As a lone figure began walking towards the long line of stalls that numerous merchants used to sell whatever wares they had to anyone willing to pay enough Munny for them, he let out a sigh while briefly glancing around. But a voice soon called out to him. "Ah, out for a leisurely stroll, Eraqus?" Eraqus smiled as he realized the voice was none other than his old friend, Ansem the Wise.
"Not this time unfortunately, Ansem. I've come to get some of the usual stuff," Eraqus replied while thinking about everyone he had taken in to ensure that no harm would befall them. "But I only hope that they won't get into any more trouble than necessary during my absence."
"Indeed, but I presume that they can be quite the handful from time to time?" Ansem retorted as the two friends laughed in agreement for a few seconds. But Ansem's expression soon dropped and he gazed seriously at Eraqus. "I have occasionally heard a most disturbing rumor amongst the townspeople on occasion. Supposedly, the Seekers are going to be taking port here at some point in the next few days."
Eraqus then became rigid as a result of this unexpected news, an expression of shock etched on his face. The Seekers were a group comprised of extremely dangerous individuals led by Xehanort, who ruled with an iron fist. "What purpose would this supposed visit serve for Xehanort? No, he can't seriously be looking to target them?!" Eraqus frantically thought to himself.
"If this ultimately does turn out to be true, then I would make sure that everyone currently in your care escapes his notice. Even if they have to be relocated elsewhere for their own safety," Ansem advised. Eraqus soon forced himself to take a deep breath and regain his composure while walking towards the stalls to get everything he came here for. "If you require help with handling all these wares, then I will be more than glad to assist you."
Eraqus merely nodded and looked at Ansem with a grateful expression on his face. "Thank you, old friend." After purchasing the wares, the two of them began walking towards the rather modest estate that Eraqus owned. A half hour later, they arrived at the estate. "Hey, I'm back everyone!" The sound of multiple footsteps was heard a few seconds later.
"Now that I have returned, I want you all to meet someone. This is an old friend of mine, Ansem the Wise. Ansem, here is Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Terra, Ventus, Roxas, Xion, Naminé, Hayner, Pence and Olette. Since you are a guest here, feel free to stay a while before heading out again. It's the least I can do to repay your help, Ansem." Smiling softly, Ansem accepted the offer and sat down on a stool to rest while Eraqus prepared a drink for him.
"So what all did you get? Come on, tell us, tell us!" Sora exclaimed with an excited grin on his face. Riku proceeded to roll his eyes at Sora's enthusiasm, but smiled nonetheless and proceeded to start messing up Sora's hair. "Hey Riku, quit messing up my hair!" Sora protested while pouting at his friend. Riku then let out a laugh when he saw the pout Sora was giving him.
"Now, now, calm down you two," Eraqus said while secretly amused by Sora still acting like a kid in a candy store even if Sora was 11 going on 12. "Some things never change," Eraqus thought to himself with a chuckle. "And here's everything that I got for you while I was out." He then began handing out everything that had been purchased for them.
Soon, everyone had gotten something from Eraqus. "E- Eraqus?" Naminé timidly said. "Thank you for this," she said. Smiling softly, Eraqus nodded in response. But he was caught off guard when Naminé suddenly hugged him in gratitude for her gift, since Eraqus knew full well that Naminé usually shied away from physical contact with others.
"Well, I should be going now," Ansem said while slowly standing up. "But thank you for your hospitality of inviting me into your residence. Take care, old friend." Ansem soon began making his leave from the estate and nodded at Eraqus while softly closing the door behind him.
But a few seconds later, Eraqus heard the sudden noise of someone falling into the stream behind his estate. "Terra, Riku, mind going with me to investigate that noise?" When the two nodded, Eraqus gazed seriously at everyone else. "In the meantime, I want all of you to stay here. So do not leave the estate under any circumstances, do I make myself clear?" He asked sternly.
Satisfied when they nodded, Eraqus glanced at every one of them. "It is not my intent to be harsh, but I consider all of you my children. So I couldn't live with myself if I lost even a single one of you. Terra, Riku, if you're ready to head for the stream with me to see what's going on." Terra, Riku and Eraqus soon left the estate, heading towards the stream located behind it.
When they arrived, all three were stunned by the sight that awaited them. Two girls and a boy were unconscious in the stream. Stepping forward, Eraqus soon picked the boy up, taking notice of his curly silver hair. "Terra, Riku, get them out of the stream quickly so we can take them back to the estate," Eraqus ordered in a serious tone.
Once Terra and Riku did this, the three of them began walking back to the estate and stepped inside. "Aqua, Olette, Kairi, get some dry clothes and set them out." Nodding, the three soon came back with dry clothes. Eraqus wasted no time, and began changing the boy out of his damp clothes while Aqua and Kairi did the same with the two girls. He then grabbed all the damp clothes and began hanging them up on the clothesline to dry.
"Now, these three will need to rest for a bit in the spare rooms." Grabbing the unconscious boy, Eraqus gently placed him down on the bed and pulled the sheets up to the boy's neck so he would be warm. Leaving the room, Eraqus descended the staircase and stepped into the foyer. "Sora! Xion! Come here please," he requested.
The two soon appeared and stopped in front of him. "Are we in trouble, Eraqus?" Xion asked nervously while refusing to meet his gaze. Eraqus merely shook his head and knelt down to their level.
"No, neither of you are in trouble. What made you think you were?" Eraqus asked with a raised eyebrow. "I was merely going to ask if both of you wanted to help me in preparing dinner." Gazing up at him, Sora and Xion began smiling excitedly and nodded quickly. "Alright, alright, but first you two should go and make sure your hands will be clean." The two quickly ran towards the washrooms, and Eraqus chuckled at the sight. "Children," he thought while smiling softly and closing his eyes.
As Sora and Xion entered the washrooms to make sure their hands would be clean for when they helped Eraqus prepare dinner, a sudden thought occurred to Xion and she soon exited the washroom to wait for Sora. "Hey, Sora! About about a race? First one to reach Eraqus is the winner!" She declared excitedly.
Thinking it over for a second, Sora grinned as he gazed at her. "You're on!" He replied. "Now!" After hearing Sora say this, Xion puffed out her cheeks in annoyance once she noticed that he had a head start on her.
"Alright, if you want to play like that," Xion thought deviously and began sprinting down a seldom used hallway. But she soon ran past Aqua, who was surprised by Xion running through the hallway. "Sorry, Aqua!" Xion called before disappearing from sight.
5 minutes passed, and Xion caught up with Sora. "Hey, Sora! Catch me if you can! She challenged and began running faster to get ahead of him. Sora pouted and tried to keep pace with her, but Xion was too quick for him.
"Hey, no fair!" Sora whined. But Xion ignored this, her laughter echoing off the walls.
While Sora and Xion were racing each other around the interior of the estate, everything that would be used in tonight's dinner was gradually being set out. But there was a sudden crash coming from upstairs. "Eraqus! Come quick!" Ventus exclaimed while swiftly running towards him. "It's those three kids you brought in, they're trying to escape!"
Without another word, Eraqus began heading upstairs and looked back at Ventus. "Ventus, tell the others to quickly block all exits so they can't escape." Nodding, Ventus swiftly sprinted away to tell them this. Soon, Eraqus had reached the top of the stairs. But a girl with faint orange hair went to run down the staircase, only to be suddenly stopped by him holding her firmly in his grasp.
"No! Get away from me! I have to protect them! I won't let you hurt Ephemer and Skuld!" She exclaimed loudly while trying to push him away from her. But Eraqus was like a stone wall, solid and unmoving.
"Listen to me," Eraqus said while gazing at her. "It is not my intent to cause you harm. You are safe here. My name, is Eraqus. What is your name?" He asked in a gentle tone. It soon seemed to be working, because the girl started to calm down and gazed at him.
"S- Strelitzia," was the short reply.
"Now that introductions are out of the way. I have a question I must ask. You are free to refuse if you so wish, but would you be willing to stay here? I promise that so long as I am around, you will be safe within these walls. I will let no harm befall you. And those two people you mentioned, I presume they are your friends?"
Strelitzia nodded slowly in response. "Then, they shall be welcome to stay here too if it means that you don't run off on your own. The world is a dangerous place, and there are those who you should never cross paths with," Eraqus advised while thinking of Xehanort and the Seekers.
"A- are you sure? I- I don't want to impose if there isn't any room here for the three of us," she replied nervously. Hearing this, Eraqus knelt down in front of her.
"Strelitzia, look at me." Hesitantly, she met his steady gaze.
"I promise you sincerely, there is more than enough room here for you and your friends to stay however long you wish. Now, I have to get started on dinner. So feel free to make yourself comfortable here." Eraqus then walked away and left to begin making dinner. But he soon heard rapid footsteps as two figures ran in his direction before stopping in front of Eraqus.
"You're mean Xion! I could have gotten here first, but you had to cheat and take a shortcut," Sora whined with a pout on his face. Xion merely stuck her tongue out at him in response and grinned in victory since she had beaten Sora in a race to see who could reach Eraqus quicker.
Alright, alright. Settle down you two," Eraqus said with a soft chuckle while gazing at Sora and Xion. "Now if the two of you are ready, then help me start preparing dinner for the others." For the next half hour, the three of them were busy cooking dinner. But Eraqus soon looked at Sora and Xion with a serious expression. "If both of you are going to be handling the food, then be careful. These dishes are still very hot after all," he cautioned. 15 minutes later, all the food had been placed on the long table in the dining hall.
"Attention, everyone! Dinner is now ready! So please take your seats!" Eraqus said. Soon, Aqua and Terra arrived while sitting next to Ventus. But Sora, Riku and Kairi sat next to Roxas, Xion and Naminé. Lastly, Hayner, Pence and Olette found themselves sitting next to Ephemer, Skuld and Strelitzia.
A while later, everyone was full from dinner. "This has to be the best meal you've made yet, Eraqus," Aqua told him with a smile on her face.
"Well, I'm glad that you think so, Aqua. But I had some help preparing dinner this time," Eraqus replied while giving Sora and Xion a subtle glance. "Now, I expect all of you to finish your chores since bedtime is at 8:00 sharp," he said to them.
The dining hall was soon vacant as everyone left, but Eraqus stood up and went to walk around the grounds of his estate for a few minutes. But as Kairi walked down a corridor, she paused after noticing a door was ajar and stepped inside the room. Seeing a letter on a desk in the room, Kairi picked it up and nearly dropped the letter in her surprise.
"Eraqus, his birthday is five days away from now. Right, that settles it! I need to call the others for a meeting so we can all do something to surprise Eraqus." Kairi then looked up, her expression one of fierce determination. A few minutes later, Kairi entered a parlor after retrieving everyone aside from Ephemer, Skuld and Strelitzia.
"Now, you're probably wondering why I asked you all to come here. Basically, Eraqus will be having a birthday in five days and I was thinking that we should all do something special for him," Kairi said while gazing at all of them. "So, any ideas?" She asked while looking around the room. But her eyes soon fell on Terra, Aqua and Ventus.
"Of course, why didn't I think of it sooner? You three have known Eraqus the longest after all." Sora, Riku, Roxas and Xion all glanced at each other after hearing this, but Naminé merely looked down at the floor while Hayner, Pence and Olette began thinking about what Eraqus would possibly like.
"Well, I think that there is something," Aqua mused before glancing at Terra and Ventus. "That pocket watch Eraqus carries around is looking rather worn out, so I think we should all pitch in and buy him a new one to replace it," she suggested and looked at the others to see what they thought of the idea.
Everyone was in support of the idea, but Naminé glanced at the clock and jumped in surprise. "O- Oh! It's a- almost 7:50. We s- should all hurry a- and get into b- bed soon," she said and quickly exited the parlor to head towards her room upstairs.
But Ephemer, Skuld and Strelitzia had all overheard the conversation between the others, and they wanted to help purchase a new pocket watch for Eraqus also, even if they hadn't known him for anywhere near as long as the others.
10 minutes later, Eraqus made sure that everyone was in bed. But he paused and smiled softly to himself when he saw that everyone had fallen asleep. "Good night, all of you," Eraqus quietly whispered and headed towards his own room for the night.
The next morning, Xion was woken up by the sun shining on her face. Letting out a groan, she slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes for a few seconds, eventually getting out of bed in a sluggish manner. Soon, Xion heard the sound of running water. "A bath sounds real good right now," she thought to herself while grabbing the door handle.
Opening the door, Xion froze suddenly since she saw Roxas was currently stepping out of the shower. "What are you doing?! Go on, get out of here!" Roxas shouted as his face turned red from anger and embarrassment. Quickly closing the door behind her, she proceeded to run down a hallway, but collided with something a few seconds later. Rubbing her head from the sudden impact, Xion looked up and noticed that she had accidentally run into Aqua.
"Xion, are you alright? Your face is red, is there something on your mind? If you want to talk about whatever might be bothering you, then I'll hear you out, don't think that I'll judge if you decide to tell me about it."
Xion was silent for a few seconds, debating whether or not she should tell Aqua about what happened with Roxas a few minutes ago. "C- can we talk somewhere in private if that's acceptable?" She asked after not saying anything for five minutes. Aqua nodded in response, and took Xion to her bedroom, locking the door so no one would be able to walk in and disturb them by accident.
"T- thanks." Aqua nodded and waited patiently to see if Xion would say anything. A minute later, Xion let out a sigh and began speaking. "Well, it's about, Roxas. I- I accidentally walked in on him stepping out of the shower and I just feel so terrible about it happening since Roxas was angry at me." Listening intently, Aqua frowned.
"Well, it sounds like things may be awkward between you two for a while. So I would give him space for a couple days so the awkwardness will eventually die down between both of you. It was an accident after all, so don't think that Roxas is holding a grudge or that he suddenly hates you after what happened."
Xion thought about Aqua's advice for a couple minutes and eventually nodded while smiling at her. "Thank you for giving me advice on this. But I'll catch you later." Waving goodbye to Xion, Aqua watched as she left.
After getting out of the shower, Roxas was sitting on a couch. But he sighed and ran his fingers through his windswept blonde hair. "I probably shouldn't have snapped at Xion like that, but she can't just enter another room without knocking first," Roxas said to himself.
Soon, Roxas let out a sigh. "Just, what should I do? I don't know how I'll be able to face Xion after what happened earlier. Why does this have to be so complicated?" Closing his eyes, Roxas then stood up and went to clear his head for a bit.
Two days later, Kairi left with Terra to go and get the pocket watch to surprise Eraqus with for his birthday, both returning with it a half hour later. Now, the pocket watch had to be hidden until his birthday to keep Eraqus from catching on.
Another two days went by, and Eraqus had noticed by now that everyone seemed to be up to something. What it was, he didn't know. But they had been talking quietly to each other about something. As Eraqus returned from the market with some food, he noticed that they were all waiting for him near the staircase.
Setting down the food, Eraqus turned to look at them. "Alright, what have you all been up to?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Aqua, Terra and Ventus all glanced at each other before nodding and handing something to Eraqus.
Now intrigued, Eraqus opened the mystery box to see that a new pocket watch was inside it. "We noticed that your pocket watch was looking worn out, so we all pitched in to buy you a new one for your birthday," Aqua said.
Hearing this, Eraqus first looked at Aqua, Terra and Ventus. Then Sora, Riku and Kairi. Next, he looked at Roxas, Xion, Naminé, Hayner, Pence and Olette before finally gazing at Ephemer, Skuld and Strelitzia. "Thank you, I shall always be sure to appreciate this gift you all got for me."
To show everyone that he did appreciate the gift, Eraqus gave them all a hug, smiling as a single tear ran down his cheek.
Elsewhere, Ansem was at his humble cottage located on the outskirts of the small village thinking about the five pupils that had been his apprentices. "Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo. I'm a fool for not trying to do more." His mind then wandered back to the events of, that day.
No matter where they looked, there was no escape since the hooded figures were all surrounding the six of them while in a circle formation. "Ansem, you need to go, now!" Dilan pleaded while gazing at him. Even, Aeleus and Ienzo all nodded in agreement, but Ansem stubbornly shook his head in refusal. Only Braig's behavior, seemed unusual.
"You are my apprentices, so all of you mean a lot more to me than some mere research. The results of my research can always be rewritten and replaced, but I will never be able to replace any of you."
"Ah, how touching. But such sentiments will not save you from what is about to happen," Xehanort said while walking up. "Allow me to demonstrate." Xehanort then went to use the sword in his grasp on Aeleus, but Ienzo jumped in the way at the last possible second and instead took the sword for Aeleus without a second thought.
Coughing up blood, Ienzo gasped weakly for a couple seconds and looked down at the sharp metal that was now piercing him. "What a pity," Xehanort remarked. "His sharp mind and intelligence would have been beneficial to me. But I'll have to make do somehow." Snapping his gnarled fingers, Xehanort watched as Braig, Dilan, Even and Aeleus were all killed by the hooded figures.
"I have no use for you, Ansem the Wise. So I do believe that we're done here."one of the hooded figures then knocked Ansem unconscious. "You three, gather these bodies and take them back to the ship. They might be of us to us with their new identities."
"As of now, Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus and Ienzo are no more. Instead, they shall be resurrected and referred to as Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion." Soon, everyone was gone bar an unconscious Ansem the Wise.
Elsewhere, Xion was wandering around the estate, her mind still on what happened with Roxas. "Roxas has every right to be angry at me after that," she thought to herself. "I did walk in on him by accident, after all."
But as Xion turned a corner, she came face to face with Roxas. Xion said nothing and looked down, feeling uncertain about facing Roxas. Sensing the awkward tension, he tried to think of what to say to her.
But Xion beat him to it. "Um, about what happened. I completely understand if you hate me after that. It was an invasion of your privacy, after all." Roxas felt his eyes widen at this. Xion, thought he hated her?
"Xion, I don't hate you. I could never hate you. You're one of my closest friends, just like Hayner, Pence and Olette. Yes, I was angry. But that doesn't mean I hate you over something like that happening." Secretly, Xion was relieved to hear this from him.
A few weeks after their conversation, Xion and Roxas were back to being close friends, having moved past the incident. But lately, Xion felt different around him. Whenever she was around Roxas, her face heated up and turned red in color.
After this went on for a while, Xion found that she had to talk to someone about this. Thinking it over for a bit, Xion decided to speak with Aqua about what this meant. In the parlor, Aqua was speaking with Terra when she noticed Xion enter.
"If you're not, busy right now. Could we, maybe talk about something?" Xion asked.
Aqua nodded, and soon looked at Terra. "Hey, Terra. How about you go spar with Ven for a bit while I talk with Xion? He's been rather insistent on having you spar with him, after all." Saying goodbye to Aqua, Terra went to go find Ventus.
"So, what's up, Xion? Is there something on your mind? You usually don't talk to me unless you're thinking about something important. Unless, you and Roxas had a fight."
Xion looked at Aqua and held up her hands, caught off guard by what she said. "No, it's not that! We haven't been fighting. It's just, every time I've been around Roxas recently, I start feeling strange and my face heats up."
Aqua smiled in a knowing way after hearing this. Even though she was only 14, Xion seemed to be experiencing her very first crush. "I see. Now, Xion. Tell me, how do you feel about Roxas? Is he just a friend to you? Or do you consider him something else entirely?"
This unexpected question seemed to make Xion somehow hesitate, if only for a few seconds. "I, don't know. I've never felt like this before. It's just, scary to me, and I don't know what to do about it."
Aqua paused after hearing this, but looked at Xion again. "Ah. Well, I would suggest that you go and talk with Roxas about this. Well, if you want to, that is. But ultimately, the choice is yours to make."
Xion seemed to be contemplating what Aqua told her, eventually looking at the older girl. "Thanks, Aqua. You always seem to know just what to say, somehow." Little did either of them know, Roxas was having a similar conversation with Terra, who he stopped on his way to spar with Ventus.
Elsewhere, Xehanort was standing in front of several hooded figures. Among them, were the three seekers he trusted the most. The first one was known as Ansem. Not the real Ansem, but someone who had assumed his name. The second, was Xemnas. And the third, was Xigbar, who had once been an apprentice to Ansem the Wise.
As for the others, there was Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus and Zexion, who were also former apprentices of Ansem the Wise. Next, there was Saïx and Axel, who had to renounce the names of their Somebodies, Isa and Lea. That was one of the rules for becoming part of the Seekers. As for the final Seekers, among them was Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene, and Vanitas.
Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia and Larxene were an enigma to even Xehanort, since they remained notoriously tight lipped about the names of their Somebodies. But he didn't mind, too much. Luxord proved useful, at the very least. But Demyx had repeatedly proven to be lazy. As for Marluxia, Larxene and Vanitas, their loyalty to the Seekers, was questionable at best.
"I suppose you are all wondering why I've called you here. I shall explain now. Basically, it has recently come to my attention that my former friend, Eraqus, has taken in several children. Even if he's content with spending his days just looking after them, he needs to be removed from the picture."
"Why? There is something about all of them that intrigues me. Eraqus must be gotten rid of, so those feckless youth can be brought here, when they will remain until they grow old and cease to be. Now, we leave to retrieve them as soon as possible. Dismissed, for now." All the hooded figures soon disappeared after he said this.
Back at the estate belonging to Eraqus, Roxas had just finished speaking with Terra. "Terra, thanks for listening to everything I had to say. But I shouldn't keep you from sparring with Ventus any longer," Roxas said. Terra nodded in response, and was soon gone from sight.
"Now, all that's left to do, is find Xion and speak with her about this." Turning down a corridor, Roxas wasn't aware of Xion's presence until it was too late. By accident, both of them ended up bumping into each other.
"Ow," Xion exclaimed while rubbing her head. But she soon noticed Roxas and her eyes widened. "Hey, Roxas. I wasn't expecting to run into you, literally." Both of them briefly chuckled at this before becoming serious.
"I suppose, we should talk in private?" Roxas suggested in a nervous tone. "I don't really want to others to hear our conversation, after all." Nodding hesitantly in agreement, both Xion and Roxas headed to her room so they could talk.
Once inside, she sat down next to him on her bed. "I, don't quite know where to start," Xion admitted. After struggling for a bit, she managed to think of what to say. "Recently, I've been feeling strange every time I've been around you, Roxas. But these sudden feelings, they're a bit frightening, to be honest. So I talked to Aqua about this, and she suggested I speak with you."
Roxas nodded, waiting until Xion was finished to start speaking. "Believe it or not, I've actually been going through something similar. So I talked to Terra, and he gave me some advice as well." The both of them then sat in silence for a few minutes, neither one exactly sure what else to say.
"I don't think I'll fully understand these feelings for a while. But one step at a time, right?" Once Roxas nodded in agreement, Xion resumed speaking. "I'm, still not sure about this. But do you think we should at least try, just to see what it's like?"
"Now, you don't have to try and force things if you're not ready for this yet," Roxas reminded Xion. "But If you're absolutely sure that's what you want to do, then we might as well."
Soon, Roxas and Xion took a deep breath to steel their nerves for what they were about to do. Slowly leaning in, the distance between them was gradually closed. Both of them were still nervous, so Roxas and Xion closed their eyes as they kissed each other for the very first time.
Eventually, both of them stopped so they could look at each other. "I, wow. That was a new experience for me. No, not just for me, but for both of us." Later that night, both Roxas and Xion had fallen asleep, unaware that this would be the last semblance of peace they would get from this point on.
The next morning, all was quiet at the estate. But it would soon be broken, as several hooded figures followed Xehanort towards the estate. Inside, everyone was having breakfast, unaware of what was about to unfold. Well, almost everyone, since Eraqus had the feeling that something wasn't exactly right.
Looking up, he noticed the hooded figures and stiffened up, recognizing them as the Seekers. "Get up, now! All of you!" Eraqus ordered in a tone that was most unlike him.
By this point, everyone else had seen the figures and quickly became alarmed. "Stay calm! There's no time to delay. You must all leave this place at once, it is not safe here anymore." Some of them went to protest, but Eraqus wasn't having it. "I will hold them off as best I can. What's most important, is that all of you get to safety. If that means I must stay behind, then so be it."
Then, the hooded figures got tired of waiting, and started heading straight towards them. Although the figures made it inside, Eraqus began trying to hold them off so everyone else could escape. "Go, now!" Eraqus ordered as a single tear ran down his face. By the time Eraqus had been overwhelmed, they had all escaped successfully.
The large group of kids started running towards the docks, in hopes of boarding a ship that would get them as far away from the hooded figures as possible. When they arrived, Ventus spotted a ship and pointed it out to everyone before running towards it.
"Please, you have to help us!" Ventus pleaded once everyone was on board. There are these hooded figures after us." The captain went to refuse, when he noticed the Seekers.
"Alright, you heard the kid! Weigh anchor at once, and that's an order, you bunch of bilge rats! Or I'll make every last one of you walk the plank! Unless you'd all prefer a keelhauling," the captain ordered while gazing sternly at his crew. The crew wasted no time getting to work, and the vessel was ready to depart by the time the hooded figures caught up.
"There, the dice have been cast. And this risky gamble of theirs seems to have paid off. But as for their fates from this point on, the fun is in not knowing, isn't it?" Luxord mused as the ship sailed out of sight.
Although they might have been safe for now, all of them knew it wouldn't last. Sora knew this right away after looking at Riku and Kairi. Aqua, Terra and Ventus were also worried, along with Naminé, Ephemer, Skuld and Strelitzia. Lastly, Roxas and Xion were looking at Hayner, Pence and Olette to make sure they were alright.
But all of them hoped that Eraqus was still okay after being confronted by the hooded figures, even if it wasn't likely that he managed to survive. Only time would tell, what ultimately became of Eraqus, but that's a story for another time.