Chapter 70: apple of my eye
I do not own kingdom hearts or the properties shown in this fanfic. They belong to the respective owners and the original story is based on the works of Darius Almighty. Kingdom hearts and trials of the keyblade is owned by square Enix, Disney, and Tetsuya Nomura. Please support the official release.
Right. Now to begin the battle of Disney castle arc! 2013 was notorious of releasing dark films! Good thing futurama came back as a revival on hulu!
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
"Soooo," Jack Sparrow began carefully. "Admittedly, taking off in the middle of the night, stealing the top secret map of the universe, and deserting the cause in the middle of a war miiiiight have been a wee bit selfish of me. But it was all for good reason! No doubt my mate Sora will explain that to you. Never the less, I feel that it is my duty, nay, my responsibility, to come forward to you and admit my mistakes up front. Let it never be said that Captain Jack Sparrow hides from his problems…..as much…..anymore." He spread his arms wide and grinned. "So what do you say? Still friends?"
Leon punched Jack square in the nose.
The pirate dropped to the floor before the fuming man, and Sora quickly moved in between them, trying to calm Leon down. Jack groggily sat up on the floor, grasped his nose, and for the second time that week snapped it back into place. "I'm getting a strong 'no' vibe."
"Your little stunt nearly cost the Alliance everything!" Leon shouted down at the pirate as Sora tried to keep him from attacking him again. "If you ever pull something like this again, I will personally throw you out of the airlock! Is that clear?"
"Alright, Leon! You made your point!" Sora pleaded, trying his best to keep the older man from tearing Jack apart. "He's learned his lesson! And he's sorry! Right, Jack?"
"Hm?" Jack questioned as he rose to his feet again. "Oh, yeah, right. Sorry. That thing he just said." Leon scowled daggers at the captain, and Jack actually withered under his glare. "Uh, I think I'll just go say my hellos to Aerith and Quistis, eh? Good catching up!" And Jack ran out of there as fast he could.
They were all back on board the Shera after their long and exhausting experience in Port Royal, the ship having picked them up in lieu of them having any transport of their own. The massive ship, once only having Cid to pilot it, was now fully crewed by the capable hands of many Rebel Alliance volunteers. From navigation to weapons control to engineering, the clunky old vessel now ran like a well-oiled machine. "Thanks for giving Jack a second chance," Sora said to Leon as they walked through the Shera's halls, which were now busy with the hustle and bustle of Rebels.
"I don't know why you bother to put up with him," Leon grumbled as he walked. "But he's part of your team. If you think he's essential, I won't argue with you. But the moment he does anything to compromise our mission, he's out."
"You got it," Sora agreed, knowing that Jack's reintegration with the team would not be an easy one. "So where are we at so far?"
"Well, for starters Radiant Garden is safe and secure. The Empire has made no further moves against us. But the Alliance is keeping an eye on things just to be safe. A small fleet is on guard in orbit at all times, and Adelbert and Barret have stayed behind to ensure the rebuilding goes as planned."
"That's good news," Sora said with a smile. Radiant Garden had seen enough hard times. It was good to hear things were getting back on track again. "Anything else?"
"We're deciphering that map of the universe as we speak. Thanks for getting it to us so fast, by the way. It'll take some time filtering through it all but we should be able to find Endor soon enough. And once we find the world, we'll find the Death Star."
"And then we take it out," Sora said with a grin, slamming his fist within his palm. "I like the sound of that."
"On the magic side of things, Shelke is still piecing together the Keyblade War files that we found on Ansem's computer. If anything pertaining to the Chasers or Xehanort comes up, she'll let us know." They passed through a sliding door and entered the bridge, where Rebels now manned the computer consoles and Cid, as ever, was as the wheel. He gave Sora a sly grin and a nod when he saw them enter.
"Wow, sounds like we actually have a handle on things," Sora noted with a smile.
"Not quite," Leon muttered as he crossed his arms. "There's still Maleficent and the Horned King to deal with. We know they're after Kingdom Hearts and we know that they now have every Princess of Heart except for Kairi. And from what you told me about what happened on Port Royal, it sounds like they're really stepping up their game in order to get her."
Leon narrowed his gaze. "We gotta deal with them before they do."
"Yeah…." Sora bowed his head, seemingly in thought as he weighed their options. In the end, he could only think of one thing. "Leon, I need a favour." The man before him raised an eyebrow curiously but nodded nonetheless. "I need you to take us to Disney Castle."
"Disney Castle?" Leon repeated in confusion, trying to understand Sora's request. "Sure, it's not far from here. But why do you want to go there?"
Sora grimaced. But explaining his reasons to Leon would be a lot easier than explaining it to a certain someone else.
KHKHKHKH
"WHAT?!" Kairi shouted loud enough for most of the Shera to hear, and causing Sora to wince. "What do you mean you're dropping me off at Disney Castle?!"
Sora had just finished fighting soldiers, monstrous pirates and Davy Jones himself, but he would gladly trade for any of that again if it meant not facing down an angry Kairi. "I just think it's too dangerous for you to be fighting with us anymore," Sora tried to explain.
"Excuse me?" Kairi demanded indignantly, hands on her hips. "I beat a hammerhead shark in a swordfight down there! How many other girls do you know who can do that?"
"That's not what I meant! You are the last Princess of Heart that Maleficent needs to get into Kingdom Hearts! You saw how far they were willing to go down there! They nearly tore apart an entire world to get to you!"
"And we beat them! We always beat them!"
"We got lucky, Kairi," Sora stressed stepping closer to her. "And sooner or later our luck is going to run out. They will keep coming at us with everything they have, over and over until-" Here Sora looked away from her for a moment, more embarrassed than anything else. "Until I may not be able to protect you…."
"I can take care of myself!" Kairi continued to argue. "You know I can!"
"Kairi!" Sora placed his hands on her shoulders suddenly. "If I was ever going to ask anything of you, it would be this!" Kairi's mouth opened to continue to argue, but Sora cut her off. "Things are getting bad out there. Real bad. And I know you can take care of yourself, but half the universe is gunning for you at the moment. If we keep going the way we are, I don't if we can keep you safe for much longer." Kairi was silent now, her blue eyes looking deep into Sora's own. "I've already lost Riku, Kairi. I can't lose you too. I just can't."
"Dammit, Sora," Kairi groaned, pulling away from him and sitting herself down on her bed. "Do you have any idea what you're asking me to do? You're asking me to stay locked up in a castle while you and our friends go out there and get hurt, or worse. I can't live with that." Kairi brought her knees up to her chest and buried her head in them. "It's not fair…"
Sora smiled sympathetically at his old friend. "I know it's not," he said, taking a seat beside her. "None of this is fair." They sat there in silence for quite some time after that.
"Do you ever wonder why we got wrapped up in all of this?" Sora asked all of the sudden. Kairi didn't answer him. He wasn't even sure she was listening. "I sure do," he said regardless. "How come, out of every world, with over a billion people on each one, three kids on tiny island on a backwater planet were chosen to get wrapped up in all this saving the universe stuff?" Sora smirked in amusement. "I mean, don't get me wrong, we haven't done a terrible job at it." Kairi let loose a small giggle despite herself. Her laugh made Sora smile. It always had.
"I just don't get it," he said again. "Who decided that we didn't get to live our lives the way we wanted to? That we would be the ones who decided the fate of so many?" There was a bright flash of light, and Kingdom Key whisked its way into Sora's hand. He looked at it and turned it in his hand. "That I should be the one who got this?"
"I think we did," Kairi whispered, breaking her silence, and Sora turned to her with a perplexed look. She smiled at him. "You were always something else, Sora. Even when we were kids, you were always so brave, so fearless. You never let anything hold you back. You were always the kid with his head in the clouds, dreaming of more." She hugged her knees tight to her chest as she recalled fond memories. "That's why you and Riku were always so close. He was the same." She rested her chin on her knees and smiled.
"It was the happiest day of my life when I became friends with you two." Kairi looked back at Sora now, and smiled brightly. "I can't think of anyone else more worthy to wield that than you." Sora smiled at her, and in another flash the Keyblade disappeared.
"Well, I can't think of a better candidate for a maiden of the purest heart," he said back. Kairi laughed and blushed at the compliment. Sora chuckled a bit as well before he turned to her again. "One day, this will all be over," he said softly. "And I want both us to be there when it is." Kairi looked at him again, her expression one of quiet understanding. Slowly she took his hand in her own, grasping it tightly, and smiled.
"Alright," she whispered back, nodding in agreement. "Alright, I'll do it. I'll go to Disney Castle." Sora smiled in thanks, letting out a small sigh of relief, giving her hand a tight squeeze. "But I'm not happy about it. In fact, you'd better be collecting me all kinds of souvenirs while you're out there, too! Good ones!"
"You got it," Sora laughed as she made demands with her adorable pouty face. He soon looked her in the eyes again. "Thanks, Kairi." She looked back at him, and that was all they did for the longest time. Both were still aware they were holding the others hand, and yet neither let go. The hearts of both teens were thumping in their chests, and before they realized it they were inching closer and closer to one another. Their faces came together, and both closed their eyes as their puckered lips inched closer and closer….
"Hey guys!" The door to the room suddenly slid open and there stood Ron with Rufus the naked mole rat on his shoulder. "Just letting you know that-WHOA!" Both Sora and Kairi's eyes bugged out and within seconds flat they pulled away from each other, their faces as red as Kairi's hair. "Uh….you guys weren't about to….?"
"W-What-? N-No! No!" Sora stammered waving hands back and forth, putting up a very poor argument indeed. "It was nothing like that! Really!"
"Oh, man! I interrupted the kiss?!" Ron whined, slapping his forehead. Rufus made kissy faces from his shoulder for emphasis.
"N-No! Really!" Kairi tried to explain as well, doing about a good a job as Sora did. "We were just…..checking each other for head lice. We did, just come from Jack's world after all!"
"Awww, I can't believe I interrupted the kiss!" Ron continued to whine, looking like he was ready to slam his head repeatedly against the steel walls. "I'm so stupid! Today was my day in the pool, too!"
Sora blinked in confusion. "In the what?"
"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all!" Ron cleared his throat and composed himself before he spoke again. "Anyway, just letting you know we're here." Whatever embarrassed state Sora and Kairi were in disappeared. They looked at each other, and Kairi nodded in agreement. And together they got up and headed for the teleporter chamber.
Lead by Ron, the two young Keyblade bearers walked down the Shera's metal halls, knowing that this would be the last time Kairi could do so in while. She had spent so much time on the ship already it almost felt like home to her, which is why she decided not to say goodbye to everyone else and just got her departure over it. Kairi decided it would just be too painful to do.
But imagine her surprise when she turned the corner to the teleporter and found everyone there waiting for her.
"Heya!" Yuffie greeted with a smile. The ninja girl stood there with Leon, Aerith, Cid, Kim, and all her Keyblade bearing friends. All of them had gathered there to see the young girl off.
"I may have let it slip that you were leaving us," Leon admitted with his trademark smirk. Kairi nearly wanted to cry. She looked at Sora, and the boy merely shrugged innocently, though his grin gave away that he knew all about this. The redhead smiled in thanks. She then turned towards the assembled crowd of friends, walked towards Leon and gave him a hug around his waist.
"Thanks Leon," she said to him, pressed against his chest, "for everything." She pulled away from the stout man and was nearly bowled over by Yuffie next.
"Oh, I'm gonna miss you!" the ninja bawled as he hugged Kairi tight. "We'll be back as soon as the universe is safe and sound, okay?"
"It's a date," Kairi giggled as she hugged back. Pulling away from Yuffie, Kairi came to Aerith next, and the woman in pink was smiling down at her with her kind green eyes. It wasn't long before the two shared a hug as well. "Goodbye, Aerith."
"It's not goodbye, Kairi," Aerith chided with her soft caring voice, and Kairi looked up at her curiously. "It's more like, 'see you later'." Kairi had to smile at that. Aerith always seemed to know just the right thing to say.
"Shera will be ready to pick you up when this is all over," Cid promised with a wink, pushing his bandana up a bit higher, "provided she manages not to blow up. So I'm not promising anything." Kairi giggled a bit before she reached Kim, Ron, and of course Rufus.
"It was an honor to meet you," Kim said with a nod and a smile. "And I don't often get to meet princesses, so yeah, that's a pretty big deal."
"So be safe, be well, and try to stay out of the reach of evil overlords," Ron summed up with a grin. "We'd all be really grateful if that could happen." Kairi smiled at the two of them before she and Sora kept walking for the teleporter. "By the way," Ron whispered to Kim after they were out of earshot. "They were totally going to kiss before I walked in on them, so I win the betting pool."
"In your dreams," Kim scoffed. "It's either lip wrestling or nothing."
The only ones now standing between Kairi and the teleporter were her Keyblade bearing partners. Everyone who she had fought side by side with was now before her. She smiled warmly at them. "Guys…."
"Save it," Beast suddenly interrupted with a smirk, and Kairi blinked in surprise.
"Of course we're going down there with you," Aladdin told her with a smile.
Kairi's expression lit up. "Really?"
"The princess has to be escorted by her royal guard after all," Mulan explained
"Also, I would love to get off this ship for a spell," Jack Sparrow muttered and who, for some reason, was sporting a bloody nose, keeping it plugged with one hand and titling his head backwards. A couple of feet away, Aerith let out a small 'hmmph!' sound.
KHKHKHKH
Deep in an unknown region of space drifted the Castle that Never Was, the former headquarters of Organization XIII, which now served as Maleficent and the Horned King's base of operations. And deep within its bowels the two sorcerers plotted. "We almost had her!" Maleficent raged as she stormed about, her staff slamming to the floor with every few feet travelled. "Kairi was within our grasp and she slipped right through it! Again!"
"Now, now, Maleficent," the Horned King chided with his hands clasped behind his back. "No need to fall to pieces."
They were within a spacious round chamber, which was nearly completely without light, a stark contrast to the metallic shine the castle once possessed. Maleficent and the Horned King were there of course, but so were Pete and Gantu, standing nervously at attention. Nero, the Horned King's only remaining Tsviet, was also present, as well as Queen Grimhilde, standing next to her magic mirror. Directly in the center of this chamber was the Black Cauldron, the source of the Horned King's malevolent powers. It bubbled and frothed with vile magics, illuminating the room with an eerie glow. Against the walls, forming a circle around the vile cauldron, were several ornate glass coffins. Within each of them was a Princess of Heart. Jasmine, Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella, and Alice were all trapped inside their own coffin, virtually dead to the world, kept in suspended animation thanks to their magical confines. Only one coffin remained empty.
"Do not mock me!" Maleficent hissed stopping where she was just so she could glare at the Horned King. "It was your schemes in Port Royal that failed to deliver her! And now we're back to square one!"
"Aw, come on, Maleficent," Pete spoke up with a hopeful grin. "You still got six of them! You gotta be happy about that!" Maleficent turned and fixated deadly glare on her henchman, and with a gulp Pete backed away. "O-Or not. You know, your choice."
"There is no need to fear, milady," Queen Grimhilde spoke up. "The girl will be yours in due time. Let them have this victory. You will be the one with the last laugh." As the last of Maleficent's off-world allies she was more than willing to kiss up if need be.
"I would be silent if I were you, Grimhilde," Maleficent growled, not even bothering to turn to the evil queen, "because out of all my servants you have been the only one not to prove your worth to me." Grimhilde recoiled as if she had been stung. "In fact, the only thing you have been able to provide me with is this worthless magic mirror!"
"I may be an inanimate object, but I still have feelings," the ghostly face in the magic mirror stated with a bit of a chip on its shoulder.
"Perhaps we should discover where she is heading next?" Nero spoke up. He was standing before the remaining empty coffin, but he turned to speak to the rest of them. "It would better help us to prepare our next move…" The Horned King nodded in agreement. He looked to the shadows of the room, and from there emerged his beautiful but silent apprentice, Rinoa Heartily.
"Do it," he ordered, and with an obedient nod the girl with the angel wings walked towards the Black Cauldron. She placed herself before the bubbling pot, and then closed her eyes. Soon an ambience of light surrounded her, briefly illuminating the chamber as her power grew. Then, she focused it all in the Black Cauldron. Its dark powers and her own combined and soon an image began to form on the surface of the cauldron's brew. Everyone gathered around as the image took more solid form, depicting bright white and blue towers and a garden courtyard.
"Disney Castle?" Maleficent questioned as she stared at the unmistakable castle within the cauldron.
"Again," Nero stated drearily.
"Hey, my old home town!" Pete realized cheerfully looking close into the goo. "Ah, I sure miss the place…"
"How can we be sure this is even accurate?" Grimhilde asked cynically.
"Ms. Heartily is never wrong," the Horned King chuckled looking to his apprentice, who quickly shifted her eyes to the floor. "It was her who led me to the other princesses. If this is where she says Kairi is, then this is where she is."
"Then we're already doomed to fail," Maleficent growled, storming away from the cauldron. "That castle is protected by the very power of the light. Any attempt I've made to invade in the past has been pushed back."
"As have mine," the Horned King admitted as he came to stand behind her, hands clasped behind his back. "Individually, our plans have fallen through when it comes to facing the full-on power of Disney Castle." His decrepit lips formed a sinister smile. "But together, Maleficent, we may finally be able to rid this galaxy of that infernal castle. With our combined forces we can raise a mighty army and-"
"Uh, can I say something for a second?"
Maleficent and the Horned King, as well as every other set of eyes in the room turned to the gargantuan Gantu, who so far had remained silent. "Well, uh, I just think we might be going at this the wrong way," Gantu started, trying to keep his words steady in the face of two omnipotent masters of darkness. "I mean, we've been trying these smash and grab operations for months now, and it's just not working. The girl has eight Keyblade wielders with her at all times now. Eight! Not including herself! We can barely handle Sora, now we gotta take on eight of them?" The Horned King's red eyes narrowed dangerously and Gantu nearly lost his nerve then and there but, to his credit, he kept going.
"All we've been doing is fighting fire with fire, which doesn't make any sense! You fight fire with water, for crying out loud! I j-just think…." Gantu cringed here. "….maybe we can try something else?" The chamber was silent then, except for the shuffling of Pete's feet as he discreetly moved a couple of feet away from Gantu.
"How dare you," the Horned King snarled as he approached Gantu and, despite being several feet smaller than the walking whale, it was Gantu who cowered, "give tactical advice to me? Me, who has conquered dozens of worlds! Who has brought civilizations to their knees at the very mention of my name! Who has-"
"He's right."
The chamber was once again silent, and all eyes turned to Maleficent, and found that a devious smile had begun to form on her face. "Uh, I am?" Gantu dared to ask.
"I beg your pardon?" the Horned King growled to Maleficent, who chuckled at his annoyed look.
"Time and time again we have sent our forces against Sora and time and time again we have met with failure. It's time we realize that simple brute force will not be enough to gain us Kairi." As a plan formed in Maleficent's head she could not help but chuckle darkly. "It's time to be much cleverer. It's time to be much more….devious. And Grimhilde…." The Dark Queen jumped a little when Maleficent suddenly turned to her. "I just thought of a way you can be of use to me…." With those last cryptic words Maleficent started stalking her way towards Grimhilde.
"W-What are you doing?" Grimhilde asked as Maleficent grew closer, and getting no answer the queen started inching backwards. "N-No! P-Please! Milady, don't do this! T-There must be another way I can – No! NOOOOOOOO!"
As the screams of Grimhilde echoed through the castle the Horned King smiled sadistically, Pete and Gantu hugged each other for comfort, and Ms. Heartily, as ever, stayed silent.
KHKHKHKH
"Everything's been prepared for your stay with us, Kairi," Queen Minnie Mouse explained with a bright smile at her houseguest Kairi. After beaming down from the Shera via teleporter, the Keyblade bearers had been greeted by the Queen of Disney Castle herself, along with her attendant Daisy Duck. They were all in the ridiculously spacious throne room, getting the rundown of things. "Sora called ahead and let us know that you were coming. I can assure you, you'll be perfectly safe for as long as you're here."
Kairi smiled in thanks to the mouse Queen. "Thank you, your majesty," she said with a respectful bow. "I appreciate it."
"This place is crazy bright," Jack Skellington observed, this being his first trip to Disney Castle. "It's actually hurting my eyes,"
"You don't have eyes," sonic informed him with a roll of his own.
Jack Skellington blinked. "You just blew my mind…."
"We'll take very good care of you here," Daisy promised with a duckbill smile. "You'll be given your own room, but you'll have free reign to go anywhere else in the castle. You'll be given the best food, the best sets of clothes from all across the kingdom, and be waited on hand and foot. Basically, you'll be treated like a princess!"
"Can I stay here and be treated like a princess?" Jack Sparrow asked hopefully, earning him a few odd looks. "Don't knock it till you try it."
"Thank you. This is great, really," Kairi assured the mouse and duck. "But please don't go to so much trouble for me. I'm not a princess or anything like that. I'm just some girl from an island."
"Nonsense," Queen Minnie told the redhead with another gentle smile. "We both know you're much more that. As long as you're with us, we'll make sure you're right at home." The compliment did indeed make Kairi smile. And though her heart was heavy she kept that smile when she turned to face her friends.
"Guess this is it," she said with a small sigh.
"No it isn't," Beast assured her placing his big paw on her shoulder. "This will all be over and we'll be back before you know it."
"We just have to save the universe first," po recalled, grinning with his hands behind his head. "How hard can it be?"
"I know," Kairi said. "I just want to be there fighting with you guys."
"And we would love that too," Mulan told her with a kind smile, "but Sora's right. It's getting too dangerous for you to stay with us any longer."
"We don't want what happened to Jasmine and Belle to happen to you," Aladdin explained with a touch of sadness on his own part, reminding himself that his wife-to-be was still out there needing rescue.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'd trade places with you in a heartbeat," Jack Sparrow put in with a wry smile.
Jack Skellington kneeled down and gave Kairi and big bony hug. "Take care, kiddo," he said squeezing her light frame tight. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to sing all our adventures to you when we get back!"
"Looking forward to it," Kairi giggled pulling away. She came upon sonic next, and the hedgehog crossed his arms and looked away awkwardly.
"Yeah well," he started, turning his nose up and still not looking at her. "I guess I'll…..miss you too, or whatever." Despite his stubborn and embarrassed goodbye Kairi grinned none the less, and then wrapped sonic up in a hug. "Ah, for crying out loud," he mumbled, awkwardly hugging her back.
Sora watched Kairi say goodbye to all their friends and knew how hard this was for all of them. Kairi had become something of the little sister of their team (or big sister in po's case), and leaving her behind was pretty rough. But he knew this was for the best, they all did. At least, that was what they were all hoping.
Kairi came to Sora last after saying the rest of her goodbyes, and she stood before him, and Sora could see she was trying to keep a strong front. Then again, so was he. For a while neither of them could think of anything to say. And so finally, they hugged each other tightly. "Be careful out there," Kairi whispered.
"I will," Sora promised.
Meanwhile the other Keyblade bearers watched in silence as the two said their heartfelt farewells. "Oh come on, guys," Aladdin muttered out of their earshot. "Just kiss already."
"Give it time," Mulan chided from beside him, smiling as the two teens said their warm goodbyes.
"I don't want to give it time," Aladdin continued to whine. "Today's my day in the pool."
"I've got the second Tuesday of next month," Jack Sparrow whispered to them, having overheard. "No idea why, but that date speaks volumes to me…"
"Next Thursday for me," Beast admitted chiming in.
"Wait. You guys are gambling on this?" po asked in shock, and he received a series of nods from the other Keyblade bearers. "Dude, count me in! Thirty munny they're smacking lips by next Monday."
"I'm surrounded by pigs," Mulan sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, now coming to full realization that she was now the only female on the Keyblade wielding team.
Oblivious to the whole conversation Sora and Kairi pulled away from one another, and once again it seemed like there was nothing left to say. "I guess I'll see you later," Sora said awkwardly.
Kairi smiled sadly. "Yeah…"
Giving back a small sad smile of his own, Sora turned to the others. "Let's go, guys." With a wave goodbye from the other Keyblade bearers, they all of them turned round and headed for the castle exit. Leaving Kairi to Daisy and Queen Minnie, Sora soon turned around as well and, with one less member of their team, the heroes left the-
"WAIT!"
The loud shout from down the hall stopped the wielders in their tracks, and everyone turned around to see none other than Merlin running straight at them. "W-Wait a minute!" he shouted, huffing and puffing, occasionally tripping over his robes as he rushed to meet them. When he finally reached everyone he hunched over out of breath, panting so heavily it was a wonder he was still standing. "Thank….goodness….I caught you," he panted, wiping his brow. "Now…give me a second…."
"Merlin, what's the matter?" Queen Minnie asked the wizard worriedly. Finally catching his breath Merlin stood up straight, though still a little shaken. Clutched in his hands was a small yellow envelope.
"I have a message," he began, and looked squarely at a confused Sora, "for you, Sora. It's from Master Yen Sid!"
"Master Yen Sid?" Sora repeated in surprise.
"What's a Yen Sid?" Jack Sparrow asked, clueless.
"Master Yen Sid is King Mickey's former teacher in the art of Keyblade wielding," Daisy explained, speaking of the man with a sense of awe and respect, "and one of the most powerful wizards in existence."
"What does it say?" po asked a little excited now.
"I'm getting to it! Don't rush me!" Merlin snapped, and opening the envelope he read the letter thoroughly, eyes scanning across the paper quickly while everyone waited on edge.
"It seems he wishes for Sora to travel to a certain world," Merlin read aloud, phrasing for convenience sake. "He says it's a very special world, relatively unknown in a backwater quadrant of the galaxy. It's called…..hmm, not sure how to pronounce this," he muttered to himself. "Dagobah."
Sora blinked in confusion. "Dagobah?" He had never heard of such a world.
"I think I've heard that name before," Queen Minnie muttered aloud, frowning ever so slightly. "I believe the King mentioned it once….
"Why does Master Yen Sid want Sora to go there?" Kairi asked, speaking up for Sora. "What's on Dagobah?"
"I'm afraid it doesn't say," Merlin answered, reading through the rest of the letter quickly. "Only that it is there you will find the answers you seek. Hmm, how very curious."
Sora's mind raced at this new development. He knew they had a job to do; not only having to deal with the Horned King and Maleficent but also the Galactic Empire. Not to mention Xemnas and the all-powerful Chasers. To put all that on hold just to visit a single world for who knows what reason seemed a little unwise. But then again, Master Yen Sid had never led Sora astray before.
"Looks like we're going to Dagobah, guys," Sora told his friends with a grin. At this announcement Kairi turned her eyes sadly to the floor, for even this did not change the fact that her place was now to remain behind.
"Sweet!" Jack Skellington cheered with a clap of his hands. "We can make a day out of it!"
"Road trip!" po laughed through his fists into the air.
"No! No, no, no, no, no!" Merlin suddenly scolded them, pointing his finger at the letter with a stern look. "Master Yen Sid was very clear. This is a journey that Sora must make alone. No one is to accompany him. Not one of you."
"Aw man," po whined.
sonic came to notice the sad look that had come across Kairi's face, and he frowned. "You know," he began, earning everyone's attention. "We could just stick around here, and just wait for you to get back." Kairi's eyes lit up, and she looked at the hedgehog in surprise. sonic actually cracked a smile and gave her a hedgehog eyed wink.
Immediately understanding what sonic was getting at Sora slowly grinned. "What do say, guys?" Sora asked his friends. "Do you mind sticking around a little longer?"
"Hmm, let's see," Jack Sparrow pretended to ponder. "Stay in the big, bright, shiny castle, or go back to a ship where everyone hates me." Jack mulled that little choice around in his mind for two seconds. "Gonna have to go with the castle on this one, I think."
"Sure, I think we can all use some R&R," Mulan agreed with a small stretch of her arms. "As long as Kairi doesn't mind putting up with us a bit longer." Mulan gave Kairi smile as well. The red headed princess nearly burst out laughing she was so grateful. She couldn't ask for better friends.
"Sounds good to me," Kairi soon answered.
"Alright!" po cheered, once again throwing his arms up into the air. "House party!"
"No house parties," Daisy scolded him immediately.
"Aw man!"
"Yes, yes, this is all very touching!" Merlin interrupted marching up to Sora. "But time is of the essence here. Master Yen Sid instructed that you should leave for Dagobah as soon as possible. Here." He handed Sora Yen Sid's letter. "The coordinates are written down. They should take you straight to the planet. After that, I'm afraid you're on your own." Sora nodded resolutely, taking the letter in his hand.
"See Chip and Dale, Sora," Queen Minnie suggested stepping up to the boy. "They should have a gummi ship that you could use. Consider it a gift."
"Thank you, your majesty," Sora thanked the mouse queen with a slight bow, which she returned with a smile. With destination in hand and transport all prepared, Sora was ready for his journey. "Alright, guys. I'll be right back!" he assured and then turned round and started running down the corridor, heading for the gummi ship hanger. "Stay out of trouble till I get back!"
"No!" Jack shouted back with a grin, and once Sora was around the corner and out of sight Jack found everyone else glaring at him. "Oh wait. Was he being serious?" He shrugged. "Oh well, too late to take it back now."
KHKHKHKH
After grabbing a ship from the chipmunk engineers of Disney Castle, Sora was no on his way out of atmosphere at the helm of a standard gummi space craft. Piloting one of these was second nature to him now and he honestly felt most at ease when behind the wheel flying through the stars. "It sounds like I really need to do this, Leon," Sora explained over the ship's communication in connection with the Shera, which Sora safely flew by on his way out. "I left Kairi and the others back at Disney Castle. Do you mind waiting around till I get back?"
"It's not the wisest course of action," Leon grumbled over the radio, and Sora could just picture the look of exasperation on his face. "But this sounds like Keyblade business so do what you need to do. Just hurry back. We need to regroup with the Rebel Alliance and plan our next move as soon as possible."
"You got it, Leon," Sora assured, grinning despite Leon not being able to see it. "Over and out." Switching off the comms, Sora regained his full control of the ship. "Now let's see here," he muttered, pulling out Yen Sid's letter. Inputting the coordinates scrawled across the paper into the ship's navigation, Sora set up his destination in no time at all. "That should do it." With the course laid in, Sora grabbed the wheel and took a deep breath. "Dagobah, here I come."
One press of a button later and the rocket engines burst with power; with a sudden jolt, Sora's gummi ship was sent rocketing across the cosmos at breakneck speed. With the hyper-drive engaged, Sora was quite literally going faster than the speed of light. Stars and planets whizzed past him quicker than he could count them. Sora wasn't sure just how far across the galaxy he had travelled but the trip took about ten minutes in total, and with another jolt his ship dropped out of hyperdrive.
Now that the ship had come to a stop, Sora came to gaze upon the world to which he had been led. It was a relatively small planet; completely green with what Sora could guess was plant life. Sparse clouds dotted the atmosphere. "Guess this is it," Sora muttered to himself as he gazed upon Dagobah. It looked pretty unremarkable from what he could see from orbit. Sora could only guess that he would find more on the surface. Yen Sid wouldn't steer him wrong, right?
Sora looked back at the letter for more instructions. It seemed that he was meant to land in a specific area of the planet, the coordinates for which were also written down. "Here we go," Sora said as he gripped the controls again, and the boy then steered his way down to the surface of the planet.
Upon entering the Dagobah atmosphere, Sora was immediately thrown into the thick cloud cover that seemed to cover the entire world. If it wasn't for the gummi ship's advanced navigation controls Sora would have been flying blind. Thankfully the lack of vision didn't last long and, breaking free of the clouds, Sora came to gaze upon the world below him. For as far as he could see the land was covered in thick, misty, forest. It was a jungle down there. Large trees dominated the landscape, wrapped up in thick impenetrable fog.
Sora narrowed his eyes as he approached his destination and, spotting a clearing not far off, he steered the ship overhead before gently lowering it down. The landing gear extended, and Sora finally touched down on the dark, mysterious world. Taking a deep breath to prepare for whatever came next, Sora pressed the button to open the cockpit.
The humidity hit him almost immediately. Sora breathed in the hot, muggy air of Dagobah and wrinkled his nose. This place gave off quite the smell. He hopped his way out of the ship and landed on the planet's solid ground for the first time, where he quickly took note of his surroundings. Sora had landed in a swamp of sorts. All around him were tall trees with mangled and leafless branches, giving them a slightly haunted appearance. A murky looking bog was nearby, on the surface of which floated a thick fog, leaving it to anyone's guess just what was underneath. The cries and moans of unseen creatures could be heard in the air.
"Not really what I was expecting," Sora admitted to himself as he looked around, swallowing nervously. When Yen Sid said he would find answers here, he was expecting a temple maybe, or even a big computer. This place just seemed…..tainted in some way. "Hello?" he called out amongst the clearing, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Anyone out there? My name is Sora! I was sent here by – YAAHHH!" A massive bat-like creature flew over his head, and Sora nearly ducked. It let out loud howls as it passed on by. So startled was Sora that he nearly stepped on a python, which frightened Sora with an angry hiss before it slithered away.
"Okay, not liking this place at all," Sora grumbled trying to keep from stepping on anymore animal life he might find. His calls seemed to be going unanswered and, much as he didn't want to, Sora decided to push deeper into the forest. Leaving his ship behind, Sora took his first steps on the new world in search of whatever it was he was supposed to find.
"Hello?!" Sora continued shouting as he walked, but still heard no answer. The only things he had seen thus far were more animals with unsettling looking appearances. Lizards with bug wings, monkeys with six arms; he swore he even saw a slug the size of a mini-van. "Is anybody here?!" The further he pushed into the forest, the more it felt like the darkness of this world was enveloping him, drawing him in, deeper and deeper.
"This is stupid," Sora growled to himself. "This can't be the right world. Better check those coordinates again." Sora turned around, intending to go back to the ship, when his eyes suddenly caught something he had missed before.
Within the trunk of a tree covered with thick willowy vines was a cave that looked like it led deep into the tree's base. To the untrained eye, it looked rather unremarkable. But the longer he stared at it, the more Sora felt there was something….unnatural about that cave.
"Hello?" Sora called out to it, starting to walk towards it. "Is somebody in there?" Before Sora knew it he was standing at the entrance to the cave, and he stared inside it, but found it too dark to really see anything. He frowned. Something was wrong. He could feel it. With a determined look upon his face, the Keyblade whisked to his hand in a flash of light. Gripping it in both hands, Sora started his way inside, not knowing what he'd find there.
With each step more careful than the next, Sora made his way through the vine-covered interior of the cave, Keyblade gripped tightly between his fingers. "Okay, I'm in a cave now," Sora muttered to himself, pushing a stray vine aside. "Oh yeah, this is much more productive than trying to save the universe. 'Sora, master of the Keyblade and occasional spelunker'." Despite his skepticism, he traveled further in, expecting to find something, anything really.
Sora suddenly stopped, his instincts taking over when he suddenly felt the presence of someone behind him. He gripped the Keyblade tight, took a deep breath and, with a battle cry, rounded and swung the Keyblade backwards.
Where it collided with another Keyblade.
Sora's eyes widened in horror as he stared upon the armour that belonged to Aradan the Chaser. "YOU!" Sora shouted, pressing his Keyblade against Aradan's massive Armageddon Key. The dark Keyblade bearer stood tall and menacing within the cave, looking down on the boy with his faceless helmet. "What are you doing here?!" Sora yelled, but Aradan didn't answer him. Instead the man broke the lock of their blades, pushing Sora backwards before pouncing on the boy with Keyblade ready.
Sora was there to meet Aradan's Keyblade with his own and an intense duel began within the alien cave. Sparks flew as ancient weapons hammered against each other over and over again. Sora knew that taking the Chaser on by himself was folly, that Aradan was stronger, fiercer, and more skilled than he was. But Sora was done running from these bullies. "Is that all you got?!" Sora screamed, his anger rising as he batted aside Aradan's attacks, ducking and dodging the rest of them. "I'm so sick of you guys!" Knocking the Chaser's next blow aside Sora lashed out with his own, the force of it actually knocking Aradan backwards. "Do you want to kill me that badly?!" Another slash, one that Aradan blocked, but it sent him stumbling backwards. "You want to kill all of us?! I'm not gonna let that happen you traitorous son of a bitch!"
With a hard swing, Sora knocked Aradan's Keyblade out of his armoured hand and with a loud shout he thrust his own Keyblade forward, hard and fast, straight into Aradan's chest. The armour shattered as if it were glass, and Sora's weapon thrust straight through Aradan, exiting the other side, impaling the Chaser to the cave wall.
Still gripping the handle of Kingdom Key, Sora panted for breath, his hair overshadowing his vision. He had done it. It was a long hard fight but he had actually done it. The Chaser was no mor-"
"So…..ra…."
Sora's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. That voice. He knew that voice. But…..it wasn't Aradan's. Sora eyes shot upward to the defeated Chaser, but it was no longer Aradan that was staring back at him.
Looking right at him, with Sora's Keyblade still through his chest, was Riku.
"R-Riku?" Sora whispered in a horror stricken tone. Riku, Sora's best friend from since they were kids, and currently MIA in the galaxy, was now on the other end of his Keyblade, where Aradan had been only moments before. Blood dripped from the mouth of the silver-haired boy and his teal eyes were looking at Sora with an expression of pained betrayal. "N-No…..no….." Sora stammered. "W-What are you doing here?!" Blood spread across the wound in Riku's chest and, in his shock, Sora released the grip on his Keyblade, stumbling backwards, leaving Riku impaled to the wall of the cave. Tears filed Sora's eyes as he watched his friend struggle for life. "I-I didn't…..I didn't mean to..." Sora said helplessly.
"Sora….." Riku gasped in pain, reaching out his arm towards the boy, but Sora could only recoil in horror, unable to grasp what was happening. Soon it wouldn't matter. Riku's bright eyes glazed over, and his arm slowly dropped back down to his side before going limp all together. With final laboured breath his head lolled against his chest, and Riku was gone.
"NOOOO!" Sora screamed as his best friend died right in front of him, blue eyes filled with tears. He collapsed to his knees, pounding the dirt with his fist, howling in sadness and frustration. Tears streamed down his face, and he looked at his trembling hands. They were covered in Riku's blood. "This can't be happening," Sora stammered in a voice barely above a whisper. "T-This can't be…."
"Sora."
Sora's tear filled eyes widened when he heard the gentle voice behind him. He swung around, and came face to face with someone he had just said his goodbyes too. "K-Kairi?" he whispered. Kairi stood there within the cave as well, looking down at Sora, her normally bright and radiant expression now one of sadness and pain. Sora looked down at his blood-stained hands, then over to Riku, still hanging on the wall like a trophy. "Kairi, I-I didn't mean to," he tried to tell her and, in his broken state, he didn't even question how she had gotten here. "I-It was Aradan, h-he was here, I swear! B-But Riku, he..." He looked up and Kairi with tear-filled eyes which begged for forgiveness. "It was an accident….."
"You failed, Sora," Kairi whispered to him, and Sora was shocked at how cold her voice sounded. "You failed Donald and Goofy. They're dead because you weren't there to save them. You failed King Mickey. He wouldn't be in the state he's in now if you hadn't tried to run from your responsibilities." Every accusation was like a dagger in Sora's heart, unable to say a word because he knew in his heart she was right. "You failed Riku." Sora dared to look at his best friend's corpse again. Riku had died by his hand, by his blade. There was no excuse for what he had done.
"And you failed me." Before Sora's very eyes Kairi suddenly burst into flame, and he stumbled back in surprise. The dark cave was lit up by the hot flames that suddenly surrounded Kairi's body and Sora watched in fearful awe as they licked their way across her skin, but all the while she stared at him with her cold, almost lifeless eyes.
"You failed everyone."
With another sudden burst of fire, Kairi was incinerated before Sora's very eyes, the flames devouring her until there was nothing left. Sora made to scream, but as Kairi vanished from existence before him, the fire blazed its brightest yet, and Sora was forced to cover his eyes. When he dared to open them again, he was dumbstruck at what had happened. He wasn't in the caves anymore. He wasn't even on Dagobah. He was back on Destiny Islands, his home.
And all around him it burned.
Sora's tear filled eyes widened in horror when he discovered just where he was. What had once been his hometown was now a blazing inferno. The air was thick with smoke and the sky was as red as blood. Every building, every home, every tree was eaten away by the devastating flames. Even off in the distance, Sora could see the fireball that had once been the island where he and his friends used to play as kids. Everything he knew, everything he loved, it was all gone. He had failed.
He had failed.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The next thing Sora knew he was no longer on Destiny Islands. There was no fire, no Kairi and there was no Riku. He had returned to the mucky and dirty world of Dagobah, on the other side of the cave he had just entered, face down in the muck. He was breathing heavily, his face a cold sweat, and when he blinked he still felt the tears in his eyes. Was it all just a dream? Had what he'd just seen been some horrible vision of the future? What power could have caused him to see such a thing?
Sora's tear-filled eyes widened, and slowly he looked upwards from his position on the ground. There, standing right in front of him, nearly at eye-level with Sora because of him diminutive stature was a small, green alien dressed in a brown cloak. His skin was wrinkled, his ears were long and pointed, in his three-fingered hands was clutched a thick waking stick, and his big brown eyes were filled with a kind of mysticism Sora could not before have imagined.
"To Dagobah, I welcome you," the alien said in a graveled voice and odd pattern of speech, a small and knowing smile coming across his small face. "Keyblade Master Sora."
KHKHKHKH
While Disney Castle may be the most extravagant attraction on its world, it was not by any means its only one. Before its sleek white walls was an open grassy plain stretching for 3 kilometers, which the King Mickey had named Pluto Plains, since the dog of its namesake liked to play there so much. Stretching beyond the Pluto Plains was the town Disney Castle looked over. It was a relatively large but simple village of red-roofed houses and shops, which the townsfolk had named Disney Town. "I've got a craving for some caramel covered mealworms," Jack Skellington requested of a local food stand. "Not too many, mind you, I already filled up on some shrunken heads on the way over here, and I've got some middle-aged lady fingers waiting back on our spaceship." The shopkeeper abruptly slammed the door shut on his stand. "Jack Skellington blinked in confusion. "I'd settle for some Drool-Aid!"
"Okay, we're outside the castle," Beast conceded with his arms crossed. "We're not supposed to be, but here we are. And why are we risking our safety? Why, to try on hats of course."
"Oh, lighten up," Kairi chuckled as she tried on a sunhat from a stand, looking at herself in the provided mirror. "If you think I'm going to stay cooped up in that castle all the time you've got another thing coming. Who do you think I am? Princess Peach?"
"We're just saying," sonic said, green eyes darting back and forth amongst the crowed market. "That Cornerstone of Light thing doesn't work this far from the castle. You're vulnerable out here."
"No one even knows I'm here," Kairi argued, putting the hat she just tried on back in the rack before trying on another. "I mean, how could they?"
"They found Belle," Beast muttered, a look of longing coming across his beastly features. A pang of guilt hit Kairi then.
"Guys, I'm fine. Really," she assured them, facing the both of them. "I just want to have a bit of fun before I'm put under house arrest. Is that too much to ask? Once I'm done, I'll go back to the castle, no problem. Deal?"
"Fine, just make it quick," sonic sighed in defeat. "I'm not gonna be caught off guard just cause you wanted to buy a hat to impress Sora." Kairi turned bright red at the hedgehog's comment.
"T-That's not true!" she snapped, much to the amusement of both Keyblade bearers then, realizing they were just teasing her, she sighed. "By the way, since when have you guys done this whole bodyguard thing?" Since they left the castle both had been hovering around her like two demonic sentinels, their frightening visage scaring off just about anyone with a fifteen foot radius.
"Since it was decided that the existence of the universe hinged on your safety," Beast answered as a matter of fact. Kairi rolled her eyes.
"I can take care of myself, you know. Keyblade warrior, remember? Both of you go have fun. Maybe do some shopping?" Beast and sonic looked at each other, and both of them shrugged.
"Fine. But not because you told me too," sonic stated. "Now if you'll excuse me, those chili dogs have been calling my name all day." sonic and Beast then went to the nearby food stand, leaving a relieved Kairi to her own devices.
"Can you believe the price of this thing?" Jack Sparrow complained as he held up a King Mickey bobble-head before Mulan. "Absolutely outrageous! What does it do? It bobbles. That's all. It's not gonna get up and dance for me or sing me a sonnet. It's gonna sit there and it's going to bobble. Never in a million years would I buy something like this!" His rant ended with Jack quickly pocketing the toy when the shopkeeper wasn't looking.
"Then why are you stealing it?" Mulan asked in exasperation.
"I said I would never buy it. Never said I didn't want it. This will look great on the Pearl!" Mulan rolled her eyes as she followed Jack about town, more to keep an eye on him than anything else. Allowing him to steal a toy was a small sacrifice if it meant he didn't get into any worse trouble.
"Can I ask you something?" Mulan requested of Jack as they walked through the streets of Disney Town together.
"It's funny how you still think there are boundaries between us," Jack contemplated, taking his rum bottle and taking a quick swig of it. "You do realize you killed me, right?"
"Fair enough," Mulan conceded with a nod, taking the morbid comment in stride. "Why did you decide to come with us again?" At her question the pirate choose to stay quiet, but Mulan would not be brushed off. "There was nothing to gain from it. You had your ship, you had your crew, and Davy Jones was dead. You could have just stayed on your world, far away from all of this. But you didn't." She looked at Jack, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact. "Why not?"
"I believe I already told you all that," Jack finally answered flippantly. "You'd all be lost without Captain Jack Sparrow at your side. Who else would fill the role of drunken compatriot?"
"Interesting theory," Mulan said with a sarcastic drawl. "Now here's what I think." She looked at Jack with a twinkle in her exotic eyes. "I think you would have missed us."
Jack blinked. "Beg pardon?"
"You didn't want to leave because you know you would have missed us. You may have joined us just to escape from Davy Jones, but somewhere along the line you actually began to care."
"That's stupid," Jack scoffed waving his hand dismissively. "You're stupid."
"When we started to go, you were awfully quick to jump on board again. I don't think you wanted to be left behind. I think you actually wanted to be part of something that was bigger than yourself." Mulan placed herself in front of Jack, stopping the pirate captain in his tracks. "You're a better man than you give yourself credit for," she told him.
Jack stared down at her for a spell, contemplating her words, before he suddenly pulled out a fresh purple plum from his pocket. "Maybe you're right, love," he said before biting into the fruit. "Then again," he said with a mouthful of plum. "Maybe you're not." He then tossed the plum to her, and despite her surprise Mulan caught it in her hands, leaving Jack to walk right past her down the street. Mulan watched him go in silence, and a smile came across her face.
"Hey!" came a shout from behind her, and Mulan came face-to-face with an angry shop clerk. "You gonna pay for that plum?" he demanded, pointing at a pile of plums at his shop cart. Mulan's jaw dropped. She looked at the plum in her hands, a very obvious bite out of it, then looked back for Jack, but saw he had already slipped away into the crowd. Mulan sighed helplessly as she reached for her wallet of munny.
"Hey. Check this thing out!" po laughed as he held up a mask that was made in the image of Sora himself. The panda held it up to his face. "Look at me, I'm Sora. The original Keyblade wielder," he said with his best Sora impression.
"Nice," Aladdin chuckled as he thumbed through some literature, some of which concerned information on other worlds. "Why don't you buy it?"
po turned out his pockets to reveal them empty other than for a small moth that promptly flew off. The panda grinned sheepishly and Aladdin rolled his eyes. "I'll buy it for you," he relented.
"Wow! Really!?" po asked excitedly and, with a nod, Aladdin took the mask and went with it to the cashier. "Wahoo! Thanks man! I can't believe it! No one's ever offered to pay for something for me!"
"Seriously?" Aladdin questioned as he gave the store clerk some munny. "Your parents never bought you things befo-" It was then Aladdin realized his mistake, and he silently cursed himself before turning to po, who looked away awkwardly. "Sorry, I…I heard about your situation."
"It's cool," po replied with a shrug and a smile. "The way I see it, we were pretty much in the same boat."
Aladdin smirked. "Yeah, I guess we were. I never had anyone growing up either."
"Yeah, but you found your dad, right? That's pretty cool!"
"Yeah, my dad: the King of Thieves." Aladdin chuckled and shook his head. "That's a real great role model, there." He smiled regardless. Despite his dad's faults it was truly good to see the man after so many years, and hoped all was well back on Agrabah. "Who knows? Maybe you'll get to see your own dad someday."
"Doubt it," po said without hesitation. "I don't even know who my real parents are, or if they're still alive. And even if they were, why would they want to see me now? I'm just a panda who's destined to be the dragon warrior." po's eyes fell downward and, with a shrug, he said, "Why would they want to abandon a panda like me?"
Aladdin looked at po with a sympathetic expression, knowing exactly what the panda was going through. With the mask now purchased he handed it to po and then, to the panda's surprise, put a hand on his shoulder. "If Jasmine and I ever have kids," he told him. "We'll be lucky to have one like you." po looked up at Aladdin and grinned in thanks.
"Aw, look at you two bonding!" Jack Skellington gushed after appearing with them so suddenly, a bag of tomatoes in one of his bony hands. "It does my heart good to see that, despite all our hardships and worries, we can still come together and get along on an emotional level." He pulled a tomato out of his bag, revealing it to be quite rotten. "Can you believe they were just going to throw these away?" And he took a large bit out of the decaying fly-ridden fruit, much to the disgust of po and Aladdin.
Kairi had just finished up at the hat rack, not finding a suitable enough chapeau for her taste. "How many people in this town wear Donald Duck hats?" she muttered to herself. Deciding that it might be time to go back to the castle after all she was about to gather up her friends but, before she could go off and do that, something caught her eye.
Not far off, Kairi spotted what looked like an old woman kneeling on the ground, trying to save a collection of apples that must have fallen out of her hand basket. She was dressed in an all-black cloak, the hood of which was pulled over her head. "Oh dear," she heard the woman saying as she tried to pick up her many red apples. "Have to get these off the ground. Who's going to buy dirty apples that have been on the ground?" Despite her obvious distress no one seemed to want to help the old woman. Kairi frowned at the sight and without hesitation made her way over.
"Excuse me?" Kairi greeted upon reaching the old woman. "Do you need some help?" At Kairi's kind voice the old woman turned, and Kairi got a full look at her. She was quite a bit older looking than Kairi expected, with a long hook nose at the end of which was a wart. Long grey hair fell past her shoulders. Her eyes were wide and wild looking and, when they looked upon Kairi, her mouth expanded into a smile, revealing quite a few missing teeth.
"Why thank you, deary," the old woman said graciously in a raspy voice. "That would be most kind of you." Still smiling kindly, Kairi knelt down to help the elder pick up the remainder of her apples, placing each one she found back into their basket. "I was just trying to sell some of my apples, you see," the old woman told Kairi as they searched. "I must have tripped on something in the street, and took a bit of a tumble, and all my apples spilled everywhere. Oh, it was quite the mess."
"That's awful," Kairi replied sympathetically, placing another apple back in the basket. "I can't believe no one was helping you. People are usually so nice here."
"Not everyone is as kind hearted as you it seems, deary." Soon all the apples had been gathered up again and placed in the basket. Kairi then helped the old woman up to her feet and handed her the refilled basket. "Thank you so much. I know you have better things to do than to help a poor old woman."
"It was nothing," Kairi assured her with a smile. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, no. You've done quite enough already. Oh, but I might have something for you." The old woman reached into the recesses of her cloak, and when she withdrew it clutched in her bony withered hand was a bright shiny red apple. "Take this," the woman said, extending the apple out for Kairi, a smile on her face, "a little something for your trouble."
Kairi looked at the apple offered. It looked quite fresh, and it wasn't one of the ones that had fallen to the ground either. Still…something wasn't right. "N-No thank you," Kairi insisted with an apologetic smile. "I was just trying to be helpful is all."
"Oh, please. I would feel just awful if I didn't give you at least something!" the old woman pressed, almost thrusting the fruit onto Kairi now. "Do take it. I insist…." Now feeling pretty guilty over refusing the offered gift Kairi looked at the apple again and, with a thankful smile, took it from the old woman. "Now eat it up! It's the freshest apple I have. I just want to see your face light up when you take that first bite."
With the apple in hand Kairi looked down at it, and with a forced smile the girl lifted it to her mouth, and from there took one single solitary bite. The apple was indeed as sweet and juicy as the old woman promised, and gulping down the remainder of the bite Kairi smiled in satisfaction. "Mmm," she expressed wiping her lips. "That was actually pretty-"
The apple dropped from Kairi's hand.
A strange feeling suddenly washed over the redheaded princess, one she felt deep in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong with her; she felt it almost immediately. Whatever strength she had seemed to drain out of her body with every passing second. "Is something wrong, my dear?" she heard the old woman say, but her voice seemed to be miles away. And that's when Kairi realized how dizzy she had become. With blurred vision Kairi looked upon the old woman and, under the black hood, she could see her wicked smile. "Are you not feeling well?" Just how stupid could Kairi have been? This was a trap!
Kairi tried to run, but her legs had turned to jelly; she could barely stand let alone flee. When she tried she nearly fell over, but managed to lean against a nearby table before she could. She tried to call for help, but found she could not speak. In fact, she could hardly breathe. She was in such a state of weakness she could not even muster the focus required to summon her Keyblade. In short, Kairi was helpless.
"Don't worry, Princess of Heart," the old woman cackled as Kairi's vision began to dim. "When you awake; if you awake, the galaxy will welcome you as the one who brought about its new order." Whatever spell had taken hold of Kairi was winning the fight. Her strength was nearly gone, sapped away by dark magic. Her eyelids grew heavy and began to close, and finally her legs gave out from under her and Kairi fell into a deep, deep sleep.
Sora…..
The old woman immediately caught Kairi before she collapsed to the pavement, supporting the princess' entire weight. With a victorious sneer she started to drag the limp girl to a nearby alley away from prying eyes, slipping in between the buildings before anyone could notice.
She had done it. She had really done it. What countless other villains had failed to do Grimhilde had done in an afternoon. She had captured Kairi, the final Princess of Heart. The plan may have seen Maleficent strip Grimhilde of her once fair beauty in order for it to work, but if that was the will of her mistress, then so be it. After all, once Kairi was put to use, they would live as gods.
"Milady," Grimhilde whispered to an unseen force as she dragged Kairi deeper into the alley. "I have the girl. She has been pacified as instructed. We need transport out of here before-"
"HEY!"
Grimhilde stiffened, and turning around she saw the source of the furious shout. There stood the Beast and sonic and the entrance of the alley, and neither looked too happy. It was Beast who had shouted and, when he laid eyes upon Kairi's unmoving body in the old woman's arms, he saw red. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" He slammed his fist into the adjacent building, smashing a good portion of it to rubble, and Grimhilde froze up with fear.
Swiftly she whipped a small dagger out from her cloak and held it to Kairi's throat. "Stay back!" she demanded, pressing the blade against the sleeping princess' bare neck. "Stay back or I'll slit her throat!"
"Put it down, love!" Grimhilde rounded again to behind her, where she found Jack Sparrow and Mulan blocking her escape route. Mulan had her Keyblade out, and Jack was pointing his pistol straight at Grimhilde. "No one has to die here. Just let the girl go and we all walk away, savvy?"
"Speak for yourself," sonic snarled as his own Keyblade materialized.
"I mean it!" Grimhilde shouted even though her fear was quite evident as the dagger shook in her hand. "I'll kill her! I swear I'll kill her!"
"No you won't!" came the shout from another connecting alley, where emerged Aladdin and po, both of them wearing angry expressions, cutting off yet another possible escape route. "Cause that would ruin all your plans, wouldn't it?" Aladdin demanded, whipping out his Keyblade. "Can't open Kingdom Hearts with a dead princess, can you?"
Grimhilde looked between them all with panic. They were stepping closer to her with every second that passed, with her not making good on her threat. A shadow suddenly descended on her, and to her surprise and horror she found Jack Skellington balancing himself between the alley walls from above, his skull twisted into an angry scowl, looking like he was the spirit of vengeance himself. Grimhilde was utterly trapped from all angles. The only reason they hadn't jumped her yet was their concern for Kairi's life and that Grimhilde might actually make use of that knife. Which actually might not be a bad idea. After all, she was dead either way; might as well take the girl with he-
A sharp stabbing pain suddenly shot through Grimhilde's chest, and her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. She screamed bloody murder and actually ended up dropping both Kairi and the knife to the pavement. So sudden and horrifying was her scream that the advancing Keyblade bearers actually stopped in their tracks, looking at each other, perplexed as to what was happening. "N-No! P-Please milady!" Grimhilde begged as she clutched her chest, her face awash with fear and pain, but whoever she was speaking to could not be seen. "I-I can still do this! I can still be useful! I…I…ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!"
The old woman spontaneously combusted with green flames, and the Keyblade bearers all stumbled back in surprise, some of them covering their eyes from the intense brightness that now filled the alley. Grimhilde screamed as the flames spread across her, consuming her almost instantly until there was nothing left but ashes, and a cold dead silence.
The Keyblade bearers were left stunned over what they had just witnessed, but it was Mulan who snapped out of it first, rushing past Jack to Kairi's side and kneeling beside her. She took the unresponsive red head in her arms and held her ear over her mouth. "She's not breathing!" Mulan declared in a panic as the others joined her.
"Is she-?" po started worriedly.
"No," sonic immediately stated, checking her pulse. "Her heart's beating; she's alive."
"What did that witch do to her?!" Aladdin shouted as he kneeled beside Kairi as well.
"We'll figure it out later," Beast said stepping up. "We need to get her back to the castle! Now let's move!"
"Double time it, mates!" Jack Sparrow ordered as he hurriedly picked up Kairi in his arms. "Move it like you're getting paid for it!"
KHKHKHKH
Maleficent watched in anger through the magic mirror as the Keyblade bearers hurried Kairi off to Disney Castle. Her latest plan had literally gone up in smoke. "Useless witch," she spat.
"Now we do things my way," the Horned King grumbled beside her. On the bridge of their massive floating castle the sorcerer stepped away from the magic mirror and headed to Gantu and Pete at the controls. They turned away from their screens when the Horned King stepped up. "Set a course for Disney Castle," he ordered them. "The princess is now vulnerable. The time to strike is now. We will end this once and for all!"
The Castle that Never Was now set off on its new destination through the darkness of space, drifting silently with a sinister purpose. For better or for worse, it was all going to end….
And that concludes another chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews, adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt, turn it into a webcomic or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!