A/N: writing writing writing
In a flash of light, a flash that was becoming too familiar by now, followed by an equally familiar wave of nausea, Eleanor's boots touched down on the solid metal of the floor of the Gummi ship. The overwhelming sounds of buzzers and emergency bells made her jump and turn to the others. Lights flashed all over the ship, on the walls and control panels lining the walls.
"What's goin' on!" Donald squeaked. He jumped up and rushed to the front of the ship where Chip and Dale frantically appeared on the screen.
"Swarms of heartless!" Chip rushed forward and motioned to a flashing display behind him.
"Distress calls comin' from all over!" Dale was jumping up and down with his paws buried in his fur.
Goofy rubbed at his chin with a worried look on his face. "We can't be all these places at once." He looked up at the map on the squinted eyes. "Gawrsh, what're we gonna do?"
Sora ran his hands over his face with a soft groan. "Well what do you guys think we should do? Who's calling the loudest?"
"Set a course to the closest destination, obviously." Eleanor spoke suddenly. She turned away from the buzzing lights and control panels and cleared her throat as her friends all turned to her. She crossed her arms self-consciously across her chest and tried to smile. "Er.. I mean, set sail to the closest location. Doesn't that make sense? It would be easiest, don't you all agree?"
Sora smiled to her and then turned to nod to the navigation chipmunks enthusiastically.
"Right-o captain!" Dale saluted her after a moment of awkward and very heavy silence.
"We'll set a course for Mount Olympus as fast as we can!" Chip grinned and the audio cut out.
"Did I just order them to take us to the home of the gods? Like the old stories. Mythology?" Eleanor pushed her bangs up her forehead with an exasperated breath. "I think I'm feeling light headed again-"
"Don't do that! You're overthinking everything. Come on and sit with me this time." The keyblade master grabbed onto her elbows and spun her around before he led her over to his chair. He made sure she was safe and comfortable before he slipped down beside her. "It's sorta the same as those stories. Like everything else it's-"
"Let me guess." Eleanor interrupted him with a scowl. "Overly complicated and hard to explain?"
He gave her a blinding smile. "See you're starting to get it already!"
Donald and Goofy laughed as they each took their seats. The Gummi ship jolted forward through the stars towards the next world that needed their attention. A friendly conversation picked up between the group but Eleanor found herself unable to concentrate again. Her mind was swirling with shadow monsters and keyblades and things she couldn't even begin to fathom, and most prominently was how much she enjoyed being smashed in a chair meant for one with Sora. Though he was significantly bonier than Goofy was, with sharper hips, but it wasn't unpleasant. He smelled like sunshine and his elbows poked her in the side as his arms moved animatedly around with his words. Her fingers absentmindedly fled to fidget with her hair, only to be reminded again of her unplanned bob. She let out a disappointed breath and set her chin in her palm.
"It looks good on you, you know." Sora mentioned off handedly and under his breath to her. No sooner had the compliment slipped from his lips, he flushed and held up his hands dismissively. "I-I mean.. I meant, I meant, it looks like you did it on purpose." He stuttered out with a small smile. "Yeah. I mean it looks like you totally did it on purpose, that's all.."
Somewhere behind them, Donald and Goofy were laughing uncontrollably at their embarrassment. Eleanor could feel a blush spreading up onto her ears, despite herself. She stuttered out a few sounds before closing her mouth and rolling her eyes. She smiled bashfully once her eyes were firmly on the other side of the Gummi cabin.
"Thank you Sora." She managed to say back to him.
"Hey, you're welcome." His voice was airy and quiet.
She turned to him, and suddenly met his bright eyes and she was rendered speechless again.
"Hey Eleanor, would you tell us another story?" Goofy's voice broke the sudden eye contact the flustered pair had locked into.
"Another pirate story?" Donald suddenly seemed more excited Eleanor was sure he meant to.
The redhead blinked herself out of the daze Sora had left on her. She cleared her throat and ran a hand through her curls. "Well tell me, how much do you lot know about Davy Jones?"
And so it went. Eleanor ended up alone on Sora's chair with her legs crisscrossed in front of her. Donald and Goofy sat in front of her with wide attentive eyes and Sora leaned up against the seat beside one of her legs, with his arms lazily supporting his head. His eyes crinkled with a constant bright smile as she told them a story Jack had told her one hundred times, about his debt to Davy Jones and his jilted lover Calypso and a kraken who prowled the deep who acted on Jones's every command.
"Is any that true?" Donald asked hesitantly.
"Course it is Donald! Do you think Captain Jack would lie?" Goofy scolded the duck who squeaked in response.
"He would actually, but not about something like this." Eleanor pulled her knees up to her chest with a wide grin. "He rarely lies when it comes to stories and legends, if you can believe it. Though, he is a talented liar."
After another little while, the lights blinking and flashing around them somehow indicated to Donald somehow that they had arrived at their new world. He hopped to his feet and pushed a few buttons on the front panel and in a great flash the magic beam appeared to take them away. In a rush Donald and Goofy were gone, leaving Sora and Eleanor alone in the flashing Gummi Ship.
Sora stood slowly with a groan from the ground and stretched, arching his back and lifting his arms as far above his head as he could manage. "So.." He said with a smile after his back popped a few times.
"So?" Eleanor answered.
"I never got to thank you, for saving me back there. Taking on Shan-Yu like you did was crazy." He ran a hand through his wild hair. "So thank you."
"Oh. Oh no, Sora it was nothing. You don't have to thank me. I know if I had been in that situation you would have done the same-"
He jumped forward and covered her mouth with his hand. "No don't do that. That makes it seem so much less important. Of course I would have done the same but what you did was crazy dangerous and I would have been toast if you hadn't have stepped in when you did."
After she looked down to avoid his gaze for a moment, she took his hand from her mouth and smiled. "Well, you're welcome. I just wanted to protect you, I suppose nothing else mattered at the time."
He paused. "Okay then how about this. We'll make a promise. I'll always protect you and keep you safe, and you do the same. That way nothing can ever stop us." His hand shifted in hers and he wrapped her pinkie around hers. "How does that sound?"
His eyes caught hers again and she smiled. "I'll make that promise. Forever."
"Forever."
They stood like that for a moment before he cleared his throat.
"We should, uh, get going before Donald gets upset with us."
She let go of his had reluctantly. "I notice he's rather always upset."
Together they touched the bright light that magically transported them to the world Sora had called Mount Olympus. Once the blinding light faded, Eleanor found herself in a dingy, foggy cave. She fought to regain her bearings as a scream bounced off the dimly lit cave walls.
"Look out!" Goofy's hands grabbed at her and pulled her out of the wave of nausea.
Her spinning vision snapped into focus. "Heartless?" Once she was standing solidly in a puddle on the rocky floor of the cave she was able focus on what was happening around her. Sora, Donald and Goofy were already rushing forward to fend off the four legged shadow creatures. The scream had come from a woman, who was running as fast as she could across the uneven surface. She stepped on the bottom of her own light purple dress as she turned when Sora and the other began fighting the heartless and fell to her knees. "Oh goodness let me help."
Eleanor rushed to her side but the woman waved her off.
"I'm fine princess." She brushed off her flowing dress and puffed her bangs out of her eyes. "But thanks for the offer."
"Are you hurt?" She looked the woman over for any injuries.
"Depends on your definition of hurt. Who are you anyway? Never seen you guys around here before."
"We're sorta kinda tourists I guess you could say." Donald was suddenly at their sides, followed closely by Goofy and Sora, who had altogether made easy work of the stubby little heartless monsters.
"What's going on here? This isn't exactly what I pictured when you said 'Home of the Gods'" Eleanor said quietly to Goofy.
"Gawrsh.. Guess we were a little off huh?" He looked around worriedly, as if he hadn't noticed before that moment the pair of massive chained gates, ominous fog, and slightly luminescent puddles on the ground. "Guess it does look a little bad.."
"A little?"
"Tourists you said?" The woman set her hands on her hips. "I don't have time to show you the ropes of the Underworld right now. I'm busy trying to pencil myself in an appointment with Hades-"
"Lord of the Dead Hades?" Donald squeaked with a shiver.
"Unless you know someone else by the same name." The woman deadpanned.
Sora shook his head suddenly. "Oh gosh how rude. I'm Sora, and these are my friends, Donald and Goofy and Eleanor. We're old friends of Hercules, that's why we stopped in. But I think it can wait if you don't mind us tagging along to make sure no more heartless pop up and attack you.
Her face lit up. "You know Wonder Boy? Looks like we've got a friend in common than. The name's Megara, friends call me Meg."
"Nice to meet ya Meg." Goofy bowed dramatically.
"How's Hercules doing these days?" Donald asked and crossed his arms.
Meg let out a long breath. "Well he's busy, that's for sure. Hades keeps the arena stocked with monsters, all day every day. He's getting tired, anyone would. Even heroes need a break sometimes." She ran a hand through her long ponytail and pulled it over her shoulder. "That's why I came down here to talk to Hades, I was hoping I could get him to lighten the load. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to Hercules."
"Well, we're friends of Hercules too. How about you leave Hades to us, hate to see anything happen to you." Sora grinned brightly and motioned to him and Donald and Goofy. "Eleanor can tag along with you back to the Coliseum to make sure no heartless give you any problems."
Meg gave him a wary look. "I guess that could work, but just so long as all of this business stays under wraps. He doesn't need anything else to worry about because of me."
"Our lips are sealed." Donald mimed locking his beak shut with a wink.
Eleanor took a hurried step forward and grabbed onto Sora's arm. "Wait, wait. No I don't want to sit this one out Sora. I thought we just pinkie swore to protect one another-"
"Aaand that's what I'm doing!" He smiled and patted her shoulders. "Be back before you know it!"
With that he turned on his heel and jogged after Goofy and Donald into the fog shrouded caves. She let out an incredulous breath and clenched her hands into fists at her sides. "Unbelievable.."
"Boys right? Can't live with them, and can't live without them." Meg murmured. "Come with me. I'll introduce you to Phil and Wonderboy." She turned and made her way towards the glowing golden stairway. "I'm sure they'll be delighted to have someone else around."
Eleanor hesitated for another moment before following the woman up the stairs. Her hips swung dramatically as she walked and swung her hands around with her words. It reminded her of Jack, in an overly feminine sort of way. Jack wouldn't ever wear a dress she was sure, but he had told her a story of one time he had used a particularly scandalous dress to escape a prison cell. He wouldn't really elaborate. "I have to ask, what made you think you could sway the Lord of the Dead?"
She gave a small huff. "Long story short, we had this agreement a long time ago. That's old news now, but he still sort of owes me." She stopped a few steps ahead of her and motioned up through the great golden gateway ahead of her. "After you, Princess?"
"Oh, sure." Eleanor jogged up the last of the stone steps and into blinding sunlight. The redhead blinked, trying to clear the dots and blurriness from her vision. She coughed as a hot wind blew over the dusty arena floor. "It sure doesn't look like much.."
"This way. Phil will love to meet you for sure. He's a treat." Meg rolled her dark eyes.
"Listen Herc, I said left hook, right, than elbow to the chin to finish them off! The old one two! You can never lose!" The pudgy little satyr was enthusiastically punching at a huge muscled man in leather armor. His face was lit with a warm smile. They sat across the small room from where Meg and Eleanor entered from the dusty outside courtyard.
"Hey boys." Meg saluted lazily as they entered a small bricked in room where the two figures sat on a heavy stone bench. "This is Hercules and Phil, Eleanor, friend to Donald Goofy and Sora. Say hi and try to play nice will you?"
Hercules jumped to his feet. "Meg! I'm so glad you're here!"
"Oh great, here comes trouble. And who's the scrawny little thing?" Phil stalked over to look up at her critically. "What do you expect me to do with this?"
"Did you say Sora? You saw him? Wow the Junior Hero's back in town." Hercules smiled even wider. "It's good to meet a friend of those three."
"They failed to mention that they were mere Junior Heroes." Eleanor had strolled around the small space, eyeing the shining trophies on the stone shelving. She tapped on one with a finger and turned back to Phil, who was glaring at her. "How did they manage to achieve such a prestigious position?" She picked up one of the golden medals sitting at the base of the trophies.
"Stop touching those. You're not even a Junior hero yet skinny." Phil snatched the medal she had picked up and glared up at her.
"Excuse you." She said sharply, and set her hands on her hips.
"How about you train her up Phil? I'm sure Sora will be here soon, dust off those training dummies and make sure she's good enough to travel with our friends." Hercules jumped up once and made his way to her side.
"Whatever will kill some time I suppose." Meg sat down on the bench and leaned lazily against the stone armrest. "Knock 'em dead princess."
Eleanor hesitated, and made wary eye contact with Phil who was glaring up at her. She grimaced and suddenly wondered if Sora was faring any better than she was.