That's right! I'm still alive!
Hard to believe that it's been four weeks since my last update. Geez. I haven't done that since the early chapters. Sorry about the wait, everyone.
Here we are, the fight scene between Riku and Keila that I established back at the beginning of Chapter Fourteen is finally here. And writing it royally kicked my ass. I have been fighting with this chapter daily for nearly a month on top of dealing with the passing of my grandfather and my great aunt. I dedicate this chapter to them.
Thanks go out to the reviewers from last time! You guys rock!
I've been a Halo ever since Combat Evolved was released ten years ago. So please allow me one brief moment to celebrate the excitement still coursing through my veins from Microsoft's E3 conference. Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary gets released this year (called it) but more importantly Halo 4 comes out in 2012! I can't wait.
Disclaimer: Insert generic disclaimer statement here along with witty comment.
That should about cover it. Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty Two: And a Bottle of Rum
Monday, June 21st 4794 P.C.
The Frozen Fields
Riku's combative instincts kicked in a split second before Keila's Darkness covered Keyblade would've slit his throat. The Way to Dawn appeared in his hand in a flash and parried Keila's strike, throwing her off balance.
"Keila, what the hell is the matter with you?" Riku asked as he leapt backwards, placing several feet between himself and her. Keila straightened up and glared at him.
"What's the matter with me?" She repeated. "What's the matter with you? Don't go acting like we're friends so you can get me to lower my guard. I'm not stupid, you know." She leapt at him with lightning fast speed and brought her Keyblade down over her head in a wide arc.
"What are you talking about?" Riku asked as he rolled to the side to avoid her attack as it shattered the ice on the ground beneath the snow. "I thought we were friends!" Keila let out a snort of laughter and slashed at Riku's chest. The silver-haired Keyblade Master ducked under the attack and continued to back away from her.
"Friends?" Keila said. "I don't need friends. Mother always said friends will only betray you and stab you in the back to suit their own needs." She raised her hand and sent a swirling orb of Darkness streaking towards Riku's head. The Way to Dawn became covered in a faint orange light as Riku raised it up to deflect the attack. "Besides, I've never met you before in my life. How could you possibly be under the impression we were friends?" Riku stared at her in stunned disbelief. It had only been a week. How could she have completely forgotten about him so quickly?
A barrage of Darkness orbs flew towards Riku. The Keyblade Master growled in frustration and leapt out of the way, only to be greeted by the edge of Keila's Keyblade as it narrowly missed slicing off his ear. Riku ducked under her blade and stepped behind her. Keila spun on her heel and to Riku's surprise, kicked him square in the chest, knocking the breath from his lungs and sending him stumbling back into one of the snow covered rocks that were scattered on the top of the cliff. He shook his head to clear it and raised his eyes in time to see Keila's Keyblade come spinning towards his head. He tilted his head to the side and the blade passed him harmlessly. Keila let out a growl of frustration as it reappeared in her hand.
"I know that you don't want to hurt her because she's your friend and all, but don't you think you could at least go on the offensive rather than running around?" Dawn asked from Riku's waist. Keila ran towards Riku and stabbed at his shoulder. The Way to Dawn flashed up and deflected the attack.
"Come on, Keila," Riku said desperately. He didn't want to hurt her, but this was starting to get a little ridiculous. Keila raised her Keyblade above her head. "I know you know we're friends, just try to remember. I don't want to have to fight you for no reason." Keila froze mid-strike. Inside her mind's eye, she was assaulted with a rush of fragmented images. A vision of her waking up next to Riku in a tent. Driving a truck through cave with him as a part of a convoy. Writing a message in a get-well card for him. She shook her head to clear it and let out an angry battle cry.
"Stay out of my head!" She shouted. Riku's feet were knocked out from beneath him as a column made from shadows burst from the ground underneath and threw him into the air. "Keep your lies to yourself!" The column transformed into a pair of massive, black-clawed hands attached to Keila's arms by thin wisps of shadow. The hands grabbed hold of Riku's waist and slammed him headfirst into the ground.
Riku let out a gasp of pain as the hands tossed him high into the air. For a moment, his vision was filled with the dizzying swirl of shades of white and blue as he spun head over heel before he leveled out and his eyes locked onto to the golden 'teeth' of Keila's Keyblade as she dropped towards him from above.
He thrust his palm out towards her and threads of golden light shot from his finger tips, wrapping around Keila and binding her hands to her sides. Riku flipped backwards and landed gracefully on his feet, the Way to Dawn poised and ready to deflect anything Keila had to throw at him. Keila landed on the ground and slipped on the frozen ground beneath the snow, unable to keep her balance due to the binds around her arms. Darkness pulsed from within Keila's body, destroying the threads of light.
"Surely you can do better than that," she taunted, her free hand gently rubbing the back of her head as she got to her feet. She lunged at Riku and their Keyblades met as Riku easily parried her attack. Keila spun a full circle; swinging her Inverse Kingdom Key around in an attempt to strike Riku's exposed side. Riku twisted his upper body in an uncomfortable fashion as he stabbed the Way to Dawn down in time to block her strike. Keila lost her balance again on the ice, her arms jarred from Riku's block. Her Keyblade went spinning out of her hands and fell into the snow several yards away, vanishing from sight in the white powder.
She flipped herself back onto her feet and fell back into a fighting stance. Riku let out a sigh and raised the Way to Dawn as he readied himself. Keila stabbed her blade at Riku's exposed chest. Riku twisted out of the way and shifted himself so he stood behind her. Keila spun around, her Inverse Kingdom Key swinging slightly behind her as she aimed for his head. Riku half-heartedly parried her blow. Keila let out a growl of frustration and quickly performed a series of jabbing attacks focused on Riku's chest and stomach. Riku effortlessly blocked them with a few quick strikes. Keila stumbled providing Riku with an opening to finish her then and there.
Reacting on instinct, Riku swung the Way to Dawn down towards her. Keila cringed, expecting the worst. Riku realized what he was about to do a split second before his blade would have struck her and changed the direction of his attack. The Way to Dawn struck the Inverse Kingdom Key, sending it spiraling out of Keila's hands to land in the snow several feet away. Keila looked from her now empty hand over to Riku in confusion.
"What the hell?" She practically shouted at him. "You had me finished and instead you just knock my Keyblade out of my hand? What's wrong with you?"
"You're my friend," Riku stated as if it were obvious. "I don't want to hurt you." Keila let out snort of contempt.
"Seriously? You're gonna keep spouting that 'we're friends' crap?" Keila said, glaring up at Riku. "When are you going to get it through your thick skull that we aren't friends? You're just my target." She leapt back away from Riku and snatched her Keyblade up from the snow.
Damn it. Riku thought. Why can't I get through to her?
"Riku, look at her neck," Dawn said. Riku snapped out of his reverie and his eyes darted to the visible part of Keila's neckline under her parka as she spun to face him again. A heart-shaped, ruby pendant with a keyhole carved into it hung from a blood red chain around her neck. The necklace glowed dimly, the same color as the unnatural light in Keila's eyes. "I think that thing's responsible for why she doesn't remember you." Riku nodded in agreement.
"Then I've either got to destroy that thing or knock her out," Riku muttered as he straightened up. "Time to end this." He flourished the Way to Dawn in his hand and charged at Keila. He swung his Keyblade in a wide, horizontal arc as he neared her. Keila smirked and flipped backwards so Riku's attack passed harmlessly beneath her. Riku grinned. He continued his swing, spinning around a full three hundred sixty degrees before hurling his Keyblade at the still airborne Keila.
The Way to Dawn struck home, its rotation allowing it to spin right past the hasty guard Keila had thrown up to strike her across her chest. She hit the ground with a whimper of pain and rolled into a crouch, powder-like snow settling around her in a small cloud. Riku's Keyblade spun back and he caught it nonchalantly as he strode towards her. Keila reached for her Keyblade and grasped it as Riku's boot stomped down on the blade.
"I'm going to help your remember, Keila," he said. "Just trust me." Keila glared up at him from where she knelt on the cold ground. She winced, expecting the worse as he bent down next to her. To her surprise, Riku clutched the pendant on her necklace, resting it in his palm as he swung the Way to Dawn down onto it.
A split second before the blade made contact, a loud howl echoed painfully in Riku's ears. He leapt back as a bright red light flared out from the pendant on Keila's necklace. Something solid collided with his chest and sent him stumbling backwards towards the cliff edge. Fortunately, he managed to recover his balance and save himself from a long drop to the field of ice and snow covered Keyblades below. He swallowed hard as he peered over the edge. A thousand feet was a long way to fall. He turned his head and looked back over at Keila as the red light faded from around her body and his mouth dropped open.
With the exception of her head, Keila's entire body had become encased in a crystalline red armor. The heart-shaped pendant on her necklace accented the armor around her throat. Jagged, ruby spikes jutted from the pauldron on her right shoulder. A large pentagonal-shaped shield was attached to the armor on her left forearm and her Keyblade was covered in the red crystal, extending its length and taking on a triangular shape. The hilt of her crystal covered Keyblade and the crystal armor covering her hand had fused together, preventing Keila from being able to drop her blade. Keila examined her body for a brief moment with a surprised expression before grinning sinisterly at Riku.
"Now we're talking," she said. She hefted her blade as though it weighed nothing and charged at Riku. Riku shifted his stance and stood his ground, raising the Way to Dawn in front of him to act as a guard. Keila swung her blade down as she neared him. The sharp edges of the crystal glinted brightly. Riku leapt out of the way at the last possible second and landed behind Keila. Keila's crystal blade slammed into the ground, leaving behind a small crater in the snow and ice. Keila let out a growl of frustration and pulled her blade out of the ground. She spun swiftly despite her armor and managed to graze Riku's thigh as the silver-haired Keyblade Master rolled away. Blood splattered against the snow, ruining the pure white powder.
Riku let out a hiss of pain and pressed his hand firmly against the wound on his thigh as he fell to one knee several yards away from Keila. Keila was practically on top of him in a matter of seconds, her crystal covered blade raised high above her head for the finishing blow. Riku closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to raise a defense that could possible save him at such close quarters. He heard Keila let out a gasp of surprise and he opened his eyes.
The crystal armored teen was being hoisted into the air by a large, jet-black hand that pinned her arms to her side. Riku glanced behind him to see the hulking form of the Guardian. For a brief moment, the humanoid creature of Darkness retained its usual appearance before a golden light filled it from within, causing the black in its skin to become mostly gold, broken only by black veins. Its normally yellow eyes became a dull red. Riku slowly stood up as Keila struggled against the Guardian's grip.
"Sorry, Keila," Riku said as the Guardian's grip tightened, "it's for your own good." Keila winced in pain as the crystal armor protecting her began to crack in multiple places from the Guardian's brute strength. Then the pressure was gone as the Guardian threw her high into the air before detaching its tail from Riku's body and diving into the ground. Keila flipped head over heel for a brief moment before plummeting back to the ground.
Her descent was cut short as the Guardian burst out of the ground and flew into Keila, knocking her even higher into the air. Its powerful arms wrapped around her before she had time to react and dragged her with it back into the ground. Keila let out a cry of pain as sections of her armor shattered, some of the sharper pieces piercing her flesh underneath. The Guardian refused to give her reprieve. It rose from the ground again, creating a gold and black shockwave of energy that slammed into her as she attempted to stand back up, forcing her back to her knees and cracking the breastplate of her armor.
Keila raised her crystal covered Keyblade and unleashed a volley of Darkness orbs at the Guardian. The Guardian became transparent and the orbs of Darkness passed harmlessly through it. A pair of swirling orange and black discs took form in the Guardian's hands as it became solid again. Realizing what was coming, Keila hastily raised her shield in front of her. The twin discs slammed hard against the shield and Keila felt her arm bruise from the impact. Relentless as ever, the Guardian moved quickly over to Keila, swinging its massive arms repeatedly against her shield. Keila let out a growl of frustration as the Guardian pounded away. She was starting to get frustrated and she wanted nothing more than to finish the battle.
Without warning, her shield gave out under the Guardian's blows and shattered. Keila's eyes widened in shock as the ruby-red shards of crystal fell to the ground. She looked up from her shattered shield and was greeted with a swift blow to the chest by the Guardian's fist. She cried out in pain as she was sent flying towards the edge of the cliff, stopped only by a large boulder that broke more of her armor off as she collided with it. The Guardian hovered closely over her, raising its arms above its head for the finishing blow.
Reacting on instinct, Keila quickly swung her crystal covered blade up and drove it into the Guardian's chest, burying it in the creature up to the hilt. The Guardian let out a roar as it floated backwards, away from Keila. Faint wisps of golden smoke rose from its wound for a few moments before it exploded violently. The force of the blast shattered the remaining segments of Keila's crystal armor and threw the snow on the ground around it into the air, creating a white cloud that was nearly impossible to see through.
Keila panted heavily as the snow began to settle back onto the ground. Her body ached in multiple places from the blows the Guardian had dealt her. She blinked, trying to clear the blurriness in her vision, but it was clearing slowly, which told her she had hit her head, and hard. She could feel the faint trickle of blood running down the side of her face from some place hidden by her hair. From what she could see, her armor lay in shards around her body, some of the pieces reduced to dust from the explosion. Her Keyblade lay in the snow several yards out of her reach, now free of its crystal addition. Riku strode towards her through the settling snow, the Way to Dawn vanishing from his hand as he went to kneel beside her.
"Are you okay?" He asked in a concerned tone. His eyes were fixated nervously on the heart-shaped pendant dangling around her throat so he didn't see her hand slowly tighten around a sharp-edged piece of crystal. Keila grinned up at him. She knew how to win this fight.
"Never better," she said in a low voice. Her hand darted up and grabbed Riku by the front of his cloak. Riku gave a shout of surprise that was quickly silenced as Keila pulled his lips onto hers in a tender kiss. For a moment, Riku's mind went completely blank. After a brief moment when it finally clicked with him that he was receiving his first kiss, he closed his eyes and deepened the physical contact. They remained locked together by the lips for several moments before he felt Keila's mouth tighten into a smirk. He opened his eyes, looking at her questioningly.
Her right hand lashed out at him, slicing through his cloak and digging the crystal she had grabbed deep into his flesh on his left side. She twisted the crystal in the wound before jerking it to the side, tearing it from Riku's side and leaving a deep gash in its wake. Riku's eyes widened as he stumbled backwards, dark splotches of red dropping to stain the snow. He looked from the gash in his side to Keila and back again.
Keila leapt to her feet before Riku could react and summoned her Keyblade back to her hands. Riku watched in dull shock as the flat side of her Keyblade struck him in the side of his head and sent him stumbling towards the edge of the cliff. He managed to regain his balance, teetering on the verge of falling off as stars danced in his vision. Keila grinned and leapt high into the air. A massive fist comprised of mist-like shadow rose from behind her, mimicking the movements of her left hand as she swung it back.
"See you in hell," she said cheerily. She swung her fist forward and the shadow hand responded, crashing into the ground at Riku's feet and shattering the section of the cliff he had been standing on. Staring silently at her in shock, Riku plummeted towards the field of frozen Keyblades more than a thousand feet below him.
The icy wind and snow whipped around Riku as he plummeted down the side of the cliff face, stinging his exposed skin. Specks of his own blood flew behind him from the gash created by the crystal Keila had slashed him with and the wounds on his head and thigh. He pressed his left hand firmly against the gash in his side, mentally regretting never taking the time to learn how to use Cure. Riku winced as he took a deep breath in an attempt to slow his heart rate. Each breath caused him immense pain and the icy air wasn't helping much.
His eyes opened and had a sudden idea. This had worked once before, so why not now? The Way to Dawn flashed in his hand as he swung it back and stabbed into the side of the cliff. His speed significantly slowed as he left a scar in the stone. He let out a wild laugh. That had worked out better than he had hoped, right up until a thicker section of stone wrenched the Way to Dawn from Riku's hands, causing his fall to continue. Riku stared hopelessly up at his Keyblade as he continued down towards the field of Keyblades below.
"Come on, Riku!" Dawn shouted desperately from his side. "Do something or you're going to die!"
She's right. But what can I do? An image of the Guardian emerging from his back to stop the fall entered Riku's mind. Is that the answer? Well, it wouldn't hurt to try.
"Come, Guardian!" He shouted. There was a flash of golden light behind him and the Guardian emerged from his back. Riku grinned triumphantly, but it was short-lived. With a shudder the Guardian faded, the pain Riku was in combined with his quickly draining energy prevented it from maintaining its physical form. Riku's grin vanished, replaced by a look of pure shock.
"Any time now!" Dawn asked. "Wait, I've got it! Quick, beam us back onto the Gummi ship!" Riku smacked himself on the forehead, wondering why he hadn't thought of that before. His hand darted into his pocket and produced a handful of broken pieces of the warp remote. Riku stared blankly at his hand.
"Bad news, Dawn," he said dejectedly, "the remote is busted."
"Well, that's just great," Dawn spat. "Can you come up with some other way out of this?"
"Nope. Sorry."
"Fantastic. Talk about a short life. It's been nice knowing you, Riku."
"You too, Dawn," Riku said. He sighed and closed his eyes. If he was going to die, he wasn't going to have his eyes open.
Is this how I die? Riku asked himself. Without being able to see my friends again? Alone? Sora. Kairi. I'm sorry that I don't get to see you guys again. He thought sadly. Good luck, you two. You'll probably need it.
And that was his final conscious thought before he slammed into the ground. He experienced blinding pain for a fraction of a second as he felt his bones shatter and his neck snap before his world went black.
LD
"You did a good job, Keila," Cynthia said as she crouched next to Riku's crumpled, broken body. The impact had broken several of Riku's bones. Jagged edges of the blood covered bone shards jutted out in several places from Riku's black cloak. The snow around him was dyed red as his blood flowed out of him. His Keyblade had fallen from the Cliffside above them, embedding itself tip first in the ground amongst the other Keyblades that stood in the field.
Cynthia's fingers were pressed against the fallen Keyblade Master's jugular where no pulse could be felt. Her mouth was pulled into a wicked grin. Keila stood several yards away, doing her best to avoid looking at the body. Her skin had a greenish tint to it as she swayed in place. She looked like she was about to be sick. Satisfied, Cynthia rose to her feet and placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"You'll be fine, Keila," she said sweetly. "Your first kill is always the hardest." Keila nodded silently, her mind barely registering what her mother said as it was assaulted by a rush of images of her and Riku spending time together, laughing, teasing, singing, just like two friends would. "You'd best hurry along. You don't want Maleficent to grow suspicious of your constant disappearances, do you?" Keila shook her head and a portal of Darkness took form next to her.
"Farewell, Mother," she whispered weakly as she stepped into the portal. Cynthia smiled warmly at her as she vanished into the portal. Cynthia straightened up and smirked down at the crumpled form of Riku's body.
One down. She told herself as her own portal of Darkness surrounded her. One to go.
As the portal closed behind her, a pair of figures dressed in black cloaks identical to the ones worn by Organization XIII moved swiftly through the field of Keyblades towards Riku's body.
LD
Corridors of Darkness
"Why am I crying?" Keila muttered to herself as she trudged through the swirling colors of the Corridor she was traveling through. She wiped the tears from her cheeks on the back of her hands. "What's wrong with me?"
LD
"Are you sure, Master?"
The pair of figures dressed in the black cloaks knelt over Riku's maimed and crumpled body. Both were feminine in build and kept their faces concealed. The taller of the two nodded slowly under her hood.
"I'm positive," she said. She knelt down next to Riku's body and grabbed hold to the Way to Dawn's hilt. "This is the original Way to Dawn, one of the first five Keys to come into existence. You should know this by now, child. According to the Declarations of the Thirteenth Observer, only one of the Three will ever wield the true Way to Dawn." The woman stood up straighter and stared down at Riku's body from under her hood. "There is no doubt in my mind that he is one of the Three. This can only mean that the Keyblade's Chosen One has finally inherited their blade." She tossed the Way to Dawn to her apprentice, who caught it lazily with one hand, before placing her fingers to Riku's throat.
"His pulse is faint," she announced. "He'll live if we can get him out of this god forsaken snow." With seemingly little effort, the woman scooped Riku's body up into her arms and spun on her heel to stride into the Valley of Fallen Keys.
"Come on," she said as her apprentice fell into step behind her. "The Forge is very close by. We have no time to waste and he's fading fast."
LD
Mysterious Tower
Yen Sid let out a sad sigh as he stared up at the star filled sky. Ever since he had retired from being a Keyblade Master, he had sat in this tower day after day, observing the heavens. He was the one who kept an eye on the balance between the worlds. He was usually the first to know when something dreadful was about to unfold. Even as he watched, one of the stars grew slowly fainter.
Yen Sid was one of the few people left in the universe who knew that not every star was a world. Several stars represented the hearts and lives of Keyblade wielders. As he watched, the star representing Riku's heart was growing fainter, as if his life was draining from him.
"Be strong, Riku," Yen Sid said to the empty room around him. "There is a war coming. The stars can feel it. And so can I. The fate of the worlds rests in the hands of Sora and yourself."
LD
Onboard the Kingdom,
Somewhere in Space
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Kairi shouted nervously to Sora. It had only been a few hours since the they had left El Dorado behind and so far, they had all only managed to accomplish taking long showers to make up for the two and a half weeks they went without hot running water to bathe in and already Sora had them training. She and Naminé stood on the edge of a very high cliff in the Kingdom's training simulator with Sora and the spiritual projection of Roxas standing on the opposite side of the chasm, both grinning expectantly at the two girls.
"I'm positive," Sora said confidently. "It's like I told you, just think any happy thought and hold on tight to it."
"I don't really see how sprinkling us with dust is going to make us fly," Naminé said as she peered over the edge of the cliff. "It's a long drop you know."
"Just trust me," Sora said with a sigh. They were stalling and he knew it. "Here, watch." He closed his eyes and concentrated on his happy thought. After a couple seconds, he slowly floated into the air and drifted so he was hovering well over the edge. He opened his eyes in satisfaction as he heard Kairi gasp. Roxas floated along on his back next to Sora, casually examining his nails as he did so.
"Come on, you two!" Roxas called out. Naminé grinned eagerly as she watched Sora float in the sky and scrunched up her face in concentration. At first, nothing happened. Then her grin only broadened as she felt her feet leave the ground as she floated up into the simulated sky.
"Okay, this is pretty cool," she said eagerly as she opened her eyes and stared down at the ground below. She spun in midair to look down at her auburn-haired sister. "Come on, Kairi! You're the odd-man-out! Or is it odd-woman-out? Does the phrase change based on if the person you're talking about is male or female?" She turned in the air to look at Roxas and Sora, both of whom shrugged.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Kairi said exasperatedly. "Geez." She closed her eyes and concentrated. In her mind's eye, she replayed the moment she and Sora had reunited in the Castle That Never Was and she relived the overwhelming feeling of joy that had coursed through her as she had rushed up to embrace him. Slowly but steadily her feet lifted off the ground. She opened her eyes and let out a gasp of excitement as she stared down at the ground several feet below her.
"I'm doing it!" She said excitedly. "Oh my god! I'm actually flying!"
"I told you so," Sora said, flashing her his trademark grin. "And the best part is; it's just like riding a bike. Once you know how to do it, you'll never for-" Without warning, the simulation suddenly shut down, causing the three teens with physical bodies to lose their concentration and fall seven feet to the floor.
Sora let out a grumble and stepped out of the simulator through a concealed door and into the small control booth. All of the simulation control monitors were flashing the same message in orange informing him that they would arrive at their destination in less than a minute. He turned around as Kairi and Naminé followed him into the booth.
"What's going on?" Kairi asked. Sora grinned at her and Naminé.
"We're here," he said cheerily. "Come on. You two are gonna have a blast."
"What's got you all excited?" Naminé asked as she and Kairi followed Sora to the bridge. "Is there something special about this world?" Sora's grin only broadened.
"Pirates," he said excitedly.
"Ninjas are better," Roxas added.
"Pirates beat ninjas," Sora, Kairi and Naminé all said at once. Roxas hung his head. He didn't want to get dragged into a three-on-one argument about whether or not ninjas or pirates were better than the other. He had a feeling he'd lose.
"So, are these pirates like the pirates that rescue the innocent maiden from the bad guys like in the stories and bury their treasure under an X?" Naminé asked. "Or the pirates that pin the maiden down to the docks while they have their fun with her and spend their treasure on drinks and women?"
"I guess it really depends," Sora said with a shrug. "But if I had to choose, I would say that most of them are the second type."
"That does not instill confidence in me," Naminé said. "I suddenly have doubts about going down there."
"Naminé, everything will be fine," Kairi said as she placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. "What can a bunch of thugs do to us? We have Keyblades and we can use magic." To emphasize her point, Kairi summoned up a tiny bit of Thunder magic and made sparks dance between her fingers. "Besides, in the worst case scenario, Sora busts in and saves us."
"Exactly," Sora said as he flashed Naminé a confidence filled grin. "Besides, I'm friends with a few pirates, remember? You'll be fine."
"Unless the ninjas come and-"
"There are no ninjas on this world, Roxas," Sora said with a sigh as the four of them emerged onto the bridge, allowing them their first look at Port Royal. "I think."
LD
"Come in Command, we have a visual on the asset."
As the Kingdom approached Port Royal, another small Gummi ship followed its flight path from a distance just beyond the range of its radar. Three men dressed in identical black and white suites and dark sunglasses sat in the cockpit of their ship, watching as the Kingdom slowed to a stop in orbit above the world.
"Roger that, Specter Three," a feminine voice said over the COMM system. "Recovery Two and Seven are leaving Mt. Kathleines Station for your coordinates now. Do not lose sight of the asset's ship. As soon as the Recovery teams arrive, you may return to Headquarters. Confirm orders, Specter."
"Roger that, Command," the pilot said. "Specter Three out." He pressed a button on the console in front of him, which cut off their connection to Command.
"Tell me again why we've been tracking a trio of Keyblade Wielders for the past week," one of the other men said in a bored tone. "Most of the citizens back home support the fact that they are out here saving the worlds. So why are we trying to bring them back to Radiant Garden against their will?"
"It's a request from Adrian Canstella," the third man said.
"The Head of the Monarchist Party?" Asked the second man. "What the hell does he want with the Keyblade Wielders?"
"I haven't a clue. But he doesn't want all of the Wielders," the pilot said. "Just the one."
"And this girl is important to Canstella?" the second man asked. "Any idea why, Derrick?" The pilot shrugged.
"I haven't a clue, Anderson" he said plainly. "But he wants the girl for something, so she must be worth it. Canstella doesn't take risks unless he is more than ninety percent sure the odds are in his favor. The simple fact that he'd risk the wrath of some important (and powerful mind you) people for her is proof enough for me that he knows what he's doing." He glanced at a photograph of a young girl with auburn colored hair fending off Heartless with a Keyblade that was displayed on one of the consoles. Three beams of light shot from the underside of the Kingdom and headed for the world that loomed large and dark in front of them.
"They've surfaced," the third man confirmed. "Let's drop the homing beacon off and get out of here. I really don't want to be around when the Recovery force arrives."
"You're not scared, are you?" Anderson asked with a teasing tone. The third man turned to glare at him.
"Not of the Recovery force, no," he said. "I'm scared of the Keyblade Master on that ship." An image of a spiky-caramel-color-haired teen with a wide grin on his face appeared on several screens. "I read his file. When the Recovery force takes her, I don't want to be around to witness his reaction."
"Anything for the Crown," Derrick muttered sourly, just quiet enough so Anderson and their other companion didn't hear him speak as he turned his attention back to the controls to guide them closer to the Kingdom.
LD
Port Royal
Kairi shivered as the light faded around her. Immediately, she noticed two things about Port Royal. First of all, it seemed different from the few other worlds she had been to. Something about it seemed more real to her. Secondly, it was very wet. Rain descended from the heavens at in a near downpour. Thankful she had grabbed her jacket before they had left, she quickly put her hood up to keep her head dry.
"Get back," Sora hissed suddenly from next to her. She felt him grab hold of her wrist as he pulled her closer to him. A squad of soldiers dressed in white pants and red coats marched past, leading a man dressed in a blue jacket who had his wrists bound in iron cuffs.
"What's going on?" Kairi asked.
"I don't know," Sora whispered as another squadron of redcoats marched past. "But that guy in blue looked a lot like Will."
"That guy that helped you out the last time you were here?" Kairi whispered as yet another squad of soldiers marched past. "Why does he look like he was just arrested?"
"I don't know," Sora said. "But I say we find out. Follow me." He began to creep along after the soldiers, doing his best to avoid being seen.
"Come on, Naminé," Kairi whispered. She turned around to glance at her sister but there was no sign of the blonde anywhere. "Naminé?" Kairi's head turned back and forth. Sure enough, still no Naminé. A nervous feeling began to settle in the pit of her stomach. After spending so much time over the past month or so with her, not having Naminé around seemed off. But she was more concerned about why she wasn't with her and Sora.
Kairi quickly darted along after Sora. She quickly caught up to him and the soldiers as the redcoats marched William Turner under the stone archway of a building where several dozen people were taking shelter from the rain. The building wasn't much; it was mostly comprised of similar stone arches that led out to a small pavilion that overlooked the sea. The pavilion was decorated for what appeared to be an important event of some sort.
The people taking shelter under the arches were all dressed in what could be assumed to be their best attire, and were being held back by the redcoats as Will was marched into the building. A woman with braided, brown hair that was dressed in an off-yellow dress got up from her kneeling place in the rain-soaked pavilion, crying out Will's name as she ran up to embrace him.
"Sora," Kairi hissed as she tapped her boyfriend on the shoulder. "Naminé's not with us." Sora spun around to look at her in surprise.
"What?" He asked quietly. "Are you sure?" Kairi nodded.
"I don't think she ended up in the same place as us," she said in a worried tone. "What if she gets caught by a bunch of men who only want to use her as a-" Sora placed his finger to Kairi's lips to get her to calm down.
"Naminé's strong," Sora said. "You should know that better than anyone. I don't think any number of men would be able to take on Naminé. She can use magic and she has a Keyblade. They've got nothing on her." Kairi nodded in agreement. Even though she knew Sora was right, she couldn't help but worry about her.
"I think it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," the woman in the off-yellow dress was saying. Sora nearly did a double take as he realized the woman was Elizabeth.
They were getting married?
"Make way, let me through!" An older, male voice demanded. A man dressed in a pale blue jacket and a curled, gray wig forced his way through the crowd towards Will and Elizabeth. Sora recognized him from his last trip to Port Royal. A pair of pike wielding redcoats crossed their weapons as he reached the crowd's edge, barring his path. Governor Swann looked up at the two men in indignation. "How dare you!" He turned to glare at a man who dressed in a black overcoat with a powder white wig and a black cap that stood with his back to everyone else. "Stand your men down at once! Do you hear me?" The man in black turned to face the man shouting at him. He removed his overcoat and handed it to one of his captains that was dressed in blue rather than red.
"Governor Weatherby Swann. It's been too long," he said in a drawling voice. Governor Swann looked at the man in surprise.
"Cutler Beckett?" He asked.
"It's Lord now, actually," Beckett said smugly. He gave the slightest tip of his head to the two soldiers holding Governor Swann back and they raised their pikes, allowing him to pass.
"Lord or not," he said authoritatively as he stepped forward. "You have no reason and no authority to arrest this man." He stabbed his finger in Will's direction.
"In fact I do," Beckett said, still wearing a smug smile. "Mister Mercer!" A man dressed in all black, with a face that was sinisterly wrinkled and scarred stepped forward with a box of documents that he held for Beckett as the shorter man selected the topmost one. "A warrant for the arrest of one William Turner." Governor Swann took the document from Beckett, glaring at him before glancing down at it. He gave a start.
"This warrant is for Elizabeth Swann," he said in disbelief. Sora turned to look at Elizabeth and Will, both of whom looked shocked.
"Oh, is it?" Beckett asked, clearly faking his surprise. "That's annoying. My mistake, arrest her." He motioned to a pair of redcoats who stepped forward and grabbed hold of Elizabeth's arms while a third one clapped the iron handcuffs around her wrists.
"No!" Will and Sora cried out.
"On what charges?" Elizabeth cried in confusion. Beckett ignored her and rifled through the box until he found the document he was searching for.
"Ah-ha," he said, handing it to Governor Swann. "Here's the one for William Turner. And I also have warrants for a Mister James Norrington and a Mister Sora Arashi and his companions." Kairi gave a gasp of surprise and turned to look at Sora. "Are any of them present?"
"What did you do?" She asked him. Before Sora could respond he felt his arms grabbed and his wrists bound by cuffs. He glanced behind him and saw Ian Mercer smirking down at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched hopelessly as a trio of redcoats secured cuffs to Kairi's wrists.
"Well, that's one of them," Beckett said as he smirked at Sora and Kairi. "Once again. Is James Norrington present?"
"Commodore Norrington resigned his commission some months ago," Governor Swann informed Beckett.
"I don't believe that's the answer to the question I asked," Beckett pointed out in a sinister tone.
"Lord Beckett," Will spat as he struggled against his restraints. "In the category of questions not answered…" He left the sentence hanging.
"We are under the jurisdiction of the King's Governor of Port Royal and you will tell us what we're charged with," Elizabeth demanded. Governor Swann glanced down at the documents in his hand.
"The charge," he said, reciting directly from the warrant, "is conspiring to set free a man convicted of crimes against the crown and empire and condemned to death. For which the…" Governor Swann paused in shock as he read the next part of the document.
"For which the punishment, regrettably, is also death," Beckett finished for him with a lack of emotion. "Perhaps you remember a certain pirate named Jack Sparrow."
"Captain!" Will, Elizabeth and Sora all said forcefully. Beckett's eyes turned to Elizabeth.
"Captain Jack Sparrow," Elizabeth stated. Beckett smirked.
"Captain Jack Sparrow," he corrected himself. "Yes, I thought you might. Take them away." He gestured to Mercer and the soldiers and the redcoats moved in to escort the four prisoners to the prison.
"I guess it's a good thing Naminé didn't end up with us," Sora whispered to Kairi who nodded in agreement.
"But I still can't help but wonder, where is she?" Kairi whispered back.
LD
Onboard the Black Pearl
Naminé let out a groan as she came to. Her head throbbed violently and the ground beneath her seemed to be rocking back and forth. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying under a piece of canvas that had been thrown on top of a pair of barrels. She slowly sat up and took in her surroundings. She was on a ship, which explained why she had initially felt like the ground was rocking beneath her feet. The wood of the ship looked as though it had been made to be black by lighting it on fire. A light fog drifted around them, not too thick, but eerie enough in the dim moonlight.
"Sora? Kairi?" She mumbled softly. There was no response from either of them. Looking around the deck of the ship, Naminé realized that she was very much alone except for the sleeping forms of several crew members.
She heard footsteps coming from somewhere nearby, joined by the sound of a male voice singing slightly off-key. Her mind instantly went into a panic. She didn't want people thinking she was a stowaway. She quickly looked for a place to hide but couldn't see anything close to her and the footsteps were only drawing nearer.
What wouldn't I give to be able to turn invisible right now! Naminé screamed inside her head. Then it hit her. She could turn herself invisible! She had spent hours working on it until she had it down, how could she have forgotten? Concentrating, Naminé manipulated the way the light cast down on her by the moon reflected off of her and in a fraction of a second, was completely invisible to the naked eye. A trapdoor opened up nearby her and a man dressed in a slightly tattered blue coat stepped out. He had a portly build, ruddy complexion and white muttonchops. Naminé's connection to Sora's memory instantly told her that the man's name was Joshamee Gibbs. Gibbs sung softly as he strode across the deck, taking the occasional swig from the bottle in his hand.
Naminé breathed a sigh of relief as he passed by her and followed Gibbs closely. Now that she knew she was onboard the Black Pearl (also courtesy of Sora's memories) she needed to find a way to get to wherever Sora and Kairi were. She had a hunch that if she stayed onboard, she'd run into them sooner or later. Sora was bound to want to see his friends and Naminé knew they wouldn't leave her behind.
"Fifteen men on a dead man's chest," Gibbs sung softly as he stumbled across the deck with a satisfied grin on his face. "Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum. Drink and the devil had done for the rest. Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum." He let out a chuckle and took a swig from the bottle in his hand. He and Naminé both gave a start as a bell rang loudly in the distance, accompanied by the cawing of crows. Naminé watched carefully for several minutes as Gibbs roused the sleeping crew and set them to prepare to cast off.
Gibbs stooped next to a ladder built into the side of the ship's hull, extending his hand towards some unseen person to help them up onto the deck. Instead of a hand, he was greeted by a dismembered leg. Gibbs pulled the leg up and examined it as a man climbed up the remainder of the ladder. He was dressed in a faded blue waistcoat and wore a red bandanna under a dark brown, tricorne hat. His goatee was twisted into two braids and was decorated with several beads. His dark brown hair had been styled into dreadlocks and had even more beads and bits of other objects tied into it. Naminé didn't need her powers over memory to figure out who this man was.
"Not quite according to plan," Gibbs commented as another man by the name of Cotton, and his faithful parrot, came up and placed a coat around the man's shoulders.
"Complications arose, ensued, were overcome," Captain Jack Sparrow said as he walked away from the railing with Gibbs close behind him, pausing long enough to push the decaying leg into Cotton's hands. Naminé fought back the urge to wretch. These men clearly had no sense of personal hygiene.
"You got what you went in for, then?" Gibbs inquired. In response, Jack reached into his waistcoat and produced a piece of cloth which he proudly waved around. He turned around, clearly heading for the captain's cabin at the stern of the ship only to find his way blocked by the majority of the crew, most of whom looked irritated. Thankful that she could keep her invisibility going as long as she remained mostly still, Naminé watched in anticipation as the crew stared down its captain. Gibbs quickly stepped forward.
"Captain, I think the crew, meaning me as well, were expecting something a bit more… shiny," he explained. "What with the Isla de Muerta going all pear-shaped, reclaimed by the sea, and the treasure with it."
"And the Royal Navy chasing us all around the Atlantic," a man wearing a red turban said irritably.
"And the hurricane," Marty, the shortest member of the crew chimed in.
"Aye," many other members of the crew said in agreement. Naminé swallowed hard. Was she about to witness a mutiny?
"All in all," Gibbs continued, "it seems some time since we did a speck of honest pirating."
"Shiny?" Jack asked after he had considered what his crew had had to say. Gibbs nodded.
"Aye, shiny," he said. Jack turned back to look at the crew.
"Is that how you're all feeling then?" He asked. "That perhaps dear old Jack is not serving your best interests as captain?" The crew all looked nervously around at one another. Cotton's parrot let out a loud squawk.
"Walk the plank!" It said loudly. Jack drew a pistol from his belt and aimed it at the parrot as he pulled back the firing hammer.
"What did the bird say?" He demanded angrily. The older gentleman, Cotton, clasped his hand over the parrot's mouth.
"Do not blame the bird," the man in the turban said. "Show us what is on that piece of cloth there." Naminé crept closer as Jack went to unfold the cloth, taking extra care to avoid bumping into any of the crew as she did so. A monkey that looked as if it had been decaying from death for months dropped down in front of Jack and let out a loud screech, startling everyone. Jack attempted to shoot the monkey but only created sparks. The undead creature grabbed the cloth and ran off across the deck. Jack grabbed the pistol from Gibbs' belt and fired the monkey was sent sprawling and it dropped the cloth. With a shake of its head, the monkey vanished into the shadows cast by the ship itself, its decaying features vanishing as its appearance changed back to that of a normal looking monkey.
"You know that don't do no good," Gibbs said exasperatedly.
"It does me," Jack said in an irritated tone. Marty leapt down from his stoop and ran over to where Jack the Monkey had dropped the cloth. He stared at the cloth in confusion for a moment before looking up at the rest of the crew.
"It's a key," he said. The crew exchanged confused looks.
"No. Much more better," Jack said eagerly as he strode over to Marty and took the cloth from him, holding it up for all to see. "It is a drawing of a key." Naminé and the rest of the crew leaned in to have a better look. Drawn in what appeared to be charcoal, was a picture of a key. It had a rounded end from which two parallel prongs emerged, ending with their teeth facing away from each other. The crew all looked from the picture to Jack, waiting for him to elaborate. "Gentlemen, what do keys do?"
They defeat Heartless and Nobodies and make surprisingly effective swords. Naminé said sarcastically in her mind. She smirked at her own cleverness and reminded herself to tell that joke to Kairi when she had the chance.
"Keys… unlock things?" The man in the turban said hesitantly. Naminé rolled her eyes. The men on this world certainly had a way with words, or lack thereof.
"And whatever this key unlocks, inside there's something valuable," Gibbs said with sudden realization. A greedy grin spread across his face and across the faces of many of the other pirates as their brains were brought up to speed. "So we're setting out to find whatever this key unlocks."
"No," Jack said. The crew's faces all fell in confusion. Naminé sighed silently. Somehow, she had seen that coming. "If we don't have the key, we can't open whatever it is we don't have that it unlocks. So, what purpose would be served in finding whatever need be unlocked, which we don't have, without first having found the key what unlocks it?"
"So we're going after this key," Gibbs said happily.
"You're not making any sense at all," Jack said. Gibbs' face fell again.
You're the one who isn't making sense! Naminé wanted to shout. How on earth did Sora put up with this sort of thing?
"Anymore questions?" Jack asked. Several crew members raised their hands but Marty spoke up first.
"So… do we have a heading?"
"Ah! A heading," Jack said cheerfully. He produced from his belt a small black compass lined with a faded bronze inlay and flipped it open. "Set sail in a… uh…" He paused, the finger on his free hand spinning around as he studied the compass. "General… that-way direction." The crew followed his finger with the movement of their heads as Jacks finger began to point to the Pearl's starboard side before darting back to the port side.
"Captain?' Gibbs asked in confusion. Jack snapped his compass shut and turned to face his first mate.
"Come on," he said, waving Gibbs aside. "Snap to and make sail. You know how this works. Go on." He made his way towards his cabin, shooing his crew aside to make himself a path. The crew dispersed, murmuring to themselves as they set about their daily tasks. Naminé followed Marty and Gibbs over to the Pearl's starboard rail.
"Have you noticed lately," Marty began slowly, "the captain seems to be acting a bit strange… er?" Gibbs glanced down at him.
"Settin' sail without knowing his own heading? Something's got Jack vexed," Gibbs said. "And mark my words, what bodes ill for Jack Sparrow bodes ill for us all."
As silently as she could Naminé slipped away from the two men and went below deck to find a place to hide in the Pearl's cargo hold while she waited for Sora and Kairi to find their way to her or vice-versa. Off in the distance, thunder rumbled menacingly.
LD
Tuesday, June 22nd 4794 P.C.
The Black Pearl
Jack Sparrow sat at his table, carefully charting out his course with a pair of calipers in the early hours of the morning as dawn approached. Next to him rested his compass and a bottle of rum. Jack tapped the compass to make sure he had his heading right and the compass shifted the direction it was pointing. Jack tossed the calipers down and slumped in his seat, exasperated. He lifted the bottle of rum and turned it upside down. A few drops of his favorite beverage dripped from the empty bottle.
"Why is the rum always gone?" He muttered to himself. The only way he knew he was going to make it through the night as a sane man was to acquire more rum. He got to his feet and stumbled, nearly falling over from a something other than the rocking of the ship. "Oh, that's why." He grabbed his tricorne hat from its perch on a globe and draped his coat around his shoulders as he stepped out of his cabin. He descended into the lower levels of the Pearl, pausing long enough to grab hold of a lantern to light his way.
"As you were, gents," he muttered sarcastically as he passed the entirety of the crew in their hammocks. He made his way down another staircase into the ships' hold where several crates of food, gunpowder, rum and livestock were stored. Naminé gave a start and awoke as Jack walked right past her hiding place behind a trio of gunpowder barrels. She peered around blearily as Jack selected an iron key from the ring of keys in his hands. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Naminé rose to her feet and quickly cast an invisibility spell on herself before slipping into the room after Jack before the door had time to close.
Jack placed the ring of keys on a nail that jutted out from a nearby support beam. Naminé followed him closely as he shone his light into the slots of large wall to wall wine rack. He paused once to stare in confusion at something he saw in one but seemed to immediately forget about it as he spotted a lone bottle stem sticking out of the bottommost row. Eagerly, Jack bent down to pick it up but as he did so, sand poured out of the bottle. Jack straightened up and emptied the sand onto the floor with a puzzled look on his face. Naminé almost jumped out of her skin as a deep voice spoke up without warning from the shadows.
"Time's run out, Jack."
Jack gave a start and dropped the bottle, shattering it in the sand. He raised his lantern and slowly advanced towards the source of the voice. The lantern's light fell upon a water-soaked man. He was dressed in a seaweed covered overcoat and wore a black cap over the loose strands of jet-black hair that were visible. His skin was pale and entire sections of it were as gray as lifeless flesh. The right side of his face was covered in barnacles and he had a starfish shaped growth next to his right eye.
"Bootstrap," Jack said in mild surprise. "Bill Turner." The man looked up at Jack.
"You look good, Jack," he said, water flowing from his mouth and steadily dripping from his skin. Jack stared at the man in slight shock for a long moment before he straightened up, nervously eyeing 'Bootstrap' Bill.
"Is this a dream?" he asked. 'Bootstrap' glanced around.
"No," he said truthfully.
"I thought not," Jack mused. With a heavy sigh he leaned against a nearby support beam. "If it were, there'd be rum." In response, 'Bootstrap' extended his hand towards Jack, clutching a bottle of rum tightly in his gray fingers. Jack stared at the rum for a second before grabbing it. The bottle seemed to be stuck to 'Bootstrap's hand for a moment as Jack fought to pull it off. He finally managed it. He rubbed off some of the barnacles from the bottle stem to make it easier to take a drink. Naminé carefully moved closer to the pair of them, taking extra care to avoid breathing too heavily or making a noise that didn't sound like the creaking of ship as it gently rocked back and forth on the sea.
"You got the Pearl back, I see," 'Bootstrap commented as he stared around at their surroundings.
"I had some help retrieving the Pearl by the way," Jack said, blowing the barnacle dust off of the bottle. "Your son."
"William?" 'Bootstrap asked. Jack nodded and took a swig from the bottle. "He ended up a pirate after all…" Jack lowered the bottle and leaned back against the post.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your carbuncle?" He inquired. 'Bootstrap looked up a Jack with a solemn expression.
"He sent me," he said. Jack looked questioningly at him. "Davy Jones." Naminé's eyes widened in shock. Davy Jones was real? Jack barely seemed surprised, almost as if he had been expecting that to be the answer.
"Oh, so it's you then," he said as he sat down next to 'Bootstrap'. "He shanghaied you into service, eh?"
"I chose it," 'Bootstrap' explained. "I'm sorry for the part I played in the mutiny against you, Jack. I stood up for you. Everything went wrong after that." His hand slapped down on a hermit crab that was walking across the barrel next to him and popped it in his mouth. Naminé and Jack both watched in mild disgust. "They strapped me to a cannon. I ended up on the bottom of the ocean, the weight of the water crushing down on me. Unable to move. Unable to die, Jack. I thought even the tiniest hope of escaping this fate, I would take it. I would trade anything for it." Jack offered 'Bootstrap' the bottle and the water-soaked man took it. He took a long swig from the bottle.
"It's funny what a man will do to forestall his final judgment," Jack said as he got to his feet and began to walk away. 'Bootstrap' set the bottle down and swiftly moved to block Jack's path.
"You made a deal with him too, Jack," 'Bootstrap said darkly. "He raised the Pearl from the depths for you. Thirteen years you've been her captain."
"Technically, I-" Jack began but was quickly cut off.
"Jack," he sighed with a shake of his head, "you won't be able to talk yourself out of this. The terms what applied to me apply to you as well. One soul, bound to crew a hundred years upon his ship."
"Yes, but the Flying Dutchman already has a captain," Jack said as he stepped around 'Bootstrap', nearly stepping into Naminé as he passed. "So there's really no-"
"Then it's the locker for you!" 'Bootstrap said forcibly. "Jones' terrible leviathan will find you and drag the Pearl back to the depths and you along with it." Jack was silent for a moment as he quickly processed that tidbit of information.
"Any idea when Jones might release said terrible beastie?" He asked with a nervous grin.
"I already told you, Jack. Your time is up," 'Bootstrap' said as he placed his fist against Jack's left palm. Jack let out a gasp, feeling as if his hand had been plunged into ice water. 'Bootstrap' turned and walked away from Jack towards the ship's hull. He paused to look back at Jack and instead his eyes focused on Naminé. The blonde-teen froze. Even though she was still invisible, 'Bootstrap' could still see her somehow
"It comes now, drawn with ravenous hunger to the man what bears the Black Spot." Naminé peered over Jack's shoulder and stifled a gasp as a black, bulbous lesion formed on Jack's palm. Naminé and Jack both looked up from his palm only to find that 'Bootstrap' Bill had vanished seemingly into thin air. Jack paused for one brief moment with a terrified look on his face before rushing out of the room, shouting to rouse the crew. Naminé quickly followed him, thankful her invisibility spell was still working.
"On deck all hands!" Jack was shouting as he ran up the staircase. The crew were all scrambling out of their hammocks and shouting as they rushed to get dressed. "Make fast the bunt gasket! On deck! Scurry! Scurry! I want movement! Movement! I want movement!" He continued his shouting as he rushed up the stairs, snatching a cloth from one of the crew to cover his hand and thus hide the Black Spot as he did so. "Haul those sheets! Run them! Run! Keep running! Run as if the devil himself and itself is upon us!"
"Do we have a heading?" A very disgruntled and confused Gibbs asked. Jack let out a small shout and spun around to face Gibbs. "Run! Land." Jack darted around one of the masts as the rest of the crew piled onto deck, all of them quickly attending to their assigned duties. Naminé and Gibbs peered around the mast to find Jack attempting to hide behind it. Jack gave out a small cry when he saw Gibbs. It was almost as if he'd be scared by his own shadow.
"Which port?" Gibbs asked.
"I didn't say 'port'!" Jack said nervously. "I said 'land'. Any land!" Jack the Monkey dropped down from the lashings overhead and grabbed Jack's tricorne hat. The monkey let out a screech to which Jack responded with a hiss. Jack the Monkey turned and threw Jack's hat overboard. The crew who had seen rushed to peer over the railing in shock.
"Jack's hat!" Gibbs exclaimed. "Bring her about!"
"No, no!" Jack shouted suddenly. "Leave it!" Everyone looked at their captain in shock. Jack was willing to abandon his precious hat? Something was definitely wrong with him. "Run." He dashed away from the mast he had been hiding behind. Gibbs turned around to the crew as they stared at their captain's retreating figure.
"Back to your stations, the lot of you!" The crew obeyed. Gibbs turned back and spotted Jack hiding under one of the twin staircases that led to the upper deck of the Pearl. "Jack?" Jack made a hushing noise and returned to his attempt to remain perfectly still. "For the love of mother and child, Jack, what's coming after us?" Jack looked fearfully at Gibbs.
"Nothing," he whispered, but his eyes said otherwise. Naminé looked out at the calm sea nervously. So far, she absolutely hated this world.
Sora, Kairi, where are you guys?
LD
Port Royal
A trio of redcoats marched Sora and Will into Lord Cutler Beckets personal office. Despite the uncomfortable conditions of the cell they had been forced to share, Sora and Will had both agreed it could have been worse for them. After all, they had had the chance to catch up. Will had apologized that he hadn't invited Sora, Donald or Goofy to the wedding, but he wasn't sure how since none of them had ever really explained how he could've let them know. Sora had told Will all about his adventures up to this point, forgetting as he often did to protect the world order. Will was happy to hear that Sora had finally found his friends, and most importantly, was officially together with the girl of his dreams.
The redcoats brought them to a halt in the office. Beckett looked up from a piece of parchment that he and Ian Mercer had been discussing in hushed voices.
"Lord Beckett, the prisoners as ordered, sir," the captain of the redcoats announced. Beckett's eyes traveled to the shackles around Will's and Sora's wrists. He gestured at them.
"Those won't be necessary," he said. The captain nodded and swiftly removed the shackles. Sora decided to take it one step further and massaged his wrists with a dramatic sigh of relief, earning a small chuckle from Will. Beckett passed the parchment to Mercer and strode away to pour an amber liquid into a trio of crystalline wine goblets decorated with gold.
"The East India Trading Company has need of your services," he informed Will and Sora as the redcoats and Mercer exited the room. Beckett offered a glass to each of them. Will simply stared him down and Sora pointed out that he was three years below the legal drinking age back home. Beckett set the goblets down and picked his up as he strode towards a fireplace set into the nearby wall. "We wish for the two of you to act as our agents in a business transaction with our mutual friend Captain Sparrow."
"More acquaintance than friend," Will stated. "How do you know him?"
"We've had dealings in the past," Beckett explained as he pulled a metal rod from the fire. A reverse P shaped brand glowed red hot as Beckett examined it. "And we've each left our mark on the other."
"What mark did he leave on you?" Will asked smugly.
"Probably drank all of their rum," Sora chuckled under his breath. Beckett ignored both of them.
"By your efforts," he continued as he slid the rod back into the fire, "Jack Sparrow was set free. I would like you to go to him and recover a certain property in his possession."
"Recover," Will repeated as Beckett drained his goblet. "At the point of a sword?"
"I don't think Jack is the type of guy who would willingly give up anything he owns," Sora said thoughtfully. "I think it's like an unspoken pirate rule or something, right? Take what you can, give nothing back and all that?" Beckett ignored him as easily as he would've ignored a fly.
"Bargain," he said simply, placing his goblet down on the table and walked over to his desk where he opened up a small box emblazoned with the East India Trading Company's logo. He produced a small, leather bound set of documents and held them up for Soar and Will to see. "Letters of Marque. You will offer what amounts to a full pardon. Jack will be free, a privateer in the employ of England."
"Somehow I doubt Jack will consider employment the same as being free," Will pointed out.
"Freedom," Beckett scoffed quietly. He placed the letters of Marque back into the box and made his way to an outside balcony while gesturing for Sora and Will to follow. A giant clock face was being hoisted up in front of the balcony as several platoons of soldiers marched along the docks in the early morning light. "Jack Sparrow is a dying breed. The world is shrinking, the blank edges of the map filled in. Jack must find his place in the New World or perish. Not unlike yourselves." He turned to face the pair of them. "You and your fiancées face the hangman's noose." Will raised his eyebrow at Sora.
"You and Kairi are engaged?" He asked. Sora's face turned red.
"What? Of course not!" He stammered. "We've only been going out for just over a month." Sora's voice trailed off as he realized what he had said. He had completely forgotten about his one month anniversary with Kairi. His mood was suddenly crushed. Will nodded in understanding and turned his gaze back on the harbor.
"So," he addressed Beckett, "You get Jack and the Black Pearl?" Beckett looked at him in confusion.
"The Black Pearl?" He inquired.
"The property you want that he possesses," Will stated. Becket let out a small chuckle.
"A ship? Hardly," he said as though it should've been obvious. "The item in question is considerably smaller and far more valuable, something Sparrow keeps on his person at all times. A compass?" Sora was pulled from his minor guilt-caused depression at the mention of the compass Jack owned that never pointed north. What would Beckett want with a broken compass? Will's expression clearly showed that he hadn't forgotten about it, an expression that did not go unnoticed by Beckett's watchful gaze. "Ah, you know it. Bring back that compass or there's no deal." His meaning couldn't have been plainer. If Sora and Will didn't bring back Jack's compass the two of them along with Kairi and Elizabeth would be put to death. Will and Sora exchanged a nervous glance.
"In one hour, a ship will depart from the harbor to any destination of your choosing," Beckett announced as he poured himself another goblet of the amber liquid. "After that, you're on your own." He motioned for the two of them to leave. They complied, both preferring to spend as little time as possible around that man. They opened the door to exit the office and almost immediately ran into Governor Swann, who immediately began to pretend that he wasn't eavesdropping.
"Oh! William, Sora! What are you two doing here?" He asked guiltily.
"Leaving," Will said. "Do you know where they're keeping Elizabeth? I need to see her." Governor Swann nodded.
"Of course, my dear boy," he said, clearly under the impression that neither Will nor Sora knew he had listened in on their conversation with Beckett. He spun on his heel and gestured for the two of them to follow. "Come, come. We'd best make this quick."
LD
RGLC Hang 'Em High,
Nearing Port Royal
"There it is," Recovery Two said, her finger pointing to a tiny blip on the monitor.
"Only life support is functional," Recovery Seven noted. He leaned back in his chair and carefully examined the schematics displayed on his helmets HUD. "It's not capable of housing a smart AI and scans show that it doesn't even have a dumb AI. It's all manual so we shouldn't have to worry about alarms."
"You remember the plan?" Two asked. Seven nodded.
"I go over and I secure the asset," he stated plain as day. "Then I return using our pre-designated warp frequency after priming the short range EMP generator. Once I'm back, I activate the device and plunge their ship into darkness. In and out in less than a minute, then we make our escape back to Radiant Garden and the rest of the Monarchist party sings our praise.
"And if the boy gives you trouble?" Two asked. Seven smirked and casually examined his fingernails as a flurry of red sparks danced between them.
"Let's see him try."
LD
Fort Charles Prison
Port Royal
"Here, now, you can't be here!" A prison guard said as Sora and Will rushed past him towards the cells where Kairi and Elizabeth were held.
"I think you'll find they can," Governor Swann said.
"Mister Swann-"
"Governor Swann, still. Do you think I wear this wig to keep my head warm?"
"Jack's compass?" Kairi whispered as she and Sora leaned closely to the bars of her cell. "I don't understand. Didn't you tell me that it doesn't point north? What good does the compass do him?" Sora shrugged.
"I don't know," he said. "But Will and I are going to find Jack and we'll get him to give us the compass so we can come back here and then Beckett's going to drop all of the charges against us."
"No," Governor Swann said. Sora, Kairi, Will and Elizabeth all turned to look at him in confusion. "We must find our own avenue to secure your freedom."
"Is that a lack of faith in Jack, or in me and Sora?" Will asked.
"That you would risk your lives to save Sparrow's does not mean he would do the same for anyone else," Governor Swann said forcibly. "Now, where's that dog with the keys?" He began whistling for the dog and looking around for it as the two couples turned back to each other.
"I have faith in you," Elizabeth whispered to Will. "All three of you."
"Can't you just unlock our cells with your Keyblade?" Kairi whispered as Sora stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "I already tried but apparently the Keyblade really does act like a key in the fact that it has to face the front of the lock to work. And I can't get my Keyblade to angle right from in here."
"And add jailbreak to our list of charges?" Sora asked with a smirk. "Besides, I need you to do me a favor. Can you keep an eye on Elizabeth? You know, keep her safe in case the Heartless or Nobodies show up?" Kairi nodded slowly.
"Does that mean you don't want me to come with you?" Kairi asked quietly. Sora shook his head.
"Of course I want you to come," he whispered. "But Will and I can handle this I think. I'll be back for you before you know it." Kairi smiled softly at him.
"Okay, I'll wait here with Elizabeth," she said. "But this had better be the last time you leave me behind for anything. Got it, mister?" She poked Sora gently on his forehead.
"I promise," Sora said, giving her a quick kiss through the bars of her cell.
"Where will you two find him?" Elizabeth asked, drawing Sora's attention away from Kairi. He and Will shared a glance, both thinking the same thing.
"Tortuga," Will said simply. "We'll start there and we won't stop searching 'till we find him. And then I plan to return here to marry you."
"Properly?" Elizabeth asked.
"Eagerly, if you'll still have me," Will whispered.
"If it weren't for these bars I'd have you already," Elizabeth whispered sweetly to him. "I'll wait for you."
"Keep a weather eye on the horizon," Will said gently before he pulled away and made his way to the stairs. Sora gave Kairi one last kiss and vanished after him.
LD
That's all for this week. Some brief facts about this chapter:
1. Yes, I know the PotC scenes aren't in the same order they are in the film. I did that on purpose.
2. I wanted Riku's and Keila's fight to be more grandiose but I could only do so much with Riku not wanting to hurt her. If he lives, they will have a rematch. If he doesn't, Sora will avenge his death.
3. My beta kept drinking my rum.
4. After the fight, I had about twenty-nine or so different versions of the chapter. This one was the one I was most satisfied with and I will be including the abandoned scenes at some point or in some altered form due to the importance they all play.
5. Twilight isn't literature.
6. It is two in the morning here and this cheesecake I found in the freezer is delicious.
As always, reviews are welcome and appreciated. Give me your opinions people!
Until next time my friends! (I promise I won't make you wait a month to find out Riku's final fate)
Aspicio, diluculo Infinitas Noctis.
Shadow Horizons