Author's note: Thanks to all of you who have been reviewing and reading. It makes me feel special and good about myself. Here comes the bad news, I've been getting a lot of complaints about Corey's clothing (which makes me happy because people are reading). Since I am not good at designing costumes, as of today please submit to me your design for Corey. In a few chapters I will announce the winner and his official outfit will be changed. So go wild and enjoy this latest chapter.
Chapter 8: Heading Off!
Aerith awoke everyone early that morning with delicious aroma that filled the air. Since their new friends would be leaving today, she thought that she should do something special for them. She cooked a full course breakfast. Although I have no idea what one of them has, it sounds pretty special to me, but that is not important right now. After breakfast was over, Cid, Aerith, and Yuffie took the kids and headed out to the restoration site.
"So how much did you kids end up making?" Cid asked curiously with a huge grin on his face.
"We barely scratched six thousand," Corey confessed with a huge sigh.
"Wow that is a lot to make in one day just doing random jobs," Yuffie laughed as they shot her the eyes of death.
"Most of it came from me though," Thomas informed them with a shudder.
"Oh my, what did you do?" Aerith asked her.
"We don't know, but apparently it scarred him for life," Rachel pointed out.
"Well it doesn't matter, you can just make payments," Cid laughed.
"How much is the ship going to cost?" they all asked at the same time.
"You'll see when we get there," Cid told them.
"You're a jerk!" Courtney scolded.
"Well even I have to make a living," he scolded back.
"Well, we're just thankful for the ship," Manikha said trying to be the voice of reason.
"Don't try to be reasonable Manikha, that's my role in this group," Thomas got after her.
"Well then what do I do then?" she questioned him.
"That has yet to be determined at this point," Corey reminded her. She frowned at the 'friendly' reminder as they continued to walk. After walking past broken buildings, construction material and machines, and even broken land structures, they came across a clearing with a giant white sheet over what seemed to be their ship.
"Well there she is," Cid pointed out at the giant sheet that covered the ship.
"Wow, do they make sheets that big?" Rachel asked in amazement.
"Apparently, but where do you find them?" Manikha responded with a question of her own.
"I guess they can just make them," Courtney shared with the others. Yuffie walked over to the sheet and placed her hand on one of the corners.
"I now present," she started but was cut off by her own scream.
"What is that thing?" Corey asked as he saw a giant hand wrapped around her body.
"Its arm isn't connected to anything!" Thomas pointed out. Aerith let out a huge scream.
"That same arm that grabbed Yuffie now has Aerith!" Rachel panicked.
"No it's the opposite arm!" Courtney noticed.
"What is it connected to?" Manikha asked as she looked around.
Slowly she turned around and saw two shining, silver legs that were not connected to the dark sliver body that floated above it. Although, she did know that it was being controlled by the head that barely floated above the body.
"This heartless is a Guard Armor!" Cid told them. They all nodded and brought out their keyblades.
"Any idea of how to fight it?" the red head asked, tightening the grip on her blade.
"No idea, but why don't we ask our leader," the dark spiky head answered.
"Well it seems that we have to free those two at least," the blond-tipped hair girl mentioned as the captured girl screamed once again.
"Well?" the pink girl asked.
"Well Thomas what do you have?" the leader (which is obviously Corey) asked.
"I say we each take a separate part of the body out," he stated. "Although I am not too sure if we're strong enough."
"Well we just have to try. Besides, if we stay here and continue talking, it might be deadly," the leader informed them. They split up and saw how huge the heartless actually was.
"Yevon, you guys are useless," the Blondie complained. "I'll help you guys out, just this once." From out of nowhere, apparently all the Fantasy warriors can do this without explanation, Cid pulled out a long rod with a very sharp sphere at the end. The whole thing was pure silver and shinned in morning sun. "This brings back memories!"
"Whoa that thing is huge," Corey gasped at the length of his weapon.
"That's what she said," Rachel giggled in the background. Meanwhile, Thomas was rushing towards the heartless along with Courtney and Manikha.
"Let's destroy this leg first!" he ordered with them nodding in agreement. They raised their blades and each of them struck in a different area.
"It looks like that didn't have any effect!" Manikha pointed out.
"Of course it did, we pissed it off," Courtney corrected her. The fiend looked down at the people who were attacking its leg. Thomas and Courtney slyly pointed to Manikha and backed off a little. This was enough time apparently because a huge explosion came from it right arm.
"My hero," Aerith compliment as Corey caught her from the free fall.
"What power," Thomas gasped as he realized that they didn't even leave a dent.
"I am not as young as I used to be," Cid panted after his attack.
"You're amazing Cid!" Courtney cheered.
"Guys, that thing is still there," the red headed reminded them.
"Right," her team answered as they assumed their battle positions.
"Don't forget that I still need to be saved!" Yuffie cried out to them.
"Well if we leave her, we might be doing the world a favor," Courtney suggested with EVERYONE nodding in agreement.
"Damnit!" Thomas sighed.
"What's wrong?" Manikha asked him, as she already figured out what it was.
"My gentlemanly code won't allow me to let women get hurt in my presence," he sighed.
"Then don't look," she told him.
"Everyone! Let's all attack the same leg at the same time," Corey ordered. His team looked at him.
"As Thomas pointed out, even though the body isn't physically connected, it's still connected," he did his best to explain.
"That means we can cause it to fall, then attack it while it's down," the pink girl elaborated.
"What a lucky day this is, Manikha understood something," Courtney chuckled.
"We can celebrate this huge achievement later. Right now, let's finish the heartless," the spiky head commanded. They turned around to face their enemy but saw an explosion come from its other arm.
"While you guys were busy discussing battle plan, I took action," Cid told them as he dropped Yuffie on the ground.
"Thank you for saving me," she thanked them, "unlike some people."
"It's no problem, anything for a former party member," Blondie told her.
"Okay, now leave everything to us," Corey told him.
"I was planning to," Cid playfully told them. Corey smiled and they walked over to the fiend. The thing was pissed off at them, but had no arms to attack them with. Since it did have a brain however, it was smart enough to know it can still use its feet. It raised one of its legs high enough to stop on them.
"Now!" the command was shouted. Rachel and Manikha struck the leg with everything they had. It caused the creature to become unbalanced.
"Let's get the chest Corey!" Thomas instructed as they jumped. They manage to hit the chest and finally knocked the creature over.
"Sorry you won't get another chance to fight us," the blond-tipped hair girl told it as she smashed the head with her keyblade. In a puff of smoke the fiend vanished as a medium sized heart slowly floated towards the sky.
"Curaga!" Aerith called out as she held out her hands. The party glowed white for a few seconds and diminished when they were fully healed.
"Not bad for a bunch of brats," Cid complimented.
"Thanks old man," Thomas thanked with a thumbs-up.
"That sure was exciting," Aerith smiled as she placed a hand on her chest. "My heart is still racing."
"Well now it's time for the ship," Yuffie cut in. They could tell she was in a bad mood. Right now, she was probably more annoying than her happy self.
"Oh yes," Cid smiled, almost forgetting. "Yuffie, if you'll do the honors." She huffed as she pulled the sheet off the ship. It revealed a dark-blue ship that was shaped like a phoenix, although it seemed to be the size of a large pick up truck.
"Introducing the Phoenix Highwind. Made from some of the rarest gummi blocks around. It can travel on land, in the air, and even in the ocean. You can get from world to world fast than any other gummi ship out there. Highly indestructible and it's easy to up keep, so amateurs like you can manage repairs. Although it looks small on the outside, the inside will be able to meet all of your needs. To name a few features, it has weapons to blast enemy ships, each of you guys have your own room, and a screen to contact me, or vice versa, at anytime," Cid explained until he was red in the face.
"Really, that's amazing," Rachel cheered.
"That is quite a ship; can't wait to get inside," Corey beamed with excitement.
"Alrighty, I don't have to deal with you people during the whole voyage," Courtney smirked.
"This should be an interesting journey," Manikha added.
"How much?" Thomas questioned Cid.
"Actually little buddy," Cid smiled as he grabbed the spiky head in a choke hold, "I am giving it to you."
"You're giving it to me?" he asked, trying to break free of the impending noogie.
"Of course, you knew talent when you see it, unlike your ungrateful friends."
"What is the condition?"
"The only condition is to take good care of it, and to call me sensei from now on."
"Sure no.......Sensei?"
"Yes, I never had an apprentice," Cid started to monologue so everyone tuned him out. It seemed that the sensei remark made Thomas' friends laugh.
"Well thanks for the ship sensei," Thomas thanked as he took the keys and headed off for the ship.
"Bye!" Yuffie waved.
"Have a safe journey," Aerith called out to them.
"I sure hope they know how to fly and pilot it," Cid thought as he led the women back to the house.
"Wow there really is a lot of room in here," Thomas commented as he sat in the pilot seat. There was a flicker on the screen, and two woodland creatures appeared. "Corey this is your territory!" Corey walked over with a confused look on his face.
"Hello there passengers. I'm Chip and this is my brother Dale," he pointed to the woodland creature in the party shirt, "and we're the mechanics of this ship."
"Our mechanics are squirrels?" Thomas asked.
"They look like woodchucks," Rachel commented as she walked over.
"They don't have long enough tails," Manikha pointed out.
"Well Corey should know," Courtney informed them from across the cockpit.
"I know, they're chipmunks," Corey told them.
"That's right," Dale told them in a care-free almost high (the illegal kind) voice.
"We're here to make repairs, but first we have to tell you about traveling," Chip told them.
"What is so complicated about flying?" they asked.
"Well while traveling to other worlds, the heartless are flying ships as well," Chip started.
"Heartless fly ships?" Manikha questioned with mass confusion.
"Maybe, they just might be ship-shaped heartless," Chip continued.
"Just blow them up and you'll be fine," Dale told them.
"Works for me," Thomas smiled, "you?"
"It sure does," Corey answered as he took the co-pilot seat.
"Okay, then. Also be on the look out for gummi blocks that they drop. The ship will automatically collect them so it shouldn't distract you," Chip informed them.
"Is there anything important you want to tell us?" Rachel inquired.
"Let's see, you can talk to us via this screen, everything else is pretty self explanatory. This ship is powered by smiles, and there a special button to contact Cid," Dale went over. The gang wasn't paying attention so they just nodded like they understood what they were saying.
"Safe travels," the chipmunks told them as they flickered off screen. With the turn of a key and the press of the button, the heroes took off into the sky.
Preview for Chapter 9:
The group arrives at their first world and sees a girl getting kidnapped. Now they face the complications of getting involved even though they were told not to.
