Treasure Planet part 6
It's only been a billion years, but we're finishing the freaking movie!
TW: Guns, Possession (brief and non-religious)
Arms tied behind her back, eyes alight, Kairi was laughing. But the voice was barely hers, layered with unnaturally higher and lower tones. The whole attitude of the sound was wrong, cruel and biting, dark and bloodthirsty.
"Nothing leaves," she snarled. The heart of this world was speaking through her, enmeshed within her own. Her companions glanced at her, worried and horrified in turns.
"Kairi?" Sora nervously. She didn't respond.
"That's not Kairi," Riku stated, shaking his head once.
Jim had rushed over, seeing the pirates were distracted by the treasure. He untied them all as quickly as he could, watching Kairi warily as he did. She didn't react to him or Sora or Riku. Her eyes were locked on Silver as he sank to his knees in the gold and cradled it in his hands.
"She okay?" Jim asked the other boys as he unbound them.
They exchanged a look. "We'll figure it out," Sora said. Jim nodded, turning to B.E.N., Amelia, and Dr. Doppler. The latter were rubbing their wrists, but B.E.N. was looking around and clutching his head.
"This is all so familiar…" he muttered, struggling. "I can't remember why."
Jim patted his shoulder. "C'mon," he addressed the three of them, voice low. "We're getting out of here, and we're not leaving empty handed." They all nodded, following after him as he darted off. He lead them towards the remains of a schooner marooned on a hill of gold, weighed down with even more treasure.
Riku was untying Kairi's wrists. The moment he finished, she straightened and summoned her Keyblade. She stalked past them without a word, eyes still locked on Silver.
Sora darted in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. "Kairi? C'mon Kairi, snap out of it!"
For a moment she kept staring beyond him, struggling to move. Finally, she turned her attention to his face. The sight of him made her gasp, coming back into herself all at once.
"Sora!" she breathed, staring. Across his cheek, just under his left eye, a huge glowing golden gash arced from his cheekbone to his chin. A smaller cut went through his right eyebrow, also glowing, and she could see light shimmering behind his left ear through his hair. The flecked cotton of his grey shirt stood in stark shadow, a brilliant light breaking through the fabric's weave over his heart. She reached out involuntarily, trailing her fingers over the scar-like glow on his cheek.
He pulled back slightly, hands dropping from the tops of her shoulders to her arms. "Kairi?" he murmured uncertainly. Beside them, Riku watched her face with concern.
Kairi lowered her hand and looked between the two of them. She was still glowing, but her voice was hers again as she asked "You can't see it?" The question was mainly directed at Riku.
"See what?" he replied, baffled.
"He's glowing," she explained, gesturing to Sora's face again. "Like scars..." She trailed off, the faintest echoes filling in her voice again. She rested her hand on his cheek, thumb skimming over the mark.
Sora flushed, embarrassed, but didn't back up further. He caught her hand in his own. "You're the one that's glowing, Kairi," he said, chuckling nervously. Her hair hovered around the solar flare brilliance of her face, eyes shimmering brightly. He couldn't look away.
Riku was glancing between the two of them, eyebrows furrowed. "Scars?" he repeated, unable to see what Kairi was talking about.
She didn't answer him. Her attention was locked on Sora's hand, taking it in her own and turning it over. His fingers were ringed in little golden cuts, palms entirely yellowed, as if the skin had been scraped off and replaced with sunlight itself. Around his wrist, a woven bracelet also shimmered, the threads and beads as brilliant as the rest. It was somehow so familiar to her, like the one she'd made for herself that she was wearing now. She trailed her fingertips down his palm, and was surprised to feel him shiver slightly.
"They're beautiful," she murmured, twining her fingers with his and meeting his eyes again. Even though they looked like wounds, they were amazingly brilliant. "Like when my grandmother fixed the vase I broke in the library. She filled the cracks with gold. I'd forgotten all about it until just now."
Sora's face didn't seem to know what expression it wanted to make, flushed and half-grinning, half-worried. "Weird," was all he could manage to say as he squeezed her hand, tone a little breathless. Their gazes were locked on each other, heads tilted in.
Watching them, Riku felt his throat fill with a stomach-sick sensation heavy as lead. He shouldn't be here. His being here felt like an impediment, the final barrier to something he half dreaded and half desperately wanted to happen. But above and beyond that feeling he wanted to understand what was happening. What was Kairi seeing, and why? What did it mean? So he focused on that.
"I think you're the only one who can see them," he announced quietly. Both of them turned their attention towards him, expressions a little unfocused.
"Oh," Kairi murmured, glancing back at Sora for a moment. "It's so strange. I don't know how I didn't notice them before."
Hastily, Riku tried to catch their attention again. "What do they feel like to you, Kairi?" he asked, not really certain if that was even the right question.
"Feel like…?" she half asked, half mumbled as her free hand drifted up to land on Sora's chest over the brightest glow. He leaned into her hand slightly, breath catching. "They're warm…" She continued, lightly digging her fingers in the fabric, and she felt Sora hold on tighter to her hand. She focused on the light from his palm, from his chest. "They feel familiar, like they're…" she trailed off, eyes half-lidded. "Like they're…they're mine," she blurted abruptly. The realization made her blink, suddenly taking in how close she was to Sora. She must have moved closer unconsciously as she focused. His breath wreathed around her face, eyes locked on hers. At some point, his free hand and come to rest on her waist. She could feel how shallowly he was breathing beneath her hand. Her stomach flipped, thoughts reeling, trying to sort out the planet's devouring song from her own emotions. It felt impossible, so much possessive wanting spinning together. She turned her attention to the glowing marks instead, focusing as hard as she could.
"It's my magic," she restated, more certain now. "But I don't know what that means."
Riku was still watching them, heart hammering in his chest, fingers clenching and unclenching. He forced himself to answer, voice a little strange, "I don't either, but-"
In the distance, B.E.N. yowled, cutting him off, "-BOOBY TRAP!"
All three teens started at the noise, turning to follow it.
"That doesn't sound good," Sora said, still holding onto Kairi.
"No," she and Riku agreed, shaking their heads. Together, the three of them took off towards the beached ship. As they ran, an explosion rippled overhead. One of the large canon-like structures dangling from the ceiling had erupted at its base.
"C'mon!" Sora urged them forward. They reached the ship in time to hear the tail end of B.E.N.'s explanation.
"-rigged this whole planet to blow higher than a KALEPSIAN KITE!" he yelled, eyes now blue and somehow more focused despite his shouting.
Above them, the huge metal tube disengaged from the ceiling. Spearing thunderously into the gold below, it split the ground underneath it. Elsewhere, the laser bursts these structures had been emitting began to cut through the planet itself. They scythed forward, heedless of the lives around them.
On the ship, Jim was moving, diving for the control panel. "Get to the Legacy," he ordered the rest of them as he slid underneath it. "If I'm not there in five minutes, leave without me."
"Aye-aye," Amelia quipped mirthlessly, grabbing the Doctor's hand and running for the door. B.E.N. hesitated, but Sora caught his arm.
"C'mon. He'll be okay."
"I'm staying with Jim," Kairi announced, surprising her friends. "If this doesn't work, I can make a portal."
"Right," Riku agreed, nodding. Sora stopped short, glancing back at her. After a beat, though, he nodded too.
"You've got this," he said, grinning doggedly at her. He and Riku took off after the others. Kairi watched them go, hair floating about her as she turned slowly to stay facing them.
"Thanks," Jim said from underneath the controls. Finished with the wiring, he slid back out. It was the first chance he'd had to really process the change in his friend. "You good?" he asked, trying not to jump when she swung her head back around to face him.
"Oh, you're asking about this?" she said, gesturing broadly at herself. "Yes, I'm alright. It's like before, but stronger."
He nodded, understanding. He turned his attention to the control panel, trying to figure out how to start the engine. Morph, who'd been stowed away in his pocket, anxiously fluttered about his head.
Kairi turned her gaze back to the others. "This place really doesn't want us to leave," she murmured.
"Yeah," Jim muttered with a nod, flicking switches. "You kind of said as much."
"Right…" she replied a little sheepishly. That hadn't really been her, but she still remembered it clearly.
The planet's core began to separate, pirates and gold tumbling into its burning depths. But Sora and Riku and the others were clear, dashing through the portal door.
Finally, the ship's engine caught, flames jetting out of its weathered exhaust.
"Yes! We are so out of here!" Jim crowed as Kairi and Morph cheered.
A voice cut through their early celebration. "Ah, Jimbo," Silver called, climbing aboard the vessel before it could truly get underway. "Aren't you the seventh wonder of the universe?"
Kairi summoned her Keyblade, sliding into her fighting stance. Beside her, Jim grabbed a nearby cutlass in both hands. He thrust it forward, brandishing it inches in front of Silver's gut.
"Get back!" he snarled.
Silver stopped short, scowling at the boy from under the brim of his tricorn. "I like you, lad," he muttered, stalking forward deliberately, "but I've come too far to let you stand between me and me treasure."
Jim backed up, eyes wide, sword clutched in front of him in both hands. His back hit the ship's wheel. Silver kept advancing, all grim determination. Kairi shifted her weight, glow intensifying.
"Your treasure?" she snarled, voice multi-layered again. Her eyes had gone blank and brilliant despite the intensity of her expression.
Above them, one of the canon-like ceiling fixtures rotated towards them. A white-hot burst of energy erupted from it. It cut into the side of the ship, splintering the foremast and tipping the schooner sharply. All three of them were thrown off their feet. Silver caught hold of the ship's rail, feet getting purchase on a nearby jutting structure. Kairi and Jim weren't so lucky, both sent bouncing off its slanted top. Jim scrambled to slow his fall, twisting just in time to catch onto the wall behind them. Kairi kicked off the metal instead, launching herself back to land on a lower portion of the structure. She spun around, herself once more.
Jim was dangling from the wall. Chunks of metal in geometric shapes peppered its surface, presumably there to connect portions of the inner structure together. Pulled apart now, they were gradually retracting. Jim was holding onto two of them, and he tried to step up onto a third, but it quickly withdrew into the wall. He swung slightly, grip slipping.
Silver, meanwhile, was hauling on the ship. He pulled it and its valuable loot free from the cutting laser still boring it into its side. He smiled grimly as the beam continued slowly advancing. Morph darted over, chittering. The little creature fluttered about his face, frantically gesturing behind him. Silver turned, never letting go of the ship. He focused his mechanical eye, zooming in on an imperiled Jim.
"Jimbo!" the old salt hissed. Swapping out his hand for his clamp, he extended his mechanical arm as far as it could go. His other hand was outstretched. "Reach for me now!" he called.
Jim turned, frantically stretching for him. Their hands were still far apart. He struggled to hold on, arm shaking. His grip was tenuous at best now that all his weight was anchored by one hand.
"Jim!" Kairi shouted, watching in horror. She drew on the energy for a spell, but as she opened her mouth the metal underneath her rattled and dropped. She threw herself upwards, catching onto a thick pipe. Scrambling, she climbed it the way she'd climbed palm trees back on Destiny Islands, with her legs wrapped tight around it, pulling herself up by her arms. She was stronger and therefore faster now, but she wasn't sure she'd be fast enough.
"Reach!" Silver urged Jim, straining.
"I- I can't!" he gasped, lurching forward and nearly falling. As he spoke, the curved piece he was hanging onto fully retracted. He yelped as he fell, crying out again as he just barely caught himself on another jutting metal chunk lower down. The tiny square was hardly big enough to hold onto with both hands. It was also gradually pulling back into the wall.
Silver watched, eyes wide. He glanced back at the ship. There was no way he could save the boy and the gold. Kairi kept climbing, but she wasn't to the top yet and he couldn't see her at all. The pirate hemmed, glancing again between Jim and the remains of the treasure he'd traded several limbs and so many years searching for.
"Oh," he groaned under his breath, face scrunching up. "Blast me for a fool!" He bellowed, letting go of the ship. He dove forward just as Jim's handhold ran out. Swooping down, he snatched the teen up by the wrist. Using Jim's momentum and heaving with all his strength, he swung Jim up to grab onto the edge of the metal platform. Panting, they both pulled themselves back onto the relative safety of its ledge. Kairi was only a heartbeat behind them. Smiling wearily, she offered both of them a hand up to help them stand.
As she did so, the schooner full of treasure exploded. She curled forward, covering her head. Silver and Jim shielded their eyes as Morph dove behind their backs. Heat blasted their skin as metal rained down around them.
As soon as things stilled, Kairi stood, flicked her wrist and summoned a portal.
"We need to go."
—-
Sora, Riku, Amelia, Doppler and B.E.N. had bolted back to the skiff. Amelia had pushed the little boat to its limits, docking it neatly in the Legacy's hold. Following her instructions, they got the ship underway. At the helm, Dr. Doppler pointed them back towards the portal, but Sora and Riku ordered him to head for space.
"They'll catch up! We have to go!"
They were right, of course. Barely a minute later, a golden egg-shaped portal bloomed in front of Riku. Jim, Silver, Kairi and Morph all came running out of it.
"You gave up?" Jim was asking Silver.
"Just a lifelong obsession, Jimbo," the pirate replied breezily, wiping his forehead. "I'll get over it."
"Hurry people!" B.E.N. shouted by way of greeting. His eyes were rapidly ticking pie charts, the blue lit portions representing their remaining time. His chest panel was extended, running calculations as he tapped the buttons littered on its inward face. "We got exactly two minutes and thirty-four seconds till planet's destruction!"
Everyone scurried about, running the ship with barely half a crew and carefully avoiding the hole in the center of the deck. Captain Amelia was giving orders and coaching the inexperienced physicist at her helm. Unable to do much with his ruined leg, Silver thought it best to try to smooth things over with her.
"Captain, you dropped from the heavens in the nick of-"
"Save your claptrap for the judge, Silver," she snapped, barely looking at him. Silver balked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
A chunk of planetary debris smashed into one of the sails, ripping it off as it careened through the mast and over the ship entirely. The broken fragments smashed into the deck, crushing the main deck cannon and sending pieces of it scattering. The thrusters whined as their power sharply dwindled.
"Mizzen sail demobilized, Captain," B.E.N. rattled off urgently. "Thrusters at only thirty percent of capacity."
"Thirty percent?" Doppler said, calculating rapidly. "That means we're… We'll never clear the planet's explosion in time," he informed Amelia solemnly. Despite the quietness of his words, it carried to those on deck.
Sora, Riku and Kairi exchanged a look across the ship. Sora was in the shrouds, climbing down after unfurling the fore topsail. Riku was tying down anything still loose on deck, headed for a strange sheet-wrapped bundle. Kairi stood next to Jim. She started to take a step towards her friends, brain already formulating a fire spell they could work together to push them clear. But she paused, watching Jim as he darted to the railing and leaned over the edge. He looked back at the way they came, then over at the busted cannon.
She recognized the expression on his face. "You have a plan?"
"Yeah," he replied, preoccupied. "We gotta turn around." He turned, jumping over a ledge and heading for the wreckage. Kairi followed him, Sora and Riku converging that way as well.
Amelia had overheard. "What?"
"There's a portal back there," Jim explained, still moving. "It can get us out of here!"
Silver and Doppler were listening too. "Pardon me, Jim," the doctor sputtered with strained politeness, "but doesn't that portal open onto a raging inferno?!"
"Yes!" Jim answered, shouting over the sounds of the planet exploding. He yanked a large piece of metal from the decimated cannons with a grunt. "But I'm gonna change that. I'm gonna open a different door."
Silver zoomed in to the portal with his mechanical eye, then the holographic map still formed in front of it. He staggered down the stairway to the main deck.
Dr. Doppler was sputtering, nerves at their limit. "Captain, really, I just don't see how this could possibly-"
"Listen to the boy!" the old salt bellowed.
"One minute, twenty-nine seconds till planet's destruction!" B.E.N. shouted.
Jim dragged over the cannon's ignition, asking Kairi and Riku to hold it in place on the tail of the long, flat metal piece. He looked around, snatching up a piece of rope as Silver reached them.
"What do you need, Jim?" The sailor asked, sliding to his knees next to the lad.
"Just some way to attach this." He gestured to the object, throwing the rope around it. Silver and Sora had the same idea at once.
"Alright, stand back! Stand back now," the sailor ordered, swapping his hand out for his cannon. Sora downed an ether and summoned white hot flames to the tips of his fingers. Each took a side, soldering the pieces together once the other teens were at a safe distance.
"There you go," Silver said. Sora and Jim hefted the metal board up onto the ship's railing. Silver held it steady as Jim hopped aboard. He balanced on it carefully, feet set just so, fingertips placed one either side of himself.
He spoke mostly to Silver, "Okay. Now, no matter what happens, keep the ship heading straight for that portal." Staring the old salt down, he made sure his message was clear. Silver searched his face.
"Fifty-eight seconds!" B.E.N. bawled.
Silver's expression was grim. Jim watched him for a heartbeat more, then turned and kicked the ignition's lever. The make-do engine caught, catapulting him forward on his board. Sora let out a cheer as the three teenagers leaned over the railing to watch their friend.
Silver turned, shouting upwards, "Well, you heard 'em! Get this blasted heap turned 'round!"
Amelia's ears pricked. "Doctor, head us back to the portal."
"Aye, Captain," Doppler sighed, doing as bidden despite his reluctance.
Jim was soaring expertly, dodging debris by shifting his weight. It would have been fun if it weren't for the planet rattling apart underneath him.
Then his engine gave out.
He kicked the lever again, and it caught before he'd lost too much distance. He had to bank hard, whipping around extruding metal and fiery jets. He skidded along a wall, shooting up sparks.
The Legacy struggled to keep up behind him, pieces of the ship getting sheered off by suddenly erupting walls.
"Twenty-five seconds!" yelled B.E.N.
Jim's engine died a second time. He kicked the ignition, but it didn't catch. He tried again, and again - nothing. He was falling hard, forward momentum completely stopped.
"No! No!" he shouted. The thin board's aerodynamic shape was useless in slowing his fall.
Aboard the ship, Silver and the Keybalde wielders watched him suddenly plunge into a canyon.
"C'mon, lad," Silver whispered through gritted teeth.
Jim could feel the heat rising from the planet's molten core. He stepped on the ignition again and again, watching the sky fall away. He needed an idea, and fast. The engine just needed to light.
He could make fire.
Lifting his foot one more time, he took a deep breath, inflating his diaphragm. Then he brought his heel down hard, shouting, "Fire!" The spell rippled from his foot through the metal and into the engine. It came bursting to life, rocketing him upwards. He held onto the board's nose. Clearing the edge of the canyon with a flip, he leaned forward. The Legacy passed above him, still pointed straight for the inferno at the portal's heart.
Jim could hear B.E.N. counting down. "Seven… six…" The teen swooped forward, angling for the map with his arm outstretched.
"Five… four… three… two!"
He reached it, tapping Montressor's thin crescent.
The portal closed, reopening into the clear indigo expanse of space. They burst through it, Jim swooping next to the great galleon. The planet's final explosion heaved behind them, pushing them forward on a wave of rippling heat before the portal itself collapsed, destroyed.
Jim whooped, staying ahead of the fiery debris. On deck, everyone was cheering, Silver loudest of all.
"You done it, Jimbo! You done it, boy!" He bellowed, laughing. The teen swung overhead, catching a high-five from the old salt before he landed on deck. Morph burst into confetti.
"Didn't I say the lad had greatness in him?" Silver shouted, beaming.
Sora, Kairi and Riku thronged around their friend. "You did it!" Kairi cheered, throwing her arms around his shoulders. She let go just as fast, bouncing up with a quick spin. Sora gave him another high five, laughing.
"Nice work," Riku praised, mussing the shorter boy's hair. Jim shoved him back, grinning around at all of them. Morph cut in, licking his face like an affectionate dog. At the helm, Dr. Doppler and Amelia pulled the ship to a stop and embraced, desperate relief and growing affection all tangled together at once. After a quick, meaningful glance, they climbed down to join the others.
"Unorthodox, but ludicrously effective," the captain praised, causing Jim to duck his head. "I'd be proud to recommend you to the interstellar academy. They could use a man like you." Already slinking away, Silver couldn't help but pause and swell with pride. A recommendation from someone as decorated as Amelia would ensure Jim was set for life.
Elated, Dr. Doppler burst out, "Just wait until your mother hears about this!" Then, thinking a little further, he added, "Of course, we may downplay the life-threatening parts." Jim chuckled.
"Jimmy," B.E.N. said tentatively, making his way through the crowd surrounding the hero of the hour. "That was unforgettable!" he trumpeted. Jim grinned indulgently at him. B.E.N. continued, "I know you don't like touching, but get ready for a hug big guy, 'cause I gotta hug ya!" He threw his arms around Jim, sincerely trying not to squeeze too tightly. The teenager laughed, scooping up the robot and spinning him around in a massive hug. He set him down with a friendly jostle about his head and shoulders.
"Hey, you hugged me back," B.E.N. said, delighted and surprised. His eyes scrunched up. "Oh, I promised myself I wouldn't cry!" He wiped at a non-existent tear and then flopped onto Jim's shoulder, sobbing. He patted his back, completely unbothered. After a moment, though the teen couldn't help glancing around for Silver.
The old salt was nowhere to be found.
B.E.N. straightened up, apologizing. Doppler and Amelia were making their way back to the controls, intently conversing among themselves. Sora, Riku and Kairi were close, taking in the spaceport in the distance. They noticed Jim looking around and walked back over to him.
"He went belowdecks," Riku said, not needing to explain who he was talking about.
"We'll cover for you," Sora added, grinning.
"Thanks." Jim darted for the stairs. The trio watched him go, still smiling.
"How do you think he did it?" Sora asked, sliding his hands behind his head and rocking back on his heel.
Kairi smirked. "I have an idea," she chimed mischievously. The boys glanced at her, recognizing that particular tone.
"What did you do?" Riku asked lightly.
She tucked her arms behind her back, lifting her chin. "I might have taught him a spell."
"No way!" Sora said, shoving her playfully. She giggled, elbowing him back.
Riku smiled at them. "He learns fast."
"He does," Kairi agreed. "He even figured out one I didn't teach him."
"He'd make a good Keyblade wielder," Riku stated, watching their reactions carefully.
Sora's grin widened. "Yeah!"
"I've been thinking the same thing," Kairi said.
"Wait, can we do that?" Sora asked, Donald's voice practically echoing in his mind. "What about world order?"
Riku grew a little more serious. "I don't know if that applies here. Jim already knew about other worlds. Besides, we need more wielders… and finding them is part of my role as Master."
Kairi shifted to catch his eye. "I think he's a great first pick."
"If he even wants to," Riku countered, but he was smiling.
"Let's go ask him!" Sora said, taking half a step towards the staircase.
"Alright," Riku agreed, following him.
"Race you!" Kairi chimed, breaking into a sprint. Laughing, they took off after her, shoving each other on the stairs.
As they neared the hold, they quieted, slowing at the sound of muffled voices.
"What say you ship out with us, lad?" they heard Silver ask. Glancing quickly between themselves, they ducked behind the doorframe to eavesdrop.
Silver was still talking. "You and me," he elaborated, growing louder. "Hawkins and Silver! Full of ourselves and no ties to anyone!"
There was a pause. "You know," Jim said slowly, "when I got on this boat, I would've taken you up on that offer in a second. But… I met this old cyborg, and he taught me that I could chart my own course. That's what I'm gonna do," he stated, his voice soft and resolute.
Silver could be heard walking up beside him. "And what do you see off that bow of yours?" the old salt asked warmly.
"A future."
The trio smiled at each other, still hiding behind the door. Their attention shifted as they heard Silver chuckle.
"Why, look at ya," he said, voice thick with emotion, "glowing like a solar fire. You're something special, Jim. You're gonna rattle the stars, you are."
"He picked Jim," Kairi whispered into the quiet that followed. "When it came down to it, he could save the treasure or Jim, and he picked Jim."
"I wouldn't have guessed that," Riku murmured.
Sora shrugged, whispering, "Sometimes people are complicated."
They fell quiet again as Silver sputtered, "Must've gotten some grease in this cyborg eye of mine."
Morph burst into loud sobs.
"Oh, hey, Morph," Jim comforted. "I'll see ya around, okay?"
"See ya around," the little creature echoed mournfully. He chittered as things fell quiet again.
Sora went to peer around the doorframe, but Riku caught him by his hood.
Silver's voice, low and serious, cut through any protest Sora might have made. "Morphy," the old salt murmured, "I got a job for ya. I need ya to keep an eye on this here pup. Will ya do me that little favor?" he asked, words suddenly watery.
Morph chittered something too quiet to fully make out. The whir of the ropes lowering filled the hold.
"Oh, and one more thing," Silver called normally. "This is for your dear mother, to rebuild that inn of hers." There was a bright clinking sound that ended in a muted impact.
"Stay out of trouble," Jim replied, "ya old scalawag."
Silver laughed, and his voice sounded further away. "Why, Jimbo, lad, when have I ever done otherwise?"
The engine of the skiff hummed as the solar sail unfolded. The trio heard the little boat take off, Silver's laugh fading out with it. They shared another look, silently deciding to come out now.
Jim was still standing at the open panel, hands full of coins and jewels. Morph hovered by his head.
"He's gone?" Kairi asked softly as they walked up.
Jim turned, eyes dry if a little red. "Yeah. You won't tell the captain and Doc that I let him go, will you?"
"No," Riku said, shaking his head once.
"Secret's safe with us," Sora agreed.
Jim looked relieved. "Thanks."
"We've got a question for you," Kairi piped up, tucking her arms behind her back. Jim glanced at her, one eyebrow lifting at the smirk on her face. Riku and Sora were smiling conspiratorially too.
"What's up?" Jim asked.
"We know you've got one option for that future of yours," Riku stated, referring to the offer Captain Amelia had made him. "But we think you'd be pretty good at this." He summoned Braveheart, holding it at chest level with the blade parallel to his shoulders.
Jim looked from the shimmering weapon to the three teens' faces, landing on Kairi's last. "A Keyblade?" he asked.
"Mmhmm!" she said with a nod.
"You get to travel all over," Sora elaborated.
"After you train some," Riku cut in, dismissing Braveheart. "It's not easy. The darkness doesn't rest, so neither do we."
"That's true," Sora said, deflating a little. "You won't get to go home much."
"But we think you can handle it," Kairi added optimistically.
"You don't have to decide now," Riku said. "Just think about it."
"Okay," Jim nodded. He looked again at the treasure in his hands. Morph chittered, nuzzling his cheek. The teen smiled, putting the coins and gems in his pocket. Together the four of them left the hold. There was a ship to dock, after all.
The docking process took everyone's efforts and over an hour due to the battering the Legacy had taken. Arrangements were made - B.E.N. would be Amelia's new first mate. Dr. Doppler would be in touch with her to settle debts for the ship's repairs. Silver's absence went completely unmentioned. Sora, Riku and Kairi would be staying with Jim and his mother at Dr. Doppler's house until the gummi ship was fixed. Dr. Doppler also arranged a ride on a ferry for the five of them and the gummi ship back to Montressor proper. And that was that - good-byes were said, and then they were underway again.
The ferry ride from the spaceport to the main planet felt like an age. It was a crowded three-decked boat with so many people and so little space that they really couldn't do more than sit and wait. Plenty of the other passengers had brought food, and watching them get to eat was its own uniquely torturous way to pass the time. Especially exhausted, Sora fell asleep with his head on Kairi's shoulder and didn't wake until they had arrived.
From the ferry station Doppler had to arrange a cart to tow the gummi ship and a carriage for them all to ride in. Despite his protestations, Sora, Riku and Kairi insisted on paying for this leg of the journey. Munny was, after all, valuable currency everywhere, and the beleaguered astrophysicist did seem a little distressed at the cost of everything. Jim later explained that the doctor had spent his life savings to hire Captain Amelia, the Legacy, and Silver and his crew. It had been a reasonable gamble, considering the amount of treasure they had hoped to bring back, but one that hadn't paid off. The bit Silver had given Jim was nothing to sneeze at, but rebuilding his mother's inn would take pretty much all of it. So the Keyblade Wielders offered to help with some of the other things, especially repaying Amelia for the Legacy's repairs. It had been Kairi and Jim that blown the giant hole in the deck, after all.
It felt like an interminably long time before they arrived at Dr. Doppler's house. They docked the Highwind on the front lawn as Sarah, Jim's mother, came out to greet them. She was ecstatic to see her son and her best friend home safe and sound. After a round of hugs, she was introduced to the trio. Like any innkeeper worth their salt, she could practically smell hunger and fatigue. So she wasted no time in ushering them all inside and feeding the lot of them.
Over dinner, they told her an abridged version of events, playing up Jim and Doppler's heroics and minimizing the intensity of the dangers they'd been in. Sarah wasn't exactly fooled, but she let them get away with it for the evening. After the story was finished, everyone bustled about taking turns bathing and setting up places to sleep. Dr. Doppler's house was far better suited to one or two occupants than six. It had only one bathroom and one guest room, which Sarah was currently occupying. All four teens would be bunking in the living room instead, with Jim taking the couch. Sora, Riku and Kairi brought in their mattresses from the gummi ship and made one giant bed out of them on the floor. Kairi piled up her stuffed animals on one end and Riku neatly settled bags of their things along the other. And then finally, finally, it was time to sleep. They curled up in a heap with Riku in the middle, unconscious before they could even say goodnight.
Two chapters in one day 'cause I don't care about metrics and they're both done! Take them! Take them and run!
