Chapter 7
As Sora held his newly liberated sister in his arms, Leon and King Mickey had just caught up to where Goofy and Donald were finishing off the last of the Heartless and Dusks.
"Donald! Goofy! Are you both all right?" King Mickey shouted.
"Your Majesty!" Goofy shouted back, just as he pummeled the last Heartless.
"We're just fine, King Mickey!" Donald proudly reported as the last two Dusks vanished into thin air.
Leon and King Mickey joined their comrades, all four taking several deep breaths. Looking around, Leon noticed one of their group was missing. "Donald, Goofy – where's Sora?"
Goofy and Donald became rigid. "On no! Sora! He went off to chase –" Donald cut himself short as he waddled off in the direction the two teens had run. Goofy was right behind him; Leon and King Mickey could only assume that Sora had been chasing his sister, and so they quickly ran after Donald as well.
Running through the narrow canyon, Goofy, Donald, Leon, and King Mickey called out for the twins. "Sora! Sooooora! If you can hear us, say something!" Goofy called out.
"Sora, Geni, answer us!" Donald added.
"They can't have gone too far," Leon said, slowing slightly. He cupped his ear, listening. He strained to hear any sound: fighting, explosions, talking, shouting, anything. The group was running past a small side canyon when Leon skidded to a halt.
"Wait!" he cried. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Goofy asked.
"Shhhhh!" cried Donald. "Leon, what did you hear?"
"I'm not sure," Leon replied. "It was so faint; I thought I was hearing things."
"What was it? What did you hear?" King Mickey asked earnestly.
"It sounded like…something humming. It could be anything; maybe some workers are operating a machine around here somewhere."
Hmmmm hmmmm-hmm hmmm-hmmm hmmmmm, hmmm-hmmm-hmmm hmmmm hmmmm-mmmmm, hmmmm-hm-hmmmmm.
"There it is again! But, it's too irregular to be a machine," Leon stated.
"Welp, let's check it out, just to be on the safe side. Who knows, maybe the Organization is planning some kind of attack. Where did you hear it coming from, Leon?" King Mickey asked.
"I first heard it when we passed that side canyon back there." King Mickey nodded to Leon and the group rushed back to the passageway they had previously ignored. Even though the path was large enough for three people to walk abreast, it was covered with shadows; the top of the canyon was much narrower than the bottom. As they wound through the time-worn passageway, a heaviness fell upon the group. Later, no one could say what they thought it was, but as Goofy said in his masterful manipulation of the spoken language: "It was like walking through invisible pea soup." Seeing the end of the passage, Leon readied his Gunblade, Goofy doing likewise with his shield and Donald with his wand. As the group exited the stony corridor at a quick jog, all four companions froze mid-step. Yards away, a young boy held his sister in a tender embrace, rocking back and forth and humming a strange tune. The girl in his arms was eerily silent and still.
"Sora?" King Mickey said quietly. The Keyblade master started at the noise, and turned his head up to his friends. He smiled weakly, tears still flowing down his cheeks in small rivers.
"Oh no," Donald murmured softly. "We're too late."
"Sora…is she…?" Goofy faltered.
Sora's eyes widened. "Oh, no, she isn't…you know." A loud collective sigh came from the four.
King Mickey and the others came forward and crowded around Sora. "Are you sure she's okay? Why isn't she awake?" Goofy asked.
"Hmmm, I don't know," King Mickey replied. He placed his hand on Geni's wrist, feeling her pulse. He then placed his other hand on her forehead, gently moving her damp bangs out of the way and revealing her flushed face. He pulled his hand back in surprise. "Oh dear," he sighed. "She's got a really high fever, and her heartbeat is slightly irregular. We've got to get her back to town right away. Who knows what could happen to her in this condition." Everyone nodded, including Sora, but for some reason he didn't move. Leon placed a calm hand on his shoulder.
"Sora?"
Sora jumped slightly, moving one of his hands so he could wipe his eyes, and then looked anxiously up at Leon. "Oh, right," he said distractedly. "Um, Leon? Do you think you could help carry her? She's a bit heavy for me alone."
"Of course," he said, gifting the group with one of his rare, but small, smiles. Leon knelt down next to Sora and carefully took his place, supporting Geni just as Sora had been doing. He then picked her up bridal style, her legs dangling over his arm and her head nestled snugly in the crook of his arm. "Let's go."
The others nodded, and headed back towards the entrance of the passageway. Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey went through first, but Sora lagged behind, picking up his Keyblade from where he had dropped it. He stood there examining it, at the same time thanking it for freeing his sister and equally cursing it for the pain it had caused her. It reminded him of what Ariel's father, King Triton, had said to him back in Atlantica: "One story said that the wielder of the Keyblade brought order and peace to the worlds, while another said they brought chaos and destruction." Well, I suppose it is half and half; chaos while we destroy the Heartless and Dusks, and peace once the darkness is gone.
Leon, at the entrance to the path back to the city, turned when he didn't hear Sora's footsteps; Sora was not following him. He watched Sora scrutinize his Keyblade, waiting for him to continue. Knowing what Sora was probably thinking, he waited for him to finish. When he saw Sora tighten his grip on his Keyblade, his forehead crease, he knew Sora would choose the right path – even though it would just get harder. Sora looked up at Leon. "I will defeat the darkness and restore her heart, so Geni won't have to fight anymore."
"I'll keep you to that," Leon replied. "Geni needs you to be strong for her right now, to help her overcome this." Sora nodded his reply. "Good, then let's get going!" Leon and Sora hurried after the others.
Back at Merlin's house, Aerith was nervously pacing the floor, occasionally glancing at the ever darkening sky outside. "It's nearly sunset. Where could they all be?" she said to Yuffie.
Yuffie was sitting on a crate near the door, munching on a sandwich. She swallowed the piece in her mouth noisily. "Don't worry about them. They can take care of themselves, and I'm sure they've found her by now. They're probably just taking their time after running around all day."
"I hope your right," Aerith replied, peering through the window.
"Well, nothing has come up on the detection system for a while now. The last couple of blips were over three hours ago." Cid and Merlin had both wandered over to where Aerith and Yuffie were talking.
"That's good," said Yuffie.
"Well, yes and no," Merlin said, tapping his chin in thought. "It could also mean that they – as in the Organization, Dusks, or even the Heartless – are planning something; something quite big, I imagine."
"Oh," Yuffie said dejectedly. "Well, no matter how many they send at us, the great ninja Yuffie will prevail!" She punched her fist high into the air.
"Well, at least one of us is confident," Aerith said with a smile. A sudden boom made all three jump and Yuffie fall off her crate.
"My word! It sounds like we're in for a huge storm! We should check the windows, just in case it starts to hail." Merlin headed for the upstairs, while Aerith nodded and began checking the windows on the first floor. A flash of light illuminated part of the street outside, and another loud boom was heard. Aerith finished checking the shutters next to Yuffie's crate, and then moved on the windows next to Merlin's front door. She had just locked the shutters when she noticed movement outside.
"What was that?" Aerith said to herself.
"What?" Cid replied.
"Oh, nothing. I just thought I saw –" Suddenly, Merlin's front door flew open as Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey stumbled in. "Your Majesty – Donald – Goofy! You're back!"
"Yes, and we have good news." The three stood huffing and puffing, catching their breath.
"Well? What is it?" Cid grumbled.
"We found her!" Goofy said, standing up straight, a giant smile on his face.
"Really? How wonderful!" Aerith exclaimed.
"Well, where is she then?" Yuffie inquired.
"Well, you see…" Just then, Sora rushed in, quickly followed by Leon. They were both slightly wet, as it had just started raining when they turned down the street Merlin's house was on. For some reason, Sora's jacket was lying on top of Leon's arms. He walked towards Leon and pulled his jacket off of the still form lying in them.
"Geni!" several voices cried out at once.
"I found her and I…I used my Keyblade on her, and now she's sick. With a high fever, King Mickey said. She's needs a doctor, some medicine…" Sora paused, his head bent downward.
Aerith was the first to snap out of their slight daze. "We need to hurry then. Leon, Sora, take her upstairs into the first guest bedroom. Yuffie and I prepared them earlier with clean linens, and I already put the medical kit up there as well. Donald, go and start boiling some hot water for later. Goofy, I started making some soup earlier, could you finish putting in the rest of the ingredients so we can all eat? Yuffie, I'll need your help upstairs. Sora, Leon, when you're done, go and dry off so you don't get sick as well. Merlin, please notify Dr. Ubito and have he come here as soon as he possibly can." She paused, noticing no movement among her friends. "Well, do you want her to become even sicker? Get going!"
"Yes ma'am!" cried all six of them. Leon and Sora hurriedly carried Geni upstairs, quickly followed by Aerith and Yuffie. Goofy and Donald hurried to the kitchen, and Merlin went to his crystal ball. Only Cid and King Mickey were left standing around with nothing to do.
"Wow, talk about taking charge," Cid muttered. "Could have fooled me with that 'innocent little girl' act of hers."
"Well, Aerith didn't take all those medical courses at school just so she could put band-aids on," King Mickey replied with a smile. "But if you'll excuse me, I also need to call someone."
"Really?" Cid asked with a raised eyebrow. "Who?"
"Oh, just Queen Minnie; you know, wanting to know what I'm doing every second of the day, how the battle against the darkness is going, you know. Worrying herself to pieces." King Mickey seemed to be fumbling for words, grasping for a valid sounding reason.
"Of, of course, the missus. Can't let them go to pieces, now can we?" Cid said with a wink.
"No, of course not." King Mickey began backing away towards the door. "Tell the others I'll be back soon."
"Sure." And with that King Mickey strolled very quickly out the door. "I wonder what's up with him?" Cid shook his head, and headed towards his computer. "Might as well fix those glitches in the mainframe I've been meaning to work on."
Meanwhile, Leon and Sora had placed Geni in Merlin's guest room. It consisted of one full-size bed, one nightstand with a lamp, a dresser, and a writing desk under the window with one chair. Other than those few pieces of furniture, the room was otherwise bare. The desk had Aerith's medical kit on it, as well as bandages, compresses, blankets, and a thermometer. Once Leon had carefully laid Geni on the bed, he turned towards the door. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything," he replied with a wave.
"Okay," Aerith answered. "Sora, if you want, you can go too. The soup should be ready soon."
"Sure. But may I come up and see her when you're done?" Sora asked, glancing around the room.
"Hmm, that will depend on how sick she is. When you used your Keyblade to break the spell, it took away the dark half of her heart that made her whole – in a sense. For now, all she needs is plenty of rest. Once she is stable, I'll let you know."
"Okay." Sora quietly walked out and pulled the door shut behind him. Aerith is taking care of her; she'll be fine. Although, I can't wait for her to get better, so I can talk with her. I wonder what she's like? Sora contemplated how similar he and his twin might be, all the while noticing just how big Merlin's house really was. He could see several doors leading down a long hallway. Each of them had a sign posted; the bathroom was next to the guest room Geni was in, and then there were four more guest rooms, a library, storage, a lab, some other rooms, and another staircase. Small sconces illuminated the hallway, yet only where he had been walking. The lit themselves automatically as he came near, or put themselves out as soon as he walked away. He realized that, somehow, Merlin's house was bigger on the inside than on the outside. Well, he is a magician, Sora thought to himself with a smile. Suddenly, Sora smelled something delicious wafting up from downstairs. His stomach gurgled loudly in protest. Sora chuckled; "Alright, time to eat." He walked down the stairs and joined his friends at the table.
Upstairs, Aerith and Yuffie were making Geni more comfortable. They had removed her outfit and placed her in a spare nightshift of Aerith's. It was a little big, but it would do the trick. She was still sweating a great deal, and her breathing was slightly labored. Aerith went over to the desk and retrieved the thermometer, placing it in Geni's mouth. After a minute or so, Aerith removed it and exclaimed: "My goodness! She's at 106 degrees! I hope Dr. Ubito arrives soon; until then, let's get her a cool compress." Yuffie nodded, and grabbed one of the cloths' and hurried over to the bathroom to douse it with cold water. Thank goodness Sora and Geni had not caused some real damage to each other during their fight; they only walked away with some bruises and small scrapes. However, Aerith did notice a small star-shaped scar over Geni's heart. It did not look new and Aerith assumed that must have been where the Heartless had attacked her years ago.
"Poor thing," Aerith said, sitting on a stool next to the bed. She took Geni's hand in hers, which was quite clammy considering how hot she was. She looked so small lying in the bed; her flushed face betrayed her calm appearance, but what worried Aerith the most was the wheezing breaths that Geni took. It sounded like she was having trouble breathing. She bent down towards Geni's chest, and listened as she took several shallow breaths. It didn't sound like she had any fluid in her lungs, but with some of the beating she took from Sora, she might have bruised a rib or two.
"Here you go, Aerith," Yuffie said, returning with the damp cloth.
"Thanks. This will definitely help." Aerith placed the cool cloth on Geni's head. Her body reacted and shuddered a little from the cold. However, soon her breathing became a little less labored, more deep and even. "Good. As long as we can keep her fever down and hope it breaks soon enough, I think she'll be just fine. Has Dr. Ubito arrived yet?"
"Don't know. But I'll head downstairs and check, if you don't need me yet?"
"Go ahead – get something to eat. I'll stay up here with her for a while until the doctor gets here. We'll look over her in shifts, at least for tonight, or until her fever breaks and she wakes up."
"Gotcha. You want some soup or something?" Yuffie called as she headed for the door.
"No, but let everyone know what's going on, okay? And let me know as soon as Dr. Ubito arrives."
"Sure." Yuffie headed down the stairs, leaving Aerith and Geni alone in the semi-dark, listening to the lullaby of the rain as if fell on the roof.
Merlin, King Mickey, Cid, Leon, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were slurping down soup and munching on crackers when Yuffie finally came downstairs.
"Yuffie! Hungry at all?" Goofy said as he started to get up.
"Yeah, a little." Goofy nodded and headed over to get another bowl. Yuffie came took an empty seat next to Merlin. In seconds, Goofy was back with a steaming bowl of soup. "Mmmmm, looks good. Thanks Goofy."
"No problem," Goofy said as he slipped back into his own seat. "I haven't cooked like this in a while, since Maxie was just a little squirt. How's Geni doing, by the way?"
Immediately, the slurping stopped, and seven pairs of eyes looked at Yuffie expectantly. "She's okay, but still really sick. Aerith said she has a really high fever, and she's wheezing slightly when she breathes. Also, aside from a couple of good bruises and some small cuts from your battle –" Sora studied his plate intently when she mentioned this "– she's just fine. Dr. Ubito will examine her a little better when he gets here."
Sora smiled and glanced at the small bandage on his arm, where Geni had made contact with her staff. I wonder if she'll show me some of her fighting skills; maybe she would be a good sparring partner, when she's feeling up to it, of course.
"Well, that is indeed good news," Merlin said, stroking his beard. "Maybe her encounter with the darkness has made her stronger and more resistant to its effects."
"Well, we'll know once she wakes up," King Mickey said. He had returned from "calling" Queen Minnie shortly before Yuffie had come downstairs. "Sora? You're awfully quiet. Anything on your mind?" King Mickey asked as he slurped his soup.
"Well, a couple of things. First, though, Goofy – who's Maxie?"
"Oh, I'd forgotten that you haven't met him yet. He's my son Max, a knight (in training) like his old man."
Sora choked slightly on his soup. "You have a son?!"
"Of course; you've already met Donald's three nephews: Huey, Dewy, and Louis. However, they usually stay with Donald's brother, Scrooge. The triplet's were orphaned when they were just babies, so Scrooge took them in."
"Well, I wasn't looking for a genealogy lesson, but thanks. I also –" Suddenly, the door burst open and a burly, wet man stepped through the threshold. Throwing back his hood, a large grimace encountered them.
"Skies above! What a storm!"
"Dr. Ubito!" Merlin exclaimed, standing up and heading towards the sodden man. "So glad you received my message. I hope your trip wasn't too wet?"
"Not too bad; the river's risen slightly, but no flooding as of yet. Now, you said Geni was back?" The doctor shrugged off his wet coat, and Merlin's magic floated it over towards the fire to dry off. "Where is she?"
"Upstairs, if you'll please follow me." The doctor nodded, and followed Merlin up the stairs.
"Seems like a nice guy," Sora said, following the two with his eyes.
"Dr. Ubito has been the city's main doctor for as long as I can remember. He was also one of the first to try and treat Geni when she was little, so they go way back. He and Merlin have also been friends since he moved here," Leon said. "If anyone can help out Geni, at least non-magically, he can."
Leon's statement made Sora feel a little more comfortable. Finishing his soup, he took his bowl over to the sink and began to wash it.
"Don't worry 'bout that stuff, Sora, I'll finish it. Go and relax for a while." Goofy smiled as he brought over more dishes.
"Okay, I am a bit tired." Sora yawned loudly, stretching his arms. He went towards the roaring fire and sat down on a small bean bag-like chair. Stretching out his and legs, he put his arms behind his head as a head rest. He sat there for a while, just enjoying the warmth of the fire. I wonder what everyone else is up to, Sora thought to himself. At least Kairi is safe back on the islands, but what about Riku? I'll have to ask King Mickey once he's done eating. I hope he's okay, wherever he is. Sora took several deep breaths, and began humming the strange tune again. It didn't seem to have any rhyme or reason to it, but it sounded both sad and happy at the same time.
"What's that song, Sora?" Leon asked as he came over. "You were humming it before, when we found Geni and you."
"Hmm, I don't really know," Sora replied, his eyes still closed. "I first heard it when we were looking for Geni. That song is what led me to her."
"Actually, that doesn't surprise me." Sora opened one eye towards Leon.
"Why not?"
"One of Geni's favorite things to do is sing, and of course make music in general. She can play many different musical instruments, but I believe her favorites were the cello and the wood flute."
"Really?" Sora was interested now. He sat up and looked straight at Leon. "What else does she like to do?"
"Sorry, Sora. You'll have to find out on your own. This is not a conversation you should be having with me, but her."
"Thanks a lot, Leon," Sora muttered as he slumped back down into his seat.
"Well, you won't be waiting for too long," Merlin announced as he and Dr. Ubito descended the stairs.
Sora and Leon both got up quickly and went over toward the two. "That was quite quick. Is she doing that well?" Leon asked.
"Overall, Geni has a high fever causing plenty of sweating. The fever should break by morning or tomorrow afternoon at the latest. She also has two bruised ribs, and should take it easy for at least two weeks or so. I've given Aerith all the directions and some medicinal tea for her to help the recovery process. I must say, though, that she is in quite excellent condition. Aerith did a bang up job; there wasn't much left to do besides a quick physical. So, if anything else should come up, just ring me. Well, goodnight everyone." Dr. Ubito nodded to everyone, as Merlin handed him his dried coat back. Shrugging it back on, be braced himself once again and stepped out into the stormy night.
"Well, ending the night with good news always helps me sleep better. I suggest you all get some sleep as well; Aerith said she will watch over Geni for a few more hours and Yuffie after that. Would anyone like to volunteer for the early morning watch?"
"I'll do it," Sora said.
"Good. Well, get plenty of rest until then. I'll show you where you can sleep." Merlin motioned for Sora to follow.
"We'll just finish these dishes," Goofy replied. Donald nodded as well. Cid grumbled a good night from where he was on his computer, clicking and typing away.
"I'm not that tired yet, so I'll keep Cid company for a while," Leon said. King Mickey was still polished off the last of the soup, and waved a goodbye as he slurped yet another spoonful into his mouth.
"Okay. See you later then." Sora followed Merlin upstairs, and into the third room on the left. Three twin size beds, each with a nightstand and a small lamp, were lined up across the far wall, with a dresser and a desk on the wall next to the door. The lights in the room had automatically come on when Sora and Merlin had entered.
"Pick whichever one you want, Yuffie will come a wake you up when it is time."
"Thank you Merlin," Sora said with a yawn and a stretch.
"No, thank you, dear boy. You've given back a great asset to the realm of light. What you accomplished was no small feat. Soon, you will see just what I mean."
Sora nodded, wondering at Merlin's puzzling words. Merlin nodded back, and walked out and closed the door. He walked to the farthest bed, and sat down on it. Kicking off his shoes, taking off his coat and kingdom necklace, he laid down on the soft bed. How long had it been since he was in a decent bed? The lights dimmed slowly, until it was completely dark in the room. Always in his thoughts, he wished Kairi and Riku were as comfortable as he was just before drifting off to sleep.
The rest of Merlin's house gradually began to slow. Cid and Leon put the computer on standby until morning, and headed to their own respective guest rooms. Donald and Goofy finished the dishes, arguing about where the silverware was supposed to go. Yuffie, after a while, took Aerith's place and sent her off to bed as well. Merlin stayed in his room, studying one of the many large reference volumes about horticultural magic, to see if he could make his tomatoes grow larger. King Mickey was still sitting by the dwindling fire, a thoughtful look on his face. Finally, all was quiet – not even the Heartless or the Dusks were disturbing anyone for once.
"Sora," someone whispered. Something shook him gently. "Sora, wake up you sleepyhead. It's your turn on watch duty."
Sora opened one eye slowly. Yuffie was standing over him, her arms crossed in impatience. He sat up, slowly, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?" he said with a yawn.
"About three in the morning. I've been watching Geni for the past four hours now, and your shift is until seven when King Mickey takes over."
"Okay." Sora slid his feet into his shoes, and put his kingdom necklace and jacket back on. He followed Yuffie out the door, finally noticing the very loud snoring coming from his two friends on the other beds. Goofy's ears were covering his eyes, his snoring sounding like a train. Donald's bill flapped whenever he breathed in and out, making it sound like someone knocking continuously. Sora smiled, wondering how he managed to sleep through all of that.
Walking out the door, Yuffie commented "I am so glad that Merlin's walls are very thick." Sora smiled in return. They walked the short distance to Geni's room, where she was sleeping with only a slight rasping noise.
"Her fever's gone down a few degrees already, to about 103 when I checked her a little while ago. Check her compress every once and a while, and get it wet with cold water when it becomes to dry or too warm. If anything else happens or if you need anything, just wake up Aerith or me. Okay?"
"Sure. See you later, Yuffie," Sora said as he took his spot on the stool next to the bed.
"Uhh-huh," Yuffie said as she yawned noisily and left the room. The lamp softly illuminated the room, and the rain continued to pound on the roof. It was awkwardly quiet, and Sora fidgeted slightly on his stool. He ended up examining his sister, seeing how alike they actually were. The both had the same brown, spiky hair, but hers was much longer – at least down to the middle of her back – and tied into a neat braid. They looked to be about the same height, and of course they both had those deep ocean blue eyes. Even though Sora was an only child – at least he used to be – he considered Riku to be like a brother to him, and Kairi – well, maybe a little something more. Once again dwelling on his friends, Sora sighed deeply.
Geni grimaced in her sleep, tossing slightly on the bed. Sora stood up and leaned over the bed, wondering if she was about to wake up. She turned slightly towards Sora and once again fell into a deep sleep. Sora sat back down on the stool.
"Hey," he said quietly. "I don't know if you can here me, but…" Sora paused, wondering if he was being silly for talking to a person who couldn't hear him. "Umm, Leon said you liked music. I do too, in a way; most of the music we got was from the mainland, nothing really native to the islands. Someday we'll go there, to the Destiny Islands, and you can meet my mom and dad and all my friends. Tidus and Wakka are hilarious, and Selphie and Kairi are really nice. Riku is my best friend, and…" Sora continued to talk, telling Geni about the Destiny Islands. He went on and on, occasionally pausing to soak the cloth again in cold water. He was so busy informing the sleeping girl about his own life that he didn't even notice when King Mickey walked in. "Riku didn't even notice when the bird…"
"Sora?" Sora stopped, mid-sentence. "It's my turn for watch."
"Oh? It's seven am already?"
"Yup. Why don't you go and nap for an hour or two? I'm sure that Donald, Goofy, and Cid won't eat everything Merlin has in his cabinets."
"Okay. I just checked Geni's temperature a little while ago, and it was only 102 degrees. Does that mean her fever is breaking?"
"Probably. Tell Aerith when you see her; I'll still stay here with her until it breaks or she wakes up. She'll probably be as hungry as all three of them once she does," King Mickey said with a smile.
"Okay. See you later then." Sora walked out and closed the door. King Mickey walked softly to the door, hearing Sora's retreating footsteps and listening for anyone else. Hearing nothing, he grabbed the chair from the desk and set it next to the door, then walked towards an empty spot on the far side of the room. Cupping his hands and whispering as quietly as he possible could for a mouse, he said "You've got about a half and hour, an hour at the most before someone might come in. I'll stay by the door for privacy, but make it quick." He nodded to the thin air, and then took up his position next to the door.
Silently and stealthily, a dark portal appeared in the spot where King Mickey had spoken. A tall individual in a black cape similar to the king's stepped out, looking around the room. King Mickey turned and nodded to him, then resumed his original position. The being walked to the other side of the room and sat down on the stool next to Geni's bed. She was still sleeping, slightly wheezy but taking deep breaths, indicating she was in a deep sleep. The figure gently picked up her hand and held it between theirs. "It's been a while, shorty," it whispered quietly.