DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor the Disney and Square Enix characters. Please support the original works.


Chapter Twenty Three: Nethicite


Though the Legacy had slowed down because of the damage to the engines, it was able to keep pace with Cornelius' rocket pin. Still, the thing about flying through space, chasing a floating pin and the trail of light it left behind, was that things got boring pretty fast. This was especially true when nothing meaningful happened during the flight. No heartless attacks, no planets drifting by, no comets, just the unchanging surroundings of nebulae and stars.

So when Jim came to take over the helm, freeing Kairi from her long, dull vigil, she was beyond happy. Once the excitement of chasing the pin had worn off, the team had gone back to cleaning and fixing up the Legacy. Riku, having no ability to sit still, had gone down to the kitchens to help Terra cook their next meal. Sora stood on the ship's forecastle, looking at the bowsprit and the glimmering pin floating before it.

Slowly, Kairi, tiptoed across the deck, sneaking closer and closer to Sora's back.

"I know you're behind me."

Kairi's arms flopped to her sides. "Darn. I really wanted to surprise you."

Sora looked at her over his shoulder. The left side of his face lifted as both his lips and eyebrow curved upward. "I've been on high alert around you ever since you jump-tackled me at Disney Castle."

Kairi pressed her lips together, but couldn't stop the giggle from rumbling in her throat. "Good point. So, what's got you so forlorn?"

"That's a big word."

Kairi pointed to her temple. "What can I say? I'm smart."

"Yup. Totally a genius." Sora turned toward the ship's figurehead. "That was some plan you came up with."

Kairi went to stand next to him, bumping his arm with her shoulder.

"Talk to me. You're never this quiet. What's on your mind?"

Sora's gaze stared straight ahead. "Aqua," he said quietly. "She said she had a lot to do before 'the end comes.' The end of what? What did she mean?"

Kairi lifted her hand. She was about to touch Sora's shoulder, when suddenly he started talking again.

"I'm also worried about Locke, the world's colliding, finding Balthier, if our friends are okay, if Ariel found her dad, pretty much everything."

Kairi tucked a stray hair behind her ear, lowering her eyes to the deck beneath her feet. "Wow. That is a lot."

"Also, that big snake heartless we fought. It's still out there. Hope it doesn't hurt anyone."

"It won't."

Sora gave her a dubious look. "How can you be so sure?"

Kairi winked. "Because we have the best worst luck."

Sora snorted. "Best worst luck?"

"Yup. Knowing us, we'll run into it again, and we'll take it down before it gets the chance to hurt anyone. We'll find Bathier, get a gem back after some shenanigans, clear Locke's name, meet back up with Max and the others, solve the Aqua and the world crashing problem, and be back home so that our parents can ground us again for disappearing for months on end. I know we will. You have the lucky charm to prove it."

Sora dug into his pocket, pulling out Kairi's star shaped charm. He held it up between them. Silently, Kairi grasped his hand, sandwiching the charm between her palm and Sora's. His hand was warm, and the charm between them felt as though it buzzed with happy energy.

"You think too hard," Kairi said. "Things will work out. They have before."

Sora's fingers curved over the star points of the charm in his hand. His fingers intertwined with Kairi's, giving her palm a little squeeze. The two of them looked into each other's eyes, sharing a smile.

"Man," came Jim's voice. "I feel like a fourth wheel."

"Tell me about it," came Riku's dry response.

Kairi let go of Sora's hand, taking a step back so that she could cover her face. Sora tucked Kairi's good luck charm back into his pocket. He turned to face Jim and Riku, his glare ruined by the deep red covering his cheeks. Lucky for him, Terra marched up and grabbed Riku and Jim by the collar. She dragged them away the forecastle.

"Stop it, you two," Terra scolded. "Let them have their privacy."

"Us?" Riku grouched. "Their the ones that should get a room."

"Hey Sora," Jim pointed upward, "next time, use the crow's nest."

"Enough!" Terra flung her arms, making the boys stumble ahead of her. "Go down and eat. Then you can scrub all the dishes for being so insensitive."

"Yes ma'am," Riku and Jim grumbled.

When the two boys had vanished into the kitchens, Terra called to Sora and Kairi. "Come get some stew when you're ready, but don't wait too long. It will get cold."

When she was gone, Sora leaned forward and sighed. "I miss my mom."

Now that the heat had finally faded from Kairi's cheeks, she turned to Sora with a confused expression. "Why bring that up?"

"Terra. She's like a mom. I really have to apologize when we go back home. We should fill in our parents about what we've been doing."

Kairi chuckled. "You're right." She looked up at the stars. "We're been flying around for a while, solving the universe's problems. It does make you miss home when you stop to think about it. I wonder how much homework Instructor Trepe is going to give us when we get back."

Sora shuddered. "We save the universe and we still have to do homework? Maybe flying around with so many problems to solve isn't so bad after all."

Kairi poked Sora's shoulder. "Homework is more scary then heartless?"

Sora gave her a serious look. "Heartless can be defeated, but Instructor Trepe? She'll hunt us down to the ends of the universe just to make sure we do math."

Kairi grit her teeth. "Fair point. But let's say we finish outrquest and all that homework, what will you do after?"

"Sleep for a full day."

"Lazy bum."

"Come on, I'd say I've earned it after all the crazy stuff we've been doing. What about your? What's your plan once we're done with the mission?"

Kairi bit her lip. She stepped away from the forecastle, going down to the main deck, and leaning against the ship's railing. Sora followed her, mimicking her pose.

"I've been thinking about it a lot." Kairi looked up into space. "To be honest, I don't know what I want to do."

"About Hollow Bastion?"

A tiny gasp escaped Kairi's lips. She turned to meet Sora's gaze. "What?"

He simply shrugged. "Whatever you decide, I'll be happy for you."

"Even if I go back to lead Hollow Bastion?"

"Or course. I'll support you no matter what you choose."

"But that would mean that I won't get see you. Or Riku. Not as much as I used to."

"Will leading Hollow Bastion mean that we're not friends any more?"

"Of course not!"

"Well, there you go. Plus, we have gummi ships that can break through the world wall now. We can see each other as much as we want."

Kairi wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't know if I'll be a good leader. I don't know if I'm ready. What if everyone in Hollow Bastion expects me to fix what Ansem broke?"

"You're really fixing things. It was your idea to bring Professor Von Drake, Chip, Dale, and Gadget to help rebuild."

"All I did was give jobs to other people."

"Isn't that what a leader does? Allocate responsibility?" Sora laughed. "'Allocate.' How's that for a big word?"

Kairi chuckled. "That was a good one. Also, when did you start making this about me? I came to talk because I was worried about you?"

Sora blew a puff of air into his bangs. "I'm fine. Really."

Kairi frowned. "You sure?"

Sora blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Hey guys," Jim called. "You better come down and get something to eat. Looks like we found the Strahl. We've got an hour till we land."

Kairi glanced at the bow of the ship. A sphere of white and blue clouds appeared in the distance. A planet loomed ahead of them. She watched the planet slowly swell in size as the Legacy moved closer.

"We're going to catch Balthier and set Locke free," Kairi whispered.

"Right. And you'll be a great leader one day."

The two of them stayed close together for a few more minutes, before parting so that they could get some grub. The beef stew that Terra had made was absolutely sumptuous. Sora had three whole bowls before he called it quits. Kairi, on the other hand, ate slowly, and took her meal up to the deck so that she could watch the plant getting closer. Really though, she just wanted an excuse to be alone with her thoughts.

So Sora knew. Since it was revealed that Kairi was the rightful ruler of Hollow Bastion, she had been afraid of what Sora would say. Or wouldn't say. Telling her friends about her relation to Ansem had been hard enough, but the thought of one day telling them that she was going to go back to live in her original home was unimaginable. Kairi was sure that the boys would support her if she choose Hollow Bastion, but deep down, she wished that they wouldn't. She wished that they would try to stop her, protest, even a little. Or maybe...what she really wanted was for Sora to tell her that he didn't want her to go.

Kairi aggressively chewed on a piece of beef. Why did he have so good? Couldn't he be selfish? Couldn't he wish for her to stay...with him.

"Is it that bad?"

Kairi looked over her shoulder. Terra stood on the deck behind her.

"The stew? No, it's delicious. I was just thinking about something dumb."

"Would you mind if I stand with you? I feel like it's a big boy's club back there."

Terra pointed to the helm. The boys were there, joking, pushing, and lightly punching each other. Riku and Jim must have said something snarky, because Sora had raised an eyebrow and given the pair of them a cool look. He opened his mouth, and what he said next made Riku and Jim stiffen. Then, they both shouted.

"No way. I'm not like him."

Riku and Jim paused, stepping away from each other, while Sora held his stomach and laughed.

Kairi waved Terra over. The two young woman leaned against the ship's railing, watching the stars disappear. Soon, they would enter the planet's atmosphere.

"Have you ever been in love?" Kairi blurted.

Terra tilted her head.

Kairi nearly dropped her stew. "You don't have the answer that! It's none of my business. I don't even know why I asked. I mean, it's really personal, and I shouldn't ask people to share things they're not comfortable with-"

"I haven't," Terra said softly.

Kairi bent, putting down her half eaten bowl of stew before she dropped the whole thing into space.

"What about you and Locke?"

Terra looked down at her hands. "I've always been...different. I spent a long time not even knowing who I was. Life was a fog. I didn't know where I was going. Then one day, it was like I woke up. I had so many questions about my magical gifts. I used to hate my powers. I hated fighting. I never wanted to hurt people. I still don't. Locke found one day. He was my first, real friend. He didn't care that I became pink and could fly. He said my powers could protect people. He just wanted me to be happy." Terra folded her hands behind her back. "Locke pretends to act cool, and that nothing worries him, but I know he feels a lot of guilt inside. He always worries that he's not doing enough for the people he cares about."

Kairi glanced at the helm, watching Sora play a rather intense looking round of rock, paper, scissors with Riku and Jim. He lost. Kairi smiled. Sora always chose rock.

"Locke sounds a lot like Sora."

"Maybe you know more about love then I do."

Kairi stumbled away from Terra, accidentally kicking the bowl of stew she had placed on the deck. Miraculously, the bowl slid over the deck but did not spill.

"What?" Kairi blew a puff of air out between her lips. "I-I don't know anything about love. I-I mean I've seen my friends being in love, and I've given good advice, but me? In love?" Her giggle was breathless. "I mean sure, I like someone. A lot." She pressed her hands on her cheeks. "Maybe even a little too much."

Chuckling softly, Terra bent down to pick up Kairi's discarded bowl before the poor, flustered girl would actually spill its contents.

"I don't know much about love," Terra held out the bowl to Kairi, "but I know how wonderful it feels to have real friends. Maybe one day, if you and I are lucky enough, we can find love. Right now, I'm just happy taking care of the rest of you."

Kairi took her stew. "You know, you would be a good mom one day."

Terra blushed.


Sora's teeth chattered. The Legacy landed on a puffy hill of snow. Mountains of pure, white powder poked out of the clouds in the distance. The world was painted in various shades of white, grey, and blue. Sora jumped over the ship's railing, and his legs sunk into a thick layer of snow. The cold tingled up to his knees. Just a few steps away from the Legacy and Sora's sniffles turned into icicles.

"Here," said a gentle voice.

A heavy coat was dropped on Sora's shoulders. Turning around, he spotted Terra slipping her arms into an identical blue and gold uniform jacket. Jim, Riku, and Kairi wore similar coats. Thanking Terra, Sora buttoned his jacket.

Jim took out a map and marked the Legacy's location on it. "I'll add more markers we move," he said. "From above, I spotted the Strahl just beyond those hills. We'd better be careful not to get spotted when we get close."

"So what's the plan for catching Balthier?" Riku asked as he began leading the team toward the hills.

"We could spring a magical trap," Kairi offered. "If you three can tire Balthier out, then Terra and I can trap him in a reflect and wind spell combination, like we did for that heartless swarm."

They had reached the top of the hill. The Strahl had landed in the valley below, resting at a junction where two mountains met. Balthier walked over the plateau in front of his ship. At the top of the hill, Sora and his team crouched, watching the pirate's confident stride.

"Everyone on board for Kairi's plan?" Sora asked.

There was a round of nods.

"Okay, let's go."

"Wait." Riku pointed. "Look there."

The Strahl's bottom hatch had opened. A woman walked down the catwalk. Before the team could get a good look at her, Balthier paused and turned his head in the direction of the hills. Everyone ducked, hoping that Balthier had not seen them. Balthier stared at the hill for a long time, before finally turning away. Because of the distance, no one saw the small smirk tug at the edge of Balthier's lips.

"Fran," Balthier called. "How fares the Strahl?"

"It flies," a woman's voice replied. "The temperature drops. We must finish our task quickly. Else the Strahl would no not heed us on our way back."

She spoke with an accent, but, unlike Balthier's, her words were sharper, more mysterious than suave. Peeking over the hill, the first thing Sora's eyes focused on was a pair of long, rabbit ears. His mouth widened when he noticed who those ears were attached to. A tall, slender woman, wearing an armored black dress and boots, came to stand at Balthier's side. Her long, silver hair was tied high up in a pony tail. She wore a black, lacy, crownlike helmet that made room for her bunny ears. A bow was strapped to her back.

"The light and darkness builds," Fran said to Balthier. "We have an hour, at best. I scent a storm on the way."

The pair of pirates moved away from the Strahl, disappearing behind a wall of ice on the side of the mountain. Before Fran was out of sight, one of her bunny ears twitched. She turned around, surveying the Strahl, the sky, the mountains, and, briefly, the hills on her left side.

"The gods do not smile upon us."

Fran sighed and moved to follow Balthier.

When Sora and the team made it to the ice wall, they quickly discovered that their vantage point at the top of the hills had stopped them from seeing what Balthier and Fran had actually ducked into. A whole section of the ice wall had been hollowed out. A glittering cave of ice crystals waited beyond.

"It's so beautiful," Terra said.

"But dangerous," Riku added. "There's a strong mix of both light and darkness in those caves." He took a deep breath. "I think I can track Balthier and Fran. Stick close."

Riku took point. Jim had his laser pistol at the ready. He stuck close to Riku's back. Once Sora had helped Kairi and Terra down into the cave, he summoned his keyblade, just in case. Terra walked at the end of the line, making sure to keep an eye on the team ahead of her.

"That bunny lady," she began, "do you think she saw us?"

"Can't know for sure," Sora replied.

"We'd better be careful anyway," Kairi finished.

"They seem to be experienced flyers, fighters," Terra paused, "and partners."

"Kind of reminds me of Captain Amelia and Mr. Arrow," Jim said. "Got the same vibe from Balthier and Fran."

Sora swallowed. Even if Balthier and Fran were pirates, even if it was their fault that Locke was in jail, he dearly hoped that the two of them were not separated, not the way Mr. Arrow and Captain Amelia had been. Back then, when Scroop had cut Mr. Arrow's life line, both Sora and Jim had blamed themselves for not being able to save Mr. Arrow. If it hadn't been for Locke's words, Sora wasn't sure if he would have been able to pick himself up and move on.

Do what you can.

Steeling his nerves, and swearing to himself to keep such a loss from happening again, Sora moved through a small, icy passageway. The cave tunnels widened and then narrowed. Sometimes, Riku brought up his fist, calling for a halt before everyone could slide down a steep slope into an open chasm. Kairi and Terra leaned close to each other, whispering their plans to magically catch the pirates. At one point, Riku put his finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

Voices echoed from further up in the cave.

"How much further, Fran?"

Fran's voice was strained, whispery. "Not far. The light burns."

"Hold out a little longer. It will be over soon."

Riku turned toward the team, waving them in close so that he could whisper. "Now's our chance. Fran and Balthier are in the chamber ahead. There are a series of tunnels that branch off on the pathway there. We can use those tunnels to flank them."

Jim looked around. "I don't see anything but a straight path."

"Must be an optical illusion," Riku explained, "You can't see it, but I can sense the openings. I'll guide you." Riku nodded to Kairi and Terra. "You ready?"

"Yes," the girls said.

Half way down the path, Riku stuck his hand through one of the walls. The light bouncing off the ice had made the wall seem flat. In reality, there was a hidden archway leading to another set of tunnels. Before Kairi and Terra got in, Riku gave them directions on where to go. The two ladies vanished into the ice.

Meanwhile, Riku led Sora and Jim forward, into a wide cavern. They stopped on a cliff. In the chamber below, Fran and Balthier moved around in a circle. Sora saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking up, he spotted Kairi and Terra. They stood across from them, leaning out of a pair of holes in the ice wall, right above Balthier.

The team's eyes met. It was time for the ambush. Kairi and Terra counted down with their fingers.

Three.

Two.

One.

Fran's eyes scanned the walls of the cave. "We are being hunted."

A fortified sphere of magical glass and wind appeared around Balthier and Fran. Before the sphere had completely closed, Fran jumped out. Sora and Riku surrounded Balthier's orb. Jim, on the other hand, pointed his laser pistol at Fran. She didn't move, regarding Jim with a rather cool stare.

"Well, I was wondering when the five of you would show up." Balthier leaned against the magical glass, looking bored. "Followed this, did you?" He held up Sora's rocket pin between his fingers.

Riku pointed his soul eater at Balthier's sphere. "If you knew we were here, then why did you let us capture you?"

"Are you sure you have me where you want me?"

In the next second, Riku felt a body flying toward him. It was Jim. The boy had been hurled across the room. He would have been impaled by the ice crystals along the wall if Riku hadn't caught him. Fran charged at the sphere holding Balthier. Sora got in her way, swinging his keyblade at her torso. She ducked, grabbed Sora's weapon arm, and spun him, throwing him so that he collided with Riku and Jim, who were still trying to regain their balance.

Rather then focus on the magic holding Balthier hostage, Fran used her opening to aim her arrows at Kairi and Terra. Kairi ducked, the arrow sinking into the roof of the tunnel she was standing in. She gritted her teeth, trying to keep her concentration, to keep Balthier's trap in place. Another arrow flew her way, and then another. Each one missed.

Or had they?

The ice under Kairi's feet cracked.

She fell.

Before she hit the ground, Terra swooped in and caught her. But the damage was done, Balthier was free, and he was quick to fire his crossbow at the boys. Sora, Riku and Jim, spread out. The shot smashed into the wall behind them. Several more arrows were fired at Riku's feet, forcing him to move away from Balthier and toward Fran. Though she was busy engaging Kairi and Terra, Fran moved as fast as...well, a rabbit. Avoiding Kairi and Terra's magic, while simultaneously firing her arrows at Riku, she kept all three of them on the ropes.

Sora and Jim, meanwhile, quickly learned that Balthier wasn't your average pirate. His aim with the crossbow was deadly accurate. Jim had to time his shots perfectly if he wanted to avoid Bathier's arrows. He got some distance, and fired a barrage of shots at Balthier, giving Sora an opening to come at Balthier from the side. Balthier ducked and lunged to the the left, avoiding Jim's blasts. While Jim was reloading, Balthier turned to the right, bringing up his crossbow. The weapon caught the keyblade's teeth, blocking Sora's attack. Balthier kicked the boy in the hip, sending Sora backward and freeing up his crossbow.

The three fighters turned in a circle, staring each other down.

"You would let an innocent man be punished for a measly green gem?" Sora asked.

"Don't bother appealing to his sense of right and wrong," Jim said. "He clearly doesn't care."

Balthier smirked. "Things must be pretty nice in that black and white world of yours."

Instead of answering the question, Balthier shot at Jim's shoulder. Sora jumped in front of his friend and sliced the arrow in half. Jim ducked under the keyblade and returned fire at Balthier. The sky pirate jumped to the side, and got a glancing blow to his thigh. The battle started fresh, all the fighters on a stalemate until Riku threw out a blast of dark fire. The dark energy blew out a series of nearby ice crystals. The ice exploded, coating Fran in a layer of snowy dust. Unable to see, Fran could barely block Kairi's sword. Her bow caught Kairi's blade, but the smaller girl twisted her sword and the bow went flying. Meanwhile, Terra had snuck up behind Fran and blasted her with a blizzard spell that froze her armored dress.

"Fran!" Balthier shouted when his partner collapsed.

Wasting no time, Kairi and Terra trapped Fran in reflect and aero spells. Riku put himself between Balthier and Fran, bringing up his soul eater. A warning. Sora and Jim advanced on Balthier. The pirate was surrounded.

"We don't want to hurt you," Jim said. "Turn yourself in and I can at least put in a good word for you with Captain Amelia."

"Fancy yourself a judge then, young man? Tell me, can your captain truly guarantee a fair trial?"

Jim furrowed his brow. "Of course she can."

"Quite a dilemma," said Balthier. "Go with you or risk further crimes by doing what I came to do." He raised his hands, holding his crossbow so that it faced the roof of the cavern. "Fran?"

The rabbit woman stood in the reflect spell. She shrugged. "The light and darkness burn. Time is not on our side. You'd best be off."

"Sorry gents." Balthier faced Jim and Sora. "Exit, stage right."

The crossbow fired. The arrow flew straight up, smashing into an ice stalactite on the ceiling. The ice crackled at the base, the massive cone snapping free. The stalactite came down, straight toward the men's heads. Sora, Jim, and Riku threw their bodies to the side as the giant cone smashed into the icy ground.

The ice beneath their feet snapped. Cracks spread through the ice sheet like a bolt of lightning. The ice shattered, and everyone tumbled down into the series of coiling tunnels below.


Something shined on Kairi's eyelids. Blinking, she watched as a green light glittered on the ice floor before her. The gem. Instantly awake, Kairi reached out and grabbed the emerald.

"Put that down!"

Kairi stumbled to her feet. "Stay back!"

The pirate froze, eyes traveling from the gem to the sword in Kairi's hand. He relaxed his posture, inching closer.

"You have something that belongs to me."

"No way! You stole this." Kairi barked. "And Sora's friend needs it."

Balthier raised an eyebrow. "I see."

He removed the crossbow from his back. Kairi grit her teeth but her grip on her sword faltered. Balthier had lowered his weapon to the ground. When he stood, he held up both hands in surrender.

"I mean you no harm. That gem, on the other hand, is more dangerous then the ice storms on this planet."

"What are you talking about-AH!"

The gem hit the ground. Balthier flinched, watching as it rolled along the ice until it finally stopped. He kept his eye on the gem for several seconds. When nothing happened, he ran to Kairi, who was waving her hand around, tears running down her cheeks.

"It burns!"

Taking a bottle of elixir out of his pocket, Balthier pulled the cork out. He took Kairi's hand in his and spilled the elixir over her palm. Kairi pulled her hand back, inspecting it for damage. All she saw was smooth skin. The burning was gone.

"There now. Better?"

Looking up, she spotted Balthier bending down to pick up the emerald. He wrapped the gem in a handkerchief.

"What was that?" Kairi demanded.

Standing, Balthier held out the handkerchief. Kairi took a step back reflexively.

"This isn't an emerald. It's a type of material called nethicite. A condensed, crystalized mass of light and darkness."

"Is that why you stole it?" Kairi asked.

"Yes. And if it has gotten to the stage where it can affect regular humans, then we are running out of time. Best to get out of this cave and throw the gem into the chasm before it explodes."

"Expodes?"

"Nethicite is volatile, even under the best conditions."

"So that's why you refused to give it back."

Balthier looked around the small, ice cave he and Kairi were in. "We'd better move. No doubt Fran and your friends are looking for us. Fancy a cease fire until we're out of here?"

"Agreed," Kairi said.

She fell into step behind Balthier. They traveled in silence for a while, until they came upon a wider cavern. Balthier stopped, raising his hand in warning. Kairi focused her hearing, listening to the distant sound of wind moving through the cave tunnels. Then, her skin began to itch. She lowered her stance, preparing for heartless.

Several darkballs popped in the air. Balthier sighed.

"Always appearing at the worst of times. I'm in too much of a hurry to play with heartless."

Kairi's jaw dropped. "You know what heartless are too."

"I trust you know how to use that sword of yours?"

No sooner had Balthier finished asking his question when a darkball charged at him. Kairi jumped in front of Balthier, slicing the darkball in half.

Balthier clapped. "Nicely done."

"We're even now," Kairi yelled over her shoulder as she charged the darkballs.

Behind her, Balthier let out a small chuckle before he unleashed a series of quick shots at the heartless.


Riku jerked when he felt a warm hand on his face.

"Easy now."

Fran. Riku realized. He tried to sit up, but there was a huge weight on his chest. Every breath made his lungs scream in agony. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a strange, gurgling sound.

"Lie still."

Riku didn't have the strength to struggle. Not that his resistance mattered. In the next second, a flutter of fluffy light covered his entire body and Riku could breathe clearly again. The heaviness lifted from his chest, and he was able to sit up.

"How fares the head?" Fran asked.

Riku rubbed his scull. There was a small bump on the back of his head. Thanks to the healing spell though, it was slowly fading.

"It's fine. Thank you."

Fran stood, picking up her bow and slinging it over her back. "Strange boy, you are."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked as he too got to his feet.

"You scent the darkness as I do. Never met a human that does that."

Riku swallowed. "You can smell the darkness too?"

Fran tapped her nose. "Viera noses are quite sharp." Her head leaned to the side. "Balthier is nearby. As is your friend."

Riku tested his senses. He couldn't pick up Balthier's scent, but he did sense Kairi's light. She was in an adjacent cave.

Fran hissed. She swayed dangerously close to an icicle that was sticking out of the cave wall. Riku reached out, grabbing Fran's shoulder before she got hurt.

Steadying her, Riku asked, "Are you all right?"

Fran shook her head. "Such heat. The nethicite swells. We're not long before it bursts."

"Nethicite?" Riku felt something then. Kairi's light dimmed, and there was a quick, angry flash of both light and darkness.

"The gem you chase," Fran explained. "It is no more jewel then it is a ticking time bomb."

"What will happen if it explodes?"

"When," Fran corrected. "Condensed light and darkness may very well destroy everything in a large radius." She wobbled. "It burns."

"I see."

Riku slung Fran's arm across his shoulders. "We'd better get you back to Balthier."

Fran's ears swiveled atop her head. She pointed into the cave system. "This way."

Following her directions, Riku carefully stepped into the ice tunnel. After moving through several winding twists and turns, Fran broke the silence.

"Your heart wavers," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Torn between duty and connection," Fran explained. "Like the light and darkness within you are at war."

"I don't understand."

"Meld the two forces. Otherwise one will overtake the other."

Riku bit his lip. He remembered Lunafreya's words. If something was keeping him from accepting his own light, did that mean that the darkness inside his own heart was getting stronger again?

"How does one go about summoning the light in their heart," Riku wondered aloud.

"Perhaps your friends can answer," Fran said.

They turned a corner and Riku felt Sora, Jim, and Terra enter the cavern. They surrounded him and Fran. Without questioning Riku, Sora went to Fran's free side and pulled her arm across his shoulders.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"She can hear you," Fran growled.

"Sorry." Sora let out nervous laugh. "What did this to you?"

"The nethicite. It will burst soon."

"Nethi-what?"

"Turns out that the emerald Balthier stole is really just a volatile crystal of light and darkness," Riku explained.

Jim stiffened. "And that crystal is going to explode, isn't it?"

"Outside this cave system," Fran rasped, "there is a wide chasm. The gem must fall within it, otherwise we will be caught in its wake. We've twenty minutes at most."

Terra came up to Fran.

"I'll take her back to the Strahl. You three, find Kairi and Balthier."

Before Terra took Fran, the rabbit woman reached out and grabbed Riku's shoulder.

"Balthier-"

"We'll make sure to bring him back," Sora, Jim, and Riku promised.

Terra's feet lifted from the ground. She and Fran flew up into the narrow opening at the top of the cavern, vanishing into the sky above. Once they was gone, Sora and Jim turned to Riku, waiting for instructions. Opening his senses, Riku felt a touch of darkness as well as two separate sets of light fighting against it. He pointed to the ice wall on the right.

"Kairi and Balthier are fighting in the cavern on the other side."

Sora aimed his keyblade at the wall, shouting a fire spell. The wall shuddered, a few crystals breaking lose. Sora charged. He smashed through the weakened wall with his keyblade. At the same time, Kairi, who had just been slammed back against the wall by a heartless, fell toward him. Yelping in surprise, Sora caught her before her behind met the floor.

Oddly enough, Kairi ignored Sora, not even bothering to look over her shoulder to see who or what was holding her up.

"That's it! Come back here, you stupid darkball! I'm going to turn you into mincemeat!"

She charged back into battle, yelling out a battle cry that would have made Max proud. For his part, Sora watched her move before he let out an appreciative "wow" and followed. Riku grit his teeth, trying his best to ignore the swelling feeling of nervousness in his stomach.

Jim chased after Sora, saying, "I can see why he likes her."

"Yeah, yeah," Riku snapped. "Let's just go, already."

Once the boys had joined the battle, the tide quickly turned in their favor. Sora, Riku, and Kairi tag teamed to take down the heartless along the ground. Meanwhile, Jim and Balthier shot down the heartless in the air.

"Well, well," Balthier panted, aiming another shot at a darkball by the cave ceiling. "You know what they say, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"

"Save it!" Jim huffed. "All bets are off once that nethicite is destroyed. You still have to answer for putting my friend in jail."

Jim grabbed Balthier's arm, turning the man so he was out of the way. This allowed him a clear shot at the heartless that had been coming in at Balthier's blind spot. The darkball exploded after ten laser blasts.

Balthier whistled. "I thought you sailors didn't give quarter to pirates."

"I'm not like every other sailor," Jim said. "One of the greatest men in my life was a pirate. I'm not one to throw people in jail without at least hearing them out."

"Now valiant," Balthier said. "Of course, your efforts are wasted on Fran and I. Noble thieves such as we have no tragic past or mitigating circumstances that have led to our misdeeds. Freedom and vices are simply a temptation too delicious to resist."

Jim barked out a short laugh. "Well then, you'd better run fast as soon we're out of here."

"Heads up!" Riku shouted.

He smashed a darkball with his soul eater. The heartless didn't explode from the force of his attack, but it did sail toward Jim and Balthier, who then defeated it with a full barrage of arrows and laser blasts. With all the heartless defeated, Balthier looked at his newly found allies.

"I assume Fran told you the truth."

"We know about the nethicite. And we don't have time to stand around and talk, right?" Sora said. "Riku, can you lead us out of the caves?"

Extending his senses told Riku that the exit was close. As they moved toward it, Riku began to feel the air currents and the flow of darkness and light ahead. Like Fran had said, there was an immense snowy plain outside, one that ended suddenly in a series of steep, sharp cliffs. The chasm beyond, stretched so wide and far, that Riku couldn't feel where it ended. The wind and snow screamed as it scratched against their skin. The blizzard pushed them back, but Riku trudged behind Baltheir.

He could feel a pulse of light and darkness, one that was getting stronger with each step they took. The stone in Balthier's handkerchief was growing so hot that it kept the group from freezing. Dread gnawed at Riku's heart. If the nethicite got any hotter, it would burn through the thin cloth. There were just a few steps away from the cliffs when a long, muscular creature burst out of the darkness below.

The giant monster coiled in the air. It stopped spiraling, turning its spear-like head toward the people on the snowy plain below. The creature roared.

Riku dove into the snow. Behind him, he felt Balthier and his friends duck and lunge as the giant heartless came swopping down and snapped its teeth at each of its prey. Though it had missed, by inches, its thick, cylindrical body threw a wave of snow onto everyone on the ground, forcing the combatants to dig their way out.

Once back in the air, the heartless darted forward like a cobra, snapping its jaws at its prey. Each time the combatants regained their balance, or found a safe moment to counterattack, the heartless had already retreated and was darting forward to snap at them again.

Magic, arrows, and laser blasts were out, as the heartless swooped in the air, bending its body away from any attacks and using the blizzard's low visibility to ruin everyone's aim. Any time there would be a break in the storm, the heartless would spew a torrent of boiling water from its mouth. The heat and the steam would react with the cold atmosphere, freezing the water instantly and obscuring the heartless in a cloud of white mist.

"We don't have time for this." Balthier rolled in the snow, dodging the heartless' teeth.

"We need to draw its attention," Sora shouted at Riku and Kairi. "So that Balthier can go to the chasm and throw the nethicite in."

"But we'll get caught in the blast," Kairi argued.

Riku pushed her aside. "Spread out!"

The heartless had stretched in the air. It fell, intent on body slamming the team into pancakes. The creature's girth was so wide that both Jim and Sora were knocked back by its torso. If anyone had survived not getting flattened, they had to deal with the shockwave that followed. The quake threw Kairi off her feet. Though the snow cushioned her fall, it could not protect her from the teeth that flashed overhead.

The heartless' fangs crunched on a reflect spell, sending cracks into the magical glass. Then, an arrow sunk into the heartless' eye, making the giant serpent rear back, releasing Kairi so that it could roar in pain instead. The team regrouped while the heartless retreated into the air.

By now the nethicite had burned through Balthier's hankerchief. It sunk into the snow like a hot coal, mist forming where the snow touched the gem. Kairi placed a reflect spell around the nethicite, balancing it carefully on her hand.

"How much time do we have left?"

"It could go off at any minute," Balthier warned.

"We can't kill the heartless if it keeps going back up into the air, and we can't get to the edge fast enough. We'll have to hit it in one big attack," Riku said.

"And don't we have the perfect bomb for that," Sora pointed to the nethicite.

"How do you expect us to get it to open its mouth wide enough?"

"Hold still and give it one big target."

"Bold," said Balthier. "I like it."

"So we'll have to wait until the very last second to scatter," said Kairi.

Jim sighed. "You guys really are friends. Totally crazy."

The team gathered close, standing their ground, readying their weapons.

"We've done crazier," said Sora, eyes tracking the angry heartless in sky.

Jim spun the barrel on his laser gun. "Let's just hope the planet doesn't explode on us this time."

The heartless was no longer writhing. It had turned, its jaw now faced the ground. Its body had lengthened in the sky, resembling a tower in midair. It was coming down fast, its mouth widening the further it dove.

Riku pointed his soul eater up into the air, and sent a dark fire spell up into the sky. The attack burned up the side of the heartless' neck. Enraged, the heartless widened its jaws, ready to swallow everyone whole.

Kairi threw the nethicite up into the air.

"Hit it with all you've got!"

A laser beam, an arrow, and a series of fire spells crashed into the reflect spell. The spell broke, but the nethicite inside the glass was propelled like a rocket, up into the air. It shot right up into the heartless' throat.

"SCATTER!" Balthier ordered.

The party ran, each person spreading out in a different direction, leaving the heartless no choice but to swerve before it could smash its face into the stony, snow covered ground. The heartless returned to the air, hissing, reading for another dive, and snapping its teeth in warning.

It froze.

It turned to look at its belly.

Riku covered his ears. His eyes pounded in their sockets. A powerful force of light and darkness was swelling above, and only he could hear the high pitched shriek of shattering glass. A mix of hot, burning energy, and cold, itchy nothing filled the atmosphere. Riku managed to scream a singer word, moments before disaster.

"RUN!"

The heartless thrashed in the air, its body zigzagging as though it were trying to throw off flames. For a few seconds, a vibration buzzed from within the heartless. Then it was gone, replaced by a blast so powerful, it was too fast for sound to be heard. The heartless burst apart, chunks of its body disintegrating in the air as the light and darkness inside it expanded outward like a supernova. Seconds later, a thunderous clad boomed through the sky, pounded down toward the ground, and crunched in everyone's ears.

The snow blew upward under everyone's feet. Riku, Kairi, Jim, and Balthier had somehow made it back to the crystal caves, but an avalanche was stampeding behind them. Riku paused for a moment, to turn and try to call to Sora. For some reason, the boy had slowed down, putting a few paces between himself and his friends.

"AEROGA!"

A blast of powerful wind crashed into Riku and the others, but he didn't focus on the magic. Sora had been swallowed by the snow.


Sora opened his eyes to see a pretty face looking down at him.

"Thank goodness," Kairi sniffled.

He rubbed his burning forehead. "What happened?"

"Easy," said Balthier, coming into view next to Kairi. "You took a worse hit then the rest of us. Drink this."

Sora's hand shook. He lifted his arm to grab the bottle of galaxy colored liquid in Balthier's hand. Kairi grabbed Sora's arm, stopping him from moving. Gently, she lowered his arm back down until that it rested at his side.

"Just relax."

She tilted his head back and then tipped a bottle of elixir against Sora's lips. He drank. Instantly, his aches and pains were gone. Sora sat up.

"Thanks," he said to Kairi and Balthier.

Balthier gave Sora a noncommittal wave and stood. Once Kairi had pulled Sora up to his feet, he looked around.

"We're back outside?"

"Yup," came Riku's voice. "That blast completely wrecked the crystal caves. Thanks to your spell, we were blown all the way through the collapsing cave system."

"Jim is scouting for the Strahl up ahead," Kairi explained. She then rounded on Sora and poked him, hard, in the chest.

"Ow!"

Kairi poked him again. "Don't."

Poke.

"Do anything."

Poke.

"That STUPID."

Poke.

"Ever again! I was really worried, you know."

Sora grinned, rubbing his sore chest. "No promises."

"Of course," Kairi sighed. "Well it's a good thing you have the rest of us here to make sure you're okay. Do you know how long it took to dig you out of the snow. You're lucky Riku can sense things."

Sora looked down at his shoes, frowning. "No kidding."

"GUYS!"

Jim came running over a nearby hill. His hair stuck to his sweaty forehead.

"Amelia's here. You have to hide."

"Or," Balthier threw a rope at Jim. "You could do the wise thing and tie me up."

Catching the rope, Jim blinked at the pirate. "What?"

"You need someone to drag back and clear your friend of his 'crime,' yes? What kind of leading man would I be if I didn't volunteer?"

Jim raised an eyebrow. "This better not be a trick."

"Tie us up too," said Riku and Kairi.

"But, we can explain-"

Kairi raised a hand, cutting Jim off. "We don't want to blow your cover." Kairi leaned over, whispering in Sora's ear. "You have a keyblade. With Jim out of the way and in the clear, just break us out of jail, dummy."

Sora bit his lip, but helped Jim tie up Balthier and his friends. Jim bound wrists together, while Sora made sure Riku, Kairi, and Balthier were all tied on the same line. No one had any time to get their stories straight, because Captain Amelia was on them in seconds. She came over the hill and pointed her laser rifle right at the line of pirates.

"Mr. Hawkins, you have ten seconds to explain what is going on here."

"Hello Captain. Fancy meeting you all the way out here."

Amelia pointed her rifle at Balthier. "I don't recall giving you permission to speak."

"That's enough." Jim tugged on Balthier's rope, making the older man stumble forward. Clearing his throat, he faced Amelia. "After these pirates stole the Legacy, they brought us here. Turns out the gem they stole was nothing more then an unstable rock."

Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"It's true," Sora added. He pointed to the collapsed mountain of snow, ice, and stone behind him. "The gem went off, causing that avalanche. If it weren't for Balthier, Riku, and Kairi, we would have been caught in the explosion."

"I confess," Balthier said. "I broke into the magistrate's mansion, and stole the emerald. I then had Riku and Kairi here steal the Legacy to make sure you don't follow us. Jim and Sora just happened to be on board."

"Please, Captain, their crimes were well-meaning. Request to put in my testimony at their trail for a lesser sentence."

Amelia sighed, though she refused to lower her rifle. "Very well. Escort them back to the Legacy. We'll have much paperwork to do if we're to explain this mess to the soldiers back on Monstressor."

Jim groaned. "Paperwork. Right."

The boys led the prisoners through the snow. They didn't dare speak on the walk back. Captain Amelia's cat ears twitched at every sound. She stood behind the line of prisoners, never letting them out of her sight. Sora racked his brain trying to think of a good excuse for why he should be in the back of the line, or how to explain the Strahl, or Terra and Fran's involvement, or how to get Kairi and Riku out of jail, or even how to get back to Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of a logical solution, and soon they were upon the hill that overlooked the Strahl. Sora and Jim held their breaths. But when they went over the hill, the Strahl wasn't there.

Exchanging the look with Jim, Sore pressed his lips together so that he didn't accidentally ask the question that was burning on both their tongues.

Where had Fran and Terra gone?


Jiminy's Journal:

Fran (First Appeared in Final Fantasy XII, 2006): As a member of the viera race, Fran has a strong sense of smell, and top notch hearing, thanks to her long, rabbit ears. Such senses are useful for a sky pirate, especially when searching for treasure, holding her own in battle, or sensing the light and darkness. Fran is Balthier's equal, and the two have a strong partnership, often not even needing words to communicate their plans.