A/N: I want to finish typing this to pay homage to this thing that I thought about day and night and at school and wrote and wrote for hours and hours.. I just want to bring in into the future and whatever. Just don't worry about it. I will try to take Eleanor away from Sue-dom as best I can but it has been damn hard. Thank you for the reviews and everything. I'll just keep trying to find time to write this garbage tale. Ps I apologize in advance. I know it doesn't make any sense. I wrote it when I was 12, give me a break.
A lot of time passed. Sora was getting anxious and Eleanor watched him pace around from the spot she had taken perched on the railing of the ship. He stood and sat several times and went below deck and in the captains quarters and finally sat down beside her with a huff. Once the young man had settled down reluctantly, she turned to the entrance of the cave. It remained very distinctly void of her captain.
"So.." Sora seized her moment of restlessness eagerly. "Does it usually take this long to scout out information?"
She glanced over her shoulder at him. "No. I'll admit this isn't like Jack at all."
"Do ya think we should go after them?" Goofy asked from behind them. He and Donald had been watching Sora carefully as he fidgeted all over the ship.
"Go after them?" She asked as she turned back to the craggy shoreline. "What makes you think we could handle something Jack can't talk his way out of? He's the most cunning pirate in all the seven seas, what makes you think we can outsmart something he couldn't?" She bit her lip nervously. "What if something's gone horribly wrong?"
"All the more reason to make sure he's alright. Right?" Even Donald stepped forward and waited for her answer in anticipation.
Eleanor had never disobeyed anything Jack had ever told her to do. She was smart but not smart enough to think she could outwit something Jack couldn't, but then again her new friends were right. If Jack was in danger, they were his only chance.
"Alright, let's go ashore then." She hesitated as they brimmed with excitement. "But we'll be careful. The pirates in there are Barbossa's men. They are dangerous and ruthless do you understand?"
Sora's gaze met hers with bright intensity. "You don't have to worry about anything. We have fought in a few battles. I can't believe we get to go."
They turned to the Isla de Muerta and carefully slipped off the ship onto the black rock. Eleanor looked around warily. The moon still hung low and heavy in the sky casting eerie silvery light onto the otherwise black water. Slowly they crept towards the entrance to the cave Jack had entered and peeked inside.
"You sure about this? It's awful dark inside Sora." Goofy said under his breath.
"Yeah and kinda scary too." Donald added with a thoughtful nod.
Sora shot them both a look. "I'm not scared. I'll even lead the way. Don't be chicken you two." He winked and walked into the dark shadows that filled the cave.
"Sora.." Eleanor stole a glance back to the ship over her shoulder and then ran to catch up with him. "Listen you have to be careful. The pirates that are on this island will not hesitate to kill you.." She set a hand on her sword and eyed the shadows carefully. "They're sneaky and lawless and-"
"Just relax! We can handle anything those pirates throw at us okay? It feels like something's going to pop out at us doesn't it?" A large explosion rattled the rocks right as he finished talking and smoke leaked down the cavern. The cave seemed to shake and Sora jumped as a few rocks shook loose and hit the ground.
"That'll be them." Eleanor drew her sword after fumbling with it for a minute.
The shadowy outline of a pair of figures ran out of the darkness deep in the cave and Sora narrowed his bright eyes. "No it's just Will!"
"And Jack?" Eleanor stepped forward and peered down the rocky cave.
"Not unless he's wearing a dress now." Goofy had also taken a step inside the cave as Will and his lady friend practically skidded to a stop in front of them.
The girl's eyes nervously darted back behind them. "Will we must hurry."
"What are you doing here?" He sounded surprised as he too stole a wary glance back over his shoulder. "I thought you were watching the boat."
"Well, we thought you might need some help with the pirates." Donald answered.
"Where's Jack?" Eleanor narrowed her eyes.
"Jack Sparrow?" The young woman demanded. "You came here with Jack Sparrow?"
Will ignored his lady friend's demands and instead answered Eleanor in a simple deadpan. "He stayed behind"
"I'm sorry, done what?" They had left him. She couldn't believe this was happening.
Shouting voices and the clicks of guns and swords echoed from far down then cave, back the way Will had come. Whoever they had escaped from was coming their way in an angry hurry.
"We'll hold them off." Sora turned as Will took the girl's hand again. "You guys get to the ship."
Will nodded. "We'll light a signal fire when the ship is ready to sail." He hesitated before adding. "Be careful."
Sora smiled and in a woosh and a flash of light the key shaped weapon from before appeared in his hand. Eleanor drew her own sword slowly but kept her eyes on the strange weapons her friends carried.
"What odd weapons you all have. I didn't get a look at them before. I've never seen anything quite like them before." She commented, looking from the key shaped blade up to Sora. "Where did you say you were from again?"
He turned and met her gaze with a wink. "I haven't. Not yet."
Voices echoed from somewhere down the cave but before any angry pirates could storm around the corner, a dark mass of slithering shadows surged its way from around the rocks.
Eleanor faltered. "Those aren't pirates."
"They're heartless!" Donald and Goofy shouted and ran forward to stop the approaching mass of writhing shadows.
"Eleanor run! Back to the ship!" Sora turned to her urgently and set a hand on her arm.
Shocked, she only took half a step back before tightening her hands around her sword. "No I want to help you fight. Besides what if Jack is in trouble?"
"Your weapon won't hurt them. You have to run, I promise I'll explain later." He held her gaze with worried intensity before adding "Please."
She hesitated for another moment then nodded and sheathed her sword. "Yes alright fine, but swear you'll be alright."
"You have my word."
With that, Eleanor nodded and started to run as fast as she could back towards the ship. As she skidded around the corner, another swarm of black creatures blocked her pathway. They closed in with lightning speed and she barely managed to stop and pull her sword before they were before her, staring at her with perfectly round yellow eyes. "I'm not scared of you." She tried to sound confident in the face of this new enemy. "But Sora says I can't hurt you so you'll have to let me passed." She muttered as the creatures twitched and watched her as she studied them curiously. "What are you exactly?"
Without warning, the creatures jumped at her, and pushed her up against the stone wall with surprising force and speed. Her sword fell to the floor with a clatter and she screamed. The sharp rocks dug into her shoulder blades as the cold shadow creatures crushed her further back then she could go. The rocks squirmed behind her as the shadows appeared from there as well. The forced her forward and pushed her towards the swarm.
"Sora! Help me!" She couldn't have imagined her voice getting through the layers and layers of shadows but she couldn't help but scream and struggle against the forceful shadows as a white light flashed from the floor. Then suddenly she was falling and then there was nothing but complete darkness.
The sensation of plunging into the floor stopped nearly as soon as it had started and Eleanor was laying on a cool surface with her eyes clenched shut. She tried desperately to stop her head from spinning, relaxing against the flat surface beneath her. Somewhere from the darkness beyond her eyelids the sound of disembodied humming reached her ears, like that from an ancient church, the sounds echoing off ancient stones.
"Where am I." She opened her eyes hesitantly to a soft glow. She sat and rubbed at her wild curls. She had fallen onto what appeared to be a giant and dingy stained glass window with her form sitting in profile, floating in what seemed to be midair and surrounded by flowers and birds and outlines of places she'd never seen before, making the glass look very ornate. Behind the figure of herself was Sora, standing facing away from the scene and hardly a shadow among the flowers and vines. "How is that.. possible." Eleanor ran her fingers over the smooth surface that seemed to be covered in dirt, and even had thin cracks in places.
After shaking her head, Eleanor looked up. She was surrounded by complete darkness on all sides and the only light seemed to be coming from under her and the soft glow of the stained glass. She stood up slowly, her legs wobbled and finally she stood straight and tried to get her bearings. Nothing but blackness surrounded her.
"Where is this place." She muttered to herself. She was still thinking when a light scratching made her turn. A small group of the shadowy creatures stood twitching just behind her watching her movements. Instinctively her hand fell to her belt, and grasped for a sword that wasn't there. She remembered it falling to the cave floor in the struggle. "Damn.." She looked around frantically and saw it lying on the dingy glass a few feet away.
The creatures didn't move at all as she crept to the side to get her sword. They continued to twitch and watch her carefully.
"Tell me where I am." Eleanor whispered.
Instead of an answer, the shadows sunk into the ground and the glass began to rumble. Wildly, she looked around and tried to keep her balance. The sword in her hand glowed brightly and she jumped as a voice echoed through the darkness.
"Keybearer. You are incomplete. What is left. Nothing more and nothing less." A giant shadow peered over the edge of the glass from the darkness, its giant clawed hands curling into the smooth surface.
Eleanor stumbled back and pointed her glowing weapon at the giant monster. "What does that mean, keybearer. That's Sora isn't it."
The shadow monster leaned towards her. "You are incomplete. Nothing more." It repeated again. "Your keyblade is incomplete, just like your heart."
"What's wrong with my heart." She whispered. A strong wind whipped around her, pulling at her hair and her clothes as the monsters eyes glowed brighter. Her sword pulled her forward, aiming itself at the monster. In another bright flash it changed shape in her hand and the blade disappeared, in its place was a keyblade that took her breath away. It was shaped like an old skeleton key, like one that she would find in a great nobles mansion. It was dull bronze and didn't look like much, but seeing it in her hand made her heart skip. It flashed once and then again before covering her body and changing her clothes and her hair. Loose and slightly poofed out brown shorts covered her hips and rose up high onto waist with large bronze buttons. Her newly exposed legs were covered in black leggings that only bunched up around her ankle high boots, that were fastened up with the same bronze buttons as her shorts. On top she not sported a white top with loose sleeves and a tight brown vest with a zipper up the front. Eleanor looked herself over frantically. She was completely different but entirely the same. "What's happening to me.."
"Incomplete heart, incomplete keyblade, incomplete, incomplete." The monster's deep voice echoed over and over again. Its massive arms lifted high above its head and Eleanor tried to scramble backwards as they descended towards the dingy and cracked glass beneath her boots.
"No!" She managed to raise the keyblade above her head in an attempt to block the attack as one of the massive arms smashed into her and shattered the glass.
"Eleanor come on, please wake up." A voice reached her ears as she began to fall.
"Sora?" Her voice was panicked. "Sora help me please!" She reached back up towards the shards of glass and she fell trying desperately to grab onto anything.
"Open your eyes." His voice came again and with a start, her eyes shot open and she sat up, cracking her forehead into his in the process. "Ouch!" Sora jumped back and the sound of laughter made her turn to Donald and Goofy.
"You were out cold." Goofy managed to explain.
"Since when?" She whispered, clutching her now pounding head.
Sora's bright eyes peered out from behind his hands that rubbed at his forehead. "Since those pirates knocked you into the rocks. I well.. We thought you were hurt."
Eleanor took a breath. "What do you mean pirates.. It was those monsters. They pulled me.." She trailed off as her three friend's expressions dissolved into confusion. "Wasn't it?"
Goofy shook his head and pulled her hands away from her forehead to examine the red bump that had appeared there. "Gawrsh, no it was a bunch of pirates but you had already passed out. You must've hit your head before you hit Sora's. Did you have a weird dream or something?"
"A dream, yes I suppose it was." She looked Goofy over carefully.
Donald shook his head. "You pirates have been nothing but trouble so far."
Eleanor turned her gaze on Sora, who was watching her carefully. "Where are we."
"The Interceptor's cabin." He answered. "We've got to nearly be back at Port Royal by now." He added after a moment.
"Did we leave Jack?" She asked quietly.
Donald crossed his arms and nodded sadly. "Will wouldn't let us go back."
"He said we should never trust a pirate." Goofy hung his head.
A moment of heavy silence passed over the cabin. Eleanor's head was swimming. Everything that had happened to her had been a dream, and she would have to accept that the keyblade had been something she had imagined. On top of that, Jack had been left behind on an island where he would have to answer to the Captain of the Black Pearl Barbossa. She looked up at Sora and searched his face carefully. She would need to make a decision once they returned to Port Royal. She would either stay with Sora, or leave back to the Isla de Muerta to track down her captain, and the dreams she had been having would leave a whole lot of unanswered questions about the boy with the bright blue eyes.
"Is.. Something wrong?" He asked.
She looked around the cabin before standing carefully with the help of Goofy, whohad still been holding onto her hands. "No not particularly." If the business with the key and the monsters had been a dream there was no point in dwelling on it all. "Now I can almost bet you Mr. Turner can't sail the ship by himself. Do you want me to show you some basics? You seem smart enough to sail under my crew."
Sora's face lit up. "You really mean it?"
"Let's go see what William has mucked up shall we?"