Author's Note: I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this up... and I've posted Chapter 12 with this too... Chapter 12 was easier to write than this one lol... I'm not exactly happy with how I ended this though... I hope you enjoy these chapters!!!

Chapter 11

Lauren roamed around the empty space port. She stuck to the shadows where her black hood and black jumpsuit shielded her from sight. She crept up to the Floating Kingdom and used her mind control to open the lock. She used her mind to search for any active minds before walking into the ship and looking around.

Suddenly, a red blade appeared from behind her and went around her throat and she was grabbed by another hand.

"Despair," a male voice hissed.

Lauren didn't speak but search for him with her mind and found a very inactive mind.

"How come I can't sense you?" Lauren hissed back.

"There's nothing to sense, Despair."

Lauren glared forward before she elbowed her captor and spun to look at him. She saw the fiery-orange haired man that was with the princess and her companions.

"What are you? Why didn't I sense you?" she demanded.

Canaan looked at her emotionlessly and said, "I am not human if that's what your asking."

She merely sneered and spat, "Next time we meet I will defeat you and I will take the princess back."

Lauren turned and ran from the ship. Canaan followed to the door and saw her disappear into the shadows.

"We shall see."

Later on, when Kairi woke up, she found Canaan sitting in a chair in the cockpit. He had it spun around to face the hall, more specifically, the hatch to the outside. His eyes were closed and her arms were crossed over his chest.

Kairi thought he was sleeping, so she quietly walked by and to her seat in front of the flight controls. She was listening to Rachael as she told Kairi to check for any signals and maybe they would find the mother ships nearby that could point her to Sora.

In the chair, Canaan wasn't asleep. He was resting his eyes and was well aware that Kairi had walked by. He remembered their uninvited visitor's words last night.

"We had a visitor last night," he said.

Kairi jumped and turned to see that Canaan was talking to her, but was still in the sae position as before.

"We did? Who?" Kairi asked.

"It was a Despair."

"What?" Kairi gasped.

"She said that she was going to defeat us next time we met and she would take back the princess."

"Oh," Kairi sighed, looked back at the controls.

"I know she meant you, Kairi. I feel different around you than I do around other people. I'm sure lots of people would say the same."

"Yeah. I'm the one they're after."

Canaan cracked an eye open and looked over his shoulder at the teenager at the flight controls, "I have no doubt you will overcome them."

Kairi looked back at Canaan with a shocked expression and then said, "Thank you, Canaan."

Canaan didn't show any response to her thanks, but you could tell that he meant what he said simply by feeling it. It made Kairi feel good inside because this whole long-term fighting thing was new to Kairi and the more people that believed in her the harder she would work for the people.

A cry of fear echoed throughout the ship and a fear-ridden Serenity ran into the cockpit exclaiming, "Have you seen Jake?"

Kairi and Canaan shook their heads and Serenity gasped and ran from the ship. Kairi and Canaan jumped and ran after her.

Inside they Second Miltia hangar, they all shouted Jake's name and asked everyone in sight if they had seen a little boy. Serenity was on the verge of hysterics when Kairi found a worker that said he did see a little boy leaving the hanger in the early hours of the morning.

Canaan couldn't figure out how the kid left without him knowing. He pictured the little boy and knew that he couldn't have gotten out without something helping him. Canaan recalled their late night visitor.

"He could be anywhere, Kairi!" Serenity cried as she looked longingly at the exit of the hangar.

"I know, Serenity, but we have to keep our heads on straight. We'll go outside and ask around and maybe alert the local authorities-"

Canaan cut her off saying, "I know where he is."

Serenity dived at him and clutched his shirt exclaiming, "Where! Where is he, Canaan?!"

Kairi pried her off so that Canaan would have a chance to answer.

"Our visitor, last night…"

Kairi caught on quickly but since Serenity didn't hear he story she immediately assumed the worst, "You let someone kidnap my little brother!?"

"Serenity, calm down, we already know that he wasn't kidnapped and that he walked out by himself. If you let Canaan continue, then he can fill you in," Kairi reasoned.

"…Fine," Serenity huffed.

Canaan explained how the despair had come into the ship the night before, looking for Kairi but he caught her as she got in and before he could get rid of her, she escaped. She had said about not sensing his mind while she had been there.

"…And when I first met you, she had taken control of your minds and using you to attack Kairi. She probably used her mind control to take Jake. Children have very active minds, so he was probably having an intense dream which helped her find him. She knew we'd go looking for him and is probably using him to get Kairi to come so that she could take her," Canaan said.

Serenity digested Canaan's explanation and Kairi sighed.

"He was taken… Because of me," Kairi said sadly.

Her companions looked at her, but didn't say anything.

Laruen looked at the boy in front of her. His eyes looked lifeless as she held her control on him.

"Go and see your sister. Don't get too close but make sure she notices you and make her follow you back here. Now go!"

Jake lifelessly nodded and turned to leave.

Kairi, Skye, Serenity and Canaan walked around Second Miltia. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and Jake still wasn't anywhere to be found.

They finally made their way to the park where they first encountered the despairs on this planet. It was also the same as ever and Serenity was losing her patience.

Kairi heard a twig snap from the bushes and looked to see what it was. Canaan sensed her sudden movement and Serenity looked with some hope after she saw Canaan move.

There was a dark shadow and they all thought it was a despair. Kairi summoned the Oathkeeper, Canaan pulled out his red blade and Serenity pulled out her gun.

Kairi boldly called out, "Who's there?"

The shadow emerged, it was Jake.

"Jake!" Serenity called out before running to her little brother.

Jake merely stood there as Serenity grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. He showed no signs of comprehending the scolding that Serenity was giving him for taking off like his did and asking him if he was okay.

"Jake? Why aren't you saying anything?" Serenity asked as she pulled away from the younger boy.

Canaan took a surveying look at the boy and before he could react Jake had pushed away from Serenity and ran. Serenity ran after him but found difficulty keeping up with him. Kairi pulled Skye along and Canaan followed. They were hot on Serenity's tail, but they were losing ground on Jake and fast.

"When did he get so fast?" Serenity asked.

Canaan interjected, "I think the despair is controlling him. She may have probed him mind to move his legs faster.

Jake them into a building and was about to go through a door when Kairi aimed her keyblade at him and shouted, "Time stop!"

Jake froze and Serenity ran up to him, pulling his body to her and looking around.

"I see my pawn has brought you right where I want you," said a voice over the speakers.

The group looked around and it was Canaan that pointed to a black window that people on the other side could obviously see through on the other side.

"Get them, my loyal pawns!"

Despairs formed all around the group and stared closing in. Serenity leaned Jake against a wall and was joined by Kairi, Skye and Canaan, in an attempt to protect the child from the despairs that were closing in on them. Kairi pushed Skye over to Jake at the wall and said, "Skye, please stay there with Jake."

Skye looked the same as ever but something flashed through his eyes that told Kairi that he would. Kairi turned back to watch the despairs.

She lifted her keyblade and closed her eyes, focusing her determination to see Sora again, and to bring Skye to him. She held the keyblade straight out to her left with her right hand and then quickly swung it to the right, sweeping the front line of the despairs off their feet.

Serenity took the chance to shoot the fallen despairs while they were weak and Canaan started rushing the second line. Kairi followed and took them on with supporting fire from Serenity.

Kairi watched one of the last ones dissolve before her and she turned to look at Canaan to see a despair jump high into the air while he was busy with one that just wouldn't seem to die. Kairi knew she was too far away to run to him, so she threw her keyblade at the airborne despair.

Canaan finally beat the one he was working on and looked over his shoulder to see the despair coming from behind. He spun and held up his arms in defence, but the blow never came. He opened his eyes to see Kairi's keyblade returned to her and she smiled at him.

"Those weak fools… I'll deal with you myself!"

The group looked up at the sound of glass breaking and saw Lauren jump from the observation room. She landed with grace a few meters away.

Serenity sharply took aim and fired but Lauren was faster than that. She lifted up her hands and stopped the bullet in mid air. A soft clang echoed through the room when the bullet hit the ground.

"Too slow, sugar," mocked Lauren as she went for her next attack, which was directed at Canaan.

Canaan jumped to the side and lashed out his red blade, but Lauren had manipulated the gravity around them to stop anything from hitting her.

Kairi watched, not knowing what to do.

'If Sora were here, he would know what to do.'

Then, a picture flashed into her head of Sora casting a time spell to bring floating platforms down.

Kairi pointed the end of her keyblade at Lauren and thought of the time around her. Suddenly Lauren's movements slowed.

"What is this?" Lauren demanded.

Kairi charged for Lauren with a new look of determination and swung. Lauren's slowed movements prevented her from increasing the gravity to stop the keyblade from striking her. The Oathkeeper struck Lauren hard and she fell to the ground. Kairi jumped back and pointed her keyblade at her and a silver stream shot at Lauren, making her disappear.

"Silly, Princess, you cannot escape destiny."

And Lauren was gone.

Kairi, Serenity, Skye, and Jake stood at the bottom of the ramp of the Floating Kingdom and Canaan stood across from them.

"It's noticeably quieted down. That Despair, Lauren, must've been controlling all of the Despairs here. I think they'll be gone for a while," Canaan said.

"That's good," Kairi said.

"Well, that Sora guy wasn't here either," Serenity said, while holding the sleeve of her little brother's shirt, not wanting to have him run off again.

"Yeah…" Kairi sighed.

Canaan looked between the two girls. Skye stood behind Kairi and Jake was in front of Serenity. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Canaan. We'll have to come back sometime and see you again," Kairi said.

Canaan nodded, "Maybe I'll get to meet this Sora guy I've been hearing about."

"Yeah," Kairi smiled at the mere thought of Sora.

"Hey! I want to come too!" Jake said.

"You bet, buddy," Serenity said to her little brother.

"Well, we'll be going now. Take care, Canaan," Kairi said.

"Thank you and you too," Canaan said.

Canaan watched the group climb onto the Floating Kingdom. The engines roared to life and it took off.