Chapter 23

CHAPTER 5 UNDER ONE SKY… AS THEY CONTINUED ON THEIR JOURNEY IN THE GUMMI SHIP, Sora let out a deep sigh. Donald and Goofy looked at each other. Perched on a seat in the cabin, Sora was hugging his knees miserably. “Sora?” Donald peered into his face. He didn’t respond. “Sora!” Donald yelled, louder this time, and he finally raised his head, startled. “C’mon, keep your chin up!” Donald tried to sound reassuring. “But the king, and Riku—and now I’ve lost Kairi again, too…,” Sora mumbled, not encouraged at all. Donald hopped up and down. “Don’t be sad!” “Yeah! You’re the key that connects everything, y’know,” Goofy added, coming to stand beside him. Sora only fell deeper into misery, hiding his face in his knees again. “Because it’s all my fault.” “Aw, I didn’t mean that,” Goofy said, putting his hand on Sora’s hunched shoulder. “Just do what makes sense to ya, and we’re sure to find ’em.” “That’s right!” Donald agreed. “…Yeah. Thanks, guys.” Sora mumbled with no indication he’d actually cheered up. Concerned, Donald and Goofy exchanged glances again. “I got it! Say, Sora, why don’t we go see Leon and the gang?” Goofy suggested. “Yeah, I wanna see them, too!” Donald hopped, as if literally jumping on the idea. “But…” Sora hesitated. “We have to find Riku and…” “Maybe Leon will be able to tell us something by now,” Goofy said. “Okay… Yeah, maybe.” Sora released his knees, and a hint of a smile came to his face. “Let’s go!” As if in response, the Gummi Ship accelerated toward Hollow Bastion. Pete paced aimlessly around a room deep in the bowels of the Hollow Bastion castle. “What in the world are you doing?” “I’m tryin’ to help you, Maleficent…” Pete wriggled, fidgeting. “Hmm. For all your talk, you’re hardly much help at all,” Maleficent murmured. “That boy, on the other hand…” “What boy?” Pete had to ask. “None of your concern.” Maleficent’s reply was clipped and cold as she remembered the boy she used to talk to in this room. She’d given him power, a room of his own, and the girl, and still the boy had deserted her. True, Maleficent had been using him… But the fact that he’d left her without the slightest hesitation was a tiny thorn in her heart. Her slender eyebrows drew downward as she faced Pete again. “Nevertheless—explain to me what is happening.” “Well, see, there’s this Organization XIII that keeps gettin’ in the way.” “Let those fools play their little game,” she said scornfully. Pete tried to explain. “But—” With a piercing glare, Maleficent cut him off. “What? Have you nothing but excuses for me?” “That runt with the Keyblade! He’s been a real pain, too…” “Sora and his little lackeys?” Pete confirmed, nodding forcefully a few times. “I see… Very well. I suppose you’d best tell me what’s happened during my absence, Pete.” He wasted no time launching into the story of what Sora and his friends had been up to. All six of the men in black cloaks were together for the first time in a while. Xemnas quietly opened the discussion. “So, the princess…” Kairi, one of the princesses, had fallen into the organization’s clutches. Their goal was not to open the door to darkness, but the more pieces under their control, the better. “Did you take care of Axel?” Xigbar asked. “Most likely,” Saïx replied. Technically, he hadn’t seen Axel’s end. But it was hard to imagine that he had survived. “Are you certain he’s gone?” Xaldin demanded. “He’ll be back to cause more trouble if you didn’t eliminate him.” Xemnas put a stop to the interrogation. “Leave Axel for the time being.” “What about the Keyblade wielder?” Saïx asked Demyx, hoping to turn the conversation away from himself. Demyx only scratched his head helplessly and mumbled like a child getting scolded. “Well, I… Um…” “You failed?” Saïx pressed, while Demyx struggled to find the words. “I told you—I’m not cut out for that kinda work…” “Well, you’ll have a chance to make up for it later,” Xigbar said, sounding as if he could barely contain his glee at the prospect. “The circumstances are changing every moment,” Xemnas told them calmly. “We must move forward with our work in earnest.” The other members watched him closely. He could hear the sound of the waves… “Axel!” Did I turn into a Dusk…? “Axel!” Someone was calling his name. He opened his eyes. “…Nami…né?” “Oh, thank goodness!” Naminé sat on the sand, cradling his head. The late afternoon sun was blinding, Axel thought, as he took in his surroundings from the ground. This appeared to be the beach outside Twilight Town. Noticing a man in a black cloak standing beside Naminé, he immediately sat up. “Don’t move yet.” It was Riku’s voice. Reassured, Axel let himself lie back down—then realized that it was Naminé’s lap he was resting on and sat up again. “Axel?” she said, anxiously tilting her head. “Oh… I, uh…” He tried to come up with an excuse for sitting up when he should rest, but his vision swam, and he had to simply put his head back down. He just couldn’t move yet. Using her lap as a pillow, he accepted her kindness with gratitude—and a hint of embarrassment. “You’re not as tough as you seem.” Riku laughed softly. Axel scowled and closed his eyes. “Not everyone in the organization is as strong as Roxas,” he mumbled. Naminé placed a small hand on Axel’s forehead, and he couldn’t bring himself to brush away the cool, soothing touch. “That other one, Saïx… He’s pretty strong,” Riku remarked. Axel’s eyes flew open. “You met him?” “Yeah.” Riku looked out at the horizon. “He took Kairi.” Axel closed his eyes again. Every time he opened them, the lowering sun was bright enough to sting. “I know.” Riku didn’t move, still focused on the line between sky and sea. “I’m sorry,” Axel said, leaving his eyes closed. Then Riku turned to him. “You should thank Naminé. She’s the one who saved you from disappearing.” At that, Axel made the effort of lifting his eyelids again. Naminé was silently watching him. In the past, he had used her for her powers. He’d never imagined those same powers would save him. “Sorry… Er, I mean, thank you.” He had to close his eyes again against the sound of those words leaving him. He had never apologized to anyone before. Or thanked anyone, either. Without a heart, there was never any need. If he had no heart, did it mean anything to say that he was lonely, or sorry, or grateful? The words couldn’t be heartfelt, when there was no heart to feel them. That was a painful truth. But even that word, painful—what could it possibly mean for someone with no heart? “So, what’re you going to do now?” he asked Riku. Riku crouched down near him to ask a question in return. “How can I help Kairi?” Axel opened his eyes then and slowly propped himself up. “…You’ll have to sneak into the castle.” His vision was still unsteady, and he ached all over. But this was no time for a nap on the beach. Naminé watched him with transparent concern. “How do I get into the castle?” asked Riku, kneeling in the sand with a similar expression. “No, I’ll go.” Axel peered under Riku’s hood to meet his eyes. “How’s that going to work? Aren’t you a fugitive?” “I’ll figure something out. You just hang back and watch. The castle’s pretty huge, y’know.” The corner of Axel’s mouth curled in a smirk. “In the meantime, I’ll check on what the organization’s up to.” He stood up, although his legs were still wobbly. “Naminé, we’ll make sure you get to meet Kairi,” he told her. “You wait in the mansion.” “Really?” She jumped to her feet, and Axel grinned at her. “Riku, come back to town once in a while. I’ll explain to Naminé about the organization.” Axel made a slight gesture with his right arm to create a passage behind him. “You two are gonna help Sora,” he told them, smiling brightly. “Got it memorized?” “Didn’t you want to make Sora into a Heartless?” Riku asked, on his feet again. Axel shrugged. “Changed my mind.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “I don’t feel like telling you.” Still grinning, Axel sank into the dark portal. The trio arrived in Hollow Bastion and headed for Merlin’s house. Sora still seemed listless. Then, along the way, a mass of Heartless crossed their path. “Ack!” As they backpedaled, hoping to find a way around the fight, the Heartless simply ran away. “Are there more Heartless than before?” Goofy worried. As he spoke, Nobodies appeared in clusters as if in pursuit of the Heartless and wriggled away, too. Donald gave a dispirited sigh. “Gawrsh, I wonder if something’s goin’ on?” Goofy said, looking at Sora. “Let’s go check in with everyone!” Sora urged. The other two nodded, and they jogged through the market and up the stairs to the residential part of town. Halfway up, Donald paused, suddenly remembering something. “I wonder if that ice cream is ready?” At the top of the steps was Scrooge, pacing like before with an ice cream bar in his hand. “Uncle Scrooge!” Donald waddled up to him. “Well, hullo there, lad. Still doing well?” “Yep! What about you, Uncle Scrooge?” asked Donald. “Ach, I was so close to re-creating that flavor…” Scrooge sighed mournfully at the pale-blue ice pop. “Can I try it?” Sora leaned toward the tempting treat, just like before. “Well, go right ahead, but…” The moment Scrooge replied, Sora leaned just a bit more and took a bite. “It doesn’t taste like anything,” he mumbled. The pretty color of the ice cream pop had promised a delicious dessert, but there was no flavor at all. “I got rid of the bitterness, but…” Scrooge looked disconsolate. “Gawrsh, if there’s no taste at all, it’s just ice,” Goofy said dolefully. “Did you forget what it was supposed to taste like?” Donald asked. “For the life of me I can’t quite remember… What was that town where I’d have the stuff…?” Scrooge sank deep into concentration. “I bet you’ll get it right by the next time we stop by!” Sora grinned at him, trying to sound encouraging. Even a bite of totally flavorless ice cream seemed to have perked him up a bit. “We can’t wait!” Sora added, and Scrooge nodded. He turned to his companions. “C’mon, let’s go find Leon and everyone!” Considerably more cheerful now, he took off up the street. When they reached the residential district, it was swarming with Heartless—and not only Heartless, but Nobodies too, milling around like the town was theirs. “What is going on around here?” Sora wondered between swings at Nobodies. How could anyone restore Hollow Bastion like this? “Sora!” Hearing his name, he turned to find Yuffie with her giant shuriken. “So you came back!” She ran to him. “What happened to this place?” he asked. “Um, well…” Yuffie hurled her shuriken, cutting down Heartless. “Maybe we shouldn’t have opened the castle gates.” “The castle… That castle?” The place where they’d battled Maleficent loomed in Sora’s mind. “Yeah. Oh, but we found the computer Ansem was using!” “That’s good news!” Donald said, bludgeoning the enemy with his wand. “Leon and the gang are going there now. You should go catch up with them.” “Okay!” Sora blasted away a few white creatures as he replied, “I hope we find out about Riku and Kairi…” “And the king, too!” Goofy added, shoving back a Nobody with his shield. “Heh. Well, it can’t hurt to go see!” Yuffie exclaimed, sounding for all the world like she was enjoying herself. “Leave the town to me, guys!” The trio bobbed their heads and threaded their way through the throngs of Nobodies and Heartless toward the castle. In Hollow Bastion, the Heartless and Nobodies weren’t just swarming the town—they were crawling all over the path to the castle, too. Finally, the trio reached a small, mercifully empty courtyard. “Why are there so many?!” Donald fumed, gesticulating with his wand in his usual temper. The Heartless and Nobodies weren’t particularly strong, but there certainly were a lot of them. “This way, Sora,” said a soft voice. They turned to find another friend. “Aerith! You guys found Ansem’s computer?” “Mm-hmm. And the king is very interested in it.” Donald and Goofy both sprang up at that. “The king?!” “He’s with Leon.” Aerith smiled as she delivered the good news. “Hooray!” “We get to see the king!” Donald and Goofy hugged and danced in a celebratory circle with their hands joined. “Um, Aerith… Is Riku with them?” Sora asked timidly. She shook her head. That took the wind from his sails, but he recovered quickly. “Oh well… Maybe the king will know something about him!” “Maybe!” Aerith said. “Come on—let’s go to the study.” They nodded and headed into the castle through a small side entrance, and at the end of the labyrinthine hallways, they found an unassuming door. “In there.” Aerith showed them the entrance, and the trio filed in. The small, round room was stacked with books and littered with broken glass flasks. The detritus on the big desk suggested that someone had been in the middle of a project there, and beside it, a single portrait hung on the wall. “Is that…Ansem?” Goofy cocked his head at the painting. The man appeared younger than the Ansem they remembered fighting. “This must be Ansem’s study,” Sora murmured. “There you are,” said another voice. “Leon!” They rushed over to where he leaned against the wall. “King Mickey’s here, too, right?!” Sora blurted out, almost too eagerly. “You’ll see him soon.” Donald stamped his foot. “How soon?” “Here, this’ll tide you over.” Leon manipulated something on the wall behind him, and without a sound, it opened. “Ansem’s computer lab is this way.” At that information, the trio sprinted down the passageway without wasting a moment. King Mickey wandered along the winding hallways. He wanted to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy, too, but something else weighed more heavily on his mind. He’d sensed a certain presence here in Hollow Bastion. He was sure of it. The king lifted his gaze to the broken wall and murmured the name under his breath. “Riku…” After they’d parted ways in Twilight Town, Riku had disappeared into the Corridors of Darkness, vowing to help Sora. And if Riku was tailing Sora, it wouldn’t be strange to run into him here. But King Mickey had only felt it for a moment, and now it was gone. If he could, he’d like to see Riku, too… But maybe that was too much to ask right now. Maybe it was his own fault his friend had taken that form. King Mickey decided to search the area once more. Riku moved silently through the castle of Hollow Bastion. He’d spent a good amount of time here before, and although parts of the place were crumbling, it was without a doubt the castle he remembered. Where every kind word from Maleficent had been an invitation pulling him into the darkness. Beneath his hood, he lowered his eyes. Those memories were painful, but it made sense for him to use them now. Since he was going to atone for what he’d done in the past, the ache was ironically comforting. Besides, Sora and those other two weren’t the only ones he’d sensed somewhere in the sprawling town. King Mickey was here, too. Maybe I’ve betrayed the king, Riku thought. Even if I did, my mind’s made up. But…back when I decided to leave the island, I knew I’d do whatever it took. And now, I’m doing whatever it takes to help Sora. Am I just making the same mistakes over and over? He breathed a tiny sigh and looked up. And then he called the name of the witch who had first tempted him into the darkness. “Maleficent.” Nothing around him changed. He called out again, louder. “Maleficent!” As his voice faded, the empty space before him warped, and the witch appeared in a dark swirl. “Who are you?” Maleficent said icily. Riku pushed back his hood. “I’ve come here to meet with you.” The thin arches of her eyebrows tightened. “Ansem… No—is that Riku?” He told her the truth with one quiet nod. At the end of the passageway, there was another room with a big computer and its screen, and opposite the setup was a mysterious red device. “This is it?” Sora ran to the computer and started tapping at the keyboard. It clicked and whirred softly. “Where’s Kairi? And Riku?” He jabbed harder and waited for the screen to respond, but he couldn’t get it to do anything. “C’mon! Tell us something!” He slammed his hands down on the keyboard in frustration. Leon walked up behind him and stopped him. “Easy there… You trying to break it?” “Sorry… I guess I got carried away.” Sora turned to Leon, his shoulders slumped. It was aggravating to be so close to potential information about Kairi and Riku with no idea how to use the enormous machine to access it. “Sheesh! Just stand back, Sora!” Donald shoved him out of the way and took a crack at it himself. “You know how to use it, Donald?” He glanced at Sora sheepishly. “Not really, but…” “Then what’s the point…?” Sora complained. A moment later, there was an important-sounding beep coming from the computer. “We did it!” Sora checked the screen—but it still showed nothing. Instead, an ominous voice boomed through the chamber. “Attention, current user. This is a warning. Further misuse of this terminal will result in immediate defensive action.” “Who’s there?” Sora said. “I am the Master Control Program. I oversee this system.” What was that supposed to mean? Confused, Sora tried asking more questions. “Do you know about Riku or Kairi?” “Commencing defensive action,” the voice announced. “You are now under arrest.” “Arrest?!” A beam of light shot out from the device behind them. “Run!” Leon shouted, but too late— As the beam struck Sora, Donald, and Goofy, they disappeared.