Sora and Kairi marveled at the lights and rides scattered about this world. "Prankster's Paradise." Kairi read the welcoming sign aloud. She smiled at Sora "Well, maybe we can find someone?"

Sora shrugged "Maybe we should head elsewhere-"

"We can at least enjoy the place!" Kairi grabbed his hand and lead him through the park. They didn't make much progress before a voice stopped them "What are you two doing here?!"

Kairi and Sora stopped to look for the person, but they didn't find anyone in the park but them.

"Down here!"

They looked down, finding a cricket glaring at them "Kids like you aren't supposed to be here!"

Kairi bent down "Why not?"

The cricket leaped onto a short wall "Don't you know what happens to people who romp around here?!"

Sora and Kairi looked at each other, then shook their heads. "Seems like a fun enough place-"

"Fun until you get turned into a donkey and shipped off to who knows where!"

They blinked, and Kairi thought about the words for a moment. It didn't sound like he was lying, but... It was doubtful enough. "Sir-"

"Jiminy Cricket!"

"Okay then, Jiminy, how do you know?"

Sora muttered "He's a loon-" Kairi elbowed him.

Jiminy then explained "Why, a boy Pinnochio- OH MY STARS! PINNOCHIO!" Jiminy stopped mid-sentence, bolting off "PINNOCHIO!"

Sora called after him "Hey! who's-"

"Oh, a boy I'm supposed to be looking after! I've lost him!"

Kairi turned to Sora then summoned her Keyblade "We'll help you find him."

Sora thought about it, then thought about the unversed. He closed his eyes as Kairi and Jiminy arranged things, silently sending out a few squads to search for Pinnochio. Find him. Don't kill, don't hurt, find. Alert me when you get something.

Of course, my liege.

Kairi placed Jiminy on her shoulder and waved goodbye to Sora "We'll go this way! You take the other side of the park!"

Sora snapped out of his concentration, then nodded and summoned his Keyblade. "G-got it!"

Kairi explained to Sora Pinnochio's appearance, then vanished into the streets. He was alone. There were some merry tinkles from rides and attractions, but otherwise it was completely silent and he was completely alone-

He saw a hooded figure at the edges of his vision, and turned to find someone walking away "H-hey-" Sora suddenly recognized the cloak, and froze. He felt memories as Roxas surge up like a separate personality, but jumbled and disorienting. The figured stopped, glanced back, then started running.

Sora shook it off and rushed after "HEY!"

Aqua and Riku stepped out into the cold moonlight. Riku noted they were entering a port town, a little shabby, but civilized nonetheless. He read a worn sign: NOW ENTERING PORT ROYAL.

"Port Royal, huh?" He remarked.

They walked into town, trying to ignore the funny looks they got from several residents. It was probably the strange clothes and vibrant hair that clashed with the grimy and dull colors and people around them.

Aqua heard "whore" being spat at her more than once, and figured it wouldn't be too out of place considering her dress, while not exactly revealing, was much less modest than other women. She awkwardly gathered her sash around her legs more, and wrapped her arms around herself.

Riku patted her back "Don't worry, I don't think we'll be in town long..." He was starting to become unnerved by the number of harsh glares himself. He blinked when he thought he saw one man make a warding gesture.

They decided to get rid of all the attention and went down an alleyway. They came to the docks just as they spotted a man approach a boat. He had darkish skin, his black hair done in dreadlocks with various tokens woven in and pouring out of a red bandana. His clothes were loose, nothing too fancy by the era's standards.

"Hmm, a fine ship, but not fast enough." He muttered to himself.

Aqua was the first to speak "Um, sir-"

He responded rather testily "That would be CAPTIAN Jack Sparrow to you, miss- oh, well, aren't you an odd pair."

"Well, we're looking around for special people." Aqua said. She motioned to Riku that he wasn't a candidate to weild the Keyblade, and they began walking away "And I don't think-"

"Well I know where some 'special' people would be." Jack said offhandedly, twirling a coin between his fingers "I just need a crew to help me get to them."

Aqua and Riku stopped, but Riku's eyes narrowed in mistrust "What's your definition of that?"

"Well, we can say the definitions are quite similar, savvy?" jack held out his hand "Now, are you in or out? Because I have a ship I need to catch."

Sora finally had the figure cornered, although he was starting to tremble now. "Who are you?!" He snapped in fear and worry. The figure was only about his height, but the sight of that organization cloak made Sora want to vomit and/or run. They chuckled, a deep, dark sound that made Sora's spine crawl.

"A friend on the other side..." Sora blinked: he never heard that voice before... But there was something uncannily familliar about it.

A portal opened behind him, and as he stepped back into the darkness, Sora's Keyblade clattered to the ground in shock, vanishing in light. A taller, older man had come out, completely unhooded. Sora knew that face, that expression, all too well. He scrambled away, starting to panic, heart racing, eyes wide.

"NO! NO YOU'RE DEAD!" he screamed.

Xemnas only advanced, calm and slow "Oh no, my little sky, I merely had a delay in plans."

Sora pressed himself against a wall, clutching his head and squeezing his eyes shut "YOU'RE JUST A HALLUCINATION!" He screamed in an attempt to keep himself sane.

He felt Xemnas far too close, but continued murmuring "He's not real. He's not real. Xemnas is dead. He's DEAD."

A soft brush of a whisper by his ear "That is up to you to decide." then he easily slipped into a soft kiss. Sora was overcome in the jumbled tide of feelings, standing completely still. Memories of Roxas blended too easily into his, making him freeze in fear and wonder. This was the feeling he missed, but after seeing Kairi again, it felt... Wrong, hollow. He tried shoving him away, but Xemnas only deepened things, cupping his little sky's face. Sora now had one hand pushing him, but the other repeated the gesture as if it had a mind of its own.

Since you like being a little whore so much. Vanitas laughed.

Sora then decided he had enough. He bit down on Xemnas's lip, pushed through Vanitas's antics, and harshly shoved Xemnas off of him. He wiped his mouth, then yelled at him as he summoned his Keyblade "I'M NOT YOURS ANYMORE!"

Xemnas wiped off the blood quite casually, looking amused like it hadn't happened "I don't recall you being so feisty, my key."

Sora poised his Keyblade to strike "I. Am. Not. YOURS." The threat he was going for faded away as his voice trembled. Xemnas only leaned in uncomfortably close again, the Keyblade's tip now pressed against his heart "You forget, Sora," he shuddered at his name being used, but stilled when a hand was drawn across his chin "you will always be mine."

And Xemnas slipped away into the darkness without another word.

Sora stood there, trying to comprehend what just happened. If that was just a delusion, why did it feel so real? How could Xemnas be here, when Sora himself was the one who impaled the fiend with his own blade? He then collasped, shaking violently. Then he suddenly started sobbing. How insane was he now to be seeing his own enemy coming back to remind him of what he lost?

A few unversed appeared, jumping around in a nervous twitch. Sora lashed out at the creatures, sick of sharing that bond with Vanitas. He fought through the pain, killing each and every creature in a flood of rage. When finished, he coughed up some blood, enough to stain his hand a deep red.

How was that?

Horrible. Painful.

And...? Vanitas trailed off for Sora to finish.

He couldn't believe his own response: kind of... Good.

I told you you'd love the pain eventually. More unversed appeared.Go ahead, target practice. They don't mind.

Sora stared at them for several moments, then callously walked away. The creatures followed, and he lashed out at one as a message to stop. They didn't, and he only ended up leaning on a wall as he coughed up more blood. He wiped it away, and his head was starting to feel a little dizzy now. Jeez, Kairi's gonna think I'm murdered or something...

Good, she deserves a scare for once-

SHUT UP.

The unversed buzzed around, but Sora decided it would be better to ignore them. He took a deep breath, then looked around to get his bearings. Nodding when he found his course, he set off through the park to find Kairi.

Okay, sorry about the brief hold up. My grades were slipping, and you know how parents feel about those ;) Anyways, so we have another chapter! Yay! Our worlds: Port Royal and Pranksters Paradise!

in some unrelated news, I now have a copy of the Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia. YESSSSSSSS.