Chapter 17:Questions and Answers

Alex didn't remember when his head hit the pillow and he didn't care. The past week had been the most exciting yet perilous and awesome yet heart-breaking week of his entire life. He just couldn't get over the feel that it had been all a dream, but Alex knew by now that it wasn't. To further complicate his thoughts, he wondered if he would rather prefer that it was just a dream. The problem was that Alex was a product of two completely different worlds. The world where he had a family, a girlfriend, he played basketball, and everything was downright normal. The other world he was a part of was what Alex saw as the bigger picture: the universe.

Two years ago, Alex was just fine with believing that the only other life forms in space were possibly aliens. One week ago, Alex had come to grips with the fact that there was another world out there and that he might never leave it, which was actually okay with him. Nowadays, Alex was gripped with a constant state of doubt and disbelief that was eating away at him from the inside. He had to constantly tell himself that he wasn't going mad and what he witnessed was real. Yet, despite all of his worries, Alex was beyond happy that he had friends to share the craziness with, even if two of them were part of that craziness. Alex would never admit it to anyone, but every single battle with the Heartless had him scared stiff. He tried to hide it with quips and screams during battle and sometimes it worked, but the thought that today might be his last was always lingering within.

Alex stayed in bed until he couldn't even stand the smell of his own stink. His eyes fluttered open and he stretched his arms out slowly. A yawn escaped his mouth as he surveyed his surroundings. He was in the red room, he didn't need anyone to tell him that. The oriental styled bed was surrounded by curtains. He grimaced as he reached over, pulling the curtains away with what little strength he had. The light from different lamps throughout the room was enough for Alex to squint until he became accustomed to it.

Alex got off the right side of the bed and made his way to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. As he stripped off his clothes he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He almost didn't recognize himself. His face that was once white as a ghost was now tan from his years on Destiny Islands, the traces of a small beard growing shocked him. His shoulders were broader then he remembered and his muscles were much more developed than in his basketball days. He had a six-pack for the first time and Alex chuckled a little when he saw it. Alex stripped off his pants to find that his leg muscles had been developed as well. If Alex had been a normal fifteen-year old, these changes would have made him the happiest guy on the planet. But Alex wasn't exactly normal and he knew that all too well. The only reason his body looked like this was because he had been pulled into a conflict within the universe against his will. A conflict that had taken the life of his loved ones. Thus, these small rewards that Alex had received would only serve as reminders of his family. That, and tools for killing the bastards that had taken the lives of his loved ones.

Alex turned the shower handle to full blast and hot water descended upon him, engulfing him into a misty prison. The feeling of the water cascading down his back was one of the best feelings ever. Alex stayed that way for a few minutes before he grabbed the soap and began to scrub all over. His scrubbing began slow and smooth, but became fast and furious. Alex didn't know what was coming over him. He just felt an overwhelming need to clean himself vigorously. He scrubbed his hands until they began to bleed a little. As soon as he saw the color of crimson going down the drain, Alex cried out and stopped. He stared shockingly at his hands and body. The realization hit him head on and it made him slip and fall in the tub, water now descending on his face making him sputter. Alex got off his back, but didn't stand back up. He just sat in the shower, going over what happened in his head. Alex had a desperate need to clean himself because it would clean off all of the blood and death that had surrounded him for awhile. He clenched his fists even though it hurt, swearing to himself that he would never let the Heartless get to him like that. He refused to admit weakness in the face of those monsters. After the shower, Alex was going straight to Leon for answers that he should have known long ago. Was Leon hiding something? Alex doubted it, but it was his inner gut telling him not to trust anyone fully. There it was again. That feeling of doubt. Alex shook the feeling out of his head and tried to look at the positives of his situation. His friends would help him through this. There was no doubt in his mind. He should look at this as a new start. Alex looked at the water running down his chest.

Perfect, Alex thought. A baptism for a newborn. But in my case, I am reborn.

Alex exited his hotel room and made his way down the long hallway to the door. He came out of the hotel to see the stars in the sky. He had slept straight through the day, not that Alex minded. He pulled his sweatshirt jacket on and began to make his way to the First District. Along the way, he took pleasure in seeing actual people walking about on the upper and lower portions of the Second District. A couple holding hands passed him and Alex smiled, glad that he was able to help bring this town back to normal. Although the Heartless appeared to be gone, Alex was on constant guard. It had almost become a reflex . He reckoned he had more battle experience with the Heartless than others and that came with a price of not trusting anyone he didn't know.

The dim lights that kept the Second District from blackness led the way for Alex as he passed a shoe store with displays in the window. A girl was peering through the window at the shoes, trying to decide which ones to buy. Alex couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

Unfortunately, it was loud enough for the girl to hear him and she turned around to look at the person laughing at her. "What's so funny?!"

Alex quickly shifted his expression from comical to serious. He did this also to hide his initial surprise. The girl was probably around his age. She was a few centimeters shorter than he was. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, showing off her tanned frame and legs that made Alex weak in his own. Though her expression was one of anger, Alex could see the beauty that was there. Blue eyes and blond hair with a hint of brown made Alex have a rough flashback to Ashley. He pictured her stride as she walked towards him, hair flowing behind her as she smiled in a flirtatious manner.

"Yo, dude I'm talkin' to you!" The voice of the girl jolted the thought from his mind, making him slightly irritated. He decided to actually engage this girl in conversation to get her off his back.

"Sorry, I-I wasn't really paying attention I guess," Alex said, immediately wishing that he hadn't.

The girl put her hands on her hips. "Gee thanks! It's nice to know that I'm being ignored when speaking."

Alex put his hands up in mock defense. "Geez lady calm down. You just reminded me of someone I used to know."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "And who might that be? The same girl that kicked your ass in high school?"

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "No, the girl that got her ass kicked out of high school."

Now the girl was laughing and Alex was happy to see her smile, beaming with white teeth. "Touche'. I wouldn't have pegged you for the witty type."

"Well, that just shows how much you know me," Alex said.

"This is very true," She said as she walked toward Alex with her hand out. "I'm Sarah. Sarah Collins."

Alex placed his hand in hers, the warmth of her hands made Alex's troubles melt away. "Well, hello Sarah Collins. I'm Alex. Now that you know my name, there is no need to call me 'dude'."

Sarah brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Sorry about that. I kinda have a ruthless streak, but you can't blame me cuz you were laughin' at me."

"I was just laughing because a week ago this place was ravaged by creatures from the darkness and now look at this place," Alex shot out his arms and spun around in place to emphasize his point. "One day: Am I gonna survive? Next day: What shoes should I wear?"

Sarah chuckled and put her hands in her pockets. "I guess you have a point there. I'm just glad to walk outside without getting attacked by those things."

"I know what you mean," Alex said. A few seconds of awkward silence followed before Alex said,"Well I better get goin'."

"Yeah me too," Sarah said quickly and began walking in the opposite direction of Alex's destination. Alex walked for the wooden doors leading to the First District when he had the urge to turn around and yell, "Hey Sarah."

She turned around with a smile. "Yeah?"

"It was nice meeting you," Alex said.

Alex saw a flash of white teeth as Sarah responded,"Well, it was more than nice meeting you Alex." She spun on her heel and began to walk down the stairs to the lower portion. Alex was trying to figure out what just happened in his head and the result put a little skip in his step as he opened the wooden doors to find his friends.

As Alex entered the First District, people began to notice him. Alex realized that people were staring at him as he walked down the stairs on the left side of the accessory shop. He did nothing but give them an awkward nod as he made his way to the doors to the accessory shop. He opened the doors and stepped inside, eager to get away from the weird stares. He saw Donald and Goofy sitting on the couches by the fireplace and Sora was chatting with Cid. Sora turned when he heard the doors open and smiled.

"Well well," Cid grinned. "Look who's all freshened up."

Alex gave everyone a wave as he replied, "Hey, if you had blood and guts on your clothes, you would be too."

Sora walked up to Alex and gave him a high-five. "You ready?"

Alex nodded. "Let's find out what we're dealing with, shall we?"

Donald and Goofy stood up and the knight said, "Wait a sec guys. Cid needs to tell ya something."

Cid leaned back against the counter top and said, "Goofy's right. So sit your keaster down!" Everyone made their way to the couch in a hasty fashion.

Cid, satisfied that they had actually listened to him, began, "Now that I have your attention, I overheard some guys in here talkin' about some tournament that's taken place in another world. Would you guys know anything about that?"

"Sure," Alex said immediately. "It's probably taking place at the Coliseum. Phil said that it would take some time to clean up the place after our little encounter with Cerberus. I'm guessing he's had enough time."

"You call our fight with Cerberus a 'little' encounter?" Donald said as he folded his arms.

Alex rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. What of it Cid?"

"I just figured you guys might be interested in that sort of thing," Cid said. "Y'know what Leon said about gettin' stronger. I reckon a tournament is the best place for it."

Sora nodded. "I agree. I say we stop there after we clear up a few things here. Anyone disagree?" Surprisingly, no one did. "Okay, then it's settled. Thanks for the heads up Cid."

"No problem guys," Cid said as he took his rightful place behind the counter. "People come in here all the time tellin' stories of other worlds. You ever need info about what's goin' on in this great galaxy of ours, you come to me."

"Cid," Alex scratched his head. "Just out of curiosity, who was it that was talking about the tournament?"

Cid shrugged. "Just the moogles."

Alex blinked. "What the heck are moogles?" The others seemed pretty keen on hearing the answer as well.

Cid appeared to be shocked. "You never heard of a moogle before?! Jesus Christ! And I suppose you never heard of a chocobo either?"

The blank stares from the heroes was enough to give Cid the indication that they had no idea what the hell he was talking about. "Okay. Moogles are little creatures that you'll probably see around here from time to time. When you see one, don't come rushin' to me, asking where they came from, cuz I have no idea. All I know is that they're very friendly, but can be nasty when they want to."

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "What do they look like?"

"See for yourself," Cid replied as he pulled a whistle from underneath the counter and blew it. Alex covered his ears, prepared for a loud and blaring noise, but the whistle was silent. As Cid finished blowing on the whistle, Alex asked, "Did it work?"

Suddenly, a trapdoor opened from the ceiling of the shop, taking everyone except Cid by surprise. Three little creatures began to descend from the darkness in the attic, only it wasn't by ladder. Two red wings grew from the creature's back and a single black antenna protruded from its head with a pink ball at the very end of it. The moogle's fur was pure white and looked its eyes had been sealed shut, yet they maneuvered around the room expertly. The three moogles each flew in front of Cid and lined up while still in the air. To the shock of the four heroes, the moogles said in synchronized voices, "How may we be of service, kupo?"

Cid smiled as he saw the reactions of the others. "That'll be all guys. I just wanted to introduce you to our new customers. Alex, Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

The moogles flapped their wings as they turned around to see each of them. Alex found it quite freaky that they were being studied by creatures that had their eyes shut. One of the moogles flapped forward until it was inches from Alex's face and said, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, kupo."

Hesitantly, Alex replied, "Likewise." He gave it a nervous smile, wondering if they could see it.

"If you ever need anything to be synthesized, just let us know, kupo," The moogle said and with a flap of his wings, he and the others flew back up into the attic and shut the trapdoor.

Shaking off the shock of meeting the moogles, Sora asked Cid, "What did the moogle mean when it said if we needed anything to be synthesized?"

Cid shook his head as he chuckled. These guys had a lot to learn. "Synthesizing is basically upgrading your equipment. Say Goofy wanted a shield built more for offense, the moogles could make one for ya. If you wanted one for defense, they could make on of those too."

"Sounds pretty cool," Donald said, impressed at the little creatures' talent.

"If you guys wanted to do that before ya go, I'm sure Mog would oblige you with some new equipment." Cid said.

"Mog?" Goofy said, scared that he missed something the others didn't.

"That's the name of the one who introduced himself," Cid answered. "He's the leader of the moogles in this shop."

"Okay cool," Sora said as he opened the exit doors. "Well, be seeing ya Cid." The others followed him out the door.

"Come back in one piece," Cid yelled back. "Even better, come with some actual cash! Next time you want info, I'm chargin'."

Yuffie was waiting for the team as they left Cid's shop. As Sora walked down the steps to the main square of the First District, she revealed herself, saying, "Well, you guys certainly look better than you did yesterday."

Sora groaned. "Didja have to remind us?"

"Whaddya mean?" Donald protested. "She didn't have to remind us of nuthin'. It's gonna take more than that to make me forget your mediocre driving."

Yuffie laughed as they walked under the streetlamps of the square. "Anyhoo, I assume that you want find Leon, right Sora?" Sora nodded.

"Then you can probably find him at his secret training area," Yuffie said.

Alex's ears perked at the sound of that. "Secret training area? That's awesome! Let me guess, he has some dojo at his house that has VR technology. Am I right? Does he have a cool motorcycle? Tell us where it's at!"

Yuffie gave him a smug grin that made Alex queasy with anticipation. Secret training area? Leon probably had all sorts of nifty gadgets to fight the Heartless. Maybe he had guns. Or grenades. Or maybe-.

"He's in Traverse Town's waterways," Yuffie said with a deadpan expression.

"Oh," Alex said with an obvious look of disappointment. "The sewers. Sounds like a great place to train....not."

Yuffie slapped Alex on the back. "Welcome to the team kiddo." Alex smiled slightly.

"So, where do we find these waterways?" Sora asked.

The ninja was about to say something, but Goofy cut her off. "Oh! I remember where it is. Me and Donald walked by it."

The duck turned to Goofy, puzzled. "We did?"

"Yeah," Goofy smiled. "It was when we were walkin' down that alleyway with all the neon light thingies. The waterways were right next to us. That was right before you said you weren't scared, but then that nice Aerith lady showed up and scared you half to death."

Donald tried to drown out the sounds of Alex, Sora, and Yuffie laughing, but failed miserably. He tried to get back at Goofy by saying, "If I recall correctly, you were scared stiff too."

Goofy chuckled. "But at least I'm man enough to admit it." This only made the others laugh even harder. Donald wondered if, for being the court wizard of Disney Castle, it was legal to beat the stuffing out of Goofy.

After he got all the laughs out, Sora said, "Okay guys, let's get a move on."

"Good luck," Yuffie waved at the group as they made their way to the Second District.

The journey through the district was uneventful, but Alex still noticed people looking at them. He wondered if he was becoming paranoid or something like that. Goofy found the entrance to the alleyway by the fountain that was embedded into the wall on the lower level. The wooden door opened them up to a dark alley that was at the back of the hotel buildings. Alex could see the balconies of the hotel rooms and wondered how easy it would be for him to just jump up there. On the left of the alleyway was the waterway. The small chasm of concrete that was set up for the pathway of water was enough so that the water didn't overflow. Alex followed the trail of water until it led them to a barred dead end.

"Well, that might complicate things a little," Alex muttered.

Sora lept down into the water. He winced as the icy cold liquid began to soak its way into his shoes. The Keybearer grabbed the iron bars and pulled on them to test their strength. Despite Sora's newfound power, he was unable to break the bars.

"Damn," Sora muttered as he kicked the water in frustration. "It's no good. I can't break them."

Goofy stepped down into the water and said, "Maybe I can."

"You sure?" Sora asked.

"Yep," Goofy said confidently.

"He's right," Donald said in agreement. "Goofy might not be the brightest tool in the shed, but he's the strongest guy I've ever met."

Goofy smiled at the compliment and nudged Sora as he grabbed the bars. Sora could see him clenching the bars and slightly pulling on them. He was doing the same thing Sora had done. Once Goofy had tested the bars he motioned for everyone to move out of the way. The knight pulled out his shield and walked a few feet away from the bars. Then he turned around to face them. The knight held his shield in front of him and began to sprint forward. The water seemed to leap out of the waterway as Goofy increased his speed. With a bellow, Goofy collided with the bars, breaking the iron off into the water.

"Whoo-hoo!" Alex yelled as he put his hands in the air. "What a beast!"

Goofy spluttered as he brought his face out of the water. "Well, that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would."

Sora laughed and put a hand on Goofy's shoulder. "That was the coolest thing I've ever seen anyone do."

"Oh gawrsh you guys," Goofy said as he began to blush.

Donald shook his head. "Well, this is a nice moment, but can we move ahead, please?"

Sora led the way as the team began their journey through the waterway. There was no light on the journey, but the waterway followed a linear path that made it hard to get lost or turned around. Alex grabbed ahold of Sora's jacket to make sure that he stayed with his friend. Unfortunately, the "jacket" turned out to be Sora's left cheek pocket, causing the Keybearer to jump in surprise. Water splashed around and the two friends began to yell at each other, but they stopped shortly because their voices began to echo along the passageway. Sora took this as a sign that they were nearing their destination.

The water level began to get deeper, so deep that everyone had to start swimming. Alex hoped that they were close to finding Leon because he wasn't sure how long he could keep treading water. Eventually, the waterway began to get lighter and Aflex could see what was in front of him. The walls around them were made of smooth, green rock with the occasional rise that made Alex think of the hilly topography of central Kansas. The rock walls were damp from the water so it would do no good to clasp the rock for support. Alex and the others swam farther until they entered a large cavern.

All around them were the same dark green colored rocks. They made up the ceiling also and the bumpy surface continued to show there as well. Alex was reminded of a trip he took with his parents to a cave. The formations of stalactites had always fascinated him and he was equally impressed at the ones he was seeing now. The cavern was illuminated by two lamps that were on either side of a stone, arched entrance about thirty feet away from them. The water stopped about halfway into the area and the ground emerged, made up of the same rocks.

Standing on the ground section of the cavern were Leon and Aerith. Aerith was watching Leon as the Gunblade specialist sliced his sword through the air, making a high pitched noise that only further proved that Leon knew what he was doing. The Gunblade was thrust forward by its wielder and twirled in the air to make a diagonal cut. Leon made short grunts as he swung the sword that he held so dear. His spar with his imaginary opponent was more than enough to grab the attention of Aerith with such force that she didn't even notice the arrival of the Keybearer as he walked out of the water.

The steps of someone other than himself grabbed Leon's attention. He turned around and leaped forward, Gunblade raised in the air. Sora just barely managed to summon his Keyblade in time to deflect the attack, the two swords creating sparks upon impact. Leon wasted no time as he sliced at the Keybearer. Sora brought up the Keyblade to block once more, but Leon had faked Sora out, stopping his vertical slice and performing a straight thrust. Sora brought the Keyblade down upon the Gunblade and quickly snapped his Keyblade back up at the unprotected face of Leon, but the warrior leaned back far, the Keyblade barely missing his nose. The two continued to spar throughout the cavern as Alex gave Aerith a nervous wave.

Leon began to lead Sora down a watery pathway that eventually led to a dead end, but on the rock wall was a mural of a moon and a night sky. Sora stuck his Keyblade into the water and swung upwards, hoping to distract Leon with the liquid, but Leon showed no sign of being distracted as he cleaved at Sora's legs. Sora performed a backward flip, dodging the Gunblade, and landed on the ground perfectly, just as Leon readied his leg for a front snap kick. Due to Sora's heightened reflexes, he was able to see the kick coming in time to grab it with both of his hands. The kick jarred Sora slightly, but he had a good grip on Leon's foot as he tried to pull it out. Leon slammed the Gunblade down into the ground with enough strength so that it embedded itself into the rock. Then, he grabbed the Gunblade with both hands and pushed upward, weakening Sora's hold on his foot and making him high enough to kick the Keybearer in the chest with his other foot. The kick caused Sora to fall back into the water. He spluttered and shook the water out of his eyes in time to see Leon swing the Gunblade down at him. Sora winced, but the Gunblade stopped above Sora's throat.

Sora looked up and saw Leon half-smiling and offering a hand to the fallen Keybearer. "Looks like someone has grown."

Sora took the hand gladly and smiling sheepishly. "Not enough if would seem."

Leon chuckled. "Even so, I pity the next Heartless that has to go against you."

The two walked back to the center of the cavern where the others were waiting. Donald was impatiently tapping his webbed foot on the damp ground. "It's about time."

"Sorry to keep you waiting Donald," Sora said in a sarcastic tone. "And where was my backup when I so desperately needed it?!"

His question was aimed primarily at Alex and he knew it. He smiled at his defeated friend and said, "We decided that seeing you get your butt kicked was much more fun."

Sora turned to Leon and offered an exasperated look. "Do you see what I have to put up with?"

"Truthfully," Alex said, "I don't see what any difference we could have made. Leon would have done the same thing to us as he did to you."

"I don't know about that," Leon said as he propped his sword against a boulder. "I had to actually put a little effort into it this time. If Sora's gotten stronger, then I assume you have as well."

Goofy nodded. "Sure have. And it's all thanks to the Heartless who so diligently try to kill us. Ahyuck!"

"It sounds like you four have quite the story to tell," Aerith said, speaking for the first time. "And we are eager to hear it."

The four friends spent the next thirty minutes going over their journey so far. Leon and Aerith would interrupt from time to time to ask questions about the Heartless and what their objective seemed to be. Sora said that he didn't know. He told of Alice, Hercules, and Tarzan. Alex smiled when Leon appeared to be impressed when they told him of their scrape with Cerberus, the Trickmaster, and Clayton.

"We would still be out there, but we needed to ask you something Leon," Sora explained.

Leon narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"

"I thought the Keyblade was just a cool weapon that was designed to kill Heartless, but if that was true then how can Alex's sword kill them. I didn't think that much of it until something happened. We found a-."

"Keyhole," Aerith finished his sentence for him. "You found a keyhole, didn't you?" Sora nodded hesitantly, anxious to hear if that was a good thing or if he just screwed the universe.

"Very good Sora," Leon said as he put a hand on the Keybearer's shoulder. "Now you know the true purpose of the Keyblade. To lock the keyholes."

"Whoah now!" Alex raised his hands. "Back up please! What is the deal with these Keyholes?"

"Every world in this universe has a Keyhole," Leon began to explain. "And every keyhole leads to the heart of that particular world."

"What do you mean by 'heart of the world'?" Donald asked.

"Ansem mentioned it in his report," Aerith said. "He said that the Heartless enter into the keyhole and do something to the world's core."

Alex frowned. "I don't have to be a genius to figure out that whatever they do to the world's core is very very bad."

Leon nodded. "Right. We have to do anything we can to stop the Heartless from achieving their goal."

"Whatever it might be," Aerith mumbled. "Please lock the keyholes Sora. You're the only one who can."

Sora felt like a tremendous weight had just been placed on his back and was chained there. He tried to gulp, but his mouth was very dry. "Gosh, I-I...don't know."

"Visiting other worlds would probably serve you well," Leon said as he crossed his arms. "Am I right?"

"Yeah," Goofy put an arm around Sora. "We gotta find our friends, remember?''

"Not to mention King Mickey," Donald added.

Sora flashed back to the night the Heartless came to Destiny Islands. His best friends had been taken from him that night and he had sworn to get them back. He knew the risks were worth it. "I'll do it." The encouraging smiles from everyone delighted him.

"We have another thing to ask," Donald said, reaching into his pocket. "We found some Gummi blocks, but they're a little bit different from the other regular ones." The duck pulled out the blocks and allowed Aerith and Leon to see them. Leon put one hand against his chin, thinking hard. Donald looked from Aerith to Leon, then asked, "Well, do you know what they're for?"

Leon shot Donald a look, not appreciating the impatient tone. "If I were you, I'd ask Cid."

"Cid?" Goofy raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Aerith said. "Before he got into business at the accessory shop, he was a real Gummi block expert. Probably still is."

Sora nodded that he understood and said, "Well, let's go ask Cid then."

Before Sora turned, Leon said, "Wait Sora. Take this with you." Leon reached into his pocket and pulled out a stone. He handed it to Sora, who grabbed it and studied it more closely. It was blue crystal and Sora could see through the stone all the way to the center which looked like it held a yellow light within. Sora looked at Leon, wanting an explanation behind the mysterious stone.

"Don't ask me what it does," Leon shrugged. "But I've been carrying it for luck."

"So why are you giving it to me?" Sora asked.

"Given the circumstances, I think you need it more than I do," Leon replied.

Sora chuckled. Now wasn't that the truth. He placed the stone into his pocket and waved at Leon and Aerith. He motioned at the others to get a move on and they obeyed.

As they were entering the water again, Alex suddenly turned around and said, "Hey Leon! I was just wondering, but what happens to the world when the Heartless get at its own core? Is it really that bad?"

The expression on Leon's face told Alex that it was not a good thing at all. "If the Heartless get to the world's core, then the world itself will die."

"Oh. That bad, huh?"