Thanks all for waiting for Chapter Four. I actually had no idea where to go with this, and I kind of just let it all dump in the heat of the moment. My apologies if it is cheesy or cliché. I'm not very good at writing transition points, which means I always have to have something major happening.
It had actually been a really long time since Sora had fallen asleep somewhere other than the Gummi Ship. World traveling did not really allow for naps, although he was not counting the trance Xehanort had put him under in his Mark of Mastery exam. Or the pod-induced coma Namine had put him in. Or that time Leon had knocked him unconscious…
World traveling did not allow for natural naps, much less a full eight hours of sleep.
Needless to say, Sora slept in and out all night and still ended up feeling well-rested in the morning, despite waking up to Donald's foot in his face and Goofy drooling an ever-growing puddle on the floor. The sun was just rising and he could tell from the silence in the house that he was probably the only one awake. Shaking free of his slumber-party buddies, Sora sat up and stretched his arms to the ceiling. His dreams had been strange the previous evening, but they always were. The pattern was usually the same: some variation of Heartless was present – this time, it had been the sharks, which had been singing songs from his Atlantica musical experience with Ariel. Kairi and Riku were usually there, Kairi demanding to go on a journey with him, and Riku randomly shooting off some brooding philosophy or awful poetry about light and darkness. And usually, some form of the previous day's events would reflect in his subconscious. The end of his dream had featured a red-faced Madame Black running around the house screaming, "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD" while Captain Haddock ate an entire wheel of aging cheese in one bite.
At one point, he was sure he had seen a large silhouette enter the room only to tiptoe its way around and disappear a few minutes later. He was sure that had been part of the dream.
And yet…
Knowing he would not be able to go back to sleep, Sora stood and quietly walked to the front door. Then, he stepped outside and took a seat on the front steps. From what must have been a mile away, the lake glittered, and for a moment, the teenager found himself back on his home island.
"But, your adventures always sound fun!" Kairi had argued with him.
"Riku is the only one here that is actually a master," he had said. "You and Lea need to train with him before we can all team up."
"I have kicked Lea's butt multiple times, and will do it again this afternoon."
"Excuse me, Princess?" drawled the familiar voice of the former Nobody, who happened to pass by just then.
"Isn't it true?" Kairi said.
"Maybe, but you don't have to go off and hurt my feelings at random." He smiled and scratched his neck. He sounded like he was trying to joke, but Sora couldn't help but note the tint of guilt in his voice. It had been there ever since the former Organization member had been chosen to be a Keyblade wielder.
"We need field training," Kairi continued. "Riku's idea of training so far has been fighting each other and running laps."
"To be fair, there is a lot of running involved," Sora said.
"But, how are we supposed to learn to adapt to enemies from other worlds if we don't get off this world?"
"She has a point," Lea said.
"Look – I don't have the best track record when it comes to 'world monitoring'," Sora pointed out. "Yeah – Donald, Goofy, and I have fought Heartless; but I have also turned into a Heartless, lost my memory, slept a year, almost got turned into one of the Xehanorts, and then some. I'm not exactly the most responsible role model."
"That, we knew," Lea said.
"Riku is teaching you how to avoid that. He's actually a fairly decent teacher. And once the two of you have proven you're ready, he will take you out on a test run. But Kai, you know Riku as much as you know me: you know he's not going to let you take a huge risk like that unless you are both completely prepared."
"Fine," Kairi pouted. "I'll let him train me. But, the second Lea and I are allowed to visit other worlds, you are bringing me along on one of your adventures. And you won't baby me about it either."
Honestly, he had wanted to bring Kairi along on this trip, but Riku insisted on continuing her and Lea's training. And frankly, he wasn't even worried about her: true, she had managed to be targeted as a damsel in distress by several villains on multiple occasions, but he knew that given the right opportunity, she could handle herself. For goodness sakes, she was constantly beating Lea, and Lea never took it easy on anyone. And Kairi still held the high score for dueling victories against Riku. Sora had yet to come close.
His thoughts were interrupted by the deep barking of an approaching dog. Squinting against the sunlight, he could see Niko, Nouchka, and Gustav walking up the drive, Niko carrying a large package that was practically radiating green fumes.
"Sora!" Nouchka shouted and waved. "Good morning!"
"Hey there!" The islander stood and met the children in the middle of the house's walkway. "You're here early."
"We promised Tintin a tour of the lake," Niko said. "Is he up yet?"
"I don't think so. The house was still quiet when I woke up a few minutes ago."
"Why are you awake so early?" Nouchka innocently asked.
"I'm not used to getting so many hours of sleep, and there was a certain duck's foot rammed against my cheek."
"Ew!"
"You said it."
"AR-AR-RAR-RAR-AR!" came a high-pitched bark from inside the door. Nouchka held Gustav back as Sora opened the door and let an eager and restless Snowy outside. The dog bounded off of Sora, around the children, up in Gustav's face, and off to a tree in the front yard.
"I guess Snowy's awake," Sora grinned.
"I am not," came Tintin's voice as the journalist emerged from the stairwell, already dressed for the day but still sporting a tired smile. "Not completely."
"We brought you goat cheese for breakfast!" Niko announced proudly.
"Sure smells… good," Tintin said while pulling on his shoes. "I'll be right out." Sora was about to excuse himself to check on Donald and Goofy, but it turned out he didn't need to: Snowy had woken them as well. Sora didn't even bother to hide a chortling laugh when he saw the drool dripping off of Donald's face.
"What are you looking at, you big palooka?!" Donald glared. This face didn't last long though, as Nouchka had tugged on his sleeve to offer him a dry handkerchief. "Daw," he cooed. "Thanks."
"A-hyuck," chuckled Goofy. "You look ready to hit the road, Mr. Tintin!"
"We were going to head towards the lake," Tintin said, "get a look at the place while the day's young. Why don't you three come with us? If the monsters are coming from the lake, then maybe you'll be able to find their source."
"Right!" Sora agreed. "Lead the way!"
"Just like that? You don't need to prepare or anything?" Tintin frowned. "Those monsters were tough yesterday. We can wait up for you."
"We've got it covered," Donald confidently warbled, just before Snowy snuck up behind him and jumped at his tail feathers. The mage squawked and somehow managed to leap onto Goofy's shoulders, causing Tintin to give Sora an inquisitive look.
"No worries," the latter confirmed. "We have everything we need."
"If you're sure." Tintin still appeared hesitant, but all that mattered to Sora was that he and the others had consented. "Right then. Let's get a move on."
The paths around the lake were beautiful, a mix of rough cliffsides, green banks, and coarse sand. It made Sora homesick for his island, and he couldn't help but imagine himself racing the trail with Riku and Kairi. And for one moment, he allowed himself to be carried into his imagination.
"You're going the wrong way!" came Nouchka's voice, and he realized that he had, in fact, begun running up a random path.
Whoops.
"My bad," he called and doubled back the way he came.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of the Heartless no matter where the group stopped. All was calm at the shoreline, and a cliffside view revealed nothing but birds hovering above.
They're definitely somewhere around here, Sora thought, folding his arms in deep concentration. Why the holdup? Tintin, Niko, and Nouchka were busy examining the lake from one of the ledges, so Sora decided to try the lower paths once again. He had no idea where Donald and Goofy had run off to, though Goofy had appeared preoccupied by something only a few moments ago.
His trek led him back to a shallow inlet, just out of sight of their hosting trio. Instinctively, Sora knelt by the water, determined to find some kind of clue – if not by or above the lake, maybe in the lake?
The water in his palm felt normal, and it didn't necessarily look threatening, though it did look mucky and gross. He certainly wasn't going to try to drink it. Sora wiped his hands on his pants and was about to meet back with the group when something light pink caught his eye.
Sitting on a rock just a short distance from him was a figure in pink. Sora knew she – he decided it was a she based on her short size and small shape – had not been there moments before. He felt the Keyblade emerge in his hand, though he didn't know why. This stranger definitely didn't look dangerous.
Trying to dismiss it through calming himself, he stepped towards her. And yet, every step he took, he became more and more tense. Run, something inside of him seemed to be shouting. RUN!
"H-hello?" Even his voice refused to remain its cheerful and carefree self. He thought, at first, that the woman had not heard, for she did not immediately respond.
Then, she slowly turned on him, and Sora suddenly felt like screaming.
Her true identity was hidden by a mask, made to resemble a fox in shape and structure. The smile he could see was friendly, but his blood refused to unfreeze.
"Hello, Ven." Her voice was still and ominously soothing.
And right then and there, it was as if Sora became a completely different person.
"What do you want?" He found himself pointing the Keyblade at her, much to his horror. This isn't me, he wanted to tell her. I swear this isn't me. I don't know what's happening.
She actually gave a soft laugh, and he realized this subconscious side of him might actually know what it was doing.
"Would you really fear me? After everything I've done for you? After all, Ventus…" Her form began to shimmer with a black ring of flames. "I'm the reason you are who you are, how you are, and where you are."
"Imposter."
"That I may be," she smiled, "but you are something far worse. After all, you let me in." Sora felt himself go into offensive stance, but before he could begin combat, a voice called out:
"SORA, WHERE ARE YOU?! WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM UP HERE!"
Against his better judgment, Sora turned from his enemy back towards the cliffs, only to see a child dangling from the ledge. And just above it was a series of shimmering silver forms. Another part of him went cold with recognition.
Nobodies.
Now he had multiple enemies, and he didn't know which to choose.
Thankfully (or unfortunately – he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing), when he turned back around, the woman had vanished, though that icy feeling in his heart had not.
That's not Master Ava.
"What?" Sora started at the voice in his head, familiar but strange at the same time.
"SORA!" Donald was screaming again. "HURRY UP!"
Casting the rock where the stranger sat one last glare, he raced back up the path to the overlook.
I did not plan to incorporate Master Ava into this story, but I've always like Nomura's use of subconsciousness for eerie encounters. Since we know by now that Ventus is not only a part of Sora's heart, but had a huge part in the Keyblade War, it would make sense for Sora to chill at the sight of Ava. As for why he saw her at the lake… Ava is a very peaceful person that seeks consolation in quiet, reverent spots. In KHuX, she loved the fountain and the cliffside overlooking Daybreak Town. Ventus, if he knew this about Ava, would attribute peaceful places to her physical form (at least in my head), but would have been so traumatized by Darkness taking her shape that he would feel threatened by even a mere memory of her.