In the dead of night, within a grassy, tree laden field, the full moon shined down upon a handmade fire pit carefully placed on the dirt trail. Laying in the grass near the fire was a boy in a red jumpsuit with puffy shorts and a zipper running down the entire front. He also wore a black and white jacket over top, large yellow shoes, white fingerless gloves with yellow and blue straps holding on a silver circle plate, a blue belt with chains hanging off and a silver crown necklace. His brown hair had long spiky strands up top and on the sides and his eyes were a deep blue. A melancholy expression creased his face as he held up an item shaped like a star, made of seashells held together by thick string. An item that held great importance to him, and someone he cared deeply for.
"Can't sleep, Sora?"
Sora, the Keyblade Master, savior of the worlds from the madness of Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, perked up and turned to look at the sound of the youthful, feminine voice. A dark haired girl a year older than him was sitting up beside him with a small grin. She wore a black long-sleeved blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, over which was a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front and a matching skirt with red lining, a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins, a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trims around the top and red soles, a silver emblem looking like a rose with flamed tips up top appeared as a buckle on her wide black belt which is slung around her hips on an angle. Attached to her belt was a pocket and a row of bullets. Laying beside her was a large, red, mechanical scythe.
"No. I guess you can't either, Ruby?" Sora said with a sigh and a smile.
"No," the girl said before looking to her side and chuckling a little. "Unlike those two."
She gestured toward their companions. Two anthropomorphic animals. One was Donald, a duck with white plumage, a yellow-orange bill, legs of the same color, light blue eyes and clothes consisting of a blue hat resembling a beret with a belt in place of a normal brim and a zipper spanning the length of the hat, a navy blue high-collared jacket with sky blue lining and cuffs with three pouches, all of which are blue with yellow lining, along the middle of the jacket. The second was Goofy, a black furred dog with droopy ears and two bucked teeth. He wore an orange hat with a blue band in the middle and a small pair of red goggles, a green turtleneck sweater with sleeves belling out slightly and blue arrow-shaped straps on each cuff, white gloves with a brown band around each wrist, a sleeveless, black combat vest with gray lining and four pockets of the same color, yellow pants secured by a thick, black belt and very large shoes which were brown with steel toes on the outside.
The two youths shook their heads at their companions as they lay deep in that carefree snooze of theirs. They looked down between them and saw another of their friends who was also wide awake. A tiny anthropomorphic cricket with olive skin, thin black eyebrows, four-fingered hands with white gloves, a royal blue top hat with an orange band, a red vest with a single, pink button on the front, a yellow ascot, a black blazer, and a high-collared white shirt, tan pants and yellow shoes with black tips. "What have you got there, Jiminy?" Ruby asked him, remembering how the cricket companion normally stayed in Sora's hoodie during their journey. It was a relief to know he'd managed to survive through all that chaos, but he must have really been jostled from all the fighting they had to do. Especially the final battle against Ansem. But regardless of that, he'd been a friend and confidant to them both in times of need, especially Ruby.
Jiminy smiled and showed what he was holding with a cheerful flourish, saying, "It's my second volume of our journey. I've got the first one right here with me." he said proudly, pulling out a book like the other he was writing in. "I've got everything we went through all recorded. And boy, what a story it's been."
Sora and Ruby each took a moment to look through some of the pages on the tiny journal. A venture which left both of the youths wide-eyed with surprise. "Wow. You put so much in it." Sora said with a big smile.
Ruby's couldn't take her eyes off the pages as they continued flipping through them. "Yeah, you've really written down literally EVERYTHING that's happened to us." she said, her silver eyes scanning the pages with awe. He certainly spared no expense on the details.
"Eyup. When me, Donald and Goofy return to Disney Castle, I've gotta tell Queen Minnie everything that's happened. All of it. That's my job as the royal Chronicler." Jiminy said proudly.
Yet in the wake of that statement, Sora's face suddenly fell. Ruby noticed it as she looked up from the journal, asking with concern, "What's wrong, Sora?"
Sora looked back at her with a small, nostalgic smile on his face. "Oh...I was just thinking about what happened before...well, all of this." he said, looking up at the stars. "Back on the Destiny Islands, Riku, Kairi, and I were making a raft. That's what we originally were going to leave to see other worlds on. Silly by the standards of what we've seen so far, I know." Sora paused as he let out an awkward chuckle. Oh if only his past self could see what was on the horizon. "I never imagined it'd be like this, though. Ending up in another world after mine was lost, being separated from my friends, fighting Heartless, the Keyblade...I've traveled to so many different places and met lots of new friends. Donald, Goofy, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren..." he said before looking at his two associates sitting with him with a fond smile. "...and you and Jiminy too."
Ruby and Jiminy beamed with joy to hear how much Sora cared about them. "Same here. I always heard all kinds of stories growing up back in Remnant. Nothing like this though. It's even more amazing that I got to experience it all with you...even with...what we lost as a result." Ruby said, unable to deny the joy of traveling with such wonderful new friends...yet also unable to deny the pain that came with forever losing one.
A pain that Sora shared, even if not to the same degree, as he nodded silently in agreement. "I just wonder how it all would've gone if Riku and Kairi were with us, too. I wonder what both of them are doing now. Will I... ever return home?" Sora wondered aloud with a sad expression on his face. He didn't want to admit it, but ever since they chased after Pluto, only to lose him, he began to doubt himself.
"Of course!" Jiminy assured the boy as he hopped over to one of the pockets in Sora's shorts, pointing to a very specific object Sora was looking at previously. "You made a promise to Kairi, right? She's your girlfriend, after all." he said with a teasing grin.
"W-What?!" Sora exclaimed as his cheeks started turning almost as red as Ruby's cape. "No, Kairi isn't my girlfriend! We're not in that sort of relationship! And this is just her good luck charm she gave me! I only promised I'd bring it back to her, because she gave it to me as a way of bringing me good luck but also assurance that I'd return it, that's all!"
The whole time, Ruby couldn't help giggling Sora's flustered rambling and demeanor. Such a sudden switch in moods from a single word from the cricket chronicler. Honestly, it was no wonder that he and Jaune got along so well. But a moment later, her laughter faded as she had a thought of her own cross her mind. One that seemed to make her go quiet like he did. Sora noticed Ruby's sudden apprehension. As if there was something she wanted to say, but couldn't bring herself to. "What's wrong, Ruby?" Sora asked.
Ruby looked at him uncertainly, before sighing. "Sora...I don't think I can stay with you much longer." she said, unsure how else to phrase it.
"What do you mean? I-...I know we have to get you home, but...Do you...not want to keep traveling with us?" Sora asked, hoping that wasn't it.
"No, it's nothing like that," Ruby quickly assured him. "I still want to help you, Donald and Goofy find Riku and Mickey. It's just...now that all the worlds have been restored? That means mine is back now, and everyone who survived being devoured by the darkness is there too. All the good people in my life…and the bad people, too. Things really took a turn for the worst even before the Heartless arrived, and...I'm worried about not being there to help keep Remnant safe. My friends...my family...they all need me. But most of all..." Ruby paused as she found the strength to look back at Sora, her eyes full of uncertainty as she looked at the boy who made it possible for her to even return home in the first place. "I'm also worried about you potentially getting drawn into our problems. With Cinder and the Grimm, and who knows what else...we'll probably never see each other again."
Sora saw how crestfallen Ruby was. It was true though. She was with them now because she stood alongside them against Ansem. Sora might have even worried that HE was the reason Ruby wasn't home right now, but he knew she would only assure him that she made her choice and stood by it. But now that they defeated the one responsible and caused all the worlds to be free of the darkness that took them, there didn't seem to be much of a reason for Ruby to stay. Asking her to remain when she had her own place with friends and family to take care of was too much. And that didn't count the lectures on 'World Order' that Donald would hit them with.
But then...he smiled and shifted closer to Ruby, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You'll get back home, Ruby. And you'll be back with your friends and family no matter what happens. It's the least we can do for you. After all, you helped us find Riku, Kairi and Mickey. Sure, we might go separate ways but we'll never truly be apart. Remember what Leon said?"
Ruby paused, thinking back to the last time they saw the friend Sora mentioned. How could she, or any of them forget what he said to them when their whole group was worried about saying goodbye? She smiled and nodded back to Sora, repeating the exact words Leon said to them. "We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other."
"That's right." Jiminy said cheerfully, hopping up to Sora's shoulder. "Ruby will have to go back to her own world, eventually. As will Donald and Goofy too, once they find King Mickey. I'll be going home to Pinocchio as well once I've finished this next volume. You'll get to go back home as well, once you find Riku." Despite listing off the tragic reasons for their necessary partings, Jiminy wasn't sad. "Even if none of us ever meet up again, the memories we've created on our adventures will keep us together, even when we're apart. Why, memories are powerful things. Like the hearts of people."
And it was a sentiment that, and Ruby both found themselves feeling much better. Even though Jiminy had largely been hanging out in the safety of Sora's hoodie for much of their journey, he always seemed to know just what to say whenever he popped out. Something Ruby was eternally grateful for. "You're absolutely right, Jiminy." Sora said, sharing a smile with Ruby.
Seeing they likely were going to be out til the sun came up, Ruby hoisted herself up and looked out along the night veiled horizon. "Wanna go for a walk?" she offered. Sora looked up at her and gave a smiling nod before hoisting himself up. As they walked down the road, the two of them took in the gentle silence of the night, staring up at the star and moonlit sky. It had been a long time since they were able to just relax and take things in. This place however was far more lonely. It was peaceful to be sure, but there was no sign of life or civilization for the entire time they'd been here. As they went on, they came to a crossroad. This put a bit of a snag in their plan to find where Pluto went.
"Oh man. Just when this wasn't complicated enough." Sora grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess we should probably go back and tell Donald and Goofy about this. Right Ruby?" Sora asked as he looked up and down the roads to the left and right, then the one down the middle. Much to his confusion, he didn't get a response. "Ruby?" When she didn't answer again, he turned to look at her...only to realize with great shock that she was gone. "Ruby!? Ruby, where'd you go!?" Sora called out, trying to find some sign of his friend. Yet all he was met with was silence and the night air.
"Along the road ahead lies something you need."
The sudden, smooth, male voice startled Sora as he sharply turned around. Yet to his confusion, he saw nobody there. Despite that, he was certain he wasn't alone. He turned around again, and to his shock seeing somebody wearing a chillingly familiar long, black, overcoat with a hood. Despite the familiarity of the attire, something about this hooded man felt and...sounded different than the unknown figure that they fought at Hollow Bastion.
"However - in order to claim it, you must lose something that is dear to you."
Before Sora could say anything, the man turned, seemingly about to head down another part of the crossroad, only to vanish into thin air. Sora was utterly fraught with worry. If that person could appear at will as he had done, then did that mean...He must have taken Ruby! "Finding Pluto can wait. I've gotta tell the others." he said to himself before running off in the direction he and Ruby came from. It was fortunate the campfire on the dirt trail was still lit, albeit much more dim than before. Donald and Goofy were still resting peacefully, Goofy muttering something about a burger and fries, but Sora had no inclination to be amused by it as he shook them both. "You guys! Wake up!"
Donald being the first to wake, groaned and adjusted his hat. "Waaak?...Sora? What's the big idea? I was having the nicest dream." the duck complained, blinking oh so groggily.
Goofy, even in his state of half consciousness noticed that...there were only three of them gathered. "Hey, where's Ruby?" Goofy asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"That's why I woke you guys up! I think she's been kidnapped!" Sora blurted out without hesitation.
"Kidnapped?!" the two of them said collectively, dropping any and all grogginess in an instant. Both of them shot to their feet as fast as they could. Donald performed grabbed his staff and quickly used a small blizzard spell to douse the campfire.
Goofy's standing up was more like a series of flailing as he frantically grabbed his shield and looked around warily. "Where'd ya last see her, Sora?!" he asked with great concern.
The boy pointed down the road. "We-...We couldn't sleep so we just stayed up talking, then we went for a little walk down that way. We just came to a crossroad, and when I looked behind me, she was gone! Then some guy in a black coat was there, saying some...weird stuff. Come on, let's just try and find her!" he said, rushing down the road. Donald and Goofy immediately followed suit after him, hoping to find some sign of their dear Huntress friend.
When they finally arrived at the crossroad, Donald looked around, staff brandished on the slightest chance that something dangerous would appear. "Alright, where are ya?!" Donald yelled out in a challenging fashion, on the lookout for who Sora mentioned.
Goofy scratched his head nervously with his free hand. Despite Sora's insistence, and Donald's raucous challenge, there wasn't any sign of Ruby or...anyone else in fact. "Are ya sure it was around here, Sora?"
Sora nodded, looking around frantically as not head nor heel of Ruby or her hooded kidnapper were anywhere in sight. "Yeah. This was where we were before she just vanished." he explained anxiously.
"And where did he go?" Donald asked. Sora paused and pointed down the path leading away from the ones intersecting to the right and left.
"I think...He went that way." Sora said before taking a step in that direction. Rather than question what he was doing, Donald and Goofy started following after him.
Sora didn't know why, but he felt that...something was down this way. Something that he needed to find. The further they went, the world around them seemed to shift and distort. Changing from the picturesque scenery they saw before to a more foreboding atmosphere. As if the world itself was shifting into a realm like the End of the World. But...there was light as well. He wasn't sure how to explain it to himself. It was...similar to the realm of darkness, yet not. The grassy fields and hills were turning to a trail made of multicolored sand and rough stalagmites across the ground. What they came across at the end was a brownish yellow castle with teal blue roof portions. Its architecture was remarkable, with its tower's tops resembling an interesting isosceles triangle and some sort of horned monster in the center. Two smaller parts lie on floating islands joined to the main structure by chains. Much of the others were oddly shaped at the sides or along the ground underneath and beside the biggest portions at the center while some parts looked as if they were sticking out sideways. Such a structure as this...shouldn't have even been possible...yet it was.
Donald and Goofy spoke to one another, likely talking about how unique the castle was and what it could mean. Sora wasn't paying attention to what they were saying though. He just...couldn't take his eyes off of the strange castle. He couldn't explain why, but...he had this indescribable need to enter the castle. This feeling that...somebody he was searching for was within its walls. For that reason he began walking towards the opulent double doors awaiting his entry.
Donald perked up, looking to the castle, suddenly feeling something...inexplicable. Something that he didn't notice Goofy felt as well as both of them looked toward the castle as well. The instant they noticed Sora approaching the gate, both the court magician and captain of the guard followed the Keyblade Master to the doors, uncertain of what awaited within.