Ah ok so sorry this one took a good long while! I was taking something of a holiday break from writing and now I'm back and all rested up and ready to get this story finished hopefully sometime this year god I can't believe it ANYWAY! We're finally back to another Disney World, one of our final two, which god that makes me so sad! I can't believe we're getting this close to the end! But there's still plenty of surprises in store, so enjoy! Let's get started!


Chapter 55: Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride

There's no place I'd rather be
(Then on a surfboard out at sea)
Lingering in the ocean blue
(And if I had one wish come true)
I'd surf till the sunset beyond the horizon

After months of bounding between worlds, traveling through towns and cities untold, wandering and wondering if each new day might finally be the one to bring his long journey to an end, Riku has largely gotten used to being alone. It's not an entirely new concept to him; after all, he'd spent much of the year Sora had been asleep without much company or regular conversations outside from the occasional meetup with Mickey every now and again. Back then, he hadn't thought much of it; he'd viewed his isolation as something he deserved, as retribution for the grave mistakes he'd made not so long ago. In many ways, his current dreary seclusion is a similar sort of self-imposed penance, for another type of guilt entirely. Now, it's a way to punish himself for failing to do the one thing he's strived to do most.

For failing to protect what matters to him more than anything–or anyone–else.

By now, Riku has more than gotten used to going through the motions: waking up, piloting his ship to the next world, searching every nook and cranny of that world that he can get to, slipping in a meal or two when he has the time, and ending each day with nights often rendered sleepless thanks to the countless worries and fears filling his endlessly troubled thoughts. His body begs him to be exhausted, but that's something he doesn't have time for, just like he has no time to check in with any of the other lights, knowing what they'll say if he does. Knowing that they'll beg him to come back, they'll implore him to take this search up as a team, they'll make him feel even worse for breaking his promise to bring Sora back within only a few days instead of the multi-month effort it's somehow become.

The world he's just entered into only makes things worse. It's a place that reminds him of home; a sun soaked island, tropical trees filling the space in between sandy shores and clear blue seas. Of course, it's not exactly the same as the Destiny Islands; the small town he's wandering through isn't much like the quiet village he grew up in. But the atmosphere of it alone is enough to make him long for that village, for his island, for the two he'd spent so many peaceful, blissful years there with before he'd forced it all to fall apart.

Early on into his search, Riku had adopted the method of asking around for any information he could get. Granted, he only has a rough account of what Sora looks like now from what he'd heard from Donald and Goofy, and though the idea of seeing him like that makes Riku's heart ache, that's still how he describes him to anyone he encounters. He'd thought that at least someone would remember seeing a boy with white hair and yellow eyes, but so far, not a single soul he's asked has. He expects more or less the same results here, but he still kicks his usual routine off all the same, going between shops and stalls to see if anyone among them has so much as spotted Sora. Of course, he's once again met with practically no results, something he isn't surprised by in the slightest, not after all this time.

A small, weary sigh escapes him as he continues down the town's main street, his hands pulled into his pockets. As he strolls in solitude, Riku finds his mind wandering one again, this time to a bout of uneasy anxiety he's felt far too many times before. While there's no telling when, or even if, he'll find Sora at all, what he finds himself dreading most is the state Sora might be in if he does find him. He knows he'll look different, but will he act differently? Will he think differently? Will he still be fighting for the freedom the Organization is so intent on ripping away from him or will he already be loyally standing on their side? Will he still even be Sora at all?

Or will he be someone entirely new, someone dark and violent and cruel? Will he only be another coldhearted cog in Xehanort's destructive regime? Will there be anything left of the Sora that Riku grew up alongside, the Sora he can't stop thinking about, the Sora he longs to see with every last part of his heart?

He's abruptly drawn out of such upsetting thoughts when he's startled by a sharp rattling, followed by a subsequent crash in the alleyway he's just passed by. He turns just in time to see a trash can falling to the ground, followed by a harsh "Shh!". It's enough to arouse at least some level of suspicion in Riku as he decides to investigate, approaching the alley cautiously and quietly, unsure of what he might find. Who he does find, however, when he peers into the shadows is just about the last pair he could have ever expected to see.

"What–Donald? Goofy?" Riku starts, bewildered as he looks between the pair. They both flinch from their spot on the ground, tangled into a messy pile from their accidental fall. "What are you two doing here?"

"Uhhh…" Goofy frowns, apprehensively exchanging an uncertain glance with Donald. "We were just, uh…."

"L-looking for Keys!" Donald quickly interjects with what he hopes will be a believable excuse.

"Er, uh… y-yep! That's right!" Goofy nods in forced agreement. "Just like ya told all of us to."

"You're looking for a Key… in an alley," Riku notes, crossing his arms.

The pair look at each other once more, clearly nervous as they continue to keep their unstable ruse going. "Well, ya know, back when we were still with Sora, we'd find 'em in all sorts of strange places," Goofy explains. "Like, um…"

"Like the one he found while we were in a toy store!" Donald presses as he and Goofy finally scramble to their feet.

"Or the one we got in the Land of the Dead," the captain adds, nodding.

"Then there was that one he got when he fell off that blimp."

"And the one he-"

"Ok, I've heard enough," Riku interjects, clearly not buying either of their anxious excuses. "What are you both really doing here?"

They hesitate, still initially trying to withhold the truth, even under the scrutinizing scowl Riku shoots them both. At least, until Goofy ends up inevitably caving under the pressure. "The king told us to follow ya to make sure you stayed safe while lookin' for Sora!" he exclaims, immediately slapping his hands over his mouth as soon as he does.

"Goofy!" Donald scolds, though his frustration pales in comparison to Riku's when he hears this.

"Mickey told you to… Are you serious?!" he scoffs, indignant and offended. "What, does he really think I can't take care of myself out here?"

"Aw, Riku, it's not that…" Donald sighs in an attempt to smooth things over. "It's just… he's worried about you."

"He just wants to know that you're doin' alright," Goofy adds. "He wants to see you come home safe n' sound, and so do the rest of us, just as much as we want to find Sora too."

"So you two have just been following me around from world to world then?" Riku asks, hardly calmed as he glares between the pair. "How long has this been going on for?"

"Uh, a few months now, I reckon," Goofy shrugs, scratching his nose.

"To be honest, we thought you would've found us out a long time ago," Donald admits. "But you were so focused on looking for Sora that I guess you just… didn't notice?"

Riku lets out an irritated huff, both over being tailed like this against his will and for how he'd managed to go this long without even picking up on that fact. But he can't deny Donald does have a point. With his attention resting solely on his ongoing search, he's had little time or energy to pay anything else much mind. Including all of the small signs and hints that he hadn't been as alone as he thought all that time. Admittedly, he feels a little foolish for accidentally discovering the truth now, but even so, he makes sure to stand his ground, just as he did at the tower before. He makes sure to make it incredibly clear that this is his mission, a mission he needs to undertake entirely alone.

"Well, I've noticed now," he says tersely, turning his back to the pair. "Go back to the tower and tell Mickey I don't need to be babysat." His hands tighten into fists at his sides as he echoes something Sora had said to him so long ago now, something he only wishes he'd taken as the clue that something had been seriously wrong that it had been. " I'm doing just fine on my own."

"B-but what if ya run into the Organization!?" Goofy implores, he and Donald trailing after Riku as he begins making his way back down the straight.

"Or Maleficent?" the magician pipes up.

"I can handle them," Riku rigidly replies, not even sparing a single glance over his shoulder.

"What if ya do find Sora but he won't come back with you?" the captain asks fretfully.

"If he won't listen to us about getting help, what makes you think he'll listen to you?" Donald adds, an edge of annoyance in his tone. Leave it to someone like Riku to be every bit as stubborn as Sora given how much time they've spent together.

"I'll make him listen," is all Riku offers as a response. Mostly because that's a question he doesn't have much of an answer to himself.

"You shouldn't have to do this on your own, Riku," Goofy insists intently. "At least let us come with ya and help! With all three of us workin' together, we're bound to find Sora in no time!"

"That's right," Donald staunchly agrees, calling upon his staff. "And when we do, I'm gonna give him a good bonk on the head for making us all run around looking for him for months now!"

"No," Riku stops, but he still doesn't face either of them. His tone is cold, stern, borderline bitter as he reasserts his decision. However reckless and wrong that decision might be. "I already told you and everyone else: I don't want any help. I can and will find him by myself."

"But Riku-"

"I said no," Riku shoots a piercing glare back at them. "So please… just leave me alone already."

Donald and Goofy find there's little they can say to argue as Riku begins to walk away. Mostly because his final words are some of the exact same they'd heard from Sora before he'd left them behind in almost the exact same way. Such a miserable memory leaves them both stunned to the point that they don't know what to say, much less what to do as they simply stand by, watching as Riku swiftly rounds a corner to leave them behind. Even when they shake themselves out of their surprise, the most they can do is exchange another dejected glance, feeling every bit as listless and lost as they have from the moment Sora first ran away.

"Gawrsh, what do we do now….?" Goofy wonders, wishing that encounter had gone so much better than it had.

"Well, the king told us to follow him, didn't he?" Donald lets out a deep, albeit begrudgingly breath. "So that's exactly what we're gonna do, whether he wants us to or not."

"Somethin' tells me he's not gonna like that too much…" Goofy notes, shaking his head.

"Oh, who cares about what he likes or doesn't like!?" Donald exclaims hotly. "He's just as bad as Sora! Always trying to do things on their own, never letting anyone help them, never just listening to any kind of advice! No wonder they're such good friends; they both make the same kind of bad choices!"

"I guess that's why Kairi is the one who always rounds 'em both out," Goofy says with a small chuckle. "Hey, there's an idea. What if we got her to try 'n talk some sense into Riku?"

"She already tried that and it didn't work, remember?" Donald reminds dryly as he begins to pursue Riku. "He won't listen to her, to us, or even to the king! And if he wants to be stubborn, then that means we gotta do things the hard way. Both for him and for Sora."

"Speakin' of Sora…" Goofy begins, glancing around the largely calm seaside town. "Do you think there's a chance he might be somewhere in this world?"

"Goofy, you've asked that in every world we've been to," Donald deadpans, rolling his eyes. "When has he ever shown up in any of them?"

"Well, shucks, he hasn't," Goofy concedes, though his tone is quick to turn hopeful once again. "But ya never know; this could finally be the place."

"Hmph, well I'll tell you what. If we do find him here, then we're making sure he goes back home," Donald asserts staunchly. "Even if we have to drag him back kicking and screaming to finally get him the help he needs, we're not giving up until Sora is safe and saved."

"Er… Did either of ya just so happen to say you're out here tryin' to save Sora?"

Donald and Goofy jolt at the sound of this all-too-familiar voice, one that prompts them to stop dead in their tracks and spin around. Their weapons form in their hands as they do, both of their expressions awash in alarm and anger as they come to face a foe they haven't seen in quite some time. A foe who they never would have thought or hoped they'd run into here.

"Pete!" they both exclaim harshly, only to be met with a nervous, almost friendly smile from the henchmen instead.

"Uh… heya, fellas," Pete wavers, rubbing the back of his neck. And all the while, he continues to hope that they'll hear him out, both for his own sake, and for Sora's. "H-how's it goin'?"


Sora doesn't know how much time has passed since he left the Radcliffes'. He stopped keeping count of days and nights not long after Christmas, unable to bear the thought that almost an entire year has passed since this disaster began. For all he knows, it could be anywhere between a few days and a few weeks since he'd forced himself to venture out on his own again. But regardless of however long it's been, the loneliness that's settled upon him has become perhaps the most painful part of it all.

Physically, he's much better off than he'd been before thanks to Roger and Anita's kind hospitality. Some, though not much, of his former strength has returned, and he's able to travel much more consistently than he'd been capable of before he'd walked through their door. But hunger soon falls upon him only a few days after he leaves them, exhaustion starting to do the same as his usual awful nightmares all-too quickly return. At the very least, he's left alone by the Organization and Maleficent alike as he slips between worlds at a constant, almost rapid pace, determined to find the next Key. To keep himself away from anyone else he might be able to hurt. To obtain what he needs to find to finally see whatever semblance of "peace" his master intends on offering him in return.

He tries not to think about all of the many things he's had no choice but to leave behind; about the Radcliffes, or about the lights, or about home. But of course, that becomes something of a challenge when he steps out of his most recent dark corridor, only to find himself on a sunny, sandy shore.

This isn't the Destiny Islands; he can tell that much just by looking at the sprawling ocean stretching out before him alone. Even so, the sight of that sea, so familiar to the one he'd grown up staring at, makes his heart twist in a way that forces him to quickly turn away from it. At the same time, however, his heart is just as quick to pick up on something else, on something he hasn't sensed in quite some time, though not for a desperate lack of trying.

It picks up on the unmistakable presence of a Key.

"...Finally…" Sora sighs, relief almost bringing him to the point of tears. He's been telling himself for days now that there's only two left to find, two left before he can finally be safe, before he can finally meet his fate, whatever that fate may be, and maybe finally be free once it's all said and done. After finding eleven of them, the last two shouldn't be so hard to track down; but with all of the setbacks and distractions he's been facing lately, it's been anything but an easy task. Until now.

"Ok," he says to himself, taking in a steadying breath as he turns to head into the tropical forest lining the shore. "This shouldn't take long. Just stay away from people, keep an eye out for any trouble, and just find a way to get that Key to show up so I can-"

"So you can loyally deliver it to your Organization, just as you've done so many times before."

Sora freezes up, choking on the sharp burst of agony that shoots through his heart. He doesn't want to turn to face Ansem, but he finds he has no choice as he's forced to bow his head in respect once again for someone he so thoroughly hates. "S-Superior…" he addresses the treacherous man standing before him. "What… a surprise…"

"You don't look surprised," Ansem counters, his tone and expression both ice cold. "If anything, I'd say you're not exactly happy to see me. That's not true, is it, number thirteen?"

Sora doesn't even have time to think about the intent behind such a question before his mouth is suddenly drawn into a tight, wide grin, entirely against his will. Xemnas had done this to him before, and it's no less humiliating in front of Ansem now; a way to mock his pain, make light of his anguish. To make him say things that aren't anywhere close to the truth.

"O-of course, it's not," Sora says between his broad, fake smile. "It's… always a pleasure to get a visit from any of my superiors… I'm… g-grateful that you would take any of your valuable time to… to come see me…"

"The pleasure is all ours, Sora," Ansem finally cracks a smirk. "Just think; soon we'll no longer need to merely visit you for a few meager moments at a time. Very soon… you'll be with us every moment of every day."

"I-I can't wait…" Sora says, the exact opposite of how he really feels about such a horrid thought. Because in truth, the idea of having to be surrounded by so many people he can't stand, so many people who equally loathe him in return, so many people who want nothing more than to make him suffer, is far more than he can possibly bear. Even if Ansem is right; even if the day where that comes to be is likely much closer than he thinks.

"Neither can we," Ansem returns smoothly. "Which is why I've come to implore you not to waste any more time than you already have when it comes to finding this world's Key. The master is quickly starting to lose his patience with you, Sora. You wouldn't want to upset him after how merciful he's been, would you?"

By now, Sora almost feels sick to his stomach, knowing that 'merciful' is just about the last word he'd ever use to describe Xehanort, or any other member of Organization XIII for that matter. But he's still stuck smiling, still stuck shaking his head, still stuck saying words he wishes he could do anything at all to silence before they so insincerely slip out. "No, never," he swallows hard, tears starting to brim in his eyes as his cheeks begin to burn from his unwavering grin. "I… I exist to serve my master. M-my purpose is to please him in e-everything I do…"

"Find the two remaining Keys, and you will, number thirteen," Ansem assures. "And when you do, only then will the doors to your new and final home open themselves to you. Only then will you finally be truly safe."

It's only as Ansem turns to leave that Sora's smile is finally allowed to fall. And as it does, he can't help but quietly voice even a tiny hint of the disdain he really feels as he lets out a cross, indignant scoff. "Yeah right…" he deadpans, glaring away. "Safe and sound and completely miserable, just like all of you want me to be…"

Immediately after this slips out, he quickly wishes that it hadn't. His chest burns as he collapses to his knees, a raw cry escaping him as he glances up to meet Ansem's stern, fearsome scowl. "I can promise you, number thirteen, that you'll be far more miserable if you let the guardians of light get a hold of you," he hisses, reaching down to grip Sora by the chin. "In fact… there's something you ought to know. A handful of the lights are here, in this very world, searching for you, Sora."

"...What?" Sora barely manages to ask, his eyes widening in newfound fear.

"I saw them," Ansem informs as he pulls away to properly stand, still allowing Sora to languish in pain at his feet. "Your former traveling companions, and that boy who was once my own vessel before you. Now, what was his name again…?"

"R-Riku," Sora gasps starkly, his already rising panic rapidly skyrocketing. "He's… he's here?"

"He is," Ansem nods, grinning icily. "Scouring this tiny island for any trace of you, intent on finding you and dragging you back to his fellow guardians in chains. If that's a fate that you'd like to avoid, then I highly suggest you make haste in finding that Key… before any of your dear 'friends' can find you first…"

With this simple order issued, Ansem vanishes in an unceremonious flash of darkness. He leaves Sora alone to feel the grave weight of his warning, a weight so heavy it nearly crushes him completely. Riku is here, somewhere in this world, somewhere close enough that he could very easily find him by chance alone. Or at least, he could if Sora isn't quick enough to keep that from happening. If he does as Ansem said, if he hurries to find that Key so he can leave as quickly as possible, then he won't have to worry about Riku apprehending him. He won't have to see one of the two people he can't bear to face, not now that he's become such an awful abomination both inside and out.

So he rushes to pick himself up off the ground, sets his course back toward the forest as he forces his mind away from any sort of unwanted encounter he might have here. Only to have one such encounter all the same.

Almost as soon as he steps foot into the woods, Sora is caught off guard by a sudden burst of fiery magic that slams into one of the trees next to him, narrowly missing his head. It doesn't take him long to locate its source, but the second he does, an all new wave of unspeakable dread rushes through him. He doesn't give her a chance to say a single word to him, doesn't even bother sticking around to dodge the next burst of dark fire she sends his way. Instead, he acts on mere impulse and alarm alone, running through the woods in the exact opposite direction, determined to do anything in his power to never become Maleficent's prisoner ever again.

"You can't keep running from me forever, my pet!" he can hear her shout after him, her tone laced with unbridled fury. "I will continue to chase you across every last world if I have to! I refuse to rest until you have completely succumbed to my control once and for all!"

Sora doesn't dare answer, lest he give away his location through the trees. He doesn't look back over his shoulder, doesn't want to see the wicked woman who has put him through so much unspeakable torture. Instead, he does the only thing he's good at anymore; he runs. He runs blindly through the trees, haphazardly evading her deadly magic around every turn as he tries to find some sort of refuge, some sort of escape, some way to stop this madness from befalling him. To stop himself from falling victim to her chains, her poison, her curses, her murderous schemes, from everything she wants him to become, from everything he knows he already is.

He's swiftly forced to change direction when a fireball slams into the tree just ahead of him. He swerves to the left, finally chancing a glance behind him and letting out a small breath of relief when he doesn't see Maleficent anywhere in the immediate vicinity. However, in the process, he misses the sudden drop off just ahead of him. He inevitably ends up tumbling over the short cliff, painfully falling down its rugged face as he bites back a frightened cry. The scratches and burns he sustains on the way down are minor compared to the heavy blow to the back of his head as he eventually reaches the bottom, easily knocking him out.

At the same time, Maleficent reaches the edge of the cliff herself, albeit at a much slower pace. She doesn't think much of the drop off, believing that her prey wouldn't try to leap off such a high perch. So she simply passes it by to continue her search elsewhere. And in doing so, completely misses her 'pet' lying helpless and unconscious several feet below at the bottom of it.

And there Sora stays for quite some time, alone and out of it for well over an hour as the morning drags on. The cliff he'd fallen off of is in a rather remote part of the island, not too close to where most of the nearby town's residents live. But a pair still passes by it every day on their way home, a pair that's initially so caught up in a conversation of their own that they don't even notice the unmoving body only a few feet ahead of them.

"Ugh! Stupid Mertle and her stupid face and her stupid… everything!" the little girl rants to her fuzzy blue companion as he trails alongside her. "What if she's right and my hula is gonna be stinky? What if I'm just stinky? Like cheese…"

"Jinga–chee…" her friend reassures her in his own way, gently nudging her shoulder.

Even so, the little girl is hardly convinced as she glances down at the photograph in her hand. "But my mom was beautiful like an orchid and graceful like a wave…" she sighs wistfully. "I'll never be like her…"

Despite her dejection, her companion suddenly catches her off guard, retrieving a pink orchid from one of the surrounding trees before he perches it into her hair. From there, he reaches into her duffle bag, pulling out a small hand mirror to compare her to the picture of her mother at the same age. Reminding her of just how alike they truly are.

"You… you think I can do it?" she asks, hope filling her over something she'd been told was impossible

"We… do together!" her friend assures, and his confidence soon becomes infectious.

"...Ok," the little girl grins. "Then let's win this thing! Okey-"

"Dokey!" her friend exclaims as their hands meet in a solid shake. However, his attention is soon diverted, one of his long ears perking up as his keen nose catches onto a sudden familiar scent. He decides to follow it, skittering up the cliffside a bit to try and get a better view about what may lie ahead, and catching the curious confusion of the little girl in the process.

"Stitch?" she asks, frowning. "What is it? Do you see something?"

"Oh! Oh!" Stitch exclaims, hopping back onto the ground as he runs up ahead. The girl hurries after him, though she stops short with a startled gasp upon finally catching sight of what, or rather, who her friend has found.

"Whoa!" she balks, bewildered by the unconscious teenager lying just a few feet away. "Is he dead?"

Stitch shakes his head as he climbs onto the boy's shoulder, briefly listening for a heartbeat. "Naga, still 'live," he pauses for a moment, cooing in fascination as he begins pulling the boy's hood back to get a better look at his face.

"Aw, Stitch, what'd we say about taking people's hoods off without their permission!?" the girl huffs, hands on her hips. "What if he's having a bad hair day?"

"Naga! Achi-babba!" Stitch grins, running back over to the girl to pull her in closer. He points a clawed finger at the unconscious boy, a boy he just so happens to have met on a past adventure. "Sora!"

"Huh? Sora?" the girl raises a confused eyebrow as she looks back over to the boy. "Do you… know him, Stitch?"

"Ih," Stitch nods enthusiastically. From there, he begins explaining through pantomime, using a stick as a makeshift "Keyblade" and his own fingers as a pretend blaster to describe a battle that happened not so long ago. The girl doesn't get much of it, but she does take away the most important parts as Stitch's "story" reaches its end.

"Ohhh, so he's a friend of yours! From another world? Cool! That makes him alien, just like you, Stitch!" she smiles, though it's quick to fall when she notices the sorry state Sora is in. "What's he doing napping out here on the ground though? Are you sure he's not dead?"

"Gatchi," Stitch insists once more, finally taking notice of the several scars and scratches marring his friend's skin. As well as just how drastically different that friend looks from the last time he saw him. "I think… he hurt."

"Hurt?" the girl echoes, her worry soon replaced with resolve. "Well then we've gotta help him! C'mon, let's take him back to the house! Nani loves it when we bring injured strangers home!"

"El kiyotay," Stitch agrees, using his surprising strength to easily hoist Sora up above his head. Though his limbs dangle limply past Stitch's relatively short stature, he still has little issue carrying the boy along. "Iki bah bah!" he urges the girl to follow, which she gladly does. And as they go, they both just so happen to incidentally avoid being noticed by a lone figure wandering through the woods above. They go unseen by someone searching ruthlessly for the very boy they're unwittingly getting away with.


Pete thought he knew what he'd been doing when he helped Sora escape from Maleficent's cruel clutches. He thought he knew what he'd been doing when he'd narrowly managed to summon a dark corridor, something he's far from talented at, just before his former partner-in-crime could punish him for his 'betrayal'. He thought he knew what he'd been doing when he set out to try and find the boy, to ensure his safety against Maleficent's malicious schemes. But now that he stands before Donald and Goofy, a pair he's mutually despised every bit as much as their pesky king, a pair he realizes he now has no choice but to help, Pete realizes he has no idea what he's doing whatsoever.

"What do you want?" Goofy demands when Pete finds himself at an initial loss for words.

"Whatever it is," Donald interjects before the former henchman can get a word in edgewise. "You might as well forget about it! We have much more important things to do than waste time dealing with you."

"O-oh yeah?" Pete challenges in spite of his better judgment. "Well… what if I told you punks that I know where your lost kid is?"

"Huh?" Goofy balks, surprised. "You know where Sora is?"

"Yeah right," Donald scowls, crossing his arms. "You must think we're as dumb as you are to fall for a trick like that."

"It ain't no trick!" Pete counters, shaking his fist. Even so, he's quick to recant when he realizes he has little evidence to back that up. Mostly because it isn't true. "Er… ok, well, maybe I don't know where he is now, but I have seen 'im! Maleficent nabbed him a few weeks ago and-"

"Maleficent has him?!" Donald and Goofy exclaim in unified alarm. Alarm that Pete is quick to try and quell to get his point across.

"I said a few weeks ago, you dolts!" he huffs, annoyed. "Anyway, I helped him escape and now I'm-"

"Whoa, hold on," Donald interrupts. "You helped Sora escape? Really?"

"Yes, really!" Pete sternly insists. "Maleficent was doin' somethin' real bad to the stupid kid, and I… well, I couldn't just sit around and let it happen. So when you numbskulls never showed up to save him, I busted him outta her castle instead. And I almost lost my head for it, so both of you bozos and that brat better be grateful for all my hard work 'n heroism!"

"We'd be even more grateful if you stopped bothering us," Donald sneers, rolling his eyes as he and Goofy begin to continue down the street.

"And if ya stopped lying to us!" the captain adds much more adamantly. "We know you'd never help Sora, not as long as you're on Maleficent's side!"

"That's just it, I'm not!" Pete protests, not hesitating to follow the pair. "Least not anymore. She's gone completely bonkers! Won't stop until she has that kid turned into her ravin', heart-eating pet for good. She's been lookin' high and low for him everywhere since he got away, and I've been following her to make sure she don't get her hands on him again."

"And you expect us to believe that?" Donald asks, raising a critical eyebrow.

"Sure sounds like a tall tale to me…" Goofy agrees just as skeptically.

"I'm tellin' ya the truth!" Pete argues, growing steadily more frustrated. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. Maleficent's here in this world hunting for the kid–I know, I already done saw her awhile ago out in the woods! And if she finds him, then it won't be good for him, or for anyone else. Which is why, when I saw you two clowns were in the neighborhood, I figured I'd do you and him a favor by lettin' you know what's goin' on. You're welcome."

Donald and Goofy exchange a dubious glance at this, both of them still largely against believing anything that someone like Pete has to say. Still, the mere idea that Maleficent is here, searching for Sora just as they are, for such a drastically different, demented reason, is more than enough to set them on edge. It's something at the very least worth looking into, and unfortunately, Pete is their only real lead about it.

"So… what you're saying is… you want to 'help' us find Sora?" Donald asks, fixing the former henchman with a distrustful scowl.

"Ugh… I guess if ya wanna put it like that," Pete groans, disgruntled over having to properly admit it. "I still think both of yous are puny losers, but that kid is…" He trails off, sighing as a look of genuine remorse and worry fills his features. A look that catches Donald and Goofy alike off guard. "Gah! Just… shut yer yaps and lemme take the lead when it comes to trackin' the kid down, alright?"

"You? Take the lead?" Donald repeats incredulously. "I don't think so-"

"Hold on a second, Donald," Goofy interjects, seeming to simmer down as a new idea strikes him. "I think we oughta give Pete here a chance."

"Really?!" Both Donald and Pete balk, mystified by such a sudden change of heart. Pete is quick to pick his former confidence back up, however, as he stands a bit straighter, clearing his throat.

"I-I mean, yeah, you oughta," he asserts. "Ol' Petey here is your best bet for bringing your dumb brat home."

"No, you're not," Donald counters flatly. "Even if you actually wanted to help, which I'm sure you don't, then what makes you think you can-"

"Now, now," Goofy cuts in once more. "If he says he wants to help, then we should believe him. In fact, I just got a great idea! Since this island's pretty big, why don't we split up to see if we can find Sora quicker? Donald 'n I can search the woods while you look here in town, Pete. Sound like a plan?"

"Er… I guess so," Pete shrugs. "But-"

"Great!" Goofy grins as he begins pushing Donald along in the opposite direction. To silence the magician's obvious protests to this idea, the captain effectively has to cover his beak, lest everything fall to pieces. "We'll catch up with ya later! Good luck!"

"Oh, uh… right," Pete nods, scratching his head in confusion as he begins his own search. "Huh. That was a whole lot easier than I thought it'd be…"

Almost as soon as they're out of his earshot, however, Donald is quick to pipe up the second Goofy finally lifts his hand away from his mouth. "Goofy! What's the big idea?!" he exclaims hotly. "We can't trust Pete! Much less work with him."

"I know that," Goofy nods calmly. "I just came up with that 'splitting up' thing to get him to leave us alone."

"Wha–ohhh…" Donald nods, chuckling mischievously. "Good one, captain!"

"Thanks," Goofy returns with a wry wink. "I may be goofy, but I'm sure not stupid."

"Not like Pete is!" Donald laughs. "What was he thinking anyway, trying to make us believe that he turned over a new leaf? I bet anything Maleficent put him up to it."

"I dunno, Donald… He did seem like he was kinda worried about Sora," Goofy frowns. "Plus, Pete did warn us 'bout Maleficent cornering him back at Beast's Castle. Maybe… there's a chance he actually means it."

"And maybe there's a chance we can actually convince Riku to let us go with him," Donald rebuffs sarcastically. "Get real. We don't have time to fool around with the likes of Pete anyway. We've gotta focus on what's really important here: finding Sora and making sure he's safe."

"Gawrsh…" Goofy mutters, glancing over his shoulder in the direction the former henchman had gone. A henchman whose intentions are mysterious, yes, but so seemingly different from what they used to be before. "I still can't help but think that Pete might just be tryin' to do the same thing too…"


Sora isn't surprised when he awakens to a pounding headache. But what he is surprised by is that he awakens in a bed.

He darts upright in alarm, only to end up hitting his head against the hard surface only a few feet above it. "Ow…" he groans, covering his forehead with his hand as he wrenches his eyes tightly shut to ease away the pain. In doing so, he doesn't notice the small blue creature crawling down from the bunk above until it catches him off guard, plowing into him for a tight, happy hug.

"Huh?" Sora flinches, initially frightened until he happens to see who's embracing him. And as he does, he very quickly realizes that it's a friend he hasn't seen in quite some time. "Whoa! Stitch? Is that you?"

"Ih ih!" Stitch eagerly nods, pulling back a bit. "Batookah ohufi, Sora!"

"Wow! I can't believe it!" Sora grins, readily returning the alien's fond embrace. "It's so good to see you! How've you been?"

"Aka bootifa!" Stitch exclaims with a wide, toothy smile.

"I'm… gonna assume that means good," Sora chuckles, though his levity is quick to fade when Stitch suddenly grabs one of his hands to curiously inspect his claws.

"Sora… look different," he muses, raising an intrigued eyebrow at the boy.

"Uh… yeah, I know," Sora pulls his hand away, attempting to hide both of them from sight. "It's… I, um…"

"Ok, Stitch, I found where Nani hid the first aid kit!" The conversation is abruptly interrupted when a little girl, likely no older than seven, enters the round room they're in. She's clad in a simple red floral dress and totes a box of various medical supplies that seems a bit too heavy for her. "That means we're ready to operate! Is the patient sterialized?"

"Uh… naga," Stitch refutes, not noticing Sora tensing up next to him. He slips his hands under the blanket covering his lower half, though not before rushing to pull his fallen hood back up over his head. His sudden nervousness is largely lost on both Stitch and his young friend however, as the girl's expression lights up with excitement as soon as she meets his wide-eyed gaze.

"Oh! You're awake!" she grins, running over to him. "Darn, guess we don't need to perform a live-saving operation after all."

"Always next time," Stitch assures as hops off the bed to join the girl.

"Um… who is this?" Sora asks, his posture still rigid, his emotions shoved as far under the surface as they can go to keep his powers from acting up at the wrong moment.

"I'm Lilo!" the girl brightly introduces herself. "And your name's Sora, right? Stitch has been telling me a whole lot about you. Is it true you're from a whole 'nother world?"

"W-what?!" Sora exclaims, flustered as he desperately tries to keep the world order. "Uh, n-no, of course I'm not, I-"

"It's ok," Lilo leans on the side of the bed, her voice dropping down to a whisper. "You don't gotta keep it a secret. A whole bunch of other aliens live here too, like Jumba, Pleakley, and-"

"And Stitch!" Stitch proudly proclaims.

"Aliens?" Sora questions, bewildered.

"I've never seen an alien that looks so much like a human though," Lilo notes, immensely fascinated as she looks Sora over. "Does everyone on your planet have claws? Or do you come from some kinda parallel Earth where people's feet are all weird and bent up like yours?"

"Eegalagoo!" Stitch exclaims with a mischievous chuckle, grabbing Sora by the ankle to show off his bare foot.

"O-ok! Why don't we talk about something else?!" Sora anxiously insists, pulling his foot away as he hides his hands once more. "Literally anything else… Please."

Though Lilo is all set to suggest a new topic, she's quickly cut off guard by a frustrated call coming from the stairs leading up to the bedroom. "Lilo! Where's my first aid kit? You better not have stolen it again to play 'brain surgeon' with Stitch!"

"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about, Nani," Lilo replies, hastily shoving that same first aid kit under the bed. "I've never seen a first aid kit before in my life!"

"Look," a young woman, only a few years older than Sora by the looks of it, steps into the door frame, pinching her nose as she lets out a frustrated sigh. "I already had to deal with Pleakley taking the toaster this morning for some reason, I don't need anything else disappearing around-" She stops short, her exasperation quickly turning to surprise and confusion the catches sight of the unfamiliar boy sitting on Stitch's bed. "...Who's that?" she asks, her tone more weary than wary.

"This is Sora!" Lilo cheerfully chimes in.

"Um… hi?" Sora ventures with an awkward wave. He swiftly drops his hand though, when he catches a concerned, startled look from Nani the second she sees his claws.

"Sora achi-babba!" Stitch exclaims, crawling onto the bed to take a seat in Sora's lap. "Friend."

"We found him lying at the bottom of a cliff!" Lilo adds, grinning as she runs over to her older sister. "Can we keep him? Please?"

"Lilo, are you lolo?" Nani drops her voice down to a whisper as she kneels down to the girl's level, gripping her by the shoulders. "We can't just keep a person! Especially not a person who has claws…"

"But you let me keep Stitch and he has claws!"

"Well, yeah, but I-" Nani cuts herself off, shaking her head as she stands and surveys their unexpected 'guest' once again. Only now does she realize he's clearly just a teenager, one who looks a little worse for wear if his patchwork, mildly damaged clothes, his slightly scratched and scuffed-up skin, and his bright, yet tired eyes are any indication. Which is why, despite her initial apprehension, she can't help but smile as she watches that bizarre, obviously beleaguered boy warmly pat Stitch on the head, which the creature returns by giving him a sloppy, slobbery lick across the cheek. "Sora, was it?" she addresses him, her tone softening. "I'm Nani, Lilo's older sister. As long as you're here, do you need anything? Some water? Something to eat?"

On impulse alone, Sora almost eagerly says yes, not as used to turning down food as he'd been before his time with the Radcliffes. And yet, as he thinks of the last family that gave him shelter and food and comfort, he also thinks of the chilling words his master had said to convince him to leave them: "And it would only take one wrong moment for an unfortunate accident to occur… An accident that would be all your fault." An accident that could happen at any time, anywhere. Even here, even now.

"N-no, thanks," he shakes his head, wishing that he didn't have to. Wishing he could just accept someone's kind hospitality without feeling guilty about it for a change. "Actually, I should probably get going. There's something really important I need to-" He sharply cuts himself off with a small hiss as he tries to get up out of bed, a burst of palpable pain splitting through his knee, likely from his fall down the cliffside. Concerned, Nani rushes over to him, and Lilo helps her ease him back into bed as Stitch retrieves a pillow for him to prop his injured leg up on.

"Ai-ya, there's no way you're going anywhere if you can't even walk," Nani says, already turning to leave. "Let me see if I can find that first aid kit so we can patch you up. And while I'm at it, I might as well let Jumba and Pleakley know we have company-"

"Did somebody say 'company'?!" A figure that can't be described as anything other than an 'alien' pokes his one-eyed head into the room with a wide, excited smile.

"Hold it!" A deeper, gruffer voice scolds, pulling him back before a much larger alien with multiple eyes peeks past the doorframe, looking to Nani and Lilo in particular. "Are we to be putting on Earth disguises for this one?"

"No, you don't need to," Lilo grins, much to Nani's chagrin.

"Lilo!"

"Ah good," the larger alien smiles, allayed as he barely manages to squeeze into the room. "No fake mustache this time."

"Speak for yourself," the smaller alien crosses his arms. "I had a new hat I wanted to show off."

"As if that would make you any easier to look at."

"Hey!"

"Uh, Jumba? Pleakley?" Nani cuts into their fledgling argument. She discreetly nods over to their young 'guest' to remind them of his presence, as well as the mystified stare he's sending their way.

"Oh! Hello there!" the smaller alien hurries over, eagerly grabbing Sora's hand and giving it a hearty shake before he can even think about pulling it away. "You're an adolescent human, aren't you? What they refer to here on Earth as a 'teen-ager'. I didn't know your species developed claws at this age; how fascinating."

As Sora hastily pulls his hand away to conceal his claws once more, he's just as startled when the larger alien suddenly gives him a hearty pat on the back. "Pleasure to be meeting new friend of Experiment 626 and little girl. I am Dr. Jumba Jookiba, evil genius scientist-"

"Ahem," the other alien cuts him off, pointedly elbowing him in the side.

"...Reformed evil genius scientist," Jumba huffs, rolling all four of his eyes. "And loudmouth eyesore here is Pleakley."

"Oh! Well I never," Pleakley scowls, turning his nose (or lack thereof) up at his friend.

"And this is Sora!" Lilo introduces Sora when he makes no effort to do so himself.

"A-and I was just leaving," Sora anxiously insists, only for Nani to lightly push him back into bed by the shoulder instead.

"Not until your leg is feeling better, you're not," she asserts, her tone and expression equally stern. "I'll see if there's anything that can help downstairs; stay put until I get back."

"But I-"

"I said stay put," Nani repeats, fixing him with a sharp, borderline fearsome glare. One that's just enough to scare Sora into complying, as much as he doesn't want to.

"Y-yes, ma'am," he nods, his face red as he overhears Lilo and Stitch chuckling next to him.

"Oo! Nani! Do you need any help?" Pleakley excitedly volunteers as he begins to rush out of the room after her. "I have a nurse's outfit I've just been dying to find an excuse to wear!"

"I think I'll manage just fine–aaaand you're gonna follow me anyway…" Nani grumbles as she begins to descend the stairs, Pleakley trailing not too far behind.

"Do not forget Jumba!" the scientist calls as he quickly moves to follow along. "I can have new defibrillator ready in two minutes!"

"Why would we ever need a defibrillator?" Nani asks incredulously.

"You are never know," Jumba shrugs as the group finally leaves the room behind. Along with a very bewildered Sora in their wake.

"Uh… your family sure is… interesting," he says to Lilo with something of a bemused smile.

"Yeah!" she readily agrees. "They're the best. There's no other 'ohana out there like ours!"

"'Ohana?" Sora repeats, confused. "What's that mean?"

"'Ohana means family," Lilo explains warmly, sincerely. "Family means nobody gets left behind-"

"Or forgotten," Stitch finishes just as earnestly.

"...Oh," is the only response Sora can think to give upon hearing this. He absently grips the blanket resting in his lap, his heart suddenly feeling heavy at the thought of something like a family. A family like the Radcliffes, like the guardians of light, like his own mother, all people he's had no choice but to leave behind. And as he's left each of them behind, there's no doubt that they've already all started to forget about him. It's for the best if they do, he knows that, considering what's soon to become of him. But the notion that he'll soon be nothing more than a distant memory in the minds of everyone he once loved so deeply still leaves a heavy sort of sting that he can't shake. A sting that will forever linger even long after he's finally found his final place among his Organization.

"Since you're stuck here for a while, Sora," Lilo begins, hopping up to take a seat at the foot of the bed. "Do you wanna help me 'n Stitch come up with an idea for our hula?"

"For your what?" Sora asks, not following.

"Our hula!" Lilo proclaims as Stitch begins to rhythmically sway his hips as a demonstration. "It's a dance. The town's gonna hold a big festival soon and everyone in my class has to come up with a special hula so one of us can win! My mom won when she was my age, see?" She pulls out a photograph of a little girl who bears a striking resemblance to Lilo, one that she pulls close to wistfully hold a moment later. "And I wanna win too, just like her… So that's why we gotta come up with the best hula ever!"

"Tookie bah wah bah!" Stitch lets out a rallying cry as he leaps down onto the floor.

"Sounds like fun," Sora says, managing a small laugh.

"It will be, once we come up with a good idea," Lilo pouts, pulling out a pad of paper. "Everything we've thought up so far has been a dud; amputation, recycling, skydiving, vampire bats… We're completely hulaless!"

"Well… what are hulas usually about?" Sora ventures, curious, and also somewhat eager to, for whatever reason, help with even as mundane of a problem as this. Even when he knows he should be focusing on much more important matters instead.

"Bout anything, really," Lilo shrugs. "But this one's gotta be really special. It's gotta be big and amazing enough to wipe that dumb grin off of Mertle Edmond's dumb face."

"Ech," Stitch sneers, matching Lilo's disdain for her rival. "Ika patootie."

"What we need is some inspiration," Lilo muses, her chin perched against her hands. "I know! What if we went into town and looked for some good hula ideas there?"

"Ih ih!" Stitch nods in vigorous agreement with this plan. "Inspir-ation!"

"Hm…" Sora pauses, a newfound idea coming to him. One that he only hopes can help bring him closer to finding the next Key and leaving this world as quickly as possible. Far before either Maleficent or Riku can find him and imprison him again. "Maybe I could go with you guys. I'm actually supposed to be looking for something around here, a special kind of Key. So maybe I could look for that and help you guys find an idea for your, uh… hula at the same time."

"Oo! That's a great idea, Sora!" Lilo grins as Stitch readily nods his agreement. "But… Nani said you're not supposed to get up out of bed until your leg feels better."

"Oh, I'll be ok," Sora hastily assures with a dismissive wave of his hand. "In fact, it's, uh, already feeling a whole lot better now." It's a rather blatant lie, one that's proven as such when he swings his legs over the side of the bed, only to bite back a pained groan when he puts even the slightest bit of pressure on his injured knee. "S-see?" he says with a forced, wavering smile. "I'm f-fine."

Surprisingly, this is convincing enough, at least for Lilo as she turns to head out of the room. "Ok! I'm gonna go make sure Nani is busy so she doesn't see us sneaking out while you guys get ready to go. Be right back!"

As she leaves, Sora finally pulls himself up to fully stand, though he nearly collapses again from the agony eating away at his leg. Now more than ever does he wish he still had the advantage of healing magic on his side; a sprain like this would be taken care of in a matter of mere seconds if only his magic hadn't been tainted and replaced with destructive darkness instead.

"Sora still hurt," Stitch points out, crawling up to the top bunk to be more on eye level with the boy.

"Y-yeah, maybe a little…" Sora concedes. "But it's all right. I really need to find that Key and I don't have a lot of time to waste."

"Gaba ika Key?" Stitch inquiries. Sora does his best to infer what he might be saying.

"Are you asking what it's for? It's… a lot to explain," he sighs tiredly. "I just… I have to find it as soon as I can. If I don't, then… something really… bad will happen to me…"

"Something bad already happen to Sora?" Stitch guesses, eyeing his drastically changed appearance.

He can't help but let out something of a bitter chuckle at this. "You're right. Something bad has been happening to me for a long time… And I have a feeling it's only gonna get even worse from here. It always does…"

Stitch stays quiet for a moment or two, his ears low and his expression sad and sympathetic. Until he suddenly perks up with a newfound, hopeful idea. "Ah! Icha!" he exclaims, catching Sora's attention with his sudden excitement as he presents his plan. "Stitch help Sora!"

"...Thanks," Sora sighs once more as he glances away. "But I don't think there's anything you can do to help me, Stitch."

Stitch lets out a disappointed coo as Sora turns away from him, his arms loosely wrapped around himself. Though the creature prepares to reach out to him again, he's abruptly stopped when his eyes suddenly flash a bright, garish green, his entire tiny frame twitching erratically, to the point that he ends up falling backward off the bunk. A startled cry escapes him as his extra set of arms pops out of his torso unbidden mere seconds after he hits the floor. By now, the strange clatter has finally managed to catch Sora's attention.

"Stitch?" he manages to limp over to the other side of the bed. His fledgling concern quickly rises when he notices Stitch heavily convulsing on the floor, snarling and hissing as his eyes rapidly flash between black and an alarmingly glowing shade of green. "What's going on?"

He soon receives an answer, though not in words as Stitch suddenly lashes out, fiercely swiping his claws across the hand Sora extends out toward him. He's quick to pull his hand back in, covering up the already bleeding cut torn across his wrist as he focuses on Stitch once again. His odd behavior becomes even more unnerving when his usually hidden antennae pop out of his head and his long spikes shoot out from his back, making his normally cute and innocent appearance far more fearsome and alien. With his eyes now fully glowing green, Stitch unleashes a furious roar as he suddenly lunges forward, brutally slamming Sora to the ground and doling out several more cuts and gashes in the process.

His newfound rampage isn't centered on Sora for too long as Stitch suddenly leaps all the way across the room, knocking over a heavy shelf as he shreds through several of the books stacked on top of it with ease. He practically throws himself back over the bed, howling wildly as he ends up breaking a lamp and shattering a mirror. At first, the most Sora can do is watch this chaos unfold, stunned and horrified at the destruction Stitch is unleashing, seemingly for no reason at all. In the end, it doesn't last too long though, as Stitch finally comes to an abrupt stop in the center of the room, collapsing to the ground amidst the massive mess he's made as his eyes begin flashing back to their usual color, his hands pressed against his head as his stranger features begin to hide themselves once more. In the newfound lull, Sora approaches the creature cautiously, keeping his guard up just in case. And yet, as he gages Stitch's frightened expression and tight, anxious breathing, he can't help but wonder if whatever just happened to him might have been something he had no control over whatsoever.

In the immediate aftermath of such a violent outburst, neither Stitch nor Sora notice that someone else had witnessed the entire distressing scene. Jumba pulls away from the cracked door he'd been watching from behind, worriedly shaking his head as he quietly creeps back down the stairs. "Is getting worse…" he mutters with a fretful sigh. "Jumba must hurry to finish fusion chamber. Stitch does not have much time left…"

Meanwhile, Sora does his best to kneel down to Stitch's level, even despite the pain that splits through his knee as he does. He ignores that, however, in favor of checking on his clearly troubled friend. "Are you ok?" he asks, placing a careful hand on the creature's back. Stitch manages a nod, his eyes finally fully back to normal as he lets out an exhausted groan. "...What was that about?" Sora dares to ask, glancing around at the now-trashed room.

"Gaba?" Stitch tilts his head, seemingly confused. That confusion only seems to grow as he surveys the scattered room for himself, his ears drooping as the upsetting realization hits him. "Oh no…" he covers his face with his small hands. "Not again…"

"Again?" Sora questions. "You mean this has happened before?"

"Ih," Stitch nods, clearly guilty over that fact. "Stitch… have nightmares. S-scared of… of turning bad… see?"

He pulls out a piece of paper with a somewhat crude drawing of himself on it. While most of the image had been colored blue, some of it had been erased, marking that Stitch had apparently lost some of his "goodness". Sora can't help but frown as he stares at the drawing, quickly starting to gather a bit more context for what's happening here; and realizing just as quickly that it's all undeniably, almost hauntingly familiar.

"Stitch, I… I think I know how you feel…" he admits, solemnly glancing down at his claws. "What's going on with you sounds a lot like what's been happening to me lately. I have… a-a lot of darkness inside of my heart, and sometimes… it just takes over. It turns me into a monster–well, even more of a monster, a-and… I can't stop myself from hurting people when I'm like that…"

"Ih ih!" Stitch fretfully concours. "Same for Stitch!"

"...It's awful, isn't it?" Sora's voice is small, soft, sad. And shaken by the fact that he's sitting right next to him is someone who might just finally understand, even if in only some small, simple way. "Never knowing when or where you're gonna lose control, not being able to do anything about it when you do… running and hiding from your friends because you're so scared you're gonna-" He quickly cuts himself off, forcing tears back just as they threaten to fall. He does ease up somewhat, however, when he feels Stitch sliding a comforting hand overtop his own.

"Stitch and Sora… find way to stop nightmares… together!" he suggests with a small, reassuring smile. One that Sora knows he can't share, no matter how much he might want to.

"...I already told you," he begins, looking away. "There's nothing anyone can do to-"

"Ok, you guys!" Stitch and Sora freeze upon hearing Lilo's call coming from the bottom of the stairs. "The coast is clear!"

"Lilo!" Stitch gasps, hoping to his feet to begin rapidly cleaning up the mess he'd made. Sora initially watches in confusion, though he's very quick to figure out the reason behind the creature's haste.

"She doesn't know about this, does she?" he infers, a question that Stitch only briefly nods in response to. "Why haven't you told her?"

"Lilo busy with hula," Stitch quickly explains. "Stitch help Lilo. Lilo naga help Stitch. Not yet."

"...You don't wanna distract her from what's important to her…" Sora frowns, realizing this is yet another common ground he and Stitch share. "I get that. That's part of the reason why I never told anyone that I'm…" He trails off, shaking his head as he happens to overhear Lilo heading up the stairs, something that Stitch catches onto just as he finishes cleaning.

"Sora no tell?" he pleads, his large eyes sad and pleading as he glances up at the boy.

And, after keeping his own dangerous secrets for so long, Sora knows he's more than capable of doing the same for someone else. At least, until he can find a way to help Stitch free himself from those secrets, even if he can't come close to doing the same for himself. "Don't worry," he assures with a weak smile. "I won't tell."

"Takka!" Stitch grins in relief as he embraces Sora's uninjured leg.

"Hey!" Lilo exclaims, poking her head into the room. "Are you guys ready to go?"

"Y-yup!" Sora forces his smile to turn a bit brighter, a bit less nervous. "Everything's all good in here."

"Akootah!" Stitch adds, largely mirroring Sora's narrowly masked apprehension.

"Great!" Lilo grins, not seeing the truth behind either of their smiles. Not knowing just how much trouble her friends both old and new are truly in. "Then let's get inspired!"


"I'm sorry, young man, but I haven't seen your hen."

"No, that's not what I-" Riku lets out an annoyed huff, forcing himself to be patient with the small, elderly shopkeeper he's seeking information from. For better or worse. "I asked you if you saw my friend. His name is Sora, and he's-"

"No, I don't know anyone named Dora," the woman shakes her head, adjusting her large glasses that take up most of her face.

"Sora," Riku repeats, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You know what? Never mind. Sorry to bother you, ma'am."

"Hams?" the shopkeeper calls, still completely lost. "Oh, we're all out of hams! Come back tomorrow!"

Riku simply lets out a long, tired sigh as he continues on his way, heading to the outskirts of town in the hopes of checking the surrounding forest next. Not that he thinks it'll do him any good with the luck he's been having ever since this ill-fated search began.

"Looking for someone?"

He gasps, startled as he passes by one of the buildings on the furthest edge of town. He recognizes the voice immediately, his heart filling a flash of fear mingling with raw fury as Braveheart flashes into his hand. It takes him only seconds to spot Ansem as he stands, only a few short feet away, arms crossed as he leans casually against the side of the building.

"You…" he hisses with no qualms about showing his hatred for this man. This man who tricked him, who lied to him, who took advantage of him when he was at his most vulnerable to brutally shove him headfirst into darkness that he's only recently been able to swim his way out of.

"It's been awhile, boy," Ansem says curtly, his posture unchanging. "Still, I should give credit where it's due. You've gotten stronger since the last time we met."

"Tell me where Sora is now or I'll show you how strong I really am," Riku threatens, already brandishing his Keyblade for a battle.

"To the point," Ansem smirks, moving to stand properly. "I've always appreciated that about you, Riku. Very well. If you must know… your long search is about to reach its end. Sora is far closer to you than he's been in quite some time. You might find him in this very world, if you're lucky enough."

Riku flinches, his stern manner faltering as he tries to make sense of what he just heard. "H-he's… here? In this world?" he asks, not entirely sure if he's willing to believe Ansem's word for it.

Even so, the man nods, his icy grin deepening as he takes a step closer to Riku. "How terribly you must have missed him during these past few long months," he says tauntingly, unsympathetically. "If only he still felt the same way about you…"

Riku draws in a small, shuddering breath just as Ansem passes him by. He's quick to regain his nerve however, his grip on his Keyblade tightening as he aims its tip directly at his enemy's head. "You still think I'm stupid enough to believe everything you tell me, don't you?" he asks coldly, crossly. "I'm not the same lost, confused kid you fooled a few years ago. I know what matters most to me now. And I won't rest until I've found a way to save him from you."

"Then you'll never see any rest at all," Ansem retorts with a small, haughty laugh. "Sora is ours now. And when you see him–if you get to see him at all–then you'll know that much just by looking at him."

"I don't care what he looks like," Riku asserts. "The only thing I care about is finding him and bringing him home."

"What makes you think that he'll go with you willingly?" Ansem asks, raising a critical eyebrow. "He's already fled from several of your fellow lights when they attempted to collect him. I think he's made it quite clear by now that he wants nothing more to do with any of you. It's time to grow up and face facts, boy. The Sora you knew is long dead and gone. The Sora that we are creating in his place is who he's truly meant to be."

"Enough!" Riku shouts, not wanting to listen to another word. He rushes forward, charging at Ansem with his Keyblade at the ready for a brutal swing. Only for the man to disappear seconds before its metal surface can hit him.

"You would rob your closest friend of his ultimate destiny simply because you long for him to stand by your side again?" Ansem scoffs, appearing only a few feet behind him. "I suppose some things never change after all; you're still every bit as selfish as you've always been."

"Whatever 'destiny' you have in mind for him isn't one Sora would ever want!" Riku argues, spinning around to face the man as he rushes in for another attack.

"And how would you know that?" Ansem asks, completely calm in contrast to Riku's rage. "You haven't seen him in months. Sora has changed, Riku, both on the outside and the inside. In fact, he's so desperate to join our ranks now that he has agreed to search for the remaining Keys for us willingly."

"No," Riku says staunchly, swinging his Keyblade only for Ansem to dodge his attack once more. "He would never-"

"He would," Ansem interrupts smugly, not even making any effort to fight back as he continues evading Riku's blows. "And he has. It only makes sense that he would fall in line after all of the anguish he's been through. He's been thoroughly broken by so much time spent entirely on his own, so many sleepless nights, countless days on end without any food or water to sustain him. And that's not even mentioning the two weeks he was in the care of your old 'friend' Maleficent."

"What?" Riku asks sharply, deeply unnerved to hear such alarming news.

"I'm not surprised that you don't know about what happened," Ansem goads as the one-sided battle comes to an abrupt halt. "If you'd had any notion that Sora had been so cruelly chained and tortured and cursed, I'm sure you would have come running to his rescue as soon as you could. After all, you promised to protect him from her, didn't you, Riku? No wonder he doesn't want to see you after you've failed him time and time again."

"Stop!" Riku shouts, his fury masking his grief over such claims. Claims he knows he can't even argue against when he knows they're nothing less than the truth. Once again, Ansem teleports out of the path of his Keyblade, but when he reappears, it's only a few mere inches behind Riku.

"I'll leave you with a word of advice," he practically whispers in the boy's ear, sending a fierce chill down his spine. "Give up on Sora. You're far too late to save him. You always have been."

Unable to do much else when faced with such devastating "advice", Riku spins around with an outraged shout, putting as much force behind his Keyblade as he possibly can. Of course, it hits nothing but empty air, and though he waits at the ready for another moment or two, this time, Ansem does not reappear. Not that he's even remotely relieved after everything he just heard.

He knows he shouldn't take stock in anything anyone from Organization XIII has to say, much less Ansem of all people. Of course he'd be the first one Riku would encounter on his solo mission; out of the entire twisted bunch, it only makes sense that he'd be confronted by the one who has the most experience getting under his skin. Just about anything Ansem said to him could have been a lie, but Riku knows there had likely been some truth still slipped in between the cracks. As for what that truth might be… he's not entirely sure he even wants to know.

But of course, Riku won't believe anything until he hears it coming from Sora himself. By all accounts, he's not sure what he'll discover when he finally does find him, but if there's one thing he does buy from what Ansem just told him, it's that Sora really is here in this world after all. Whether he's a few miles or a few blocks away, Riku can practically feel his familiar presence. So very close, yet still so far out of reach.

He decides to push Ansem's poisonous lies out of his thoughts, replacing his fears with hope. And with that hope, he clings onto the image inside of his mind of Sora's smiling face, of the distant echo of his warm laugh, of the phantom feeling of their hands intertwined. All things that have faded somewhat for Riku after going so long without them, but still present, still strong, still worth doing everything he can to try and salvage in any way he can. "It's not too late," he whispers both to himself and to Sora, wherever he might be. "I know it's not…"


Despite Lilo's initial enthusiasm, scouring the town for hula ideas turns out to be much easier said than done. The trio checks out some of the area's most common landmarks, scoping them out for any potential themes to make a good dance out of. Most of what Lilo comes up is admittedly a bit strange, from hulas about hot dogs to fire hydrants to almost everything in between. None of them really turn out to be winners, though she doesn't stop trying, set on a tight time limit of only about a day before the first rehearsal.

With Lilo's focus on her hula, her companions are distracted by just about everything else. Stitch does his best to be supportive of his friend's mission, though in almost every locale they visit, his erratic outbursts slip back to the surface. And whenever they do, it's exactly when he least wants them to. He tears through countless piles of clothing at the laundromat, gets them kicked out of the barber's for causing a scene, and nearly incites a police chase at the coffee shop. With each disastrous disruption, Stitch erases a little more from his 'goodness chart', shamefully presenting it to Lilo as penance for his unintentional misdeeds. Of course, without the full context, she simply believes her friend to be acting up on purpose, and without knowing what's even happening to him, there's little Stitch can do to prove her wrong

For his part, Sora tries to remain as discreet and inconspicuous as possible as he follows the pair around. He keeps his hood pulled up tight, his head typically lowered, his hands almost always shoved into his pockets to hide his more unusual, unsettling features from sight. He doesn't engage too much in Lilo and Stitch's shenanigans, largely standing on the sidelines as they continue their fervent search for inspiration. At the same time, he makes sure to keep an eye out for Maleficent, or Riku, or even Ansem for that matter, all the while knowing he's risking being easily found by any of them just by being out in the open like this. Through luck alone, he spots none of them, but he does witness plenty of Stitch's accidental episodes. He tries to help as much as he's able, restraining Stitch despite his furious claw-swings and angry biting, pulling him away from anyone or anything he might pose to damage, and keeping his promise to not say a word to Lilo abou what's really going on. Even so, he does his best to smooth the rising tension between the pair of friends over, doing what he can to defend Stitch after each of his sporadic, downright dangerous "glitches".

"I can't believe you broke the post office window…" Lilo grumbles to Stitch as the group approaches the far end of town. "Right as I was about to come up with the best hula about mail anyone's ever seen!"

"Maybe cut him a little slack, Lilo?" Sora suggests gently. "I'm sure it was just an accident-"

"An accident?" Lilo huffs. "Like how when he shaved the barber's mustache off was an 'accident' too?"

"Um… well…"

"Stitch sorry…" Stitch laments, glancing away in shame. Upon gaging that his apology is clearly sincere, Lilo finds she can't exactly stay mad at her best friend for too long.

"Ok, I forgive you," she relents, managing a small smirk. "Just try to be a little more careful, ok?"

"Promise," Stitch nods as confidently as he can. Even though he shouldn't promise such things with how unpredictable and unstoppable his outbursts always are.

Sora can't help but smile as he watches the pair reach a quick and easy reconciliation. He knows it's likely because of their shared innocence, but it comforts him to see such a friendship stand strong. And in many ways, reminds him that such friendships still exist at all, even if he no longer has any to call his own.

Only a moment or two later, a low rumble of thunder sounds across the cloudy skies above. It takes almost no time at all for a light drizzle to start, something that isn't uncommon in this sort of tropical climate. Still, Lilo, Stitch, and Sora hurry for the nearest cover they can find, which just so happens to be under the canopy of a fuel station on the outskirts of town. And as they settle in to wait out the short storm, they just so happen to overhear a light, pleasant melody coming from not too far away. A pair of musicians, one on the ukulele and the other tapping on a bongo, warmly play their duet, a local tune that Lilo recognizes almost as soon as she hears it.

"E ku'u lei e hele mai 'oe-

A 'ike i na waiwai o ke kai 'uli iho-

Mai 'uwe 'oe e ku'u lei hiwa-

E aloha wau ia 'oe na kau a kau-"

"That song!" Lilo runs up to the musical pair brightly. "It's about the goddess Hi'iaka!"

"Hey, that's right, Lilo!" one of the musicians nods, grinning.

"That's a great story," Lilo turns to Stitch and Sora, beaming. "Friendship, jealousy, death by molten lava! Do you know what this means?"

Stitch lets out an excited chuckle as Lilo grabs him by the hands, pulling him out into the rain as the pair spin around in gleeful celebration. "We've got our hula!" Lilo proudly proclaims, her joy infectious to the point that even Sora can't help but catch a little of it.

"This sure sounds like it's some story," he says with a smile as he begins following the pair through the woods to get back to the house. The rain finally starts to come to a stop, the short shower moving on as the skies ahead begin to slowly clear. "What's it about?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Lilo says, already formulating the moves she wants to use in her dance as she begins to demonstrate. "This is how it goes: once there was a beautiful goddess named Hi'iaka–that'll be me, and a handsome mortal, Lohi'au–that's you, Stitch!"

"Okie-taka, handsome," Stitch slicks back a bit of his fur, putting on a suave grin that's enough to elicit a chuckle from Lilo and Sora alike.

"There were as close as two people could be," Lilo continues the tale as both her and Stitch dance (mostly) in time with each other. "But one day, Pele, the volcano goddess, grew jealous of their friendship. Oh! That could be you if you want, Sora!"

"Uh, n-no thanks," Sora says with a forced chuckle. One that does little to show how flustered and rather offput he is by the suggestion of playing a villain. Mostly since, by all accounts, he's already become one in real life. "I don't really dance much anymore."

"That's ok," Lilo assures. "Stitch is a pretty dynamic actor, so he can play Lohi'au and Pele."

To prove that point, Stitch shows off a devious pose followed by a heroic one mere seconds later. Lilo plays along with him as she returns to the story their newfound hula is centered around. "So one day, Pele took Lohi'au and threw him into a volcano filled with molten lava! Hi'iaka discovered his body in a cavern by a sea cliff, and she stayed with him and prayed to the gods to bring Lohi'au's spirit back. And it worked!" Lilo and Stitch's ongoing dance, while a bit rough, finally reaches some kind of stable harmony at this as they both sway, not to any tune, but to a tale as ancient as the islands themselves. "Her love brought him back to life, proving love is more powerful than death."

"...Wow," Sora says simply, softly, unsure of how else to respond to such a story. It's message is a beautiful, noble one, something that he might've once found hope in before his hopes had been all but crushed completely. Yet even still, he can't bring himself to doubt it. Love is powerful, even if it's something he's never truly understood. He's seen its mysterious, magnificent handiwork across so many worlds through so many different people. He's watched it bring back what's been lost, fix what's been broken, restore what's been ruined. It very well could be stronger than the darkness of death; if only it were strong enough to free him from a different type of darkness entirely. If only there was still someone out there who loves him enough to try.

Though Sora still has a question or two in mind about this intriguing legend, he doesn't get a chance to ask them. Because suddenly, something sharp and tight latches around both of his ankles, a set of sturdy, thorny vines that quickly coil up to his knees. They swiftly throw him to the ground and begin pulling him off the beaten path and into the dense woods, something that Lilo and Stitch see as soon as they turn at the sound of his frightened cry.

"Sora!" they both exclaim, though Stitch is the one to leap into action first. He jumps forward, catching Sora by the hands before he can be fully dragged into the foliage. Despite his small size, Stitch's strength is superior as he begins pulling back against the vines' heavy hold. Lilo is quick to do what she can to help as Sora struggles against and kicks back against the encroaching plans, only for more to lash out from the forest to grab him by the wrists, their painful thorns digging deep into his skin. In the end, however, despite everyone's best efforts, the vines are what ends up winning out. Sora's hands slip out of Lilo and Stitch's, and he screams once more as he's yanked back across the forest floor, with even more vines emerging to cover his mouth and silence him. For several nightmarish seconds, he's awash in blind confusion, something that's immediately replaced with raw, agonizing fear when he finally comes to a grinding halt. When he finally sees exactly who had sent those binding vines after him in the first place.

"There you are, you loathsome creature…" Maleficent scowls as she stands tall over him. Surprisingly, she looks a bit worse for wear since the last time he'd seen her, if the dark bags under her wild-looking eyes are any indication. The tone of her voice is low, quiet, yet impatient, tinged with the slightest hint of something utterly, horrifyingly unhinged. "As I'm sure you can assume, my patience with you has reached its end. Come along, my pet. You will not escape from me this time."

And yet, just as Maleficent reaches her hand down to claim her trembling captive once more, a fierce shout suddenly surges from the surrounding trees. "Meega nala kwista!" Stitch yells, lunging directly at Maleficent. He knows a threat when he sees one, and the way he'd just heard her speak to Sora all but confirms that this dark, ominous woman is one. So he flings himself toward her, claws and teeth at the ready to attack as he lets out a vicious snarl. Sora watches, stunned from his spot on the ground, as Stitch lands on Maleficent's face, scratching and biting away at it just as his eyes start to glow green. Just as another furious rampage kicks in, this time, for the first time, at the exact right time.

Maleficent screeches, outraged and alarmed as she stumbles back, her hands flying up to try and remove the creature mauling her. As a result, her magical vines begin to loosen, start to retract somewhat, though Sora still struggles to rip himself out of them, at least until he gets an extra set of hands to help him. He draws in a sharp gasp when he turns to find Lilo pulling as hard against the vines on his arm as she can, and between that and a little more effort on his end, one of his hands soon becomes free. From there, he puts his own claws to good use to rip through the plants coiled around his legs and other arm before finally prying his mouth free. As soon as he does, Lilo doesn't hesitate to begin asking the most obvious question.

"Sora, what's-"

"Come on!" he suddenly shouts, jumping to his feet and grabbing the girl by the arm. Lilo lets out a startled squeak as Sora yanks her along after him, both of them fleeing into the forest, away from the vines, away from Maleficent, away from–

"Stitch!" Lilo shouts, her sights set behind her as Sora forces her to stumble behind him. "Sora, stop! We gotta go back for Stitch!"

Sora doesn't respond to her, doesn't even glance her way. Instead, he continues running, his grip so tight on her arm that his claws are practically digging into it. Lilo tries to pry herself out of his hold in the hopes of making it back to Stitch, though she stops, startled as she notices strange, sharp spikes, pitch black yet glowing vividly all the same, rapidly piercing the ground alongside them as they run. As frightened as she already is by this strange, severe situation, their appearance only serves to unnerve Lilo even more. Yet she still doesn't give up in trying to reach Sora somehow… even if his mind is somewhere far, far away.

"Sora, please!" she pleads, on the verge of tears. And this time, Sora answers; but his words aren't meant for her.

"I-I can't let her find me," he whispers, his voice tight, barely audible. "Not again, never again–I can't–I can't–I CAN'T-"

"SORA!" Lilo shouts at the top of her lungs. And this time, when she finally manages to tear herself out of his relentless grip, forcing him to stop in his tracks and turn to listen to her. "We have to go back and help Stitch! He's my 'ohana. Remember what I told you earlier? 'Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten!"

At first, Sora doesn't know what to say as he notices a few distraught tears streaking down the girl's face. Torn between guilt and terror, he fumbles for words, for a way to make her understand what will happen to him if he ever lets himself fall into Maleficent's hateful hands again. "I-I… I'm sorry," he shakes his head, looking away. "But I-"

He's cut off as a sudden blue blur flies past him, slamming into the one of the trees ahead. It's enough to break him out of his panic, but only briefly, as he sees Stitch hit the ground, his eyes briefly flickering green before returning to their usual black as he sits up, dazed, but fortunately uninjured.

"Stitch!" Lilo cries relieved. She runs over to her friend, hugging him tightly, though Stitch is still largely too out of it from his recent glitch to return it. The moment is all too quickly ruined, however, when a furious scream sounds from somewhere far too close for comfort.

"Vile little beast!" Maleficent shouts vengefully, the mere sound of her voice alone sending a rapid chill down Sora's spine. "Just wait until I get my hands on you–I'll have my Heartless tear you to shreds!"

Though Stitch hardly heeds this threat, Sora certainly does as he looks between the pair, aptly terrified that Maleficent might find them and hurt them both. Or worse, that she might force him to hurt them for her. "Y-you have to run," he chokes, barely able to get the words out. "Both of you, before she finds us."

"What?" Lilo asks, confused.

"I'm the one she wants," Sora explains as quickly, as calmly as he can. Even if calm is the exact opposite of how he's feeling right now. "So I-I'll distract her. You two need to run home as fast as you can and whatever you do, don't look back,"

"What about Sora?" Stitch asks worriedly, now largely recovered from his latest episode.

"I'll be fine," Sora lies. Because he knows he won't be–he never is anymore. He hasn't been in a very long time. "Just go!"

Lilo and Stitch exchange an apprehensive frown, neither of them wanting to leave their friend to whoever this wicked witch of a woman is and whatever she has planned for him. Which is why Lilo makes an earnest attempt at convincing him against it. "But Sora-"

"NOW!" he suddenly shouts, black spikes exploding out of the ground all around him. His eyes glow a fierce shade of gold, his claws brandished at his sides, his entire manner fearsome, downright monstrous even. It's enough to elicit a startled gasp of Lilo, but whatever fear she might be feeling is soon replaced with surprise as Stitch suddenly hoists her off her feet, thinking only of getting his best friend to safety. And hoping that Sora will find a way to do the same thing for himself as he runs off, leaving him to face a threat that wants him and him alone.

Naturally, as soon as the pair is gone, Sora takes off himself, sprinting through the woods in a different direction entirely. Spikes still continue to follow him, no doubt leaving a trail for Maleficent to follow, but he can't be bothered to care. Instead, he throws his hand out, calling upon every ounce of dark magic he has at his disposal as he begs it for a dark corridor. A dark corridor that of course, refuses to appear when he needs it most. He should have figured as such; there's no way his master or his superiors would let him leave a world that contains a Key without finding it first.

So instead he runs, just like he's been doing. He runs and runs and runs, knowing that he'll never be able to stop. Not as long as he's the one that everyone wants for all the wrong reasons.


"I'm startin' to think them chumps sent me out on a wild goose chase…" Pete grumbles to himself as he brushes his way through the forest foliage. He's been wandering the woods for a few hours now with nothing to really show for it, nothing to report back to his new "allies". Allies that he hasn't seen hide nor hair of since they decided to "split up" earlier.

"Gah! I've had enough of this malarky," he scoffs, coming to a halt in the middle of a clearing. "I don't need that duck or that doofus. I saved the kid before, I can do it again on my own. Now, all I gots to do is fire up one of those dark corridor thingies and I'll be-"

"Vile little beast!" Pete freezes stiff upon hearing a voice echo harsly through the nearby woods. Her voice. "Just wait until I get my hands on you–I'll have my Heartless tear you to shreds!"

"...Wuh oh…" Pete gulps, frantically looking around. "That ain't good…"

Knowing he doesn't have much time to waste, Pete picks his pace up into a jog, scanning the surrounding woods for any sign of Sora. Instead, he finds exactly the last person he wanted to encounter out here when he sees her dark, menacing silhouette speed through the trees. And though he knows well what he's risking if he lets her see him, he also knows he doesn't have any other tangible choices. Because certainly she's after Sora, certainly she's hot on his trail, and certainly she'll find him and cage him again… unless someone buys him the time he needs to get away.

So he takes a deep breath, summons all of his courage, and lets out a brazen battle cry as he crashes through the trees and barrels directly into his former partner in crime.

At the same time, another pair wanders through the woods, both of them weary and worn down after their futile search through town. Donald and Goofy aren't feeling particularly chatty as they traverse the forest, neither of them really expecting Pete to do so like they asked. At least until they happen to overhear his unmistakable yell ringing through the nearby trees.

"...Is that Pete?" Goofy wonders with a frown.

"Sounds like it…" Donald groans, rolling his eyes. "What's he up to this time?"

The pair starts a second later when a loud crash is heard, one that they hesitate to investigate. Until they hear a single harsh, vicious voice soon follow, one that they both recognize just as quickly.

"You…"

"M-Maleficent?!" Donald and Goofy exclaim in equal alarm. They leap into action, hurrying in the direction of the din and fortunately managing to find a pair of trees to hide behind to watch the dramatic confrontation they've suddenly stumbled onto.

"Uh, h-hey, Maleficent," Pete awkwardly greets as they both begin to pick themselves up off the ground. "How ya been? You look…. Uh, not so great, t' be honest…"

Maleficent fixes her former henchman with a bitter scowl, though even from a distance, Donald and Goofy can tell Pete isn't wrong. Not only does she look exhausted, a deep scratch seems to have very recently been torn across her face, to the point that it's still bleeding, completely marring her once-elegant features. "Silence, you despicable traitor!" she snaps fiercely, summoning her staff. "Why have you come here? Are you still set on foolishly trying to 'protect' that miserable boy from what he's meant to become?"

Pete straightens his posture a bit at this, stern resolve filling his expression as he answers earnestly, honestly, unafraid of what the consequences might be. "No. I'm here to save 'im from you."

Donald and Goofy let out a shared, soft gasp at this, both of them struggling to believe what they've just heard. The bitter argument that breaks out between Maleficent and Pete from there is largely lost on them both as they come to terms with it all. As they realize just how suddenly and how suddenly, and how strangely the tables have turned.

"Gawrsh, looks like Pete was tellin' the truth after all…" Goofy whispers, amazed.

"Who cares about that?!" Donald exclaims. "We've gotta go find Riku and tell him Maleficent is here!"

"But what about Pete?" Goofy asks, watching with apt concern as Pete narrowly leaps out of the way of one of Maleficent's fireballs.

"He can take care of himself," Donald quickly, dismissively assures. "C'mon!"

With this, the pair takes off, leaving Pete to fend off Maleficent as much as he's able. While neither of them are confident about how successful he might be, they know they still need to warn Riku of the danger. Even if they're not so sure they'll be able to find him, much less get him to listen to anything they have to say.

Still, they run through the woods, intent on making it back to town as quickly as they can. However, the forest surrounding it is surprisingly vast and dense, to the point that they initially don't see another dark shape rushing through the trees. Until that shape, looking over their shoulder instead of at what's up ahead, ends up slamming straight into them both.

The sudden collision knocks Donald and Goofy off their feet, disorienting them both as they fall to the forest floor. "Hey!" the magician shouts, his fist angrily. "Watch where you're going, you-"

Goofy cuts him off with a sharp gasp, a heavy hand falling on his shoulder as he directs his attention to who they'd just run into. The clothes are what they both notice first, tattered yet somewhat patched up, dirty, yet undeniably recognizable. They spot his hair next, white spikes draping down from a tightly-drawn hood, golden eyes that turn wide the moment they fall upon the pair. And for a moment or two, the most either Donald or Goofy can do is stare right back at him in awestruck silence, stunned by how much he's changed, by how terrified he clearly is, by how miraculous it is that they've even managed to reunite with him at all.

"S-Sora…" Donald speaks first, his voice much quieter than it usually is.

"We… we finally found you!" Goofy adds with a growing smile. Tears are already brimming in both the captain's and the magician's eyes as they slowly rise to stand.

Sora, however, hops to his feet much faster, his breathing immediately tight and sharp and fast as he draws his clawed hands in close. His eyes never leave the pair, his heart racing in fear that practically freezes him in place. He knows he should run, he should get as far away from them as possible, he should do everything in his power to stop what happened in Twilight Town from ever repeating itself. And yet…

"I-I…" he stops himself, unsure of what to say, how to feel. He's missed them both for so long, every single day across the many months they've been apart. He's longed for their comfort, their companionship, the kindness and caring they used to show him. Kindness and caring that he repaid by recklessly, savagely harming them both.

"You've had us all worried sick!" Donald exclaims, a hint of his usual scolding on his tone. "What's wrong with you, running away from everyone like that?! You look like you haven't eaten or slept in weeks! Figures you wouldn't be able to take care of yourself without us…"

"Donald…" Goofy cautions, noticing how Sora tenses up at such harsh criticism. The very same kind of criticism that likely played a part in prompting him to leave in the first place. "Sora, we're so glad you're alright," he addresses their young companion, his tone soft, far more careful than Donald's had been. "Ya know, we've been lookin' everywhere for ya–everyone has. We all want you to come home so we find a way to help you-"

"N-no," Sora interrupts tensely, nervously. "I can't go back. Ever…"

"Yes, you can!" Donald insists adamantly. "We're not having this conversation again! You need help, Sora! Why are you still trying to fight us on this, even after all this time?!"

"Because… it's too late…" Sora mutters, glancing away from the pair. "It always has been…"

"W-well… even if it's too late to stop this, it's not too late for us to figure out how to save you from it," Goofy insists as evenly as he can. "Please, Sora, just let us-"

"Stay back!" Sora starts when Goofy takes a small step forward. Several dark spikes shoot up around him, though fortunately, none of them come close to touching either of his former companions. "I-I don't want to hurt you again…"

"You… you won't hurt us!" Donald protests. "What happened before was just an accident, we know you didn't mean to-"

"I never mean it!" Sora shoots back, tears filling his eyes. "But I still can't stop it! I can't stop myself from hurting and destroying and killing-" He abruptly cuts himself off, a sob escaping him as he slaps a hand over his mouth. But it's already too late. Donald and Goofy freeze, shock settling over both of their faces as they try to comprehend what they've just heard. As they try to wrap their heads around a thought so horrific and unspeakable even though Sora had just been the one to speak it himself.

"Killed…?" Donald dares to wonder, not wanting to believe it. "You… who did-"

"I-I didn't want to!" Sora hastily cries, his tears finally falling. "I was just… M-Maleficent, she made me–I… I'm sorry!" he apologizes, not really to either of them, not even to his long-dead victims. He apologizes, simply because that's what he always does anymore; to the point that those words have all but lost their meaning entirely.

"Sora…" Goofy frowns, trying to extend an arm out toward him. One that Sora stumbles away from once again.

"Please, don't… I can't-" A sob interrupts him, overtaking all of the many things he wants to say to his estranged companions. All of the things he knows he has no right to tell them after everything he's done. "Just… just forget about me…"

"No!" Donald sharply refutes. "There's no way we'll ever forget about you!"

"And we'll never stop tryin' to help you either," Goofy adds just as firmly. "We're still a team–a family, Sora, no matter how far apart we are from each other."

"...No," Sora sighs, wiping a few of his tears away. "We're not… We can't be anymore. But… thanks… for wanting to try," he offers the pair the faintest ghost of a smile, something neither of them can even hope to share when they hear what he has to say next. "I miss you, a-and I love you both… Goodbye…"

With this, Sora abruptly throws his hand up, calling upon a towering wall of thick spikes to split through the ground between him and his former companions. Donald and Goofy let out a shared cry of alarm as they both fall back onto the ground from the suddenness of it all. They're only able to see through the tiny gaps in that wall as Sora glances back at them one final time… before he runs away from them all over again.

"Sora!" they yell, lunging toward the spikes, beating their weapons against the steadfast spikes. But in the end, they accomplish nothing, and just like before, all they can do is watch as Sora disappears, as he resigns himself to be forgotten, to be left behind. To no longer be a part of a family that wants nothing more than to finally have him back.

Donald and Goofy find they have no time to figure out a plan to go after him. Because only seconds after Sora leaves, they're met with another unexpected encounter as Pete suddenly trips out of the woods behind them, landing flat on his face. "Ugh… I think I finally lost her…" he groans tiredly, though he starts the second he spots Donald and Goofy just a few feet ahead of him. "Hey! Where the heck have you dolts been? I just had to fight Maleficent off all on my own! If we're some kinda 'team' now, 'least you could've done is lend a fella a hand!"

"Would you be quiet already!?" Donald snaps crossly, turning away as he brushes off lingering tears. "We were busy with something much more important."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Pete huffs, pulling himself upright. "What, didja finally manage to find your kid or somethin'?"

"...No," Goofy sighs sadly as both him and Donald glance back at the wall of spikes still keeping them from Sora. Still separating them from the missing piece of their family, a piece they're not sure they'll ever be able to salvage or save or even simply see again. "We didn't…"


Riku isn't expecting much as he approaches a rather strange-looking house tucked away just outside of town in the woods. So far, this entire island has proved to be a bust, and outside of Donald and Goofy, nothing has really turned up, much less anything concerning Sora. Even so, he's hesitant to leave so soon after what he heard from Ansem, even if he still has his doubts in most of what his foe had to say. Still, Riku remains steadfast as he trudges up the stairs to the house, taking in a calming breath as he puts such thoughts out of his mind and ventures a knock on the door.

A moment or two later, a young woman answers, eying the boy at her door curiously as she offers a brief greeting. "Aloha, can I help you?"

"Hi," Riku nods respectfully. "I'm actually looking for someone and I was wondering if you might have seen him anywhere around here? He's dressed in black, has, uh… w-white hair, yellow eyes-"

"And let me guess," the woman smirks, leaning against the doorframe. "Claws, right?"

"...Claws?" Riku raises an eyebrow, unfamiliar with this detail.

The woman frowns as she stands up a bit straighter. "You're talking about Sora, aren't you?"

"You've seen him?!" Riku starts, caught completely off guard.

"Yeah," the woman nods. "He was here not that long ago; he hurt his leg somehow so my little sister and our, uh… "dog" brought him back here so he could heal up. But then they had to go and–oh, look!" She nods down past the porch, where a little girl and a strange blue creature are hurrying back to the house. "There they are now. Well… two of them, anyway."

"Nani!" the girl shouts, dashing and tripping up the stairs.

"There you are!" Nani huffs, exasperated. "Lilo, where in the world have you been? And where's Sora? I thought I told him he needed to stay off that leg."

"H-he's in trouble!" Lilo exclaims breathlessly as she and Stitch finally reach the porch. "There was this tall, mean-looking lady who trapped him in a bunch of vines-"

"Pah chi ba ba!" Stitch snarls at the mention of the wicked woman.

"And then Stitch attacked her and we got away, but Sora's still out there and she's still chasing him, and we gotta help him!" Lilo finishes rapidly, leaving Nani beyond lost amidst it all.

"Whoa, slow down," she kneels down to her younger sister's level. "What are you talking about? What lady?"

"What did she look like?" Riku suddenly interjects, catching a set of confused glances from Lilo and Stitch. Even so, they still answer his question all the same.

"Uh… like I said, she was tall," Lilo begins. "Wearing all black–oh, and she had horns! Like a dragon!" Stitch lets out a savage roar to back this up, though Riku hardly hears it as dread swiftly begins to swirl through his chest.

"Maleficent…" he mutters, his hands curling into tight fists at his sides. Once again, he finds himself thinking about Ansem's claims, that she had captured Sora and kept him in chains for over two weeks. The thought alone is enough to nearly make his blood boil, to make him track her down right now and make her pay for hurting him even more than she already has. To make sure that she won't be around to ever hurt him ever again.

"Ugh, Lilo, what'd I tell you about making up stories like that?" Nani huffs, rising to stand. "Sorry," she glances over at Riku. "My sister has an… overactive imagination sometimes."

"I didn't imagine it!" Lilo protests. "Right, Stitch?"

"Right!" Stitch soundly affirms. "Have to help Sora!"

"Can you take me to where you saw him last?" Riku asks the pair intently. "Please, he's a friend of mine. I've been looking for him for a very long time now and I need to find him."

"Sure!" Lilo readily complies. "We split up in the woods, but it wasn't too far from here. We can all go find him together if we-"

"Oh, no you don't," Nani grabs her sister by the arm just before she can begin marching down the stairs. "You and Stitch aren't going anywhere. Especially not into those woods this close to it getting dark out."

"So?" Lilo protests, pouting. "Stitch can see in the dark!"

"Ih! Night vision," Stitch nods with a proud smirk.

"I don't care," Nani crosses her arms. "You two are staying put, and that's final."

"But-"

"Final," Nani insists sternly, and this time it's enough to get both Lilo and Stitch to back down.

"That's ok," Riku says hastily, already hurrying down the stairs. After all, he doesn't want to waste another second, doesn't want to give Sora another chance to slip away from him again. "I can find him on my own. Thanks for your help!"

"You're welcome!" Lilo calls back, waving as they see him off. "Hope you find him!" However, just as Nani ushers them both inside, no one happens to see Stitch's eyes flash green again. No one happens to know just how little time he truly has left.


Shadows begin to fall over the forest as the island sun starts to set. Despite the growing darkness, Riku runs through the woods as fast as his legs can carry him, not even caring that this exertion might not be worth the energy or the time. Not caring about anything at all outside of the one he's looking for, the one he'd do anything or go anywhere just to see again.

He's close; he has to be. After days, weeks, months of lonely, fruitless searching, he doesn't know how much more of this his cracking heart can take. This has to end right here, right now. He has to find Sora, and he has to find him first, before Maleficent or the Organization alike can drag him even deeper down into the depths of despair. Before it's too late to bring him back from those depths, back from how far he's supposedly fallen.

Riku doesn't dare stop as he continues scanning the surrounding trees for any sign of movement, for any telltale sounds. The woods are thick and maze-like, and the emerging twilight only makes them all the more disorienting. But still he keeps up his valiant search, knowing that he can't give up now, not when he very well might be so close to Sora, so close to bringing him home, so close to saving him.

So close to telling him all the things he longs for him to hear.

He nearly grinds to a halt when he spots it, a dark shadow suddenly bolting between the tropical trees just ahead of him. He can't make out much, but what he does see is a black hood covering an unknown figure's head. Riku hisses through his teeth, his first suspicion going back to Ansem. While he's initially tempted to run the other way, he quickly realizes this could be an opportunity. Even if Ansem wouldn't tell him where Sora was before, perhaps Riku might be able to force him to now. It's a risky idea, but it's one he's willing to take for as desperate and angry as he is. And that anger is something he has no qualms about showing to the demented group that caused this mess in the first place.

So he pursues that dark silhouette, noticing as it begins to break through the distant treeline. He hopes to corner Ansem on the other side of it, and has the perfect place to do so in the high cliff that awaits just beyond the woods. Riku doesn't see as his target reaches the edge of it, stopping short just a few inches shy of plummeting down into the roaring ocean far below. In fact, it's only as he breaks out of the woods himself that he realizes the one he's chasing isn't Ansem at all.

Riku stops dead in his tracks, a gasp caught in his throat as he takes in the figure standing only a few feet in front of him. His heart leaps with relief, with fear, with grief, with fury, with far too many emotions to even try to keep track of them all. But he knows, even from a distance, even with his back turned toward him, he knows. After searching for so long, after traveling so far, after spending so much time apart… Riku knows he's finally found him.

And as he slowly turns to face him, as both of their wide eyes begin to fill up with tears, as the blazing glow of the setting sun engulfs them both… his name alone is the only thing Riku can possibly hope to say.

"...Sora."


Aaaaand cliffhanger! Literally! Sort of... Eh oh well! Gotta say I wasn't expecting this chapter to be as easy to write as it was. But the NEXT chapter is where things really get raw. Let's just say some stuff goes down in it that I've been looking forward to for a VERY long time now ahahaha... So if you're excited for that then please let me know what you thought in the REVIEWS! Until next time!