Kingdom Hearts - Fallen Light

Chapter 4 - The Eternal Heat Storm

WARNING: The following is an unofficial, fanmade story. Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix, the Walt Disney Company, and Tetsuya Nomura. Frozen is based on "The Snow Queen", written by Hans Christian Andersen... Ah nevermind, that book is in the public domain, so I can change it in whatever way pleases me! 😎

Another chapter, another bit of news from Smokey Silvers, you know the drill! Last time, our heroes visited the exotic Land of the Dragons, ruled by a corrupted Mulan and her sidekick Namaari. Mushu joined forces with the two holders-of-that-magical-key-thingy, and were able to get that place back to normal! All's well that ends we-
Smokey then gets the update on what actually happened.
Oh, uh, breaking news... It looks like our heroes failed in the restoration mission, with Tonitrus in critical condition, and Mushu's fate being unknown... (silently) Please don't leave us...

Even with his partner unconscious, Riku decided to take some steps in his mission. He went to Arendelle after sensing some energies that, while not as strong, were much more conflicted.
All he knew about that place was that the heir of the throne struggled to control her ice powers, but her sister was able to help her master her powers, and put an end to the snow storm she unintentionally cast on that land.
A special friend of him helped them out in that situation, hence how he knows of that snowy place.

Or rather... It used to be snowy. When he got into the atmosphere, he noticed much warmer colors in the scenery. The mountains all merged into one gigantic active volcano, the snow was replaced by ash in higher areas, while the lower zone, which included the castle Queen Arienrhod resided at, were dried out. Even the once beautiful sky he had heard of was obscured by a massive cloud of ash, blocking the sunlight.
He landed not too far from the small town, so he could carry the unconscious blonde boy into the nearest inn, so the two could have enough energy for discussing the situation with the queen and her sister. The waiting line wasn't there, given that Riku, without knowing, arrived very late in the evening.
"Good evening, visitor! Do you need a-" said a muscular but kind receptionist, interrupted when he spotted the boy in his arms.
"We have a room for you two available. You don't need to worry about prices.", he finished.
"It's fine. Take these, and keep the change!", said the grey haired boy, before handing over 1000 Munny.
"Your room is the first one on the second floor. If you two need help, I have some medics ready whenever you need to. ", said the receptionist.
"Thanks", replied the young master, before going up the stairs.

When he got into the room, he put Tonitrus on the first bed, and then laid on the other one, trying to get some rest. However, many thoughts got to his head, and things he said or heard in the past that hitting him in the heart:

We'll find _____. Let's head back to Master ___ ___. We can figure it out.

I'm useless, Riku. All this time, I dragged you down. Don't waste your time on me anymore, and let them take me....

Riku felt like some past events went back to haunt him, as if something he wished would never occur again, just repeated itself.
"No... I thought he was going to save us this time ... I can't lose someone again... I WON'T-", he said, ready to burst before something punctured his leg. He checked, and found out that he still had a pink and blue charm in his pocket, which gave him a very small bit of motivation.
"Her Wayfinder... She wouldn't want to see me like this, would she?", he asked himself.
"Poor Kairi... You must be so lonely, far from all of us... I won't let you get swallowed by the darkness. Hang in there. One day, we will be smiling once again.", he said, before resting his eyes once again.

The following day, the blonde boy's eyes finally opened up after the sky reached the room through a small hole in the ashen sky.
"What... Happened? Where's Mushu?" asked Tonitrus, just awake enough to build complete phrases.
While Riku was relieved that he woke up eventually, he still struggled to give him the news:
"You took care of Namaari, but we couldn't save Mulan. That Phoenix swallowed all your energy, and Mushu... Last time I saw him, he was deep in the snow...". The apprentice was destroyed by the news he was provided. He reminisced the last thing he said to the small dragon:
"Three masters of fire, melting everything in their way! Isn't that right, Mushu?"
"I'm sorry, master... If I hadn't acted so recklessly, he would still be with us now...", he said.
"No. If there is one who needs to apologize, that's me. I severely underestimated our enemies' strength, and that Phoenix... It was the first time I ever saw that...", said the master.
"Is there still light to aid us, or is the dark gonna swallow us?" asked Tonitrus, which surprised the grey haired boy.
"The two of us are alive, which is what matters most. You showed a lot of potential back there, and I think that with the right training, you can stand up to her next time", said Riku.
"Thank you. I promise won't let you down again!" said Tonitrus.