Disclaimer: not mine
Chapter 21
Mickey listened in awe, if Ventus had been destroyed to keep Vanitas at bay, then at least a part of him would have survived in this teen. But with his Heart sleeping in Sora, though perhaps more awake now for Sora to be feeling the things he had been, how would he react to Harry's existence? To have had the memories of two other people in his Heart and head…how did he deal with that, especially as a young child? At least they weren't having to take time away now to search for the new Keyblade wielder, trust Sora to stumble across him…or had the presence of Vanitas and Ventus drawn young Harry to their location? Could either of them influence Harry? If so, that could be dangerous.
If he had anywhere near their skills with the Keyblade then he would be a wonderful sparring partner for the younger group, it would do them all good to face someone who had been trained under another Master and Harry was the closest they might have.
"Well, now that a search is now longer needed, you can all return to your prior missions," Master Yen Sid announced, before looking Harry over and Mickey had the feeling that whatever he was about to say would not be taken well. "If you would join Kairi and Lea at Merlin's for training, that would be helpful."
Mickey watched Harry's eyes go wide, and bit his lip at the false innocent look. "You want me to train them to use the Keyblade?" he asked, and Mickey heard Riku of all people choke back a laugh, even as his Master seemed taken back by the question. "I've been using one since I was twelve after all."
That had Riku speaking up, which Mickey found curious. The two had met once and so briefly and yet…there seemed to be some kind of connection there. "Before or after we met?" the silver-haired teen asked curiously.
"Just before. I drove the Keyblade into the snakes mouth and it got me in return," Harry explained.
"So that actually makes Harry the longest standing wielder of the group," Mickey pointed out, he counted as the previous generation after all, along with Aqua and the others. "Have you fought Heartless?"
Harry nodded. "I've been travelling since I arrived. Oh, Sora?"
"Yeah?"
"Belle and Prince Adam say hi, Ariel and Eric want you to visit and meet their baby, and so do Simba and Nala," he grinned, and Sora's eyes went wide.
"Of course! As soon as I can. They'll be great parents!"
Mickey smiled at the boy, seeing the look on Kairi's face as she looked at him. It had been his phone that Donald and Goofy had called when Sora was put to sleep, he knew it had been Kairi's kiss to wake him. He thought in a few years…they could say the same about the two of them. They were such san obvious couple and they needed to spend more time together, they'd had so little of that since their Islands had fallen. All three of the friends were spending too much time separated.
At least mentioning them proved Harry had been to at least three Worlds since Merlin had brought him from Earth. Mickey considered the options, wondering if perhaps having pat of Vanitas' Heart would give him the same kind of immunity that Riku had to Darkness, or would it make him more susceptible?
"How have you been travelling?" he asked, curious since he'd come in Sora's ship.
"Keyblade glider," the young man shrugged slightly.
That made sense, he would know about them from Ventus, could have probably summoned it back on Earth but had likely been wary about travelling the Lanes without protection. Protection he now had…those clothes were not made by the three Fairies but someone similar. Merlin's presence made the Fairy Godmother a good contender for the maker. They'd be at least as protective as their own and maybe…
"Master, I think Harry should come with Riku and me."
"Mickey?" Master Yen Sid asked him.
"We needed someone with a link to Aqua and Harry may have one through Ventus."
"Aqua? Is she still trapped in the Realm of Darkness?"
"How did you know she's there?" Goofy asked.
"When I was fifteen I found a secret room in my school, it transforms itself into whatever you need it to be at that moment in time. I was worried about Riku still being trapped there and the room let me see it. I saw Aqua and…we nearly got her out. Between our Keyblades and the magic of the room…but the Heartless attacked her before I could break through fully and I lost her."
"I wonder if that was before or after I saw her?" Mickey pondered, and Harry shrugged.
Mickey could see his Master considering things and met his eyes. They needed Harry to find Aqua, especially since he had reached her once already. He must be worried about exposing Harry to the Darkness due to Vanitas, but Mickey had the feeling Harry would handle it as well as they could. "And it will be a good test of his abilities against Heartless," he pointed out.
"Very well," Master Yen Sid finally agreed.
It didn't take very long for the group to disperse, although Sora and Kairi practically had to be pulled apart, Mickey motioning Donald and Goofy to give the two a few minutes of privacy after the fear the sleeping curse had caused them so recently.
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"So, a Keyblade wielder, did Ventus influence you on that?"
Lea looked at the younger male. "What?"
"I have Ven's memories, you're Lea right, from Radiant Garden."
Lea's eyes widened. "So it is him… I doubt he remembers me now after so long. I was just a kid."
"Considering he went to sleep only days later, I doubt he's forgotten you, and if I can recognise you from that one memory, he can too."
"Is it weird, having other people's memories?" he asked curiously. When they got Roxas back, would he now have Sora's memories too?
"Not to me, I've had them all my life. For me, everyone else is weird only having one set of memories to rely on."
Lea chuckle at that. "Be careful, the Realm of Darkness is dangerous," he warned more seriously, and Harry nodded.
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He watched the groups leave, leaning back in his chair. Had he done the right thing in allowing the boy to go with Mickey and Riku? He had wanted to ask him more questions, to get a better idea of who this young Harry was and just how much influence Ventus and Vanitas had on him. Not to mention, how much influence this boy had on Riku…he hadn't been blind to the youngest Master's reaction to the newcomer.
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Riku glanced at Harry as they arrived in the Realm of Darkness, watching him look around curiously. "Alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's creepy but no worse than the Forbidden Forest. How do you navigate though?"
"We follow our Hearts," Mickey smiled at them, leading them on.
Riku had so many questions for Harry but he didn't know how to ask them, how to start. He'd known Sora all his life, then Kairi had come and they had become friends with her, and now…he felt…drawn to Harry. Because he was another Keyblade wielder? Because he had Darkness in him similar to Riku's own? He could feel it but balanced by Light, he supposed that made sense if he had pieces of Ventus and Vanitas merged into his own Heart. It would be interesting to see what abilities Harry could use the Darkness with compared to the few he could still use…and it made him wonder if he'd really lost other abilities or if part of him had been too scared of being overwhelmed to let them work. After all, he'd regained the ability to use Corridors since the exam.
"Heartless!" Harry suddenly snapped, summoning his Keyblade, and Riku quickly followed his example, still getting used to his new one. The three of them went back to back as the Heartless moved in, impressing Riku with the distance Harry had detected them at.
At least this time there were no Demon Towers, just a seemingly endless horde of Shadows and Neoshadows. Wonderful.
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It was easy to loose himself in the flow of combat, despite the fact he'd only fought a few real battled with the Keyblade. Working with Riku and Mickey without getting in each other's way probably would have been harder if they weren't making sure to cover each other's backs. He had never seen so many Heartless before! He considered summoning some of the Unversed, able to feel them again which made him think his ability to call them was definitely influenced by the atmosphere of where he was. But there was no way he could summon enough to make enough of a difference to make the pain and distraction their destruction would cause him worth it.
His magic was practically singing in his veins as he dodged and wove among the Heartless, reflexes at wizarding peak, far faster than any non-magical. Which proves that Keyblade wielders would be considered magical back on Earth as Riku was almost as fast as him and Mickey seemed able to match him which was a thrill. None of his year mates had been able to, not when they never faced the same dangers he did. He really had found a place he could fit in.
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"So, you got what you want. Perhaps you're the better player among us. However, I must demand you give THAT to me."
"Pardon? You must be mistaken, mate. I'll not be giving you anything," jack smirked, holding the chest close.
"Then I invoke the right of parle,"
Jack walked right up to him, wagging a finger in his face. "Uhp, no! No parley." No way was he falling for that trick again, he should have listened to Sora the first time. He pressed closer, causing Luxord to step back. "Look around. We're a little busy." He had the man nearly pinned to the overboard railing and held up the chest, enjoying having the upper hand. "And besides, I've already got all that I want, mate." He breathed directly in Luxord's face, smirking as he fell backwards and into the turbulent water below. Jack cupped a hand to his mouth and breathed again, slightly coughing himself. "Yup. Still works." He headed off down the deck only to silently groan as he came face to face with Davy Jones.
"Jack Sparrow... Are you lost? Prisoners don't belong on deck. Your station is in the brig!" he swung his arm…well tentacle really, and Jack took off running.
"We're here!" A welcomed voice called and then Sora, Donald, and Goofy landed on the deck between him and Jones, weapons ready.
Jack laughed, unsheathing his sword. "Tables have turned, mate." He called as the storm intensified around them.
"Hardly. Just a few more maggots to join my crew!"
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Mickey looked around, relieved to find no more Heartless, turning back and smiling when he saw the two boys healing each other's wounds. He'd been right, Harry definitely knew how to use his Keyblade. Suggesting he come with them had been the right thing to do, he didn't need the training Kairi and Lea did, yes, some of his moves were a bit rough but only real experience would fix that, not training.
He'd been keeping an eye on him since they'd entered the Realm of Darkness and thankfully it didn't seem to be affecting him. The Darkness within his Heart wasn't growing, it remained very steady, and Mickey wondered what powers it gave him. He'd tossed several spells around during the fight but hadn't seemed to use anything like Riku's Dark Aura attack or even Dark Fire. Was he maybe wary of using the Darkness given where they were?
With everyone healed they continued on their way, heading again for the beach where Riku and Sora had once been stranded since that was the last place Mickey had sensed Aqua and therefore the best place for Harry to try and pick up her trail.
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"Hey, Axel!" Kairi called as she walked out to meet him.
He turned and looked her over, nodding. "Hey. Liking the look."
She laughed, spinning to show it off.
"Cut your hair, too."
"Mm-hmm. So, you gonna try yours on?" She asked as she walked over.
"Uhh...I dunno. Maybe later," he shrugged, and she frowned.
"But you always wear the same thing."
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This is how you pick me out of a crowd. I make myself easy to remember."
"How thoughtful." Huh, easy to remember….Roxas? Was he doing it for when they separated Roxas, to make sure he recognised him?
"Nah, not really..." he shrugged.
"Somewhere inside me is Naminé. If we can free Roxas, we can free her too," she offered.
"I guess so," he agreed. What was it with boys and not talking?
"Naminé was made when Sora freed me from his heart. So, now that she's a part of me again, I figured all was right. But she can't look at this forest, feel the wind on her face, none of it. And if she could, it would be different for her. Her time was short, but she lived it, and that makes it hers. What right did I have to take those feelings and experiences back? They don't belong to me. Nothing's as it should be. Not for her OR Roxas."
"I know," he sighed.
Kairi dropped down to sit in the grass beside him. "So…what do you think of him?" she asked, playing with a blade of grass.
"Harry?" he asked, and she nodded.
"He knew who I was," he admitted.
"What?" she turned to look at him, and he sighed.
"Way back when I was a kid, I met this other weird kid. Somehow we became fast friends. Never saw him again…nearly forgot about him, too. Then, I met Roxas. Couldn't believe it. The two of 'em were identical. Oh, I didn't tell Roxas. Didn't want HIM to go vanishing on me, too." He leant back on his hands. "The kid's name was Ventus. Guess he really did have me memorised for Harry to recognise me."
"Oh yeah. Very memorized," she agreed, grinning at him. "I can't imagine having other people's memories like that," she admitted.
"I asked him, and he said to him it's normal, that he thinks not having other memories would be odd."
"I just…I hope it'll be okay, once they wake Ventus up," she stared down at the grass, hearing him move, and then his hand was on her shoulder.
"You're worried…about Sora?" he sounded confused but then his grip tightened slightly. "You're worried Sora will be different once Ventus' Heart is removed."
"He's been with Sora for so long…how much of Sora is him and how much is Ventus?" she asked shakily.
"Ventus' Heart's been asleep, Kairi. His influence should have been very minimal," he told her.
"How can you be sure? It's sounds like it's as much as unheard of as Harry's condition."
"Sora will always be Sora," he told her, and she wanted to believe him, but she was still scared she was going to lose the boy she loved.
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Sora watched as Elizabeth wept over Will's body. It…it wasn't fair. "Jack, can't we save him?"
"Part of the ship, part of the crew. The Dutchman must have a captain," the pirate answered sadly before moving in to grab Elizabeth, pulling her away from Will. "Elizabeth, say good-bye."
"No! I won't leave you!" She screamed, struggling in Jack's arms.
"Come on!" Jack yelled, grabbing a rope to swing across to the Pearl.
Sora stared at where Will lay crumpled on the deck, utterly still… "I'm sorry," he whispered before joining the others.
The Black Pearl wrenched free from the Dutchman, Will and the ship vanishing into the whirlpool. The maelstrom ended as they regrouped with the crew aboard the Pearl, Sora standing supportively beside Elizabeth who leant against him.
"Thank goodness, Jack. The armada's still out there. The Endeavour's coming up hard to starboard. And I think it's time we embrace that oldest and noblest of pirate traditions," Gibbs said, mimicking the act of running away.
Jack was silent for several minutes, eyes locked on the armada, and Sora looked up at him. "Never actually been one for tradition," Jack finally said, lips twitching in an almost smirk but Sora could see the grief there. He'd used Will in that first adventure but he'd really come to care for him as a friend and now Will was gone. Jack moved to the wheel and gripped it. "In we go!"
Sora turned to stare at the Endeavour as the two ships sailed straight at each other.
Suddenly, the Flying Dutchman broke the water's surface, up from the depths, sailing
alongside the Black Pearl. A clean slate grey, no longer encrusted with sea life. Sora gasped as he saw, standing on the deck, was Will. He was alive! "Ready on the guns," Will shouted to the Dutchman's crew, loud enough to carry over the water. Will turned his head and their eyes met, Will nodding at him.
"Full canvas!" Jack yelled.
"Aye! Full canvas!" Barbossa called.
Will turned the wheel of the Dutchman as Jack did the same with the Pearl. The ships sailed together, right at the Endeavour, trapping her between them.
"Fire!" Jack yelled.
"Fire!" Will yelled from the Dutchman.
"Fire aaall!" Elizabeth called out.
The Dutchman and the Black Pearl opened fire, cannons blasting away at the trapped ship. Sora fought the urge to cover his ears at the noise of the canons….and of men screaming. A mast fell and the deck gave way, the Endeavour sinking into the Caribbean.
On the Black Pearl, the crew cheered. Donald and Goofy shared a fist bump "We did it!" Donald cheered, but Sora didn't join in.
Sora looked back at Elizabeth, who was staring out at the Dutchman, feeling someone move up beside him.
"The Flying Dutchman must have a captain. Just wed, and now she and Cap'n Turner must live in different worlds," Gibbs murmured. "One day ashore, ten years at sea. It's a steep price."
"Will..." Sora whispered. It wasn't right, they were so in love and now… he leant against the rail, staring at the Dutchman. Davy Jones had served how many centuries? Was that Will's fate now too or was there a way out that wouldn't kill him?
He turned away to see Gibb's by Elizabeth's side. "Your chariot awaits, Your Highness."
She smiled, walking over to the crew gathered on deck and Sora joined them.
"Mrs. Turner," Barbossa actually bowed his head to her and she nodded.
"Elizabeth..." Donald whispered sadly.
"Take care," Goofy added.
Sora looked up at her and then moved, hugging her, and she hugged him back.
"Thank you for everything Sora," she whispered before moving on.
"Jack..." She smiled at him. "Thank you."
Sora watched as the boat was lowered into the water, heading for the nearby island, seeing a small boat from the Dutchman doing the same.
"One day isn't enough time," he whispered.
Jack put a hand on his shoulder. "There's always enough time for hearts to say what's true. Sora, you know better than anyone. It only takes a moment to connect with your mates... With your hearties."
Sora nodded slowly. "There's always enough time. And I'm going to find them."
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Mickey, Riku, and Harry were fighting the Demon Tower once again, though it was the first time for harry. The tower struck at Riku twice, but he dodged before it slammed into the ground, forcing him to jump away. The Shadows scrambled across the sand as Riku caught his breath. From behind him, the energy rebuilt.
"Riku, look!" Mickey yelled.
The Demon Tower wriggled in the air, bending over and twisting towards Riku, only for Harry to be there, blocking it with his Keyblade, pushing back. "Alright?" he called.
"Thanks," Riku told him, moving to his side, and they attacked together.
"Riku!" Mickey gasped and they turned to him, seeing another swarm knock Mickey off his feet, making him drop his Keyblade, consumed by the swarm.
"Mickey!" Riku yelled in alarm.
"This is going to hurt," Harry muttered, and Riku looked at him, seeing him stretch out his free hand and then…Riku stared as creatures began appearing before attacking the Heartless.
"What?" he looked between Harry and the strange beings, seeing the other teen panting slightly.
"Unversed," he answered, wincing…as one was destroyed. "Something I got from Vanitas. I've only managed them once before though but we need the numbers." He shook off whatever pain he was in and launched himself at the Tower, Riku on his heels.
He noticed Harry flinch as three big ones were taken out. Their destruction hurt him? That wasn't good so why use them?
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"Hiro, who's that on the display?" Sora asked in confusion.
"That's not the display. He's really here," Goofy told him.
"Huh?" he blinked.
"The black coat... He's back?" Go Go asked.
"Are you done messing around?" the black hooded figure asked, and Sora froze.
"What? Wait, that voice..." No, that wasn't possible. Riku was with Mickey and Harry looking for Aqua, they would have called if something had happened. And that coat…just like the one Riku had worn when in Ansem's form which meant Organisation. There was no way Riku would wear that ever again.
"Hold on. You...know this guy?" Wasabi asked.
"And now...enter the supervillain," Fred smacked his hands together.
"He definitely has the vibe," Honey Lemon agreed.
The figure removed his hood, revealing shoulder-length silver hair just like...
"Funny," Riku smirked.
Sora dispelled his Keyblade. "Riku... But..." he shook his head, no, he didn't look like the Riku he'd seen only days ago, he was…he was too young, his hair long again.
Riku conjured a red object from thin air. "As if this stupid experiment wasn't already a hassle."
"Huh? Where'd he get that?" Hiro demanded, sounding confused.
"Hiro, do you recognize it?" Sora asked in concern.
"Yeah..."
Riku held it up, peering at it with his yellow eyes. Yellow eyes… "Not quite ready."
"That's the first chip I made for Baymax. It's full of combat programs," Hiro explained.
"Programs?"
"Yeah, they tell Baymax how to react," Hiro explained.
"Does that mean...it's like his heart?" Goofy asked.
Riku faced the Darkubes. "More then!" He tossed the chip into the nest of Darkubes.
"You aren't Riku!" Sora yelled as he went to enter a Corridor and Riku turned back to him.
"Aren't I?" he smirked.
"No…you're a Replica."
"We defeated Ansem and Xehanort-every last one of 'em. But still they all came back anyway, right? So, maybe this Riku "came back" too, from the time when Ansem possessed him," Goofy suggested, and Sora nodded.
"Not bad, not that it changes anything." And with that he was gone.
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The Demon Tower coalesced under swirling winds into an orb of darkness before their eyes. Purple fragments gathered within the orb, pushing out of it. The bubble burst and a dark figure leaped out, landing on the grey sand. Mickey watched from his prison in the orb as the dark figure walked toward his Keyblade, picking it up.
"This Keyblade..."
Harry heard Mickey gasp at the familiar voice, a voice they both knew.
"Is it her?" the King asked, even as the Darkness peeled away from the woman, revealing blue hair.
"Mickey..." she turned, revealing her yellow eyes. "You're too late."
"Aqua?" Riku gasped from beside him.
"What happened?" Mickey asked.
Harry remained quiet, if Mickey could get through to her then that would be fine. Lost in Darkness…how would she respond to him when she knew he held a piece of Ven's Heart?
"You abandoned me, that's what. Left me in this shadow prison for more than a decade, knowing what it would do to me..."
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
She turned and walked to the shoreline. "I reached this shore after endless wandering. Waited forever for help to arrive. But no one ever came. You never came back after saving the boy." She walked over the water. "I lost my Keyblade. Had no means of fighting my way back through the Heartless. You knew I was stranded. Do you have any idea how lonely it is here?"
Harry felt Riku start slightly beside him, and glanced at him, seeing his haunted look. He reached out to touch his arm, reminding him he wasn't alone.
"How frightening it is to have no one?" She kept going. "All that's left in my Heart is misery and despair...and now, you can share it!"
"There's no need. Got my own," Riku answered, walking towards her, and Harry moved with him.
"We're here now Aqua, let us help you," he spoke up, and she immediately focused on him.
"You…Harry…" she murmured, staring at him.
"I'm here Aqua," he held his hand out. "Come with us, we're here to get you out. I'm sorry, I tried to find you again but it never worked," he explained. How many times had he gone to the Room to try and reach the Realm of Darkness again only to fail? He'd honestly lost count.
For a second, it seemed like he'd gotten through to her, and then he and Riku were forced to dodge aside as a blast of ice hit where they had been standing. They both summoned their Keyblades, the sight of Harry's seeming to enrage her further so he quickly switched out Keychains for the one Belle had given him, even as Aqua charged him.
Riku tried to help but the orb holding Mickey floated over the water between them, becoming a swirling mass of Shadow Heartless once more. Harry met Riku's eyes and nodded, Riku would work on freeing Mickey and he would keep Aqua occupied.
TBC…
