KH: Antipode [Alpha draft] pt 27

[keybearer]

Chapter 27: Severed Ties


After leaving Agrabah, everything started out fairly smooth. As usual, Donald and Goofy steered the Gummi Ship towards their next destination, a world called “Neverland”. It was said to be a world where childhood dreams come true, full of pirates, mermaids, and all kinds of amazing turf to explore. After a rough battle against Jafar, Riku had been looking forward to something a little different and definitely less sandy. Besides, it would have given them another chance to seek information on the Princesses of Heart, Sora, and Maleficent herself.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as planned. No, it wasn’t because of any unexpected crashes, attacks from Heartless ships, or even the asteroids that cluttered their path. No, the circumstances were a little… different. Somewhere along the way, Goofy had caught sight of another ship—and a big one, at that. Then, when Donald told him to stop staring and get out of the way, it was already too late.

An enormous pirate ship appeared from a distance, hurling cannon balls straight at their vessel. Though Donald managed to swerve out of their path with minimal damage, he had little time to maneuver away from the rapidly approaching boat. Riku’s eyes widened as the ship’s bow neared the very front of the cock pit and shook the entire Gummi Ship upon impact. The lights flickered on and off, and everything started to spin. Once again, the pirate ship charged, and Riku soon found himself latching onto the control panel while his two friends screamed and struggled.

One more crash was all it took for him to slip into an unconscious state.

When he opened his eyes, Riku felt a cool breeze sweeping across his skin. Hushed murmurs surrounded him, and somebody placed a hand on his shoulder. Groaning, he sluggishly sat up, rubbed his eyes and took a look around. Sure enough, he no longer sat in the cockpit of the Gummi Ship, but along the deck of a pirate’s vessel. Various barrels and crates lined the wooden deck, and he caught a glimpse of several towering masts, each with folded sails and a crow’s nest. Cannons rested along the upper levels, pointing out into the open sea all around him.

The red paint and golden embellishments gave the vessel an almost regal look. Heck, if it weren’t for the skull and crossbones imprinted on the blackened flags, he’s almost think the ship was part of some royal navy instead of a scurvy boat manned by swashbuckling scallywags. Even then, being on a pirate ship normally would’ve impressed him. The problem was, he didn’t see Donald and Goofy anywhere, much less the Gummi Ship. No, the whole deck looked entirely empty… except for the person standing right next to him with a lopsided grin and a tacky eye patch.

“Ahoy, Riku!” Sora smiled and took a step back, leaning back against the railing.

Okay, first of all, why was Sora talking like a pirate? Secondly, why was he on this ship and wearing that stupid eye patch? Riku narrowed his eyes and slowly stood up, taking a step towards his friend.

“Sora, what’s going on?”

“Well, uh…” Sora laughed shakily. “We saw you guys out in space, and I figured it’d be the perfect time to come save you!”

“Save me?” Riku crossed his arms. “Sora, look, I know you’re trying to help, but when will you get the message through your thick skull? I don’t need to be rescued.”

“Yeah, well...” Groaning, Sora took a step away from the railing and moved towards a nearby ladder. “That’s why I had to get you away from them. They’re messing with your head, Riku, and I can’t let that happen.”

“No, Sora.” Riku shook his head, heaving a sigh. “I’d say it’s the other way around.”

“No way!” Sora jerked forward and scowled. “Riku, I trust my friends. They’re the ones who found you and Kairi for me. They even let us stay here on this ship!”

For a split second, Riku’s eyes widened, and then he grabbed Sora by the shoulders. “You mean Kairi’s here?”

Sora nodded, and he placed one hand against the ladder’s rungs. “C’mon. I’ll take you to her… if you’ll let me.”

This’d be his first chance to see Kairi since the islands disappeared. A chance for Riku to finally come to grips with reality and see what really happened. In Halloween Town, he’d heard that she lost her heart and had become some kind of lifeless puppet. But hearing something and seeing it firsthand were completely different. How could he possibly say no? Despite the circumstances, Sora was still his best friend, and though he worried about Donald and Goofy, he couldn’t let this opportunity slip between his fingers. Especially if it meant getting a chance to talk to Sora again.

So, he took a deep breath and nodded. “All right. Lead the way, Sora.”

They proceeded up the ladder and up to the higher levels of the ship deck. Along the way, they passed countless cannons, crates, barrels, and lanterns that lit the way. Despite being such an enormous vessel, the ship housed no crew—at least, none that Riku could see. He did catch a glimpse of a man dressed in a red getup with a feathered hat up at the very top and a short and chubby man by his side, but he barely took any time to watch the duo. Right now, he needed to get to Kairi and figure out just what went wrong. Luckily, Sora kept moving until they reached a door furnished with a skull and crossbones. Was that where they kept her?

Sure enough, Sora pushed the door aside and motioned for Riku to follow. Together, they entered what appeared to be a cozy cabin complete with a writing desk, some red benches, and countless windows that provided a view of the starry sky. Those small details hardly mattered, though. Once Riku made it into the center of the room, he immediately caught sight of a familiar head of red hair—Kairi. She sat slumped over on one of the benches, breathing slowly.

Riku didn’t even wait for Sora to catch up before he bolted straight for her. “Kairi!”

He placed a hand on her shoulders and gave her a light shake, but she remained perfectly still. It really was like she’d fallen into a deep sleep. Just seeing her like that made Riku’s heart sink into the pit of his stomach, and he winced at the sight. He didn’t want to believe it, but… there it was. Proof before his very eyes that something had indeed gone wrong.

When he looked over his shoulder, Riku caught a glimpse of Sora slowly trudging towards the bench. For some reason, his hand clutched tightly onto his shirt, and it almost looked like he was in some kind of pain.

“See? That’s…” He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. “What I mean. And it doesn’t matter what I say or do. She doesn’t respond.”

“But why?” Riku took a seat right next to her, and his face fell. “Why did this have to happen to her?”

Sora blinked, and he took a step back. Then, he placed a hand against his forehead and sat right next to Riku. “I… well, Maleficent said it’s got something to do with the Heartless.”

He didn’t trust Maleficent, not one bit. After everything Riku had seen and experienced, there was no way he’d consider that hag an ally. But still, it was hard to deny that something had happened to Kairi’s heart. After all, he’d seen her collapse and then disappear back on the islands. Sure no Heartless appeared then, but maybe they’d already gotten to her. It was hard to say. All he could really do was guess, and what good would it do?

Sighing, Riku turned his attention from Kairi’s sleeping body back to Sora. “What else did she say?”

Sora bit his lip, and he fidgeted a bit. For a split second, Kairi’s fingers twitched, but otherwise she remained still. Shutting his eyes, Sora gazed down at the floor with a frown on his face.

“Well, she told me that the only way to get Kairi’s heart back is to open the door. If we can gather all the princesses, there might be some way to save her from the darkness.” He looked over his shoulder, and then he let out a sharp moan. “It’s… better than nothing, right?”

Maybe it was better than nothing. If this door held the key to saving Kairi, Riku couldn’t really blame Sora for trying. If he were in that same position, he would’ve probably done the same thing. In theory, it wasn’t so bad. The real problem was Maleficent’s involvement and the kidnapping of the princesses. When Jafar mentioned their scheme back in Agrabah, it hardly sounded like a rescue mission for their friend’s lost heart. No, there had to be more to it. Some ulterior motive that went beyond Kairi’s current state.

“So you really believe she’ll help you, Sora?”

“’Course I do! Riku, I keep telling you that she’s my friend. Why’s that so hard to believe?”

“Because, Sora.” Riku slid away from the bench and stood right in front of him. “I heard that Maleficent’s the one controlling the Heartless.”

“That’s a lie!” Right away, Sora sprung out of his seat and got right in Riku’s face. “Maleficent’s trying to save the worlds from the Heartless! All we’ve gotta do is open the door, and everything’ll be just fine.”

“What, so you’d trust that old hag over your best friend?” Leaning forward, Riku looked his friend straight in the eye. “When will you get a clue?”

“You know…” Sora’s tone grew sharp, and he pulled out his sword. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Kairi’s body twitched again, and her head slowly turned to face the two boys. For a few short moments, they remained perfectly silent and kept their eyes focused on her. Then, she let out a quiet moan and slumped forward again. Whatever just happened didn’t matter now. She was still out cold, still missing her heart, and Sora just wouldn’t listen. And now he’d drawn his sword. Was he really going to fight over this? Riku rolled one of his hands into a fist and cringed. He didn’t want to have to fight his best friend. Anything but that! There had to be some other way to get through to him.

“Sora, you really are clueless.” Riku groaned, and he stepped aside. “And you’re only fooling yourself.” He shook his head. “You’re not a hero… You’re just some villain’s lackey.”

“No!” Sora swiped his sword through the air and jerked forward. He took another deep breath, and he clutched onto his chest again. “Please, Riku. Just listen to me. I… don’t wanna fight you. I just want to be with you and Kairi again!”

“Then stop pretending and get a grip.” Riku placed a hand on his hip and rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to back down, and as soon as I find Maleficent, I’m going to teach her a thing or two. Maybe then you’ll understand.”

Sora’s grip on his sword tightened, and he averted his eyes. Though he remained mostly silent, his posture grew stiff, and he let out a groan. Then, his head whipped around, looking Riku straight in the eyes, and he pointed his blade at his chest.

“Sorry, Riku.” He scowled. “But I think it’s time you took a little nap.”

A strange glow formed at the sword’s tip, wrapping itself around Riku’s entire body. Within seconds, he dropped down to his knees, clutching tightly onto his forehead. His eyelids grew heavy, and his surroundings seemed to melt together into some colorful mesh or reds, browns, and golds. He could barely focus on Sora, who stepped back and loomed over him, even as his head practically spun from dizziness. What was… happening to him?

Though Riku tried to stand up, he soon found himself face down on the floor. The magic was beginning to take its toll, and he could no longer keep his eyes open. Everything around him blacked out, and he let out a deep sigh. Then, he slipped into unconsciousness without another word.

TO BE CONTINUED

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