Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts Route B ❯ The Heart of Atlantis ( Chapter 15 )

[ 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 15: The Heart Of Atlantis

 

 

 

Sora, Donald and Goofy met up with Milo and Kida just outside the palace throne room. The massive doors opened, revealing a reflective pond in the middle of a great hall. Powerful stone pillars supported the ceiling. A walkway of stones allowed the group to walk across the pond to the other side of the room, where an old man sat on a couch throne with pillows and silk blankets.

The old man's fist tightened on his staff as Kida and her entourage neared. When they were a few feet away, he rose to his feet and said something to Kida in a language that Sora didn't understand. Milo tensed.

Kida spoke back, in a tone that sounded as though she were pleading, but the ruler slammed his staff down on the ground. Their discussion was over but Kida was not giving up.

"Please Father, just give Milo and his people a little bit more time."

The old man's eyes did not have any irises or pupils. His face shifted from his daughter to Milo.

"Look at what we were able to accomplish," Kida continued, "we were able to get one of Atlantis' ancient machines to move. Imagine what we could learn about Atlantis' past by working together. These explorers and I were even able to defeat those creatures."

Sora wasn't sure how, but he felt as though the king were looking at him.

"Enough, Kida," said the King, in a tone that left no room for discussion. "We will discuss this later. You are dismissed. And you three..."

Sora, Donald and Goofy straightened.

The King said nothing further. He waved to his guards, and the men escorted Kida and Milo out of the room. Once they were alone, the king descended the steps in front of his throne. He walked out onto the stone platforms of the pond and loomed over Sora.

"I sense something ancient with you, boy. You are not just some explorer from the outside world. You are a destroyer."

The guards around the room raised their weapons.

"Destroyer? I would never do something like that."

"Your Majesty." Donald began. "Sora has been done nothing but defend your city from heartless. We don't mean any harm."

"Heartless?" The old man stroked his long beard. "So it is true. You are the key bearer, are you not?"

Sora's shoulders felt tight, and he repressed the need to call on his keyblade, but it reacted to his heart nonetheless, appearing in his hand automatically.

The old king walked back to his throne. "I want you three out of my city immediately. While I thank you for helping my daughter defeat those heartless, I will have nothing to do with the bringer of ruin."

"Bringer of ruin," Sora repeated. "Why do you say that?"

"The key holder who meddles in the affairs of other worlds only brings about ruin. Those creatures must have appeared here shortly before you arrived, as if they sensed you were on your way." The king slammed his staff down. "I am giving you one chance to leave peacefully."

"But aren't the heartless attracted to darkness?" Goofy interjected. "You may need our help."

"This city is protected from the darkness."

"But Kida said that-"

"We will handle this issue ourselves."

"Please, at least let us find our friend Locke. We were told he's here somewhere and-"

"Enough! No one with that name has entered my city, and if he had, he would have been thrown out with the rest of the outsiders. Leave. Now."

Sora opened his mouth, but felt a tugging on his sleeve. He turned around to see Goofy shaking his head. This wasn't the time to argue. The trio bowed to the king and left the room.

Once they were outside the palace, Donald tapped his temple, thinking.

"He reminds me of King Triton. He didn't trust Sora either."

"Why do some people believe that the keyblade is bad luck? I haven't done anything but try to help people since I got this thing." Sora sighed. "What do we do? Do we respect the king's request and leave?"

Donald crossed his arms. "We haven't found Locke, but then again, the shadow man could have been lying to lure us here."

"Why don't we find Kida and Milo for now," Goofy suggested, "we did tell them that we were going to help them."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Goofy? Breaking the rules?"

"Well, we can leave the city after we help our friends. Right?"

Donald didn't wait for Sora to make a decision. He began walking.

"Get a move on."

They found Kida and Milo relaxing by a lagoon. Ruins surrounded the water, a set of stairs led into the depths. Fireflies floated in the air like golden stars.

Kida held her crystal over Milo so that he could have light. He was reading the shepherd's journal so intently that his nose disappeared into the pages.

When Sora came near, Milo leaned away from the book, rubbing his forehead.

"Something wrong?" Kida asked.

"The journal describes a power source, the heart of Atlantis, and then goes off to a completely different topic on the next page. There's a page missing."

Kida looked at the book. "Wait, I recognize that."

She walked toward the water and stepped in.

"You do swim, do you not, Milo?"

"Uh yes."

"Good. There is a mural under the water, with writing all around the pictures."

"Ah, I get it." Milo took off his coat and pants. He waded into the water with nothing but his undershorts.

"Sora," Kida called, "keep an eye out for those creatures and my father's guards until we return."

"You got it."

Kida and Milo took a deep breathe and disappeared under the water.

 

 

 

Riku sliced through the air but his weapon didn't hit its target. The heartless jumped on his shoulder. Pain burned on the back on his neck, and Riku threw the soul eater over his shoulder, stabbing the heartless, but when its weight vanished from his shoulder, another heartless hit him from the left.

Fire drilled into Riku's side. He fell to his knees, turning his head to see the heartless advance on him. It reached out with its claws. Something flashed in Riku's eye, and then the heartless fell backward, melting into the darkness. King Mickey stood in front of Riku, his keyblade glowing.

The danger had passed.

For now.

Mickey raised his keybalde and chanted a healing spell. Bell flowers appeared over Riku's head. The spell sprinkled over him, soothing the pain in his side and neck.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay."

"What about-" Mickey stopped, looking at the ground with an apologetic expression.

Riku rubbed his eye. It had become a habit since he lost his sight. Each time he opened his eye, he expected to see again, but the results were always the same. The left side of his world was bathed in darkness.

"Still can't see," Riku said.

Mickey deflated. "Gosh, I guess healing spells don't work on wounds inflicted by darkness that strong, but don't lose hope. Maybe your vision will come back once we get out of the realm of darkness."

Somehow, Riku wasn't sure he believed Mickey.

"Anyway, for now, just make sure to stay behind me. I'll keep you safe from the heartless."

"No."

Mickey blinked. "What?"

"I don't want to slow you down."

"But Riku-"

"I know!"

Mickey ducked his head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. It's just that," Riku bit his lip. "I know my attacks have gotten slower, I know that I keep getting hit in my blind spot, but I don't want to be a burden. Let me fight alongside you."

"I can't let you get hurt."

"Then teach me magic. Real magic. So that I don't have to rely on the darkness when things get desperate. I," he swallowed, "I don't know if I'll ever see in my left eye again, but I'm not going to give up. I want to fight."

Mickey crossed his arms. "You sure are tough. And stubborn. Reminds me of Donald."

Riku grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"I can teach you magic, but promise me that you'll still be careful. If things get too rough, let me defend you."

"I will," Riku promised.

 

 

 

Sora had paced back and forth so many times, it was a wonder that his feet hadn't dug a hole in the ground

"Donald, can you just give me a merman's tail like you did in Atlantica? I want to go check on them."

Donald looked at Sora as though the boy had grown antlers.

"Are you out of your mind? How are you going to explain suddenly being part fish to Milo and Kida? Do you want to shatter the world order?"

"But they've been down there forever!"

Goofy patted Sora's back. "I'm sure Kida knows what she's doing."

Sora didn't get the chance to voice his concerns. Footsteps drew his attention. Rourke and his crew had come to the ruins. Helga's glare made Sora nervous. She walked around the lagoon, her finger drumming on the pistol in the holster at her hip. Rourke pulled something out from his boot, something that looked a lot like a piece of paper.

Audrey ran up to Sora, blocking his view of the rest of the crew.

"Still haven't found your friend?"

"No. What's going on?"

"Oh, we just came to talk to Milo, is all."

Sora looked over Audrey's shoulder. Vinnie, Cookie, Dr. Sweet and Mole were holding rifles. They all looked tense, as though expecting someone to attack. Audrey waved her hand in front of Sora's face.

"So, where is Milo?"

Sora looked from her eyes to the wrench she was gripping tightly in her hands.

"What's going on?"

"Don't you worry, son," Rourke said, "this is a matter our crew needs to discuss."

Donald and Goofy gripped their weapons. The crew aim their rifles at them, but then quickly turned their attention to the lagoon.

Bubbles appeared in the water. Milo emerged, gasping for air. Rourke went to the edge of the lagoon and knelt down. Sora moved passed Audrey, to try and talk to Milo.

Cold metal slammed into his shoulder blades.

Pain.

Sora fell, gasping. His back blazed, and the agony spread down to his knees. He was too shocked to even hear Donald and Goofy's grunts behind him. Boots appeared before his eyes and a moment later, Vinne and Mole lifted him up.

"Nice work, Audrey," came Rourke's voice.

When Sora could finally breathe without fire burning in his lungs, he saw Helga holding Kida's arms behind her back. The Atlantean princess grit her teeth, struggling, but Helga's hold was firm.

Milo stomped toward Rourke.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Come on now, son. We've been here long enough, it's time to go find that crystal." Rourke showed a piece of paper to Milo.

The missing page from the shepherd's journal.

"Of course, the Heart of Atlantis. How could I have been so stupid? This is nothing but a treasure hunt for you, isn't it?"

"Well it's big, it's shiny, it's going to make us all rich."

"You don't know what you're doing."

Milo took a step. From behind Rourke, Cookie raised his rifle.

A warning.

"Listen, you think the Heart of Atlantis is a diamond, I thought it was some kind of power source, but we're both wrong. I know now. The heart is the people's life force. That crystal is the only thing keeping these people alive. If you take it away, there will be nothing to protect the people from the darkness."

"Well, Helga, you here that?"

"I'd say that doubles the price of this diamond."

Milo stomped his foot. "Don't do this."

"You scholars never want to get your hands dirty. Do you really think that all the artifacts in a museum are acquired through diplomacy? We're just doing our job of sharing Atlantis' great history with the world."

"Not interested," Milo hissed.

"That's too bad. Helga?"

Milo turned around. Helga had a pistol pointed at Kida's back.

Rourke threw Milo's clothes at him.

"Get dressed son, we've got a king to talk to."

Milo glared as he dressed.

Sora thrashed and kicked. Vinnie and Mole let him go, but Sora didn't get a chance to summon his keyblade. Audrey quickly put a pair of handcuffs around his wrists. Sora turned to glare at her, but then saw his friends. Donald and Goofy were on the ground, groaning. They were cuffed too.

"Keep those three out of our way," Rourke hissed over his shoulder.

Helga dragged Milo and Kida away. Dr. Sweet walked after them, but not before casting a look back at Sora and his friends.

With nothing left to do, Sora sat up on the ground. His head felt too big for his neck. Audrey's wrench had really done a number on him, but at least the dizzy spell was slowly going away. He heard Donald and Goofy struggle. Mole, Cookie, and Vinnie loomed over them, but it was Audrey that Sora looked at it.

Her eyes caught his and she quickly turned around.

"So," Sora began, "earlier, when you came with us to 'see what we were made of,' you were just spying on us for Rourke, weren't you? So he could know what we're capable of? So that we don't get in his way?"

Audrey's shoulder twitched.

"Wow Audrey. I thought we could be friends. You're really going to put all these lives in jeopardy. For money. You know, you remind me more of my friend now. He also made some dumb choices, hurt a lot of people, and now, he's gone."

"Sora," Goofy whispered sadly.

"I wonder if my friend regrets what he did. Will you really be happy with all that money, Audrey? I sure hope so. I sure hope hurting all these people is worth it."

Audrey's fists were clenched so tightly that her arms were shaking.

"Mole? Vinnie? Is destroying an entire city just one big joke to you guys? This is wrong. And you all know it."

Audrey groaned. She turned around, baring her teeth. She raised her wrench. Sora turned away, bracing for the blow.

The cuffs around his hands came lose.

Audrey set Donald and Goofy free next.

She gave Vinnie, Cookie, and Mole a fierce look.

"He's right. We can't do this."

Mole burst into tears. "How could I have been so blind? Oh, the riches, they forced me to make such foolish decisions!"

"Done a lot of things I'm not proud of." Vinnie counted off his fingers. "Grave robbing, plundering tombs, double parking and not paying the tickets, but no one got hurt."

Cookie sniffed, taking off his hat. "Y'all done opened this old fool's eyes."

Audrey grabbed Sora's arms and helped him to his feet. "Get up. We've got to rescue Milo."

"Music to my ears. Donald?"

"I hear ya! Curaga!"

A shower of green sparkles rejuvenated Sora, Donald and Goofy. Vinnie pulled out a few cherrybombs from within in coat. Audrey swung her wrench through the air, Cookie twirled his rifle, and Mole sniffed the ground.

"They went that way, friends! Let's go!"

When they reached the palace, the doors to the throne room were wide open. The guards lay on the ground, out cold. Rourke, Helga, and Kida were nowhere to be found. Across the room, Dr. Sweet and Milo knelt over the king of Atlantis.

Sora, Donald and Goofy stepped forward, but then a group of heartless popped up before them, blocking their path. A stick of dynomite flew over Sora's shoulder.

BOOM!

The first wave of heartless were burned to a crisp.

Vinnie, Cookie, Mole, and Audrey jumped in, rampaging on the remaining heartless.

"We got this," Vinnie shouted. "Go help the others."

"Yeehaw! Let's get 'em!" Cookie roared.

While the crew wailed on the heartless, the trio made their way across the pond to the throne. In the middle of the pond, the water had split open, revealing a deep, cavernous hole. Water fell in to the hole and vanished into the darkness below. Sora ignored it and ran to the king.

Dr. Sweet, his face twisted in concern, was pressing a stethoscope against the king's heart. The old man's breaths were low and labored.

"What happened," Sora demanded.

Dr. Sweet closed his eyes. "Rourke did this. This was never a part of the plan. That monster."

"Move!" Donald stood next to the old man. "Curaga!"

Magic showered over the king, but it didn't glow on his skin. Sora watched as the spell vanished.

"What?" Donald looked at his staff. "It didn't work?"

Dr. Sweet grit his teeth. "His wounds are too great."

The king's head looked as though it weighed a thousand pounds as he slowly shifted his gaze toward Sora. When he spoke, his voice was gurgled, as though he were drowning.

"Boy, you say that the key-holder does not bring ruin? Prove it. Go to my daughter. Please."

"Kida? What happened?"

The king's hand dropped. Milo caught it.

"Rourke and Hega took us to the Heart of Atlantis. It was hidden down there." Milo nodded toward the hole in the pond. "Kida, she," Milo swallowed. "She merged with the heart of Atlantis. Rourke and Helga took her."

"Merged? What are you talking about?"

"In times of danger," the king explained, "the crystal chooses a host, one of royal blood, to protect itself and its people."

"Chooses?" Milo shook his head. "The crystal is alive?"

"In a way. The crystal thrives on the collected hearts and emotions of all who came before us. It protects us. But we abused its power, used it as a weapon, and it led to our destruction, thousands of years ago. We had forgotten that the crystal was something that connects us, something we shouldn't use for dark purposes."

"Just like any other heart," Sora said. "So even something that powerful can be affected by darkness."

"That's why you hid the crystal beneath the city? To keep history from repeating itself?"

"And to protect Kida." The king took off his crystal necklace and placed it in Milo's hand. "Without the heart, we are lost, and if Kida remains bonded to the crystal, she will be lost as well. Please. Save Atlantis. Save my daughter."

The king took in a deep breathe. Milo, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Dr. Sweet turned away. A light in the world of Atlantis went out.

 

 

 

Milo and Sora raced toward the entrance to the city. Audry, Donald, Goofy and the rest of the crew chased after them. At the bridge that led out of the city, a crowd of Atlanteans watched Rourke and Helga herd something shiny into a metal box. Sora's heart flipped when he realized what it was.

Kida.

Her hair swirled around her face. Her eyes and skin glowed the same cerulean blue as the crystals worn by all the Atlanteans. She stood like a doll, completely still as Rourke and Helga trapped her in the metal box. They bolted the box shut. Only a small, circular glass window allowed Kida to be seen from within.

By the time Sora and the others caught up, Kida's face had vanished behind a layer of frost. Just a few feet away, a shot was fired at Sora's feet. He stopped.

Helga pointed her pistol at the Atlanteans. "Don't do anything stupid, boy. You wouldn't want anything to happen to all these people, would you?"

Rourke came around the box and glared at his crew.

"Oh, you can't all be serious? You pick now to grow a conscience?"

"Rourke! Stop this. You're going to wipe out an entire civilization. And for what? Money?" Milo pointed to the people. "The city needs her."

"Get off your soapbox, Thatch." Rourke yawned. "You've read Darwin. It's called natural selection. We're just helping it along. Here, let me show you."

Rourke snapped his fingers. Heartless popped into the air in front of Milo. The Atlanteans drew back in fear. Rourke laughed. Purple smoke oozed out of his skin. Darkness.

Sora pointed his keyblade at the commander. "So you brought the heartless here."

Rourke shrugged. "This was more of a happy accident, boy. At first, these creatures were nothing more then a nuisance, but I am a very persuasive man. I sought to use them to my advantage. You know what they say, 'survival of the fittest.' Only the strong are fit to lead, to make the decisions others are too weak to make."

"You're not strong, your selfish," Milo growled.

The heartless loaded Kida's box into a military cargo van.

"Helga," Rourke shouted, "get this car rolling."

"Yes, Commander."

Helga jumped into the driver's seat. Rourke, his teeth bared in a vile grin, saluted them.

"You know," he looked at the heartless, "I think I may like these new soldiers a little better then a crew that turns on me. Maybe I'll use the money to start up a small army with my new, more loyal, soldiers."

Rourke got into the van. The heartless attacked. The Atlanteans scattered out of fear. Dr. Sweet, Audrey, Cookie, Mole, Vinnie and Milo rushed to evacuate the citizens from the area, while Sora, Donald and Goofy engaged the heartless.

Mere seconds into the fight, the ground shook. An explosion threw Sora off his feet. Up ahead, smoke and fire were all that was left of the bridge that led out of the city. Rourke and the van had vanished into the caverns, but there was no time to chase them. The heartless were still coming.

Sora ripped through the first wave of heartless with his keyblade, but another horde was quick to take their place.

"Guys, we've got to make this quick. Rourke is getting away."

They took down one battalion, and then another, and then another. Every time they took down one heartless, ten more sprang up to take its place. Sora's body ached. Exhaustion made him stop for a few seconds to catch his breathe.

Big mistake. A heartless charged at him from the left. It swiped at his side with its harpoon. He fell back, barely keeping the metal from spearing his side. The heartless drew its harpoon back, preparing for another strike.

Goofy rammed into the heartless, slamming it into the ground with his shield.

Donald regrouped with Sora and casted a thunder spell to thin out the heartless' numbers.

"We can't keep this up for much longer."

The heartless were closing in. Sora, Donald and Goofy huddled together, back to back. A shadow flashed overhead. Looking up, Sora gulped. He pushed Donald and Goofy.

"DUCK!"

A giant stone fish fell from the sky, squashing the heartless flat. Four more fish appeared, blowing the heartless away.

"Now's our chance!"

The trio brought their weapons together.

Donald's resilience.

Sora's bravery.

Goofy's kindness.

The power surged through their weapons, connecting at the center. A ball of bright light grew between them. It rose up, higher and higher into the air. Then it burst, brightening the sky, bathing everything in white light.

Caught by surprise, the heartless had no time to defend. The light seared through them all. When the brightness faded, the stone fish-shaped vehicles from Atlantis hovered around the trio.

Milo and his crew sat on top of the vehicles.

"Get on," Milo called.

Sora, Donald and Goofy jumped onto the stone fish with Milo.

Turning, Milo waved at Audrey, Sweet, Vinnie, Mole and Cookie.

"We're going after Rourke. We're going to bring Kida back to the city, or die trying."

Cookie loaded bullets into his rifle. "Saddle up, partner! Bring jerky and ammo!"

"I would have preferred a tuna. More sporty." Vinnie snapped his fingers. "Yo Milo, you get Rourke, we'll try to keep his monster soldiers busy, yeah?"

"Enough talking!" Audrey growled. "Let's go!"

The vehicles lurched forward, out of the city and into the dark caves. Up ahead, floating in midair, heartless appeared. Donald climbed up Sora's back, and sat on the boy's shoulders.

"Keep going!"

Milo zoomed toward the heartless. The creatures aimed their harpoons ahead. They charged.

Donald pointed his staff straight ahead.

"Thundaga!"

Lighting crashed though the heartless, zapping them into nothing, but there were more coming.

Vinnie threw cherrybombs into the air. Clouds of fire burst on the heartless, burning them. The crew rode the smoke.

The tunnels got wider. Something red appeared between the stalactites up ahead.

Sora hurled his keyblade through another incoming group of heartless and then gaped at the sight beyond.

A red, rocket shaped, hot air balloon was rising up toward a hole in the cave ceiling. Rourke and Helga stood in the basket. Hanging under the basket, connected by thick, metal chains, was Kida's steel box. The heartless flew around the balloon, shooting bullets of darkness at the Atlantean vehicles to keep them away.

Milo and the others flew up, down and looped in the air to avoid the attacks. A heartless crashed into the underside of Vinnie's vehicle, nearly throwing him off. In an attempt to regain his balance, Vinnie slammed his hand onto the vehicle's inscription pad, and then a blue lazer of energy shot out of the stone fish's mouth. The lazer flew through the air, slicing an incoming group of heartless into nothing.

"Okay, now things are getting good!" Vinnie shouted. "Hey, guys check this out!"

Armed with fire power, the other crew members engaged the heatless, leaving an opening for Milo to get closer to the balloon.

"Okay, Milo, any last ideas," Sora asked.

Milo swallowed. "Yeah, but really I wish I had a better idea then this!" He stood up. "On the count of three, jump."

Milo aimed the vehicle at the balloon.

"One."

Sora got up to his feet, his eyes wide. "Wait a minute! You can't be serious? Do you know how high up we are?"

"Two!"

Donald jumped up into Goofy's arms. "This is crazy!"

"I know," Milo whimpered. "THREE!"

The vehicle lurched forward.

Sora felt ice replace all the fluids in his body.

He didn't think, he didn't hear his friends wailing frantically. All he could see was the bright, red material in front of his eyes.

The vehicle was inches away from the balloon.

They jumped.

The stone fish crashed into the balloon, poking a hole in it.

Milo, Sora, Donald and Goofy fell into the balloon's basket, slamming into a surprised Helga. The entire basket tilted, nearly throwing Rourke over the side. The balloon began to descend.

Helga was the first to recover, aiming her pistol at Milo. Sora lunged and knocked the weapon out of her hand with his keyblade. Helga recovered quickly. She turned toward Sora and swept her leg under his feet, tripping him.

Donald and Goofy tackled Helga, pushing her back toward the edge of the basket. She collapsed onto the basket floor. Rourke came over and punched the poor duck and dog so hard that they flew out of the basket.

Sora stood back up in a flash. He reached out, managing to grab his friends before they fell to their doom. Leaning over the side of the basket, he had nothing to defend himself from Rourke. The big man cracked his neck, darkness coming off his skin like toxic sweat.

"I have to hand it to ya brats, you turned out to be more of a thorn in my side then I first thought. As if Thatch wasn't enough."

Milo punched Rourke's shoulder, but it was like throwing a toothpick a mountain. With an exasperated growl, Rourke smacked Milo, making him crash into the other side of the basket. The impact made the balloon tip downward even faster.

"Well, would you look at that? We're loosing altitude." Rourke cracked his knuckles. "Looks like, I have to lighten the load. Aw well, ladies first."

He reached out, grabbed Helga, and then threw her off the basket. Then he caught Sora by the scruff of shirt, and Milo by his neck and hurled them over the side. Sora's throat burned from screaming.

The ground rose up to meet him.

And then he landed on something soft.

"I got you!"

Sora opened his eyes and stared at Dr. Sweet. Looking around, he realized he was on one of the fish vehicles. Audrey was driving. She flew toward Donald and Goofy and Dr. Sweet, plucked the duck and dog out of the air.

Sora looked around desperately. "Wait, where's Milo?"

Audrey pointed. "Up there!"

Milo was standing on to the Kida's box, which was dangling under the balloon. Above him, Rourke had grabbed an ax, and was about to climb over the basket to try and slice Milo to pieces.

"We gotta help him. Get me close!"

Rourke landed on the metal box, and swung his ax down toward Milo. He missed, hitting the glass window of the box, shattering it. Dodging the attack made Milo slid down the side of the box, his feet dangling in midair.

Rourke loomed over Milo.

He drew his ax back, ready to strike again.

"You are a bigger pain in the neck then I ever thought possible! It takes a lot to get under my skin, but you win the solid gold prize, cupie doll!"

The ax sliced through the air.

The keyblade slammed into the ax's handle, knocking the ax out out of Rourke's hand. Rourke roared at Sora, but it was just enough time for Milo to grab a piece of shining blue glass from Kida's box. He reached up and sliced Rourke's bicep.

Rourke yelped. The scratch glowed. Blue and red sparks traveled up Rourke's arm. The scratch spread, like an infection, hardening Rourke's skin, turning him into a monster made of crystal. But he wasn't defeated.

The crystal commander turned toward Milo, and kicked him. Milo fell off the box. The fight had made the balloon lose more air. It was no longer floating downward. It was falling.

Audrey flew toward Milo. He landed safely on the Atlantean vehicle a few seconds before the balloon, the basket, Rourke, and Kida's box crashed into the cave floor. The impact shook the entire cavern. The shockwave nearly blew out Sora's ears. Hot smoke filled the air.

"Take us down," Milo ordered, "we have to get Kida back to the city."

Yet as they descended down toward the ground, orange light lit up floor.

From atop his own vehicle, Mole whimpered. "The volcano! She awakes!"

Red veins of magma appeared through the cracks in the stone floor. Kida's box lay on its side above it. Milo and Sora reached the box, grabbed the chain and tied it around the tail of Audry and Sweet's vehicle.

Donald screamed. "Sora, look out!"

Milo and Sora turned. Rourke's blue arm appeared from under the debris left by the balloon. He crawled out from under it, locked eyes with Milo, and let out a metallic scream. A black floating, fishlike heartless appeared next to Rourke.

Sora's feet were getting hot. His lungs were starting to choke on the air. They didn't have the time to fight.

An army of heartless surrounded Rourke. He pointed at Sora. The heartless didn't move. Instead, they turned toward Rourke, grabbing his arms and legs. The ground beneath Rourke melted and magma spewed upward, washing over Rourke and the heartless.

There was no time to think about it. There was no time to reach the vehicle. Sora and Milo jumped onto Kida's box and held on tight.

"GO!"

Every vehicle flew, top speed, back toward Atlantis.

The magma spewed out of the ground in blazing fountains.

Sora and Milo were flailed back and forth as the box flew through the air, towed by Audrey's vehicle. They flew through the caverns. Donald shot blizzard spells into the magma, but the fiery tidal wave was not slowing down.

Magma burst out of the sides of the tunnels, forcing the vehicles to make sharp turns in order to avoid getting melted. The heat scratched against Sora's skin. The space in the caves were getting smaller, but a light was shining up ahead.

The vehicles reached Atlantis. Behind them, the magma roared in from the cave entrance, where it began to flood the area below the disk that held up the city. Audrey's vehicle crashed onto a plaza.

Sora and Milo were thrown off Kida's box, but it didn't matter.

The metal sides of the box fell away and Kida floated in the middle of the city. Light filled in every crack and carving along the floors, the ruins, the walls, and soon the entire city was glowing. Giant stones, each with the face of one of Atlantis' kings, burst through the floor around Kida's feet.

She shot up into the air, the with the stones orbiting her. The stones spun around Kida, faster and faster, until they blurred into a shining star above the city. Light shot out from the star and connected to the stone golems standing along the edges of the disk. The giant golems came to life and stood at the borders of the city, where they clapped their massive hands.

A blue membrane of light grew from the hands of each golem. It spread out, shielding the city from the hissing waves of the rising magna. The light shield rose higher, covering the city in a protective dome.

The magma slammed against the blue shield. The red, hot waves climbed up onto the shield and soon the entire dome was covered. Down below, the people of Atlantis watched as the molten rock obscured everything beyond the blue shield.

There was a flash from the star. The red glow faded from the magma. The hot liquid cooled, turning black. Cracks spread through the rock, blue light shined through the openings. With a thundering boom and a flash of light, the hardened magma fell away from the blue shield.

The shield walls fell.

Water began to flow through the city again. The blue light faded from the walls and floors.

The danger had passed. The volcano had quieted.

Above them, a ray of light pierced through the silver clouds and Kida floated down from the sky. Her glow was gone. The heart of Atlantis had set her free. Milo moved closer, catching Kida before she hit the ground. She opened her eyes and looked around the city.

All was well.

 

 

 

Needless to say, Milo's crew were handsomely rewarded for helping to protect the city. Not only did Kida give them a vehicle that would take them to the surface, but she also made sure to pack that vehicle with as much gold as possible. Each member of the crew got a complementary crystal necklace as well.

Audrey punched Sora playfully on the arm and gave Milo a kiss on the cheek before she left.

Dr. Sweet hugged Milo so tightly that the scholar's back cracked.

Cookie gave Milo the bacon grease he had been planning to use for the whole trip, and Milo threw it in the garbage when Cookie wasn't looking.

Mole played one more practical joke on Donald by digging a hole under the duck and leaving him stuck in the ground, which made Vinnie laugh so loudly he accidentally set off a firecracker that made Donald fly out of the hole with a yelp.

After a round of laugher, the crew finished saying their goodbyes. Once they were gone, it was Sora, Donald and Goofy's turn.

"Gosh, Milo, are you sure you're not going to miss your friends," Goofy asked.

"Nope. I spent so much time trying to find Atlantis. This place already feels like my home. Besides, I still have so many secrets to uncover."

Kida reached out and held Milo's hand.

"By the way, Sora," she said, "were you able to find your friend?"

"No. We searched, but there's no trace of him."

"Perhaps I can help you. Can you describe your friend to me?"

Sora described Locke's appearance and his mannerisms. Kida looked up at the sky. The heart of Atlantis hovered in the air above the city. The heart had returned to its original form. It was now a mass of blue light that was surrounded by stones. Each stone had the face of an ancient Atlantean king. Kida's father was now among them.

Raising her crystal necklace to the sky, Kida closed her eyes. The heart flashed for a moment.

"Your friend is not here. I have searched the whole city, and the surrounding area. No one matching that description has ever been in Atlantis. I'm sorry."

"You're saying that Locke was never here?"

"Yes."

A tiny needle of pain stung Sora's heart, yet he felt relieved. If it weren't for Milo, the crew, and Kida all working together, the entire city could have been destroyed and Locke would have gone down with it. Sora shuddered to think what danger Locke may be facing if he were alone in another world.

"I guess we're just going to have to keep looking and hope we find him."

If they find him. Was this how it was going to be? Was Sora going to keep making friends and losing them? Like he lost Riku? Like he left behind Donald and Goofy?

There was a pat on his shoulder.

Goofy gave him a smile. "Don't look so down. We're here with ya, I know we'll find him. And our other friends too."

"Yeah," Donald added, "there's nothing the three of us can't do together."

"Your friends are correct," Kida winked. "Just like the heart of Atlantis connects all the thoughts and feelings of my people, your heart can connect you to your friends. I know you will find them."

Sora couldn't stop the smile from spreading on his face.

"You're right. I don't ever want to break the bonds I make, like Rourke did"

Kida reached out and placed a crystal necklace in Sora's hand. "The light will always connect you to those you care about."

There was a glimmer from overhead.

A keyhole appeared in the air below the heart of Atlantis.

Raising his keyblade into the air, Sora locked the world. The water in the city glowed, the wilted plants rejuvenated and became lustrous, and Atlantis felt a new sense of peace.

 

 

 

Jiminy's Journal

Kashekim Nedakh (First Appeared in Atlantis The Lost Empire, 2001): The ancient king of Atlantis. He is now a part of the Heart of Atlantis. Though he does not trust outsiders in his city, and thinks the keyblade wielder brings nothing but ruin, he believed in Milo and Sora and begged them to save his beloved daughter, Kida.