Chapter 20: The World's Most Famous Crook

It was the middle of the night in Radiant Garden, and while the citizens were asleep, those in the Bastion were pulling another all-nighter. In Ansem's study and the adjacent computer room, Ienzo, Tron, and Terra dug through files both physical and digital in their search for more information about the data that the Nobodies stole. What was it exactly? Xehanort and the apprentices had done so much research on so many topics related to the heart that it was impossible to say. But they were making progress, and every day their search was narrowed down more and more…even if it was slow going.

With permission from Ansem the Wise, Terra had all but turned the study upside down while he pored over books and notes. This wasn't exactly his area of expertise, but just because he liked to work out didn't mean he was some musclehead jock. His training with Master Eraqus had been just as much about magic and history as it had been about swinging a Keyblade around. He knew how to handle a report.

"But are you sure you don't want us to come and help?"

"I'm sure, Aqua. This is the least I can do for Ienzo and the others."

Terra's Gummiphone was on, resting on Ansem's desk with Aqua on the other end. They'd been talking for the better part of an hour now as Terra worked his way through the latest stack of reports. Not the easiest read in the world, but he had enough of Xehanort's memories from his apprenticeship to Ansem the Wise lingering to help get through them. Granted those memories were jumbled and blurry and distant, but they did the trick.

"Well even if you don't want help, we can at least be there with you. I think Ven and Chirithy are getting stir-crazy."

Terra couldn't hide a knowing smile; he had a feeling she was the one going stir-crazy, not them. He looked up from the paper to meet Aqua's face on the small screen of his phone. She was in her bedroom, which still looked just as it did eleven years ago with the notable exception that she kept her lights on even in the dead of night now. Her worry for Terra was plain as day on her face, and it tugged at his heart in the way that only she and Ven could.

But Terra shook his head. "I appreciate it, Aqua. Really. And believe me there's nothing more I want for the three of us to stick together like glue."

Aqua sighed. "I hear the 'but'…"

"But," Terra agreed, "the Land of Departure still has a lot of work before it's back to being just the way it used to be. So someone needs to be there to do that work."

"I suppose you're right." Terra's screen momentarily blurred as Aqua fell back on her bed. She turned onto her side and peered into her Gummiphone while resting on her pillow. "Well, we've been talking about home this whole time. But how are things for you in Radiant Garden, Terra?"

Terra scratched at his cheek as he spoke. "Well I guess the room they've given me is nice. It's in the same wing as the apprentices, so it's pretty big; bigger than back home. Though I'd definitely rather be in my room. It's still a nice place though." Aqua didn't say anything except give him a small smile, so Terra laughed awkwardly before continuing. "Let's see, um… The food's all right, but a royal chef's cooking doesn't have that same 'home' feel. The stars aren't as pretty to look at at night, but watching the city lights from the castle walls is a good substitute. Aeleus showed me that one."

Aqua giggled, and Terra decided he'd probably said enough. "You know, it sounds like you're missing home just as much as we're missing you."

Terra rubbed the back of his neck while swapping out the report he just finished going through out for the next one. "I guess so. But I'm doing really important work here, Aqua."

"Yeah, I know." Then there was a pause. It wasn't long, but it was longer than normal. When Aqua spoke again, her voice was more concerned than longing. "Terra, you've talked about how Radiant Garden is, but…how are you?"

Terra's hand froze in the middle of turning the report's page. Was he that easy to read? No, Aqua was just that insightful. "I'm…" He closed his eyes and let out a breath before speaking. "It's…awkward being here. I don't really know how else to put it. Master An– I mean, Ansem the Wise and the apprentices are being welcoming, but I can tell it's weird for them too."

"Weird how?" Even with his eyes locked on the pages of the report, Terra could feel Aqua's gaze on him through the screen. He could perfectly picture her look of concern, the pursing of her lips and slight furrow of her brow.

"I feel a…disassociation with this castle. I've never been here, I've never walked these halls and met these people, but my body has. It's really unsettling to not know my way around, and yet have the muscle memory that says I do." Privately, he wondered if Ven had felt something similar when on the Destiny Islands during the party. After all, he spent so long inside Sora. But that wasn't quite the same situation – Ven hadn't been a prisoner in his own body. "Plus there are still fragments of Xehanort's experiences here floating in the back of my head, which is…"

Terra trailed off, his attention caught by the next page of the report. Somewhere distant he could hear Aqua calling for him, trying to get his attention, but his eyes were locked on the paper held tightly in his hands.

"Terra! Please, are you okay?" Aqua called.

Terra all but jumped onto his feet. He held the report under his arm and picked up the Gummiphone, barely spending the time to cast Aqua an apologetic glance. "Aqua, I'll call you back."

"Ter– "

Terra pocketed his Gummiphone before the screen had even turned black and jogged down the hall to the computer room, where he was met with the now-familiar sight of Ienzo conversing with Tron on the main console's screen. The sound of his rapid footsteps on the metal floor caught their attention, and both turned to face him as he entered the room.

To his credit, Ienzo saw the paper under Terra's arm and caught on right away. "Did you find something?"

With a firm nod, Terra dropped the report onto the keyboard. "This is an analysis of the Keyblade that Braig wrote. Check the third page."

While Tron and Terra watched with baited breath, Ienzo took the report and skimmed through Braig's writings until he found exactly what it was that Terra had seen. Quickly he turned back to the computer. "He mentions a file S in folder D3. Tron, open that up."

"I'm on it, Ienzo. Just one second and…"

Tron was cut off by a loud blaring that came out of all the speakers in the room, prompting Terra to hold his hands over his ears while Ienzo jumped to the keyboard. At that same time a red error window popped up on the screen to block Tron's face while a synthesized voice loudly declared, "The data is corrupt."

Ienzo was already typing away. "Tron, what was in that file?"

"I'm not sure any more than you are, Ienzo!" Tron stood on his tiptoes to try and see over the red window before opting to just shove it aside. "But um, you may want to look at this." He gestured behind him, where one of the Dataspace's green walls now had a fissure running through it which black and red blocks had started to form around. "This happened at the same time the alert sounded in your world. I have no idea what I'm looking at…besides that it's clearly bugged, anyway!"

Terra moved closer to Ienzo so he could get a better look at the buggy Dataspace. "Did Braig plant some sort of trap in the DTD all those years ago? Or maybe the Nobodies planted it after they made a copy? What would you call it, a virus?"

Tron shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I don't think the file itself is the source of this, I think it was a victim. It's been corrupted by this fragmented data."

Ienzo pressed his fist against his chin and spoke under his breath. "Then the bugs are coming from somewhere else…?" He shook his head and started typing again. "Tron, let's put up a firewall for now. We need to contain this fragmentation before it spreads. And then we need to find the source of the bugs."

"I'm already on it. Oh, but even though the file was corrupted, I was able to glean something from it."

"You were?" Terra and Ienzo asked at the same time.

"Just pieces. The file that the Nobodies stole a copy of had something to do with the power of waking."

x-x-x

After spending one last night at Aoi's and saying goodbye to Lea and Naminé, Roxas and Xion continued on their journey to find the next world facing the Flood of Light. The world they had arrived in next was an unfamiliar town, a busy place with dirt roads, and above that multiple levels of streets made out of wood. The buildings were built extremely close together and all made of mismatched materials. The makeshift town was built at the base of cliffs along the edge of a cove in which several ships were docked, the most prominent of which was a large red one. And to top it all off this place was very crowded, and very loud.

From a narrow alleyway, Roxas and Xion observed the crowds of dirty, smelly sailors go about their business. Some slumped drunk in the streets, some argued and fought each other. It was a lawless place, and it was crystal clear that they had arrived in a pirate town. As if it wasn't already obvious enough, their clothes had been the final nail in that coffin. Due to whatever magic the good fairies had woven into the outfits they gave Roxas and Xion, their clothing had changed upon arrival in this new world. Now dressed as pirates themselves, the two teens observed the town further as they took in their surroundings. Both had huge grins plastered on their faces as they peeked out from around the corner of the alley. Pirates, how cool was that?!

The color schemes of their clothes had stayed the same after the transformation, even if nothing else had. Roxas wore a dark gray long coat zipped up to just below his chest, exposing just the top of the red high-collar button-up shirt underneath. A red sash was tied at his waist, and a lighter gray strap crossed diagonally over his torso from his right shoulder to left hip. A small golden Nobody emblem earring hung from his left ear, and of course he had to have his black and white rings.

Beside him and peering over his shoulder into the streets, Xion wore a sleeveless black top with white accents, stylized to look like a corset without the uncomfortably body-squeezing of a real one. Over her matching black shorts was an asymmetrical purple skirt, with the left side noticeably longer than the right. Her silver X necklace and charm bracelet were still there but looked a tad worn. Better that her jewelry didn't grab any attention in a place crawling with pirates, she supposed.

With her hands resting on Roxas's shoulders Xion leaned further forward, pressing against his back to try to see past him and around the corner. "What are we waiting for? It's not like we stand out."

Roxas grunted as Xion's pushing nearly sent him toppling face-first into the dirt. "I'm just trying to get my bearings. Remember Vexen's lessons: learn everything you can about a new world when you first arrive."

"Since when have you ever cared about that?"

"Since we landed in a town as rough-looking as this one. I'm not sure what world this is, so– hey!"

With a short giggle Xion shoved Roxas forward and out of the alley. He gave her a look while he adjusted his coat and she gave him an apologetic smile, but just as she had suspected, they didn't catch any attention. Well, except for a trio of drunks who hooted and congratulated Roxas for some reason when the two of them stepped out of the alley, but otherwise nobody paid them any mind. They were just another pair of pirates in this pirate town.

"Come on, we can't get a good look around just from that alley." Xion broke into a wide grin and took Roxas by the hand. "Besides! Pirates! How cool is that?!"

Roxas chuckled. "Okay, it is pretty dang cool. You got me, first mate."

Xion scoffed and put her hands on her hips. "Excuse me? That's captain to you!"

Roxas flicked Xion in the forehead. "How can you be captain when the salty Captain Roxas is already here?"

"Salty because he fell into the sea, maybe!"

"The captain must go down with his ship!"

"More like his dinghy, 'Captain'!"

The pair continued to bicker as they made their way down the muddy street. By the time they had quieted down Roxas and Xion arrived in what must have been the town square, or at least the closest thing this place had. The ground was still dirt instead of pavement, but it was a wide open space right on the water, with a dock leading out to that large red ship they'd seen earlier. Roxas's gaze lingered on the ship as they passed by it, but the vessel was quickly blocked from their sight by an old gallows. Yikes! Thankfully it was, er, vacant, but both of them quickened their pace once they saw that.

On the far end of the square was probably the largest building in town, which a rundown sign labeled 'The Mermaid's Tears'. The drunks lying around outside and loud cheers coming from inside clearly identified it as a tavern. Roxas looked back at Xion with a grin. "What better place to learn about where we are?"

"Good idea, first mate!" Xion motioned forward. "Now be a gentleman and hold the door for me."

Roxas rolled his eyes but still moved up to the entrance, stepping over a sleeping drunk as he did so. "Arr, a captain does what be best for his crew."

Both of them laughed as they made their way inside, but their laughter was quickly drowned out. Wow, it was a lot louder in here than it had sounded from outside! Maybe getting into a conversation with the locals would be harder than they thought, because darn near everyone there was singing a shanty together.

"Ooohhhhhhhh!"

"A pirate's life is a wonderful life
A-rovin' over the sea
Give me a career
As a buccaneer
It's the life of a pirate for me
Ohhhhhh, the life of a pirate for me"

"Ohhhhhh, a pirate's life is a wonderful life
They never bury your bones
For when it's all over
A jolly sea rover
Drops in on his friend, Davy Jones
Ohhhhhh, my good friend Davy Jones"

A little overwhelmed by the noise, Roxas and Xion made their way to the nearest empty table they could find. Along the way Roxas had to duck to narrowly avoid being stabbed by a knife that flew right past him and stuck into a part of the wall decorated with a crudely drawn captain. It would seem they didn't like their boss much, and at the sight Xion nervously rubbed her neck. As exciting as it may have been to be around pirates, that was a reminder they were dealing with criminals here.

As Xion and Roxas sat down they heard a loud clatter behind them followed by a slurred, "Argh, blast it! Oi, lass! Yeah you, wit' the legs!"

Were they talking to…? Xion's face lit bright red. "S-Sorry, er, thank you, but I'm not–" but a spark of light at her side quickly replaced Xion's fluster with worry. She hurried and grabbed Roxas by the wrist, holding his hand down before his Keyblade manifested. "Don't cause a scene, he's just a drunk," she whispered.

"A loud drunk," Roxas grumbled and crossed his arms in a huff.

The pirate behind them let out a guffaw. "Relax kid, I'm not after yer girl! I jus' need her help. I dropped me pistol."

As one Roxas and Xion glanced down to see, yeah, an old-timey pistol was sitting on the rotting floorboards right by Xion's feet. O-oh, that was all. Xion leaned down to pick it up, and when her fingers made contact she felt a spark of magic; not from it, from her. You know, as long as they were blending in here, a pirate's weapon wouldn't be a bad idea. Xion took a breath and closed her eyes while letting the magic do its thing, copying the pistol's structure. Replicating it. Who knows when that would come in handy?

"Lass, ye got a decent arse, but ya be too young for me. Could ya stop bendin' over and hand me me gun?"

Xion's face turned bright red again and she shot straight up to her feet with a death grip on the pistol. She hurried over to the pirate, dropped the pistol on the table, and returned to the fuming Roxas all without making eye contact. As soon as she dropped back down into her seat the man thanked her…and then both teens jumped as they heard a gunshot and the shattering of glass, before one man broke into a run out the doors of the tavern with the remnants of a shattered mug of ale in his hand. Roxas and Xion stared at each other wide-eyed and slack-jawed, but perhaps more alarmingly than the gunshot itself was the fact that nobody else in the tavern never missed a beat of their song.

"I-I guess it really is a pirate's life," Roxas commented in a shaking voice.

A short time later the waitress came by to take their order, and soon after that Roxas and Xion had a platter of meat from some exotic tropical bird that neither of them had ever heard of, completely slathered in sauces and spices. Xion had to admit, despite the dirty – both literally and figuratively – surroundings that they found themselves in, the food was surprisingly tasty.

The songs had quieted down by now, and so as the two of them ate they paid careful attention to any and all conversations that they could catch to try and learn more about this world, especially anything out of the ordinary that could lead them to the location of the Keyhole. One conversation in particular caught their interest from a pair of pirates at the bar.

"Have ye heard 'em then? The stories?"

"'at depends on what stories, ya drunkard!"

"The stories, ya bilge rat! The ones goin' 'round the whole port! Y'know, about that otherworldly crew what's been sailin' the waters of late."

"Oh… Yeah, yeah! Those stories! I be knowin' em, sure do!"

"Aye, those ones! They say the ship rides on storm clouds, and is crewed by spirits of the dead."

"I heard that their captain be a woman! A woman who commands the storm, what calls herself the Pirate Queen."

Xion raised an eyebrow at the conversation and cast Roxas a glance, but more of his attention was spent glowering at the pirate who'd commented on Xion earlier. With a groan Xion snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"What?"

"Were you listening to those two at the bar?"

"Uh, yeah. Something about a Pirate Queen and storms." Roxas shrugged. "It sounds cool but it also just sounds like typical pirate ghost stories. I doubt it'd lead us to the Keyhole."

Xion softly bit her lip. "I dunno… It sounds abnormal and recent, from the way they're describing it. Maybe that spirit crew is made up of Heartless?"

Roxas shrugged again. "I mean, maybe, but I think it's just a ghost ship like the kind you read about in books." Then he grinned. "Which honestly sounds like something I really want to check out!"

Xion couldn't hide her laughter. "Okay, I was kind of thinking the same thing."

There were more conversations to be overheard in the tavern too, of course. Now that the singing had died down some, the two Keyblade wielders could catch snippets of talk from other tables further away than the bar had been.

From a table near the front door:

"That brat hasn't shown up lately. There been any news?"

"I don't think he's found this new hideout. Ha, or more likely, he's just toyin' with the Cap'n again!"

"The Captain's gonna get us killed chasing after that kid. You know it and I know it."

From a trio playing poker in the shadow under the staircase:

"How many drinks have you had tonight?"

"No, I swear on me mum! 'twas a real an' honest tiny crew! Lilliputian pirates, they was!"

"Are you sick in the head, mate?"

Xion heard jingling coming from across her table and turned her attention away from eavesdropping and back to Roxas, who had pulled out his wallet and dropped some munny on the table next to their emptied plate. Xion rested her hand in her palm and smiled at him. "Not exactly the fantastic 'you all meet in a tavern' adventure you were hoping for?"

"Yeah, though drunk ramblings from pirates is probably also a part of the authentic experience."

"I'm not sure how much of them are ramblings. There are some pretty fantastic worlds out there, after all."

"Maybe. Either way they don't sound like leads on the Keyhole though."

Xion grinned. "So duty-bound! Orrrr…could it be you're trying really hard not to go sailing off on an adventure?" Roxas leaned over the table and flicked her on the forehead again. Her grin only widened. "I'm dead on, aren't I? Come on, Roxas! You had fun being a pirate on the way over to this tavern, let's have fun being pirates as long as we're here."

Roxas groaned. "Alright, alright, you got me… Now any more of that lip and you're walking the plank, first mate!"

"I told you, I'm the captain around here!" Xion stood up and Roxas followed suit, the two of them heading over to the front door – only to nearly be hit in the face as the door swung wide open in an instant.

"All hands on deck! All hands on deck!" A short man with a funny voice called loudly into the tavern. When nobody noticed him, he pulled out a trumpet and blew loudly into it. Xion and Roxas, being right next to him, had to cover their ears at the terrible racket. It did the trick though, the entire place went silent. The little man cleared his throat. "All hands on deck! The Cap'n wants to talk in the square!"

The pirates grumbled and soon the tavern was filled with the sound of shifting chairs and clattering silverware as people started shuffling outside. Xion watched the crowds with mild curiosity, but Roxas was standing on his tiptoes to see over all the pirates' heads.

"Something wrong?" Xion asked.

"That guy who came in here looked familiar…" Roxas muttered.

Well, that was a surprise! "Do you mean you've been to this world?"

But instead or answering, Roxas took Xion by the hand. "Come on, let's go see what the Captain has to say!"

The two of them hurried out with the last stragglers, which unfortunately meant they were near the back of the crowd that had assembled near the gallows in the middle of the square. The short man climbed up onto the gallows so that everyone could see him, then blew on his trumpet once more to quiet the chatter.

"Here he is!" the man cried out in his silly voice. "The cunning kingfish! The bad barracuda! A man so quick, he's even fast asleep." He paused for applause, but the crowd was dead silent; in fact, there was even a single cough as if to emphasize the silence. Wow, this crew did not like their captain. But the man didn't even seem to notice. "Now let's all give a big hand – 'cause he's only got one! – for Cap'n Hook!"

The little man applauded with gusto at his own introduction, but there were only a few halfhearted claps from the rest of the crowd as the captain walked down the docks from that large red ship and made his way up onto the gallows. When his large feathered hat came into view for Roxas and Xion way in the back of the crowd, Roxas's jaw dropped.

"I knew it! This is the world where I could fly!"

Xion took a step back and gave Roxas a look like he'd just grown a second head. "Did you just say you flew?"

Roxas turned his head to look at her. "Did I not mention it before?" Maybe? She honestly couldn't remember if he had or not. "Well, Axel can back me up, he's been here too. Anyway, whenever I'd come to this world for the Organization I would see that captain and his first mate there digging for treasure."

"Oh! Well, if you've been here then at least that means we'll know our way around a bit once we leave town."

Their attention turned back to Captain Hook and his first mate, who he whacked on the head with his namesake hook. "That's for the hand comment, Mr. Smee," the captain growled in a low voice.

Smee saluted. "Aye, Cap'n. Won't happen again."

Ignoring his first mate for now, Captain Hook stepped forward and raised his voice to address the assembled pirates. "As you all know, things have been quiet since we fixed the damages that the Jolly Roger received in that ill-fated Heartless attack."

"Oh yeah, it crashed into his ship…" Roxas muttered.

"The scouting party has reported on the developments that have taken place in Neverland since we arrived on this little island for our repairs. I assume some of you scallywags have heard the stories as well?" Hook scanned the crowd with his hands behind his back, but no one responded. Then without warning he suddenly shouted, "Usurpers! Sniveling fiends that seek to take my rightful spot as captain of the pirates of Neverland! And what do we do with usurpers, gentlemen?"

"Keelhaul 'em!" One pirate suggested. The crowd roared at that, cheering and throwing their fists into the air. Xion had to admit it was pretty intimidating, especially considering how they'd been a bunch of rowdy drunks just minutes before.

"Yes, we'll make our names known and show them the folly of trespassing in the domain of Captain James Hook! Now, as I am given to understand, there are two crews that have drifted into these waters. The first is a crew of, of all things, pirate fairies." Hook chuckled and rolled his eyes. "What threat are mere pixies? I dealt with a self-proclaimed pirate fairy even as a young lad. They are nothing to worry about."

Smee rubbed the bump on his head from Hook's earlier smack. "Um, Cap'n, but the version of that story you told me was–"

"Don't dwell on the past, Mr. Smee!" Hook shouted while smacking him upside the head, with his hand this time. "Now then, the other would-be pirate crew is the one that concerns me more. Oh yes, you've all heard the tales as well as I: a ghost ship accompanied by the storm, and their so-called 'Pirate Queen'. Well I say I'll have that pigeon-livered whooperup kneeling at my feet by the time the week is through!"

Riled up by the earlier keelhauling comment, the crowd started to chant. "Hook! Hook! Hook!"

Hook grinned and twirled his mustache as he took in the cheering. "Settle down, settle down! Save some energy for our third and greatest foe. That blasted, blasted PETER PAN!" Hook screamed the name and a loud chorus of boos rang out from the crowd. "Oh yes! I've got plans for that brat, and this time he'll go down along with these upstart pirate crews! So make ready, men: we sail for Neverland in the morning!"

With a flurry of his bright red coat, Hook turned around and made his way back to his ship as the frenzied crowd chanted his name behind him. Xion felt awfully claustrophobic all of a sudden, and turned to Roxas who looked rather thoughtful.

"Something on your mind?" she asked.

Roxas nodded. "He said we're on an island when he was talking about repairing the ship." Oh yeah, he did, didn't he? "Which means if we want to find the Keyhole we'll need to find a way off the island." There was a gleam in his eye and he looked over to the Jolly Roger.

Xion stared. "Roxas, I know we want a pirate adventure, but stowing away on their ship?"

"Well we're not exactly part of the crew able to just walk aboard!"

Xion bit her lip and glanced over at the ship there. She supposed it was large enough for them to stow away easily, and well, she had told Roxas have fun being pirates. "I guess you're right."

There wasn't much further discussion on the matter. As the crowd started filtering out, Roxas motioned for Xion to follow him behind a stack of crates near the dock. How were they going to get all the way to the ship without being seen? Well, neither minded going for a swim all too much. Blocked from view by the crates they slipped into the water of the cove as silently as they could, holding their breaths as long as they could as they made their way toward the Jolly Roger. About halfway down the length of the dock Xion could start to feel a burning sensation in her lungs and grabbed Roxas by the sleeve of his coat to get his attention, then pointed upwards.

They broke the surface in the shadow of the dock, surrounded by barnacle-covered wood with the wooden planks creaking up above as pirates moved up and down the dock. Treading water was difficult in boots, and poor Roxas had that coat of his too. "You still up for this?" Xion asked.

"It's making me work for that adventure, isn't it?" With a grin and a deep breath, Roxas dove back into the water.

They swam around the rear of the ship and over to the far side, where they'd be hidden from view once they surfaced again. But looking up at the slick, high hull of the ship, a problem presented itself right away. "Now how the heck are we going to climb up?" Roxas wondered aloud.

Xion looked around the ship for some answer, swimming further back for a better view, then from the rear to the front. Finally, at the port bow of the Jolly Roger, she found their answer: a thick, heavy metal chain leading from the deck into the water. The anchor.

"Roxas!" She tried to keep her voice quiet just in case, but he heard her call and caught on quick. After he joined her at the anchor, Xion grabbed hold of the chain and gave it a tentative tug. "Let me go first – if anyone's on the deck your spiky hair might be noticed easier."

Roxas tugged on his spikes with a pout on his face, but voiced no protest. Xion grabbed hold of the chain and planted her boots on the wood, then began to climb up the side of the ship as if she were scaling a cliff. A tug on the chain from below told her Roxas was close behind, but she didn't dare look. It wasn't that she was scared of heights – she'd spent too much time on the Twilight Town clock tower to be scared of heights – but scaling the ship required all her concentration lest she slip off the wet hull.

At the top of the chain Xion peaked over the railing and examined the deck. It looked completely empty. Hook was probably in his chambers, and there was the sound of rowdy crewmates on the attached dock, but the deck itself seemed clear. "Come on," she whispered as she climbed over the railing and jumped onto the deck.

"That's not good." Roxas said as he grabbed at the tail of his coat, which was dripping seawater. He unzipped and examined his shirt beneath, just as soaked as the rest of him and clinging tightly to his body. Xion quickly averted her gaze at that and glanced down at herself. She wasn't faring much better. In fact they were leaving steadily growing puddles where they stood.

Xion frowned. "If we move we'll leave a trail of water right to wherever we're hiding."

"Oh, hold on, I've got this." Roxas held out his hand and orange sparks gathered in his palm. However the beginnings of the Fire spell quickly transferred over into an Aero spell, buffeting the two of them with a warm wind like they were sitting in front of a fireplace. It swirled around them and through their clothes, quickly drying the two of them off.

"Quick thinking, Roxas!"

"Hey, I know a thing or two."

Well, time to get moving before someone came on deck. They were right out in the open after all. Xion and Roxas hurried toward the two doors they could see near the rear of the ship. "We'll go in the lower one," Roxas explained. "The upper one leads right into Hook's quarters."

But when they reached the lower door, it was locked tight. Not that that could stop them! Roxas and Xion both pulled out their Keyblades and tapped them against the door, which promptly swung open of its own volition…

…right into the middle of a group of pirates playing cards.

"Uh oh."

x-x-x

"Yo ho, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, yo ho!"

"So try the life of a thief
Just sample the life of a crook
There isn't a boy
Who won't enjoy
A-workin' for Captain Hook
The world's most famous crook"

Standing on deck and surrounded on all sides of singing pirates, a nervous Roxas and Xion tightened their grips on their Keyblades and quietly took in their situation. They could easily fight their way out of this, but salty sea dogs though they may be these pirates were still just normal men. It wouldn't be right of Keyblade wielders to fight them off so forcefully. Besides, the pirates hadn't actually done anything to them yet. And so the two of them continued to observe their surroundings while the crew finished this song.

"Yo ho, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, yo ho!"

"You'll love the life of a thief
You'll relish the life of a crook
There's barrels of fun
For everyone
And you'll get treasures
By the ton
So come and sign the book
Join up with Captain Hook!"

The crowd parted to reveal Captain Hook as he stepped out of his private cabin, holding a ledger that must have been the book the pirates were referring to. But what caught the Roxas and Xion's attention more was the look he was giving the two of them, or rather, giving their Keyblades. It wasn't confusion at such strange-looking swords. No, there was recognition in his eyes. They dismissed their weapons on the spot but that didn't change what he'd already seen. And then of all things, a welcoming grin spread across his face as he walked down the steps toward them.

"When I was told we had a pair of stowaways my plan was to drop them off the plank and be done with it. But it would appear that there have been some unforeseen circumstances." He chuckled surprisingly warmly and sat down on a chair that Smee pulled up without even being asked to do so. "My dear children, don't think I don't know Keyblades when I see them. You know, keys that can open any door would be of great use to me and my crew." Smee then brought out a small desk which Hook set the ledger down and flipped open, followed by Smee adding a quill and ink. "So indeed, what do you children think? Shall you sign the book? Why, I'll even throw in a free tattoo if you feel so inclined."

Xion stared at the ledger, at the line of names signed in already. Honestly it was…enticing. Not the tattoo, she was honestly a little repulsed by those. But they had wanted a pirate adventure, and as Roxas had said, they weren't exactly part of the crew who could just walk right onto the ship. Not yet, at least.

"What do you think, Roxas?"

Roxas looked from Xion to Hook, who was holding the quill out to him with a smile and raise eyebrows. He took in a breath and then let it out slowly. "You know, last time I was here they mostly just dug for treasure. Sure they're rough around the edges, you know, loud and pirate-y," – and at this one of the crewmen punched another in the face seemingly just because he looked at him funny – "but I don't think it'd be the worst crowd we've ever fallen in with."

Captain Hook tipped his hat. "Why indeed, my boy! We all have our loved ones after all. It's not as though we're heartless."

"I'm definitely interested in a high-seas adventure too." At Xion's words, Hook turned the quill and his grin toward her. "But it'll only be temporary."

"What's this, then?" Hook asked, slowly setting the quill back into the ink and clasping his hands together on the desk.

"We're looking for something," Roxas explained. "And we'll join your crew if you help us find it, but once we have we'll need to move on to other lands. It's kind of an urgent mission."

Hook twisted his mustache with his hook as he thought over Roxas's proposition. Then he rubbed his chin as he thought some more, before nodding. "Very well, my boy. You have a deal. I'll jot down 'temporary' beside your names once you sign. But in exchange for my help, as well as taking you both on this grand pirate adventure you say you crave, I will require a favor of my own from you…and from your Keyblades."

Roxas and Xion looked at each other, and gave the other that silent affirmation. They were on the same page – a few days in Hook's crew, help him out, he helps them find the Keyhole. It sounded fun! They looked back to the captain and answered in unison, "Deal."

"Excellent! Then let's not delay any further. Go on and sign the book."

Roxas took the quill and signed first, his excitement betraying him as he jotted his name down quickly and a tad messily. Xion's own handwriting wasn't much better given her own similar feelings on the matter. Pirates! Honest and true pirates, and they were part of the crew! How awesome was that?!

Hook took the book back from them, gave their names a glance-over, and then just as he said noted their temporary service next to their signatures. "Very good then. Mr. Roxas, Ms. Xion, welcome to the crew of the Jolly Roger. Mr. Smee will show you to your quarters. We sail for Neverland at first light!"

Well, maybe those two are a bit poor judges of character, but I think both of them would have inherited the strong love of pirates from Sora that we saw him express in the Caribbean in KH2 and 3. I can honestly see Sora doing much the same if he had met Hook before meeting Peter.

The hardest part of writing this chapter was coming up with pirate designs for Roxas and Xion. I'm a very visual-minded person and needed to have a design in my head beyond just vague "pirate outfits" to write this. I hope my descriptions were enough to help visualize them.