*squeals* She's finally here! Idk whose more excited, me or you xD Anyway, I'm sorry if it seemed like it took forever to get here but the plot bunnies had something else in mind for me ^_^ Enjoy the chapter! ~KB

Disclaimer: I don't own KH or Naruto, they belong to Nomura and Kishimoto respectively.

Ch 11: Recon Gone Wrong

Manami shrugged on her blue vest over her red shirt and zipped it up half way. Stepping towards the mirror she brushed her hair and pulled the top half into clipped ponytail. Satisfied with her appearance, Manami checked her bag one last time.

…Spare clothes, check; extra Potions and Hi-Potions just to be safe, check; Alright, I think that's everything, she thought.

Manami zipped up her bag and swung it over her shoulder, leaving her room. She walked briskly down the halls towards the Launch Pad, excitement and anxiety coursing through her veins. It had been a while since Manami had visited another world due to her training and she was going on a recon mission to a new one!

Walking on to the Launch Pad area in the lower level of the tower, Manami spotted Master Eraqus standing next to the already prepped Gummi Ship. He must have arrived early to get it up and running for me, she thought.

Eraqus beamed at Manami as she walked up to him.

"You ready?" he asked, clapping a hand on her shoulder.

"I think so." she replied.

"Good," Eraqus said handing Manami the keys. "Now, be gentle with her. She has a small tendency to jerk a bit due to the transmission fluid, but you should be fine."

Manami stared at the keys for a moment. "I think I can handle that. Not much different than being hit midair!"

Eraqus sighed at the reference to Manami's first attempt at flying the Gummi Ship. Debris often drifted through the areas they flew to reach other worlds and Manami had hit almost every piece during her first flight lesson.

"I was afraid you would say that," Eraqus said shaking his head, "That's why I got you this."

Reaching inside his pocket, Master Eraqus pulled out a red beaded charm. A see-though red octagon was under the clasp, followed by a murky red sphere, and ending with a few red beaded tassels. Manami's eyes widened at her gift. It's beautiful, she thought.

Master Eraqus clasped the charm to a hole on Manami's vest. The hole was there when Manami bought the vest but could never figure out what it was used for. But now the charm hung there as if the hole was designed for just that purpose. Plus, it matched perfectly with her shirt and made a nice accent against the blue vest.

"Thank you sir," Manami whispered, fingering one of the beaded tassels. She looked up at her master and beamed.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied. "It's a reminder. Although you may not presently wield a Keyblade, that does not mean your training has stopped."

Manami's smile faltered at the mention of her Keyblade and nodded in acknowledgement.

"I won't let you down sir. I'll be back before you know it!" she said boarding the Gummi Ship.

"Good," Master Eraqus called to Manami. "Now remember, not a scratch!"

Manami held up her hand in mock salute in response. She hopped in the cockpit and closed the hatch. Adjusting the thrusters, Manami steadied the ship as it rose and pulled out of the Launch Pad.

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The ride to Land of Fire was overall uneventful. Manami only had to dodge a few bits of flying debris and the Gummi Ship had only jerked a couple of times.

…Alright, she thought, heavily forested, so gotta be careful where I land; elite warriors, best I don't get into trouble.

When Manami saw Land of Fire she slowed her speed and drifted over the trees, looking for a clear enough space to land. Man, they weren't kidding! It's a sea of green up here.

All of a sudden, the Gummi Ship began to shake in Manami's hands.

"Oh no," she thought aloud. "No no no no no! Don't do this to me now!"

Manami was too close to the trees below her and if the ship jerked, she was sure to crash.

As luck would have it, Manami finally caught a glimpse of a gap in the trees. The Gummi Ship trembled as she veered towards it and just as Manami was about to take her down, the Gummi Ship jerked downwards into the gap. Manami tried to pull up on the steering wheel as the ship fell below the tree line and crashed onto a weave of branches.

Smoke poured from the engine where the ship crashed into the branches. Jumping onto a large limb, Manami surveyed the damage. The left wing was bent in like a bird's wing but the engine took the brunt of the damage when it hit the trunk of a large tree. So much for "not a scratch" she thought solemnly, I am soooooooooo dead. Master Eraqus is going to kill me for sure this time! I don't know if I can find enough Gummi Blocks to repair it. Looking around, Manami saw that most of the trees were huge with wide branches extending so far out that someone could jump from one to another.

Manami hopped back in the cockpit and searched through the numerous buttons and knobs. I could have sworn there was a cloaking device or something around here- Ah! Here it is, she thought. Pressing a small yellow button, Manami watched the colors of the Gummi Ship spaz from red to blue to indigo and finally to a green. Well, it doesn't match the leaves but it's better than the red.

Manami grabbed her pack and jumped back on a branch. That's when it really hit her. The Gummi Ship was damaged to where it couldn't fly, she didn't have any parts to fix it, she couldn't leave this place until it was fixed, she had no money, she didn't even know if there was a town nearby, and there was no way to contact Master Eraqus. Manami was stuck there. By herself. In the middle of an unknown world.

Ok, it's ok, there's no need to freak out, she thought.

Suppressing the initial panic, Manami calmed her mind and processed the situation.

Ok. I'm stuck here. I have no food or water, I have no money. I'm in the middle of a forest of giant trees with no sign of civilization. Uugghhh, I'm so screwed! she concluded.

No, no. That's not the way to think right now, she mentally countered.

Manami fingered her new charm. That's right. It's not over yet. The least I can do is complete the mission, then I can work on fixing the Gummi Ship. Now, how do I get down from here?

Looking down, Manami saw branches everywhere. She hopped from one branch to the next till she was finally low enough to jump to the ground. Not knowing where to go from there, Manami followed the direction of the sun and hoped for the best.

Eventually, Manami came across a large pathway. She knelt down and saw it was a well-traveled road; carriage tracks, horse-hooves, and footprints a leveled the ground so the dirt showed more than the grass. Manami followed the path but something made her feel uneasy.

As she continued her journey, the feeling of unease grew. Manami held her bag close and glanced around. Something doesn't feel right, she thought.

Stepping off the path, Manami hid behind the trees but keep the road in her line of sight.

Suddenly, a man dropped in front of her, holding what looked like a kite shaped dagger. A dark bandana was tied over his brown hair and a long silver pick was held between his lips. Manami crouched into a defensive position, mirroring the man in front of her. He wore a forest green jacket over a turtleneck and navy pants that appeared to be some sort of uniform.

"State your name and purpose," the man demanded, holding up his weapon.

"Who's asking?" Manami rebuttled.

The silver pick in his mouth twitched as he smirked and Manami noted the weapons holster strapped to his right leg.

"Hahaha, I like your spunk, but I'm afraid I still need you to answer the question. Who are you?"

Manami started at her opponent and replied, "Fine, I'll tell you, if you can catch me."

Then she ran for it.

FIN

Uh-oh, just stepped foot in a new world and Manami's already in trouble. What do you think's gonna happen?
Until next time my friends. ~KunoichiBlade