○○Chapter 12 - Twin Fights and Crashes○○

EVER BLINKED, THE PAIN FULLY GOING AWAY, HER EYES REMAINED ON THE SPOT WHERE THE MAN WAS. The final roar of the Cerberus echoed through the Coliseum as Sora delivered a devastating final strike with his Keyblade, sending a shockwave of light that tore through the monstrous beast. With a pained growl, the three-headed creature collapsed, it's dark energy dispersing into the air like smoke.

Donald and Goofy stumbled back, panting heavily, while Sora stood firm as the dust settled.

Ever met back up with the gang and went back into the lobby. Phil was standing on the pedestal alongside Hercules reading the scroll. "Thus, I do hereby dub thee junior heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games further-" Donald intervened. "Hey! What do you mean 'junior heroes'?" He placed his hands on his hips. "You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero." Phil explained.

"So what does it take?" Goofy asked.

"Well, that's something you'll have to find out for yourself." Hercules said. "Just the way I did."

"No problem. We'll start by proving ourselves in the games." Sora stated. "There ain't gonna be any games for a while. Gotta clean up the mess from the last battle." Phil told them.

~~~~

Back aboard the Gummi Ship. The twins sat across from each other in the small galley, a plate of grapes between them. The room buzzed softly with the hum of space travel, a calm contrast to the chaos they'd left behind in Olympus Coliseum.

Ever rolled a grape between her fingers before popping it in her mouth. Her gaze was distant, caught somewhere in the memory of the cloaked figure that had briefly appeared during the chaos.

"You okay?" Sora asked, his voice gentle as he bit into a grape of his own.

The tension of the battle was fading, but Ever's thoughts were still caught on the moment when the cloaked figure appeared.

"You okay?" Sora asked gently, popping a grape into his mouth.

Ever blinked, returning from her thoughts. "Yeah. I just...when I saw that blue man, I felt something. Like... something inside me reacted."

Sora leaned in. "Do you think it was connected from when you were attacked by the Heartless?"

"I don't know, I hope I'm wrong."

Jiminy Cricket scribbled in his journal nearby, seated comfortably on a miniature desk fixed into the wall.

Sora, Donald, Goofy and Everly fought brilliantly to advance to the finals. Their opponent was Cloud, who was hired by Hades to get rid of Sora and company. When Hades unleashed Cerberus during the match, Hercules entered the arena and took him on single-handedly. In the end, Sora and his friends helped Hercules defeat Cerberus. Phil was impressed by their feat and dubbed, Sora, Donald, and Goofy junior heroes. Fight in other tournaments, continue your journey to become a true hero.

Donald waddled in, still grumbling under his breath. "Junior heroes... hmph. I'll show them 'junior.'"

Goofy laughed. "Gawrsh, Donald. At least they gave us a title."

"I think I'm gonna lie down for a bit," Ever said, offering a tired smile.

"You want me to come with you?" Sora asked softly.

She shook her head. "No, I'll be okay. I just need some rest."

~~~~

Ever wandered the corridors of the ship until she found the quiet spare room assigned to her. It was small but cozy, with glowing panels along the walls and a narrow bed pushed up against one side. She closed the door softly behind her, the low hum of the engine soothing her nerves.

Kicking off her boots and pulling the blanket up to her chin, she let out a long sigh.

Within moments, sleep pulled her under.

She found herself sitting on a bench outside the school courtyard. The laughter of students echoed in the air, the wind playing gently with her hair.

Her bag sat at her side, half-zipped, her sketchbook peeking out.

Suddenly, two warm hands slid over her eyes from behind.

"Guess who?" a playful voice chirped.

Ever's lips curled into a smile even before the voice finished. "Hmm... tall? Mysterious? Secretly a ninja?"

A giggle erupted from behind her, and the hands dropped. "Wrong on all accounts."

She turned to find Kairi standing there, grinning wide, her red hair glowing in the sunlight. She had her arms crossed like she'd just delivered the world's best prank.

"Kairi!" Ever laughed.

"Only a little," Kairi teased, looping her arm through Ever's. "Come on. I've been looking all over for you. I have plans."

Ever raised a brow. "Plans?"

Kairi's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Sleepover. My place. Tonight. Just us girls. No boys allowed."

I already got snacks, movies, and—" Kairi pulled a small pouch from her bag "—and candy."

"I'm in."

That evening, the dream shifted seamlessly to Kairi's room. Soft fairy lights twinkled from the ceiling, casting pink and gold glows along the walls. The room smelled faintly of coconut and vanilla. Blankets and pillows were strewn across the floor, surrounding bowls of popcorn, candy, and a small stack of DVDs.

The two girls lay on their stomachs, feet in the air, flipping through a magazine.

"I still don't get how these quizzes always say I'm supposed to be the 'mysterious quiet type,'" Kairi muttered, squinting at the page.

"Maybe because you're so hard to read sometimes?" Ever teased.

Kairi tossed a pillow at her. "Says the girl who literally zones out mid-conversation thinking about clouds."

"They're interesting! They float. They change. They're—" Ever paused, smirking, "—not as obvious as, say, someone crushing on my brother."

Kairi froze, mid-reach for popcorn. "W-what?"

Ever leaned in with a smug smile. "Oh, don't act innocent. I see the way you look at him."

Kairi's face turned a vivid pink. "I-I do not!"

"You totally do."

"I totally don't!"

"You totally do." Ever poked her arm. "It's okay though. He's kinda cute when he's not tripping over his own feet.

Kairi groaned and covered her face with a pillow. "Can we not talk about Sora right now?"

Ever burst into laughter, her sides aching. "Fine, fine. No more Sora talk...for now."

Kairi peeked out, trying to fight a smile. "You're the worst."

"I'm your best friend."

"Unfortunately, yes."

Kairi dodged the pillow Ever threw at her.

Ever rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey, Kairi?" she asked after a long pause.

"Yeah," Kairi replied, her voice soft as she reached for a piece of candy.

"Can I ask you something kinda weird?"

Kairi sat up a little, curious. "Of course. What's up?"

Ever hesitated, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Your necklace, the one you always wear."

Kairi touched it instinctively—it was there, hanging against her chest like always, cool and familiar.

Ever's voice was quiet. "Do you... remember where you got it?"

Kairi blinked, her fingers brushing over the smooth spiral of the pendant. Her brows drew together.

"I..." She trailed off. "I never take it off, but I... I don't remember where it came from."

Ever turned her head, watching Kairi closely now. "Not even a little bit? No memory of who gave it to you? Or when?"

Kairi frowned, trying to push through the fog in her mind. "No. It's just... always been with me. Like I woke up one day and it was there."

"Thats kind of weird." Ever said.

Kairi let the pendant rest against her palm, her brows still knit with confusion. "Yeah...it is weird."

~~~~

A loud argument jarred Ever from sleep. Groaning, she pushed the blanket off and headed toward the cockpit.

Donald and Sora were in the middle of a shouting match.

"What's going on?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

Both turned to her.

Sora went first. "I want to check out that world down there." He pointed to a world covered with mostly water and what looks like jungles. "Kairi and Riku might be there!"

Donald flapped his wings angrily. "I told you – we're not stopping at some backwater jungle planet! We're on a mission! A very important one!"

Ever looked between them. "Guys... maybe we can find a way-" She was cut off by Sora.

"Just land."

"No!"

"Come on."

Ever panicked when Sora shoved Donald out of the way and took the controls. "Sora don't!"

"Don't touch that!" Donald said.

"NOO!"

The cockpit erupted into chaos.

"Sora, stop!" Ever shouted, grabbing her brother's arm as he wrestled with the flight controls. Her voice was laced with panic, but Sora's eyes were wild with urgency.

"I have to find them!" he yelled back. "Riku! Kairi! They might be down there!"

Donald flapped his wings again furiously, hopping up onto the console and pecking at Sora's hands. "You're going to crash us! Let go!"

"The stabilizers—!" Goofy cried from the navigation panel as the ship lurched to the side.

Alarms blared. The red emergency lights flickered. Outside the front viewport, the mysterious jungle world was growing rapidly larger, spinning as the ship lost altitude.

Ever was slammed against the wall as the ship jolted, the artificial gravity beginning to distort. Sparks flew from an overhead panel, and the lights in the cockpit dimmed before blinking rapidly in warning.

"Get off the controls!" Ever yelled again, trying to pull Sora away. His grip was iron-tight, knuckles white, sweat beading on his brow. "I said let go!"

"I'm not letting go!" Sora snapped, eyes locked on the rapidly approaching world. "They need us!"

"And we need to be alive, we can't find them if we're dead!" Ever shouted, slamming her palm down on the emergency override, but nothing happened. The override system was already fried.

"I know what I'm doing!"

"No, you don't!" she fired back.

"I'm older than you!" he yelled suddenly, voice breaking. "You don't get to boss me around!"

"By twenty minutes, Sora!" Ever yelled, grabbing onto a railing to steady herself.

Sora ignored her, fingers still locked tight around the flight controls.

"Seriously, you're going to get us all killed!" she shouted, storming up behind him.

Donald squawked in frustration. "We're in a nosedive!"

Goofy's ears were flapping in the rushing air from the now-cracked ventilation. "We're losing power!"

Suddenly, a loud BOOM rocked the entire ship. Ever was flung forward, catching herself against the console as the ship spun wildly, tail-first toward the surface.

"NICE GOING YOU IDIOT!" She screamed.

Below them, green vines and thick jungle canopy loomed, stretching out like an endless sea of tangled arms ready to swallow them whole.

"Brace for impact!" Donald screamed, grabbing a metal strut and clinging on with all his might.

"Hold on to something!" Ever yelled, her hair whipping around her face.

The Gummi Ship plunged through the atmosphere like a flaming comet, streaking across the blue skies of the jungle world.

They were falling too fast. The jungle was coming up too quickly.

And then -- darkness.