AN/ Chapter 60 of ASAS kind of ties into this chapter (vaguely) so check it out!

Chapter 192: Receiving a Message

"Sora?"

Sora groaned. He was sleeping. Couldn't Maleficent let him have five more minutes?

"Hey. Sora."

Wait a minute. That wasn't Maleficent's voice. And he wasn't sleeping on a bed, either. Whatever he was sleeping on felt more like ground. And smelled like grass.

"Sora!"

Someone was shaking him, too.

He sat up, blinking groggily and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Cloud was kneeling down next to him, his face passive. Sora squinted up at the sky, and was surprised to see that it was somewhere around noon, judging by the sun's position. He yawned. How had he managed to sleep that long?

"Sorry to wake you," Cloud said. "There's something you need to hear."

"Huh?"

Cloud just handed his phone over to Sora. Sora wasn't awake enough to question it, so he held the phone up to his ear.

He was surprised to hear Kairi's voice. He listened for a moment, heart thudding, before he realized that this was a voicemail, given the way she'd introduced herself and then asked Cloud to deliver the message. Or, well, specifically, make sure he heard it.

"Sora," Kairi was saying. "I think you-" she broke off. There was a long pause. And then a short laugh. "I don't know what to say? Um, I'm glad Cloud found you, and I'm glad you're okay. But I'm a little…"

She paused again. Well, didn't pause. She murmured a few words, but Sora couldn't make them out.

"Guess I'm just a little peeved you didn't want to talk to me," she finished finally.

Sora let out a long sigh. He hadn't meant to upset her, he just…

"I mean," Kairi continued. "I get it. But we're being silly. The both of us. For trying to avoid each other. It's okay if you want to wait a week, but… Admit it, Sora. This is stupid. I wanna see you again. I miss you."

"Miss you too," Sora replied, before he remembered this a was only a recording. He blushed a little with embarrassment.

The automated voice came on, asking what he wanted to do with the message. After a moment, Sora hit the button to replay it.

He closed his eyes, listening again, not just to her words, but also the pauses in between. He missed the rise and fall of it. Missed the way she sighed. Missed the sharpness of her frustrated laugh.

And also… There were so many things he wanted to hear her say, so many things he was terrified of her saying, but this message had none of those things. Just I miss you and nothing more. Somehow, that was more comforting than anything else could be. It almost felt normal.

Sora saved the message and closed Cloud's phone, sighing deeply.

"Do you want to go see her?" Cloud asked, gently.

"I thought you had errands to run…"

"It'll take me maybe five minutes to get you to Tifa. And Kairi."

"I—"

"Get down!"

Sora quickly complied, and was glad he did. Cloud jumped over him, drawing his sword as he went, bringing it up to block—

Sora knew that growl.

He got to his feet, summoning his Keyblade. It was that wolf again! It was pacing back and forth, snarling, as if trying to determine how to get past Cloud.

"We gonna fight it off?" Sora asked. It'd worked last time. Sort of.

"Go to the bike," Cloud ordered. "Now."

Sora gave one last glance at the wolf, and then ran. Maybe they could take it. But if Cloud didn't want to…

He hopped on Cloud's motorcycle, wishing he knew how to drive the thing. It'd be better if he could go get Cloud instead of having to wait for Cloud to come get him. Cloud didn't take too long, though. He jumped on behind Sora, and quickly started the motorcycle.

Sora gritted his teeth. The bike always felt rough and unsafe to him—though it was still better than dark corridors—not to mention he was a little squashed at the moment.

Though, now he realized why Cloud probably didn't want to try and fight the wolf. Given the position he was in, Sora couldn't help but notice the bandage that was still wrapped around Cloud's arm. The wolf had bit him last time, and between various potions and cures, the wound refused to heal completely. Cloud ended up visiting one of the healers in the last town they'd been in, and the healer insisted that the wound was infected.

Whether or not the healer was right about that fact was another story, but they would both be better off without any more wolf bites.

"Is that thing following us?" Sora asked, as they emerged in a new world.

"Must be," Cloud replied, getting off the bike. "We might want to keep moving, if that is the case." He gave Sora a look. "Do you want to see Kairi, though?"

Sora hopped off the bike. "Uhm…" He hung his head.

It wasn't that he didn't want to. He just. There were so many things he needed to say and he wanted to figure out how to say them before he saw her.

"If that wolf is following us, though…" he said, slowly, looking up at Cloud.

Cloud nodded. "Fair point."

"So… where to now?" Sora asked.

"Agrabah," Cloud said. "I've got errands to run." He got back on his bike, sent a glance at Sora. Sora quickly scrambled onto the bike behind Cloud.

"You hanging on?" Cloud asked.

"Uh-huh." Sora wrapped his fingers around Cloud's shirt. Cloud started the bike, and they were off.

Of course, travel between worlds was almost instantaneous with Cloud's bike, so they were in Agrabah within a few minutes. Cloud parked his bike near the back of one of the stalls.

"You wanna come with me?" he asked. "Or wait by the bike?"

"Ahh… I guess I'll come with you," Sora said.

"Right." Cloud made his way to the front of the stall, and slammed a handful of munny down on the counter. He gave the shopkeeper a stern look. "Watch that," he said, nodding at the bike. He started to turn away, but paused, putting his hand over the munny so the shopkeeper couldn't grab it. "And don't try and pawn it off to everyone."

The shopkeeper nodded vigorously. Cloud gave one more stern look before pulling his hand away. The shopkeeper eagerly pocketed the munny.

"Can't trust the locals around here," Cloud muttered, as he and Sora started off.

Sora chuckled in agreement. He'd met a couple of nice locals in this world, but he definitely wouldn't trust all of them. And the locals of other worlds weren't technically much better—there were just better places to hide the bike.

Cloud stopped at another one of the stalls, the weapons stall. He took a brief glance at the weapons lying out in sight (most of them were daggers or knifes, though there was one very nice looking spear on display) before turning to the vendor.

"Do you have any other swords?" Cloud asked. "Preferably a broadsword…"

"Mm… not so sure," the vendor said, clucking her tongue. "Give me a sec and I'll see what I've got." She started rummaging around behind her.

"What's wrong with the sword you've got?" Sora asked, frowning.

"It's-" Cloud paused. "There's nothing wrong with it. But use brings about wear, tear, and rust." He smiled a little. Sadly. "I just… wouldn't want to ruin it. It was a gift, and… it's all I have left of…"

He trailed off. Sora looked at him, but he didn't appear to want to finish, and Sora wasn't sure how to press any further. It felt a little rude…

"This is all I got," the weapons vendor said, placing a saber on the counter. She held it with reverence. Sora couldn't say he was surprised, though. It was an impressive looking blade…

Cloud shook his head. "Not what I'm looking for."

The weapons vendor frowned, her eyes darting to Cloud's sword for a second. "Figured…" she muttered, picking up the saber again. "Well, you're out of luck then, buddy. That's all I got."

"Thanks," Cloud said, and started off.

"Hey, I might know somewhere you could get a sword," Sora told him. He remembered… last time he was in Agrabah. There was a shopkeeper—the one who'd sold him the charm. He said he had weapons. At least Sora thought he had. His last visit to Agrabah was a little fuzzy for some reason.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Um. This way."

It didn't take Sora too long to hunt down the stall again. Agrabah's marketplace was only so large, and the stall was relatively in a corner. The fact that it was right next to an alleyway made it a little easier to locate, too.

"Ah, Mr. Traveler!" the shopkeeper called, as Sora neared. "I remember you."

Sora smiled at him, nodding. He wasn't sure how to respond, exactly… Oh. "Nice to see you again," he said.

The shopkeeper nodded, grinning. "Yes! Ah, tell me, that charm I sold you?"

"I still have it," Sora said. He contemplated pulling it out, but also didn't see the need to. "By the way…" he grimaced. "I'm not so sure if it's actually 'lucky'."

The shopkeeper looked at him, frowning a little. He almost looked… disappointed.

"Well, I don't take refunds," he said, quickly. "What brings you here this time?"

"My friend is looking to buy a sword," Sora said, nodding at Cloud.

"Broadsword, preferably," Cloud added.

The shopkeeper pursed his lips together, tapping his chin. "I… am not so sure if I have any. I suppose I can look…" He started shifting around the boxes behind him, as if trying to reach something.

"I suppose as long as it's the same general weight," Cloud said, though he seemed a little hesitant.

"I understand!" the shopkeeper said. "Ah, by the way, there was a girl looking for you." He threw a glance at Sora. "Did you know that? I mean, it's been a while since I saw her. Probably a month now. But…"

"R-really?" Sora asked. He wasn't necessarily shocked. It was just… the idea of Kairi looking for him always made his stomach flip. Because who else would it be? "Was she… 'bout my height? Red hair?"

"That's her. She seemed pretty upset she couldn't find you, too. I'm assuming you know her?"

Sora let out a long breath. "Yeah. Pretty sure I do. Can't imagine I've got more than one girl with red hair looking for me… she didn't leave a name?"

"No." The shopkeeper paused, his hand resting on a hilt of a sword that he had at the back of the stall. "But, I must ask, if you know her, why were you hiding from her?"

Sora frowned. "Was I?"

"Yes…" Now the shopkeeper frowned. "You asked to hide in my stall."

Sora rubbed his head. It was pounding all of a sudden. "I- I don't… don't remember much of what happened last time I was here," he managed to say.

"Hmm…" The shopkeeper came back to the counter of the stall, dragging a sword with him. Clearly, it was too heavy for him to lift properly. "I have this," he said, addressing Cloud. He offered the hilt out as best as he could.

Cloud took it, hefted the sword, swung it once. Twice. Then he shook his head. "Not the right weight. Too long, too… though…" He examined the blade closer. "I suppose I could get used to it…"

"If you are dissatisfied with it, I will not sell it to you," the shopkeeper replied, firmly. "A warrior is only as good as his weapon, and there is nothing worse than fighting with a blade that you are dissatisfied with."

Cloud sighed, still looking the sword over.

"Also, I hate to rush your decision, but I'm going to have people get veeerrrry angry with me if they catch me trying to sell anything besides my typical wares." The shopkeeper chuckled a little. "Weapons are definitely not my typical wares."

Cloud grimaced, but handed the sword back. The shopkeeper took and quickly stashed it in the back of his stall again.

"If you'd take my advice, I'd suggest finding someone who can forge a sword for you," the shopkeeper said. "Especially if you're going to be specific about what you want. It'll cost you more munny, of course, but most say it's worth it."

"…right," Cloud said. "Do you know anywhere that I can get a sword forged?"

The shopkeeper lowered his voice. "I hear there's someone in Disney Town who makes good swords."

Cloud raised his eyebrows. Sora flat out stared. Not a lot of people knew about other worlds, and even fewer talked about them.

The shopkeeper laughed, now. Long and hard. "Don't look at me like that! I have a lot of travelers stop by here. Do you really think all of them are from around here? You certainly aren't!"

Sora couldn't argue with that. He supposed he and Cloud definitely…

…stood out…

He frowned, turning to look into the crowds. There was something…

…tugging at him. A gentle nudge, in the back of his mind. The charm strained in his pocket. He needed to go… well, out of the marketplace for starters. He couldn't quite work out exactly where he needed to go, but he was confident he could get there. The nudge was very specific.

And there was someone he needed to see.

"Sora? What is it?" Cloud asked.

"Something… tugging at me…" Sora replied, absentmindedly. He needed to get moving. "Someone… I need to see…"

"Go!"

The shopkeeper's voice was so urgent that it broke the spell, if only for a second. Sora turned to him, confused.

The shopkeeper just rolled his eyes. "Run!"

Sora didn't need to be told twice. He took off, sprinting as quickly as he could through the crowd and the stalls. He couldn't afford to lose them. Whoever it was. He'd missed them once before, back in Neverland. He couldn't let it happen again.

The nudge was so desperate this time that he almost tore a path straight through the market place. It was tempting. To take the most direct route—regardless of all the stalls that were in the way. Sora had the sense to not give into that temptation, though. It couldn't be that urgent.

Could it?

He saw a flash of blue hair in the crowd.

"Aqua!"

He didn't know the name, but he didn't hesitate to call it, either. He needed to get to her. If only she wasn't so far away… and if only the crowd wasn't here…

Almost instantly the crowd started parting for him. Not drastically, but it was much easier for him to weave his way through it now. People kept pausing for him. Moving out of his way.

Soon enough he was out of the market and now just on the streets of town. Unfortunately he'd lost her. The girl. Aqua. Whoever she was. He couldn't see her anymore. Not that it mattered. The charm still knew which way to go.

He didn't make it any farther than the city gates. The wolf was sitting very patiently, smack dab in the middle of the thin crowd that was milling in and out of the city. Everyone stayed as far away from it as possible. It slowly got to its feet, eyes fixed on Sora.

Sora gulped. Chances of fighting it and being able to subdue it were slim—especially with all these people around. He'd have to outrun it… but with all these people around…

He groaned in frustration. He needed to get past. He needed to catch up to Aqua.

Maybe if he… started to go left. To confuse it. Then dart right, where the crowd was thinnest. He could maybe avoid it. Then he'd just have to run. Fast. Hopefully he'd catch up to Aqua before the wolf caught up to him—

"No you don't!"

Someone caught him by the collar of his jacket before he could even try. Sora struggled, his mind blank of all except the thought of needing to get past the wolf. Needing to get to Aqua. He hardly heard the wolf growl. Barely registered it was Cloud who was holding him.

He started to slip out of his jacket, to keep going, but then Cloud caught him by the arm.

"We have to go!" Cloud shouted, pulling on Sora, dragging him. "That wolf is bad news and you know it!"

Being pulled off course and away from Aqua was painful. The nudge in his mind had turned to screaming, telling him to struggle, telling him to keep going. He needed to keep going. The charm was straining so hard in his pocket that he thought it'd fall out.

The tugging in his heart felt stronger than any pulling Cloud was doing, but then the wolf leapt, missed him by inches. It was enough to snap him out of it. It didn't matter if he "needed" to see Aqua. He didn't want to end up anywhere that that wolf was going to drag him.

The run back to Cloud's bike went by in a blur. One second it was all running and heavy breathing mixed with wolf growls and sand and heat—all while trying not to be tugged in the opposite direction, towards Aqua. Then they were on the bike. In a different world. And the tugging stopped.

"What was that about, anyway?" Cloud asked. He didn't turn to Sora, so he could keep his eyes on the ground ahead of him, like he was supposed to.

"I bought this charm…" Sora explained, slowly. His head was clearer now, but his heart still ached. A lot. Enough to make him a little nauseous, actually. "And it's… I don't know. Magical? It keeps tugging on me. Every now and then. Because I need to see someone. Or. It needs to…"

He trailed off, not so sure. It'd make more sense if the charm—or whatever spirit attached to it—needed to see that girl. That girl with blue hair whose name was apparently Aqua. Sora didn't know her. At least, he didn't think he did. But there was something about the nudge of the charm that just… made him feel like he knew her. And that he needed to be with her. And that—

"Why do you think you need to see her? Do you know?"

"No," Sora said. Paused. That wasn't right. "I think… I think he wants to apologize…"

"He?"

"The… voice. In the charm." Sora shrugged. Sort of. (Shrugging was hard when you were on a moving bike and holding on for dear life.) "I think it's an actual person… or a spirit. Something…"

"Dunno."

Cloud seemed a little distracted. He kept weaving through the trees, a little erratically. He drove them through a river once. Then again. The water wasn't deep enough to get more than Sora's shoes wet, though he wasn't sure how well the bike was going to handle it. Hopefully not too terribly.

"Why haven't we stopped?" Sora asked.

"Trying to make us harder to follow."

As he said it, they entered the lanes between worlds again. They drove through there for a while, before stopping in a new world. Well, they didn't stop. They kept driving. And driving.

"You think this'll work?" Sora asked, as they left the third world and emerged on a fourth.

"I've done this before."

"Oh."

They were in between worlds again. Then on a fifth world. Finally they stopped.

"Yeah," Cloud said, as he turned off the bike. "I pissed off Hades once. He tried to track me down… Gave up after a bit, though. I apparently wasn't worth his time." He chuckled. "Not sure if I should be relieved or insulted."

"Relieved," Sora said, automatically.

He'd much rather not be wanted by people like Hades. Or Maleficent. He'd very much prefer it if they didn't think he was worth their time.

Cloud laughed a little.

"Of course."