Author's note: I had a lot of fun writing the Disney characters. They had always made me nervous before, but I think working at Walt Disney World helped me get down their characterizations quite a bit better. Hope you enjoy!

I CAN BARELY SAY

Chapter Ten: The Passage of Time

Between his mom and Kairi's goodbyes, Sora was a mess as he was taking off from the islands. If it weren't for Riku, he wasn't even sure he would have had the heart to get on the gummi ship in the first place. But it was getting a little easier to think the farther away he got, as he moved out into open space.

It was only two days. Two days was nothing; not after being away for three years. It was gonna fly by just like every day had ever since he'd returned home. And he couldn't wait to see Kairi's reaction when she found him waiting in her living room, just the thought made him grin from ear to ear. That was enough to keep him going for now.

He was still feeling a little down as he reached Disney Castle, but he instantly smiled as he stepped off the gummi ship and heard Dale's voice. "Sora!" He didn't even see him or Chip before he felt them jump onto his shoulders, hugging his spiky hair. "It's nice to see ya!" Chip greeted excitedly.

"It's nice to see you guys too." He turned his head from side to side to look at them, "Did I keep the King waiting long?"

"Nah, you're just in time!" Chip hopped off his shoulders, rushing down the hallway.

Dale jumped down to follow after his brother, turning back to Sora and waving, "Follow us!"

The brunette followed them at a brisk pace, giving a small laugh, "Thanks." Truthfully, he still hadn't figured his way around the castle yet, despite the amount of times he'd been there. He would recognize the hallway that led into the throne room, but he was completely clueless as to how to make it to that point from the gummi hangar.

Pushing open the door to the throne room, he wasn't given much time to react before Donald and Goofy had him in tight bear hugs, both yelling out his name, "Sora!"

"Hi, guys." He hugged them back just as tightly. Looking up over Goofy's head, he spotted King Mickey and Queen Minnie. Giving a small wave and bowing to the best of his ability, he greeted, "Your majesties."

As Donald and Goofy pulled away from Sora, King Mickey began to apologize, "I'm sorry we had to bring you back so soon, Sora, but it was an urgent matter."

"It's okay." The brunette shook his head, "How can I help?"

"We got word that there's some trouble happening in a world named Atlantica." Queen Minnie started to explain, "They're trying their best to handle the situation themselves, but we thought it'd be best to send them some extra help."

Sora blinked, taking in the information, "Atlantica, huh? Hope Ariel and Eric are okay."

"I'm sure they are. Plus they've got King Triton lookin' out for them, too." Goofy put a hand on his shoulder.

Sora turned his head, looking at him briefly and nodding, "Yeah, you're right."

"So how soon do we need to get going?" Donald took a step forward, waving one of his arms.

"As soon as Chip and Dale get the gummi ship ready, which shouldn't be too much longer, now." King Mickey answered, looking up as he estimated how much time had passed.

Sora glanced down to the floor, realizing that he didn't even notice Chip and Dale leave the room. "Wow, that was fast." He looked back up, "So is it really urgent?"

"We don't know much more than what Minnie was saying before, but we want to try and get you home as soon as possible too." He looked over to Queen Minnie who nodded, both smiling at Sora.

The brunette felt his eyes water a little bit, smiling gratefully as he bowed again, "Thank you." King Mickey may have essentially been his boss, but he was every bit as true a friend as Donald and Goofy.

"Aw, it's no problem, Sora. You're helping us out so much, the least we can do is help you back." King Mickey smiled sheepishly, a loud beep ringing out through the room shortly after he finished talking.

"Your majesty, the gummi ship is ready to go!" Chip's voice announced cheerfully.

"Thank you for your hard work, boys!" Queen Minnie answered.

Dale's voice responded this time, "Our pleasure!" After that, there was another beep to signify that they had turned off the intercom.

"Well, guess it's time to get going." Goofy waved his arms towards Donald and Sora.

King Mickey nodded and waved goodbye, "Do your best. I'll see ya tomorrow." Queen Minnie waved as well, smiling sweetly.

"Goodbye, your majesties." Donald answered with a bow, Goofy and Sora following his lead before making their way back to the gummi ship hangar.

After the three of them had said their goodbyes to Chip and Dale and prepared the gummi ship for departure, Goofy asked, "So, Sora. How've you been doing back home?"

"It was… pretty awkward at first." He answered truthfully, a small smile on his lips.

"Weren't Riku and Kairi happy to see you?" Donald asked from Sora's side.

He turned his head to hide his growing smile, but lowered his voice as if he were upset, "Well, Riku was… Not so much for Kairi."

He heard Donald and Goofy shuffle awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "Aw, Sora. We're sorry…" Goofy finally managed to say, holding his arm out but unsure of whether or not to touch the brunette's shoulder.

He turned back around, "It's okay. Everything's fine now." Sora couldn't hold back his grin any longer, "We're actually dating now."

Goofy was immediately happy for him, "Congratulations!"

Donald was a different story. "Don't worry us like that!" The duck used his staff to hit Sora's side, to which he let out a small yelp before laughing.

"Sorry." He apologized with another laugh, continuing softly as he sat down and put on the seat belt, "But I wasn't lying. It was really complicated when I first got home. But once we got past that, everything's been great. I have a part time job helping out my friend's dad's construction company, so like helping build houses and stuff. And my high school let me take a big exam for my diploma and I passed. With lots of help from Riku and Kairi, of course." He leaned back and turned his head to look at where they were now seated behind him.

They both let out exclamations of "Way to go!" and "Good job!".

He smiled gratefully, continuing, "Thanks. I think that about sums it up for most of the important stuff. What about you guys? What have you been up to?"

"Helping to keep Disney Town and the castle in order, like we used to do when the worlds were still separate." Donald answered, smiling a bit as he admitted, "But compared to the adventures we've been on together, it's kind of boring."

Goofy let out a chuckle as Sora answered, "Yeah, everything is a bit more boring now. But sometimes boring is nice." His friends nodded in agreement. "So, ready to go?"

"You bet." Donald quacked in response.

"Ready!" Goofy answered cheerfully.

Initiating the controls for take-off, Sora announced, "Here we go!"

The trip to Atlantica was pretty quick, but Donald had never gotten over the habit of backseat driving and Sora's head was spinning by the time he had landed. Stepping out of the ship, he let out a sigh of relief before he paused. They were on solid ground instead of surrounded by water.

Scrunching his eyebrows, he looked around and asked, "Wait… We're in Atlantica, right? Why aren't we in the ocean?"

"Beats me." Donald shrugged and Goofy seemed clueless as well.

"Guess there's only one way to find out…" He started walking forward, raising his hand to point, "That castle over there is probably where Prince Eric lives. I'm sure he'll let us know what's going on."

As they walked through the small town, they received quite a few stares and whispers, reminding him of the people back on his home world. Though it made him feel a bit uncomfortable, it was a good sign. If the town was had been preyed on by heartless, they more than likely would have been happy to see them. He looked to his friends, giving them an encouraging smile since they seemed a bit uncomfortable too.

"Are you Sora, Donald, and Goofy?" He heard a man's voice from his side and quickly turned around.

Seeing an older man of short stature and dressed in seemingly nice clothes, Sora greeted, "Yep, that's us!"

"The King and Queen have been waiting for you. Follow me." He waved them forward before starting on his way.

"The King and Queen?" Sora mumbled to his friends in confusion.

Goofy suggested quietly, "Maybe Prince Eric suggested us?"

The brunette hummed to himself in thought, remaining silent the rest of the way to the castle. Once they were through the gates, they were immediately greeted by a familiar voice.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" Ariel came rushing towards them, "It's so good to see you!"

"Ariel, you—" Sora stuttered, "Y-you're not a mer—"

She smiled and shook her head, "No. I made the decision to be with Eric." She held up her hand, showing them her wedding ring.

"Congratulations!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy all said within a few seconds of each other, causing her to laugh.

"Thank you." She smiled widely.

He paused, acknowledging, 'So she's the Queen now. That makes more sense.'

"So what was it that you needed our help with?" Donald asked curiously.

Ariel's face fell, turning away slightly as she spoke, "It's Ursula's sister, Morgana. We sailed out to sea to introduce Daddy to Melody and she showed up, threatening to hurt Melody in revenge for Ursula." She turned back to them, "It's pretty well known that Morgana's magic is nowhere near as strong as Ursula's and the ocean is pretty well guarded by my father's men but… I wanted to have you three here, just in case she tries something on land. These soldiers aren't prepared for anything like that."

Donald and Goofy nodded understandingly, but Sora had to ask, "Um… Melody?"

"Our daughter." Ariel smiled widely again, waving towards the castle as she asked, "Do you want to meet her?"

"Gawrsh, we'd love to!" Goofy replied excitedly, practically bouncing up and down. Sora and Donald smiled and nodded, following Ariel up the steps once she had begun to move forward.

Passing through a few hallways and doors, they finally reached a room where Eric was waiting, holding what Sora assumed to be a baby wrapped in blankets in his arms. "Hey, you three. It's nice to see you." He greeted cheerfully.

"Nice to see you, too." Sora answered with a smile, watching Ariel encouraging Eric to step forward with a gentle nudge of his arm.

Once he had, he lowered himself a bit so the trio could see the baby better. "This is Melody." Ariel introduced in a sweet voice. "Melody, this is Sora, Donald and Goofy. They're great friends of mine."

Sora peered down at the baby curiously, smiling as he said, "She looks just like you, Ariel. Except for her hair."

"Yep, that's all me." Eric answered proudly.

Goofy was practically beside himself, "Can I hold her?"

"Of course." Eric passed Melody to Goofy gently, Melody not seeming to mind a bit. In fact, she was probably the happiest baby Sora had ever seen; she seemed like she was nothing but smiles.

"Aw, I miss when Maxie was this little." Goofy grinned down at her before looking up to Ariel and Eric, "They grow up so fast."

"Believe me, we know. She's only a few months old, but she's already grown so much." Ariel gushed before turning to Sora, "Would you like to hold her?"

"S-sure." He answered, a little bit nervous as held out his arms. As Goofy laid her down in Sora's arms, Ariel helped to shift him ever so slightly so that he could support her better.

Letting go, she beamed, "There you go!" He smiled back and looked down at Melody, who was now attempting to blow bubbles with her mouth and laughing at the noises she was making in the process. Ariel leaned slightly over his shoulder, commenting, "She likes you." Sora glanced upward momentarily, his grin growing.

"Can I hold her too?" Donald waved his hand to catch their attention. Ariel nodded, reaching out to support Melody again as Sora kneeled down carefully to Donald. "Awww." He cooed as he held her, "She's so cute!" A few moments later, Melody was squirming and making small whines, which Donald seem very nervous.

"Don't worry, she's probably just getting hungry." Ariel reached to take Melody back, rocking her in her arms as she suggested, "Eric, could you show them where they're staying tonight?"

He nodded, "Yes, of course. Follow me." He began to walk forward, motioning them with one of his arms.

"See ya later, Ariel." Sora waved, starting to walk.

"And Melody, too!" Goofy chimed in and Sora nodded with a small laugh. Ariel let out a small giggle and waved as well before walking out of sight.

Following Eric through another short hallway, he pointed towards two doors, "We've got 2 different rooms you can use, each one has two beds. And the bathroom will be the door at the end of the hallway on the right." The trio smiled appreciatively and Eric started to take a step away, "I'll go ahead and let you guys get settled in. Don't be afraid to ask if you need help finding anything."

"Thank you!" They all replied at once.

Eric laughed, beginning to walk, "Meet me downstairs in the main hall when you're ready."

Opening one door, they poked their heads in before taking a few steps into the room. "Wow!" Donald's mouth practically dropped. The floor was the same white marble that filled the rest of the castle and a few paintings adorned the wall, hanging parallel to the two full sized beds. In the back of the room there was a small white couch that sat just in front of a large window that filled the room with natural light.

Walking over to the window, Sora leaned over the couch and pushed the sheer curtain out of the way, revealing a breath taking view of the ocean below. "Guys, look at this!" He waved them over.

"So pretty!" Goofy commented excitedly.

"This place is great!" Donald echoed from atop the couch.

Sora turned around, "So should we go look at the other room?"

"You bet." Donald jumped down, walking past Sora eagerly and exiting the room. When Sora and Goofy caught up with him and walked into the other room, Sora noted that the second room was a little bit bigger but overall very similar in terms of design and comfort.

"You guys can have this one. I'll take the smaller one." Sora nodded towards the door, signifying he was about to go back.

Goofy titled his head, "You sure?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Just give me a couple minutes and we can head back downstairs." He gave a small wave before heading towards the door.

"Okay!" Donald answered loudly from behind him.

Once he made it inside of his bedroom, he shut the door closed with a small click before walking over and letting himself fall backwards on to the bed. He expected to bounce a little bit, but the mattress was so soft that he practically sunk in. Folding his arms behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling.

'I can't believe Ariel and Eric are married and have a baby now. I mean… it's probably been at least four years since I've seen them, so it shouldn't be too surprising.' He let out a small sigh, closing his eyes, 'Everyone's been moving forward while I've just been stuck in place. Wonder how long it'll take before I manage to catch up?'

There was no doubt that he was making progress back at home, but he'd still missed so much and he was never going to get that time back. That was what bothered him the most. As for his friends on other worlds, he supposed he was going to have to get used to feeling like he'd missed out on a lot. The more time he spent at home was less time that he spent out on other worlds and vice versa.

He let out a small laugh to himself, 'It's funny. Time was probably the last thing on my mind just a few years ago. Now I can't stop thinking about it.' He flopped over onto his stomach, 'Maybe once I get used to "boring" life back at home again, time will go slower. Like what Donald was talking about.'

He hoped so.

Pushing himself back off the bed, he stood up and moved to the window. Sliding it open, he closed his eyes and inhaled, listening to the sounds of the ocean and the seagulls flying above as he remembered the words Riku said in the realm of darkness, 'At least the waves sound the same.'

"Sora? You ready?" He heard Goofy knock on his door.

Blinking his eyes open and inhaling, he slid the window shut again, "Yeah, just a sec."