FicWad

"So we're driving to Traverse Town now?" Emma asked. "And we're taking the Kingdom, right?"

Sora shook his head. "Nope. Even better!" The tent was once again filled with green light. The four disappeared, then reappeared in a large, futuristic room. Dark purple panels surrounded them, covered in buttons and blinking icons. "We're taking the Shiva 3000!"

Emma gaped. I made this ship! I made it last week, when I was working on Wonderland!

"Cool, isn't it?" The Keyblade Master grinned widely. "It just appeared in the Gummi garage one day. It's way better than the Kingdom ever was, so we took it without question. Even Cid was impressed with the features. 'Considering it's just a spruced-up Shiva model, it's a real beauty', he said. We're standing in a Cura-G cockpit, if you can believe it. So the controls are much smoother, and we've got more space. Plus, we've got a few lasers, Thunder-Gs, I think they're called, a Fira-G engine..."

Not bothering to pay attention to Sora's description of the ship she knew everything about, Emma gazed at every square inch of the Shiva 3000. I'm really riding in my own Gummi ship...I really am in the game!

Donald plopped into the seat in the front of the cockpit. "I'll drive!" he announced.

Emma sighed. I remember...Sora and Donald start fighting again, over who drives back to Traverse Town. They stop being friends, even after that mushy scene in the Cavern of Hearts.

"Sure! I could use a break from driving all the time."

Emma stared at Sora. What?

Goofy put his arms around Sora and Donald's shoulders. "Great! You fellers are still pals!"

"What's happened to the game?" Emma whined, speaking out loud by accident.

Donald turned to look at her. "What game? We're not in a game!"

Emma didn't appear to have noticed his comment. She slowly sat down in a passenger seat. He may be right. Because of the cheat code...I don't think this is just a game anymore.

... ... ...

"Ansem picked the right girl," Maleficent murmured happily, watching a hologram of Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Emma in the Castle Chapel. "She's clumsy, she's startled...the game will be changed for sure! How will the Keyblade Master and the king's buffoons be able to defeat us with her along?"

Oogie Boogie cackled nearby. "She's like a scared kitten! I love kittens!" He licked his lips with his bug-composed tongue. "...with soy sauce! Hey, watch it, woman!"

Ursula had whacked him with one of her tentacles, and clicked disapprovingly. "No eating the enemy. And I disagree...kittens are much better with ketchup."

"Frankly, I don't care what you dip kittens in," Hook snapped. "I just want to hack those fools into little pieces!"

"It's not my fault!" Oogie Boogie insisted. "I didn't eat a single rat today, and I'm hungry!"

Ursula smirked at the large cloth. "Oh, I think a few missed meals would be good for you. If you get any fatter, you'll most likely burst."

Oogie Boogie scowled, then also smirked. "You're one to talk, Tubby."

Hook tapped his hook on the table. "I don't care to listen to your squabbling. Grab a few kittens and get away from me!"

"SILENCE!" The three villains stopped talking immediately and Maleficent gave them a look that would freeze the sun. She turned to Jafar. "They will be driving to Agrabah once they have sealed Traverse Town's keyhole. Hurry, so you may get there before they do. That armored Heartless will buy you a bit of time."

Jafar nodded and picked up his snake staff. "That girl will drive them off of a cliff. I shall simply give them a little push." He laughed menacingly and left.

... ... ...

"See anything you like?" Huey asked. True to his word, Sora had taken Emma to browse through the Item Shop.

Emma shrugged. "Have any recommendations?"

Douie reached behind the counter, and pulled out a mallet. "This is the Silver Hammer. It's a pretty good weapon for new fighters."

"Lemme take a look at that." Emma took it from the duckling's grasp, and inspected it. "Hmm...I like it," she announced. "How much?"

Louie punched some buttons on the cash register. "We can give it to you for just 200 munny, seeing as you're with Unca Donald."

Emma bowed her head slightly. "Thanks." She glanced back at Sora. "I don't have any munny...just real-world dollars. Can you pay for me?"

Sora placed two big, silver-and-gold spheres on the counter. "You owe me," he told her. Emma nodded and picked up the Silver Hammer. "Okay, let's go meet back up with Donald and Goofy.

... ... ...

"Die, Heartless scum!" A Shadow exploded in a spray of darkness, leaving behind only a few health balls, and a small amount of munny. Emma picked it up and handed it to Sora. "That's the last of my debt, right?"

Sora smiled. "Yeah, that's all 200 munny." He turned to his other allies, who were also beating up Heartless on the roof of the Gizmo Shop. "Guys, hurry up! I want to test out the Red Trinity ability now!"

"Hold on!" Donald replied, mercilessly flinging Blizzard spells at a Red Nocturne. They also exploded, and the duck greedily stuffed the spoils of battle in his pocket. "I must have enough to buy twenty Ethers!"

Goofy ran over to the wall of wooden planks, emblazoned with three red hearts. "Okay, let's do this!"

He rammed into the wall, followed by Sora and Donald. Their combined weight caused it to come tumbling down, as did the trio. Emma attempted to suppress her laughter, but she let out a little giggle. "Oh, shut up already!" Donald heaved himself up, and looked at the rope that had been revealed. "What's this do?" He yanked it, and a loud rumbling sound turned the group's heads. The panel near the entrance to the Second District rotated, and displayed a new picture. "Huh?"

"I like this one better," Goofy mused.

Emma reached out and pulled the rope, since Donald was too busy watching the panel. "Sorry, but we need to change it." Once it rotated again, she pulled the rope one final time.

Nearby fountains turned on and spurted water into the air. The outside of the panel lit up, and a keyhole appeared in the center. "All right! Now we just have to lock it!" Sora cheered.

"Guys, be careful," Emma warned. "You shouldn't just-" Ignoring her completely, Sora, Donald, and Goofy threw caution to the wind, and jumped off of the roof like lemmings. "Fine, ignore the girl who knows everything that's going to happen," she muttered. She looked over the edge, drawing her breath in sharply. Even if the game seems to have changed a little, game physics might still work. If I jump off, I'll land on my feet! she insisted mentally. It'll be perfectly fine! Emma clenched her fists, bent her knees, then leapt off the roof. "AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" she screamed. Thankfully, Emma fell safely, her feet practically glued to the ground. Cool! It worked! She wobbled off towards the others, still rather shaken from the speedy plummet.

Sora was almost at the keyhole, but he was halted by the arrival of a giant, armor-clad Heartless who suddenly dropped from the sky. "You again? I thought you learned your lesson last time! We can kick your butt anytime, anywhere!" he jeered.

Emma shook her head. "He's gotten a lot stronger. Like I said, be careful."

"Oh, don't be such a worry-wart, Emma." Sora shone a relaxed grin. "How much worse could he be?" As if answering him, the Guard Armor's arms and legs traded places, and his faceplate dropped down to display his glowing, yellow eyes, the trademark of every Heartless. A massive, white laser beam zoomed past the group, singeing one of Sora's spikes. In a wavering tone, Sora replied, "Oh. That much worse." He pinched the small flame on his head to quench it, then got into a battle stance. "Well, he's still no match for us! HYAH!" He swung at the Opposite Armor, bashing his head.

"Fire!" Donald called, a small flame flying out of his Morning Star. Goofy performed Tornado, spinning at the Heartless with his Golem Shield outstretched.

Emma nervously advanced, waving the Silver Hammer. She also tried to spin around with it, nearly hitting Sora. "Watch what you're doing with that thing, Emma!"

"I'm sorry!" she wailed, and hit Donald in the back instead. Donald narrowed his eyes. "Oh! Sorry!" Emma turned the other way, then nearly hit Goofy's face. "Sorry! I'm horrible at this..." she mumbled to herself.

Donald pointed to a bench near the Second District Hotel. "Just go sit over there," he told Emma. "You're not strong enough to fight bosses yet."

Sora turned around. "Don't you're being a little harsh?"

Emma sighed. "He's right, Sora. I'll wait until you're done."

After a few minutes, the Opposite Armor was defeated. A gust of wind blew towards Sora and Donald, and their weapons shimmered briefly. "New spell, right?" Sora clarified.

"Aero," she replied. "Now lock the keyhole."

Sora held out the Jungle King, and angelic music sounded. A stream of light connected the Keyblade to the keyhole, and a click signified the sealing of Traverse Town. "Well, that's three down. How many more to go?"

"A bunch. Now, we have to go to the Third District," Emma announced, walking around the corner.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other in confusion, shrugged, and followed the girl. "Why are we going to the Third District?" Sora asked.

"Like I said, this is my eleventh time playing this game. Trust me on this."

"All right. You've been right about everything you told us so far." Sora pushed the Third District door open, then froze. A wide grin spread over his face. "RIKU!"

Riku turned around, then also smiled. "Sora?"

"RIKU!" Sora bounded up to him, then started stretching Riku's face in various directions.

Emma laughed a little. Well, it seems like everything's normal for now...but I know that something's going to change. A swishing noise brought Emma's mind back to the present. Sora had just killed a Heartless to show off to Riku. Yeah, I remember this part.

"So this is the Keyblade..." he mused.

Sora held out his hand. "Give it back!"

Riku smirked. "Catch." He tossed the Jungle King, and Sora dove to catch it. Then, he looked at Sora's allies. "Who're your new friends?"

The Keyblade Master grinned again. "This is Donald, Goofy, and Emma. Guys, this is Riku, one of my friends from the islands."

"Did you find Kairi?" Riku asked hopefully.

Sora shook his head. "We're trying to, though. We're also trying to find their ruler, King Mickey," he explained, gesturing to Donald and Goofy. "You're welcome to come with us, if you want! Right, guys?"

Now Donald's going to say no, and fight with Sora again.

"Sure!"

Huh?

"Really?"

Goofy nodded. "Any friend of Sora's is a friend of ours. You can't be a bad feller if he likes you."

Emma quickly wiped away the shock of the plot change to join in the conversation. "We could always use more help. Plus, you seem like a really strong guy. It'd be an honor to have you with us."

Riku thought for a moment. "Well..." Riku suddenly stiffened, and was outlined by a thin, green haze. He slowly decided, "I am afraid I must decline." It sounded as if two people were talking at once. "Working with you will just slow me down."

"Riku..." Sora murmured, surprised and sad.

It's Ansem, Emma thought. He wants to keep Riku, so he's possessing him early.

"Stay out of my way, Sora. I've been working far harder than you could ever know in order to find Kairi. You, on the other hand, have been frolicking with animals and babies."

Emma twitched. "BABIES?" she screeched. "I'M ONLY THREE YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU!" She lunged at the silver-haired boy to get her revenge, but he fluidly side-stepped. Emma fell flat on her face.

Riku/Ansem smirked. "Pathetic. You should have sided with the darkness. You could have gotten stronger allies."

"Shut up," Sora ordered. "Donald and Goofy are my friends. Emma is too, but she's mostly our guide."

"Great. Thanks," Emma replied sarcastically, her voice partially muffled by the concrete.

Sora crossed his arms. "You're not Riku. Riku's my friend too, and you're far from a friend, whatever you are, because you're evil. I'm not putting up with this."

Riku/Ansem didn't seem to care about Sora's brief speech. "Open your heart to darkness," he insisted. "It will bring you strength."

"No," Sora answered resolutely.

"Open your heart to darkness!"

"No!"

"I SAID, OPEN YOUR HEART TO DARKNESS!"

"AND I SAID NO!" Sora slashed Riku/Ansem, causing him to fall backwards, sprawled on the ground. "Whatever you are, leave Riku alone!"

Riku/Ansem briefly touched his bruised cheek. He glared icily at Sora, then stood up again. "I suppose you need a demonstration in the power that darkness provides. Let me show you..."

"Bring it on!" Sora challenged.

Emma also stood up with a frantic look. I don't believe it! They're really going to fight! They can't fight yet! Emma thought nervously. If it took Sora ten minutes to fight the Opposite Armor, even with Donald and Goofy's help, so there's no way he'll be able to beat Riku! She bit her lip, and squeaked a little as she saw Riku/Ansem lunge forward to attack Sora. Emma, without thinking, yelled, "RIKU CAN'T PAY ATTENTION IF HE'S POSSESSED!"

Riku/Ansem halted his advance. "What do you mean?" he demanded with a scowl.

Emma gulped at the villain's cold stare, then stuttered, "Riku can't p-p-pay attention if he's p-possessed. You need him t-t-to hate Sora, d-d-don't you? H-he's supposed to think that Sora's r-r-replaced him with Donald, Goofy, and m-me. How will he hate Sora if h-h-he can't pay attention to what's g-going on?"

"I thought that picking an obsessed girl would further hinder the Keyblade Master," Riku/Ansem grumbled. "But it seems that I have given them valuable aid. This is not over, child. Know that." The green haze reappeared, and Riku fell like a sack of potatoes. A green hand with pink fingernails reached out of the shadows to drag the boy away.

Goofy and Donald looked scared. "What's goin' on?" Goofy asked fearfully.

Emma took a deep breath. "Listen, guys. You're...we're...in a game. It's called Kingdom Hearts. I'm a big fan of the game, so I know everything that's going to happen. But I think my being here changed the plot. It may take a while, but I have to do some tests. I may be able to decide what happens in some cases." She looked at the other three. "But you guys have to back me up. You saw me. I can only destroy Shadows."

"So..." Donald was actually deep in thought for once. "...you're going to be the brains...and...we're the brawn?"

"That's the plan," Emma concluded.

"Fine. Let's hope it works."

Sora smiled. "I'm sure it will. Even if Emma's weak, she's trustworthy."

"Where to now?" Goofy asked cheerfully.

Emma pointed in the direction of the Second District. "The sewers!"

... ... ...

"Hey, Sora." Leon gave Sora and his allies an acknowledging nod as they hiked through the waist-deep water, towards him and Aerith. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed Emma in the lead. "Who are you?" he asked with an air of mild hostility.

Emma saluted, climbing onto the green, rocky floor. "My name's Emma Baecker. I'm helping these guys."

"Hmm. Well, my name is-"

"Squall. I mean, Leon. And you're Aeris. I mean, Aerith. Nice to meet you both!"

"Same to you. But how did you know our names?" Aerith wondered, not commenting on the fact that Emma called her Aeris.

"Sora told me," Emma lied.

Leon shrugged. "I have something for you," he told Sora. As he dug into his jeans pocket, Emma closed her eyes, concentrating. "Here...it's a summon gem. It's called the Earthshine." He tossed it into the air, and Sora caught it in his gloved hands. "Take it to the Fairy Godmother. She'll open it for you, and then you can summon it in battle."

... ... ...

The Fairy Godmother examined the gem. "Oh, this is a strong one...you're lucky to have found him."

Emma rocked back and forth on her heels. "No offense, but can you just free him now? I wanna get to Agrabah as soon as possible."

"What's Agrabah?" the old woman asked.

"Uh...I didn't say Agrabah!" Emma insisted, trying to cover up her slip of tongue. "I said...I wanna get to...to agriculture. Yeah, agriculture! The agriculture of, um, Traverse Town!"

"All right, dear...bibbity bobbity boo!" The Fairy Godmother tapped the Earthshine briskly with her wand. A white flash emanated from it, filled the room, then faded.

Sora looked around. "Where is it? I don't see anything."

"Me neither," Donald agreed.

"Gawrsh, are you sure it worked?"

Emma was grinning from ear to ear. "Look down," she told them. The four of them stared at the small creature on the floor.

"He's little," Sora said.

"He's ugly," Donald decided.

"He's blue," Goofy mused.

"He's Stitch!" Emma proclaimed.

... ... ...

On their way to Agrabah, Emma was bouncing up and down in her seat. "I did it! I did it! I changed the game again!"

Sora didn't turn around from his driving duties, but he sounded impressed. "I doubt you'll be able to change anything big, but I bet you can work out all the little knots. I'm really glad you're coming along with us!"

Emma gave him a thumbs-up. "Heh, thanks. And I know exactly what I'm going to change next...Agrabah, here we come!"

"Don't you mean 'agriculture', Emma?" Donald joked.

"Shut up before I tie your beak up with your foot."

"That's not even possible," he squelched in-between laughs.

"I'll MAKE it possible." Donald immediately became silent. "I think I could get used to being in a video game!"