Ok so first of all, sorry that this chapter took so long! I kinda took a short break to recharge my creative juices (and edit earlier chapters). So now that we're back, allow me to give ya'll something of a heads up about these chapters. Writing a Disney world based on a show instead of a movie is... interesting. I tried to make these as broad as possible so if you've never watched Gravity Falls, you can still enjoy them (though granted, they do spoil some of the show's biggest plot events so yeah... be aware of that). Either way, this was very fun to write, and a fun way to go back to my roots in a sense XD Enjoy! (Keyword is CIPHER)
Chapter 49: Trust No One
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The first thing Sora feels when he passes through another dark corridor into yet another unknown world is the undeniable, unmistakable presence of a Key.
It calls to him, just as the rest have, even as he collapses to his knees, weak and lightheaded. After over two weeks of relying on dark corridors for getting around, he would have thought he'd gotten used to the unpleasant effects of using them by now. But no amount of bracing himself can ever really ease the sudden sickness the shadows bring him, sickness that he forces himself to ignore as he unsteadily rises to stand.
He finds himself in yet another forest, hardly surprising given just how many wood-covered worlds he's been to so far. This particular forest is as dense as all the others, populated by pine trees and alive with the sounds and songs of summertime. Yet as he begins to traverse through the towering trees, Sora still senses the telltale aura of a Key drifting through the muggy air. And as he feels it, he realizes… he has no idea what to do with the knowledge that one is here.
Before now, it'd been incredibly clear what he needed to do in any given world where a Key could be found. He'd sense them, find them, and secure them for the guardians of light, at least when they weren't cruelly stolen from him by the Organization. Ten Keys had come and been claimed in a largely routine fashion, back when Sora had been so certain of what side he stood on, before everything had gotten so difficult and complicated. Before everything had gone so horribly wrong.
Because now that he's on his own, he knows that even if he does find this world's Key, there's no clear cut answer to the question of what he should do with it. He can't take it back to the lights like he would have before; simply stepping foot within their presence now is bound to land him in a set of heavy chains for sure, even if he tried to give them a Key as a peace offering. But even then, he refuses to let another one fall into the hands of his foes, refuses to run the risk of letting any given member of Organization XIII find it first. After all, the very least Sora can do now is strive to keep the thirteen Keys out of Xehanort's reach. Even if the master is all but guaranteed to get the thirteenth vessel he's so ruthlessly after.
"Guess I'm looking for a Key then…" he mutters to himself, even if he still has no idea what he'll do once he finds it. The best he can think of is just keeping it to himself, because at least if the Keys are all separated, then they can't be brought together to be used for their intended, catastrophic purpose. But when it comes to ensuring that Key doesn't fall into the Organization's possession when he inevitably does… well, he'll just have to cross that bridge when he gets to it.
So he sets out to search for that Key, unsure of what else he might find in whatever world he's come to. His pace is rather slow, his hands shoved into his pocket after he ensures his hood is still pulled up tight over his head. He tries to keep his thoughts focused more on his new mission and less on his own less than satisfactory state. That's hard to ignore though, when he looks down at the tears his clothes have sustained, notices the scratches and scars torn across his skin, feels the lingering ache of his still mostly empty stomach. With only a few short hours of sleep under his belt from the past several days, his focus is weak and wavering, the bags under his eyes weighing heavier than ever as he tries to fight off the near-constant drowsiness. It's not a pleasant feeling, and though there's an easy way to fix it, it's one he can't take, not when he knows that what awaits him in sleep is nothing more than nightmares now.
Though the crisp midday sun shines through the canopy of trees, that canopy soon grows thicker as Sora finds himself wandering even further into the forest. A sudden cold breeze cuts through this shadowy section of the woods, a stark contrast to the comfortable climate covering the rest of the area. Sora shudders as that breeze passes him by, nearly blowing his hood down until he manages to catch it and keep it up just in time. As he does, he happens to spot something strange in not just one, but several of the surrounding trees. The bark of their trunks are textured in such a way that almost resembles eyes, hundreds of them, all seeming to stare solely at him. And if that isn't unsettling enough, he's soon shocked to find all semblance of color itself begin to drain from the trees, the sky, the ground, from everything around him. As that color fades, time itself seems to suddenly grind to a complete halt, the leaves stiffening in place on the trees, birds freezing in mid-flight, everything going completely still and silent save for Sora himself as he stands amidst this sudden startling shift.
He jolts, shaking his head in disbelief as he glances around his now lifeless, grayscale surroundings. Every eye on every tree still looks directly at him though, making him feel more anxious and on edge than he already is to begin with. When he eventually manages to speak, his own voice echoes back at him amidst the almost oppressive silence, silence that he doesn't know how to get out of any more than he does the cold, colorless void he's somehow been cast into. "W-what in the-"
He stops himself when he sees a shadow suddenly rising over him, its shape large and looming. His entire body tenses up, a sharp chill running down his spine as he prepares to call upon his Keyblade, his powers, or anything else he can use to ward off what he assumes must be an approaching threat. Part of him fears it's someone from the Organization, come to stalk and torture him even far before the next Key has even been found, simply for the sake of their own sadistic entertainment. But when he settles on summoning the Kingdom Key and spins around as swiftly as he can, he's met with just about the last thing he could have ever been expecting. And by far the most bizarre.
"Whoa there, kid! Careful where you're pointing that thing! You'll poke someone's eye out. Get it? EYE?!"
Sora nearly drops his Keyblade completely as he takes in the sight of the strange being hovering before him. Simply put, it's a triangle, a golden, glowing triangle with only a large, single eye and a small bowtie adoring its flat "face". A thin, black set of arms and legs hang from its sides, and one of those arms reaches up to tip the tall top hat hanging over its utmost tip in some sort of casual greeting.
"Ease up a little, Keyblade!" the triangle somehow "speaks", his voice high and pitchy as it echoes through the colorless woods. "You don't have to get all panicky on me, I'm not one of your buddies in the black coats, ya know."
"W-what? How do you-" Sora stops himself, knowing that's far from the first question he should be asking here. Even though he has plenty more right off the bat about this being that's quite unlike anything he's really seen before. "Who… what are you…?"
"I'm so glad you asked!" the triangle cheerfully exclaims, gliding up a bit higher. "I'm the answer to all your prayers, Keyblade. But if you want, you can call me Bill. Rolls off the tongue much easier-not that I would know. I don't have a tongue!"
"Um… ok?" Sora frowns, still absolutely lost by this peculiar stranger and his oddly chipper demeanor. "That answers the 'who', but not really the 'what', so…"
"Boy, you sure do ask a lot of questions, dontcha, Keyblade?" Bill remarks, reclining back in his spot midair. "Unfortunately, getting nitty-gritty with the details of what I really am might be just a bit too much for your mortal mind to handle, so let's keep things simple. I'm an interdimensional, all-powerful, all-knowing being who likes to hang out in this neck of the woods every now and then. To tell ya the truth, I guess you could say I'm sort of an 'out of worlder', which hey! Looks like that's something you and I have in common, huh, Keyblade?"
"Out-of-wait. You know I'm not… from here?" Sora drops his voice down to a whisper, just in case there are any prying eyes or ears.
"'Course you're not!" Bill says, as though it's obvious. "But that's not a problem. In fact, let me be the first to welcome you to a world that's a personal favorite of mine: Gravity Falls!"
"Uh, yeah, I sure hope it does here just like in every other world," Sora raises an eyebrow, only to be even more confused when Bill breaks out into a sudden, hearty laugh.
"Oh, good one, Keyblade!" he chuckles mirthfully. "You just about split all three of my sides there with that one!"
"Oh, uh, y-yeah, that was… definitely a joke," Sora plays off his embarrassing misunderstanding with as much of a smile as he can possibly manage. Which, by all accounts, isn't much of one anymore.
"You know, kid, ever since I spotted you wandering around here, you piqued my interest," Bill informs, conjuring a cane out of thin air to lean against. "But now that I've had a chance to chat it out with you, I gotta admit, I like ya! Why don't you and I be friends?"
Sora sighs, his unsteady smile fading as he loosely wraps his arms around himself and glances away. "Trust me, you don't want to be friends with me…" he mutters, shaking his head.
"Aw, why not?" Bill asks, seemingly disappointed. "Lemme guess: it's the same reason you ran off from the rest of your friends, right? Because some bald old creep and his crew of cronies are dead set on trying to 'recruit' you into that darkness-loving cult of theirs?"
Sora draws in a sharp gasp at this, his eyes wide as he stares at Bill incredulously. "How did you know that?" he asks apprehensively, taking just the slightest step back.
"Oh, I know LOTS of things, Keyblade." Bill's bright yellow form suddenly changes as countless images flash across it far too quickly for Sora to make aunty of them out. "For example, I know you've been out on your own for, oh, roughly two weeks or so, and that you've been having one heck of a time living the 'hobo' lifestyle you've taken up. I also know you can't go back to any of your friends because the minute you do, they'll be fitting you for a nice set of shiny new chains inside a cozy prison cell. AND I know that it won't be long now before the old man finally finishes the job in forcing you into his big happy 'family' and-"
"S-stop," Sora cuts him off, unable to bear listening to anymore. Of receiving yet another reminder of the ultimately inescapable, undeniably awful fate that awaits him. "Please, I… I already know all of that too…"
"Well, here's something you DON'T know, kid," Bill counters brightly. "Contrary to what you might've heard from some… less than reliable sources, it's not too late to keep your sob story from turning into a full on tragedy!"
"...What do you mean?" Sora asks, unable to keep his curiosity quelled. Even then though, there's an edge of wariness to that curiosity, a bit of doubt in the idea that he isn't already a lost cause, that his life and freedom aren't already fully forfeit. Especially after he's been told time and time again that they are.
"What I mean is I'd like to help you, Keyblade!" Bill proclaims, his flat form flashing brightly. "Life's turned you into its own personal punching bag lately, even after all of the good you've done, all the folks you've helped. And if you ask me, I think that's just about the most unfair thing I've ever seen; and I've been around for a LONG time, so believe me, kid, that's saying something. Which is why I wanna do something about it."
Bill's upbeat optimism is largely lost on Sora as he simply brushes his altruistic proposal with another small, sad sigh. "Thanks for the offer but… I don't think you can help me…" he says, folding his arms as he turns to leave. At least until Bill abruptly flashes into the open space before him.
"Not so fast, Keyblade! I don't think you heard me earlier," the triangle counters as confidently as ever. "I said I wanted to help you. Ya know, the guy who's all-seeing AND all-powerful? Getting that geezer's heart out of yours should be a piece of cake!"
For a long moment, Sora says nothing as he tries to comprehend the incredible implications of what Bill had just said. The mere idea that his heart could somehow be set free. And yet… just when he thinks about clinging onto that small, fledgling shred of hope, he remembers Xehanort's cruel words all too well: "There is no cure, no magic, no power under any world or realm that can stop what I have set in motion for you."
No cure, no magic, no power… not even that of an allegedly "all-powerful" being… right? "N-no," he shakes his head, averting the almost haunting gaze of Bill's singular eye. "You can't... There's no way to-"
"No way to stop this? Who told ya that?" Bill sneered, rolling his eye. "Oh, lemme guess! Dear ol' gramps wanted to scare you into giving up, and from the looks of it, it worked. But you shouldn't let him get you down, kid! Even he doesn't know everything, not like I do…"
Sora hesitates upon hearing this, bewildered by the thought of someone smarter, someone strong enough to stop Xehanort when no one else can. It's too good to be true, this chance encounter with this odd, yet kindly and supposedly powerful being-a talking triangle, of all things. Which is why he can't help but find room to doubt Bill's claims, especially for as lofty as they are. "Ok, so… let's say you actually can stop this-"
"Which I can."
"How would you do it?" Sora asks, skimming a clawed hand over his heart.
"Don't get hung up on the 'how', Keyblade. Instead, focus on the 'what'. In fact, let me paint you a picture," Bill begins, seeming to go off on another tangent entirely. He projects an image upon his flat body, one of Sora as he currently looks, white hair, yellow eyes, claws and all. "See, you're all sad and scared and lonely now, but imagine how much better off you'll be once we get gramps out of your heart once and for all!"
Sora gasps when the image of his appearance suddenly changes, his hair once again brown, his eyes once again blue, a wide, relieved smile spread across his face as he takes in the newly-restored sight of himself. "Just think, Keyblade: no more crazy geezer and his henchjerks controlling everything you say or do. And that's not even the best part! Because once all your many-and I mean MANY-problems are finally fixed and outta the way-"
"I can go home…" Sora finishes, his voice barely above a whisper as he watches it all play out before him. As he watches himself eagerly running back to the lights, back to Riku and Kairi, as he watches them accept him and welcome him and love him with open arms, all of the lies and pain of the past completely forgiven and forgotten. It's everything he's been dreaming of, ever since the day he first ran away; a dream that Xehanort has ripped away from him just as swiftly as he had his hope, his freedom, even his own heart. All things that Bill is promising to finally return to him.
"You sure can!" Bill excitedly exclaims, his form returning to its usual yellow glow. "And all you gotta do to make it happen is one teeny, tiny favor for your new best buddy Bill."
"A favor?" Sora blinks, caught off guard. "But… I thought you said you wanted to help me."
"And I do, Keyblade!" Bill assures warmly. "But nothing's ever really free. You do me a good turn, and I do you one in return. That's how this whole 'friend' thing works, right?"
"Um… I guess?" Sora shrugs, suddenly uncertain. "So what do you want me to do?"
"Eh, not much; I just need you to pick up a small… trinket for me." With a flick of his wrist, the illusion of something appears over Bill's outstretched hand, a small device that reminds Sora of a snow globe. Inside of it, however, hovers a strange, largely formless cloud of sparkling darkness that almost looks like the night sky, constantly swirling and changing shape within the small glass dome containing it.
"What is that?" Sora asks, glancing between the globe and Bill in apt fascination.
"Mm, call it an old family heirloom, one that's very important to me," Bill says, his slitted pupil fixated on the globe alone as he continues. "Problem is, it was stolen from me a few weeks back by some six-fingered nerd who's carrying… a bit of a grudge. I prefer to let bygones be bygones but ol' Sixer isn't the same way-neither is the rest of his family for that matter, but that's beside the point."
"Ok, let me get this straight," Sora cuts in, trying to make sense of Bill's rather bizarre request. "You want me to go… steal something for you?"
"Ah ah ah, steal something back for me," Bill corrects, wagging his finger. "This thing belonged to me to begin with, I just want you to get it back."
"Well… why can't you go get it yourself?"
Bill's form very briefly flickers red at this, his eye twitching with what almost looks like anger. He swiftly evens out back into his usual cheery calm as he proceeds to explain. "Would if I could, Keyblade, but here's the thing. Sixer lives in this run-down hut not too far from here," Bill shows off the image of that hut, a rather dilapidated wooden building with a large sign reading "Mystery Shack". "And get this; the guy is so paranoid that he has a barrier put up around the entire place to keep incorporeal creatures like yours truly out. But even if someone like me can't get past that barrier, someone with a physical form like you can, Keyblade. Putting the pieces together yet?"
"I am, but… I don't know…" Sora glances away, rubbing his arm. "Even if this heirloom thing was yours first, I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of going to take it back from someone else. Stealing… doesn't usually end well for me…" He winces as he remembers what had happened back in Agrabah, as he thinks of the jail cell he'd landed in, the friendship he'd all but ruined solely because of his own selfish, foolish actions. Actions that he'd rather not repeat, even if they're for the sake of someone else this time instead.
"Then don't think of it as stealing," Bill waves his hand dismissively. "Think of it as helping out your new best friend, a friend who just so happens to be maybe the only guy who can set that poor little heart of yours free. All you gotta do is deliver that heirloom to me, Keyblade, and you'll be back with your friends before you know it. Trust me!"
"...You really can stop what's happening to my heart?" Sora asks, wanting to make sure this won't be for nothing.
"You better believe I can! But whether or not I will is up to you, Keyblade," Bill extends his hand out to Sora, a bright burst of blue flame engulfing it as he does. "One silly old trinket is more than a fair price for getting your life and your friends back, right? So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"
Sora takes in a deep breath as he stares at the blue blaze before him, wondering why he's hesitating over something that he shouldn't have to think twice about. Of course he wants to escape from Xehanort's twisted plans for him, of course he wants to free his heart from the toxic darkness plaguing it, of course he wants to be able to return to his friends and forget that any of this ever happened. And really, it's not like Bill is asking that much of him to make any of that happen. He simply wants him to retrieve a precious heirloom that was supposedly, wrongly taken from him in the first place. At best, he not only gets that heirloom back and Bill helps him in return as promised. At worst, if what's happening to his heart truly can't be stopped even by his peculiar powers, then at the very least he'll have helped a new friend out of a tight spot, something that's bound to make his troubled conscience feel better than it has in weeks. Sure it might be stealing, but unlike the Oracle back in Agrabah, this is something small, from someone who, from the sounds of it, doesn't deserve to have it to begin with. And if one tiny act of inconsequential theft is enough to finally put an end to his ongoing waking nightmare, then won't it be more than worth it in the end? Won't it be worth it if it can heal his fractured, breaking heart, if it can undo the damage the darkness has done to it, if it can bring him back into the fold of the friends he misses far more than he can truly bear?
"...It's a deal," he finally says on that final thought alone. He meets Bill's hand for a firm shake, surprised that those blue flames aren't even hot in the slightest as they engulf his own hand too. And just like that, their bargain is set in stone and securely sealed.
"Great!" Bill exclaims, clearly happy with how things have turned out. "I knew I could count on you, Keyblade! Since I'm as eager to get that heirloom back as you are to get back to how you used to be, I'll just leave you to it! The Mystery Shack's just a few miles that way, ya can't miss it!"
"Ok," Sora nods, noting the direction Bill's pointing him in. "Where should I meet you once I've found it?"
"Oh, don't worry about that, kid, I'll catch up with you," Bill assures, floating higher into the air. "Till then, I'll make sure to keep an 'eye' on you. Oh, and try to keep our little 'arrangement' to yourself; wouldn't want any of the old man's chumps to find out and squash your hopes and dreams even more than they already have, right?"
"No…" Sora sighs, briefly glancing down at his crimson claws. "I wouldn't…"
"Chin up, kid! You don't have to look so depressed anymore! If you get that heirloom for me, then it won't be long until all the trouble they've given you is nothing more than a pleasant memory. Or, well, maybe more of an unpleasant for you, but you get the gist," Bill jokes as a bright glow begins to envelop his entire form, offering Sora a final friendly wave. "See ya real soon, Keyblade!"
"Oh, um, see you-" Sora's farewell is cut off as Bill abruptly disappears in a blinding flash of blue light. The very second he's gone, color bursts back into the once black and white world, time resuming its usual flow as Sora blinks repeatedly, trying to reorient himself and keep his already light head from spinning anymore than it already is. He leans against a nearby tree to support himself and recover, staring down at his hand once more as he recalls the blue fire it had just been alight with, as he thinks more on the deal he'd just made and who he'd made it with.
"Bill…" he mutters to himself with a bewildered frown. "What a weird guy… But if he really can help me then… I guess I don't have much of a choice but to help him too…"
Helping him by stealing, his own thoughts echo back at him, disapproving and judgmental.
"No," he corrects himself, shaking his head as he stands. "Not stealing… Just… setting things right. Both for Bill… and for myself…"
And really, that's all the motivation he needs to begin setting out again, this time in search of not just a Key, but a mysterious heirloom. An heirloom that could very well unlock the door to the freedom he'd once thought had all but slipped away from him completely. Freedom that he's ready to do just about anything to claim, especially if it means he can finally go back, if it means he can finally, finally be with the friends he's come to miss so dearly once again.
The mere thought alone puts something of a renewed spring in his step as he sets out down the path Bill pointed him to. He quickens his pace a bit, an invigorated smile spreading across his face as he tries to imagine it, as he thinks about how, in just a few hours time, his hair could be brown again, his eyes blue, his claws nonexistent and his cracked Keyblade fixed. He imagines how it'll feel, to no longer have to run and hide and dread every moment even more than the last. He imagines what it'll be like when he no longer has to scrape by for food and shelter, when he's back within a semblance of safety and security that he's already gotten used to going without. He imagines what it'll be like, when he returns to the lights not as their prisoner, but as a welcome part of their team again. True, he'll still have plenty of apologies to make to them, for lying, for running, for failing to meet their high expectations for him. But with his heart free, with Xehanort no longer able to use him as a piece in his sinister schemes, he'll be more than ready to make up for all the time that he's lost, to begin to repair what has been broken, to heal what has been hurt. He'll be ready to make amends with Donald and Goofy, to truly give Roxas, Ventus, and Xion the sincerest thanks they all deserve. And best of all, he'll be ready to be with Riku and Kairi, just as he so deeply, desperately longs to be.
It's a blissful train of thought, one he wants to ride for as long as he possibly can after spending so long without a shred of hope to hold onto. But those thoughts are soon broken when he happens to overhear a set of startled cries coming from a clearing not too far away. Cries that, despite his better judgement, he can't help but be curious over as he carefully moves in to see what all the fuss is about.
He doesn't have to look very far as he peers through several of the surrounding trees to find a sight he's all too familiar with. Nobodies, a whole horde of various types of them, swarming through the clearing and showing every trace of their usual aggressive ways. Sora only takes a brief moment to consider that their presence here means the Organization must be somewhere nearby too before he happens to spot what the creatures are all focused on. Or rather, who they're attacking.
Two kids, likely siblings from the looks of it and a few years younger than Sora at that, press to the back of the clearing, both of them visibly frightened by the unnerving threat they're facing. The boy frantically flips through a thick burgundy book while the girl wields, strangely enough, a grappling hook to fend off the Nobodies, though it doesn't do much to scare any of them away, much less defeat them.
"Yikes!" the girl exclaims, drawing her hook back in after it fails to strike any of the surrounding Dusks. "Ya know, bro-bro, I gotta admit, these zipper guys are pretty good dancers. If only they weren't so creepy…"
"Shh! Mabel! I have to focus!" the boy chastises as he continues searching through his book. "The journal's gotta have something about monsters like these, like a weakness, or how to chase them off or-"
"Or, what if Grunkle Ford wrote about them in one of the other journals instead," the girl points out, glancing back at him.
"I…" the boy pales, panic rushing across his face as he abruptly shuts his book and looks to the monsters steadily approaching them. "In that case… we might be in more trouble than we thought."
"Not anymore, you're not!" The pair gasps, startled as Sora runs out into the open to defend them, his Keyblade quickly flashing into his hand.
"W-what?" the boy flinches, every bit as surprised as the girl is when Sora comes to a stop squarely between them and the Nobodies. "Who-"
"Take cover!" Sora calls back to the kids as he adopts a battle-ready stance. "I'll take care of these guys."
"With a giant… key?" the boy asks, dubious.
"Cool!" the girl exclaims with an excited grin. Neither of them make much of an effort to hide, instead opting to watch as their mysterious rescuer charges forward to take the Nobodies head on.
For his part, Sora isn't exactly confident in his abilities in a fight like this, not after weeks of going without consistent food or sleep. Still, he decides, before even taking a single swing, to rely on his Keyblade in this battle as best he can, not wanting to cause an unnecessary stir by showing off his powers, in front of two already frightened kids no less. So he sticks to the Kingdom Key, slashing it out wide and fast to take out the first Nobody he comes across. Despite how weak he relatively feels, the creatures show little resistance against him, none of them really making any moves to attack him at all, much to his confusion. Regardless of their reasoning, or lack thereof, it's something he's still grateful for as he begins steadily tearing his way through the group, largely paying little mind to the pair still spectating from the sidelines.
"Whoa…" the girl gapes, amazed as she watches Sora fight from afar. "Looks like a giant key can take care of those things after all!"
"I don't understand," the boy shakes his head incredulously. "Who is that guy? What's he doing all the way out here?"
"Maybe he's a friendly hiker who goes around saving lost kids in the woods," the girl suggests. "Then again… based on how torn-up and grungy his clothes are… maybe he might be a hobo instead…"
Only a few short seconds later, Sora successfully manages to oust the final Nobody cluttering the clearing. Despite how easy of a battle that had been, he's still worn and weary as it ends, his body aching all over as he lets his Keyblade disappear. Still, he forces himself to catch his lost breath as quickly as he can as he turns to the pair of kids standing behind him, placing his more immediate worries with them first. "Are you guys ok?" he asks, taking stock of the two now that he can see them up close. Now he has no doubts they're related, twins maybe, based on the similar shade of brown hair and brown eyes they share. They're about 12 if he could guess, a bit short for their age but still full of energy regardless. Or at least the girl is as she runs over to meet him, clad in a bright pink sweater that Sora can't imagine would be too comfortable in such humid weather, though if it bothers her, she hardly shows it.
"Ooo!" she exclaims, her eyes wide with fascination as she stares up at Sora before breaking into a wide, braces-bearing grin. "Well, if he is a hobo, he sure is a cute one!"
"W-what?" Sora starts, his cheeks instantly flushing bright red at such a peculiar comment.
"Mabel!" the boy scolds as he hurries over to her side. He tucks his book, a tome bearing a six fingered hand inscribed with the number 3, into his dark blue vest, adjusting his pine tree printed cap as he looks over Sora for himself. However, unlike his sister, he's far more alarmed by what he sees. "M-Mabel," he says stiffly as he grabs his sister's arm. "Maybe we should-"
"Hiya!" the girl greets Sora happily, largely ignoring her brother's attempt at pulling her away. "I'm Mabel, but if you'd like, you can call me the girl of your dreams."
Despite his best efforts, Sora is unable to hold back a small snort of a laugh at this attempt at what he can only assume to be innocent flirting. "It's… nice to meet you, Mabel," he smiles, leaning down a bit to be on face level with both twins. "My name is Sora." His smile widens a bit as he extends a hand out for the twins to shake, all while forgetting what his hand currently looks like.
"W-what the-?!" the boy gasps, his grip on Mabel's arm tightening as he stares at the sharp claws only inches away from them.
"Oh! Sorry!" Sora exclaims, quickly pulling his hand away from the pair. "I-I… um… I'm…" he stammers, unsure of how to explain as he simply shoves his hands into his pockets while muttering another awkward apology instead. "Sorry…"
"What are you sorry for?" Mabel asks, raising a confused eyebrow. That confusion soon shifts back into excitement however as she happens to take notice of Sora's now abnormally sharp teeth. "Oh my gosh! Claws and fangs!? This just keeps getting better! Are you a werewolf? A vampire? A werepire?!"
"Ok, seriously, Mabel, can you stop being boy crazy for like two seconds?" the boy scoffs, beyond disgruntled by this point.
"Pfft, never," Mabel turns her nose up at him before offering Sora another spirited grin. "You're gonna have to excuse my party-pooper of a brother here. My specialty is friendly smiles, while Dipper's specialty is grumpy scowls."
"Tch, is not," the boy-Dipper, apparently-crosses his arms, his expression set in, unsurprisingly a grumpy scowl.
"Is too!" Mabel counters, sticking her tongue out at her brother.
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Ok, ok, you two," Sora cuts in as he stands, letting out something of an amused chuckle. "I just got rid of those Nobodies, I don't wanna have to break up another fight."
"Nobodies?" Dipper inquires, eyeing Sora suspiciously.
"Those monsters that were attacking you guys," Sora explains. "That's what they're called. I've fought them a few times before-many times before, actually."
"Well, we've never seen any monsters like that around here before," Dipper huffs, pulling out his book again to jot a few notes down in it. "Which is weird since Gravity Falls is basically a hotspot for all kinds of monsters."
"Gravity Falls…" Sora mutters, remembering Bill saying that before. "Is that… what this place is called?"
"Um, yeah?" Dipper glances up from his book. "How do you not already know that?"
"Oh, well, uh… I-I've been… wandering around for the past few days," Sora explains as simply as he can. "I don't really have a map or anything like that so… I must have lost track of where I am?"
"Ohhh, so that's why your clothes are all torn and dirty!" Mabel infers. "Don't worry, it's a fun look! You totally pull it off; same with the hood. It makes you look all tall, dark, mysterious, and handsome!"
Sora forces a smile at this, clearly uncomfortable with such remarks, as innocent and oblivious as they are. Dipper, on the other hand, isn't having his sister's usual brand of flirting, not this time. "Uh, Mabel?" he whispers, taking her by the arm once more "Can I talk to you for a sec? Alone?"
"Ugh, fine," Mabel groans exasperated. She still calls back to Sora however, even as Dipper begins to practically drag her away to the far side of the clearing. "Be right back, Sora!" she exclaims with a cheerful smile and wave.
"Mabel, what the heck are you doing?" Dipper whispers sharply as soon as they're out of Sora's immediate earshot.
"Uh, being nice to the super cute guy who just saved our butts, duh," Mabel retorts, crossing her arms.
"Ok, for as annoying as it is, I normally don't mind you going gaga over every guy you meet, but did you see his eyes?"
"Yeah, I did," Mabel says with a wistful sigh. "I couldn't stop getting lost in them…"
"They were yellow, Mabel!" Dipper counters indignantly. "Yellow. You know, just like a certain someone else we know?" His expression darkens as he briefly perches his hands around one of his eyes in the shape of a small triangle. And as soon as Mabel sees it, she instantly lets out an irritated scoff, giving her brother light, insincere shove.
"Oh come on, Dipper, how paranoid can you get?" she glowers, rolling her eyes. "Sora's nothing like you-know-who. He's really nice! He saved us from those Nobody things and he has such a sweet smile, even if his teeth are on the sharper side. I think we can trust him."
"Remember what the journal says, Mabel," Dipper cautions, turning the book to one of its earlier pages. "Trust no one."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But you trust me, right?" Mabel asks, throwing an arm over her brother's shoulder.
"Of course I do, but-"
"Then you oughta trust who I trust!"
"But Mabel, that's not-"
"Um, hey, you guys?" Sora suddenly calls to the twins from his spot on the other side of the clearing, their quiet conversation completely lost on him. "Sorry to interrupt, but could you maybe help me out? Like I said, I don't know these woods that well, but I'm looking for this place that's somewhere around here. I think it's some kind of shack-"
"You mean the Mystery Shack?" Dipper guesses as he and Mabel turn back around.
"Yeah, that's it!" Sora nods. "You know where it is?"
"Know where it is?" Mabel bounds back over to him. "We live there! Well, for a few more weeks anyway; we're staying there with our Grunkle Stan-he runs the place."
"Yeah, ok, Mabel, just go ahead and tell a perfect stranger our whole life story," Dipper mutters, but Mabel largely pays him no mind as she continues.
"You know, we were just on our way back there before those monsters showed up," Mabel informs, her expression brightening as she clasps her hands together. "You should come with us, Sora!"
"Mabel!" Dipper protests between gritted teeth.
"Really? That would be great," Sora says, offering the twins a relieved smile.
"Yeah, great, awesome," Dipper deadpans, quickly dropping his own fake grin as he fixes Sora with a blatantly distrustful look. "But, um, why exactly do you wanna go to the Mystery Shack? If you don't mind me asking."
"Oh, well… I-"
"Duh, Dipper," Mabel counters just in time. "He probably wants to see all the weird stuff Grunkle Stan has in the museum. The Mystery Shack's like… at least two star tourist trap, so that means some people out there might wanna visit it. Maybe."
"A tourist trap…" Sora softly muses, knowing he can work with this. Both to keep up the ruse Bill wants him to uphold, as well as his own. "Yeah, that's… that's exactly it! I heard about it, and, uh, I really wanted to see it for myself. I guess I got just a little lost while looking for it though."
"Yeah, sure you did…" Dipper remarks, coldly crossing his arms.
"Aw, that's ok," Mabel reassures much more kindly. "Dipper gets us lost in the woods all the time!"
"Wha-hey!" Dipper exclaims, offended.
Sora's powerless to hold back a light laugh at this, though that laughter turns a bit bittersweet as he thinks about who these twins, each with such contrasting yet charming personalities, remind him of. Mabel's buoyant optimism and immediate friendliness is something he's seen before in Goofy, while Dipper's dry sarcasm and somewhat short temper is very much reminiscent of someone like Donald. It's odd, in many ways, to compare these two children he's only just met to his cherished companions he's known for years. But that mere comparison alone is more than enough to make him miss those companions now more than ever… and to make him want to ensure that these twins are protected, especially if there are more Nobodies roaming about.
Yet even with that mission in mind, there's another one that he's just as determined to see through; one that, coincidentally enough, the twins are in the perfect position to help him carry out. "So I guess we should get going then?" he suggests, though once again, he's met with contrasting responses from the twins.
"Yeah!" Mabel enthusiastically proclaims as Dipper voices his stern protest.
"Uh yeah, no," he says flatly as he begins to walk away, pushing Mabel along in front of him. "We're going back to the shack; you can stay here or keep wandering around the woods or whatever."
Sora frowns at this, wondering what exactly he might've said or done to elicit such obvious distrust and disdain from Dipper. Then again, considering how he currently looks, he's honestly surprised he hasn't received far worse reception from anyone he's come across lately. "But there might still be Nobodies out there," he comes up with a quick excuse, one that he doesn't have to think too long and hard to reach. "It's not safe for you guys to go it alone."
"Oo, he does have a point there, Dipper," Mabel notes, pulling away from her brother. "Sora has that giant key that can get rid of those guys real quick if they wanna cause us any trouble. Unless you think throwing your nerd book at 'em will work better."
Dipper lets out a long, annoyed sigh at this, but ultimately isn't able to argue with this logic, as much as he might want to. "Ugh, fine," he relents as he sets out first, muttering another sour statement to himself as he does. "Why do I have a feeling this is gonna end badly…?"
"C'mon, Sora!" Mabel excitedly urges, grabbing him by the hand to pull him along. "You're gonna love the Mystery Shack. There's all sorts of cool stuff in there that Grunkle Stan put together with hot glue and spare taxidermy parts. And if you're lucky, maybe I can convince him to give you a penny or two off something in the gift shop!"
"So this 'Grunkle Stan' guy," Sora begins as he keeps pace alongside both twins. "He… owns the Mystery Shack?"
"Yup! Well, actually, no," Mabel corrects herself. "It used to be our Grunkle Ford's house before he wound up getting sucked into another dimension for 30 years and while he was gone Stan stayed there to try to bring him back here and he turned it into the Mystery Shack we all know and love so he could afford to live there. It's a really long, really emotional story that I like to call 'A Tale of Two Stans'. If you got 3 or so hours to spare, I could tell it to you if you want!"
"Um… I'm good," Sora returns, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I wouldn't mind being filled in about what 'Grunkle' is exactly."
"It's short for 'great uncle'," Dipper informs shortly, only briefly glancing over his shoulder.
"Oh," Sora nods, though he's soon met with a sudden, rather alarming realization. Namely, the realization that Dipper and Mabel are likely related to that 'Sixer' person Bill had warned him about earlier. The very same 'Sixer' that had stolen the heirloom he's trying to get back. "Um, hey, do you guys know anything about-" Sora suddenly cuts himself off as both twins look his way, their expressions mutually unaware and oblivious. At the same time, he recalls Bill's request to keep their bargain private, a request he decides to continue complying with, at least for the time being.
"Know about what?" Dipper asks when he's been silent for far too long.
"Um… you know what? I forgot," Sora shrugs with a small, fake smile. "I'll let you know if it comes to me later."
While Dipper narrows his eyes at him in increased suspicion, Mabel blithely keeps up her casual chatter going from before. "So can we talk about that super cool key of yours? I didn't know that keys could come in extra-huge sizes or that they could make such great blunt weapons to beat up monsters with!"
For his part, Sora tries his best to focus on the conversation at hand, though as they begin making their way through the forest, he can't help but let his thoughts drift into rising worry. Because he knows as soon as they arrive at the Mystery Shack, he'll have to do something that's suddenly become so much more unpleasant. He'll have to steal from the family of his newfound friends, the first friends he's really had since he fled from his former ones. But isn't Bill his friend too? A friend who's wrongly had something taken from him, something he seems to miss so dearly? A friend who's offering him something that will be nothing less than a miracle if he can meet his much easier end of the deal?
And besides, isn't everything he's lost, everything he longs to get back worth far more than some tiny little trinket? A trinket that certainly won't mean much in the grand scheme, not when it's the very thing that could lead to saving his otherwise doomed heart… right?
Despite traveling together over the past two weeks, Roxas and Ventus surprisingly haven't spared much time on idle talking. They do converse when they need to, usually in brief snippets about their goal and destinations, but whenever they actually do manage to kickstart a legitimate conversation, it usually ends up always circling back to the same subject. And the conversation that starts as soon as they arrive in this new world is no different.
"'Gravity Falls'?" Roxas raises an eyebrow as he reads the road sign they've stopped in front of. "That… can't be what this place is actually called."
"Well, I don't know about you, but to me it looks like gravity's falling here just fine," Ventus jokes, picking up a stray pinecone before dropping it once more. The attempt at humor is largely lost on Roxas though, his manner as serious as it's largely been since they first set out. Seriousness that Ventus hasn't gotten much ground in getting past, despite his best efforts to try. "So, uh… do you think Sora could be here?" he asks, bringing up the one thing they both have in common aside from how they look.
"With the luck we've been having? Probably not," Roxas shakes his head as they continue down a dirt path cutting through the woods. "We've been to who knows how many worlds by now, and there hasn't been a single sign of him anywhere. It's like… he's just disappeared completely…"
Ventus sighs, his former grin fading as he glances down. "Do you think… he could be..."
"Gone?" Roxas finishes when he isn't able to. "No. I don't know how, but… if he was, I think we'd know it. Besides, I'm more worried that the Organization has him. Now that he's all alone, it'd be way too easy for any of them to swoop in and take him without any warning at all. And if they have… I don't know what we can do then…"
"Well… maybe they haven't taken him yet," Ventus reassures with as much of a smile as he can manage. "And maybe he might even be here in this world. We'll never know unless we take the time to look."
"...You're a big fan of looking on the bright side, aren't you?" Roxas asks, raising an eyebrow at his lookalike.
Ventus shrugs, still smiling. "Somebody has to."
Roxas can't help but crack a small grin of his own at this, though there's a certain sadness to it that Ventus can see every bit as much as he can hear it in his voice. "You sound like Sora used to, before…" he trails off, sighing as his smile disappears completely.
Ventus stays silent for a long moment at this, as he realizes just how long it's really been since he'd last seen Sora for himself. How long it's been since that disastrous night back in New Orleans, when Sora had desperately, tearfully begged him to keep his unbearable secret just a little bit longer, promising that he'd return safe and sound and soon. And now that none of that has even remotely happened, never has Ventus regretted letting such a dangerous charade continue more than he does now. "Does… he really think we can't save him?" he finally asks Roxas, the question weighing heavy on his heart.
"...He doesn't think anything can save him now…" Roxas admits, his voice quiet. "I think… that's really why he ran off. Not just to escape from Xehanort and Maleficent, but to escape all of us. It also might be why he hasn't come back yet. I don't think he wants to be found…"
"W-well that's exactly why we have to find him!" Ventus insists earnestly, yet anxiously. "Even if he thinks there's no way to stop this, that doesn't mean there isn't one! It's not too late for him, it can't be. Not after all the good he's done, or all the people he's helped, including both of us."
"...You're right," Roxas solemnly agrees. "He deserves so much more than what Xehanort wants for him. And if he refuses to see that then… I guess it's our job to prove him wrong. Which, when you think about how stubborn he is, might be easier said than done..."
Ventus lets out a small chuckle at this, one that's soon cut short when he happens to spot something on the path just up ahead. "Whoa… what's that?"
Roxas watches as he begins hurrying on ahead, following right behind him as they head for the only building they've seen since arriving here. It's an old log hut, one that's clearly seen better days with overgrown moss clinging to the shingles starting to slip off its slanted roof. Several colorful, yet time-faded signs point to the structure, the largest of these perched upon its roof, meant to entice and intrigue anyone who might come this way.
"'Mystery Shack'?" Ventus reads that sign curiously.
"What's so 'mysterious' about it?" Roxas asks, crossing his arms.
"Why don't we go instead and find out?"
"Um, we're supposed to be searching for Sora, remember?" Roxas protests, far from fond of the idea of getting sidetracked for any reason.
"Well, you never know," Ventus shrugs as he approaches one of the shack's several entrances. "There's always a chance he could be here just as much as he could be anywhere else."
Roxas sighs, begrudgingly deciding to follow his lookalike, for better or worse. "Ok, but can we make this quick? Please?"
"Quick," Ventus nods as he opens the door. "Got it."
The pair enters into what appears to be a gift shop, a small one, stocked up with all sorts of strange knick knacks and souvenirs. Sitting at the counter is an older man, clad in a black suit and a crimson fez, currently in the middle of a surly-sounding argument with someone over the phone.
"What do ya mean the tee-shirt you bought here gave your kid hives? How is that my problem?" the man scoffs, his tone sharp and gruff. "Refund?! Uh… sorry, you've got the wrong number! No habla español!" With this, he succinctly hangs up, wiping a bit of nervous sweat from his brow. "Dodged a bullet with that one," he remarks to himself before realizing he isn't alone. "Hey!" he snaps at Roxas and Ventus. "What do you kids think you're doing?! Can't you read the sign on the door? The shack's closed for the rest of the afternoon."
"Um… what sign?" Roxas frowns as he takes a glance at the other side of the door just shy of closing it.
"...Huh. Guess one of those kleptomaniac gnomes came by and stole it again," the man rolls his eyes, annoyed. "Looks like I'll have to get Soos to throw another one together later." He takes a brief pause, shooting a dry look at Ventus and Roxas. "And what are you two still doing here? I thought I told ya to get lost!"
"Uh, sorry, Mr…"
The man scoffs as he picks up where Ventus trails off. "Pines. Stan Pines."
"Mr. Pines," Ventus finishes, offering the man a respectful nod of greeting. "My name is Ventus and this is Roxas."
"Didn't ask, don't care," Stan retorts, reclining back to prop his feet up on the counter. "So what, did you two get lost on your way to some sort of twin convention that's rolling through town?"
Roxas and Ventus exchange a brief, confused glance at this comment. "Um… we're not twins," Ventus informs somewhat obliviously. "In fact, we're not even related."
"...Wait, what are twins?" Roxas asks, unfamiliar with the concept.
"...Right," Stan says after a beat of bewildered silence as he looks between the boys. "So what do you brats want anyway? 'Cause I'm about to enforce a strict 'no teenagers' policy if you don't pick up the pace and get outta here."
"Oh, sorry," Ventus grins, rubbing the back of his neck. "We won't take up too much more of your time, I promise."
"We're just looking for a friend of ours who might have passed through here," Roxas explains. "He has whitish hair, yellow eyes," he sighs, hating that he has to describe Sora in such a way. Even if that's precisely what he's come to look like, if he hasn't gotten even worse since Roxas last saw him. Which by all accounts, he almost certainly has. "And um… claws."
Stan raises an eyebrow at that final standout detail, but otherwise, he strangely doesn't seem to be that surprised by it. "Nope, haven't seen anyone like that 'round here."
"Are you sure?" Ventus presses, not wanting to leave any stone unturned.
"What, do ya think I'm trying to pull the wool over your eyes or something, kid?" Stan retorts impatiently. "There may be a lot of weirdos roaming around Gravity Falls, but I think I'd remember seeing somebody with claws. I'm not that senile yet."
"But-"
"Ugh, we're just wasting time here," Roxas groans, cutting Ven off as he turns to leave. "Let's just go; it's obvious Sora isn't here. We need to keep looking."
"...Yeah, I guess you're right," Ventus relents with a small sigh as he briefly turns back to Stan. "Thanks anyway."
"Yeah, yeah," he sends the pair off with a dismissive wave of his hand as they prepare to depart. "Don't let the door hit ya on the way out."
"Stanley!"
Stan nearly falls backward out of his chair at this sudden shout, one that echoes out from, strangely enough, the vending machine at the far side of the gift shop. The machine suddenly swings aside to reveal a hidden doorway, and emerging from that doorway is another man who looks startlingly identical to Stan in all but long, tan lab coat and the thick red sweater he wears underneath it.
"Geez! Way to almost give a guy a heart attack, Ford!" Stan scowls over at his twin as he rushes over to the counter. "What was so important that you had to burst out of your nerd cave to 'grace' me with your company?"
"This is serious, Stanley," his brother, Ford, slams a six-fingered hand down on the desk. "I haven't seen Dipper or Mabel all day. I've searched the entire shack, and I had hoped they'd be in here with you-" He pauses, taking a cursory glance around the gift shop before his sights finally settle on Ventus and Roxas. "But from the looks of it, it appears as though you have a different set of twins on your hands instead."
"What? Those two?" Stan deadpans, only briefly regarding the pair. "They were just leaving. Now, what's this about the kids turning up missing?"
While Roxas continues toward the door, Ventus happens to grab his arm and hold him back, curious to hear how the rest of the brothers' unfolding conversation.
"Honestly, Stanley, how hard is it for you to keep track of two children?" Ford grumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Aren't you supposed to be watching them for the summer?"
"Uh, yeah, aren't you supposed to be keeping them outta your crazy experiments and science mumbo-jumbo, Sixer?" Stan shoots back, fixing his brother with a cross glower.
"I wasn't trying to get them involved in any kind of experiments. Today, at least," Ford retorts shortly. "I simply found it odd that I hadn't heard from either of them since early this morning. Usually Dipper's down in the lab at the crack of dawn to ask me all of his ample questions about Gravity Falls, but that wasn't the case today. I just want to make sure they're both alright. Did they tell you anything about where they might've been heading for the day?"
"Those runts don't tell me anything anymore," Stan crosses his arms. "Knowing those two, they probably ran off into the woods to beat the rainbows out of another unicorn or something. They'll be fine; they've shown that they know how to handle themselves out there, so I ain't worried about 'em one bit."
"Could you please try to be a responsible adult at least once in your life, Stanley?" Ford urges, refusing to let the matter lie there. "Gravity Falls can be a dangerous, unpredictable place. Even if the kids can hold their own, there's still plenty of troublesome creatures or ominous entities out there that might be too much for-"
"Geez, ok!" Stan huffs, finally rising to his feet. "If it'll shut you up, then let's go out into the woods and find them! The sooner the better if it'll get you outta my hair, ya paranoid poindexter."
"We could help you look for them!" Ventus suddenly speaks up, catching just about everyone else in the room off guard.
"We could what?" Roxas asks incredulously.
"...Pardon?" Ford presses, eyeing the pair curiously.
"Oh, um, real quick, hi, I'm Ven, this is Roxas," Ventus rushes through the introduction as cordially as he can. "And we couldn't help but overhear that you're looking for someone. Funny coincidence, so are we! Our friend Sora has been missing for awhile now, and we're hoping he's somewhere around here. So maybe if we all went out and looked for who we need to find together, we could-"
Ventus stops short when Roxas suddenly grabs him by the arm, leaning in to whisper sharply in his ear. "What do you think you're doing?" he hisses, his tone disapproving and confused. "We don't have time to help two old guys find some kids out in the woods. We need to focus on finding Sora more than anything or anyone else!"
"I know," Ventus counters just as quietly. "But we don't know this world that well. They live here, so I bet they could help us look for Sora while we help them look for those kids."
"What makes you think Sora's even here at all?" Roxas asks, doubtful.
"I don't know, I just… have a good feeling about this place," Ventus reassures with a small, hopeful smile. "I think we really do have a chance at finally finding him here. So what do you say, Roxas? Do you trust me?"
Roxas hesitates at this, though even while he does, the irony of someone like Ventus, someone who looks nearly identical to him, asking for his trust isn't lost on him. Because in a roundabout way, it's almost as if he's asking if he trusts himself, which, after everything that's happened since his return, he's not entirely sure he does. So in place of trusting himself, he decides to trust Ventus, even if there's essentially no telling whether or not that trust will lead them to Sora… or to yet another waste of their painfully limited time.
"Ok," Roxas says with an small sigh. "But don't make me regret this."
"I won't," Ventus smiles in a way that reminds Roxas so much of Sora that it's almost painful to look at.
Their quiet conversation is soon broken by the brothers on the far side of the shop, both of whom are eyeing the pair rather skeptically. "Excuse me," Ford speaks up first. "You boys said you wanted to… help us look for our niece and nephew?"
"...Yeah," Roxas says simply, prompted by the encouraging nod Ven sends his way.
"Uh, thanks but no thanks," Stan retorts dryly. "We already got two danger-prone kids to babysit, we don't need two more."
"You won't have to babysit us," Ventus assures, summoning his Keyblade to show the pair. After a moment or two, Roxas begrudgingly does the same with his own set. "We can take care of ourselves just fine."
Needless to say, both brothers are aptly caught off guard by the weapons the two young boys before them are wielding. "Well," Ford clears his throat, adjusting his glasses. "It appears as though you certainly can. Honestly, I'd rather not waste more time debating the matter, so you boys are welcome to come with us if you want."
"Oh, c'mon, Sixer, you're making a big deal outta nothing," Stan scoffs as Ford marches for the door. "I'm sure the kids are fine, just like I said earlier. We don't need any extra help tracking 'em down."
"Given what I know lurks in those woods, I'd prefer not to take any chances…" Ford mutters, his expression darkening just the slightest bit. "Besides, it's getting late; the sun will be setting soon and the forest is even more treacherous at night. If we're leaving, we need to do so now."
Stan lets out a long, frustrated groan but ultimately follows after his brother anyway, scowling at both him and Roxas and Ven as he passes them by. "This better not turn into some kinda wacky adventure; I swear I've already had my quota for those filled this summer alone…"
"You really think those guys can help us find Sora?" Roxas mutters to Ventus, aside. "They seem like they can barely even look at each other without wanting to wring each others' necks."
Ventus shrugs, somewhat apprehensive himself, though his expression still carries a sense of hopefulness Roxas only wishes he had. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But it'll be worth it if we do find Sora here."
"And if we don't?"
Ventus pauses, his heart wavering with worry at the very question alone. The possibility that they might never find Sora has crossed his mind from time to time, but it's never a possibility he lets him dwell on for too long. Not as long as Sora is still out there somewhere, still lost and alone and in need of someone to reach out and rescue him, in much of the same way he'd done for Ventus himself so many years before. A debt that he's still determined to repay, now more than ever before. "...We will," he finally says as he leads the way out the door. "This time I'm sure of it."
"And then we got sidetracked getting Dipper's hat back from that flock of eye bats. And then after we finally got it back, those weird dancy guys attacked us and then after that, you showed up and got rid of them!" Mabel finishes her lengthy explanation, one that practically leaves Sora's head spinning from how bewildering and bizarre it is. "And that's how we ended up lost in the middle of the woods!"
"For the last time, Mabel, we're not lost," Dipper corrects, still leading the way. "I know exactly where we're going."
"Suuuuure you do, bro-bro," Mabel retorts, the sarcasm in her tone clear. "Sure you do."
Sora cracks a small smirk at this humorous banter, banter that he's already come to expect and even enjoy from the twins. After two weeks of essentially traveling on his own, he's gotten used to spending most of his time in solitude, but that doesn't mean he likes it. Traveling on his own is quiet and lonely, with hours often spent in solemn silence he never knows how to fill on his own. But suddenly here he is with a new pair of companions, having and holding conversations he strangely finds he isn't really equipped to contribute to, at least not as easily as he would have before. So in place of trying and failing to figure out what to say now that he isn't as used to speaking, he decides to let the twins do most of the talking, simply taking comfort in the privilege that having any company at all has come to be for him.
"Soooo Sora," Mabel begins, a wide grin spread across her face as she slides a bit closer to him while they walk through the woods. "I've got a real quick, super not personal question for you… Do you have a girlfriend?"
While Dipper lets out an exasperated groan at his sister's overenthusiastic method of flirting, Sora tenses up at this question, his face flushing warm as he shyly glances away. "Um… y-yeah, sort of?" he replies, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Aw… the cute ones are always taken!" Mabel deflates, snapping her fingers with a disappointed pout. She's quick to bounce back from it, however, for another barrage of curious questions. "Well, what's her name? How long have you been together? Is she cute?"
"Her name is Kairi," Sora begins, a small, wistful smile on his face as soon as he says her name. "We've known each other since we were kids and yeah… she's beautiful…"
"Aw, you love her!" Mabel teases, giggling.
"I-I don't know about all that!" Sora protests, his face practically completely crimson by this point. "But… I do care about her a lot…"
"So why isn't she out here with you?" Mabel presses. "A long walk through the woods is a pretty romantic date idea, n-not that I would know."
Sora stops in his tracks at this, his smile all but fading as he stares down at the grassy ground at his feet. "I-I… I haven't seen her in a while," he says, his voice soft and mournful. "As much as I care about her, I… I can't be with her. Not anymore…"
"Why not?" Surprisingly enough, the question comes not from Mabel, but from Dipper as he glances back at Sora, his usual surly and skeptical expression softened significantly.
"It's… complicated," is all Sora says, solemnly staring down at his claws. It's more than enough of a sufficient explanation for the twins to understand exactly what he means… and enough to garnish genuine sympathy from both of them as soon as they do.
"Um… well, I have some good news," Dipper speaks up, offering Sora the smallest ghost of a smile. "The shack should be just up ahead."
Sora does his best to return the younger boy's grin with a grateful one of his own, though it wavers when their tiny group continues on their way again. They fall into a new state of melancholy silence as they do, and in that silence, Sora slowly finds himself pulling something out of his pocket. Neither of the twins notice as he gently holds the good luck charm in his hand, taking care to keep his sharp claws from scratching or damaging it. His heart aches at the mere sight of it, at the very thought of the girl who gave it to him, a girl he misses so much with every last fiber of his being. The girl he knows he can never return to, unless…
Unless he gets that heirloom, unless he gives it back to Bill. Unless every awful thing that's happened to him is magically, finally undone. Then, and only then, can he at long last return to his place by her side. Only then he can have a chance at winning her lost love back again.
"Why do you still pine for someone who you already know wants nothing to do with you?"
This sudden question elicits a startled gasp from the entire trio, though Sora is the only one among them to recognize the voice that asks it. A brief burst of sharp anguish sparks through his heart even before he turns around to face his superior, surprised that such a high-ranking member would be sent all this way to harass him. And for his part, Xemnas simply grins as he takes in the sheer panic written across Sora's face, panic that he takes obvious pleasure in intentionally pushing onward with what he says next.
"Hello again, Sora," he says as smoothly and calmly as ever. "What an odd place to go searching for a Key. Even so, there must be one here. You wouldn't have lingered here this long otherwise."
Once again, Sora finds himself essentially incapable of speaking, his voice stolen away from him just as Xemnas had stolen it from him back in the digital Twilight Town. In his place, Dipper and Mabel exchange a set of confused, unnerved whispers, both of them easily able to tell this mysterious man must mean trouble based on Sora's terrified expression alone. "Uh… what's the deal the gothy guy with the pretty hair?" Mabel asks, deciding to cling close to Sora, just in case.
"Creepy is what his deal is," Dipper shudders, taking a large, wary step back "Do you know him?" he briefly glances up at Sora. "Because he sure is acting like he knows you."
Xemnas' steady grin widens as he overhears this conversation, his piercing sights still set on Sora all the while. "Why don't I leave it to you to explain who I am, number thirteen?" he asks expectantly, though it's far from a request. It's an order.
An order that Sora has no choice but to obey as he's forced to speak, words that aren't his own slipping out of his mouth shaky and strained. "X-Xemnas… is one of… o-one of my superiors…" That final word is bitter on his tongue, disgust coursing through him upon paying such respect, however insincere, to someone he so thoroughly despises.
"You seem strangely upset for some reason, number thirteenth," Xemnas notes. "You'd look so much better if you smiled…"
He raises a gloved hand before he clenches it tightly, sending another burst of unbearable pain flooding through Sora's heart. This time, however, the way his body reacts to that pain absolutely baffles him. He doesn't flinch, isn't allowed to cry out, but instead, he smiles, the corners of his mouth drawn up despite his disdain, his fanged teeth showing in a pleasant, yet pained grin. He can only imagine how much of a fool he looks like, standing here with such a wide, uncanny smile falsely painted across his face. If he could, he would scream, cry out, say or do anything to oppose this cruel humiliation. But instead, he's silenced, his true thoughts and feelings locked away behind a mask of a delight that isn't his own.
"There," Xemnas lowers his hand but Sora's forced smile still isn't allowed to fall. "Isn't that much better, Sora?"
"Y-yes, it is," he says, even though he desperately doesn't want to. He maintains that awful smile all the while, his voice forced to be just as wrongly cheery and polite along with it. As if Xemnas wants him to sound like he's actually enjoying this. "T-thank you, superior."
"Sora?" Mabel interjects with a frown. Despite the wide, beaming grin Sora is currently forced to wear, his eyes betray his anguish and his fear all too well, to the point that both twins immediately notice it. And from that alone, they're both quick to catch on, even with any real context, that something must be terribly wrong here.
"What's going on?" Dipper asks in rising alarm as he shoots a distrustful glare Xemnas' way. "What are you doing to him?"
Xemnas outright ignores both twins in favor of focusing on Sora for the sake of keeping the sadistic show he's started going. "It's reassuring to see that you've become so much more obedient than the last time we met. Your Organization commends you for your loyalty, and if you do end up claiming the next Key for our cause, then perhaps we might be inclined to reward you for your continued show of devotion."
Despite the smile frozen on his face, internally, Sora draws in a gasp, already knowing what that "reward" will likely be: food, or a full night's sleep, or any of the other basic necessities he's been forced to go without. And all it would cost him is one of the very Keys to Kingdom Hearts itself. Wow, that sure is a "fair" trade, he thinks dryly, unable to voice such thoughts against the mask of complacency Xemnas has forced onto him.
"But of course, even beyond the prospect of a potential reward, you'll still turn whatever Key you might find here over to your Organization regardless," Xemnas says with a haughty smirk, one that practically makes Sora sick under the ridiculous smile he's still stuck holding. "Won't you, number thirteen?"
"Y-yes," Sora answers, unable to do anything else. Unable to show just how much he'd rather do anything but that. "I will."
"What the heck is this guy talking about?" Dipper asks, exchanging a worried glance with Mabel.
"I don't know, but… I think something might be really wrong with Sora…" Mabel frowns as she notices Sora's hands, stiff at his sides even as they tremble uncontrollably. Another sure sign of the undoubtable fear filling him even despite the cheery grin he can't shake, no matter how hard he tries.
"I have no doubts that you will serve your Organization well," Xemnas continues, regardless of Sora's wishes that he would just leave already. "Unless you'd rather run back to the guardians of light like you still seem so futilely intent on doing…?"
Sora can scarcely believe what he's forced to say next, something that's so incredibly wrong in every single way that even just hearing his own voice speak such words brings him more shame than he can even begin to bear. "I-I denounce… the guardians of light," he says, his tone every bit as falsely blissful as his smile. Blissfulness that does nothing to ease just how much remorse and hatred he feels inside over being forced to say something so awful about his former friends. "I e-exist only to… to serve my Organization… a-and my master…"
Even though the smile hides most of his immense misery, some of his despair does still slip through in the form of a single tear that streams down his cheek. And that tear alone is more than enough to tell both Dipper and Mabel that enough is enough. That they need to do something to somehow save the boy who had so selflessly rushed in to save both of them before.
"At last, you're finally starting to embrace your true purpose," Xemnas goads, visibly proud of his own twisted tactics. "It won't be very long now before you've completely settled into your place among your-" He's abruptly cut off when something small suddenly strikes his chest: an acorn, tossed straight at him by none other than Mabel, who stands ready with a whole handful of them, ready to throw even more.
"You leave Sora alone, you big bully!" she shouts, launching another acorn that similarly hits Xemnas, though he's hardly phased by it.
"Y-yeah, back off!" Dipper adds, his tone far less brazen than his sister's, though his words are still sincere all the same.
Sora can't help but wince when he hears the twins stand up for him, wishing that they wouldn't, knowing that he isn't worth whatever harsh reaction Xemnas will no doubt have to such resistance. But as it stands, he can't even warn them of the potential danger, can't tell them to back down and flee, can't even try to defend them from his foe any more than he can currently defend himself.
For a moment, Xemnas finally regards the twins with an irritated scowl before turning that golden-eyed glare back on Sora. "You have such a special talent for making friends wherever you go, Sora. How charming," he sneers, clearly disgusted. "Are you really so pathetic now that you require two mere children to come to your defense?"
"Whoa, hey!" Dipper protests, offended. "We're not children. We're 12-almost 13. So ya know, technically teens. Almost."
"And as almost-teens, it's our job to look out for our fellow actual-teens!" Mabel proclaims with a bold grin. "Right, Sora?"
Though Sora isn't capable of responding, his forced smile does turn a touch more genuine upon hearing this. Because the idea of anyone wanting to help him, to stand up for him now when he's already fallen so far, fills his heart with a strange sort of warmth that he hasn't felt in quite some time. Warmth that all too quickly turns cold with fear over what Xemnas has to say next
"It appears as though you insolent brats need to be taught a lesson in manners," he begins, his expression darkening as shadows envelop his outstretched hand. Through those shadows, he summons a large horde of Nobodies, their violent intent immediately made clear the moment Xemnas wordlessly commands them to attack the twins. He issues another command along with that, one that's meant for Sora as soon as he sees him so much as make even a single move to summon his Keyblade to stop the monsters. "Now, now, number thirteen," he holds a hand up, something that instantly stops Sora dead in his tracks. "I want you to stay exactly where you are. The Nobodies and the Heartless are your allies now, just as much as your fellow members are. I expect you to treat them with the same level of respect that you would show any of us. Do you understand, Sora?"
"Y-yes, superior," Sora says, a statement that's every bit as against his will as the large step back he's forced to take. A step meant to keep him out of the fight, to keep him from doing a single thing to stop this onslaught or save the twins.
"Your Organization appreciates your compliance," Xemnas grins as he summons a dark corridor to depart. "I look forward to seeing the Key you'll inevitably claim for us. Don't keep us waiting for too long."
With that, he finally disappears, yet even as he does, the suffocating, suppressing hold his power has over Sora doesn't. He remains frozen in place, still silent, still smiling even as the Nobodies close in on the terrified twins trying to escape them.
Mabel lets out a startled yelp as she tries to grab Dipper by the arm and flee, only to be cut off by another line of Nobodies blocking off the open end of the clearing. "Um, Sora? Mind giving us a little help?" she asks as she pulls her grappling hook back out.
Sora says nothing, as much as he wishes he could, as much as he wants to reassure them that they'll be safe and that everything will be alright. He barely even has enough control to even glance over at the twins, his eyes wet with oncoming tears that contrast sharply with his fake grin. A grin that does nothing to comfort either of them as much as it only makes them worry for both his fate and their own even more.
"C'mon, man, you've gotta snap out of it!" Dipper urges, grabbing Sora by the wrist to try and prompt him into motion.
I can't… Sora morosely thinks as he involuntarily pulls his hand back. Despite the smile spread wide across his face, inside, he's screaming, struggling to break free, suffering from a complete lack of control over any part of his body other than his mind. And amidst that suffering, he knows that what Xemnas has forced him into here is likely some sort of long-awaited punishment for his resistance in their last encounter. As well as just a small taste of what no doubt awaits him when he finally fully belongs to the Organization once and for all.
"Dipper!" Sora's distressed, distraught thoughts are broken when he hears Mabel's suddenly panicked cry for her brother. He turns his head as much as he's able just in time to see one of the Nobodies shove Dipper to the ground, pinning him to it by his vest with one of its long, piercing arms. Mabel tries to ward the creature off by shooting her grappling hook at it, only for another Nobody to suddenly ram into her, knocking the weapon out of her hands entirely. This leaves Dipper without any real rescue as the creature keeping him trapped raises its other limb for what's bound to be a deadly strike. Unable to pull himself free, the most he can do is let out a frightened cry and brace himself for that brutal blow… only to be surprised when it never ends up coming.
Instead, he's met with the sight of a large black spike bursting up from the ground only a few short feet away from him, impaling the Nobody into oblivion. Mabel shrieks, startled, when several similar spikes appear around her, striking the creatures surrounding her in turn. Beyond those spikes, sparks of shadowy light fill the air, glistening dully as they ram into any remaining Nobodies rapid, efficient succession. And, standing at the center of this sudden storm is none other than Sora, his smile finally gone and his movement finally his own as he spreads his arms out wide, calling upon his powers to take out every last Nobody in one rapid, devastating strike.
The very second the creatures have all disappeared and his powers fade, however, he collapses to his knees, worn out from the strain of breaking out of such an intense state of forced obedience. He's breathless, his ears ringing and his arms trembling as he reacquaints himself with the feeling of being in control again, wondering where he'd even found the strength to set himself free with how weak his body, his mind, and his heart have all been lately. All he knows is that the twins, his friends, were in trouble… and that he was the only one who could possibly save them. So that's exactly what he did.
"Oh my gosh, Sora, that was so awesome!" Mabel cheers, running over to him.
"Was… was that magic?" Dipper asks, stunned as he slowly picks himself up off the ground.
"Y-yeah," is all Sora says between heavy breaths. By now, he's managed to pull himself upright, his arms wrapped around himself as he keeps his head low, not really wanting to answer any of the abundant questions the twins no doubt have for him. Questions that, of course, they ask all the same.
"How long have you been able to use magic?"
"What kind of magic was that?"
"Who taught you how to do magic? Was it a wizard? A fairy? A magical duck?"
"How does your magic even work? Were you born with it? Is it like… inside you or something?"
"Can you teach me how to do magic? Please? Pretty please?"
"Why didn't you tell us you could do-whoa," Dipper stops himself and Mabel short upon seeing the position Sora's now sitting in. He's still on his knees, his hands pressed against the sides of his head as his claws nearly dig into his hood, his eyes tightly shut and his expression wrenched in agony. The twins exchange an equally worried glance as they take this in, but ultimately, Dipper is the one to speak to it first. "Um… are you ok?"
Sora doesn't answer, mostly because his voice won't come, though this time it's for a different reason entirely. It had been so very easy for Xemnas to strip him of any semblance of control over his body, his voice, even something as small as his own expression. And what's worse is that loss of control had remained even after the superior had left, that he was still under his unrelenting spell, still forced to do exactly as he'd been told, even as others around him were put in such great danger. He'd been incredibly lucky to break free when he did, otherwise… he doesn't even want to think about what could have happened… what would have been entirely his fault if he'd stood by, silently smiling while two innocent children suffered in his stead.
But then there's another thought that hits him, one that's even more horrific than the last. If the Organization can force him to helplessly stand by while his friends are in danger… what else can they force him to do to satisfy their sadistic schemes?
"Alright, that tears it!" Mabel concludes, hands on her hips. "What you need, mister, is a hug attack!"
"N-no!" Sora shouts, reeling back before Mabel can even take a single step closer to him. He chokes out a tearless sob, wavering under the aptly concerned, equally startled glances the twins send his way. He knows he owes them an explanation, but it's not one he's even remotely equipped to give, at least not right now. So he goes with the best he can do instead: an apology. "I-I… I'm sorry," he begins, his voice soft and full of shame. "I didn't protect you guys. I-"
"Protect us?" Mabel asks, incredulous. "Sora, you saved us!"
"Yeah," Dipper readily agrees. "Even I gotta admit, you're like a total hero!"
Sora flinches at that very word, knowing that there had been a time, not so long ago, that he fully believed himself to be a hero. But now… "Don't call me that," he sighs, shaking his head. "Please, I… it's not true. Not anymore."
"...Does this have anything to do with what that weird guy in the black coat was doing to you?" Mabel ventures.
"Yeah, what was the deal with all that anyway?" Dipper asks. "How did he make you-wait," he stops himself short, drawing in a small, anxious breath as he clutches his journal even tighter. "Was he… p-possessing you?"
"No, that's not-" Sora cuts himself off, still at a loss for what to tell them. By now, he's gotten to the point that even so much as describing what's happening to him has him as weary as the painful process itself. So instead of describing it, he simply stands, hoping that the twins will merely let the matter go with what he says next. "I-it's complicated. I… really don't want to talk about it, if that's ok with you guys."
"Aw, but maybe we could help if you-"
"Mabel," Dipper scolds, knowing his sister's sometimes irksome habit of prying too far. "It's ok," he says to Sora, suddenly feeling guilty for how coldly he'd treated the older boy before. Especially now that he's seen just how many daunting problems that boy seems to have. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"Thanks," Sora offers him as much of a grateful smile as he can. "So… you said that shack was somewhere close by?"
"Yup! We should be super close to it by now," Mabel informs, perking up. "C'mon!"
Though she's quick to run on ahead, Dipper lingers back for another moment or two, offering Sora a silent look of sympathy before he moves to follow his sister. For his part, Sora soon does the same, knowing that moving forward is the only thing he can do now. So he forces himself to forget what had just happened, pushing the remnant fear and despair under the surface in favor of the hope that's awaiting him just a few more steps down the path ahead. The hope that very soon, he might actually find freedom after all. The hope that the bargain he's made with Bill will somehow bring back everything Xehanort and his vicious followers have taken from him.
The hope that soon, he'll never have to worry about losing control, losing himself ever again.
The shade of the trees grows ever darker as the sun begins to set over the forest. The sky peeking through the leaves above takes on a pleasant shade of pink as crickets and cicadas start their evening songs. That natural chorus is soon broken by Mabel's spirited proclamation as she breaks through the treeline surrounding the landmark they've been searching for all day.
"Ta da! Here we are!" she sings, throwing an arm out wide. "The Mystery Shack, in all its termite-infested glory!"
Sora finds that the Mystery Shack is almost exactly as Bill had described it to him earlier: run down. With the S falling off its sign and weathered and worn logs holding its faded facade together, it hardly looks like an impressive tourist trap, or a tourist trap at all really. Still, if this is where that mysterious heirloom is, then it's exactly where Sora knows he needs to be. Even if he still isn't exactly sure how he'll find that heirloom here to begin with.
"It's a little past closing time, but I'm sure Grunkle Stan will make an exception after he meets you, Sora!" Mabel grins as she makes a beeline for the door.
"And Great Uncle Ford would probably have enough to fill an entire new journal once he finds out about your magic," Dipper adds with a small smile that quickly fades at the uncomfortable look that flashes across Sora's face at this suggestion. "Uh… If you're up to showing it off, that is."
"Um… we'll see," Sora says, knowing it's much less harsh than an outright "no". The trio soon enters the shack through its side door, into a small room that seems to be some sort of souvenir shop filled with all sorts of odd items for sale. While Dipper and Mabel walk in casually enough, Sora stops as soon as he passes through the threshold into the building, suddenly overwhelmed by the stark presence of something. Though exactly what that something is, he has no idea in the slightest.
"Grunkle Staaaaaan!" Mabel calls as she quickly searches the otherwise empty shop. "Grunkle Foooooord?!"
"Huh, that's… weird," Dipper frowns upon similarly noticing their great uncles are nowhere to be found. "Stan and Ford are usually here around this time."
"Yeah, it's not like either of them have social lives or anything," Mabel agrees before taking in an excited gasp. "Oh my gosh, what if they're both out on a double date with a couple of adorable old ladies?!"
"I… seriously doubt that," Dipper deadpans, heading for the far side of the shack. "It's more likely that they might've gone to bed early. Come on, we should probably look for them just to make sure."
"Ok," Mabel nods, following her brother's lead. "Sit tight, Sora! We'll be right back!"
Sora doesn't answer outside of an absent nod, his gaze hardly focused on either of the twins as they head out of the shop and into the house. Instead, he remains fixated on that feeling, something resonating somewhere deep within him, beckoning him, calling him deeper into the shack. Prompted by that silent call, he steps forward, gravitating toward, of all things, the vending machine on the far side of the shop. When his hand slightly skims the side of it, he's surprised when it suddenly moves, revealing it to be attached to the face of a door. A door that leads down to a secret set of stairs.
He draws in a soft gasp when he feels another wave of unknown power, one that practically pulls him down the stairs to the second door sitting at the bottom of it. That door opens up to an elevator, one that automatically descends the moment he steps foot into it. He doesn't even bother taking in the room that elevator arrives at, a large, dark lab filled with all sorts of computers and contraptions. Because something is still calling him, and that something is here, in this empty, silent space, and somehow his heart knows exactly where that something is. He slowly approaches the desk at the other end of the lab, his hand reaches for the closed compartment on that desk, and when he slides open its door, that's where he finds it.
A small, glass orb containing a kind of power he can't even begin to comprehend.
He gently takes it in his hands, its ethereal glow filling his eyes as he stares down at it in awe. Some distant part of his mind tells him that he's found what he's been looking for, that he needs to return this to get his much-needed reward. But he hardly heeds that as much as he does his heart, which holds onto the connection it's managed to forge to the indescribable force of formless light in his hands. The collection of liquid stars briefly pulsates in response to that connection, but there's a certain sadness to its energy that he can't quite shake. Almost as if the state it's taken isn't how it's meant to truly be, that this isn't what it's meant to look like, that it isn't supposed to be contained, to be trapped like this at all.
By all accounts, Sora knows he can relate all too well.
And yet, when that power speaks to him in a solely silent voice, that isn't what it says at all. Instead, it gives him a message he's heard before, one that he still doesn't understand, despite how much he desperately longs to.
You're not where you belong…
"No… I am not…" he whispers back to it, though even his voice doesn't sound like it's his own. Instead, it sounds like so many other voices speaking for him, all coming out of his mouth, all conjoined in the exact same desire. A desire that the swirling stars in his hands seems to know all too well.
The time is nearly at hand for you to come Home…
The stars burst with a bright light, one that takes him far away from the dark and lonely basement he's standing in. Instead, he sees an eternally blue sky and a ground composed of an unbreakable sea. An empty world at the end of everything, a place he's never been before but somehow knows all the same.
Find the Keys to become what you're truly meant to be…
In a sudden instant, the sky is filled with shadows, the light of day plunged into the darkest of nights. And somewhere within that night is a lone figure, clad in a black coat, their hood up to conceal every inch of their face. They turn to face him, a finger held up with the unspoken warning of a secret that needs to be kept. A secret that he yearns to set free.
You are the one who will open the door…
When the lab reappears around him, his free hand absently drifts to skim the charm of his necklace. He doesn't know why, doesn't think anything of it. Instead, he continues staring at the ever-changing light in his hands, his thoughts gradually clearing as he tries to make sense of exactly what he has on his hands here.
There's no doubt this is the heirloom Bill asked him to find, but now that he has it, now that it's resting in the palm of his hand, Sora can't help but wonder why. This unknown item radiates power, far more than anything he's felt in quite some time. And yet here it is, sitting locked up in someone's basement, left unguarded and alone for any stranger like himself to wander in and find. If this "Sixer" person is going to treat something this important with such little regard, then maybe it truly is better that it be returned to its rightful owner. And yet… Sora still can't help but feel like something's still off about this situation all the same. Something that makes him wonder if taking this precious orb of powerful light back to Bill really will be for the best after all.
Sora quickly shakes such thoughts away, knowing he doesn't have time to dwell on them, not when he's already made it this far. Not when this heirloom, for however otherworldly it might appear, is the price he has to pay for what could very well be his own heart. A price he knows will be more than worth it for even just the chance to return to the friends he thought he'd lost forever.
So he carefully tucks the globe away into his pocket as he heads back to the elevator, desperately hoping that this will work, hoping that this will be enough, hoping that this will somehow save him when nothing else has. And most of all, hoping that he isn't making yet another momentous mistake to add onto so many others he's made before.
Ohoohoho if you've ever seen Gravity Falls then you might know where I'm going with this... but if you haven't, then golly that'll make next time even more fun for you! I will say this was a joy to work on and has me even more excited for the next one! So if you liked what you saw here don't forget to drop a REVIEW please! Until next time ^_^
