The island came into view, a nice bustling city scape, very unlike the last island they had been at. The people were surprisingly friendly, welcoming them as they docked beside civilian ships, pitching their sales from their market booths as they would any other passing stranger. Sanji, Thursday and Usopp went shopping around in a group together, looking for supplies and the like. Robin and Franky went off to just stroll around while the rest of their crew hung out on the Sunny for a few moments longer, save for Luffy who ran off on his own the moment somebody wasn't looking, leaving Nami to go run off and find him. Jean Bart led a few of his fellow crew on their own shopping run while others went to explore, Bepo taking Daniel to go ask about the log pose and other such things, the smallest child perched happily on the bear's shoulders as they walked.
As promised, Toshiro went with Dextra to explore the island, Chopper deciding to follow along and leave Zoro on the ship to sleep, Brook taking watch. People gave the reindeer some odd stares, mostly because he walked next to and chatted happily with a small black dragon, a sight people had never seen before. Hyorinmaru cared little for the stares, more interested in the watermelon treats Chopper would share with him. These treats had earned the reindeer huge favor with Hyorinmaru, as well as being able to talk freely between one another without Toshiro having to be the middle man.
"So what are you going to do once Papa fixes you?" Dextra asked her companion, curious.
"Well… I'll probably have to figure out how to get home." Toshiro responded with a sigh. He still had his Soul Pager tucked away, so should he so choose he could turn the phone back on and contact either Sora or the Soul Society directly and tell them where he was. Getting off this world wasn't the biggest problem.
It was what he would do after he returned.
He hadn't thought about it much since his conversation with Nami and Robin, but he knew his actions would have heavy consequences. He had to be prepared for the worst, be prepared to exile himself from the Soul Society if he had to. He trusted Sora and the others, they treated him as the Straw Hats treated each other. His home, however, was not so lenient. This entire world had been put in danger because of him, he would have to face the consequences, even if this world was able to take care of itself. The Central Forty-Six would have rather let the world perish in darkness than let him spill as many secrets as he had… but he could not sit by and allow that.
"Maybe you should start practicing those portals." The eagle girl offered, referring to when he had mentioned the dark portal he came through to get here in the first place.
"I wouldn't be able to use them once I'm back to normal." He stated, shaking his head. "Someone I knew had gone through a similar transition, losing the ability when he came back to the light."
"Was he like you?"
"No, he wasn't a Nobody, he just fell to darkness. For a while he used it to help me and the others, but once he came fully back into the light, his ties to the dark were finally severed, and he couldn't use those powers anymore."
"Oh… I suppose he could have already found you if he could then."
"Probably…" Toshiro chose not to mention the Nobody that he did know who could still use the dark portals and had yet to find him. It wasn't so much having the ability that would help, you still had to know where to go, and perhaps Demyx had already been returned to normal and also lost the ability. Or, as normal as he could without his other half.
"What about your friends? How do they get around worlds?"
"A ship, one that can go through space."
"Oh wow, I bet that's amazing!"
"Sometimes… even there the Heartless like to get in the way. I suppose now that I think about it I shouldn't have been surprised they could become sea vessels, since they plague ships in space as well."
"They really do get everywhere…"
"Darkness exists everywhere, shadows of the light. I doubt they will ever truly go away…"
Dextra went quiet for a moment, not sure how to respond to that. The Heartless had already done a number on the people of this world, what would they do if they never went away? Just accept their presence as fact and adapt? She could only hope, though she was fairly certain the dark creatures could never get to the point where they could destroy the world. There were too many powerful humans who would stop them.
"So you'll always have to fight with the darkness?" She finally asked.
"The creatures aren't so bad; I've been doing that most of my life anyway." Toshiro said with a slight shrug, looking away from the clean shops to focus back on the conversation.
"It's just that darkness inside that's the problem then."
"Yeah…" His teal gaze turned to the ground as he spoke, uncomfortable now. Though it had gotten much better after finding the music box and having Hyorinmaru with him, the darkness still attempted to claw at him, trying to drag him down, causing him a small but constant anxiety in the back of his mind.
"Has the music box helped? You play it every night." Dextra paused their walk for a moment, hoping to move onto better topics. Toshiro paused as well and took out the small box they were speaking of.
"It definitely has… it seems to basically take away dreams altogether."
Dextra was about to comment that it had put everyone in better spirits recently, especially when Brook played along, when she and Toshiro both tensed, sensing something wrong.
And then the music box shattered in the Nobody's hands.
They could only stand in shock for a moment, wondering who could have possibly managed this without them catching it earlier. A few civilians passing by looked over in curiosity at the noise, some sparing sympathetic glances without fully understanding the importance of what had just happened.
In the distance, Maleficent gave a victorious sneer. Finally, after figuring out what was causing her nightmares to be held back, she was able to get to it and destroy it. His one hope that had been keeping him safe was gone now. She had been on this island for a different reason – one that had not gone so well – but could now count today as a victory. Just her luck that her target anchored on the same island, what perfect opportunity. With a malicious laugh she vanished into the shadows to watch what would happen next from a safe distance. After all, it wasn't so much that the nightmares had just vanished…
As the box fell, the crystal fairy fell with it, shattering to the ground. The soft glow it once held suddenly turned into an absolute black. Every nightmare and hungry shadow that had tried to reach him, every evil intention, had been absorbed into the fairy instead, sucked in by the music and trapped there. But now, as the magic fell apart, all those shadows, from all those nights, shot across the ground like angry snakes. Passing civilians didn't seem to notice, but they did. There was no missing it. Dextra went pale as a sheet, understanding what this meant even before she saw his snowflake charm turn midnight black, remembering what had happened the last time. Chopper let out a shriek while Hyorinmaru roared in fury, which did cause people to stop and look their way in concern.
Toshiro himself was already deaf to the world. The moment those nightmares escaped their prison and merged into his shadow, they possessed his mind, a brutal mental wave of horror and visions that consumed his senses. If he still had a heart it would have stopped dead.
'How could you do this, Shiro!' Momo screamed, distraught and terrified. She was bleeding… hurt… the bodies of others lay torn and mangled around her, the source of her horror. In the reflection of the blood pooling around them all he saw himself, the sword in his hand, a dead expression on his face.
'You're a monster! Just like the rest of them!' Ichigo appeared, charging him with tears in his eyes, his friends lifeless.
'I didn't do it!' Toshiro pleaded, but his reflection made it clear otherwise.
The collar around his neck only made it worse.
"Toshiro, snap out of it!" Dextra tried to approach him, her Observation Haki going haywire even though her companion was just standing there. His teal eyes were blank of any expression; he'd been completely sucked into his own mind, trapped there with no doubt horrible images. He looked dead, not moving an inch, hands still slightly held up from when he was holding the music box before it shattered. "Hey, come on!"
She shook his shoulders, hoping to bring him back to his senses. Hyorinmaru dove into his master's shadow, causing others to gasp in shock. There was a bit of a crowd now, wondering why the child was shaking her friend with such a terrified expression. Spotting this crowd, Dextra realized she needed to act fast.
But she wasn't quite fast enough. Before she could demand they all run, the darkness made its appearance. As Toshiro began to succumb to the nightmares, the shadows started to rise off his body, pitch black ice spreading across the ground. She backed away quickly before it caught her, putting a shocked stiff Chopper onto her back as well before morphing her wings and lifting into the air. Now people were frightened, shouting and panicking as they hurried away from the spreading ice quickly.
"Toshiro!" Dextra shouted, but to no avail. Her words could not reach him.
Maleficent stood behind him, laughing gleefully at the carnage he caused, his beloved Hyorinmaru laying obedient at her feet. The yellow eyes of the Heartless looked to his master with no emotion, not even recognizing him anymore. The bond was severed. He could feel the tears stinging at his face.
Xemnas approached, a sneer on his face as he looked to the collar around the distraught Nobody's neck.
'You belong to me now, simply a tool to reach Kingdom Hearts.' He stated.
'I refuse!' Toshiro shouted, furious. He would not be this man's puppet!
'I'm afraid it's too late to hold onto such pitiful emotions.' The silver-haired man gestured behind the child.
Fear in his soul, Toshiro turned, once more witness to the corpses of his dear friends. Momo still breathed, but barely, and the betrayal and fear in her eyes, directed at him, hurt more than anything.
'I wouldn't do this!' Shutting his eyes from the scene, Toshiro fisted his hands into his hair, trying to wake up.
'It's only a matter of time until you do. You are a Nobody.'
'No!'
His hands went to his head in reality too, his inner panic starting to show on his face as he fell to his knees on the icy ground, the shadows growing larger and wrapping around him tightly. It was all familiar, and having just recovered from the wounds she got last time, Dextra chose not to try and get close again. The ice seemed to stop spreading at a certain radius, so she could at least land again, watching with concern and calling out his name along with Chopper to try and reach him.
"It's not working, what do we do?" Chopper asked, fear making his voice shake. "Hyorinmaru went to help but I don't think he's gotten through!"
Dextra didn't answer, as she herself wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't hear them, but approaching meant getting run through by shadows, and they were a lot more vicious this time. The sky was starting to darken and the air was turning bitter cold. By now the whole island would know something was up. She didn't know how to stop him.
The air, already heavy from Toshiro's Spiritual Pressure, suddenly held an intense aura that made her stiffen. Someone was not happy with the darkness on this island, someone strong.
'Face it, you cannot handle your power.' Xemnas held Toshiro by the throat and raised him off the ground, the latter helpless in his grip. 'You have only ever caused harm with it. You were never meant to be a hero; you don't protect anyone. Your purpose is Kingdom Hearts, that is all you are. A Key.
'So stop pretending to be human.'
Toshiro let out a scream filled with rage and pain, trying to refuse the nightmare with everything he had. Dextra and Chopper jumped with fright at the shout, concerned, especially as the darkness coiled tighter and thrashed wildly through the air, the ice rising up in spikes… pointing at Toshiro himself.
'I'd rather die than let you use me!'
Toshiro's thoughts fueled the darkness to be even more aggressive. If he could not escape the darkness, he'd take it down with him.
"Stop!" Dextra shouted, her voice cracking slightly due to her shock. A tendril lashed out and she dodged back quickly.
"Whoa there." A hand was held against her back, anticipating her to fall from jumping back so sharply. She was fine, of course, but the touch startled her, causing her to turn around rapidly. A tall figure with striking red hair stood next to her, looking intently at where Toshiro struggled with himself and his memories.
This was the strong presence she had sensed earlier.
"Shanks…" She spoke shakily, recognizing the one-armed pirate and his striking red hair, scars over one eye. "You're a… Pirate Emperor… the one who stood equal to Whitebeard without any kind of Devil Fruit."
"And the one who's not happy with whatever this is being on my island." Shanks gestured with his remaining hand to the sphere of darkness that had begun enveloping the terrified Toshiro.
Understanding just how powerful this man was, the eagle child was even more worried about her friend's safety.
"Wait, he's not himself!" Though her knees shook, she got between the pirate and the Nobody, arms stretched out as if to be an obstacle. Chopper could only watch from her back, speechless and shaking like a leaf. "That darkness is hurting him! He's being force-fed nightmares and bad visions, if I can just wake him up it will stop!"
Shanks spared the child a glance, taking in what she said, before looking back at Toshiro. Her story definitely fit, the poor child looked absolutely terrified, eyes shut tight and aura wild and unchecked.
It was when Toshiro reached for his throat again, the threat of the collar leading him to reopen old wounds unconsciously, that Shanks scowled and decided enough was enough. He came here to stop what he thought was a threat to an island he controlled, and while that still hadn't changed, he couldn't watch this.
The weight in the air suddenly grew far more intense, a powerful blast of will briefly overtaking even Toshiro's own Spiritual Pressure. The darkness dispersed due to the unfamiliar, sharp, threatening force. Toshiro himself stopped moving, eyes snapping open in shock but still unfocused. The visions faded and all that remained was instinct. The ice around him cracked as its user became unfocused, what little focus he had zeroed in on the powerful presence near him.
"Heh, other than being a little spooked you barely flinched from that." Shanks smirked a slight bit, impressed. Dextra had gasped and stumbled a bit at the powerful Conqueror's Haki he had just used, she and Chopper both having to recollect their thoughts. They weren't knocked out, but it was a heavy effect befitting someone as powerful as Red-Hair Shanks, someone who was once part of the Pirate King's crew and a Pirate Emperor.
The Ice Nobody still wasn't conscious, but he was no longer in a panic. The darkness still rose from his form, but now in tiny smoke-like wisps that couldn't try to constrict the life out of him. It's presence still held him in his mental prison, but even there he was paying attention to this new threat. It was as though he stood before the Head Captain's powerful presence, though this aura was not of flame and heat, but pure power.
"You listening yet, kid?" Shanks called out, leaning over a bit to see the other's eyes. Though wide in surprise, the teal still held a blank look, signaling he was not quite free yet. "Come on back, I'd hate to hurt you."
"H-hey, Toshiro." Dextra hoped maybe a friendly voice might reach him, though she was still a bit shaky from the Haki burst. "We're… we're here to help you, remember? It's just Maleficent trying to mess with you, you're okay."
"Maleficent?" Shanks put his hand to his chin, thinking over the name for a moment as if recognizing it. Though confused by his reaction, Dextra had to focus on her friend first. "Oh! The horned lady! So this is what she was talking about with her 'darkness' and 'power' or whatever…. Doesn't look very appealing."
The name seemed to spark something, Toshiro's teeth clenching and the darkness thickening over him. One of the ice spikes gained a sudden growth spurt and cut through one of the Nobody's arms. Thankfully a surface wound, but startling nonetheless.
"H-hey!" Shanks snapped, surprised at the self-harm.
The wound seemed to do the trick though, pain spiking through the Reaper's body and bringing him out of the inner prison, blinking for a moment before shaking his head to clear away the last of the pulls at his thoughts. The darkness faded away as it lost its hold, but he still looked shaky and frightened. No doubt he would still be hard to approach, considering he had to go to the extremes of cutting himself to snap out of it.
"You okay, kid?"
Putting a hand to the wound on his arm, Toshiro turned to the unfamiliar voice, not recognizing the red-haired figure but noticing how spooked Dextra and Chopper looked. Was that his fault? Or the stranger's? Now that he was conscious he knew where the powerful force had emanated from, cautious of what seemed to be a normal human. He didn't have the aura of a Devil Fruit… he was just that strong?
"Who are you?" He asked, cursing his shaky voice. He still needed to mentally recuperate from the visions… and after clenching his hands tightly to stop their shaking, realized that might take a bit. It had hit him hard.
"Shanks!" Luffy's cheery voice from behind made him jump and turn quickly, reflexes almost making him lash out if he didn't have enough of himself back to stop at lifting his hand up and not actually summoning his sword to him. The rubber man was sprinting happily over, apparently recognizing the red-head as an old friend and not paying attention to the ground.
He promptly slipped on the black ice, though at least avoided any of the spikes since those were pointed in towards Toshiro… seeing this, the Nobody willed them to break away.
"S-sorry." He said to the Captain as well, standing slowly and with a clear stiffness to his posture. Nami and Usopp, who had followed their Captain, noticed this about their guest and shared glances, wondering what had happened. They quickly became nervous upon spotting Shanks, however, as they did recognize him.
Shanks, however, just began laughing after Luffy fell on his ass.
"Never pay attention, do ya!?" The one-armed man jeered.
"Shut it!" Luffy snapped back, jumping to his feet with ease now that the ice was gone and letting out a snort like an angry pig wanting to charge.
"And you call yourself a pirate, ha!"
While the Emperor continued to jeer at an irritated Luffy, Dextra hurried to Toshiro's side, both to check on him and get some distance from the powerful man.
"Are you okay?" She asked, though she could guess the answer, Chopper going into his 'human' form to look at the new wound.
Toshiro chose not to answer, fists clenched tight and gaze to the ground. What could he even say? Among all the bodies in his vision, she and a few other pirates had been there. The ones that have been doing their best to help him feel welcome and free, killed by his hand… the echo of 'monster' still haunted his thoughts. He only ever got people hurt, for reasons beyond his control. The memory of the collar made his neck itch.
He couldn't help but wonder if the visions were right. Maybe there was no point in pretending to be human if his purpose was just Kingdom Hearts. Every time he tried… people were harmed.
'And yet you still have friends.' Hyorinmaru reminded, once more able to speak with his master with the darkness out of his way. He had been trapped there as well… and the feeling of being Maleficent's pet made his icy scales rattle with disgust. 'We should not give up yet.'
'I just don't want these nightmares to become reality… that would be easier to do if I stayed away.' Toshiro responded quietly as he let Chopper wrap his arm up in a small bandage.
'They won't become a reality if we don't let them win or tell us what to do. These people are strong. Sora and the others are strong. Until we mature, you need these people. I can only do so much… I am sorry.'
'You help plenty, Hyorinmaru… but you're right. I can't rely on just myself, and you are a part of me.'
After a reassuring purr, the dragon went quiet, and as if on cue someone placed their hand on his head.
"Yo, you still not awake, brat?"
Still not quite recovered, Toshiro Flash Stepped a couple feet away, startled by the unfamiliar touch and tense for a counter-attack if necessary.
"Whoa, easy there." Shanks put his hand up as a sign of surrender. He didn't show it in his expression, keeping a calm and relaxed smile on his face, but he was a bit concerned by the flare he had sensed from the Nobody and the wide eyed look on the smaller figure, the look of someone ready to fight for his life. "Luffy says you're traveling with them and another crew?"
"Yeah, Snowy's got some cool magic and a big strong dragon! And he's like a spirit or something."
"You made it sound so lame!" Toshiro snapped, though Luffy only grinned and gave the other a thumbs up.
"I don't see a dragon." Shanks looked around, a hand over his eyes to block the sun as he turned to the sky as well.
"He stays in Snowy's shadow!" Luffy explained excitedly.
"Eh!? That's ridiculous!"
"L-Luffy…" Dextra's small voice caught the rubber man's attention, who looked at her curiously. "Do you… are you… friends… with Red-Hair Shanks?"
"Oh yeah I've known him since I was a kid, Shishishi!"
"More like his dumb ass followed me around like a fan boy." Shanks clarified with a snicker.
"Did not! I told you I planned on kicking your ass!"
"Ha! You're a hundred years too early for that, brat!"
"But Luffy, he's a Pirate Emperor." Dextra couldn't quite wrap her head around it. Nami and Usopp didn't seem quite as surprised – they had heard stories about him from Luffy – but still seemed nervous being on the same island as such a powerful pirate, friends with their Captain or not. Part of that concern was Luffy's continuous attempts to provoke the older man into a fight.
'That explains why his Spirit Energy is so high…' Toshiro thought to himself, looking at the man in a new light and remembering the burst of power he had sensed that had obliterated the nightmares.
"How about you kids come with me and tell me all about what's going on?" Shanks offered to the gathered group. "Let's give your friend a chance to calm down and relax, yeah?"
"G-go with you?" Usopp looked surprised.
"Yeah, why not!? And bring the rest of your crews, too!" The Emperor answered cheerfully. "Was just enjoying a couple rounds in the bar nearby before this guy made a fuss, ha!"
"It… wasn't intentional." Toshiro responded as Shanks motioned to him for causing the trouble.
"Don't worry about it, no one got hurt, and that's the important thing." The red-haired pirate shrugged casually before pivoting and walking away. "Now come on, friends of Luffy's are fine in my book, drinks on me!"
"Sounds good to me." Nami gave a mischievous grin, looking forward to a Pirate Emperor's generosity.
"I'll, uh, just go get everybody." Usopp spoke with a nervous laugh before quickly excusing himself and taking off.
As the others followed the powerful man, Toshiro took a moment to look at his hands before following. They still shook slightly, and he was sure if he possessed a heart it would still be beating loudly in his chest. The relaxed atmosphere Shanks kept was helpful… but it would take more than that before he was calm again, and he wondered if he could even get to that point. The darkness was clawing at his control more aggressively than before, and only Hyorinmaru's presence muted its attempts, helping him ignore it a bit easier. It wasn't going to be easy being on edge like this from now on… he needed to watch his steps carefully.
Taking a deep breath to collect his thoughts and take a little more control, Toshiro caught up to and followed the pirates.