Chapter 139

The Second Star to the Right

Kairi posed in front of the full-length mirror in her room, admiring her new clothes once again. Edna Mode had designed for her a pink, sleeveless, hooded dress with black shoulders, pockets, and hood interior with two rows of silver buttons down the front. She had her chest-length zipper opened, exposing a white undershirt with a pink hem. There was a black ruffled pattern on the right side of the dress' skirt and a black, pink and white plaid pattern on the left side. She also wore a silver Power Band on her left wrist, a set of three white bracelets crossed over one another on her right wrist, and a belt around her waist through loops on her dress. She pulled her hood up over her head, admiring the black cat ears that were sewn on top, and clicked the heels of her new black combat boots against the floor.

According to Edna, her clothes, as well as Riku's, had the same material properties as Sora's, both in terms of physical resilience and comfort as well as magical defense and adaptability. As Edna and her design team were not wizards, Yen Sid provided the enchantments that were necessary to provide what Edna's science could not.

Hearing a knock, Kairi turned to see Aqua standing in the doorway. "We're about to get going," the bluenette reported.

Kairi nodded. "Alright. I'll be right up," she replied.

She followed Aqua up to the cockpit, where the rest of the party was already gathered. Donald sat in the co-pilot's chair, with the book about the Duat sitting in his lap, while the others stood around him, examining the list of "Dream Pool" locations.

Riku wore a light grey V-neck t-shirt, a black, hooded, short-sleeved jacket that was left unzipped, dark blue cropped trousers, a pair of black, elbow-length, fingerless gloves, and a pair of black high-top boots. The jacket and trousers had extended hems with a checkered pattern. He had a large black belt around his waist and three smaller belts around either thigh. There was a yellow stripe on either shoulder, gold buttons on the jacket's lapels, and a large pocket on either side of both the jacket and the trousers.

"Remind me of our first step, again," Kairi requested.

"Well, Master Unei wrote that the Duat guides a heart through planes of existence that cannot be reached in physical manifestation," Donald recapped. "It takes the heart through the fields of concepts that most people consider abstract, which may be featured more prominently depending on what is most significant to the heart at the moment. There's innocence, truth and madness, memory, time and concepts associated with particular points in time—"

"I made a note of Halloween Town and the woods with the holiday trees on my chart," Jiminy interjected.

"Right. Then there's the Akasha—"

"Past, present and future blended together," Kairi recalled. "I suppose that oracles are connected to that in some way, given their visions of the future."

"We could ask Hercules about that if we need to," Goofy suggested.

"And Naminé said that she might be able to help us with the memory part if we need it."

"Great. Then there's fear and desire, then relief, a safe zone securing the heart from trauma in the waking world, and death," Donald finished.

"Uh, let's not explore that last one unless we absolutely have to," Sora said nervously.

"Fair. Although, Shibuya could be helpful with that," Riku pointed out.

"True. Especially considering the Reapers' omniscience," Sora agreed.

"In order to follow the Duat, I think it's best to start at the beginning: innocence," Donald said. "I don't recognize some of the names that Unei listed as Dream Pool locations; the names probably changed a few times over the millennia. But I think we all know the first one. 'An isle where innocence lasts forever, a haven for children who dream of adventure. Its magic fueled by belief, it services children who believe that anything is possible.' Our first stop is Neverland."

"Hey, isn't that where Peter Pan is from?" Sora asked.

Aqua nodded. "It will be great to see him again," she said.

"I remember when you met him on that pirate ship," Kairi said. "I was still in your heart, but I was a little more lucid than usual since I was so close to my body."

"Yeah. Maybe Tinker Bell can sprinkle us with some pixie dust so we can fly," Sora suggested.

Kairi clapped her hands together. "Oh, that sounds like so much fun!" she said excitedly.

"Well, looks like we have our heading, ha-ha," Mickey said. "Buckle in, everybody!" He hopped into the pilot's seat while Goofy took the gunner's chair. Donald closed the tome and slipped it into a cubby under his seat. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Aqua sat down in the passenger seats, and everyone strapped themselves in. After setting a course for Neverland, which appeared near the far right end of the map, Mickey gunned the engines and began the flight.

After disembarking, they found themselves in a gully surrounded by hills, with paths leading them in multiple directions. A stream ran through the area, the water level low enough to walk through with ease. They took a moment to take in the sounds of nature while listening for any sign of human life that might direct them to a familiar face.

"Hey, Aqua, do you have any idea where we might find Peter?" Sora asked.

Aqua nodded. "He and his friends could be anywhere on the island right now, but I do know where their hideout is. We can wait for them there," she said. She started to lead them down one path, but hesitated. She turned around a few times, trying to decide on which path was the right one. Giving up, she chuckled sheepishly. "Uh, I guess I don't really remember my way around here."

Sora let out a laugh and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's an island. As long as we don't walk into a death trap like quicksand or a sinkhole, whichever way we go should lead us to something useful," he assured her. He paused for a brief moment. "Are there any natural death traps around here?"

Aqua shook her head. "None that I've seen."

"Alright, then. Come on! Off we go!" Sora began to march down one of the paths, beckoning his friends to follow.

After walking for an hour, they found themselves on a cliffside path that overlooked the sea. Grass grew along the cliff and against the rock wall while the path remained bare. At a point where the path turned sharply around the rock, Sora noticed something lying in the dirt.

"What's this?" he wondered aloud as he approached what appeared to be a rolled up sheet of paper. He picked it up and unrolled it, revealing a map of the island with a dotted line and an X drawn over it.

"Almost there!" he heard a voice shout.

"I'm gonna be the leader!" another voice cheered. Sora looked around for the source of the voices, as did his friends as they caught up to him. They seemed to be coming from the other side of the cliff face that the path curved around.

"No, me!" two identical voices argued. Sora, Donald and Goofy leaned over to peek past the cliff face and finally identified the speakers. Running up the path was a group of six boys, all dressed in animal costumes. One was a tall, thin boy with sandy blond hair who wore a red fox costume. There was also a tubby boy with dirty blond hair who wore a brown bear costume and a large backpack. Right behind them were two identical twins with brown hair, who both wore raccoon costumes. Another boy, roughly the same height of the twins, wore a rabbit costume that went surprisingly well with his buck teeth. Trailing behind all of them was an even younger boy wearing a skunk costume. The boys in the rabbit and skunk costumes had their hair covered by the hoods of their costumes. They all had a scabbard at the hips of their costumes, with cutlasses or dirks sheathed within.

Seeing that the new arrivals were all kids, Sora chuckled and stepped out to greet them, with his friends following suit. When the boys saw that Sora was holding the map, they slowed down to a walk and slumped a bit. "Aww…" the fox and bear boys whined. "I wanted to lead the expatition," the bear boy complained.

"Expa...tition?" Sora parroted, confused.

"I think they were going to go on a treasure hunt," Goofy said.

"Oh. Is this yours?" Sora asked the boys, holding the parchment out to them.

"Pan said that whoever finds the map first gets to lead the expatition," the fox boy explained.

"Oh, right! This is just like when I was here before," Aqua said. She bent over and offered the boys a smile. "Hi there. How are you?"

The boys looked up at her uncertainly, not recognizing her for a moment, before something finally clicked in their memories. "Oh, hi Aqua!" the bear boy greeted.

"It's good to see you again. Is Peter around?" Aqua asked.

Before any of the boys could answer, a loud, triumphant yell echoed around the mountain. "Coodoo-kadoo!" the voice crowed. Everyone looked around and up to find the source of the voice and saw a figure appear from over the top of the cliff. The figure dropped through the air, though it was more of a controlled descent than simple falling, and landed gracefully in front of them, his hands resting on his hips. The newcomer was a lithe boy who appeared to be around fifteen years of age. He had brown eyes, short red hair, and pointed ears. He wore a light green, short-sleeved tunic, olive-green tights, a green bycocket hat with a red feather stuck in the left side, sienna-colored moccasin shoes, and a brown belt that held a dagger on the right side. The boy offered a mischievous yet friendly grin.

"Well, men, looks like you found the map," Peter Pan, the boy who would never grow up, said. "So, who will be leading us on our expatition?" The boys, the Lost Boys who live in Neverland under Pan's leadership, all pointed to Sora. It was then that Peter finally noticed the newcomers. "Ah. Hey, there, Sora. Long time no see!"

Sora grinned. "Good to see you, Peter," he replied, shaking hands with Pan. "So, this is Neverland, huh?"

Peter nodded. "Yep. Island of endless adventure, where children dream and you never have to grow up if you don't want to." He looked around at the rest of the party. "I see you brought Donald and Goofy, and some other friends. Oh! And Aqua! Wow. It's been quite a few adventures since I last saw you. Hmm… Sora's grown a bit, but I think I met him after you. But it doesn't look like you've grown much."

"I was in a place where time passes at a much slower rate than in other worlds. I lost track of time, but I've probably only aged a few months rather than the twelve years that passed for everyone else," Aqua explained.

"Uh-huh." Despite his affirmative response, Peter did not seem to fully grasp what she was saying. He shrugged, giving up on trying to understand, and turned to face Riku, Kairi and Mickey. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Peter Pan. And you are?"

"I'm Mickey."

"I'm Kairi. I was on the pirate ship when you met Sora, although my heart wasn't with my body and I was unresponsive."

"I see. I thought you looked familiar," Peter replied. He turned to Riku. "And you?"

"I'm Riku." Riku took a deep breath before continuing. "Listen, I'm sorry about the trouble I caused helping Captain H—"

"Put 'er there!" Peter said cheerfully, holding his hand out toward him.

"Huh?" Riku was taken by surprise; he was not expecting Peter to simply "forgive and forget" his transgressions. He ultimately decided that it was not something that he had to worry about, so he simply shook Peter's hand. "Um, nice to meet you."

"So, what brings you to Neverland? Did you come to join the expatition?" Peter asked.

"Well, not exactly. Though it would be fun to join in," Sora replied.

"Really? Well, then what caused you to come?"

"We're hoping to find a way to help Ven," Aqua answered. She explained what had happened with her friend and why they were following the River of Dreams.

"He's been asleep for that long? Funny. Tink said she coulda sworn she saw Ven some time ago, but if he had come here after getting stuck asleep, he'd probably be a Lost Boy now," Peter mused. He shrugged. "We can worry about that later. Come on, Sora. You have the map. Now lead the way. First stop is Mermaid Lagoon, where we'll meet up with all the rest."

"All the rest? How many Lost Boys are there?" Aqua asked, perplexed. She only recalled meeting two the first time she was in Neverland, but had decided not to bother asking where the others had been at that time, given how distorted Peter's perception of time seemed to be.

"Seven, counting me," Peter replied casually, without appearing to acknowledge the point of confusion. "Well, let's go!"

Sora nodded. "Okay. Um…" He looked at the map again and cased the terrain. "That way?" he asked, pointing the way that the Lost Boys had come. Peter nodded. Sora grinned. "Okay. Hup two!" He led the group down the path.

The lagoon was dotted with rock formations that rose out of the water. More rock formations appeared at the edge of the lagoon, partially enclosing it and separating it from the sea. A group of mermaids laid on or tread around a rock, splashing each other. They waved when they saw Peter.

On the nearby shore, the party saw a group of kids consisting of boys and girls of varying ages, although there did not seem to be any who were older than twelve. Unlike the Lost Boys, they all wore pajamas, as if they were ready for bed rather than an adventure exploring a remote island. A shimmering ball of light floated around them, shaking violently in front of one boy in particular, who had a look of shame on his face, as if the ball of light was scolding him for something.

"Ten-hut!" Peter shouted, getting the children's attention. They all excitedly ran up to gather around him. "Today, we will be going on an expatition around Neverland. Only the bravest men around will even have a chance of surviving the dangers that we are sure to face. Are you ready?" The kids all cheered. Peter grinned. "Great to hear. We have a special treat for you on today's expatition. Some old friends of mine came to visit, and one of them will be leading us today! Men, I'd like you to meet Sora, Donald, Goofy, Aqua, Riku, Kairi, and Mickey."

The kids swarmed around to greet them, and the party was happy to say hello. At their introduction, the ball of light noticed them and, recognizing a friendly face, flew over and floated around Sora. When it had gotten close enough, Sora could make out the tiny figure of a slender young woman with blue eyes, shoulder-length golden blonde hair tied up in a bun with a blue ribbon, a green strapless dress with a miniskirt, a pair of green flats with white puffballs on the toes, and a pair of clear butterfly wings. The fairy, ecstatic to see Sora, spun around and poked him playfully on the nose.

"Hey, Tink. Good to see you," Sora greeted. Tinker Bell, Peter Pan's fairy companion, jingled happily. Although Peter and the Lost Boys could understand her fairy language perfectly, it was incomprehensible to most people. Sora, Donald and Goofy had figured out the meaning of some of the things she would say due to spending a few weeks with her accompanying them after their first meeting, and Sora had become a bit more familiar on the occasions when he would summon her and Peter to help in a fight (it appeared as though the fairy language was not something that the Keyblade could translate on its own). Still, he did not need to understand much of her vocabulary to get a good idea of what she meant with this gesture.

"Hiya, Tinker Bell," Goofy greeted, giving her a wave. Tinker Bell spun around and jingled. Donald said hello as well, but rather than reply in a friendly manner, Tinker Bell dropped onto his bill and bounced off like a springboard, causing his head to shake. Sora and Kairi, as well as some of the Lost Boys and other kids, laughed. Donald glared at the fairy, who was also laughing at her own prank.

"It's good to see you again, Tinker Bell," Aqua said. Tinker Bell stopped when she heard the voice and turned to Aqua. Kairi, standing next to Aqua, smiled and waved cheerfully. Tinker Bell, however, jumped around and jingled angrily, taking everyone by surprise.

"Tink! What's gotten into you?" Sora asked. Aqua tilted her head to the side, wondering what could have offended the fairy so. Kairi raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Sorry about that," Peter said. "Tink's always like that around other girls. Well, except other fairies. I don't get why."

Kairi giggled. "She said that doesn't like 'these girls' with her favorite boys. Aw, that's sweet," she said.

Everyone, including the obnoxious fairy herself, stared at her in disbelief. "You… understood what she said?" Sora asked, not familiar enough to understand what phrase the fairy's jingling had conveyed.

Kairi shrugged. "I guess. I could hear it perfectly," she replied.

"Huh. Weird," Peter remarked. He shrugged. "Oh, well. Come on, Tink. Can you at least try to behave, please?" Tinker Bell crossed her arms and pouted in his direction.

Kairi maneuvered around so that she and the fairy were face to face, and she smiled at her. "It's really nice to meet you properly," she said. "Thank you for helping Sora out so much."

Tinker Bell softened and seemed to regard Kairi with less hostility. She floated around her, jingling curiously. Kairi giggled. "I'm sure it's tough when he doesn't seem to acknowledge how you feel," she said empathetically, replying to whatever the fairy had said. "And it might not be easy to make new friends or open up to others when most people won't have any idea what you're saying or feeling at first." Kairi held her hand out and let Tinker Bell stand on her palm. Tinker Bell jingled again. Kairi giggled. "I forgive you."

"Well, would you look at that?" Peter mused, impressed. "Well, now that we've got that out of the way: Sora, would you care to start the expatition?"

Sora nodded, but paused. He turned back to Tinker Bell. "Hey, Tink, you think you could sprinkle us with some pixie dust so we can fly?" he requested.

"Fly?!" one of the kids parroted in amazement.

"We can fly?" another asked. He jumped, but failed to get far off of the ground.

"Sure. Anyone can fly here in Neverland," Peter explained. "It just takes a little bit of faith and trust—oh, and pixie dust, too. How about it, Tink? You ready?"

Tinker Bell nodded and jingled, then flew all over the place, flapping her wings rapidly to shake pixie dust off over everyone. They all felt warm and tingly where the dust touched their skin. After a moment, the tingling sensation faded, and they felt the same as they had before being exposed to the fairy's dust. The children looked up at Peter and Sora expectantly, wondering if there was something else they had to do before they could fly.

"I'll show you how to do it later," Peter promised. "Right now, are you ready to go, Sora?"

Sora nodded. He opened the map up and read it. "Alright, everyone. According to the map, our first point on the 'expatition' is Blind Man's Bluff. Who's ready for an adventure?" His question was met with excited cheers from the Lost Boys and the other children. "Okay, then. Follow me, and stay close." With that, he set off, leading his friends and the enthusiastic children on their merry quest.