Sora looked above to see Peter laughing and dodging cannon fire "STILL CAN'T HIT THE BROADSIDE OF A BARN!"
There was a distant response "I'll get you Peter Pan, you little braggart!"
Peter rolled his eyes, then pointed at Kairi, Riku, and Sora below, then sped up to the clouds and saying "Sure you will, now follow me guys!" They all got a sprinkling of pixie-dust, and, sopping wet clothes and all, followed Peter Pan into the clouds.
They all hid behind a white, poofy mass of cloud-stuff, Peter leaning against it and saying offhandedly "Don't worry, Hook couldn't hit us even if he tried." A cannonball broke through the clouds over their heads "See?"
Kairi sank into the puffy cloud, looking stunned. She whispered "That nearly hit us-"
"THAT NEARLY HIT US!" Sora screamed "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Sora then started screeching out horrible names at Peter, who then absently brushed Tinker Bell towards him while he kept an eye on Hook's pirate ship.
Sora suddenly stopped, Tinker Bell having shoved a mountain of pixie-dust in Sora's mouth.
"What?! Uuh?! Wuhss ooin Oo?!" Sora exclaimed as his tongue began rising to the roof of his mouth. Peter simply explained with a grin "That's what happens when you don't keep your mouth clean!"
"I OO ILLE-"
Kairi yelped and sank back further as a cannonball soared just barely over her, Riku, Ventus, and Sora. Ventus then peeked over the cloud, saying "I don't think this place is very advantageous... Say, Peter, don't you think we should take cover somewhere a little more... Solid?... Peter?!"
Peter was directing cannon fire, leaping around the clouds and swooping as if he wasn't in danger. "Go to Skull Rock! I'll catch up later!" After side-stepping another cannonball, he politely asked Tinker Bell "Think you can lead 'em there?"
Tinker Bell shot off, ringing for the others to follow.
They flew at a steady pace, but not unnoticed. A cloaked figure, watching from the abandoned Indian camp, watched them land outside of the landmark. He walked away into a portal of darkness.
...
Sora, Kairi, Ventus, and Riku looked around the echoey cavern. "Uhhh, 'ice angou." Sora remarked, his light curse finally starting to fade. Ventus gave him a confused look, but said "It's only temporary." He noticed Tinker Bell fly off, presumably to let Peter know they were safe for now.
He tried flying again. He rose only an inch before starting to sink, so he just quit and began scrambling up the rocks.
"Ven! What are you doing?!" Kairi asked, her invisible doubles asking the same thing.
Sora smirked lightly and hopefully "'aybe 'etting him'elf killed..." He stopped, noting Kairi's glare.
Ventus only clambered up into a hollowed out circle of Skull Rock's eyes, leaning against the rock and saying "Keeping an eye out for Peter."
"Hey! How about you drop on down?" Sora asked enthusiastically, realizing the pixie-dust had finally worn off. He was elbowed hard in the guts moments later by Kairi.
Ventus only shook his head as he scanned the skies for Peter Pan "Not gonna kill myself, Sora, sorry." He was too high up for anyone to hear what he tagged on softly "Not yet..." Kairi blinked, apparently picking up the small note, but then looked confused. She didn't quite understand what Ven had said. He then flopped down, eyes locked on the sky.
Kairi watched him, noting how sudden his happiness dropped. His hair swayed in the light breeze, but his gaze remained fixed and vacant. He had plots running in his head, and she didn't like any of it. "Hey Ven! You sure you don't wanna come down and talk?" She asked worriedly.
Ventus shook his head "I'm fine...!"
She pouted lightly, but left him alone. She then sat down, puffing her hair out of her face, then annoyedly brushing it away "Sure, don't talk about anything..." She grumbled "It's not like talking is gonna DO anything." She was starting to cry "You all just bottle everything up and don't accept the fact that your hurt always gonna be there! You all know you need help but always shove it away, hypocrites!"
Sora folded his arms defensively. Ventus then called out "Kairi, I know you really, REALLY, wanna help, but we don't want you getting hurt, okay? We do it for your sake. We can handle it."
"Sure, handle it." She grumbled.
"Seriously Kairi," Riku agreed softly "you can't help some things. We're choosing to make our burdens just our own. If we want help from you, we'll ask for it, right guys?"
"Yep,"
"Maybe,"
Kairi sighed "You don't want me here, do you?"
Sora was the first to react "Uhhhh... Sort of... Maybe... It's complicated."
Riku uncomfortably said "Well, to be honest, not really... We have to make sure you're okay, you don't offer much skills-"
Ventus interrupted Riku "Kairi, I want you here!" Riku and Sora raised their heads, finding Ventus beginning to climb down to them. He rushed over, grabbing her hand "I want you here." He gasped breathlessly from the climb "You're seeing the best when we can only see the worst, you're keeping us all from losing our minds in our own hatred! We'd be so dysfunctional without you because you give us a common goal!"
Kairi smiled "Glad to be appreciated-"
"SHHH!"
Sora was suddenly looking around, trying to find the source of something. Riku was craning his neck, also looking for something. "Anyone else hear that ticking?" He whispered.
Ventus blinked, cocking his head. His eyes widened, and he quickly went outside, saying "Come on! we need to get out of here!"
"Why?" Kairi asked "It's just ticking-"
"Coming from a crocodile! I'm not sure if his diet has changed, but if it has we need to get away!"
Sora and Riku followed, continuing to ask questions "it's just a croc-"
"It's been chasing after Hook for ages. Plans to eat him, and I'm not sure what it thinks of us. Best not to find out."
"Say, who is Hook anyways?"
Ventus decided to stop, saying offhandedly "Just a incompetent pirate that Peter messes with and vice versa, I wouldn't worry about him." He looked around, saying "Yep, we should be good now!"
"Oh really? What would your definition of good be?"
Everyone turned to a cloaked figure, a book tucked under his arm and male judging by the voice, approaching them. They all summoned Keyblades, Sora saying "Four on one, might as well give up."
Then the man undid his hood, periwinkle hair and a cold azure gaze.
Ventus tilted his head, looking confused. He dared taking a step forward and asking "I-Ienzo...?"
"Excuse me?" Sora asked, dropping his guard momentarily.
"I don't go by that name anymore, it is Zexion now." He said with a withering look "Now, to get onto business..." He trailed off, giving Riku a curious look "How intriguing, you smell like the Superior..." He shook his head, resuming "I do believe I was sent here to eliminate you."
Ventus got in front of his friends, glowering at the Nobody "Ienzo! Remember, you owe me! I've saved your life before, now spare theirs!"
Zexion faltered, then said "It doesn't matter what you did, I fell into darkness anyways!"
"Ventus-?"
"I'll explain later-"
Zexion opened his book, a storm suddenly shaking Never Land and instantly darkening the skies "I will let you live, Ventus, for saving me that one time, but the rest have got to go. Superior's orders."
Sora grabbed Riku and Kairi, holding them close as the storm grew darker and more intense, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the worst.
After awhile, the rain slipped away, and he opened his eyes again. He gasped, finding himself in just darkness. He heard a chuckle, and whirled around in the empty space "Your heart is already lost to the darkness, Sora."
"No!" He yelled "No it isn't!"
Suddenly Riku, Ventus, and Kairi's voices called out, all blaming him, slicing him with the cruelty of their words.
"You're no hero! You're not even my friend! You're just the idiot who tags along!"
"I enjoyed every second of causing you misery because you DESERVED IT! I still enjoy seeing the look on your face when you tell me you hate me, because I still see the broken, bloodsplattered boy I hate!"
"I HATE YOU! I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU! What EVER made you think I loved a monster like you?!"
Sora gripped his head and screamed at the realization of his own personal hell made real.
...
Riku found himself staring at Ansem, frozen in fear as the figured loomed over him with a triumphant expression "Riku, I have finally won, don't you feel the power running through you? The darkness filling you with abilities you never thought you could ever do?" Ansem laid a hand on his shoulder "And it's all because you gave in."
Riku shoved the hand away, backing away like a feral animal "NO! I-I CAN'T-"
"You did-"
"NO! I DIDN'T-"
"You killed them all-"
"NO! NO NO NO NO NO-"
"Sora put up a good fight, I will admit, but he's gone-"
"LIES!"
"Kairi and her annoying light was easily snuffed out with your own hands. You didn't love her that much anyways-"
"NO! NO PLEASE JUST STOP IT!"
Ansem only laughed as Riku continued to panic.
...
Kairi awoke in a bed, home, wondering what had happened. Minnie squeezed her, saying softly "Oh! You're awake!"
"Mom...?"
"Mickey was training with you and Goofy and someone came to assassinate you! Thank goodness you're alive!"
Kairi stared blankly at the wall "What about dad...?"
Minnie pulled away "He... He died saving you."
Kairi felt everything shatter "B-but what about Sora? what about Riku, Ventus?!"
Minnie looked at her worriedly "Dear, you need to lie down and rest, there hasn't been anyone here by those names."
She sank back into the pillows, starting to cry. It had all been a dream. She was just as friendless as before.
...
Ventus opened his eyes, seeing Kairi, Sora, and Riku all collapsed on the ground in a heap. He blinked, then saw Zexion busily flipping through pages.
"What are you doing?!"
Zexion lightly tilted his head up to acknowledge Ventus "Trapping their hearts in their own nightmares. Then I'll crush them from the inside." He licked his thumb and skimmed to another page "Easy and obvious, really."
"Ienzo, do you realize what you're saying?!" Ventus said, begging for him to stop.
Zexion glared at Ventus "My name is Zexion."
"No, it isn't! It's Ienzo, and you don't want to do this-"
"I do whatever I please, and whatever the Superior commands! I am Zexion, The Cloaked Schemer! And I am NOT going to be swayed by a boy who only delayed my demise!" He slammed his book shut, tossing it with deadly force and accuracy at Ventus, who quickly rolled away.
"Ienzo! You don't want to hurt them!"
"Orders from the Superior! I am NOT going to become a mere Dusk for the sake of a few teenagers!" Ventus suddenly felt buffeted by hurricane winds, but blinked when he realized the noise of his clothes flapping in the wind wasn't there. He glanced down to see that his clothes were still.
He summoned his Keyblade, and charged through the illusion "FINE! HAVE IT YOUR WAY!"
