At The Vale

The Universal Vale was a pretty odd restaurant. It had a spell on it so that the ceiling looked like stars and planets revolving around each other. Riku even recognized some of the constellations. As they sat down at the table, Tidus began chattering about some obscure move he had made in blitzball that day.

"It was, like, totally awesome guys!" he said, ruffling the tie of his suit uncomfortably. All of the boys were wearing suits and ties. The girls all had elegant summer dresses.

"This is like something out of one of those novels we read in English" Sora said to Wakka. The redhead nodded in agreement.

"Kinda uncomfortable, ya? But then again, you should enjoy it, Sora. It's your birthday."

"Ha, ha! I guess so" Sora said. He sat with Riku and Kairi at one big booth. Selphie, Wakka and Tidus sat next to them. "What do they have to eat?" Sora asked.

"Nothing you're used to" said Selphie. "This is a fancy place Sora. I've never seen you at anyplace more than a burger place."

"Well…yeah" said Sora. He could have told Selphie that he had eaten at plenty of exotic place in his travels across the universe, but decided against it. That would lead to a barrage of questions. A waiter in a silver tuxedo with moons and stars printed on the tie walked up to the table, and asked what they would like to order.

"I'd like the…" Sora said, confounded by the odd names on the menu. He coughed. I'd like water first" he said.

"I'd like the lemonade" said Kairi. Riku ordered water as well. Sora didn't pay attention to the things that the others ordered. He felt odd being around his old friends. They seemed less solid…less real. Riku and Kairi seemed like the only people in the "real" world at that moment. It's not over Sora thought, and then blinked. What had he been thinking? Why was he feeling so strange? Sora wondered if he was getting sick.

The waiter came back with the water. "Now, master Sora…your order?" he asked.

"Umm….let's see…"Sora said. "I'd like the Cordon Blue Chicken?" Sora said. "Yeah that's it! The Cordon Blue Chicken!"

Once again, Sora didn't pay attention to what anyone else ordered. He sipped his water pensively. It tasted strange. Sweet, almost like flat cherry soda with a watery base.

"So how's summer school?" Tidus asked. "Mr. Harding's a jerk isn't he?"

"Of course he is!" Riku said. "He wants to 'spend more quality time with me'! Isn't that messed up?"

"You bet it is" said Kairi. She leaned back. "Sora, how do you like it---this restaurant I mean?"

Sora wasn't sure how to reply. He didn't hate the place…it just gave him an odd feeling. The restaurant wasn't very crowded. There were groups of college kids in dark suits, but that was all.

"I…I just…I just…" Sora tried to say, but it was as if someone had tied a rubber robe around his tongue. It wouldn't make the sounds he needed for intelligent speech. Afraid, he clutched at his mouth, but even that was an effort…he seemed to be weakening. Sleepiness overcame Sora's mind and he plunged into blackness.

When Sora woke up, he was still sitting at the booth in the Vale, except that it was empty. He was no longer wearing his suit and tie. Instead he was wearing the magical outfit that the fairies had prepared for him in Yen Sid's tower.

"Riku! Kairi! Selphie? Wakka? Tidus? Someone!" Sora yelled. He didn't know why he was yelling. It just was that this place was really beginning to creep him out now. It was dark now, and the stars and planets seemed to glimmer with cold light in the enchanted ceiling. Then, as Sora watched it, the lights began to wink out one by one. The stars disappeared.

"Wait!" Sora yelled. "Don't go! Don't leave me!" those little things were his only source of light. But they didn't listen to him at all. "Please!" he cried. Then he was left in almost absolute darkness.

"Hey kid" said a voice to his right. Sora almost jumped two feet in the air. Standing near him were the college kids who had been sitting at the other table.

"What is it?" Sora asked, relieved that there were other people here beside himself.

"Do you know the way out?" asked one of the boys, a big guy with a crew cut.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked. "They way out is…." he trailed off as he saw that the door had become a solid wall of clear material. Utter darkness lay beyond.

"What's going on?" Sora cried out.

The answer from the college kids was more terrifying than anything Sora could have imagined. The group---about four of them---became four pillars of pure darkness. The dark energy joined together to become a Heartless. The terrible monster looked like a horse. It was red and green like a Christmas tree. Its yellow eyes rolled and bulged. A huge curved horn that looked like it was made out of clear crystal. The Heartless crest gleamed on its head.

"Oh…my…God…" Sora had time to say, before the Heartless launched a ball of dark energy at him. Then his warrior's instinct took over, and he jumped. The energy hit the booth, blowing it to bits.

The creature snarled in fury and stampeded toward him. Sora knew he wasn't going to be able to block its sharp horn. So he didn't. Summoning the Keyblade to his hand was as unconscious as breathing. Sparks and stars flew as the metal struck crystal and Heartless flesh. The creature gave a whinnying scream of hurt and hatred. Sora's keyblade slammed into its side and it screamed again. The sound made glasses on the bar explode. Sora channeled the Keyblade's power and he flipped into midair and hurled the weapon at the Heartless. It went down in an explosion of stars.

"Jeez, what's going on?" Sora cried. Then he heard another roar of rage. The Heartless had apparently not had enough. Sora faced it again. "I'm really getting tired of you" Sora said. He ran toward it again. But before he reached it, the monster staggered forward, hit from behind.

"Hey Sora!" said a familiar voice. Sora turned to see Goofy, Captain of the Royal Knights of Disney Castle. He held his familiar round shield in his hands.

"Goofy?" Sora screamed. How was this possible? How could Goofy be here, on the Destiny Islands? Sora began to wonder if this whole thing was just some elaborate hallucination from whatever was in that water. He looked at Goofy and the horse Heartless. The happiness in his friend's face at seeing him seemed real enough. The mindless hunger for his heart in the Heartless' eyes and movements seemed all too real. But there was no time to think about that right now; if he didn't, Goofy was going to get creamed by that monstrosity. He waded into the fray again.

"Blizzard!" screamed a almost unintelligible voice. Sora wasn't surprised to see Donald Duck spray the monster with a blast of freezing ice. It went down for the final time. "Sora! We did it! We beat it" Donald said. The three friends watched the Heartless writhe on the ground as it became a pool of darkness. A large glowing heart emerged from the dark, signifying that this had been one of what Sora liked to call the Great Ones, Heartless of incredible power.

"Donald, Goofy!" Sora hugged them both. "What are you doing here? I've got so many questions!"

"You can ask them when you wake up" said Donald. "This is costing Merlin a fortune in magical energy!"

"What? I'm asleep?" Sora asked.

"Wake up Sora and we'll tell you" Goofy said. "The King wants to talk to you."

"What?" Sora said again, but this time he felt himself float up off the ground. "Ahhh! Where am I going?" Sora said.

Don't worry about it said a voice, and Sora knew it was the voice of Roxas. Just go with it. You'll see what happens when it happens. Sora decided to listen to the voice and go with it. He closed his eyes, and floated through the barrier between sleep and wakefulness.