Wolfie: Hello, everyone! Hope you're doing well! It's been a little while, but we hope this chapter makes up for it, it's REALLY long (it could've been longer even, but Legacy and I decided to cut it shorter). First off, thanks to ShadowWolf223 (Thank you!) and Antex-the Legendary Zoroark (I'm glad you're enjoying, hopefully this chapter is a delight!) for reviewing, all 9 followers, 6 favorites and 649 readers! Now, this chapter is affectionately known by Legacy and myself as the Musical Chapter and we had fun writing it! Also, all previous chapters and the encyclopedia have been updated with new information, so feel free to go back and reread!
Legacy's A/N: Wolfie and I recommend you read one scene while listening to the song "Ma Belle Evangeline" by Jim Cummings and another while listening to the song "Dig a Little Deeper" by Jenifer Lewis.
Wolfie: Enjoy!
Chapter 6: Gnawing Guilt
Location: Ocean Between - Misty Stream
The Highwind soared through the stars, Riku's grip on the handles was tight enough to make his knuckles blanch from inadequate circulation. He was going to find them. He needed to. This was the only thing he focused on throughout the flight, not having said a word to the apprentices after telling Jack to keep calling Sari on his Gummi Phone when they left Crescentia.
Gia felt uncomfortable. Though she had spent the whole day with Riku, she was not yet comfortable with him. Not to mention that she was even less familiar with the other apprentice, Jack. She hoped Lia would accompany her to ease her into the overall dynamic of the group. Being the only apprentice to always be away from the others left her feeling excluded. This uncomfortable feeling Gia was experiencing manifested itself physically as she sat with her feet on her seat, hugging her knees. She thought about her sister and hoped that everything was okay with her.
Gia broke from her thoughts when a Gummi Phone rang. She looked over to Jack who scrambled to answer his but the young man only found a black screen.
"Kairi?" It was Riku's Gummi Phone.
"H-Hi Riku…"
Riku noted that she looked concerned and that her hair was slightly messy, indicating that something was wrong. "Kairi, what's wrong? You're inside a Gummi Ship."
"Y-yeah...so are you," she pointed out. "A-are you on a mission?" Kairi twirled a strand of her hair. Riku had come to know that as a sign of anxiety. He could tell that she was nervous. "I'm sorry to interrupt if you are. W-well I'm sorry r-regardless. You're so busy, after all."
"Kairi, it's okay." Riku switched the ship to autopilot to give Kairi his full attention. His voice was soft as he said, "Just tell me what's wrong."
Kairi inhaled sharply and she looked up from the screen. Her eyes blinked a couple times as they became glossy with tears that threatened to spill.
"Kairi?"
She looked down at the screen, a tear trailing down her cheek and dripping from her chin. She forced a smile as she wiped her eye and said, "Riku, I need you to make a promise to me, please."
"Kairi, you're starting to worry me."
"Please, Riku."
With a sigh, the Keyblade Master reluctantly said, "Sure, anything."
Kairi took in another breath and said, "I need you to promise me that no matter what you're doing, you need to stick to your responsibilities."
Riku wanted to say no, but he knew that Kairi wouldn't tell him what she needed to say if he did. "I promise."
"Sora's gone."
Riku's eyes widened with confusion. "Gone? What do you mean gone? Gone where?"
"I-I-I don't know where he is, but I'm looking for him, I promise. Roxas and Xion…" Kairi looked to her right then back at Riku. "They're with me. They're helping."
Riku didn't believe what he was hearing. "They didn't mention that they were on their way to see you."
"That's because they weren't...I was already with them. I-I hid from you on Radiant Garden and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I've been keeping this from you since I found out last night and I just kept dragging people into this to keep you from finding out."
"B-but why?"
"Riku, you're busy and you have people counting on you. Sora is your best friend. I know he means a lot to you, but I didn't want you to drop everything on your plate for him. I know it was wrong of me to keep this from you, but you have to understand, Riku…"
The silver-haired man bit his lip and looked off to the side. He didn't know what to make of what he just heard.
"Riku?"
"Kai...Kairi, I...where are you?"
"Riku, I can't tell you, because then you're going to come. You promised. Please, let us handle this."
Riku pursed his lips and sank into his seat, unsure of what to do now. "Kairi, you expect me to just abandon Sora?"
"You're not abandoning him. I expect you to trust me to find him."
"Trust you? Kairi, you've been hiding this from me. I can't trust you!" Kairi was shaken by his sudden outburst, as were the apprentices, and even Roxas and Xion off screen. After a heavy breath, Riku sighed and said, "The honest truth is that I couldn't drop my current mission even if I wanted to, so I have no choice, but to leave Sora to you for now. But Kairi, I want you to know that as soon as I finish here, I'm going to look for Sora. It would be easier to help if you told me where you are. Otherwise, I'll just be going from world to world aimlessly."
Kairi nodded. She knew that this wasn't the end of the matter, but considering that he was unavailable at the moment, she knew that, at the very least, he knew. Now she could proceed with the search without hiding it any longer. "Call me when you can come, and I'll tell you then." Riku nodded. "Riku...other people besides Roxas and Xion know, but I made them promise not to tell you."
"You've always been a fan of promises." A memory of Kairi and Sora sharing a paopu fruit flashed into the redhead's mind. "Who else knows?"
Kairi shook her head. "I know this will only make you angrier, but I can't tell you. I think it's only right if they tell you when they're ready."
"If they ever become ready," Riku corrected. "You know, you're casting a lot of doubt among everyone. I hope you're proud of yourself, Kairi. I've got to go. We'll be in touch." Riku clicked on her, put his Gummi Phone away, and went back to flying the ship. The interior of the Highwind was silent before, but the tension in the air was now palpable, making it hard for Gia to swallow the lump she had been holding in her throat. She and Jack shared a glance but exchanged no words as they allowed their leader to drive in silence.
Location: Midnight City
Kairi had never actually walked around through the streets of Midnight City, even when it was named the World That Never Was. When Saix had taken her from Axel, she was warped directly into a cell inside the Castle That Never Was through a Dark Corridor. Unlike Radiant Garden, which had become a safe place to be in after being restored, Kairi never wanted to return to this place, especially since it was so close to the Realm of Darkness and as such, had a huge problem that made it practically uninhabited.
And yet, despite all the hardships living in such a world would no doubt create, Midnight City wasn't uninhabited in the least bit, with some of its population all having the ability to defend themselves and this world from the forces of darkness, as effectively as any member of the New Order could.
Even still, despite knowing all this, Kairi still felt much better knowing she had Roxas and Xion at her side, especially since the two often visited Midnight City in order to gain information regarding their bounty hunting targets.
She was also extremely grateful that Roxas let her borrow a jacket, considering it was pouring in Midnight City.
"Why does it always rain when I'm here?" Roxas sighed, ducking his head down so the rain didn't fall into his eyes.
"Maybe you're bad luck?" Xion guessed with a cheeky grin, happily brushing her wet bangs aside as she stared straight ahead. For a reason Roxas apparently couldn't fathom, but Kairi completely understood, Xion loved the rain. It was the opposite element of the one that her dear friend favored, yet together the two elements made a beautiful sunset, just like the ones on Destiny Islands.
"Thanks, Xion." Roxas laughed sarcastically, shaking his hair to free it of raindrops, similar to a dog, but not gaining the effect he wanted. The rain still fell down his cheeks and forehead, causing his hair to stick uncomfortably.
"Maybe it's a rejuvenating rain, meant to heal this world." Kairi mused, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear under the jacket Roxas provided her's hood. "So you bringing the rain is like you're bringing healing to the world, attempting to wash the darkness away after so long."
"That was…" Roxas trailed off, his eyes darting to Kairi in wide eyed surprise, as if he couldn't believe the words she spoke.
"Really poetic, Kairi." Xion grinned as she finished her partner's sentence. A second later, however, her smile fell. "If only it actually worked."
Kairi looked up in surprise, only to narrow her eyes for a split second after. A pool of darkness surrounded the group and, of course, Neo Shadows began to writhe and shift as they rose from the pool, surrounding the group of three Keyblade Wielders, outnumbering them easily five to one.
"Damn, they ambushed us!" Roxas cursed as he quickly summoned Two Become One. "Stand back to back, don't let them sneak up on us again!"
"Right!" Xion nodded, quickly summoning Oathkeeper and following Roxas' stance almost exactly. Kairi could see the years of experience the two had of fighting side by side, back to back, in who knows how many life threatening situations. From their time in Organization XIII to every job they ever took as bounty hunters together.
And yet, they trusted her enough to leave part of their backs to her, of all people. She refused to let them down. Summoning Destiny's Embrace into her hand, she turned her back to the two bounty hunters and nodded firmly.
"Okay!"
From that point, there was no more time to discuss strategy at all.
The Neo Shadows swarmed, their claws striking out with the intent of cutting the three puny humans to pieces by the sheer force of numbers they had on them.
But that was their first mistake.
When the first strike of claws came towards her, Kairi swung Destiny's Embrace, catching the claws on the Keyblade's shaft. In the next instance, she had cast a small Water spell, just the barest amount, before casting a Blizzard spell right after and the rain that fell around her created a shield of ice, blocking the claws she could not catch. The moment her shield formed, Kairi threw back the Neo Shadows she caught and kept them away with a quick Flower Shoot. The Neo Shadows screamed as the light attack hit them, the blue veins of their body brightening in reaction to their screams.
Roxas, on the other hand, had cut through the middle of the Neo Shadows that had attempted to attack him, Two Become One easily slicing through the stomach of several Heartless at once. As soon as those screamed in pain, the blonde turned his body and landed a solid round house kick on the remaining swarming Heartless, causing the Neo Shadows to stumble back. Using their stumbling to his advantage, Roxas briefly shot forward, reversing his grip on his Keyblade, and swung it in a full circle as he twisted his body. At the last moment, right before the remaining Neo Shadows could sink their claws into his flesh, Roxas back flipped out of the swarm and landed right back where he started, with his back to Kairi and Xion. The Heartless, on the other hand, clawed at each other instead.
And then, there was Xion, who ducked down to avoid the first swipe of claws, only to cut down the legs of several Neo Shadows the moment she did, sending them to the ground. The ones she missed, she cut down as she shot back up with a well timed Thundara spell and a solid elbow to the face of one particularly stubborn Heartless. The moment the Neo Shadows fell, Xion quickly raised Oathkeeper and casted her strongest Firaga, causing the Heartless to catch on fire and scream in pure agony. But that wasn't enough, as some still pushed back onto their feet, leading to Xion blocking the claws for a second before she cut them down with one strong strike of Oathkeeper in the next moment, not giving them a moment to rest. And the ones that somehow survived all that? She used Aeroga to lift them in the air and smash them into the ground, killing them instantly.
As soon as the swarm of Neo Shadows dissipated, the three shared a look, unable to find the words they needed.
Thankfully (or not), that was the moment they heard a scream.
"Ravi!"
Without saying a single word, the three Guardians of Light took off running. A fairly good distance from where they had been fighting, they found a group of three surrounded by another swarm of Neo Shadows.
But this one was even larger than the one they had faced and Kairi could easily see the lines of exhaustion in the three struggling against them.
"Let me go, I have to get to her!" One of the three, a dark skinned woman with scruffy black hair, screamed as she tried to wretch her arm out of the sole male's grasp.
"No way in hell am I letting you do that! Your Noise form will only make this worse for everyone!" The man snapped, his brown eyes narrowed as he barely dodged a claw and then had to yank the woman in his grasp away from another one, which resulted in him getting a graze to his wrist where he held her.
"But she's my-"
"Dammit, Shanandee, just fight, goddammit!" The other woman, a dark skinned blonde, snapped. She was separated from the other two, cutting through Neo Shadow after Neo Shadow with a thin, white scythe. Blood dripped from various wounds on her body, yet she continued to fight, her glare as sharp as her scythe.
But even Kairi could see that the three didn't have long left before they lost all their remaining energy to fight. Sharing a brief look with Roxas and Xion, she nodded once before raising Destiny's Embrace.
"Waterga!"
Instantly, the rain turned into razor sharp needle points and slammed into the Neo Shadows mercilessly. It wasn't enough to kill them, but it gave Kairi the time she needed to duck into the swarm surrounding the heavily injured woman and pull her out, while Xion pushed the man and the woman who had screamed towards her. Roxas, on the other hand, kept the eyes of all the Heartless on him until Kairi gave a single wave.
The three were safe.
It was all the sign he needed.
"Xion!" Roxas screamed.
"Got it!" Xion yelled right back, waving her hand high in the air. "Thundaga!" The thunder was perfect for the weather they were in, causing the electricity to run up the Neo Shadows entirely with a single strike.
But that wasn't the end.
Instead, each Neo Shadow was killed by a swift strike from Roxas, wielding both Two Become One and Oathkeeper as if they were mere extensions of his body. He fought as if he were dancing, easily avoiding every strike of claws and needing only the minimal backup from Xion's magic.
In the end, the final Neo Shadow fell to a small Thunder spell right before Two Become One cut through it.
Kairi almost gasped in awe. She always forgot just how in sync Roxas and Xion were when they fought side by side like this. They truly were the best partner for each other, with Lea rounding out their trio quite nicely.
The redhead tried to ignore the small pang in her heart as she began to wonder again if she belonged with these two. She quickly reminded herself that she had helped in both these battles. There was no reason for her to question her place with them. Instead, Kairi turned to the three she, Roxas, and Xion saved and focused her attention on healing them properly. Within minutes, the blood that had seemed to never end stopped flowing and the wounds each of the three bore vanished as if they had never been there to begin with.
As soon as all three were healed, the dark haired woman practically launched herself at the blonde woman.
"Ravi! You're okay, I was so worried!" The dark haired woman sobbed. The blonde woman, however, removed the other woman's arms and stood up, walking a short distance away.
"Stop that, Shandanee." Ravi said as she glared at the dark haired woman, Shanadanee it seemed. "There's no time for that."
"But…! But…!"
"I said enough!"
"Well, aren't you two getting along fantastically?" The sole man drawled, running a hand through his brown streaked with white hair. "Didn't even bother to thank the nice woman for healing us."
"Shut up, Eric!" The two women snapped, one loudly (Shandanee) and the other quietly (Ravi).
"Whatever." The man, Eric, shrugged before he turned to Kairi. "Thanks, anyway. Haven't seen you around before."
"No, but you've seen us." Xion grinned as she stepped over and waved at the three.
"Ah! Lady Xion!" Shandanee gasped, her eyes practically sparkling as she gazed up at the black haired Guardian of Light. "And Lord Roxas too!"
"Hey, come on…" Xion chuckled, awkwardly.
"That's still weird…" Roxas groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Ignore them. So, you two traveling with her?" Eric asked, gesturing to Kairi with a nod of his head.
"Yes. We are on a...job with her." Xion confirmed.
"I'm Kairi." Kairi introduced herself, holding a hand out to Eric, which the man lazily shook.
"We're here to see Lauriam. Mind leading the way for us?" Roxas asked, holding a hand out to Kairi to help her up, which she gratefully accepted.
"I dunno...think the Master will agree to see 'em?" Eric asked, turning his head towards the standing women, still on the ground himself.
"Lady Xion and Lord Roxas? Of course he would!" Shandanee insisted, her fists clenched tightly.
"I suppose…" Ravi sighed, crossing her arms, subtly shifting away from the group. "As long as I'm not the one leading them."
"I'll go with you, Ravi!" Shandanee grinned, turning to the blonde woman instantly.
"Absolutely not." Ravi shot that down right away.
"So it's my job?" Eric groaned, laying on the ground and not appearing as if he planned to move anytime soon.
"They're certainly...unique." Kairi smiled slightly as she whispered to Roxas and Xion. Not that she could talk. She was pretty sure she, Sora and Riku were plenty 'unique' on their own, never mind her, Roxas and Xion.
"You don't even know the best part." Roxas smirked at her.
"Oh?" Kairi raised an eyebrow, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"They're all Nobodies, Reapers that serve under Lauriam. I think you knew him as Marluxia." Xion smiled as she explained.
Kairi wasn't sure if Roxas and Xion's snorted laughter was due to her now gaping mouth...or the antics of the three Reapers they were still standing around with. They were completely opposite of the stoic Organization XIII members that the redhead met when she was fifteen, after all.
Location: The Ocean Between - The Milky Galaxy
The search for Rickson and Sari continued through the Ocean Between as Riku flew the Highwind from world to world. After the third world that they had visited, Gia could no longer bear to be apart from her sister again so she dug under her shirt for her necklace with the "L" pendant. Even though it could not replace Lia, the pendant always helped remind Gia of the bond they shared, putting her at ease. That was not the case this time, though. Because Gia had higher expectations than usual for spending time with her sister, she felt cheated by the universe. The woman curled up in her seat and buried her face into her knees.
"Hey, Gia?"
"Mmm?" The silver-haired woman lifted her head to the side to find Jack looking at her with concern.
"We'll find Rickson and Sari soon."
Gia let out a sigh and did her best to smile. She nodded and said, "Yeah. I know."
"And then we'll be able to meet back up with Lia and the others."
Gia's smile grew a little more as she repeated herself, more gingerly this time.
The mood changed when Riku swiveled in his seat and went down to business. "Gia, the next world is one I've never been to. Can you come look at the map to see if you recognize it?"
Gia nodded and walked over to the central dashboard to take a look at the world. Her eyes furrowed from confusion as she said, "I don't think that's one I recognize either."
"How could that be?" Jack asked. "An artificial world? Or is it a large animal?"
Riku shook his head. "Doesn't seem to be either of those. New worlds are being born all the time. It keeps Ventus up at night sometimes trying to update the maps." He almost cracked a smile there.
"Does it seem like a big world?" Gia asked. She hoped the answer was no.
"Can't say just by looking at it."
Gia let out another sigh before returning to her seat.
Location: New Orleans - The Bayou
It had been hours since Sari had woken up in a swamp, covered in grime, and she had still yet to encounter anyone who could tell her where she was. Her silk battle dress was absolutely filthy and soaking from the combination of the swamp water and the rain that had fallen for a short period earlier. Sari had removed the veil that typically covered her mouth and placed it in her item pouch. She would discard it later, but she refused to do so now because that would mean littering. At the end of the day, her location and her outfit's condition were of little consequence to her. On a normal day, she would be absolutely livid about how dirty she was, but in this case, what she really cared about was that Rickson was still nowhere to be found.
As Sari stepped through the murky waters in the cold dead of night, she lit the tip of her Keyblade with a weak, yet stable glow to light her way, but it did little to keep her warm. Even with the light coming from her weapon, she was still surrounded in darkness because of the thick canopy of trees above her that blocked out the night sky. Was she in Deep Jungle? Maybe Scotland? She prayed she was not in the Pride Lands. That would mean having to use her magic to transform into an animal to not disturb the locals.
After several more minutes of walking, a faint beam of light broke through the foliage. Sari followed the light, hoping to reach some civilization, but all she found was a small pond in a clearing. At least she could see the stars in the sky, one of which stood out from all the others as the largest and brightest of them all. Seeing all the stars, reminded her of all the worlds in the universe, specifically her two homes. When she began thinking of the Land of Departure, her mind went back to Rickson.
Sari dug through her item pouch for a guitar pick, a gift from Rickson on their first date. She smiled down at it as it brought back wonderful memories of that day before placing it against her chest. Her dichromatic eyes floated back up to the sky as she whispered, "Just wait a little longer."
Sari put the pick away and began walking around the pond, but stopped when she heard a voice. She quickly stopped fueling the light spell and crouched down to remain hidden as she concentrated on the sound of...singing?
"Look how she lights up the sky.
Ma Belle Evangeline"
"Aha! That ain't no fi-" The second voice was quickly cut off, the first paying it no mind as it continued.
"So far above me yet I
Know her heart belongs to only me
Je t'adore, Je t'aime Evangeline
You're my queen of the night
So still
So bright
That someone as beautiful as she
Could love someone like me"
Though she could hear the voice clearly, Sari could not find the origin. There was a firefly floating on the edge of the pond, but no one else was in sight. That is, until she saw an alligator nearby. Luckily for her, it had yet to notice her, so she quickly began scanning the area for others. Despite there being a dangerous animal nearby, the singing continued, which made Sari question whether it was actually a human singing.
There were even more voices, but they were much lower than the singer's so it was difficult for Sari to make out what they were saying. She knew that it was a third male voice and a female voice, though. Then there was the sound of a...trumpet? This was completely unexpected, but what took the cake for Sari was the fact that the trumpeter was the alligator!
Now that she knew she was on a world with sentient animals, Sari quickly transformed herself into a salamander, the first animal she could think of that would possibly belong to a wetland biome. Now, much smaller, she crawled through the shrubs to get a better view of what was happening. The pink and red-spotted salamander made her way on top of a rock and found a pair of frogs dancing on lily pads while the firefly, which she could now identify as the singer, provided a romantic ambiance by lighting the water lillies that floated around them and then beaming a spotlight with soft shades of pink and green onto them as they moved elegantly inside the water.
The sight brought yet another smile to Sari's face as she watched the pair leap into the air, arching over the brightest star in the sky. As the two slowly leaned in to kiss each other, Sari slipped down from the rock, quietly cursing her slimy form. This caught the attention of the other animals. The female frog took this opportunity to quickly back away from the male, looking down with a hint of disappointment. When the female frog regained her composure, she greeted Sari, "H-hello. You lost there?"
Sari picked herself up onto all fours and nodded. "Yeah, sorry about interrupting. I just couldn't help, but get carried away with that beautiful performance. The singing, the dancing, the trumpet playing, it was all wonderful!"
The other animals looked at one another with smiling faces, all feeling good about Sari's compliment.
The female frog was the first to speak as she responded, "Thank you, but Naveen, here, did all of the work. Truth, be told, that was my first time ever dancing."
Sari shook her head and said, "Nonsense. Dancing as gracefully and elegantly as that takes two. My name is Sari." She stood up on her hind legs and put a hand forward.
"I'm Tiana. This is Ray, Louis, and Nav-" As Tiana was about to introduce the male frog, he was whisked away by a slithering shadow.
"Ah! Tiana!"
"Naveen!"
Heartless?! What could they want with that frog? Sari would have to think about it on the go because she needed to get a move on to keep up with the others. Unfortunately, her choice in transformation was a rather poor one in terms of mobility. She was left with little choice but to change back.
"Tiana!" Sari called. "Do humans exist here?"
"What?!"
Sari repeated, "Do humans exist?!"
"Yes, but why is that important?!" Tiana got her answer when the salamander glowed brightly until she was a full grown human sprinting across the swamp. The frog stopped dead in her tracks at the surprising reveal and was almost crushed by Louis for doing so.
"You're not going anywhere!" Sari summoned Guiding Gladiolus and called out, "Holy!"
With Keyblade raised high above her head, Sari channeled her magic through her weapon, and called forth mighty pillars of light to vanquish the crawling shadows. Naveen fell into the swamp water, only to re-emerge from the shallows trapped inside a large Water Core's liquid shell. Several more, smaller Water Cores and some Creeper Plant appeared around it and began surrounding Sari and the others while the leader made its escape.
Tiana hopped beside Sari and said, "We can't let it take Naveen!"
"We won't." The redhead looked over at the fleeing Heartless, only to have her view of it intentionally obscured by one of its lackeys. She then turned her head to look at Tiana and the others, finding the largest of them, Louis, to be the most frightful while Ray the firefly was ready to throw down. Even with his and Tiana's help, Sari knew she would have to protect them all from harm.
Two of the Water Cores liquified themselves and rushed forward as a small torrent of water. Sari immediately threw up a Barrier around herself and the others to block the incoming attacks. As her glass-like dome cracked upon impact, Sari pointed her Keyblade upward and destroyed her own defense, sending out the hexagonal panels. The translucent shards struck the closest Heartless and even some of the ones that kept their distance.
The Creeper Plants shot glowing brown pellets at Sari, so she reacted with another Barrier, following it up with a Counter Blast again. This left the group vulnerable to a flying sphere of water from one of the Water Cores. The sphere exploded against Sari's Keyblade, knocking her down into the murky water. She let out a whimper as her head hit the mud, allowing water to slip into her lunges. She rolled onto her hands and knees, coughing uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Ray grew very angry and lit up brightly as he flew at a nearby Water Core. The physical light burned the dark creature, making it wail in pain. As the monster flinched, Ray moved onto the next one, keeping them distracted while evading the Creeper Plant's attacks.
Louis, on the other hand, was having a much harder time with the projectiles, getting hit in the gut, then the rear, and finally in the head before falling over unconscious. This created a small wave that washed Tiana away, leaving her right in front of a Creeper Plant. The monster took notice and went down for a bite. Fortunately, Tiana was able to leap away just in time to avoid its snapping jaw. She did not have much time to catch her breath, though as another Creeper Plant was going for a strike. The frog kept on her digits to avoid being plant food.
Sari drove her Keyblade's tip into the mud to support herself as she stood to fight, still coughing up the murky water slightly. She would have wiped her mouth with her sleeve if it wasn't already soaking wet. Noticing that Tiana was having trouble with Creeper Plants, Sari focused on them next. She pointed Guiding Gladiolus at them and fired off a Pearl spell .The ball of light purified the dark creature, allowing it to fade from existence.
Though another enemy was defeated, Sari had little time to rest since she was blindsided by one of the Water Cores that had turned itself into pure water. As it reformed, Sari shot another Pearl spell, vaporizing another monster. With only a handful left, Sari noticed a glowing light flickering inside one of the remaining Water Core's bubble. It was Ray! Another ball of light flew from Sari's Keyblade, but the Heartless evaded it by liquifying itself, flushing the firefly with it as it reformed. It then shot pellets of water at her, which she evaded with a slide, surrounding herself with a small vortex of water from beneath her feet. Her liquid shield also allowed her to obscure her next attack, which was a fast Strike Raid. Guiding Gladiolus cut through the whirling water and then through the Water Core like a saw blade. As the monster faded, Ray was left in freefall so Sari dove forward to catch him, holding him close to her without crushing him.
Tiana hopped onto Sari's shoulder and asked, "What are we gonna' do? We're barely holding on!"
Sari noticed that they were no longer surrounded by Heartless. Their enemies were still standing between them and Naveen, but she could handle this. Seeing that Ray's light affected them so much, the redhead charged light energy in the tip of her Keyblade before unleashing a brilliant volley at the remaining enemies, burning them with pure radiance.
Louis sat upright, rubbing his head as he asked, "Is that all of them?"
"There's still the one that took Naveen," Tiana pointed out.
Sari nodded. "Right. We better keep moving." She opened her palm and looked into it. "Are you doing okay, little guy?"
Ray shook himself and held a thumbs up. "I'm alright, darlin'! Thanks for the save back there."
Sari smiled at him and said, "You're very welcome."
As the firefly floated off of her hand, Sari ran forward with the others accompanying her. Soon, they caught up to the Major Water Core, who called forth more underlings.
"Oh no!" Louis said. "Not more of them! What are we gon' do?"
Sari took her fighting stance, standing up straight with her Keyblade held tightly to her side. "We fight." Just as she charged forward, bolts of light energy flew from behind the Heartless, obliterating each and every one of them. Naveen splashed in the water as he fell to the ground.
The others came to a stop as they noticed a large shadowy silhouette approaching through a thick mist. With a club raised high above its head, Tiana and the others all gasped, but Sari could sense nothing but light emanating from this being. It was quite curious, but she had little time to dwell on that thought because the mystic presence soon cut through the mist to reveal a little old woman.
She seemed to laugh to herself as she said, "Not bad for a 197-year-old blind lady." The woman held a club-like wand, its tip blazing with light magic, which she put out with a quick twirl and then a blow. Her joyful demeanor dissolved as she asked, "Now which one of you naughty children been messing with the Shadow Man?"
Louis was quick to point Naveen out, who himself, could not deny this.
Location: Land of Heroes- Island
Jack was many things and among those many things included the fact that he was someone who could, most of the time, easily break tension when it filled a room.
So, that was exactly what he tried to do.
"Man, it's really hot here. I thought islands were supposed to be more temperate than this. Or, at least, that's how Ryo always talked about his home. What do you say, Master?"
"I don't see a difference." Master Riku answered curtly, not looking too pleased with the conversation, if the look he sent Jack's way was any indication.
Wincing slightly (that was an all too familiar look when training went too far), Jack focused his attention on Gia instead.
"Say, Gia, you ever been to a world like this before? I've been all over the past year and nine months I've been training, but what about you?"
"It's fine...no big deal." Gia answered, her eyes looking far away, clouded with worry.
Jack felt his smile fall at the lack of response. From what he knew of Gia, and how the others spoke of her, she was always energetic and excitable. The same was true of Master Riku, who Jack knew as a calm and collected individual, steady as a rock in times of distress.
The fact that both weren't acting like themselves...made everything so much worse as an awkward and tense silence fell over them while they trudged further into the jungle.
The silence started to feel as if it was physically resting on Jack's shoulders, making it hard to breathe almost. It was choking, almost as suffocating as the guilt that wouldn't leave him alone. It was horrible, but he had only himself to blame.
If only he had paid more attention, had been more comfortable with so few people around, he wouldn't have been so caught off guard when Loz and Yazoo had attacked them, they wouldn't have needed to be saved by Cloud! They were members of the New Order, apprentices of Masters Riku and Aqua and had been training together for almost two years now, never mind how much longer both Sari and Rickson had been training than Jack himself. They should've been able to handle that! Jack should've been able to handle that, but instead...instead…!
"Hey, Jack? You doing okay? Not too hard walking through here, is it?" Gia's voice cut through Jack's spiraling thoughts as easily as a Keyblade, or a pickaxe. When he looked up, her eyes were clearer, though it was obvious she was still worried about her sister, back on the RLS Legacy.
"Huh? Y-yeah...I'm fine." Jack forced a smile. He couldn't let them know, Master Riku would be so disappointed. And Master Aqua...Jack refused to let his Master down, he just couldn't. Not anymore than he already did.
"Hmm...I dunno…" Gia hummed as she looked at him more closely. "I mean, it is hard to move out here. Even I'm having trouble."
"That's cause you're not much taller than me." Jack allowed a more genuine smile to grow on his lips.
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Gia exploded, glaring at Jack, causing some birds to fly off, calling out as they did so. But it was completely true. Gia only had four inches on Jack and every inch may count, but that wasn't that much. Jack startled to giggle a bit. He forgot how much he enjoyed messing with Gia, she got angry over the slightest thing.
"Keep quiet, you two. We don't know what could be here." Master Riku warned, causing both apprentices to fall silent, though Jack could see Gia pouting in the corner of his eye. Master Riku held an arm out to stop their advance then, looking around cautiously. "There's something here…"
Jack bit his tongue so he remained silent, ignoring the uncomfortable shivers climbing his spine as he did so. That was when he heard the faint rustling of the branches.
"MOVE!" Master Riku suddenly shouted and Jack instinctively rolled to the side.
As soon as he did, the ground shook fiercely, as if an earthquake had struck. Looking up, Jack gasped as he came eye to eye with a giant robot that sorta reminded him of a spider. It was tall, taller than the trees above them, and was made of dark metal (some form of steel, Jack thought. It looked sturdy, that was for sure), with what looked like a camera on top, its red light trained on the three Keyblade wielders.
This…? This was not good. Not good at all.
Location: New Orleans - Mama Odie's House
When they reached Mama Odie's house, Sari had been shocked to discover that the old woman lived in an amazing tree, she was pretty sure it was a cypress, with a large boat smashed between its top, though she could not understand how such a thing was even possible.
Still, despite the fact that she lived in a shipwreck in a tree, the old woman's residence was quite beautiful, filled with bottles that caught the light where it came through the wrecks in the boat and all sorts of supplies Mama Odie must require for her voodoo magic. It was all simply fascinating, in Sari's opinion.
Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by Tiana, as the female frog hopped behind Mama Odie.
"We're so glad we found you, Mama Odie. Ray and Loius here have been telling us all about you. We've been traveling quite a long way, and you can't imagine what we've been through. And we-" Tiana cut herself off suddenly and when Sari turned back in surprise, she found that the female frog had stopped when she noticed a jar with a pair of eyeballs and teeth floating within, before she continued speaking, stuttering, "-a-and we heard that you-"
"Juju!" Mama Odie called out, cutting off Tiana. A second later, a slender, lime green snake with dark yellow spots on its back and light pink eyes with red slit pupils dropped down from the ceiling and hissed, causing Mama Odie to laugh as she turned towards the snake. "Come on over here, you bad boy!" The snake, Juju, proceeded to nuzzle against the old woman's face. Sari practically cooed at the sight, he was so cute! Mama Odie then cooed, "Give a little sugar now." The old woman suddenly began to kiss her pet snake on the mouth. In the corner of Sari's eye, she could see the uncomfortable looks on Tiana and Naveen's faces, while Louis pretended to gag at the sight. Sari simply giggled, finding their reactions amusing. "Ya'll just loves your Mama, don't cha?" The old woman smiled before she suddenly stretched Juju out and began to use him as a walking stick to navigate her home, turning back slightly to call back, "Good to see you, Ray!" Juju's head accidentally hit a bell, which Sari did wince at, sympathy running down her spine. "How's your grandmama?"
"Oh, she's fine." Ray laughed. "Got in a little trouble for flashing the neighbors again."
"Ooooh! I like that girl's spunk." Mama Odie grinned, laughing a bit as she sat down in a chair.
"Mama Odie." Tiana spoke up as she and Naveen hopped onto the old woman's armrest. "We don't want to take up too much of your time-"
Suddenly, a hand was shoved into the frogs' faces, containing a few pieces of old, hairy candy and, surprisingly, a small key, cutting the female frog off.
"Ya'll want some candy?" Mama Odie offered.
"Uhhhhh, not really." Naveen shook his head, grimacing in slight disgust.
"No thank you." Tiana declined, a bit more polite than her fellow human-turned-frog.
"Why not?" Sari smiled kindly, taking a piece of candy and casually tossing it over her shoulder, catching it behind her back with the same hand in order to create the illusion that she ate it. No need to hurt such a sweet old woman's feelings.
"Weeeell now that's too bad for you froggies." Mama Odie said, wiping a piece of candy on her robe to clean it. "It's a special candy. It would've turned ya'll human." As the two frogs then began to plead for it, the old woman happily tossed it into her mouth. At their looks of disappointment, she began to laugh uproariously. "I'm just messin' with ya'll!"
"How on Earth did you know that we wanted to turn ba-" Tiana started to ask, only to cut herself off as Mama Odie began to snore, loudly.
"Oh, dear...she actually fell asleep. I thought only my grandma did that in winter." Sari chuckled, amused.
"Umm, Mama Odie?" Naveen nervously called, gingerly poking the voodoo woman's sunglasses. Suddenly, Mama Odie shot up, startling Naveen and causing him to fall back as she stood up and yelled, "Juju!" The snake in question, who was napping just like his owner, sprung up from his coiled position on the floor, watching as Mama Odie made her way towards a boiling...bathtub. "Why didn't you tell me my gumbo was burning?!"
"You sure this is the right blind voodoo lady who lives in a boat in a tree in a bayou?" Louis asked Ray quietly, suddenly looking unsure.
"Pretty sure." Ray shrugged, looking much less worried than Louis did. Sari turned her attention back towards the old woman, making her way towards the bathtub to peek inside and watch the voodoo woman cook.
"Gotta do everything around here." Mama Odie whined as the two frogs made their way over to the tub and hopped up onto the edge of it.
"Mama Odie, if you-" Tiana started again.
"Taste it!" Mama Odie demanded, suddenly shoving a finger in Tiana's mouth, cutting her off. "Well?" The female frog tasted the gumbo that had been shoved in her mouth for a moment before she spoke.
"Hit it hard with a couple of shots of Tabasco and it's the bee's knees." The female frog declared.
"Juju!" Mama Odie called out and the snake suddenly appeared with a bottle of the sauce Tiana spoke of, placing two drops in the tub before he vanished again. For a moment, Mama Odie looked lost before she tried her gumbo. Suddenly, the woman began to jump around excitedly, crying, "Yee-he-hee! That's got some zang to it!" As the old woman laughed happily, and Tiana slapped her forehead, now visibly frustrated, Sari curiously took a small sip of the gumbo herself. Mama Odie was right, it was truly amazing and she wished she could bring some home with her. Perhaps Mama Odie would let her take some back? "That's just what it needed! Now! Ya'll figure out what you need?" At the voodoo woman's voice, Sari turned back to see her finally focusing on the two humans-turned-frogs.
"It's just like you said, Mama Odie. We need to be human." Tiana explained, gesturing to herself and Naveen. "Wait!" Something had occurred to Tiana. She turned to Sari and asked, "How did you turn back to human?"
"My magic can help me change forms when necessary, but it's easier to fight the Heartless, those monsters in the swamp, if I'm human. Unfortunately, I can't help you get what you need, not with my magic." Sari admitted.
"Ha!" Mama Odie laughed, startling Tiana and almost causing her to fall into the bathtub full of gumbo. Thankfully, Naveen caught her before she fell in. "Ya'll ain't got the sense you was born with! Ya'll want to be human, but ya'll blind to what you need."
"What we want, what we need, it's all the same thing, yes?" Naveen smiled, only for Mama Odie to hit him on the top of his head with the wooden spoon handle, causing Sari to snort. "Ow!"
"It's the same thing? No!" Mama Odie laughed, wagging her finger like a chiding grandmother. "You listen to your mama now!" The old woman stepped back, grabbed Juju and began to sing.
"Don't matter what you look like
Don't matter what you wear
How many rings you got on your finger
We don't care"
"(No we don't care)" A choir of roseate spoonbills suddenly sang, flying in from the wrecked roof, causing Sari to gasp in the beginnings of awe, a smile growing on her face.
"Don't matter where you come from
Don't even matter what you are
A dog, a pig, a cow, a goat
Had em' all in here" Mama Odie sang, summoning her wand from midair and using it to turn Juju into the many animals she spoke of before turning the poor snake back to normal. Sari felt a bit sad for the exhausted looking snake.
"(We had em' all in here)" The choir of roseate spoonbills sang as they began to fly and circle Mama Odie.
"And they all knew what they wanted
What they wanted me to do
I told them what they needed
Just like I be telling you
You gotta dig a little deeper
Find out who you are
You gotta dig a little deeper
It really ain't that far
When you found out who you are
You find out what you need
Blue skies and sunshine
Guaranteed
You gotta dig" As Mama Odie sang, she dug through an open chest, throwing a tambourine at both Ray and Louis before also throwing an oyster that Juju caught. Sari smiled in condolence to the poor snake as it handed off the oyster to open it before the two frogs, revealing the pearl within. Suddenly, Louis grabbed Sari's free hand and began to spin her, causing the redheaded Keyblade wielder to laugh as she joined the alligator in dancing.
"(Dig)"
"You gotta dig"
"(Dig)" As the choir of roseate spoonbills finished their part, Mama Odie approached Naveen, who was dancing on the floor now, using Juju as a step stool to lean over him using a too tall podium.
"Prince Froggy is a rich little boy
You wanna be rich again?
That ain't gonna make you happy now
Did it make you happy then? No!" Suddenly, the old woman began to bury Naveen in gold coins, with only Juju's hold on her dress keeping her from falling on him.
"Money ain't got no soul
Money ain't got no heart
All you need is some self-control
Make yourself a brand new start" Suddenly, Mama Odie dug Naveen out of the pile of gold and had Juju launch the two of them across the boat, the snake catching them as they landed, only for Mama Odie to set Naveen down on a piece of blue luggage and pointing out Tiana dancing with Ray, causing the male frog to drop the single coin he still held.
Sari smiled before Louis suddenly helped her backflip into the air, with one of the roseate spoonbills catching her in midair to slow her descent before she landed on her feet and she spun back towards her alligator partner.
"You gotta dig a little deeper
Don't have far to go
You gotta dig a little deeper
Tell the people Mama told you so
Can't tell you what you'll find
Maybe love will grant you peace of mind
Dig a little deeper and you'll know" With one last grin towards Naveen, Mama Odie approached Tiana.
"Miss Froggy?"
"Ma'am." The female frog turned to the voodoo woman in acknowledgement.
"Might I have a word?" Mama Odie requested.
"Yes, ma'am." Tiana agreed, allowing Mama Odie to pick her up and carry her towards the bathtub full of gumbo.
"You's a hard one, that's what I heard
Your daddy was a lovin' man
Family through and through
You your daddy's daughter
What he had in him you got in you
You gotta dig a little deeper
For you it's gonna be tough
You gotta dig a little deeper
You ain't dug far enough" As Mama Odie sang, she carried Tiana to what looked like it used to be a crow's nest, which Juju spun a wheel in order to raise up to the top of the tree. With a grin, Sari turned to Louis, who happily lifted her up so she could follow, finding herself in the top part of the tree, with all sorts of bottles serving as light fixtures.
"Dig down deep inside yourself
You'll found out what you need
Blue skies and sunshine guaranteed
Open up the windows
Let in the light, children" The roseate spoonbills did exactly, pulling aside leaves to let the sun catch the bottles, making the area shine with all sorts of colors.
"(Blue skies and sunshine)
(Blue skies and sunshine)"
"Blue skies and sunshine" Tiana belted out as she was placed on top of Mama Odie's hat. Naveen, at Sari's feet, looked entirely lovestruck and the Keyblade wielder couldn't help, but laugh. The two of them were so cute!
"Guaranteed" Mama Odie grinned proudly.
"(Ahhh...)" The roseate spoonbills finished.
Sari let out a laugh, applauding all the performers with Ray floating at her side doing the same. Unfortunately, all the smiles fell just seconds later...when Tiana apparently did not understand the purpose for the song.
So, with a disappointed sigh, Mama Odie returned them all to her boat and went to her gumbo pot, explaining that in order to turn back into humans, Naveen needed a princess to kiss him. Apparently, a parade princess for the night, a girl named Lotte who also happened to be Tiana's friend, qualified for the job.
And apparently, Louis had the perfect idea on how to get all of them where they needed to be.
Wolfie: And there we are! You wouldn't believe it, but originally this chapter included ALL of the New Orleans segments, which if we had included them, it would've probably been well over 10,000 words by the end. But yes, that means all of Sari's adventures are written out and ready to go, along with all sorts of new stuff that will be added.
Speaking of, I am proud to introduce our three Reapers, Ravi, Shandanee and Eric! We are so very glad to include them and thank their creators for giving them to us! We are still accepting OCs, if anyone else would like to submit a Reaper or a Ninja (we have 1 Ninja right now, you'll meet them next chapter…I think).
Oh yeah, for Roxas and Xion's Keyblades: Legacy and I decided a while ago that they would not use Oblivion, Oathkeeper and Kingdom Key because they aren't their Keyblades, you know? Like how Sora has the Kingdom Key, Riku has Brave Heart, Ven has Wayward Wind, etc. So we gave them Two Become One (a symbol of Roxas and Sora's bond, as well as a Roxas exclusive designed Keyblade, fitting him well) and Oathkeeper (as Xion kept her oath and is made up of Sora's memories of Kairi originally). And yes, both of them can duel wield with the others' Keyblade, as long as the other is not using it. Roxas is the main one who does this (being more used to duel wielding), but Xion will occasionally do so as well.
Let's see…I think that's it then? I hope you all enjoyed! Please leave us a review to let us know what you think! Be safe and may your heart be your guiding key!
Reapers: (3/?)
Ninjas: (1/4)