The Road to Dawn
By Ariana Aislinn
Chapter 3: Gateway

Wow, chapter 3 already? Well, I had an idea, and then it almost seemed to start writing itself, once I settled on the setting. Ever find yourself blessed with characters that are really fun and easy to write? Well, that's what happened here. I decided to post it right away since I'm so pleased with it, and I figured my readers would appreciate it. More is coming very soon, but this seemed like a good place for a chapter break. Watch for chapter 4 shortly.

Standard disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters are the property of Square-Enix and Disney, not me.

The path wound away down the hillside, moving steadily down to a long beach. Gray-blue waves lapped against the shore, and nestled on the edge of a little harbor was a small, seaside town. The town itself was not that impressive, though it did seem charming in a way, with old-world style buildings of simple architecture. What Riku found most interesting was the sheer number and variety of ships docked in the harbor. For an inlet that small, it was hard to believe so many ships could fit.

There were little rowboats, modestly sized yachts, a couple large, three-masted sailing vessels, and just about everything in between. Further out along the horizon, Riku could see the sails of more ships out on the water. A few did not appear to use sails - there were smokestacks on one or two ships, indicating some variation in technology in this place.

"Well, you gonna stand there staring all day?" Mickey grinned. "If nothing else, I think we've found breakfast. Come on!"

"Right behind you!" Shaking himself, Riku stopped peering down at the distant figures bustling around the docks and hurried after the king.

It took perhaps about twenty minutes to make their way down to the little town. There did not seem to be any other travelers on the road, but once they reached the town's outskirts, it certainly seemed busy enough. People dressed in a wide variety of clothing hurried from place to place, vendors cried their wares, and shop doors stood wide open as a variety of interesting smells wafted through the air. Sea-salt was prevalent, of course, and Riku thought he could detect the scent of fish on the air as well. He took a deep, appreciative breath as they passed a bakery. "Hey, Your - I mean, Mickey - any chance of something from in there?"

"Let's find out!" Mickey headed for the bakery door, rummaging in a pocket. "I've got some money - let's see if they'll accept it. Last I checked, though, silver was pretty much valued on any world. We'll find out soon enough."

Sure enough, the shopkeeper, dressed in a simple blue peasant's dress with a flour-dusted apron, was all too happy to accept the coins Mickey pressed in her hand, even though they bore markings that were unfamiliar to her. As they exited the little shop, Riku bit into a light, flaky, raspberry-filled pastry, closing his eyes and savoring the taste with delight. "Wow…I had no idea just how hungry I really was."

"Mmf…" Mickey swallowed a bite of his own pastry, shifting his hold on the sack containing a couple more rolls and things for later on. "How long has it been since you last ate?"

Riku shrugged. "I…honestly don't know. Toward the end there, with the dark powers, I kind of stopped eating - or sleeping, to be honest. I felt like the darkness was all the energy I needed." He shuddered slightly. "It's almost like a drug, you know? Keeps you from hearing what your body's telling you. So really, I have no idea when I last ate something. It's certainly been a while since my last actual meal, I know that. I mean, Maleficent fed me well while I was staying at Hollow Bastion, but…" He made a face. "It was sort of like being a prized pet, if you know what I mean. Maleficent's own little pedigree hunting dog."

"Well, you sure are wolfing it down now!" Mickey grinned at the terrible joke, eyeing Riku as the boy licked the crumbs from his fingers.

Riku made a face. "I notice you didn't waste any time in finishing your breakfast either, now did you?"

"Sure didn't!" Mickey laughed. "Well, let's see…what's next? We could stock up on some more supplies, but first we'd better figure out where we're going and how we're going to get there. There's no shortage of transportation, but we'll have to make sure it'll get us somewhere useful. And while a baker woman might accept a silver coin readily, I dunno if a ship's captain would be as willing to take what I've got to pay our fares."

Riku nodded. "Toward the docks, then?"

"Yup. Want a roll?"

Riku accepted the fresh bread and eagerly tore it in half, popping a warm chunk of it into his mouth as they walked.

The people all around were certainly dressed in a variety of clothing. Riku saw plain robes, tunics and hose, ornately embroidered fitted vests, simple shirts and cut-off shorts, sundresses, halter tops, overalls, hoopskirts, and everything else imaginable. There seemed to be no set standard for formality or modesty, and hardly anyone glanced twice at anyone else's clothing - aside from the occasional appreciative whistle from one of the many sailors that walked by, when they glanced a particularly lovely, somewhat scantily clad woman. No one was dressed quite like Riku or Mickey, however - though the two of them walked with their coats unzipped and their hoods thrown back, they still had a vaguely sinister look to them, as if they were shrouded in secrets. One or two people glanced at them, whispering to a companion briefly before looking away, but otherwise they did not invite much attention.

"I wonder if they've seen clothes like these before?" Riku pondered.

"Possibly. Maybe those Organization fellas have been here before, too. After all, Castle Oblivion is less than a day's walk from here, and they've gotta get supplies from somewhere."

"I suppose you're right." Riku grinned. "Even dark forces of the conspiracy have to eat too! I can just imagine them sending someone out periodically with a grocery list - 'Don't forget the toilet paper this time, or no evil plotting for a week!'" Riku chuckled, Mickey joining in with a hearty guffaw.

"Or toothpaste. My colleagues get testy when they can't keep their sinister smiles all bright and shiny."

Riku whirled around, taking a defensive stance as he recognized a familiar black coat leaning against a building to his left. The figure was in the building's shadow, but otherwise not hiding. His coat was zipped up but his hood was back. Riku stood warily, unwilling to draw his sword in the middle of a crowded street, but he kept his guard up. "And who are you supposed to be?"

The man chuckled, tossing an apple up and down in his right hand, his left hand resting casually on his waist. He was tall and thin, with a shock of extremely spiky, somewhat long, fiery red hair. On his face he wore two stylized teardrops, tattooed or possibly applied with makeup below his eyes, and a sardonic grin. "Good question. Who am I supposed to be…and who am I? They're likely not the same thing at all."

Riku groaned. "I hate riddles. Why do you people seem to be so enamored of them?"

Mickey took a step forward. "Are you one of the Organization too?"

The man shifted on his feet, stepping away from the wall and stretching lazily. He took a bite of his apple, swallowed, and waved the apple in the air. "Yep, I suppose you could say that. My name's Axel. I hear you met a few of my…associates." He grinned. "And by the way, might I compliment you on your wonderful fashion sense?"

Riku scowled. "I don't suppose it was you who provided the coats, was it?"

Axel made a mock bow. "At your service!"

"Care to explain why?"

The man's eyes widened in feigned innocence. "Does one really need a reason to do a favor? And assuming I did, whyever would I tell you? It's much more fun to keep you wondering."

Riku bit back a retort, though he couldn't help but growl a little under his breath. Mickey put a hand on his forearm to calm him, stepping forward. The two moved a little closer to Axel to get out of the crowd that was jostling them from behind. "So, Axel, you say?" Mickey nodded. "Pleased to meetcha, but what do ya want with us? Beg your pardon, but if you really needed to talk to us, you could've done it at the castle, right?"

Axel shrugged. "Maybe I wanted to have a discussion in a more…relaxed setting. Maybe I didn't see the need to share a little chat with any other intimidating figures. Or maybe I just wanted to show you something." He took another bite of his apple.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Show us something? Like what, your skill with a blade?"

Axel laughed. "Not a bad idea, but I'm still kind of sore from my bout with your spiky-haired friend. It's tempting, though…I've heard stories about you. It'd be interesting to see what you've got, especially after you defeated your fake. He was pretty impressive himself."

"Oh, you heard about that, did you?" Riku shook his head. "Well, if you don't mind, I'm not enjoying this conversation much. Why don't you just get to the point or leave us alone?"

"Cool it, pal," Mickey said under his breath to Riku. "Just relax now." He turned to Axel and spoke up. "No offense, but we're awful tired and we have some pressing business, so if you really need to talk to us, could ya just tell us what's up?"

Axel cocked his head to one side. "Oh, well, if you're going to spoil my fun." He gestured to the city streets around them, sweeping outward with the arm that held his half-finished apple. "Behold, the charming little port town of Gateway! A bit like Traverse Town in some ways, but older and smaller. People don't usually come here as refugees, but they do tend to…slip in through the cracks once in a while. They come and they go, but most don't stay long. You've seen the ships in the harbor. They go to all parts of this world, which is a fairly medium-sized place as such things go, but some also go…elsewhere."

Mickey blinked. "Elsewhere? Whaddaya mean?"

"Now don't tell me you haven't wondered. The worlds were restored, yet not everything returned to its original state, now did it? Otherwise you, kingy, would be on your throne, and you, my dear Riku, would be building sand castles with your friends, now wouldn't you?" Riku ground his teeth together; Axel's grin was getting more annoying by the second. "The barriers have been restored, that's true, but there are…cracks. There always have been, but they're a bit bigger now than they were before this all began." He laughed. "Now there's a riddle for you. When did all this begin, anyway?"

"Are we going to stand in the street all day, or are you going to get to the point?" Riku folded his arms irritably across his chest.

"Goodness, a bit touchy, aren't we? Well, all right then, kid. Here's the deal. I found something I think belongs to your royal friend there, and you might want to see it. So are you going to come with me, or am I far too scary and imposing to take a short walk with?"

"Something of mine?" Mickey piped up. "What are you talking about? I don't seem to recall having lost anything…" He scratched his head, thinking.

"Well, only one way to find out. You coming or not?"

Riku glanced at Mickey and shrugged. "Up to you, Your Majesty."

"That's Mickey, to you, remember?"

"Yeah, but not to him." Riku jerked his head toward Axel. "Just showing proper respect, since he apparently needs a good example."

Axel threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, that's rich. You, lecturing me about showing respect? Come on now, just make a decision. I haven't got all day. Like I said, gotta get some toothpaste before I leave town." He grinned and finished off his apple as he waited for their answer.

Mickey leaned over and whispered, "Why not, Riku? I'm sure there's no danger from him in the middle of this town, and after all, there's two of us and one of him. Besides, he mentioned Sora, didn't he? Maybe he knows something that we could use."

"Hmm. You've got a point." Riku eyed the man out of the corner of his eye; Axel was still grinning at him. "I don't like him at all, but just so long as we're on our guard… All right, let's go with him."

Mickey nodded and turned to Axel. "Go ahead, lead the way to whatever it is you say I've lost. Not sure what it could be, but I guess we'll hafta see when we get there, right?"

"You got it." Axel chucked his apple core into a nearby waste barrel, which was stenciled with the words "Thank You!" in cheery looking lettering. He turned and strode off down the street, not looking to see if the other two were following. Muttering under his breath, Riku hurried to catch up. He reached under his coat and touched the hilt of Soul Eater, which hung from his belt, to reassure himself that it was still there. He didn't like this…

Mickey, on the other hand, seemed alert, but relatively unconcerned. In fact, he whistled idly as they followed Axel through the winding streets. Riku wondered if anything could faze the mouse.

Oh, how I love Axel. He's just so much fun - even if I can't figure out myself if he's good or evil, or what, exactly. But seriously, I could have kept him and Riku sniping at each other verbally for pages. You're just lucky I finally decided to advance the plot! Anyway, stay tuned to find out just where Axel's taking them. Next chapter up...not sure when, but likely tonight or tomorrow. Depends on if this rush of inspiration keeps up...