Aqua was sitting in her quarters brushing her hair as Mune literally ran out of the wall.
"AQUA!" "YEAHHH!!" she shouted as she leapt up with her Keyblade summoned.
"Oh Mune…it's you." Aqua said as she took a sigh of relief.
"Not for long if you don't do something quick." Mune said frantically.
"Why what's wrong?" she asked.
"I heard his voice! Sanzun's voice!" Mune said as Aqua didn't miss a beat and pulled him close into a kiss. Mune could feel the semi-familiar sensation of his heart being pulled towards hers as they met in a single radiant light shortly before returning to their owners.
"Thank you." Mune said with a sigh of relief as Aqua put a hand on his cheek.
"It's ok…that's what I'm here for." She said as she sat back down.
"So what's new with you guys?" she asked as she continued brushing her hair.
"Well the reason I had to come to you real quick was because we found something very dangerous...something made of pure adulterated evil." Mune explained.
"What?" Aqua asked.
"The head of Jenova." Mune replied as Aqua cringed at the wrong moment, ripping a small tuft of blue hair from her head.
"Ow." She said as she checked her head, there was a slight bald spot.
"Let me fix that." Mune said as he placed a hand on the bald spot and a small glow appeared where his hand was as he removed it revealing that the bald spot had vanished.
"You sir, are a man of many talents." Aqua said as she admired the missing bald spot, "So you found the head?"
"Yep…we found it…Kairi's heart should mask its darkness…if anything however she's immune to its dark power." He said as Aqua sighed.
"I just hope that you haven't made a mistake by leaving her alone with it." Aqua replied.
"I'm more worried about her being alone with Sora actually." Mune said as Aqua gave him a knowing look.
"They treading too close to forbidden territory?" she asked.
"I'm not sure but you know that compass Jack gave Sora? Well I know for a fact that the Compass of Jack Sparrow does not point north…it points to the heart's desire of the holder…and it pointed straight at Kairi when Sora held it." Mune explained.
"And this is a surprise how?" Aqua asked.
"Well…I had a little chat with him an-""Oh no did you threaten to make Sora a eunuch if he touched her?" Aqua interrupted.
"Maybe." Mune replied.
"Ugh Mune!" Aqua groaned.
"What? They haven't done it yet for all we know…and by Sora's own admission, they haven't." Mune replied.
"Mune…I know that…I know for a fact that they haven't done it…and you want to know something?" Aqua asked.
"Know what?" Mune asked.
"Now you are under no circumstances to act differently around them when I tell you this…but…" Aqua said as Mune sat down…it wasn't going to end well.
"Three months ago…I'm doing some laundry and-""Wait, you were doing laundry?" Mune asked in an effort to lighten the mood, only to receive a silent and cold stare from Aqua.
"Anyway…I was doing laundry and I enter Kairi's room to find Sora about to see something he wasn't supposed to see of her anatomy." Aqua said as Mune arched an eyebrow.
"Upstairs or downstairs?" he asked.
"Down." She replied, "However…he certainly learned his lesson."
"How?" he asked.
"Simple…I sent him through the wall…and made him fix the wall with me standing over him…and when Ven came by and asked why…I told him flat out…then Ven and I would take turns watching him while holding a big stick." Aqua explained as Mune nodded with a smirk.
"So Ven knows about this eh?" Mune asked.
"Oh yes." Aqua replied.
"Good." Mune said as he stood up, "Then I'll see him at the funeral."
"No? They didn't?" Aqua asked in disbelief.
"No but Sora did, conveniently forget to tell me that fact…and you know how I feel about being lied to." Mune said as Aqua nodded knowingly.
"In that case…I'll call the coroner." she said as Mune morphed his hand into a crab claw and walked through the wall.
"Oh, Ven!" Aqua shouted down the hall in a sing song voice.
Meanwhile…
Kairi placed the box in a smuggler's crevice under her mattress in her room as Sora knocked on the door frame.
"Hey." He said as she looked at him with a smile.
"Hey." She greeted back.
"So…the head's in that box?" Sora asked as Kairi nodded.
"Yep." she replied.
"So what do you- GACKT!!" Sora said as a large crab claw grabbed him by the throat.
"You lied to me Sora." Mune growled.
"Huh?" he asked as he struggled for breath.
"DAD LET HIM GO!" Kairi yelled as she started pulling on the pincers.
"Kairi answer this question. Have you and Sora slept together?" He asked as Kairi looked at him insulted.
"NO WE HAVE NOT! How dare you assume such a thing…sure we came close but mom stopped us…sent poor Sora through the wall at home and made him rebuild it." Kairi replied as Mune looked back at Sora.
"You neglected to mention that to me Sora." Mune said as he tightened his grip and Sora turned pale
"Drop 'em!" Roxas said as he held Oblivion to the back of Mune's head, "I said drop him!"
Mune released his grip on the boy's throat and his hand turned back to normal.
"Kairi…Sora…" Mune said as he realized what he had almost done, "…I am so sorry…I…I couldn't control myself…it's that head…it's like a poison to me."
"It must be cause look at what it almost did to you dad…" Kairi said as she pointed to Sora rubbing his throat on the ground, "…it almost turned you into that heartless beast that tried to have me killed.
"We have to get rid of it soon…otherwise…I may kill someone before the day is out." Mune said as he put a hand to his chest.
"Perhaps if you went and laid down for now." Kairi said as she put a hand on his back.
"Perhaps…I am so sorry Sora…my mind is just sort of…confused." Mune said as Kairi led him to his room.
"You ok bro?" Roxas asked as Sora nodded and coughed.
"Wow…I really would hate to see what happens when he's really mad." Sora said as he sat up.
"Easy…you'd be headless." Roxas said as Sora nodded.
Meanwhile Kairi led her father to his room.
"I don't understand it…all I was going to do was ask him why he lied to me about that time you two nearly…but when I arrived on the ship it's like something took control of me and made me angry and irrational." Mune said as Kairi thought.
"Maybe it's the head…maybe it's corrupting you somehow." Kairi replied.
"If that's the case…then I can't stay here with that thing on board…either I have to leave or it does." Mune said as he came to a conclusion.
"Where would you go?" Kairi asked.
"I can go back to Will on board the Dutchman, at least there I'll always be moving and I'll have friends there to support me." Mune replied as Kairi nodded.
"I just wish we could destroy that, that…thing." Kairi said with a sigh.
"You can't destroy it…not by any means at our disposal anyway. We can hide it however but the only way I know how to hide it would be to…send it to a world without life…without a Lifestream…a dead world." Mune replied as he thought of a world.
"You know of any?" She asked.
"Yes but the only way to get there is to die…or sail on the Dutchman" Mune replied.
"Huh?" she asked.
"There is a world that is inaccessible by ordinary means…where up is down and your worst nightmares come true…At World's End…or as known to us old sea dogs…Davy Jones' Locker." Mune explained.
"You can't be trusted with the head…I'll go take it for you." Kairi replied as Mune looked at her.
"I could never thrust such a burden on you like that." Mune replied.
"Doesn't the head effect the hearts of those around it?" She asked as Mune nodded, "And can't the Flying Dutchman go to places that ordinary ships can't?" Again Mune nodded, "Then who better to take it than a Captain without a heart and a Princess of Heart?"
"You don't even know where the Dutchman is right now." Mune replied as Sora and Roxas approached
"I can open a portal to the Dutchman and Kairi can take the head through and dispose of it at World's end." Roxas said as Luxa approached.
"I can go with her…being a nobody has it's perks…I won't be affected by the head's power." Luxa said as Mune sighed.
"Dad…if it's the only way, then I will gladly bare the burden of disposing of that monstrosity." Kairi said as Mune looked at her and nodded.
"Roxas I can open portals too…let me open the portal to the Dutchman." Mune asked as Roxas shrugged.
"Ok then." He replied as Luxa walked off to retrieve the cursed object.
A few minutes later Mune opened a portal in the cargo bay as Kairi held the object in her hands and Luxa stood beside her.
"Be safe…and please…come back soon." Mune said as Kairi nodded.
"I'll do my best." Kairi said as she and Luxa walked through the portal to the Flying Dutchman.
Mune watched as the portal closed behind them and sighed.
"I hope she succeeds." Mune said with a sigh as Namine's voice rang out over the speakers.
"There she is, the Axiom!" Namine said as everyone rushed to the bridge.
Outside the viewport was a massive gummy ship floating in space.
"Home." EVE said as Wall-e looked at her and then at her mechanical hand, then at his own claws.
"Fahrenheit to Axiom ATC, requesting permission to dock." Namine said over the headset as an monotone mechanical voice replied.
"Permission granted." The voice said as Zack and Mune furrowed their brows.
"Now where have I heard that voice before?" Zack asked.
"Beats me, but here were going in for a landing." Namine said as the Fahrenheit began to dock with the massive ship.
Meanwhile…
Kairi and Luxa emerged onto the once cursed ship, into the cabin where the old Calliope sat still.
"I wonder if there's anybody home?" Luxa asked as they approached the door and opened it, revealing the crew hard at work.
Then one of the crew noticed them.
"Oh blimey! You again?!" the crewman said as he approached.
"Maccus?" Kairi asked is surprise. It was indeed the former first mate only he was human in appearance again.
"Aye, it be me…but how you two got on this ship is beyond me." Maccus replied as Bootstrap approached.
"What's going on here Maccus…Kairi? Didn't we just leave you in Agrabah?" Bootstrap asked as he caught sight of Kairi who nodded.
"Yes and it's urgent that I speak with Will." Kairi replied as Bootstrap sighed and nodded as he led the two up to the helm where Will stood watching the sea roll by.
"Found a couple of stowaways here Captain…they invoked the right of Parlay." Bootstrap said as Will sighed and turned towards them.
"K-Kairi what are you doing here?" Will asked confused.
"It's a long story…" Kairi said as she started explaining about the Head of Jenova and its corruptive influence.
"Sounds like your father has the right idea..." Will said as he turned to his father, "…lay in a course for the Locker…we're going to dispose of this monstrosity."
"Aye Captain Turner." Bootstrap replied as he took the wheel and yelled out over to the crew.
"You may want to head into the cabin…we're going to dive under the water…it's the quickest way there." Will advised as Kairi and Luxa nodded and ran for the cabin. A few seconds later they felt the ship take a sudden lurch forward and it felt like it fell forwards upside down before things started feeling normal before the window in the back filled with sunlight again.
Will then opened the door.
"We're here." He said as Kairi and Luxa looked at each other.
"We are?" Luxa asked.
"Come and see." Will said as they emerged onto the deck to see a long sand covered coastline stretching for miles. The water beneath them looked black as if there was no life to it.
"I can feel this…emptiness…it's as if it's like being inside of a nobody." Kairi said as Luxa nodded.
"It certainly feels that way." She replied as they noticed a dinghy being prepped for them.
"This will take you ashore…I wish I could go with you but, I can't." Will said as Kairi furrowed her brow.
"Bootstrap mentioned something about that…what does he mean by that anyway?" Kairi asked.
"It's the curse of the Dutchman…one day ashore, ten years at sea…but if my love is faithful then that one day becomes eternity." Will explained as Kairi nodded.
"Oh." She replied sadly.
"I can send my father with you." He offered as Kairi smiled and nodded.
A few minutes later the three reached the shore, leaving Bootstrap with the boat as Luxa and Kairi climbed a sand dune with shovels in their hand to find a small area of sand where they could bury the hated box.
"Let's get this over with." Kairi said as she set the box down and the two started shoveling. They dug a fair distance before stopping and tossing in the box, then burying it beneath the sands.
"And let this thing stay buried." Kairi said with a sigh as they returned to the dinghy where they rowed back to the Dutchman.
They returned silently to the cabin as the Dutchman turned upside down again only this time a strange green flash appeared as the Dutchman rose from the waters.
"What was that?" Kairi asked confused as she turned towards the window to see that the sun was rising.
"The green flash…they only happen at sunrise on worlds with an ocean…they are considered a signal to all that a soul has returned from the dead." Luxa explained as Kairi gave her a strange look.
"I had a lot of time to discuss pirate folk lore with Gibbs." Luxa said with a shrug as Kairi shook her head with a smirk.
"Well…we're back to the land of the living…" Will said as he arrived, "…I suppose that you're probably going to want to go back to your friends."
"Yes but how?" Kairi asked as Luxa rolled her eyes and opened a black portal.
"This way?" Luxa replied as she headed for the portal.
"Take care Will...hope to see you in ten years." Kairi said as Will nodded and she and Luxa walked through the portal back to the Fahrenheit.
End Chapter 25.
I had to include World's End (No not a lost bet)…but don't count the head of Jenova out just yet…
Next up…the Axiom…and the return of an old nemesis thought gone.