Quick updates ftw~! :D I'm trying to get to 200 reviews and I'm kinda hoping this is the best way. However, keep in mind that since I was a retard and tried to cram Space Paranoids all into one chapter (which didn't work, btw), this chapter is 21 pages long. Yay?
Also - you all are complaining about how Sora and Char haven't "done" anything yet, and how the romance needs to "move along." PEOPLE. SERIOUSLY. The romance is going on as we speak! Just because the worst they've done is hug doesn't mean they're not getting closer to one another. You seem to be forgetting the most important part of a relationship is garnering love and respect for the other. And THEN you get to the kissy-kissy. Lol. /relationship preaching lolwut
Plus, lest we forget - in TSA-time, it's only been about 3 weeks since they met. Sora's not going to forget about Kairi that easily, though in this chapter it may seem like he is. He knows he hasn't seen her in over a year, and that this new girl in his life might be coming to be on just as high a pedestal as Kairi was, but beyond that he's not letting himself think about. Char is just too shy romantically, and kind of socially retarded to boot. So there ya go. XD
OKAY. Now that my horrible analysis is over, I hope you can find it in yourself to enjoy the chap.
Disclaimer- I don't own Kingdom Hearts.
"Sora?"
He was running alongside the surf with Riku at his side. As he struggled to keep up with the silver-haired boy next to him, the brunette heard soft chuckles from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw shimmering maroon hair and violet eyes. Grinning, he turned to look back in front of him and strengthened his speed, with the sound of Kairi's laughter ringing in his ears.
"Wake up, you stupid Keybearer…"
"Looks like I win again, Sora," Riku smirked, already standing underneath the bridge that led to the fallen paopu tree island.
"Aw, man, that makes six to nothing," Sora groaned, his voice punctuated by heavy panting.
"Come on, you idiot, wake up."
Sora frowned at the intrusion of the new voice: female, yes, but abrasive and strained, nothing like he had ever heard before. Nothing like Kairi's. The sound of footfalls against the sand drew his gaze over his shoulder again, but the white-clad girl with the short, red hair and indigo eyes had vanished. In her place stood a young woman in a dark brown jacket with longer, dark crimson hair and icy-colored eyes. Though she stood half a head taller than Sora himself – bound by his fourteen-year-old height as he was – the way she surveyed him was only gently condescending.
"You're still alive, I know it," she said, though her lips failed to move. "Now show me." And she smiled.
That was how Sora knew it was a dream.
He opened his eyes to a considerably different sight than the bright sand and blue skies of his island. To be more precise, when he tried to inhale, he got a face full of bluish surface; somehow, his cheek had ended up pressed against the cold ground. Steeling himself, he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, shaking his head to try and stave off the migraine that had taken hold of him. Predictably, it didn't work.
"Thank the gods you're finally up," a familiar voice sighed in an annoyed timbre he knew well. "Now I won't have to drag an unconscious Keybearer back to Donald and Goofy when we find them."
"Char?" he groaned, not daring to look up.
"Well, at least you still know my name; that's progress. You must not have landed too hard, then."
At those words, he did look up, eyes widening in slight indignation. "What's that supposed to…"
He trailed off as he took in the area around him. On one side, the pathway ended in a sheer drop, and on the other, a doorway opened up into a larger room. Beyond that, however, he couldn't ascertain much else about where they had ended up. All around them was the same gray-blue that had permeated the room behind Ansem's study; a few lines of paler cyan light ran up the side of the wall nearest Sora, but other than that, his surroundings remained the same blue, blue, blue.
Then his gaze landed on Char, who was kneeling beside him. In accordance to their shift to this new world – a world that, apparently, saw to it by itself that its visitors did no "meddling" – her outfit had changed substantially as well. Now a cyan-lined, darker blue helmet covered most of her head, and the red hair she normally kept free now cascaded down her back in a long, low ponytail. The rest of her outfit kept up with the theme of light-against-dark blue as well, albeit in a flowing skirt that came to mid-thigh and darker blue tights covering her legs instead of pants. Her fingerless gloves had been replaced by cerulean ones as well.
Immediately, he realized he was staring, and jerked his gaze away. "What?" Char asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Oh, uh, nothing," he blustered. The legs and the… "You just… look different, is all."
"Yeah," she huffed, seeming to not notice his attempt to cover up his wonder at her new clothing. But a light flush that deeply contrasted the rest of the area briefly swept across her features, and he got the feeling that his staring hadn't gone entirely unnoticed. "I hate this damned skirt," she continued. "And the tights? What kind of messed-up pervert sucked us into this thing, anyway?" She shook herself angrily before looking back at him. "Well, anyway, you got an outfit change too."
Sora cocked his head to the side, his embarrassment momentarily eclipsed by curiosity. "Really?" He brought up his hands and saw that she spoke the truth; his own fingerless gloves had become that same blue. Putting his hands to the top of his head, he figured out that a helmet covered his spiky locks as well, leaving a few tufts of hair to flare out on either side of his head.
Seeing Sora try to get a better look at himself, Char barely held back an eye-roll. She herself had preferred him without the helmet, but she would take what she could get. As long as it didn't impede his fighting skills, she would go with it.
And now I'm thinking like a moronic schoolgirl whose crush's hairstyle has just changed. Lovely.
"Where are we?" he asked, effectively cutting off any chance she could get to justify her thoughts.
Char opened her mouth, then closed it. For once, she had no straight answer for him. Looking around the place that the portal in her master's study had warped them to, she took in the dark sky and occasional bright blue light that permeated the uniform cerulean of the area and winced. She knew it wasn't exactly a choice one could have made, but she would rather the entire place wasn't entirely one persistent color.
Whose fault is it, though? At that moment, she remembered the words of that odd, disembodied voice from earlier: the program that, allegedly, oversaw the protection of Ansem's secrets. While Char could not blame her master for choosing such a way to guard the fruits of his research, the extreme measure that the system had gone to in assuring Sora and the others stayed away from those secrets was a little ridiculous.
Yet although Char herself had memorized most of Ansem's teachings to her and the other apprentices, she had not known anything about an entire world being inside his computer. Inwardly, she seethed at the thought of the secret he had kept from her; outwardly, though, she kept up a persistent expression of confusion, one that didn't totally belie what she felt.
"I don't know," she answered Sora honestly. "I didn't know anything like this was inside…" She groped for a way to describe the device that had put them here, without blatantly saying my master's computer; with Sora's false assumption that Ansem equated to Xehanort's Heartless, that would drive his suspicions of her further in the negative direction. "…that computer we used," she finished at last.
Sora tipped his head to one side, clearly having noticed her pause and sensing the inflection behind it. However, he said nothing about it, only looked around. "Where are Donald and Goofy?" he asked, getting to his feet.
Char shrugged. "Don't know that, either." Sora suddenly stumbled a little, and she immediately sprang up, ignoring the dizziness that the movement brought. However, he steadied himself just in time and gave her a reassuring smile.
"But if we look around, we'll probably find them," she went on, fighting back the warmth that threatened to overtake her at Sora's expression.
As she spoke, a bemused look came over him. One eyebrow gradually rose over an ice-blue eye, especially when he let out a small "hm" and widened his eyes. "What?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing," Sora grinned, putting his arms behind his head and turning away. "Just that it's weird to see you being the optimistic one, for once."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Char demanded, but not without a joking edge to her voice. "I can completely be optimistic!"
"Could've fooled me," the brunette chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at her. The mildly startled look he earned from her in response made his lips quirk further upward, and the comfortable feeling of one talking to a close and meaningful friend. While 'friend' was not exactly the extent of what Sora wanted from her, it was still much the same warmth. Amazingly, he found guilt about Kairi flickered across his mind only briefly before vanishing in favor of the redhead before him.
"Okay, so I'm not exactly Little Miss Sunshine. So what?" she grumbled, directing her glare at the ground.
Sora opened his mouth to retort, but then a flash of golden light came in his periphery and he glanced over. The sight that greeted him – a collection of robotic Heartless leading a defeated-looking Donald and Goofy down the slight decline toward them – made his eyes widen. "Donald! Goofy!"
Hearing his voice, Char looked up, her annoyed expression transforming to one of horror when she saw what had drawn the Keybearer's eye. "Found 'em," she remarked weakly.
Donald and Goofy raised their heads from where they had been staring determinedly at the ground. Upon seeing their comrades, both pairs of dark eyes widened. "Sora!" Donald cried.
"Come on, show 'em who's boss!" Sora shouted to them.
Goofy shook his head in defeat. "We tried stoppin' 'em, Sora, but…"
"But what?" Sora asked, only the slightest trace of belligerence toward the dog in his words. He made as if to take a step toward them, only to be stopped by the white light that appeared nearby. Turning, Sora found himself face to face with a man who was clad in the same kind of outfit as himself and Char – and, now that he was looking, Donald and Goofy as well. This resident's clothing shone distinctively crimson, though; the brighter parts of his top reminded Sora of Char's hair.
He stopped thinking about the odd fashion sense of this world immediately, however, when impassive dark eyes landed on him. The condescending look he received from the slightly-taller man rankled the Keybearer – much in the same way that the Organization member at Twilight Town had. This time, though, definitely was not because of Roxas.
Trying not to think about the blond-haired boy, Sora chose instead to interrogate the newcomer. He opened his mouth to speak, but Char, who had stepped up beside him, uttered that question instead, albeit more vulgarly than he would have. "And just who the hell are you supposed to be?" she asked, folding her arms and appraising the man with a bold glare.
The man transferred his contemptuous gaze to Char, which she met with gusto, for no more than an instant, before looking back to Sora. "I am Commander Sark," he said in a coldly disinterested tone. Abruptly, he flicked one wrist; Char and Sora pivoted in the direction he had done so just in time to see one of the Heartless push a now-squawking Donald back into his place next to Goofy. Sora realized that, for some odd reason, the Heartless were obeying this Sark's commands. It reminded him all too well of how Riku had commanded the Heartless back on Captain Hook's ship, and he barely repressed a shiver.
"A Heartless commander?" Char snorted.
Sark merely let out a "hmph". "Observe," he drawled, and snapped his fingers in the general direction of the Heartless. This time, though, a red-orange orb of light coalesced on his fingers. In correlation with that sphere's appearance on their commander's hand, the robots immediately jammed their own appendages against Donald and Goofy's sides, shocking them with high voltage. The lights cast due to the resulting shocks flickered against the high-walled clearing nearby in a caricature of a blazing fire, and Sora cringed at the sound of his companions' pained screams.
"Would you stop?" Char yelled, but Sark seemed to not hear her, choosing to watch the light show in front of him in an almost sadistic manner.
"Okay, okay, you're the boss!" Sora shouted hastily to Sark. "We get it." At the last part, he hung his head resignedly, knowing he could do nothing so long as the Heartless could do that to his friends. The reason why they could not have fought back before became clear to him at that moment; obviously, they had already tried, only to be electrocuted in the same manner as now.
Sark smirked a little and snapped his fingers again. With that, the light on his fingers faded, and the Heartless drew back, leaving Donald and Goofy to slump against each other on the ground. "Don't, Sora," the former rasped. "We… we'll be fine… go on without us…"
"Don't be stupid," Sora chided. "All for one and one for all, right?"
"You would be wise to listen to your fellow Users," Sark pointed out.
The odd expression he used to refer to the two animals made Char frown, but she immediately pushed that bemusement aside in favor of glaring at the commander. "Like we'd leave our friends here!" she growled. At the same time, she thought, Geez, Ansem… you could have made your defense system a little less asshole-ish.
And then it hit her that she had actually called the dorks she had so professed to despise at the start of this journey her friends. Aloud, even, and not just in her thoughts, which carried a grudging sort of acknowledgement anyway.
There's another thing that beats my promise with Riku into the ground. First I fall for their idiot leader, and then I say I care about him and his friends. And yet she found herself not giving a damn.
Sora clearly noticed the change, and cast her a thankful smile. Hearing her express her regard for his two longtime companions sent a rush of defiance back into his veins, and he resumed glowering at Sark. "Yeah, she's right."
Sark almost rolled his eyes. "Then you can all stay in the same cell together. The Master Control Program has arrested all four of you for terminal misuse and defiance of the law." To the Heartless, he added, "Subdue them."
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy called urgently, even as four of the Heartless around them moved away and toward the two humans. Sora let out a cry of frustration as one of them seized his arm; he could hear Char do the same on his other side, and at that moment, something snapped within him.
With a determined grunt, he summoned his Keyblade and swung it at the Heartless that had latched itself onto him. It wheeled back, making a satisfying, albeit digital sound of pain as it did so, and he took advantage of its shock to finish it off.
Then several things seemed to happen at once: Char snarled something from beside him; Sark shouted something; the Heartless in front of Sora vanished and the glowing pink prize it held floated up to the sky; and Donald and Goofy cheered for their friend's temerity. An instant later, though, their triumphant cries turned horrified, and Sora turned just in time to see the three Heartless that had remained out of view only moments prior converge on him.
And an instant after that, all of them were pushing their unwieldy hands into his sides at once, and electricity rattled throughout his entire body, pulling screams of agony out of him.
Then the world went black.
"Hey."
The dark-clad female turns at the sound of his voice, and Roxas nearly flinches back at the inherent wariness in those dark green eyes. He pushes that aside in favor of acting on his curiosity and continues. "You're the newest member, right?"
Silence. He wonders briefly if she's this reticent only due to having recently come into existence – Xemnas refused to let them call it "being born" – because that would be similar to his own situation. "It's a little scary at first," he went on, trying to sound friendly, "but you get used to it, trust me. Once everybody gets back from Castle Oblivion, you'll see the entire Organization here, and now will seem like nothing."
Blank staring. Roxas knows instinctively that the last part was the wrong thing to say. "Well, anyway, I'm Roxas," he mutters. Maybe she'll feel more like talking tomorrow, he thinks, and feels bitterly disappointed that his fascination had come to naught.
But before he can turn and go to his room, he hears her voice.
"Anxclof."
He risks a glance back at her and sees her eyeing him somewhat nervously. It's a steep contrast from her prior silence, but he'll take it. "Is that your name?" he asks, and is rewarded with a nod.
"Well, Anxclof," he says, smiling despite himself, "we'll talk more tomorrow."
"Yeah." Anxclof nods.
Roxas can't stop smiling as he walks away.
When he first sees her summon her Keyblade, that sense of kinship with her only grows. Now he understands why Xemnas went to the trouble of recruiting her in the first place, despite their moniker correctly implying that they only had thirteen members prior to now. They needed another Keybearer to gather hearts, another piece of meat to carry out their dirty work, and they got it.
Then he sees her slice apart the Dusks they gave her to train with in a golden blur. Squelching sounds rend the air as the lesser Nobodies bend beneath her relentless assault. Roxas finds himself leaning closer, watching her fight more intently. He can't really place it, but the way she whirls around the Dusks' attempts at attacks and drives every bit of strength into her strikes just before dancing back reminds him of a different kind of fighter – a fighter wielding a much thinner sword.
"You're really good with that," he comments afterward. "With your Keyblade, I mean."
Anxclof blinks, not quite knowing how to take the compliment. Eventually, she settles on explanation. "I was on my own for a while after I got… created," she admits. "I had a bit of time to learn how to use this thing." On the last part, she shakes the Keychain that she dangles from one finger. Roxas sees that a lightning bolt serves as the charm attached to the end of the chain.
"You're lucky," he says. "I had to figure this out on my own."
"You can have this, if you want," Roxas mumbles, a little nervous as he offers the necklace to Anxclof.
Her eyes widen as she appraises him, trying to see if he's serious or not. When she sees that the former is the case, she tentatively grabs it by the emerald jewel on its end. "Uh, sure. Thanks, Roxas."
"You're welcome," he answers, smiling a little. "Um, do you need help putting it on, or…?"
"No, I'm fine." And she demonstrates it by reaching around the tattered clothing she wears atop her Organization uniform and attaching it by herself.
Axel cackles from behind them. "Oh, Roxas," he grins, clapping the blond on the back and making him wince. "You're such a sap it makes me sad sometimes."
"Hey!" Roxas yelps indignantly, which only makes Axel laugh harder.
The three of them sit atop the clock tower, nibbling on their respective sticks of sea-salt ice cream. "Sky's pretty," Anxclof comments, taking a bite of her pale blue treat.
"No kidding, Anx," Axel says, raising his eyebrows at her. "You're just now noticing Twilight Town always has a twilight sky?"
"Shut up," Anxclof grumbles, her awe crumbling in the face of her annoyance. "I can't enjoy my ice cream when you're making fun of me."
"You've seemed to manage just fine in the past," Axel points out, to a series of grumbles from her.
Roxas watches them with a sense of amusement and content. Returning his gaze to the collection of orange-clad clouds and twilit sun before him, he allows his eyes to slip closed and the wind to caress his hair, just for a few moments. He thinks that these days – these lazy afternoons spent eating ice cream with his two best friends – are what he lives for nowadays. Amidst the constant missions piled on him by the Organization, amidst the contemptuous glances from the Superior and disappointed looks from Saïx and the others, these days are the only way Roxas can stay sane.
"You okay?" he hears Anxclof ask. Opening his eyes, he meets her own gaze and sees genuine concern there.
"Yeah," he replies. "Just… wondering if these days can last forever."
"Forever?" Axel echoes, settling back against the wall. A smirk curled his lips. "Don'tcha think that's shooting a little high there, Rox?"
"You know what I mean," Roxas sighs, rolling his eyes. "I just want to know everything's gonna be okay, is all."
To his surprise, Anxclof only gives him a sympathetic look – that and so much more, so many emotions for someone who allegedly has no heart. He had expected her and Axel to not let this rest until he could laugh it off with them. "We'll be fine," she says. A flicker of movement draws his eye, and he just manages to catch her pulling back her hand a bit. He has just enough time to feel disappointed at that before she seems to gather her courage and twines their fingers together. "I promise," she says softly.
"Sora! Sora!"
Déjà vu filled him as the sound of a voice lifted him back to consciousness. That feeling intensified when he tried to lift his head, only to find himself brought up short by a violent twinge near the back of his skull. Somehow, he got the feeling that in his lapse in consciousness, he had had some sort of odd dream; but another pang went through his head again and incapacitated his memory long enough for him to not care.
"What happened?" he groaned.
"Well…" Goofy hesitated. "You attacked one of them Heartless, and then the rest of them shocked ya."
"And then that Sark guy took us to this prison cell," Donald finished, sounding annoyed that he had let that happen.
Sora let out a murmur of understanding. "My head's killing me," he muttered, rubbing the afflicted area with a wince. The helmet that covered his skull didn't really help matters, either. Come to think of it, he ached everywhere else too, which made sense, considering what Goofy had said about the Heartless shocking him.
Immediately, Donald raised his staff; the red-and-black weapon's tip was engulfed briefly in green light that then transferred to Sora and wove around his entire body. The brunette sighed in relief as the healing spell's gentle touch soothed most of the pain in his limbs and cranium. "Thanks," he said.
Pushing himself to his feet, he realized a window to the outside world sat on the wall nearest him. He immediately approached it, placing his arms on the sill, but, perhaps in accordance to the oppressive environment of this place, the view was fairly unimpressive. Only the sight of a few multicolored blocks lining a walkway far below the cell was visible outside.
He looked back inside and took a better examination of the cell itself in the process. It too seemed rather bleak, but for a yellow monitor that sat nearby. An unfamiliar man – who, by his attire, had to be another native of this world – was sitting with his back against it and appraising the group. "Who's that?" Sora murmured to his companions.
Donald shrugged. "Dunno. He hasn't spoken a word since we got here."
"Oh."
And then Sora realized what was so off about the area: the lack of telltale crimson hair. "Where's Char?" he asked.
The reaction was almost instantaneous: his two friends flinched visibly, exchanged glances, swiveled back to him. They made dual, tentative noises, and then Goofy murmured, "Don'tcha think you should tell him, Donald?"
"Nah, you should. You were closer," the mage argued.
"Would you guys just tell me where she is?" Sora cried.
They recoiled at the impatient anger in his voice, and he sighed, running a hand through the spikes that stuck out on either side of his helmet-bedizened head. "Sorry," he said guiltily. "I just… I wanna know what happened to her."
As he spoke, he realized more truth lurked behind his statement than what he had previously assumed; every sore muscle in his body strained to know what had happened to the stubborn, fiery girl he had come to care so much about. It didn't help that the man in front of the monitor was now eyeing Sora with more interest than before.
"Well…" Goofy slumped a little.
Seeing his partner's reluctance, Donald took it upon himself to explain. "When the Heartless grabbed you guys, two of them got her. She said something about how she couldn't take it anymore and pushed them off her."
"And then she ran for this white circle portal thingy, and it took her where we couldn't see her anymore," Goofy added, having decided to continue the story.
Now that Sora thought about it, he could dimly remember Char taking flight; although the murk of all-but-buried memory blocked out most of it, he did recall the Heartless commander saying something after she had run off. "And Sark sent some Heartless after her, right?" he asked, feeling his stomach twist at the thought of Char running around all alone. That feeling increased at Donald and Goofy's nods. He knew she could take care of herself, but at the same time, he didn't want to take any chances, especially with that Sark guy after her. In his mind, he re-experienced the shocks that the Heartless had pumped into his system, and winced at the thought.
"Do you need more healing?" Donald instantly asked, misinterpreting Sora's expression.
Sora shook his head to politely turn the duck down. "I just hope Char's all right," he murmured, clenching his fist.
"Me too," Goofy agreed sadly. Donald let out a noncommittal grunt.
"But man…" the brunette sighed, looking out the window again. The barren landscape loomed up before him, and he found himself speaking his thoughts aloud. "What kind of messed-up world is this, anyway?"
"You're inside a mainframe computer system." The man in front of the monitor broke his silence with that statement, causing all three of the others to glance over to him.
"A… what system?" Sora spoke slowly, although from the way Ansem's computer had seemed to speak to them just before he had woken up here, that made sense. Char's words – about how she hadn't known a world like this was inside her former friend's computer – echoed in his mind to reinforce that.
Char…
"A computer system for processing data," the anonymous man repeated patiently. "This system is a copy of one created by a corporation called ENCOM. The original program was destroyed," he elaborated at the deepening looks of confusion on the trio's faces. He got to his feet before continuing. "But this copy was acquired by another User."
Again with the word "user"… What does that mean, anyway? This entire situation was facilitating the return of Sora's headache. He knew Char would have had an explanation for this, however wrong it may later be, and felt concern for her wash over him again.
"The new User updated and customized the programs," the man went on, moving closer to the group, "and renamed the system 'Hollow Bastion OS.' He used the system for town maintenance, as well as to advance his private research."
Sora tilted his head to the side, trying to make sense of all this information. Town maintenance… private research…
But Ansem's computer was what brought us here.. so…
"Who are you?" Donald asked, looking as confounded as Sora felt.
"My name is Tron," Tron introduced, in a considerably friendlier manner than Sark had. "I'm a security program here. But now I'm under arrest, the same as you."
"Security…?" Sora blinked.
"You know, maybe we should just introduce ourselves," Goofy suggested.
"Good idea." The Keybearer faced Tron. "I'm Sora."
"Donald," the duck added.
"And I'm Goofy. Nice to meetcha," the aforementioned dog finished.
Tron nodded to each of them in turn, before raising his eyebrows. "Hm… with that configuration, you must be Users."
"Users?" Sora queried.
"Yes." Tron looked somewhat bemused. "Programs from the outside world."
"Huh?" Donald said bluntly.
"Gawrsh, Donald, I'm thinkin' he means people," Goofy commented.
"Hey, yeah, you're right," the brunette said, feeling that new knowledge dawn upon him. An instant later, he felt a dark shadow come over the light of his realization. If Users were those from the outside world, then the "User" Tron had spoken of earlier had to be Ansem. So this really is the inside of his computer… Sora had seen a lot on his last journey, but an entire world made up of a mainframe computer system had been one of the things he hadn't encountered.
Suddenly, a new thought came to him. "Uh, Tron…" He arranged his next query carefully in his head, so as not to appear rude. "Have you seen a girl – uh, a female User, with red hair anywhere around?"
"Was that the User you were referring to earlier?" At Sora's nod, Tron went on, genuine contrition in his voice. "I was arrested before you three, so I don't know where she could be. Even if she managed to escape the MCP's clutches, there's no telling what Commander Sark will do to her when he finds her."
"All right, then…" Sora sighed. If Tron had yet to see Char around here, when she was undoubtedly so close by – even she didn't know how to leave this place, after all – he knew his next query would be fruitless, but he felt he had to ask anyway. "And by chance, have you seen a silver-haired User around? Or maybe another female with short, dark red hair?"
Tron shook his head, and Sora sighed again and hung his head. Goofy put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.
"So what's the MCP?" Donald asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
"The Master Control Program," Tron said, revulsion in his voice as he spoke of the program. " It controls the whole system. If you all don't get out of here soon…" He trailed off.
"What?" Sora asked, feeling dread creep down his spine.
Tron looked the Keybearer right in the eye. "If you all idle here, you will be de-rezzed."
"De-rezzed?" Donald echoed, shocked. Sora and Goofy started as well, staring in horror at Tron. I don't like the sound of that! Sora thought.
"So how do we get out of here?" he pleaded.
Tron folded his arms and turned to the monitor behind him, placing one hand on its side. "This terminal could have gotten you back to the User world."
Donald and Goofy eagerly leaned closer, but Sora felt dismay seep slowly throughout his body. "But…?" he prompted.
"The MCP cut the power fifty microcycles ago," Tron finished dejectedly. All three of them slumped in disappointment. "If we could bring the energy core in the canyon online, though, we could power it back up," he added quickly. "The problem is that we're stuck in this cell." He indicated said 'cell' by jabbing his thumb almost bitterly at the walls around them. "We're not going anywhere unless we unlock the energy fields."
"Energy...?" Sora soon spotted what Tron was talking about. At the entrance to the cell, a transparent wall patterned with blue hexagons blocked any entry or exit.
"Hm…" They all put their hands to their chins in thought. To his frustration, Sora realized Char probably would have figured this out right away. He could almost hear her voice berating him for having not thought of the solution sooner, and bit back any replies that he had instinctively begun to bring to the tip of his tongue. Char wasn't here, so he had to figure this out by himself.
He tried to think over this like she would, with calm logic despite the anxiety thrumming deep within him. It's a door… no matter how freaky it looks, it's still a door… and doors can easily be unlocked if you have…
His face lit up then, and he brought one hand before him. In moments, the Circle of Life, glowing bright blue at the edges, appeared in his grasp.
"Of course!" Donald said. "The Keyblade!"
Tron was eyeing the weapon curiously. "Will that work?"
Sora cast him an encouraging smile. "It should."
He turned toward the door, feeling determination replace his prior nervousness.
We're coming, Char.
Note to self: next time you decide to be on the run from the cops of a world, bring food, Char thought dryly.
When she had hopped onto that weird white disc, she hadn't expected it to move beneath her and take her on its designated path. And while she had no clue where the hell she had ended up – inside some tower thing, that was all she knew – no Heartless had come after her just yet. She counted that as a blessing. Maybe it was just her, but suffering the same fate that Donald and Goofy had seemed like a less-than-desirable option.
She groaned aloud and closed her eyes as something suddenly hit her, pressing her back more firmly into the wall she was sitting against. Now that she thought about it, just running off and leaving her friends to get arrested by that sleazy jerk hadn't exactly been one of her best ideas. In the vast array of terrible impulses she had acted on, this was right up there with getting drunk on Jack Sparrow's ship, as far as she was concerned.
Now, even if Sora and the others found a way out of this stupid world, they would have to find her first. She could almost hear Riku scolding her that she was supposed to go with Sora on his quest to find his friends, not make it more difficult by adding herself to said lost friends.
That train of thought brought her back to what she had said earlier. Char was startled to find she had meant what she had said about protecting Donald and Goofy and calling them her friends in the process. Oh, come on. You acknowledged it right before you guys got to Hollow Bastion, remember? she chided herself mentally.
It was true, though. Then again, after all they had gone through together, the four gaining a tighter bond had almost been inevitable. Riku should have known that much when he agreed to Ansem's request to send her on this journey. Knowing him, he probably had known.
Sighing, she pressed her face against her knees, which were drawn up against her chest. Under any other circumstances, she would have allowed the part of herself that was screaming for her to stay alert for enemies to take over her actions. But somehow, she couldn't bring herself to heed that common sense and summon her blades. Maybe it was because the shining white disc that had taken her here remained at the entrance to this tower, and as far as she knew, the Heartless in this world couldn't just fly across the empty space to her. Maybe it was because it was the inside of her master's computer, and a strange sort of fascinated nostalgia softened any negative emotion she may have felt at that.
Maybe it was because there was no chance of Anxclof being here.
Abruptly, Char got to her feet. She had lingered here long enough. It was time to go find Sora and the others.
And get some freaking food on board already, she added to herself, in tandem with an eager noise of encouragement from her stomach.
She had taken no more than a few steps when a tapping sound made her whirl in its direction. Her swords appeared in her hands in twin flashes of light, and she prepared herself for electrocuting Heartless and acrimonious commander alike to show up. Only when nothing other than the view of the platform just outside the window greeted her eyes did she allow herself to relax. The tension she had felt at arriving at Hollow Bastion in its current state returned in full force, and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
After that tapping, though, the only noise prevalent in the hall was that of her shoes against the floor as she made her way away from the window. The hallway widened into a larger room, and her eyebrows raised in mild surprise when she found a few crimson lines running up into the ceiling that broke into this world's typical blue.
Nothing much in the room was worth looking at – except for a spare chest lying at the room's edge, but upon closer examination, Char found that not even wedging the edge of the main blade on one sword between the chest's lid and body could open it; she figured that was a Keybearer thing, and decided to leave it to Sora. If he even gets this far, she thought, but even the inherent deprecation in that thought was tempered by the amusement she felt at the next. Knowing Sora, he's gotten this far already. That manifested itself in a chuckle, and immediately she felt a little better about her friend's location.
She continued in her trek across the room. As she walked, the circular space tapered off again into a much narrower hallway than its counterpart opposite it, and she nearly expected to have to squeeze through. Fortunately, though, the corridor eventually ended in a blue, glowing door and did not shrink any further.
Tentatively, Char placed one hand on where the doorknob would be on any other portal such as this. When it failed to respond, she huffed and folded her arms. "Oh, come on," she muttered.
At that moment, though, to her shock, the door slid open with a mechanical whoosh, surprising Char slightly. "I guess it just needed a second to warm up…" As she spoke, she stepped through the doorway.
As the darkness faded away to a cyan-colored light, Char found herself opening her mouth in preparation for any spiky-haired Keybearers that might be standing in the room. With her final footfall into the room, she was even readying herself to accept the hug he was likely going to give her at knowing she was all right, an idea that gave her both a sense of self-deprecation and warm anticipation at once.
When her eyes had accustomed themselves to the change in lighting, though, no brunette or dog or even duck greeted her. Char felt disappointment wash over her in a teeming wave, but shook it off almost immediately. This was no time to wallow in despair.
If I stick around here long enough, Sora's bound to show up. And with that reasoning ringing in her head, she took a more thorough look around this new place. For the most part, its layout resembled that of its predecessor that she had gone through, but for the slightly elevated piece of land at the center of the room. A bright pink ray of light shone down onto the platform, and when Char drew closer, curious, she found she could hear a faint humming noise coming from it.
Shivering, she turned away. This was why she could never stand working for a long time with Ansem's computer during her apprentice years; the technology in the room made unnerving sounds, sounds that were almost inhuman. It sent chills along her spine, and not the kind that she could only feel when Sora said or did something for her.
Then her gaze found the other non-blue part of the room: a dull yellow computer whose design vaguely resembled only the monitor part of such a device. Upon closer inspection, she found the screen itself a deep, inactive black.
Suspicion began to simmer within Char, but all the same, she knelt down to the level of its keyboard. She placed her fingers on the keys, harking back to when Even had taught her basic typing skills. Her fingers settled over their respective positions, and she inhaled deeply, thinking about the day she had learned most of this. Her eyes slipped closed, and a kind of calm settled over her, along with the redolence that typically came with thinking about the old days.
When the light suddenly flashed, visible even from behind her lids, the apprehension she had felt rose up in an insistent, screaming rush, and her eyes opened.
But by then it was too late.
She had just enough time to begin an expletive of horror before the beam of light that the computer had produced consumed her vision entirely.
"So, what favor did you want us to do for you?" Sora asked, as they stood behind Tron in the pit cell. Mentally, he went over the events prior to this.
They had taken a mysterious, glowing white disc out of the prison area. For a moment or so, recalling what Donald and Goofy had said about her escaping on one of these, Sora had fervently hoped that it would take him to the place Char had vanished to. But it only slid on an invisible railing over the lower parts of the world to where Sora had woken up – the area Tron had called the "canyon."
Tron himself had gone with them, saying they would need someone who could interface with the device; Sora didn't quite understand what that entailed, but he decided to let the man – program? Whatever – go along with them. He knew that with Char gone, they could use all the help they could get. That, and because was written in every line of Tron's face.
Said energy core had turned out to be a tall, hourglass-like device whose upper portion contained multiple computer screens. After Sora had put the scattered parts of the machine back where they belonged, Tron had turned to them.
"That should make the terminal work again, right?" Sora asked. "Mission accomplished?"
"Yes." Tron had nodded, before a look of vague discomfort came over his features. "Now then… will you do something for me?"
"Of course," Sora said instantly. Tron had helped them do this much; he'd figured the least he could do was return the favor.
The man reeled back, startled. "Don't you want to hear what it is first?"
"You helped us; now it's our turn," Donald pointed out, speaking Sora's thoughts aloud. Although the duck spoke in a friendly tone, he folded his arms, as if telling Tron to take his hospitality or leave it.
Tron had chuckled and shaken his head. "You really are Users," he said. "Your actions are totally illogical."
"Hey, thanks a lot!" Sora cried indignantly. "If you don't want our help…"
Tron shook his head, effectively cutting off the Keybearer. "Let's head back to the pit cell," he said simply. "That's the vector where we met."
"Right," Sora had acquiesced. Then something hit him, and he sighed.
Tron glanced over his shoulder, already having turned to make his way back. "Is there a problem?"
"Well…" The brunette hesitated. "We do need to get back, but… what about Char?"
"Oh, yeah," Goofy had murmured.
"Should we really be worrying right now?" Donald asked. "You heard Tron! If we stay here, we'll get… um…" He blinked and looked to the computer resident for assistance.
"De-rezzed?" Goofy prompted, in an ironic inversion of a typical exchange between them. Sora would have laughed, if the situation had not been so dire.
"Yeah!" Donald pointed up in the air as it dawned on him.
Tron shook his head. "I wouldn't worry if I were you. If she could get away from Sark and the MCP that easily, she could be back in the User world right now."
"I guess you're right," Sora had agreed, after a moment's thought. Although he barely knew Char, Tron had a point – knowing the redhead, she was probably waiting with Leon as they spoke. The thought strengthened his hope until it all but overtook the doubt he felt. "Okay then; let's go back."
In the present, Sora returned to the conversation just in time to hear Tron speak. "I want you to find my User," he explained, not turning away from where he was at work on the yellow terminal. "He'll give you the password to access the DTD."
"You bet!" Donald said.
"So, uh… what is the DTD?" Sora inquired.
At this, Tron stood up and pivoted to look at them. "DTD is the name my User gave to the dataspace. Copies of all the original programs are stored there, along with anything that's sensitive or restricted."
"So you think there might be anything about the Heartless? Or Organization XIII?" asked Goofy.
Oh yeah, Sora realized. In his determination to help Tron, he had forgotten about his original goal here. Inwardly, he berated himself for forgetting about the reason why he was in this forsaken place.
"Hmm… most likely," was all Tron said. He turned and knelt, resuming his work on the keyboard even as he continued. "A number of my functions were appropriated when I last took on the MCP. That's why I need the password."
Functions… Sora took that to mean general abilities.
"If I can get inside the DTD," his new companion went on, "I can access my original backup program and restore all my functions." His fist clenched at his side. "Then I'll be able to put this system back the way it was, before the MCP got control and changed everything. I'll make it the way it was supposed to be – a free system for you, the Users."
Sora nodded, understanding beginning to wash over him. Clearly, this world inside of Ansem's computer used to be a freer place, until the MCP came along and took over. At the same time, though, something inside of him balked at that decision. He couldn't help but wonder why Char's fellow apprentice Xehanort had gone to all the trouble of creating such a world in the first place, if his Heartless had been so consumed with making darkness tear every world apart.
He pushed that to the back of his mind and spoke. "Okay, we'll just have to ask your User what the password is. What's his name?"
Tron's eyes widened. "You mean you don't know?" When the others only shook their heads, he said, "My User is the user of this system: Ansem the Wise."
Donald and Goofy started violently at Sora's side. "Ansem?" Donald yelped, shocked. Although the brunette himself felt the same degree of confusion that his companions did, the memory of what Char had said – about Xehanort being Ansem's true identity – went through his mind again. And again, he wondered why Xehanort's Heartless had christened himself "Ansem" in the first place.
If Ansem wasn't Ansem, then who's the real one? His heart – and head – began to pound again just thinking about it, and he reflected on how everything was simpler when their enemy had been obvious. When their mission had cast everything into neat categories of black and white, and no gray had impeded them.
At that moment, though, violent beeping and static noises rent the air, coming from the computer. Quickly, Tron whirled back around and began typing frantically. "Looks like the MCP's on to us. You all need to go – now!"
"B-but Tron…" Sora tried. "Ansem is –"
"We'll get the password!" Donald interrupted suddenly.
Tron turned and gave them a nod of thanks. "You're good to go. Now – hurry!"
"But what about –?" The name of their fourth companion got stuck in Sora's throat as bright white light suddenly surrounded him. He had just a moment to think that it reminded him of when he had left the Pride Lands, then the light vanished.
Ironically, the way the terminal transported Char back to the outside world differed entirely from the way it had taken her to the world within Ansem's computer. Before, she had been deposited rather roughly onto the ground, to the point where she might have suffered the same unconsciousness that had plagued Sora had she not twisted just in time.
Now, though, she found herself standing in the laboratory of Ansem's study, with his computer humming serenely away in front of her. The dizziness allowed her a split second to take all that in before it kicked in and she stumbled, thankfully catching herself on the edge of the desk just in time. In some part of her mind she knew that transporting from the virtual world to the real one had created this effect, but now all she could think about was her sudden gladness that she had not eaten already.
Footsteps pounded just outside, and she managed to push the vertigo aside long enough to raise her head. Leon stood in the doorway, and ran forward just in time to grab Char's shoulders and hold her up. "You okay?" he asked roughly. "Where are Sora and the others?"
Meeting his steely gaze, Char couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Hi to you too," she rasped, feeling the whirlwind in her head begin to calm. In its place came near-overwhelming concern, though, and that was almost as sickening. "I don't know where they are – they must still be inside."
"Still?" Leon let out a grunt that was caught between shock and worry, the closest he would come to gasping in fear.
"Yeah, still," she echoed. "Leon, there's this messed-up place inside that computer. The police force in there tried to track us down, and I got away, but Sora…" She was ashamed to find herself choking on the possibilities.
Thankfully, Leon seemed to understand. He slackened his grip on her shoulders a bit. "Can you stand?" When she nodded, he let her go entirely and turned to the keyboard of the computer. "We're gonna get them out of there," he muttered under his breath, beginning to type frantically in a way that sent persistent clacking noises throughout the room.
An instant later, though, a burst of light shone out of the corner of Char's eye. She turned and saw the crimson sphere on the wall begin to glow in a way that all but consume the whiteness of the door it sat on. "Leon, look," she gasped.
The older man turned and followed her gaze. A smirk crossed his face and he laughed to himself, shaking his head. "Figures," he said.
The radiance eventually condensed into three distinctive shapes. As Sora, Donald, and Goofy's features gradually became distinctive, Char's breath became shaky with relief.
The trio looked around – probably making sure they had, indeed, found a way back. Then, to Char's confusion, they exchanged glances and grinned. "We did it!" Donald cried.
"Did what, exactly?" Leon asked. To his credit, he sounded fairly level-headed, considering he had been in his equivalent of a frenzied panic just moments before.
"And where have you guys been, anyway?" Char added.
The sound of her voice made Sora glance over. When he saw her, an expression of such incredible giddiness wove over his countenance that she actually drew back a little, one eyebrow disappearing into her bangs. "Uh… what…?" she asked intelligently, heat spreading in her cheeks and along her back.
"Char, you're okay!" he cheered, all but tackling her and pushing her up against the computer, albeit unintentionally. At the jolt that landing back against the edge of the desk caused her, the dizziness damn near came back. The deliriousness that had come over her along with the rapid spike in her heartbeat didn't help.
"Of course I'm okay," she grumbled, sounding less irritated than she felt. "This is me we're talking about, remember?" The sound of a hoarse voice snickering reached her senses, and she craned her neck around Sora's unruly hair to glare at Donald and Goofy, who were smirking at each other. "And you two can shut up right now!"
At that, Sora seemed to regain his compunction. He moved back, still grinning like a moron. "I just – Tron said the MCP might have gotten you, and I…"
"Slow down," she interrupted, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Speak English. And tell us what went on."
"Right, right," Sora laughed. "Well…" His smile diminished until it had gone away entirely, replaced by a contemplative look. "We met this… uh, program, named Tron. And he –" He suddenly noticed Leon, standing near Char. "Oh, Leon!" he blustered. "There's this world inside the computer–"
Leon held up a hand for silence. "Char told me about that. Just tell us what this… Tron said to you."
"Okay!" Sora happily continued. "He told us there's this other program called the MCP who basically took over everything."
"Yeah, if we'd stayed in there any longer, we'd have been, uh…" Goofy tilted his head to the side, trying to remember the word.
"De-rezzed?" Sora filled in.
"Yup!" the dog said. "But Tron helped us outta there."
"But we had to fix this terminal thing first so we could leave," Sora added.
"Terminal, huh?" Char folded her arms in thought, remembering the way the computer she had found had taken her back here. Clearly, the one she had found had been working when she had found it.
"Uh-huh," Donald nodded. "But – oh, now I remember! Tron told us all the stuff about Ansem's research data is inside some dataspace."
The Keybearer's eyes brightened as the memory returned to him. "Oh yeah, he did say that." An instant later, though, his face fell. "But we need a password to get at it, and only Tron's User knows it. Guys… Tron's User – the user of the entire system – is Ansem. And, well…"
Char completed Sora's sentence, even though she knew the falseness of it. "You guys sent him to Kingdom Hearts. Right?" At the same time, though, her mind was racing. Tron clearly knew Ansem was still alive – still hoped for it, if his obvious determination to find the old man and ask him for it himself was any indication. Despite herself, Char's shoulders slumped in a barely-disguised sigh. Not for the first time, she longed to tell them the truth about Ansem's true identity and where he was – that this computer belonged not to the Heartless Sora had defeated on his last journey, but to that Heartless' former master – but something told her that now wasn't the best time.
When is the best time, though?
All the same, the fact remained that Ansem was probably back in the virtual Twilight Town, swathed in bandages and the guise of DiZ, with an equally-masked Riku.
Sora nodded sadly. "Exactly. But somebody told Tron we could get the password anyway." On that last part, he looked pointedly at Donald, who turned away with a grumble.
"So let me see if I have this right," Leon cut in. "Ansem's research data is off-limits unless we have a password."
"Uh-huh," Goofy confirmed.
"But they already defeated Ansem," Char pointed out. "And I don't know where we would look."
"Hm…" Leon tilted his head down thoughtfully.
"Maybe we'll never find the password," Sora murmured, his despondence growing even further when he saw the suspicious way his longtime friends were looking at Char. Now that he thought about it, maybe they had a point. Char had always seemed to know more than she had let on, it was true – but any knowledge she could have given on this subject would have been helpful. It was strange that she seemed to not know, since this computer had belonged to someone who had been so close to her.
"You'll never find what, now?"
The query came from the entrance to the laboratory room. Sora spotted Tifa standing there, her fists on her hips. "Well, well! A hidden room!" she mused with a grin. "Guess I'd better take another look around."
"Oh, great," Char huffed, even as the woman walked past her and promptly began her style of searching, which involved more near-earthquakes and the sounds of objects shattering. The redhead began to walk out of the room, not wanting to see the destruction. "Maybe she can break some of my master's stuff while she's at it."
"She just won't give up, will she?" Sora laughed a little weakly, following after Char.
"And neither will we!" Donald added fiercely. "We're gonna find that password!"
"Yeah, we promised Tron, after all," said Goofy. "We need the password so we can get to the, uh, DTD or somethin'." He scratched his head.
While Donald huffed and rolled his eyes at his comrade's typical lack of remembrance, Char blinked, her interest piqued now. "DTD?" she asked carefully. She knew that it most likely was not the path she had taken to visit other worlds during her researcher days, but it was the only context she could think of for it all the same.
"Yup," the dog nodded. "Tron said gettin' to the DTD's the only way we can get to Ansem's research."
"Interesting," Char muttered.
Suddenly, Tifa swept into the room. "There's one place I haven't checked," the group heard her mutter. The next thing they knew, she was standing right in front of the portrait of Xehanort. Sora looked on, bemusement coming over him, as she stared at it for a moment before cracking her knuckles. "Excuse me."
With a muffled grunt of exertion, she lifted the portrait off the wall and placed it on the floor, revealing a collection of doodles on the wall; Char inhaled sharply at Sora's side and leaned closer. When Sora glanced over, he could see genuine interest on her face and in her wide eyes, which suddenly looked a lot brighter.
Char knew more than she was letting on. But she definitely hadn't known about this.
Tifa dusted off her hands and appraised the picture for a few seconds, then delivered a good punch to the wall. A satisfying rumble served as the response, and some detritus even drifted from the ceiling down to the floor. Sora braced himself for a rebuke on Char's part for nearly breaking a hole in the wall of her master's office, but shockingly, she remained silent, which made his interest in the diagram much greater than before.
Tifa turned and raised her palms to the sky with a sigh in a gesture of surrender. Then she dusted her hands off again and moved off; the sound of her footsteps growing fainter suggested she had left for Ansem's computer room.
"What's this doodle?" Sora traced over the picture on the wall with fascinated fingers. It looked like a heart encircled in multiple areas, with arrows pointing to and elaborating on each section of the cycle around the heart. Above the picture itself, someone had written a significantly more legible phrase than what had been scribbled next to the arrows. Even so, the handwriting was noticeably worn; not even Sora squinting and leaning closer yielded results in his attempt to decipher it. He could make out the word Hollow, and a few letters beneath that word, but that was it.
Letting his hand fall back to his side, he instinctively looked to Char. "Do you know why this is here?" The question was a rudimentary one; she seemed so engrossed in the writings on the wall that she probably wouldn't even respond.
Char shook her head, not even glancing over at him. However, she did grace him with a verbal answer. "I don't know," she said. "I've never seen what was behind the portrait he usually kept here…"
Here she trailed off, only continuing to stare at the picture. Sora thought he heard a murmured "what are you playing at?", but he could not be sure.
Beside him, Donald stretched up on the tips of his webbed feet, narrowing his eyes in concentration. Sora moved a ways out of the duck's line of sight, knowing that even though he hadn't been able to decode the writing, the wizard of Disney Castle might be able to. "Hollow… Main… security… Tron… door to… darkness?"
"Wait!" Char cut him off abruptly, her face lighting up.
"What now?" Donald clearly did not appreciate the interruption of his concentration, and expressed that by dropping back down onto the flats of his feet and glowering at her.
"Calm down for ten seconds, would you, duck boy?" Ignoring his growl of protest, Char stepped forward and pointed at the letters just above the heart. "Look – D… T… D." She pointed to each letter of the acronym as she spoke it.
"Of course!" Sora gasped. "This must be the dataspace. DTD – the Door to Darkness!"
"Hey, yeah!" Donald said, only looking a little disgruntled at Char now. He cast her a grudgingly admiring look. "What do you know – you were right."
"It's happened before," Char answered smoothly. She turned to Sora. "But… that doesn't really tell us much about the password."
"Oh yeah…" Sora remembered, a little belatedly. The flicker of hope within him died down slightly at that. He sighed, thinking of Riku and Kairi and all the information Ansem's data might have about them. And again, that man's words echoed in his mind.
Do you want to end up like Riku?
"Do you know what the password might be?" the Keybearer hurriedly asked Char.
The redhead tipped her head to one side, her pupils moving to the wall above the drawing in thought. Donald and Goofy moved closer to Sora's side, now looking fully attentive; he tried to tell himself curiosity alone motivated them, but the way his friends had acted in the past few days – tense, like they all were sharing a secret he couldn't be privy to – told him otherwise.
Then a sigh issued out of Char, and that last remnant of prayer disappeared. "If I knew, I would tell you," she confessed, frustration obvious in her words. "Sorry, Key-boy. I wish I could help, but… I wasn't really the one who helped Master with this kind of thing. I didn't even know that weird place was inside his computer." Even as she spoke, her voice had a kind of odd tightness to it, as though she were thoroughly restraining her annoyance at not knowing anything. Beneath that, though, there was desperation, the desire to reveal something held in a dark place inside. Although that tone had become familiar to him over the past few hours or so, Sora realized he hadn't stopped wanting to put that turmoil within her to rest just yet.
Genuine as it was, her apology stirred something deep within his memory. When he searched for the reason behind it, though, it vanished into the recesses of his mind, and he didn't bother trying to retrieve it. He turned back to the wall. "Door to Darkness… we're gonna need a better clue than that."
"Say, fellas – did somebody mention the Door to Darkness?"
Sora knew the source of the voice even before Donald and Goofy whirled around, dual cries of shock and happiness resonating from them. Even as he and Char turned to acknowledge the new presence, the brunette found his heart echoing their sentiment, albeit inwardly, in a way that strengthened when the presence in front of them was revealed.
"Your Majesty!" he, Donald, and Goofy cried. Char simply raised her eyebrows and gazed at the dark-clad, small mouse in front of them. So this is the King, she mused. She had never met him in person, although she had heard enough about him from Ansem himself. The two of them had been close friends – ironic, considering Mickey had just begun to explore the nuances of the world of light and Ansem had dedicated his life to the pursuit of hearts and darkness. She did know that Mickey had served as the impetus for Ansem to consider giving up such research entirely; before her master had had a chance, though, the tragedy that had birthed the Organization had occurred. As far as she knew, Mickey still had no idea where Ansem was now.
And as far as she knew, Ansem had wanted to keep it that way.
She pushed back a wince. As if she didn't feel insulted enough, that the sight of the virtual world and the diagram on the wall – the diagram that detailed how DTDs were formed – confirmed her suspicions that Ansem had refused to tell her everything about his research. Now, though, thinking about all the information he had held out of her reach was only pouring salt in her proverbial wound. I'd think that, since I'm the only apprentice that didn't turn on him, he would feel the same loyalty toward me that I've always felt for him. Even when something told me to waver, I never did.
Immediately, Mickey put a gloved finger to his lips, effectively silencing the trio. He looked about the room in an almost nervous manner before pushing the door closed behind him. Almost the instant the echoes from the door closing had faded, Donald had let out a euphoric squawk and all but tackled Mickey to the ground. To his credit, the King only stumbled back a step or so, but managed to keep his footing. Goofy scrambled to a hasty stop beside him and looked as if he didn't know what to say or do; after a few moments, he just grinned impossibly widely and lifted both of his smaller companions up in his own embrace.
The sight pulled a chuckle out of Char. On a whim, she looked over to see how Sora felt about this.
Out of every reaction she had anticipated – amusement and gladness and even reverence for the Keyblade-wielding mouse-king the most prevalent among them – the last thing she had expected was wistfulness. It took her an instant to register that that was even the emotion on his countenance. But no, there it was – a disconsolate expression marring that otherwise pleased smile. It hit her, then, how much Sora missed Riku and Kairi and wanted them back in his life. Not just them, either – his home and his island and his parents and everything else were always at the forefront of his thoughts, what he had sought after for well over a year now. Her fingers went to the Keychain still in her pocket at that thought. Seeing Donald and Goofy find what they had been searching for must be tearing him apart inside.
Frankly, Char wondered why he didn't show more jealousy than he did. If she had stood in his absurdly clown-sized shoes at that moment, had had to watch the ruler of Disney Castle and all the worlds tolerate his subjects' idea of a joyful reunion while her own friends remained lost to her… Char knew that she would have to keep the darkness that had nearly taken over her at the Pride Lands at bay at the amount of envy she would have experienced.
But this was Sora, and Sora knew he had to be strong and be happy for his friends. For some reason, the amount of sympathy that surged through her at that thought damn near brought tears to her eyes.
Impulsively, she stepped a little closer to him and took his hand in hers. The warmth that she immediately felt surprised her, and she had only an instant to feel idiotic at following that impulse before Sora glanced at her, surprise etched into his features. At least that had wiped the sorrow off his face, she reflected dryly, and felt satisfied when that telltale dusting of crimson appeared there as well.
Then he sighed and twined their fingers very briefly together, actually giving her hand a squeeze before sliding his own away. Char could only look after him, wondering if he had enjoyed the contact or only forsaken it due to his feelings for Kairi; the latter gave her that hollow feeling again, and she found herself clutching desperately for the charm in her pocket.
"Long time no see!" Sora greeted Mickey with a grin.
The King brought a finger to his lips again, visible even though Donald's white feathers all but obscured him. At that, though, both duck and dog alike pulled back away from their ruler. "The Organization might be listening," Mickey warned.
When all three of them nodded in understanding, indignation eclipsed Char's former melancholia. "How come when I tell you that, you act like I'm crazy, but when he says it, you listen?" she complained.
"Maybe because His Majesty actually knows things?" Donald suggested, and smirked at the irritated eye-narrow he garnered in response.
"Who's this?" Mickey asked, looking at Char.
"Oh, this is Char," Sora introduced. "She joined us not too long ago." He flashed her a quick smile, and she was about to say something when she realized that he was trying to put things back to normal between them.
She forced herself to meet Mickey's eyes. "Yeah," she said, bowing in respect to the King. "We've never met before, Your Majesty, but I used to live here."
"You mean, with Ansem and the other apprentices?" Mickey queried, widening his eyes.
Char cringed, but dared not lift her head. "Um, yes, sir," she mumbled. She braced herself for suspicious murmurs all around, but oddly, the others remained silent. Maybe they just think he means Xehanort.
"I never knew he had seven apprentices," the mouse mused.
Char raised her head and couldn't hold back a tiny smirk. "And I never knew the entire realm was governed by a mouse."
That earned her an elbow in the calf and a pointed glare from Donald, but Mickey just chuckled. His amusement faded when he glanced back at Sora. "You were saying something about the Door to Darkness?" he asked, very seriously.
"Uh, yes, sir," Goofy said, shooting to attention along with Donald. "Y'see, we're looking for the secret password!"
"Password?" Mickey blinked in confusion. When the group gave him an incredulous look, his eyes lit up. "Oh, I guess you mean like a code!"
"Exactly," Char nodded. "We think the Door to Darkness may have something to do with it." Again, she felt that familiar prickle of shame that she did not know enough to divine the answer to this issue.
"Well," Mickey said, "the Door to Darkness can only be opened by the seven Princesses of Heart." He began to count them off on his fingers. "There's Snow White, Jasmine, Belle…"
"Of course." The murmur came from the entrance to the computer room. Apparently, Leon had been standing there the whole time, watching the group talking to Mickey. Char wondered whether the older man had seen her grab Sora's hand like an enamored schoolgirl, a suspicion that was confirmed when Leon gave her a quirked eyebrow and a suggestive upward turn of his lips. Quickly, she turned away, blushing furiously.
Mickey watched Leon go before looking to Sora. "What're you guys trying to do?"
"With that password, we can get access to Ansem's research data," Sora explained.
Mickey's eyes widened. "So that means you might be able to figure out where he is!"
Char guiltily stared at the ground, even as Sora laughed. "Stop joking around, Your Majesty," he chuckled. "We defeated Ansem – you know that."
"I already told you his name was Xehanort," she muttered, and then immediately regretted calling attention to herself, for then the mouse's gaze swung to her.
"Do you know what happened to him?" he asked almost desperately. "I already looked for his other apprentices, but, well…" He shrugged helplessly, but a shadow crossed his eyes as he spoke. Char guessed he already knew what had become of Ansem's other six apprentices.
Although part of her screamed that here, now was the time to confess everything she knew, the larger part of her – the part that maintained steadfast loyalty to Ansem even now, even after everything she had been through with Sora and the knowledge of what he was keeping from her – pushed that desire aside. "I don't know," she answered softly.
Sora couldn't hear most of the exchange that went on between the two of them, but he was getting the feeling that between mouse and redhead alike, they knew more than they were saying.
"It looks like I've got a lot of explaining to do," Mickey commented.
"You and me both," Char murmured.
The brunette did hear that part. He instinctively leaned forward, ready beyond readiness to listen to what she had to say, wanting so badly to hear something that would cement his belief in her – but she merely looked away and said no more.
"We're listening, Your Majesty!" Donald said.
"Okay…" Sora thought, then settled on what had happened to Riku for his friend to be separated from the mouse in the dark realm behind Kingdom Hearts' door. That, then I'll ask about why Xehanort's Heartless called itself 'Ansem' "First, though, I've got a question –"
"Hey," Leon cut them off. "Isn't Tron waiting for you guys?"
Belatedly, Sora remembered he was right. Torn, he looked from the computer room to the source of answers in front of him.
Mickey seemed to sense his inner conflict. "Don't worry," he assured them. "I'm not going anywhere. If those Heartless attack here, I'll stand and fight with everyone."
"We will, too," Sora added, remembering the darkness that had covered the world even from the world between.
"Then let's talk more later," the mouse said, his gaze settling on Char in particular.
"It's a promise!" Donald smiled.
Mickey nodded, then waved at them. "I'll see you all when you get back."
So yeah, hand-holding all around in this chapter. And Mickey Mouse shows up! Exciting.
I kind of hope the way Sora is slowly figuring out Ansem's identity seems reasonable. I know he's a total retard in-game, but c'mon, the kid's gotta have SOME kind of problem-solving skills to have gotten this far. Look at some of the freaking mini-puzzles in KH1 and tell me how you'd make him figure those out in a KH1 fic if he's supposedly so stupid.
There ya go.
Next chapter should hopefully wrap up this stupid world... And then the real fun begins...