DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or any of the Disney/Square Enix characters that appear in this work. Please support the original releases.
Author's Notes:
Holy space cows! I was not expecting to get such amazing reviews! Thank you Aztec 13 and Stuff3! On a side note, these last chapters have been a real pain in the patella, because MAN this movie is hard to do justice while still keeping it fresh. And I though Roger Rabbit was bad (I was so wrong). Here's hoping I represent this cult classic well.
Chapter 23: The RLS Legacy
Sora stood in front of the Castle Oblivion door. All the excitement of fixing up Toontown, faded away as he pondered what to do next. The dusty alley surrounding them made him feel itchy and his nose wrinkled from the smell of trash. Yet it was the perfection of the castle's pristine, white door that annoyed him. Beyond that door was nothing but an empty, hollow space and nothing more. It was like a carnivorous plant, luring people in with its mysteries and beautiful, white interior. Worse yet, it seemed as though there were parasites in the castle that were just waiting for him to open the door and let them in.
"What Frollo said reminded me of Hades, Jafar, and Cruella," Sora began. "For each bad guy, Dr. Faciler made some kind of promise to them. Cruella and Jafar wanted revenge, Frollo, and I think Hades too, wanted to go home with extra power."
Jiminy, flipping pages in his journal, paced back and forth on Sora's shoulder.
"But, except for Hades, things didn't pan out."
"Right. Hades said that Dr. Facilier 'really can control it.' Is the 'it' he was talking about the Castle's dimensional door?"
"Do you think that was the wish he made back in Agrabah," Goofy offered. "We never did find out what his second wish was."
Jiminy pointed to a list of notes in his journal. "What about the wall in the castle? It's getting weaker and weaker. What if it's open when we get back?"
Sora twirled his keyblade. "Then we take out Doctor Facilier, find Locke and escape the castle before we end up opening the door to darkness."
"I'm glad to hear that you haven't forgotten your responsibilities, but I don't think it will be that simple."
"Why not?"
"Well, being hostile has gotten us nothing but being tossed around. Maybe we should change our strategy. Besides, as long as Doctor Facilier is holding Locke hostage, we can't make any demands."
Goofy's head slumped forward. "What if he hurts Locke? What kind of heroes would we be if we allowed that to happen."
Sora opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. Somehow, saying his fears out loud made him feel as though they were more likely to come true, so he tried not to think about the possibility that Locke might have been turned into a heartless.
"Doggone witch doctor! Whacking him and getting it over with would be much easier." Donald grumbled. "So what do you think we should do, Jiminy."
"Why don't we try being diplomatic?"
Sora put his hands on his hips. "I get it. We act like we want to hear Doctor Facilier out. Maybe he will be more willing to monologue about his evil schemes."
Goofy perked up, jumping in place. "Maybe he'll slip up and give us a clue about Locke."
Jiminy tucked away his journal. "I sure hope so."
Donald tapped his foot impatiently. "Do you really think he'll fall for that? He seems pretty tricky to me."
Sora shrugged. "What have we got to lose? Plus if things go bad, we can always go back to plan A."
"Which is?"
"Beating the snot out of him, of course."
Goofy stood tall. "Well fellers, are we ready for this?"
Donald stretched. "Yup."
"Remember, we're going to get answers. Don't attack until we find out where Locke is."
Moving through the dimensions felt shorter then ever that time. When the trio landed back in the castle's foyer, the first thing they noticed was the castle wall. The door that led out of Castle Oblivion had returned. The wall was now completely see through, and beyond the cold glass, was a city.
Grey clouds covered the sky outside. Tall, lonely skyscrapers and streets lit by glowing, silver lamps waited just beyond the castle door. Sora aimed his keyblade at the entrance, but the door did not open. Silver words appeared in the air.
"Passage given only when all seven locks are sealed."
The letters vanished. Sora's felt goosebumps rising on his skin. The sound of his comrades echoing footsteps behind him made him turn.
Silently, the trio nodded.
Ready.
"Hey, Doctor Facilier, I know you're in here somewhere. Come on out."
A shadow moved along the castle ceiling. It stretched, hanging down like a spider on a web. When the shadow touched the floor, like black clay, it sculpted itself into Doctor Facilier's shape.
The shadow man tap danced in the foyer, clapping.
"I see you got rid of that overzealous old fool. Good riddance."
Goofy's lip curled. "But, wasn't Judge Frollo your ally? Aren't you angry that he's gone?"
"Not at all. That man hated anything that didn't fit his view of what an upstanding citizen should look like. Intolerance like that is the perfect invitation for darkness."
"That's true." Sora stated. "So what about you? What lets you call the darkness?"
"Oh no, young man, you've got me all wrong. I don't use the darkness. I got friends on the other side that lend me their strength."
"Do you mean the heartless? I don't think it's a good idea for you to trust them. They will turn on you the second you get too comfortable. Believe me, I've seen it happen."
Dr. Facilier leaned forward on his cane, his white teeth gleaming. "Are you worried about me, little man?"
"I'm just saying that it's not too late to turn around. I don't know why your here or what you want, but, if you tell us, maybe we can help you. You won't have to rely on your 'friends' on the other side. It's never too late to walk in the light."
Dr. Facilier walked backwards toward the castle door and tapped it with his cane. "Now did you really think I would fall for that song and dance?"
The door opened wide.
Dr. Facilier took something out of his pocket. "Now I can look deep into your heart and soul and make your wildest dreams come true, but if I were a betting man, I'd say this is what you're looking for."
He held up a card. The top part of the card was shaped like a crown with three points. A picture of Locke was depicted on the paper.
"Poor treasure hunter. He went pokin' around in places he shouldn't."
Without another word, Dr. Facilier threw the card into the open door, watching as it vanished into the white void beyond.
The trio dropped all pretense and pulled out their weapons.
"Do you have time for that?" Dr. Facilier asked. "I would rush after your friend if I were you. I hear the world beyond the door is a quite breathtaking."
Growling, Sora, Donald and Goofy ran through the door.
If one were to find himself suddenly in the middle of a sky full of glittering stars, galaxy dust and distant nebulas, one's first instinct would be to gasp desperately for air. But not Sora. Additionally, one would be very worried if they suddenly landed on a haunted, demon ship. Except Sora.
For the first time since the journey began, Sora had had it! Being thrown through doors, rolled in taffy, dunked on with paint, tossed in the trash, and now he was stuck in a hostage situation and there was still no sign of King Mickey, Riku, or any answers to be had. So when heartless popped up on the ripped, cobwebbed sails above, holding Locke's card in their hands, Sora went full on Donald rage mode, climbed up onto the sails, and began slashing.
The heartless vanished and the card fell down onto the purple, black veined deck of the ghost ship. Goofy caught the card, and the second he touched it, a bright light blinded both the trio and the heartless crew.
Locke flopped onto the deck. Rotating his neck, he clenched his teeth. "Now I know what being turned to stone feels like."
"Talk later." Donald bashed an octopus heartless on the head. "Fight!"
A heartless lunged at Locke and he backflipped away. Recovering, he unleashed a pair of daggers and sliced the heartless in half. Sora watched his friends fighting from his place on the mast. The ship below breathed, the deck rising and falling, the purple, sinewy floor boards twitching.
A heartless flattened on the deck, moving toward Goofy like a shadow flatfish ready to strike. Sora jumped off the mast and stabbed his keyblade into the floor, destroying the heartless. The ship retaliated. The doors on the deck opened up and heartless spilled out like water taking over a sinking ship.
Locke jumped in front of the trio and raised his daggers.
"Thundaga!"
He fried the octopus, jellyfish, and spongey blobs, but just as he did, a group of pirate heartless took their place. Swords, muskets, and knives were pointed at the group. Donald and Sora fired blizzard spells, while Goofy defended them from the sharp swords, but the heartless ship kept spewing more pirate and sea monster alike.
Up above, on the sails, a horde of pirate heartless jumped down, slamming Locke and Sora into the deck. Beads of sweat dripped off Sora's face, the weight of the heartless threatening to crush him into the gross, fleshy floor. Through the swarming eyes and dark bodies, he saw Donald and Goofy's arms reach in and try to pull them out. The heartless thrashed, biting and scratching, forcing Sora's friends to pull their arms back or risk losing them.
Darkness pressed down on Sora's back, and he felt his lungs flattening. He choked, unable to see, with no choice but to listen to the hissing of the heartless in his ears.
Bang.
The heartless flew off Sora. The floor tipped to the left, and Sora slide down with the heartless to the other side of the ship. He crashed into the wall on the port side. The heartless tumbling off of him, falling into the vast emptiness of space.
Bang.
The ship rumbled, shaking like rag in a hurricane.
Holding onto the wall, and trying to keep the contents of his stomach on the inside, Sora spotted another ship hovering beyond the starboard side of the heartless one. Blasts of light exploded like fireworks from the ship, slamming into the haul of the living vessel Sora stood on. The heartless ship groaned a low, underwater tuba sound. The flying fish heartless moved toward the shining, enemy ship, where they were easily picked off by the giant lazer cannons one by one.
"Prepare the next firing round gents! We've got captives to rescue!"
Was it Sora's imagination or was there an actual cat woman giving orders on the other ship. Another blast from the golden ship split the heartless deck in half. The heartless tumbled into space. Locke and the trio struggled to stay standing as the fleshy floor heaved and snapped underneath them.
"Over here," someone shouted.
Turning toward the stern, Sora spotted a boy and a big man with a cybernetic arm in a flying skiff. They flew the lifeboat closer to the heartless ship. The cyber-man tied a rope around the boy's waste and the boy leaned his hand out of the ship.
"Grab on!"
Sora reached down and tossed Donald up. The boy caught the duck and pulled him into the skiff. Goofy interlaced his fingers to give Sora a boost, but before Sora could jump, a heartless popped up behind Goofy. Luckily, Locke tackled the heartless, obliterating it with his daggers.
The heatless ship was on its last legs. Beneath Sora's feet, the living wood shattered into pieces and he sunk into the floor. He clawed at splinters to keep himself from slipping, his feet dangled over nothing. Locke and Goofy grabbed his arms, pulled him out and threw him up onto the skiff.
Crashing into Donald and the young boy, Sora quickly pulled himself up and looked over. Locke and Goofy were climbing the mast. The heartless ship below was crumbling piece by piece. Whatever monster still on the ship, crawled and scratched up the mast after Locke and Goofy.
Without a moment to lose, the boy and the cyber-man moved the ship closer to the mast. The big man's cybernetic arm shifted, morphing into a claw. He clamped his metal pincer on the boat's railing and jumped out. Hanging on the side of the boat by his hand, balancing with his robot peg leg, the big man stretched his thick arm down toward the mast.
"Jimbo, take the skiff down!" he ordered.
"Aye, aye!" The boy grabbed the skiff's lever and cranked it down.
The skiff lowered.
"Jump lads!"
Locke grabbed Goofy's shirt collar and tossed him up. The robot man caught him. Donald and Sora leaned over the side and pulled their friend in. With Goofy onboard, they grabbed the cyber man's arm and helped him haul Locke into the skiff.
The small boat dipped downward from the extra weight and the big man yelped.
"They're inching on us, lad!"
Sora and Donald looked down. The heartless were jumping up, scratching the bottom of the boat with their claws.
"Hey! Stop that! Blizzaga!"
Donald's spell encased the heartless in ice, giving them just the second they needed to get away.
The boy pushed everyone in the skiff, making them sit down. "Hold on!"
The skiff zoomed back toward the golden ship in the distance. When they neared, the cyber-man's arm morphed into a flag. He waved to the crew below.
"All clear! Blast away!"
"You heard the man! Light up the skies!"
Sora, Locke and the others watched the fireworks as the lazer cannons blasted what was left of the heartless. The living ship melted like candle wax, its droplets crumbling into dust. The big man and the boy hollered, throwing their fists in the air.
Slowly, the skiff descended down onto the deck of the golden ship. Sora whistled as he looked at the glittering sails. The material didn't look like cloth and it shined with a golden, hexagonal pattern, reflecting the light of the stars. The ship blow had the smoothest, cleanest deck Sora had ever seen. Even Captain Hook's pirate ship had had cracks and scuffs on it. This ship looked as though it were polished by the hour.
"I think I might want to trade the gummi ship for this ride."
"What?" Donald snapped. "No way!"
"It is a very pretty, old-timey ship though," Goofy said.
"Traitor." Donald huffed.
Locke cleared his throat, extending his hand to the big man with the cybernetic arm. "Thanks for pulling us out of there. Name's Locke Cole."
"John Silver." The man's flag arm morphed into robot fingers as he shook Locke's hand. "That was some mighty impressive fighting back there." He winked with his golden, cyber eye.
"And this lad here," John Silver reached behind him and threw his arm around the young man in question, "none other then Jim Hawkins! That was fine flying, lad." He ruffled the boy's hair.
Snorting, the Jim pushed Silver off. He smoothed out his hair, a cheeky grin on his face. "Hold on, we're about to touch down."
Silver was the first to jump off when the skiff hovered next to the deck. His pot belly stuck out as he put his hands on his hips and roared out a laugh that nearly shook the sails.
"That's how it's done mates!"
The crew came forward, cheering, throwing their hands in the air, stomping their feet. Sora jumped onto the deck and was swallowed by the merriment. He joined in the celebration, hollering with Donald and Goofy. Once Locke was off the skiff, Jim took the little boat below the ship.
Locke glanced at the crew with his eyebrows raised. "Well, I've now seen a crew that's more ragtag then Setzer's, and I was a part of that one."
Said crew were indeed the strangest Sora had ever seen, and he had seen a whole crew made entirely out of heartless just a second ago. The current sailors came in all shapes in sizes. Four armed, one eyed, horned, six eyed, fish-faced, short, tall, grey, loose skinned, some even with no legs.
One of them looked like a slug with all kinds of tentacles on its back. It blew farting noises out of the many trunks-like appendages that grew out of the area where the mouth would usually be. Sora tried not to laugh, but despite himself he couldn't help smiling.
One of the bigger crew members sneered. "What are you smiling about, stowaway?"
"Enough," commanded a deep voice.
The sailors spread apart and cut the chit-chat. A tall, man walked toward Sora, Donald, Goofy and Locke. This one didn't look like the crew at all. In fact he looked like a giant rock that had come to life. Despite his rather tough looking skin, he was the most dignified sailor among the group, wearing a wrinkle free, red tailcoat with golden shoulder tassels.
The rock man moved aside to allow a tall, slender woman through. She wore a royal blue uniform with golden accents, complete with boots and white set of pants. Her gait was graceful, like a feline, which was fitting because that was exactly what she was. Her green eyes were so fierce, Sora could swear she could see in the dark. Her cat ears twitched attentively to all the growls, breaths and grunts the crew let out. Even her cat nose scrunched up as she sized up Sora and his companions.
"Well gents, a fine vessel you four decided to unceremoniously collide into," said the cat. She reached out and cupped Sora's jaw in her clawed hand. "I already have a ludicrous parcel of driveling galoots on my ship. I have no use for stowaways. You four are lucky that I am merciful, otherwise I would have thrown you to the space whales by now."
"I believe the proper term is 'orcus galacticus,' Captain."
The cat woman raised her eyebrow and turned around to smile smugly at another passenger. The man that had the gall to correct her was actually a rather scholarly looking dog. Even though he didn't look as athletic as the captain, or had the same commanding presence, his lips were set in a proud line under his big nose.
"Dr. Doppler, with the outmost respect, I wouldn't expect an academic to be able to read the rather obvious state of enforcing a chain of command, nor understand the nuances of drawing respect from your new subordinates during a state of initiation."
She must have said something that insulted the dog doctor, because he stiffened, his upper lip twitching, and it was a good thing too. Without his reaction Sora would have had no idea that what the captain had just said was meant to be an insult. In fact, he was still trying to figure just exactly what she meant.
"Captain Amelia," the dog growled.
"Now Doctor, I mean this in a very caring way. Zip your howling screamer." She cleared her throat. "Mr. Arrow."
The rock man stood straight, clearing his throat. "Yes, Captain."
"Show these gents how one gives thanks on this ship."
Captain Amelia, her hands folded behind her back, walked into the captain's quarters. Once she was gone, the crew dispersed, each getting to their posts. Silver bowed to the trio and Locke before moved below deck.
"Good luck lads. I'll be down in the kitchens. Have to make sure Jimbo has not set fire to tonight's dinner."
Mr. Arrow kicked a set of buckets and some brushes toward Sora, Donald, Goofy and Locke.
"Welcome aboard the RLS Legacy. There's no room for idle hands on this crew. Time to pay back for the rescue. I expect a thorough washing from bow to stern. Understood?"
Even Locke gave a half-hearted, "yes, sir."
Mr. Arrow went back to the ship's wheel, but Sora and the others still felt his eyes on them as they began their chore. It was a good thing the other crew members stayed out of their way as they worked, because it gave Sora the perfect chance to ask Locke what had happened to him back in Castle Oblivion.
"How did Doctor Facilier catch you? What happened?"
Locke rolled his shoulders. "While waiting for you guys to come back, I was tinkering with the castle, trying to figure out where the draft was coming from. Turns out there's a hidden passage to another room."
Donald quacked. "Another room?"
"Yes. I was attacked by black fireballs while I was investigating."
"Frollo," Sora said.
"Next thing I knew, I was stuck in that card. My guess is that the witch doctor guy didn't want me to tell you what I found out."
"What was in that room?"
"Nothing much, just a white room with a crystal ball, and a few other hidden treasures I put away for myself, but I did learn a few things about Castle Oblivion. You guys ready to here this?"
Jiminy hopped out of Sora's hood and landed on Locke's shoulder. "Let me take out my journal! I have to write this down." He tapped his quill on an empty space, indicating he was ready.
Locke cleared his throat. "Castle Oblivion is a prison that locks in anyone that comes inside of it."
Jiminy wrote. "So that's why we couldn't get out once the door closed behind us."
"That's not all. The castle throws anyone that accidentally stumbles upon it by throwing them into random worlds and trapping them there. I'm guessing that since you have a keyblade, that's why you are able to return to the castle from these worlds. If you want to leave the castle through the entrance you entered from, the only way to escape is to lock seven specific keyholes. Each time one of the keyholes is locked, the prison weakens."
"That would explain why the castle wall looks flimsier every time we return from the worlds beyond the door."
"Wait a minute. That must have been what those words meant. 'Passage given only when all seven locks are sealed.'" Sora calculated. "I've locked six worlds so far. Not counting Agrabah and Little London. And if Castle Oblivion is a prison, does that mean that Doctor Facilier has been sending us through the worlds so that we can open it and let him out?"
"Fellars, you don't think this is the last world that needs to be locked, do you?"
"If there are heartless here, then we have no choice," Sora said. "We can't let this world be destroyed."
Jiminy paced back and forth. "Hold on. Remember what Mama Odie said?" He flipped through his journal and read aloud. "A great shadow had left their world. Dr. Facilier is from the Enchanted Bayou and that was the first world we went to."
Sora flinched. "Are you saying that we let him into Castle Oblivion?"
"It's possible. Either that, or it was that mysterious hooded man that did it."
"Hooded man," Locke repeated. "I saw someone like that in the crystal ball back at the castle, right before Dr. Facilier trapped in that tarot card."
Jiminy finished writing. "Let's review. The castle is getting weaker because we've been locking the keyholes that break down the wall that leads out. Castle Oblivion is a prison and it seems that only a keyblade master can get out once trapped inside. But why is it built that way? And what was the castle a prison for?"
"The realm of darkness?" Donald suggested.
Sora swallowed. "But, wait. There's was nothing beyond the castle except that long plain we were in."
"Not anymore," Jiminy said. "Whatever is outside has changed. It's a city now. We'll have to investigate when we get back."
"That's if we find the door back to Castle Oblivion." Donald moaned. "Need I remind you that we fell right out of the sky?"
"Don't worry, fellars, I'm sure we'll find the door once we've finished what we need to do."
Sora bit his lip. "But what if the door to escape the prison is completely open when we go back?"
"That means," Locke's voice darkened, "that we need to take out Dr. Facilier before he can escape."
The hard work was a welcome distraction from Sora's anxious thoughts. Even after an hour of scrubbing, they were still only halfway done.
John Silver came up on the deck, dragging Jim Hawkins behind him. Silver clicked his teeth at Locke and the trio's handy work.
"Aye lads, still got half a ship to scrub by the looks of it." He thumped Jim on the back so hard that the boy stumbled forward.
"Say hello to Mr. Mop and Mrs. Bucket, Jimbo. Time for you to do yer part as cabin boy."
"Yippee." Jim rolled his eyes. He picked up a mop.
Laughing, Silver lumbered back down below deck.
Sora cracked his back. He wouldn't be surprised if he woke up with callouses the next morning. Jim poured soapy water on the deck and started mopping, his brown hair falling over his eyes. Locke, Donald and Goofy spread out toward the back of the ship, leaving Sora and Jim alone toward the middle. The boys worked in silence.
A few times Sora looked over, trying to thank Jim for helping them off the heartless ship earlier. Yet there was a hint of sadness in the shadows around Jim's eyes, and Sora thought better of bothering him. Still, sitting still for too long without talking was starting to get on Sora's last nerve and he looked over at Jim to try and say hello when suddenly Jim slammed his mop down on the wooden deck.
"What are you looking at?"
Sora wrinkled his nose. "What are you looking at?"
Jim knocked over his bucket, spilling soapy water all over the floor that Sora had just scrubbed dry.
"Hey!"
"You got a problem with me?"
Snickering drew Sora's attention. The commotion had drawn in the crew. Smacking their fists into their palms and glaring, they surrounded Sora and Jim. The two boys found themselves back to back, surrounded.
"Are we goin' have a go? A tussle?"
"Me money's on the boy in red."
"That scrawny brat? Hawkins' going to bust him up for sure."
"Whoa," Sora put up his hands. "Who said anything about fighting?"
It was like he had insulted everyone's mother. The grins were replaced with clenched teeth.
"Yer saying I left me post for nothing?"
One of the sailors grabbed Sora's shoulders and shoved him at Jim. The boys fell over.
Standing, Sora extended his hand to Jim. "You okay?"
"Oi! Don't help 'im up, idiot!"
In the distance, Sora heard Donald and Goofy's cries. Locke pushed his way through the crowd, but then a red, crab claw clamped down around his arm and threw him back. The sailors snickered and then moved apart, allowing an eight legged creature to tower over Sora and Jim.
Now Sora wasn't one to judge someone based on what they look like, but the orange, bug-eyed glare from the half spider, half crab gave made his throat dry up. The sailor moved around the boys, snapping his shiny claws. His long, thin head moved downwards, the hump on his back making him resemble a bull that was ready to charge. Thin lips curled upward over his lower fangs, making his smile look both hungry and spiteful at the same time.
"Cabin boys need to learn how to work quietly, or there will be trouble," the spider-crab hissed.
The crew cheered. "Scroop, Scroop, Scroop!"
Jim smirked. "Why, you got something to hide, bright eyes?"
In a flash, the spider-crab, Scroop, reached out, grabbed Jim's shirt, and lifted him up. "Maybe your ears don't work so well."
Jim coughed, leaning away from the spider's face. "Too bad my nose works just fine."
"You little-"
Sora aimed his keyblade at the Scroop's thorax. "Put him down."
Scroop looked over Jim's shoulder and sneered at Sora. A claw appeared in front of Sora's eyes. Smack.
Sora flew backward, crashing into a four-armed a crew member. The brute used its extra limbs to restrain Sora's arms and legs.
"Let go!"
Scroop put his claw under Jim's neck.
"Any last words, cabin boy?"
A robotic hand shot out from crowd, grabbed Scroop's claw and pulled it away. Hissing, Scroop turned away from Jim. A look of surprise appeared in his wide eyes. Silver stood next to him, a relaxed smile on his face.
"Mr. Scroop, have ye ever seen what happens to a fresh purp when you squeeze real hard?"
Silver bent Scroop's arm at an odd angle, his robotic fingers pressing down on the claw until there was a crack. Scroop flinched, dropping Jim. Grunting, Scroop held his injured claw and glared at Silver. There was an angry shout.
"What's all this then?"
The crew winced, moving out of Mr. Arrow's way. Arrow loomed over Scroop, Jim and Silver, and then gave the crew an authoritative glare.
"You know the rules. There will be no brawling on this vessel! Understood?"
The crew lowered their heads. "Aye, sir."
"Any further offenders," Arrow continued, "will be confined to the brig for the remainder of the voyage." Arrow spat in Scroop's face. "Am I clear?"
Scroop hissed at Arrow through clenched teeth. He cast a look at Silver and exhaled.
"Transparently, sir."
"Back to your posts," Mr. Arrow barked.
The crowd moved apart. The brutish sailor dropped Sora onto the deck. He sat there, rubbing his behind and his forehead, when Donald, Goofy and Locke surrounded him. Helping him stand, Locke patted down Sora for injuries.
"You okay kid?"
"Jimbo!" Silver bellowed. "And the rest of ya. You had one job-"
"Hey, I was doing it until that bug thing-"
"Belay that! I want this deck swabbed spotless and heaven help you if I come back and it's not done!" Silver stomped back down to the kitchens.
Jim, Locke and the trio sighed. The crew had left footprints all over the floors they had just cleaned. They had to start from scratch.
An hour and a half later, the sky had darkened as the ship had moved into quieter space. Sora, Donald and Goofy sat under the main mast, with their eyes squeezed shut. Between fighting the heartless, cleaning the first time, arguing with the crew and cleaning up, again, Sora felt more exhausted then he had in a long time. Even Locke had gone down below deck to collapse on one of the hammock's in the crew's quarters.
Jim put away his mop and bucket and stood under the foremast, looking out into the stars with glassy eyes. Sora left Donald and Goofy snoozing. He was about to say hello to Jim when he heard a half stomp, half tap pattern of footsteps behind him. Silver walked by Sora and cleared his throat, catching Jim's attention.
"Thank heavens for little miracles. Up here for over an hour and the deck's still in one piece." Silver looked at Donald and Goofy. "Yer friends out right tuckered themselves out. Have ya never done a day's work lad?"
Actually, Sora couldn't remember the last time he had worked so hard, on a chore at least. Riku wasn't around to pick up the slack, but he was too embarrassed to say that so instead he puffed out his chest.
"This is nothing."
Silver shook his head, seeing through the lie.
Jim played with his jacket collar. "Look, I um." He took a deep breathe. "Thanks for stopping that spider psycho."
Silver sat on the railing. "Lads, that was a fool's thing to do."
"But I didn't-"
Silver cut Sora off. "Didn't your paps ever teach you to pick your fights more carefully?"
Sora rubbed the crown on his necklace.
Jim's lips set in a hard line. He turned away.
Silver's eyes softened. "I see. Your fathers are not the teaching sort."
"No," Jim crossed his arms. "He was more of the 'taking off and never coming' back sort."
"That's awful," said Sora.
"Sorry lad."
"It's no big deal." Jim forced a smile. "I'm just fine."
Silver bumped his metal shoulder against Jim's. "Is that so. Well, since the captain has put me in charge of you and the rest of the lot we rescued, like or not, I'll be pounding a few skills into that thick head of yers."
Sora and Jim blinked. "What?"
"From now on, I'm not letting your five out of me sight."
"You can't do that," Jim snapped.
"Yeah, what about-"
"You two won't so much as sleep, eat, or scratch yer bums without my say so."
Jim growled. "Don't do us any favors."
"Oh you can be sure of that lads." Silver leaned his head back and laughed into the sky. "You can be sure of that. Get some rest while ya can."
When he was gone, Jim collapsed onto the floor. Once again, Sora stood in silence, not sure what to say or do. It had been a while since he'd been someone near his own age. Jim wasn't anything like Wilbur and Luis. He was quieter, and Sora felt like he had a lot to prove.
He remembered Riku, back when they were reunited in Traverse Town. Maybe if Sora hadn't been so competitive, hadn't tried to impress Riku with his keyblade or the gummi ship, then Riku wouldn't have wanted to one up him so much. Maybe then, he wouldn't have turned to Maleficent for more power.
Taking in a deep breathe, Sora raised his hand.
"Hey, Jim?"
"What do you want?"
"I wanted to say I'm sorry."
Jim looked up. "If this this is about my old man-"
"No, I meant for earlier. I wasn't trying to pick a fight. I wanted to thank you, for saving us from that heartless ship."
Jim scratched his head. "Oh that. Don't worry about it."
"That was some cool flying. Where did you learn to handle a skiff like that? Did Silver teach you?"
"Naw. It's not that different from flying on a solar surfer, so it came easy to me."
"What's a solar surfer?"
Jim raised an eyebrow.
Standing, he motioned for Sora to follow. "Come on."
It turned out that a solar surfer was a lot like a surfboard, except it was made out of metal, with a retractable solar sail and a pair of thrusters on the back. Jim brought it up on deck and taught Sora how to ride. It wasn't long before the two of them were taking turns riding around the sails. Jim even built another solar sailor for Sora out of spare parts from the ship.
They raced.
Sora lost.
When they got back down on the deck, he swore. "One of these days, I'm going to actually win a race and then I will rub it in Riku's smug face." He spoke in an mocking, low voice. "'We're naming the ship, Highwind. The paopu thing was just a joke.' That jerk! He owes me a rematch!"
"Who's Riku?" Jim asked, putting the solar surfers away.
"My best friend." Sora looked at the stars. "He's out there, somewhere."
"We're alike."
"You think?"
Jim rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. Hey, sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have egged on that spider-pyscho. I have a problem with uh, following rules sometimes."
Sora raised an eyebrow. "No kidding."
"Shut it. That's why I'm on this voyage, to prove I can do right. I show my mom that she can rely on me."
"Where is this ship headed anyway?"
Jim looked around. They stood alone on the quarter deck. The only crew members still awake were the ones in the crow's nest.
"I found a map," Jim whispered.
Sora's eyes shined. "Like a treasure map? No way."
"Not just any treasure map, a map to the Treasure Planet. Where Captain Flint stashed the loot of a thousand worlds."
Sora looked out into space. Worlds. Was this ship able to travel between them? How was that possible? The worlds were divided from each other. Unless this space was a part of Jim's world somehow. So was this ship moving around the interspace between worlds or did this world have its own version of space, or...Sora's head was starting to hurt.
"I'm a little behind on my pirate legends. Who's Captain Flint?"
Jim rolled his eyes. "Only the most feared pirate in history." He jumped up onto the railing and pointed to the stars. "They say that on clearest of nights when the winds of the Etherium were calm and peaceful, great merchant ships felt safe and secure. Little did they know they were pursued by pirates. And the most feared of them all was Captain Nathaniel Flint. Flint and his band of renegades would swoop in out of nowhere and once they gathered up the spoils, they would vanish," Jim snapped his fingers, "without a trace."
"Cool."
"Right? They never found Flint's treasure, but they say that it's stashed at the edges of the galaxy, on Treasure Planet. That's where we're going. When I bring home the treasure to my mom, I would have made up for all the mistakes I've made. We can rebuild our inn and start fresh."
Sora yawned. "In that case, maybe we should get some shut eye. Can't find any treasure while sleep deprived."
"Aw, is it Sora's bed time?"
"Excuse me? I can stay awake longer then you."
"Prove it."
"You're on."
Jiminy's Journal
James Pleiades Hawkins (First Appeared in Treasure Planet, 2002): The ship's cabin boy. Jim has a bit of a smart mouth, and a chip on his shoulder, but there is a starry eyed, honest need for adventure under his rebellious front. Despite his complaints, he is a hard worker and has a talent for sailing. He hopes to prove himself on his voyage and set things right with his mother by bringing back gold from Treasure Planet. It looks as though he and Sora became fast friends.
John Silver (First Appeared in Treasure Planet, 2002): A cyborg with a cybernetic arm that can take on many shapes, from a clamp to a set of knives for cooking. He also has a cybernetic peg leg and eye. For a big man with an easygoing personality, he can be surprisingly strict when ordering his cabin boys around. He seems to have a soft spot for Jim, and a suspiciously intense respect from the crew.
Captain Amelia (First Appeared in Treasure Planet, 2002): The captain of the RLS Legacy. Sharp witted, and quick tongued, Captain Amelia runs a tight ship, even treating her rescues as honorary members of the crew. Leading by example, she expects nothing less then complete propriety and obedience. She has a loquacious way of speaking, and seems to enjoy intimidating her crew.
Mr. Arrow (First Appeared in Treasure Planet, 2002): The first mate of the RLS Legacy. He and Captain Amelia seem to have a deep rotted respect for each other, as she lets him handle the affairs of the ship independently. Mr. Arrow is loyal to his captain and makes sure the crew lives up to her high standards.
Scroop (First Appeared in Treasure Planet, 2002): Part spider, part crab, Scroop feels more like a pirate then a crew member, as he has no problem threatening others with violence. It seems as though he respects Silver and Mr. Arrow enough, but it may be a better plan to steer clear of this one. There's no telling what he would do when no one is looking.
