(Alright, rebuttal gone, chapter in. Booya.

And before that last review, I don't believe I had EVER been praised in any form in Spanish. Bravo, you made me feel special. No joke.

And now, the first world. And it's a huge hairy coincidence that it's the batshit crazy world. Oh BOY I had fun with this one. Oh nut-bunnies it might just get worse from here... What to do...)

Oathkeeper

Chapter Ten: Cheshire Grins

On the subject of Aerith, Cid, Yuffie, and even Leon, Sora knew admittedly little. Speaking frankly, he hadn't known them all for very long. After his world breaking, they had taken him in right away. This was probably because of the Keyblade, but Sora was still thankful to no meager amount.

Since he lived with them, and since he wasn't particularly anti-social, Sora had little choice but be thrown flailing like a rag doll into their lives. And as such, he had gotten to know them well enough to call each of them friend. Energetic Yuffie made sure he was never bored, and motherly Aerith tried her best to make sure that this entertainment was never at the expense of Leon or Cid. Of course, one could only do so much against a hyperactive 'great ninja'.

Sullen Cid, who was strangely enough prone to random spurts of good mood, treated him well enough. Sometimes as if he were a kid, and other times when Leon wasn't looking, would give him a slap on the back and offer him something alcoholic. Sora refused as politely as he could each time.

And Leon, for whom he didn't really have an adjective for, not that he knew much about grammatical terms but to his credit, neither did a lot of people. Leon had the most involvement in Sora's life, through a combination of training, advice, and general teaching about various parts of multi-world culture. Leon was protective, and Sora wondered if this was what it was like to have a brother. Somebody who taught you things that weren't found in books, and shared a hand in raising a child unnoticed by most parents. Leon offered Sora something he was lacking, and that was experience. By some of the things they talked about, it felt at times that there was little Leon hadn't done. And sometimes Sora couldn't help but listen intently, in case he found himself in similar situations and in need of a sound decision.

There was an odd feeling, but one strangely satisfiying as the man saw him off with the others. It was comparable to watching, or being shown how to do something, and then later attempting it on your own. A feeling of... not quite accomplishment but... something close.

He bade them farewell, and they did in turn. He was welcome back at any time, and Donald said that since good work was done on the ship and that the supplies were affordable enough, that this might become a regular pit-stop. They were however well stocked... so such a visit would be a long time coming unless an emergency occurred.

He turned to study Donald for a few moments. For all intents and purposes, the duck seemed to be in charge. However, Goofy's reactions didn't seem to be that of a lackey. Donald said that something should be done, and instead of following orders, Goofy nodded and would see about it because it was a sound thing to pay attention to. Donald seemed to shirk a bit of manual labor as far as work loads went, but he wasn't outright irresponsible with being trusted as a decision maker. He was capable.

'Well, he has to be...' Sora mused. After all, Donald was apparently adviser to a monarch. And a good monarch too, who wouldn't choose such a high position for a incapable friend. Sora couldn't tell if Donald was on friendly terms with the King, but he seemed like he would fit into his job rather nicely.

Goofy, was captain of the guard, and it was easier to tell that he was friends with King Mickey the First. He was also relaxed, good natured, and possessed a mellow temperament. He really didn't strike Sora as a fighter, but if Donald fit into his role, Mickey might've picked well for the captain too. Maybe it was one of those things where the situation transformed him into somebody to fear? Fear... Taking a closer look at the knight, Sora couldn't for the life of him imagine ever being afraid. Time would tell perhaps...

They had been flying for some time now, and Sora found himself grateful for Leon's gift. Since there wasn't enough room to properly practice sword motions, and practicing magic was best done in an area where destruction was acceptable, the books that Leon had given Sora were all he had in the form of entertainment. There was the book he had received from Merlin... but if he looked at that, he would want to try out whatever it taught him, and that couldn't be done just yet. Best to save it until he could practice.

"Hey, Donald? How long will it be until we get to the next world?" Donald looked over, clearly anticipating a question like this.

"We have a good ship, but it will still take time. The worlds are far apart. We'll be flying for at least a few more days."

"... How many worlds will we be checking?"

"Every one we see."

"Oh... well, is that a world down there?" Sora said, pointing out the ship's front window. Sure enough, down to their left was a world that appeared to be enveloped in colorful fog.

"... It is..."

"Shouldn't we land there then?" Goofy asked. To a lot of people, the question could be taken as something spiteful, or arrogant in asking. As if insinuating that the leader was incompetent and unfit for duty. However, nothing Goofy said was ever in any kind of spite as the unofficial leader knew, and the tag-along was learning.

"We should." Donald answered. "Snoopy, make a note of this world on the charts to keep our bearings when you get the chance. In the meantime, find a secluded area to touch down. Goofy, Sora, now would be a good time to make sure you're prepared." Sora went to go get the potions he was given, when he felt a tug on his jacket from behind.

"Sora, Goofy already knows this, but since this world isn't recorded on our chart beforehand, it probably hasn't realized space travel. Do not mention the gummi ship, the other worlds... anything. Am I clear?"

"Yeah."

"This is important. We are not allowed to affect the growth of other worlds. Giving them something to shoot for would accomplish precisely this." Sora nodded again, and made a mental note to be careful. Donald was being very serious about this, and since Sora was still getting a feel for... just about everything, it would be best to follow orders.

"I'll be careful."

"Good. Now, prepare for any situation. Leon told me that Heartless are attracted to the Keyblade, so put that new potion belt to good use. Later on, we'll work on your magic." Well that perked him up. Learning how to control that force Sora felt building behind the Keyblade made him excited every time. Probably since he had seen first hand how effective magic was at destroying heartless.

"Alright!"

"Huh... how the heck did we end up in here?" Sora asked. He could've sworn that when they had landed, it was in the middle of a grassy field. Stepping off the gummi ship though, the trio instead found themselves standing in the middle of a round room, with a pink and purple checkered floor and wooden walls. The only things in the room worth noticing was a table with a pair of bottles, and a small door that appeared to be made for someone of a mouse's size.

"Let's look for another place to land. There's no way out in he... what?!" Donald had turned around to find that the gummi ship was gone. The round room had no way out, or in.

"Hm... where do you think the ship went?" Goofy asked, calm as ever.

"...I'm still wondering how we got in here in the first place."

"Maybe we fell?" Goofy pointed straight up. Sora and Donald noted the complete lack of ceiling.

"Wow... it's like a bottomless pit. 'Cept we're on the bottom...? More like a topless pit." Sora said, before walking over and checking the walls.

"Sora, what are you doing?"

"Checking for a false wall."

"Let me." Donald said, raising his staff. "Dispel!" A white dome of magic burst from the tip of Donald's staff and moved outwards. However, nothing changed.

"What kind of spell was that?"

"It destroys any enchantments the dome passes."

"Huh... wait, what?!" Sora yelled in a panicked tone. "My necklace!"

"Sora, don't worry. If Merlin is any sort of wizard worth his salt, and he is, given the strength of the enchantments themselves, there are anti dispel wards placed on it. There are on all accessories."

"So it's ok?"

"No matter how many times I cast the spell, you'll still have your protection."

"Good..." It seemed a little selfish to be that worried, to Sora at least... but Yuffie implied that the enchantments placed on the necklace were especially powerful. He felt very lucky to have it.

"Either way... there are no illusions in this room. Or at the least, they're especially complex... beyond me, in that case."

"Are you trying to get out?" Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped, looking around frantically to find the cause of whoever asked the obvious question. That nasally voice belonged to none of them.

"It is terribly rude not to answer a question. It's even worse to outright ignore the question, did you know that?"

"Uh... where are you?"

"Down here." Of course. The door was talking to them. Obvious. Well, Sora would probably see stranger things then this, trapising from one world to the next, so, best to just accept and move on.

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, we're trying to find the way out."

"Well, it seems quite foolish that you would not consider a door an adequete way of egress, don't you agree?"

"Well... we can't fit through you, I'm pretty sure."

"Well of course not, you are far too large." Duh. Sora couldn't voice his actual opinion though, at the risk of insulting the door and remaining trapped forever.

"Then... you wouldn't be a good way out. Because we're too big."

"You aren't considering potions."

"... Donald, do we have anything that can shrink us?"

"No, we don't. Goofy, I don't suppose you bought anything like that...?"

"Just healing supplies. I didn't think we'd need something to shrink."

"Donald, is a shrinking potion even possible?"

"Well... wait, what am I thinking? Mini!" Donald raised the staff again. Suddenly the door seemed a much more adaptable size.

"Well, I haven't seen that trick before now. Normally people use the potions on the table."

"... It doesn't seem smart to drink something if you don't know what it is."

"But I told you they were potions just now."

"..." Sora couldn't think of a good counter-argument.

"Well, now that we're the proper size, will you let us through?" Donald asked, beginning to get irritated with the door.

"If I must, I must. I really would like to begin napping again..." And it swung open to reveal a road in a dark forest.

"Alright, hey could you tell us where this road leads?"

"No."

"... Don't you think that's rude?"

"Not at all. I haven't the foggiest where that road goes. I've never asked anyone coming or going, and to make matters worse, the land takes the idea of a map as an insult and likes to change in order to make it pointless. One time when I looked outside, there was a beautiful country lane where the flowers sang to greet the sun. Another time I was at the bottom of the ocean. Made it very hard to nap, what with fish chattering away at me. You would be quite surprised how talkative they are..." The door yawned. "Now... I really must be getting back to sleep now. Good luck, I suppose." The face under the doorknob vanished, and the door said nothing more.

"...Alright... well, this is the only way to go. Let's see if we can't find direction-... wait, if the land changes, directions are useless... how does the land change?" Donald asked, more to himself then anyone else.

"That door doesn't seem the type to lie. I guess we should just walk until we find something interesting." Goofy said, adjusting the shield on the back of his belt, and making to move. Sora wondered to himself just where Goofy's weapon was. He had a shield, but... He didn't seem to have a sword. Concealed knives perhaps? He had one, the kunai he had received from Yuffie, bound to his wrist underneath his brown jacket sleeve. The ninja, bless her heart, had also shown him a few fun ways to make sure weapons weren't found right away. If his wrist failed, he could hide it a few other ways. Had to do it carefully though, that kunai could split hairs. Sora shook his attention back into his head, and realized that he was being left behind. A short jog had him cought up with his companions, and they began traversing the forest.

Hours later, they were still traversing the forest, and wondering if they hadn't gotten anywhere at all. They never passed somewhere that looked familiar, they just kept walking along the red road, and while they did, they couldn't help but feel as if they were getting nowhere.

"Hey... do either of you have a compass? Or anything like that?" Sora asked after a while.

"Why?" Goofy asked, obviously not carrying one.

"Well... I'm wondering if we're even walking the same way all the time. I mean... wouldn't we have come to the end yet?"

"It could be a very big forest."

"Yeah, but... wait, what's that noise?" Sora said, straining his ears. Goofy had apparently already noticed the noise and was staring in front of them, into the darkness. The noise was getting closer, and... it sounded like...

"...Sweeping?" Donald asked, confused. It was a bit out of place in an area like this. What was also out of place was the short hand brush walking towards them, sweeping the road clean.

"Well... I guess the road gets dirty..." Donald said. He seemed surprisingly nonplussed by the walking brush. Sora wondered if he was used to this sort of thing. The idea of several bipedal brooms walking around Disney Castle however, seemed a little bit ridiculous.

"Wait a minute... what's behind it?" Goofy asked.

"Nothing, why?"

"Hm... shouldn't there be road behind it?"

"Wait, what?!" Upon closer inspection, the road was not being swept clean, but instead being swept away, out of existence. In it's wake, the small brush left undisturbed forest ground. It was as if there was never a road there in the first place.

"Alright, somebody explain to me how that's possible!" Sora demanded, only half seriously. If Donald could provide an explination, it would be most welcome.

"I... I don't know...!" Donald stuttered. Well, that ruled out the occurrence being magical. By now, the brush had walked up to them, and realized that they were in it's way. Side stepping them, it walked around until it was directly behind the trio, and began sweeping again. Nothing could be said, until it had walked out of sight. The only road left was the section they were standing on.

"Well... what now?" Goofy asked. "Can't follow a road that's been swept away..."

"Indeed. And the road you're standing on no longer goes anywhere."

"Ah! Who said that?!" A voice had sounded from no discernible direction, and had kept speaking as if it had not been interrupted.

"Of course, the whole point of a road is to go somewhere, meaning that what you are standing is no longer a road. But then, are you somewhere at all right now? Or nowhere?" It had a point of origin now, and it was coming from above them. Sora looked up to see a floating mouth, on it's own, suspended in mid air. And it was smiling... grinning a creepy sort of grin. Looking at it, Sora couldn't help but think of the grin of an insane man.

"Donald... Goofy, do either of you know what that thing is?"

"If you are nowhere, it's going to be difficult going anywhere from here. But if you are somewhere, it'll be easy to go nowhere. Why, you're going nowhere right now! Though... how would you know when you've gotten there? Unless you're nowhere right now?" A pair of large yellow eyes appeared above the mouth, creating most of a face.

"I've never heard of a creature like this before. It doesn't appear hostile though."

"Come to think of it, I have no idea where you're headed at all. Of course, it's a different story altogether if you don't know. Then you could be going anywhere. And as we both know I'm sure, it's much simpler to go anywhere then it is to go somewhere or nowhere."

"It also doesn't appear sane." At least they could see it now. A striped pink and purple cat lay on a tree branch, grinning as if it was about to go postal and slaughter the residents of an orphanage. In a good way though. That didn't make it any less... eerie... though...

"Well, ignoring him for a second... wait, we could ask him for directions, couldn't we?"

"Can you stand on your head?" Looking again at the cat, they noticed with a sense of 'how the hell...?' that it was doing just that. Balancing on one foot, on it's own disembodied head.

"...I don't want to go anywhere that thing tells me to go."

"Well... we won't get anywhere otherwise."

"Oh, you're going anywhere? You're doing a splendid job!"

"No, actually, we don't really know where we're going." Goofy said, addressing the cat.

"Oh, that is a problem."

"Since we don't know where we're going, a good place to try going would be a place with more people."

"That's debatable. There are rather unsavory characters out there that are better avoided. Have you ever heard of the Walrus and the Carpenter? I heard about them from a set of twins shaped like a pair of beach balls. Ooh, such a tale was that..."

"Could you tell us instead where we can find some good people then?" Donald said, perhaps cutting off the tale's retelling in the process.

"Define good."

"Huh?"

"There are several different definitions of the word 'good'. How would you describe good people?" The cat asked, as it screwed it's head back on. "There are some who are very picky about their good people, demanding all sorts of things in return for nothing. Ironically, these picky fellows aren't generally good people themselves." Donald considered this. A careful answer would be best in the face of this creature. It would very obviously take everything they said in the most literal sense possible.

"Could you point us toward some hospitable people, with pure intentions and happy dispositions?"

"Oh, there are people like that in these very woods. At one time there was a road that lead to them, but it doesn't seem to be here anymore." The cat began to disappear, from the tail up towards it's head. Quickly enough, all that remained were a large pair of yellow eyes, and a carefree, maddening grin.

"Well, which way do we go then?" Sora asked.

"Follow your heart, of course." The cat answered, eyes locking meaningfully onto Sora before they vanished. "Be sure to watch your necks. In this land, they have a tendancy to let go of your heads. And then they won't go back on either." And the mouth vanished as well. The cats voice remained, singing a song that echoed, and faded as it seemed to move away.

"Well, which way does your heart point Sora?" Goofy asked. Sora didn't really know how to answer.

"The cat might not've meant Sora's heart specifically. Though... he did seem to pay an-" Fwash! Donald was interrupted as the Keyblade flashed into Sora's hand. Watching the boy questioningly, Goofy and Donald both remained silent as he walked up to a rock jutting out of the ground.

"Follow my heart... We don't know where the road would've turned later on, and we can't retrace our steps, so..." Sora balanced the Keyblade perfectly on the stone, and slapped the guard to start it spinning. "... So, let's see where my heart points us." And so round and round the Keyblade spun, and again and again, Sora wondered if he was interpreting the advice of the cat correctly. Eventually, the sword stopped, and pointed a direction. It vanished, back into the recesses of Sora's being, and the three started walking towards an unknown destination, thinking it was as good a place to start as any. The cat's song finally fell silent as they walked, and the three were truly alone again.

(That cat is one of the greatest things in that entire story. In THIS entire story. You freaken know it's true.

... Can YOU stand on your head?)