A Reason To Smile

Chapter 18: Lingering Will

A young girl was laying on a lone cot in a cell. She thought about how things were back home, and where her friends were and how they were doing. She perked up when the sound of someone struggling and footsteps were heard.

?: Stop, let go of me! I can... hardly breathe!

She looked over to her cell door to see Xigbar, the eyepatch wearing Nobody standing there with a girl with long flowing blue hair. He was holding her by her hood as she tried to get out of his grasp.

Xigbar: Hey there Kairi, got ya a new cell mate.

He opens the door and tosses the girl in the room. She takes a deep breath as she rubs her throat.

Xigbar: Play nice you two.

He walks off, leaving the two girls alone. Kairi looks over to the new girl.

Kairi: Are you alright?

?: I'll be fine. But they won't once I get out of here!

The girl runs up and grasps the bars to the cell, shaking them.

Kairi: What's your name?

Ceasing her assault on the bars, she turns around to look at Kairi.

?: Bobble. And he said you're Kairi, right?

Kairi nods her head in approval.

Kairi: So, what are you in for?

Bobble softly giggles at the joke and sits down, trying to take in everything that happened.

Bobble: I was with my friends, we just made it to a place where I thought we could just relax, you know? But then those guys in the black coats show up and my friends begin fighting them.

Kairi: And let me guess, one of them got you?

Bobble: Yeah, this creepy guy named Saïx. He told me to come with him, and that I'll help make Y/n what he needs to be.

Kairi: Yeah, I was brought here by someone named Axel. Said that he was an acquaintance of Sora's.

Bobble: Wait, you said Axel, right?

Kairi: Yeah, why?

Bobble: That's Y/n's friend. The one who set him free.

Kairi: This is the second time you've mentioned this Y/n, who is he?

Bobble: Well, he's my boyfriend. He's helped me through a lot back in my world and I wanted to come with him to support him.

She then tells Kairi about everything you and her have been through. From Inkopolis, to meeting Ansem who turned out to be Riku, which got Kairi's attention.

Bobble: And now I'm here. And after all of this, I feel like I'm just a burden than a supportive girlfriend.

Kairi: Now don't say that. From what you told me, he gets stronger when you're in trouble.

Bobble: But now he's in trouble and I'm not there to help.

Kairi: Don't worry, if you said that Riku was with you I'm positive that he'll be here any minute to rescue the both of us.

Just as she said that, the sound of a Corridor of Darkness being opened was heard behind them. However, instead of Riku, it was a young girl in a white dress.

Kairi: Who... are you?

?: My name is Naminé, and I can get the two of you out of here. I can get you to Riku.

Kairi and Bobble look at each other and nodded, then walked to Naminé and entered the dark doorway.

~~~~~

For a suit of armor this thing was fast. It sped towards you and hit you into the air. As you fell, it hit you again and once more into the ground. Once you stood back up, it threw the Keyblade into the sky and came back as some form of glider, and quickly hit you. As it formed back into a Keyblade, it didn't last long, as it was turned into a large cannon. It charged up and took aim at you. Finally finding your voice, you reach out and call to it.

Y/n: Wait, I'm not this Xehanort guy! My name is Y/n!

It seemed to hear you as it tried to move it away, but it was too late. A large blast was fired at you and tou braced yourself. The armor jumped in front of you and created a barrier, blocking the attack.

You looked up to see it's outstretched hand, and took it.

?: Forgive me. I thought that he came back.

Y/n: Who... are you?

?:My name is... was Terra. But my body was stolen by Xehanort. This, my Lingering Will, is all that remains. But I must ask, who are you and how are you here?

You tell him what happened prior. Your battle with Demyx and Saïx, which then lead to the Organization, which then lead to you explaining everything that happened during your journey.

Terra: I see.

Y/n: I need to go back, but I have no idea how! I can't open a Corridor of Darkness!

Terra: Then how about a gateway? You do have a Keyblade after all.

He lifts up his Keyblade and a beam of light shoots out. It explodes and a bright gateway appears.

Y/n: That's... amazing! But how will I know where to go?

Terra: There's a saying that my old master used to tell me. "May your heart be your guiding key."

You take those words and repeat them in your head. Lifting your Keyblade up you shoot the same beam of light out and create your own gateway.

Terra: Are you confident in where you're going?

You nod and look back at him.

Y/n: Thank you Terra, I appreciate you helping me. And not killing me.

Terra: Sorry about that. Good luck Y/n. May yiu find what you're looking for.

He shoves his Keyblade back into the ground and kneels in front of it again. A gust of wind and sand blew past him and he disappeared. Walking through the gateway, you find yourself back in Hollow Bastion. You run around the city, hoping to find Riku or Bobble but to no such luck.

Y/n: It's no use, I'll never find them!

?: Find who?

You turn to see a young boy with brown hair, deep blue eyes, and wearing a navy blue v-neck t-shirt with white hemming and a red front pocket, and black chap-style shorts with yellow belts holding on two red pockets on either leg. He has a black hooded jacket with white hemming and pauldron-like additions on the shoulder with yellow belts hanging off the front. His fingerless gloves are black with white hemming, a yellow wrist strap, and white straps making an x across the back of the hand. His shoes are black and yellow with blue straps and a zipper running the length of each shoe. And around his neck was a crown shaped necklace. Next to him was an anthropomorphic duck and dog.

Y/n: My friends. Uh... who are you.

He smiles and points to himself, the duck, then the dog in order.

?: My name is Sora, this is Donald and Goofy!