The Grand Councilwoman turned to the brown-headed youth. "Who are you?"
Sora gestured to himself. "I'm Sora," he turned to his teammates. "That's Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo."
"How did you all come to know Experiment 6-2-6?"
Sora summoned his Keyblade. "…It's a long story."
The Grand Councilwoman seemed amazed by the appearance of the weapon. She nodded. "I am familiar with the legend of the Keyblade. Your weapon is capable of saving other worlds by striking down those who upset the balance of Light and Darkness."
Sora stared in total amazement. How had the Grand Councilwoman heard about the Keyblade? Had she been to other worlds? He recalled how Ariel's father, King Triton, had also been familiar with the Keyblade and its power. Maybe it came with being the leader of a world? Perhaps Kairi's adoptive Dad might know something about the Keyblade, too.
His mind went back to how the late king of Atlantis had also been aware of the Keyblade. Then again, he had been a Keyblade wielder himself. For that matter, it seemed he was a survivor of the Keyblade War.
It was becoming more and more clear that the Keyblade War had taken place. Evidence was stockpiling throughout his adventures. It was not simply a legend anymore. It was reality. That fact might take some getting used to….
"Your assistance has been invaluable," the Grand Councilwoman continued. "Thank you."
Sora scratched the back of his neck and grinned. "Don't mention it."
Pleakley strode forward. "Actually, credit for the capture goes to…. "
The Grand Councilwoman turned to face the one-eyed alien. "Goes to me," she stated. "You'll be lucky if you end up on a Fluff Trog farm after we sort this thing out."
Pleakley frowned. Jumba turned and started to take a step away. "I think I should," he started to say.
"You!" The Grand Councilwoman raised her voice. "You're the cause of all this! If it wasn't for your Experiment 6-2-6, none of this…. "
"Stitch," Stitch spoke up. The Grand Councilwoman paused and turned to him. "My name Stitch. Does Stitch have to go in the ship?"
The Grand Councilwoman stared in complete wonder. "Yes," she said at last.
"Can Stitch say goodbye?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
Stitch calmly strolled across the sand and over to where Lilo and Nani had been watching. Lilo and Stitch shared a hug. Nani smiled and knelt down to the bluish-furred alien.
Sora had to smile. For some reason, this reminded him of when he and Riku had finally returned back to the islands following their victory against Xemnas. He recalled how Kairi had waved them over to the beach. They had both swam towards her, only to have King Mickey, Donald Duck, and Goofy leap onto them. Sora still could not forget the friendly embraces he had shared with Donald and Goofy that day.
He was sure it was the same feeling Lilo and Nani were now having with Stitch.
"Who are you?" the Grand Councilwoman inquired.
Stitch turned to her. "This is my family. I found it all on my own. It's little and broken… but still good."
The Grand Councilwoman leaned her head forward. To Sora's point-of-view, it seemed she was looking down. He took a deep breath. "Does Stitch have to leave?" he questioned.
The Grand Councilwoman sighed. "Our laws are absolute. I cannot change what the Council has decided."
Cobra turned to Lilo and nodded. Lilo smiled and raced up to the Grand Councilwoman. "Hey!" she said, a little out-of-breath. "Three days ago, I bought Stitch at the shelter. I paid two dollars for him," she held up a pink certificate. "See this stamp? I own him. If you take him, you're stealing."
Cobra seemed to grin. "Aliens are all about rules," he told the Grand Councilwoman.
The alien woman eyed him closely. "You look familiar."
"CIA. Roswell. 1973."
The Grand Councilwoman gave a small grin and nodded. "Ah, yes. You had hair then. Take note of this," she turned to Lilo, Stitch, and Nani. "This creature has been sentenced to life in exile — a sentence that shall be henceforth served out here… on Earth… and as caretaker of the alien life-form, Stitch, this family is now under the official protection of the United Galactic Federation," Sora saw her grin grow larger. "We'll be checking in now and then."
Cobra lowered his sunglasses a little. "I was afraid you were going to say that. This won't be easy to explain back at headquarters."
The Grand Councilwoman's grin faded. "I know what you mean," she agreed. She whispered something to some of the alien guards before turning back to the ship and strolling on board. The guards followed.
Sora and his team leaned back as a blast of super-hot something or other filled the air. The spaceship launched into the sky and vanished from sight as it took off into space.
Sora knew it was headed for another world. Either that, or maybe this whole universe was a single world. Was it? Whatever the case, he was sure this place still had Heartless somewhere, just like any world. It would take time to remove the monsters altogether.
The best way he could take out all the Heartless and save this world — alongside the other worlds he had visited already (and would visit ahead) — would be to take down the remaining members of Maleficent's Council.
Nani turned to Cobra. "CIA?"
"Former," the social worker answered. "Saved the planet once. Convinced an alien race that mosquitoes were an endangered species," he removed his sunglasses. "Now, about your house…. "
The next few hours were quite busy for Sora and his teammates. Using wood, tiles, and other supplies and tools, they helped rebuild the damaged house. Lilo, Nani, and Stitch all took part. Even David, Jumba, and Pleakley offered a helping hand.
Naturally, there were some accidents here and there. At one point, Launchpad knocked over a bucket of paint with his elbow. The container tumbled off the roof and splashed onto Donald's head. The mage was far from pleased to be covered in reddish-white paint.
Once, Goofy yelped out in pain when he hit his hand with a hammer. "Yeow-hoo-hoo-eeee!" he cried. His ladder swung dangerously about as he shouted. He tried to regain his balance, only to have the ladder fall over. Indigo saw the whole scene and leapt out of the way before the ladder crashed onto the ground and splintered into three pieces.
Goofy was still clinging from the roof. He smiled. "Betcha thought I as gonna fall." From where he stood on the roof, all Sora could do was shake his head and smile.
Things got a little messy when Jumba slipped on a ladder and fell to the ground. Pleakley, Goofy, and Launchpad all rushed around, trying to catch him. The three ran into one another and tumbled over. Jumba crashed onto the ground, inches from them. He was not hurt, yet he left a large crater.
In the end, the house looked better than ever. Sora could tell it had the same general design as the original. Yet, this one had more space. In fact, there was a small, reddish room in the middle of the roof. He knew that was now going to be Lilo and Stitch's room. Lilo's old room would be shared by both Jumba and Pleakley. Nani still had her old room.
As everyone stood in the driveway and looked up at the finished building, Sora wiped some sweat off his forehead and smiled. A job well done was what he might have thought. Yet, not being one who was used to such hard work, the seventeen-year-old Keyblader was just glad it was done and over with.
Nani turned to Sora and his team. "Thank you for all your help. You can come and visit us anytime," she said with a smile.
Sora gave a nod. He was certain he would come back and visit again. After all, this was an island. Maybe all he really had to do was sail across the ocean. Could this place have been what lay on the other side of all that water back home? Maybe. He was still not sure how the connections between worlds worked.
True, Master Yen Sid had explained how walls divided them. Yet Sora had seen others travel from one world to another despite the walls. How was such a thing possible if they did not have a Keyblade nor used the powers of Darkness?
He decided not to let his mind dive too deep into it. His Keyblade started to glow. Sora looked at it, still as impressed by the blade's ability to glow so brilliantly all on its own as he had the first time he had unlocked the gateway to another world.
"What is that Light?" Pleakley declared. He ducked behind Jumba's burly arm.
Jumba squinted as he eyed the weapon. "It must be some kind of phenomenon caused by light reflecting off the blade."
Stitch hopped up and down with delight.
Surrounded by everyone's looks of amazement, Sora held his weapon up in the air. A large Keyhole appeared in the sky. A beam of Light shot out from the weapon and stuck the center of the Keyhole. It unlocked in a bright, and lengthy flash of Light.
Once the Light had died down, Sora turned to his companions. "Looks like it is time for us to go."
Lilo waved. "Bye."
Stitch approached Sora. "Tell Ter-ra 'n Ah-koo-wah 'Hi'," he held up a small, star-shaped item. It was made up of mixed-matched pieces. "Friendship circle."
Sora was a tad perplexed. Who? He decided not to think about it any further. Although that item in Stitch's claws seemed to resemble a Paupu fruit. Maybe this world was more connected to his than he knew.
He waved goodbye and started for where Herbie was parked on the driveway. Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo all waved as they followed the young man. Nani, Lilo, Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley all waved back.
The group gathered around Herbie. As if on cue, the doors opened. Sora and Indigo sat in the front with the former next to the window. Amemi, Donald, and Goofy took their seats in the back. Launchpad climbed into the driver's seat and strapped himself in. "Let's get out of this world!" he declared.
As he turned the ignition, everyone else hastily buckled up, secured their straps, and quadruple-checked them. Herbie shot up into space. Launchpad grasped the controls, yet the racecar-turned-Gummi Ship seemed to already know where it was going.
Not long after takeoff, the familiar view of the Other Sky was visible from all around. Sora smiled, relieved to know it was time to keep moving on his quest. With each world "saved", he was another step to completing his mission. Hopefully he would be done by Christmas Eve. Even being done by Christmas would work. Any time before them would be best.
However, he was starting to have doubts. This quest seemed to be taking longer than he had anticipated. It was a good thing every world did not operate on the same time intervals. Otherwise he would have easily spent two weeks on this quest alone already.
He glanced at his cellular phone. The date now read, "December 19TH Happy Holidays".
Sora felt a hand tapping him on the shoulder. He turned to see Indigo looking at him. A piece of torn paper was in her hands. "Amemi wants me to give this to you," she said handing him the parchment. "She said she found it during the showdown with Gantu."
Sora held the torn paper with both hands as he swept his eyes across the text handwritten on it. He stared and slowly re-read it.
"If anyone gets this letter, I would like to meet and talk,
Surely that's not forbidden.
I would be willing to meet somewhere on the sidewalk,
Or else I shall stay hidden.
Until someone finds me, I shall be on my own,"
Sora was beyond mystified. Up until now, this torn paper Master Yen Sid had requested him to collect had seemed to describe some type of strange community. One hidden away in a… far corner of the universe? Now it appeared the message in this document was a plea for help. Maybe something terrible had taken place in that world. Maybe someone was in danger. Knowing it sounded like a strange place based on the pieces he and his friends had collected, Sora was convinced something bad might be happening in a distant world.
The question was…. Who had written this letter? True, Master Yen Sid had claimed someone he knew had inscribed it. Could it have been a former pupil of his? One from before King Mickey had decided to become a Keyblade wielder? So many questions, very few answers….
He thanked Indigo and Amemi and turned in his seat. He yawned and started to doze off. He could hear Indigo listening to a song on her iPod. "Darkness, darkness, be my pillow," it went. "Take my hand, let me sleep…. "
As Herbie flew deeper into space, Sora settled in for a little nap. He felt he had earned it now. After all, he, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo had restored peace and maintained order in the world of Deep Space—Hawaii.
The tallest tower of Villain's Vale seemed rather quiet. In the middle of the circular chamber with the rising water in its walls, Maleficent, Pete, Mortimer, Cinnamon Teal, and the Beagle Boys watched as a projection was displayed from them all to see.
Pete gasped when he recognized the fairy, Thistle, as one of two individuals in it. They were both standing on a secluded beach somewhere. "You failed me," Thistle told the larger, whale-like being. "That is unacceptable."
"I can explain," the alien started to say.
Thistle held up a hand. "You're unfit to be of any use to me. Instead, I'll use your Darkness for my own."
Before the alien could have reacted, Thistle took flight and raised her hands. A series of vines rose from the sand and seized the alien. "What?" was all he could say.
Thistle soared up to the alien's chest. She reached out and plunged her hand into him. She yanked it back out. In her hands was a large, half-pink half-black heart. She gave a rather sinister grin. "Well, it was nice knowing you, 'Captain' Gantu. Maybe you'll be better as a Heartless."
She squeezed her hands around the heart. In a few seconds, it shattered into pieces. The alien gasped and then yelled as he started to disappear. In five seconds, he had become as transparent as a ghost. Three seconds later, he had vanished from sight. The vines snapped as he disappeared, leaving small specks of Darkness behind. Thistle grinned and then reached out her hand. A dark portal appeared. "Now, to find my prize."
The projection faded away. Pete stared in complete shock. "Since when does she have those kinda powers?" he asked.
"Thistle is not who she claims to be," Maleficent replied. "And I have a pretty good idea who she really is."
Mortimer groaned as he strode towards the doorway. "Let me know when somethin' good happens."
Pete and the others watched him disappear into the corridor. Deep down, Pete had the feeling Thistle might be more powerful than Maleficent herself. He dared not say so, fearing the sorceress would go all hullabaloo if he did.
Cinnamon Teal scowled and placed her hands on her hips. "I always was a little suspicious of her."
"If she can turn someone into a Heartless," one of the taller Beagle Boys said.
"Who knows what she'll do next?" the other taller one said.
The shorter Beagle Boy shivered. "I don't like this."
Maleficent shook her head. "But do not fear," she turned to her raven as he landed on her shoulder. She started to stroke him gently on the head. "We will soon find that 'Tome of Prophecies'. And, once we do, everything and all the worlds will be ours. Not even Xehanort would be able to stop us."
She turned away and strode up to the railing on the far side of the room. Pete was starting to get the feeling Maleficent might have actually gone in deeper into all of this than she could manage.
Riku trudged up the steps of the tower as calmly as he could. His shoes squeaked a little as she climbed the stairs. He noticed a few patches of water. He shook his head, knowing someone might have spilled some while coming back up.
He reached the doorway at the top and pushed it open. He strolled into Master Yen Sid's study. The circular chamber was empty. On the old, wooden desk was an old book covered in dust. Knowing Violet was outside and Mickey had gone off to help train Kairi and Lea in that other dimension, the silver-haired young man decided he ought to take a peek at this tome.
Riku strode up to the desk and then around it. He grabbed the front cover and wiped it off with his hand. The title was faded and parts of the brass lettering had cracked off and were missing. Still, he was able to make out enough of it to see what some of the letters had been.
THE ST OR D
He was puzzled. Why would the retired Keyblade Master have a book titled like this? He was not sure what it meant. Rather than keep on questioning it, he opened the cover. Inside was an illustration of an enormous city shaped like a circle. At the center was a gigantic skyscraper. All around the perimeter was series of walls and large structures that resembled towers for a castle's perimeter, only they were cone-shaped like volcanoes.
Riku paused and scratched his head. He had seen a picture like this one once. This one might be faded, yet it still looked familiar to him.
He turned the page. It showed an image of a large town with navy-blue rooftops and fancy, cobblestone walkways. At the heart of the town was a huge clocktower that was wide enough to swallow a whale. Having never seen such a place before, Riku decided to continue on.
As he flipped pages around, he found a picture of a trail running through a vast, dense forest. A horse-drawn carriage could be seen. In the distance above the treetops, the towers of a stone castle were visible. Riku wondered if that was supposed to be a fairy-tale place. He was not sure.
He turned to the next page. This one had a colorful drawing of an enormous city made of stone. A shining object was in the sky surrounded by a circle of large stones. Flying machines clearly inspired by sea creatures were depicted in the air. Riku shook his head, certain such a place did not exist.
He turned through several pages. One showed a large town or city full of sports' stadiums. Another showed a group of people in elegant attire who were wearing animal masks.
He stopped on one particular page. It showed a group of people gathered around a campfire. One of them was a young man no older than Riku himself was, only this guy had a long-sleeved, blue shirt on with matching pants. Seated next to him was a young woman with antennae and wings that resembled Violet's, only this individual sported a magenta appearance. Another member of this group was a rather dark-looking man in a red cape and dark clothing; his black hair was spikey somewhat. There was another man in the group who had a red robe so long, it touched the ground; he had rather short hair, carried a large sword, and was wearing dark glasses. Another individual was a young man wearing a dark, sailor's uniform complete with a long coat and hook in place of his left hand.
Riku's eyes stopped on the land member of the group. It was a young woman sporting golden hair tied in the back and wearing a pinkish dress similar in design to what Kairi wore. She had the same shoes, too. On her eyes was a pair of illusionist glasses and she had a yellowish scarf around her neck. A pair of fairy wings were on her back.
Riku wondered what this book was supposed to be about. As far as he could tell, it was so miscellaneous, he could not make out anything recognizable.
"Riku?"
Riku hastily closed the book and looked up. He relaxed, seeing Niccole was on the other side of the table. "What is it?" he asked.
Niccole gave a deep sigh. "There is something I should have told you before…. "
Riku raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Remember how Maleficent had you send me into the castle dungeons?"
Riku looked down. "Yeah…. "
"There was more to it than that," the young woman started to elaborate on what had taken place. Riku listened as Niccole explained how she had used one of her hairpins to unlock the cell door and then slipped away to his room. When he had not returned, she had gone off to find him. Riku was surprised when she revealed how she had found him in the Grand Hall, only she had noted how his appearance was different.
"I tried to persuade you to let go of the Darkness and break ties with Maleficent," Niccole continued. "But you rushed forward and struck me several times with that blood-red Keyblade of yours. I ended up lying on the floor, not able to move. You put your foot on me and I saw you raise your Keyblade. But before you did anything else, the doors opened and someone came running in. Next thing I knew, I was in the cell again."
Riku shook his head. "I don't remember that happening. But it does sound like Ansem — I mean Xehanort's Heartless — did that to you."
He gave a deep sigh of his own. "Xehanort was always right. My choices always end up being others' problems."
Before Niccole could speak, he turned and headed back to the doorway. He marched down the steps as quickly as he could.
Although Mickey had told him that he and Niccole needed to resolve problems on their own, he was not sure how he could do it. It seemed every opportunity he had to try to make amends held a reminder how something else that had gone wrong. If only he was as easygoing as Sora. That silly spikey, brown-headed youth never had any trouble dealing with situations such as this.
If only he could dive backwards in time and change it so this had never taken place at all.
If only he could….
A/N: AND, WITH THAT, THE "LILO AND STITCH" STORY ARC IN THIS STORY IS COMPLETED! YET, THERE ARE STILL OTHER WORLDS CALLING FOR HELP!
Before I shall give you the Hint to the next world in This Story, I have a few things to state.
(1.) When I pictured that sequence on Gantu's spaceship, I actually had a concept of Sora's jacket flapping in the wind, making him rather light. That is how I imaged he could soar across the sky to help Stitch save Lilo.
That, or it might have simply been DISNEY MAGIC.
(2.) Here is something for all of you to ponder. Why did Stitch start acting like he was around Terra, Ventus, or Aqua? How does he still have that Wayfinder, considering it was destroyed? How does the Grand Councilwoman know about the Keyblade?
I know some of that might be Spoilers for those of you who have not played or seen "Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep". Yet, they were simply rhetorical questions.
You do NOT have to answer them aloud, only in your mind.
(3.) The song "Darkness, Darkness" Sora could hear from Indigo's iPod is actually from Disney's "Ghosts OF The Abyss (2003)".
(4.) Yes, Maleficent might have a point about Thistle. She might not be who she claims to be. Yet, why would that be the case?
Another rhetorical thing you might want to keep in mind as This Story continues further.
(5.) What do all those images in that book on Master Yen Sid's desk mean? Who are those individuals Riku saw in that one group picture?
(6.) All This And More To Be Revealed As The Story Continues Onwards...
Speaking OF Which, Here Is The "RIDDLE HINT" For The Next Disney-Based World In This Story!
HINT: "IF YOU HAD WINGS TO LIFT YOU, AND THE SECOND STAR YOUR GUIDE, YOU'D FIND A PLACE WHERE ALL THE SEASONS FLOURISH SIDE-BY-SIDE! YET, PAST THE SUMMER MEADOW AND BEYOND THE AUTUMN WOOD LIES AN ICY LAND OF SECRETS, A WORLD MISUNDERSTOOD! BUT IF YOUR MIND IS OPEN, AND YOUR HEART JUST HAS TO KNOW, YOUR WINGS CAN TAKE YOU FARTHER THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT YOU'D GO!"
So, IF You Believe You Know What Disney Movie And/Or Show Is Being Hinted At, Please Leave Your Answer(s) In The REVIEWS Section For THIS Chapter!
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 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!" In Addition, "I SHALL FLY WITH YOU LATER!"
Also, "HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND SEASON OF LIGHT!" I SHALL YOU ALL AGAIN IN 2018!