A/N: 6.24.09: I was so cruel to kill off Aerith, but that won't be the last time she shows up, I promise. ;D I've made this chapter a bit longer than before because I included another new part with the other keyblade wielders.
Old note: Excuse me for a minute, but there are more people who like this story! Ohmygoshyay! Thank you all for your kind reviews; I'm really glad you like my story. The same story I thought no one would read... xD And major inspiration for this chapter comes from "Let the Flames Begin" by Paramore.
Disclaimer-Kingdom Hearts isn't mine. T-T And neither is Pirates of the Caribbean. DDx
Keira could not comprehend what was going on around her. How could Aerith be gone? The kind woman that had been so sweet to her when she'd first come to the Radiant Garden was no longer. She wiped her face, for, having been kneeling next to Aerith, some of the blood had splattered onto her when Masamune impaled her. Vaguley, she felt herself stand and back away from Sephiroth and Aerith's body. Last time she had seen Sephiroth, he'd been very close to killing her. And now, she was all alone.
Sephiroth turned his head ever so slightly to see what she was doing and pulled Masamune out of the dead body, the noise of him doing so almost making Keira lose the contents of her stomach. Blood was dripping from the end of the sword and hit the ground. Once again, she felt her stomach wrench, but she held it down as Shadow Heart materialized in her hand. "Princess," the cold swordsman said as he faced the girl, "You're coming with me."
XxxxxX
Kairi's indigo eyes fluttered open halfway and she wondered if it was morning. Then again, there wasn't really a morning in the World that Never Was, was there? Just a little ways down the hallway, she could make out voices. She closed her eyes, but scooted all the way to the front of her cell so that she could hear a little bit better. "I don' think it was smart to send Sephiroth, Maleficent," remarked an unknown man. His voice was cowardly, and it made him sound stupid.
"Silence, Pete! I do not care for what you think." The voice of none other but Maleficent hissed. There was a whimpering sound; it sounded like the man named Pete was backing up.
"But, Maleficent!" he cried. "He's killed so many! A-and what makes ya think he won' kill the princess?" Kairi swallowed hard, knowing who he was speaking of.
"If he does, he will be killed instantly." Maleficent answered simply in a voice full of malice. "That girl is in the Radiant Garden with her friends, and, even if he comes close, someone is bound to come to her rescue."
It took Pete a few minutes to respond. "...But isn't he supposed to capture her?" He asked dumbly.
The witch cackled at his stupidity. "No, Pete." Kairi felt a chill go down her spine and she quickly retreated to the back of her cell again.
"Sora," she mumbled.
XxX
When Quince reappeared out of his dark portal in the kitchen, he was unsurprised to find the others sitting at the table. He felt like he was always finding them sitting there when he returned from a mission, and he wondered if they did it on purpose. "Can I help you?" asked Quince as he pushed some of his hair behind his ear.
The black-haired boy with blue tips smirked. "So, you had a, what, five minute conversation with her? Did you even do what you were supposed to?"
"Doubtful," remarked the silver-haired girl with a sly grin. She batted her brown eyes at Quince. "Doesn't matter, though, does it? Maleficent sent Sephiroth for her."
Quince blanched, despite himself, "S-she what?"
A brunette girl who couldn't seem to keep her arms off of the black-haired boy laughed. "I bet she'll die, which sucks for the Organization, huh? Aw, didn't Maleficent tell you, Quince? I thought you were pals."
XxxxxX
Keira had to admit that she was doing alright with Sephiroth. For the time being, she only had several deep cuts running along her body, but this was probably due to the fact that she was running around. Her anxiety had reached almost the breaking point and she felt like she could faint at any given second. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, but there was some other weird pain that she felt, too. "Y-you bastard, I hate you." She snarled at the swordsman although it was weak.
Sephiroth only chuckled at her. "Hate or fear?" He replied, rushing forward with Masamune. Keira herself was surprised when she parried the attack. She couldn't push him off, especially with that long sword, and she couldn't just run. Now she was locked into a parrying battle until he killed her. That was wonderful. Sephiroth pushed her down with ease, but, just as he was about to attack, a giant shuriken stabbed into the wall right above their heads.
'A distraction. Thank you, Yuffie!' thought Keira as she rolled away from the swordsman. She got back to her feet near Aerith's body and felt more tears enter her eyes, but, before they could fall, she noticed something else. She got onto her knees and picked up the pink keychain from that morning. How the day had changed so quickly... Keira smiled sadly at it and switched Shadow Heart's keychain with the flower one. Instead of hearts, many different pink flowers covered the green metal of the keyblade. At the 'hilt' of it was a large yellow flower (A/N: The one that you see with the cure spells in KH) with green leaves jutting from the head.
Two figures ran up the slope leading from the Great Maw, "Nice to see you again, Sephiroth." Tifa glared at him, but he simply looked amused.
Yuffie ran forward and pulled her shuriken out of the wall. "I'll be taking this." She said as she held it in a defensive stance before she and Tifa ran to Keira's side. Before either one stopped in front of her, they saw Aerith's body. Yuffie dropped her shuriken and stared at the ground as Tifa bent over the body.
"He impaled her," mumbled Tifa with disgust and disbelief as Cloud ascended the slope, too. Cloud glared at Sephiroth, but his attention drifted to the three at the edge of the cliff , and the body. The Buster Sword slipped from his grip, a loud thud sounding in the silence.
Sephiroth sheathed his sword as he watched the scene with amusement. "Hearts make you all so very weak."
Cloud regained his composure, picking up his sword and glaring. "Sephiroth, you will pay."
"I apologize, Cloud, but our battle is still not to take place yet." Sephiroth replied, disappearing in a flash of black feathers. "Suffer, Cloud. Suffer." Keira allowed her keyblade to disappear in a flash of light as she and Yuffie dropped to their knees.
XxX
"It's empty here," pointed out Roxas as he looked around the house.
"You mean quiet." Leon corrected, "Where are those six?"
Riku joined them in the kitchen. "I haven't seen Keira since the afternoon."
"Where would Merlin go?" Sora muttered with an amused expression.
"Good question," agreed Leon.
There was a bang from the front of the house followed by Merlin's yell, "Yuffie told me to find the lot of you!"
Cid blinked. "Why?" He inquired, feeling more than a little confused.
"She said to go to the Dark Depths, it's an emergency," gasped Merlin. "An old man should not be running so fast." Denzel and Marlene were just coming downstairs to investigate all the noise.
"Come with us," said Naminé as the large group set off for the Dark Depths.
XxxxxX
"You return," said Maleficent in her typical, cold voice as she gazed at Sephiroth who was sitting across from her in the meeting room, "Without a body. So you have succeeded?"
He nodded once. "I murdered the flower girl right before her eyes." The coldness in his voice could rival Maleficent's.
An evil smile adorned her face. "Good work. Soon, she will come to us without much fuss for fear of her friend's safety. Not to mention her heart is becoming slowly more tainted. Kingdom Hearts is almost mine."
XxxxxX
It didn't take long to reach the Dark Depths because not even the local Heartless bothered them. Sora had been surprised every time the other group didn't meet up with them, but, when they reached the Dark Depths, he knew why. Keira, Yuffie, Tifa, and Cloud were all on the ground; Cloud's sword was stabbed into the ground. "So Sephiroth fucking killed her?" whispered Cid, even he was having a tough time controlling his emotions. After Roxas had told Naminé what lay ahead, she had elected to keep Marlene and Denzel in the Great Maw.
"Naminé, why can't we go with the others?" asked Marlene in a quiet voice from where she and Denzel sat across from her.
Naminé massaged her temples. "You're going to find out either way, so I may as well tell you," she mumbled, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. "Denzel, Marlene, Aerith is dead." The little girl clasped her hands over her mouth while Denzel stared at her, hoping that she was lying. "Sephiroth killed her." Marlene sniffed and crawled over to Naminé's lap while Denzel stared into space.
"He killed her right before her eyes, huh?" Riku asked in a soft voice.
Being the only one who had pulled herself together, Tifa nodded. "We came in by the time she was defending herself against Sephiroth, but I'm guessing that's what happened. It's terrible to see something like that at such a young age, or ever, for that matter." She sighed and ran a hand through her bangs. "This kid, she can't catch a break."
"We should get back." Leon stated in an undertone, who was also struggling to keep back his emotions. He had known Aerith for years, and she was very sweet; it was just so hard to believe any of this. Merlin, however, was the only other man to let his emotions show. Yuffie was happy to provide him comfort, or rather, they were both crying on each other's shoulders.
"What about the body?" inquired Axel.
"We'll have to take it with us to the station, if you can call that place a police station," Leon added under his breath. "Roxas, I advise you have Naminé take Marlene and Denzel ahead. Axel, Riku, and Sora can help me with the body."
At that moment, Cloud stirred. He glared at Leon. "I'll help. Someone needs to drag Keira along anyway." All eyes drifted to the girl. She'd gone from crying with her face buried to red-eyed, silent, and staring into space.
"Trauma," mumbled Riku under his breath as he walked over to her. 'And something else.' "Keira."
He was surprised when she lifted her head a little to look at him. "I'm... sorry, I really am. This is all my fault. All Aerith ever did was help me, and I couldn't even do anything for her..." She broke off her sentence, shaking her head.
Riku also shook his head as he pulled her to her feet. The afternoon had been so nice, why could that not have lasted? "Keira, listen to me. Listen," he added when she continued to shake her head. "This isn't your fault. No, I don't know what happened," he added when she made to open her mouth, guessing her unspoken words, "but I know you."
Sora turned toward Roxas. "You better set off with Naminé."
XxX
That night, the entire world was quiet, quite literally. The police had alerted the town of Aerith's death and there was to be a funeral service the next morning. Since she had been one of those who used to live in the castle, had also helped rebuild the world, and was also someone everyone knew well, everyone was mourning her death.
Cid, Leon, Tifa, and Cloud were all sitting in the kitchen with a drink not too far from their hands. Merlin had already gone to bed, as had Marlene and Denzel. Naminé, Keira, and Yuffie were keeping each other company, so Axel, Riku, Sora, and Roxas were keeping each other company in Riku's room. Those who were awake were doing nothing in particular, just sitting around. Well, except those in Riku's room.
"Tomorrow Roxas, Naminé, Keira, and I are going to Port Royal," announced Sora. Riku and Axel both gave him looks, and he rubbed the back of his head. "C'mon, guys, it already looks suspicious enough with four of us going, not to mention we can't blend in. Besides, I think that Keira would like to go to a world full of pirates."
Axel frowned. "So would I!" He protested, but Sora merely shrugged him off.
"You didn't watch Aerith get killed."
"Oh, so if I had seen Aerith get slain, I could go?" The pyromaniac asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Roxas threw a pillow at him. "Shut up, Axel."
"Leave after the funeral." Riku told his best friend, who nodded in return. He added in a slightly lower voice, so only Sora could hear, "Take care of her."
XxX
As promised, Sora and Roxas detached themselves from the crowd after paying their respects to Aerith in the Great Maw and were awaiting Keira and Naminé to finish up so they could drag them to the Gummi Ship. "Gawrsh, poor Aerith." Goofy's voice came from behind the boys as he blew his nose, quite loudly, into a handkerchief. Sora managed a weak grin when he turned around to find Donald using Goofy's shirt to blow his nose.
"Wah," whined Donald, blowing his nose into Goofy's shirt once again. Roxas couldn't help but smile at them. Goofy, as if suddenly feeling eyes on him, looked up to see Sora and Roxas.
"Sora, Roxas!" He cried, running forward and wrapping both boys into a bone-crushing hug.
"You know, Sora," Roxas croaked, "I preferred it when I was inside your body and Goofy did damage to only you."
Goofy sheepishly released the boys. "Sorry." He apologized, but they only shook their heads.
"It's Roxas' way of grieving; he still hasn't gotten over the fact that he has feelings now." Donald and Goofy hid their quiet laughs behind their hands.
"What are you two gonna do now?" Donald quacked sadly. He and Goofy had traveled with Sora for so long that they knew he'd leave after something like this.
Roxas answered, "Actually, we're thinking of going to Port Royal." Goofy and Donald exchanged glances.
"Who're you two going with?" inquired Donald, wanting to go but knowing that they had to remain in the Radiant Garden.
"Naminé and Keira."
"Gawrsh, Sora, Roxas," Goofy muttered, watching as Keira laid a white lily inside of Aerith's grave. "D'ya think that they'll like that?"
"Well, Keira's sadistic," replied Sora.
"And Naminé likes pretty much everything." Roxas stated. "They need some excitement after this, anyway." Keira and Naminé chose that moment to join them, both wiping tears from their eyes.
Having caught part of their conversation, Naminé sniffed, "What excitement?"
Sora and Roxas, who had not told the girls about the trip ahead of time, grinned. "We're going to Port Royal," he announced. Keira blinked a few times; she'd been out of it for most of the morning, and this was the first time she was attempting to join a conversation.
"'We' meaning...?"
"You, Naminé, Roxas, and I," answered Sora. Naminé and Keira exchanged glances, but Roxas could figure out what they were asking each other.
"Axel and Riku have gotten over it," he told them.
"Well, can we at least say goodbye?" inquired Naminé. "I'm sure we won't be back for a while." Sora nodded lightly, and, in the blink of an eye, both girls were gone. Keira, unsurprisingly, ran right to Riku and hugged him tightly. He didn't need an explanation, so he only nodded and kissed her head to which she blushed; a nice feeling on her cheeks. Sora, Roxas, Goofy, and Donald tailed after them, so that they could get their goodbyes in, too.
Naminé and Keira were enveloped in a bone-crushing hug the minute they stepped into Yuffie's line of sight. Leon stood behind her, smirking weakly. "Take care of yourselves, guys." He told the foursome. Keira found Cloud lurking near Aerith's grave all alone, so she approached him. Tifa was near but did not approach them although she, too, was by herself.
"Cloud," Keira spoke in a clear and controlled voice as she stopped before him; he snapped out of his reverie and gazed at her. "Don't let Aerith's death put you in a bad spot. Tifa loves you, trust me, I can tell. Don't let this tear you two apart, okay?"
Cloud rolled his eyes. "I take it that you're leaving?"
Keira smiled lightly and nodded. "We won't be back for a while, so I thought that it was important for you to hear that. You get so angsty sometimes," her smile grew as he glared down at her.
"Very funny," he said, shaking his head, as he enveloped her into a quick and light hug. "Be good."
"Remember what I said."
Tifa smiled as Keira approached her. "Judging by the smile on your face, he didn't snap at you; that's good." Mischievous grins briefly appeared on their faces.
"I tried to talk him into being good," replied Keira as she and Tifa also shared a hug. As Roxas and Sora were bidding goodbye to the King, they wondered what it was with girls and hugging.
"He's not the only one who should be good," reminded Tifa, staring at Keira. "I hear you're going to a pirate world, so you better be good. Set an example; you're a princess, after all." Keira stared at Tifa as if she feared for her sanity.
"Let's put two words together, okay: Princess and pirate." (A/n: Like the song, "I am a pirate, you are a princess"! :3) They laughed.
"Alright, then don't be too bad of a pirate."
Keira saluted Tifa, "Yes, m'am." She stopped before Denzel and Marlene at last. "Guys, if Cloud starts to act up while I'm gone, you're going to have to be the boss." Both children giggled and nodded.
"We will," promised Denzel.
Keira returned to Naminé, Roxas, and Sora. "Let's get going. Maybe Will's seen Kairi," said Sora as he walked off with the other three tagging behind.
"Hey, Roxas, watch Naminé while you guys are in Port Royal," called Axel. "If something happens to her, that means I don't get to be an uncle." Roxas and Naminé immediately flushed red while the others laughed.
"'Bye, guys!" Keira called over her shoulder before they disappeared near the Fissure and beamed up to the ship from there. Riku turned away from the fissure as they disappeared and watched the dirt be thrown onto Aerith's grave.
XxxxxX
"So," Keira began as she stood behind Sora's chair. "How far away is Port Royal?"
"Not far as long as I drive." He replied, making Keira and Naminé slightly nervous as they both remembered Sora crashing into the Radiant Garden.
"Why's that?" asked Naminé.
Roxas grinned mischievously. "Let me put it this way," he began, "Sit down and buckle up or come face to face with the windshield." It didn't take long for them to follow his advice.
Sora glanced at him. "Alright, Roxas, you've got the artillery?" He nodded. "Keira, take the controls for the smaller ships," he commanded like a real captain, all business for a change as she gripped the control sticks. "Okay, let's go!" Sora, as expected, set off at the speed of, already, one hundred miles per hour.
XxxxxX
In a certain rainy world, many people were gathered into a large group. Rain was falling softly, almost sympathetically, as if it were crying for someone's misfortune. A beautiful young woman with braided brown hair wearing a yellow wedding dress was talking to a handcuffed man in blue; a line of soldiers was blocking another man from approaching these two.
The soldiers barred his entry, causing the man more outrage. "How dare you! Stand down at once! Do you hear me?" At this moment, Sora, Keira, Naminé, and Roxas entered the picture, more or less; they were hiding behind the corner of a black, bricked building.
"Sora, do you recognize anyone?" Keira whispered as Sora and Roxas tried to see past the lines of soldiers. Both boys nodded their heads as they stepped past the safety of their hiding place.
"We're going in. You two stay here," ordered Roxas.
Naminé and Keira stared at them in horror. "You can't go marching past those soldiers like that!" gasped Naminé.
"Just stay here." Sora muttered before he and Roxas stalked through the lines of soldiers that had just allowed the outraged, gray-wigged man through. Either too interested in the scene before them, or apathetic at letting two teenage boys pass through, Sora and Roxas were allowed in. The boys pressed themselves against another wall and also watched the scene unfolding. A man with a blue overcoat and a white powdered wig had just handed a piece of parchment to the gray-wigged man.
Sora and Roxas stared in horror at the realization that the lady in the wedding dress and handcuffed man before them were Elizabeth Swann and William Turner. That meant that the man wearing the gray wig was Elizabeth's father, Governor Swann. "The arrest for one William Turner." The man in the blue overcoat announced as the other read over the warrant.
Governor Swann paled as he read the parchment, croaking, "This warrant is for Elizabeth Swann."
"Oh, is it?" asked Lord Beckett, though seemingly amused. "That's annoying. Arrest her." Two of his soldiers nearest Elizabeth seized and cuffed her.
"On what charges?" she demanded.
"No!" Will, Sora, and Roxas shouted in unison. At the extra voices, Elizabeth and William struggled to look back at the two boys, mouthing, 'Sora?' The Lord remained apathetic towards the new arrivals for the time being as he picked through more documents.
"Here's the one for William Turner." He announced, holding up a total of three documents now, "Two more for a Mister James Norrington, Mister Sora and his companions. Are they present?" At the 'his companions' bit, Naminé and Keira edged farther away from the scene.
"Sora and Roxas are so screwed," murmured Keira.
"This day couldn't get any better," sighed Naminé.
"On what charges?" repeated Elizabeth with surprising fierceness. It was one thing to arrest her and her groom on their wedding day, but it was another to arrest her friend. Sora and Roxas gaped at Lord Beckett, unable to realize what they had done to get into this predicament as they were cuffed. "We are under the jurisdiction of Governor of Port Royal, so you will tell us what we are charged with."
Her father glanced down at her warrant. "The charge is conspiring to free a man condemned to death for crimes against the royals. The penalty of which is..." The governor's face paled further as his voice cracked and died away.
"The penalty is, regrettably, also death." The Lord stated, the corners of his lips turning upright slightly. "Perhaps you remember a certain pirate named Jack Sparrow?"
Keira was holding Naminé back with all her might. Fires were burning in her eyes and she had called Chain of Memories to her hand. These days had been so terrible lately that Keira refused to allow another thing go wrong. However, she lost her grip as Sora, Elizabeth, William, and Roxas all retorted the word, "Captain!"
Keira's eyes went wide with horror. 'Shit!' She ran Naminé, who had single-handedly pushed through the line of soldiers. "They've done nothing wrong," insisted Naminé at Lord Beckett as Keira came up behind her. Elizabeth and Will surveyed them with interest.
"Ah, more companions of Mister Sora, I'm guessing? Arrest them." Keira and Naminé had both summoned their keyblades.
"Naminé, Keira," called Sora, drawing their attention to him as he shook his head. In their distraction, they were also cuffed and pushed towards Will and Elizabeth. One of the soldiers surveyed Keira with distaste.
"Must be an American," he announced. (A/n: Which, I don't think, had been founded quite yet. xD Some present-day humor, dudes.)
"Take them away," ordered Beckett lazily. Redcoats surrounded the six captives, forcing them to march toward the jail.
"It's nice to see you again, Will, Elizabeth." Sora said in a cheerful tone, causing the addressed to laugh.
"It's wonderful to see you again, Sora," replied Elizabeth.
Naminé, who was a little calmer, asked in a soft voice, "Were you two getting married today?" Elizabeth and William both nodded sadly and stared at the newcomers with interest.
"I should introduce you all," Sora said sheepishly as he pointed to the blond. "This is Roxas, you don't know him, but he knows a lot about you." Elizabeth and Will stared at Sora curiously. "Remember what I told you two about Nobodies last time? Roxas is my Nobody."
"I'm Keira," she introduced herself, at Elizabeth's glance between her and Sora, she shook her head frantically. "I am girlfriend to no one here." Roxas, Sora, and Naminé stared at her blankly for a minute, not quite sure what she was getting at; she blushed.
Naminé put a hand to her chest. "My name is Naminé," she introduced herself, "I'm Roxas' girlfriend, and a special Nobody of Sora and his girlfriend."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," said Will, "I'd shake hands were it not for these shackles." Keira, Roxas, and Naminé smiled lightly.
"Sora, where is your girlfriend?" Elizabeth asked, but immediately regretted doing so as Sora looked downcast.
"That's part of the reason why we came here," he explained. "My girlfriend, Kairi, is a Princess of Heart and she was kidnapped by two Organization members working for Maleficent." Will and Elizabeth remained quiet for a few minutes as they tried to connect the familiar names with what they knew.
Shock crossed Will's face as he realized, "That means that they'll take her heart."
Sora nodded lightly. "But they won't do so until they have all seven Princesses of Heart and Keira." He informed them, once again receiving confused glances from them as they reached the jail.
"Keira?" Elizabeth inquired, "But..." She trailed off as she, Naminé, and Keira were shoved into a cell while Will, Roxas, and Sora were thrown into the one beside them.
Keira dusted off her skirt. "It's story time, I guess." She inhaled deeply before relaying her story as she knew it.
A/N: You know, I'm not exactly sure why I thought it necessary to copy several lines exactly. I had to re-watch the beginning of Pirates many times. xDD Anyway, that's it for now. See you next chapter!