I don't own Kingdom Hearts. They belong to Disney and Square Enix. Well, the main website is down. Hopefully, they'll fix whatever's going on with the soon! In the meantime the app still works and I was able to finish this chapter! So, hopefully, you all can still enjoy it in the App, read it in Archives of Our own, or get a pleasant surprise when FanFic goes back up. Now, before we begin, let's reply to the reviews...
Nicohan11: Well, they'll be stuck in a cell, and only move around to cell to cell, but they'll be able to plan to escape at the very least. Also, we both know it's not in Sora's character to even abandon someone even like Maleficent to die for him. Just see KH2, that it's King Mickey tell him to keep going as they were doing what their hearts commanded and they couldn't interfere. Besides, if anyone's going to end her, its going to be him on the battlefield. XD Anyways, regardless of her outcome in this story, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
VaderSkywalker: Don't worry, there's plenty of Disney Worlds they'll be visiting outside of those three! It would be too short of a story otherwise. ;D Yeah, I tried looking for Chaos Gate myself and had no luck. Glad it's not just me! And that is an accurate comparison of what Maleficent did to put the worlds to the state of where it is now. The Emperor would definitely want Kingdom Hearts for himself along with the other worlds if he ever knew about them. Also, I know which episode you're thinking off, the building wasn't being overprotective, it was trying to prevent their escape... along with all of their friends. It would have killed them if they hadn't tricked it with having friends all over the galaxy. It just ended up doubling a forcefield the protected them from an alien invasion. Now, after saying that, I'm going to rewatch the episode! Looking forward to seeing the return of Phineas and Ferb! Anyways, enjoy the chapter!
Now then with that out of the way, let's begin the chapter! Enjoy!
"How far away are we from your ship?" Snowflake asked the group. Axel saw why he asked them. This spot was too far from where he and Blonde had their first real chat. It's how he got his ice cream they had after all.
"It's not too far away, just a few minutes walk," Sora brightened up.
"You're certain this vessel will get us to wherever the Empire are holding Anna and Rapunzel?" She continued to ask.
"Sora traveled on this ship for three journeys to many worlds," Kairi turned to her sister with a smile, "I'm more than certain once we get a location of where they're holding them, we should be able to go right over there."
"We can't just rush this blindly," Riku commented, "When I came to Arendelle, they had the largest ship I had ever seen, and hundreds of small attack ships. They looked like they were ready to fight us on the earth or in space. We need to be smart about this."
"More reason to see Master Yen Sid," Kairi turned to the silver head, "He might know how to get past them."
As they continued to walk, Elsa looked back to her home. She couldn't believe it. This was the farthest she had ever been from her home. She always thought that if she were ever exposed she would have to live even farther away to keep everyone safe. Now, to rescue her sister... she had to leave the planet with her youngest sister and her friends to search the entire universe for her. She never thought this would happen in her lifetime... ever.
"Never been that far away from home before, right?"
She turned to the long spiky-haired redhead who stayed behind to keep an eye on her. She sighed, "I know why we're doing this... but it's a little nerve-wracking..."
"Hey, if you want to turn back, no one would blame ya," Axel pointed out, "I can keep you safe if the Empire comes back while the others rescue Anna and Rapunzel..." He lightly smiled, "I can keep guessing your ice cream flavor."
"...you just saying that because you don't want to take on the entire Empire," Elsa dryly stated. Axel laughed nervously in response as she shook her head, "No, I'm going. I can finally put my curse to good use and I'm getting my sister back and ensuring nothing happens to my other sister as well. Now if you want to stay..."
"No, no... I like my friends and they'd be disappointed if I ran away scared," He reassured her, "I'm in. So long as Master Yen Sid has a good plan away."
She slowly nodded as she walked on ahead before glancing at him, "You can still attempt to guess it if you wish."
Axel blinked a little in shock, "Ya mean it?"
"...sure..." She nodded, "If it helps your own nerves, why not?"
She could understand why he feared this Empire so and knew what it was like to live in fear. If he was going to join them to fight despite being afraid, then he couldn't be all that bad. He pumped a fist, "Sweet!" He then hummed in thought, "Let's see... where were we?"
"I believed you were saying something about Wookiee Tracks?" She recalled.
"Oh, yeah," He lightly smiled, his mood improving slightly, "I was about to say it couldn't be it. Too much peanut butter and not enough chocolate. Hmmm... how about-"
"We're here!" They heard Sora exclaim...
The Queen rushed forward at that as she looked around, "Where is it? I don't see anything."
She was about to take a few steps forward when Sora stopped her, he smiled at her, "Another step forward, and you'd be kissing it."
Sora then knocked on its invisible hall, causing the Queen to blink in surprise, backing away slightly. Sora smiled fondly, "Ah, that was my first reaction when Donald and Goofy introduced me to the GummiShip." He then introduced it to the Queen, "Welcome to the Highwind."
"What happened to your ship again, Riku?" Kairi glanced at silverhead.
"Those bucket heads shot it down when I came to come save you guys," Riku sighed as he slowly shook his head.
"Shot it down," Elsa gasped in concern.
"Relax," The older teen turned to the Queen, "Out of all of us, Sora's the best of the best. If he was piloting under my position, he would've made it out practically unscathed."
Sora pulled out the keys to the Gummiship, as another voice stated, "You are so much like him."
He blinked as he turned to the woman, smiling at him as if she was proud of him. Just who...? No, Master Yen Sid's first, then Radiant Garden. He then pushed the button turning off the alarm with a chirp, slightly becoming visible with each chirp, startling Elsa again as a door slid open. He then smiled as he gestured to the others, "All aboard!"
He walked inside the ship and one by one the others followed. That's when Sora realized, only one remained. The Queen had not yet entered the ship. He asked her, "You coming?"
Elsa hesitated before sighing to herself, "Remember, this is for Anna."
She then entered the ship, as Sora gestured to her and all of his friends, "Come on, let's get to the cockpit."
Elsa blinked in confusion, "The cock-what?!"
Axel snorted as he held back his laughter. Kairi glanced at her, "It's where we go to control the ship. The cockpit."
"Oh, that- that makes much more sense," Kairi's older sister smiled in understanding as Axel continued his laughter. Sora climbed up the ladder to the cockpit as everyone followed him. As the Queen of Arendelle reached the others, her eyes widened in awe, "Oh, wow!"
"Yep, it's been my mobile home for two years and been a big part of getting from world to world just a few months ago," Sora smiled as he placed his hands behind his back, "Made so many memories with Donald and Goofy here."
Elsa glanced at her sister and their other friends, "Have any of you traveled among this vessel."
"I... had my own means of travel," Axel rubbed off his back, "So, I've only been here a few times..."
"...I've only been this ship a few times myself," Kairi admitted, "I hope things would change after the Coronation... without worrying about family or the fate of the universe..."
Elsa nodded in understanding, before turning to Riku, "...and you? You flew on your own ship before it was shot down."
"Yeah, but I'm nowhere as good as Sora is," Riku admitted, "When I explored worlds for the first time... I've done it the wrong way... and have done a lot of things I'm not proud of."
Elsa blinked in realization as he assumed, "Have they mentioned it at all to you?"
"Only briefly... that the path led Xehanort's Heartless into controlling you... right?" Elsa glanced at the spiky-haired teenager, "...but you're finally free of him."
"Yeah... but many of the actions beforehand were my own..." Riku looked down at his hands, "Since then... I've been doing everything thing I can to make things right?"
"You more than earned a second chance, Riku," Kairi reassured him, "After all, you passed your Mark of Master exam, and helped Sora defeat Ansem, Xemnas, and Xehanort's younger self during the climax of the Keyblade War."
"Keyblade War?" Elsa whispered in concern.
"Yes, and it's funny, even after everything Ansem did, seeing him full of regret," Riku admitted, "In a way... I kinda miss him... could've ended up like him if I had continued to walk the path to darkness." He shook his head and apologized, "Sorry, I got a little off-topic there."
"It's fine," Elsa reassured him, "I'm not one to judge." She gestured to her little sister, "Besides, it's like my sister said you more than earned your redemption."
After a long pause, Riku cleared his throat, "Anyways, I mostly traveled with King Mickey since. This was one of few times I've actually flown a GummiShip."
"So, I guess this does make you the most qualified," Elsa glanced at Sora, "So when do we weigh anchor?"
"Huh? Anchor?" The spiky hair blinked as he hummed in thought, "This ship doesn't have an anchor?"
"I think she meant to ask when we leave," Kairi explained as she gestured to the controls.
"Oh, very shortly," He brightened up before stating, "We just need to go over the number one rule of the ship."
"Oh... and what rule is that?" She wondered.
"Under no circumstances, no sad faces," Sora declared, confusing the Queen of Arendelle, "This ship runs on happy faces."
She blinked for a moment, before stating, "Okay, I see how that could be for good moral standards under normal circumstances but we need to take things seriously..."
"I know," The teenage boy nodded, before showing the fuel gauge, "This ship really does run on happy faces..." He then tapped on it, "See?"
Elsa walked forward at the gauge where the arrow was almost at the E as she saw a note under it, which she read aloud, "Smiles per hour. Warning: Do not ever let the fuel ever get to E, midflight or you'll be stranded in space or caught in the atmosphere of a world, causing you to fall, and die... that means you: Donald. - Chip and Dale." She blinked again, "Huh... I never imagine a ship being run on smiles."
Riku then commented as he observed the fuel gauge, "You know, I never imagined this ship ever getting low with you and Kairi on it, Sora."
"Yeah, we're currently low because Axel wasn't exactly thrilled to come here." Kairi pointed out as she gestured to her fellow redhead, who forced a laugh.
"That would explain it," Riku muttered as he glanced at the pyro.
"In other words, if we don't start smiling," Sora gestured to the ship, "We're not going anywhere."
"Sora... I had a pretty rough childhood, my home was attacked by an evil Empire, and my sister was taken as a result," The Queen of Arendelle pointed out, "How exactly am I supposed to smile after all of this?"
"Like this," Sora simply answered before pulling off a funny face.
While Riku, Kairi, and Axel were already laughing at the mere look on Sora's face, Elsa let out a snort trying to hold back her laughter before letting it all out, "Ha ha ha! Th-that face! THAT FACE! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Suddenly, the gauge started going up as Sora turned to it with a grin, "We have fuel! Strap yourselves in!"
Everyone ran over to their seats and fastened their seatbelts after Kairi quickly showed her older sister how seatbelts worked. Once everyone was secured, Sora started up the ship as it lifted off the ground and started to fly towards the evening sky. It wasn't long before they were out of the planet's atmosphere, Sora turned to see the Queen's reaction as she stared in awe at the stars around them. Grinning he set the coordinates, and summoning his Keyblade, "Alright, next stop, the Mysterious Tower!"
With that, he used the Keyblade to open the gate allowing them to fly away from the world of Arendelle...
Elsa couldn't believe it! She was actually in space! Going to another world! ...everything moved all around them as Sora flew the Highwind across the stars! It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen... and she had power over the ice and snow! She wished Anna could've seen this with her and Kairi...
She started to frown slightly before forcing a smile! NO! She couldn't think like that! She knew this ship was run by happy faces so that meant for her sister's and cousin's shakes, she could not afford to frown!
...no one ever mentioned forcing a smile for so long could actually hurt. She decided to make some light conversation, "So... how far is this Mysterious Tower?"
"Well, that depends, it moves around here and there every so often," Riku answered, "Fortunately, this time it's relatively close, we should be there in a few minutes."
They were almost there. That was good. Admittedly she was a little worried when Riku mentioned it moved around but those worries quickly died off. She then turned to her sister, "So, have you ever been to this tower?"
"Oh, yes," Kairi smiled as she nodded, "Just a few months ago, Riku brought me over when Master Yen Sid learned that I could wield a Keyblade. They were looking for seven Guardians to confront Xehanort's thirteen darkness... I was lucky number seven."
"You were brought there to fight?" The Snow Queen asked in deep concern.
"The fate of the universe was at stake, I could let Sora and Riku protect the worlds alone," The youngest Princess of Arendelle commented, "Especially after everything they've been through."
Elsa hummed in thought, she still didn't know the full story of what happened those few years ago when Sora first confronted this Xehanort... wait, didn't he mention that someone wrote journals about what happened? She was promised she could take a look at it later, she then asked, "Kairi, Sora mentioned journals were written about what happened. Do you know where I might find them so I can get all caught up on what happened?"
"Oh, sure, we actually all have it on our GummiPhones," Her sister smiled before pulling out her own, after pushing a few buttons, she handed it over to her, "Here. You can borrow mine until you get your own. Just use your finger to move the pages."
"Oh, thank you," The Queen of Arendelle nodded as she happily accepted the phone. She noticed Kairi had already pulled up the first journal on it. Now she could finally understand what happened...
"We're here!" Sora exclaimed.
...or it could wait after they spoke with this Master Yen Sid. When she turned to face the world... she was in for a shock. She expected they would be going to another planet. However, she saw the tower was on a particular small asteroid with a surprising amount of plant life. She whispered to Kairi, "This retired Master lives there."
"Yeah, pretty cool, right?" Kairi nodded brightly. Elsa was unsure how to respond, before her little sister explained, "If you're wondering how it's possible for anything or anyone could live there, that world... a tiny one at that... is strong with magic. It's been the home of the most respected Keyblade Master for generations."
"...I see..." Elsa blinked. She couldn't imagine someone like Grand Pabbie or the trolls living on one small rock. This man must have been quite powerful.
"Alright, prepared to beam down onto the planet," Sora told everyone as he unfastened his seatbelt.
"Beam down?" Elsa repeated slightly confused.
"There's not enough room to land the GummiShip on the world's surface," Sora proceeded to explain, "So, we're just going to have the ship teleport us down to the planet."
"We would've done the same on Arendelle, but we didn't know how long we'd actually be staying," Axel stated, "As you may have noticed we were low on fuel before."
Oh, that made sense. Riku added, "Good thing too. The Empire would have shot it down if they knew it was there."
"Wow! Then we really would've been stuck!" Sora realized before shrugging and climbing down the latter, "Well, let's go see Master Yen Sid, he'll tell us what we're up against, where to find them, then we get every Keyblade Wielder we got and save Anna and Rapunzel!"
...yes! She liked that plan! Very much so in fact! She just hoped the fact she was new would hinder the rescue mission. There was also one thing that still bothered her, "So... this teleportation thing... it doesn't hurt, right?"
"Well, it only rips your atoms apart faster than you can blink and reassemble them on the ground," Axel happily stated causing her to turn pale as he then darkly stated, "You won't even have time to scream and when its all over, just give us a shout if you find your limbs on the wrong places or your head ends up backwards."
Elsa turned to him in horror before he started laughing, "Ha ha ha ha! So serious! Relax, Snowflake, it's perfectly harmless! Sora's been using it for years and nothing happened to him."
It was a joke... oh, thank God, it was just a joke! She then glared at him, "How can you joke at a time like this?"
"Well, it's either that or a beg and plead not for all of us to go to war with the Empire," Axel shrugged as he still admitted he was terrified of them. After a brief moment of silence, he raised his hands, "Alright, I'll stick with guessing Ice Cream flavors."
"Please do," Elsa whispered to him.
Okay, just get to the teleportation thing, and get to the... planet? Magic asteroid? The chunk of land with the only tower on it. Axel then glanced at her, "Oh, and one more thing, we get there... do go looking off the edge."
Considering how small the land was, that one should be a given. She had no problem complying with that advice...
"Whoa! Easy, Elsa!" Kairi pulled her eldest sister back with Sora and Riku's help.
"Man, that was a close one!" Sora declared once they were far away enough.
"Yeah, I was never once tempted to look immediately off the void of space upon arriving here," Riku commented.
Or so she thought, it turns out it was a lot more terrifying being on the chuck of land than just seeing it from the ship. Axel turned to her, "Hey, I warned you, didn't I?"
"You most certainly did," She admitted before gesturing to the tower, "Let's just get inside, shall we?"
"Agreed," Everyone nodded in agreement as they walked towards the castle.
As they got closer to the tower doors, Sora turned to the older teen, "Hey, Riku? Do you think any of the others are here already?"
"Well, Master Yen Sid gathered the rest of us to look into whatever's been bothering the worlds lately," Riku stated, "We were just the first ones to notice the actual threat, so I'm unsure if anyone returned yet."
As soon as they opened the doors, Elsa saw the strangest pair run outside...
"SORA!"
"GAH!" The two hugged and tackled the spiky-haired boy to the ground before laughing, "Donald! Goofy! You're here!"
Elsa blinked in disbelief. These were Donald and Goofy? She recalled Sora referring to them a lot... and learned Donald was a talking giant duck. Still, seeing him in person was a shock. She couldn't tell what Goofy was. A man? A dog? A cow would be a stretch in her opinion. Whatever he was, he seemed friendly to say the least. Goofy asked the young teenage boy, "What are you doing here, I thought you were seeing Kairi's sister's Corn- uh-Corny-"
"Coronation!" The duck squawked.
"Oh, yeah, that!" The canine-like man chuckled.
"It's a long story guys," Sora sat back up, "Arendelle was attacked by the Heartless!"
"Heartless!" The two exclaimed.
"Was it Pete? Maleficent?" Donald's eyes narrowed as his face turned red and summoned a staff to his hand, "Why those conniving darkness-loving-"
Well, this Donald seemed to have a temper. She didn't think she ever saw someone getting so angry their face turned red before. Sora shook his head, "It actually wasn't them this time..." This statement confused the duo as Sora continued, "In fact, they actually have Maleficent prisoner and Pete running away scared."
"WHAT?!" The two gasped.
"Who?!" Goofy proceeded to ask.
"It's better if we explain things to Master Yen Sid," Sora explained before gesturing to the others as they turned to them, "We all saw 'em!"
"Oh, hey there, Axel, Riku, Kairi, and uh...?" Goofy greeted before his eyes turned to the Snow Queen.
She waved her hand nervously, "Uh... hi..."
"Uh, I don't think I recognize you," Sora's friend scratched his head.
"Wak!" Donald quacked before glaring at the teenager, "Sora!" Before throwing his fists/feathers into a fit of rage, "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT DISTRIBUTING THE WORLD ORDER?!"
"Hmmm," Goofy blinked in confusion, "World border?"
"I SAID ORDER!" Donald yelled at the dog/man hybrid.
"Relax, Donald," Kairi spoke up on Sora's behalf, "She's my sister and she can use the Keyblade now."
"Wak?!"
"Huh?"
The two animal people turned to Kairi in confusion. She then turned to her older sister, "Show them."
"Oh, umm..." Elsa blinked before summoning her new weapon. The icy Keyblade flashed in her hand before she told the duo, "...here it is..."
"Hey, she really does have a Keyblade," Goofy smiled as he chuckled a little, "Ayuck! Guess that means Sora didn't disturb the World Order."
Donald seemed to calm down at that, before clearing his throat, "Sorry about that, Sora." He then turned to the Queen, "Anyways, welcome to the Mysterious Tower, your Majesty. Home of Master Yen Sid."
"Um, thank you, Donald," She nodded to him before looking towards the tower, "May we speak with him? This is a very urgent matter."
"Of course, you can," Goofy smiled, "We know the Heartless are serious trouble wherever they go, and the people controlling them are up to no good."
"C'mon," Donald helped Sora up before he gestured inside, "We'll go together."
As everyone made their way inside, she walked up to Sora and whispered, "Those two are Donald and Goofy?"
"That's right," Sora nodded with a smile, "We're just a couple of half-pints. Together, there is nothing we can't accomplish."
"It's true," Kairi smiled, "They're the ones who helped Sora stop Xehanort for good."
Blinking between the two of them, half-pints? What did he mean by that? She pulled out her sister's phone, whispering to herself, "I really need to read those journals..."
She really wanted to know the full story of what happened all those years ago. Axel walked up to the Snow Queen, "You can play catchup later... we should focus on what to say to the old man..."
Elsa nodded in agreement, she just hoped he had the information they needed to save Anna...
As they walked up the seemingly endless stairs, Sora smiled to himself. Donald and Goofy were here. With them by his side, next time, Darth Vader will never think of coming even near Kairi and the rest of the New Hearts ever again. He then realized something, "Hey, does this mean the King's here too?"
"Yup," The King's captain of his royal guard nodded.
"He's been in with Master Yen Sid for quite some time," The King's magician added, "Along with Master Aqua."
"Aqua's here too," Kairi asked in surprise.
"That's right," Donald nodded.
"Um... who's Aqua?" Elsa glanced at her sister, "You know her?"
"Apparently, we met before the islands," The original Princess of Heart nodded, "She and the King saved my life, but..."
"You don't remember that," The Snow Queen nodded in understanding.
Kairi then glanced at her eldest sister, "So, you never met her then?"
"Yes, this would be the first time hearing of this Aqua," She confirmed with a nod.
Kairi frowned slightly. Sora felt bad for her, she didn't have so much of a clue of her old life except her grandma, and her story. And Elsa was forced to shut herself out from the rest of her world, including her own sisters. He smiled, "Well, maybe this journey will be the start to make plenty of new memories. You two and Anna will have a lot to catch up on when this is over."
The two royal sisters blinked before the younger smiled, "Thanks, Sora. You always seem to know what to say."
Elsa lightly smiled as well before nodding to him as well. They then arrived to the door to Sorcerer's Chamber as Riku told the others, "Alright, we're here. Let's report what happened on Arendelle."
Everyone nodded as they opened to door to see that Master Aqua and King Mickey were in a deep discussion with Master Yen Sid. Everyone immediately turned to them, Mickey gave a smile, "Riku. Sora. Kairi. Axel. You're back already? I thought you'd be back later."
"Something's come up," Riku explained as Elsa stared in awe at the room around them.
"So, I see, we have a new Wielder to the Keyblade in our presence," Yen Sid smiled slightly.
The Queen blinked in shock, before nodding, "Yes... but how did you...?"
"Your Majesty, I was a Keyblade Master long before any of you were born," The King's old mentor explained to her, "There's very little that I don't know about."
She blinked before nodding, as Sora stepped up, before explaining, "Masters, something came up during the Coronation, Pete was there with another of Maleficent's lackeys. But they weren't behind the Bounty Hunter that was there too, in fact, Pete was coming to us for help because someone captured Maleficent and took her control of the Heartless from her."
"So... that explains it..." Master Yen Sid closed his eyes, "Maleficent made a dangerous move trying to ally herself with the Empire."
This shocked Sora, Riku, and Kairi as the Princess of Heart approached the Sorcerer, "Master? You know of the Empire?"
"Unfortunately..." Aqua spoke up getting everyone's attention, "We all have. We only just learned that they have been invading and conquering the other worlds. One by one. Enchanted Dominion, the Caribbean, Deep Space, San Fransokyo... just to name a few."
"We just didn't know, how after all this time, they managed to figure out how to travel the other worlds," Mickey frowned and looked away from Sora, "Guess we know how..."
"Master Xehanort, as misguided as he was, took extra caution not to draw their attention," The retired Keyblade Master stated, "With him gone, I suppose it was inevitable for Maleficent to confront the Dark Lords of the Sith."
"The... Sith?" Sora blinked in confusion.
"The ancient enemy to all who would defend the light," Master Yen Sid explained, as he waved his hand as many cloaked figures appeared before them, "Long ago their numbers were many, and they believed they had mastered the art of the darkness." The images of the cloaked figures pulled out similar hilts to Vaders as red blades came out of them, "In their galaxy, they would conquer worlds for domination, control, power, and resources for their own. Many worlds suffered under their rule. They're the main reason the World Order exists. If they knew how to travel from one world to another they would stop at nothing to conquer the free unaware worlds... and Kingdom Hearts..."
"Wait, so they're more of them?!" Elsa exclaimed.
"More of them?" Mickey gasped in concern, "Did one appear in Arendelle?"
"Yes, he took our Cousin and sister prisoner," Kairi proceeded to explain as she gestured to Elsa and herself, "Elsa and I managed to get away, but..."
"He was able to get two of them, Maleficent must have kept an eye out for any of the New Seven hearts in case she ever needed them," Riku spoke up on their behalf, "...and she passed on that information to that Sith Sora and I faced."
King Mickey's and Master Yen Sid's eyes widened, the latter stood up from his seat and turned to immediate attention to Sora, as the King of Disney Castle exclaimed, "HE SAW YOU!"
"Did Vader recognize you in any way," Yen Sid ordered.
Sora blinked in confusion, as he turned to the other Keyblade Wielders, most of them shrugged in response while Aqua looked like she couldn't even face him. He turned back to them, "...uh... he said he knew my necklace and knew who it belonged to... are you saying... he knows me...?"
Yen Sid frowned at that closing his eyes, as Kairi walked up to him, "Master? Do you know this Vader personally?"
"...yes, like Sora, he was one of the light's greatest champions," Yen Sid revealed, "Before he turned to evil. Hunted down others and destroyed them."
"You're telling us one of the light's greatest champions turned to darkness," Riku blinked in confusion, "To join this Sith army..."
"There's no Sith army," Mickey revealed to the group, "Truth be told, there's not a lot of them."
"What Mickey says is true," Master Yen Sid nodded as the images he created started vanishing one by one, "As dangerous as they were, they were never truly unified, they would always betray one another. It's in the very nature. That gave us an advantage that the guardians before us were able to take advantage of, pushing them to the brink of extinction. We believed as such as they had been silent for nearly a thousand years." He then turned to the other Guardians, "It was then we learned the Sith came to a realization. There can only be two. A Master and an apprentice. No more, no less."
"Only two?" Sora brightened up, "We faced thirteen of Xehanort's darkness and came up on top. Two should be a piece of cake."
"Vader almost killed the both of us if it wasn't for Kairi," Riku pointed out to his best friend.
"Ah, that's just because we didn't know what he was," Sora shook his head, "Now we do."
"Riku's right to be cautious," Aqua spoke up walking up to Sora, "All those years we believed the Sith to be gone, they had time to plan and think, wiping out many guardians and taking control of their galaxy all within one night."
"If these Sith, and by extension this Empire, are very much a threat," Elsa proceeded to ask, "Why were they not dealt with beforehand?"
"Same reason why we are not allowed to meddle in the affairs of other worlds," Mickey revealed to her, "As horrible as it is, it's what their galaxy chose. We couldn't enforce our will upon their galaxy, even if their choice was a terrible one."
"But we can now," Riku walked up to the King's teacher, "They're breaking that Order as we speak and kidnapping the Princess of Heart so they can only be after Kingdom Hearts."
"You are correct," Yen Sid nodded, "Of that, we have little choice."
"Great!" Sora nodded, "First, we get the others: Roxas, Xion, Terra, and Ven! Then you tell us where this Empire is and we take the Sith down together and rescue Anna and Rapu-"
"Sora, that won't be necessary," Yen Sid sat back down in his seat and the old sorcerer closed his eyes, "I have another task for you." Blinking he listened in and what he said next, would shock everyone who came into the room, "Take Kairi, her sister, and return to the Destiny Islands. If the Empire discover you there, keep them moving... don't engage them more than you already have until the threat is over."
Everyone was speechless as Sora slowly asked, "Master? Are... are you telling me to run..."
After a long pause, Yen Sid stated, "Sora... I want to thank you for your services to the worlds and the light... the universe owes you a great many for your actions... but this threat... demands the attention of Keyblade Masters..."
"Then let me take the Mark of Mastery again!" Sora's eyes narrowed, "This time I'll pass it with flying-"
"There isn't time, Sora," Aqua spoke up with a sympathetic look, "Elsa and Kairi will be in constant danger unless you protect them."
"Aqua..." Sora blinked in disbelief.
"Don't make this harder than this already is, Sora," Mickey's voice spoke up.
"Your Majesty?" The spiky-haired teenager felt even more betrayed.
"No... No, we absolutely will not run and hide while my sister is in this Empire's nefarious hands," Elsa exclaimed as she declared, "I have a Keyblade now, right! You brought my little sister and her closest friends to the last war if I'm not mistaken, but you draw the line on this one!"
"Masters, please, let us help," Kairi spoke up walking up before her sister and best friends.
None of them made a response, Axel crossed his arms, "I know that look. You already made this decision, before we even entered the room. You're not going to sway from it either, isn't that right?"
Their silence was all the response Sora needed to hear, his eyes narrowed before turning around, "Fine..." He turned to Donald and Goofy, "C'mon, guys, we'll find this Empire on our own..."
He started walking back to the door they came from when he realized that neither one of them was following, "Donald? Goofy?"
"Sora... I'm sorry..." Donald frowned.
"We'd love to help ya," Goofy removed his hat before looking down with guilt, "But our hands are tied on this."
"No... not you too," Sora frowned, haven't felt this betrayed since he first visited Radiant Garden or Hollow Bastion as he knew it then.
Riku looked as equally shocked by this. Master Yen Sid spoke up, "I'm afraid this is not up for debate. The Sith are far more dangerous and cunning than Xehanort ever was..."
"So, you want us to abandon our sister," Elsa gestured to herself and Kairi.
"No, we'll do our best to bring them home," The retired Keyblade Master tried to reassure the Queen of Arendelle, "...but now that Darth Vader knows who you are... as well as Sora... none of you are safe." He turned to the former Organization member, "Axel, you know how dangerous the Empire is, ensure that they will not pursue this matter any further."
"Wow, never thought I see the day where I'd be told to actually run from the big fight," Axel muttered before nodding, "Right, I'll get right on it."
"Axel," Kairi glanced at Axel shocked while Elsa merely glared at him. Sora said nothing, still feeling like he had a knife to his back, as Riku looked completely baffled at what was happening. Since when did Master Yen Sid, the King, Aqua, even Donald, and Goofy want him to walk away from the fight? He played a major role in taking down both the original and real Organization XIII. Even taking down the real Master Xehanort... so why was he of all people being told to just run and hide...
He could understand Master Yen Sid, even the King, more or less Aqua (from the stories he heard from Ven), but Donald and Goofy... they actually went against orders from the King to help him throughout his whole journey. To do it now... he wasn't going to lie... it hurt...
Riku placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, "Take the others and go, I talk with them. Ask them to reconsider."
Sora said nothing as he left the room in defeat, as Kairi did her best to comfort him, while Elsa merely glared at the people telling them not to get involved. Axel followed suit as he closed the door behind him...
"Riku, we know you have something on your mind," Master Yen Sid glanced at the youngest Keyblade Master when the door was shut, "Please speak it."
"Masters, your Majesty, you know I have nothing but respect for you, and I'm grateful for all of your help when I was in a dark place," Riku spoke his thoughts clearly, "...but to actually not include Sora in the fight against what could be the biggest threat to the worlds since Xehanort... I think that's a huge mistake! Sora of all people should be in the front lines! Did you forget, that we never would have won the war without him? Heck, we never would have survived if Kairi hadn't held him together so he could alter the fate of the Keyblade War! Why keep them out of this one?!"
"Riku, please, I've argued this fact too," Aqua glanced to the sliverhead boy, "But... this was a well-kept screech these two shared with Master Eraqus... one that protected Sora for a long time."
"Protect Sora?" Riku muttered aloud as he glanced at other people around them. He then slowly realized, "You all knew him... even before he had the Keyblade..."
"...since the day he was born," Mickey confessed much to Riku's shock, "To be quite honest, we were surprised he was chosen by the Keyblade... although, I guess we shouldn't be surprised either knowing who his father was."
"His father?" The silverhead blinked again in disbelief. They knew Sora's father? His real one? Sora didn't know his actual parents, not even his foster parents knew. All they knew was one day, a newborn baby appeared on their doorsteps with nothing but a few blankets, the necklace he always wore, and his name. If what Mickey said was true, then... were he, Eraqus, and Yen Sid involved with him appearing on the islands?
"Yes, we knew Sora's actual parents," Master Yen Sid revealed, "They used to live in the galaxy where the Empire once ruled."
Sora was actually from a Galaxy Far, Far Away? That's where he was born? Then something else came to his mind, "Used to?"
"Well, Sora actually took a lot after his father in many ways, including being a Guardian of Light," Mickey rubbed the back of his head, "But when the Empire came to power, Vader destroyed him... his mother... well... she lost the will to live soon after Sora's birth. We promised them we'd keep him safe from the Sith's hands."
"So Vader knew Sora's father because he stood against him," Riku muttered in thought at this realization, he shook his head, "I don't see why you'd keep him out of the fight. If anything, he should finish what his father started."
"From what I was told, Sora's father had a power, something that connected to life as we know it," Aqua revealed to her fellow Keyblade Master, "All the guardians from a Galaxy Far, Far Away had this power... so do the Sith..."
"Remember what happened, back during the war..." Mickey turned to Riku, "When Sora joined us in the final battle against the Organization."
Riku blinked in thought before thinking back to that day...
He remembered that day well. After they defeated his Evil Replica and Xigbar, he went after Ansem while Sora ran off to join the others. He was then joined by Mickey, who was after Xemnas, after aiding Sora against Luxord, Marluixa, and Larxene. They tracked them down to Master Xehanort and his past self, close to where Xehanort planned to summon Kingdom Hearts. They were then joined by Sora, who looked angry as he readied his Keyblade for battle, he demanded, "Xemnas! Where's Kairi?!"
Riku gasped in concern, "Wait! Is she in trouble?"
"Yeah, Xemnas took her," Sora accused the former leader of the Organization, who merely smirked in response, confirming his fears.
They then heard the original Xehanort chuckle, "Settle down, boy."
"It's Sora!" The Keyblade Wielder glared at his arch-nemesis.
A condescending smile crept up on the old man's face, "The thirteen darknesses and seven lights have clashed nine times," With a wave of his arm nine Keyblades, identical to his own, hovered around him, "...yielding these nine keys."
"Keys?" King Mickey gasped in shock.
"We are four short..." Xehanort told the three, "But these for keys will be produced here and now."
"Yeah, sure! And what makes you think there'd ever be any way we'd help you with that?!" Sora shouted back defiantly.
The confident grin never left Master Xehanort's face, "You forget I plan for every eventuality."
Sora's eyes widened in realization, "Kairi!"
This reminder that they had taken Kairi enraged him, but it was Riku who fired back as he tightened his grip around his Keyblade, "If you do summon Kingdom Hearts, we will defeat you, and we will close it again!"
"Perhaps," Xehanort shrugged before smirking, "That is... if you survive that long!"
It was those words, the three Guardians clashed with the three of the four remaining Seekers of Darkness. The fight was long and challenging, pushing each of the Guardians to their limits but they pressed on and overcame them, with Sora laying the final blow on their replica bodies, sending the seekers back to the past either at the moment of their original defeat or to live the life that would lead to Master Xehanort's current path.
However, each of their small victories, only paved the path to Xehanort's goal, creating a new Keyblade. After defeating Xehanort's past self, the fallen Keyblade Master grinned as he gladly took the three additional weapons to his nine.
"Twelve Keys we have now. Leaving just one more!" Master Xehanort raised a final Keyblade above his head and sent a bolt of purple lightning cracking into the heavens. The clouds began to spiral darkly where the bolt had passed, and long, light shined through the opening. "Now, Sora. Darkness and light's final clash."
Behind Master Xehanort, Kairi's body rose with eyes closed, perhaps unconscious. She floated through the air until she was directly in front of Xehanort.
"Kairi!" Sora exclaimed, and he started to run to her. He leaped over to the cliffside where his nemesis stood and ran up its side.
"You require motivation," The old man declared, as he raised his Keyblade to strike her down. Riku's eyes widen as he realized what he was planning to do. They wouldn't be able to save her in time.
...Sora realizing this too, he stretched out his hand towards the fallen Keyblade Master as he cried out, "NO!"
All the sudden, an invisible force pushed the old man back, his weapons spiraling out control, as he fell to the ground, his eyes widened in shock, "WHAT?!"
That's when Sora finally reached the top and slashed at Master Xehanort. The old man was able to block the attack just in time. Doing so, caused the princess of heart to fall. Turning to her, with his free hand, Sora stretched out to her as if attempting to stop her fall.
Much to everyone's shock, Kairi stopped falling as she was once again floated in midair, carrying her to the ground where his friends stood. Riku's eyes widen in awe, "Incredible..."
"...it couldn't be... did he just use...?" Riku heard Mickey mutter to himself.
"Your Majesty?" The Silverhead turned to him in confusion. He couldn't help but notice the look the king gave Sora. It was almost like he was seeing a ghost.
He then turned back to Sora, just assuming it was an ability he picked up when he was trying to learn to use the Power of Waking. he noticed the spiky brunette lower his hand, while Kairi was gently set on the ground. Her two best friends sighed in relief.
However, that gave Xehanort the opportunity, to push the hero off of him. The wielder of the Kingdom Key was sent flying back to the ground with his friends. He landed on his feet and stood protectively in front of the girl he cared for the most. He had done it. Sora had somehow saved Kairi once again.
"That power..." Xehanort gasped in disbelief as he started to recover from that last attack.
"Now, Mickey," Riku exclaimed, his eyes narrowed, "While he is recovering!"
Mickey shook off the shocked expression, as he noted with determination, "Right!"
They must up the last of their strength FH charged up the cliff toward Kairi's attempted murderer. Riku reached the old man first, only to be violently rebuffed as well.
"This is the end for you," A bit later, Mickey struck, too, "Ultima!"
"Stopza!" Xehanort exclaimed. The spells were cast nearly simultaneously, but Xehanort's was just a little bit faster. Time stopped for Mickey, leaving hung frozen in the air. Riku had been caught in the effects of the Stopza spell, too.
"Your Majesty! Riku!" Sora shouted concerned for his friends.
He would've gone after the villain, but his eyes gazed towards Kairi. Still unconscious, she groaned, revealing that she was indeed still alive. Just then, a thirteen Keyblade appeared just behind her. He was able to block the new weapon just in time, before returning to its master, now back on his two feet.
"That was... unexpected. You never cease to surprise me, boy." Master Xehanort admitted before smirking again, "But the results remain the same. The Keyblade War will finally reach its conclusion."
Then, something began to disperse the clouds overhead. The source of the light was Kingdom Hearts. The thirteen Keyblades began circling around Master Xehanort as He lifted his hands to the sky, and both he and the Keyblades began to rise toward Kingdom Hearts.
He then held his own Keyblade aloft, and with a flash, it transformed into the χ-blade. Master Xehanort smirked, "The χ-blade is complete." He then exclaimed, "Kingdom Hearts! I called upon your true form. Open now and show me the world to come."
A black beam lanced from the χ-blade and into Kingdom Hearts, Which began to take on a dark color and grow so large it practically filled the sky. Countless comets of a beautiful light streak down from Kingdom Hearts, striking the ground below.
Sora's eyes widened. Despite the best efforts, The fallen Keyblade Master got what he wanted. He didn't know what to do. That's when, Kairi lifted her head, "Sora?"
He turned to her as his eyes widened in relief, "Kairi!" He rushed towards her as he lifted her up, "Are you alright?!"
"I think so," She answered, rubbing her hand, "What happened? The last thing I remember... Xemnas grabbed me and took me away from the-" Her eyes widened as she saw Xehanort in the sky with the χ-blade and Kingdom Hearts, "Oh no... we're too late..."
Looking at her and Xehanort, Sora reassured her, "He hasn't won yet. We'll think of something."
Even though the time spell was still in effect, Riku was aware of everything that happened and as the magic started to wear off, he would remember what came next...
Back in the present, Riku finished recalling what happened near the end of the war, "... after that, we regrouped and came up with a plan. While we helped Kairi hold off Kingdom Hearts, Sora trapped Xehanort in a portal and went inside with Donald and Goofy to deal with him once and for all." he then turned to the others, "But I don't see what that has to do with anything. Sora's always received new abilities on every journey he's been on. It just caught everyone off guard."
"So that's what happened," Goofy realized, "Gwarsh, he did inherit it after all."
"Yes, it would explain many things," Yen Sid nodded toward the knight.
"I don't understand," Riku glanced to everyone in the room.
"Riku, that power Sora used, while it does live within each and every living thing," Aqua proceeded to explain, "Only those individuals who develop a connection to it have the power to wield it."
"Like the Sith or the other guardians, the Jedi Knights," Mickey joined in much to Riku's surprise.
"So... he has powers like Vader's," Riku blinked in shock.
"Yes, and by extension, like his father," Yen Sid glanced to the youngest Keyblade Master, "His father was a Jedi too." He then closed his eyes, "The power comes from the Force, an energy field created by all life that binds everything in the universe together. It's very rare when one wields a Keyblade and also develops a connection to the Force. It's likely how he made the connection to Ventus's heart when his body slept, and how he's been able to keep up with more experienced enemies all this time."
"...and how he saved Kairi from Xehanort before he struck her down," Mickey continued, "We assumed he had it, but we underestimated how strong his connection to it was."
"And considering that he and Vader had already faced each other in Arendelle," Aqua glanced at him in deep concern, "If he somehow made the connection to him and his father, if he felt even a fraction of the potential he has..."
"Then he'll stop at nothing to ensure that he'll track down Sora, and ensure he too, becomes an agent of evil," Yen Sid concluded.
"..." Riku was silent for a minute before asking, "...have you lost your minds?" His eyes narrowed, "Sora would never turn to the darkness!"
"Once upon a time, we could've said the same thing about Vader," The ancient Sorcerer replied, "But the Sith know exactly how to break a Jedi. Vader's Master, Darth Sidious, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, knew exactly how to turn him. I fear for Sora if he were to confront both of them."
He then demanded, "Why did you keep this from him?! Why are you telling all of this to me and not him?!"
"Because you're his oldest and best friend," Aqua revealed to him, "If Sora knew what we told you, about his family and what happened to them and the fate of his home galaxy, he would've gone after the Sith unprepared of the evil they would do upon him long ago. And I know, we all do, that you wouldn't want anything to happen to him."
"Yeah... I know Sora..." Riku crossed his arms before stating, "...I know he made friends back on Arendelle. I know many of these friends were murdered by Vader, that Bounty Hunter, and those thugs in the white armor. I also know that they took Rapunzel and Anna prisoner, also friends of his by the way." He then finished with his eyes narrowed...which is why I know that Sora will do the exact opposite of what you just told him not to do!"
"Yes, a quality he picked up from his father whenever a friend was in trouble," Yen Sid muttered. Gee, whoever his father was, the apple didn't fall that far from the tree. He then revealed, "That's why we've taken precautions to ensure that those orders are carried out." The elder man turned to Donald and Goofy who quickly stood at attention, "Tell me, did Chip and Dale install it?"
"Yes, sir, Master Yen Sid, sir," Goofy nodded in confirmation.
"They had it installed while we were chasing Pete through the Timeless River," Donald added, "Sora's a good pilot, but technology has never been his strong suit. He'll never be unable to undo the override on his own."
"And Kairi and Queen Elsa won't know how to help," The King of Disney added while sighing in relief, "Meaning they'll be safe on the islands, only having access to the GummiShip if it's to escape the Empire."
Riku couldn't believe what he was hearing, they had well thought of this long before the Keyblade War, before they really confronted the original Organization XIII. Still unconvinced that Sora couldn't be involved with the coming war, he turned to Master Yen Sid, "You really certain we can defeat the Sith without Sora's help?"
"It's not the matter of certainty, but of what choice," Master Yen Sid declared, "We cannot afford to risk losing Sora to the darkness." He opened his eyes, "I just hope we can stop before Sora finds a way around the precautions."
"THIS STINKS!" Sora exclaimed in frustration as they exited Yen Sid's home, "THIS FREAKING STINKS!"
"You took the words right from my mouth, Sora," Elsa couldn't help but agree with her young friend, "We came all this way for aid to rescue Anna from this Vader, and they told us to run for our lives."
"Can't say I blame 'em," Axel stated much to their irritation, "These Sith Lords sound like no joke."
Elsa whipped her head back at the spiky redhead, "YOU DON'T GET A SAY IN THIS!"
"...and we're back to being mad at me," The older friend of Sora and Kairi's took a moment to step back, "What'd I do now?"
"When we were back there fighting our case, you've said very little to convince that old man otherwise," The Queen of Arendelle pointed her finger back at the tower, "It's like you wanted to abandon the rescue mission for Anna!"
"..." Axel was silent for a brief moment, "...you seemed to forget all about your cousin, who was also captured by the way."
The Snow Queen's eyes began to twitch as Kairi turned to them, "Elsa, Axel, this isn't the time to fight among ourselves. Didn't you see what happened back there..." She turned back to Sora in deep concern, "...Donald and Goofy, Sora's closest friends outside of myself and Riku, left him when he needed them... again..."
The two froze, Elsa didn't think about that. It would seem Axel didn't either. As they turned to the said spiky boy. Elsa recalled how Sora mentioned, they were there for him since the very beginning. Helped him finish all of his journeys and his clashes with Xehanort. It must have been heartbreaking to see them telling him to run instead of fight with them. Sora frowned, "This can't be happening... the last time we were told to run... they agreed to keep going to help Leon and the others with me... why are they of all people telling me to run when we have friends in need."
"Sora... listen..." Elsa tried to cheer him up, "Don't take this too hard on them. They were just listening to their King. Following his orders. I'm sure they would've helped if King Mickey didn't make that order."
"Yeah, man," Axel rubbed the back of his head, "Back in the Organization, I did a lot of things for them behind my best friends back them because I thought it would keep them safe. I'm sure they'll come around."
Elsa's eyes narrowed at Axel, "And yet, you're still willing to do what the old man wants."
As Elsa and Axel continued their argument, Sora sat near the edge of the space, conflicted of how he should feel about all of this. Just then, someone else, he assumed it was Kairi sat down beside him, "Don't be too hard on them."
His eyes widened, that wasn't Kairi's voice, that was her voice. He turned to the mysterious woman, "They're only telling you to run because they all care about you. They don't want to see you hurt..." She turned to him, "...but you can't give up either. I've watched you all your life, and saw everything you've done since getting the Keyblade. You're a good person, Sora, you care deeply for your friends and I'm certain that you're the only one who can free our home from the Empire. Free the universe from their universal tyranny. You need to find a way there, find a way back home."
Sora blinked in confusion. Their home? What was she talking about? He wasn't from wherever she's from... right? Wait... He asked her, "Wait, is your home... in the Galaxy Far, Far Away?"
The woman smiled, "Yep. It was where you were born too."
How did she know? Wait, if she knew... then she would know how to get there! She knew how to get there! Just as he began thinking of a plan to ask her, he heard Kairi cry out, "Sora!"
He quickly leaped to his feet and turned to her... to see a Corridor of Darkness opened in front of her and the others. Summon his Keyblade, he prepared for whoever walked out of there... that's when Pete, now free of the ropes that once binded him ran out as he finally caught his breath, "Oh, thank goodness, I finally caught up to ya!"
Everyone eased up slightly, Sora blinked, "Pete?"
After a few more deep breaths, he turned to them with a pleading smile, "So, did you seek your big boss? Are you going out there to save the universe from those Imperial creeps? And save Maleficent why you're at it?"
Kairi gave an awkward glance to the oversized cat, "Well..."
"You are ain't ya?!" Pete beamed not even getting a chance for anyone to respond, "Oh, I knew you would! Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I know we've had our differences and all. Me being evil and working for your worst enemies, and you being all meddling do-gooders and messing up our plans to conquer the worlds! But I gotta say, you're real pals, you little runts!"
"Yeah, about that..." Even Elsa, who only met Pete twice now, felt awkward about what to tell him.
"You know, I now have new apperception for what you folks do," Pete continued on, "You would never let jerks like the Empire push ya around when they're planning to conquer the worlds. No matter how scary or terrifying their boss is, you never turn away and fl-"
"Yeah, they just told us to run." Axel bluntly stated before Pete could finish.
"Huh?" The lackey of Maleficent blinked.
"Yeah, they told us to run and hide," Sora looked at him with sympathy, "That we couldn't face them no matter what..."
"...you're joking, right?" The oversized cat asked after a minute. He only received silence in response, "You're ain't joking..." This was followed by more awkward silence, until Pete burst out in anger, "WHAT?! You mean all the times we cause chaos, you jump in and foul our plans, but when the Empire starts messing with the worlds when we actually need your help, they tell you to run like cowards?!"
"Well, they didn't say that specifically," Sora rubbed the back of his head even more awkwardly.
"WHY THAT OLD SORCERER FINALLY LOST HIS MARBLES I SAY!" Pete continued as he raised his fist at the tower, "I'M GONNA IN THERE TO CLOBBER SOME SENSE IN TO THAT OLD GEEZER!"
With that, Pete ran inside the retired Keyblade Master's tower, as the four watched the scene unfold, Kairi wondered, "I wonder if he'll realize that he's wanted too for messing the Worlds before he reaches the others..."
Before anyone could respond to that, they heard Pete yell, "YO! YEN SID! I HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU!"
"It's Pete!" They heard Donald exclaim.
"He's breached the tower!" Goofy added.
After a long silence, they heard Pete laugh nervously, "Oh... I knew I was forgetting something..."
"GET HIM!" Riku exclaimed. That's when they all heard Pete getting his butt kicked by two Keyblade Masters, one magician, one knight, and one retired Keyblade Master.
"Guess that answers that question," Axel muttered in response.
Sora turned his attention back to the GummiShip, as the Highwind still hovered above the tiny world. He then slowly and surely thought of an idea. He glanced to the others, "Get to the ship. Quickly."
"Sora?" Elsa blinked in confusion.
Kairi slowly smiled as she told her elder sister, "Do what he says!"
Before Elsa could ask why, Sora had already raced off to the Highwind. Axel and Kairi quickly followed, as she called out, "Hey! Wait!"
As Sora prepared the ship, Elsa was beamed onto the ship, she looked to herself, "I don't think I'll ever get used to that..." She then noticed Kairi and Axel strapping themselves in, "Okay, what's going on? Why are we so eager to leave the fight?"
"We're not," Sora answered her much to her confusion. He clarified, "We're not going back to the Islands, we're going to rescue Anna and Rapunzel..."
"Wait, you mean, you're going even though you were told not to," Elsa blinked in shock but at same time smiled a little.
"Honestly, I saw it happening the moment we left the tower," Axel stated.
"Wait, what?" Elsa blinked in disbelief.
Kairi glanced at her, "Axel might seem a bit of a jerk at times, and is scared of the Empire, but he knows if it was Roxas and Xion in our family's place, he'd go anyway. That's why he's helping too."
Kairi's eldest sister turned former Organization member, as he raised his hands in defense, "Hey, I'm not that mean, besides someone needs to be the reasonable one in all of this. Make sure you all don't just fly right to Vader's Star Destroyer, and pick a fight with him before we're ready."
After a long moment of silence, Elsa sat in her seat, "Then where to? I doubt this Master Yen Sid or any of them are willing to share with us especially when they told us to run and hide."
"There's always a chance Riku could get them to change their minds," Axel suggested, "We could wait..."
"...they won't change their minds, not this time," Sora cut him off shaking his head, "I've no doubt Riku will give it his all, but... call it an instinct but I doubt they'll cave." He then turned to the others, "And if we wait too long they'll know for certain that we're not running."
"Then where to?" Elsa wondered.
"Radiant Garden," He answered as he already began setting the coordinates.
"The place where Grandma used to live," Elsa blinked in confusion.
"Why are we going there?" Axel wondered, "None of the other members of the Organization are going tell us either. Only Xemnas and Xigbar knew and they're history."
Sora glanced to see the mystery woman standing there. She was the key to finding the galaxy. It was her home. If she's in his heart, then he'd use the Power of Waking to put her heart into a Replica. She would help them. She was on their side. He could feel it. Still, only Kairi and Riku knew of her, he hadn't told Axel or Elsa about the mystery woman. He'd give them the full story when they got there, so now he stated, "I have other friends there too, Leon and the gang, Ansem the Wise... they might have a few ideas we could try."
"You sure they won't tell us to turn around and run too?" Elsa asked in deep concern.
"Right now, this could be our only way forward," Kairi turned to her older sister, confident in Sora's plan.
Elsa looked like was going into deep thought into this idea, before nodded, "Very well. To Radiant Garden then."
"I suppose it'll be nice to visit the old stomping grounds," Axel nodded in agreement. Elsa turned to him, as he shrugged to her, "What? Radiant Garden's my home. Didn't you know that? I was Ansem's old pupil."
"You mean before you turned on him, and worked with a madman," Elsa's eyes narrowed at him.
"...I didn't know at the time," Was all Axel said to defend himself.
Kairi leaned over to Sora as she whispered, "This is really about her, isn't it?"
"Well, I promised you I'd have Ansem check my heart for her, didn't I?" He answered quietly before adding, "Besides, she knows about Vader and the Galaxy where she's from. I think she might be on our side if we help her."
Kairi blinked in surprise before nodding, "You're right. We can't overlook that. Let's go."
The two smiled at each other before Kairi allowed Sora to prep the ship, "And we're set..." Summing up his Keyblade, he once again opened the gate, "...let's go!" He then quickly glanced back to the Mysterious Tower, "Sorry, Riku."
With that, they blasted off through the gate... only to stop shortly after and then went through it. Elsa blinked in disbelief, "What happened? Are we there already?"
"No... the ship just stopped on its own..." Sora blinked in concern as the ship started to move on its own. His eyes widened, "Oh... oh, that's not good..."
"What's wrong?" Kairi asked in concern.
"The navigation computer is changing coordinates... it's taking us to the Destiny Islands!" He explained to the others as he tried reseting the computer.
"WHAT?!" Everyone gasped in horror.
"Quick!" Axel exclaimed, "Reset it!"
"I'm trying!" Sora told him before slamming his fist, "...but it's locking me out!"
Just then, his GummiPhone began to ring, and the Queen turned to Sora, "Is that your phone...?"
"Oh... I think I realized what happened..." Axel's eyes narrowed in anger as Sora answered the phone.
"Chip? Dale?" Sora whispered in disbelief.
"Sorry, Sora, but... the King knew you'd try something like this one day," Chip immediately began to apologize, "To be honest with you, we really hoped we'd never have to use it."
"...but when you visited when the Queen needed you guys, we were instructed to place an override autopilot mode on the Highwind in case you decided to go after the Empire," Dale continued with a look of guilt, "We're sorry, Sora... but we can't let you get involved with this one. His Majesty's and Master Yen Sid's orders..."
Sora closed his eyes, not wanting to hear any more of it, as he simply hung up on them. Elsa whispered to the others, "What are we going to do now..."
Sora's eyes narrowed with determination, "I'm giving up that easily..." Unstrapping himself, he went underneath the navigation computer, "I'm finding that autopilot and removing it from my ship!"
"Uh... Sora... that's really not your strongest suit," Kairi asked in deep concern, "I'm not sure you should be messing with that!"
"Yeah, you could remove something important," Axel added also really concerned, "Like the artificial gravity... life support systems..."
"I've lived on this ship for nearly two years..." Sora replied as he pried the bottom open, "I'm sure I picked up something from all of this!" He immediately started messing around with the wires pulling something out and causing the lights to go out, "Nope! Not that one!"
Plugging it back in, the lights came back on, as Elsa muttered in worry, "I'm going to pray that we don't die stranded in space..."
"Hey, you and Kairi got nothing to worry about," Axel rolled his eyes in humor, "With your pure hearts if you do die, you two are practical a straight shot of going to heaven..."
He then turned pale as the weapon systems went offline, and Sora exclaimed, "Not that one either!"
"If anything... I should be the one praying..." Axel muttered in fear before turning to the Queen, "You think it's too late for me to convert to being a Catholic... you know... just in case..." Elsa rolled her eyes and started praying, Axel snapped his fingers, "Great idea! I'll follow your lead!"
He then tried to follow her in prayer, as Kairi sighed, "I'll go look for a manual." She unfastened her seatbelt as she went to look for a manual for the ship, she muttered to herself, "I hope Eugene is having better luck than we are."
"Alright, day one of being the substitute for Queen of Arendelle," Eugene declared proudly as he sat in the Queen's study. Maximus snickered in amusement, causing the former thief to glare at him, "You know what I mean!" He cleared his throat as he continued, "Anyways... I just gotta keep this act up until Sora's back with Rapunzel and her cousins and teach that Vader guy a thing or two about kidnapping!"
He then turned to Kai who entered the room, "So, Jeeves, where do I get started? Kissing baby foreheads? Knight some folks? Smack bottles on new ships?! I am ready!"
Just then, a large stack of papers was placed on his desk, his eyes widened, "Uh... What's all this?"
"Condolence letters," Kai answered, "Many perished during the attack. Some were powerful figures from other Kingdoms, and people are going to want to know why they never returned home. Also, you have a meeting at 8 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning to discuss the rebuilding of the Kingdom of the damages the Empire made, and you need to hire a new group of council members since the current ones were all killed in the attack and many have summited applications..."
"...I have them now," Gerda smiled as she brought him three letters.
He blinked as he smiled in relief, "Well, three is not so bad..."
"Oh, that's not all of them, those three wouldn't fit in the bag," She happily stated before she exclaimed, "BRING IN THE BAG, BOYS!"
Suddenly, two of the surviving guards pulled a huge bag of letters towards the ex-thief, his eyes widened as they dumped it all on his desk, and he could only squeak out, "Oh... mama..."
"We'll let you get to it, sir," Kai smiled as the two left the room with the dumbfounded temporary ruler of Arendelle staring at the huge stack of paperwork.
"Oh, God, please let them get back soon," He prayed out loud. Maximus then turned to leave the room, as he called out to him, "And where do you think you're going?!" He then gestured to the large stack of papers and letters, "You're helping me with this! I don't care if you have thumbs! I've seen you do things no normal horse has ever done!" After a long pause, he cased after the horse, "Oh, for the love of... JUST GET BACK HERE!"
It would be a long time before Sora or any of the royals got back...
Note: I have no idea how the political stuff works outside of the U.S.A. So, I don't know if that's how someone like Elsa's Kingdom actually works in real life... that last scene was made for pure comedy shakes! XD
And I made Axel unsure non-Catholic to be a little spectacle of the Force when it's introduced to the gang. Kinda like Han. He'll grow into understanding it within time. It's a little nod, to my brother-in-laws out there before they found my sisters. They're happily a part of the faith and family now.
Sorry, little off-topic there, back to the main subject! Master Yen Sid, King Mickey, and the long-deceased Master Earqus are well aware of Sora's origins as they were the reason why Sora ended up on the islands! Now, they and Aqua are doing everything in their power to ensure that Sora does not fight in the coming conflict with the Empire and by extension the Sith... even if it meant sabotaging the Highwing so he doesn't interfere. However, Sora doesn't give up so easily but will he be lucky and get the Highwing back under his control? If they do, what will they discover on Radiant Garden? And who's the blind old man who has been wanting to meet Sora since the events of KH1? What will his role be in all of this? Stay tuned as we also see Anna and Rapunzel plan their escape... and see where they'll be staying in the long run of things...
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Make sure to leave a review! Also, if you haven't already, be sure to leave a follow or fav. as well to show your support! See ya real soon!