"Dance with me!"
Sora, Kairi, and Riku were sitting at the café in the first district. Just outside, a man was playing a fiddle in an upbeat tune. Sora hadn't really heard music before or rather, hadn't really paid attention. He felt like it was more than he could take in with everything around him. He was overwhelmed by the lights and the sounds and the people and the situation to really worry about music.
Especially the situation. He hadn't been able to focus on anything but the secret Ven was making him keep. He was so used to not having any secrets that it made him nervous and on edge. He felt he could tell Aqua and DiZ everything and knew if he didn't, he'd forget. Now, without the darkness to suppress those secrets kept locked up, it wasn't exactly easy to forget them.
He wanted to tell these two leaders about what Axel said. Ven urged him to keep quiet, begged him. Sora broke and promised him he wouldn't say anything. It still ate away at him. Especially since Kairi trusted him so much. And Riku? Now he had a reason not to trust him. It made Sora feel worse when Kairi invited him out to eat with the two of them. How could he ever say no to her?
Here they sad with fiddle music playing, sweets half-eaten in front of them. Kairi stood, offering a hand to Riku, an excited expression on her face. Riku wasn't quite to enthusiastic. He was vigorously shaking his head. "Uh-uh. Pass."
"Come on, Riku. Pu-leaaaaase! I love this song!"
"My legs are killing me." He groaned. "I broke them yesterday, remember?" Oh, the wonders of Cure magic. Sora would never get over how Aqua cured his own broken bones growing up.
"Uh, you're boring, Riku." The red head turned to Sora, holding both her hands to him. "Sora, come on."
That smile. Ugh, he couldn't say no to that smile. He nervously chuckled, taking her hands to allow her to pull him to his feet. She pulled him towards the music, laughing as her feet stepped in time. "I should warn you, I've never danced before."
"Just follow my lead, okay?"
In the light of the streetlamps, she spun them in a circle, her feet stepping back and forth. Sora watched her, allowing himself to follow her movements. She grinned, as he caught on. "That's it! You got it!" she said as he mimicked her. He wasn't as graceful as her, not by a long shot. He was clumsy and stumbled a few times, but he tried his best to keep up. It was like the forms Aqua taught him.
She raised their arms for her to twirl under, then twisted around him. He couldn't get over how pretty she was. Seeing her like this, outside of business mode and just wanting to have a little fun… this was so natural for her. Her shoulder-length red hair flew in front of her face, as she twirled, the two small braids with colored beads whapping her in the face. She laughed, pushing them behind her ear.
They circled around each other as she pulled him close, putting his arm around her back. "Dip me!" she ordered.
"What?"
"Dip me!" She leaned back, catching Sora off guard. He fumbled to hold onto her, leaning forwards as she pulled herself back as far as she could. "Now pick me up!" Sora pulled her back, twisting them for momentum before pulling her off her feet mid-spin.
When she landed, she stepped back, holding onto his hand. She spin into him as she song ended, looking over her shoulder to catch his gaze. He gave her an uncertain grin. "How'd I do?"
"You were terrible," she laughed. "We'll have to practice." Sora let her go as she stepped over to the fiddler to drop some Munny into the instrument case. He walked back to the table as Kairi thanked the man who was tilting his hat at her. Riku was pulling a face. Sora wasn't sure whether it was good or bad, so he didn't say anything and went back to his dessert.
When Kairi returned, she scowled at Riku. "Don't laugh!" That was it. He burst out laughing. He leaned into his hands, shaking with laughter. Sora had never heard the boy laugh. This was… stunning. Riku buried his face in his arms on the table as Kairi growled at him. "What are you even laughing at? You wouldn't dance with me!"
"That was… awful," Riku gasped. "I'm so sorry, Kairi."
She punched his shoulder, which didn't have much effect. He barely budged, his muscles winning against hers. This was way too strange for Sora. Riku and Kairi acted like those teens he'd seen around town. Not the leaders of some force against darkness. They were just regular people. Right here and now. Sora sometimes wondered how Kairi, the girl who smiled and laughed all the time, was best friends with Riku, the brooding, stone cold hard ass. Sora could so clearly see it now.
Riku caught his breath, wiping his eye. "That was so bad."
"Like you're much better." Kairi huffed, crossing her arms. "Sora didn't step on my feet, unlike some lumbering jerk I know."
Sora couldn't help but smile. He watched them go back and forth for a while. The two throwing quips like it was the easiest thing in the world. There were no worries. There was no darkness. Just the two of them laughing about Sora's first dance. And, for the first time in a very long time, Sora was right there with them. He'd momentarily forgotten about the darkness and the evil and the plans and the frustration.
It wasn't long before that moment came to an end. Kairi settled back down, Riku relaxed in his seat, rubbing his thigh to sooth the ache. Kairi turned glanced at Sora, snickering. "You know, that was pretty bad. But it was fun, right?"
"Yeah!" Sora nodded. He would love to learn to dance just so they could do that again. He wanted to see that smile that glittered infectiously. He wanted those cheeks to glow with laughter. He'd do anything for that smile.
"That's right," Kairi nodded. Then, it was back to reality. "So, I was talking with Master Aqua. She said you should start getting out there." What? Really? Aqua was vouching for him? He'd have to remember to thank her when he got home. "So, we're going on a recon mission tomorrow. We found a new world and we're going to check it out."
"Really?" Riku raised an eyebrow. "Is that a good idea?"
"I don't see why not," Kairi shrugged. "He can be a valuable asset. Why are we wasting it here?"
"He's not being useless here," Riku offered. "We need to protect the Keyhole and the people in this world, too. Who better to defend it when we aren't here than a one-man army?"
Was that why Riku asked him to do rounds? To protect this world? Not to keep him out of their way and stop him from annoying them? Sora kind of felt good about that. Maybe Riku wasn't so bad after all.
"Yeah, but, now we have five of us. One of us can always be on this world at all times, plus more of us can go out and protect the worlds. Aqua thinks Sora can do some real good if he learns what's out there and I agree. You can't just tell him about the worlds and expect him to just go and do his thing. He needs experience." She smiled at Sora. "So, you and I are leaving for Twilight Town tomorrow. I'll show you the ropes."
He gasped. He was really going to another world? With Kairi? He was actually going to help? He was going to do something? And Aqua thought he was ready? Sora spun into the air, punching upward in excitement. Kairi's laughter rang throughout the café as Riku dragged Sora back down while they elicited stares.
He was going out! He was going to learn something! When he got home, he hugged Aqua maybe a little too tightly as he thanked her. He refused to let go until she knew exactly how much he appreciated it. Ven had to help her pry Sora off of her. Ven was disappointed to hear that Sora was allowed to go and he wasn't. He understood. He wasn't yet up to speed. He was improving. Very slowly improving.
Aqua warned Sora about using the extent of his power. She reminded him that two Keyblades should be sufficient if he needed an extra boost. They needed to keep what he could do hidden until the time was right. Don't show them what kind of threat he could be. He found it incredibly unsettling. They should be seen as a threat. There were two Keyblade Masters among their numbers, a kid with unyielding power, three Keyblade wielders, and a constantly growing ragtag team of rebels backing them up. Oh, and those seven Princesses of Heart who were eager to help.
Aqua's logic was the less threatening they seemed, the harder they could pack a punch. Sora couldn't see it. But he listened to her. Everyone did, even if they questioned it. Whenever someone brought it up behind Aqua's back, Sora would be the first to tell her. She wasn't afraid to address their questions. She wished they would ask her to her face. They were intimidated. She tried her best to show she wasn't someone they should be afraid to step up if they thought she had a bad idea. She wasn't exactly Master Eraqus. She was trying her best and if something wasn't going to work, she needed to know so they could figure it out.
The next morning, Kairi came to pick him up. Aqua and Ven wished them luck and they were off. Kairi led the way. Sora wondered how she knew where she was going. Had she been there before? Was she given directions? He didn't know how the pathways and doors between worlds worked. Sometimes, they had to fight off Heartless, other times, the way was clear. They traveled from world to world, passing them and ricocheting off their gravitation pull to gain speed. It felt like it was hours before they reached the world.
When they did, it was totally worth it.
They landed in front of a train station with a clock tower that overlooked the town. Sora stopped, unable to take his eyes from the sight. He removed his helmet to get a better look. It was better than he could ever imagine.
"Is that the sun?" he asked, never pulling his eyes away as he stepped up onto the low wall. The light burned his vision, making him see spots, but he didn't care one bit. He felt the warmth from the red and orange rays.
"Sora…" Kairi came up behind him. He could feel her curious eyes on him. She would never understand how incredible this moment was for him. "Have you never seen the sun?"
Sora shook his head. "I mean… I know I did when I was little. I can't remember what it looked like. What it felt like. DiZ had to remind me during our lessons. The darkness suppressed so much." His eyes were watering from the pain. He didn't want to look away. He spread his arms, trying to absorb as much of the light as he could. "But I've always lived in darkness."
"This is a sunset," Kairi explained as she got up next to him, trying to steady herself so she wouldn't fall. Sora offered an arm. His balance was clearly better than hers. Then again, it was hard to be afraid of falling when you could fly. She grabbed his arm with one hand and shielded his eyes with her other.
"You'll go blind if you stare for too long." She warned.
He didn't want to step away. He wanted to continue to stare at that ball of radiation for the rest of his life. Why didn't every world have a sun? Traverse Town should. It would make the place much more homey if it did. Instead, they lived under darkness and the twinkling of the ever-disappearing stars.
He conceded. "Let's go."
Dismissing their armor, they jumped from the ledge to explore the town. Sora was eager to meet new people and ask questions (like, what was that thing with wheels that guy was riding on?). Kairi held him back. They couldn't approach every person they came across. They had to blend in and act like they've always been in this Town. There were rules and the number one rule was "Don't tell anyone you're from another world."
They stopped in a lot to watch something called a Struggle Match. It was where people would fight each other with foam bats to win a trophy. Sora didn't really understand why something like that was so important to people. The idea of competition went right over his head. Why try and prove you were better than someone?
They hadn't seen any Heartless or Nobodies. While they were waiting for the next match to set up, they overheard a couple of teen talking.
"So, what do you guys want to do after I win?" said scrawny boy with blonde hair. He carried one of the struggle bats with him. "Should we go see if the rumors are true about that old house?"
"What rumors?" a girl in an orange shirt and brown curly hair asked.
"That the place is overrun with monsters and if you come across one, they'll steal your soul," replied a stout boy wearing a headband. He made a strange voice and wiggled his fingers as he spoke.
Sora raised his eyebrow at Kairi. "Heartless?"
She half-shrugged. "Or a local legend. That happens sometimes. We go to a world, hear about some scary legends, investigate them, and they turn out to be nothing and the world is totally fine. Yeah, there might he some crazy people and villains that we take care of, but they don't have the monsters we're looking for. They're world isn't in danger if there isn't any monsters of darkness."
"Is it a good or bad thing if a world has them?" Sora asked.
"A bit of both. Good for the world. Definitely good for the world. Bad for us. We waste precious time and resources and we keep an eye on it just in case. You never know when they'll show up."
As the next round began, they moved on to the next area. Sora was overwhelmed by how much light was in this world. Everything was bright and colorful, yet, soft. The streets and the buildings all felt so welcoming. When no one was around to see, he climbed higher onto one of the buildings with Kairi to overlook the Tram Common. From the top of the tallest building, they sat, watching the trams move back and forth. That was really neat, too. Why didn't more cities have that?
"Hey, what if we moved here?" Sora asked. "You know… the headquarters. It looks like there's no Heartless or Nobodies." So far. "There's light. It's bustling. We could easily blend in here."
Kairi sighed. "I know this place is nice," she started. "And, we may have to change locations eventually. But Traverse Town is where we have to stay."
"Why?" Why couldn't they move and throw the Organization off?
"Well, because everyone there knows what we're fighting for. And… if there isn't any Heartless here, us moving here would bring them here. They're attracted to the Keyblade. They'll sniff us out and invade this world, too. We don't want that to happen," she explained. "And it's easy to be in a world of misfit and mismatched people, isn't it? Everyone has their own story to tell. Their own world to go back to eventually. We don't want to have to hide."
He supposed she was right. It was easier to move about when they didn't have to try to blend in. Nobody had to pretend or explain. They all understood they were there only until the worlds were at peace once again.
Sora supposed it was smart and agreed with her. Looking over the area, that was when he noticed it. A huge crack in the back wall with foliage growing through. Without warning, he grabbed Kairi and jumped to the next building. She screamed, holding on to him tightly. Her shock only made Sora laugh. He landed in front of the gap, peering in. Kairi, still clutching him, blinked.
"A forest?"
Sora set her down. He stepped through, looking up. Light filtered through the green leaves, casting shade. The grass was smooth and cool under his bare feet. Sora laughed, twisting to face Kairi. She gave him an encouraging, yet confused smile. She let him take in his new surroundings with wonder and awe. Everything was amazing to him. A living forest was a new wonder to behold. He had only seen the gardens in Traverse Town and it wasn't nearly good enough.
"If this is how you react to a forest, I'd hate to take you to Neverland. It might just blow your mind for real."
Sora began to laugh. She was like Aqua in the sense that she let him marvel without question. There was so much more to see and he couldn't wait to see all of it. Suddenly, Traverse Town felt too small. He wanted to expand his sights and see all he could. All Kairi and Aqua had. He wanted the experiences they had. He couldn't help but envy them.
He stopped abruptly, turning towards the footpath that led up an incline. Through the leaves, he could glimpse a building. They were there. Nobodies. The first inkling of dark creatures in this world, yet, they seemed so far from the people? Didn't they usually go towards the hearts? This bothered Sora.
He beckoned Kairi to follow him. They trekked up the path, stopping before the rusted metal gate. A giant lock faced them, but didn't stand in their way for long. Two universal keys were more than enough to crack it, letting it fall away with the chains binding the gates together. Sora pushed through, looking up at the building. They hadn't come out to greet them yet…
Chewing his lip, he entered the building. The dust was thick and undisturbed. The ceiling was falling apart above them. Remains of what once was a great mansion were crumbling and were nothing but all too familiar to Sora. In the Realm of Darkness, every place was like this. What looked like it was once grand and ostentatious became nothing but empty halls and rotting floorboards.
One step in and they were greeted with the welcoming committee. They weren't as nice as Kairi, though.
"They aren't anywhere else in town?" Kairi asked, summoning her Keyblade.
"No." Sora replied, bringing Kingdom Key to his hand. "They're all just here for some reason."
"Organization, maybe?" Kairi suggested, thrusting her blade at an assassin.
"No. Nothing nearly that powerful."
"Well isn't that interesting."
They fought their way through the mansion, exploring its depths. They hadn't found anything interesting on the first floor. The second floor had a bedroom with what-once-was-white-but-now-was-yellow curtains that moved with a draft and a library. It seemed like a dead end. Sora and Kairi cleared the library, looking around. How could there not be anything here? Why were the Nobodies here? This didn't make any sense.
That was when Sora sensed it. A heart hidden deeper in the mansion. It was right below them. How were they supposed to get there? Who was it that drew the Nobodies to them?
"They're looking for somebody," Sora explained to Kairi, stepped back and looking at the floor. "Someone's here. I'm not sure how to get to them."
"Maybe this?" Kairi asked, pointed to the table. Sora approached to examine what she was talking about. It looked as if a symbol was drawn in marker on the table. Two circles held the Nobody and Heartless symbols respectively and a third underneath them was blank circle. It seemed so unfinished.
"Finish it." Sora urged her. She had to know how to do that, right? She knew everything.
"I don't know," Kairi shook her head. "Really, anything can go in there."
Sora sighed. Ah well. They made it this far, right? Maybe by backtracking, they can find a clue to what should go in that blank circle. He watched Kairi as she pulled out a pen from one of her pouches, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Heartless… Nobody…" she thoughtfully repeated as she pondered their predicament. Was there another kind of monster they hadn't come across yet?
He had been so busy looking back at the bookshelves for some kind of clue he barely heard Kairi's suggestion. "Huh? King?"
"No, Key." Kairi repeated. "But… king? Maybe. Ansem and Xemnas act like kings of the dark, don't they?" she laughed, flipping her pen in her hand.
"Is that what we're going to go with?" Sora asked. It was their only clue in this mansion. If they got it wrong, then what? Then again… it might not actually be anything. What were they expecting to happen if they finished the puzzle? Everything could happen or nothing could happen.
"Well, then we find another way to that person."
Kairi bent over the table, etching a crown into the table. Her blue pen contrasted against the gold markings and her writing was much more crude than the soft shapes. When she finished, the markings lit up. She made a noise of triumph, stepping back as the table began to light up as well. Then, the floor. Sora grabbed her as the floor disappeared from under them, keeping them aloft.
She turned up to him with a playful smirk as he lowered them to the metallic floor beneath them. "We're brilliant. We need to team up more often."
He couldn't find the words to agree more.
The metal surrounding them was in stark contrast to the rest of the mansion. There wasn't a speck of dust to me seen, lights glowed, as if transporting something throughout the rest of the underground. Sora now understood why that second door in the foyer wouldn't open, despite all their efforts. It led to this room with a single door in the opposite direction.
The two ventured through. They heard a voice echoing through the chamber. Sora's hunch was right. There was someone here. In the second room, there were more blinking lights and monitors and a computer that a man in red robes stood before. He was desperately typing away at the keyboard; franticly trying to fix what he believed was broken.
"Them Nobodies. They've gotten through. But how? I must restore the—"
"DiZ!"
Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a few days (*cough*almostaweek*cough*). I was dying from illness!
Not really dying. I caught a cold. And when I'm sick, I get in this fog and my writing drastically decreases in skill. Like, I tried writing since I was forced to take some time off from school, and I pretty much saw 2015 writing become 2008 writing, which you can view in previous fanfics I have posted here. It's really, really rough.
Anyway, this is finally out and written well enough to my liking. If it seems off, it's probably because I'm hopped up on a billion medications so I can breathe.
Also, while I was writing this chapter, I had this really crazy dream about a crossover with this fanfiction and The Ultimate Spider-Man, which I had playing as I was writing this. It kind of super insane. I woke up like, "WTF? Really, brain?"
OKAY I'M DONE RAMBLING. PEACE