A/N: 6.9.11: Finally making it a point to significantly shortening the Pirate chapters. There's just waaay too much. Also, trying to put in details so that those of you who have not seen the films actually get what's going on. xD
Old note: Wow, this story is doing so very well. Thank you all so much, especially the reviewers who inspire me, and all of you that favorite/story alert this story. And those who just take their time to read this in general.
And I have some news for you, after this story is finished, there will most definitely be a sequel. So that is something for you guys to look forward to.
Keira: C'mon, guys, don't you understand that Lolli doesn't own Kingdom Hearts yet? Same goes for Pirates!
Sora had been having the most glorious dream. He dreamt he was back on the Islands with Kairi and Riku, but abruptly awoke when he was thrown into something. His vision was blurry, and he couldn't see all that much.
"Sora!" A voice yelled from somewhere nearby; he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and gazed around to find that he had been confined to a cage with a few familiar people. Will, Gibbs, Cotton, and Marty were around him. How had they all gotten into the cage?
Gibbs and Will seemed to be in the middle of a conversation. "So he had no choice," William deducted from his conversation with Gibbs. "He's a captive as much as the rest of us."
Gibbs shook his head. "Worse. The Pelegostos believe that Jack is a God in human form, and they intend to do release him." At that moment, Cotton bit down on Gibbs' fingers, and, cursing, he added, "They'll roast and eat him."
Once he understood what the men were talking about, Sora examined the bars of the cage a little tentatively. "Say, Mr. Gibbs, where's the rest of the Black Pearl's crew?"
Gibbs slowly inhaled. "You see this cage that we're in? It hadn't been built until after we got here." Both Will and Sora released the bars immediately as the beating of drums filled the air. Sora and Will once again looked at Gibbs for answers. "The feast is about to begin. Jack's life will soon end."
Sora shook his head. "Well, we can't just sit here and wait." He stated, sharing a look with Will before they both shoved their bodies against one side of the cage. What was left of the Pearl's crew nodded and they, too, shoved their bodies against the cage.
Sora pulled himself to the top of the cage and grabbed two vines.
Will also grabbed some. "Put your legs through and climb!" Everyone followed his orders.
Shortly after the distant screams of the cannibals reached Roxas and Naminé's, they decided to examine the jungle, but to no avail: there was absolutely no sign of anyone. It was only thanks to Naminé's anxiousness that Roxas pulled out and they returned to the ship. When they reached it, someone else was already there.
Pintel was staring at the deck of the ship and yelling orders at someone. Roxas raised an eyebrow at the pirate as Fenrir and Sleeping Lion flashed into his hands. "Oi!" Pintel and the unknown person on the Pearl turned their attention on him.
"Boy, what're you doin' on an island like this?" growled Pintel, who thought there was something distantly familiar about the strange boy. He was without weapons, so he was going to play it safe.
Roxas grinned. "Right, you wouldn't know me, but... Do you remember a boy named Sora? You know, he kicked your Captain from here to hell?" Pintel's eyebrows furrowed together as Ragetti climbed down the ship with one empty eye socket. Naminé gasped in horror at him and gripped the back of Roxas' shirt.
Suddenly both men's expressions turned calm. "Sora, that's right. He used the weapons you're usin'!" Ragetti exclaimed. "But I thought that kid was special?"
Roxas smirked. "He is, and I'm his Nobody." He pointed Fenrir at the men, "You'd better tell me what the hell you're doing with the Black Pearl."
Ragetti and Pintel exchanged a glance. "We were just trying to get the ship out for a quick getaway," explained Pintel in an innocent voice. "Capt'n Jack would appreciate it."
"Yeah, right; I'm not that naïve, so you better tell me what's really going on here."
Sora couldn't believe how fast his heart was beating. In his time of saving the worlds, he was quite sure that his heart had never been pounding this fast. He held up Oathkeeper up to block another arrow from piercing him. "Let's go, let's go!" Will was shouting. Sora watched his back for one more minute before he followed after the group fleeing back to the Pearl.
Up ahead, the Black Pearl was almost completely in the water, but part of it was still stuck in the sand. "The Mooring Line!" Pintel's familiar voice was shouting. Sora quickly ran forward with Oathkeeper, but he called it off when he saw Roxas and Naminé standing on either side of the man with their Keyblades.
"Make ready to sail, boys," Gibbs yelled to the crew. "And girl." He added for Naminé's sake.
"What about Jack?" Sora asked.
Will nodded. "We aren't leaving without him."
Naminé, who had begun to climb the ship, froze and stared at them with disbelief. "Sora, we can use our Keyblades to free Elizabeth and Keira; this isn't worth getting killed over!"
Sora looked over at her. "But then Will and Elizabeth would be sent to the gallows anyway!"
Roxas, who was already aboard the ship, helped Naminé up. "He's right, Naminé. They're our friends, and we can't abandon them." Naminé bit her lip and turned around as the wind began to blow her hair and the rising sails.
"OI!" A voice shouted as a strange looking man with his arms flung out ran down the beach.
Sora looked at the man with a grin. "Cap'n Jack! I knew it!" The grin quickly disappeared as, in t that same moment, the tribe of Pelegostos that were giving chase to their 'chief' appeared.
Will took one look at the savages before turning to the remainder of the crew. "Never mind, let's go."
The ship began to set off, and Sora half-expected that the captain wouldn't make it. Then again, Jack was Jack. A wave crashed against the side of the Pearl as Sora climbed aboard and Jack followed after.
"Zola!" Jack cried, extending his hand as he reached Sora; Naminé and Roxas joined them.
"That's Sora!" The three of them retorted, but even Naminé had a hard time keeping her tone firm.
Jack grinned and looked over Sora's companions with intrigue. "Were Donald and Goofy always human?" Naminé frowned and Roxas shook his head.
"Jack, do you remember our last journey when you learned about Nobodies?"
"Yes, that fellow... Luxord, was it? He cursed us." Sora nodded, pleased that Jack had remembered. Then again, he supposed being cursed in such a way was not too easy to forget. Jack's eyes returned to the blonds. "These two aren't planning to curse us again, are they?"
With a giggle, Naminé introduced herself. "I'm Naminé, the Nobody of Sora's girlfriend." And then Jack did something that Sora and Roxas had seriously doubted that they would ever see: Jack took one of Naminé's hands and kissed it.
"Pleasure. And you?" Jack asked, turning to face Roxas.
Holding out his hand, he answered, "Roxas, Sora's Nobody. Err, please don't kiss my hand." Jack laughed and shook the boy's hand vigorously.
"Yes, he much resembles you, Zola. In more than just looks, too. How long have you had a Nobody?" Sora was a little put-off by all of these questions; it was very unlike Jack. Something had to have happened while he was unconscious back on the island. He assumed that Will had seen Jack.
"Well, I guess over a year," Sora replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I was turned into a Heartless during the end of my first adventure, and, viola, Roxas was born. I found out I had a Nobody a little while ago, though, after I saw you for the second time."
Jack nodded in understanding as Gibbs approached them. "Captain," He said. "Let's put some distance between us and this island and head out into open sea."
Beaming, Jack agreed, "So long as we keep to the shallows!" Sora and Roxas exchanged a worried glance; it was a bit impossible to sail the open sea if they remained in the shallows... Gibbs called the captain out on this fact.
"I have every faith in your navigation skill," he declared before pulling out his pistol and looking around. "Now, where is that monkey? I want to shoot something."
Will approached Jack as he looked around the deck for the monkey. "Jack."
"Huh?" replied the captain, distantly, as he continued his search.
"Elizabeth is in danger," he remarked without patience.
Jack glanced at him before putting his pistol away. "Have you considered keeping a better eye on 'er? Lock 'er up, or something?"
"She is locked up," informed Roxas. "She's going to be hanged for helping you."
"As is our friend, Keira." Naminé replied, frowning, still uncomfortable that she had fled the prison. "And she's bound to be hanged for being in Sora's company."
Jack waved it off. "There comes a time when one must take responsibility for one's mistakes." In a flash of light, four Keyblades had been drawn and pointed at Jack's neck.
"Then it was a mistake for us to help free you from the curse? A mistake for helping you defeat Barbossa?" demanded Sora.
"We have better things to do than sail the seven seas for a stupid compass," added Roxas in an equally angered voice. Will also pulled out his sword although he figured four weapons were more than enough to threaten the captain.
Jack swallowed hard, feeling hot under the collar, though he made no move to retaliate. "So it's only alright when people are helping you, Jack? Never the other way around. We need that odd compass of yours, Jack. We must trade it for Elizabeth and Keira's freedom." Jack pushed away William's blade, but was a bit hesitant to touch the keyblades.
"Mister Gibbs," called Jack. Hesitantly, the wielders allowed their keyblades to disappear.
"Yes, Cap'n?"
Though Jack did not look thrilled when he spoke, he remarked, "We have a need to sail upriver." For some reason, Gibbs visibly paled.
XxxxxX
Cloud stared at the reflection in his full cup of coffee. It was nighttime in Radiant Garden, and he had been staring at the cup for thirty minutes. There was the soft pitter-patter of footsteps behind him and he only half turned to see who it was; Marlene was staring at him with confusion and tiredness. .
"What do you need, Marlene?" inquired Cloud as he looked back into the coffee.
"Cloud, don't you like me, Denzel, and Tifa anymore?" She asked quietly. This question was so abrupt that Cloud turned around in his chair.
"What?" He asked in an equally quiet voice.
Marlene strolled forward in her pink pajamas, a frown clear on her face. "You never talk with us or play with us. What did we do?" Cloud beckoned her and she stopped before him; he pulled her into his lap.
"I'm not mad at any of you, Marlene." His voice was still quiet and as even as usual, though it sounded at least a little kind. He was no good at speaking anymore, he realized, least of all about his feelings. "I'm... unhappy that Aerith died."
"So is everyone els, but they still talk."
Cloud slowly patted her on the head "This is...different." He muttered uncertainly with the sincere hope that she would not ask any more on the subject. To explain his true feelings about what happened to Aerith would be the same as opening Pandora's box.
XxxxxX
Keira and Elizabeth had been sitting hunched against the cell bars for a while now, the former staring at the ground with a distant expression. "Keira?" began Elizabeth in a low voice as the girl lifted her head and looked at her. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah..." came her serene reply before her eyes returned to the cobblestone. Elizabeth stared at the girl with sympathy. 'It must be hard to have to face the reality that your friends and family may all be dead. And to see such a horrendous death...' "It's night, Elizabeth." Had her eyes not been trained on the girl's lips, Elizabeth would not have realized Keira had spoken at all.
At first, she did not understand what was being said. As she went over the words in her head, her eyes widened with realization. "Are you ready?" Keira stood up and called upon Remembrance in response. She extended her arm outside of the bars and awkwardly pointed the tip at the keyhole. A beam of light extended from the tip, followed by the sound of a lock clicking; the door instantly began to fly open.
"Let's go, quickly." Elizabeth whispered as the men in the cell beside them started whistling and speaking loudly while they tiptoed up the stairs. "We have to get to Beckett's quarters."
XxxxxX
Kairi attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes as she awoke from her slumber. The World that Never Was was in eternal darkness, so she had lost any sense of a schedule. At first, she couldn't figure out what had awoken her, but then she remembered hearing Sora's voice calling out to her. She'd also seen something weird in her dream: she'd opened a keyhole with her keyblade.
In the nearly pitch black darkness, Kairi crawled on her knees to the front of her cell and felt around for something, anything. Her heart skipped a beat as her index finger traced something on part of the bars. 'It's the right shape...' She called upon her Atlantica keyblade and pointed it in the general direction of the engraving. A blue light shot out from the tip of her weapon and into the bar. With a loud squeak, the cell door flew open.
Kairi grinned something fierce as she got to her feet and held her keyblade up in a defensive stance. She quietly exited the cell and passed the other princesses', but, she realized with horror, it was completely empty. She swallowed hard and continued down the corridor until she found the stairs that led to the first level of the castle.
XxxxxX
The Pearl's crew climbed the ship eagerly as they returned from the voodoo priestess', Tia Dalma, shack. She had informed them about the mythical figure of Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman, who had cut out his own heart because of his lost love. There was a key, she said, that he always kept on his person. In order to find this all important chest (and open it), they needed the key. "She sure took a liking to the two of you." Sora nodded at Will and Roxas as he put his arms behind his head.
Roxas was slightly flushed. "What can I say? I am the "Key of Destiny"." Naminé could not decide if she wanted to laugh or be angry, so she settled for a simple glare. Its effect was lessened when she yawned.
Will chuckled. "It's quite easy to forget, but I suppose the three of you are still children. Go below deck to catch some sleep."
They were all very quick to protest. "But the Key-!"
"Davy Jones-!"
"His heart-!"
William waved them all off. "Below deck. Go on."
"Aye," Captain Jack agreed as he stepped beside Will. "You can't do any searching if you're tired. Go to my quarters. Captain's orders, savvy?" The three teenagers reluctantly marched to the Captain's quarters, muttering various words of mutiny. It was, they admitted to themselves, a much better alternative to sleeping below deck. "None of that on my ship!" Jack called after them as Sora, Naminé, and Roxas disappeared beyond the door.
"Your quarters, Jack?" William inquired suspiciously.
The Captain shrugged it off as drizzle turned to rain. "No room below deck, savvy? Now then," Jack began as he turned to face the shape of a distant ship, "That is the Flying Dutchman."
Will eyed the ship with interest. "I'll do it," he immediately offered.
XxxxxX
Elizabeth's chest was heaving with apprehension as she hid behind a wall in Beckett's office. She had the letters of Marque clutched to her chest with one hand and a pistol clutched in the other. Beckett was also in the room, gazing around for her location without appearing like he much cared. "I see that you've come to discover that loyalty... is no longer what rules this world."
She stepped out from behind the wall and faced him, her face one of curiosity. "Then, what is?"
With a chuckle, he answered, "Currency is the currency of this realm. Money... does make the world go round
She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips, as she clutched the letters more tightly. "Good to hear," she said without interest. "We're here to negotiate."
The smug look on his face was promptly replaced by a confused one. "What do you mean by 'we'?" He inquired as a figure pulled herself from beneath his desk and to her feet. Keira was pointing her keyblade at his throat. "Ah, so you did not only free yourself, after all. Then, where is the third?"
Keira smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Elizabeth cocked her pistol, and Beckett turned his back on Keira in favor of facing the gun. "I'm listening intently," he informed her in an uncomfortable voice.
"These Letters of Marque... Are the signed by the King?"
"Yes, however, they are not valid until they bear my signature and seal." He informed the woman as the smugness returned to his tone; his face still appeared slightly fearful.
"Is that so?" answered Keira as she drew her weapon nearer to him. "Then, what do you think we would like?"
Beckett attempted to ignore her, still staring down the gun. "You waste your time, trying to gain Jack's compass," informed Elizbaeth. "The chest in Isla de Murta—"
The lord chuckled. "Ah, so that is what you think this is about. I have no interest in gold, Miss Swann. There is more than one chest of interest and value located in these waters. You have nothing to offer me. Explain why I should do anything you ask of me."
Keira walked around the desk and poked her Remembrance's tip into the his neck while Elizabeth aimed between his eyes. "Why, I will enhance our offer," she said as she pressed the tip further into the man's neck. "If you wish not to be in a world full of pain, then you will sign those letters. I didn't earn my title for being pretty; I'm not your average princess: my powers can liquidate your heart, and I'm sure you wouldn't like to face that experience."
Lord Beckett stared at Elizabeth, searching her eyes for signs that the teenager was lying, but it appeared that Keira spoke the truth. Elizabeth placed the letters on the desk, and Keira backed off as he turned to sign and seal the letters.
"It seems that my actions at your wedding may have been a saving grace for you. You're going to great efforts to ensure Sparrow's freedom," sneered Beckett as he looked toward Elizabeth.
"I am not doing this for Jack," she snarled as she snatched the letters.
He simply smiled unbelievingly. "Keep telling yourself that, Miss Swann." He said as the two backed out of the room. "Have a pleasant night chasing pirates, ladies." Elizabeth turned her back first and exited the door. Keira only did so at the last minute before they hurried to the docks.
"What will we do now, Elizabeth?" whispered Keira as the rain soaked their skin.
"We'll catch a ship to Tortuga. That's where they were supposed to be heading first."