Shorter than part one (39.5KB/17 pages without the author's notes and review responses) but not by much. I was wondering why I didn't get told that there wasn't enough memory left yet ^__^
And we begin to get into the plot changes in this part. You'll notice them right quick, if you're not blind. I don't make many attempts to actually _hide_ them. And, I actually go into an explanation of Kairi's weapons. Yay!
I have to stop watching Fairy Oddparents. Every time I say "yay!" now, my mind makes it automatically in Cosmo's voice ^__^;;
Anyways, review responses!
moments of silence - Here you go, Part Two ^__^
Alana Hikari-Chan - I pick strange people, ne? Aeris is in the navy because she is. Further explaination in the chapter. Sorta. I love my end notes. They're amusing-- and they continue in this part, too! Yay! Pervy-ness is fun, and now I want to know what Jo was thinking, since you told me not to ask. But yes, here's more!
Koburn - Ah, you share my opinnions!
Disclaimer on Part One. Read it there.
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Pirates of Destiny Isle
Part Two
Priest Li Xiang
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"Bloody hell," Sora muttered to himself, bright eyes watching as the men raced past his hiding spot behind the more-than-life-sized statue of a blacksmith. Things had gone... not so well, since coming into Destiny Island-- he ignored the fact that his bad luck had started before then-- and this just took the cake. It looked like he'd have to steal into the wilds for a bit until things cooled down and he could make another attempt at a boat.
Cheerfully confident in his plans, the brown haired man pulled his sword free from where he had positioned it with the statue and stepped out from behind it. There were a few curious glances from the ladies on the road, but nothing to be worried about.
It was the red coated soldiers at the end of the road that he needed to fear, and without bothering to look, he ducked into the closest building-- the smithy that was obviously the reason for the blacksmith statue. With a grin, the pirate jauntily moved into the smithy, looking for away to remove his irons. Shouldn't be to hard-- after all, it was a metal working shop, was it not? And were the chains not metal themselves? Yes, of course they were.
He had pulled off his hat, and was reaching for the hammer, when a snort, and the sound of a bottle crashing to the floor caught his attention. Startled, by the noise, the pirate spun about, eyes warily searching for the source of the man. There we are-- in that corner there. The dusty, grim-covered older man wore the trappings of a blacksmith, a bottle in one hand, and another shattered at his feet. He was sleeping, comfortably slouched in a stool against the wall.
Approaching the man, Sora was a quiet as possible, deftly creeping up to his side. Poke. Poke. Poke. Nothing.
He turned away, taking four steps back towards the anvil before whirling around, and shouting in the man's ear, "Hey!"
Still nothing. Most excellent! With a cheerful little whistle, he returned to the task at hand-- removing his irons. It was an awkward position to be in, trying to get those chains off. The hammer and anvil was of little help, simply denting the metal instead of breaking it, or weakening it to the point of breaking as he had hoped. Dammit all.
Now he had to find another way to break the chains. Casting about the shop, his eyes landed upon a sleepy donkey, and he grinned widely. There we are, the perfect answer to his problems!
Lifting a metal rod from the heat and flames of the smithy's fire, he approached the donkey carefully, quietly. A mischievous smile lit his lips as he smacked the hot end of the rod against the beast's rear end, sending the poor thing into movement. The rod dropped to the ground, and Sora jammed the chains into the spokes of the sprocket that the donkey was turning. Soon enough, the metal shrieked and broke, leaving him with a rather interesting new pair of bracelets.
"Slave fashion, eh?" he grinned at the still moving donkey, somewhat amused by the pink bow in the animal's tail. A girl must have come by recently to put it in, he thought, his grin widening further.
He turned, ready to gather his things and leave the shop-- somewhat disheartened by having to stay on land even longer, just to wait until the fervor ended and he could go back to pillaging ports-- when a noise stopped him dead in his tracks. Looking towards the door, Sora frowned, and snatched up his sword, going for the shadows. Someone was entering.
Combing his fingers through silvery strands, Riku sighed a bit heavily. It was always a bit saddening to have to leave Kairi's company-- especially with what she had just been through!-- but there was work to be done, and he couldn't just be running about not doing it. It wasn't like his 'master' would be doing any of it.
At this thought, he shot a look at the older man, sprawled as he was, in the corner, and nodded, "Right where I left you."
Off came the fancy, stuffy jacket he was required to wear when visiting the governor, and dropping off his orders. Beneath, the blacksmith wore what he always wore-- a pair of dark pants, and what Kairi had some referred to as his "painfully bright" yellow shirt. Could he help it if he liked his shirt? Besides, it looked nice with his pale hair and tanned skin. Not that he would ever admit to anyone that he was a vain man.
Of course, the dark vest he wore over it also helped the eyes with the bordering-on-to-small shirt that he'd been wearing for years. It was all good.
On came his dark work gloves, as he reached for his hammer, only to find it not where he left it. With a frown, he looked for the object, only to have his eyes land on the well worn dark fabric of what appeared to be a captain's hat. Curious, he reached for it, only to have the flat of a blade crack against the back of his hand. The sting was ignored as he looked up from his task and into bright blue eyes that were no little amount familiar. How... odd. Still, the man's garb, and the dark tan on his skin made it all to obvious who the man was.
"You're one they're hunting. The pirate."
"That I am," Sora tipped his head slightly, never taking his eyes from the younger man's face. It looked very... familiar for some reason. Not one to keep things inside, he frowned, "Have I threatened you before? You seem somewhat familiar."
So he feels it too, Riku mused slightly, before mentally shaking his head. Now is not the time, Riku-boy, "I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates."
"Ah, well," the pirate grinned, dropping his blade from where he had it aimed at the boy, "It would be a shame to put a black mark on your record. So, if you'll excuse me..." the pirate turned, picking up his hat and settling it on his head. He barely got one step before Riku had swept a sword off the rack, and had it pointed at the 'villain'. Sora frowned, twisting back to face the silver haired one.
Up came his own sword, and he scratched the boy's blade with his, "Do you think it wise to cross blades with a pirate, boy?"
"You threatened Kairi," Riku half growled, ocean-blue eyes flashing with anger. Again, the sense of familiarity fluttered around in Sora's head, and he wondered what it was about the child that struck that cord. Maybe he shouldn't have had all that rum earlier in the day; it was clouding his thoughts.
"Only a little," Sora smirked, and besides, he added mentally as Riku lunged, and he parried, the girl already knows there wasn't any intent behind it. I told her as much, after all. The clang of metal on metal brought him back to the present, and he was impressed by the boy's skill with the blade. He, himself, had to do quite a bit of work to keep up with the lad, but he wasn't about to speak that aloud. Instead, the words that came from his mouth were slightly taunting, "You know what you're doing, I'll give you that. Excellent form, but how's your footwork?"
About and about they went, blades flashing as Sora made a step, and Riku countered it. Sora gifted the boy with a benign smile and a slightly mocking bow, as he found himself with his back to the door, "Now I step again. Ta!" and he leapt back, headed for the door.
Riku blinked for a few moments, surprised by the abrupt halt to his sword play, before getting his bearings. Sora was just reaching for the door, when the sword Riku had been using imbedded, blade first, about an inch, inch and a half through the door's locking mechanism and forcing it to remain shut. Sora could still feel a slight breeze, where it had barely missed his head. Startled, the pirate turned to look at the blacksmith, before returning his attention to the sword. Hand-over-hand, he grabbed the hilt and pommel, and began to tug. Yet, nothing he tried could free the blade from it's position. It was surprising, it was amazing, it was down right creepy how bloody familiar it was!
Now he _knew_ he shouldn't have let himself drink almost to stupidity before going ship shopping.
"That is a wonderful trick-- except that once again you are between me and my way out. And now, you have no weapon!" With these words, Sora jumped down, swinging through where Riku had been, as the young man jumped back, pulling a half-finished sword from the fires, and baring it before the other man. Eyes wide, Sora stared into his opponent's eyes. Again, they launched into battle, sparks flying from the heated tip of the blade, every time it struck upon the pirate's.
Around and around they went, until Sora managed to disarm Riku, "Again, you are without a..." but his grin and sentence faded away as Riku snatched up a blade, and the pirate finally looked around to find an impressive number of swords standing in racks on the walls, "Who makes all these?"
"I do," Riku grinned, blades crossed again, "And I practice with them three hours a day!"
Sora grinned back at him, "You need to find yourself a girl, mate!" The flash of blades as they returned to battle, "Or, perhaps the reason you practice three hours a day is that you already found one, and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet. You're not a eunuch, are you?" His glance down caused Riku to flush and scowl at him, jumping back.
"I practice," the boy growled, "to makes sure the blades are useable, pirate."
"Eh, good a reason as any," Sora shrugged, smirking as they went into battle again. It was nearly ten minutes of parry-thrust-parry and similar bouts of offense and defense, including a rather amusing bout of bouncing about in the shop's rafters, before Riku disarmed his opponent. Sora had been predicting this, however, and grinned, reaching for a sandbag that hung from the ceiling.
The bag tore, and Riku cried out in pain as it blasted him in the face. Wiping the tiny rocks from his eyes, and spitting some out of his mouth, he looked up, only to have to cross his eyes as a pistol stared him in the face. Riku glowered at the man, "You cheated!"
"Pirate," Sora reminded him with a cheerful little smirk, and the toss of his head, sending beads and bones clattering against one another. It was only then, that the pair realized that there were men at the front entrance of the shop, and they were standing before the back. Obviously, the soldiers had heard the commotion and correctly guessed that the pirate was within. Sora gave the boy a pained look, "Move away."
"No."
"Please, move," there was a strained note in his voice.
"No!" Riku snapped back, wondering at the clenching feeling as he saw Sora's pleading eyes. Damn this familiarity between them! "I cannot just step aside and let you escape!"
"This shot is not meant for you, son," Sora half growled, hand shaking as he cocked the gun and prepared to fire. Riku bit the inside of his cheek, wondering what he was to do now, when the decision was taken out of his hands. The door burst open at the same moment, his 'master' reared back and cracked Sora across the back of the head with his rum bottle. Obviously, not even the drunken blacksmith could have slept through their little bout of battle.
"Excellent work," Loire's cool voice washed over them, and Aeris stood at his side, as always. The woman was certainly remarkable, Riku thought somewhat distantly as she congratulated the senior blacksmith. Ten years spent masquerading as a man before being injured in Loire's company, and needing medical attention. In fact, to the rest of the navy, excluding a small circle residing on Destiny Island, Aeris was still known to be a man-- although going by the name Aerith. How she managed to do anything in the navy with her personality was a mystery.
"Just doing my civic duty, sir," the older man slurred, and was ignored as Loire nudged the pirate with the toe of his multiple buckled boot.
"Take him away."
---
"Come here, boy! Nice juicy bone! Come here, come on!"
"You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to move," Sora muttered, eyes closed, hat tipped down over his face. He hated being in jails. They were always such a pain; getting in was easy, it was getting out that was always the problem.
"Oh, excuse us, if we haven't resigned ourselves the gallows just yet," snipped one of the other prisoners, and Sora rolled his eyes at the tone. Didn't they get it? The dog was _trained_ to hold the keys just out of reach. It had been one of Loire's favorite tactics when he had been a pirate, and it certainly seemed to be the same now. Give the prisoner a false hope, and it was all that much more amusing to watch them break.
With a sigh, he returned his attention back to what he'd been doing before-- trying to figure out why the blacksmith was so damned familiar.
---
Warmth spread through the blanket, and Kairi smiled, looking up from her book as the maid adjusted the bed warmer, "There you go, Miss. It was a difficult day for you, I'm sure."
She nodded slightly, "I must admit, I didn't think Commodore Loire would propose to me, despite father's words."
"Well, I meant you being threatened by that pirate," the girl shivered, "Sounds terrifying."
"Oh, yes, it was... terrifying," the last word was spoken dryly, but the maid apparently didn't catch the tone. It had been startling, for certain, but... terrifying? No, not really. Sora Sparrow, despite using her as a hostage had been quite gentle about it, and had even apologized. As horrid the tales of pirates she'd heard before, she'd never really heard any tales of Captain Sora Sparrow ever causing intentional harm to anyone-- and given some of the stories of the man that circulated in this area... that was quite the accomplishment.
"But the Commodore proposed?" the maid sounded rather dreamy, and Kairi had to remind herself that the majority of women on the island found the man handsome-- while at the same time, had never had to deal with him for long periods of time. She, on the other hand, was very well acquainted with his personality, and she found it a wonder that Aeris could even put up with the man. Then again, it _was_ Aeris...
"Fancy that," the girl was continuing, "that's a smart match, if it's not too bold to say."
"He's a fine man," Kairi murmured, not exactly happy with the thought of marrying the man, but knowing why he'd done it anyways, "He's what any woman should dream of marrying." But not her. Any woman but her. She had different ideas about the sort of man _she_ wanted to marry.
"Well, that Riku Turner... he's a fine man, too."
"That is too bold," was Kairi's sharp response. Riku? Marrying? Somehow, she didn't see that happening any time soon-- now, or in the future. Riku just... didn't seem the type to marry, always so involved in his work, or in his training. Not that she, herself, was any better, the governor's daughter reflected, thinking of the two blades hidden between her mattresses.
"Well, begging your pardon, Miss, it was not my place," the girl tipped her head and left the room. Sighing, Kairi waited a few minutes to see if the girl would come back. The flickering of her candlelight brought her up short however, and a chill ran down her spine. Something was wrong.
Rolling out from beneath her covers, she landed lightly on two feet, withdrawing both her blades, and a pair of britches that had been hidden within. Wriggling into the pants was hardly a task that merited the amount of time she spent on it, but nervousness, and that coldness in the pit of her stomach made it a bit harder than she had predicted. Her blades, on the other hand, in their specially designed belt, took only a moment to sling around her waist beneath her nightgown.
In their scabbards, the two blades looked merely like a pair of tonfa-- the wooden weapons she had first taught herself to use back in England, before rescuing Riku. She had continued her self-training in the weapons, eventually revealing them to Riku, in order to get help. As children, they trained with each other, helping to perfect the use of their own chosen weapon, and as young teens had taken to putting actual force behind blows when they fought, although that had taken years to convince Riku that she could handle the bruises, lacerations, and cuts that resulted from their training.
Then, two years prior, Riku had gifted her with the bladed tonfa she now wore. He felt it would have been best for her to be able to inflict more than just bruises or broken bones on an attacker, especially as he had begun to take control of the smithy, and could no longer accompany her everywhere. She had been delighted with the gift-- the leather bound 'scabbards' were metal and fit the blades perfectly, allowing that the weapons to have the full impact, even when sheathed.
It was a precautionary thing, and likely completely unneeded, but Kairi felt better with the weapons under her gown.
She doubted she'd get any sleep this night.
---
"Has my daughter given you an answer yet?"
"No, she hasn't."
"Well, she has had a very trying day," the governor sighed, looking out over the waters, Loire at his side. The commodore was quiet, as usual, and it hardly bothered the older man anymore. Eight years had given him enough time to grow accustomed to the silences that often filled the air between Leon Loire and anyone who tried to speak with him, "Ghastly weather, don't you think?"
"Bleak. Very--" Leon cut himself off, eyes searching the waters as his ears twitched, something deep within warning him of trouble.
"What's that?" the governor looked confused, both at Loire having cut off so abruptly, and at the faint sound of... gunpowder?
"Cannon fire!" Leon bellowed, sweeping the governor out of harms way, and whirling about to face his men, "Return fire!" Explosions came now, from both near and far, and the Commodore didn't even look at the Governor as he commanded the man to flee. It was not safe up on the battlements, but neither would it be safe in the streets of the port. The pirates would be entering the town, and it would be all they could do to fend them off.
It would be best for the governor to be safely barricaded in the Commodore's office-- and that, was what Loire snapped at him, ignoring his own dislike for speaking to long. This was a time when any misheard words could quite possibly loose them their governor.
---
The sound of explosions brought him out of his thoughts, and Sora bounded to his feet, staring out the small, barred window of the fortress' jails, "I know those guns-- it's the Pearl!"
"The Black Pearl?" whispered the same prisoner that had been snapping at him earlier in the night, "I've heard stories... she's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never leaves any survivors!"
Sora's bright eyes glittered darkly, a smirk crossing his lips, "No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?"
---
Sword? Check.
Knife? Check.
Hatchet? Check.
Will to destroy all pirates in the town? Check.
No other thoughts in his mind, the young blacksmith darted out of his shop, ready to defend his town until the end of his own life. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that, but there was little hope that he'd survive.
Barely out of the door, and he'd already struck down a pirate, hatchet impacting in the man's back. Ripping it out, the youth continued onwards, fighting off the eerie feeling that there was something dreadfully familiar about these men, these pirates. Something that tickled his senses, and said 'I know this. I've been here before.'
---
She could see them, crashing through the ornate iron gates, and she went bolting out of her room and on to the landing of the stairs. A knocking came at the door, and her shout of "Don't!" came to late, as the door swung open on the butler, revealing the grimy, dirty, cracked faces of the pirates that were raiding the port. A tall fellow, dressed in surprisingly ornate-- yet still dirty-- clothing was at the forefront, and he was aiming a gun at the butler's head. His voice was almost a hiss as he spoke, "Hello chump."
The butler went down, and Kairi yelped without meaning to. Several eyes turned to look at her, and one of the pirates-- she didn't know which one, shouted, "Girl!"
Her feet carried her up and back into her room, her hands flashing as she locked the chamber doors. It wouldn't do much good, and she was panicked beyond all belief-- to the point of even forgetting the weapons beneath her nightgown. The panicked maid at her side was babbling.
"Miss Swann, they've come to kidnap you! You're the Governor's daughter!"
"They haven't seen you," Kairi hissed as they pounded at the door, "Hide, and as fast as you can, run to the fort!"
"Yes, Miss Swann!" the girl raced off, darting for the servants passages that Kairi didn't realize were there. It wouldn't matter, anyways, the pirates were chasing after her, and even if she had known of the passages, it would only put others in danger when the pirates realized where she had gone off to. She knew for a fact, that despite being rude, horrible people, pirates were not necessarily stupid.
Heart racing, Kairi looked for her own hiding place, and found the only one she could see-- her closet. Darting within, she sunk to the ground, forcing herself to breath shallowly, trying to prevent herself from being found. Oh, this was just a horrid day; what she wouldn't give to be 'threatened' by Sora again. At least then, she knew she wasn't going to die. With these ones... she had no idea/
"We know you're here, Poppet," came the hissing voice of the tall man again.
"Poppet," repeated another voice, this one cracked with amusement.
"Come out and we promises we won't hurt you. We will find you, Poppet. You've got something of ours..." he trailed off for a moment, and she had the sinking feeling he was looking at her closet, where she sat, gripping the medallion still about her neck. Slowly, she stood, preparing to meet her end on both feet, still not remembering the tonfa at her hip, "It calls to us... The gold calls to us..."
The light that had been spilling into the dark closet was suddenly cut off, and she looked up, seeing the tall one's dark eye peering through the crack between the closet doors, "'Ello, Poppet."
"Parlay!" she squeaked, mind racing, looking for an out. It was the first she had come across, and now that she thought about it, it was a good idea.
"What?" came the grumpy voice of the pirate behind the tall man. He was stout, with long dark hair that looked like he should have been wearing a hat. One hand was missing, and at the end of it was a crudely made wooden hook.
"Parlay," she repeated, hoping she was remembering this correctly-- it had been a few years, after all, "I invoke the right of parlay. According to the code of the brethren, set down by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, you have to take me to your Captain.
"I know the code," spat the tall one.
"If an adversary demands parlay, you can do them no harm until the parlay is complete!"
"To blazes with the code!" snapped the hooked one.
"She wants to be taken to the Captain, Hook. And she'll go without a fuss. We must honor the code," there was something dark in his voice that sent chills down Kairi's spine. Yeap, something bad was going to happen, and she had a feeling that it was a damned good idea that she hadn't, in fact, remembered her tonfa until that moment. She may have to use them at some point in the near future.
---
"Say G'bye!"
"Goodbye," Riku smirked, ducking as the shops' sign finally gave way and slammed into the pirate that moments before had been on the verge of killing him. With a laugh, Riku stepped away, only to catch sight of something that startled him beyond belief.
"Kairi!" she was being led away from the governor's house, and towards the docks, by a pair of pirates that looked none to friendly. Worriedly, he tried to go after her, only to be blocked by a familiar face.
The first pirate he had killed that night stood cheerfully before him, and pointed down at Riku's feet. There, a sparking bomb had landed, and Riku's eyes widened. Shit, this would-- it fizzled out. Ah, so it wasn't going to hurt at all. He made as though to attack the pirate, only to find himself slumping to the ground, consciousness fleeing. The last thing he heard before being knocked out by the hit to the back of his head was, "Outta my way, scum."
---
"Shit," it was the only warning any of the prisoners had, as Sora threw himself away from the wall, where he had been watching the battle below with some interest. The cannonball slammed through the wall, but unfortunately for the bright-eyed pirate, it went through the wall of the cell beside his, freeing the four men in there, and only giving him a tiny little window to view out of. The last prisoner out, and annoyingly, the one that had been snappish one, turned back to face him, when braced in the hole.
"My sympathies friend, you've no manner of luck at all."
"No kidding," Sora grumbled, watching him leave, then turning to the front of the cell. There had to be a way out-- there just had to be! Sadly, the only thing he could see was the large bone and the dog. Maybe he had more patience than the dog? He could always hope.
"Come on, doggy. It's just you and me now. It's you an ol'Sora; Squall woulda told you about me, right? Well come on then. Come on, good boy. That's it, good boy, come on!" The dog was actually inching closer, but hardly as close as he needed to be for Sora to get the key ring from the dog's mouth, "Bit closer, bit closer. That's it, doggy. Come on you filthy, slimy, mangy cat..."
Both dog and man were startled by the sound of gunfire on the stairs, but while Sora remained caged in, the dog ran off, deeper into the prison, "No, no, no, no, no, I didn't mean it. I didn't..." he trailed off at the sight of a red coated body crashing down the stairs. Two forms came down after it, and the second scowled, pale skin highlighted by his black, raggedy clothes, that almost looked like a toga the way they were thrown on. The other pirate was dark of skin and hair.
"This ain't the armory," the second one snapped, while the first scanned the immediate area. His eyes landed on the slowly standing pirate within the prison, and his lips curved back.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here, Hades-- Captain Sora Sparrow."
Hades snorted, spitting on the ground before the cell door, "Last time I saw you, you were all alone on a godforsaken little island, shrinking into the distance. Your fortunes haven't improved much."
"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen," Sora half purred, bright eyes darkening with aged fury, "The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." The dark skinned one's hand went through the bars, ensnaring Sora by the throat and holding him up.
Sora's eyes widened as he looked down at the arm that held him, and a chill went through the pirate captain's body. The arm was shadow, completely and totally, licks of darkness flickering off of the body in the moonlight. He could feel the man's claw-like fingers digging into the soft flesh of his throat, "So... there is a curse. That's interesting."
"You know nothing of Hell," the man snarled, before letting go of Sora's throat, and following Hades out of the prison. Sora tapped the bone he still held lightly against his hip, eyes dark as thoughts raised. A smirk curved his lips.
"That's very interesting..."
---
"We're not taking captives, Jafar," the waspish, female voice cut through the air, and Kairi found herself face to face with a pale skinned woman, wearing black from head to toe, and with the strangest hat she had ever seen in her life upon her head. The woman's high collar was neat and crisp, but the rest of her clothing looked dirty and worn like the rest of the pirates aboard the ship.
"She's invoked the right of parlay with Captain Ansem," Jafar returned coolly, hardly impressed with the tall woman's frightening posture.
"I am here to negoti--" but her words were cut off as the woman pirate's hand cracked against the younger female's face.
"You will speak when spoken to," the woman snapped, but another hand grabbed her wrist, and she turned slightly to meet the amused eyes of her captain.
The pale, white hair of the Captain shone, even in the darkness of the cloud-covered moon, and his lips were curved into a none-to-pleasant grin, "And ye'll not lay a hand on those under the protection of parlay, Malificent."
"Aye sir," but she hardly sounded apologetic.
"My apologies Miss..."
"Captain Ansem," Kairi ignored the subtle asking of her name, "I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Destiny Island."
"There are a lot of long words in there, Miss, we're naught but humble pirates. What is that you want?"
"I want to you leave and never come back," it didn't sound as impressive coming from her mouth as it had when she'd heard it from the commodore when he was banishing a man from Destiny Island-- banishing, because he hadn't really done anything wrong, but they just could not have the man in the port anymore.
Ansem's lips quirked, "I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request... means no."
"Very well," Kairi shrugged, more calmly than she felt inside. She took three steps to the edge of the boat, and held out the reason that she figured they had come to Destiny Island. It wasn't that hard, actually-- Jafar had made the mistake of mentioning gold, and it was the only bit of gold she had on her, "I'll drop it." And out of her hand swung the medallion she'd stolen from Riku those years ago.
"My holds are burstin' with swag, and that bit of shine matters to us? Why?"
"It's what you've been searching for-- I recognize the ship. I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England."
"Did ye now?" Ansem looked amused, hardly what she was going for. Dammit, they were supposed to fall to her manipulat... wait. A secretive little smile crossed her lips, and Ansem frowned slightly. What was the girl up to...?
"Fine, well, I suppose if it is worthless, than there's really no point in me keeping it," and she let it drop-- not completely, but to the point of where the chain was tangled around her fingers. She was smirking, eyebrow raised, as the pirates realized that they had lunged, as one, when it had slipped through her fingers.
"Ah," Ansem nodded, slightly impressed at the deviousness of the girl. She might have made a good pirate, had the situation been different, "Do you have a name, Miss?"
"Kairi... Kairi Turner," she hesitated only slightly, but figured Riku wouldn't mind her borrowing his name for a bit. There was no way she was telling them that she was the governor's daughter, "I'm a maid in the Governor's household."
"Miss Turner...?" now that name was a bit of a surprise to the pirate captain, and he grinned slightly. Behind him, Jafar murmured a surprised, "Bootstrap..."
"And how does a maid come to own a trinket such as that?" Ansem queried, eyes narrow, "Family heirloom, perhaps?"
"I didn't steal it if that's what you're implying," Kairi returned, mentally wincing. Yes, she'd stolen it-- but that had been eight years ago, and Riku had never asked about it. Therefore, he probably thought it lost, and she didn't have to worry in the slightest about him getting mad at her for giving it to pirates.
"Very well. You hand it over, and we'll put your town to our rudder and never return."
"Our bargain?" she wondered, letting the medallion settle in the pale palm of the almost demonic-looking man.
"Still the guns and stow 'em, call back the men," Malificent snapped, turning her attention to the pirates aboard the ship.
"Wait! You have to take me to shore! According to the code of the order of the brethren--" but Kairi's words were cut off by Ansem's chill voice.
"First, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations, nor our agreement, so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply, and you're not. And thirdly, the code more what you'd call... guidelines, than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner!"
---
"They've taken her. They've taken Kairi," Riku's sudden arrival at the temporary command tent-- given that the fortress was currently mostly rubble-- was punctuated by his agitated voice. Loire ignored him, preferring to look over the map and try to puzzle out where the woman in question could possibly be.
"We have to hunt them down, we must save her!" Riku pressed, trying his damnedest to keep the panic out of his voice. Kairi was his closest friend, and he loved her like he loved no other. He wasn't about to let her just be taken away from him!
"And where do you propose we start?" came the strained voice of his friend's father, "If you have any information concerning my daughter, please, share it."
"That Sora Sparrow," Hercules put in, tipping his head back in thought, "He talked about the Black Pearl."
"Mentioned it, is more what he did," Aladdin muttered, rolling his eyes at his friend's words.
"Ask him where it is-- make a deal with him, he could lead us to it!" there was something in him that swore Sparrow would be able to help. He had no idea what it was, but he was damned sure of it. Some little part of his mind was also whispering that Loire knew this, but he couldn't figure out why the Commodore wasn't going to Sparrow to ask.
"No," Leon muttered, still not looking up, "They left Sparrow in his cell. Ergo, they are not allies. Governor, we will establish their most likely course--"
"That's not bloody good enough!" Riku spat, his hatchet, complete with a pirate's dried blood on the blade, sunk into the wood of the table, although hardly deep enough to be considered a problem.
"Mister Turner," stormy eyes meet ocean-blues, and Riku felt something inside clench at the fury barely leashed in those orbs, "You are a blacksmith. Not a soldier, not a sailor. This is not the time for rash actions." His hatchet pulled free, Riku stared at it for a moment before taking it from Loire's hand. Whirling, he practically stomped out of the tent, one goal in mind-- the prison.
It took very little time, before he found himself at the prison's entrance. He could hear Sparrow muttering to himself as he came down the stairs, although when he entered, it looked like the man had been sleeping. The broken bone, worked into the lock of the door, said otherwise, however, and Riku frowned at the figure sprawled in the hay of the cell.
What was it about this man that made it seem like he knew him? The dark boots, red-brown pants, red-brown jacket and white shirt were normal fair. His beaded hair was a bit of an oddity, although he was sure there were other pirates out there that did similar. Charcoal lined the man's eyes, and his skin was tanned from years on the waters. A glint of silver around his neck caught Riku's attention, and he blinked.
Like Loire, the pirate wore a silver pendant about his throat, but unlike Loire it was not of an animal. This one, instead, was of a simple, two-dimensional silver crown. How... unusual.
Oh well, it mattered little, as Riku barked a sharp, "Sparrow!"
"Aye?" came the lazy question from the man on the floor, tipping back his hat to gaze coolly at the other.
"You are familiar with that ship, the Black Pearl?" how could he not be? Even Riku had heard the tales.
"I've heard of it," was the amused response.
"Where does it make berth?"
"Where does it make berth?" a dark eyebrow rose, and Sora pushed himself up on both arms to give the boy an incredulous stare, "Have you not heard the stories? Captain Ansem and his crew of miscreants sailed from the dreaded Isle de Bastion. It's an island that cannot be found except by those who already know where it is."
"The ship's real enough. Therefore, its anchorage must be a real place," reasoned the silver haired youth, although he didn't know why he was, "Where is it?"
"Why ask me?" and the pirate turned to studying his grimy nails. Riku rolled his eyes at that. His nails were probably so dirty already that it didn't matter if he washed them ten thousand times, the dirt would never go away, and would forever be beneath his nails. Lord knew, Riku's own blacksmith's hands were in that state already, and he was barely nineteen.
"Because you're a pirate."
"And you want to turn pirate yourself, is that it?"
I am a pirate, whispered a voice that Riku had learned, nearly ten years ago, to tune out. It never said anything that actually made sense. Still, it's declaration that he was a pirate was... odd. Not to mention annoying. Still, he ignored it as always and snorted, "Not bloody likely. They took Kairi."
"Ah, so it is that you've found a girl. I see... well, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady's heart--" he ignored Riku small laugh and muttered 'Yeah right', "-- you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."
"I can get you out of here," it was actually the bargain he'd thought up when coming down in the first place, but there was no need to inform Sora of that, so he hesitated momentarily before bringing it up. Sora laughed.
"How's that? The key's run off."
"I helped build these cells," Riku informed him with a smirk that Sora could have sworn he'd seen somewhere before, "These are half pun-barrel hinges. With the right leverage, and proper application of strength, the door will lift free." Just to tease the pirate with the possibility of escape, he lifted a bench that was often used for the soldiers on guard to sit on, and mock the prisoners. The legs of it fit between the bars of the cell, and he let it hang there as he looked at the pirate he was about to break free.
Sora was watching him closely, "What's your name, boy?"
"Riku Turner."
"No doubt named for your father, right?" Ah, another interesting thing to add to his list of things he'd learned. This could be quite... useful.
"Yes." No, not really, Riku thought. Like he cared if Sparrow believed him to be named after the father he never knew. It wasn't like it would hinder in any way, and it might just help his case. All he needed was for Sparrow to help him out-- he didn't need to know that Riku had no idea of his mother's name, let alone the father he was pretty damned sure he never met. His memories from the time before being hauled aboard the ship eight years prior were hazy and indistinct, although from time to time he got hints and clues of who he had been, and what life had been like for those missing eleven years of his life.
"Aha," Sora grinned, "Well Mister Turner, I've changed me mind. If you spring me from this cell, I swear on pain of death, I shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass. Do we have an accord?"
Riku looked down at the hand extended through the bars, and he smiled to himself. A little lie never hurt, especially when it got him what he wanted, "Agreed."
"Good, get me out."
And the door came free with a tremendous crash that caused the blacksmith to wince, "Hurry, someone will have heard that."
"Not without my effects!" Sora barked, jumping over to take hold of the items that were practically on display upon the far wall. There was no way in hell that he was leaving those behind; he'd kept hold of them for almost a decade, he wasn't about to leave them behind now!
---
End Part Two.
Riku: This only gets weirder.
Kairi: Is there something wrong with me?
Sora: Huh? Why do you ask, Kairi?
Kairi: Riku doesn't seem to be falling for me. He's supposed to be in love with me.
Riku: No. William is in love with Elizabeth. I am not in love with you. I never have been. I never will be.
Sora: What about that thing with the Paommph!
Riku: *hand clamped around Sora's mouth* No need to be bringing _that_ up, Sora.
Kairi: Bringing what up?
Riku: It's nothing... Sora, don't lick my hand unless you're prepared to go through with it.
Sora: *pulls Riku's hand away* Uh... Kairi...?
Kairi: Yes?
Sora: I think Riku's gone insane. Did he say what I think he just did?
Kairi: Yes Sora, he did. And he's not insane-- he's _always_ been like this.
Sora: Really?
Riku & Kairi: *sigh* Yes, Sora.
And we begin to get into the plot changes in this part. You'll notice them right quick, if you're not blind. I don't make many attempts to actually _hide_ them. And, I actually go into an explanation of Kairi's weapons. Yay!
I have to stop watching Fairy Oddparents. Every time I say "yay!" now, my mind makes it automatically in Cosmo's voice ^__^;;
Anyways, review responses!
moments of silence - Here you go, Part Two ^__^
Alana Hikari-Chan - I pick strange people, ne? Aeris is in the navy because she is. Further explaination in the chapter. Sorta. I love my end notes. They're amusing-- and they continue in this part, too! Yay! Pervy-ness is fun, and now I want to know what Jo was thinking, since you told me not to ask. But yes, here's more!
Koburn - Ah, you share my opinnions!
Disclaimer on Part One. Read it there.
--------
Pirates of Destiny Isle
Part Two
Priest Li Xiang
--------
"Bloody hell," Sora muttered to himself, bright eyes watching as the men raced past his hiding spot behind the more-than-life-sized statue of a blacksmith. Things had gone... not so well, since coming into Destiny Island-- he ignored the fact that his bad luck had started before then-- and this just took the cake. It looked like he'd have to steal into the wilds for a bit until things cooled down and he could make another attempt at a boat.
Cheerfully confident in his plans, the brown haired man pulled his sword free from where he had positioned it with the statue and stepped out from behind it. There were a few curious glances from the ladies on the road, but nothing to be worried about.
It was the red coated soldiers at the end of the road that he needed to fear, and without bothering to look, he ducked into the closest building-- the smithy that was obviously the reason for the blacksmith statue. With a grin, the pirate jauntily moved into the smithy, looking for away to remove his irons. Shouldn't be to hard-- after all, it was a metal working shop, was it not? And were the chains not metal themselves? Yes, of course they were.
He had pulled off his hat, and was reaching for the hammer, when a snort, and the sound of a bottle crashing to the floor caught his attention. Startled, by the noise, the pirate spun about, eyes warily searching for the source of the man. There we are-- in that corner there. The dusty, grim-covered older man wore the trappings of a blacksmith, a bottle in one hand, and another shattered at his feet. He was sleeping, comfortably slouched in a stool against the wall.
Approaching the man, Sora was a quiet as possible, deftly creeping up to his side. Poke. Poke. Poke. Nothing.
He turned away, taking four steps back towards the anvil before whirling around, and shouting in the man's ear, "Hey!"
Still nothing. Most excellent! With a cheerful little whistle, he returned to the task at hand-- removing his irons. It was an awkward position to be in, trying to get those chains off. The hammer and anvil was of little help, simply denting the metal instead of breaking it, or weakening it to the point of breaking as he had hoped. Dammit all.
Now he had to find another way to break the chains. Casting about the shop, his eyes landed upon a sleepy donkey, and he grinned widely. There we are, the perfect answer to his problems!
Lifting a metal rod from the heat and flames of the smithy's fire, he approached the donkey carefully, quietly. A mischievous smile lit his lips as he smacked the hot end of the rod against the beast's rear end, sending the poor thing into movement. The rod dropped to the ground, and Sora jammed the chains into the spokes of the sprocket that the donkey was turning. Soon enough, the metal shrieked and broke, leaving him with a rather interesting new pair of bracelets.
"Slave fashion, eh?" he grinned at the still moving donkey, somewhat amused by the pink bow in the animal's tail. A girl must have come by recently to put it in, he thought, his grin widening further.
He turned, ready to gather his things and leave the shop-- somewhat disheartened by having to stay on land even longer, just to wait until the fervor ended and he could go back to pillaging ports-- when a noise stopped him dead in his tracks. Looking towards the door, Sora frowned, and snatched up his sword, going for the shadows. Someone was entering.
Combing his fingers through silvery strands, Riku sighed a bit heavily. It was always a bit saddening to have to leave Kairi's company-- especially with what she had just been through!-- but there was work to be done, and he couldn't just be running about not doing it. It wasn't like his 'master' would be doing any of it.
At this thought, he shot a look at the older man, sprawled as he was, in the corner, and nodded, "Right where I left you."
Off came the fancy, stuffy jacket he was required to wear when visiting the governor, and dropping off his orders. Beneath, the blacksmith wore what he always wore-- a pair of dark pants, and what Kairi had some referred to as his "painfully bright" yellow shirt. Could he help it if he liked his shirt? Besides, it looked nice with his pale hair and tanned skin. Not that he would ever admit to anyone that he was a vain man.
Of course, the dark vest he wore over it also helped the eyes with the bordering-on-to-small shirt that he'd been wearing for years. It was all good.
On came his dark work gloves, as he reached for his hammer, only to find it not where he left it. With a frown, he looked for the object, only to have his eyes land on the well worn dark fabric of what appeared to be a captain's hat. Curious, he reached for it, only to have the flat of a blade crack against the back of his hand. The sting was ignored as he looked up from his task and into bright blue eyes that were no little amount familiar. How... odd. Still, the man's garb, and the dark tan on his skin made it all to obvious who the man was.
"You're one they're hunting. The pirate."
"That I am," Sora tipped his head slightly, never taking his eyes from the younger man's face. It looked very... familiar for some reason. Not one to keep things inside, he frowned, "Have I threatened you before? You seem somewhat familiar."
So he feels it too, Riku mused slightly, before mentally shaking his head. Now is not the time, Riku-boy, "I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates."
"Ah, well," the pirate grinned, dropping his blade from where he had it aimed at the boy, "It would be a shame to put a black mark on your record. So, if you'll excuse me..." the pirate turned, picking up his hat and settling it on his head. He barely got one step before Riku had swept a sword off the rack, and had it pointed at the 'villain'. Sora frowned, twisting back to face the silver haired one.
Up came his own sword, and he scratched the boy's blade with his, "Do you think it wise to cross blades with a pirate, boy?"
"You threatened Kairi," Riku half growled, ocean-blue eyes flashing with anger. Again, the sense of familiarity fluttered around in Sora's head, and he wondered what it was about the child that struck that cord. Maybe he shouldn't have had all that rum earlier in the day; it was clouding his thoughts.
"Only a little," Sora smirked, and besides, he added mentally as Riku lunged, and he parried, the girl already knows there wasn't any intent behind it. I told her as much, after all. The clang of metal on metal brought him back to the present, and he was impressed by the boy's skill with the blade. He, himself, had to do quite a bit of work to keep up with the lad, but he wasn't about to speak that aloud. Instead, the words that came from his mouth were slightly taunting, "You know what you're doing, I'll give you that. Excellent form, but how's your footwork?"
About and about they went, blades flashing as Sora made a step, and Riku countered it. Sora gifted the boy with a benign smile and a slightly mocking bow, as he found himself with his back to the door, "Now I step again. Ta!" and he leapt back, headed for the door.
Riku blinked for a few moments, surprised by the abrupt halt to his sword play, before getting his bearings. Sora was just reaching for the door, when the sword Riku had been using imbedded, blade first, about an inch, inch and a half through the door's locking mechanism and forcing it to remain shut. Sora could still feel a slight breeze, where it had barely missed his head. Startled, the pirate turned to look at the blacksmith, before returning his attention to the sword. Hand-over-hand, he grabbed the hilt and pommel, and began to tug. Yet, nothing he tried could free the blade from it's position. It was surprising, it was amazing, it was down right creepy how bloody familiar it was!
Now he _knew_ he shouldn't have let himself drink almost to stupidity before going ship shopping.
"That is a wonderful trick-- except that once again you are between me and my way out. And now, you have no weapon!" With these words, Sora jumped down, swinging through where Riku had been, as the young man jumped back, pulling a half-finished sword from the fires, and baring it before the other man. Eyes wide, Sora stared into his opponent's eyes. Again, they launched into battle, sparks flying from the heated tip of the blade, every time it struck upon the pirate's.
Around and around they went, until Sora managed to disarm Riku, "Again, you are without a..." but his grin and sentence faded away as Riku snatched up a blade, and the pirate finally looked around to find an impressive number of swords standing in racks on the walls, "Who makes all these?"
"I do," Riku grinned, blades crossed again, "And I practice with them three hours a day!"
Sora grinned back at him, "You need to find yourself a girl, mate!" The flash of blades as they returned to battle, "Or, perhaps the reason you practice three hours a day is that you already found one, and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet. You're not a eunuch, are you?" His glance down caused Riku to flush and scowl at him, jumping back.
"I practice," the boy growled, "to makes sure the blades are useable, pirate."
"Eh, good a reason as any," Sora shrugged, smirking as they went into battle again. It was nearly ten minutes of parry-thrust-parry and similar bouts of offense and defense, including a rather amusing bout of bouncing about in the shop's rafters, before Riku disarmed his opponent. Sora had been predicting this, however, and grinned, reaching for a sandbag that hung from the ceiling.
The bag tore, and Riku cried out in pain as it blasted him in the face. Wiping the tiny rocks from his eyes, and spitting some out of his mouth, he looked up, only to have to cross his eyes as a pistol stared him in the face. Riku glowered at the man, "You cheated!"
"Pirate," Sora reminded him with a cheerful little smirk, and the toss of his head, sending beads and bones clattering against one another. It was only then, that the pair realized that there were men at the front entrance of the shop, and they were standing before the back. Obviously, the soldiers had heard the commotion and correctly guessed that the pirate was within. Sora gave the boy a pained look, "Move away."
"No."
"Please, move," there was a strained note in his voice.
"No!" Riku snapped back, wondering at the clenching feeling as he saw Sora's pleading eyes. Damn this familiarity between them! "I cannot just step aside and let you escape!"
"This shot is not meant for you, son," Sora half growled, hand shaking as he cocked the gun and prepared to fire. Riku bit the inside of his cheek, wondering what he was to do now, when the decision was taken out of his hands. The door burst open at the same moment, his 'master' reared back and cracked Sora across the back of the head with his rum bottle. Obviously, not even the drunken blacksmith could have slept through their little bout of battle.
"Excellent work," Loire's cool voice washed over them, and Aeris stood at his side, as always. The woman was certainly remarkable, Riku thought somewhat distantly as she congratulated the senior blacksmith. Ten years spent masquerading as a man before being injured in Loire's company, and needing medical attention. In fact, to the rest of the navy, excluding a small circle residing on Destiny Island, Aeris was still known to be a man-- although going by the name Aerith. How she managed to do anything in the navy with her personality was a mystery.
"Just doing my civic duty, sir," the older man slurred, and was ignored as Loire nudged the pirate with the toe of his multiple buckled boot.
"Take him away."
---
"Come here, boy! Nice juicy bone! Come here, come on!"
"You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to move," Sora muttered, eyes closed, hat tipped down over his face. He hated being in jails. They were always such a pain; getting in was easy, it was getting out that was always the problem.
"Oh, excuse us, if we haven't resigned ourselves the gallows just yet," snipped one of the other prisoners, and Sora rolled his eyes at the tone. Didn't they get it? The dog was _trained_ to hold the keys just out of reach. It had been one of Loire's favorite tactics when he had been a pirate, and it certainly seemed to be the same now. Give the prisoner a false hope, and it was all that much more amusing to watch them break.
With a sigh, he returned his attention back to what he'd been doing before-- trying to figure out why the blacksmith was so damned familiar.
---
Warmth spread through the blanket, and Kairi smiled, looking up from her book as the maid adjusted the bed warmer, "There you go, Miss. It was a difficult day for you, I'm sure."
She nodded slightly, "I must admit, I didn't think Commodore Loire would propose to me, despite father's words."
"Well, I meant you being threatened by that pirate," the girl shivered, "Sounds terrifying."
"Oh, yes, it was... terrifying," the last word was spoken dryly, but the maid apparently didn't catch the tone. It had been startling, for certain, but... terrifying? No, not really. Sora Sparrow, despite using her as a hostage had been quite gentle about it, and had even apologized. As horrid the tales of pirates she'd heard before, she'd never really heard any tales of Captain Sora Sparrow ever causing intentional harm to anyone-- and given some of the stories of the man that circulated in this area... that was quite the accomplishment.
"But the Commodore proposed?" the maid sounded rather dreamy, and Kairi had to remind herself that the majority of women on the island found the man handsome-- while at the same time, had never had to deal with him for long periods of time. She, on the other hand, was very well acquainted with his personality, and she found it a wonder that Aeris could even put up with the man. Then again, it _was_ Aeris...
"Fancy that," the girl was continuing, "that's a smart match, if it's not too bold to say."
"He's a fine man," Kairi murmured, not exactly happy with the thought of marrying the man, but knowing why he'd done it anyways, "He's what any woman should dream of marrying." But not her. Any woman but her. She had different ideas about the sort of man _she_ wanted to marry.
"Well, that Riku Turner... he's a fine man, too."
"That is too bold," was Kairi's sharp response. Riku? Marrying? Somehow, she didn't see that happening any time soon-- now, or in the future. Riku just... didn't seem the type to marry, always so involved in his work, or in his training. Not that she, herself, was any better, the governor's daughter reflected, thinking of the two blades hidden between her mattresses.
"Well, begging your pardon, Miss, it was not my place," the girl tipped her head and left the room. Sighing, Kairi waited a few minutes to see if the girl would come back. The flickering of her candlelight brought her up short however, and a chill ran down her spine. Something was wrong.
Rolling out from beneath her covers, she landed lightly on two feet, withdrawing both her blades, and a pair of britches that had been hidden within. Wriggling into the pants was hardly a task that merited the amount of time she spent on it, but nervousness, and that coldness in the pit of her stomach made it a bit harder than she had predicted. Her blades, on the other hand, in their specially designed belt, took only a moment to sling around her waist beneath her nightgown.
In their scabbards, the two blades looked merely like a pair of tonfa-- the wooden weapons she had first taught herself to use back in England, before rescuing Riku. She had continued her self-training in the weapons, eventually revealing them to Riku, in order to get help. As children, they trained with each other, helping to perfect the use of their own chosen weapon, and as young teens had taken to putting actual force behind blows when they fought, although that had taken years to convince Riku that she could handle the bruises, lacerations, and cuts that resulted from their training.
Then, two years prior, Riku had gifted her with the bladed tonfa she now wore. He felt it would have been best for her to be able to inflict more than just bruises or broken bones on an attacker, especially as he had begun to take control of the smithy, and could no longer accompany her everywhere. She had been delighted with the gift-- the leather bound 'scabbards' were metal and fit the blades perfectly, allowing that the weapons to have the full impact, even when sheathed.
It was a precautionary thing, and likely completely unneeded, but Kairi felt better with the weapons under her gown.
She doubted she'd get any sleep this night.
---
"Has my daughter given you an answer yet?"
"No, she hasn't."
"Well, she has had a very trying day," the governor sighed, looking out over the waters, Loire at his side. The commodore was quiet, as usual, and it hardly bothered the older man anymore. Eight years had given him enough time to grow accustomed to the silences that often filled the air between Leon Loire and anyone who tried to speak with him, "Ghastly weather, don't you think?"
"Bleak. Very--" Leon cut himself off, eyes searching the waters as his ears twitched, something deep within warning him of trouble.
"What's that?" the governor looked confused, both at Loire having cut off so abruptly, and at the faint sound of... gunpowder?
"Cannon fire!" Leon bellowed, sweeping the governor out of harms way, and whirling about to face his men, "Return fire!" Explosions came now, from both near and far, and the Commodore didn't even look at the Governor as he commanded the man to flee. It was not safe up on the battlements, but neither would it be safe in the streets of the port. The pirates would be entering the town, and it would be all they could do to fend them off.
It would be best for the governor to be safely barricaded in the Commodore's office-- and that, was what Loire snapped at him, ignoring his own dislike for speaking to long. This was a time when any misheard words could quite possibly loose them their governor.
---
The sound of explosions brought him out of his thoughts, and Sora bounded to his feet, staring out the small, barred window of the fortress' jails, "I know those guns-- it's the Pearl!"
"The Black Pearl?" whispered the same prisoner that had been snapping at him earlier in the night, "I've heard stories... she's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never leaves any survivors!"
Sora's bright eyes glittered darkly, a smirk crossing his lips, "No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?"
---
Sword? Check.
Knife? Check.
Hatchet? Check.
Will to destroy all pirates in the town? Check.
No other thoughts in his mind, the young blacksmith darted out of his shop, ready to defend his town until the end of his own life. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that, but there was little hope that he'd survive.
Barely out of the door, and he'd already struck down a pirate, hatchet impacting in the man's back. Ripping it out, the youth continued onwards, fighting off the eerie feeling that there was something dreadfully familiar about these men, these pirates. Something that tickled his senses, and said 'I know this. I've been here before.'
---
She could see them, crashing through the ornate iron gates, and she went bolting out of her room and on to the landing of the stairs. A knocking came at the door, and her shout of "Don't!" came to late, as the door swung open on the butler, revealing the grimy, dirty, cracked faces of the pirates that were raiding the port. A tall fellow, dressed in surprisingly ornate-- yet still dirty-- clothing was at the forefront, and he was aiming a gun at the butler's head. His voice was almost a hiss as he spoke, "Hello chump."
The butler went down, and Kairi yelped without meaning to. Several eyes turned to look at her, and one of the pirates-- she didn't know which one, shouted, "Girl!"
Her feet carried her up and back into her room, her hands flashing as she locked the chamber doors. It wouldn't do much good, and she was panicked beyond all belief-- to the point of even forgetting the weapons beneath her nightgown. The panicked maid at her side was babbling.
"Miss Swann, they've come to kidnap you! You're the Governor's daughter!"
"They haven't seen you," Kairi hissed as they pounded at the door, "Hide, and as fast as you can, run to the fort!"
"Yes, Miss Swann!" the girl raced off, darting for the servants passages that Kairi didn't realize were there. It wouldn't matter, anyways, the pirates were chasing after her, and even if she had known of the passages, it would only put others in danger when the pirates realized where she had gone off to. She knew for a fact, that despite being rude, horrible people, pirates were not necessarily stupid.
Heart racing, Kairi looked for her own hiding place, and found the only one she could see-- her closet. Darting within, she sunk to the ground, forcing herself to breath shallowly, trying to prevent herself from being found. Oh, this was just a horrid day; what she wouldn't give to be 'threatened' by Sora again. At least then, she knew she wasn't going to die. With these ones... she had no idea/
"We know you're here, Poppet," came the hissing voice of the tall man again.
"Poppet," repeated another voice, this one cracked with amusement.
"Come out and we promises we won't hurt you. We will find you, Poppet. You've got something of ours..." he trailed off for a moment, and she had the sinking feeling he was looking at her closet, where she sat, gripping the medallion still about her neck. Slowly, she stood, preparing to meet her end on both feet, still not remembering the tonfa at her hip, "It calls to us... The gold calls to us..."
The light that had been spilling into the dark closet was suddenly cut off, and she looked up, seeing the tall one's dark eye peering through the crack between the closet doors, "'Ello, Poppet."
"Parlay!" she squeaked, mind racing, looking for an out. It was the first she had come across, and now that she thought about it, it was a good idea.
"What?" came the grumpy voice of the pirate behind the tall man. He was stout, with long dark hair that looked like he should have been wearing a hat. One hand was missing, and at the end of it was a crudely made wooden hook.
"Parlay," she repeated, hoping she was remembering this correctly-- it had been a few years, after all, "I invoke the right of parlay. According to the code of the brethren, set down by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, you have to take me to your Captain.
"I know the code," spat the tall one.
"If an adversary demands parlay, you can do them no harm until the parlay is complete!"
"To blazes with the code!" snapped the hooked one.
"She wants to be taken to the Captain, Hook. And she'll go without a fuss. We must honor the code," there was something dark in his voice that sent chills down Kairi's spine. Yeap, something bad was going to happen, and she had a feeling that it was a damned good idea that she hadn't, in fact, remembered her tonfa until that moment. She may have to use them at some point in the near future.
---
"Say G'bye!"
"Goodbye," Riku smirked, ducking as the shops' sign finally gave way and slammed into the pirate that moments before had been on the verge of killing him. With a laugh, Riku stepped away, only to catch sight of something that startled him beyond belief.
"Kairi!" she was being led away from the governor's house, and towards the docks, by a pair of pirates that looked none to friendly. Worriedly, he tried to go after her, only to be blocked by a familiar face.
The first pirate he had killed that night stood cheerfully before him, and pointed down at Riku's feet. There, a sparking bomb had landed, and Riku's eyes widened. Shit, this would-- it fizzled out. Ah, so it wasn't going to hurt at all. He made as though to attack the pirate, only to find himself slumping to the ground, consciousness fleeing. The last thing he heard before being knocked out by the hit to the back of his head was, "Outta my way, scum."
---
"Shit," it was the only warning any of the prisoners had, as Sora threw himself away from the wall, where he had been watching the battle below with some interest. The cannonball slammed through the wall, but unfortunately for the bright-eyed pirate, it went through the wall of the cell beside his, freeing the four men in there, and only giving him a tiny little window to view out of. The last prisoner out, and annoyingly, the one that had been snappish one, turned back to face him, when braced in the hole.
"My sympathies friend, you've no manner of luck at all."
"No kidding," Sora grumbled, watching him leave, then turning to the front of the cell. There had to be a way out-- there just had to be! Sadly, the only thing he could see was the large bone and the dog. Maybe he had more patience than the dog? He could always hope.
"Come on, doggy. It's just you and me now. It's you an ol'Sora; Squall woulda told you about me, right? Well come on then. Come on, good boy. That's it, good boy, come on!" The dog was actually inching closer, but hardly as close as he needed to be for Sora to get the key ring from the dog's mouth, "Bit closer, bit closer. That's it, doggy. Come on you filthy, slimy, mangy cat..."
Both dog and man were startled by the sound of gunfire on the stairs, but while Sora remained caged in, the dog ran off, deeper into the prison, "No, no, no, no, no, I didn't mean it. I didn't..." he trailed off at the sight of a red coated body crashing down the stairs. Two forms came down after it, and the second scowled, pale skin highlighted by his black, raggedy clothes, that almost looked like a toga the way they were thrown on. The other pirate was dark of skin and hair.
"This ain't the armory," the second one snapped, while the first scanned the immediate area. His eyes landed on the slowly standing pirate within the prison, and his lips curved back.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here, Hades-- Captain Sora Sparrow."
Hades snorted, spitting on the ground before the cell door, "Last time I saw you, you were all alone on a godforsaken little island, shrinking into the distance. Your fortunes haven't improved much."
"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen," Sora half purred, bright eyes darkening with aged fury, "The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." The dark skinned one's hand went through the bars, ensnaring Sora by the throat and holding him up.
Sora's eyes widened as he looked down at the arm that held him, and a chill went through the pirate captain's body. The arm was shadow, completely and totally, licks of darkness flickering off of the body in the moonlight. He could feel the man's claw-like fingers digging into the soft flesh of his throat, "So... there is a curse. That's interesting."
"You know nothing of Hell," the man snarled, before letting go of Sora's throat, and following Hades out of the prison. Sora tapped the bone he still held lightly against his hip, eyes dark as thoughts raised. A smirk curved his lips.
"That's very interesting..."
---
"We're not taking captives, Jafar," the waspish, female voice cut through the air, and Kairi found herself face to face with a pale skinned woman, wearing black from head to toe, and with the strangest hat she had ever seen in her life upon her head. The woman's high collar was neat and crisp, but the rest of her clothing looked dirty and worn like the rest of the pirates aboard the ship.
"She's invoked the right of parlay with Captain Ansem," Jafar returned coolly, hardly impressed with the tall woman's frightening posture.
"I am here to negoti--" but her words were cut off as the woman pirate's hand cracked against the younger female's face.
"You will speak when spoken to," the woman snapped, but another hand grabbed her wrist, and she turned slightly to meet the amused eyes of her captain.
The pale, white hair of the Captain shone, even in the darkness of the cloud-covered moon, and his lips were curved into a none-to-pleasant grin, "And ye'll not lay a hand on those under the protection of parlay, Malificent."
"Aye sir," but she hardly sounded apologetic.
"My apologies Miss..."
"Captain Ansem," Kairi ignored the subtle asking of her name, "I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Destiny Island."
"There are a lot of long words in there, Miss, we're naught but humble pirates. What is that you want?"
"I want to you leave and never come back," it didn't sound as impressive coming from her mouth as it had when she'd heard it from the commodore when he was banishing a man from Destiny Island-- banishing, because he hadn't really done anything wrong, but they just could not have the man in the port anymore.
Ansem's lips quirked, "I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request... means no."
"Very well," Kairi shrugged, more calmly than she felt inside. She took three steps to the edge of the boat, and held out the reason that she figured they had come to Destiny Island. It wasn't that hard, actually-- Jafar had made the mistake of mentioning gold, and it was the only bit of gold she had on her, "I'll drop it." And out of her hand swung the medallion she'd stolen from Riku those years ago.
"My holds are burstin' with swag, and that bit of shine matters to us? Why?"
"It's what you've been searching for-- I recognize the ship. I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England."
"Did ye now?" Ansem looked amused, hardly what she was going for. Dammit, they were supposed to fall to her manipulat... wait. A secretive little smile crossed her lips, and Ansem frowned slightly. What was the girl up to...?
"Fine, well, I suppose if it is worthless, than there's really no point in me keeping it," and she let it drop-- not completely, but to the point of where the chain was tangled around her fingers. She was smirking, eyebrow raised, as the pirates realized that they had lunged, as one, when it had slipped through her fingers.
"Ah," Ansem nodded, slightly impressed at the deviousness of the girl. She might have made a good pirate, had the situation been different, "Do you have a name, Miss?"
"Kairi... Kairi Turner," she hesitated only slightly, but figured Riku wouldn't mind her borrowing his name for a bit. There was no way she was telling them that she was the governor's daughter, "I'm a maid in the Governor's household."
"Miss Turner...?" now that name was a bit of a surprise to the pirate captain, and he grinned slightly. Behind him, Jafar murmured a surprised, "Bootstrap..."
"And how does a maid come to own a trinket such as that?" Ansem queried, eyes narrow, "Family heirloom, perhaps?"
"I didn't steal it if that's what you're implying," Kairi returned, mentally wincing. Yes, she'd stolen it-- but that had been eight years ago, and Riku had never asked about it. Therefore, he probably thought it lost, and she didn't have to worry in the slightest about him getting mad at her for giving it to pirates.
"Very well. You hand it over, and we'll put your town to our rudder and never return."
"Our bargain?" she wondered, letting the medallion settle in the pale palm of the almost demonic-looking man.
"Still the guns and stow 'em, call back the men," Malificent snapped, turning her attention to the pirates aboard the ship.
"Wait! You have to take me to shore! According to the code of the order of the brethren--" but Kairi's words were cut off by Ansem's chill voice.
"First, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations, nor our agreement, so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply, and you're not. And thirdly, the code more what you'd call... guidelines, than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner!"
---
"They've taken her. They've taken Kairi," Riku's sudden arrival at the temporary command tent-- given that the fortress was currently mostly rubble-- was punctuated by his agitated voice. Loire ignored him, preferring to look over the map and try to puzzle out where the woman in question could possibly be.
"We have to hunt them down, we must save her!" Riku pressed, trying his damnedest to keep the panic out of his voice. Kairi was his closest friend, and he loved her like he loved no other. He wasn't about to let her just be taken away from him!
"And where do you propose we start?" came the strained voice of his friend's father, "If you have any information concerning my daughter, please, share it."
"That Sora Sparrow," Hercules put in, tipping his head back in thought, "He talked about the Black Pearl."
"Mentioned it, is more what he did," Aladdin muttered, rolling his eyes at his friend's words.
"Ask him where it is-- make a deal with him, he could lead us to it!" there was something in him that swore Sparrow would be able to help. He had no idea what it was, but he was damned sure of it. Some little part of his mind was also whispering that Loire knew this, but he couldn't figure out why the Commodore wasn't going to Sparrow to ask.
"No," Leon muttered, still not looking up, "They left Sparrow in his cell. Ergo, they are not allies. Governor, we will establish their most likely course--"
"That's not bloody good enough!" Riku spat, his hatchet, complete with a pirate's dried blood on the blade, sunk into the wood of the table, although hardly deep enough to be considered a problem.
"Mister Turner," stormy eyes meet ocean-blues, and Riku felt something inside clench at the fury barely leashed in those orbs, "You are a blacksmith. Not a soldier, not a sailor. This is not the time for rash actions." His hatchet pulled free, Riku stared at it for a moment before taking it from Loire's hand. Whirling, he practically stomped out of the tent, one goal in mind-- the prison.
It took very little time, before he found himself at the prison's entrance. He could hear Sparrow muttering to himself as he came down the stairs, although when he entered, it looked like the man had been sleeping. The broken bone, worked into the lock of the door, said otherwise, however, and Riku frowned at the figure sprawled in the hay of the cell.
What was it about this man that made it seem like he knew him? The dark boots, red-brown pants, red-brown jacket and white shirt were normal fair. His beaded hair was a bit of an oddity, although he was sure there were other pirates out there that did similar. Charcoal lined the man's eyes, and his skin was tanned from years on the waters. A glint of silver around his neck caught Riku's attention, and he blinked.
Like Loire, the pirate wore a silver pendant about his throat, but unlike Loire it was not of an animal. This one, instead, was of a simple, two-dimensional silver crown. How... unusual.
Oh well, it mattered little, as Riku barked a sharp, "Sparrow!"
"Aye?" came the lazy question from the man on the floor, tipping back his hat to gaze coolly at the other.
"You are familiar with that ship, the Black Pearl?" how could he not be? Even Riku had heard the tales.
"I've heard of it," was the amused response.
"Where does it make berth?"
"Where does it make berth?" a dark eyebrow rose, and Sora pushed himself up on both arms to give the boy an incredulous stare, "Have you not heard the stories? Captain Ansem and his crew of miscreants sailed from the dreaded Isle de Bastion. It's an island that cannot be found except by those who already know where it is."
"The ship's real enough. Therefore, its anchorage must be a real place," reasoned the silver haired youth, although he didn't know why he was, "Where is it?"
"Why ask me?" and the pirate turned to studying his grimy nails. Riku rolled his eyes at that. His nails were probably so dirty already that it didn't matter if he washed them ten thousand times, the dirt would never go away, and would forever be beneath his nails. Lord knew, Riku's own blacksmith's hands were in that state already, and he was barely nineteen.
"Because you're a pirate."
"And you want to turn pirate yourself, is that it?"
I am a pirate, whispered a voice that Riku had learned, nearly ten years ago, to tune out. It never said anything that actually made sense. Still, it's declaration that he was a pirate was... odd. Not to mention annoying. Still, he ignored it as always and snorted, "Not bloody likely. They took Kairi."
"Ah, so it is that you've found a girl. I see... well, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady's heart--" he ignored Riku small laugh and muttered 'Yeah right', "-- you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."
"I can get you out of here," it was actually the bargain he'd thought up when coming down in the first place, but there was no need to inform Sora of that, so he hesitated momentarily before bringing it up. Sora laughed.
"How's that? The key's run off."
"I helped build these cells," Riku informed him with a smirk that Sora could have sworn he'd seen somewhere before, "These are half pun-barrel hinges. With the right leverage, and proper application of strength, the door will lift free." Just to tease the pirate with the possibility of escape, he lifted a bench that was often used for the soldiers on guard to sit on, and mock the prisoners. The legs of it fit between the bars of the cell, and he let it hang there as he looked at the pirate he was about to break free.
Sora was watching him closely, "What's your name, boy?"
"Riku Turner."
"No doubt named for your father, right?" Ah, another interesting thing to add to his list of things he'd learned. This could be quite... useful.
"Yes." No, not really, Riku thought. Like he cared if Sparrow believed him to be named after the father he never knew. It wasn't like it would hinder in any way, and it might just help his case. All he needed was for Sparrow to help him out-- he didn't need to know that Riku had no idea of his mother's name, let alone the father he was pretty damned sure he never met. His memories from the time before being hauled aboard the ship eight years prior were hazy and indistinct, although from time to time he got hints and clues of who he had been, and what life had been like for those missing eleven years of his life.
"Aha," Sora grinned, "Well Mister Turner, I've changed me mind. If you spring me from this cell, I swear on pain of death, I shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass. Do we have an accord?"
Riku looked down at the hand extended through the bars, and he smiled to himself. A little lie never hurt, especially when it got him what he wanted, "Agreed."
"Good, get me out."
And the door came free with a tremendous crash that caused the blacksmith to wince, "Hurry, someone will have heard that."
"Not without my effects!" Sora barked, jumping over to take hold of the items that were practically on display upon the far wall. There was no way in hell that he was leaving those behind; he'd kept hold of them for almost a decade, he wasn't about to leave them behind now!
---
End Part Two.
Riku: This only gets weirder.
Kairi: Is there something wrong with me?
Sora: Huh? Why do you ask, Kairi?
Kairi: Riku doesn't seem to be falling for me. He's supposed to be in love with me.
Riku: No. William is in love with Elizabeth. I am not in love with you. I never have been. I never will be.
Sora: What about that thing with the Paommph!
Riku: *hand clamped around Sora's mouth* No need to be bringing _that_ up, Sora.
Kairi: Bringing what up?
Riku: It's nothing... Sora, don't lick my hand unless you're prepared to go through with it.
Sora: *pulls Riku's hand away* Uh... Kairi...?
Kairi: Yes?
Sora: I think Riku's gone insane. Did he say what I think he just did?
Kairi: Yes Sora, he did. And he's not insane-- he's _always_ been like this.
Sora: Really?
Riku & Kairi: *sigh* Yes, Sora.