(9) Curious and Confused
"Goodness gracious!"
Queen Minnie, standing in front of an extremely huge door, wrung her hands and looked worriedly at Sora and his friends. After hearing noises coming from outside the audience room, the queen went to investigate and witnessed the last part of the battle.
"Is everyone all right?" she asked.
"Yes, your Majesty," said Donald, saluting, "No one was injuried."
Behind Donald, Ed's jaw dropped. Your Majesty! You mean that mouse-lady-thing was the queen? How...strange. Then again, this was Donald's and Goofy's world; why was he surprised? Ed clamped his mouth shut and tried to appear nonchalant.
"My, what a relief," sighed the queen.
"Have the Heartless been showing up again lately, your Majesty?" Goofy asked with concern. "'Cos I've never seen so many here before."
"No, they're usually quite sparse here at the castle," she replied. "But, we were having a town meeting today." She gestured at the huge doors, where the smaller cut-out door was still partly open. Inside, the audience room was filled with people (Or, animal-people, anyway) chatting amougnst themselves while they waited for their queen to return and resume the meeting.
"Perhaps the large gathering of hearts in one place attracted them," Queen Minnie continued. "Thank goodness you all showed up when you did, or we would have been in big trouble. So you have my graditude and--oh!" Her eyes finally spotted the two new faces. "Who are your friends?"
"Uh, that's Ed and the one in the armor is his brother, Al," Sora answered, jerking his thumb back in their direction respectively.
Al stepped forward. "It's, uh, a pleasure to meet you, your Majesty," he said, with a somewhat awkward bow. He then turned his head to Edward, motioning for him to introduce himself as well.
But Ed just crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking bored. Al silently groaned. "Brother," he hissed. Ed sighed and shook his head, then finally stepped forward, throwing Al an 'are-you-happy-now?' look.
"Er, hi," he said to the queen, who smiled politely in return. "S'nice to meet ya, ma'am." He bent over a bit, not to bow but so that he could hold out his hand. The queen chuckled and shook it.
Well, at least he wasn't being completely rude now. It was enough to satisfy Al, anyway. Donald, on the other hand, was outraged.
"Hey!" he squawked, "She's the queen; show some respect!"
"She's not my queen," Ed retorted, straighting back up. "No offense or anything, but I'm just saying. I don't have to bow down to anyone."
Donald looked ready to lash out a response, but Queen Minnie held up her hand, a simple gesture that instantly made Donald shut his mouth. (He did, however, still grumble.) "That's perfectly fine," she said. "He's right, after all. Besides, we're all friends here and friends do not have to be so formal with each other."
Sora grinned when he noticed how Ed looked surprised and touched at the same time. He quickly regained his bored posture, but Sora knew that he had silently decided that he liked this queen. When it came to Queen Minnie, there were few who didn't.
"Well, I still think he needs to learn some manners," Donald announced. He just had to have the last word, after all. "That's no way to treat a lady, especially one of high stature."
"Funny you should mention that."
Everyone turned to the door of the audience room, where a duck in a purple gown was now standing, white-feathered arms placed on her hips, suggesting that she was slightly irritated.
"D-Daisy!" Donald began backing up, his head moving side to side, trying to locate the nearest exit. Oh, sure, he loved Daisy to pieces. But that didn't mean he wanted to be torn to pieces himself, because, despite her currently calm disoposition, she had That Look in her eye. And That Look could only mean one thing: Donald was in trouble. "H-Hi, sweety. How've you been?" he sputtered, under the glare of That Look. Now, should he slide into the library or make a run back to the courtyard?
"Lonely," she snapped. "Ever since you went off to save the worlds, you've been completely ignoring me. I mean, I know you're real busy and eveything, but that's no excuse to neglect me! You can stop by now and then and at least say hello, can't you? Is it really that much to ask?"
Donald ceased his plans to escape and bowed his head. "Oh, Daisy, I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to make it up you."
"Well, we got some free time now," Sora said with obvious glee, "So why don't you two go and catch up?"
"Why, that's a wonderful idea!" Daisy exclaimed, and she reached out and grabbed Donald by the arm, who looked a little shell-shocked. "Don't worry now, I'll make sure to give him back. After some quality time together! Ta-ta!"
A helpless Donald let himself be dragged down the hallway, causing everyone to chuckle.
"Well now, I suppose it's time I returned to the meeting. Is there anything you boys need?"
"Actually, your Majesty, is it all right if we use your library for a little bit?" asked Sora. "We kinda mentioned it to Ed, and now he really wants to see it."
"Of course you can," replied the Queen. "Make yourselves at home."
"Thank you, ma'am," Ed said with all sincerity. Then, when the Queen headed back to the audience chamber and they started down the hall, he said to Sora, "And while we're enjoying this library, you better explain a few things to us as well, got it?"
"Yeah, yeah," Sora sighed. "I guess we have to tell you now."
"Damn straight!" Ed threw his head back and shouted to his brother, who was lagging behind. "Come on, Al! Spikey is going to let us in on this big secret of his!"
"It's not a big secret," muttered Sora, his left eye twitching, "And stop calling me Spikey."
"Uh, go on ahead!" Al shouted back. "I'll be there in a second!"
"Whatever," replied his brother as he, Sora, and Goofy disappeared through the door that led into the library. Al quickly turned and managed to tap the Queen's shoulder before she went back into the audience room.
"Um, your Majesty?" he asked. There was something on his mind and he was hoping the Queen might know something about it. He didn't know who else to ask.
She stopped and turned back to around to face him. "Yes Al?"
"I was wondering...does a girl named Iza live here, in your kingdom maybe? Brown hair, purple eyes, and, um...human, I think."
"Iza?" echoed Queen Minnie, and Al nodded. "Iza. Hmm. No, I'm sorry, but I don't think I know anyone by that name or description."
"Oh. I see."
"Are you looking for this girl?" she asked.
"Not...exactly." It was more like trying to find out if she really existed or not. Strange girls who sink into the ground aren't exactly common. So how could Al be sure that she was even real? Maybe he just imagined the whole thing. "Um, well, thanks anyways. I guess I better get going. Sorry to hold you up, your Majesty."
"It's no problem," she said sweetly. "See you later."
--------
The library was small, bright, and abstract looking. A lot different than what Ed was used to. Still, it had a very interesting collection of books. Ed was casually flipping through one while Sora nabbed the only available chair and Goofy leaned against the wall. All was quiet for a moment, then Al entered, softly closing the door behind him. Ed snapped his book shut and replaced it on its shelf.
"All right," said Ed, signaling for them to start, "A bunch of weird, black shadow-things attacked us out of nowhere. So I want to know what they are and why they did that."
"Those were the Heartless," answered Sora, resting his arms on the desk in front of him. He might as well get comfortable; this could take a while.
"What do you mean by Heartless?" asked Al. "Are they really cruel or something?"
"No, I mean they actually don't have hearts," he replied.
Ed rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. They have to have hearts. Otherwise they'd be dead. Or do they not have blood either?"
"Well, I guess they don't," said Sora. "And besides, I wasn't refering to a blood-pumping organ, although they probably lack that too..."
"When we say heart," Goofy quickly cut in, seeing how Ed looked frustratedly confused, "When mean another kind of heart. It's made up of light and dark, and it's kinda like your inner essence, the thing that makes you you."
"Oh," said Al, who starting to understand what they were getting at. "You mean the soul?"
"Sorta," shrugged Sora. "Same idea, pretty much."
"Okay, so these things don't have "hearts"," said Ed, making finger quotations in the air on the last word. "Why not?"
Sora grimaced. Explaining this to them would take forever, especially since they were scientists of sorts, plus the fact that Ed was particularly skeptical and wouldn't easily believe what they told him without solid evidence. Sora didn't think it was worth going to the trouble anyway, since soon (hopefully) they would be returning to their own world, where it seemed the Heartless hadn't reached.
Pointing this out wouldn't help, though. Sora could already tell that the Elric Brothers were the kind of people who didn't get curious and then forget about it. If they got curious, they wouldn't stop until that curiousty was satisfied. If they were cats, they would have lost all nine lives by now.
Sora sighed; there was no way out of this. A lot of arguing, miscommuncation, and disbelief was soon to follow.
"Maybe I can of some assistance," someone said. Sora glanced down; standing on the desk was none other than Jiminy Cricket, fairy-appointed conscience and part-time recorder. In his tiny hands was the journal, which held all the information they had gathered throughout their journey so far.
"What the hell is that?" Ed pointed.
"Our journal," Sora answered, although Ed had been pointing at Jiminy, not the book. Sora plucked the book from the cricket's hands (much to his relief, as it was much bigger than him and therefore, not so easy to hold) and handed it over to Edward. "Read it. It will probably explain things way better than I can."
Ed obliged, sitting on the checkered floor next to his brother so that they could both sit there and read it over. Jiminy had made a good call; the Elrics could more easily believe something if it was written down in a book. What's more, there were reports in there too, written by someone named Ansem. They went into detail about hearts, worlds, and the Heartless, and it made it all seem much more scientific, and therefore, believable. Then they flipped through the bestiary, examining all the different kinds of Heartless.
Then the two came across another bestiary, yet the creatures in this one weren't Heartless, but white and slightly more humanoid things.
"What are these ones?" asked Ed. Sora got up and looked over his shoulder, taking a quick glance to see what page they were on.
"Oh. Those are the Nobodies," he said. "When someone loses their heart, not only do they become a Heartless, but they create a Nobody too. Their Nobody is kinda like half of them, but they also lack hearts."
"I don't think I'm getting it," said Ed with a frown. Sora snatched up the journal from their hands and began flipping through the pages. He stopped, apparently getting to what he was looking for, then gave it back.
"Read that," he said, pointing to the first page of that section. It was labeled 'Secret Ansem Reports'. "It explains the Nobodies. We don't have all of those reports yet, though, so if you still have any questions, me and Goofy will try to answer them. Although honestly, we don't know everything about the Nobodies ourselves."
"Right," Ed said, and he and his brother began to read. These reports were just as detailed as the other set, but it somehow felt different. Like someone else wrote them, even though the author's name was the same. And, as Sora said, some of the reports were missing, leaving a few blanks here and there.
But they got the gist of it: When someone loses their heart, their heart gets swallowed up in darkness and whatever's left of them becomes a Heartless. The Heartless in turn search for their missing hearts. But since it's lost to the darkness, they'll never find it. Instead, they mindlessly attack other people, attracted to the light of their hearts. In the end, they just make more Heartless.
The Nobodies were slightly more confusing. According to the journal, when a Heartless is created, so is a Nobody. But even though they don't have hearts, they're not the same as the Heartless. They're smarter and retain a more humaniod form, and some, apparently, have actual human bodies that are similar to their orignal ones. However, they lack emotions and true existance. The Nobodies desire wholeness as well as hearts, since they are only half a being. This, along with the fact that they retain their memories as a whole being, sets them apart them apart from the Heartless.
Edward longed for a pen and paper; he wanted to take notes. Even though none of this actually pretained to their world and their own journey, it was an interesting subject and required further studying.
Alphonse, on the other hand, was trying to come to a conclusion. What if that girl he met in the courtyard was real, and that black thing that swallowed her was some sort of Heartless-thing? The journal mentioned darkness a lot, and that portal seemed pretty dark to him. Then again, this whole darkness thing was puzzling, leaving him uncertain about what actually happened. He wanted to ask Sora about it, but decided against doing so right away. Al wanted to make sure he hadn't been hallucinating first, rather than create more confusion amoung everyone.
Jiminy Cricket bounced off the desk and collected the journal from the Elrics after they were finished with it. Then, after a quick tip of his hat, he and the journal disappeared to wherever it was they always went. The two brothers pulled themselves off the floor.
"There's one more thing I wanna know," Ed told Sora. "Earlier, during the fight, you were wielding some sort of gaint key."
"They Keyblade," Sora put in.
"Yeah, your book mentioned it. Big, special, key-hole sealing weapon, blah, blah, blah. I know what it is now. What I want to know is what you're up to that requires a weapon like that."
"Brother, that's really not our business," Al said. Besides, they never told the trio about what they were what up to, back on their own world.
"I'm just wondering," Ed said in his defense. "Geez."
"It's all right," said Sora. "I don't mind. See, orignally I used the Keyblade to fight off the Heartless and seal the hearts of worlds, so they'd be safe. Now I'm using it not only to fight the Heartless, but Organization XIII. They're a group of very strong Nobodies who can control the lesser Nobodies. We're not sure what they're up to, exactly, but they've attacked us before. I'm also looking for some friends of mine, and I think the Organization captured one of them. And I have to get her back," he added, his latter words sounding rueful compared to his normal, cheery self. Ed let the subject go.
"Don't worry, Sora," said Goofy. "We'll save Kairi and we'll find Riku and the King! It'll all be okay."
Sora smiled, instantly perking back up. "Yeah, I know. So what are we waiting for? Let's grab Donald and go! Oh," he turned to the Elrics and added teasingly, "We have to get rid of these two, first, don't we?"
--TBC--
A/N: Okay, I've made a mistake. In the last chapter, Iza reported that Roxas hadn't made contact with Sora yet. WRONG! Apparently, Roxas rejoined with Sora at the begining of the game, as opposed to near the end (which is what I had thought). But. Oh well. In the end, it doesn't really matter, yeah?
By the way, I've pitched the orignal plot-line out the window and am replacing it with something a bit more...I dunno. Complicated? Risky? Better? Well, whatever the outcome may be, I'm putting all the responsibility of it on you readers. Why? Because it's all your fault! All those wonderful reviews are giving me a big head! Now I feel confident enough to add plot-twists and the like, thinking I can actually get away with it! So, yes, if this story goes down the drain, I blame you guys. On the other hand, if the story turns out exceeding well, I'm going to take all the credit for it! MUHAHAHA!xD Kidding. And please, do keep reviewing. It makes me feel all special inside...lol.
(Random Extra!)(Bad boy, bad boy, whatcha gonna do?)
Hey, have you ever wondered...before Pinnochio became a real boy, what did he do without Jiminy, whowas offrecording Sora's journey?
Police: Chzzt -speaks into radio- This is officer Johnson, requesting back-up. Pinnochio, aka the Wooden Bandit, has been surrounded, but currently is armed and dangerous. Repeat, target is armed. Send back-up immediately!
Pinnochio: You'll never take me alive, coppers! -fires pistol-
Police: -shouts in megaphone- We have you surrounded! Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!
Pinnochio: Never! Besides, your bullets cannot hurt me, for I am made of wood! Hahaha!
Police: We have flamethrowers!
Pinnochio: ...oh shit.
Later, in court...
Judge: Pinnochio, you have been charged of theif, larceny, endangerment of others,resist of arrest,and building illegal campfires inside an endangered species of whale. How do you plead?
Pinnochio: Not guilty! -nose grows ten feet- God dammit! All right, all right! I did it, see! And I'd do it again too!
Judge: Take him away!
Gepetto: -sniff- Oh, Pinnochio, if you only you had a conscience...
Later, elsewhere...
Jiminy Cricket: -on his cell phone- Oh, hi Blue Fairy! How's it going?
Jiminy: ...what do you mean, I'm fired?
(Fin!)