Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts Route B ❯ Light Lessons ( Chapter 12 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or any of the Disney/Square Enix characters that appear in this work. Please support the original releases.

 

 

 

Chapter 12: Light Lessons

 

 

 

"Now hold still, please."

Mary stretched a long ribbon of measuring tape from the top of Kairi's head to her feet.

Holding up the tape, Mary looked at the result. "Just as I expected. 'Determined yet surprisingly lazy.'"

"What?" Kairi snorted. "Let me see that."

"As you wish."

Kairi took the tape from Mary and held it up above her eyes. Right there, in bold print, the tape indeed said that she was determined and lazy. Unable to resist, Kairi tried measuring Mary. The older woman stood completely still as Kairi measured her from the bottom of her polished, black boots to the neat bun of dark-brown hair at the top of her head.

Kairi read the results to herself.

"Mary Poppins. Practically perfect in ever way."

Kairi stared. Mary's smile was full of secrets. She took the tape measure back with a quick "thank you" and tucked it into her pocket.

"Now then." Mary clapped her hands, "shall we begin?"

"Begin what?"

"Your magic lessons of course."

"What? Magic lessons?"

"Yes, dear. That's the reason that you are here."

"But, I thought-Daisy said I needed to talk to the queen."

"Ah. Of course. Majesty Minnie," Mary called.

By this time, Daisy had taken Mary's vacant seat at the garden table. The queen, Minnie, her pinky raised, was sipping tea across from Daisy. The pair of them looked as though they were having an ideal Sunday afternoon.

Queen Minnie looked from Kairi to Mary and giggled. Daisy pressed the back of her hand on her forehead and let out an exhausted sigh.

"Oh go ahead," she huffed. "I'll tell Her Majesty everything. Why don't you two come back after your magic lesson?"

"Yes," Minnie added, "we'll meet after the lesson is over."

Mary Poppins bowed. "Thank you, Majesty. Come along now, Kairi."

"How did you know my name?"

"Spit spot. No time to waste."

"But-"

Mary pointed to the topiary garden. "Let us leave Her Majesty to finish her tea. We have much to do."

Kairi felt like a toddler that was easily handled by an experienced granny. Except Mary wasn't anything at all like a granny. She had fair, smooth skin, with rosy cheeks. Tall, with perfect posture, wearing a navy-blue dress with a red bowtie, and yet she still walked with a spring in her step.

They stood in the flower bed between the topiary castle and the surrounding orchestra. It was then that Kairi noticed the purse that Mary was holding in her hand.

"That's a nice bag."

"Carpet," said Mary.

"The bag is a carpet?"

"No, made of."

Mary opened the carpet-bag and pulled out a long, black umbrella with a green and blue, parrot-shaped handle. This wouldn't have surprised Kairi so much, if it weren't for the fact that the umbrella was much longer then the bag was deep.

She inched closer and looked into the bag, but saw that its insides were completely normal, and empty. A moment later, Mary bent down onto the ground and the bag swallowed her arm up to the shoulder. She rummaged around as though she were sticking her arm into a deep hole.

"Now where did I put that silly stick. I know it's in here somewhere."

She pulled out a wooden stool and laid it on the grass.

"Wow!"

Kairi measured the stool. It was tall as her hip. Either Mary was a magician or her bag was a black hole.

"How are you doing that?"

Mary blinked at Kairi. "Whatever do you mean?"

"How are you getting all those big things from that tiny bag?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about. Ah! Here it is!"

Mary straightened. In her hand was a conducting baton. She placed the carpet bag on the wooden stool and then faced Kairi with a wink.

"Now then. I assume you know some magic."

"I know one spell."

"That will do for now."

Mary waved the conductor's baton. Kairi yelped, covering her ears. The entire topiary garden erupted with a swelling crescendo. The cows, dogs and pigs were no longer frozen in time. They played their instruments to the beat of Mary's conducting.

The music slowed, becoming quiet for a moment. Mary spoke over the hum.

"Now then. Show me what you can do. And don't fret too much, please. There's no danger to be had from a garden."

Before Kairi could say "huh" the nearest topiary animal launched itself at her. She jumped back and then felt the ground pounding below her feet. A green, bushy dog was stomping toward her with its horn blasting air at her face. The base tones of the horn were like a hammer pounding on Kairi's head.

She looked at Mary, her eyes full of questions, only to see Ms. Poppins happily conducting away without even looking at the animals.

So that was how Mary wanted to play.

"All right. I'll just have to rain on her parade."

Kairi charged toward the topiary dog with the horn. She raised her arm and shouted.

"Water!"

A blast of liquid slammed into the horn, drowning out the sound. The topiary dog turned the horn over to inspect it. While it was distracted, Kairi threw another water spell at its bushy feet. The dog slipped.

There was a crash.

Strange.

Rather then coming from the dog, Kairi felt a crash booming behind her.

She covered her ears, her teeth grinding together. Turning around, she was too slow to dodge the topiary pig that was charging at her. The pig spread its arms wide and then caught her between its cymbals. Kairi grunted as the leaves and branches pressed into her face and back.

"Now that's quite enough," came Mary's calm yet commanding voice.

The topiary pig pulled the cymbals apart, freeing Kairi. She landed back on her feet just Mary came to stand next to her, waving the conducting baton at each decorative bush.

"Back to your places, please."

All the topiary animals went back to their original spots and stopped moving. Mary threw the conducting baton over her shoulder and it flew right into the open mouth of the carpet bag. Minnie and Daisy applauded from their tea table.

"A good effort, Kairi."

Mary raised her black umbrella. A green powderpuff of flowers explored from the tip. The petals rained down on Kairi. She felt lighter. Her bruises vanished, and the leaves and twigs fell away her clothes and hair.

"You have talent. I'm sure you'll find my lessons quite diverting."

Kairi blushed. For some reason, being complimented by Mary made her feel like a kindergardener being praised for answering a trick question. If only Sora and Riku were there. The whole scene would have been perfect with the two of them causing trouble while Kairi watched and waited for the inevitable scolding.

"I must be off," Mary said.

"What? I thought you were going to teach me magic."

"Exactly. To do so I must go and get some proper materials. See you soon."

Mary reached into her carpet bag, took out her flowered hat and then opened her black umbrella. She raised the umbrella into the air, and just like that, her feet left the ground. Kairi watched as Mary hovered for a moment before a blast of wind came right out of nowhere and nearly blew her away. Struggling to stay standing, Kairi watched as Mary flew up and up, out of the topiary garden, and out of sight.

The moment she was gone, the wind died down.

"Quite the delight, isn't she?"

Kairi turned. Queen Minnie had finished her tea and had come to stand beside her. Kairi curtsied.

"No need for that, dear. That was quite a show. You certainly have some magic."

"Thank you. Um, pardon me, but where did Mary go?"

"Oh, she comes and goes as she pleases."

"How?"

Queen Minnie put her palm on her chin. "Well, I'm not quite sure. Perhaps it has something to do with her umbrella. But we'll speak about Mary later. I wish to know about this news Daisy told me about. Come, let's go to the library."

 

 

 

From the outside, Merida's castle looked completely normal. It wasn't until they passed through the gates that Sora realized what was missing. The chatter, the movement, the people, were all gone.

"It's just like the camp," Sora said.

Merida jumped off Angus' back. The guard that had accompanied them ran ahead of her, his sword raised.

"Stay back princess, it could be back any second."

Merida pushed him aside. "No time for that now. Where's Queen Elinor?"

"The guards took her down to the kitchens where she would be safe."

Merida ran into the audience room. All that was left of the castle doors were the splinters that were splattered all over the floor. The entire room smelled of smoke. The sconces, chandeliers, and candle holders along the walls had been ripped out and thrown down, covering the floor with wax.

Merida and Sora walked, back to back, weapons raised, with the guard trailing close behind. When nothing jumped out at them from the corners of the room, Merida raced through the castle and down the stone steps to the kitchen.

From the outside, barrels, boxes and anything heavy were thrown in front of the kitchen door. Sora and the guard helped Merida push aside the junk, leaving a small space for Merida to squeeze through.

She banged on the kitchen door.

"It's Merida! Let me in!"

There was a chorus of grunts from inside the kitchen. The door was pulled open from the other side and Elinor squeezed through the few remaining guards and servants. She threw her arms around Merida.

"I'm so glad you're safe."

"Mum, what happened?"

Sora felt a tingling on his back. When he turned around to look down the hall, cold sweat rose up on his neck. "Merida, we have a very big problem!"

Elinor's face became so pale that she looked like a porcelain doll. Merida turned. Down the hallway, the sludge she had fought in the forest was oozing toward them like a dark flood.

"Majesty, get back!"

The guards inside reached out, grabbed Merida and Elinor and shoved them into kitchen with the servants. They lined up with Sora, their swords being freed from their belts.

In the kitchen, Merida tried to join the fight, but was pulled back by Elinor.

"I already lost your father and the boys. I can't lose you too."

"Mum, I have to help!"

The ooze was inching ever closer to Sora and the guards. He raised his keyblade and sent a blast of light toward it. The ooze shivered. It began to slush faster through the narrow hall. Sora tried hitting it again with another blast of light, but it was throwing matches in a blizzard.

"The light's not strong enough. We need the glass."

The guards roared. Pointing their swords at the sludge, they charged.

"Wait!" Sora called.

But it was already too late.

The first guard reached the ooze and stabbed his sword into it. Back tentacles spread out from the sludge, wrapping around the sword and the guard's wrist. The black sludge crept up the guard's arm, covering his chest, his neck, his face, and his screams. Then the guard was gone, and the sludge expanded.

The next few guards hesitated.

One of them turned and pointed to Sora and then to the kitchens.

"Protect the queen and the civilians."

"But-"

"Go! If it catches them, all of our sacrifice will be for nothing! There's a hidden door in the kitchen. Use it to escape while we keep this thing busy!"

"I can't just leave you guys!"

"We're soldiers! We protect the weak! That's our job! GO!"

Sora ran back into the kitchens and slammed the door behind him.

"We need to get everyone out," he told Merida.

The servants busied themselves with clearing a space on the floor. They opened a hidden trap door. One by one, Merida and Sora helped herd the people inside, all the while ignoring the sound of screams and clangs coming from the hallway.

Elinor slipped into the secret tunnel and Merida followed her. Sora was just about to jump down to join them, when he heard a terrible crunch. Looking over his shoulder he saw the kitchen door crack right down the middle. The crack branched out like a tree, spreading through the wood. The ooze was dripping in through the fissures.

Sora jumped into the tunnel, threw the door shut over his head. He raised his keyblade. A lock appeared overhead. Light passed through the keyblade and the trapdoor disappeared above him.

"Sora!" Merida called from further up the tunnel. "Hurry!"

They raced to catch up with the servants and the queen. The people huddled together under the flickering torchlight. They moved, single file, through the moist earth and stone until they came to another door. Pushing it open, the servants spilled out into the light.

Sora came out last. Ahead of them was a river, and above was the bridge that lead to the castle. They were down below in the ravine.

And above them, the sludge was rolling out of the castle and out to the bridge. It dripped over the side.

The servants screamed.

"Run!"

They scattered.

The ooze feel, splattering on the ground. Pieces of the dark liquid flew in every direction. Merida and Sora threw themselves on the ground to avoid getting hit. A servant jumped in front of Elinor, and the black ooze wrapped around him like a rope.

The puddles of ooze began to move, reattaching to each other. As the ooze coalesced, it was pulling all the servants that had been unlucky enough to be touched by it.

Merida reached out and grabbed the one of the servant's hands, but the servant struggled, making Merida let go. Another servant pushed Merida back and was caught in her place when his stepped into a small puddle of the black goo.

Sora roared, throwing a fire spell, charing the ooze.

Someone slammed into him, pushing him into the river. Just as Sora splashed into the water, he saw the last remaining servant get caught in the sludge.

"Forget about us," the servant begged, "just run!"

The ooze took him over.

Elinor grabbed Merida's arm. She raced across the river with her daughter and began stumbling up the hill on the other side. Sora threw another light spell at the sludge before he turned and followed Merida and Elinor.

Just as he was over the hill, he crashed into the foliage of the forest. He lay on his back, gasping. Nearby, Merida leaned against a boulder. Elinor hunched over, her fists clutching her tattered emerald skirts.

"Are you guys okay?" Sora panted.

"I will be as soon as I figure out how to destroy that gooey monster," Merida snapped between breaths.

Cracking and snapping crept through the forest. Sora's legs shook. Merida and Elinor's horrified expressions turned into screams.

Long, black tendrils speared through the trees.

"Merida! Look out!"

Elinor pushed her daughter away from the bolder. Merida fell to the ground, and just in time. A tentacle of ooze sliced right through the rock she had just been leaning agaisnt. Another tentacle looped through the trees. It caught Eleanor's arm and began to pull.

"No! Mum!"

Merida sent arrows into the black ooze, but her shots simply melted into the sludge. She wrapped her arms about Eleanor's waist and pulled.

Sora ran toward the tentacle and slammed his keyblade against it, but the ooze simply wrapped around his weapon, drawing it in. Sora let go of his keyblade, letting it disappear before it was completely lost. With nothing else to do, he grabbed Merida's waist and tried to help pull Elinor back.

"Merida, let me go."

"No! I won't lose you! Not again!"

"Let go of me. That's an order from your queen!"

"NO!"

Elinor grabbed the tentacle around her arm, but her other hand simply sunk in. The rest of the ooze appeared in the trees. It opened up like an oily mouth, ready to swallow.

Elinor hissed. "I faced a demon bear, I can face this darkness too! You won't take my daughter, do you hear me? Merida, let me go! This is the last time I will ask!"

"No! I will never let go. You've always been there for me! Now it's my turn to be here for you! If we get swallowed, I'm just going to bust my way out of that thing! Sora! Pull harder!"

Sora felt something spark in his chest. It was warm and fluttery. It spread throughout his bones. Power zinged through him. He knew that feeling. And he knew just what to do.

"Merida! Elinor! On the count of three, I want you to concentrate all your bravery on me!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you afraid of that monster, Elinor?"

"No! I will face any demon if it means keeping my family safe!"

Merida spoke through clenched teeth. "Me too."

She looked over her shoulder at Sora and the fierceness in her eyes fueled the fiery power inside him.

"Whatever you're going to do, do it, Sora!"

"Right! Ready? One."

Elinor dug in her heals, struggling harder. "We will defeat it! I know we will!"

Her will slammed into Sora.

"Two!"

"Yer right, mum! As always!"

Merida's spirit was as fiery as her hair. Mother and daughter began to glow, and Sora's keyblade appeared in his hand. The blue and green light of Merida and Elinor's conviction flowed into the weapon. The light was heavy, hard to control and Sora had to grit his teeth to focus on keeping the power in place. His arm pulsed, but still he raised his keyblade and aimed at the tentacle holding Elinor.

The ooze was getting desperate. The black liquid was starting to creep up Elinor's arm.

Just a little more time!

Sora concentrated. His faith pulsed deep in his chest. His body sung with power and screamed with exhaustion at the same time. All of the light, the love and hope the three of them shared gathered in his keyblade.

His arm was shaking, his feet were sliding off the ground.

The ooze gave one powerful pull. Merida and Sora's feet slipped off the ground. They lost the tug of war.

Sora felt the light burning through his entire body.

It was only one second, but his, Merida's and Elinor's hearts were one.

They were falling toward the ooze, but there was no fear inside them. Together, they closed their eyes, and chanted.

"Trinity Limit!"

A scorching blast of blue, red, and green light flew through the air, slamming into the black blob. Like a rope being snapped, the ooze holding Elinor's arm broke.

Merida, Elinor and Sora fell onto the ground. The fall was nothing compared to the aching in Sora's joints. He couldn't remember the last time he held and released so much energy. He could only watch as the spell moved through the ooze, changing it from black to dark purple to light lavender.

Blurry shapes appeared in the sludge, like shadows in swamp water. There was an arm here, a leg there, the shape of a tall, round man, what looked like a duck and some children.

Then he completely forgot about the strange figures in the ooze as the trinity spell exploded and white light washed away everything. The brightness made Sora's eyes swell with tears. The spell drowned out all sound.

Except the whispering in Sora's ear.

He didn't understand the words, but there was a picture in his mind. An island, a redheaded girl in a white room, and a boy in the darkness. The brightness faded, as did the images in his thoughts.

Sora blinked.

Merida and Elinor were still on the ground, dazed.

The ooze was not defeated, but it was completely still. It was smoking, whole sections of it were chipping off like dust. Then, without warning, it stretched. A black hand reached out toward Merida and Elinor.

Sora couldn't stand.

His body was too tired from their last attack.

He wasn't fast enough.

The ooze was inches away from Elinor and Merida.

It stopped.

The shape of a man appeared out of the ooze. A big, round man.

Elinor gasped. "Fergus?"

The shape pulled. Arms and legs swimming through the ooze. A second later, like a man surfacing for air in a dark lake, King Fergus' head appeared.

"Dad!"

Merida began to crawl toward her father.

"Stay away! Run before it gets you too!"

Elinor reached out. "Are all of you trapped in there?"

"Your attack has weakened it, but it's regenerating! I don't know how long I can break free like this! Run!"

Another tendril of the ooze moved. This time, it inched toward Sora. Donald and Goofy erupted out of the blackness. Sora bent his body. He managed to get up onto his hands and knees.

"Hold on! I'll pull you guys out! Just give me a second."

"No," Donald said. "You'll get caught in it!"

He grunted, struggling to pull the rest of his body free. But he was only able to get his arm out. With the last of his strength he raised his staff and bellowed.

"Curaga!"

Energy flowed into Sora, easing his bruises and exhaustion. He was able to stand straight.

"Sora, catch!"

Goofy threw an ether at him. Catching it, Sora moved toward them, but his two friends stopped him with a glare.

"Don't worry about us, pal. We know you can get us free!"

Goofy vanished into the sludge.

"You big palooka!" Donald was sinking backward. Soon only his beak was sticking out. "Don't have a stronger blast of light then that?"

His friends disappeared.

King Fergus growled. He was also being pulled back in. The ooze was beginning to come back to life. Sora saw parts of it twitching, as though it were waking up.

There was no time to waste. Sora chugged down the ether quickly. Magical power surged through his body. He raced toward Merida and Elinor and chanted.

A healing spell sparkled at the end of his keyblade. The green clovers glittered over Merida and Eleanor, bringing color back to their faces.

"Go now! Please," King Fergus begged.

"I got Mum free! I'll get you free too!"

"You can't. The light wasn't strong enough to push all this darkness away."

"Then help us fight it from the inside," Sora said. "While we try to destroy it from out here."

"Just get my family to safety, lad!"

Fergus was gone. Sora grabbed Merida and Elinor's arms. He pulled them into the forest, away form the ooze. Merida resisted.

"I'm not going to leave them behind!"

"My friend gave me a big clue. There is way to push the darkness back and free everyone trapped inside."

"What's your plan?"

"Remember the trap we set? Do you guys have enough energy for another trinity spell?"

Merida winked. "Look who yer talkin' to."

Elinor picked up her skirts, running faster. "I don't know what you two are talking about, but if I know one thing, it's to have faith in you. Lead the way."

They sprinted through the forest. Merida could easily jump over boulders and loop around tree trunks that appeared out of nowhere, but she had to stop frequently to help her mother along. Sora kept up the rear.

It wasn't long before he heard the slimy cracks and snaps from the sludge chasing after them. Sora and looked over his shoulder and the sludge was moving faster through the trees.

He sent a blast of light out behind him, but it did nothing to push the sludge back.

"Why do I even try," he huffed. "Merida, how much farther?"

"We're getting close."

"Keep going, get the you-know-what ready! I'll catch up!"

Sora stopped and waved his arms.

"Hey, you! Slime-ball! Over here!"

The sludge threw out an oily black arm at him, and Sora rolled just before it could slam him down into the ground. He danced around the sludge, ducking and weaving in and out of its attacks as he moved closer and closer to the ruins.

The trees thinned. Mist appeared around his feet. He was almost there.

The sludge threw out a ropey tentacle at Sora's legs. He jumped up, nearly avoiding getting caught by the ankle. The tentacle moved, angling upward. Sora spread his legs and the tentacle missed his skin by an inch. The second he landed on the ground, he bolted toward the ruins and just barely made it into the center of the trap.

Something slammed into him from behind. Sora took a step forward to catch his balance and then felt a arm loop around his middle. He looked down in horror.

The sludge had caught him. He was tugged back like a fish on a hook. He pushed forward, reaching out. He had been so close!

Merida and Elinor rushed out of the ruins and grabbed his arms.

They pulled.

The sludge was too strong. It reached out and wrapped itself around Elinor and Merida's waist. The trap was getting farther and farther away.

Merida's hands were still free.

Sora had an idea.

"Can you hit the target?"

"In my sleep!"

Sora aimed his keyblade. "Okay. Get an arrow ready!"

Merida twisted, turning her upper half so that her bow and arrow faced the stained glass.

Elinor put a hand on Merida's shoulder. Her other hand squeezed Sora's. Light, bravery, forgiveness, and love flowed through her, connecting Sora and Merida. He felt Merida's stubbornness, her refusal to give up, her cheerful nature. The power of their will was so strong that he nearly feinted, but he forced himself to concentrate, gathering the power within himself and pushing it toward Merida.

The blue, green, and red energy moved from Sora's keyblade to swirl around Merida's arrow. They were closer to the blob of darkness more then ever now. Merida didn't hesitate. She aimed and fired.

The tricolored arrow slammed into the dis.

A rainbow lazer shot out of the glass, hitting all the hidden mirrors in the ruins. The light multiplied. Sora threw out his keyblade, and called all the light to the tip of his weapon. A burning, liquid star of silver power gathered on the keyblade.

He threw his weapon over his shoulder and fired the star at the sludge.

The blast threw Sora, Elinor, and Merida out of the blob's hold and onto the ground. The smell of burned rubber made Sora's choke. He covered his nose with one hand and ducked down into a little ball.

Light flashed again and all Sora, Merida and Elinor could do was cover their eyes and wait for the storm to pass.

An explosion of sound. Then silence.

Slowly, the sounds of the forest returned, and the light faded.

Sora sat up and looked around.

The sludge was melting into the ground, turning from dark purple to blue. As it evaporated the people trapped inside stood up. All the guards, dogs, and horses from Merida's reappeared. The servants and soldiers from the castle jumped happily.

"Fergus! Boys!"

Elinor and Merida ran to their family. Merida's triplet brothers gathered around her. One of them gave her a noogie, another hugged her leg, and the last brother jumped into her arms. Merida's father gathered up his wife, daughter and sons.

"Now that's how it's done! My girls! So brave!"

Sora's cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. He stood up, only to be knocked back onto the ground when Donald and Goofy tackled him. He hugged his friends tight. Relief warmed his heart.

"I missed you guys so much!"

There was an eruption of laughter and cheers from the people. Sora, Donald and Goofy held hands, jumping up and down in a circle. Even Jiminy hoped from one head to the other, whooping.

Suddenly the crowd gasped.

Swords were freed from their scabbards.

"Stand down," came Merida's voice.

The guards stilled, but didn't put away their swords. Sora followed their line of sight.

The Riku look-a-like was walking through the crowd. It came to stand in front of Sora and nodded approvingly. There was a whisper.

"Thank you."

The look-a-like changed shape, turning back into a tiny wisp. It floated around the people and over the lifeless, tiny puddles of blue goo that still remained on the floor. The goo rose up from the grass. The people all held their breaths, but it wasn't a blob of darkness that appeared.

All the puddles of goo turned into wisps. They gathered together, lined up into the shape of a heart and flickered away, finally free of the darkness that had taken them over.

 

 

 

"You're stupid."

Yeah. He really had been.

"Sooner or later, they'll swallow your heart."

Is that what had happened? Is that where he was? In the belly of a heartless, trapped, never to escape? Alone? Is that what he deserved after betraying his friends? After letting someone else's dark heart take over his own?

"Riku? Can you hear me?"

The words were muffled, speaking to him from far above, but he was too deep in the depths of darkness to understand them. The darkness pressed on his eyelids, but something inside him resisted the temptation of sleep. Slowly, he opened his eyes and stared into the black ocean he was drowning in. He couldn't see the surface, there was no light to tell him which direction he was even looking.

"Please wake up."

It hurt to blink. Chalky, dust rested on his cheeks and lashes. If only he could just close his eyes and not feel the pain anymore.

Yes. Stay asleep.

He jolted. That voice again. The one that whispered deep from within his heart, a scar left from all his bad choices, a trap he was quickly falling back into.

"No. I'm not turning to you. Never again."

So you say. You woke up before, and yet here you are again.

"Shut up!"

He struggled against the darkness, swimming through it, searching for some light to guide him back to the world of wakefulness.

You came back to the darkness. You're addicted.

Riku shook his head but the voice echoed louder, from every direction, filling his thoughts with the oily pollution of despair. His heart seized, fighting back, even as the terror threatened to choke him.

Afraid? Just give in. It's easier.

"I won't."

Why fight? You're alone.

"No he's not!"

Sweet, warm air sliced through the darkness. It swirled around Riku, lighting his body, clearing away the sand from his eyes and watering the shriveled parts of his heart. The breeze moved upward. Riku swam after it.

The darkness around him trembled. Hands appeared out of the void, reaching toward Riku's legs. The breeze of light converged on Riku, shielding him in a protective sphere. The hands recoiled, long, pointy fingers curling in anger.

It was time to move. Riku chased the light. He felt the darkness' hold on him melt away. He reached out and grabbed the tiny star above him.

He opened his eyes, truly awake once again.

The world was blurry and whatever was under his back was hard and cold, but something warm was holding his hand.

"You're up! Gosh! What a relief!"

Riku squeezed the hand holding his.

"King Mickey? Is that you?"

He sat up. When he tried to take a look around, everything around him was melted together, like an painting that got drenched in water.

He covered his eyes. "Ow!"

"Oh! Hold on."

Something touched his chest.

"Curaga!"

Warmth tingled on his skin, pushing away the pounding headache and the confusion. But the world around him was still melting.

"What's going on? How come everything looks like its underwater?"

Mickey put a hand on Riku's shoulder.

"Rest for a little bit. You took a bad hit from those heartless earlier."

Riku lay back down. He placed his arm behind his head and took in a few long, deep breaths to try and calm down his frantic heart.

"What happened to me?"

"Once the realm of darkness was sealed off, we had to beat all the heartless that had gathered behind the door. I lost you in the fight."

"How did you find me? This place is huge."

"Yup. But for a moment there, I felt a strong light in the realm of darkness. I followed the light, and it led me to you, and just in time. You were falling with a lot of heartless. I caught you and fought off the heartless, but you were unconscious for a while. I was really worried."

Riku rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, I remember now. Those heartless just kept coming. They caught me off guard."

"Without a keyblade, they can't be fully defeated."

"Why?"

"Because only a keyblade can release the heart from the darkness. It's a really dangerous place here. We should be careful not to get separated again."

If he hadn't given into the darkness, Riku wondered, would the keyblade have chosen Sora over him? Riku grit his teeth. No! None of that mattered anymore. He couldn't spend his whole life feeling jealous and doubting everything around him. That was had gotten him in the realm of darkness in the first place!

Riku wobbled to his feet.

"Wait! You're not fully recovered yet."

The realm of darkness was one big blob of black and grey, but Riku took a step. He could feel the darkness all around him, but for once he didn't feel alone. His heart was much more at ease with King Mickey standing next to him.

"I'll be okay. Besides, we can't stay here too long. We need to find a way out of here."

"Okay. But take it easy."

"Thanks Your Majesty. Say, do you think you can teach me that healing spell you did earlier?"

 

 

 

The DunBroch family threw one heck of a party. Donald and Goofy stuffed their faces with feast food, challenged Hubert, Hamish and Harris to a jelly tart eating contest (the triplets won) and then took a nap while Sora and Merida retold their story to the servants and guards.

Everyone danced and drank until sundown when Elinor officially thanked Sora, Donald and Goofy for their bravery. Fergus gave Sora a hug that nearly cracked the boy's spine, and then sent them off.

Merida and Angus escorted the trio back to the stone circle where they had met. Once there, she gave Sora one of her patented thumps on the arm.

"I don't think I've ever had an adventure like that! I hope you come to visit again soon."

She raised her arm and Sora bumped his fist with hers.

"Thanks for everything, Merida. I'm glad I helped you find your family."

"And I'm glad you found yer friends. I hope you find Riku too. Seek me out if you want someone to rumble with."

Merida shoved a parcel and a letter into Sora's hands.

"A thank you gift from my family. Bye lads!"

Merida and Angus galloped away. When they was gone, Donald snatched the parcel out of Sora's hands, leaving only the letter behind. While Donald greedily opened the parcel, Sora undid the wax seal on the envelope.

Instead was a small pendant made of green, blue, and red glass. Sora recognized it. It was a piece of the stained glass that Elinor had given Merida. There was a little note attached.

"In case you ever need help finding light within the darkness."

Light within the darkness, Sora thought. Like the people inside the corrupted will-o-the-wisps. A light at the end of the tunnel, like the story Kairi's grandma had once told her.

Something sparkled. One of the stones in the circle glowed like a sunset. Then the old writing and harsh surface of the rock faded away, and a golden keyhole appeared. Sora raised his keyblade. Light passed through the key into the keyhole, sealing the world.

A smooth whisper fluttered through the forest. A will-o-the-wisp appeared at the base of the pillar. It danced, then fading away.

After a moment, the trio moved back to where the castle door had been. Sora hoped that the door had returned. Goofy led the way back while Sora walked along with Donald, eating a fruit tart from the parcel that Merida had given him.

"This really was an interesting world," Sora said.

"What do you mean," Donald asked through a mouthful of raspberry jelly.

"There were no heartless here. I wonder why?"

Goofy tapped a finger on his chin. "Say, weren't there no heartless in Tarzan's world when we first visited there too?"

"There may not have been heartless here, yet darkness was able to seep through and affect the willow-the-wisps."

"That must be why the wisps took on Riku's shape. They must have been tryin' ta get your attention so that you could help them."

Sora lost his appetite. He lowered his fruit tart and stared at Donald and Goofy's backs. "I never got to apologize to you guys."

His friends turned around to pin him with a questioning stare.

"What for?"

"I saw Riku, and I ran after him without thinking. I shouldn't have left you behind. You're my friends too. If I had been there when those corrupted wisps had attacked, I could've helped you guys."

Goofy patted Sora's shoulder. "Aw, you don't need ta be sorry. It was actually a good thing you didn't get caught like we did. Otherwise you couldn't have saved us."

"But I left you guys behind. I never should have done that. Friends stick together."

"You were only chasing after someone you care about, right? If it were us and we saw the King, I'm sure we would have been too excited to wait for others too."

Somehow, his speech made Sora feel even worse.

Donald tapped his foot on the ground. "It's okay this time, but next time, talk to us."

Sora bowed his head. "Yeah."

Jiminy spoke on Sora's ear. "Don't be so down. They're both right. It's okay to worry about your friends, but don't leave others behind. Though, this time, it kind of worked out for the better."

Sora put his hand on his shoulder and felt Jiminy jump into his palm. He held the cricket out in front of him so that they could be face to face.

"It's just that, what if I never find Riku? After everything that happened here, seeing how just a little bit of darkness was able cause so much havoc, I can't help but feel that Jasmine was right. If we keep going, there's a chance that we can find an entrance to the realm of darkness. I don't know if we should continue. Imagine what could happen if more darkness got out."

The friends grew silent as the shadows of the forest around them transformed from green, to orange, and then slowly into the dark blue hues of the night. The sun had set.

Finally, Donald spoke.

"So what do we do if we don't find the king, or if we don't keep going through that door? Are we just going to stay stuck inside the castle?"

"And what about Locke," Jiminy added.

Goofy raised his hand. "Hey, why don't we try talking about this stuff back at the castle. It's getting dark out here."

"Will the castle door even be there?"

Donald gave Sora a suspicious look. "What do you mean? Of course it will be there."

"After you guys disappeared, I came back here to see if you had gone back to Castle Oblivion without me."

Goofy ducked his head apologetically. "Aw, we wouldn't do that."

"I know. Don't worry. Anyway, when I came to find the door, it was gone."

Donald's eyes got wide. "Does that mean we're stranded here?"

"Well, fellars, why don't we go check and see if the door's come back?"

Goofy's optimism won out. The castle door stood eerily luminescent in the surrounding dark forest.

Sora, Donald and Goofy passed through it. Merida's world faded away, to be replaced by the white interior of Castle Oblivion. But something was wrong.

Locke was gone.

 

 

 

Jiminy's Journal

Mary Poppins (First Appeared in Mary Poppins, 1964): A mysterious yet lovely nanny with a wide range of magical powers. She has an uncanny ability to make children behave and pay attention. She has hired herself to be Kairi's magic instructor.

Mickey Mouse (First Appeared in Steamboat Willie, 1928): Although he is the king of Disney Castle, as a keyblade master, Mickey also has responsibilities outside of his world. He's no stranger to adventure and doing the right thing. He vanished with Riku after the door to Kingdom Hearts was closed. Now that he and Riku are reunited, can the two of them work together to find a way out of the realm of darkness?