...

Have you ever told yourself you were gonna do something important, forget about it, decide to do it the next day, and repeat cycle? Yeah. That just happened to me. For, like, over a week.

This is a relatively short chapter! I can't believe myself. ;-; But thank you for being here! I really appreciate it.

Mostly some cute stuff and humor here. I have about a third of the next chapter prewritten, so from here on out I'm gonna have to wing it. So...let's go! :D

Skuld tapped a few buttons on the control board, and nodded firmly. "Okay, I've set the course. We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Can I ask a question?" Kairi piped up suddenly.

She blinked. "Uh, sure."

"You're from this Scala Ad Caelum place, right?"

"Yes?"

"Then what were you doing in our world?"

Skuld smiled, sitting down across from them. "Ah, that. There are many other members of the Dandelions. We're assigned to patrols in other worlds to make sure there's no darkness slinking around. I was originally put in the region of your world called Radiant Gardens, since that place recently had some Heartless sightings. But since I was already assigned, I decided to check out Destiny Islands, too. It's a right-place-right-time sort of thing."

"...That makes a lot of sense."

She laughed in response.

Something came to Sora's mind, and he asked, "So, what do Dream Eaters look like?"

Skuld flashed him a surprised look. "What- oh, right. You've never seen 'em. Well... I can show you what one kind of Spirit looks like."

"You can show us?" Riku echoed.

Candace had folded her hands on her lap, watching in silent curiosity. Skuld nodded, "Would you like to see?"

"Sure?"

A moment later, a little creature blipped into existence. It looked like some sort of bipedal cat with stubby arms and legs, and was colored mostly grey.

"This is a Chirithy," Skuld explained, picking up the Spirit and placing it beside her. "My Chirithy."

The 'Chirithy' looked at the four people before it, and to their surprise, waved happily, "Hello! Nice to meet you! I've never seen you before. Are you new Keyblade wielders?"

"It's the talking cat!" Candace squealed, clasping her hands together in joy.

"Chirithy," it corrected patiently. "And all of us can talk."

She laughed, "I know, I'm sorry. I nearly forgot what your kind was called. I have one of my own, actually."

"You do?" All heads swiveled towards the teacher.

"Yep! I named him Jasper! Wanna see him?"

"Why not?" Skuld said with another smile. "I'm sure my Chirithy would be happy to meet yours."

Nodding, she glanced at the spot beside her. Another Chirithy that was identical to Skuld's popped up next to Candace. The only way to tell them apart was that, for some reason, the presence of 'Jasper' felt different from that of the other Chirithy.

"Hi!" Jasper chirped. It gasped when it saw another of its own kind. "Another Chirithy? It's so great to see you! It's been so long since I've seen another Spirit like me! Best surprise ever!"

Skuld's little Spirit bounded over to Jasper, and the two began to chatter excitedly. Sora laughed, "Wow, they're actually kind of cute!"

"Spirits can be loyal companions during a fight," the black-haired Dandelion replied. "As long as you take care of them."

"They can fight too?"

"Of course! Actually, I wanted you three to look at some pictures of Spirits." She smirked.

"Why?" Sora inquired.

She hummed, "No particular reason." She got up, departed for a brief moment, and came back holding a piece of paper. She gave it to the three young wielders, who saw that it contained the illustrations and names of some Dream Eaters.

They were all colored, and there were quite a few of them. Sora found himself admiring the beauty of some of the Spirits.

"Any favorites?" Skuld asked.

The first one Sora had seen he knew was the one he got attached to. It looked like a mix of a dog and a cat- colored blue and white- with a little pink tongue sticking out of its mouth. He thought it was adorable. "I like this one," he said quietly, pointing to it. He saw it was labeled 'Meow Wow'.

Kairi glanced at it. "Aww, it is cute. But... I think this one is my favorite." She tapped on another Spirit that resembled a multi-colored pegasus. It was labeled 'Pegaslick'.

"Regal," Riku noted. "And pretty. I'm not into it, but I see why you like it." He peered at the paper again, and pointed at a different picture. It was of a fuzzy bat-like Spirit that looked like it was smiling. "Komory Bat," he read aloud. "I think I like that one."

"You don't want a bigger one?" Kairi teased.

"I like that one," he repeated indignantly. "It looks nice."

"Riku just wants a small parrot to sit on his shoulder," Sora snorted.

He was rewarded with a rough head shove.

"You chose your favorite ones?" Skuld came over again. The trio nodded and pointed to their respective selections. "A Meow Wow, Pegaslick, and Komory Bat. Lovely choices."

"Why'd you want to know?" Riku inquired.

She shrugged. "Be right back." She turned and left, going to another room in the Gummi Ship.

Sora turned to Ms. Aro. "Are we really supposed to just call you by your first name?"

"Of course! Just Candace, dear."

"If you say so."

"Although this knucklehead right here-" Candace ruffled Riku's hair, making him pull away in surprise and protest. She laughed, "-can call me Master Candace if he likes."

"Er- do you have a preference?" Riku questioned, fixing his hair as he calmed down and remembered the teacher's blatant disregard for personal space and boundaries in general.

"Nope!"

The two Chirithy were now playing what looked like a mix of tag and wrestling. They scampered about the room on their tiny feet, chasing each other, before one bowled the other for a brief tussle and then breaking away, repeating the cycle. It was funny to watch.

Then a clatter and loud chittering erupted from the room Skuld had disappeared into. Candace stood immediately, Draconian Emerald flaring to life. Sora, Riku, and Kairi followed her example. They stayed in place for a long moment, tense.

And then the door burst open.

They stiffened in shock and prepared themselves for a fight, but Skuld cried, "No, no! It's fine, it's fine, everything's fine, hold up!"

The creature that had almost knocked the door off its hinges was standing in front of them, and if it extended its neck to the fullest, it would hit the roof of the ship. It was adorned in colors of aqua, purple, green, red, and white. It snorted and shook its head.

They recognized it from the picture: a Pegaslick.

Kairi squealed and darted up to it, "OMG, it's even prettier than I thought!" She started petting the green fur that stuck up from its head like a partial mane. The Pegaslick chuffed, but leaned into her touch and rubbed its muzzle against her face. "Aww!"

Something bopped Sora's leg. Surprised, he looked down and found beady eyes staring up at him, its head tilted curiously: a Meow Wow. He brightened and picked it up, hugging it. "This one's so cute!" It wriggled in his grasp for a moment before relaxing and snuggling into his chest.

Skuld moved cautiously over to Riku, who was puzzled at what he was witnessing. She gave him a strained smile, and then lifted a portion of her long black locks that had been resting on her back.

The Komory Bat was nestled into her neck, its wings folded but snagging on some of her hair. She said to him, her voice barely above a whisper, "Take it, please."

Carefully, Riku took the little Dream Eater from Skuld, holding it closer to him instead. The Komory Bat seemed to notice, but was happy with the transfer as it flung its wings around Riku's wrist, content with its new position. He smiled and gently stroked its head. It shivered with delight.

"There. Looks like they're bonded to you now." Skuld laughed, "For a moment there I was worried that the Komory Bat liked me better than you."

"How'd you do this?" Sora asked, scratching the Meow Wow's ears.

"Dream Eaters can be created. I just used a special synthesis table in the back room." She nodded at the place she'd come from, going over and shutting the door. "I didn't expect them to be so energetic, though."

"This is amazing!" Kairi exclaimed, embracing her Pegaslick's neck. It whinnied softly and nibbled a lock of her hair in response.

"I recommend naming them. That'll help you bond more."

The two Chirithy finally paused in their game, looking at their fellow Dream Eaters happily. Sora absentmindedly patted his Meow Wow's head, "Uh..." The little Spirit crooned and snuggled the side of its face into Sora's neck. He laughed, "Hey, that tickles! I think I'll name mine Cookie."

"Why Cookie?" Riku asked.

"My mom said she had a cat named Cookie when she was my age. So, why not?" He looked at Kairi, "What're you naming yours?"

The Pegaslick pressed its nose against Kairi's forehead. She giggled and replied, "Pixie?"

"That's a very nice name," Skuld said with a smile. "What about you, Riku?"

"...Dawn."

"Dawn?" Sora echoed.

"Yes." Riku allowed the newly-named Dawn to scuttle onto his head and make itself comfortable there with a yawn.

Skuld nodded, "Well, we're almost there. Just a few more minutes. I'm gonna go back to the cockpit, so you guys stay here and bond with your new companions." She left.

Cookie tilted its head and butted Sora's leg, barking happily. He grinned and started to pet it. The Meow Wow loved this, and began rolling on the floor with joy. Sora laughed, kneeling beside it and gently poking its exposed stomach. It shook itself and got back on its stubby feet, licking Sora's fingers.

Kairi saw this, giggled, and stroked Pixie's neck. The horse-like Dream Eater whinnied softly, bumping its head against her cheek.

Riku, meanwhile, was sitting down and running his fingers through Dawn's fur. The Komory Bat wriggled happily, and at one point got up to flap its wings and playfully circle its master's head. Riku smiled and lightly prodded Dawn's own head, making it croon merrily and land on his shoulder, nestling against his neck.

Candace had picked up Jasper, and was petting it as if it were an actual cat. Jasper seemed to be enjoying this, and was very quiet. Skuld's Chirithy was sitting beside them, swaying happily back and forth, looking pleased with itself. A few minutes later, Skuld's voice from the cockpit rang out, "Hey guys, come over here!"

They all got up, a little surprised, and shuffled into the room. Pixie snorted and stuck its head through the doorway instead, not looking intent on squeezing through the small doorway. Skuld, seated at the controls, smiled at them and gestured to what was outside. "Take a look."

They did. For a moment Sora saw only the vast expanse of the galaxy. It wasn't just black space and white stars. There were bits of pink, purple, and orange wisps, as well as small meteors and asteroids. It was beautiful.

But then he saw the world in front of him. It shone brighter than anything else, regal and proud. There were clean colors of white, gold, and turquoise. Sora could see a seemingly endless array of towns and citadels. There was also a large clock tower that he found himself admiring.

"Say hello to Scala Ad Caelum." Skuld angled the ship near a clearer space on the world. "I'll find us a place to land."

Review Responses!

Minty220: Your reaction was actually one I initially expected! I am aware that Sora isn't a Prince(ss) Of Heart, but I am going to change that. Hearts full of light are rare in this universe, and since he wasn't going to host any other hearts within his, I wanted something to make him special.

Like I said, a LOT about this will be different. I'll try to put some new, original worlds in this story. If you have any suggestions, I will gladly take them! Thank you so much, I really appreciate your reviews!

verdance: She's sort of a 'go with the flow and if I screw up I can probably come up with something later' person. XD I was using their first names, if that's what you mean. Don't worry, the other adults (probably) won't play any more important roles soooo... I really like dragons, too! They're so majestic! Creftar isn't related to Xehanort if you're worried XD.

I honestly don't know WHY I chose Ava to be Sora's Master. All of the chapters so far and like a third of the next one were prewritten by a cringier past version of me. I just edit the chapters and post them. I might've chosen her because I liked the 'Ava is Sora's mother' fanfictions I've read, but I wanted to do something different.

I cannot thank you enough for your reviews! Every review I get means a lot to me! :D

*collapses on desk due to relief of having finished*

Phew! This wasn't even that long of a chapter, but it still took me almost two weeks to post. I'm majorly disappointed in myself. XP But I hope y'all enjoyed! See ya next time!

somibel, OUT!