Sitting beneath a tall, shady oak tree, Pocahontas held in her hands a silver instrument that John had been wearing upon his head, examining it. She was used to water reflecting her face but the water didn't distort it in the way this thing was. It stretched her complexion a bit, making parts of her face appear bigger than they truly were.

"It's called a helmet," John informed her.

"Helmet," Pocahontas repeated.

John glanced aside, a little uneasy at teaching a native terms that even a young English child would know. "So...what river is this?" he asked awkwardly.

"Quiacahonik," Pocahontas answered, slipping the helmet over her head. It covered up her eyes, as it was a little too big for her.

"You have unusual names for things," John observed. "Chicahomany. Quia..." He paused, seeing the helmet covering her face. He lifted his hand to the helemt. "Quiacahonik... Pocahontas." He lifted the helmet off her head so he could look at her again.

"You have an unusual name as well," Pocahontas retorted, taking the helmet off and setting it before her. "John Smith?"

"Try mine on for size." John lifted his head. The other Indian boy emerged from the bushes, Sora walking right behind him. He sat down and held out his hand to John, who accepted the gesture of a handshake. "My English name is Steven, but you can call me Shakti if you want."

"Shakti," John Smith repeated curiously, then raised an eyebrow. "Why do you have two names?"

"For being part of the tribe, I was given a new name, Shakti. It means 'strength'," Steven replied, putting a hand to his chin. "I can't help but feel I've heard a name like that somewhere before, though...I think it was a Jedi's name..." He shook his head as John opened his mouth. "Don't ask. You're learning too much already."

John chuckled a bit. "Probably for the better we don't go into any other cultures right now. I thought it was weird enough to meet a lad with a name like Sora's."

"What's that mean?" Sora asked, a subtle tone of accusation in his voice.

"But here," John quickly said to Pocahontas, changing the subject. "We never greeted each other properly." He held his hand out to her.

Pocahontas eyed the hand for a moment, confused. "Nothing is happening," she observed.

"No, I need your hand," John coaxed. Nervously, Pocahontas looked to Steven for guidance, being the only person she trusted fully in the area.

"It's a handshake, Pocahontas," Steven explained. "Like what me and John did."

With some ease and hesitation, Pocahontas opened her right hand and brought it in to meet John's. Though him clasping it was a bit of a startle for her, she returned the favor. Doing as he did, she moved his hand up and down.

"See? Nothing to worry about." John smiled at her. "It's just one way we say 'hello'."

Pocahontas gently pulled her hand back. "This is how my people say hello." She lifted her arm to have her hand come in front of her face, making an arch as it came up and down. "Wingapo," she stated.

"Wingapo," John repeated. His actions were mimiced by the two Keybearers sitting idly by.

"And good-bye," Steven added to Sora and John. He did a similar motion to Pocahontas, except that his arm was stretched out fully as he did the arch. "Ana," he spoke.

"Ana," Sora echoed, followed by John. Then John put his hand up against Pocahontas', their fingers pressed against each other.

"I think I like 'hello' better," he mused with a bit of a smile. Pocahontas flushed a bit, glancing over to Steven with a bit of an uncertain look. Steven could see her uncertainty, so he piped up to ease the tension.

"Where you from, John?" he asked.

John turned to Steven, raising an eyebrow. "London," he answered. "Our company sailed from there about a month ago, including Sora. I take it this is the friend you were looking for, Sora?"

"Yeah!" Sora nodded with a soft smile.

"What's this?" Pocahontas picked up a circular device near John's bag. She couldn't make out the markings very well, but she did notice that there was an arrow upon it. She couldn't examine further, as John picked it up from her hand and held it up so he could show her.

"That's my compass," he explained, pointing with his finger. "This arrow right here, you see? It points north so that you always know where you're going."

"And you have these in your villages?" Pocahontas asked curiously.

"Yes." John pocketed the device. "And much more. All that you'll be able to see soon enough. We're going to build them here. Roads, better housing-"

"Excuse me?" Pocahontas interrupted, rising to her feet. "Our houses are fine."

"You think that," John accepted before standing up and continuing to argue. "You haven't seen what we have to offer, so you don't know any better."

"Excuse me?" Steven got to his feet, standing behind John, who was now on both sides. "I have seen both sides before. I've been with these people for a month, John. They're perfectly happy with this way of life."

"Oh come now," John scoffed. "You can't live a civilized man's life and then choose the ways of savages.

"Savages!?" Pocahontas cried out, staring angrily at John's face. Steven took to her side, crossing his arms and shaking his head at John.

"No!" John answered frantically. "Not that you're savages."

"Just my people," Pocahontas accused, leaping upwards and taking hold of a branch. She climbed into the tree, getting away from John as best she could.

"You must understand what I'm saying!" John protested, climbing a bit more slowly after her. "Let me explain. 'Savage' is just a word. A term for people who are uncivilized!"

"Like me and my people?" Pocahontas called back.

Their squabble in the trees continued. At the ground, Sora, despite having chosen to remain neutral in the argument, was shaking his head at John's words. Steven casually walked over beside his friend to observe the chaos with him. "So...this is the guy you chose as your main companion in my absence?"

"Hey! He seemed alright at the time!" Sora defended, followed by a gentle shrug. "He talked like a guy who really liked adventure...kinda like me. This approach he's taking now, though... this guy is clueless about how to talk to somebody in a new world."

"Well, believe me: sometimes it's not always about talking," Steven confessed. "I saved the chief and Pocahontas from Heartless when I arrived here. That's how I got in their good graces...easier than I thought it'd be, honestly. That and being a great warrior in battles with other tribes is what got me to the stage where the chief was comfortable with me marrying Pocahontas."

"So you really weren't kidding about the fiance thing?" Sora chuckled.

"No, that part is apparently true," Steven replied, a little bashful. "Though I don't plan to. I'm not going to stay here forever, I'm way too young to get married, and Pocahontas has her own dreams to fulfill in life."

"Like what?" Sora asked, putting his hands behind his head.

"I mean that literally, Sora. She's been having dreams lately." Steven held out his hands in order to tell it in a more dramatic fashion. "You see, there's a spinning arrow that-"

THUD.

John had tumbled out of the tree at that moment, landing atop Steven. Sora winced for a second, then peered down. "You guys okay?"

"I think I'm fine," John mused. "I'm just- ow!" The exclamation of pain sounded when John's helmet fell from the tree neatly onto John's head. Still, it was a piece of metal, so it was bound to hurt. Pocahontas descended from the tree more gracefully, climbing each branch before leaping safely to stand before John. She lifted the helmet to look into his eyes and John went on the defensive again. "Listen...when I say savages, what I mean is-"

Pocahontas put a finger to her lips to hush him, then spoke. "What you mean is...not like you." She helped him up, taking his hand and leading him away. "You think I'm an ignorant savage, do you? You've followed your own path for your life. Let me show you mine." She pulled aside the bushes, gesturing John through. The bewildered man picked up his gun cautiously, holding it at his side as he shuffled through after her.

After she disappeared in a run, no doubt hurrying John along with her, Steven rolled onto his back, still reeling in the pain John's fall had inflicted on him. "Owww..." He looked up at Sora, who held back something of a smirk. Steven sighed heavily. "And I had a great record while you were gone."

"What can I say?" Sora chuckled. "Trouble follows me wherever I go."

"Clearly," Steven quipped, standing up and brushing himself off. "Because whenever I'm around you, it falls on me." Sora's laughter doubled and Steven gave his friend a light shove. "Alright, enough of that! Tell me what you've been up to this past month. We've got catching up to do."

"Okay," Sora replied, his laughter fading gently as he took a short breath. "Well...there's not much to tell," he admitted. "I've been on a ship the last month or so. Nothing but hardtack and gruel to eat, mostly."

Steven raised an eyebrow. "Nothing but what now?"

"Uh..." Sora decided to change his words. "Sorry, they're fancy English words. It's oatmeal and crackers."

"For a month?" Steven grimaced. "Not disgusting, but...really dull. I've been eating berries, corn, bread... Do you know how delicious bread is when you spend a few hours making it? Everything else, too. It was tough working for it at first, but it really tastes that much butter when you've worked for your meal."

Sora mused at Steven's words, putting his hands behind his head. "Just how much of this lifestyle are you taking to?

"Well, a pretty good deal after a month," Steven replied. "I'm trying to keep-" He shivered briefly. "Whoa..." He looked to Sora. "Did you just feel a draft?"

"No," Sora shook his head. "You feel something?"

Steven nodded, closing his eyes. "Stay quiet..." He inhaled, then exhaled softly, taking in his surroundings based on his hearing and instincts alone. "Something's coming..." He observed. He held up his hand, opening his eyes. Sure enough, it was shadowed in a flicker of dark energy.

Sora looked upon it, a bit wary at first. He took a step back from Steven and observed the hand.

"Sora?" Steven spoke, a little concerned with his friend's fear. "Sora, it's me..."

Sora looked up, glancing into Steven's eyes for a few solid seconds. After that hesitation, he exhaled softly, calming down. Then he looked at his friend's hand again. "Is that how you know?" he asked.

"Yup," Steven replied with a smile, simply relieved that Sora was getting used to his darkness. "This happens whenever I'm near-" His sentence was cut off by the sudden materialization of dark portals surrounding them. Noticing this, both boys held out their hands to summon their Keyblades.

"Heartless?" Sora finished pointlessly.

"You got it!" Steve affirmed. "I'll tell you more after we take care of this lot!" Then the two lunged at their attackers, each going for four of the Shadows.

Steven, holding the Keyblade with both hands, rolled to the left of the group and then charged down the line, swinging upward with the Keyblade for the first three. When he got down the line to the fourth, it jumped away from his strike before lunging at Steven's face. He did a brief sprint backwards before hammering it to the ground and dealing a second strike to finish it off. Turning back to the other three, he held up his Keyblade horizontally when the first one leaped at him. It clung to the shaft of the blade and Steven pulled back on it. Then he swung forward forcefully to fling the Shadow into another, obliterating them both.

Sora swung at the Heartless advancing on him, but was having a little less luck. They were a bit faster than the normal variety, not to mention a bit more flexible against his strikes. "Come on, hold still!" he grunted. Boxed in on all sides, he held his Keyblade up straight. "Gather!" He ducked down as the four creatures were drawn up into the diamond-shaped mass of magic, spinning around as they went.

A fifth soon joined in the chaotic swirl of magic. Steven advanced on the last one in his group of Heartless, but the Magnet spell lifted it from the ground. The creature was just narrowly spared of Steven's Keyblade, which swiped only air. "Hey!" Steven jeered. "Quit hogging them!"

"Why? You looked like you were having plenty of fun playing golf with them!" Sora taunted back before crouching. He spring-jumped up to the mass of magnetically gathered Heartless and struck the mass several times, decimating the Heartless one by one until they were nothing but hearts floating into the sky and, shortly after, nothing at all.

With a satisfied sigh, Sora dismissed his Keyblade. "A little more dodgy than usual," he observed.

"Maybe they're getting smarter?" Steven suggested.

"Or maybe there's somebody more capable driving them this time around." Sora scratched his head a few times. "Last I knew, Maleficent hasn't been here." Steven got a brief chill from hearing Maleficent's name that made him shiver slightly, but not enough to cause Sora to panic. "And given she wasn't actually there when we saw her, she probably has more important things to do than be here herself."

"What about that flunky of hers?" Steven suggested. "What's-his-face...um-"

"Pete?" Sora finished.

"Yeah, Pete." Steven crossed his arms skeptically. "You sure it'd be him? From what little I've been told about the guy, he's not the brightest."

"I said 'capable', not 'smart'," Sora corrected. "He may be too dumb to tie his own shoes, but he's still dangerous. He's also pretty good at commanding Heartless."

"You don't suppose-?" Steven ceased speaking and held up a finger to his lips so that Sora would not speak either. To both of them, a faint sound of pounding was heard. "The drums... something's wrong." Steven groaned gently. "Sorry Sora, but I have to go."

"Wait!" Sora urged quickly. "I'm scouting back to Governor Ratcliffe. What should I tell him?"

"Tell him you found nothing worth reporting," Steven suggested. "Hopefully they haven't run into other tribesmen or else we might already have a problem."

"Shakti!" Pocahontas called out, running into the clearing, followed by John. "The drums!"

"I know!" Steven replied, beginning to move in the direction of the tribe's camp.

"Wait!" John took hold of Pocahontas' arm, stopping her gently. "When can I see you again?"

"I can't," Pocahontas answered solemnly, trying to pull away. John took hold of her arms and she stood there, looking up at him. As if it were the work of two forces outside themselves, they began to move their faces a bit closer together, closing their eyes. Pocahontas quickly broke this silence.

"I have to go," she insisted, regret still hinted in her voice. John's grip loosened and he turned to watch her depart. He clearly felt regret as well.

Steven hung back a bit, briefly speaking to the both of them. "We should rendezvous again in the near future. Maybe give it a couple of days for the tension, if there is any, to die down." He quickly made the arching arm motion of 'Ana' in farewell. "Good-bye." Sora and John returned the gesture and Steven began to run the opposite direction.

"Be careful over there!" Sora warned as his friend sped off.

Steven stopped several feet away, raising an eyebrow to Sora. "I've been here a month, Sora!" A smirk formed. "If anyone needs to be careful, it's you!" He turned tail and sprinted after Pocahontas, leaving Sora and John to return to their camp and report back.


Contrary to their hopes, things had taken a turn for the worse. They found out that there was an ambush of people from Steven's tribe. What's more, reports of demons had also surfaced, demons Sora had a feeling to be Heartless. He and John agreed that a few day's time would be needed for the tensions to really die down for another meeting with Pocahontas and Steven. So in the meantime, they helped out at camp by putting up the large wooden wall of the fort.

Sora did volunteer for some more scouting in the meantime, saying that if there were more savages that came near, he would report them. Ratcliffe allowed this, seeing Sora as a weak asset as far as digging went. Despite taking offense to this, Sora kept quiet and merely accepted the work he was volunteering for.

Over time, he found that there were more and more Heartless appearing near the camp. Something was definitely guiding them. He did his best to follow them to their source, but they provided too much of a threat to simply follow. He had to eliminate them before they could do the same to him.

He and John were now into the second night since their last time seeing Steven and Pocahontas. John, Lon, Thomas, and Sora were pushing up the last section of wall under the barking command of Ben.

"Come on, lads! Put your backs into it!" Ben urged. "It's only a wee picket fence you've got here!"

"Picket fences are for gardens, not fortresses!" Sora retorted, though he pushed even harder, the wall nearly up. Finally, it sank firmly into the ground, completing the fort. "Alright!" he cheered, holding up his hand for a high-five. Oblivious to the gesture, the other men ignored him and shook each other's hands.

"That'll keep them out, right John?" Thomas quipped. John didn't respond, merely shoveling a little bit of mud out of the way, now working with an absent mind. Thomas watched with a puzzled look upon his face. "Something wrong, John?"

"What?" John asked, barely looking up from his work.

Thomas leaned on the shaft of his shovel. "You've been really quiet the last few days."

"Oh, he's just upset cause he missed all the action!" Lon chortled.

"Is that it, John?" Thomas asked in a teasing tone, nudging his comrade's arm with his fist. "Don't worry, you'll get your chance."

"Sure will!" Lon hunched over, holding the flat part of the pick against his shoulder and holding the handle out like it were a rifle. "We'll shoot ourselves an Injun, or maybe two or three!" he sang gleefully.

Sora and John involuntarily rolled their eyes at this gesture and continued their work. With a similar attitude, Ben tossed a tarp over Lon's head to stop his antics. "Enough of your messing around and get back to work!"

Lon pulled the tarp up to show his face. "Come now, Ben, it's just a little fun."

"Oh sure!" Ben cried out, tossing his shovel to the ground. "We're having loads of fun out here digging in the rain!" He jerked his thumb behind him, pointing out a tent that was warmly illuminated by a lantern within. "All the while, Ratcliffe is just sitting in his tent, happy as a clown!"


Ratcliffe held a crinkled map to his chest, his eyes nearly bugging out of his skull with panic. "I'm doomed!" He tossed the sheet of paper from him and it dropped softly to the ground. "It's been nearly four days digging for gold and we haven't found a speck!" He emphasized the last word by kicking a small pebble, eliciting a brief growl from the pug, who was nibbling from a small bowl of food. "What am I overlooking?" With no more options but rambling before him, he decided to call in his fail-safe option for venting. "Wiggins!" he bellowed.

"Sir!" The flap of the tent opened and Wiggins clung to it, looking as if he was going to fall over. On either side of his head were sections of an arrow, protruding from it. "I...I..." Wiggins stammered. Then he plucked the arrow from his head, revealing it to be a headband meant to simulate the look of an arrow going through his head. "I made it myself! Quite the practical joke, I've found!"

Ratcliffe, in no mood for jokes, snatched the headband from his lackey. "Give me that silly thing!" Shortly after it was in his hand, Ratcliffe's eyes fell upon the fake arrow. His brain became active and a slight suspicion formed in his mind. "Wiggins...why do you think those Indians attacked us a few days ago?"

"Well..." Wiggins began to tally reasons on his fingers as he spoke them. "Perhaps it's because we invaded their land, cut down their trees, and dug up their dirt."

"Without provocation?" Ratcliffe replied. "We went nowhere near them when we landed, though I guess I can't put it beneath them. They are savages, after all."

"Or maybe you ain't looking for answers in the right places."

"Eek!" Wiggins turned his back to Ratcliffe, spotting a dark, bulging silhouette before them, which remained shrouded in a more shadowy area of the tent. Wiggins' feet seemed to fly from the ground and he immediately jumped behind his commanding official and hid, trembling in fright.

Ratcliffe rolled his eyes as he glanced over his shoulder. "And you came so highly recommended..." He stepped forward to show his lack of cowardice. "Who are you?" he questioned insistently. "Show yourself!"

A pleased cackle came from the creature and it stepped forward. Ratcliffe raised his eyebrows, eyeing this creature with care. It appeared to be a very large cat-like creature wearing a peculiar suit. His men wore mostly grays and dull blues in their uniforms while he and Wiggins were in purple and orange, respectively. However, this...thing was dressed in a suit of vibrant colors. The torso section was colored red with straps of blue linking two blue shoulder pads together. Its lower garments were a darker blue and they had two pockets with zippers as well as one zipper that went down the middle and up the back, parallel with its position at the front. The most bizarre features were that of the creature himself, not having the true appearance of a cat. It walked on two feet like a person did and had gloved fingers similar to people, though only four.

"Pete's the name, my duckies!" the cat boasted proudly. "I been hearing about your issues with finding some gold and I think I can help all your problems go away!"

"I brought the finest crew England has to offer," Ratcliffe retorted. "What could you do for our cause that these men have not been able to accomplish in four day's time?"

"Hmm..." Pete scratched his chin, feigning thought. "It's true your fellas have been working hard diggin', but there ain't any gold to be found." He walked up to Ratcliffe, standing about six inches superior to him. "Do you think that maybe someone else got to it first?" He plucked the arrow out of Ratcliffe's hand, wiggling it with a smirk.

Ratcliffe's thoughts suddenly clicked into place and he gasped. "Of course!" He rushed over, clutching some maps that were draped over an easel! "The Indians have the gold and they don't want us to take it from them!"

"Exactly!" Pete confirmed. "And they ain't alone, neither!" He snapped his fingers and one of the creatures that had attacked the camp marched in and stood obediently at Pete's side, though it would not stop twitching.

Ratcliffe was made understandably uneasy by the sight of it. "One of those demons!" he hissed gruffly, putting a hand at his waist in case he needed to draw his sword.

"Now that's just a little harsh!" Pete retorted defensively, picking up the creatures by the antennae. He held it in front of them, keeping a tight grip so its twitching didn't allow it to escape. "Demons are creatures of pure evil with no thought to anything else. Heartless, though...they can be tamed, can be yours to control. They can do whatever it is you're willing to have them do. Like, oh, I don't know..." And Pete's smirk, bizarre as it was to think it was possible, grew even bigger than it was before. "They could help you get rid of them Indians and get all that gold, if you got enough of them."

Ratcliffe stroked his chin in thought. The proposition put before him seemed too good to be true. As such, he knew there had to be a flaw in it somewhere. Now was the time to discover it. "And in exchange for this help, what would you desire in return, Pete?"

"B-b-but s-s-sir!" Wiggins protested, teeth chattering.

"Quiet, Wiggins!" Ratcliffe barked. "I want to hear his proposition."

"In exchange?" Pete dropped the creature to the floor, where it stood in waiting. "Well, being the simple fat cat that I am, I'll be wanting a little cut of that gold. But something even more valuable you can give me is your partnership. Well, not me, but my head associate. What we're after is the wealth of all worlds, not just this little rock you've landed on." Making the first physical contact of the conversation, Pete clasped Ratcliffe's shoulders, pulling him in and whispering excitedly to him. "We'll find mountains of more than just wealth. You'll find power, a giant load of it! Come with us and just imagine what the folks back home will say when you make your grand return!"

Ratcliffe brushed Pete's hands away from his shoulders, turning away and looking at his map and where England lay upon it. "The king would reward me greatly...he'll knight me- No!" Ratcliffe stood upright and turned around, glee and fantasy racing through his body. "Lord me!"

"Or even better yet, just go off on your own conquest!" Pete added, feeding into the grand vision of the future Ratcliffe was crafting for himself. "You could find other worlds and rule over them. You could be a king!"

"Yes..." Ratcliffe whispered to himself, his eyes widening with greedy enthusiasm. He drummed his hands together and walked up to Pete. Standing tall and proud, he held out his hand and shook Pete's. "You have yourself a partner!"

"Excellent!" Pete cackled gently, but lowered his voice a bit and whispered to Ratcliffe. "But I warn ya: your men might not take kindly to these fellas I'm lending you here, so if you use them, keep it on the down low. But all the same, if you can get me a little bit of your weapons and armor, I can work wonders. It'll make 'em better than they already are and let me tell you, they ain't no pushovers."

"If I ever need them, it'll be for naught but battle," Ratcliffe whispered back. "All the same, I do agree: until then, the men cannot know."

If either of them had been boasting a little more quietly as they had talked, they might have heard the approaching footsteps midway into the conversation. Sora stood cautiously, quietly analyzing the situation he now had to deal with.

Great. Pete is here, he cursed silently. It's bad enough that Ratcliffe is working with him, but now I have to live in this camp with him around? He walked back towards the digging site, frustrated and clueless as to what he was going to do from here.

From the tent, Wiggins cautiously shuffled towards the opening, away from Ratcliffe and Pete, glancing out. He spotted Sora and his eyebrows lifted, putting two and two together rather quickly. "Sir!" He almost turned right around and spouted this information to Ratcliffe, but he managed to stop himself at that first word.

"What is it, Wiggins?!" Ratcliffe snarled, evidently having been entranced by Pete's words and upsets with the interruption. "Come on, spill it if it's so important!"

"I was just...er..." Wiggins glanced out at Sora again. He considered blabbing again, but he chose not to, instead pointing out another random observation. "I think Captain Smith has gone on another scouting venture. I don't see him anywhere."

"What?" Ratcliffe turned quickly to Pete. "Pete! You may reside in camp, but make those demons scarce!" Pete snapped his fingers without a thought and the single Shadow disappeared in that instant, following Ratcliffe out of the tent as he stormed down. to his men. "You there!"

Sora, having slipped back into work with Ben and Lon, glanced up at the approaching leaders, grimacing at the approaching Pete, who snidely smirked in return. "What is it, governor?" he asked, doing his best to ignore the fat cat in his presence.

"Where's Captain Smith?" Ratcliffe demanded of Lon, Ben, and Sora.

"Why he's-" Lon pointed right beside him, glancing at the same time to see that John was absent. "Gone!"

"Aye," Ben grumbled. "Your singing must have scared him off!"

"Then go get him, for heaven's sake!" Ratcliffe ordered.

"What about the Indians?" Lon asked, sounding quite concerned.

"That's what guns are for!" Ratcliffe said in a sweet, yet condescending tone before returning to his usual growl. "Arm yourselves and move out!

"Right!" Sora declared, dropping the shovel and turning tail, running out of the camp as fast as his large feet could carry him. The sooner he was away from Pete, the better. He knew Pete was about to cause a lot of trouble and wanted to be sure he could warn Steven in time.

As he was departing, however, Pete leaned over Ratcliffe's shoulder and whispered into the governor's ear. "By the way, you know how I been around many worlds? Well, I've seen that kid around them before and he's a troublemaker. Best keep an eye on him, keep him in camp from now on as much as possible."

Ratcliffe nodded gently to show he understood. By this point, he no longer cared for Sora's current record of resourcefulness. The fortunes that Pete were promising were beyond anything Sora had yet to produce so far. To him, it was no contest about whom to owe his allegiance.


At the camp of natives, warriors were reporting back successful alliances with other tribes. Like a battle fought not long ago, they would unite as one and drive out the enemy, just like they had the Massawomecks.

In the fields of corn, though, life went on as it usually had. Nakoma and Pocahontas were plucking the ripe corn from their stalks. The rain had been good the last few days and the crop flourished as a result.

"So when's it happening?" Nakoma inquired.

"When is what happening?" Pocahontas asked, truly clueless.

"The wedding," Nakoma answered. "And to whom are you getting married?"

"What?!" Pocahontas stumbled a bit, accidentally dumping the corn from her basket. She got to her hands and knees and briskly began picking it up.

"You think I wouldn't know?" Nakoma knelt beside her friend and starting helping her recover the corn. "Word is going around camp that Kocoum has asked your hand in marriage."

"Well, he has," Pocahontas admitted. "But I don't think I want to marry Kocoum. He's one of our greatest warriors, but he's so serious... my father loved my mother when they married. I want my marriage to be one like that."

"Oh..." Nakoma nodded gently. "So it is Shakti, isn't it?"

"Nakoma!" Pocahontas blushed madly, getting quickly to her feet and stepping back.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of!" Nakoma teased, arranging the corn in her basket. "He's a nice guy, not to mention the strongest of the warriors." She leaned in closer to her friend, nudging her teasingly. "Don't tell him I said this, but I think he's kinda-"

"Pocahontas!"

The sound of her father's voice alerted Pocahontas. Thankful that she could drop the subject, she turned and faced the direction his voice came from as he parted some of the stalks, stepping through to see them. "You shouldn't be so far out," he said with a slight warning in his voice.

"We'll be all right," Pocahontas answered cheerfully. "Won't we, Nakoma?"

"Of course!" Nakoma agreed hastily, rising quickly to her feet with her basket of corn. "We're gathering food for when the warriors return."

"Don't go far," Powhatan chided a little more softly. "Now is not the time to be running off."

"Yes, father," Pocahontas agreed with a gentle nod and a smile.

Finally reassured, Powhatan let his stern demeanor melt into a smile. "When I see you wear that necklace, you look just like your mother."

Pocahontas fingered the charm formerly owned by her mother, sighing gently. "Sometimes, I really miss her. Do you miss her as much as I do?"

"Of course," Powhatan replied, but gestured to the air. "But she is still with us. Whenever the wind blows, I feel her presence." He placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "One day, the people will look to you for wisdom and strength, just like they once looked to her."

"That will honor me greatly," Pocahontas said, bowing her head.

"You two shouldn't be out here alone." Powhatan let his hands slip away and turned towards camp. "I will send for someone to protect you."

After he was gone, Nakoma shook her head gently. "Does he think that the minute he turns his head away, something will jump out of the corn to get us?" No sooner had she said this that a pale man in all blue and golden hair had slipped out from the field. Nakoma froze in place. "Pocahontas?" Her voice was cold and quiet, in fear. "Look!"

Pocahontas turned to see the figure that had emerged. "John?" she gasped gently. Before Nakoma had the chance to scream, she rushed over and covered Nakoma's mouth. "What are you doing here?" she whispered harshly.

"I had to see you again," John whispered back in urgency.

"Hmm?!" Nakoma squealed through Pocahontas' hand. At least, that's what it sounded like when muffled.

"Please don't say anything," Pocahontas pleaded with her friend before letting go of her. She took John's hand, leading him into the corn. "This way!"

"But-" Nakoma protested briefly.

"Nakoma?" The voice of Kocoum came through. The warrior entered moments later, accompanied by Steven. Nakoma let go of a breath she had been holding, as Pocahontas had just narrowly avoided getting caught. "Where is Pocahontas?"

"I..." Nakoma picked another husk of corn to make herself appear busy. "I haven't seen her," she answered quickly. A soft sigh from Kocoum told her that she had convinced him. "But if I do, I'll ask her not to wander off."

"Don't sweat it, Nakoma," Steven encouraged. "She's smart enough to know how to keep herself out of trouble."

"But she can't keep wandering off in times like this, Shakti," Kocoum reminded. "It's dangerous. As a warrior, you should know this. Have you already forgotten about Namontack?"

Steven raised his eyebrows at Kocoum. "What? How could I forget, Kocoum? I healed his wounds."

"And where were you when the battle was happening?" Kocoum retorted accusingly. "Where were you when you could have been somewhere to prevent such wounds from being dealt?

"Off with Pocahontas," Steven replied, his tone increasing in defense. He stepped away from Kocoum's side and turned to face his fellow warrior. Despite Steven's impressive height, he did not quite measure up to Kocoum. Behind him, Nakoma stepped away from the two and hid a couple of feet into the grass. She remained within earshot, watching in anticipation and worried for the sake of both of them as this discussion began to heat up.

"Doing something frivolous, I'm sure. A true warrior would have stayed ready whenever he knew he was needed!" Kocoum stepped towards Steven, who stepped back in response, neither breaking the stern eye contact that had ignited between them. "You may be more powerful than me because of your magic weapon, Shakti, but you do not posses the true heart of a warrior."

To keep himself calm, Steven turned away from Kocoum and took a few paces before stopping there, taking a deep breath. "You're a proud warrior, Kocoum. I won't deny that and I really do respect what you fight for." Steven turned his head to look at Kocoum. "But listen well: do not tell me being too far from a fight to know about it, let alone join it, makes me a coward!"

"That is not the only coward's act you have committed," Kocoum shot back. "Your magic is a crutch, as well as a way of easily gaining more honor for yourself."

"Honor?" Steven scoffed, shaking his head and turning back in Kocoum's direction. "You think I'm- Wow..." He huffed and looked straight upon his adversary. "I accept glory, Kocoum. I don't go out looking for it like you do."

"Saving the chief and his daughter was not a glory-seeking act?" Kocoum's eyes narrowed. "You were granted a place among my people because of that act and your powers against these Heartless demons." Kocoum gripped his spear more tightly, lifting it from the ground and holding it at his waist. "The way you speak, it seems like you believe that your powers make you more capable of fighting them than warriors who have fought far longer than you have in your lifetime. Are you claiming that we could not fight them without you?"

Steven observed the drawn spear momentarily, then turned back to face his agitated comrade To keep his ground against Kocoum's drawn weapon, Steven summoned his Keyblade at his waist, though he did not make any further antagonizing movements with it. "The Heartless are scared of the Keyblade. With me on your side, they'll come after me instead of innocents who can't fight them like we can. And with this weapon's power, I can keep those people safe." He dismissed the blade, hoping Kocoum would start to back down peacefully as well. "Forgive me if I sound arrogant, but I've fought Heartless longer than anybody here. I know what they're like and I know that my presence has kept more people safe from them than the tribe's warriors could on their own."

Kocoum did not adjust the spear, only tightened his grip on it. He took steps towards Steven in an attempt to gain higher ground by closing the distance between them a little. "How dare you," he quietly snarled at him. "You deny glory-seeking, yet you claim your power against them is greater than ours."

Getting rather frustrated, Steven marched until he and Kocoum were merely a foot apart. "I don't care about having more power and I don't care about getting glory for it!" he argued. "I am grateful for this power because it lets me protect people! I sleep better at night just knowing these people are safe!" Steven closed his eyes and put his hands together, gathering his breath in an attempt to calm himself. Then he spoke again, more softly. "I can see you don't understand this, but can you please trust that my heart is in the right place here?"

Kocoum took another step up to Steven, looking as directly down upon the boy as he could. "I would like to," he admitted, his voice having softened as well. "However, both of our hearts have potential to earn the greatest of glories and we cannot both reach that destination in harmony."

"What are you talking about?" Steven asked, beginning to lose sense of what Kocoum was saying. It all became clear to him at the utterance of Kocoum's next word.

"Pocahontas."

Steven's eyes widened a bit as this sudden revelation took root in his mind. "Is that what this is about?"

Kocoum exhaled deeply. It seemed like he had been holding in a breath during that entire conversation. "It was me who asked for Pocahontas' hand in marriage. You were granted it because of your favor with the chief, but you are far too young. You would not be able to provide for her, take care of her the way a husband should. I am the great warrior of our tribe, as you yourself said."

"Life isn't all about war, though." Steven replied. "At some point, you're going to have to learn that." He turned away from Kocoum again, crossing his arms. "I don't want to argue this further, Kocoum. So I suggest we both walk away from this and cool our heads."

"I agree." Kocoum turned his back and walked in the other direction, muttering softly to avoid being heard by Steven. "Your head should feel as cold as your heart."

Despite not hearing it, Steven felt a slight chill and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He looked on as Kocoum departed, then looked at his hand. It was barely visible, only a flicker, but there was no mistaking it. Steven detected darkness nearby.

With a quick motion, he turned and summoned his Keyblade, which briefly attracted Kocoum's attention. "What is it?" the warrior called.

"I sense something nearby!" Steven warned, rotating his footing to see if anything was going to come at him. Were it a Heartless, they would be jumping at him within moments. He backed up near the corn, suddenly remembering Nakoma's presence there. He looked up, down, around, and in all directions he could perceive in a short amount of time.

Nothing appeared. "There's...nothing," Steven realized, dismissing his blade and waving off Kocoum. "No need to be alarmed."

Kocoum scoffed gently. "Who said I was alarmed?" He left after speaking those words.

Steven, meanwhile, was left in confusion on multiple things. This was truly the first Kocoum had spoken in length to him outside of battle.

"What a great first conversation that was," Steven mumbled to himself.

To his new understand, Kocoum had grown resentful because of Steven claiming a position in the tribe that he once held. Steven had unintentionally surpassed Kocoum's reputation as a warrior and had won the chief's favor over Kocoum in the matter of marrying Pocahontas. The worst issue of all was the hint of darkness that he had detected only moments ago. He knew it was not mistaken. It had never been mistaken before.

Only Heartless, and me, have triggered it before, Steven thought, fingering his chin as he worked out this conundrum. Maybe there's another source of darkness here. Maybe a darker being has arrived, or-

"Shakti?" Nakoma finally stepped from where she had hidden. "Are you alright?" Steven turned to face her, his eyes a little wide with worry. To Nakoma, who gasped upon the sight, it almost looked as if Steven had seen some kind of evil spectre. She stepped up and looked into his eyes. "Shakti?" Then Steven closed his eyes and exhaled softly, giving Nakoma a hug. Nakoma smiled gently, feeling that his calm was returning, and gave him a hug in return. "Are you alright?" she repeated.

Steven let go and looked back to camp, where Kocoum was headed. He looked at his hand once more and let his mind wander again to his thoughts about the flash of darkness he had sensed only a moment ago. Whatever thought had crossed his mind would not leave so soon and would now leave him wary for some time.

"I certainly hope so," he mused. Then he turned back to face Nakoma quickly. "So where did Pocahontas go?"

"I haven't-" Nakoma began, but did not finish as Steven raised an eyebrow. Nakoma studied him for a moment, then decided to spill the beans. "Don't tell her I told you, but..." Her voice dropped to whisper and she leaned up to his ear. "I saw her running off with one of the pale invaders."

"Uh-huh..." Steven nodded, not at all surprised. "Did this settler, by chance, have wavy blond hair and wore blue over most of his body?"

"Yes!" Nakoma gasped. "How did you-?"

"I've met him," Steven answered, widening Nakoma's eyes once again. "And a good friend of mine is over there too." He patted her head gently. "They're not evil, Nakoma. If these two are any indication, we shouldn't have anything to worry about." He took a few steps into the corn stalks to head off and search for them.


THANK YOU FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF MY STORY!

A/N: As always, I apologize for the long wait in between chapters. To those of who sticking with the story, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy my latest offering. I had a lot of fun writing this one and I hope I can finish the next one a lot faster than I have the last two.