Author's Note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.


Ch.43 A Familiar Name

Once we made it back below we inspected the door to the room where Wendy and Kairi had imprisoned, finding the door unlocked now that the AntiSora had been defeated. And inside, lying sprawled on the ground was Wendy. "Wendy!" Peter called, flying forward. Tinker Bell flew around him, but he said "Come on, Tink! Not now!" He picked up Wendy in his arms, and looked at us. "Well, this is as far as I go. I gotta help Wendy," as he said. I nodded. "See you later, then, Peter," I said. He nodded back. "Take care, Dexal," he said, before flying away. There was silence for a moment, before Donald said "Well now what do we do? We found Wendy, and Kairi's gone too. Should we just go?"

"We could. But, uh, we got no idea where Riku went," Goofy said. I crossed my arms, frowning. That was true; Riku had left no clue behind as to his whereabouts. But there might be someone who knew. "Hook He might know," I said aloud. Sora jumped, looking at me. "Are you actually suggesting we approach that pirate and try to get answers out of him?" he asked, looking at me like I was insane. I shrugged. "I've already fought and beaten Hook once, so I knew it can be done. And once we've gotten him cornered, we can get the information we need," I said. All three of them looked at me like I was insane, but they also knew that as crazy as my idea was it just might work.

"Okay, let's go ask the one-handed prate for information," Sora said. We did just that, leaving the room and beginning to make our way back to the Captain's quarters. Once there we took the door that led straight out onto the deck. After what felt like forever seeing only wood above, below and around us, seeing the night sky and its stars was refreshing. I sighed and smiled up at them, but my smile faded when I heard a voice above and behind us. "Quite a codfish, that Riku- running off with that girl without even saying goodbye," Hook commented. We sun around to see him standing at the helm. "Run off where tell me, where did he go?" Sora asked. I expected Hook to sneer and not answer, instead having the Heartless attack us. Instead he replied right with the answer we were looking for. Even if it was the last one I expected.

"To the ruins of Hallow Bastion, where Maleficent resides," he told us. I froze. Riku went… to Hallow Bastion? I hadn't even tried to think about that world, and I haven't been ever since it was Radiant Garden. Hook smiled evilly, saying "But you be getting there." I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And why is that?" I asked. "Because, Dexal," he said, before "I do believe you wouldn't want to leave your little pixie friend behind, correct?" He held up a lantern that had Tinker Bell inside it. Sora and I gasped, and Sora muttered "No…" I glared at Hook, who just smiled back at me. After about half a minute I finally surrendered, dismissing Stormfell while Sora dismissed his Pumpkinhead. Instantly we were surrounded by Pirates.

"Now, hand over those Keyblades and I'll spare your lives. Be glad I'm merciful, unlike the Heartless," he said. I looked at him. "Has no one clued you in yet, Hook? No matter how much either of us try we simply can't hand you our Keyblades. They'll just reappear in our hands," I said. Hook chuckled. "I'm well aware of that, Dexal. But do you not have something known as the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony?" he asked. I froze. How in the name of all that is good could he know that? Before I could ask he laughed, saying "Maleficent clued me in, after having learned that herself. Now, you either perform the ceremony on me, or I can toss this lantern overboard. Which will it be? The Keyblade, or the plank?" he asked.

Before we could do anything we suddenly heard a large ticking sound, like that of a clock. Hook gasped loud enough for it to be comical, and his eyes grew to the size of car lights. He looked over the edge of the ship, and in the water was a massive green crocodile. The ticking sound was coming from it, and Hook said "It's him! The crocodile that took me hand! Oh, Smee! He's after me other hand! I can't stay here!" He looked at the crocodile and yelled "Go away! Oh, I can't stand the sight of him! Smee, you take care of them!" Hook ran into his quarters, and Sora stood on the edge of the plank. The crocodile below opened its mouth wide, eagerly awaiting its next meal. Just as Sora jumped he heard the words "Fly, Sora! Just believe, and you can do it!"

Sora jumped and I held my breath. He plummeted through the air until he was right above the crocodile, before his body began sparkling with light and Sora rose into the air, flying. "Whoa!" Sora said, looking around from where he hovered. I smiled widely; Sora now believed, and that was all it took. Faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust. Peter Pan flew down from above and snatched the lantern from Smee, opening it and freeing Tinker Bell. "Peter! You came back!" I said, smiling. He smiled back. "Of course! You didn't think I'd leave you and Tink behind, did you?" he said. I shook my head, grinning like an idiot. Smee ran away, and in his place was a glowing green orb of energy. "What's this?" Sora asked.

When he touched it the orb glowed before firing at him, entering his body and vanishing. "What the-?!" he began, before I chuckled. "That was an orb that upgraded your healing magic. You now officially know the spell Cura," I said. Sora looked at me in surprise, before drawing his Keyblade and looking at him. It had a faint green light around it as the spell finished powering up, and Sora smiled. "Awesome," he said. Our happiness was short-lived though, as just then the Heartless reappeared and surrounded us. Peter drew his dagger, Donald his staff and Goofy his shield, while Sora and I readied our Keyblades. "You're going down!" Sora called, and we attacked.

The Heartless were composed of half a dozen Pirates, just as many Air Soldiers, a trio of regulars Soldiers, and floating above them all was Battleship. That one aimed its cannons at us, and I yelled "Scatter!" The others did just that, rolling or, in the case of Peter, Sora and myself, flying out of the way. I rose into the air and the Air Soldiers rose with me, forming a circle. "Dexal!" Sora called, but I shook my head. "I'll be fine! You and Peter take of that Battleship!" I said. Sora hesitated, before nodding and turning away, flying next to Peter and holding up his Keyblade. I did the same and looked around me at the Air Soldiers. "Well, as the saying goes, bring it on!" I said.

Two of them flapped their wings and shot at me, and I spun in the air and dodged them. They stopped and two more tried to do the same, but this time I cast Aeroga. A powerful whirlwind appeared around me and drew them towards me, before spitting them out and into their comrades. One came close and tried to give me a huge right hook, but I blocked that one and delivered an uppercut of my own, hitting it in the stomach and sending the monster high into the air above me. While I was focused on that heartless another came up and bit into my shoulder, dropping all of its weight onto me. I cried out in pain and tried to shake it off, but the Air Soldier refused to let go. I grunted and placed my hand on my shoulder and cast Thundara.

An electric current shot through my body and I shouted in pain, biting my fist to keep myself still. The current hit the Air Soldier and went through its teeth, zapping it until it let go and was catapulted backwards. I grunted and cast Curaga on myself, before flying at the Heartless I had just gotten rid of and stabbing it in the stomach. When it faded away I spun around and looked at the other five, which move to surround me. I smiled; just as well. "Get ready, because here comes my Meteor!" I called, and I pointed my Keyblade up at the sky. There was a twinkle in the sky before a massive rock began falling down, flaming as it hurtled towards us with unnatural speed.

The Air Soldiers looked up as the comet reached just above and exploded, flaming rocks flying in every direction. Two were hit with such force that they burst into shadows instantly, while the other three managed to dodge. I caught one with Magnet and pulled it towards me, swinging down and delivering a blow to the head with a sickening crack! The last two both tried to slam into me one more time, but I cast Stopra and froze them in place. I moved their bodies so that they were facing each other, and released the spell. Both Heartless continued and crashed into each other, falling back. I laughed at their folly, before ending it with a pair of well-placed Firaga and Blizzaga spells.

Now that my workload of Heartless were gone I looked down, seeing Donald cast Gravira and flatten a Soldier and a pair of Pirates, which Goofy then crushed with his shield. A short distance away the Battleship aimed one of its two remaining cannons at Sora and fired, hitting him with one cannonball in the stomach. "Sora!" I called as I watched him tumbled end over end through the air until he neared the water. Just in time he managed to righten himself and flew back up. "Cura!" he called, and was suffused in a cool green light before the bruise already developing on his stomach faded. Peter cast Aero and surrounded himself in a shield of air, before flying at the Battleship and stabbing his dagger at the Heartless on the deck.

It dodged and rounded around to face Peter, before shooting at him. He barely dodged the battering ran on the front, and Sora cast Fira. He hit one of the cannons and it exploded, before doing the same to the last one. Now the Battleship was completely without any weapons, and so Peter tried to get the captain again and succeeded, stabbing it in the stomach. The Captain faded away and without anyone to control it, the Battleship began to tilt and fall forward before it plunged into the sea. The crocodile instantly came up and snapped its jaws shut, cleaving the ship in two before it fell back beneath the waves. All that were left were a few scattered Soldiers and one Pirate, all of which Donald and Goof got rid of in less than a minute.

Peter, Sora and I landed back down deck and I dismissed my Keyblade. This fight wasn't over yet thought. There was one more enemy we had to face. Peter walked to the door to the Captain's Quarters and stood next to it, knocking. From inside, Hook asked "Is that you, Smee? Did you finish them off?" Peter pinched his nose shut and tried to sound like Smee, saying "Aye, Captain. They walked the plank, every last one of them." I watched, impressed. Peter was actually really good at doing voices. It fooled Hook, proven so when he opened the door and strode out. The moment Hook saw us though he froze, but by then Peter had shut the door and crept behind him. And he took just that moment to poke him in the back with his dagger.

Hook shouted in pain and jumped, turning around and glaring daggers at Peter. "P-Peter Pan! Blast you!" he called. "Ready to make a splash, you old codfish? Now it's your turn to walk the plank!" Peter told him. The plumes of smoke coming out of Hook's ears were a lot less figurative than I would have liked, but I smiled. After a decade of not having fought against each other, Hook and I would be able to exchange blows once more. "Time to see if you've improved any, Hook," I said. He drew his swords as well, and yelled "I'll send you all to Davy Jones' locker!"


Well, now the group knows where Riku is headed. But before they can get there, they must defeat Captain Hook! Can they do it?

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