Video Game: Kingdom Hearts SOS: The Road To Light

Luna approached after Aislinn finished stating her intentions. Aislinn smiled broadly as she turned to face the young woman, and instantly gave her a big hug. "I am so glad that you are safe.... I was worried about you and Kel both. After everything you confided in us, the last thing I wanted to do was leave you, but I had no choice." Aislinn stated before letting Luna go. "And unfortunately I can't come with you now." Her mind was made up, but Aislinn glanced over at Luna's family, then back to her. "But you all are plenty strong without me. I will take care of things here, and you have to promise to keep everyone in shape there, and to keep your head held high, regardless of circumstances." She didn't know how Luna was doing now with the whole princess of heart thing, but she knew that she was strong. Luna would be able to manage it, and Kel was around to help so she wasn't too worried. There was a difficult battle ahead, but Aislinn had no doubts that Luna would let her light shine through despite them.​

 

Aux turned back to his mother. "I know you say you're proud of me... but I still have some things I need to do before I can be proud of myself."
His mother smiled, trying to hid back tears as she gave him a big hug. "I love you both."
Mari pulled on Aux's scruff of beard, causing him to wince silently in pain.


After everyone finished their goodbyes, Shiro summoned everyone to the docking bay. Castur and Stratos chose to stay behind for the time being with Aislinn agreeing to keep things running smoothly aboard the Sanctuary.

Aislinn has left the party!
Castur has left the party!
Stratos has left the party!

Quill has joined the party!​

"ALL ABOARD THE S.S. BEACON!" yelled Shiro, addressing the rest of the S.O.S. "DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE?" he asked DJ.
"Yeah.."
"BECAUSE WE SHINE LIGHT!"
"I get it."
"THROUGH THE DARKNESS..." he proclaimed.

DJ went on board to pilot the ship. On his way tot he cockpit, he passed Alex in his own isolated room, who was sitting quietly with his hands bound. "What're you looking at?" he asked offended.
DJ shrugged and stared at him with dismissing eyes. "I don't know yet."
"You expecting an apology?"
"Not really... besides, dealing with you isn't my priority right now.." DJ left Alex, who rolled his eyes after he left. "Pfft... shocker..." he scoffed.

DJ activated the Gummi Ship, as the engines began to fire. Ventus passed out next to him in the shotgun seat. Everyone boarded, waving goodbye to their allies, Noctis, Prompto, on their families.

Aux waved bye to his mother as his mother and sister waved back. He smiled faintly before turning back to take a seat.

Ananta, AJ, Aux, Beuce, Faust, Kaida, Karina, Kel, Luna, and Quill all took their seats Shiro addressed them at the main deck aboard the ship.
"I KNOW THINGS HAVE BEEN MOVING FAIRLY QUICKLY LATELY, AND A LOT OF YOU MISS YOUR HOMES. I'M VERY HUMBLED TO STILL HAVE ALL OF YOU FIGHTING HERE."
He pulled out a small piece of crumpled paper.

"WHILE SEARCHING FOR YOU IN OLYMPUS, I FOUND THIS NOTE FROM ONE OF YOUR ALLIES. I FELT IT BEST TO READ ALOUD."
He cleared his throat as he read the contents.

To anyone from the S.O.S.

I've traveled alongside you for some time now. I always felt I didn't have a place at times and felt invisible. Before I met you, I was on my own path. But the more I got to know all of you, the further away my goal became. I know the worlds are important. And as a keyblade wielder, I should be helping... But just because I wield the key, doesn't mean I'm meant to fight forever. I found a new path that could hopefully lead me to my goal and help me learn more about myself. One by one I've seen allies come and go. Ignis... Glen... Base... D'daear. I feel like they left not because they didn't care, but because they had something more pressing at hand. I'm the same way. That's why I have to leave you for now. I hope that one day, you'll understand why. Just know, that I'll be there when it counts.

Steel,

"FIRST, WE NEED TO MAKE A PIT STOP IN TRAVERSE TOWN, THEN WE MAKE WAY FOR CENTRAL HAVEN."

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VANITAS' LAIR​

Vanitas punched a wall angrily. "We were so close!" he punched the same wall again.
"Would it kill you to lower the decibel?" Sho complained, tinkering away at his pad.
""They have the remnant! They have Ventus! And two of the order members are still alive!"
"Please... Our odds of successfully defeating them as this juncture was the equivalent of-"
"I don't care! We got nothing out of that stupid mission!"


"I wouldn't say nothing..." Sho smirked. He scanned passed the profiles on his pad. "Knowledge is power, And I just obtained the majority quotient."
"Don't tell me we're going to try kidnapping their families again?"
"No, that's a redundant task. Besides, I just checked, and that DJ kid upgraded the security. They're gonna be more on guard now. I'm referring to the enemies of our adversaries."
"Explain..." Vanita ordered.
"We try attacking their weakness. That made them stronger. So with that in mind, what counteract their variable of love making them stronger?"
"Hate." Vanitas replied.
"Bullseye... And I just so happen to find some candidates who fit that bill." He showed the profiles of some of the people aboard the sanctuary.
Vanitas grinned. "Hate is a powerful motivator... Now I remember why I keep you around."
"My calculations are flawless.. and our victory? Will be absolute..."

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Karina couldn't help but sit there and watch as everyone said their goodbyes. Karina knew that not everyone had someone to say goodbye to, but she had a bitter feeling towards those who did. She found their joy or trepidation to leave something worth envying. For the first time in a long time she had seen her family, her brother and it had not gone the way she wanted. She felt like she had to leave, get away from her family. There was no loving goodbyes for her. Instead Karina quickly made her way onto the gummie ship while others finished and sat quietly just watching out the window, waiting to leave. Waiting for the nightmare that had been being on that ship to be over. Karina didn't care about any pitstops or anywhere they were heading next, as long as she was away from her family once again. She didn't need them, she had proved that. She needed her friends and said as much to her father, she just wished it was easier to walk out. Easier to believe that they were all she needed when she saw some of them, including Aux, having tearful goodbyes. Even Steel who left seemed to have his purposes, but here she was... she hated it. ​

 

It surprised Karina when someone else sat down and talked to her that wasn't Beuce. She figured everyone else was too busy with other things. The tapping caught her attention of who it was, though it didn't persist as the man started to actually talk to her. Karina looked back half heartedly as she studied the newest member that they were apparently bringing along with them. She didn't think she knew his name, but he remedied that pretty quickly, leaving Karina no choice than to be civil and try to hold a conversation. "That is because we are no military group." Karina started by stating, she wouldn't be here if it was. "As my dad so lovingly put it we are a group of *kupo*up's, misfits, and outcasts that are just doing what we must because what else is there for us. And then there is Luna. I don't know why she hangs around us still, but I suppose we need an anchor." Karina tried to correct the man's thinking as she rubbed her face with her hands, feeling the wear of dealing with her father now and his accusations about all of them.

Karina let her words hang in the air for a moment before opening her eyes again. "You can say my world is particular... Well I suppose it is as much my family as anything else. If my father wasn't who he was then I would have never had to learn Morse code." She supposed that she should explain, but Karina found no appeal to doing so. That being said he managed to reach out to her when she was locked away, she supposed she owed him that much. "The man who ran the security, locked up my friends and all that... Well that is my father. I am Karina Xares, the outcast misfit criminal daughter of General Alex Louis Xares. He leads the military on our world... which is about all that the world is. The code was learned because my father didn't trust anything being written down. If there was a transmission and he wasn't there, I was expected to memorize it word for word and then go report to him. Haven't had to do that for a while though." She explained before turning to look back out the window. "Anyways, welcome to the group. There are some good people here, and as long as you don't treat this like a military I am sure you will fit in fine." ​

 

Well that sounded like a bit of a backhanded compliment. Sure it was true, but she had not expected him to say it so outright. With a sigh she just nodded. "Yeah, they are pretty great, the best people I have ever known." She admitted as she let out another sigh. She didn't think he would hold her fathers actions against her, but when he mentioned it was when she got worried. "Well thanks for not." Karina answered rather dryly, though she didn't think it was needed, either way it was out there now. "As for the dress, my father had to threaten me to wear it, stupid engagement dress according to him, but thanks to these friends I don't have to go through with it. For the record, whatever my father did to you was lessened because of that ship. You don't want to know the punishments that were handed out back home. But at least he is gone. Apparently they fired my father, it serves him right." She stated rather coldly.​

 

Karina was left a little baffled at how this man spoke to her. It took most people a while to want to speak to her like that, and on top of that he barely knew her to be coming up with these sorts of... assessments of her. She couldn't help but just look at him baffled for a moment before finally opening her mouth to speak again, only for him to finish what he was saying and stood, ready to leave. Karina couldn't look him in the eye, couldn't fathom how one was supposed to respond to something like that. It took her a long moment to speak, and when she did it was under her breath. "I know." That was what made it so painful. She had slowly tried to open up, but all she achieved was making things weird with Beuce and opening herself to fear that she didn't want to admit she had. This whole experience reminded her how easily everything she built could be taken away. She had opened herself up to people, and because of that nearly walked into a situation she would have regretted. It almost felt easier if they didn't care about her, because then she wouldn't feel like caring about them. If she didn't care about them there was nothing to be taken away from her, but as it stood now she stood to lose everything. Everything she built could be taken away from her, especially if her father changed his mind and decided to come at her with his full force. It was a risk she didn't want to take and yet here she was. So yeah she was defensive and a bit closed off and she didn't want Quill's help with that, because this was safe.​

 

Aux looked at the screen windows on the main deck. He stared out into the vastness of the empty space between worlds. He caught a glimpse of his own reflection and notice his eyebrows were naturally furrowed. He had just seen his family after so long and still looked angry. The remnant was gone, his family was safe, and he was on a better enough standing with everyone. Why was he still so mad? It had been a while since he saw himself in the mirror without his hat. His hair had gotten a bit longer, as did the patch of beard on his chin. He'd gotten older, stronger, wiser in the last five years.... but not happier.

It was a few hours or so before they approached a new world.

"LAND HO!" Shiro called, as he gave a hardy salute to the world

​

DISTRICT 1​

DJ left the cockpit and began going on a stroll of the town. "This'll be quick," he told the others as he left the ship and headed for the first district.
He marched along and looked up at the night sky noticing there weren't many stars out tonight. HE began to worry as he sighed heavily. "Ain't lookin' too good, pops..." he said, talking to himself.

"Hey!" Riku's voice called out to DJ, as the master was approached by Sore, Kairi, and Riku. "You said you'd be back to get to get us after you found your friends! We're supposed to be exploring other worlds!" Riku demanded.

"Oh yeah... That is something I said... Have you finished exploring the town already?"
"Yeah, we've been through all three districts. Now we're bored..." Sora whined.
"Look, I have to find Oswald, if you wanna look at the ship, you can, but I'm not gonna be here long."
"Oswald? Like the rabbit?" Kairi asked.
"Yeah."
"He's in disrict three. Come on, let's go see the ship! Race ya!" Sora told Riku as the three of them darted to the ship.
DJ smirked and shook his head, almost envious of their simple adventures, before he made his way to district three.

DISTRICT 3​

DJ banged on the door with a fire symbol on it. "Oz, I know you're in there..."
There was no reply.
"I could just cast a fire spell and open the door, but I want you to come out on your own..."
No reply. DJ thought to himself before speaking again.
"Knock knock,"
"Who's there?- DANG IT!" Oswald cried out before opening the door. "What do you want?"
"There's a lot more work to do. Dream Team needs a leader and until they find Mickey, you and your keyblade fit the bill."
"Why me? Daisy's smart enough and they got a lot of help enough as it is."
"She's doing an amazing job. But they need guidance. You helped run your world for years. I know you'd do great at it.
"Yeah... and I need to keep looking for those pages, because that's my motivation. Their problem isn't mine."
DJ looked more frustrated. "You've been gone a while so let me catch you up to speed... After you were thrown in darkness and Mickey was cast to the void, they took Minnie and Pluto. Daisy took over the ship, and Donald and Goofy can't rally everyone by themselves. If the bad guys get ny more princesses of heart, then nobody get's their happy ending."
"So you do it." Oswald replied.
"I've helped them all I can, but they need me at Central Haven with the S-O-S," he paused. "A lot of the people on that ship are missing worlds too you know... Some can't just find lost pages.. Their worlds are lost."
"Well... I'm needed here too... Heartless are running this place into the ground. Besides... I'm not Mickey Mouse. I can't just smile and give everyone a pat on the shoulder."
"I'm not asking you to be Mickey. I'm asking you to be Oswald. The Lucky Rabbit with a good hearts who gets things done... And they could really use some luck right about now."
Oswald sighed looking at the District. "What about this place? And the lost people that need protecting?"
"Leave that to me..."

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S.S. BEACON​

Sora, Riku, and Kairi opened the hatch door to the gummi ship and showed mixed reactions on their faces. "Hey, it's the people we met in the whale!" Kairi cheered.
Sora seemed a bit distracted, holding onto his heart for some reason.
Riku noticed, and turned to him. "What's wrong?"
Sora shook his head. "I dunno... It's like this weird feeling I haven't felt since I was little.."

 

As they arrived at Traverse Town, Karina didn't find herself particularly interested in doing anything, even as the three kids that they had met in Monstro approached the ship. Karina looked to the one called Riku, almost assessing where he might be now with his journey. She still worried he would take the wrong path, but didn't dare say such things to him as he seemed more concerned with the other little boy. Meanwhile Beuce was tapping on her arm. Apparently he wanted to talk, and Karina's heart squeezed as she feared the worst after all the weird things that had happened recently. Between admitting her feelings and the strange reception to that, then telling her father they were engaged, she couldn't imagine this talk going over well, but it was better to get it over with now than wait and stew on it any longer.

Karina took a moment to calm herself before she started to follow Beuce out of the ship and into a nearby alleyway. As she rounded the corner, Beuce was already sitting on some boxes, as Karina found a spot against a wall to lean, keeping her eyes averted. "Alright, lets get this over with." It was best to rip the bandage off quickly and just get it over with. She didn't want to let it drag on. She just needed to know how she felt so she could shut it down as quickly as possible and get back to work because that was all she could do. ​

 

For all of the things that Karina was mentally preparing herself for, this was not among them. She found herself unable to come up with something to say. For everything that was going on, all the things said, she didn't have any way to reply that seemed right. There was a slight blush to her cheek as she finally found herself looking up at Beuce, meeting his eye contact. "I...I was terrified of what my life would be without you... any of you." It seemed like a good place to start, though her voice was still quiet, shaking even.

After another moment Karina stood up straight and walked a little closer to Beuce. "And I am terrified of him coming back... Terrified that my father will take everything I built here. I am starting to know what it means to actually like someone, and as soon as I did he showed up, tried to make me marry someone else." By this point her hands were shaking and Karina knew that this was something different. "And when you hugged me..." Karina couldn't believe that she was letting herself start to cry. She didn't know how to explain what she had felt then. She didn't remember the last time someone held her like that, maybe when she was really young from her mother, but even those were vague memories.​