Still writing like a workhorse.
No time for food.
Gotta write this before it leaves my head.
Hopefully this chapter isn't as weird as the last one.
-Lovely Catastrophe
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Chapter Two: Destiny
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What on earth could have possibly driven her to come to this damned castle? Oh yeah, that's right. It was the fact she didn't have enough ADVENTURE in her life. Well, after being tossed around on the Gummi Ship by two chipmunks that could drive just about as good as they could keep their mouths shut, Kairi wasn't so sure she liked the word ADVENTURE anymore.
So it wasn't really a surprise when she reached solid ground again that she fell to her knees and started kissing the Astroturf-like grass that was the Disney Gardens. Land! How good it was to see LAND again. If she ever got her hands on one of those blasted chipmunks, she would strangle them.
Regaining her composure, Kairi got back to her feet, and began to wander around the gardens for a bit, completely unsure of where she was supposed to go. This was the Castle, but where in the Castle was the King?
She stumbled around for a bit, absently admiring the greenery and sculptures, before she felt a hand grab her arm and drag her off behind one of said sculptures. Kairi stifled a yelp, turning to come face to face with King Mickey.
He placed a finger over his mouth, and his eyes darted around cautiously.
"Come with me."
……………….
He led her through the hallways to a small room, through the door of which she was shoved inside, and soon after he followed, locking the door behind him.
"Long time no see, Kairi. Probably longer than I would have liked, considering the circumstances."
He offered her a seat, which she accepted, mind brimming with questions.
"Sir… exactly what circumstances are you talking about?"
The mouse King placed his elbows on the shabby table in front of them, lacing his fingers together in a thoughtful position.
"Kairi… When you're asleep, do you ever have dreams, or nightmares?"
She thought this a rather strange question for him to ask her, and tilted her head in a confused manner, her royal blue eyes blinking.
"Of course, all the time. But… what does that have to do with—"
Mickey waved a hand, shaking his head.
"Everything. Remember that new threat I mentioned in the letter? It's DREAMS, Kairi. Dreams. Or more precisely, it's a group of creatures born of dreams. The Imagi. In the Dream World, they're perfectly harmless, but in our Worlds, they could be deadly. They have no limitations, no inhibitions to keep them from doing wrong. In fact, they know no wrong or right, or the fine line that separates them."
Kairi absently scratched her ear, trying to comprehend all that the King had said.
"Um… okay… but… they can't get to our Worlds, right? Er… what exactly IS the Dream World?"
Yeah. Too much for her to handle all at once. She was a bright girl, but she didn't know EVERYTHING.
"The Dream World is the place you go when you're dreaming. The dreamers, but not the dreams can manipulate it in any way. So the Dreams, or the Imagi, they live in a world completely devoid of change. They themselves don't change, either. They just kinda ARE, y'know?"
The King then sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples to massage them.
"As for your other question… no, technically, they shouldn't be able to enter our Worlds… But the Dreamweaver—I don't know his name—he's been tampering with the pathways between worlds to try and find a link to the Dream World from them. And since no one knows exactly where the Dream World is, we can't stop him from building the link until it's too late."
Okay, so far so good. But…
"Why do you need me then?" Kairi inquired, "This sounds like something that Sora or Riku, or even you by yourself could handle. Why am I even here?"
"Because," Mickey replied, "You are pure. Your heart is untainted by any amount of evil whatsoever. That does not mean you are not tempted, but you have not been lead astray. To send someone to the Dream World to fight would be foolishness unless that person was able to withstand a large amount of temptation. Sora, though he has a good heart, is too immature and curious to resist new things. And Riku once allied with darkness, even though it WAS for a good cause. Temptation is a part of his being.
"You on the other hand, have a clearer head on your shoulders… Besides, in this particular case, I do not believe that the Keyblades will be of much help. So…"
He began to shuffle through some papers on the table, not even giving Kairi a moment to catch up with his words and try to understand.
"I need you to protect the Worlds from harm. The Imagi are cunning, and they will use any trick in their power to try and keep us from stopping them. They will also manipulate innocent people in order to get what they want. If the Imagi DO find a link into our Worlds, I need you to help defeat them and send them back to the Dream World."
Kairi's head was truly buzzing by now, the information overload waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much for her.
"But… I don't even have a weapon, and I can't really fight… and… How am I supposed to do this on my own?"
Mickey began to laugh, which made Kairi scowl slightly. She didn't find anything at all amusing about the situation.
"Don't worry about it, Kairi, I've got it all planned out. I'll be sending you to Radiant Garden next. Leon has your equipment, Aerith's got your outfit, and Yuffie's been making arrangements for somebody to accompany you on your quest. So whaddya say? Will you do it?"
Kairi vaguely realized that this must be what they mean by having 'the weight of the world on your shoulders'. Though in her case it would be Worlds. She pondered the whole thing once more, rolling it around in her head until finally she made a decision.
"Well… I can't really say no… If the Worlds need me, then it's my duty to try and help as best I can… I really do hope you can count on me."
The mouse King hopped out of his seat and over to her side of the table, where he clasped one of her hands in both of his.
"Oh, I knew you would do it! I know we can count on you. The Worlds will be trouble-free in no time!"
Mickey then began to ramble on about mission plans: where she would go, what she would need, etc., etc., but the Princess wasn't really paying much attention. Excitement and apprehension were having a boxing match in her stomach, and if they continued to punch the walls much more, she might just lose it along with her lunch.
She wanted to believe as much as the King that she really was the right one for this job. That she really COULD do it… But she didn't even REALLY know what she was up against.
Imagi…
The word sounded slightly malevolent…
And all this time she had thought that the safest place was in her dreams, hm.
…………………..
"Leooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon! She's gonna be here any moment and they haven't even shown up yet!"
The last three words from Yuffie's mouth came out as a piercing staccato that annoyed Leon to no end. All he managed to give her as a reply was a grunt and a frown that told her he didn't wish to be bothered.
Yuffie wasn't very good at reading body language.
"So what do I do? I mean, the Princess can't just run off without her freakin' escorts! I mean look at Sora, he had freakin' escorts! It's only right that she gets some too! And some freakin' good ones if I have anything to do with it!"
"Yuffie…"
The ninja woman whirled around to face him, surprised that she had actually elicited a reply.
"What?"
"Two words."
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
"…Oh."
Leon's two words didn't do much to silence her, however, for she was soon on into another drawn out ramble, and it was all he could do to bury himself in the book he was currently reading, trying to drown her and her 'freakin' annoying voice out.
The duo was waiting in Merlin's house (their base-turned-hangout) for quite a few reasons. One being Kairi, of course. Another being Aerith, who was due with the Princess's battle attire. And the others were the escorts Yuffie had picked out to accompany the Princess: The morbidly silent Auron, a warrior from the Underworld who had been granted life again by Zeus in order for him to come along on this journey, and the fairy trio of Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, supposed treasure hunters who had been taking one too many personal possessions from Leon (thus, the reason for sending them along was basically to get them out of his hair.)
After a few moments the door opened, and in walked Aerith, carrying the outfit she had helped Merriweather, Fauna, and Flora to create.
"It's perfect!" She exclaimed, breathless from rushing from one world to the next. "I do hope she likes it… Plus, it's very useful too…"
Yuffie tried to steal a glance at the magical clothing, but Aerith wouldn't let her come near, determined to keep her hard work safe until the Princess arrived. While Yuffie pouted, Aerith turned to Leon.
"You do have her weapons, right?"
The swordsman nodded lazily, waving one of his hands in the air, his eyes never leaving the pages of his book.
"Yeah, yeah. All ready to go."
Aerith was about to speak again, her lips positioned in a frown, when the door burst open again. This time it was Auron who entered, his presence demanding respect from all who were in the room. Even Yuffie was silent. He ducked slightly below the doorframe as he walked in, trying to avoid nicking the frame with his huge sword. He said nothing upon entering the room, and quietly walked over to a corner, where he planted the tip of his blade in the plywood, resting his weight upon its' handle. He closed his eyes, appearing to doze off.
The others were still silent, no one daring to ask him a question (even though Yuffie looked like she would pee if she didn't get the chance to), and through the open door flitted the fairy trio of YuRiPa.
The females were chattering as they entered, and Yuffie, finding her voice, immediately pounced on them and began to assault them with questions such as: Where the heck were you… can't believe… so late… what if she had gotten here before you… dammit…
And then, in the middle of all the noise, Kairi stood at the doorway, arriving last. As if she hadn't been confused enough already, Mickey had sent her here alone. To face these people she hadn't ever even really met before. She had only heard about them through Sora. But that didn't mean she actually knew them.
The sight before her wasn't very comforting, either.
Three little fairies arguing with some girl that looked like a guy, another guy sitting in a chair reading a book, a tough looking guy in the corner with a big sword, and a girl in a pink dress clutching some clothes as if they were her baby.
Oh yeah. She had definitely lost it when she agreed to save the world.
…………………….
And there ya go. Chapter Three.
Thus ends my writing fury for one day. Guh, three chapters in one day. That's a lot of writing.
Maybe another chapter tomorrow, if I feel like writing more.
Or if I'm even home.
Reviews? Meh?