The World Of Destiny Island
A/N: Kingdom Hearts is the property of Square-Enix etc, etc...
Feel Good Inc. is by and copyright The Gorillaz, from their Demon Days album.
Feel Good Inc.
Wakka spent the day in the "guest quarters" and though they were lavish and accommodated him and his co-captives in every capacity he came to hate them–
Hate!
Hate!
Hate!
Hate!
–absolutely hate them by the end of the day.
For one thing he never saw human employees, and that in itself was frustrating. Lunarian Concern employed Kill-Bots to take care of maintenance in the "guest quarters" and what with their razor-sharp rotating claws he didn't dare approach them.
Where was the human touch? It was the worst customer service he'd ever experienced... almost as if they were actually in a prison instead of... heeey.
His worry for Kairi and his brother grew exponentially every hour. How long could it take to fill out tax forms or take a tour?
To keep from going insane he took it upon himself to keep his new friends busy and assume the role of adult in charge. Edward just wasn't up to the task and someone had to make sure the kid and her dog didn't hurt themselves.
He tried to distract them by teaching them how to play the greatest blood sport ever invented– blitz ball.
"Okay, Stitch, now Lilo is close enough to score a goal," Wakka stood between Lilo and Stitch in the space they cleared in the center of the room– their imaginary blitz ball stadium. Edward sat in front of his and Wakka's couch/goal cracking his knuckles, staring off into space, and humming.
"Catch," Stitch said and gently tossed the ball to Lilo. Wakka snatched it out of the air.
"Ah-ha! Now what just happened?"
"An interception," Lilo said. "But if you ask me, the left fielder is obviously throwing the game."
"Am not," Stitch said.
"I think it would be much more fair if we tied your hands behind your back and made you use your head," Edward said.
"That's soccer," Wakka said for the umpteenth time.
"Whatever, man."
"I wanna try and make a goal now," Lilo said.
"Alright, alright. Do-overs." He tossed the ball back to Stitch. Stitch threw it back to Lilo, who drop-kicked it at Edward. Edward flinched out of the way and allowed the ball to bounce into the goal.
"You're not a very good goalie," Lilo said, not unkindly. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut you."
"I can't help it. I suffer from unspeakable dodge ball flashbacks." Edward rolled back up into the sitting position. "Do you know how many people have been killed in this sport?"
"Oh, please," Wakka snorted.
"It's true, man. It's the only sport where people are allowed to regularly blind, poison, and cripple each other."
"Like sabotage before the game?" Lilo asked.
"No, the players beat up on each other during the game," Edward said. "I once saw this guy tear the arms off of one of the opposing players and–"
"That never happened," Wakka told a wide-eyed Lilo.
"beat the lady until she dropped the ball, and then he used one of the arms as, kinda of like a golf club to hit the ball into the goal."
"I think I've seen that movie," Wakka realized. Yes, he saw it on a late nite show last year– The Naked something or other.
"It's all perfectly safe," Wakka said. "Nobody's ever died from being hit with a ball." To be honest, there are rare instances in the history of any sport of accidental deaths. A highly trained and gifted athlete is capable of sending a projectile hurtling at speeds of 100 mph or more. But Lilo, Edward, and Stitch didn't need to know that, especially when he was trying to win an argument.
"Some blitz balls come with these needle-y spikes this long," Edward held up his thumb and forefinger to demonstrate.
"Whoa!" Lilo said.
"Those are old-fashioned weapons, not regulation blitz balls," Wakka argued.
"But you can still really mess someone up just by doing this–" Edward lobbed the ball as hard as he could at Wakka's head– but the skinny man was no match for seventeen year-old reflexes and years of uninterrupted training. Wakka caught the ball easily and tossed it back to Lilo.
"Weak, weak, weak!" Wakka crowed, not paying attention to Lilo. She threw the ball to Stitch, who took aim at Wakka.
SMACK!
"Bro? Wake up. Wake-y wake-y!"
Wakka came to and found Chappu jabbing him in the stomach with a stick.
"Chappu? You're alive?" Wakka leapt to his feet.
"You really hit your head hard. I came to tell you that this job thing ain't exactly workin' out, do you want to go home?" he asked casually.
"Oh, it's not working out," Wakka said sarcastically.
"Nah, so much was promised, but so little was actually gained," he threw himself onto a couch and sighed. "I'm quittin'."
"Already? How long were you actually employed?"
"Two hours," Chappu said with a smile and a lift of the eyebrows. Wakka had a feeling that Chappu might've done something felonious during those two hours.
"And they'll just let us go? Just like that?"
"Eh, actually it's going to be a little more involved than that," Chappu said guiltily.
"I knew it!" Wakka said. "We're prisoners!"
"Told you, man," Edward said.
"There's no direct way back so we'll have to bypass the normal route by treacherous means," Chappu laced his fingers together, as he was wont to do when explaining something was complicated, a strange habit he picked up recently. "But don't worry, I'm working out a plan with these other guys. It could take a couple days."
"A couple days?" Everyone shouted.
"What about Kairi?" Wakka asked. "Is she alright?"
Chappu looked at his feet and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Er, something weird is going on with her and Mr. Frega."
"I knew it!" Wakka growled.
"She's alright. Mr. Frega is taking excellent care of her. He just won't let her leave."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"So we're... prisoners," Lilo said.
"Yep," Chappu said.
They all quietly mulled over this unhappy revelation.
"Sooo, we're going to escape. Right?" Lilo asked.
"Of course!" Chappu said confidently. "Just leave it to me!"
"What's the plan?" Wakka asked. Chappu shook his head and winked.
"You guys just sit tight. I'll let you know when my guy is ready."
"Rest in peace, you filthy animal," Baralai said sadly. He kicked the bundled body off the end of the pier into the harbor. The four pirates who attended the impromptu funeral bowed their heads.
"I'd like to say a few words," Captain Bikke said. "Goodbye Garm. Sorry ye never got to see yer home town again."
"Yar," the other three pirates said. They put their hats back on and wandered on their way.
"Captain Bikke? You were acquainted with this man?" Baralai questioned.
"Only an acquaintance," Bikke said. "He used to come around the Parrot and gossip with us. Always talked about how homesick he be."
"Did he say where he was from?"
"No. Guess he thought we'd sack it if he said where it was, and the way he talked about it I was half-tempted." Everyone knew Captain Bikke hadn't left port for the past twenty years, and he wouldn't have left Pravoka if there hadn't been an anti-pirate legislation act that forced him out.
Baralai thanked him and sent him on his way.
"Any sign of them?" he asked the women when they returned. Fujin shook her head.
"And nobody saw anything," the Mayor threw up her hands. "You'd think I'd learn!"
"It's all in how you ask," Fujin said and waved her shuriken threateningly.
"I don't want to be pushy," the Mayor said.
"What about the Cove?"
"It's empty," the Mayor said.
"There are no more children left on the island," Fujin said. "There's no more need for a constable," she said.
"No, don't quit," the Mayor said.
"I only took the job for the children's sake," Fujin shrugged. She turned and strode down the dock. "Besides, I have to go find my sons. I'm off to Zanarkand. See ya," she said.
"Zanarkand? Why?" Baralai said.
"She's right, you know," the Mayor took the bill of sale out of her pocket. She frowned and crumpled up the bill. "I have a little business there myself."
"Myrna, aren't you being a little hasty?"
"Nuh-uh. Time is critical. I 'm going to pack."
He watched her run back into town.
Well, dinner isn't going to make itself, he thought.
He got to the edge of the town when he thought, quite innocently:
Sure is dangerous out there, worse than what it used to be.
But everyone over the age of thirty says stuff like that. It was kind of funny that now he was guilty of the same thing.
Fujin is more than capable of watching out for the Mayor, he reasoned.
'I know what I'm doing,' he heard Myrna's voice.
"I'm sure you do," he said out loud.
'People are basically good.'
"Well, that depends. Don't let go of that refreshing idealism."
'I'm an excellent judge of character.'
"And still you married Nerd-boy?"
'Look! A hitchhiker! Come on, where's your sense of adventure?'
"I remember that!" he chuckled. In his heart of hearts a tiny seed of concern took root.
'I feel like I could take on the world! I'm gonna go bring some small-town justice to that biker bar.'
"Dear god, that was only last year," he realized.
'The solemn duty of every dragoon knight is to protect travelers,' this voice belonged to his mentor, Galuf. Travelers! That's people like her, you simpleton!
He stopped in front of his house behind the Temple.
His quiet, empty nest– er house.
Where he would eat dinner... all alone. And he'd wonder why his son ran away...
"Alright, alright!" Baralai yelled to the sky. "I'll get my things," he grumped.
He walked into the house and looked around.
What if Riku came back while he was gone?
He'd have to leave a note, he realized with a sinking heart. He was so bad at written sentiment. He went into his study and pulled a fresh sheet of paper from his stationary.
Dear Riku,
I had to leave town for while again, I can't say why, but don't worry, EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY.
He chewed on the end of his pen (in spite of the fact that a while ago he'd chipped a tooth by doing this,) and made a mental note to make sure there was plenty of cash in the freezer.
It didn't feel like enough though, he usually had some idea how long he'd be gone when he left town. However, he didn't want to leave the boy with the impression that he was being abandoned.
I know you know what to do, but remember to shut the screens at night, no strange visitors in the house, don't let the trash pile up, and don't leave your dirty dishes lying around the house. If you have any problems, Mr. and Mrs. Jaenzon are able to help you (their house is now over on Pelican Street.)
He still felt he should offer some sort of explanation for what happened to the town. Luckily their house hadn't moved anywhere, so at least there's that.
I'll call when I can.
He hoped he would be back before Riku got over whatever was bothering him this time. Things were awkward enough between them when he was there in person, he had no idea what kind of mawkish meanings Riku would read into the letter– too much concern or too little?
Oh well, it was in God's hands.
I love you.
With a smile, he resisted the urge to put "and don't make that face," and signed "Dad." It wasn't quite right, but he didn't have all day to revise it. He rolled the letter up and set it in the jaws of the storm dragon's skull.
With everything in place and all the windows and doors shut he headed for the dock.
Once her eyes adjusted to the near-darkness, she discovered a tiny ray of light emanating from a small aquarium on the bookshelf. She slowly approached it and saw a small section of multicolored weeds bunch together and disappear. There were no fish, however.
She waited for him, but waiting is dull work and she eventually started to pull books from the shelves.
She flipped through How To Mine For Fish, Why Is Uncle Faris Wearing A Dress, Inbreeding Chocobos For Fun And Profit before she picked up The Autobiography of Cid Nefarious Volume I.
"Cid Nefarious!" she whispered and reverently felt the raised lettering on the cover. "Grampa."
She pulled the next book down, and the next, until she had thirty volumes of the autobiography on the floor around her.
She recalled the time she was assigned to document her family tree...
Mom's side had been easy to do. People in the North Kingdoms took tremendous pride in their clan connections and Mom had extensive knowledge of her family. Kairi didn't want to sit and listen for hours to stories of some old warlord or witch or whatever, so she fell over and pretended to die.
"Oh, all right smart ass, I get the hint," Mom huffed, but Kairi could tell she was amused– just a little.
Dad's story had as little information as Mom's had reality. Orphaned when he was five, he grew up at the Center of White Magic in Burmecia, a boarding school. He didn't even know his parent's names.
The idea didn't bother him at all.
"It never came up. I'm sure it's in the records," he said absently while typing at his computer. He paused. "No. You know, I don't think Grandfather told them anything when he left me there..."
"At least you know who your grandfather was– right?" she asked hopefully. At this point Dad got a shifty look, and she realized that he was embarrassed. She thought that it was because he had no idea who his grandfather was either, and she really couldn't blame him. He was only kid at the time.
Dad ducked his head and mumbled something.
"What?"
"I said, Cid. His name was Cid."
"Cid Unne?"
"Well, yes," he said uncomfortably.
He mumbled again.
"Daddy! Stop that! This is for school."
"Cid Nefarious– alright? It's Cid Nefarious," he grimaced.
"You're joking."
"I'm serious." He had to dig out the few mementos he had of the man– a few letters and one cracked photograph of himself and Cid (the only time grandfather and grandson met) before she believed him.
Cid Nefarious, legendary airship captain and hero of the people. His real feats of derring-do were only second to his imaginary feats. He was the inspiration for many pulp books and television series. He was said to be the wiliest, bravest, and craziest man to sail the skies.
What wasn't much publicized, Dad explained, was Cid's incredible vulnerability: his romanticism. He was a lonely man who craved the intimacy and safety of a committed relationship.
"Now who's telling fairy tales," Mom snorted.
"It's true. Grandfather swept many women off their feet– but the second he opened his mouth..." Dad trailed off dramatically.
"What? What happened?" Kairi asked.
"He had... a speech impediment!"
"That's it? Girls didn't like him 'cause he talked funny? That's not fair."
Doesn't love conquer everything?
"It's simple. Imagine being rescued by a dashing stranger, spending an unforgettable, life-altering night with... Um... You know what Kairi," her father started to dither. She didn't understand at the time why he suddenly got fidgety. Mom picked up the narrative.
"After one helluva night, you roll over to greet this dreamy manly-man and he opens his mouth and–"
"Yes," Dad said,"and well, you remember Life of Brian, right?"
"Was it like: 'I'm Pontius Piwate! Wewease Wogewr?' or more like "Hi! I'm Biguth Dickuth!'"
"Kairi!" Mom glared at Dad. Mom thought that movie was a little too raunchy for Kairi. Dad grinned sheepishly.
"So it killed the romance, did it?" Mom said. "Maybe he should've tried internet dating."
"Are you suggesting that Cid Nefarious, swashbuckling hero–"
"I'm just saying," Mom interrupted, "that his methods aren't conducive to finding a wife. They suck! Women who let some strange guy into their pants just because he looks good in leather aren't gonna necessarily settle."
"They could," Dad argued.
"Pshaw!" Mom waved him off.
"Anyway, the result is that at last count, Grandfather has twenty-three illegitimate children and one legitimate child, the result of a drunken quickie wedding in some casino town somewhere. I'm the son of one of those people but I don't know who."
"Why didn't you ask him?" Kairi asked.
"I didn't think he cared to hear from me," Dad admitted. "By the time I got brave enough to try and contact him he'd already sold his airship, bought a space cruiser and left this world at light speed for Galgamack– oh, must be thirteen years ago now. He might as well be dead."
Kairi felt sorry for Cid. She decided that she'd write him a letter and let him know how her family was doing.
She told Selphie about her idea and though they swore to secrecy everybody found out about it. She found herself inundated with photos of her family and the island to scan into electronic format– that would be their best bet to reach him. The secret project took weeks to undertake in the school computer lab. No teachers could help, because they'd probably tell her parents and Kairi had a feeling that if Dad knew what she planned he'd put a stop to it.
She sent the completed letter to a mail service through Portico City two months later after saving up enough of her allowance and borrowing extensively from Sora (he immediately forgave the debt.)
She waited a long time for a response, so long that she eventually forgot about it.
Then ten months later a thick envelope was delivered to her house, with half the crew of the postal ship there to see. It seemed that the name on the return address had stirred up the postal workers, and there was a bet going on as to the authenticity of the sender.
The look on Dad's face was pretty priceless too.
She smiled and flipped open the thirtieth volume to the dedication page and read to her utter delight:
"This volume is dedicated to my granddaughter, Kairi, who gave me some lovely advice about a certain fruit..."
To Be Continued