Yikes, sorry for the wait, I just finished finals and this chapter was a hard one to write. I am posting this as a reward for myself for finishing school for the semester.
Still, it's not super exciting, and I feel like I didn't do a good job writing it, but it is necessary, and the next chapter should be a lot better. This is where we get to see more Sora and Conan interactions though, so that's nice! I feel like I could have done better though… I would also like to apologize beforehand if this chapter feels too much like a novelization, that was not my intention but I also wanted to keep the same story beats so it might feel that way–
I would personally like to thank the singular KH2 manga that I own for helping me out on this chapter.
Reviews:
ConeWithAKey: KEYBLADE HERO THREE! I love your username(s) btw they are peak and I love how you changed it to go with the story— Anyway, in another universe, in another life, these Mickey and Conan would have been GREAT together, I agree! I would actually pay to watch a detective show with the two of them starring.
The Shield is a good guess! I won't reveal what the pick is yet, though ;) And one is not a true Keyblade Wielder if they have not experienced Donald's infamous not-healing skills! Also, I'm glad you like the Keyblade! I'm also quite proud of it.
Disclaimer: I do not own either Kingdom Hearts or Detective Conan.
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Chapter Summary: Sora wasn't sure what to make of the new kid with a Keyblade, but the king had asked them to take care of him, so he was going to do his best. First things first: to say hi!
In other news, naps do not magic away magic bullshit. Conan can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing.
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Chapter 4: We're Off to See the Wizard (I Guess)
Sora watched as the king disappeared in the distance. He almost couldn't believe it had happened, that the king was here, but seeing the relieved faces of both Donald and Goofy? He knew it had to be real.
Still, his voice was a bit unsure as he asked, "That was the king, right?"
He didn't even have to wait for his friends to verbally answer him to know that it was, not with the growing smiles on their faces. Their faces were the most excited and hopeful Sora had seen from them ever since they had all woken up here, and Goofy exclaimed, "Yep, that had to be him! No doubt about it!"
Donald slumped in place, probably tired from the fight, but Sora could tell that he was happy too. "He's okay!"
Sora grinned. "And if the king is okay, then that must mean Riku's okay too!"
The king had been trapped in the Realm of Darkness after Sora and the others defeated Ansem at the end of their last adventure, and Riku had been trapped with him. He was the only one who could close the door on the other side, but Sora had promised Kairi that he'd bring him back home anyway. Because really, what would home be without both of his best friends there with him?
So seeing the king, and knowing that Riku had to have escaped the Realm of Darkness with him? It immediately lifted a heavy weight from Sora's heart. It wasn't anything for sure, since, well, they haven't exactly seen Riku yet, but he just had a good feeling.
If anyone could escape from an evil, supposedly inescapable place, it would be Riku.
Distracted by his thoughts, he almost didn't notice the kid they had saved swaying where he was standing. Luckily, Sora noticed before he fell over completely, and he caught him easily.
The kid (Conan, King Mickey had called him), was breathing heavily, and his eyes were scrunched in pain. Not that Sora could blame him. The poor kid was absolutely covered in cuts from those weird monsters they had fought, and some of them looked really bad.
He shot a worried glance at Donald, who wasted no time in casting a Cure spell on Conan.
It was no Curaga, but the green glow did a good enough job fixing up the worst of his injuries. Honestly, Sora was glad that Donald was able to even use the spell in the first place. Considering that the duck currently only had Thunder as an alternative and Sora had nothing, it would have been scary to think what they'd do if they hadn't had Cure at all.
They had a few Potions on them, but they had all agreed that they'd save them for emergencies until they could restock.
As soon as the Cure spell had hit, the boy's expression almost immediately smoothed, and his breathing evened out. Good, it seemed like he was feeling better already!
Still… he felt himself frown as he looked down at Conan's small frame. This kid… he had held a Keyblade in his hands. A Keyblade! He didn't even know it was possible for there to be more people out there who could use it.
Sure, King Mickey had one, but it looked kinda the same as Sora's so he thought it had been an exception. And the Keyblade Riku had had was Sora's, and then it was Ansem using the Princesses' hearts to make one, so he really hadn't thought much about there being more Keyblades out there.
Leon had said it was a burden he hadn't wanted Sora to carry. Heh, maybe the guy would eventually get his wish and get one too, if there were actually multiple out there and this kid got one.
He kinda understood what the older man had said about the Keyblade being a burden, though, as the kid stirred in his arms. He didn't look much older than he and Riku had when Kairi had first arrived on the Islands, and that had been ages ago.
He was so small.
Conan finally shifted, a groan escaping him as he started to feel the effects of the healing spell. The boy's eyes opened, and, as they met Sora's, they widened in surprise. Sora gave him his most reassuring grin. "Morning!"
The boy froze at his greeting, but then he looked down and must have realized that Sora was holding him up, as he quickly made his way out of the teen's arms. The moment he let go and tried to steady himself on solid ground, he stumbled again, but Sora once again reached out his hand to steady the boy's balance. He succeeded, though he received a half-hearted glare for his efforts.
Sora didn't let go again, though. "Sorry about that. Your name's Conan, right? My name's Sora! And over there is Donald," he pointed at the mage who was currently digging through their items, probably for an Ether. He then pointed to Goofy. "And that's Goofy!"
Goofy waved at Conan, smiling. "Nice to meetcha!"
The kid nodded, but he remained silent, his expression twisted in a way Sora couldn't recognize. He frowned. "Are you ok?" he asked with worry. Cure wasn't very strong, after all, and it's not like it did anything to help fatigue… and Conan looked absolutely exhausted.
Was the younger boy worse off than he thought? Maybe it'd be worth it to bring out one of their Potions. And maybe force Donald to split his Ether with him. He was sure the duck wouldn't mind—
Donald glared at him as if he could read Sora's thoughts (Sora sometimes thought he actually could; he was scary like that). As if to confirm his suspicions, Donald then gulped the Ether down in two seconds flat, not even leaving a drop for the tired kid.
Of course, that was their last Ether, too.
Donald was unfortunately saved from Sora's own glare by Conan's answer to the teen's earlier question. His voice was quiet and shaky, instantly setting off alarm bells in Sora's brain. "I'll be ok."
The boy was still leaning against his outstretched arm, so he doubted it. "Are you sure? I could carry you—"
The look that Conan gave at the offer was, for lack of a better word, absolutely murderous. Sora immediately shut up. How could a little kid be so scary?!
Conan used the resulting silence to speak again, though his voice still wavered. "I'm sure. The station is right there, anyway." He waved weakly in the direction of the large clocktower towering over them. "Mickey told us to go there, right?"
Sora blinked. He did? Then, he remembered. "Oh, yeah! We're supposed to go to the station! Come on, guys!" He grabbed Conan's arm and excitedly dragged him to the station, almost missing Conan's "but that's what I just said…" comment. He ignored it in lieu of making sure Donald and Goofy were following behind him, which they were even if they were scrambling to get everything together as they rushed to catch up.
Once they got inside, Sora looked around in awe. The town's station was absolutely huge! Sure, the place had nothing on Hollow Bastion's castle, but that was a castle. This was a train station! It helped that people were actually in it, walking around and buying tickets and chatting.
The place had the same kind of warmth and familiarity that the rest of the town did. It almost felt like home.
The feeling was amplified as he once again met the three teens he had talked to in the alley earlier, Hayner, Pence, and Olette. They told him that they came to see him off, as if they were old friends and hadn't just met each other half an hour ago. Sora smiled. They seemed like good people, and good friends. If only he could have stayed there longer…
Still, he thanked them and then got out the bag the king had given him to pay for their tickets. There was more than just Munny inside, but based on the chime that had gone through the station only a moment before, he kinda had to focus on that later. And when Olette commented on how the bag he had matched hers, he found it kinda weird, but maybe they were made by the same people or something.
"Three–" Conan tugged on his arm. Sora sheepishly laughed. Whoops. "Sorry, four tickets please!"
However, as he turned to walk toward the train, he got a weird feeling and stopped. He frowned. "I can't help feeling like we won't see this town again…" Even as Donald and Goofy reassured him that he was overthinking it and that they could always come back later, Sora found his gaze looking down at Conan, who looked back at him with an understanding look on his face. Did he feel the same way?
Come to think of it, did Conan live in Twilight Town? What about his family, and his friends? Or was the younger kid prepared to leave, unlike Sora when he had first left the Islands?
Either way, he hoped Conan would be alright.
The group made their way to the train, which happened to be the only one in the station at the moment. It was bright and purple unlike the trams that ran through the town, and the Hayner and the others looked a bit surprised at its appearance. It definitely had to be the right one then.
He nodded to Donald and Goofy that he was ready to go, and the two went ahead of him as they boarded. However, before Sora could lead Conan in, Hayner called out to him. "Sora, hey…" He looked confused. "Are you sure we haven't met before?"
Sora thought about it. He was sure he would have remembered these guys if he had met them before. They were really nice, and he's sure he would have been good friends with them if they had met. Still, they were familiar in the way only an old friend could be, but Sora shook the thought off. It's not like they were from Destiny Islands. "Positive. Why do you ask?" But he couldn't keep the waver out of his voice even as he said it.
Hayner grinned and shrugged, though he looked just as unsure as Sora felt. "I dunno."
Sora smiled back, but… why did he still feel so sad, like he was saying goodbye to old friends that he wouldn't see again for a long time? His heart ached.
The trio looked at him in shock the moment he felt the tear fall down his face.
Even as he reassured them that he was ok, that he didn't know what came over him, they still looked worried as they saw him wipe the tear away. He tried to laugh it away, but it came out sounding wet and shaky.
Luckily, the others smiled back at him, and he was struck once again by how warm they were. Sora grinned and gave them one last wave, turning towards the open train door. "See ya!"
Hayner and the others waved back. "Come back anytime!"
The door closed behind him as he stepped in, and the train wasted no time in moving forward. Conan, who he had forgotten about till now, gently removed Sora's hand from his arm and made his way to the bench across from Donald and Goofy. He looked a bit better, since he didn't fall over on the way to the seat, but he still looked pretty beat.
Before Sora joined them, he looked out the window towards Hayner, Pence, and Olette, trying to get one last glimpse of them. Hayner and Olette had stayed in place, their hands still waving towards him. Pence was jogging next to the train with a smile on his face, also waving, though he quickly fell behind as the vehicle picked up speed.
Sora smiled at them, hoping they saw it, and then they were gone as the train finally pulled away.
The train car was soon filled with golden sunlight as it left the station, and Sora found himself looking at the view of Twilight Town through the window. Seeing the sun set over the warm town somehow made him feel nostalgic, and, suddenly, he remembered the small orange bag that King Mickey had handed him.
He quickly dug through it, and inside…
It was a blue glass orb, small enough to fit easily in the palm of his hand. Almost out of reflex, Sora held it up to the sun filtering through the window. The moment the sunlight touched it, it shone beautifully, the reflection of it glinting off the walls with a cool tint, and he stared at the sight in awe. It's beautiful…
It was a sight that would be (was already) forever cemented into his memory.
He took in the view in amazement for another moment or so before the town flashed away behind them, being replaced by starry, aurora-filled skies as far as the eye could see. It was a pretty sight, something that Sora had never seen before, but, somehow, it didn't even compare to the memory of a blue reflection surrounded by warm sunlight, his dearest friends by his side…
Sora carefully placed the orb back into the bag and placed it into his pocket, and he finally made his way towards the middle of the train where everyone was sitting. He was going to sit next to Conan, but, as he neared the kid, he stopped in his tracks, unsure if he should bother him.
Conan didn't notice Sora's indecision, too busy pouring water over some of his cuts and wrapping them up in white bandages. He had a whole roll of the stuff, complete with scissors to cut how much he needed, which both came from a small white box he had placed next to him. Sora watched, entranced, as he professionally wrapped the large cut on his ankle, hardly even flinching at the pain.
The kid continued in that manner for a few minutes, using the roll of bandages for his few larger injuries and placing band-aids on any of the smaller ones.
Whenever Sora had a decent number of gashes like that while they were low on Potions, he usually just tried to grin and bear his way through it…. What Conan was doing was probably a lot better. And a lot smarter.
The way Donald looked at him with one eyebrow raised, as if asking why don't you that, told him that he agreed. He sighed. Not all of them could be geniuses at non-magic first aid, Donald!
Sora looked back towards Conan, only this time the boy was staring at him, the roll of bandages clasped loosely in his hand as he held it out towards Sora. He was looking towards Sora's arms, where he had taken most of the hits from those monster guys back in Twilight Town. "You need some? I can wrap it for you if you don't know how."
Sora sat next to Conan and held his arm out, and the kid wasted no time with the bandages. When it came to injuries, Sora had definitely been better off than Conan had, most of them being minor grazes, which he was pretty used to powering through anyway. It was really the exhaustion from fighting that had gotten him down before, but that didn't mean that the injuries he did have didn't hurt.
Usually, he'd use Potions to help him out, but they hadn't had a lot of Munny to get much in Twilight Town, and he wasn't sure when they would be able to get some more later. So, pushing through it it was.
Conan sprayed something on his cuts, and it kinda stung, but he seemed like he knew what he was doing so there was probably a good reason for it. Probably. The pain didn't last long, though, and before he knew it, everything was bandaged and covered up. He was sure that, even if they did have to fight, it'd take a whole lot for everything to get undone. In fact, he felt better already! "Woah… thanks!"
Donald and Goofy seemed similarly impressed, if their amazed expressions were anything to go by. Especially Donald, who seemed to have already gained a newfound respect for the kid. Man, if Sora had known that this was what made the duck like people, he really should have learned this earlier… "Hey, you're pretty good at that!"
Conan shrugged, though must have been a little embarrassed since he slouched a bit in his seat and looked away. "I've done it a lot, so I'm kind of used to it."
Sora nodded. He seemed pretty experienced! Maybe he'd ask Conan to teach him at some point? Mostly to get Donald to stop yelling at him for ignoring his injuries… The younger boy made it look pretty easy, so it couldn't be too hard, and he couldn't be a worse teacher than Donald.
He missed the concerned glances Donald and Goofy gave each other at Conan's words.
Anyway, there was something else he had been wondering about though. "Hey, Conan? Are you from Twilight Town?"
The boy looked at him in confusion. "...The place we just came from, right?" Sora nodded. Conan frowned, and he took a moment to answer. "Um, no, I'm not from there. I came with Mickey on the train, so it was my first time there–"
Wait, so that means–! "You know the king? That must mean you know Riku!" Sora leaned forward in excitement.
To his disappointment, Conan shook his head. "Sorry, I don't know anyone named Riku. I just met Mickey today… Last night…? Last night," he finished, though the frown on his face had deepened.
Sora slumped in defeat. "Aw man… do you know where the king came from, at least?"
"Nope, sorry. He was already on the train when I got on, and he didn't say anything except that he was going to go help you guys."
Donald quacked in surprise. "He came to help us?"
Goofy hummed and put his finger under his chin in thought. "Huh. I wonder how he knew?"
Sora sighed. "I hope that means Riku's okay…"
The knight gave him a soft smile. "Aw, don't you worry about anythin', Sora. I know for a fact that Riku's just fine! He's your best friend after all, and I'm sure he's doing all he can to get back to you and Kairi."
Donald added on, "Maybe if we see His Majesty again, he'll know where Riku is."
Sora looked at his two friends, hope building up in his chest. "Yeah. You're right! Thanks Donald, Goofy. I'm gonna make sure I find him no matter what."
"And we'll be with ya all the way!" "You got it!"
He looked at them in shock. "You guys want to come with me? I know you were trying to find the king…"
Donald glared at him, as if offended. "Of course we're coming with!"
Goofy nodded at him, his smile growing larger. "Do ya even have to ask?"
"You guys…" Sora felt all mushy again. "Then, time for one last journey together!"
The three laughed together, and Sora was happy that he'd be able to travel with Donald and Goofy again. Sure, when they had first set out together, he hadn't gotten along too well with them, especially Donald. It had taken them a long time to trust each other. Even after that whole thing with Riku and the Keyblade, when they had left him for his friend… in the end, they had protected Sora, even if it meant possibly betraying their king.
It felt relieving, knowing that he'd have them watching his back once more.
As the laughter died down, Sora spent the wait on the train talking with his friends, reminiscing about old adventures and old friends, wondering where their journey would take them this time.
At some point early on, Conan had fallen asleep next to him, his small figure leaning against Sora's to keep him from falling over completely. Sora smiled and made sure he didn't move around too much to keep from waking him.
The kid deserved the rest.
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It was one of those rare days where Shinichi and Sonoko were walking to school together alone, an awkward space in between them that Ran would usually occupy. Their footsteps echoed loudly across the oddly empty street, the silence stretched by their best friend's absence.
Shinichi couldn't remember the last time he and Sonoko had been left alone together for so long. It felt sacrilegious, almost, to walk together without her. Later on in the day, they'd probably be able to adjust and get back to their usual stabs at each other, but so soon after realizing that they'd have to get through it without Ran left them both floundering. She was the one that had brought them together in the first place, after all.
He could tell that Sonoko felt the same way he did, with her steps coming off as almost robotic and her brows furrowed deep in both thought and frustration.
Well, as long as she didn't throw that frustration straight at him, they'd survive.
Just as he thought that, Sonoko stopped, though she continued to have that odd expression on her face. Shinichi frowned and turned his head to her. "Oi, Sonoko, come on, we're gonna be late." She didn't respond. "Sonoko?" He snapped, "Hey, this is no time for daydreaming!"
Sonoko finally looked back at him, giving him her usual glare. "Be quiet, I'm thinking!"
He waited for her a moment to see if she'd say anything else, but even after a couple of minutes, she stood silent with her eyes pointed towards the ground blankly. Shinichi sighed. Sure, the two never got along as well as he and Ran, and ,sure, they never went a full minute without an argument blowing up between them, but she was still one of his childhood friends, and he still (reluctantly) cared about her wellbeing. "Sonoko, is everything okay?"
He could hear the hesitation in her voice, even as she asked, "…hey, Shinichi? What are you most afraid of?"
What? "What?"
Sonoko scowled at him, her expression disgusted as if she was talking to an idiot. "Ugh, you heard me! Just answer the question!"
"You're just asking me so that you can try to scare me with it later. I'm not falling for that," he dryly responded with a roll of his eyes.
"I'm serious. Look…" she gave him a Look that meant he needed to shut up and listen. Shinichi usually only listened to it half the time, but this time seemed important. "I promise I won't use this against you or anything, I'm just curious. So stop stalling and answer already!"
He raised an eyebrow at her. She lasted for all of five seconds before she relented. "Fine! I just wanted to see if you're scared of something stupid like fish or something, since you seem immune to the things that people are usually actually scared of like, oh, I don't know, death and murderers! I figured it'd have to cancel out somehow. You're really far too reckless for your own good, you know, you're going to worry Ran half to death!"
Shinichi scoffed, but he didn't call her out on her reasoning. She knew that he knew that she cared, whether she openly admitted it or not. And sure, he didn't have to answer, and he was positive she actually would use the information against him at some point, but she seemed oddly serious about this and genuinely curious.
He supposed he could humor her just this once.
To his surprise, it didn't take long for him to find an answer.
"I guess what I'm most afraid of… is becoming a different person." Sonoko gave him a confused look. He elaborated. "I know who I am. You and Ran and my parents know who I am. If I ended up becoming someone so different that you all wouldn't even recognize me? I don't think I'd be able to live like that. There's only one truth, and I want to remain true to myself, the one who has you and Ran as friends, the 'geek' who idolizes Holmes, and the person who's never failed to solve a case.
"I don't want to change from that." After all, if Shinichi was none of those things, then who was he? Who would he be?
He really didn't want to know.
A beat of silence passed. Two. Three. Three moments of blessed silence reigned between them before Sonoko busted her guts laughing at him, holding her stomach in pain.
Shinichi gave her his most withering glare, but all it did was cause her to stop laughing for a moment to answer him.
"You? Change? Ha, I was right, I've never heard anything more stupid in my life!" She slapped his back, still giggling. "You could never change that detective geek brain of yours, even with all the money in the world! You'll always be Shinichi, whether I like it or not," she huffed, clearly not impressed.
Despite her rather insulting response, though, Shinichi still found her words reassuring. If even Sonoko, who infamously argued with him every chance she got, was so confident that he'd always remain true to himself, then maybe he had nothing to worry about after all. He opened his mouth to respond, but he was immediately interrupted by the ringing of the school bell off in the distance.
Sonoko paled. "Shoot, come on you idiot, run!"
He didn't need to be told twice.
Shinichi completely forgot about the conversation until a few months later, when he was looking at a reflection of himself through a building's dark glass, seeing someone small and unrecognizable and not him on the other side.
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Conan woke up with a groan. He felt sore and exhausted and overall just terrible. What the heck did he do last night…? Wait, was he sitting somewhere?
He groggily opened his eyes, and, in a flash, everything came back to him. He groaned again, except this time it was out of exasperation.
There sitting across from him was the anthropomorphic duck and dog that had introduced themselves to him earlier. Goofy had procured a crossword puzzle from somewhere, and Donald was yelling some of the answers at him. Neither had noticed him waking up.
Good, because Conan needed a minute or sixty to get his brain back in gear.
Ok, so. Recap. Supposedly, Mickey was Donald and Goofy's king (that made an unfortunate amount of sense…), and he has been missing or gone for a while? While Sora was searching for a friend who had also gone missing and had been with Mickey for an undetermined amount of time.
The town that they had left was called Twilight Town (and really, what sort of town was named that? Conan was pretty familiar with Japan, and he was sure he would have heard of a town called Twilight Town at some point in his life. Where the hell had they been?). Sora, Donald, and Goofy were the friends that Mickey was trying to help. And now they were back on the train heading somewhere.
He just wished he knew where somewhere was. He hoped it would be to go back home, but somehow he doubted it.
Oh, yeah, and he couldn't just forget about what had happened in between getting attacked by those weird things and actually getting on the train.
First, he got covered in a green light by something the duck did. Which, ok, weird, but it was at least probably kind of explainable. The thing that really killed his brain though was the fact that he suddenly felt better. Sure, the pain hadn't completely disappeared, it still hurt, but to suddenly have that pain lessen instantly set off alarm bells. Especially from things that had hurt as much as those silver beings had.
To look down to find that the worst of his injuries had healed up significantly was, to put it lightly, freaking insane.
Yeah, he had been officially done at that point.
Still, he didn't allow himself to get too close to Sora, even if the teen seemed too pure-hearted and naive to take advantage of him. Conan had some self-respect, thank you very much. He didn't need to be carried by a complete stranger.
He did have to begrudgingly accept the guy's arm as a pseudo crutch though. But that was all he was going to give him.
The three teens they had met at the station had seemed nice, even if he wasn't sure why they weren't freaking out like he was at the anthropomorphic animals that accompanied them. They did seem to have met them earlier though, so maybe they had their freak out at some other point.
When Sora was saying goodbye to them, Conan stayed. Just because he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it to the train bench without falling over. Totally not because it looked like the kid needed support or anything. Still, their goodbyes were pretty heartwarming, but it made him feel a bit bad for staying since it felt like he was intruding on the moment.
No one ended up saying anything about his presence though, so it was probably alright.
Ignoring Sora's death wish by remaining standing in the train while it was moving (the blue marble Sora had held up to the sunlight was pretty, though… at least it didn't glow like some gems), Conan took the opportunity to sit down and assess his other injuries. Sure, they had gotten healed somehow, but not everything was and he needed to get those cuts cleaned and disinfected anyhow.
Maybe he had just been imagining things and he just actually hadn't been as injured as he thought (his brain had hissed its disagreement, but he steadfastly ignored it along with all of the other weird and hopefully-explainable things he had experienced today).
He pointedly ignored Donald and Goofy's appearance across from him and used the first-aid kit that had been packed into his bag to wrap himself up. It wasn't hard, he was pretty used to it, but he felt fairly awkward knowing that the two were staring at him throughout.
Luckily, Sora had chosen the right time to come up to him, since Conan needed the distraction and he felt like he owed the teen a decent patching up, at the very least, for helping him out and saving him earlier.
He was surprised that the interrogation came as late as it did, but it seemed that Sora wasn't too interested in finding out Conan's personal life story, so it was fine. He was worried about Donald and Goofy looking suspiciously at him after he noted his experience with first-aid, though.
Damn it, he was slipping up on his kid act.
Then again, he should be excused for it, considering his life right now.
So, knowing that he deserved the rest, he took a nap. Look, he'd been up much longer than he had planned, he should have been at home safe and sleeping hours ago, and he needed to be well-rested for whatever bullshit was going to happen next.
Or maybe he'd get lucky and he'd wake up to the anthropomorphic animals being gone and he'd be back at the Mouri's.
Of course, the first sight he saw when he woke up were said anthropomorphic animals. He sighed.
"You alright?"
Conan looked to his right, seeing Sora giving him a concerned look. This close, he could tell that Sora didn't seem exactly normal either. The kid had the spikiest hair known to mankind, and it somehow looked natural. That's not even counting the fact that he had had a weird key weapon too…
Keyblade…
Ugh, his head hurt. But he powered through it and gave the teen a smile that he hoped was reassuring and bright. "Yep! The nap helped." And really, it had. He felt more rested and energized than he had when he had first entered the train back in Osaka, but it was likely only a couple of hours. He needed some real sleep if he wanted to get back in top shape.
He inwardly prayed that it would be soon.
Sora smiled back. "Good!" He waved to his friends across the way. Conan internally sighed. "Guys, look, he's awake!"
Donald had been busy climbing over Goofy to point something out on his crossword when Sora called out to them. They froze for a second, looking every bit like the cartoons they were (holy shit what was his life) before Donald started yelling at Goofy again. "You woke him up, you big palooka!"
A blink. "I did? But Donald, weren't you the one yelling at me?"
The duck screeched. "That's because you won't listen to me when I say the answer is—!" What came after was completely unintelligible. See, if magic was real, why didn't it come with free subtitles?
(Making jokes about magic now? Conan was screwed.)
Goofy looked as confused as he did, and he pointed down to his paper. "Huh? But Donald, the answer to that one is 'gravity,' right?"
"That's what I said, you big dummy!"
Conan sweatdropped. They sure were an interesting duo… Sora seemed happy and nostalgic watching them fight though, so he supposed it was likely a common occurrence.
Before it could escalate any further though, the train started slowing down, and the sky outside once again flashed white. Conan looked out the window once it died down, and the sky had changed a bit. It was still night, but the aurora had disappeared, and he could just barely make out a hint of yellow creeping up from the bottom, almost as if it was nearing sunrise. It would have had to be a couple of hours at most; there was no way it had changed from sunset to sunrise so quickly. In fact, the fact that it was sunset when he had arrived in Twilight Town was another thing entirely. What was going on?
Another quack from Donald interrupted his thoughts. "Wak! We're here! Come on, Goofy, you can finish that later!"
Exiting the train, the group of four found themselves on a small, elevated piece of land. Like, really elevated: it almost looked like an island floating above the clouds below. Despite it being clearly night time though, the area was surprisingly well-lit and they would have no trouble traversing the short space to reach their destination. Which was likely the tall, yellow tower sticking out of the ground not too far away.
It looked like one of those very cliche magic towers from those fantasy movies. Conan prayed for his sanity.
Before the group could move too much forward though, the train flashed white behind him. What was it with things flashing white around here? When the light disappeared, the train was gone. Poof. Non-existent. The tracks were empty as if the train hadn't been there in the first place.
Sora laughed nervously. "Well, there goes our ride…"
Good to know that Conan wasn't the only person that didn't like this. Damn it, that train was his only ticket back home! Sure, Mickey had said that he'd get answers here, but he didn't trust the cartoon mouse as far as he could throw him (which is to say, not much at all, despite the mouse's size). Maybe he should have just stayed on and it would have taken him back home…
(Or maybe he would have disappeared with it, never to reappear. He involuntarily shuddered at the thought.)
Guess he had no choice but to follow Sora, Donald, and Goofy to the tower. They better hope that someone's home, since he didn't see how else they would be getting out of here.
It only took about a minute to reach the doors, but it looked like someone else had beat them to it, already looking through the crack between the doors to see inside. Conan couldn't see any of their defining features at this angle except for the fact that he was larger-bodied than any of his current companions. Based on his outfit and build though, he would bet his entire life savings that it was another cartoon character. What did he do to deserve this, really? What did he do, walk into an alternate dimension where cartoons were real the moment he walked on that train?
He might as well have, with the amount of magic bullshit he was seeing.
The four stood there for a moment in surprise before Donald spoke up. "What's going on?"
The person didn't turn around to look at them, still looking through the doors in search of something, though he did answer them with a chuckle. "See, I sent some of my lackeys inside. I heard the guy livin' here is a real mighty sorcerer, someone who'd make a fine Heartless once I get my hands on him."
"A Heartless?!" Donald and the rest of the trio shifted in place at the words, as if ready to jump him. Ok, Conan didn't know what a Heartless was, but surely it wasn't enough to just straight up attack the guy?
"Yeah, that's right! A Heartless, the darkness that comes out of folks' hearts." What. "Why, once I get an army of them, I'll be able to help Maleficent conquer everything!"
At this, the trio relaxed their stances and gave each other conspiratory glances as the guy continued to monologue. Oh, so now they relax when someone announces they want to take over the world with someone? Then again, the stranger didn't seem very strong or influential. He couldn't imagine how he'd be able to conquer anything.
"And since I've got a debt to pay, I'm goin' around different worlds to build up that Heartless army for her!" An army? Of… the darkness in people's hearts? And– wait, did that guy say different worlds? With a plural 's'?That's it, this guy was officially delusional. "Anyway, why am I talkin' to you? I got stuff to do, so scram!" The stranger waved them off, still not even bothering to look at them. Rude. Sora seemed to agree.
"No."
"No? What do you mean–" The guy finally turned around and, yep, Conan called it, it was another anthropomorphic animal, except this time he couldn't even tell what kind of animal this guy was supposed to be. A bear? Cat…? "YOU!"
This was just a multiverse of cartoon animals that could talk and all knew each other, wasn't it? This was like Conan's own personal nightmare. Donald and Goofy glared at the newcomer. "Pete!"
Well, at least Sora seemed about as surprised as he did about their acquaintance.
Pete pointed at them accusingly. "What are you two bozos doing here?"
Donald crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing. "We could ask you the same thing."
Goofy continued. "Didn't His Majesty banish you to another dimension a long time ago?"
"It's all thanks to the great Maleficent! She busted me out, see? And that means that your world, and all worlds, are gonna be conquered by yours truly! With Maleficent's help, of course."
This time, Sora grinned, looking just this side of mischievous. Donald and Goofy matched his grin as they looked at each other. "Maleficent? She's toast."
"WHAT?!" Pete narrowed his eyes in suspicion for a moment, and then he gasped, his scowl deepening. "So it was you!"
Sora put his hands behind his head, still looking smug. "Maybe."
Conan sure hoped that they were talking about getting this 'Maleficent' arrested and not openly admitting to manslaughter in front of a child.
The guy growled in frustration. "Agh, come on out, Heartless! Go get 'em!"
At his command, the shadows moved around them, becoming weird little creatures that would almost be cute if they weren't so unreal and twitchy and had the most uncanny glowing eyes. At least they weren't as creepy as those silver guys… Conan shivered. Still, he didn't like these things either; he couldn't shake off the feeling that they'd have no qualms in tearing him apart.
Without hesitation, Donald and Goofy pulled out their weapons, a shield and staff respectively, and Sora brought out his Keyblade in a flourish of light not unlike the way Conan's weird key weapon had. Speaking of, he wondered what happened to it, since he didn't bring it with him on the train…
As if it heard his thoughts, the Keyblade appeared in his hand again, glowing the same way as Sora's. What the hell. Seriously. Conan was pretty sure he wasn't able to summon giant key swords before, so what changed? Maybe it was the stupid train's fault… he should have never entered it in the first place.
"Conan!"
Conan snapped out of his thoughts and slashed the Keyblade in front of him, successfully slicing through the shadow that had leaped at him. He scowled. Right, self-defense now, worry about all of the weird things happening around him later.
Luckily, there weren't too many of the shadows, and Sora and the others seemed like they knew how to fight them. The enemies also seemed somewhat weaker than the silver enemies had, their movements slower and their smaller bodies going down in less hits than their shinier counterparts. Conan still had difficulty fighting them off, though; he didn't have a lot of reach since he had shorter arms, and he couldn't dodge some of their scratches too well either. It didn't help that he didn't have much experience with sword fighting in the first place, most of his knowledge coming from what he knew as a detective and from also watching Hattori's kendo matches. And, unfortunately for this particular moment, watching was not the same as doing.
Luckily, the other teen with a Keyblade stayed near him and easily fought off whatever Conan couldn't, and in no time, the shadows were all gone, only wisps of darkness returning to the dark corners of the ground or disappearing into the sky. As if that wasn't creepy.
Pete looked a bit scared now. Sora held out his Keyblade, ready to fight, though Conan thought it was unnecessary. "So, mighty Pete," he started sarcastically. "Who lives in this tower, anyway?"
"Why, old Yen Sid, of course! What, you don't know the guy?" He scoffed. "Bah, it doesn't matter, he'll be a Heartless soon enough!"
"Wait, Master Yen Sid lives here?! Goofy!" Donald exclaimed to his friend, suddenly excited. He immediately ran up the steps to the tower to make his way inside, not even bothering to knock.
Goofy started to follow behind, though at a slower pace. "Master Yen Sid, huh? Who woulda thought!"
Both Sora and Conan were confused again. Conan wondered if maybe Sora wasn't so used to this magic stuff after all, if only a little more than Conan himself was. "You know him?"
"Yep! He helped train the king!"
"Woah! Sounds pretty strong!"
The two ignored Pete's fuming as they walked inside, and Conan had to jog to catch up to them. Seriously, were none of them worried about the guy ambushing them from behind or something? Sure, he didn't seem very strong, but it's not like it hurt to be careful.
He supposed he had nothing to worry about, since the door automatically shut and locked itself behind them. He would say it's convenient, but that also meant that there was no way out for the time being, either. If he took all the most cliche tropes into account, this 'sorcerer' Yen Sid would be waiting for them at the top of the large tower. And Pete had said he had sent lackeys inside to recruit him into his weird army.
Conan had a feeling it wouldn't be so easy to reach the… he shuddered. Wizard.
Then again, who knows, maybe he wasn't actually a wizard and it was just a phrase to describe a wizened old man (no, he was not in denial, what are you talking about? He'd just believe it when he sees it, that's all).
The small group took some time to patch themselves up before they continued up the long set of stairs rising up through the tower. At least, that's what Conan thought, before they entered a doorway and found themselves on a floating staircase with several other staircases floating above them.
He didn't get a lot of time to think about it before more of those shadows appeared.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy made quick work of them, as there were fewer on the staircase than there were outside, but Conan kept a careful eye out in case one of them tumbled over the edge, even as he batted away the couple of enemies that got near him. Really, who made floating staircases and didn't even bother to put railings? Someone who didn't care whether people died falling off it, that's what.
The first door they entered led to a large, empty room, with another door at the end. However, both doors shut closed and shone with a weird looking light as more monsters appeared to attack them.
Conan grit his teeth as his blade cuts through another shadow. Just don't think about it, just focus on surviving…
Sora and the others plowed through them with ease, even though there were more of the shadows (Heartless?) than there were before. Their movements were practiced, precise, and he realized that they actually were likely used to fighting these guys. Against the things that attacked them in Twilight Town, the way they fought was hesitant and unsure, opponents that they had seldom encountered.
Here, they seemed to be in their element, rounding the shadows up like they were nothing.
After defeating them all, they quickly moved on to the next staircase (that had more shadows on it), and then on to the next room. This one had a different enemy waiting for them that almost looked like one of the shadows wearing armor.
Conan continued to struggle while Sora was forced to defend him. The new enemies proved to be stronger than their shadow counterparts, as he felt his muscles wavering as he blocked another one of their kicks. A bunch of them had arrived into the room and everyone was working to pick them off.
What were these things, anyway? They seemed alive, but they also didn't… at least they were very obviously not human, and the way they disintegrated made them seem more like weird illusions rather than things capable of harming them.
They were more hostile than anything or anyone he had ever seen, anyway.
It took a bit, but eventually they were all defeated too, and the path was open for them to continue. However, Conan noticed Sora's frown as he lowered his Keyblade. The boy spoke. "Why are there still Heartless around? We defeated Ansem, right?"
Donald fumed. "All there are is Heartless around here!"
Defeated? Ansem? Goofy noticed his confusion. "Oh, right! Ansem was the bad guy controlling the Heartless." He placed a proud hand on Sora's shoulder. "Sora here defeated him real good, and the worlds got restored!"
Sora tapped his foot. "But if the Heartless are still here, then are the worlds not at peace after all?"
There was that word again. Worlds. And it was mentioned that this Ansem was 'defeated,' and he didn't think it was through a game. Conan sighed. Regardless of that, though, if he pretended that all of this was as real as Sora and the others believed it to be, then he might actually have some insight. "Maybe some other guy took his place? Did he have an apprentice or anything? Like that Pete guy, he said he can control the Heartless too, right?"
"…He was controlling Riku for a while, but Riku wouldn't go back to him, not unless something happened." Sora seemed confident that his friend wasn't the cause. Conan wondered what he meant by 'control,' though… Maybe through manipulation or blackmail? If he wanted to follow Sora's logic, he'd say mind control, but it's probably not (he hoped not).
Donald huffed. "And there's no way Pete's powerful enough to control all the Heartless." He stomped his feet in anger. "This is all so confusing!"
Goofy smiled. "Then I guess it's a good thing we'll be seein' Master Yen Sid soon! I'm sure he'll have some answers for us."
Sora nodded. "Right."
The group then made it to the next set of stairs, and it seemed to be the last. It was a straight shot towards the next door, and there were no other floating stairways above them either.
More 'Heartless' appeared about halfway up, but once again there weren't a lot. Conan stayed back once more to let Sora and the others handle them (he really wasn't feeling too great at the moment. Was it because his whole world view was getting tilted on its axis? Or whatever caused this whole hallucination in the first place? Or maybe it was his blood loss getting to him… he didn't think he was that injured, but it's been readily established that he doesn't exactly feel or process things the way others do.
Other people blamed his gravitation towards murder cases, but the truth is that that's just who he is.)
As the last of the shadows were defeated, Conan wondered if there would be a 'boss' waiting for them in the next room. That's how these things usually went. Fight some weaker enemies as you climb the dungeon, with said enemies getting stronger as you go, and at the end the hero has to prove his worth and save the mighty wizard who was somehow captured by fighting a strong boss enemy at the end.
With how cliche this whole trip was going so far, he honestly would not be surprised in the least. In fact, he'd go so far as to say that he expected it.
When Goofy opened the door, however, Conan was pleasantly surprised to find only an old man there, waiting patiently for them in a large chair behind an even larger desk.
The room was pretty big and almost entirely circular, almost like a study, though there actually weren't too many books. In fact, the walls were fairly barren, save for some sparse shelves, a cabinet or two, another large door on the opposite side of the room, and some star and moon shaped windows placed on the wall behind the man.
The man himself did actually seem quite old and wizened, and was in fact probably the most wizard-looking guy Conan had ever seen in his life. He wore deep blue robes that flowed over his arms easily, and his pointed hat was tall and actually a bit intimidating despite the tacky moon and star motifs printed onto it. His beard was dark and gray and long, almost trailing below his desk out of sight.
The moment Donald and Goofy moved out of the entryway, they immediately bowed to the older man, respect and awe clear in their faces. Sora was the next to enter, and Conan wished he could share the kid's careless attitude. Really, the teen practically strolled in, hands casually placed behind his head and barely even noticing the old guy.
Donald glared at him and pushed the teen's head down in a sort of awkward forced bow. He luckily didn't seem to notice Conan standing there awkwardly behind them. "Master Yen Sid! It's an honor."
Yen Sid, for his part, gave them the slightest of smiles before waving his hands in a sign to cease the formalities. His gaze then rested heavily on Sora as he spoke. "So, you are Sora. Tell me, have you spoken with the King yet?"
Goofy answered him. "We did see him, Master Yen Sid, but we didn't get a chance to speak with him much before he left."
The man nodded solemnly. "Ah yes, he has been quite busy as of late. It seems I'll have much to speak to you all about, then. Before speaking of such matters, however, there is one thing that needs to be addressed."
This time, Yen Sid's sharp eyes drifted towards Conan's small frame, though, for some reason, the man looked towards the space above him… And yet he couldn't shake off the feeling that the wizard was looking straight into his soul. "You are the one that King Mickey received on the train at the Osaka station, correct?"
Surprised that Yen Sid knew where he had boarded, Conan could only nod in answer. The man closed his eyes tiredly. "Ah yes, the other wielder of the Keyblade. The one I instructed the King to find in order to help defeat the powerful darkness that lies unknown ahead of us."
Wait, so when he and Haibara had figured out that Mickey was looking for someone… he was looking for Conan? But he never even had this 'Keyblade' thing before he met the mouse! And Mickey had seemed genuinely surprised to see Conan on the train with him. Despite being an actual mouse, the guy wore his heart on his sleeve.
Mickey should be lucky, then, that the person he was looking for was the one who walked on the train (or maybe any hapless sap that entered would have gained the key thing regardless, and this was just a trap to make him feel like he was wanted, like he was special in some way.
But, then again, he couldn't help but wonder why Haibara had pretended that the train never existed at all in the first place?)
Yen Sid continued, either unaware or uncaring of Conan's internal thoughts. "I believe his purpose in leading you here was to help guide you back home, considering your current state. As you are now, you would struggle greatly at the hands of the enemy. But something tells me that you are much more than you seem." His piercing gaze this time looked down into Conan's own. He flinched at the man's knowing glare. "I am not surprised that the King did not see it, since the magic at work is quite powerful and is complex enough to evade most who would even look. However," and with this, the man raised both of his hands and started to move them around in odd ways, gaze once again now fixed on the spot above Conan's head. "I am not 'most.' Sora, Donald, Goofy, stand back."
The three obliged without a word at his authoritative tone, though Conan didn't miss the confused looks they gave him. Yeah, join the club, Conan was confused too and he was the one the old guy was talking about. What was Yen Sid even doing?
Suddenly, beams of light burst forth from the man's fingers, and Conan didn't even get a chance to admire the technicolor effects before it hit him straight in the face. His eyes reflexively shut at the light to keep himself from being blinded by it.
Conan had expected pain, or at the very least some sort of loud sound to accompany the light like a flash bomb would, but instead… he couldn't identify the sensation. What was…?
He didn't even get time to think about what was happening before the light beyond his eyelids died down and the feeling faded away. He frowned. That guy better not have done something weird to him, he swore to god.
After he opened his eyes, it took only a second for him to realize that something was off. Was he… taller? He seemed to tower over Yen Sid's desk, now, when before he could barely look over it. He reached out, confused, only to see that his hands, they were…! With a gasp, he looked down.
Shinichi felt faint. What in the actual fu—
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
:)
This was the plan all along.
Also, another note, we will not get Sora POV often, I just wanted to try it and show how his thought process differs from Conan's. I haven't written him in a long time, so I hope he doesn't feel too out of character!
Idk if you all noticed, but both Sora and Conan think of the other as 'kid' which I think is really funny. I'm a genius, I know.
Sora: *sees Conan turn into Shinichi* Did the wizard just turn this kid into a teenager? Is that allowed? Is he ok?
Shinichi: *Shocked. Flabbergasted, even. Not sure how to feel. Is definitely NOT ok, but not for the reasons Sora thinks.*
Also, me: *finally getting to write the name 'Shinichi' at the end of the chapter* It's like a reward :)