Crystalmaiden62: Finished, man this chapter is big but this chapter almost didn't even make it thanks to some computer problems.
Anna: But they're fixed now so everything's okay now. The chapter is up and we can keep going.
Blair: Still you were freaking out. I'm glad everything turned out well.
Crystal: Yep. So, I'll be posting the song results at the end of the chapter and for it's going to be a surprise at the results. Anyway, to the Disclaimers!
Disclaimers: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or the songs I'll be mentioning at the end of this chapter. I only own Anna and Lunar Wish. So, hope you like it and please, no flames.
Chapter 7: Riku and Maleficent
The rest of the day, I had to deal with hearing Lunar and Kairi gossiping about Riku and me while I tried to either rest or work. Okay, I get that Kairi wants us to get together and I'm happy for that but you don't have to talk about it for hours! Sora, Donald, and Goofy kept staring at me as if I was a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off, and rightly so because I had to restrain myself from yelling at Kairi to stop talking. Maybe it was a good thing because the left me alone for the rest of the night and most of the next morning. By that time, Kairi had finally let the Riku issue go and started talking about normal things. It wasn't till late afternoon we arrived at the forever nighttime Traverse Town but not without something happening. Apparently, Donald finally gave in and tried to teach Sora how to fly the gummi ship: keyword being 'tried'. Sora kind of sent the gummi ship right at the world. Thankfully, Lunar can still turn into her gilder form and I jumped out in time as to get not get hurt. Sora and the others, they weren't so lucky.
"How come you're keyblade can do that but mine can't?" Sora yelled at me, not listening to Donald chewing him out.
"You had to crash land! You're not driving the gummi ship ever again!"
"Anna! Sora! Are you guys alright?" We looked to see Yuffie running to us, looking concerned. "Man, you guy look bad. How are you alright, Anna?"
"Advantage of being an advance keyblade wielder, I can make my keyblade into a glider." I said, as Sora glared a little annoyed at me.
"Come on, I'll take you to Cid. He can repair the gummi ship for you." Yuffie said, guiding us to Cid's shop. I ended up having to drag Goofy there since he looked dead on his feet. When we got to the shop, Sora and Donald talked to Cid about repairs and I cast a Cura spell on Goofy to help him out.
"Hey, Anna. I got something for you." Yuffie said, pulling out four simple Mickey Mouse head silver keychains. "A new shop opened up and I thought you and your friends might like these."
"Thanks Yuffie. They look really cute." I said taking them. I wonder if I can get these engraved.
"If you'd like, you can get them engraved and stuff if you got to the Moogles upstairs." Yuffie smiled as I stared at her. It's like she knew what I was going to say. "Ah, you're just easy to read." Yuffie grinned, taking my hand. "Come on, let's go." I'm getting used to her dragging me around, mostly because Kat would do the same thing at the mall when there's a sale on skirts.
"What can I do for you, kupo?" A Moogle asked, as I entered the shop with Yuffie.
"I was wondering if you could engrave something on each of these." I said, handing it the keychains.
"What would you like on the, kupo?"
"I want each of them to have a different letter on them, one R, K, S, and A." I said with the Moogle nodding.
"Sure thing, it'll be done in a second, kupo."
"Thank you." I said with a nod as Yuffie smiled.
"You're giving them to Sora and your missing friends, right?"
"Yep." I said, taking out my Wayfinder.
"What's that?"
"A charm a friend of mine gave me when I first found out I was the Destiny Keeper. She gave them to me and our other friends that can use keyblades but something happened and we got separated." I clung to my Wayfinder, thinking of my friends that are gone now and feeling a bit of comfort in my next decision. "Even though they're gone, I've still got a connection with them. My Wayfinder is the symbol of my connection with them. I want to give them to Sora and the others so that when the time comes if we're separated again, at least they'll have something to look at when thinking about each other."
"That's a nice idea." Yuffie said smiling. "I'm sure they'll like it."
"I hope so." I thought. I want Kairi and Riku to have at least something to hold on to when this is all over.
"I'm done, kupo." The Moogle said, handing me a paper bag.
"Thank you." I said, taking it.
"Anna, Yuffie, there you are." We turned to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy coming into the shop in clean clothes and looking better. "Why did you run off like that?"
"I just went to get these engraved." I said, digging into the bag and pulling out the Mickey head with an 'S' on it.
"What's this?" Sora asked, looking at him.
"A keychain, I've got one for Riku and Kairi, too, when we find them." I said, as Sora smiled.
"That's a great idea, they'll like them." He said, pocketing his keychain. "By the way, we're looking for Leon. Do you know where he is, Yuffie?"
"Oh yeah, he's training in the Secret Waterways near the Alleyway in the Second District." Yuffie said, grinning before looking serious. "You'd better be careful though, the number of Heartless has doubled since you last came here."
"What, but why?" Donald asked, shocked.
"I don't know, you might want to ask Leon about that when you see him." Yuffie said and we went off. Yuffie wasn't kidding when she said the number of Heartless doubled. There were the Heartless we were used to see and there three others that we were used to seeing in other worlds like Red Nocturnes, Blue Rhapsodies, and Yellow Operas. There are also new Heartless that appeared like Green Requiems and Air Soldiers. This really confused everyone but me, no.
"Why are there so many Heartless here? This isn't normal." Donald said, as Goofy looked to me.
"Do you know why more Heartless are here?"
"Kind of, yes." I said, nodding. "Someone I know is in town and she's part of the darkness so really, you can blame it on her."
"But who is she?" Sora asked, as I shook my head.
"Well, you'll have to let Leon and the others explain who she is." I said, glaring at where a Heartless stood. "She's kind of the reason why Heartless are all around the place in other worlds."
"Why didn't you say so before?" Donald asked, looking shocked and frustrated.
"Like I said, let Leon and the others explain. They really felt her wrath." I said and shut up on the subject. Though I may hate her, I shouldn't say anything just yet. I want to be the one to avenge Terra since she's the one who tempted the darkness inside his heart and Leon and the others have a right to be the ones to tell them about her. We soon arrived in the Alleyway to see the Secret Waterway was barred by, well, bars.
"Why does he need these bars anyway?" Sora asked, looking at the bars.
"Probably to keep the Heartless out, we know it's annoying to fight the Heartless all the time." I said, with a sigh and summoning Lunar Wish. "I'll just…"
"Leave it to us!" I turned to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy looking ready and ran at the bars.
"Wait, guys!" But it was too late. The guys slammed into the bars breaking it but it looked like it hurts. "Are you guys okay?"
"Yep." Sora said, grinning not even looking bruised up.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I've had worse from falling off the trees back on the islands." Of course, I should've guessed. So we entered inside the cavern to see Leon training with his Gunblade and Aerith watching on the sidelines.
"Sora, Anna, Donald, Goofy, when did you get back?" Aerith asked as Leon stopped to see us coming to him.
"Just a little while ago. Sora and the others have some questions for you." I said, wringing out my clothes.
"I'd thought you'd tell them." Leon said, as I shrugged.
"It's probably better you say a bit. I'd probably over whelm them with information." On top of that, Sora doesn't really listen to me; Clayton is one example. Leon seemed to get my drift and nodded.
"Alright then, what is it?"
"On a few different world, we found glowing keyholes and out keyblades shot a beam of light at it and we heard a locking sound." Sora said, as Leon nodded.
"So, you guys found the Keyhole."
"Yeah." Sora answered. "The keyblades locked them automatically."
"Good." Aerith said as I nodded
"You see, every world has it's own keyhole." I said as the guys looked to me when I crossed my arms. "These keyholes lead to the heart of the world. The island's keyhole was that door it the Secret Place, for example."
"There must be one in this town as well." Leon pointed out as I nodded.
"Thankfully, it's hidden pretty well."
"What do you mean?" Sora asked, confused.
"It was in Ansem's report." I winced at that name. If only they knew. "The Heartless enter through the keyhole and do something to the world's core."
"They fill the heart of the world in darkness." I said, as they looked at me. "They can't take the darkness and the world dies. At least, I think that's the case from what I saw in the keyhole of the Destiny Islands."
"What happens to the world?" Sora asked, a little scared.
"In the end, it disappears." Aerith said, as I nodded.
"What?" Sora, Donald and Goofy screamed in shock.
"It's rare for people to survive when a world is destroyed so we're pretty luck. I'm sure Riku and Kairi made it off at least." I said.
"You mean they're safe." Sora said, and I shrugged but that's enough for Sora.
"This is why your key is so important but Lunar Wish plays an important role in this as well." Leon said, looking to me.
"What do you mean?"
"Sora's keyblade may lock the worlds from the Heartless but your keyblade can repair worlds with an early stage of darkness in them." Aerith said, and now I understood Lunar's words that day, she had powers but it was too much to heal the island's darkness. Sora at least remembered that I wasn't able to save the islands for a reason so he didn't say anything.
"So please, please lock the keyholes. You're the only ones who can." Aerith pleaded as I nodded but Sora looked a little torn.
"I don't know…"
"Seeing other worlds would probably serve you well." Leon pointed out as I nodded.
"It'll help us look for the others. We can close keyholes on the side. You're new to this so think of keyholes as an extra reason to explore worlds for now." I said as Sora nodded a little.
"I guess you're right…" Sora said, though still seemed a little out of it. "Okay!"
"That's good." I said, smiling a little. Sora's at least taking his responsibility. "Hey Leon, do you think Cid would know what these gummi do?" I asked as Goofy took out the gummi blocks we got from Wonderland and the Deep Jungle."
"Yes, he should be able to install them in you gummi ship." Aerith said, looking pleased.
"Okay, thanks guys."
"Wait, Sora. Take this with you." Leon said, giving Sora a small stone, I think it's called Earthshine. "This stone holds some mysterious power. I've been carrying it for luck. I want you to hold onto it."
"How do you use it?" Sora asked but Leon had no answer.
"You've been carrying it around without even knowing how to use it?" I asked as Leon looked away. Sora just snickered a little but stopped when Leon pointed his gunblade at us and we made a run for it. We left for the First District again but not before battling a bunch of Heartless again. What really spooked me was that the Heartless were hanging around the fountain in the Second District in large numbers. They're getting too close to the keyhole; I just hope the bell is safe now. We arrived at Cid's shop to see him behind his counter as usual.
"Hey Cid, we got something for you." Sora said, taking the gummi blocks from Goofy.
"What've you got there?" Cid asked as we got in front of the counter and Sora dropped the blocks onto the counter. "Hey. Well, if it ain't a gummi block."
"Yup." Sora said, nodding.
"We found these on different worlds, do you know how these work?" I asked as Cid squinted at me.
"I thought you knew, bein' the Destiny Keeper and all."
"Hey, I'm not into the gummi block stuff." I said, shaking my head.
"So, what's this one for?" Goofy asked.
"You're kiddin' me!" Cid yelled at us, making us jump back a bit. "You're flyin' a gummi ship and you don't know nothin' about navigation gummis?"
"Don't look at me, I don't fly the gummi ship." I said, raising my hands in surrender.
"He does." Sora said as he and Goofy pointed to Donald.
"Hey! What's the big idea?"
"Nothing." We said, not looking at him.
"Bunch of pinheads. Interspace ain't no playground." Cid muttered, annoyed at us.
"There's a lot we don't know. So what! If anything you should blame Anna!"
"Hey! To me gummi ships weren't my main mode of travel until now." I said, glaring at Sora as he glared back.
"We have to use the gummi ship to go to other worlds." Sora pointed out, breaking eye contact and I had to nod at that.
"He's right, we really don't have much of a choice in the matter."
"Whoa, easy you two." Cid said. "I didn't know. No hard feeling, alright?"
"Yeah, it's okay." I said, with a shrug as Sora nodded.
"Well, I guess I could lend y'all a hand, then."
"Thanks." Sora said, beaming at Cid. After Cid looked at the gummi blocks, he came back to inform us.
"Basically, with navigation gummis, you can go to new places." Cid said, holding the gummi block for us to see. "You want one on your ship, right?" We all nodded and Cid sighed. "I'll install it for you, I need to do the repairs on the gummi ship anyway. It won't be that bad though. The cabins aren't touched; it's just the cockpit that needs to be repaired. You did a number on it, Sora."
"That's why you'll never drive the gummi ship again." Donald growled at Sora, who rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
"But I got this thing I gotta go deliver first." Cid said, as we looked at him.
"What do you need to deliver?" Sora asked.
"Just a book."
"Can I see it?" I asked as Cid nodded, handing it to me. It was the Pooh book from ten years ago but it looked really worn out now.
"It's real old. When the guy brought it in, it was practically falling apart." Cid said, as I opened the book to see a lot of the pages were missing. "Too beat up to restore it to the way it was. But overall, I did a decent job puttin' it back together. Anyway, you mind deliverin' it for me?"
"Sure thing, I think I know the man you're talking about." I said as Cid nodded.
"It's the old house past the Third District. Look for a big fire sign."
"Got it." Sora said as he took the book. Suddenly, we heard a bell. "Wh…what was that?"
"Hmm? The bell at the gizmo shop is ringing." Cid said, thoughtfully. "Go check it out if you want, but deliver that book for me first."
"Okay." I said, nodding. Maybe I can go check on the bell later on my own.
"When you're done, stop by the house in the Third District. I'll be there."
"Alright, let's go guys." Sora said as we made out way to the Third District. Now the number of Heartless is growing again. I grew really nervous, this is getting really big now and at this rate the town will be filled with Heartless. Still, we have to deliver the letter and we found the door, used a fire spell on it to unlock it, and got inside. It was a dark place and it really didn't look inhabited by anyone; big surprise.
"Sora, you might want to be careful on those things." I said, looking at the rocks we had to jump on to get to the house on the little island in the middle of the watery room. "They'll start moving once you get on them."
"Really? They don't look like they'll move." Sora said as Donald jumped onto the rock but as soon as he landed and stood up straight, the rock started to move.
"I win again." I said, jumping onto the rock. We finally made it across, Goofy falling into the water a few times to see the doors to the house were boarded up.
"How do we get in now?" Donald asked.
"Through the back, where else?" Sora said and we found the hole in the back where we could enter though the place was completely empty. Big surprise.
"There's something about this musty place." Sora and I turned to see Kairi walking in looking at the dark walls. How did she do that? She didn't look transparent at all now. She looked solid and normal. "It reminds me of the Secret Place back home, where we used to scribble on the walls next to Anna's drawing. Remember?"
"Kairi?" Sora asked, reaching to her.
"Sora?" Sora turned around but I didn't so I saw Kairi smiling at me as she vanished. Okay, another question I need to ask.
"Well, well." We turn to see a familiar old wizard. "You both have arrived sooner then I expected."
"Wha…you knew we were coming?" Sora asked, shocked.
"Of course, and I knew I'd see you again." Merlin said, looking to me.
"Yeah, me too." I said with a small smile.
"Well, seeing as you know Anna, you can't be a Heartless." Sora said, crossing his arms.
"Gee, you think?" Donald said, sarcastically.
"Oh yes, I'm not a Heartless." Merlin said, with a small smile. "My name is Merlin. As you can see, I'm a sorcerer. I spend much of my time traveling. It's good to be home. Your king has requested my help."
"King Mickey?" Goofy asked.
"Yes, indeed." Merlin said, with a nod. "Donald, Goofy, I know you're Anna, and who might you be, young man?"
"I'm Sora."
"Ah. So, you have the key." Merlin said, looking over Sora before looking to me. "He reminds me of the second boy."
"Yes, he looks a lot like Sora in a way." I said, thinking about Ventus.
"What did the king ask you to do?" Donald asked.
"Just a moment…" Merlin said, moving to the platform in the middle of the room and started using magic to unpack his things. It was actually kind of funny to see and we had to duck and jump out of the way of any furniture coming our way. Soon, the room looked more livable. "There, now." Merlin looked pleased by the change he made before looking to us. "Your king asked me to train Sora in the art of magic and to answer any questions Anna might have." Okay, I love Merlin now! "We can start any time you like. Let me know when you're ready to begin the training. Oh, and one more thing." Suddenly blue sparkles came and soon crowded around little familiar white pumpkin carriage and formed into the Fairy Godmother.
"Hello, I'm the Fairy Godmother. Your king asked me to help, too. I will assist throughout your journey." I wanted to meet Fairy Godmother for a long time since I saw her helping Terra and Aqua. So, this is pretty cool.
"I don't know how much I can be of help, but do stop by anytime." Merlin said.
"That reminds me, we got something for you." I said, handing him the Pooh book.
"Oh, that book." Merlin said, taking the book from me. "So, Cid asked you to bring this. Thank you. You wish to know what kind of book this is, Sora?"
"What is it?" Sora asked, as he, Donald, and Goofy stared at the book.
"I don't know myself." Merlin said, as I faced palmed myself. "In fact, it's not even mine. A young man gave it to me, thinking it was mine." Terra. "It was such a curious book, I asked to repair it for you. Well, I guess I'll put it here somewhere, for now. This book holds a great secret. The missing pages will unlock it. I'll leave the book over there. Do look at it whenever you like." He said as he used magic to make the book float to a stand. "Oh, and about stone of yours."
"What this?" Sora said, taking out the Earthshine Leon gave him.
"Yes. You should ask the Fairy Godmother about that." Merlin said and we went to the Fairy Godmother, who took the stone tenderly.
"Do you know what this is?" Sora asked, noticing the look on the Fairy Godmother's face.
"Oh, the poor thing!" The Fair Godmother cried a little as she looked at the stone. "He turned into a summon gem."
"A summon gem?" Sora asked.
"This little creature lived in a world that was consumed by darkness." Fairy Godmother said, looking sad. "When a world vanishes, so do its inhabitants. But this one had such a strong heart, he became a gem instead of vanishing with his world."
"Can he regain himself?"
"Yes, but only in spirit. Now, watch! Bibbity bobbity boo!" She waved her wand and the stone vanished and Sora's keyblade glowed a little. "Now, whenever you call, he will help you. If you find any more of these, bring them to me."
"But…" Sora said, looking worried.
"Don't worry, Sora. Once we bring order back to the worlds, every world taken by the darkness will return and so will their people." I said and Sora looked more relieved by this.
"Sora, Anna, please help them." Fair Godmother pleaded.
"Don't worry, we will. Right, Anna?"
"Right." I nodded; I want to help as many people that I can. I feel a little guilty that I didn't stop the whole Heartless problem before it even stared but if I did, things would've been extremely different for Riku, Sora, and Kairi.
"Hey Anna, I'm going to train a little bit with Simba." Sora said, looking excited.
"Sure, I'll stay down here and talk with Fairy Godmother."
"You don't want to come and train you magic?" Donald asked, as I shook my head.
"I need to ask some questions so you go ahead of me." Sora nodded and he and the others went up to the attic, leaving me with Fairy Godmother.
"So what questions would you like to ask, my dear?" Fairy Godmother asked as I pulled up a chair.
"Well, I've got this friend Riku."
"Oh yes, he's a very strong young man." Fairy Godmother said, with a glint in here eyes that I really couldn't tell what it was. "But he's slowly sinking into darkness."
"Yeah, I know that. I was just wondering if you have any suggestions on how I can help him guide him out of the darkness." I said as she gave me a knowing smile.
"Well my dear, as long as darkness is there, so will light. Your light is able to guide people not only to you but you to them."
"How?"
"The bond you have with Riku." Fairy Godmother said, as if it was as plain as day. "Your light is there to guide your friend Ventus but that doesn't mean it also can't be for Riku as well." I nodded, that made perfect sense. "But because of the darkness, the light of you and your friends may not be enough. You need something physical to keep the person thinking of the bond between you and Riku."
"Will this do?" I asked, handing her the keychain I'm planning to give to Riku.
"Yes, this'll do nicely." Fairy Godmother said, as I pocketed it. "But be warned, it might not work if he terminates the bond by himself."
"Then what can I do then?" I asked, but the Fairy Godmother looked sad.
"You'll need to give him a bit of your light but to do that darkness must attack your heart." Wait what?
"So, I have to turn into a Heartless?"
"No dear, I'm afraid you'll die." Okay, what? "You're a being of pure light and not only that, you're the Destiny Keeper. The light of Kingdom Hearts that's a part of your heart can't be tainted and for that it'll kill you if any darkness tries to enter your heart." Well, that's going to things to be wary of: the Keyblade war and now any kind of darkness that can kill me.
"So, when I die, what'll happen to my heart?" I asked.
"You'll fade and the light that's not a part of Kingdom Hearts will become a part of it." Fairy Godmother said, as I nodded.
"So then, that'll be a last resort option. Will I know if the bond is severed?"
"Yes, but please, be careful Anna. The darkness may try to attack you but you need to be strong and believe in the light."
"Right, thanks Fairy Godmother." I said as Sora and the others came from the attic.
"You ready to go?"
"Yep." I said, nodding. I'll have to start with my plan once we see Riku again. And that chance came when we got out of the cavern and back out to the third District. Two Soldier Heartless appeared but were instantly destroyed by a certain silver haired boy.
"There you are. What's going on?" Riku asked, grinning. Riku looked the same as ever, even with his Soul Eater sword in his hand, but something was off about him. Something dark hung over him that I could only guess was the new darkness forming in his heart.
You'd better be careful, Anna. Remember what the darkness can do. Lunar whispered in my head. She sounded really worried and really, I don't blame her. But the darkness looks small and Riku won't hurt me. Of that, I'm sure.
"Riku!" Sora cheered, ran to him and started pulling on Riku's cheeks. Yeah, I don't get why he did that.
"Hey, hey, cut it out." Riku said, pushing Sora off before looking at me. I really don't know what to do. He stole my first kiss when I was semi-unconscious and I felt really awkward about what to even say. "I'm glad you're okay, Anna." I looked up at Riku and he had a gentle smile on his face. I blushed and I nodded.
"Come on, Anna. Say something." Sora said, as I sucked up my nerves and finally spoke.
"I'm really happy you're okay. You really had me worried back on the island." I said and Riku looked happy. I don't know what possessed me but I ran up and hugged him and he hugged back.
"I'm really glad you're alright after what happened in the jungle." He whispered and I pulled back blushing. This made him chuckle a little as Sora looked confused.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing." Riku said, waving it off as I nodded. I don't want Sora to know Riku kissed me. He'd freak out and ask me why I didn't say anything sooner.
"I'm not dreaming this time, right?" Sora asked, looking Riku up and down.
"I hope not. Took me forever to find you." Riku lied and I sighed.
"Riku!" Sora cheered, looking happier than he had been since starting this journey.
"Still, I'm glad you're okay. Do you know where Kairi is?" I said, as Riku looked shocked. Guess Maleficent didn't say she wasn't with us.
"Isn't she with you?" Sora shook his head, looking depressed.
"We saw her on the islands but she vanished. I just hope she made it off the island alright." I said, I don't even know where Kairi's body is. "That reminds me, here." I handed him not only his keychain but Kairi's as well. "I got these engraved with our letters and we each have one."
"Why are you giving me Kairi's key chain then?" Riku asked, showing it to me.
"Just a feeling, you'll find her." I said as Sora stared at me.
"What? You think we can't find her?" Sora asked as I shook my head. Riku, on the other hand, had a strange look in his eyes as he started at the two key chains and pocketing them.
"Well, don't worry. I'm sure she made if off the island, too." Riku said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. Sora was standing next to me during this, looking a little hopeful that we may find Kairi. Riku soon walked off a bit but looked happy and excited. "We're finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now."
"Then she'll be in real danger because of the Heartless running around." I said as Riku nodded but looked worried. If I were him and one of my friends or even Amy and Amanda were looking for me in worlds attacked by the Heartless, I'd be freaking out. "We'll all be together again soon. Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this…" I heard a noise behind Riku and me and I turned to see Sora and attacked a Heartless that was about to attack us.
"Leave it to who?" Sora asked, smirking as he turned to us.
"Sora, what did you…?" Riku asked, walking up to him.
"We've been looking for you and Kairi, too, with their help." Sora said, gesturing to Goofy and Donald, who have been standing back all this time.
"Who are they?" Riku asked, looking at them.
"Old friends of mine. They're good." I said as Riku looked to me.
"Ahem. My name is…" Donald started but good old Sora interrupted.
"We've visited so many places and worlds, looking for you."
"And Kairi." I added as Riku smiled at me but I couldn't help but notice Riku gave a slight dark look at Sora but it was so fast, I'm not sure it was really there.
"Really? Well, what do you know?" Riku said, now I can feel the coldness in his words.
"Oh and guess what? Sora's the keyblade master." Goofy said, putting his hands on Sora's shoulders. "And Anna's the Destiny Keeper chosen by the Lunar Wish Keyblade."
"Who would've thought Sora would be the Keyblade master." Donald said, folding his arms, or were they wings? I don't know.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Sora glared at Donald and I sighed.
"So, this is called a keyblade?" Riku said, holding Sora's keyblade.
"Huh? Hey, give it back." Sora said, noticing he wasn't holding his keyblade. How does that even happen? Can't you tell if you're not holding something anymore? Then again, this is Sora. He made to grab it from Riku but he jumped back and Sora fell to the ground.
"Come on, Riku." I said, shaking my head as Riku examined the keyblade.
"Catch." He threw it at Sora who caught it, shocked. Riku then turned to me and his whole cold expression changed to a warm one. "So what's your keyblade like?"
"Here." I said, taking out Lunar Wish.
No, don't let him hold me! Lunar yelled at me and I nearly dropped her.
"What's wrong?"
"Sorry, she doesn't want to be held by anyone else other than me and she just yelled at me." I said, rubbing my head. Man, can she scream! For a heart, she's got lungs and a good screaming voice.
"That's okay, I can look." Riku said, examining my special keyblade at a distance. "It's not bad, I think it suits you, Anna."
"Thanks." I said with and I couldn't help but smile and blush a little.
"Okay, so you're coming with us, right?" Sora asked, as Riku's dark look returned. "We've got this awesome rocket! Wait 'till you see it!"
"Yeah and Sora kept the side of the room for you clean all this time. It's a miracle. And the beds are pretty comfy too minus Sora's snoring." I said, grinning as Sora blushed in embarrassment.
"No, he can't come!" Donald yelled.
"What?" Sora asked, shocked and angry.
"Forget it!" Donald yelled as I glared at him.
"That's no fair though. We pick up Mickey but leave our friends behind? He wouldn't like that one pit!" I pointed out as Donald glared at me.
"I said 'no'!"
"Oh, come on! He's my friend!"
"I don't care!"
"Fine! Then when we find Mickey, we'll tell him when you did!" I yelled, annoyed.
"He's gone!" Goofy yelled and we looked to see Riku had gone.
"Riku!" Sora called out, walking to where Riku stood but there was no sigh of him. "Nice going."
"I say we roast Donald for this and have him for dinner." I said, summoning my keyblade, as Donald looked look scared.
"You wouldn't."
"Firaga!" I yelled, aiming my keyblade at him and he made a run for it.
"Oh well, at least he's okay. And who knows? Maybe we'll run into Kairi soon, too." Sora said, trying to think positively but I'm angry with Donald. If he had just said yes, he wouldn't be around Maleficent anymore and he wouldn't have been hurt by the darkness.
"I still think we make duck stew or something." I said, glaring at Donald.
"Come on, Anna. Don't hurt Donald." Sora said as I looked to him.
"If he's gone then you can fly the gummi ship." I said, as Donald looked worried.
"Hey, Anna. Why don't you check out the bell from earlier?" Goofy said, as I sighed.
"Yeah, I'll do that. But don't be surprised if you find a duck on our dinner plate tonight." I said and walked off to the Second District. Now wanting to go to the keyhole, I just walked around a bit, thinking for a second. I needed to talk to Lunar for a bit anyway. "How was Kairi able to appear like that anyway?"
She was using her light, your light, and Sora's light to communicate with the two of you. Lunar pointed out, sounding calmer now. It's pretty easy since you already have a bond with her and Sora.
"Okay, that makes sense on only why we can see her. But why didn't you let Riku touch you?"
Didn't you see Riku's darkness? Its gonna grow and don't want to know how the darkness will react to me. She said, and I can tell she was calm but freaked out. I'll have to be careful with the darkness around Riku from now on. I walked back to the Third District and opened the door a little to hear a familiar woman's voice.
"See? It's just as I told you." I gripped my hand at hearing Maleficent's voice. "While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now he values them far more than he does you. Not only that, he's stolen the adventure and the girl you've waited for all these years." Wait, what? "You waited for Anna to return to you and that boy stole her from you and your other friend. Once he's done with her and claims his victory, he will toss her aside just like he has with you and will be left to defend herself. You can tell she's crying for your help." What? "She gave you your friend's present, knowing she'll never be able to find her as long as she's with that boy. He will continue to hold her back from finding your friend. Being the Destiny Keeper, she needs to guide him but she'll never be able to save anyone without having a real hero by her side." I looked through the crack in the door I made to see Maleficent and Riku watching Sora through the window of the Vacant House. Riku glared at the window and I can see him gripping his hand. "You're better off without that wretched boy. Now think no more of him and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for and save the girl you've waited all this time." I can't take it anymore!
"Riku, don't be fooled!" I yelled, running through the door and facing them. Riku looked shocked to see me, and Maleficent smirked at the sight of me. "Sora would never replace you, Riku. You do know, that right?"
"You saw how he just took me leaving. He doesn't care and if you leave he'll do the same thing to you, Anna." Riku said, a pleading look in his eyes. "Anna, come with me. We can find Kairi together." He reached out for me and I really wanted to take it. I want to be with Riku but I can't go down the path of darkness or I might end up dead.
"Riku, please just listen to me. Sora's been looking for you and Kairi all this time. Sora wouldn't stop looking for you."
"Yet he forgot about me at the Coliseum. He was too busy trying to win the games to the point he wouldn't let the bet to go stop that dog." Riku pointed out and I had to admit he's got a point.
"But he tried to look for you in the Deep Jungle."
"Only because he got into a fight with that duck." Riku said, as Maleficent smirked at me.
"As I told you before, one never knows the secrets of another's heart. But Riku can see clearly how that boy feels about him." I glared at Maleficent as Riku took out Kairi's key chain.
"I swear on this keychain I'll find Kairi and save you from Sora. My offer will always stand even when Sora leaves you behind." Maleficent summoned a dark portal behind her as Riku said this.
"Riku! Wait!" I yelled but he was gone and Maleficent smirked at me as the portal vanished with her and Riku. I couldn't stop Riku from leaving but then again, I guessed this would happen anyway. Still, I felt like Riku was still with me in some way.
It's your bond with Riku. He's making the bond between you stronger by thinking about each other. Lunar said as I took out my keychain. I can't help but think about him and I smiled at this feeling. At least he's thinking about me and still views me as a friend.
"Anna, there you are?" I looked to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy came out of the Vacant House. "Did you look at the bell?"
"Well, the rope for the bell is actually blocked off so I wasn't able to check on it." I said, shrugging.
"Well, we're going to ring this bell. The guys said something might happen if we do." Sora said, looking excited. I don't blame Riku for being mad at Sora now. He simply dismissed the fact that Riku just up and left. Still, I went after Sora; he's still a good guy but he's clueless. Donald stayed as far from me as possible, Goofy or Sora acting as a shield to keep me away from him but I'm not mad anymore. I can feel the connection with Riku now, which makes me wonder. Can Riku feel it too? I'll have to ask Lunar later since she can probably tell since she's inside my heart. We climbed up to the top of the Gizmo Shop but I noticed something along the way. The number of Heartless weren't as much as it was a few minutes ago and that can only mean one thing; the big boss is coming.
"Looks like it really is blocked off." Sora said, touching the wood that blocked the rope to ring the bell. I know what he's planning to do and I moved back a little form the wooden wall.
"Sora, you guys. Think a little." I said but like before, the three slammed against the wood breaking in, only this time they looked hurt. "Curaga." I said, healing them all. "Really Sora, I know that's probably a good way of opening the way but couldn't we have just, I don't know, cut it with our keyblades!" I said, folding my arms.
"Oh yeah." Sora said, grinning. Really, Sora needs to use that thing on his neck for a change. "Anyway, I'll stay out here while you ring the bell."
"'kay." Sora said, as I walked out. Sora rang the bell and the face of the fountain turned and changed. "Did anything happen?"
"Yeah, ring the bell again!" I yelled over the wind. Won't be long now. Sora pulled the rope two more times and I looked down to see the keyhole in the new face of the fountain. "Come on, Sora! We found the keyhole!" I yelled and we ran fast toward the keyhole. But, when the keyhole is out, so are the boss Heartless. We just got to the fountain when we jumped back to see Armored Guard again.
"I thought we got rid of him!" Sora yelled, landing a few good shots in but the Armored Guard then moved away.
"No, it got a new mode." I said as Armored Guard turned over and became Opposite Armor. Unlike Armored Guard, Opposite Armor is a lot stronger and started causing a lot of damage so Donald and I were busy, healing Goofy and Sora as well as ourselves.
"How are we gonna beat it now?" Sora yelled, as he dodged the arms coming at him in a pinwheel motion. "I can just summon Simba and we can end this battle!"
"Simba alone won't be enough to beat Opposite Armor though!" I yelled, aiming Lunar Light spells at the Heartless boss and managing to finish off the remaining arms and Donald and Goofy destroyed the feet.
"Let's use Simba and your magic together then!" Sora yelled and I nodded, he's finally used his brain. He summoned Simba as Goofy and Donald moved out of the way of the lion. Simba roared and charged at the Heartless getting a few good bites in it.
"My turn, clear!" I yelled as Simba jumped out of the way. "Lunar Storm!" I yelled aiming my Lunar spell at the Heartless. Opposite Armor just shook and released the heart inside it before fading away, leaving us with the keyhole.
"Ready, Sora?" I asked, as he nodded. We aimed out keyblades at the keyhole we locked it so that this world can be a real safe haven at last.
"We did it!" Sora cheered as Goofy and Donald jumped for joy. "Let's go to Cid and see if the gummi ship is ready." So we went to see Cid who wasn't at his store but just hanging out near the door to the Second District.
"Hey, now that was quick!" Cid said, looking at us. "Now you know. I'm in the gummi block business. Workin' on your gummi ship sure is great but I still need to finish a bit more before you guys can head off. Come again and I'll give you a big discount."
"Thanks, Cid. But where are we going to sleep tonight if the gummi ship is still being repaired?" I asked.
"You can get a few rooms at the hotel." Cid said, looking pleased. "The number of Heartless is dropping so it should be safe for you guys to stay there." So we headed to the hotel and I got to stay in the green room and the guys stayed in the blue room.
"Man, what a day." I yawned, laying in bed as Kairi appeared at the foot of my bed and sat down.
Thanks for the keychain, Anna. It looked cute. But why did you give it to Riku?
"Well, he'll find your body so I'm sure he'll give it to you then." I said, as Kairi looked serious.
You're really worried about Riku. I could hear you talking to the Fairy Godmother. You must be scared finding out the second option. Kairi said, and I noticed a scared look on her face. I mean, you won't become a Heartless. You'll just die. Aren't you scared?
"Yeah, but this is the second thing that can kill me because I'm the Destiny Keeper." I said, thinking back on my adventures with Ventus. "There were so many times I could've died and really I'm scared. I might really die this time and I'll never see my family ever again." I sat up and looked at Kairi, I need to do this. "If I do end up dying, would you mind trying to find a way back to my world and giving my journal to my cousins, Amy and Amanda?"
Don't say that! I jumped at this as Kairi looked close to tears. You can't die now! I'm remembering bits and pieces but I remember you a little. I don't want to lose a friend after all this! I sighed and I tried to grab Kairi's shoulder in comfort but my hand went through it.
"Kairi, I still have that first option. I can feel the bond between Riku and me. As long as that bond is there, I should be safe."
I hope so. Kairi said and I nodded. That night, Lunar, Kairi, and I talked away about different things: Sora's recklessness, Riku's actions, and Maleficent. I end up waking up late the next day to see the others had already checked out and I ran to the First District to find them.
"Hey!" I yelled, spotting the three guys standing in front of Cid's accessory shop. "You planning to leave me behind?"
"I thought Donald went to wake you up?" Goofy asked, looking to the duck next to him and Donald looked away.
"Donald." He glared at me.
"That's for trying to set me on fire." He said and walked off to the door to exit Traverse Town.
"Can I just fire one spell at him?" I whispered to the guys.
"Maybe, he's all yours if he doesn't let Kairi on board." Sora said and we shared a good laugh as we headed to the door after Donald. We've still got a long adventure ahead of us but at least now I know what to do for Riku. I just hope I can keep option one till the end.
Crystal: Well, that's chapter 7. I really hope you readers liked it but now it's time to find out the results for the songs sent by readers. Well, the thing is only four people turned in a song or two for me to look at. So, I thought, 'it's my choice, my rules'.
Blair: So Crystal here got lazy and chose one from each of these people.
Anna: BLAIR!
Crystal: It's okay. Anyway, let me start the list with the OST I've thought for Anna and one song, then the songs from the readers. Now with me, I have two OST for each main OC character; each song representing a main mood of the character in the story.
OST
Armony's Theme- Fullmetal Alchemist Broken Angel (Happy or positive emotions)
Parting Song- Pandora Hearts (Sad emotions)
Song
Omokage-Shaman King
Okay, I know I said there would be one other song but looking back at it, it didn't seem to fit Anna so I took it out. So now onto the songs that were sent to me. I'd like to thank Aerith the Evenstar, WingofHope, Anna Crosszeria, and AnimeLegalFanGirl for the songs. So let's begin.
You'll be in my Heart: I'm a sucker for a good Disney song and when doing this chapter and listening to this chapter, it really did make me think of Anna. She thinks of Riku all the time, tries to save him, and connects their hearts. Even without it, he's always in Anna's heart in a way to thank you Aerith!
I Dreamed a Dream: Again a good song. Thank you WingofHope! You were right, this song does describe Anna and her want to be happy with all her friends but because of a certain old man, it can't happen. More over, the song is wonderful in the musical. So again, thank you so much WingofHope!
Aitai: Okay, Anna Crosszeria gave me a huge task. Instead of one or two songs, she gave me four really good songs! It was a hard choice but I chose Aitai by GUMI. Why? Because looking at the english lyrics will describe Anna's attempts to reach Riku's heart as the darkness takes him. I won't say anymore on how it'll turn out but again another good song. Anna Crosseria, thank you for all the wonderful songs.
Paxmaveiti: Okay, I didn't know this song when AnimeLegalFanGirl told me about it and she showed me the lyrics and they seemed to fit Anna and Riku. Its the Japanese ending for one of the Professor Layton games; a game I haven't played but seen my cousins play all the time. AnimeLegalFanGirl said it's a good temporary goodbye song and I've got to say, you're right. The lyrics and the soft melody made me really think of Anna and Riku. It even made me want this song at the end of this fanfiction but that's to be decided. You really got me into this song and I can't leave this and I'm curious on playing the game but I'm saving up for Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance so that'll be on my to play list. Thanks for this song and telling me about the game, AnimeLegalFanGirl!
Crystal: Wow, that's long! I had a lot to say on these. So again, thanks for these songs guys. So, hope you enjoyed this. Join us next time in Chapter 8: Agrabah. See you soon!