Chapter 8: Bond(s) — Reformed
The black-haired trainer stared out the window of the Gummi Ship, his eyes glassy and unfocused. He'd been like this ever since they'd left Hollow Bastion and his friends were getting worried.
"Ash?" Sora called out in concern from his position piloting the ship. "You okay?"
"Hmm?" The teen blinked and turned to face the concerned gazes of his friends. "Oh, I'm fine."
"You've been out of it ever since we left Hollow Bastion," Donald grunted, an unimpressed look on his face. "Don't tell me you're still moping?"
"I'm not moping, Donald," Ash said with an annoyed glare. He could only sigh as the others continued to stare at him. Despite taking offense to the way he worded that sentence, Ash would be lying if he said Donald was wrong. It had been quite a while since he'd first woken up in Twilight Town and the quartet had gotten into quite a few fights since then.
"It's just… All this fighting must be taking its toll on me," he admitted.
"It's been close to sixteen hours since we woke up in Twilight Town," Jiminy said from Sora's shoulder. "It's no surprise you're starting to feel out of it; especially considering how much fighting we've been doing."
"Has it really been that long?" Sora spoke up in surprise.
"'Fraid so," Goofy said, glancing at a clock on the control board. "You two should get some shut-eye while ya can. It'll take us a while to get to the next world."
"And what about you?" Ash asked in concern. It wasn't healthy to stay awake for so long. That, and there was always the risk of falling asleep at the wheel.
"We can sleep in shifts," Jiminy suggested. "Someone can take the first shift and I'll stay with him to make sure he doesn't fall asleep. Then we'll wake someone else to take over so the first person can rest."
"I can still go for a while," Goofy spoke up. "I'll take first shift. Donald can go after me."
"Why are you volunteering me?!"
"Sounds like a plan," Sora said, handing the controls over to Goofy just as Donald let out a squawk of indignation. The teen stood up and yawned, stretching his tired muscles. "I'll go after Donald. Wake me up when it's time for my shift. Let's go, Ash."
"Where are we going exactly?" The trainer asked as he followed Sora and an irate Donald out of the ship's cockpit.
"To our quarters," Donald grumbled, striding down a hallway towards a set of doors. "There's only two rooms, so you'll have to bunk with one of us."
"Plenty of beds though," Sora offered. "So if you want a room to yourself, I can bunk with Donald."
"It's fine," Ash said with a wry smile. "I'm used to rooming with others, so it's no big deal."
"Well, if you don't mind then I'll take a room for myself," the duck grumbled. "Maybe get some peace and quiet for once…"
"We're not that bad, Donald," Ash said with a frown. The anthropomorphic duck gave him a deadpan stare.
"Try saying that after rooming with Sora and Goofy for a year," he said with a huff before entering the room opposite theirs. The door shut with a decisive click.
"Well, that was a thing," Sora chuckled sheepishly as they entered their own room. "Sorry if I keep you awake…"
"I'm a pretty heavy sleeper," Ash said with a chuckle of his own. "I'll be fine."
The brown-haired Keyblader pressed a button as they stepped inside. The walls folded open and revealed several beds; two bunks on each side for a total of six.
Ash whistled. "You weren't kidding about there being plenty of beds."
"Pick any one you want," Sora said, plopping onto one of the beds. "Just make sure you remember which one you used so we can wash the sheets later on."
"Right," Ash nodded before deciding on the top bunk of the beds opposite Sora. By the time he took off his shoes and socks, he could already hear loud snores coming from the direction of his companion's bed. Giving an amused chuckle, the teen laid down on his own bed.
He was asleep before his head even touched the pillow.
"Well… this was unexpected," Ash said in a neutral tone of voice as he suddenly found himself standing at his Station of Awakening. He turned to the surrounding darkness but found no one. "Is this normal? Aqua? Helloooooo?"
Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck began to prickle and he leapt to the right just as a dark gray Keyblade struck the ground where he'd been standing just moments prior. "What the heck?!"
"Not bad," his assailant said with a grin. "Not bad at all."
"What are you doing, Aqua?!" Ash demanded. "Are you trying to kill me?!"
"Training," the girl said, her face settling into a battle-hardened glare as she brandished her Keyblade once more. "Draw your weapon."
"Now?" he whined. "But I wanted to…" her glare intensified. "...Warm up first."
"The Heartless won't wait for you to warm up," Aqua said with an annoyed huff. Her hold on her weapon tightened. "Draw!"
Ash yelped as she once again charged at him. Summoning his own Keyblades, he met her slash with one of his own, locking it in place. Quickly raising his offhand, he attempted as stab, but was shocked as she raised her leg and kicked his weapon aside with her armored boot.
Aqua grinned before releasing her grip on her weapon and backflipped away, causing him to stumble forward. Quickly catching himself, he looked up in time to see Aqua summoning her weapon and pointing at him.
"Fire." Resisting the urge to curse, he rolled out of the way as a fireball came hurtling overhead. "Fire! Blizzard! Thunder! Dance for me, Ash!"
"You crazy woman!" The trainer roared as he frantically dodged the storm of elemental magic. The blue-haired girl simply laughed.
Gritting his teeth, Ash jabbed his own Keyblade at her. "Thunder!" Once again, a pitiful spark of electricity short forth from his weapon, only to fizzle out a half second later. The raven-haired teen blushed mightily as Aqua raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'm still working on that one." he said weakly.
"I can tell," Aqua nodded, pointing her Keyblade at him once more. "Fire."
He really did curse this time.
"You did well," Aqua said with a bright smile. "Your instincts and technical skills are well honed. You just need to work on your strength and endurance."
Ash, meanwhile, was collapsed on his back, murmuring hysterically about "demonic super-women".
"Oh, quit being a baby," the blue-haired girl giggled. "It wasn't that bad. You should've seen the things Master Eraqus made us go through."
"Why did we even do this?" he moaned. "I just wanted to sleep."
"You don't have to worry about that," Aqua said with a grin. "When you wake up, your body will be refreshed as if you slept like a baby. As for why…" She reached into her satchel and retrieved her blue lucky charm. "We're connected through this."
"The charms?" he asked, placing a hand on his own, hidden beneath his shirt.
"They're called Wayfinders," she explained. "When I made them, I placed a tiny bit of myself in them. So when you wear it, I can sometimes sense tiny echoes of your thoughts and emotions. Not enough to invade your privacy, but I can tell when you're angry or scared and can send positive emotions in return."
"So that's what that warm feeling was," Ash murmured, tightening his hold on his own Wayfinder.
"And lately, I've been feeling helplessness," Aqua said seriously. "You feel weak and you're afraid about it."
Ash flinched as she hit the nail on the head. "...I can barely keep up with the others," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "I… I'm afraid I'm just slowing them down. I'm afraid that I won't be able to save my friends… that I won't be able to save you."
"And that's why I'm doing this," the girl said, kneeling beside him with a warm smile. "I'm not just a damsel in distress, Ash. You forget that I'm a Keyblade Master. I may not be able to escape the Realm of Darkness on my own, but that doesn't mean I'll just sit idly by."
Ash looked up at her in surprise. "You mean… you'll help me?"
"Of course," she said this as though it were obvious. "Isn't that what friends are for?"
"Friends, huh…?" Ash chuckled before shaking his head and smiling at her. "...Thank you, Aqua." He paused. "Speaking of friends…"
"What is it?"
"You said you can send positive emotions from this right?" The teen raised his Wayfinder for her to see. At her nod, he continued. "Then… Do people other than you and I have them?"
"H-Huh?" The girl's eyes widened. "H-How did you know that?"
"Because sometimes… I can feel… something," Ash grimaced at his own poor explanation. "Like, when you know someone is standing behind you, even if you can't see them."
"That's probably my own presence you feel," Aqua said cautiously. He shook his head.
"No, it's definitely not you," he insisted. "At least, not just you. There are definitely two other people I can sense, if only just barely."
The blue-haired girl couldn't believe her ears. "Y-You're sure?" she stammered. "You're positive you feel two others?"
"Yes." He stressed. "What is it, Aqua?"
"The only other people to have these Wayfinders," her voice wavered slightly. "Are my friends, Terra and Ventus."
Now, Ash may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he could tell when someone was emotionally distraught. "...What happened?"
"...Do you remember when we first met?" she answered his question with one of her own. "I told you that one of my friends was falling into darkness. And that I took his place."
"And that was—"
"Terra," the girl whispered hoarsely. "So, he's still there? You can feel him?"
"Just barely," Ash said honestly. "He doesn't seem to trust me very much."
"A-And Ventus, too?" Aqua murmured. "He was so young when he… he lost his heart."
"Lost his heart?" Ash repeated, an alarmed look on his face. But it was clear Aqua wasn't keen on explaining right now. He had to respect that. "I can feel him though. He's still there."
"Yes," the girl had a relieved look on her face. "He is…" The raven-haired teen stared at her for a few moments, with his brow furrowed. Ventus had lost his heart? And Terra was falling into darkness? Why did that all sound familiar?
It was then he realized.
"I understand!" he suddenly shouted, startling the girl beside him.
"H-Huh?" she squeaked. "Understand what?"
"A while ago, my friends and I spoke with Master Yen Sid," Ash explained. "When I asked him what I was supposed to do, he told me to find three people. Someone lost in darkness. Someone consumed by darkness. And someone who needs his heart returned to him."
Aqua stared at him in confusion for a moment before understanding dawned on her face. "U-Us?"
"That's why the King wanted me!" He exclaimed. "He must know I'm connected to you!"
"But how?" The girl asked in bewilderment.
"Because... Everything is connected." Ash said, his eyes widening even as he spoke. "Just like Yen Sid said! Everybody and everything on this journey is connected. Like... invisible bonds tying us together." The teen shook his head. "That's what I'm supposed to do! I'll find Terra and Ventus and together, we'll save you from the Realm of Darkness!"
"Y-You don't have to push yourself…" she said weakly.
"I don't have to do anything," he agreed with a grin on his face. "I'm doing it because I want to. That's what friends are for, right?"
"Ash…" Aqua stared at him in wonder. The raven-haired teen found his eyes widening as he felt her arms snake around him and the smell of vanilla flooding his senses. "Thank you."
"Y-You're welcome," Ash stammered, his face flushing slightly. She pulled away and smiled at him. However, instead of returning it, he could only feel a cold chill riding up his spine. There was something off about that smile…
"Well, if you're gonna be saving us, I guess that means I'll have to up your training!" She said cheerfully.
Ash's only answer was to let out a high-pitched whining sound.
Music: Kairi ~ Kingdom Hearts II OST ~ /watch?v=1NwpZ6bF394
The sound of day-to-day busywork was what met the exhausted Pikachu's ears as his eyes blearily opened. When his gaze fell upon an unfamiliar ceiling, he stiffened for a moment before relaxing. He wasn't bound or caged and the window was even open, so he could escape any time he wanted.
A glance around told him he was in a human bedroom. Judging by the pink bed sheets and plush toys lining a nearby shelf, it was safe to assume it belonged to a female. Humans were weird like that. He took a quick sniff of the air. It smelled of strawberries. Not overbearingly so, but just enough to pleasantly tickle the nose. It reminded him of the scented lotions some of Ash's female friends would use. Whoever had brought him here had also taken the time to bath him, if the fruity smell of shampoo was anything to go by.
Who had brought him here? And where were Ash and the others? The last thing he remembered was charging into a shadowy horde of monsters with his comrades at his side, and then… nothing.
The door to the room opened and Pikachu felt his body stiffen once more. Turning towards the door, he saw a red-haired girl enter with a tray of food. She paused when she saw him and smiled brightly, not seeing or perhaps ignoring his suspicious gaze.
"You're awake!" she exclaimed, striding over and placing the tray down. Pikachu's mouth watered as the glorious sight before him. "I wasn't sure what kind of food you'd like, so I made a lot…"
"Pika!" Suspicion thrown out the window, the yellow Pokemon eagerly dove… straight towards a bottle of ketchup.
"Eh?" Kairi's eyes widened as she saw the creature begin to guzzle the condiment. "Hey, you shouldn't…" She paused as the rodent sent her a pleading look. Pikachu hugged the bottle close to his body, as though he'd drop dead if he so much as put it down. His eyes began to water...
"...Oh, alright…"
"Pika!" Kairi giggled as he cheered and continued his quest to down an entire bottle in one go.
"Well, you look much better than you did last night," she said with a smile. Hearing this, Pikachu paused in his guzzling to turn to her questioningly. "You don't remember? I'm not surprised. You were barely conscious when I found you drifting on that piece of driftwood."
Suddenly, like someone throwing open the blinds, memories began to pour into his head. That was right… He'd been drifting for days on an endless ocean. The only things keeping him alive having been that driftwood and the thought of reuniting with Ash.
"Pikapi…"
"Hey, now, no need to look so sad," the girl admonished before pausing and looking him over curiously. "I've never seen something quite like you before. Is Pikachu all you can say?"
"Pi." He nodded.
"Is… Pikachu your name? Or is that what you are?"
"Pi, pikachu."
The girl stared at him, her brow furrowed for a moment. "...Yes to both?"
"Pika!" He nodded in surprise. Not many humans were able to guess what a Pokemon was saying so well. Even with Ash, he usually had to resort to charades.
"Okay!" Kairi smiled. "Pikachu, then. I like that name!" She emphasized this by scratching him behind his ear.
"Chaaa~" He couldn't help but coo. There was just something about this girl that reminded him so much of his trainer. Even despite just meeting her yesterday, he already felt like he could trust her. Plus she gave him ketchup! That made her A-OK in his book!
"It's nice to meet you, Pikachu." The girl said with a giggle as his leg began to shake. "My name is—"
"Kairi, what is this mess in the kitchen?!" Both of them jumped as a raspy but strong voice spoke from just outside the door. Pikachu tensed as the door opened once more and an elderly woman hobbled in.
"G-Granny!" Kairi exclaimed as the woman's eyes fell on the yellow rodent. "I can explain…!"
"Oh?" The woman hummed, raising an eyebrow at the creature. "And what is this?"
"This is Pikachu," the younger girl explained hurriedly. "I found him adrift in the sea last night. You were already sleep by the time I got back and I didn't want to wake you, so I just decided to take care of him myself."
"I see…" Her caretaker murmured, her eyes gleaming strangely. "Let me see it for a moment…"
"Granny…?" Kairi cocked her head in confusion as the elderly woman approached them, Pikachu glaring at her the entire way. The woman reached into her pocket and retrieved something Kairi couldn't exactly make out. Then, without warning, the woman grabbed hold of Pikachu's tail.
The Pokemon reacted almost immediately. "CHUUUUUUU!"
"Eeek!" Kairi flinched back as electricity began to flow from the rodent's cheeks and around its body. "G-Granny!?"
"I see," the senior said with a thoughtful look on her face. As though she weren't currently being electrocuted by a yellow mouse. After several moments, the electricity faded, leaving a panting Pikachu, a stunned schoolgirl and a grinning old lady.
"G-Granny?" Kairi choked out. "A-Are you okay…?"
"Better than ever," her childhood nanny chuckled. She removed her hand, revealing it to be covered with a rubber glove before grinning at the glaring Pikachu. "I must say, I never thought I'd see another of your kind."
"Pika?" The mouse looked at her in confusion, as did the red-haired girl.
"Y-You've seen a Pikachu before?" Kairi asked, her eyes wide.
"Not one specifically," the older woman corrected. "But your mother used to bring home all sorts of strange creatures for me to get attacked by. She called them "Pokemon". After several unfortunate mishaps," she gave a wry grin at the still-glaring Pikachu. "I learned that yellow tends to mean electricity."
"M-Mom did?" Kairi exclaimed. "But… how? I've never seen something like… that before! Electricity just shot out of its cheeks!"
"That's because they're not from here," the woman sighed, her mirth finally fading as she stared down at the Pokemon. "I'm guessing you're arrival here wasn't under the greatest circumstances?"
"Chu." The creature shook its head vehemently.
"I see…"
"Granny?"
The woman turned towards her charge. "Kairi, do you remember what I told you when you first asked about your mother?"
The girl's brow furrowed. "...You said that something terrible happened, but you wouldn't explain until I was older."
"Well, I think you're finally old enough." The woman said, frowning at Pikachu, who was now listening just as intently as Kairi. "Why don't you take a seat and I'll explain... everything. About where we come from. About your father. Your mother… And your brother."
"B-Brother?!" Contrary to the woman's suggestions, Kairi actually jumped to her feet, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. "I-I have a brother?"
"Pika?" The Pokemon likewise uttered, more in question than in shock.
The nanny sighed and nodded. "Yes."
"W-What…" Kairi choked out. "What is his name?"
"His name is..."
A/N: I refuse to accept episode 38 of XY&Z as canon. That was bullshit and you all know it. They even trolled us by having Alain's Charizard ALMOST fall over.
Anyway, I apologize for taking so long to get this short one out. I've been distracted by WoW. The new expansion hits next week and I've been rushing to get all my characters to max level.
Note: In this fic, the woman Kairi refers to as Granny is the same woman we see multiple times in the KH series, but she is not Kairi's actual grandmother. She's her nanny/nursemaid, but since she's looked after Kairi for so long, she sees her like a grandmother.