Author's Note: Now things are getting a bit heated up, but we're still not quite near the ending of this story just yet. Maybe this will have about 50 or 60 chapters or somewhere close in the middle. Because we still have other worlds to explore:

Bakerstreet(The Great Mouse Detective) and Kingdom of Coronia(Tangled) are still to be seen. So, let's get to it.

I don't own Kingdom Hearts, or Final Fantasy.

CH37: Complicated Truths.

When the portal that Sora created with his Keyblade and the black stone opened up and he and his main companions, along with Strelitzia, Serah and Mog emerged, their first expressions were that of confusion as the portal now closed up behind them, leaving them stranded on, well, on some beach. Nothing but sand to their right, and nothing but ocean to their left. No palm trees, no rocks, no caves. Just sand and water.

"Gawrsh, this is Davy Jones' Locker?" Goofy asked, puzzled.

"I was expecting it to be more...haunting. Like the Underworld." Terra commented.

"This looks nothing like Valhalla either." Serah thought.

Myde looked around dumbfounded, before blinking, "I can see why Hades called this place boring. No wonder he didn't want to come here."

"I don't see Jack or anyone else. Why could he be?" Kairi asked, worriedly.

"Maybe he's further up in-land. This place is huge." Aqua suggested.

"Hold on...I think I see people up ahead." Lea said, as he shaded his eyes from this Dead realm's glaring sun, squiting his eyes to see if he wasn't seeing things. Sora and the others did the same and surely enough, despite not being 100% certain, there was a large group of people about ten feet away that were all emerging from the water, soaking wet and walking or crawling onto the land from the wreckage of a ship.

Sora was the first to gap in surprise and confusion, exclaiming, "Wait! I think we know those guys!" and took the lead to investigate despite his friends protests before they too raced to catch up to him.

"Sora! Wait up!" Mickey called out.

"Wait!" Donald cried out.

"Hey, wait for me!" Myde called out, lagging behind, complaining, "Ugh, this sun's heat is worse than at Olympus Colisum and Agrabah!"

What felt like forever since Cloud's group and the pirates fell into the darkness after falling off the waterfall, it seemed to have finally ended as everyone, battered, soaking wet and exhausted, emerged from the ocean as they walked or crawled their way onto the shore, coughing and wheezing. The ship was currently in hundreds of pieces, but at least they were still alive.

"Ugh...well, that was a fun ride." Zack muttered sarcastically, pushing himself up from the sand, and saw nothing but sand dunes.

"Are you sure this is the Locker?" Cloud asked as he helped Tifa to stand.

Reno wriggled a pinky finger in his ear to get the water out, wincing as he commented, "If not, then this is the most deserted island I've ever seen. There ain't any wildlife here either." while Rude groaned due to his sunglasses in pieces as well before tossing them and pulled out spare pair from his shirt-pocket and put them on.

"Aye." Gibbs agreed with the redhaired Turk. "This truly is a god forsaken place."

"I don't see Jack." Elizabeth added, confirming the lack of life. "I don't see anyone."

"Hey!" A familiar voice called out, alerting almost everyone who turned to see where that voice had come from and their eyes widened as the familiar spiky-brown hair that belonged to Sora, along with the rest of him, and his travelling companions along with two women and a Moogle most didn't recongise run up towards them before finally standing near Cloud and Tifa who, along with Vincent, the Turks, Elizabeth, Will and the Black Pearl crew being the most shocked.

"Sora? Everyone? What are you doing here?" Cloud asked.

"Nevermind us! What about you guys?" Sora replied.

"We're here to rescue Jack, and I take that he's not with you." Vincent replied, noticing that, considering how Jack wasn't with them, which meant that the Pirate had indeed came here.

"We came to rescue him too." Riku replied, before asking, "How did you all get here?"

"Ah, ya'know. Hijacking an underrated boat, sailing with a bunch of priates, using the most weirdest map in history, falling off a huge mother-freakin' waterfall that leads to this place, and took a nice dip and came here." Reno said casually with heavy sarcasm, before asking seriously, "How'd you all get here and why aren't ya's all soakin' wet?"

"Well...we came here through a portal and a stone, after Jack saved Sora from that guy named Caius who sent Jack here. It's a long and complicated story." Roxas shrugged.

"You already know his name?" Cloud asked, shocked.

"We heard if from two of our new friends who volunteered to help us rescue Jack." Xion answered, gesturing at Strelitzia, Serah and Mog who approached.

"Strelitzia? Serah? Mog? You're here too?" Cloud asked, as Tifa blinked confused, the Turks shared a puzzled look, Vincent and Zack both shared a confused glance.

"Good to see you and the Turks again, Cloud." Strelitzia replied, which confused Sora's group who looked back and fourth between the trio and Cloud and the Turks. When did they meet?

"You know each other?" Isa asked, skeptically.

Serah nodded, answering, "In our travels before we met all of you, we met Cloud and the Turks in their home world which was being terrorized by a scientest named Fuhito who wanted to destroy it's people."

"Yeah, these two ladies and their Moogle just appeared outta nowhere and they, Cloud and some big guy named Snow took out Fuhito who was in some other group." Reno answered.

"Who's Snow?" Skuld inquired, puzzled.

"My boyfriend." Serah blushed a little, "Even though the wedding is held off for now since he's also looking for my sister, we're getting married."

"Wow...congratulations!" Mickey praised with a smile, with the others nodding in agreement with smiles of their own despite the situation.

Cloud on the other hand scoffed, and muttered under his breath, "I still don't get why she'd want to marry that hot-headed guy."

"So, you got any idea how to get outta here?" Reno asked the worldly travellers who, realising that they were in for another problem, all looked sheepish and sighed. This made Cloud's group all groan as Reno sighed in exasperation, "I'll take that as a no. Just great. Now where stuck here and I'm not sure if that Jack guy really is close by."

"He's here." Barbossa spoke as he finally approached, which, given how Sora, Donald and Goofy froze up upon recongising the former dead Pirate's voice, was shock as the man continued, "Davy Jones never once gave up that what he took."

Sora, Donald and Goofy's eyes widened as they finally noticed one of the very dead pirates Jack killed a year ago stand just behind Cloud's group. Very alive but also soaking wet. Their reactions pretty much confirmed everyone else's suspicions.

"You!?" Sora exclaimed, as he, Donald and Goofy quickly stood in fighting stances but didn't summon their weapons just yet, glaring at Barbossa.

"It's Barbossa!" Goofy exclaimed.

Barbossa, recongising the trio who were too once his enemies, smirked in amusement at their reactions, greeting them with heavy sarcasm, "Sora, Donald and Goofy. Here to rescue Jack Sparrow as well, eh?" taking note on the rest of the worldly travellers who gazed at him with suspicion. "With a crew of your own, I see."

"What are YOU doing here?" Donald demanded.

"Hold on...this is the guy who almost killed you, Jack, Will and Elizabeth before?" Kairi asked, quickly glaring at the pirate as she recongised the name. Sora had told her and Riku about Barbossa's evil deeds.

"Yeah. Unfortunately." Sora replied.

Lea glared at the pirate, before asking the others, "And...he's back from the dead because...?"

Barbossa's gazed turned to Lea and, for the first time since Sora and the others had known the guy, his expression matched theirs as he glanced back and forth to the redhead pryo and then to the redhead Turk, noticing the striking resemblence between the two young men.

"Before you ask, yes we both look alike and no we're not related. Had the same reaction as you did when we first met him." Reno sighed in exasperation, growing tired of the shockness of him and Lea being identical. He then turned to Sora's group and answered Donald's question, "Appearently he's needed alive since he's an expert of the ocean and was needed to take us here to rescue that friend of yours."

The Pirate was silent for a moment, then gazed at Lea and inquired, puzzled, "Who are you?"

"Name's Lea. My friends sometimes call me Axel. Got it memorized?" Lea replied, continuing, "I've heard about you, by the way. So don't think we can be friends."

"But how did he come back to life?" Mickey asked, puzzled.

Zack rubbed the back of his neck before pointing at Tia Dalma who stood by and, while she was soaking wet herself, was holding one of the little white crabs in her hand, stroking its shell as if it were some kind of pet. "She brought him back."

"Her!?" Lea, Roxas, Xion and Isa exclaimed, eyes wide as they recongised the voodoo woman. Lea then shuddered and groaned under his breath, "Not that creepy lady."

Reno caught on what his fellow redhead had said and leaned over, whispering, "Please tell me ya didn't already meet that creepy lady."

"Yeah. She's the one who told us about Davy Jones' Heart and all that." Lea grumbled.

"It doesn't matter right now." Will spoke up bitterly. "We're trapped here by his doing, no different to Jack getting himself and the Pearl trapped here by the Kracken." Though he hasn't heard that Jack had been sent here by Caius after saving Sora, which was the reason for the worldly travellers' confusion. Didn't they know about Jack travelling with them for the entire time?

"Witty Jack Sparrow is closer dan you t'ink." Tia Dalma finally spoke up. No sooner had the words left her mouth, than a sight unlike any that anyone had ever seen came into view. Over the top of the sand dune was none other than the Black Pearl itself, still unknowingly carried by the crabs. Standing on the top mast was Captain Jack Sparrow, who only had his eyes on the ocean, looking as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening and looked as though he was heroic.

Everyone just watched in slack-jawed amazement as the ship overtook the sand dune and slid down straight towards the water.

"Whoa...!" Sora mouthed in awe, eyes wide in sheer disbelief.

"...Okay?" Zack muttered, dumbfounded.

"What the hell...?" Reno muttered, blinking in disbelief.

"Impossible." Tseng and Tai Haung both chorused.

Goofy blinked, before muttering, "Gawrsh."

"Kupo..." Mog mumured in awe.

"It's Jack! He's okay!" Ven cried out in relief, and it wasn't long before almost everyone else hurried to meet their friend who looked as though Caius never attacked him in the first place. All except Elizabeth who was about to approach before she stopped and gazed at Will who looked disappointed. She looked away and just stood there, frozen. She had yet to confess what really happened.

Jack by then had pulled up on a longboat and came ashore, marching towards everyone who were running up towards him, most relieved to see him again.

"Hey! You're alright!" Sora said happily.

"Of course I am. Not that seeing you immediately after I saved your life is not a relief, even though you're most likely mourning as you always do and possibly about to move on through the Cosmos to continue the little quest to stop Chaos." Jack replied, as though he didn't believe that everyone was here. This only confused the group.

"What are you talking about?" Terra asked.

"Care to explain your sudden appearences?" The Pirate continued, looking a bit annoyed now.

The worldly travellers and the Black Pearl crew shared confused glances before turning back to Jack, as Aqua said, noticing that something was wrong, "I think this place has already gotten to you, Jack. It's making you confused."

"Aye, sir." Gibbs agreed, stepping up to his captain and continued, "You're...you're in Davy Jones' Locker, Cap'n."

Jack stood there blankly when he heard this. No hallucination would say that to him, would they? He had noticed the moment he woke up earlier and the fact that he could still wield his Keyblade just proved that his adventure had not been a dream.

After a few moments of awkward silence, he replied, "I knew that, and don't think I don't."

"I think he's really lost it this time." Lea said, concerned, and his friends nodded in agreement.

"When isn't he weird?" Myde grumbled.

"Jack Sparrow." Barbossa stepped forward and had greeted sarcastically. This instantly somewhat approved Jack's mood.

The younger Pirate walked over with a smile as though he was seeing an old friend despite the two having been long-time enemies, saying, "Ah, Hector! It's been too long, hasn't it?"

"Aye, Isla de Muerta, remember?" Barbossa replied, with ironic humor, "You shot me."

Jack paused for a moment, before replying back, "No, I didn't."

"Hector?" Sora repeated Jack's earlier word, sharing an even more confused glance with his travelling companions, Cloud, Tifa, Zack, Vincent, the Turks, Strelitzia, Serah and Mog, wondering why Jack called Barbossa 'Hector'.

"Maybe it's Barbossa's first name or somethin'." Goofy thought, uncertain, while Jack continued to greet familiar people in a strange way that even made Tia Dalma puzzled and uncomfortable.

Finally it was Will who grumbled after he realized what Jack's problem was, "He thinks we're a hallucination."

Jack walked over to him and inquired, "William, do tell me. Have you come because you need my help to save a certain distressing damsel or, rather, damsel in distress? Either one."

"No." Will answered, flatly.

"Well, than you wouldn't be here, would you? So you can't be here. QED, you're not really here." Jack replied, as though it confirmed his suspicions.

"Of COURSE we're here, you big palooka!" Donald snapped in sheer annoyance. He's had enough of this. "You're just confused because of this place!"

"Jack." Elizabeth spoke this time, speaking to the man she sent on exile a long while back. "Donald's right. This is real."

Jack frowned in growing horror and realization when his eyes landed on Elizabeth and the longer he stared at her, the more he realised that this was indeed real and he'd been speaking absolute rubbish and that he'd been trapped here for no more than maybe an hour or two. Maybe less, and already the effects of this place has gotten to him. And given the fact that Sora's group was here just added that they had decided to save him just as he'd save Sora.

So the Pirate scurried back to Gibbs and inquired softly, "The Locker, you say?"

"Aye." Gibbs replied.

"We all came to save you." Serah spoke up.

Jack turned back to the pink-haired young woman, saying, "Really? How very generous. But it would seem that I possess a ship and therefore, every one of you are the ones who need the rescuing."

"I see my ship. Over there." Barbossa said smugly, gesturing at the anchored Black Pearl in the distance.

"I don't see it." Jack responded as he shaded his eyes from the sun. "Must be a tiny little thing hiding behind the Pearl."

"Jack!" Will grunted in annoyance, he and everyone else now hurdled up around him. "Cutler Beckett faked his death."

"Maleficent has the Heart of Davy Jones." Cloud added.

"He's taking over the seas." Elizabeth added.

"The world is going to fall into darkness." Tifa added, having been told what has been happening.

Tia Dalma then concluded, "De song has been sung. De Bredren Court is called."

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable by having so many people surrounding him all at once, Jack felt crowded and a bit overwhelmed. "Leave you people alone for just one minute, and already things have gone to pot." He then moved to walk away.

"So you're just gonna give up now, after everything's that happened?" Mickey asked, angrily.

"Aye, Jack. The world needs you back somethin' fierce." Gibbs added.

"Besides, how can you get outta here by yourself without our help?" Riku asked, angrily.

Jack paused, turned around and glared at them, demanding, "Why should I sail with any of you? Four of you tried to kill me in the past, one of you finally succeeded after having me exiled and across different worlds with Sora and his friends, and that Caius twit to kill me when he aimed to kill Sora." He pointed at Elizabeth.

Will's eyes widened in sheer horror and disbelief as he turned to Elizabeth who shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid everyone else's gaze. While Sora's group, Cloud's group and the Turks had been fully aware as most of them had been there, everyone else looked just as shocked and confused, which got the outsiders attentions and then realization hit them like a ton of bricks.

"Oh. She's not told you." Jack grinned, also having realised the problem. "You'll have loads to talk about while you're here."

"You never told them Jack's been with us the whole time?" Kairi asked Elizabeth in shock and disbelief, eyes widening as the hint of betrayal filled her and the rest of the group and that only made Elizabeth's guilt grow worse.

"I would've told them that coming here was a waste of time, but since none of us knew where you were or what was happening...I didn't either." Cloud admitted, guiltily.

"You were looking for us?" Ven asked, puzzled.

"Well, me and Cloud were." Zack answered this time, uncomfortably. "The two of us, Vincent and the Turks were confronted by some weird guy in a black coat who wasn't part of Organization XIII, and he told us about briefly about Caius and some other guy. We were worried that he might attack you guys and so the two us went out to find you and warn you about him."

"Black coat...That means..." Sora realised.

"The Master of Masters." Skuld, Ven and Mickey finished in unison.

"The what?" Will asked, confused.

"Some weird guy that Skuld heard about. He came to us a few times with a bunch of riddles. We're not sure if we can trust him even though he gave us some helpful hints in certain situations before we got here." Lea explained.

Cloud stared, before groaning and placed a hand to his face. "Great. On top of everything else." He then gazed at them again and said firmly, "Be careful. It's like you said, Lea. None of us know if we can trust him. He could be very dangerous."

"Duly noted, Strife." The redhead replied.

"I believe we've wasted enough time chatting, because I have to pick out who's coming and who's staying." Jack spoke up once more, and seeing the glares on his worldly companions, Strelitzia, Serah and Mog's faces, he quickly added, "You lot are coming along, of course."

He then turned to everyone else, approaching Tia Dalma first, saying, "As for you..."

"Now, don't tell me, ya didn't enjoy it at de time." Tia Dalma said flirtatiously.

Jack chuckled, "Fair enough, alright. You're in." before turning to the rest of the group, saying to Ragetti, "Don't need you. You scare me." much to his surprise and disappointment.

"Cloudy, bit of an emo, but, you and Zack are both excellent swordsmen. Happy to make you come along." Jack continued to Cloud and Zack who shared a glance, while the pirate gazed at Tifa, and inquired, "And you are?"

"Tifa." Tifa simply replied, folding her arms. "I've known Cloud since childhood."

"Very well, you're in." Jack replied, gazing at Vincent, and admitted, "Could use a bit more practice, if you don't mind." which made the gunsman quirk an eyebrow.

As Jack then approached the Turks, and while he recongised Reno and Elena, more than willing to take them along, his attention to Tseng and Rude and cringed, especially at the Wutaiin Turk's expression and at tall and stern the other man was. Before he could say anything, though, Reno approached and warned darkly, "You leave my boss and best friend behind, and I won't hesitate to throw you overboard."

"And I'll join in after I fill you with so many holes you become a human swiss cheese." Elena added, almost as darkly as the redhaired Turk, which chilled even the worldly travellers, and made three of her fellow Turks smirk.

Jack gulped nervously, before replying, "Never would've thought of leaving any of you four behind." before turning to the rest of the crew, "Gibbs, you come. Marty." and just cringed at sight of Pintel before finally turning to Cotton and the parrot, concluding, "Cotton, Cotton's parrot I'm a little iffy, but at least I'll have someone to talk too and not in a grouchy personality like another talking parrot I've recently met."

Finally he moved up to another group whom he didn't notice until now due to them not having spoke through the entire conversation and Jack's expression became easily confused. "Who are you?"

"Tai Haung. These are my men." Tai Haung answered.

"Where do your allegiances lie?"

"With the highest bidder."

Jack grinned, "I have a ship."

Tai Heung nodded. "That makes the highest bidder."

"Good man." Jack said, sastified before shouting orders to his new crew. "Weigh anchor, all hands to the ship, prepare to make sail!"

As almost everyone made to follow his orders and felt more relaxed to be Captain again, closer to his home world and was relieved to be no longer to on exile, Jack can finally get back to his normal life. He pulled out his Compass to see if it would work his time, and frowned in irritation that, once again, it spin all around in circles and snapped it shut, resisting the urge to simply toss it onto the ground and crush it under his boot. Well, at least he can still use his Keyblade.

"Jack..." Came Barbossa fake sweet tone, luring Jack to gaze at him and those the latter intended on leaving behind. The older pirate was holding the charts in his hand, drumming his fingers on it as he inquired with a smug smirk on his face, "Where you goin'?" as Jack the Monkey perched himself on his shoulder and screeched in the same tone as his master.

Jack turned his gaze back in front of him, and with that realization as he had no idea how to get out of this Realm either, all he could do was grumble bitterly under his breath, "Bugger."

"This is gonna be harder than we thought." Myde sighed, only to have his companions glare at him, and he shrugged cluelessly, "What?"

Soon everyone was onboard the Black Pearl which, while it still had some damage from the Flying Dutchmen attack, it looked as though it hadn't been destroyed by the Kracken at all. Now they were all sailing away from Davy Jones' Locker, or at least the island of punishment and hoped to never go back there again.

"Well, at least we rescued Captain Jack, Kupo." Mog spoke up, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah and this is a real smooth sailing." Cloud said dryly, watching the childish argument between Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hector Barbossa.

"Trim that sail!" Barbossa ordered the crew.

"Trim that sail!" Jack quickly repeated.

"Haul windward and brace the sheets!"

"Haul windward and brace the sheets!"

"Haul the pennant line!"

"Haul that pennant line!"

Finally, Barbossa had enough and demanded to his rival, "What are ya doin'?"

"What are you doing?" Jack shot back, equally miffed.

"What are ya doin'?"

"What are you doing?"

"No, what are ya doin'?"

"What are you doin-" Jack stopped, realising that this wasn't getting either of them anywhere and said, a bit more calmly, "Captain gives orders on the ship."

"The Captain of the ship is giving' orders."

Jack paused, than said, as if it were the only conclusions that Barbossa couldn't possibly argue. "My ship, makes me Captain!"

"They be my charts!" Barbossa spat as he held up the Charts.

"Well, that makes you...'Chartman'!" Jack snapped back.

Finally, Donald just simply couldn't take it anymore and he exploded in anger due to his short temper, "WAAAAAAAAK! JUST STOP ARGUING THE BOTH OF YOU! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

His yelling was surprisingly enough to not only stun and silence both pirate Captains, but also caused everyone else on the deck to stop what they were doing and everyone stared at Donald in shocked disbelief. It wasn't until Donald remembered who was talking to and his anger instantly cooled down completely, replaced by a scared and embarrassed expression.

"Sorry. I just thought I'd...uh, fix things up a bit, sirs." Donald chuckled nervously, backing away.

Deciding to not borther in glaring at Donald, Jack and Barbossa returned their glares to each other and raced against one another to the helm in a shoving contest, leaving the others on the deck behind. Donald in the meantime sighed in relief. That was close.

"I'd vote for ya. Ay-hyuck." Goofy said encouragingly. Both Pintel and Ragetti both nodded in agreement.

Even Reno was impressed as he chuckled, "Yeah, that was a good one. Remind me to never get on your bad side."

Tseng on the other hand, looked at Donald disapprovingly, saying, "You should be thankful to not have gotten into as much trouble as you would have. You need to learn to keep your temper in check."

"Aw, c'mon, Tseng. You know you were seconds in yelling at them yourself." Reno pointed out with a smirk, only to be hit on the head by Rude who smacked him. "Ow! Hey!" The redhead pouted, glaring at his partner.

"Say, fellas. Has anyone seen Sora, Will and Elizabeth?" Mickey asked as he, Kairi and Riku approached the others.

"Last I saw 'em, Sora followed Will to below the deck and I think Liz's there too." Zack shrugged.

"Maybe Sora's upset and wants to ask both of them of why Elizabeth never mentioned anything about Jack being forced into exile in the first place." Elena thought, frowning.

"It was a wrong thing to do to hide that fact from everyone. Had she told them, you wouldn't have come here to begin with." Aqua thought, before sighing as she added, "Though it doesn't make a difference, since none of use know how to get back to the Realm of Light yet."

Kairi sighed, saying, "I think it's more than that. Sora really hasn't been himself since the last time we came to Jack's world. Ever since after Elizabeth told us about Maleficent, he hasn't really been himself." she then gazed low, looking a bit upset. "He hasn't even told me what's wrong."

That made Lea frown in concern. It took him right back to before they reached the island where the Dead Man's Chest was and, given how Sora looked a bit odd lately, just recomfirmed his suspicions that the teenager was hiding something, much like when he did about Axel as their fuse had been incomplete until just before the demise of the Brotherhood of Darkness.

"I'll go talk to him. He'll tell me something." Riku finally decided, only to be stopped when Lea placed a hand onto his shoulder.

"No. I'll go. If Sora's ready to tell us, he'll tell us. I should know, because, well...you know what happened with me a while back." The redhead didn't allow anyone else the chance to speak before he strolled across the deck and made his way down in one of the stair cases, leaving behind the group to share a glance of concern and suspicion.

Sora had hidden himself in the corner near the barrels and cannons, lost in thought as he thought of the betrayal Elizabeth had displayed. Not only had she forced Jack to join Sora's group in order to save his life, but she lied to everyone into thinking he'd been dead the whole time. Though in retrospect, it wouldn't have made a difference as Jack still ended up here regardless.

But that made his own guilt in hiding his secret that he had Vanitas stuck inside him even worse. Sora's heart ached and could just picture the display of hurt and betrayals on his friends' faces as well. How can he tell them without losing his trust in them? Or just lose them all together.

Especially Kairi.

Sora then noticed that Will, unaware of the younger man's pressence, approached Elizabeth who sat on the steps, staring stoically straight ahead at nothing, knowing he was there, but unable to acknowledge his presence. The fact that she'd lied about Jack earlier before the Kracken dragged the Black Pearl to this place stunned and hurt him than anything. She hadn't told him. She hid the truth. Now it left doubt in his mind and heart, not certain what she wanted with him.

"You forced Jack to leave with Sora, saving him from the Kracken. Yet he still died, but by the hands of another madman." Will spoke, stating the facts and not the question.

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably and turned away. "He's rescued now, it's done with." And a part of her was relieved that she could say that it was over. The horrible thing which she had done was reversed, at last. But other feelings loomed to quell that relief. And one of them was her distress at the fact that Will didn't seem to be showing any signs of forgiving her.

She had hoped that once Jack had returned, things would be alright and Elizabeth would be able to tell Will the truth. But then Jack had to go and blurt out the truth and make things worse.

When Will didn't say anything or even look at her, Elizabeth stood up, facing him, "Will, I had no choice."

"You chose not to tell me." Will pointed out, quietly. The fact that the woman he loved had hid the truth from him hurt him the most.

"I couldn't." Elizabeth replied. "...It wasn't your burden to bear."

Will turned to face her once more. "But I did bear it, didn't I?...If you make choices alone, how can I trust you?"

"...You can't." Elizabeth tearfully responded, before vanishing up the stairs as quickly as she could, leaving him as empty and as full of doubts, if not more so, then before.

Unable to think, Will walked into another direction to the hammocks to spend a bit of time alone to calm down, still fully unaware that Sora had heard the entire conversation and the guilt within his own Heart worsened. Making self choices without telling anyone a person once trusted made him realise that it was a terrible mistake.

'...How can anyone trust a person if they kept secrets like that...or like me?' Sora thought to himself. He was starting to realise that maybe he was beginning to act like Xehanort, and that scared Sora more than anything.

"Now you know what's like, hiding secrets from your close friends and loved ones." Vanitas taunted in his mind, and from the sound of his voice, Sora instantly knew that the dark embodiment was smirking. "Once they find out about me being inside you, you'll be stuck all alone and no one would trust you anymore. Look where it got Axel and Roxas."

Sora shut his eyes, and hissed in his mind, 'Shut up! Just...just leave me alone!'

"Looks like me and Liz' weren't the only ones hidin' secrets." A familiar cocking voice mocked coldly, startling Sora out of his mental conversation and thoughts as he looked up and saw Lea, leaning against the wooden frame with his arms folded against his chest and staring at the teenager with a cold expression.

Vanitas made a mocking sigh of dispair, "Oh, would you look at that? Seems like it's already starting. Might as well just kiss your friendship goodbye."

"Well?" Lea inquired darkly. "Aren't you gonna say anything? Or are you just gonna keep quiet on whatever is that you're hiding?"

Knowing that he was caught and the fact that he still had no clue on what to do with Vanitas, especially since he could soon be Sora's only companion and it hurt him more than anything, Sora sighed miserably and decided to at least tell Lea for starters.

"...You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Sora finally spoke.

"Try me." Lea softly hissed.

Sora shakily sighed, before taking a deep breath and finally said, "I...I have Vanitas inside my heart or my head. Somewhere inside me, either way."

Lea softly gasped in shock as stood up straight, but let Sora continue, "I don't know how it happened, but maybe it happened when Riku and I returned Ven's heart. Thing is...I never realised until I had a nightmare which he showed me of what could've happened if me and Roxas didn't stop you from fading away before we went to stop Xemnas. It was when before Elizabeth told us about Maleficent, and then afterwards I realised that...that I can see him as a ghost but no one else can see him or hear him."

The young Keyblade Master dared to look at Lea again and concluded, "He's been stuck inside me since then."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Lea softly demanded.

"...I thought that no one would believe me and thought I was going crazy. I thought about asking Master Yen Sid about the problem after we found the chest, but...then Aced came and made things worse. I just didn't want anyone else to worry, especially when we have enough to worry about." Sora explained, before turning his gaze to the floor again and sighed. "But...that was a stupid mistake. I should've told you guys earlier."

"Damn straight, you shoulda told us." Lea replied in agreement, before sighing. "Then again, I'm the one to talk. When I was Axel, I kept the truth about you and Xion from Roxas, and look what happened there; I lost both of them when they returned to you. Even though I got them and Isa back and we all reconciled, I still hate myself for hiding the truth from both of them."

The redhead then approached Sora and then sat beside him on the floor, continuing, "Then you remember when I kept the knowlage how I can talk to my other half when no one else could, like how you can with that Vanitas guy right now. I was...afraid. Afraid that there wouldn't been a thing anyone could do about completing the fuse. Afraid of losing Rox', Xi and Namine again, especially they're all I had left at the time. Eventually before we got rid of Kefka, and after we stopped the other four bad guys, I told them the truth. You know what happened?"

"Kinda." Sora shrugged.

"Roxas accused me for lying again, and if Xion and Namine hadn't been there to calm him down, he wouldn't have heard what I told him." Lea coninued.

"What did you say to him?"

"The same thing I just told you right now. I apologized endlessly and told them that I didn't have a clue how to really fix the problem and I was afraid that the other half of me would be taken over by my Nobody half. I was afraid that I wouldn't be Lea anymore." The redhead chuckled at that memory now that he thought about it. "Stupid, huh?"

Sora chuckled inspite himself, "Yeah, especially since you're Axel and Lea at the same time. Not like with me and Roxas." before sighing again and muttered, "Still...What if Vanitas takes over me and I end up hurting everyone?"

"He woulda if you hadn't told anyone." Lea pointed out. "Don't you think that not telling us would've ended up making him take advantage towards you?"

"Well, I have been ignoring him. Though there were a few times when I confronted him in my nightmares. First time back in Atlantis, I had to fight him. I won, but...I'm scared to think that it's only just a warm up." Sora admitted. "I still don't have a clue on how to fix this mess up."

"Then let us us help you." Lea told him firmly.

"Huh?"

The redhead rolled his eyes, "C'mon, Sora. Friends help each other out when they're in a pickle. You didn't seriously think any of us wouldn't help you try and figure out how to get rid of that guy without hurtin' ya, did you?"

"If I had any left once everyone else finds out." Sora sighed glumy.

"They'll hear you out." Lea said, placing a hand onto the teenager's shoulder, "And I'm gonna be right there to back you up. It ain't gonna be easy, I know. Because I speak from experience. But when that time comes, I'll be sure that they'll forgive ya."

Sora paused, thinking about it. Lea was right. It won't be easy, and he had a feeling it lead to a slight disagreement and arguement, but maybe it wouldn't so bad if he accepted his actions and just let his friends help him solve the problem. Maybe this was how Cloud felt when he had his own struggles against Sephiroth; not wanting to let others get involved in his fight, yet they were involved anyway, and it had been Tifa's light that helped him defeat his enemy.

Or maybe Terra when he made his mistakes and not letting Ven or Aqua help him fight the darkness and had foolishly fallen into Xehanort's grasp.

"...I just don't want Kairi to get hurt. Or anyone else." Sora muttered.

"You really love her, don't you?" Lea smirked.

"Wha-no! I mean, I love her as a close friend, like I do with everyone else! It's just that if anything happened, I'd never forgive myself." Sora denied, blushing heavily.

Lea looked at him skeptically, "And you think that not talking to her didn't hurt her or make her worried?"

Realising that it was a good point, Sora sighed. "You're right. What was I thinking?"

"Well, maybe just tell that Vanitas to shut up and leave you be." Lea suggested, gently knocking the side of Sora's head, "Don't know if he can hear me, but when I say if I could get inside you, I'd burn him into a pile of ash."

"I'd like to see you try." Vanitas snarled coldy, having heard.

That made Sora laugh as he replied to Lea, "Yeah, he can hear ya and he's not real happy with what you said. If you could, mind if Riku, Roxas and I join in?"

"Ha, ha, ha. You crack me up." Vanitas deadpanned.

Lea laughed at Sora's comment, and said, "We'll figure somethin' out. Can only take this one step at a time. Tell ya what: we'll tell them after the situation with Squid-Head is dealt with. Or at least 'til we get outta of this boring Realm."

Sora nodded, feeling a bit better. "Thanks, Lea."

"But, you have to tell them the whole thing first before I can back you up." Lea told him.

"Yeah." Sora nodded.

Though it was like Lea said; first they had to get out of the Locker. That was had mission in and on itself.

Meanwhile, at the same time back in the world of Port Royal in the Realm of Light, Dulor had rejoined Lord Beckett on the Ship the Endevour, sailing across the oceans while searching for the Flying Dutchmen. The Dead Man's Chest had been abandoned once Davy Jones realised that his heart was missing, which made things easier to collect and put the said heart back inside. Dulor had been cleaned and now wore an East Indian Trading Company outfit, second in Command. Maleficent and Pete were both standing by their sight, and the latter's eyes were wide in sheer disbelief.

Beckett gazed through his telescope and saw what made Pete horrified; The Flying Dutchmen was sailing through the destroyed and still burning wreckage of pirate ships that'd been shot down and still sinking. Several dead bodies still floated in the sea water.

"Oh, bloody hell. There's nothing left." Beckett groaned in annoyance as he lowered the spyglass.

Dulor smirked, "Davy Jones is a loose cannon, sir."

"He's a loose somethin', alright." Pete muttered, worriedly. Seeing so many dead people made him feel nauesous.

"Even so, Sora and his friends are no match for the Flying Dutchmen. Now that Jack Sparrow is out of the way, his heart is in full of dispair. It would make it easier to find the Book of Prophecies." Maleficent stated evilly.

"If we can find that book. So far, no world we've been to even heard of it." Pete pointed out with a shrug. "Not even that ol' black box. Whatever that holds."

Dulor then frowned and added, "What about that Governer? The one who helped his daughter escape?"

"What about him?" Beckett inquired.

"He's been asking questions about the Heart. He heard about the fate of those who destroy it." The former Nobody hissed softly. "Not to mention the Nine Pieces of Eight Sao Feng mentioned briefly. He didn't tell me about where this Brethern Court is meeting, though."

A moment of silence.

Finally, Beckett made his decision and said, "Then perhaps his usefulness has run its course."

"Then I saw leave you three to handle things here while I return to my search." Maleficent decided with an evil smile, which made Pete glance at her in shock as he realised he was being left behind.

"Why you're leavin' me here?" Pete exclaimed.

"In case you find that Book. I'll be expecting results." The Witch pointed out, before vanishing in green flames.

"Aw, fiddlesticks." Pete groaned. Both Dulor and Beckett weren't exactly thrilled to be stuck with that fat bumbling idiot either and shared an annoyed glance.

Finally, Beckett said, "Well, I suppose we'll need all the help we can get, as the Brethern know they face death. All that remains is to decide where they'll make their final stand."

Onboard the Flying Dutchmen in his cabin, Davy Jones mournfully played his organ softly. He never thought his life would have turned from bad to completely worse. First he was a notorious Pirate, then he was the Master of the Seas, and now he felt the strings tugging him as he realised that someone had taken his heart and controlling him.

He had no memory of what happened, but he had been informed that his urchin of the seas, the Kracken, was now dead. Mysteriously killed and not even the Crew knew why.

The mutant Pirate's gaze turned to that of the musical locket, given to him by what he thought was his lover, who had betrayed him. He held the locket and gazed at it, and by the mere sight of it, his chest felt heavy, despite lacking the heart within it. Just then, something wet and warm slid on his cheek from his eyes. When one of his tentacles that was used as a beard touched it, he realised, to his anger and shock, it was a tear.

He'd been crying. Just as he was about to explode with anger, one of his crewmen suddenly called him to come to the deck, causing him to immediately rush as fast as he could.

When Davy Jones arrived, he and his crew were shocked and confused to find their ship surrounded by soldiers of the East India Trading Company as though they'd just taken over their ship. Dulor was among them, along with Pete, who cringed at the sight of the Captain and the Crew, and an old man wearing a green coat and a wig, Governer Swann, and to the crew's shock and Davy Jones' dismay, was the iron chest Davy Jones thought he'd thrown overboard.

Realization kicked in, the Pirate Captain spat at the intruders angrily, "Go. All of you. And take that infernal thing with you. I will not have it on my ship!" which made Pete flinch in fear, reminding him of when Hades lost his temper.

'Why are immortal guys always scary?' Pete thought to himself, nervously.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that..." Lord Beckett spoke sarcastically as he approached, very unafraid, continuing more serious this time, "Because I will."

When the undead Pirates gazed at him questionly, Beckett continued coldly, "Because it seems to be the only way to ensure that this ship does as directed

by the company." before making a silent command to Dulor to take the chest and heart into Davy Jones's cabin.

Dulor nodded and silently instructed some of the soldiers to follow him, before they walked passed calmly around Davy Jones and his crew and into the Organ Room, while Beckett continued to the Pirate Captain, with a tone of authority, "We need prisoners to interrogate, which tends to work best when they're alive."

"The Dutchman sails as its captain commands!" Davy Jones snapped.

"And its captain is to sail it as commanded!" Beckett argued. He stepped closer to the now shocked and questioning Pirate, telling him disappointingly after realising that Davy Jones had been gullible and oblivious, even for the past 100 years, "I would have thought you'd learned that when I ordered you to kill your pet."

Shock, horror and realization dawned onto Davy Jones, hitting him like cannonfire. That was how the Kracken had died; by his cannons and by Beckett's command.

"This is no longer your world." Beckett continued, not sorry or feeling any emotions at all. He then added in a whisper without sadness or care, "The immaterial has become...immaterial."

"And they made this guy in charge of that Company?" Pete silently whispered to Governer Swann who leaned away slightly to avoid the large cat, before nodding. Thankfully Beckett didn't hear either of them.

"As for you, Governer Swann." Beckett said, turning to the older man as he pulled out a pistol and then continue coldly, "You already know too much."

Pete's eyes widened in horror as he took a couple steps backwards, before saying nervously, "Uh, m-maybe I should go join Dulor to babysit that there chest." and ran off, passing the cursed Pirate crew, not wanting to see what was about to become of Governer Swann.

But he couldn't block out the sound of the gunshot going off or the gurgling death sound from the man who was shot, or the thud of the dead body landing on the floor.

Because Pete knew what had become of Elizabeth's father.

A/N: So, Sora's beginnig to confess his secret in Vanitas being stuck inside him and things are looking very grim. The next chapter we see the heroes and former villians know more and then escape the Locker. Sorry for the lack of Heartless action and that this chapter was shorter.

Hopefully I'll make it up next time. See you then!