Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.
Chapter 26: Valley of the Lost
"Get her to the infirmary stat!" Mickey's high pitched voiced ordered.
Sol moved out of the way as the healers of Disney Castle carried Naminé magically out of the gummi ship. Both he and Luna had done their best to keep Naminé alive. Neither of them were sure how good her chances were though. Luna was talking with King Mickey telling him what had happened to them in the world they had come from. Roxas came stumbling out of the ship after the healers. He looked as tired as both Sol and Luna. The fight against Aquarius had drained him and then he had spent all night flying. Add that onto the fact they had fought the Demon-Heartless not long after leaving Crystal Mountains and it was amazing that any of them were still standing.
Putting his hand on Roxas' should Sol stopped the young Keybearer from following after Naminé. Roxas attempted to knock Sol's arm off of him but was too weak and did nothing more than cause Sol to hold on tighter. While he wasn't a doctor by any means Sol knew that Roxas would need some sleep before he collapsed on the ground. If Sol wasn't careful he would on the floor not long after Roxas. Right now he was running on fumes and he could feel his body wanting to shut down on him. Sol lead Roxas over to where Mickey and Luna were talking.
Once Luna was finished telling the King what had happened he dismissed them all and they were guided to their rooms by magical brooms. All three rooms were located right next to one another. Sol and Luna's room had their names written in gold on the door while Roxas' room door was blank. Mickey had sent them to the rooms they lived in while they trained in magic here at the castle. Waving goodnight Sol opened the door to his room. Finding it pretty much just the way he had left it, only cleaner, Sol plopped down on his bed and let himself drift into sleep. He was back in Disney Castle the place he considered home after Clestia was taken by the darkness.
When Sol woke he felt refreshed but still drained. The effects of the previous day still taking its toll on him. It was going to take another night or two before he would feel back to his normal self. Too much had happened for him to be fine with only a night's sleep. Magically flipping the light on since there was no other way to Sol looked around his room. As you would expect Sol's room was filled with bookshelves both up against the wall and two in the middle of the room leaving only enough space for a desk and a small bed. The maids of the castle had straightened things up since he had left. Books were no longer lying around the room open to random pages with stacks of Sol's handwritten notes next to them. His hard work of mapping out the similarities between Water and Ice magic had gone down the drain. Sol had been close to discovering some special relation the two elements had. But with everything stacked back on the shelves and his notes nowhere to be found he was going to have to start from scratch once again.
Leaving his room Sol checked on Luna. She was passed out on her bed her limbs everywhere as she slept. Luna's room was filled with a variety of knick-knacks that reminded her of home. Her sword from their days as mercenaries for the Knights hung up on the wall. A few books were stacked high on one of the shelves. If it wasn't for the maids there would be a collection of dust on the books. Luna just wasn't the type to read for fun she much rather be doing something more physically demanding. Leaving her room Sol moved on to Roxas'. Only an empty bed sat inside the white room. With a sigh Sol closed the door behind him. It didn't take a genius to figure out where Roxas had gone.
Making his way to the infirmary Sol contemplated their next move. They had defeated a large chunk of the Celestial Warriors. By his count there should only be seven left including Rachel. Sora's group had probably met with a few so there shouldn't be the full seven left. There was probably only three or so left in the Valley. Eclipse, Capricorn, and Aries. Rachel wouldn't risk getting her hands dirty again and if what Mika said was true then the leader of the Warriors would probably be keeping a tight leash on her higher power members. Eclipse would keep them as bodyguards while she tried to turn Riku evil. That reminded Sol that they still had to find a way to save Riku.
As he approached the medical rooms in the west wing of the castle Sol could smell the sterilising effects of magic. It was standard in the hospital ward to sanitize anyone that passed into with a quick spell. An invisible barrier stationed at each entrance to the infirmary cleaned you up so you wouldn't spread anything to the sick lying inside. A small normal sized mouse in a nurse's outfit was scampering along the hallway floor a clipboard in its mouth. Following after the mouse Sol hoped that she would lead him to Naminé's room. It wasn't that far from where he had spotted the mouse, only three rooms down.
Roxas was sitting in a chair next to Naminé holding her hand rubbing the back of it with his thumb. A faint white aura was glowing around Naminé. Queen Minnie stood on the other side of the bed her eyes closed and her mouth moving quickly as she muttered the incantation for the healing spell she was using. The Queen wasn't in her normal pink dress and was instead wearing a white nurses' dress. Queen Minnie was one of the best Light Magic users and had a natural gift for healing. Seeing her in charge on Naminé's care alerted Sol to just how dire the young girl's case was. Minnie's eyes opened when Sol walked into the room the light around Naminé died as Minnie stopped her heal spell.
"Solaris." Minnie acknowledged.
"Your Majesty." Sol returned with a bow. "How's she looking?"
"Hmm. Not as well as I'd hope." the queen's voice was filled with sadness. "Our magic seems to be doing little to speed up the process."
Roxas looked up from Naminé to stare in shock at the queen. Sol could see it in his eyes as the blonde digested what Minnie had said. Something inside Roxas snapped at the news. It clearly wasn't what he had been hearing up to this point.
"What do you mean it's NOT HELPING?!" Roxas shouted his voice thick with anger but doing little to hide the true emotion that reigned over him, sadness.
"I'm sorry Roxas. Even my healing spells have no positive effect on her. The most we're doing is sustaining her. We'll simply have to wait until her body heals itself." Minnie was as calm as one would expect of a noble. It wasn't that she didn't care it's that she was caring for Roxas to. If he needed someone to yell at she would happily stand there until he vented his anger.
"Can her body even do that?" Roxas returned to looking at Naminé. More specifically the large wound she had sustained from a Demon Heartless' scythe.
"You'd be surprised what people can bounce back from." a female voice said as it entered the room.
Mika stood in the doorway as Kairi and Sora rushed in the two Keybearers rushing right to Naminé's bed. The blonde waved to her brother when he spotted her. All three of the ones that had just entered looked dead tired. They probably hadn't slept a wink the entire trip. Sol didn't know what world they had been on when they got the message that Roxas had left but it couldn't have been much farther than the one he'd just come back from if they were here so soon.
"Honestly Roxas. I've seen worse and people came back even without the assistance of magic. Naminé just needs a reason to come back to us. Make sure she knows you're here waiting for her. She needs to know that her man is sitting beside her waiting for her return." Mika's normal sarcastic tone had been replaced by a wise caring voice. One the spoke from the heart with knowledge of what it was like to lose one close to you.
"Yeah Roxas. We've been through worse." Sora added with a forced smile putting his hand on his former Nobody's shoulder. "I mean I lost my heart and still came back. Naminé's just got a flesh wound she'll heal up in no time."
Kairi who had flanked Roxas put her hand gently on his other shoulder. She flashed a soft smile one that reminded him of the sweet blonde girl's smile. "It's alright Roxas. Naminé's stronger than you think. She's not going to give up on her freedom not after just getting it. There's still so much she wants to do."
"They're right Roxas. You should know Naminé wouldn't give up so easily." Sol added in a knowing tone. He sounded so sure that Roxas couldn't help but agree when presented with the other's arguments.
"Can I just have a few minutes with her alone?" Roxas asked of them.
"Of course." Minnie ushered everyone else out of the room leaving the Keybearer alone with the unconscious girl.
Roxas heard the door click shut behind him as everyone left. A sigh left his lips as he tried to figure out why he had sent them all away. There wasn't anything he could think of that sounded like a real justification for asking them to leave. He just wanted to be alone with Naminé, to have her to himself for a while. It was selfish he knew. Kairi was practically her sister just like he was Sora's brother. They all had attachments to Naminé and he sent them away because he wanted all to himself. Sitting back down in his chair Roxas looked over his friend.
"Naminé they're so sure that you'll come back." Roxas told her as he stroked her arm. "They're right you know. You strong enough to come back to us. I'm stupid for thinking that without magic you'd die. Even if the healers can only sustain you I know that you'll pull through."
Roxas brushed the back of his hand against Naminé's cheek. It was paler than normal from the amount of blood she had lost. As he looked at the girl lying in the bed Roxas remembered she'd been so happy when they got their own bodies. He'd only really met her a few times before that but he'd never see her so full of life before. She had radiated with happiness that day. While he hadn't exactly been thrilled to go shopping with her that day he was more than happy to be with someone so full of life. Even after they had started to head out into the worlds to seal the Keyholes Naminé never really lost that spark. There was always a smile on her face whenever he looked her way. Part of him always hoped that the smile was for him.
From what Roxas had learned about Castle Oblivion and what Naminé had done for Kairi in The World That Never Was he knew that she had a strong sense of right. She also had a lot of guts to stand up to the Organization without any weapon and only really being able to trust Axel. The odds had been stacked against her and yet she risked her life to make sure that Kairi got out safely. Naminé had even willing returned to Kairi. Roxas wasn't quite sure that he could have done that. While he didn't have all of his memories from his time with Organization XIII he wasn't sure that he would have been able to just fade away. The friendship he had with Axel would have been what stopped him from simply going back to Sora.
"You're so strong Naminé." Roxas whispered. "I admire that more than you know. You seem so happy even after what's happened to you. I-I want to see your smile again Naminé. You don't know it but it's was a ray of hope for me. I knew that whenever I looked at you you would flash me a smile." Roxas felt a tear run down the side of his cheek. He didn't bother to wipe it away. It wasn't like there was anyone there to see him cry. "Those smiles gave me the drive to keep going. You're the reason I was able to put a stop to Aquarius and seal the Keyhole in that last world. Naminé please come back as soon as you can. I need you back here. I love you Naminé."
-Outside Naminé's room-
Sol stood with a frown on his face. They were a little ways down the hall to give Roxas a little more privacy. No matter what he'd said to Roxas the chances of Naminé coming back were slim. The wound was deep and it was infected with Darkness. He had felt the taint when he had first started healing her but prayed that he had been wrong. While they talked in the hallway Minnie had given them a full diagnosis of Naminé's condition and confirmed what Sol had feared. It was that Darkness that was preventing the magic of the healers from patching up the wound.
Sora and Kairi had wanted to rush back in and tell Roxas what they had learned. Minnie had stopped them before they had even made it halfway to the door. She reminded them that Roxas had requested they all leave the room. That probably meant he had things he wanted to tell Naminé that he didn't want them to hear. They should respect his wishes and that when he came out they could tell him what she had omitted earlier. But that they should consider how that would affect the blonde and what it might do to him if he learned that Naminé might not make it right after assuring him that she would. If they lost hope than Roxas could easily fall into a depression. He clearly wasn't in the best place right now.
As Sora was trying to argue that he'd want to know what Kairi's chances of living when a white light burst out of one of his pocket. A duplicate light appeared out of Kairi's pocket. Both lights shot down the hallway and through the door into the room Roxas and Naminé were still in. Without wasting time all five people dashed after the lights to see what was happening.
-Back in Naminé's room-
Just as Roxas confessed his feeling for the injured girl he felt a warm burst of energy strike his back. It struck with enough for that it knocked him forward a bit. His eyes never left Naminé so he saw a sphere of white energy float above her before slowly lowering into her chest right above her heart. Energy spread throughout Roxas' body causing him to close his eyes as he tried to cope with the overwhelming power. He fell out of his chair and onto the floor as the light subsided exhausted from trying to fight whatever had entered his body. What struck Roxas as odd was the clank he made when he landed. He felt an unfamiliar weight on his chest and lower arms.
Getting up Roxas looked himself over and was shocked by what he was wearing. No longer were his pants the normal comfortable baggy jeans but a pair of white cloth that felt soft to the touch. His sneakers had change into a pair of black boots that shown with a metallic gleam. The cause of the weight on his chest and arms was due to the new armor that he wore. His checkered wristbands gone and were replaced with black vambraces that lead to white gloves. White sleeves ran up his arm to meet a black chest plate. It had that old school look to it with the pointed shoulders. Rotating his shoulders he found that the pointed parts moved with him so they wouldn't hinder his fighting ability. In the middle of the chestplate was a white crown in the same design as Sora's necklace. Falling down his back was a black cape with the same emblem in white directly across from the one on his chest.. At his waist sat Bond of Flame on one side and a replica of it on the other. It looked almost identical save for the fact that where Bond of Flame was red this new one was black. In the back of his mind Roxas felt the name of the new Keyblade call out to him. Bond of Twilight.
Roxas stopped looking himself over when he remembered the light that had gone into Naminé. She wasn't lying in her bed anymore. Now she was sitting up looking herself over like Roxas had just been doing. His eyes immediately shot to where her wound was. He couldn't see anything through the clothes she was wearing so he gently touched where she had been stabbed. This resulted in Naminé giggling as he lightly brushed her skin tickling her.
"Roxas stop that." Naminé said through her laughter.
"Naminé" Roxas grinned as he understood that she was no longer hurt.
She leaned her head to the side and flashed him the very smile that he had asked for. Now that he was no longer occupied with checking to see if she was injured Roxas looked her over. Like him she had a new outfit on. It wasn't all that different from what she normally wore. Rather than a white dress with spaghetti straps she wore a thick white robe. Red triangles lined the hem of the robes and along the bottom of the sleeves. She now had on a golden cross necklace that landed right over her breasts causing Roxas to quickly avert his gaze when he realized where he was looking. While he couldn't see it on her back was a known symbol of healing, the caduceus in red. Sitting atop her head was a silver tiara with a diamond set in the front. Propped up next to her bed was the longest Keyblade Roxas had ever seen. It was so long that he wasn't even sure that she'd be able to use it like a sword. It's handguard was heart shaped and even red like a heart. The blade part of it was the same silver as Naminé's new tiara and looked like the basic Kingdom Key's blade. The teeth of the key was two S shaped snakes their heads touching. Fangs produced from the open mouths of the two snakes.
The door to the room burst open Sora and Kairi got stuck in the doorway as they both tried to enter at the same time. Mika came up behind them anger on her face at the antics of the two. The anger quickly changed into a grin as she pulled her leg back and delivered a kick to the young couple sending them into the room and onto the ground. Sol and Minnie were not far behind Mika. While they didn't exactly approve of her methods they weren't going to argue with the results at the moment. All five of them looked at Roxas and the healed Naminé with shock plainly written on their faces. They had all rushed in expecting something to have gone wrong. Not for wild transformations and Naminé to be healed all the sudden.
"Hmm" Mika scoffed. "Looks like He does give a shit." Before Sol could ask what his sister meant Kairi erupted in realization.
"It was the feathers God gave us! it's their new Drive Forms!" the smile on the red head's face didn't begin to display the happiness she felt inside.
Sol raised an eyebrow questioningly at his sister informing her that he really wanted to talk to her once things had settled down. Right now though he was just going to stand back and enjoy what had happened. Naminé seemed to be doing just fine. That alone was reason to let things be for now. He wasn't going to question how it had happened until the excitement had worn off.
"New Drive Forms?" Roxas questioned for everyone in the room who hadn't been on Destiny Islands when Sora and Kairi had obtained theirs.
"It's a long story that I'll tell you all about later." Kairi half explained to excited by the fact that Naminé was fixed up to bother with a full explanation.
"How's she supposed to use that?" Sora said pointing to Naminé's new weapon that was still leaning against the bed. "It's taller than she is!"
"Sora you silly goose. It's not a sword, it's a staff." Naminé answered politely as she got up and grabbed the weapon by the shaft. The new type of Keyblade shimmered at her touch. "It's the Cleric's Grace. It's not meant for damaging our enemies but for helping our allies with White Magic. I can feel the light pouring out giving me knowledge of the higher White spells."
"If that's true it'd help explain why you're healed." Minnie chimed in. "The Light of your new Drive cleansed the Darkness from your wound and healed you."
"So like I asked these two numbskulls," Mika guestered to Kairi and Sora, "what're you going to call these new forms?"
Roxas looked stumped as he stood there in his now form. He looked as knightly as humanly possible without ever actually being a knight. His two Keyblades clanked against his waist as he shifted his weight from foot to foot thinking. Naminé being the more creative of the two took a lot less time to think up the name for her first Drive Form.
"I'm going to name mine after my new Keyblade. Cleric." Standing there in white robes holding a staff Naminé did look like your stereotypical Cleric. Course she could have been wielding a hammer instead and she'd get the same look but staff just shouted healer more than a hammer. Besides could you really see Naminé running around swinging a mallet at Heartless and not laugh your ass off?
"How about Holy Knight for mine?" Roxas shrugged. Yep his naming abilities were on par with Sora's. Maybe a little better. Neither boy had a creative bone in their body. Instead they had an extra awesome gland.
"Roxas" Naminé and Kairi sighed in unison. It would have been creepy if they hadn't spent a year living in each other's head. Strike that, it was still a tad creepy.
"It's awesome!" Sora shouted slapping Roxas on the back. Directly on the crown symbol to be exact.
The black cape rippled and the white crest on Roxas' chest shined with a bright light. A line tore right up the middle of the black cape cutting it clean in two. Cloth turned into feathers as the two parts of the cape separated farther and farther from each other. When the light on the chestplate died down the black cape had turned into a pair of black feathered wings. With a mental command Roxas caused both wings to beat lifting him off the ground just enough that it was clear he could achieve flight with them. Testing an idea out Roxas tapped the crest on chest and the wings slowly reverted back into cape form.
"That... was... the best!" Sora congratulated. "At first I wasn't going to say that my form had wings and yours didn't but now..." for once the brunette boy was speechless.
"He is real!" Mika shouted to the heavens finally believing in God for no other force could cause Sora to shut up.
"Wha's goin' on?" a sleepy voice asked from the doorway.
Everyone turned to find Luna rubbing the sleep from her right eye as she peered into the room. Her hair was a mess it looked like she had rolled right out of bed and came directly to the infirmary. Even her clothes were the same ones that she had worn the day before only they were devoid of any dirt due to the barrier around the area sanitizing her. Too bad it didn't clean up her appearance.
"Naminé?" Luna asked as she caught a glance of the girl standing up.
The mentioned girl simply nodded her head in answer. Luna then did something that none of the others had done and felt idiotic for not having done. Pushing past Minnie and Sol who were the closest to the door Luna made her way over to Naminé and pulled the blonde into a bone crushing hug. A few tears trickled down Luna's cheeks as she held the girl close to her.
"I'm so sorry I let that happen to you. I'm supposed to be protecting you and and..." Luna trailed off unable to continue any further.
"Luna it's alright. I'm fine really I am." Naminé assured the woman who was attempting to squeeze the life out of her. Being far too kind for her own good Naminé didn't have the heart to tell Luna that she was crushing her. Sol was the one to pull the raven haired woman off the petite girl. It had almost taken a crowbar to do it but he managed. However Luna had triggered a chain reaction. Next thing Naminé knew she was in the center of a group hug. Roxas was the first to latch on followed quickly by Sora and Kairi. Sol was comforting Luna while Mika and Minnie just stood back letting the younger generation have their moment.
Tears of joy could be heard from the trio hugging Naminé as they let their happiness come out fully. It would be hard to tell who was most thrilled by the fact she had basically come back from the dead. Until Sora was practically booted out of the hug by Roxas and Kairi that is. You just couldn't compete with the love of a sister and an unofficial boyfriend. Sora simply laughed it off when he had been pushed off fine with letting the others hog Naminé. There was then a power struggle over who'd break off next between Roxas and Kairi. If they were five years old, or had Sora's mentality, than they each would have grabbed one of Naminé's arms and started pulling. Instead they simply glared at each other from either side of the blonde. Both challenging the other neither one wanting to back down. Naminé brought the stalemate to the end. She turned head to face Roxas and followed advice that she had given Kairi not long after she had started dating Sora. Quick as can be Naminé pecked Roxas on the lips before turning a deep shade of crimson. Kairi won the tug-o-war as Roxas was floored by Naminé's kiss.
All eyes shot to Naminé which caused her to blush even more. She hadn't exactly thought it all through. Everyone had burst into the room before she had gotten a chance to talk with Roxas. While she was lying in her bed she had been able to hear his confession and she had just wanted to let him know the message had gotten through. It wasn't until after she acted on her impulse that she had realized what she had done. Who knew what was going through everyone else's mind as they stared mouth agape at Naminé's antics. Oh wait, I'm the author I can tell you.
Holy... shit... Sol blinked a few times unable to comprehend that Naminé had made the first move. He would have laid money on Roxas stumbling awkwardly into trying to kiss Naminé.
Way to take the advantage! Mika mentally cheered. Keep'em on their toes, that's the way to do it.
Aw she's blushing so hard. Luna hid a small laugh behind her hand.
Did Naminé really just kiss him?! Sora screamed it so loud in his mind that it almost came out his mouth.
Guess she's not going to mess around. Kairi thought with pride at her sister's actions.
They're so cute together. Queen Minnie smiled at the young couple.
Guys please come to my study. I got some things I wanna talk to ya about. Mickey's voice echoed over the castle's magical P.A. system. Unknowingly ruining the nice moment that had been established.
Fuck off! The three former mercenaries from Clestia mentally shouted at Mickey's orders. It was one of the few times that all three of them would instantly agree on anything.
Aloud though Sol said that they should get going. Minnie requested that Naminé stay back for a few minutes so that she could check her over to make sure that her wound was fully healed. Sora grabbed Roxas by the ankles and started dragging him out of the room. Thankfully when he'd been K. by Naminé's kiss he had dropped out of his drive form. Kairi was kind enough to pick up the back half of Roxas so that his head wasn't bouncing around against the stone floor as the walked through. All six of them made their way to the King's Study located just next to the throne room. Sol and Luna led the way seeing as how they had lived in the castle for a year and had pretty much memorized the layout. Well Sol really had and Luna knew how to get to the facilities that she used most often.
Entering the study they found Mickey sitting behind the desk keyboard clacking as he searched for something on his computer. Donald and Goofy flanked the mouse all of them looking intensely at the screen. From the grim look on their faces whatever was displayed on the computer wasn't good news. Those that entered spread out into a line waiting for the trio at the machine to explain what was going on. Roxas having woken up about halfway to the room with a goofy grin on his face.
"Gosh guys." Mickey said solemnly. "I just don't know what ta make of it."
"I don't either Your Majesty" Donald squawked.
"Your Majesty." Sora spoke up to get their attention.
"Sorry fellas." Mickey apologized as he turned away from the screen. "We think we located the Valley but we can't be too sure. There's too much darkness stemming from it to be able ta really tell. Something on that world is messing with out scanners. Darkness shouldn't be effecting out equipment to this degree thought."
"I doubt it's just Darkness that's interfering Mickey." Sol interjected. "We landed on a world called Crystal Mountains where everyone had an insanely high I.Q. From the sounds of it Eclipse was a regular on that world. She went by the name of Rachel while she was there."
"We should head there now. It's a three day journey by Gummi Ship. Plenty enough time for us to rest" Mika pointed out."From what Sol said on the way here we should only have three members left to deal with once we get there. Aries , Capricorn, and Eclipse herself.
"That's all that's left?" Sora was shocked and a quick mental count of how many of the Warriors they had faced in battle. He didn't know who Sol's group had faced but trusted his friend had kept an accurate count of who they had fought.
"Don'tcha think you guys should rest here for a few days afore headin' out?" Goofy asked worried about the state of his friends. They all looked a little beat from their adventures.
"No. The longer we wait the more of a chance Eclipse has to break Riku and get what she wants." Roxas was the voice of reason this time. "We can't let her have her way. If she bonds with the world's heart we might not be able to win.
"Then god speed fellas." Mickey said jumping out of his seat and sluting the six in the room. "There are still worlds bein' attacked by Heartless leave that to us." Mickey summoned his Keyblade while Donald and Goofy summoned their respective weapons.
"We'll take the Glacier then" Everyone looked at Sol in confusion. "What? I finally thought up a name for my Gummi Ship. It's the only one with more than three rooms."
"Let's not waste any time then." Sora pumped his fist into the air with excitement.
Everyone agreed and took off to the Gummi hanger. It was a mad dash that quickly became a race between the gang. Sora had pulled out up ahead using his Quick Run ability he still had from his Wisdom Form. It was no match for Mika's long legs though. She took the lead until Sol cast a Slow spell on her causing her to fall to the back of the racing pack. He may not win the race be he sure as hell wasn't going to lose to his sister. To counter things Kairi used a Haste on herself to pull in front. Roxas was going to mimic the red head's tactic when the rounded the corner to find Naminé standing in the way, back in her normal white dress. Everyone did their best to dodge her as they ran by but Roxas had another plan. Using a weak Aero spell he knocked Naminé up into the air and caught her in his arms as he ran underneath her. Even running with an extra body Roxas was able to keep up with the group.
Luna who had somehow managed to pull into the front was the first into the hanger. She shouted at Chip and Dale to ready the ship. Thankfully by the time they all got down the stairs the ship was floating with it's door open waiting for it's pilot. A grin came over Luna's face as she thought she was going to win. A path of ice shot around Luna and sliding atop it was Sol wearing a in-your-face-I-win grin. A blast of air knocked him off the ice causing him to spiral into the side of the ship rather than into the door. With Naminé in tow Roxas jumped over Luna in a swirl of green energy. Luna felt the residue of an Aero spell coming off of Naminé's hand, no doubt the cause of what sent Sol flying. Standing over the finish line was Roxas with Naminé still cuddled up against his chest both of them had a victory smiled plastered on their faces.
The race for third was still on though and Luna claimed it for herself. Mika, Sora, and Kairi too busy fighting each other to pull ahead of the raven haired woman. Even Sol managed to casually stroll into the ship before the other three made it. He was nursing a bleeding nose with a string of Cure but he waved it off when Naminé apologized. Said he'd get her back at one Sol plotted his prey should hide in fear. The man was a crafty son of a bitch when it came to revenge. Most likely he'd got to Naminé through Roxas. Sol just didn't think it was Naminé's idea to blast him into the side of the Gummi ship. So go after the real culprit and hit two birds with one stone. The trio that hadn't yet entered the ship had pretty much stopped running to it and had pretty much broken into an all out brawl. Next thing you know Olimar and Pit would appear in a flash of light on the Super Smash Bros. new Disney Castle Gummi Hanger map.
Sol turned to his girlfriend and had a quick exchange of ideas. Widening his ice path to cover the entire walkway to the ship Sol added more and more ice to create a funnel shape right to the door of the Glacier. Luna gathered wind energy behind the fighting trio and once Sol's funnel was complete she pulled the wind to her with all the might she could muster. It was quite comical to see Mika, Sora, and Kairi wobble on the ice as they tried to fight the wind and stay standing. It didn't take much for them all to fall flat on their butts and get pulled into the ship. Sora came in first landing on the overside of the room in a perfect sitting position almost like someone planned it that way. Much to Sora's dismay Mika was the next one through the door and her back slammed right into chest knocking the wind out of him. Kairi flew in her arms outstretched landing on Mika with one hand on the blonde's breast. It looked like Kairi had cuddled up with Mika for a vigorous make-out session.
"Kairi. Didn't know you swung that way." Mika teased as Kairi pushed on Mika to get up. "I'm flattered but you're just a tad too young for my tastes."
"That was hot." Roxas said quietly. Not quietly enough as Naminé smacked the back of his head at his comment. "What?! It was." Roxas defended.
"Roxas. Appreciate it without voicing it." Mika advised as she picked Kairi up off her.
"Like you're one to give advice on subtly." Sol scoffed.
"Rin did teach me a few things brother." Mika retorted turning around and helping the dazed Sora to his feet.
"Well now that you've successfully been felt up. Let's get this show on the road." Luna sighed turning to head to the cockpit.
"I'm driving!" Sora shouted as he regained his sense.
"Fat chance pipsqueak." Sol caught Sora by his head and lifted him off the ground.. "It's my ship and I'm flying it."
The engines roared to life as Luna started the Gummi ship. "Tough luck boys. Looks like I'm driving." Luna stuck her tongue out as Sora and Sol stepped into the cockpit.
-Later that day-
"Uh we have a problem." Mika pointed out as they all stood in the hallway that led to the four bedrooms. "Seven of us and four rooms. Who goes with who?"
"I can share with Kairi!" Sora exclaimed happily. It'd been awhile since he'd last slept next to his girlfriend.
"Same rules apply Sora." Kairi informed him. Before they headed off to the first room on the right, Sora's old room.
"Okay who's next?" Luna asked.
"Well hun we could take a page out of Sora and Kairi's book." Sol offered shyly. It was about as forward as Sol was ever going to be.
"Look at you go bro." Mika grinned. "I don't want a niece or nephew anytime soon though you hear me."
"MIKA!" The couple shouted at her.
"What? Back home you guys should have had a family by now. You're already twenty-" Mika never got to finish revealing the true age of Luna as a fireball conveniently exploded drowning out the sound of the last number. Luna dragged Sol into his room and if she could have slammed the automatic door she would have.
"Alright Naminé. You sleeping with your boy toy there or me?" Mika asked the platinum blonde girl. Naminé responded by disappearing into Luna's room with Roxas in tow. "And people think I'm not romantic. Over play the lesbianism and force the shy couple together." Mika headed into the last room to catch a few zs.
(A/N): For those who have seen DBZ think of the armor that Gohan and Krillin wore on Namek and you got the general idea for Roxas' chestplate. As for Naminé just Google Final Fantasy White Mage and you should get what she's wearing. Just with some obvious differences, no hood is one of them.
! IMPORTANT !
I know I said I'd post all the chapters at once when I finished them but I'm going to be a royal ass right now. I'll post the final two chapters, 27 and Epilogue, a week from now. UNLESS I get 5 different people to review this wonderful chapter. Do you really want to wait a week knowing that the story is finished and the only thing holding you back is a few simple reviews? Cause the next chapter clocks in at over 16K in length. That's longer than some fics!