Chapter 6: THANK YOU! (double-ux3 . youtube . com/watch?v=Zutt5gbCurI)
Memo: Lol, Finally, Sora gets new clothes! Notice that the chapters are getting way longer, right? It's gonna only get worse from here, folks. Start reading, and remember, we were at the station, just bought the tickets!
*~*~*
"I can't help feeling like we won't see this town again," Sora said, looking around. He felt unusually sad. But why? He had only just discovered the town!
"Why not?" Donald asked.
"You sure do ask a lot of questions," Nexus muttered.
"You're thinkin' too much," Goofy said, cutting in before Nexus and Donald got into it.
"Yeah, you're right!" Sora exclaimed. But still, he felt like this was such a familiar town to him! Why?! "Okay, let's go!"
Everyone nodded.
"See you later," Nexus said, saluting with her index finger again. Hayner, Pence, and Olette saluted back. She, Donald, and Goofy entered the train, waving goodbye.
"Bye," Sora said simply, standing in the doorway of the train.
"Hey, Sora," Hayner said. "You sure we haven't met before?"
Sora thought for a moment. Come to think of it, they all seemed familiar to him, but he KNEW he had never met ANY of them before.
"Positive," he finally replied. "Why do you ask?"
"I dunno," Hayner replied, crossing his arms.
Sora smiled a little, then suddenly felt a tear fall down his cheek. He saw the looks of surprise from the three friends, and knew he had one to match when he brushed it away.
"Huh?" he said, confused.
"You okay?" Olette asked, sounding a little concerned.
"Y-Yeah. Don't know where it came from." For real.
"Pull it together," Hayner chuckled.
"Right... See ya."
Sora waved as he entered the train. He then sat down. He didn't even notice the looks of horror on the friends' faces when they realized he had entered the ghost train.
Nexus' PoV
I watched Sora as he stared out the window. He looked confused...even a little sad.
*Maybe because of you, Roxas,* I thought, closing my eyes.
"You know..."
Donald sat back in the seat when Sora finally spoke. I looked up at him, curious as to what he had to say. He was holding out a blue crystal in front of him.
"I'm sad," he admitted. Then I looked away. *So am I.*
"We'll be back," Donald said, trying to console Sora. I nodded once.
"Yeah. We can visit Hayner and those guys again," Goofy added. I closed my eyes. *Poor Roxas...Poor Axel...Poor-*
"Nexus?"
"Huh?" I said, opening my eyes.
"You okay?" Sora asked.
"Uh-huh, I'm fine."
"You had that look on your face again," he stated, slouching in the comfy seats of the train.
"Sorry, I don't mean to weird anyone out when I do that," I said honestly, looking at Donald and Goofy as well.
"Wanna talk about it?" Goofy asked. I quickly shook my head.
"It's cool, you guys. Worry about Sora, who can't seem to control his emotions," I teased.
"Shut up!" Sora shouted, kicking my shin.
"Ohhhhh nooooooo we're leaving! WAAAAAAAA-"
Sora jumped on me and covered my mouth. I licked his gloved hand, then almost dry-heaved in disgust. EW! His glove tasted NASTY!!
"WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR HANDS?!" I screamed, laughing hysterically.
"EW! YOU'RE NASTY!"
Fast Forward Through Their Nastiness
Still Nexus' PoV
"Seriously, though, Sora," I said, laughing as we exited the train. "You really should focus more on hygiene."
"What, are you the clean crew?" he retorted, raising an eyebrow.
"No, I just like clean. Clean equals good." I shrugged and walked away. "I can't help it if I'm always right."
Looking over my shoulder, I happened to see the train just...leave. Ummmm...
"There goes our ride..." Sora said, chuckling nervously.
I nodded, eyes wide. But then I turned back around and saw the huge tower in front of us. It was pretty amazing. Something else then caught my eye. There was a rather pudgy figure standing at the doorway.
"Hey, check it ouuuuut," I said, giggling. I pointed at the guy, and the four of us headed over to "check it ouuuuut."
"What's goin' on?" Donald asked the...thing. I knew it wasn't human.
"I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this here tower's as big and tough as they say," the weirdo replied. He sounded pretty stupid. "Word is, he's a real powerful sorcerer. Which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it don't matter how tough he is--once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say!"
"A Heartless?" Donald repeated.
"No, he meant a puppy," I muttered, putting a hand to my forehead. Idiots! I was surrounded by them!
"That's right. They're those things that come outta the darkness in folks' hearts. Why, with all those Heartless at her side, my dear friend Maleficent is gonna conquer everything!" Um, wasn't Maleficent like...dead? "And since I got me a debt to pay, I'm goin' 'round to a bunch of different worlds and buildin' an army of Heartless, special for her. Why am I talkin' to you pipsqueaks anyway? Go on, scram! I'm behind schedule as it is."
"You oughta find somethin' nicer to do," Goofy said. I grinned.
"I concur," I said, nodding once.
"Says who?"
The thing turned around and let out a surprised yell when he saw Donald and Goofy. I, however, let out a groan of disgust. This thing was...was...ATROCIOUS!!!
"Wha...AAAH! It's you!" he shouted, jumping a little. He was so fat and ugly and just plain repulsive that I felt the need to shield my eyes. But I didn't, out of common courtesy.
"Pete!" Donald and Goofy shouted back, jumping as well.
"What are you two nimrods doin' here!?" "Pete" screamed. EWW!! What an ugly beast!
"What are YOU doing here?" Donald said, crossing his arms.
"You know him?" Sora asked, looking almost as disgusted as I felt.
"We sure do!" Goofy exclaimed, sounding a little peeved. "Pete's been causin' trouble for ages! His Majesty banished him to another dimension a long time ago. I wonder how he escaped."
"You wanna know how, eh?" Pete said, laughing. "Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how! And now your world---no, no, no, all the worlds--are gonna belong to yours truly. Cause Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em!"
"Maleficent...huh," Sora said, grinning. He winked at me, and I started to laugh. So did he, Donald, and Goofy.
"What are you laughing at!? Why, Maleficent's power is so great--"
"She's toast!" Sora laughed, cutting Pete off.
"Huh?"
"Sorry, but Maleficent can't help ya now," Goofy said, still chuckling.
"Whaddya mean!?" Pete shouted. Donald snickered. Pete's eyes narrowed at us. "You! So you're the ones that did it!"
"Hey, don't look at me!" I exclaimed. "I had nothing to do with it."
"Well...we mighta had something to do with it," Sora said, placing his hands behind his head.
"Heartless squad! Round up!" Pete commanded, sounding really angry.
Suddenly Shadows popped out of the ground. I loaded my gun as Sora conjured his keyblade.
"This is really pathetic, you know?" I said, laughing.
"I do know, but if it floats his boat..." Sora said, grinning.
We took out the Heartless literally in seconds.
"You just wait!" Pete shouted. "Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the mighty Pete!"
"So, 'mighty' Pete, who lives in this tower, anyway?" Sora asked. I crossed my arms, curious to know myself. Who could afford it? (^_-)
"Oh, ya don't know, eh? Well, it's old Yen Sid. 'Course he's probably a Heartless by now!"
"Master Yen Sid lives here!?" Donald screeched, jumping in shock. Before anyone could do anything else, he ran up the entrance stairs and into the tower. I blinked. Who was this guy? Yen Sid? What kind of name was that? And why did it sound familiar?
"Yen Sid is the King's teacher!" Goofy exclaimed, looking at me and Sora, who were totally clueless.
"Wow," Sora said. "Sounds powerful!" I nodded in agreement. I knew where I had heard the name now. DiZ had mentioned it once before to me when I was very young.
"Let's go, then!" I exclaimed, running up the stairs. Goofy and Sora followed me. Pete just stood there, slack-jawed. Donald was waiting for us when we arrived.
"Hurry up!" he shouted, running up a huge flight of stairs.
"Oh geez," I muttered, following him.
*~*~*
There were nothing but Heartless running around on the upper flights of stairs. Nexus was running out of ammo, so she was using her keyblade. All four of them were exhausted.
"Heartless, Heartless, Heartless! Things haven't changed one bit!" Donald complained, stomping his foot. He held a wizard's wand in his left hand.
"Well, it's a good thing we're on the job, then," Goofy said.
"So the worlds aren't at peace after all?" Sora said, frowning. Nexus placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You guys made a difference, though! You got rid of Xehanort-I mean, oops, um, Ansem." She turned red.
"Who's Xehanort?" Donald asked. Nexus shook her head, her face beet-red.
"Nobody, don't worry about it. You killed Ansem, all is well, or at least a lot better. That guy was in-saaaane."
Before anyone could question her further, Nexus opened a door nearby. An old wizard was sitting solemnly at his desk.
"Master Yen Sid!" Donald shouted, bowing with Goofy. "It's an honor!"
"Hey there!" Sora said, waving a little. Nexus nodded a bit, smiling brightly.
"Sora! Nexus! Show some respect!" Donald shouted, sounding a bit shocked. Nexus immediately bowed, hoping for forgiveness. She half-expected Sora to do the same, but he simply shrugged apologetically. Yen Sid made a motion with his hand; it seemed to calm Donald down some.
"So, you are Sora," Yen Sid finally said in a deep scratchy voice. "Now then, have you seen the King yet?"
"Yes, we did, Master," Goofy replied. "But we didn't get a chance to talk to him."
"Yes...the King has been quite busy of late. Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you three falls upon my shoulders. You have a perilous journey ahead of you. You must be well prepared."
"Fantastic," Nexus muttered. "More peril. Just what I need."
"You mean...we have to go on another quest?" Sora said, sounding a little whiny. Not that Nexus or anyone else could really blame him. "I was looking forward to finding my friend Riku, so we could go back to the islands." He sighed a little.
"Yes. I know," Yen Sid said. "However, everything in your journey, Sora, is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the islands... Whether you will return alone or with your friend... And, whether or not the islands will still be there. And the key that connects them all is you, Sora."
"I'm...the key?" Sora held out his hand, and the keyblade materialized in it. Nexus stared at it. The one key...
"Chosen wielder of the Keyblade!" Yen Sid's booming voice made Nexus jump. "You are the key that will open the door to light."
Sora nodded. Yen Sid looked to Donald and Goofy who quickly stood up straight and nodded. He then looked at Nexus, who crossed her arms and saluted with her index finger. Yen Sid nodded his approval, then waved a hand over the table, and a thick book appeared. He made it float into the air and spun it toward Sora and the others. It opened and landed at the edge of the table, like it was asking to be read.
"This book contains valuable knowledge you will need for your journey," Yen Sid explained. "Study it carefully. Once you have finished, we will speak of the enemies you will surely confront."
More like already confronted, everyone minus Yen Sid thought.
"Read it out loud so we all can hear, Sora," Nexus said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"Alright, alright. Ahem," Sora said, fake-clearing his throat. "'The Beginning'- Each journey gives rise to chance encounters, and each encounter brings forth a farewell. When a farewell leads to a journey, the worlds open their hearts. Those chosen by the light, or ensnared by darkness. Friends who share the same bonds, though their paths may differ. When you doubt the path trod thus far, when the hand you held is lost to you, gaze anew at the heart that once was...for all the answers are within."
"That was enlightening," Nexus said, picking at the skin around her nails.
"'The Interlude,'" Sora continued, seeming rather interested in the book. It seemed so familiar to him. "A long dream. A sad farewell, hanging in the air in that "world between". What is reality? What is illusion? The path chosen by the young boy leads to his memories. When caught in the stream of the days and nights going past, gaze anew at your steps...for there all confusion will end."
"Once again, that was enlightening, but I really don't care. Just hurry up and read the rest of the book."
"If you're just going to make sarcastic comments, Nexus, then why don't you read it?" Sora practically shouted. She grinned.
"I was hoping you'd say that," she replied, snatching the book out of his hands. Inhaling deeply, she then read the next few lines as quickly as possible and with over-exaggerated emotion. "'The Future Story'- Will the day come when this battle, born of confusion, will end? It is different things to different people. Can the reality be that which is hidden? The reason is mere existence. Still, memories can be believed. Be not afraid. Entrust your body to the soothing waves of your memories. By and by, your fleeting rest will be over...and everything will begin. The end." Nexus smacked the book shut and laid it on the table in front of Yen Sid. "Any other questions?"
"But wait a sec--how come the Heartless are still running around?" Sora asked.
"Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness; make no mistake about that. However, the Heartless are darkness made real--and darkness lingers yet in every heart. The Heartless are fewer. But while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them," Yen Sid explained, lacing his fingers together.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy sighed; Nexus only lowered her head. She already knew all this stuff. It felt like the first day of school, where everything is review and going over rules.
"Gawrsh, that must mean...if everybody's heart was full of light, them Heartless'd go away!" Goofy exclaimed. Yen Sid nodded. Nexus huffed a sigh.
"Darkness is in every heart," she said, walking toward Sora. "You even have a faint glow of darkness in you. There are only seven that don't. You know who I'm talking about. So if you want to take people out that have darkness in their hearts-" Nexus held out her arms to the side. "You might as well start with me and end with yourselves."
"But-"
"Unfortunately, she is right," Yen Sid said quietly. He turned to Nexus. "You know quite a bit about darkness."
"I grew up with a researcher. I had better," she stated, crossing her arms again. Yen Sid nodded again.
"Now it is time to speak of the enemies that you will encounter," he said, waving his hand. An image of Donald appeared near the wall, but then it turned into a Shadow. "If one such as you, Donald, yields to the darkness in their heart, they too will become a Heartless. But you know this. The Heartless are always lurking and ever seeking to capture new hearts. Never let your guard down! Now then..." Yen Sid waved his hand again, and a Nobody appeared next to the Shadow. "At times, if someone with a strong heart and will--be they evil or good--becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own." The Shadow disappeared. "An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away... A spirit that goes on even as its body fades from existence--for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse--they only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived!"
Nexus' PoV
They don't truly exist, he said. I felt like bawling. What do you do with that?! Axel, Roxas, Naminé, all of them! They were all my friends, so did that mean I was practically friendless?
"Nobodies... They don't exist..." Sora murmured. I felt myself glaring at him. Immediately I stopped myself and started picking at my cuticles again. I did happen to notice two more Nobodies appear around Sora.
"Now then...the being you see before you is known as a Dusk," Yen Sid said. "They are the most common form of Nobody. But there are others--some larger, some with frightening and unique powers. Be vigilant! On your journey, you will meet an alarming number of Dusks. They will all attempt to do you harm."
The images vanished, and I felt myself suck in air.
"Still, they are nothing but empty shells, destined to return to the darkness. But--"
To my horror--but not surprise, mind you--Yen Sid waved his hand and images of black robed people appeared. One of them was skinny. *Axel...* I noticed Sora, Donald, and Goofy looking warily at the images.
"The beings you see before you now are different. These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called Organization XIII. It commands the lesser Nobodies."
"Organization XIII," Sora whispered. He looked immediately to Donald and Goofy, but they shook their heads in confusion. When he looked at me, I lost it. I started crying. "What...?!"
"While Heartless act on instinct, Nobodies function in a higher manner. They can think and plan. And it seems they are working towards a goal. What that goal is, we do not know. The King sensed the danger, and journeyed forth to fight it. He found the dark realm's Keyblade, and with it, closed the door. Now he's traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless as he seeks the answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII."
The cloaked figures disappeared, and I wiped my eyes quickly. I felt like such a loser.
"Then I guess we better go find the King first!" Sora exclaimed, ignoring me. I knew he would now; I would get it later on: a rough game of 20 Questions.
"But where could he be?" Donald pondered.
"Well, we won't know 'til we look," Goofy pointed out. The three of us nodded.
"Yeah," Sora said. "And the King must know where Riku is, 'cause the two of them were together in the realm of darkness when we closed the door. You know, after defeating Ansem."
*Xehanort!* I shouted in my mind. *It's XEHANORT, not Ansem! Ansem the Wise is still alive!*
"So, before you go, you will need more suitable traveling clothes," Yen Sid said. "Those look a bit too small for you."
"THANK YOU!" I shouted, bowing. That took care of ONE problem at least! Yen Sid motioned toward the door.
"Through there, you'll find three good fairies. If you ask, they'll create for you appropriate garments."
"Gawrsh, Sora, you sure are growing fast,"Goofy said, grinning.
"Uh, I guess..." Sora said, tugging on his clothes and chuckling. I giggled.
"You grew, like, a foot in the bubble," I said, walking through the door. The three of them followed me, laughing. In the room were three fairies, one dressed in red, another in green, another in blue.
"Me, you guys, Riku, and the King," Sora said suddenly. "I don't care who this Organization is or what it's planning. With the six of us--I mean, seven of us--there's nothing to worry about, right?"
"Wrong," I said quietly. The three of them shot me a look. I shot them one right back. It was true. Taking down the Organization was going to be hard now that Axel wasn't there to back me up. Frankly, I didn't really trust Sora as much as Axel.
"Well, look who's here, dears! Sora, Donald, and Goofy!" the red-clothed one exclaimed. "Oooh, and who are you, dear?"
"I'm Nexus," I said, smiling.
"Ooh, if you're looking for clothes, you've come to the right place!" the blue-clothed one said.
"I'll do the designing," the green-clothed one declared, shooting a spell at Sora's clothes. They turned a hideous shade of green.
"Oh, that will never do," the blue-clothed one said, shooting another spell. His clothes turned blue.
"Now, now, dears," the red-clothed one said, flicking her own wand. I laughed as his clothes turned pink.
"But don't you like this better?" Green.
"Hold on!" Pink. Sora looked completely helpless.
"Are you certain?" Green.
"Blue!" Blue. The color feud continued. I happened to glance away, and I saw a suspicious looking raven sitting on the windowsill, watching the action. It flew away before I could point it out to anyone.
"Aww, would you just decide?" Sora finally whined. The fairies gasped, then giggled like schoolgirls.
"All right, then," the red-clothed one said. "Together now, dears. And no more squabbling!"
At the exact same time, the three fairies cast spells at Sora's clothes. I crossed my fingers, hoping for the best. When the fairy dust cleared, I gasped.
"Oh wow! Much better!" I exclaimed, bouncing on my toes. It was true. Sora's clothes were now fitting and mature. Mostly black, the outside was covered with zippers and yellow-gold and red designs.
"Oh, my!" Red exclaimed.
"Ooh, it's lovely," Green agreed.
"Oh, yes! He does look very dashing," Blue said, smiling. Sora grinned cockily and summoned his keyblade. I sighed with relief. Now I could look at him without cringing.
"Now, those aren't ordinary garments," Red said.
"They have very special powers," Green added.
"Only the best for the keyblade master," I said, winking. Red waved her wand, and an orb appeared. Sora eyes glowed.
"Take the orb, dear," Red urged. Not that she needed to. Sora quickly grabbed the orb, and it absorbed into him.
"And watch what happens," Blue said, smiling still.
Suddenly Sora was struck with an immense power. In a flash of light, his clothes turned red. My jaw dropped. I wanted clothes like that!! He even had another keyblade in his left hand.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, checking himself out.
"Wow!" Donald quacked.
"Two keyblades!" Goofy said.
"This journey's gonna be twice as difficult as your last," Blue warned. Sora sighed.
"Your garments also have other powers--but you will have to discover what they are as you continue on your journey," Red said, smiling. Sora looked at his keyblades.
"Okay, I'll do my best," he said at last. "And thanks a lot!"
"The other keyblade is a gift from Master Yen Sid," Green said.
"Thank you!" I said, bowing. "You have no idea how happy this makes me."
*~*~*
Nexus, Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked back into the loft where they saw Yen Sid waiting for them. He motioned to the window, and a gummi ship appeared. Nexus felt her stomach lurch. Sora...driving...a ship...with their lives on the line...O_o
"Hey! It's the Gummi Ship!" Donald exclaimed.
"So you guys ready to go?" Sora asked. When everyone nodded, the four companions stood up straight in the wizard's presence.
"Now, now, just a moment," Yen Sid said. The four relaxed a bit.
"Because of your previous endeavors, the worlds have returned to their original states. That means the pathways between them have disappeared."
"How do we get around?" Donald asked.
"Do not fear. If what the King suspected proves true, the worlds have prepared new pathways along which you may travel. These pathways may be utilized by unlocking special gates. How these gates are opened, I'm afraid I do not know... However, the Keyblade will serve as your guide. When a beam of light radiates from the Keyblade, return to the Gummi Ship. Though the worlds may seem far apart and out of reach, they nonetheless remain connected by invisible ties. As do our hearts."
"Our hearts are connected," Sora said, putting a hand to his chest. Nexus frowned. Was it possible to have that type of connection with someone who lacked a heart?
"That is correct."
"Got it!"
"But be warned. As you proceed... The Heartless and the Nobodies will be using their own paths: Corridors of darkness, to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link these dark pathways to the gates between the worlds."
"Hey! That's not fair!" Donald shouted, jumping up and down.
"Life ain't fair sometimes," Nexus said in a country accent. Goofy and Sora laughed with her.
"Now then, that is all the information I can give to you. Go forth, Sora, Nexus, Donald, and Goofy. Everyone is waiting."
"Okay, let's get going!" Sora exclaimed. The four friends stood up straight again.
"Master Yen Sid!" Donald quacked.
"We sure do appreciate the help,"Goofy said. Sora saluted, then gave the wizard a goofy grin and entered the gummi ship. Donald and Goofy did the same.
"Nexus?" the wizard said.
"Yes?" she replied before following Sora.
"Take care of them."
"Right."