Chapter 7: Ichthyophobia
Riza watched a bronze colored ship exit the Wastelanders' Desert's atmosphere. I wonder if Jak is on that ship?
"Hey Riza, wanna play another round of poker till we get to the Eastern World?" Charlie said, shuffling the cards.
"Not poker, how about Go Fish?" Riza smiled.
"You're on!" Riza sat down at the table, opposite of the swordswoman. The fourteen cards were dealt, seven each and the match was on. Josh, piloting the gummi ship, could hear Charlie's wails of defeat hand after hand; warrior she was, card player she was not.
Forty minutes later with only a few skrimishes between him and the Heartless piloted ships, the crew made it to the Eastern World intact. They landed on a large island, surrounded by the smaller ones, but connected with bridges and walkways. Josh turned on the gummi's cloaking device and left with Riza and Charlie into the closest town. The walked into town, noticing weird looks they got from the natives, fish-like people; some looked like people, people with gills, and fish with legs and arms. Some were buying food, supplies, and clothes modified for the different type of inhabitants.
"You think they noticed us?" Josh asked nervously.
"No they're just gawking at the three outsiders behind us," Riza said sarcastically. Riza continued to walk, but stopped suddenly and turned around when she heard a smack.
"He looked behind us, hun," Charlie groaned, justifying her smack to the back of Josh's head. Riza just shook her head and continued to walk next to Charlie, Josh constantly looking over his shoulder. His composure slowly crumbling.
The trio made their way to a food stand to ask the elderly fish like man if he had any fruit that lasted a good length of time, but were distracted by the conversations of a couple of ten year-olds, just a few feet away.
Riza went over, curious about the fish tale they were telling. "What are you little tykes talking about?"
"We're talkin' about the Great Oracle," a little boy anserwed. "It's said that she is our great guar...guard...protector!"
"Yeah! Wedgen says that the gweat dwagon saved our islands many times! And bwings us fishies!" A younger child said.
"If you need help with anything, ask the dragon. But you have to do good deeds in return, or she won't even bother with you," said a third kid, apparently the oldest.
Riza thought to herself, I wonder if this 'great dragon' can help us find the keyhole? "Thanks kids, and don't get into any trouble!" Riza ran off, looking for her companions. They couldn't have gone far. Where are they? Slightly muffled by the distance, Riza heard a girlish scream. Her first thought was the Heartless, so she rushed to the where the scream came from. The sight that greeted her was anything from chaotic; in fact, it was quite comical. Josh, between two stands, sucking on his thumb, seemingly regressing back to six years old. Charlie, embarrassed, but trying her best to explain the situation to a native, fishman. Riza sighed relief, no Heartless yet. She went over to the mentally six year old Josh, Poor guy. Chuckling to herself, Riza couldn't help but see the twenty year old acting like a toddler. The whole thing was funny to her. She composed herself, and tried to calm the thumb-sucking sage down.
Charlie came over to the two, scratching the back of her head, "'Bout time you got back princess, where were you?" Charlie shook her head at Josh, "It was fourteen years ago! Get over it," Charlie huffed in frustration, Josh still six years old, mentally.
"I was getting some info. The people here follow a legend of a great dragon oracle. Some of the kids say that if we do good deeds for the people, the dragon will help us out. Maybe we can ask the dragon to help us find the keyhole."
"Great!" Charlie smiled.
"But that still leaves a problem, how do we get Josh out of six year old mode to twenty years old?" Riza gesturing to Josh, who was now babbling about staying home to make cookies with his 'mommy'.
"Hmm...how did I do it again?" Charlie pondered out loud. "Oh yeah!" Charlie got that mischievous glint in her eye, "Come on Jo-Jo, let's go play."
"Without the fishies?" the toddler like Josh asked, with a hopeful shine to his eyes.
"Yeah without the fishies. Riza grab his other hand," Charlie grabbed his right, while Riza had his left.
"Where are we going?" 'Jo-Jo' asked innocently, Riza wondering the same thing.
"To a special place," Charlie smiled, gently guiding 'Jo-Jo' to a dock that overlooked the ocean. "Here we are," Charlie still smiling.
"Pretty," Before 'Jo-Jo' could say anything more, Charlie pushed him into the crystal blue waters. The bubbles where Josh splashed subsided as the soaked sage, slowly rose out of the water. His hair, limp and dripping, his purple eyes shone with annoyance, all topped off with a slight scowl. "Kuzumakii Charlie, please explain to me why I'm in the water when the last thing I remember is talking to...a...fish..." The question slowly lost its malice as the last word sank into Josh's soaked head. "Oh no," His hand hit his face with a smack, "I made a complete ass of myself didn't I?"
"Yeah, ya did," Charlie said, her hands on her hips. Riza chuckling behind her hand.
"So why is Josh, or should I say 'Jo-Jo' afraid of fish?" Riza asked, the two girls making their way off the dock, Josh coming out of the water, a deeper scowl returning.
"When we were younger, Josh six, me four, I played a joke on him. I got pictures! Boy, he wouldn't look at fish for the next couple of years," Charlie laughed.
"Years!? Hardly, I say no more than four months," Josh stated while he used a fire spell to dry his soaked through clothing.
"Years!" coughed Charlie, that earned her an annoyed glare from the partially dried mage.
"Anyway, I say we tried to find this dragon so it can point us in the right direction."
"Hi!" a ten year old voice came from behind Charlie, which made the swordswoman jump three feet into the air.
Riza was the first to talk to the girl holding a round fish tank with a little fish inside."Hi little girl, what's your name?"
"Cherushi. And this is Mr. Bubbles. Say hello Mr. Bubbles," The little fish swam around the small tank, his way of saying hello.
"Hi, Cherushi, Mr. Bubbles. I'm Riza, and these are my friends, Charlie and Josh," Josh, now fully dry waved and so did Charlie, who was next to Riza. "Cherushi, do you know where we can find the dragon oracle?"
The little girl nodded, "Yeah, but she won't see just anyone. You'll have to do good deeds to the people here. Like helping the fisherman catch some fish, help some people with shopping and their chores. Easy stuff, right? I'll tag along and help you around the islands. C'mon!" Cherushi trotted ahead, Riza soon followed, Charlie and Josh not to far behind.
The first good deed the trio took part in was helping an old lady with her gardening. The trio, with Cherushi watching, planted seeds for beautiful flowers native to the islands, picked out the weeds, and cleaned out eh crab grass; now you must be thinking that this must be easy for warriors that are destined to fight the heartless...for them, this was anything but normal.
Charlie and Josh were picking weeds out and planting flowers, flowers called Lobster Claw Roses and Catfish Carnations. The old lady was inside making a treat for these good samaritans, when the three of them heard Riza scream bloody murder. The old lady continued on, but Josh and Charlie rushed to their friend's aide. There they saw Riza sitting in the grass, white as a ghost, cowering away from her working area.
"What's wrong, Riza?" Josh question the petrified keybearer.
"The crab grass...it-it-it actually ha-ha-had crabs!" She stuttered.
"You're scared of crabs? With all the stuff we've been through lately, you're afraid of crabs?" Charlie asked, eyebrow raising in question.
"Not exactly," Riza now sat cross-legged, looking embarrassed and ashamed. "When I was younger, my dad woke me up once by putting a foot-long crab in my bed. He thought it was funny when I jumped out of my bed as though the king of hell was on my heels. I wouldn't talk to him for a day after that," her friends looked at her with a slight confusion to why would she be scared of crabs after that? "It had huge, monster sized claws! And the eyes of blood thirsty beast!" She tried to save herself, but all the while thinking that it was just a small runt of a crab, but wouldn't say that out loud.
"Fine, you plant the flowers, and I'll take the crab infested grass, you baby," Josh offered, which Riza agreed to. Charlie chuckling the whole time.
"Shuddup!" Riza growled the swordswoman. Charlie held up her hands, saying not a word.
The three continued their work, and the old lady brought out snacks and iced tea. Crab cakes. Josh and Charlie cracked up, while Riza just sat there taking the offered drink. The old lady felt bad so she gave the Keyblade Mistress a fruit. Cherushi watched the whole thing unfold in front of her ten year old eyes, as well as Mr. Bubbles.
"Let's have do a few more deeds, then we'll take'em to the dragon," the little girl winked to the fish.
"Thank you, all three of you. You must've been sent be the Great Dragon Oracle. I would have been stick doing all this work myself!" the old lady thanked the warriors.
"Aw, shucks, it was no trouble at all. Just doing a nice thing here and there," Josh bowed his head to the lady, finishing off the last of his crab cake.
"Take care," the old lady went back into her house, the four left to the next deed.
"Where to next?" Riza said, looking toward Cherushi.
The little girl looked down at Mr. Bubbles. The fish looked back and let out four air bubbles. Cherushi smiled, "Mr. Bubbles says we should go help Old Man Flippers down the way. He should be just about leaving for his daily fishing trip."
Charlie and Josh froze, uttering "Fishing..Trip?" together in perfect unison.
"What's wrong?" Cherushi asked. Even Mr. Bubbles looked at the two with a questioning look.
"Motion sickness, not good with flight or boat trips," Charlie admitted.
"Fish...scare me," Josh said bluntly.
Cherushi laughed, "Well the only way to get over that fear is to face it. Here!" The innocent ten year old shoved Mr. Bubbles' fish tank into his face, "Smile Mr. Bubbles!" the seemingly nice little fish smile a ferocious fanged grin. The sage of twenty paled and once again regressed back to his six year old self, mumbling about fish coming to get him.
"I like this kid! She's funny!" Charlie howled with laughter.
Cherushi giggled, "Well seeing as you two can't go, I guess Riza here will haffta go. Don't mind, do ya?"
"Nope! Just make sure that Charlie doesn't torture Jo-Jo too much." Josh will never live this down, Riza left the four, counting Mr. Bubbles to their own devices after Cherushi pointing Riza in the right direction.
The young keybearer found Old Man Flippers quite easily. A grey skinned man with a long beak like nose, webbed hands, worn with experience, a dolphin tail limply dragged behind him, and a miniature dorsal fin on top of his head.
"Um, excuse me, Mr. Flippers? Hi, I'm Riza, I was wondering if you need some help with your fishing trip today?" The ninja asked nervously.
"Grr...Sure. Grab those nets and put them on the boat. Well, hop to it, matey!" The gruff dolphin man ordered. Riza could see the pink scars that littered the man's face. He pulled his grey wool cap over his dorsal fin, completing his fisherman's attire; grey jacket over worn dark denim overalls, with rubber boots that come up to his knees. He untied the rope anchor from the dock, and the two shoved off.
Twenty-seven miles of the coast, Old Man Flippers killed the enginis and began to throw out the nets. "C'mere and throw the rest of me nets out." Riza did as she was told; the nets were big and heavy, but not for the Keyblade Mistress. Throwing a couple of nets out was easier than facing hundreds of Heartless. She threw out three more nets, and made sure they were secure to the boat. She watched as they twitched. "Wait a couple o' tics, then pull'em in. But be strong, they'll be full o' fish," He went to the net on the front of the boat, pulled that one in. Riza pulled at the one next to him. They were on the last net, so far the heaviest. As the two pulled them in, something black and light blue was flailing helplessly in the net. Riza got a glimpse of bright yellow eyes.
"Damn!" She pushed the old man back, causing him to fall back. The creature sank into the shadows and appeared to the right of Riza. She barely had enough time to draw her Keyblade and protect herself from its fangs. The blue and black heartless with a red zig-zag stripe on its sides look like a sea serpent with skinny but muscular legs. The snake like mouth was around the Keyblade, forelegs on either side.
"Son of a..! Old Man start the boat," Riza pushed the beast back. She used Silent Screamer, the Heartless froze in a silent scream. Key of the Ukaizr disappeared and Riza used her Ninja Twister Toss. she grabbed the creatures fore arms, and twirled twice, building up momentum, then let the dark beast go with a satisfied toss, the Heartless skipped four times on the surface before falling under the water.
"What the bloody hell was that thing!" Old Man Flippers roared. The boat already a quarter away from the coast. She could feel the Heartless retreating.
"A Heartless. Horrible creatures. Stay off the seas for sometime, 'k?" Riza asked.
"Grr, I'm havin' a girl savin' me scarred hide. Don't go tellin' people 'bout t'is, ya hear?!" he grumbled.
"Aye, aye," she smiled.
"Smart-ass. I swear, it was like the Great Dragon itself sent'cha to save me," the old man said.
"Maybe it did," Riza sat quietly, waiting for the boat to meet coast. I gotta tell Josh and Charlie about my little 'meeting'.
TBC
Cherushi and Mr. Bubbles are not mine, but a friend of mine.