Chapter 22: High Stakes in the Game (www . youtube . com/watch?v=gKZMbaGSJOc)

Memo: YES! I am SO happy for this chapter! XD

Nexus' PoV

"This place is pretty sweet," I decided when we reached Port Royal. Though the others had, I had never been to this world. So far, I was liking it.

As we walked along a rampart, I started to hear a strange noise coming from below us. I was about to say something, but Sora stopped, and I knew by his face that he heard it too.

"That's coming from the port," Goofy said, listening closely also.

"Let's check it out," Sora said.

It sounded like someone screaming, down there in the port. I wondered if it was one of Sora's friends.

When we reached the port, the screaming had stopped, but there was still some funny stuff going on. These skeleton-y pirates were chasing another pirate around as he tried to fight them off by himself. He had long black dreads and lots of strange little beads and charms all over his clothing.

"Jack!" Sora shouted, running over to him. So he was on our side. Good.

"Zola! Some assistance!" Jack shouted back at him over his shoulder.

"That's SORA, Donald, and Goofy! And this is Nexus!"

Well, if he WAS on our side, he wasn't obvious about it. You should at least know your allies' names.

"Will ye leave a mate to perish?"

"Aye aye..."

I noticed Jack's accent was kind of odd. Pretty, but odd. I had only once heard something similar, which made me wonder if that same kook wouldn't show up here.

"Hello, little lady," Jack said to me when I ran up beside him.

"I'm not little," I growled, scowling.

"Indeed? Well, if you wouldn't mind helping me out, I'll learn your real name and get on with it."

"Deal."

*~*~*

After defeating the cursed pirates, Sora sighed, wanting to throw his keyblade at Jack in frustration.

"Those pirates were cursed," Sora declared. "I'd thought we'd seen the last of the curse of the Aztec gold... What gives?"

"Some scallywag must've got greedy. Oh, I see..." Jack looked at Sora, who had raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "You don't trust me, do you?" When they nodded, Jack grinned like a drunkard. "Likely a wise choice, I AM a pirate, mates."

"Jack! Sora!"

At the sound of a woman's voice, they all turned, knowing it was Elizabeth--except Nexus, who still didn't know what was going on.

"Elizabeth!" Sora exclaimed when she arrived. Jack pursed his lips.

Some sticky business is afoot, I fear, he thought, starting to leave.

"Wait, Jack! I need your help," Elizabeth pleaded. "The cursed pirates have returned. Will had to find out why, so he went to Isla de Muerta--to check on the Aztec treasure. I fear something's happened. You have to take me to him."

"Aye, there it is," Jack said, gesturing awkwardly. "If you'll be wanting him rescued, best do it alone, lass."

Is this guy just a big drunk? Nexus wondered as she observed his mannerisms. Or is there seriously something wrong with him? I'm afraid to ask.

"Alone? Really, Jack?" Elizabeth's voice was leaded with sarcasm. "Sail to the island and take on the cursed pirates?"

"Well, if any lass could..." Jack pointed out.

"Are you sure he's in trouble?" Sora asked.

"No," Elizabeth admitted. "Not certain. But he's been gone too long. I wanted to go with him, but he insisted I stay here. I can't just sit and wait! I've got to know if he's all right."

"Lucky man..." Jack mumbled.

"Please, Jack! Take me to him!"

"Hold a moment. I see no profit in it for me."

"I shall reward you. Of course..." Elizabeth smirked. "...you do owe Will. He has saved your life before."

"Right." Jack didn't seem to take into account that last line; he was focused on the reward he might obtain. "Shall we?"

.........

"I've never been on a boat this big," Nexus was telling Sora as they sailed in the Black Pearl.

"Yeah, I think we ended up on two or three different boats last time we were here," Sora said. "It was ridiculous. The only person you can trust here is Elizabeth. Jack is crazy."

"So I've noticed. But what happened?"

Sora began to tell the story of the ancient treasure, when suddenly Goofy shouted something.

"Interceptor off the starboard bow!"

Everybody but Nexus starboard meant, so they rushed to the right side of the ship. There was a young man lying unconcious on the railing of the ship.

"Will!" Elizabeth cried, about to jump off of the ship. Jack bowed his head, placing a hand to his chest, as if to mourn Will's death. "Stop that, Jack. We've got to rescue him!"

"I'm on it," Sora said, jumping up onto the side of the Black Pearl. Jack, understanding, pulled the ship closer to Will, and they managed to grab Will. Elizabeth at his side, Sora and Jack carried Will into the Captain's Stateroom.

"Will, wake up," Elizabeth said, kneeling on the floor and holding him in her arms.

"Elizabeth..." Will murmured, his eyes fluttering open. He was an attractive man, with a kind light in his dark eyes.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"The medallions...and...the stone chest--someone's taken them..." Will took a deep breath, like he was having trouble staying concious. "Next thing I knew, we were attacked...but I couldn't see who it was--his face was shrouded...in a black hood."

"The Organization!" Sora exclaimed.

"Ten munny on Luxord," Nexus said, sighing.

"Is he all that's left?"

"No..."

"We found a way out of the cave...but the villain sent a horde of terrible creatures after us..." Will continued, not replying to the others' remarks. "I've never seen their likes before... I think I'm the only one who made it back to the ship..."

"Will..." Elizabeth murmured.

"Elizabeth... I feel rather..."

Will's head immediately went limp in Elizabeth's arms, so she laid him down on the floor so he could sleep.

"Our turn, guys," Sora said, looking at his friends.

"You'd best go prepared," Elizabeth told him, standing. "We've no idea what's out there."

"Pardon me, lads and lass, but your captain will have no monsters today," Jack said, stepping in. "Thank ye. We're turning for home." He swiftly turned around and marched himself out of the stateroom.

"Just like that?" Elizabeth snapped in disbelief.

"Just like that!"

Nexus' PoV

Sora and I exchanged frustrated looks with one another as Jack headed up to the deck. How were we supposed to get anything done when the guy with the boat wouldn't cooperate?!

"Don't remember invitin' you," we heard him say. I jumped. That meant we weren't alone.

Running upstairs, I arrived next to Jack, and looking out across the deck, I saw an Organization member, still hooded, with a treasure chest full of gold. Sweet.

"So it was the Organization," Sora said from beside me. "We'll handle this!"

"The Darkness of men's hearts--drawn to these cursed medallions; and this Heartless--" A huge Heartless swinging an axe appeared behind Luxord, who had yet to notice me. "--a veritable maelstrom of avarice: I wonder, are they worthy to serve Organization XIII?"

"And you want an answer now?" Jack asked.

"Precisely!" He glanced back at us, then jumped. "Well, well, we meet again, Nexus."

"Indeed, we do," I snorted, poking fun at his stiff manners. "And yet I do believe we're a bit wiser than when we left off, am I right? Or at least...I am."

"You think you're quite clever, don't you, you foul cur?" My hand fell to my gun. "Xemnas knows all about you and Axel, teaming up. You even tried to poison Demyx's mind, but he fell before you could, isn't that right?"

"We aren't trying to poison anyone's mind!" I growled, ignoring Sora's calls for me to help them fight the Heartless. They could handle it. "We're trying to exist, just like you. And yet..." I chuckled. "...And yet we approach it so differently. Apparently, according to you, destruction is the only means of survival, isn't that right, you disgusting bastard?"

"We only destroy those who stand in our way, such as yourself and your meddling friends," Luxord said, turning up his nose at me. If he weren't such a huge a-hole, he'd be slightly attractive. "And the more you meddle, the more you will lose."

"In case you forgot, it's my JOB to meddle," I said, laughing. "When Xemnas appointed me as the fourteenth member, my job was to obliterate the traitors in Castle Oblivion as a spy. Shows how much your existance is valued in the Organization, doesn't it?"

"You lying bitch!" Luxord snapped.

"Yes, thanks, I am. And there are plenty of names I could call you, but I shan't." I motioned to my friends, who had just defeated the Heartless. "After all, I'm sure they'll have some things to say before I annihilate you."

"Oh, boy!" Donald shouted when the Heartless fell overboard.

"Not over yet!" Sora said, turning to Luxord, who was still standing by the treasure chest. He unhooded himself, smirking at Sora, then at me.

"Throw him overboard!" Jack commanded Sora.

"Aye aye!" Geez, Sora made such a lame pirate...

"Parley!" Luxord shouted, and I wrinkled my nose in confusion. Sounded like an herb.

"'Scuse me?" Jack gasped.

"Barley?" Goofy said. Yeah, that's what I was thinkin'...

"It's a bit of a pirates' code," Jack explained. "Anyone who invokes 'parley' must not be harmed 'til negotiations are complete."

Huh, that's handy, I thought. I stored the information for later.

"This is no time for rules!" Sora shouted angrily.

"True. But as we're honorable pirates we should always stick to the Code." Jack turned to Luxord. "All right, you. Out with it!"

"I surrender the chest with my humblest apologies," Luxord said.

"You? Humble?" I snorted.

"Rather accommodating of you, mate," Jack remarked. "And for that you want...?"

"Just a few souvenirs...for the memories."

Before anyone could stop him, Luxord grabbed a handful of medallions.

"Huh?" Jack grunted as Luxord threw them into the air. Suddenly Nobodies--presumably the ones Luxord had charge of--appeared and snatched up the gold, disappearing.

"Oh, no! We can't stop the curse unless we got all the medallions!" Goofy cried.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I muttered to Goofy, glaring at Luxord.

"Our friend's about to learn what it means to cross a pirate," Jack sneered.

"Oh?"

Suddenly the Heartless that my friends were SUPPOSED to have KILLED--yeah, great job with that one, guys--came out of the water, cursed by the medallions. It swung its axe, and the five of us went flying through the air, landing on the deck of the Interceptor.

"Fire!"

"BASTARD!" I shouted, just as the Black Pearl's cannons shot at us.

.........

"You stole a medallion again?" Sora said.

My eyes fluttered open to see Jack standing there, looking similar to the cursed pirates we fought earlier. Who knows how long I had been out. We could've spent days floating out at sea, but I didn't suppose it was very long at all--I was already half dry. Now we were trapped in the ruins of the Interceptor, which would likely never sail again.

"Were I only that fortunate..." Jack replied to Sora's remark, looking at his bony hand.

"Fortunate?" Donald quacked, confused.

"So, uh, how come you're all skeleton-y?" Goofy asked.

"Perhaps I got a tough o' somethin' from that monster what attacked us," Jack supposed, turning to us. "Yet, why's the skin restin' right on you four?"

"'Cause we're not greedy!"

Everyone stared at Donald with a total "WTF?" face. I don't think any of us bought that.

"What're you looking at?" Donald muttered, but we ignored him, as usual.

"That still doesn't solve the mystery," Sora said quietly as Jack stepped out of the moonlight. I finally got to my feet.

"Gawrsh..." Goofy said. "Maybe the reason we're all okay is because we're not from this world."

"There must be different laws," Donald agreed.

"Yeah...we're always just passing through..." Sora sighed, bowing his head a little. "Wonder when we'll see home again..."

"Sora..." Donald murmured. He looked genuinely sad, then suddenly his spiky-haired head popped up, a grin on his face.

"Just kiddin' you," he laughed. "Lucky we didn't get cursed, huh?"

"You're such a kid," I teased.

"Quit yammerin', mates!" Jack shouted at us. "We've got to find ourselves a ship that'll float."

"Well, we won't find one here," I said. "Let's check outside."

*~*~* (www . youtube . com/watch?v=u77Bzd3QH_w)

Though they were in a ship graveyard, there were no usable ships in sight. In fact, the first thing they came upon of value had nothing to do with a ship. Instead, it was one of the Nobodies Luxord had summoned earlier, appropriately called a Gambler.

"Look!" Donald shouted when he saw one. It was juggling a medallion in the air.

"A medallion!" Jack shouted, pulling out his sword. "Get it!"

The five chased after the Nobody, trying to corner it, sometimes hitting each other instead of their target. They chased it up onto an unsteady wooden platform, where other enemies appeared. But finally, Sora managed to strike it one last time with his keyblade, and the Nobody faded, leaving behind the medallion.

"Three more to go!" Jack said cheerfully as he picked up the small piece of gold.

"How do you know?" Sora asked, unconvinced and amazed at the same time.

"A pirate must have a keen eye," Jack replied. "Else he won't be sailin' free for very long. Savvy?"

"Huh? What's that?" Donald wondered.

"When did you get so observant?" Nexus asked him, shocked.

Beyond the ruins, the party could see a ship approaching. Elizabeth was standing on the railing, waving her arms.

"Ahoy, mateys!" she cried.

"Ridiculous imitation--and yet, I'm flattered," Jack muttered, preparing to board the ship.

.........

"Jack, what happened?" Elizabeth asked, horrified at Jack's skeletal form. "This is horrible!"

"Ah, but who's to blame for it, eh?" Jack retorted, still sore about sailing out in the first place. He wanted his reward.

"Well, it certainly isn't Elizabeth," Will said defensively.

"It's Organization XIII," Sora declared. "They're the ones behind it all."

"Specifically Luxord," Nexus agreed, nodding.

"Wonder where they went," Goofy said.

"The hooded man took the pirates and his creatures with him into some strange hole," Will explained. "We saw them leave from inside the captain's stateroom."

"Didn't occur to you to fight them, mate?" Jack asked.

"I'm no fool. I knew I was no match for them."

"That I believe."

"Sora, I think we'll need your help," Will said, turning to said keyblade wielder.

"Got it," Sora said, nodding once.

"First, let's find all the medallions. Otherwise, the curse can't be broken and the creatures will remain invincible."

So Sora, Jack, Nexus, Donald, and Goofy sailed out to every place they had ever been together, searching for the Gamblers and finding the medallions. It didn't take as long as they had thought, but it definitely took longer than they wanted. Soon, though, the other three medallions were accounted for, and they could take the next step in their plan of attack.

"That's four medallions!" Sora exclaimed, holding the four gold coins in his hand. Nexus peered at them. "We got 'em all!"

They're pretty, she thought. Too bad we have to return them.

"But where's the chest?" Jack asked impatiently.

"If we find the hooded man, we'll find it," Will said.

"Prob'ly in Port Royal," Sora suggested, shrugging.

"Why's that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Organization XIII is after people's hearts. So they're gonna go where there's lots of people."

"There are lots of people here, you know," Nexus pointed out. Sora rolled his eyes at her.

"Not as many as the town would have."

"True."

"They'll hurt the townsfolk?" Will wondered.

"No, they're bringin' 'em flowers, mate," Jack snarled, his sarcasm switch on. "I don't know who these Organizers are, but I will say they're makin' we pirates look like proper gents."

Spitting out his last words like venom, Jack marched up the stairs to steer the ship.

"Well, Jack...then...we have to help!" Will shouted up to him. Jack was already ready to go.

"Then let go and haul to run free!" Jack shouted back.

.........

Upon arriving at the harbor, the cursed Heartless was waiting for them, but Luxord was not.

Damn, Nexus thought, looking around. What a disappointment.

"Go!" Jack said to the others, staring the Heartless down. "He's for me."

Running in one direction, Jack led the Heartless away from the treasure chest and all around, playing a quick game of cat and mouse.

"Now to break that curse!" Sora said, dropping in the medallions. The Heartless immediately became uncursed.

"The curse--it's gone!" Donald cried in joy.

"Then what's this?" Jack said, looking at his still skeleton body.

"Aw, I understand," Goofy said. Nexus shot him a look of disbelief. "Jack musta been cursed by that monster, not from takin' the gold."

"Oh, I've no worries, then," Jack said, the sarcasm back.

"It's okay, Jack," Sora assured him. "We'll just have to defeat the monster, that's all."

"Don't jinx it!" Nexus shouted, covering his mouth. But it was too late. The Heartless had already swung its giant axe and knocked some of the gold out of the chest, bringing back the curse.

"Get the gold!" Jack cried, scurrying around with some medallions in one hand and his sword in another.

"Somebody has to distract it, then!" Nexus shouted.

"I will!" Donald said, and he launched a big thunder spell at the Heartless. To everyone's surprise, the Heartless quivered, dropping gold everywhere.

"Whoa! That actually worked!" Jack and Nexus shouted in unison.

"Well, Nexus, great minds think alike," Jack then said to her, raising his eyebrows suggestively. She smirked.

"But whose is the greatest?" she asked.

"We'll just have to find out!"

.........

"All better," Sora said as the Heartless fell to the ground, defeated once and for all.

"Ah, not quite, mate," Jack told him, now back to a normal human again--well, he was as normal as he could get.

Anyway, Luxord was Jack's reason for distress. He stood there as the Heartless' heart floated up into the air. Catching it for a moment, he sent it up to Kingdom Hearts.

"Sora, bravo," he said, then eyed Nexus with a gleam in his eyes.

Suddenly the harbor went black with smoke, and when it cleared, Luxord was holding Nexus by the neck with her own gun to her head.

Nexus' PoV

Frock, I thought, shaking all over. If this is how I die, I'm gonna be pissed.

"Nexus!" Sora cried, his blue eyes getting huge. He started toward me, but I heard an ominous click coming from my gun, and Sora stopped.

"Come any closer, and she dies," Luxord said simply, his grip on my throat tightening a little.

"What do you want?!" Sora shouted. "Let her go!"

"Yes, but for a price. Or it's her life."

Glancing at the side of my head, I saw him holding my gun like a natural, and I knew he had planned this from the start.

"Take me then!" Sora cried angrily.

"Oh?"

No, Sora, I thought, don't say that!

"Take me instead, I said!"

"Now that might be an offer I can't refuse," Luxord said, looking at me from over my head so that his face appeared upsidedown to me. (Am I really that short? Guess I am...)

Near tears, I tried to talk through choking, struggling to move. Whatever he was doing to me, it was paralyzing.

"Don't!" I managed to cry out. "Sora!"

"Nexus!" Sora shouted, about to take a step closer.

"NO!" I shouted back, a plan suddenly coming to my mind. "P--..." Oh, what was the word? "P-Parley!"

Everyone went dead silent.

"Parley!" I screamed. "Parley, dammit! I'm envoking parley!"

"Follow the code," Jack said eerily, and Luxord let go of my throat.

"Name your terms," he said with an ice cold tone.

"I want a fair trial," I snapped, looking at Luxord. "Don't harm Sora, don't even involve him. Just me."

Luxord thought about this for a moment, like he seriously might go ahead and shoot me anyway.

"Agreed," he said with a sneer, grabbing me by the shoulder and opening a portal.

"Nexus..." Sora said quietly.

"Don't worry," I told him, smirking. "I've got this."

*~*~*

"Don't worry about her, Sora," Donald told him as they watched Luxord drag Nexus away into a portal.

"How can I not?" he mumbled under his breath.

"Just who was that chap?" Jack asked.

"He's part of an Organization that's collecting hearts," Sora explained. "First they release Heartless into different worlds. We defeat those Heartless. Then they get the hearts." He sighed. "We're never gonna stop 'em like this."

"What's the plan, then?" Jack prodded as Will and Elizabeth walked over.

"We gotta find their stronghold and finish them off once and for all," Sora decided.

"Sailin' these waters, I've heard some tales, but not a one like this."

"Is there any way we can help?" Will asked. Sora thought for a moment, but his mind was still consumed with Nexus' fate.

"Anything at all?" Elizabeth asked.

"There is," Jack said suddenly.

.........

"She's gotten out of worse things before," Goofy told Sora, who was still a little upset. "She'll come back. She must have a plan."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Sora finally agreed.

"Try not to worry about your bonnie lass," Jack said. Sora glared at him. "It's certain we don't need the likes of that hooded fellow and the Heartless about. They'll ruin the market for us true pirates."

"So that's why you went to Port Royal," Elizabeth said. "And we thought you actually wanted to save everyone."

"A pirate always looks to profit, Miss Swann," Jack said with a smirk.

"Too bad," Sora sighed, smirking back. "You had us going there, thinking you'd turned over a new leaf."

"The question is, what's beyond the leaf? Savvy?"

"Oh...oh, yes--a reward," Elizabeth said, suddenly remembering her agreement. She had obviously pushed it to the back of her mind. "And what'll it be?"

"That lovely blade of Sora's," Jack replied smugly.

"Huh?" Donald and Sora gasped, but then Sora smirked again, nodding.

"Okay," he said, summoning the keyblade. "Sure."

Flipping the hilt, he held out the blade to Jack, who hesitated.

"Hold on!" he cried. "That was far too easy. What's the rub?"

Taking it anyway, he admired it for a moment, but the keyblade went right back to Sora, its true master.

"There, you see?" Jack sighed.

"Well, you've always got the Pearl, Jack," Sora pointed out.

"That I do. But someday, I'll gather a blood-thirsty crew, and come to take that blade. Chance by then I'll have the way to wield it." Jack turned to Will and Elizabethn. "And if I succeed, I'll ask you two to join me. That'd be reward enough."

"Done," Elizabeth agreed.

"Maybe someday, Jack'll be able to use the Keyblade after all," Goofy said.

"Why's that?" Donald asked.

"A-hyuck! He and Sora are kind of alike, dontcha think?"

"Are not!" Sora and Jack said in perfect unison. They looked at each other, embarrassed, then joined in on the others' laughter.

For a moment, Sora forgot what might be going on on the other side...