Sierra had gone back to the White Forest, nursing her rage and planning her revenge. She had gone for the guidance of her master, Vandise. The others had gone back to the house to sleep. They needed it. The next day…well, they didn't know what they would do the next day. They supposed that now they would have to wait until Drakonis made his appearance in the land of the living, so they could turn around and send him crawling back into the underworld. Now, all they could do was wait, and maybe relax a little. The next morning came much too early and Kairi grumbled as she rolled over in bed, pulling the covers up over her head and complaining quietly that the sun was much too bright much too early in the morning. A sharp tug of the covers pulled them back down from over her head. Grumbling again, she pulled it back over her head. This time, someone pulled the covers off her head, and then off her completely. Surprised, she rolled over and glared at Sora. He grinned.
"If you're going to keep doing that, I'm just going to steal all the blankets for myself." He told her smugly. Kairi hugged herself, pouting.
"But Sooooorraaaaa, I'm cooooooold." She whined quietly, trying to hide a smile. Grinning, his arm emerged from the cocoon of blankets and grabbed her, pulling her into the knot of covers with him. She giggled.
"Do I want to know what you're doing in there?" A voice asked a moment later. Paine was standing at the door, hands on her hips, watching them with an odd look on her face. Sora poked his head out of the covers.
"We're not doing anything, thank you very much." He answered shortly. Kairi rolled out of the covers, off the bed and onto the floor. She grinned at Paine.
"You know, you always seem to walk in at really inopportune times." She noted, recalling the incident on the mountain where she and Sora were 'slobbering on each other'. Paine shrugged. Kairi grinned again. "Besides, I think you should be in visiting Baralai." She told her smugly. Paine turned a bit red, but smirked.
"And if I did that, you two would be left to your own devices and who knows what I would find you doing then." She answered. Kairi sighed and stood up, following her out and downstairs, not bothering to change out of her pajamas (a tank top and a pair of boxers that she stole from -ahem- somebody). Downstairs, she saw that Yuna was up as well, and Tidus had been up, but since fell asleep on a chair by the fire. Lisa was sitting next to the fire, a large book open in front of her, pointing something out to Bud. Watching the pair, she realized how much they were an odd pair of kids. Lisa refused to be separated from an enormous rickety broom that she always carried around, and likewise, Bud had a very large pan that he claimed was a weapon that he wouldn't go anywhere without. A loud banging knock made everyone look towards the door. At first, they wondered whether it was actually someone at the door or not because it was so loud, and it was so early in the morning. Tidus woke up, jumping in surprise. When they heard it again, Yuna walked over to the door and opened it slowly, almost anxious at what she would find waiting on the doorstep. After a moment, she gasped.
"Pearl!" She put her hands on the young Jumi's heaving shoulders. Hearing quiet her quiet crying, Tidus, Sora and Kairi went to see what was going on. Yuna had since given Pearl a hug, whom collapsed into uncontrollable sobs.
"What's the matter?" Yuna and Kairi asked the same question at the same time, while helping Pearl into the house. They sat her down on a chair, and sniffling, she gave her answer.
"Elazul." She hiccupped, and then continued. "She got Elazul." Bewildered, the four others looked at each other. Lisa and Bud were standing not far away, and hearing her statement, Bud gasped.
"San…." However, he was cut off when Lisa slapped her hand over his mouth and grumbled at him to shut up. Pearl's tears came fast and furious again. Yuna bit her lip.
"Sandra took his core…" she let her voice trail off, afraid of upsetting Pearl further. Pearl nodded, hiccupping again.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Sora asked quietly. Pearl looked at him hopefully.
"If…if we can get the cores back from her, we can find Florina and she can heal him…" she said, sounding like she was more thinking out loud than speaking to any of them.
"How do we get the cores back?" Tidus asked after a moment. Pearl sighed.
"Umm, we'd have to find Florina first. She's supposed to know lots about Sandra. If anyone knows where the cores are hidden, it would be her…. but I don't know where to find Florina…" She paused, seeming to get lost in her thoughts again. Suddenly, she blinked and sat up. "The last thing Elazul said to me was find the Alexandrite. I don't know if this would help any, but there was a jewel shop in Geo that was owned by someone named Alex. It's closed now, but it might at least be a place to start looking."
An hour or so later, nine people were walking through the streets of Domina, empty but for a few vendors beginning to set up in the market. They walked towards the eastern end of town, and then north along a path through the fields and forests that edged the quiet town. Finally, they passed the old church. It was thought to be abandoned; it was in fine shape, but no one ever went there, except for the Reverend Nuvelle occasionally, to bless the altar and to 'keep the land holy, worthy of the goddess'. To their surprise though, there was a short man that reminded them of some sort of rodent, wearing a green trench coat, and he had a great big pipe sticking out of him mouth. He heard their footsteps and turned to look at them. His face went red for a moment and he jumped off the steps and stomped up to them. Stalking up to Kairi, he glared at her.
"Heading off to return to the scene of the crime are we? Thought you and your accomplices could sneak by me so you could go and find another Jumi to victimize? Huh? HUH?" He asked angrily, getting in Kairi's face. She took a step back, bewildered.
"S-scene of the crime? Victimize?" She stuttered, confused. The man eyed her, grumbling.
"That's right. I saw you in Gato. I know who you really are, Sandra!" He announced. There was a long silence where the man, who they had indeed met in Gato and knew him as Inspector Boyd, tried to stare Kairi down, while the rest of them stared back at him, confused and rather surprised at the accusation.
"Sandra was dressed up as a nun in Gato…" Kairi answered slowly. Inspector Boyd crossed his arms.
"Hmph. You'd like me to believe that. I saw you on the cliff after Mr. Reuben's death."
"Actually, Sandra was at the Nest when Kairi was up there. We saw her." Paine answered.
"Lies! All lies!" Boyd shouted. Now Pearl stepped forward. Boyd stared at her, shocked.
"Kairi saved me from Sandra once, in the Mekiv Caverns. She's not a Jewel Hunter. I know all these people are willing to fight Sandra with me to save my people. They were the first ones I came to when Elazul died." She answered, quietly but defiantly. Boyd blinked, then bowed quickly.
"My sincerest apologies miss. I thought I had Sandra when I saw you on the cliff where Mr. Reuben died not long after the murder."
"I know, it's alright. I was there when she murdered him. I tried to stop her, but she said she'd kill him if I came any closer. She killed him anyways." Kairi said, her voice trembling slightly. Inspector Boyd nodded.
"Again, I'm very sorry. If a Jumi can trust you, then so can I." He stated. Kairi smiled slightly, getting an idea.
"Do you know anything about someone named Alex? From Geo?" She asked after a moment. Inspector Boyd nodded.
"She's a mystery person of sorts. She's on my list of suspects as Sandra's possible alter-ego. They say she used to sell Jumi cores in her shop. Apparently, she caught wind of my finding out about her selling those, and she disappeared." He explained. The others stared at each other.
"Alex is Sandra!" Tidus asked, surprised.
"Even if she's not the Alexandrite, her shop might be worth a look." Baralai suggested. Pearl looked uncomfortable.
"What…what if she is the Alexandrite? What if Sandra's a Jumi?" She asked after a moment. There was a long silence.
"She'd be killing her own people for profit…" Yuna said sadly. Inspector Boyd nearly exploded.
"THE FILTH!" He shouted angrily. Tipping his hat to them, though still in a huff, he told them he was going to take another look at the scene for Rueben's death, and that if they should find anything in Geo, to contact him immediately. Agreeing quickly, the rest started to run down the path. After a while, Gippal jogged up next to Paine.
"Uh, why are we running?" He asked between breaths.
"Because we need to get to Geo as fast as possible, and get in and out before anyone realizes who we are. If Sandra lived in Geo, she may still be there and Pearl may be in danger if she finds out that the last surviving Jumi is in the city." She explained, not sounding even remotely tired. They stopped to catch their breath at the bottom of the steps leading up into the city. Climbing carefully, and alert to anyone and anything suspicious, they started into the bustling streets. There were students everywhere, but that was to be expected as the city was home to the Academy. The students weren't too concerning; Sandra may be a master of disguise, but the students were all much too short for her to fit in with. They arrived at the door of the jewel shop. The outside was just as decorated and beautiful as always, except for the boards nailed haphazardly across the door. Impatient, Gippal kicked in the door, drawing a little bit of attention, but no one seemed too worried about it. Pearl frowned.
"Alex always had a surprising knowledge of the Jumi. I wouldn't be surprised if she was the Alexandrite." She said to no one in particular as they walked inside. The interior was much different from what it had been before Alex left. It was dingy, dark and empty. The display cases were still there, but they were open and empty. It looked like Alex had been in a big hurry to get out. A heavy silence weighed everyone down. A voice made them all jump.
"H-hello?" Spinning, they saw a young woman standing in the doorway, dressed in green and covered by a cloak. Pearl gasped.
"Esmeralda! You're alive!" The two girl hugged each other tightly.
"Of course I'm alive! It's you who I'm surprised to see alive!" She answered.
"But you were abducted by Sandra…" Pearl began. Grinning, Esmeralda interrupted her.
"But you and Elazul came to save me! I escaped while you and him were attacking her. I saw Elazul die, and you go running. I thought you died when Sandra caused the cavern to collapse! I thought you had been caught in it!" She exclaimed. Pearl shook her head vigorously.
"What are you doing here anyways?" Pearl asked. Esmeralda stuck out her tongue, smiling.
"I live in Geo!" She answered, half laughing. Pearl grinned too.
"No, I mean, what are you doing in the shop?" She asked. Esmeralda shrugged.
"I saw the door was broken and I figured I'd see what was up." She answered. Rikku now piped up.
"That was his fault!" She announced, pointing at Gippal, who rolled his eyes, stepping closer to her.
"If you're not careful, I'm going to have to shut you up." He muttered so only she could hear. She grinned in response.
"Ohhhh, I like the sound of that…" she answered, smiling mischievously. Gippal grinned in reply. Meanwhile, Pearl introduced Esmeralda as the Jumi of the Emerald. Yuna, Paine and Baralai were inspecting a large, jeweled box in the corner that hadn't yet been noticed. Slowly, everyone else began to notice and walked over to take a look.
"That looks pretty valuable. I wonder why Alex didn't take it with her?" Sora asked after a moment.
"Too heavy?" Tidus suggested.
"Maybe she's coming back for it." Kairi added. The lock on it caught Sora's eyes. He bent down to get a better look.
"I've never seen a lock like this one before…" He said slowly, sounding impressed. Paine crossed her arms.
"And I'm sure that should mean a lot to us since you must be a great authority on locks and keys." She said sarcastically. Wordlessly, Sora held up his Keyblade.
"It was my destiny to lock the planets to save them from the Heartless. I know a thing or two about locks." He answered. No one said anything more. Standing up, he pointed the Keyblade at it. He wasn't sure whether he would be able to unlock a lock like this one with his weapon. Relief flooded through him when it popped open. As he bent down to open in, he saw Kairi kneeling next to him out of the corner of his eye.
"Have more faith in yourself Sora." She whispered. Sora was slightly surprised. How did she know? She smiled even wider now. "Being part Heartless has its drawbacks…" he remembered the colour of her eyes and her stress and fear when she fell from the tree when they first landed on Fa'Diel, "but it has its advantages too." She finished, rather mysteriously. With that, she pushed open the box, and a blinding light issued from it. Esmeralda's scream drew all of their attention, but they could see nothing in the white light. Blinking as they regained their sight, they found themselves in a small but comfortable room. In the middle was a large bed and a young woman sitting on it. The woman looked surprised to see them.
"Dear me, I thought the only one who knew I was here was Alexandra." She said, her voice distant and musical. Sora smiled embarrassedly.
"Actually, we didn't know you were here. We just opened the box and ended up here." He answered. The woman smiled gratefully.
"Well, it's nice to have visitors. My name is Florina." She said gratefully. Pearl gasped.
"Florina! We found you! You have to help us! Me and Esmeralda are…the only…Jumi…left…" Her words became quieter and seemed to have less importance to her as she looked around. Suddenly looking back at Florina, she spoke desperately. "Where's Esmeralda?"
"It seems Alexandra paid a surprise visit back to her shop and took her. Now, Blackpearl, you are the only one left." She said sadly. Everyone blinked at her. Scratching his head, Tidus spoke.
"So, Pearl's just a nickname or something? Short for Balckpearl, right?" He asked, sounding rather uncomfortable. Yuna shook her head.
"But Pearl's core isn't black, it's white…" She noted, looking to Florina for an explanation. Instead, it was Pearl who explained.
"I'm both Pearl and Blackpearl, that's why Elazul isn't my knight any more." She said. This just seemed to cause even more confusion. Rikku thought for a moment she meant the romantic 'knight in shining armor' type of thing, but then she was pretty sure that 'my knight' had meant something different. Pearl watched them, waiting for feedback, waiting to see if they understood. From the silence, Florina gathered that they didn't.
"The Jumi are organized into knights and guardians. Each knight is paired up with a guardian and they work together, the guardian healing and the knight protecting. Elazul was Pearl's knight, until they discovered Blackpearl. After that, he became Esmeralda's knight, as hers had been killed by Alexandra." She stated. Sora nodded.
"So, Sandra is Alex then." He said slowly.
"Alex, Sandra, Alexandra, Alexandrite. They are all one and the same person." Florina agreed. Gippal still looked confused.
"But I don't get this whole Pearl-Blackpearl thing. How can Pearl be two people? And how come this whole Blackpearl thing made Elazul become someone else's guardian?" He asked. Pearl sighed.
"I don't really know. I never remember what happens to me when I'm Blackpearl." She answered. Florina nodded.
"I supposed I should start from the beginning. Alexandra was once a great Jumi knight. I was the Great Guardian, the only one of the Jumi's able to shed tears. My tears, if they fall on the core of a dead Jumi, will cause that Jumi to be revived. The Lady Blackpearl was my knight. Every time I cried for a dead Jumi, a sliver of my own life would escape in my tears, which is how the dead Jumi's can be revived. The Jumi were fighting in a war against humans, so there were many deaths and I was crying often. Alexandra found out that I was giving my own life to save Jumi who were only going out to fight and die again, and she was furious. Almost single-handedly, with help from Lady Blackpearl, the war was ended. That night, at the celebrations, Alexandra demanded that every Jumi who had died in the war shed a tear for me so that I might return to my full health. Of course, no one else could cry. Not long after, she killed her own guardian and abducted Lady Blackpearl, erasing her memory and leaving her as Pearl the guardian so that she could be my knight. After that, she locked me in this box and refused to let anyone in to see me to heal fallen Jumi. When they kept demanding to see me, she was enraged at how people were expecting me to give my life to save those who had died carelessly. Deciding to exact revenge, she became Sandra the Jewel Hunter, and began to kill Jumi. I don't think she has any intention of killing Pearl. Neither Lady Blackpearl or Pearl ever lost her life and asked it of me to heal her, so I suppose she doesn't wish to exact revenge on her."
"But Elazul never died!" Pearl cried in response. Florina frowned.
"Then perhaps I don't know Alexandra as well as I thought…"
"No, you knew Alexandra well enough, but she is dead. Sandra is not the woman you knew." A childish voice told them. Looking for its source, they saw a person no bigger than a child, floating in mid-air and dressed up as an emotional clown. Usually, clowns are happy or sad or something of the like, but this face was so subtle and well done that it showed almost every emotion imaginable, except perhaps love. Belle, as the little creature was called, like to think it was because no one could dream love. After all, she was the keeper of dreams; it would only be appropriate. A new thought dawned on Paine, and she looked at Pearl.
"What were you and Elazul trying to do? You were trying your hardest to avoid Sandra, so you weren't trying to defeat her. What were you after?" She asked.
"There's something that can heal Jumi without Florina having to cry. It's called a Mana Stone." She answered. Gippal slapped his hand on his forehead.
"What in the hell is it with everyone and these damned stones?" He asked, frustrated. Pearl and Florina gave him a funny look. Gippal sighed. "We've caused the demise of the world and now we have to go kill a very powerful warlord in order to fix it, all because of those stones." He explained. Both women looked rather alarmed. Belle, however, seemed to know what they were talking about.
"Perhaps, but it shouldn't worry you so much. Drakonis is beginning to find that these stones are not the Mana Stones he thought they were. He thought that once he put them together, he would have the whole Mana Stone. They are nothing but small shards of the real thing, the one at the center of the Mana Tree. Don't fret over it, Drakonis won't be able to return to this world. There's not nearly enough power in those tiny shards, not to mention the fact that he would probably kill himself trying to force the real Mana Stone to do his bidding, even if he could get his hands on it." She explained lazily. A wave of relief flowed through them, but just as quickly came annoyance.
"Could you not have told us that before we almost died worrying about what we'd done? And how do you know all this anyways?" Paine asked, rather angry. Belle shrugged.
"I wasn't aware that it caused you so much distress. No one had nightmares about it, so how was I to know? And I'm a lesser Wisdom, so I know much about what goes on in this world."
"Who are you anyways?" Rikku asked. Belle was about to speak, but Florina answered.
"This is Belle, keeper of dreams. She visits me often here." She paused, then spoke again. "There still may be time before Sandra kills the Jumi race off completely. Take this." She offered Kairi the Jumi Staff, one of the last Artifacts. The Jumi woman lifted her hand as if she was about to snap her fingers, but paused. "And no matter what you may find there, don't cry." And with a snap of her fingers, white light engulfed them once again and they found themselves standing in the abandoned jewel shop, confused. Sure, they'd gotten the answers to their questions, but nothing was ever simple, and they found that these cryptic answers that the so often found only seemed to lead them deeper into the maze of questions in which they now found themselves irreversibly lost.
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Read and Review! Only a handful of chappies left (I've given up counting down because it keeps changing:P)