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Chapter XII: The Curse of the Black Pearl
"Following your heart only works
if it is directed well by the Truth."
~Anonymous
Number X looked out over the misty and clouded bay in which the ship he stood upon was currently anchored. It was an excellent ship, sleek and dark, almost indistinguishable from the murky waters which surrounded it. He could hear screams of terror in the distance from the nearby port and he nodded in satisfaction: there were likely an immense effusion of Heartless taking advantage of the confusion. The purposes of Organization XIII were being well served here.
"Uh, mister, sir…" a cautious voice questioned. Number X turned to the dirty and ragged pirate who stood fearfully before him. "Ah, yes, ah, the captain just wanted to know that all was, uh, still well with those…y'know…"
Through the darkness of his hood, Number Ten watched the poor fool stumble through his words like an illiterate child. He removed a deck of cards from within his cloak and pulled out the top card. "If your Captain is inquiring as to the protection he currently resides under…" with a twitch of his wrist, the card flew past the trembling pirate and banished a small Heartless into darkness with its surprisingly sharp edges. "You may certainly assure him that all is sufficiently impregnable."
The pirate nodded, but Number Ten paid him no heed as beyond him, on the other side of the old ship, a young, decidedly non-pirate girl was being escorted on-board by the returning raiding party.
"Captain Barbossa!" the woman, as young as 18 or 20, had dark blonde hair and was clad in a thin, white dress which Number Ten knew would've have been exceedingly modest by the standards of others worlds, but in this one, likely inflamed the more animal-like instincts of these wanton pirates. Any such beastly instinct no longer resided within Number Ten, and for that, at least, he could imagine gratitude.
"Captain Barbossa!" the girl repeated, yelling into the mob of filthy pirates. "I have come here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal!"
Number Ten smiled briefly in the darkness of his hood. A girl after his own grammatical heart, if he had one.
"Now, Miss…" a rough, cackling voice responded from the upper deck. "There be lot of long words in there, and we're naught but humble pirates!"
Number Ten watched as the Captain of this vessel, Hector Barbossa, descended from beside the helm to stand on the deck across from the young woman. "What is it that ye want?"
"I want you to leave and never come back." She declared authoritatively, much to the laughter of the gathered crew.
Barbossa smirked, eyebrows raised. "Well, I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request."
Number Ten was certain he might've chuckled, had he any feeling to. For her part, the young woman looked confused. Barbossa continued with a bite to his tone, "Means no!"
The young woman nodded knowingly. "Very well, I suppose my parley was for nothing." She walked to the edge of the ship opposite Number Ten, starboard, and dangled a small, golden-chained medallion over the bay.
Barbossa chuckled. "Our holds be burstin' with swag—that bit of shine matters to us? Why?"
The woman glanced confusedly about. "It's what you've been searching for? I recognized this ship—I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England!"
Barbossa stepped forward and squinted, the young woman recoiling at his scent. "Did ya now?"
The girl shrugged. "Fine, I suppose if its worthless there is no point in keeping it—" she allowed the chain to drop a little in her hand and he gangly assortment of pirates reacted with a concentrated lunge forward, accompanied by a gasp. The woman smirked, satisfied. Number Ten absently slid his cards through his hands—she would be good at illusion.
"You have a name, Missy?" Barbossa asked, no longer amused.
"Elizabeth….Turner." the girl responded. "I am a maid in the Governor's household."
"Turner, ye say?" Barbossa inquired, as a small, frilled monkey crawled onto his shoulder. "and how does a maid come to own such a trinket? Family heirloom, perhaps?"
"I didn't steal it, if that is what you mean." Elizabeth responded curtly.
Barbossa glanced around the crew "Very well, ye hand it over and we will put yer town to our rudder a ne'er return!"
Elizabeth nodded, but before she could react, the monkey had deftly snatched the gold out of her hand and passed it along to Barbossa. After a moment's examination, Barbossa turned and began barking out orders to the assembled crew.
"Wait!" Elizabeth moved after him. "You have to take me to shore! According to the Pirate Code—"
Barbossa turned, nearly backhanding her in the process. "First, lassy, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement and so I must do nothing. Secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate code to apply and you're not. And thirdly-" Barbossa beckoned for two of his crewmen to grab Elizabeth by her arms and drag her below deck. "The code is more what ye might be callin' guidelines, than actual rules." As she vanished, he called out after her: "Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner!"
Number Ten turned back to look out at sea, eliminating another two Heartless with his cards. How was it that these men could operate without rules? No good game could exist without some sort of binding order! He spread three cards in his hand. No matters the prattling of these depraved fools—the King of Hearts would arrive soon.
Sora walked by himself through the streets of a wounded but recovering town, having once again left Donald and Goofy behind at the Gummi Ship—this time, however, he had taken a small radio-like device that they had found on the ship so that they might have some sort of communication. So far, he had discovered that this town was called Port Royal and that it had suffered an attack by Pirates just the night before. This was sobering for Sora, who had always had something of a romantic idea of pirates—the typical tales of swashbuckling adventure on the high seas; stories which were told so often back on the Islands.
He was reminded of the time back in Neverland spent on Captain Hook's ship, looking for Kairi. Back then, most of the pirates had been Heartless, so they didn't really count, but the evidence he saw before him of the pirate attack already told him that these were a different kind of pirate than even those in Neverland: Everywhere that Sora looked in the cramped town, a mix of shanties and square brick buildings, he saw complete destruction, as if somehow had picked the whole town up, shook it, and tossed it back to the ground. Windows were cracked and smashed, doors were broken open and hanging from their hinges, the streets were filled with rubble and….people?
Sure enough, lying spread out in the middle of the street was a young man with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and a hint of a goatee on his chin. He seemed to be asleep, and the town around him didn't seem to care about it, as they simply walked around—or over—his prostrate form.
Sora knelt down at his side and shook him. "Hey! You're right in the middle of the street!"
After his eyes fluttered, the man shot straight up, nearly knocking Sora over. Much to the confusion of passers-by, he began to yell. "Miss Swan! Elizabeth!"
"Hey, hey!" Sora grabbed him by the shoulders. "It's okay!"
The man blinked slowly before recognizing his surroundings. "It's…too late."
"Too late for what?" Sora asked.
"The pirates. They took Miss Swan!" the man said angrily and stood to his feet.
Not needing to know anything else, Sora offered his help. "Well, can't we go get her back?"
The man raised his eyebrow at Sora, "And why would you help me?"
Sora placed his hands on his hips. "Well, because you need it!" then more thoughtfully, "but also because I think we've been through some of the same stuff."
The man shrugged skeptically. "Well, my name is Will Turner."
"And I'm Sora!" Sora offered his hand, which Will took in a firm grip. "Where do we go first?"
Will immediately turned and began to walk toward the coast. "There is a notorious pirate being kept for execution who might be able to help."
Sora followed quickly after. "Uh…execution? For what?"
"For piracy, of course." Will responded absent-mindedly.
"But what do pirates do?" Sora asked, hoping that maybe the pirates who had raided this city were the exception.
Will seemed dumbfounded. "They pillage, they plunder, they destroy. They attack people to satisfy themselves and are, as a whole, an insult to civilized society."
"They really do all that?" Sora responded, disappointed that his ideal had been further smashed.
"And more." Will nodded. "Believe me, I know firsthand. The ship I came here on from England was attacked and destroyed by those bastards."
Sora opted not to ask about what 'England' was, so as not to give away that he wasn't from this world. "But so you guys…you kill them?"
"Of course we do. How else would you deal with a pirate?"
Sora didn't respond, and they continued to walk at a brisk pace in silence. These pirates were not at all what he been expecting. They were bad enough that these people thought they needed to kill them? Sora wasn't sure how he felt about that, but something about it seemed off to him. The evidence, though, was all around him—the destruction waged by these pirates was undeniable. But…execution?
"So who is this Elizabeth?" Sora asked after awhile.
"She's…" Will paused. "Miss Swan is the Governor's daughter. We met when we were both coming over from England. The pirates took her captive last night when they attacked" his voice became rougher, "I saw them dragging her to their ship…."
"I'm sure we'll get her back!" Sora encouraged, as they arrived at a stone fort that towered over the town. Huge holes and collapsed ramparts pointed to the destruction that had been wrought upon it by cannon fire. Soldiers in red stood at the ready all throughout the interior of the fort and Sora could hear the quick march of theirs boots inside.
"There!" Will pointed to one particular hole on the sea side of the fort's wall, nearly on a cliff face. "That hole should be right near the cells"
As Sora followed Will along the side of the fort, he asked, "Why not just walk in? It's not like you're the bad guy or anything, right?"
Will shook his head. "They wouldn't let me talk to this pirate. He's escaped too many times."
Sora raised an eyebrow, watching his footing as they shuffled along the cliff. "He must be pretty bad."
"The worst." Will affirmed, "Or, the best, depending on how you're looking at it."
The crumbling hole in the gray-stone wall was large enough to accommodate both Sora and Will. As they passed through it, they emerged into a dank hallway, beside a row of bars.
"Oi! And who is it that we've got 'ere?" someone called out.
"This is Jack Sparrow." Will jerked his thumb toward the cell.
Inside the rows of criss-crossed bars, Sora saw a man reclining atop the straw-covered ground. His tricorne hat rested nearly over his eyes, with only just a glint of sharp brown emerging from underneath. Skin dark around his eyes, Jack Sparrow's face was framed by a short beard that twisted into two tails at the bottom of his chin, while the rest of it was surrounded by long, matted and twisted dreadlocks, adorned with beads and trinkets, all reaching down past his chest. Otherwise, Sparrow wore a disheveled white shirt and dark pants, along with a heavy-looking, knee-length coat.
Will went straight to the point. "That ship, The Black Pearl, are you familiar with it?"
"I've heard of it." Jack responded, without moving his arms from where they lazily lay behind his head.
"Where does it make berth?" Will continued.
"Have you not heard the stories?" Jack responded, with immense disinterest evident in his voice. "The Black Pearl, crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil that hell I'self spat him back out, sails from the dreaded Isla de Muerta." He removed one hand from behind his head to examine his black nails. "'tis an island which cannot be found 'cepting by those who already know where it is."
Without pause, Will pushed forward. "The ship's real enough—therefore its anchorage must be a real place." He stepped closer to the cell. "I'll ask again—where is it?"
"Why ask me?"
"Because you're a pirate." Will responded with a bite in his voice.
Jack's eyes finally drifted over to Will and Sora. "And what, you and yours wish to turn pirate, eh?"
"Never!" Will declared defiantly, following by a mumbled "They…they took Miss Swan."
"Ah! So you did find yerself a girl!" a cheeky grin alighted on his face—obviously, this two had a history Sora was unaware of. "Well, if you are looking to hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady's heart, you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."
"C'mon, Jack!" Sora interrupted, "Will needs your help! You don't need to profit from it!"
Jack tilted his hat up and sat to his feet, obviously noting something Sora had said. "Who's your new friend? Seems the poor bloke hasn't been in the Caribbean long." He paused. "and it's Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please."
Sora was about to respond when Will sighed and turned away muttering. "Forget it, Sora, we'll find a different way…"
Just then, Jack spoke up again. "Eh, what was your name again, son?"
"Will Turner." Will said over his shoulder.
"Ah, that be short for William, I imagine? Good, strong name…" Jack paused. "No doubt named for your father, eh?"
That gave Will pause, too. "Yes."
"Uh-huh. Well, Mr. Turner, I've changed me mind." Jack stood to his feet and dusted his coat off. "If ye get me out of these bars, I swear on pain of death that I shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass." He reached a dirty hand through the cage's bars. "Do we have an accord?"
Will paused for a moment before returning the shake. "Agreed."
"Now then," Jack snatched his hand back. "How do ye intend to liberate me?"
"I think I can help with that!" Sora said, revealing the Keyblade. He pointed the weapon at the door's lock and, with a click, the latch released itself and the door swung open. Will gaped in surprise while Jack peered at the Keyblade with keen interest.
"How did you do that?" Will asked.
Sora laughed it off. "Just a special tool!"
Jack ran a finger down the blade as he walked from the cell. "Certainly lotsa special tools out there in the world…." He shook his head and walked back through the hole in the wall. "Firstly, we must be commandeering our own ship!"
"Commandeer?" Sora asked, following after him.
"He means we'll steal one." Will responded.
Sora's eyes widened, "Steal one?!"
" 'steal' is such a harsh word…" Jack waved his arms through the air. "We'll just be following our hearts…besides, it's all a good cause, eh?"
Will nodded reluctantly. Sora wasn't so sure. Maybe the heart isn't always the only thing someone should follow….
"Look, there's no other way? We have to steal someone's ship?" Sora prompted further.
"Quite sure, lad." Jack nodded as they left from the view of the fort and headed back down to the town. "Unless ye have a boat tucked away, in addition to that magical sword of yours?"
Sora paused, feeling the small radio in his pocket. "I, ah, actually just might!"
Jack raised an eyebrow, his fingers twitching absently. "Well, aren't you filled to bursting with surprises? What be your name, anyway?"
"My name is Sora," he replied, as he fished in his pocket for the device.
"Well, Zola…" Jack responded with a glimmer in his eye, "If ye've got a ship than ye've got me interest."
Number Ten stood quietly to the side of the cabin, still shuffling his cards, as Captain Barbossa shared a sumptuous meal with his new guest: Elizabeth Turner. Number Ten had been impressed when Elizabeth did away with propriety and began hungrily scarfing down the dark chicken meat and selections of fruits. Had he been able to, Number Ten was certain he would feel some sort of revulsion at how Barbossa watched Elizabeth eat-seemingly mesmerized by her voracity; his eyes clearly drinking up the image. Without that feeling though, Number Ten remained quiet.
Elizabeth finally looked up from her plate. "You have your trinket. I'm not further use to you—why not release me?"
Barbossa paused, rolling the golden face of the medallion between his thumb and index finger. "Ye don't know what this is, do ye?"
"It's a pirate medallion." Elizabeth responded between gulps.
Barbossa smiled slightly. "This be Aztec gold—one of eight-hundred-and-eighty-two identical pieces delivered in a stone chest to Cortez the conqueror 'imself." His tongue slid over his lips. "Blood money, paid to stem the slaughter he wrecked upon the natives with his armies." Elizabeth's eating slowed. "But the greed of Cortez was…insatiable…." Barbossa hovered over that word, elevating every syllable. "So the heathen gods placed upon the gold a terrible curse: Any mortal what removes but a single piece from that stone chest shall be punished for eternity."
Elizabeth snorted, and returned to her meat. "I hardly believe in ghost stories anymore, Captain Barbossa."
Barbossa nodded, "Aye, that's exactly what I thought when we were first told the tale: treasure buried on an Island of death what cannot be found except for them who already know where it is…." He pushed his chair back from the table. "But find it, we did. There be the chest…inside be the gold…and we took 'em all." he stood to his feet, one hand sliding across the food and drink toward Elizabeth. "We frittered them away on drink and food and….pleasurable company…." Barbossa stood behind her now. "But the more we gave 'em away, the more we realized…that drink would not satisfy; that food turned to ash in our mouths and all the pleasurable company in the world couldn't slake our lust." Elizabeth's eating slowed to a halt. Number Ten watched her slide a small butter knife from the table into her sleeve.
He said nothing as Barbossa continued, hands now on Elizabeth's shoulders. To her great credit in Number Ten's mind, she remained stoic. "We are cursed men, Miss Turner….compelled by greed we were, but now…we are consumed by it." His fingers gripped her tighter. Number Ten observed that the shadows in the hidden areas of the cabin began to shift and move, specks of yellow light appearing. "There is but one way we can end our curse…all the scattered pieces of the Aztec gold must be restored and the blood repaid…and this medallion—it be the final piece."
Number Ten purposed a smirk across his face. His Organization and these pirates had a great deal in common.
Elizabeth dabbed at her lips with her napkin. Voice steady, she inquired: "And the blood to be repaid?"
Barbossa grinned. "And that's why there be no sense in killin' ye. Yet."
In one fluid motion, Elizabeth leapt to her feet and plunged the butter knife deep into Barbossa's chest. He stumbled back towards the tall windows that outline the cabin, through which the moonlight streamed. He muttered back at Number Ten as he pulled the knife from his torso. "Fat lot of help you are!"
Number Ten shrugged and continued to slide his cards through his hands. Elizabeth gasped as Barbossa tossed the knife to the side, seemingly unaffected by her assault. "I am not among the living, girl, and so I cannot die—yet neither am I dead." Elizabeth backed up to the put the table between the two of them, as Barbossa's words became more impassioned. "For too long I've been parched with thirst and unable to quench it! For too long I've been starvin' to death and haven't died!" the darkness began to twist and turn, and distinct yellow eyes now bobbed. "I feel….nothing. Not the wind on my face…" he stepped toward Elizabeth, who was already holding another knife. "nor the spray of the sea…" another step, and Number Ten readied his hand. "nor the warmth of the woman's flesh…" he reached out toward Elizabeth, but just then, two dark forms leapt at Barbossa, grasping onto his shoulder and leg.
Trying to push the Heartless off, the pirate captain stumbled into the corner of the room bathed in the light of moon. As soon as the celestial rays fell upon him, his flesh vanished, revealing darkened, sickening bones and matted hair that hung in tufts from his head and chin. Rags of cloth dangled from his completely skeletal body, which one could see straight through from his ribs to his backbone. Elizabeth screamed, and Number Ten released two deftly aimed cards which struck the Heartless, releasing two small hearts that were swallowed by the darkness. The skeletal Barbosssa stood back up straight, righted his wide, feathered hat, and smiled with a bony jaw full of jagged teeth. "Ye best start believin' in ghost stories, Miss Turner-ye're in one!"
Elizabeth trembled and dashed for the door out of the cabin, but immediately floundered in reverse as the door was thrown open by a member of the crew who, halfway between shadow and moonlight, was equally halfway between enfleshed man and bony skeleton.
"Captain! Those demons be back assaulting the ship!" the pirate reported.
Barbossa stepped out of the moonlight and pocketed the medallion. "Well, then I be believing our benefactor here will be taking care of that, aye?"
Number Ten simply nodded, brandished a full spread of playing cards in each of his hands and walked out onto the main deck, no attention paid to the trembling Elizabeth.
It had taken some coaxing on Sora's behalf, but he had eventually convinced Jack and Will to climb atop the Gummi ship's wide outer hull, which was where the three of them now sat. They each were leaning up against curves in the ship's surface as it gently plowed through the late afternoon's calm sea, accompanied by a gentle but firm wind that rolled over the ship. They could've ridden inside the ship, of course, but Sora had felt that it might've raised too many questions—as it was, Jack was already constantly banging and knocking against the hull of the ship, seeking an advantage or some way to get inside of it.
It was a comfortable enough ride, Sora had to admit—the Gummi Ship was large enough to accommodate the three and its surface was rough and pitted enough that one could rest comfortably. Besides, wasn't this how actual pirates sailed the seas? Out in the open, wind in their faces?
"I'll tell ye, Zola…" Jack rolled over to sit beside the Keyblade Master, "I meself have sailed all the seven seas and more, savvy? Yet I've never once come across a ship such as this." He banged again on the hull, resulting in a metallic echo. "Now, what with this ship and your special key-sword there, I'd be hard-pressed to think that you've got any….natural origins, eh?"
Sora shrugged, leaning back with his hands cupped behind his head. "Like I said, I'm from very, very far away."
Jack smirked and reclined himself. "Eheh, even if ye told me, I certainly am not drunk enough to believe it."
Will, who had not said much so far on the hours-long journey, suddenly broke his sea-gazing. "Are we still on the right heading, Jack?"
Jack frowned and pulled out a small box-compass. He glared at it, a look of confusion passed across his face, which was soon replaced by confidence. "Certainly are, mate. Isla de Muerta is just yonder."
Will nodded and turned his attention to a small stone with which he was sharpening his sword. After a moment's thought, he glanced back over at Jack. "You know, Jack, I first came to the Caribbean to search for my father."
Sora wondered what had prompted Will to suddenly speak up—then again, it seemed like he had been thinking about this for awhile. Sora felt great sympathy for Will, knowing full well what it was like to lose a father. His mind began to drift slightly; they were at sea, too….
For Jack's part, he didn't even look up from a small coin he was rolling between his fingers. "Is that so?"
"My father, Will Turner." Will continued pointedly. "I'm no simpleton, Jack, it's only after you learned my name that you were agreed to help. You knew my father."
Jack turned his head to the side, looking out to sea in response to Will's declaration. After a moment, he replied. "Aye, I knew him. Probably one of the few what knew him as William Turner." His eyes rolled to study Will. "Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill."
Will's face registered surprise, and he stopped sharpening his sword. "Bootstrap?"
Jack nodded, returning his attention to the coin in his hand. "Good man. Good pirate. I swear, you look just like him."
Will's voice took on a tone of intensity, yet also insecurity. "That's not true! My father was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law!"
"He was a bloody pirate; a scallywag!" Jack responded, without much tone. Sora winced, brought back from his mental wanderings to the conversation. That was what his own father had been; a merchant travelling the Islands before…before he had been lost. Sora shook his head, and turned his full attention back to the conversation at hand, just in time to leap between Will and Jack as the former had gotten to his feet and pointed his blade at Jack. "My father was not a pirate!"
"Hey, c'mon, guys-"
Jack continued without looking up. "Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again."
Just then, the Gummi ship hit an abnormally large wave which shook the ship and forced Will to fall to his seat. He sheathed his sword and returned to his sea-ward vigil. "You didn't beat me before…you ignored the rules of engagement." He mumbled. "In a fair fight, I'd kill you."
"Doesn't give me much incentive to fight fair then, now does it?" Jack responded.
"Why is it such a big deal if your father was a pirate anyway, Will?" Sora asked. "That doesn't have to have anything to do with you!"
Without looking back, Will responded. "Because that means the blood of a pirate flows in my veins. It means I am connected with this life of wanton villainy."
"Ah, you hurt me feelings, mate." Jack snorted. "You and yours have such a small view."
"What do you mean, Jack?" Sora asked, curious.
Jack pulled his tricorne hat down over his eyes and gestured widely out to sea. "It's freedom, mate. It's about living on the edges, with no King nor Commodore shoving ye down…" he peeked out from under the edge of the hat, clicking absently at his compass. "It's about followin' your heart, savvy?"
"Right." Will responded. "Following your heart right into whatever debauchery and destruction it desires."
Jack chuckled before closing his eyes. "Never said me heart was good, mate. It just wants its freedom."
"Don't you think you can have too much freedom?" Sora quietly asked.
"Never been such a thing as too much freedom, Zola." Jack responded, making the last comment before the conversation lapsed into silence. Sora thought about this, but all that rang in his mind was the deep and dark voice of Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, standing on the edge of the receding island at the End of the World.
"To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison—surrounded by water."
Sora nearly gagged of the memory of that man, evil incarnate, and all the horrible things he had caused. Ansem had of course, though, been talking about Riku. It had been Riku who had so desperately wanted to leave the islands and seek freedom in other worlds—and it had been Riku who had let the darkness in, close enough that it could extinguish the Islands.
"So this boy sought to escape from his prison…and so he opened his heart to darkness"
Riku had been following his heart, too, Sora realized, except that he had followed it into darkness. Riku had wanted so much freedom, that darkness seemed like the only way. Sora shuddered—he hoped that wasn't what Jack was talking about. Sora decided then that it wasn't just following your heart that mattered, but following it the right way—to the light. Thankfully, Riku had also found light in the end that he could turn to, when he helped to close the door to Kingdom Hearts…Sora's thoughts lingered there, replaying the memorized moment when Riku's bright cyan eyes looked into his as they worked together to close the door. The last look shared between friends, and his last words.
"Take care of her."
The memory at once warmed his heart and saddened him. It had been at that moment when their relationship, Sora's longest friendship, had been repaired. That look from Riku was all that Sora needed in order to believe that they were friends again. Yet, the memory was also sad because hadn't even had time to say goodbye to his recovered friend-and now, here he was, still looking for Riku. Sora knew, though, for certain, that he would find him. If only because Riku would be looking for him, too, of course!
The light breeze that blew across the Gummi ship transported Sora through space and time to their younger years on the Islands, sailing out to sea themselves in their own makeshift rafts. The same breeze blew out there, too. Each raft was better than the last, as they pursued the ultimate ship that would take them far away. Sora smiled slightly at the memory and wondered if they could've guessed that he'd end up here, sitting on top of this spaceship, gliding through the waters of another world entirely. So much had changed since then-
"Oi! Zola! Look sharp!" Sora was startled out of his reverie by the snap of Jack's fingers, leaning in far closer to Sora than he was comfortable with. He could smell the terrible scent of Jack's breath as the eccentric pirate further threatened his personal space with his waving arms. "We be closin' in…"
The Isle itself was made up entirely of rocks that jutted up from the sea, unlike any of the green and luscious islands Sora knew back home. It was, essentially, one enormous rock cave that seemed to almost float atop the ocean, protected by towers of stone that served to block entrance at every point. Led expertly by Jack, though, they had navigated the ship close enough to the Isle for Jack, Will and Sora to jump to land, and Jack now continued to lead them deeper into the Isle's main cavern.
As Jack led them quietly, a rough voice began to echo through the tunnels. "Punished we were, the lot of us—disproportionate to our crimes!" Sora look to Will and Jack, neither of whom appeared concerned. "And here it is—the cursed treasure of Cortes himself! Every last piece that went astray, we have returned, save for this!"
Jack put a finger to lips as he beckoned Sora and Will forward to look through a small crack in the rocks. As Sora peered in, he was first struck by the enormous amounts of gold, jewels and treasure that lay in immense piles all around the rotund cavern, some half submerged in the still pools of water that littered the cave floor. The only place Sora had ever seen greater wealth was in the treasure rooms of the Cave of Wonders; and just like he had there, he knew Donald would love it here! Apparently, these pirates had been pirating for a long time. The pirates themselves, a small army of ragged and dirty persons, were gathered around a hill of rocks that sprouted up from the center of the rotund cavern.
Atop the pile of rocks sat a rectangular stone chest. Beside it stood a tall pirate with a scraggly beard and a large, round hat which was topped with a feather. A monkey sat on his shoulder. He held the wrist of a young woman with long, dark blonde hair, who was tugging unsuccessfully at his grip. Immediately upon seeing this, Sora and Will both started forward, but Jack grabbed each by the arm and held them back.
"Gents, please!" he whispered, "We must wait for the opportune moment."
Will's face twisted in anger, but he remained silent.
"Is that the Captain?" Sora asked, "And Elizabeth?"
Jack and Will nodded simultaneously. "Hector Barbossa," Jack added, hand again waving close to Sora's face. "Very nasty bastard; mutineer, y'know."
Barbossa continued speaking, "We had eight-hundred and eighty-one pieces, but we despaired of ever finding the last—but yet, fate be smilin' upon us today, boys!" he hoisted a golden medallion high in one hand as the crowd of pirates cheered.
"Jack, c'mon, why can't we go in there now?" Sora asked, "I could take those guys!"
Jack covered a snort, "If ye wish to tangle with the dead, Zola, then you are welcome to be my guest." Sora's confusion must have been evident because Jack continued, "These be cursed men—they cannot die, ne're even be hurt, so long as that last little piece o' gold remains outside of that lovely chest."
Sora nodded, only somewhat understanding. He wished they had let him in on some of this before now…
"Begun by blood—" Barbossa's voice echoed through the cavern, as he slid a knife across Elizabeth's palm. "By blood, undone!"
Will darted forward again as the blood dripped from Elizabeth's hand, but Jack caught him by the arm just in time. Across the cave, Sora could barely hear her exclaim "That's it?" in a mix of surprise and relief.
Barbossa responded with a yellowed grin, "Waste not!" before dropping the blood-covered medallion. The gold piece fell into the chest with a quiet clink, and Barbossa let go of Elizabeth and closed his eyes, seeming to concentrate very hard. After a few moments, one of the gathered pirates spoke up:
"Did it work?"
Another piped up, "I don't feel no different! 'Ow do we tell-"
Barbossa rolled his eyes, drew his pistol and shot the talkative pirate through his chest. Sora cringed at the sharp sound, as did the pirate—but he didn't react otherwise, nor did he collapse or bleed or react in any other way whatsoever. Sora couldn't believe it—Jack was right, these guys really couldn't be hurt.
A murmur began to arise among the pirates. "It didn't work!"
"The curse is still upon us!" one cried.
"He shot me!" the 'wounded' one exclaimed.
"We ain't shoulda ever mutinied ole Captain Jack…." At that, Sora saw Will's eyes widen in surprise—were they talking about Jack…?
Barbossa's voice rang out above the din, as he turned back to Elizabeth, "You, maid! Your father, what was his name?!" He snatched her by the wrist and pulled her close to him, dangling the retrieving medallion before her eyes. "Was your father William Turner?"
Sora saw Elizabeth smirk, "No."
Just then, Sora turned to see Will dive upon Jack, twist his arm behind him and hold his sword to his neck.
"Will!? What are you doing?!" Sora exclaimed, bringing forth the Oathkeeper Keyblade.
"I'm not going to be your leverage, Jack!" Will muttered into his ear, as Jack began to stumble through his words.
"What are you talking about, Will?" Sora asked again, bringing the Keyblade up to a ready stance, just in case.
"You heard them, Sora." Will motioned to the cavern. "They are actually looking for me; they want my blood, Turner blood. And Jack here wants his ship back, the one they mutinied from him—that's how he knew so much about the Black Pearl and its crew!" he spat on the ground, "Don't you see? They're all bloody pirates."
Sora's mind began to process the details—so these cursed pirates, who used to work for Jack, needed Will's blood to break their curse, and Will thinks Jack was going to trade him for his ship? What was wrong with these people? "Jack…" Sora started, "Is that…true?"
Jack squirmed as he glanced back at Will, before offering a half smile and a shrug, "Welcome to Caribbean?"
Just then, a loud clap was heard and Sora turned quickly to see Elizabeth tumble from the stone hill, Barbossa's hand out as if he had just backhanded her hard enough that she had been knocked over.
"Elizabeth!" Will exclaimed, still gripping Jack tightly.
Sora glanced back and forth, "What do we do?"
Will thought for a moment. "We create the opportune moment," and without a pause, he shoved Jack through a slit in the stone wall and out into the cavern. Before Sora could even react, Will then dashed off toward the back of the cavern, likely to get at Elizabeth easier.
"You!" a pirate exclaimed, laying eyes on the newly arrived Jack, "You're supposed to be dead!"
Barbossa's eyes registered surprise. "Jack? How in the blazes did you get off that Island?"
Sora groaned-now what should he do? Go after Will? Protect Jack? Why could no one work together here?
Jack quickly regained his composure and strode toward the pirate captain with confidence. "You see, Hector, when you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate—I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!"
Barbossa snorted and bowed courteously. "Ah, well, I won't be makin' that mistake again." He gestured toward Jack, "Gents, ye all remember Captain Jack Sparrow? Kill 'im."
Well, Sora figured, that decided it. As all the weapons in the room were levied toward Jack, Sora knew what he had to do. With a run, he dove into the cavern, rolled across the ground, and stood to his feet between Jack and the rest of the pirates. "Avast! Not so fast!" he yelled, in the most pirate-y voice he could muster, based on all of his two serious experiences.
The cursed pirates looked dumbfounded at Sora. Barbossa laughed, roughly and heartily. "And who be this boy roped in with ya, Jaaaack?" he slurred the pirate's name.
Sora felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Jack, totally unperturbed, smile a polite smile before gently pushing Sora to the side and walking closer to Barbossa. "The girl's blood didn't work, did it?"
Barbossa's eyes narrowed. "And?"
Jack smirked. "I know whose blood ye need."
"No, Jack! Don't do it!" Sora exclaimed—he couldn't believe that Will had been right, and Jack was intending to betray them! He had at least held out a little hope for the man's honesty.
Jack glanced back over his shoulder at Sora, "Zola, you take life far too seriously." He turned back to Barbossa, "Aye, Hector, I was, in fact, so generous as to bring the son of ole' Bootstrap Bill 'imself right along with me to your little happy home!"
"And that be the boy there?" Barbossa inquired, his dark, yellow eyes glinting dangerously over to Sora.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no—no!" Jack shook his head furiously, "He's just an idealist with too much time on 'is hands. No, I've got the real son of Bootstrap Bill—and, just as a bonus, I can get that medallion back, too!"
"What are you prattling—" Barbossa's face registered confusion, until he turned back to see that Elizabeth had vanished, along with the blood-covered medallion. Barbossa roared and a din began to build up among the gathered pirates, who still held their weapons at a ready.
"So ye be telling me, Jack…" Barbossa spoke through gritted teeth, "That ye can bring me the son of Bootstrap Bill Turner and me stolen medallion? And what be in it for you, you sneaky-son-of-a-"
"Well, me life, for starters-" Jack interjected, examining cautiously the weapons still trained on him.
"And what's to keep ye from running soon as ye life leave this cavern?" Barbossa questioned, "Perhaps if I were to threaten your friend 'ere, you be more acquiesced to return?" he lifted his pistol to point at Sora.
"Hey, look—" Sora started; this was getting more serious by the minute, and he could barely keep track of it.
Jack glanced back at Sora, his face blank. "It's not like I particularly care, mate."
Sora's heart dropped, his jaw fell and he didn't know what to say. For all the worlds he had visited, every single time he had connected with someone who became a friend, who helped him and he helped them—but Jack was definitely something different, and Sora couldn't deny that it stung.
"Ah, well, ye won't be minding then if I just—" Barbossa cocked his pistol and pulled the trigger. Sora winced as the shot rang out, but the bullet never reached him. Instead, if he wasn't mistaken, an oversized playing card knocked the speeding bullet from the air.
If Sora thought he didn't know what to say before, he certainly had no clue now.
"But I am afraid I would be quite distressed to suffer the loss of my dear associate." A sharply proper voice interjected. Sora gasped as, out from the shadows of the cave, emerged a member of Organization XIII, black coat and all. "And please, Captain Barbossa, do not beleaguer yourself with apprehensions regarding the return of the good Captain Jack Sparrow." The organization member absently fanned a set of cards out in his hand, "My humble recommendation is to send an accompaniment of your most excellent crew along with him so as to ensure his dutiful obedience."
Barbossa nodded, "Pintel, Ragetti—why don't ye accompany Jack. Make sure he returns to us, promises fulfilled, eh?"
Two particularly ugly looking pirates emerged from the crowd and, each grabbing an arm, escorted Jack from the cavern. As they were exiting, Sora raised the Keyblade toward the calm Organization member. "What do you want?" he asked, threat evident in his voice.
All around the room, the sounds of clicking pistols and unsheathed swords were directed at Sora.
Barbossa smiled as he climbed down from the stone hill and reclined amidst a pile of gold covered in fine linens, "You best not be threatening our good benefactor, boy. I have no want of facing those demons on me own."
The member of the Organization waved away the pirates. "Come now, Sora, you are quite outnumbered by these undead rapscallions and I can only throw so many cards at a time." He gestured to a pile of stones beside him, "Please, have a seat. We have time to spare until Jack Sparrow returns."
Sora, still not sure what to think, cautiously moved toward the Organization member, Keyblade held high, and slowly took the offered seat. Gradually, the rest of the pirates lowered their weapons and began to mill around, absently examining their horded gold or getting into violent scuffles with each other.
Sora looked up at the dark hood of the Organization, unable to make out any features that lay underneath it. What was going on? Why was this guy not attacking him? Why had he rescued him? And why had Jack betrayed Will and Elizabeth so easily?
The organization member sighed. "What a disreputable, disagreeable, disgusting lot, would you not agree, Keyblade Master?"
Sora didn't respond. He simply tapped the Keyblade against the floor, waiting for that 'opportune moment'. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted a crumpled piece of paper sticking out from between two vases. Recognizing it as an Ansem Report, he quickly snatched it and shoved it into his pocket.
"Come now, Sora, this is hardly personal. I aspire to a simple conversation." The sharp, precisely-toned man continued.
Sora paused. Maybe this would be a good way to get some intel on the Organization. "Well, it's tough to talk to someone when I can't see their face or know their name." he responded.
"Ah!" the man responded. "With that I can certainly sympathize—and, luckily, it is something easily rectified."
In one smooth flip, the cards in his hand vanished and the Organization member tossed his hood down. Close-cropped light blonde hair covered his head and stretched down his cheeks, almost reaching the thin goatee that rounded his mouth. Sharp eyebrows angled down over his grey-blue eyes and each of his ears were pierced several times through with different rings and circuits. The man smiled and brought his deck of cards back to his hand with another flick. "My name is Luxord, the Gambler of Fate and Number X of Organization XIII."
Sora, somewhat shocked that this guy had given up so much information, just nodded. "And you know about me already, I guess?"
Luxord smiled wider. "We most certainly do. We have been observing you for an inestimable period."
"Why?" Sora asked, determined eyes staring into Luxord's unconcerned ones. "What do you want?"
Luxord flipped a card between his fingers. "You make a many layered query, Keyblade Master. While it is far too early to surrender the whole game and give up the objective of our Organization, I will divulge to you my purpose for being on this particular world: You see, the Heartless hunger, insatiably, for the hearts of these depraved buccaneers—particularly that of the Hector Barbossa." With a swift card toss, Luxord cast back into the darkness a Heartless shadow that Sora hadn't even noticed appear, "and that simpleton Witch emboldens this natural predisposition in order to acquire, for herself, undead Heartless who thus cannot be eliminated." He paused, "This, of course, would be utterly counterintuitive to our objective and, thus, must be opposed at every juncture."
"So what are you saying? You actually want the Heartless to be destroyed?" Sora challenged, even if he was still somewhat confused.
Luxord grinned again. "In a sense. But now you have twice interrogated me. Allow me to inquire something of you: with the odds stacked so soundly against you, why do you continue to press onward?"
Sora paused, watching two pirates get into a fistfight across the cave as the uncaring Barbossa looked on. "Because I care about my friends and they need me."
Luxord glanced around the cavern. "Come now, I see no friends of yours present. Surely you are not referring to unstable characters that you have only just met?"
Sora nodded—even if he didn't understand why they had to be so distrusting, he wanted to help right Will, Elizabeth and Jack's troubles, too.
"That is…fascinating." Luxord stroked his goatee, "But you have always been a fascinating one, Keyblade Master. I freely admit that the decisions you make seem utterly foolhardy to me."
"Maybe if you had a heart you would understand." Sora responded, shortly.
Luxord snorted. "Perhaps."
After another short quiet, Sora spoke up again. "You know, we'll stop you; whatever it is you're planning."
A fake smile stretched across Luxord's face. "Is that so? What deceptions have been presented to you regarding the Organization? We oppose the Heartless, just as you yourself do."
Sora stood to his feet, staring down Luxord with a fire in his eyes. "No, not like we do. You hurt people, the people at Hollow Bastion! China! Beast!"
"Ah, 'hurt'." Luxord flipped through his cards, "Do you not think that is a matter of perspective?"
"No, no I don't." Sora replied, voice hard.
Luxord chuckled, or, at least, Sora guessed that must be what it was, because he had never heard such a hollow sound before, "Perhaps if I but had a heart, I might be inclined to accede."
Sora shook his head, tapping the Keyblade slowly against the ground in front of him. "Maybe you shouldn't need a heart to know that it's wrong."
"Conceivably." Luxord quickly turned and eliminated another growing Heartless before glancing over his shoulder at Sora, "But it would certainly be of help."
Captain Jack Sparrow rolled his eyes as he listened, with mild annoyance, to the conversation Will Turner and his bonnie lass Elizabeth were having, just sitting out here in the misty dark behind a spit of rock. He had been just about to burst in on their little powwow, but then Will had started to talk about him.
But of course they were! Who wouldn't be talking of the great Pirate Lord Jack Sparrow?
"—what sort of man would trade another man's life for a ship?" Elizabeth exclaimed, disgust evident in her voice. Jack frowned—clearly this girl hadn't paid close attention to the ship in question!
"Pirate." Will responded, equally disgusted, before reaching out to take her hand, which she had been trying to bandage with a bit of ripped cloth, "Here, let me."
Jack nearly snorted at the overwrought scene. Just kiss her and get it over with! He waved off Barbossa's two idiots who were standing back at a distance from where Will and Elizabeth had escaped to, about fifty yard from Zola's special ship.
Jack had considered just taking that, but if he a shot at getting the Pearl back…well, that special ship was slim pickings, to his mind.
"You said you gave Barbossa my name as yours—why?" Will was asking, when Jack's attention returned to their, in his mind, boring conversation.
"I don't know—" Elizabeth started, before wincing in pain.
Will paused, apologetically. "I'm sorry, Blacksmith's hands—I know they're rough."
"No…" Elizabeth shook her head, "I mean, yes, they are, but don't…don't stop…"
Will smiled slightly before returning to his work. Jack figured that their conversation would not regard him anytime soon and so stepped into sight, nearly causing Will to pull his sword on him again.
"Oi! Listen close now!" Jack started quickly, knowing Will would likely not give him much chance to speak, "ournewotherworldlyfriendhasgotten'imselfintoabitofapickleandisinneedofourassistance."
Will raised an eyebrow, confused, as Elizabeth looked on, even more so.
"Alsothosepirates—"Jack beckoned behind him, his speech slowing, "They'll be coming after you till you be giving 'em back that little trinket, eh?" he pointed to the medallion that Elizabeth held tightly, "Additionally, I may've promised to bring back the Turner that they be needing and so me own head rests on the chopping block as well, savvy?"
Will snorted, "And you expect me to help you?
"Will, don't you think, if your friend needs help—" Elizabeth started.
"Yes, yes, listen to the lady!" Jack interrupted, "I am in need of a bit of—"
"I was speaking of that strange boy." Elizabeth counter-interrupted.
Jack feigned a hurt expression before continuing, "Aye, well, I'm not asking you to just be helping anyone, y'see, I'm asking you to be helping yourself by helping the boy by helping me help the…unpleasant fellows over there." Jack pointed back to the two fools, and Will again showed confusion, "Think about it, mate, we all want to be getting' off this Island alive, and by my count, there are only two ships." He pointed to the strange one, "That one likely won't be moving without Zola, who is currently in the hands of the good Captain Barbossa, and the Pearl is currently under command of the very same." He leaned in closer, "So what say you come back with me, let a little blood, return that bit 'o gold and everyone goes home happy, eh?"
"Are you seriously suggesting we help those barbarians?" Elizabeth said testily.
"Regrettably," Jack shrugged, "'tis the only way you'll get them to stop chasing you." He glanced between the two, ready to drive his point home with some emotional pleas. "And that poor Zola was looking so disheartened by your leaving him behind, so to speak."
Will grit his teeth. "Fine, but only for Sora's sake, Jack. You had better have a plan."
Jack smirked, "C'mon, mate, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! Now just come along with me." He grabbed Will roughly by the arm and pulled him forward, mind already running through plans, and out from the protection of the rocks toward the pirates. "My dear," he spoke to Elizabeth, as he snatched the medallion from her, "I suggest that you be sneaking around behind, just in case we are in need of some assistance."
Elizabeth nodded shortly and disappeared in the opposite direction, across the rocky cliff face.
Jack turned and whispered to Will as they approached the two pirates, "Just…please, don't do anything stupid."
"Oi, Jack! Ye actually made good on yer promise fer once!" the first pirate, Pintel, the bastard, mocked.
"Ironic talk for a mutineer," Jack smiled, leaning in close. If he wasn't already dead, he'd of killed him.
Ragetti spoke up, "Y'know, Pintel, I do think Jack 'ere's got a point—"
"Aw, shaddup!" Pintel responded, grabbing Will's other arm, tearing him from Jack's grasp and dragging him along toward the cave. "So you be the son of Turner, eh?"
Will nodded, "You knew William Turner?"
Pintel grinned with rotted, yellow teeth. "Aye, we knew ole Bootstrap Bill." He stroked his dirtied chin, "Never sat well with Bootstrap what we did to Jack," he looked, somewhat awkwardly at Jack, "the mutiny and all…he said it wasn't right with the Code."
"In his defense, I can certainly say it didn't sit well with me neither." Jack interjected.
Pintel continued, ignoring Jack. "That's why 'e sent off a piece of the treasure to ye, as it were. He told'us that we deserved to be cursed." He spat on the ground, "And remain cursed."
"Stupid blighter." Ragetti added, angered.
"Good man." Jack added, not sure whether he meant it or if he said it just to irk Pintel and Ragetti. Either way, he could tell that Will wasn't enjoying the conversation.
"Well, as you imagine, that didn't sit too well with the Captain." Pintel smirked.
"Not too well with the Captain, t'all!" Ragetti interrupted, "Tell 'im what Barbossa did!"
"I'm tellin' the story!" Pintel slapped Raggeti's skull, as he shoved Will forward into the outer caves. "So what the Captain did, well, he strapped a cannon to Bootstrap's boostraps."
Ragetti giggled, "Bootstrap's bootstraps…"
Jack glanced away, not interested in seeing Will's reaction.
"And the last we saw of ole' Bill Turner, he was sinking to the crushin' black oblivion of Davy Jones' Locker." He smirked at the memory. A snarl crossed Will's features and he dove at Pintel.
Jack wondered what part of "don't do anything stupid" Will didn't understand, before grabbing him by the shoulder, turning him and landing a sucker-punch in his gut. Will's breath exploded from his mouth and he doubled over. Jack grabbed him by the chin and looked him straight in the eye.
"Nothing. Stupid."
He tossed Will back toward Pintel, who dusted himself off, spat again at Will, and finished his story. "o course, only after that we learned we learned we needed his damned blood to lift the curse."
Ragetti nodded, "Now that's what you call ironic."
Will, with no breath to respond, said nothing as they approached the central cavern. Jack nervously rubbed a coin that was strung through one of his dreadlocks—this could work, but everyone just needed to play along…could he have gauged anyone wrong? He smiled briefly to himself. Of course not, after all, he was Captain Jack Sparrow.
Sora and Luxord's conversation had long lapsed into silence, and Sora had spent the intervening time trying to plan out an escape. There were just so many of these pirates…and with Luxord hanging around, how was he supposed to—just then, Sora saw the group of pirates part and Will was shoved through their midst, toward Barbossa, while Jack followed meekly behind. He had really captured Will and brought him back here?! What was Jack's deal? The unbalanced pirate stumbled his way over to stand beside Sora and watched as Will was pulled up beside the Captain and the chest. In the darkness behind them, Sora thought he noticed a hint of movement.
"Jack," Sora whispered, "What are we going to do?"
"Nothing." Jack responded. "Just wait."
"But—" Sora began, before Barbossa interrupted.
"Begun by blood—" he exclaimed, holding Will's arm high, with the medallion in one hand and a knife in the other. "By blood, undon-"
"You don't want to be doing that, mate!" Jack suddenly yelled out over the growing chant of the pirates, smirk across his face at having frustrated Barbossa again.
Sora could see Barbossa roll his eyes as he glanced over at Jack, "Aye? And why don't I want to be doing it?"
"Because," Jack smirked, glancing over to where Luxord stood, beside Barbossa. "If'n you do, I'll be killing Zola here."
Before Sora could react, Jack had his arm twisted behind him and held the cold tip of his pistol to his temple. Sora was dumbfounded as he wriggled against Jack, pain shooting up his arm from the lock. What was this guy's problem? Did he just have to betray everyone?! As he struggled, he noticed the darkness around the edges of the cavern began to encroach further into the cave.
"And you think I be caring about the boy, why?" Barbossa showed a toothy grin.
"I know not a speck of your black heart gives a damn," Jack smirked in response, "But I also know that your mysterious benefactor cares a great deal, savvy?"
Barbossa glanced down at Luxord, "Aye, and why doesn't he be showing ye what he be capable of?"
A self-assured smile returned to Luxord's face as he climbed the pile of rock and gold to stand beside the Captain. As he climbed, he clapped. "Well-done, Captain Sparrow." He applauded, "You truly are an unparalleled player, manipulating every angle possible." He now stood between Barbossa and Will. "Unfortunately, you lack integral knowledge necessary to comprehending the larger game at work here—and I am simply superior at it."
With one smooth motion, Luxord's cards cut Will across the hand and broke the chain that held the medallion in the air. Before anyone could move, faster than Sora thought was possible, Luxord had snatched the medallion, smeared it with Will's blood, and dropped it into the chest. Everyone looked on in stunned silence for a moment, before the first pirate screamed as a Heartless reached through his chest and dug out his heart.
Immediately, the room collapsed into chaos as the now mortal pirates realized they were also in immediate mortal danger. Sora saw Barbossa gape at Luxord, who simply bowed deeply at the waist and, with a flourish, vanished into a portal of darkness. Sora gaped; even more betrayals! So Luxord had just been waiting for the pirates to become mortal again so he could unleash the Heartless on them! Sora wasn't sure whether to feel grateful or angered; but as he looked around at the pirates being swarmed and eaten alive by the Heartless, he definitely leaned toward the latter.
As the Heartless multiplied, plunging the cavern into a fierce battle between the pirates and the living darkness, Jack released Sora to stab at an approaching Heartless with his sword.
Sora called the Keyblade to his hand and eliminated another one of the twitchy, yellow-eyed beings. "Would you really have killed me?" he yelled to Jack over the din.
Jack shrugged as he slashed at another Heartless, "Severely incapacitate at worst, mate."
Sora groaned and rolled underneath a large, shadowy Heartless with twisted fingers that had leapt at him. He couldn't wait to get out of here and back to people who he could trust…be really missed Donald and Goofy.
Sora saw Will, through the conflict, take up a fallen sword just in time to deflect an attack from Barbossa, who slid down the glittering pile of rock and gold to swing at the young man. Jack dashed past Sora, charging directly for Barbossa, leaving Sora to turn and face a swarm of Heartless. As he dove under one, slashing it in half, Sora drove the Keyblade straight down through another of the creatures. Ripping the Keyblade from the ground, Sora twisted and sliced through another Heartless, simultaneously calling out multiple blizzard spells, which banished another half-dozen back into clouds of darkness.
Sora smirked to himself, satisfied at the mental strength he still had even after casting so many spells so quickly—it was once that he couldn't even perform one without nearly fainting! Another twist and thundara spell and Sora noticed that the room was looking emptier and emptier. The few pirates who had escaped from the Heartless had abandoned the cavern in fear, leaving Barbossa expertly fending off both Jack and Will's swords. Sora marveled to himself as the three seemed to almost dance across the cavern in some complex choreography of slashes, parries and jabs, trailed by a cadre of Heartless that crawled after them.
Sora twisted and cut through two more Heartless as the three began to ascend a small slope that was carved out of the walls of the cavern. With a particularly precise twist, Barbossa elbowed Will to the chin, who stumbled back and fell over the edge of the ascension. He landed hard on his back, breath clearly leaving him, as Jack and Barbossa continued their duel unabated.
"Will, are you okay?" Sora dashed over to him and shook him gently.
Will hacked, "I'm—I'm alri—"
Just then a lone shot rang out, echoing through the cavern. Sora glanced up to see Jack, smoking pistol pointed at Barbossa. The Captain stood at a distance, eyes wide as his white shirt became dampened by a circle of red.
"The one shot, eh?" he gurgled slowly.
Jack nodded brusquely; almost a shrug. "Aye."
Barbossa stumbled forward, almost as if to plunge his sword at Jack again with the last of his energy, but the Heartless grasped upon one of his leg, tripping him to the ground. Sora winced as another Heartless materialized from the dark around him as another grasped at his arm. Barbossa let out of yelp, cut short as he was utterly covered in darkness. The room was silent for a moment, as the remained Heartless twitched in place, seeming to sniff the air.
"Well that was—" Jack started, only to be interrupted by an eruption of darkness from where Barbossa had stood. Sora readied the Keyblade, knowing he should've expected something more as he remembered when Clayton or Maleficent were taken by the Heartless.
A tall, floating form slowly appeared from the dark. It was thin and wispy at the bottom, twisting in reds and white above the ground. The Heartless black heart, criss-crossed in red, centered its torso as its chest twisted up into a long beck, seemingly armored in hardened darkness. Its head was ridged like a fan, with two twisted black appendages emerging from either side of it. Of course, two yellow eyes glared out hungrily from sunken sockets, and two long, armored arms twitched out to its sides, one of which held a long pole tipped with a sharp, half-moon blade.
"Well that's…interesting." Jack gazed up at the Heartless, stunned.
"It's Barbossa's Heartless!" Sora exclaimed.
Jack glanced over at him, "I'll have to take your word for it, mate." And leapt down to stand beside Sora, just as Will also stood. The large Heartless twisted in the air and swung its long blade in their direction. A blast of wind blew across the cavern, knocking Sora, Jack and Will from their feet and tossing them across the cavern. After coming up from his roll, Sora watched as the Heartless began to float toward the medallion chest, which still sat open in the center of the cave.
"It's going to take the gold!" Sora exclaimed.
"Unless we stop it!" Will added, charging forward.
Jack snorted, "Brave man, stupid, but brave."
"Will you help us, Jack?" Sora turned to him, smiling hopefully. Maybe there was something in him—
Jack swung his blade, testing it. "Aye, I suppose I might just owe you that."
Sora nodded in acknowledgement and turned with Jack toward the Heartless. The great monster raised its curved scythe and brought it down toward Sora, who jumped to the side just before it crashed into the ground, sending up a spray of gold and precious coins.
Meanwhile, Will and Jack succeeded in moving close to the Heartless and had begun to attack its lower half with their rapiers. As it pulled its half-moon scythe back, Sora grabbed onto the long, smooth hilt and was lifted up with its weapon. Just as the Heartless began to twist the blade for a strike, Sora dropped from his position above and fell toward the Heartless' head, which he hacked at in several blows as he dropped toward the ground.
The monster roared and flew back, swinging its scythe wildly. The long hilt connected with Jack and Will, knocking them far to the side of the cavern, before another blow swung toward Sora, who blocked the razor-sharp scythe edge with the Keyblade. He felt his feet sliding across the slick rock as he pushed back against the Heartless' exertion. Knowing he couldn't hold it back forever, Sora spun away from the creature and let the blade pass by within inches of him.
As soon as it passed, and the Heartless twisted with it, Sora charged forward and landed several more key blows against it. Moving back again, it raised its scythe high and swung it down at Sora, who again horizontally blocked its immense strength with the Keyblade. As he pushed back up against it, he felt his knees buckle and he was forced down onto one. He put all his effort into pushing up against the blade, just trying to get enough space to shift out of the way again, but he could feel his other knee about to collapse—
"Take that!"
Suddenly, the monster was forced to the side and withdrew its blade. Sora looked to see none other than Elizabeth standing behind the creature, holding an enormous oar in both hands, having just beaten the monster to the side with it. Sora nodded gratefully, just as Will and Jack ran past and leapt onto the Heartless with their blades—Jack, in particular, leaping high into the air to land a great stab nearly in the center of its black crest. Will followed suit, plunging his rapier deep into the Heartless' twisting, dark body, forcing its floating form to list in their direction.
As Sora watched it tip to the side, he took precise aim with the Keyblade and tossed it like a spear—it flew true, and the tip of the blade drove itself deep between the glowing, yellow eyes of the Heartless. The long scythe dropped to the ground, the Heartless quaked, and itself dissolved into darkness; leaving Jack and Will to drop to the ground.
"Well that was fun," Jack brushed at his jacket, "Certainly will have none of that in the near future."
Elizabeth dropped the oar that she had been holding and rushed over to Will. Throwing her arms around his shoulders, nearly knocking him off his feet, they both expressed obviously their relief over finally being safe.
Sora took a long breath and was about to dissolve the Keyblade when it suddenly tugged at his hand. Confused, he allowed the pull of the blade to lift his arm up and point itself in the direction of the large stone chest in which the gold medallions still lay. As soon as the Keyblade was in line with the chest, a pitch-black Keyhole formed before it and, just as it had so many times before, a bright light shot from the tip of the Keyblade and connected with the Keyhole. There was a short grinding sound as the lid of the chest slid slowly, on its own, to fully cover the gold, followed by quiet click that jogged something deep in Sora's memory.
The Keyholes! Sora balked; how had he forgotten? That was one of the most important things he had been doing on his whole journey—making sure that the Keyholes of each world were locked so that the Heartless would be unable to swallow them. He groaned and put a hand to his face. And here he was, having been to at least two unlocked worlds—Mulan's world and the Beast's Castle—and had never even thought to look for the Keyhole! He'd have to talk to Donald and Goofy about going back there, at least…
On a deeper level, though, Sora was even more confounded. How had he forgotten? Since waking up back in Twilight Town, he had never, not even once, thought about the Keyholes. How was that possible? They were so important…even when he had been looking for Kairi, he still had never forgotten about the Keyholes…
"Shiny." Jack interrupted his thoughts. Sora turned to see the pirate covered with gold necklaces and jewelry, a velvet and gold crown on his head and a scepter over one arm. Obviously, he had been collecting. "I must admit, I'm quite drawn to that magic blade of yours—is there no way I can talk it off of you?"
Sora smiled and shook his head, "No, sorry, it's mine. I don't even know if I can give it to anyone!"
Jack nodded solemnly. "Understood, Zola." He leaned in closer, conspiratorially, and Sora could again smell his noxious breath, "And no hard feelings, eh? About the whole 'threatening you' thing?"
Sora shrugged, "I think that you really need to learn how to trust people, Jack. You don't have to do all these plans on your own—we could've made it work together!" he smiled, "Besides, you made a good choice in the end, right? Maybe your heart is better than you think?"
Jack paused, glancing askance to where Barbossa's heartless had disappeared. "Aye, I fear, though, that not all are so trusting. If it's all the same, I've done better holding me cards close to me chest, savvy?"
Sora shrugged, unconvinced, as his gaze drifted over to Will and Elizabeth, who had not responded to anything that had occured since the battle's end. They seemed to stand in their own little worlds, each with a hand clasped, as Elizabeth examined Will for wounds. Sora smiled as he watched them—there was something about the way she looked at him, the way she held his hand, the warmth which he spoke to her with, that reminded him of Kairi—now there was someone he knew he could trust. So much so, he realized, that the trust in their friendship had been so implicit that he had never even thought of it until now.
His mind again drifted back, warmth growing in his heart, to the last time he had seen her—their own hands had been clasped, as well, as the reforming worlds widened the gap between them. He remembered the mix of fear and relief, bittersweet joy, in her eyes as they reflected the light of Kingdom Hearts-
"Ah, mate, ye got your own bonnie lass, eh?" Jack prodded him with his golden scepter.
"I-uh, well, she's not exactly—" Sora mumbled.
Jack smirked. "'tis a wonder, mate. I should know, I got me own as well, y'know….multiples actually…" he drifted off before continuing, "The most important, of course, being the Pearl—which I declare, most safely and assuredly under the code, to be back in the possession of one Captain Jack Sparrow." He grinned with his yellow teeth and stroked one of his dreadlocks as he turned. "Ye may keep that ship of yours for now, Zola, I'll be quite content with me freedom."
Sora smiled to himself as he wandered back down the curving rocks of Isla de Muerta to where Donald and Goofy waited at the Gummi Ship. Will and Elizabeth had returned with Jack to the Black Pearl, likely to return to their home in Port Royal while Jack returned to his life of piracy and freedom. Sora was unsure how he felt about that—he just hoped that Jack's heart was strong enough that it didn't lead him to become the kind of pirate that the undead crew definitely had been.
As for his own heart, Sora continued to be enthralled with thoughts of Kairi and their last moment together. The way her auburn hair framed her face…her look of longing as she leaned forward for as long as she could to keep a hold of him…the softness of her small hands in the calloused roughness of his…her last words to him…
I know you will!
He smiled wider, as he leisurely placed his hands behind his head. He couldn't wait until he found Riku, figured out what this Organization was all about, and then get back to the Islands to see Kairi—to prove to her that he was right when he said he'd come back to her…maybe then he might found out if she had heard what he had yelled to her across the reforming worlds…
"Sora!"
Sora's heart dropped as he heard a familiar voice call out his name. Whipping around he saw, standing among the misty rocks behind him—Kairi?
"Kairi? Is that, is that you? How did you-?" Sora moved forward, trying to catch a better glimpse of her. It had sounded like Kairi, but as he moved closer, she appeared to look both more and less like her. This girl had long blonde hair, nearly white, that fell about halfway down the simple white sundress that she wore. Her face had the same roundness as Kairi's, and, most importantly, her eyes—they were the same blue, that warm, inviting blue…
"Do—do I know you?" Sora asked, still moving closer, "You look a lot like someone I know—"
The girl, who looked so much like Kairi but yet was not, tilted her head with a smile and looked about to speak when, suddenly, her eyes widened and she cried out, "Look out! Behind you!"
Sora turned around just in time to throw up the Keyblade, blocking two spinning chakrams in the process. The two red and black weapons spun against the blade for a moment before rebounding away from Sora to be caught expertly by a man, just now emerging from the mist, dressed in a long black coat—
Organization XIII! Sora's brow furrowed and he readied the Keyblade. What was going on here? Where had these two come from?
"C'mon, Nam, we talked about not ruining it!" the man chided, "I expected memorization…anywho, now that Luxord is gone, we can get down to business!" He pulled his hood off, releasing an explosion of red hair that grew back in shoulder-length, slick spikes. He spun his two chakrams lazily, shifting his thin, lithe body in rhythm with his movements. Bright emerald eyes, each with a purple reverse-teardrop tattoo underneath it, connected with Sora's and a smirk spread across his face.
Something jumped within Sora at the appearance of the man—just like the girl behind him, something was so familiar about him, something he felt like he should've known…Sora must've paused, or given something away with his face, because the man's smirk widened.
"So I guess, even now, you still don't remember me. Man that sucks." He tossed one of his chakrams up into the air, "but, then again, that's what we're here to fix—right, Nam?" he yelled.
Sora looked over his shoulder at the girl behind him, who stood fearfully still, a small hand covering her mouth in concern. She was plainly uncomfortable with the situation. "Are you okay?" Sora asked her. "Do you need help? Is this guy messing with you?"
The girl looked almost on the verge of tears, "Oh, Sora…"
"Well, anywho, I don't want to be rude—I'm Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames and Number, well," he paused, letting his chakram hang in his hand as he placed his index finger to his lips. "well, I was Number VIII of the Organization. But we've had a bit of a falling out…
"Axel…" Sora repeated the name, again feeling like it should be more familiar than it felt. He was so confused…
"Got it memorized?" Axel grinned. "Sorry to say it, but I'm afraid I'm here to kill you."
Sora readied the Keyblade—there had been too many death threats today. "Why would you want to do that?"
Axel shrugged and responded, "Oh, y'know, personal reasons!" before darting forward, spinning his chakrams at Sora, who ducked and dove out of the way of each swing. Twisting under another swing, Sora jammed the Keyblade up into the ornate interior of Axel's left chakram, catching it on one of his circles, and, by flipping the Keyblade, ripped it from his hand and threw it into the misty darkness.
"Aw, c'mon…" Axel mumbled before leaping backwards, "Fire!"
From the remaining chakram, Sora saw an enormous blast of fire emerge. He tried to call out of blizzard spell to cool the heat, but each one simply melted. At the last minute, he dove from the rocks and into the ocean's murky water, which lapped up against rocky shores of the Isle. Sora felt the water bubble around him as the wall of fire superheated it, but it passed. He opted to hold his breath and remain underwater, watching for Axel to appear, eye peeled with years of experience swimming underwater back on the Islands.
Sure enough, his lanky formed appeared to Sora's left, silhouetted by the bright moon. Axel glanced back and forth, searching for any sign of Sora in the water. His breath starting to burn, Sora knew he had to do something quick. There was no way he could build enough to momentum to leap out of the water, and he doubted a blizzard or fire spell would be enough—suddenly, he thought of it! Reflecta! Concentrating, Sora caused the honey-combed light shield to form around him, but he purposely focused on holding it as close to him as possible. Then, at the last minute, he allowed it to expand to its full range and, through that expansion, caused a small eruption of water.
He heard Axel yelp. "Least I don't have to boil the whole damn thing now…" he mumbled.
This small eruption allowed Sora enough time to roll back onto land and charge toward Axel, who barely had the time to dive out of the way of Sora's swing. The Keyblade still, just barely, connected with Axel and when Sora looked back, he saw the redhead grasping at his left arm, darkness seeping out between his fingers.
Axel snorted, "Well, I guess that's that then. Good show, Roxas, I should've expected more coming from you!" he awkwardly saluted Sora, "I'll definitely keep that memorized for next time!"
Just like that, Axel vanished into a portal of darkness. Sora whipped around to see the Kairi-like girl, but she, too, was gone. It was again just him, in the misty moonlight of the Isle. He sighed and dissolved the Keyblade, rubbing his temples in confusion—who was that girl and why did she remind him so much of Kairi? Why did Axel want to kill him and what does that have to do with Organization XIII? It definitely seemed like him and Luxord wanted to different things …and why had he called him Roxas?
Glancing about once more to make sure no one else was around, Sora continued to make his way to the Gummi Ship. Better to decompress there and try to make sense of all this with his friends than try to figure it all out on his own, here on this lonely rock of an Island.
Naminé smiled giddily to herself as she raced through the field that she had exited into, not caring where her portal had taken her as long as it was away from there. She felt overwhelmed with so many foreign and new feelings. She felt excited at having finally seen Sora again, alive and well! But she had also felt such great hurt and pain over him not recognizing her…when he had asked if he knew her, she had felt whatever-it-was-that-she-had nearly break. Oh, Sora…
But she still couldn't wipe the smile from her face—Sora had really made it! And if Sora was okay, then Roxas…
But then she heard Axel's familiar cocky voice.
"Aw, Nam, you think you could get away that easily?"
Secret Ansem Report 4:
The distant days spent in that beautiful paradise are an illusion to me now.
How long have I been here, banished to the realm of nothingness? It is only by relying upon my anger and hatred that I have been able to retain my sense of self here where all existence is nullified. My heart is being overcome with hatred toward my apprentices, possessed by the darkness, and with the anger I feel for stupidly allowing myself to be betrayed.
Is this darkness, eating away at my heart?
I cannot continue to idle away my time here. What are he and the others attempting to do? I must unravel the mystery of these Ansem's Reports, intercept my apprentices, and defeat them. That is my mission...the only way to repay the world for my sins.
Those beings who lack hearts—the Heartless—must be the key. The darkness of the heart, made flesh. Cursed shadows who not only lack hearts, but multiply by seizing hearts from any and all living things. Where have they come from, and where are they going? Three elements combine to create a life: a heart, a soul, and a body. But what of the soul and body left behind when the heart is lost? When the soul leaves the body, its vessel, life gives way to death, but what about when the heart leaves?
A being does not perish when its heart leaves its body. The heart alone disappears into the darkness. There is little time. If I remain in this realm much longer, I will certainly learn these answers the hard way. My heart is already a captive of the darkness.
And there we are—one of the longest chapters I've ever written! I also spent this small interval going back to touch up the grammar and writing of Kingdom Hearts 1—nothing serious was changed, but I hope that it will reflect more of my recent writing than the writings of eight years ago!
~Mars
