In which a soft landing isn't always the prettiest and Casper isn't the only friendly ghost around.

Chasing The Truth

By FlikFreak

Chapter Twelve: The Belly Of The Beast


Augh! I can't believe this!

Monstro, right? Nothing else gets you that upset.

Well, duh. Stupid whale thinks he can eat any ship that comes his way. Isn't he ever going to learn to leave certain people alone?

I doubt it. If he wasn't as colossal as he was, he'd probably be a heartless or something similar.

Okay, that's it. Intervention time.

Have fun, you.

Yeah, yeah. Keep an eye on Rhyme, okay?

I will.


Neku woke up laying flat on the ground…whatever ground that was. It was surprisingly soft, but it didn't do much to help his aching limbs. There was also an awful stench in whatever place he had ended up that reminded him a lot of the Shibuya River. Wrinkling his nose, Neku cracked open his eyes, his vision still blurry, and pushed himself up off the ground, cringing a little when the ground sunk a bit underneath his hands. The air was warm – almost too warm – and rather humid. The walls were all a pale pink, with various white stripes coming down on either side. Pillars of wood debris littered an enormous flooded cavity, and in the back of the cavern a small sailing ship appeared to be intact. Overall, Neku wasn't sure he liked this place.

A familiar voice spoke. "Finally, you're awake," Riku observed, striding forward, his shoes making suspicious squishing noises with each step. He looked highly disgruntled.

"You talk like it's a bad thing," Neku replied, noticing the damaged Falcon nearby, floating in the water. "Where are we? Did we make a crash landing again?"

Riku shook his head. "Worse. Monstro just swallowed us."

The statement caused Neku's train of thought to screech to a halt and his brain ceased all function for that moment. He took another look around. Those white stripes were ribs, that water was probably saliva, behind him was a set of teeth, and he was currently standing on… "What the hell?!"

"That's pretty much what Shiki said," Riku replied nonchalantly, as though Neku hadn't had anything near to an outburst. "You fell out of your seat and got knocked out just as he flew past. Sora tried to turn out of the way rather than just run for it but we ended up swallowed anyway and, well…" He glanced at the Falcon. "Getting out of here won't be nearly as easy as coming in."

Neku did his best not to let the nausea get a hold of him and kept talking. "Where are the others?" He asked.

"Sora went deeper in to look for something," Riku explained, standing. "Kairi and Shiki are on the boat up ahead. Once Sora comes back, we'll be leaving this place fast."

"No argument there," Neku replied. "So…how do we get across here?"

Riku gave a deep breath. "Unless you can jump twenty feet, there's only one route to take."

"What's that?"


Cid stared at the computer screen as though it was the cause of all his problems. "You gotta be kiddin' me," he grumbled. "The signal just cut off out of nowhere?"

"Yeah," Yuffie said. "Thankfully we had already told them what they needed to find, but still…"

"Well that can only mean one thing," Cid concluded, sitting back in his chair. "Monstro must've got 'em."

"Monstro…?"

"A giant whale that swims in space between worlds," Leon explained. "Geppetto was stuck there for a long time before Sora came along. Seems like he still hasn't learned his lesson."

A few blips emitted from the control panel and Cid spun back around. "Looks like he's got a few Nobodies to keep him company this time," the engineer stated. "Nothing huge, but if Sora and the others are there, we need to get 'em out."

"How?"

"Gummi Garage to Highwind! Do ya copy?"

"And that would be our answer," Cid stated. "Yeah, whadoya need?"

"The Excalibur is all fixed up!" Chip's voice piped in over the speakers. "You guys know when Sora and the others will be coming back?"

"They're stuck in Monstro," Yuffie said. "Think you can go pick them up?"

"No problem," Dale replied. "Just send us Monstro's coordinates. We'll head on over and pick 'em up once we get a cloaking device installed."

"Why didn't you do that in the first place?" Leon asked, rubbing his head in exasperation. "That would have saved us from this entire mess."

Chip groaned. "We only managed to perfect it just recently, okay? Sheesh…"

"We'll get right to work," Dale assured them. "It shouldn't take us more than fifteen minutes to get it in and we'll lift off right away."

"Be careful!" Yuffie called as the transmission shut off.


"I have never done anything so disgusting in my life."

"Just keep going. This place isn't that big."

"It's still gross."

"You wanna puke or you wanna get out of here?"

"Both, actually."

"Well, save it. We're almost there."

Thirty minutes and several gag reflexes later saw Neku dragging himself up a partially-submerged set of stairs and onto the deck of an old boat, where the familiar forms of Kairi and Shiki awaited them, sitting on an old bed. Shiki looked downright disgusted and was hugging Mr. Mew as close to herself as possible while Kairi, though upset in her own right, seemed calm in comparison. Upon Neku's arrival, Shiki's eyes swept to him. "You're okay!" She cried, her eyes lighting up in hope.

"And soaked," Neku added with a low grumble, his eyes still twitching. "You guys know if there's a bucket on this boat?"

"Just do it over the side if you have to," Riku said, rolling his eyes. "Sora's not back yet, I guess?"

Kairi shook her head. "No, not yet. He didn't tell us what he was looking for, so I can't be sure how long he'll be."

Riku shrugged. "The Falcon took some damage, so maybe he's looking for something to fix it. If not then he's probably just looking for a way to upset Monstro enough so he'll spit us back out."

"Can we do that?" Shiki asked.

"He did last time," Kairi replied.

Neku swallowed nervously. "Should we go after him?"

"That might not be a good idea," Riku said. "Last time I was here, there were heartless swarming all over the place."

"There are heartless in the belly of a whale?" Shiki questioned. Neku flinched noticeably and edged toward the side of the boat.

Riku only shook his head. "Don't ask me how."

While the group rambled on, Neku did his best to keep his nausea under control, looking away just in time to see a familiar blue glow near a small, darkened passageway. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be in the shape of a person…a person he had seen before. A ghost? Neku wondered. It's the same one I saw at that Radiant Garden place.

As though reading his mind, the apparition waved him closer. Neku backed away a bit, hesitant. He wants me to follow him? The ghost nodded, and Neku blinked a few times. Okay…that's pretty weird.

"Something wrong, Neku?" Shiki asked.

Neku pointed to the cavern-like structure. "Back there. Don't you see him?"

"See who?" Riku asked, standing and looking in the same direction. "There's no one there."

Looking again, Neku realized that what Riku said was true. "That's weird," he grumbled. "He's not there anymore."

Kairi snickered quietly. "Are you sure you're not just seeing things?"

Neku crossed his arms. "Of course not. He was waving at me."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Probably nothing to be worried about. Sora will be back soon and he'll probably have a way to get us out of here."

"Well, I'm not waiting," Neku replied, jumping off of the side of the boat and onto the ground…or whatever he could call where he landed. "I'm going in."

"But it's a maze back there!" Kairi protested. "You could get lost or worse!"

"Kairi's right," Shiki said, standing. "Going back there alone might not be a good idea."

"Sora went in alone," Neku pointed out. "Besides, I have a sword. If anything tries to hurt me, I'll hurt it first."

Riku looked about ready to protest, but he instead shrugged and sat down on the deck. "Suit yourself," he said simply.

Kairi and Shiki were giving the silver-haired boy odd looks and frustrated remarks while Neku gave a satisfied grin and sprinted into the darkened area, suddenly finding himself in a very different-looking area. The pink interior suddenly turned deep violet with small colored spots dotting the walls (or whatever they were called). There was a strange, glowing doorway ahead, as well as one to the left atop a platform, over which was the ghost that Neku had seen before. With a grin, the ex-proxy turned to him. "I knew I wasn't seeing things!" He said.

The ghost grinned. "Of course you weren't," he replied. "So, I take it you've been doing alright?"

Neku nodded. "Yeah, unless you count this stupid whale."

"Oh, I know what you mean," the ghost replied, rolling his eyes. "Monstro can't tell the difference between a gummi and a guppy; that's why he attacks ships."

"You know this place well, then," Neku observed. "You've been here before?"

The ghost shrugged. "You could say that. Sora and Riku have been here before too, although I have to admit it wasn't exactly under very good circumstances…" He chuckled. "Then again, it hardly ever is."

Neku quirked an eyebrow. "But why are you here again? You sound like you really don't like it here."

"You'd have to be loonier than Merlin to like this place," The ghost remarked before whispering, "But don't tell him I told you that."

"My lips are sealed," Neku assured him. Whoever Merlin is.

Nodding approvingly, the ghost crossed his arms and leaned back a bit. "Well, I normally wouldn't even go near Monstro, but I figured you'd need a bit of help. I've been watching you for a pretty long time, see, ever since before you left Shibuya."

So he knows about my home, Neku thought. Just who or what is this guy?

"I'm still pretty surprised you managed to make it this far without at least a bit of magic," the ghost continued. "If you don't have a good enough weapon, then magic is pretty much the only way to go. When Sora had to trade his keyblade for an old toy sword, that's how he survived. 'course, he had a bit of help before he could use the keyblade again, but it was still rough on him."

"You sure know a lot about Sora," Neku said. "Are you sure you're not Roxas?"

The ghost shook his head. "No, I'm not Roxas. I only know so much about Sora because…" he hesitated, biting his lip. "Well, it's a long and complicated story and I'd rather not go into it."

Neku stared at the ground. "Oh…Sorry."

"It's fine," The ghost replied, waving it off. "But like I was saying, you really surprise me. How'd you get this far without at least knowing how to toss a fireball or two?"

"I have a sword!" Neku protested, holding up the said weapon.

The ghost stared at the sword and chuckled. "You mean that clumsy stick of metal? Man, I don't know how anyone could handle that thing. Compared to a keyblade, it's so heavy and hard to use. You might as well be lugging around Monstro himself."

He was right. Neku had noticed that in the battle against the berserker nobodies, the keyblade had been much easier for him to handle…but was it by the grace of that magical weapon that he could wield it or was it something else? He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Well, Sora's the one with the keyblade, and he's got magic, too." Even though I've only seen him use it once or twice. "It's not like I've got anything else to fight with."

"'course you do!" The ghost assured him. "You're just not completely awakened yet."

Neku blinked. "Awakened…?"

"Yeah. Everyone's got an untapped power in them. Not everyone gets the chance to draw it out, though, and even fewer people are chosen by the keyblade." The ghost pointed to Neku. "And I'm pretty sure you've had a really strange dream recently? One involving monsters, maybe?"

Okay, he knows way too much. Neku began to back away, but found his feet rooted to the spot. "You…you know about that?"

The ghost nodded. "Yep, sure do. Dreams like that usually come a bit before your power is unlocked, but for it to wake up is a totally different matter altogether. It took Sora a few days or so. His case was kinda complicated though, and I won't go there. I'm just here to help you out."

"Me?" Neku questioned, pointing to himself curiously. "What's so special about me?"

"Well, let's see," the ghost began, counting on his fingers. "You were hand-picked as a proxy in the reaper's game to determine your world's fate, saved the said world twice, have enough imagination to be on-par with the game's composer, and you've got the heart of a key bearer to boot…or do you remember that last part?"

Neku's eyes widened. "The heart of a key bearer…" he echoed. "Sora said that…after sealing the keyhole in Shibuya. Is that why the Zoners are after me?"

The ghost shrugged. "That's one thing I don't know. If you ask me, Neku, you'd better not try to find out the hard way."

"You know my name, too," Neku pointed out, not seeming surprised. If he's been watching me for so long, it's only natural he knows who I am. "What about you? What's your name?"

The ghost hesitated, looking highly unsure. "Well…that's kind of a touchy subject for me."

Neku grinned. Perfect blackmail material, then. "What? Your mom name you something stupid?"

"No," the ghost insisted. "To be honest, I-"

A screech erupted from deeper in the chambers, causing both boy and specter to wince. Neku backed away a few steps, reaching for his sword. "What was that?" he muttered.

The ghost looked equally startled. "Nothing good, I'll tell you that." He floated forward. "I know my way around this place, so you just follow me. And if you have to call me by any name, don't call me Roxas, for Walt's sake."

"Well, I can't call you Ghost," Neku said as he started forward.

"Then call me Kite. It's not my real name but it'll be easier on both of us."

Neku nodded. "Okay…Kite. I'll follow you."

"And put that sword away, will you? You don't need it right now and I doubt it'll do you nearly any good."

"And what, magic is better?"

"Exactly."

"But I can't use magic."

"Or can you?"

"Would you stop being so vague? You're driving me nuts!"

Eventually Kite fell silent, but it was clear to Neku that the ghost wasn't too fond of the sword Sora had bought for him. The former proxy was quite certain that it had nothing to do with its looks, either, as Kite had clearly expressed his fondness of using magic. The closest Neku had gotten to using anything of the sort was his psyches, and he couldn't use those without being dead. Maybe Kite had an answer for that…then again, the ghost didn't seem ready to tell him the whole story. "Say, Kite."

"Yeah?"

"You said that you've been watching me. Why?"

Kite shrugged. "Sora said you had the heart of a key bearer," he said. "So I was curious. That's the short version, anyway; the rest isn't all that interesting for someone like you."

Neku felt insulted somehow and scowled at the ghost next to him. Kite must have noticed, because he waved it off. "I'm not calling you stupid; you're just a bit inexperienced, that's all. It's not a bad thing; when Sora first got the keyblade and woke up in Traverse Town two years ago he was about as clueless as a butcher would be trying to fix a gummi ship."

"What about now?" Neku asked.

Kite laughed. "Well, he learned a bit, but there's still a lot he doesn't know…kid runs off of gut feeling most of the time rather than logic. Strangely enough, he's usually right."

Kind of like Beat, Neku thought with a grin, although Sora was a lot less rough than the skater was. Beat's saving grace was none other than his own sister, Rhyme. The thought made Neku wince. I sure hope she's doing alright.

Several more minutes passed in silence before Kite stopped in front of another passageway, a stern look on his face. Neku glanced at him worriedly. "Kite? What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Kite replied, his voice shaking. "Something's…something's there that shouldn't be.

"Need me to take a look?" Neku suggested.

Kite swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. You go in first; I'll follow."

Neku was about to protest that as a ghost Kite wouldn't need to be worried about getting hurt, but he wasn't entirely sure that Kite was a ghost, nor did he want to hit a sensitive spot, so he swallowed and stepped into the room beyond. In contrast to the previous rooms, this one was once again pink – like the mouth of the whale – but it was also much larger than the small purple chambers. However, the walls were covered in an odd blue substance that Neku didn't feel like going near. On the opposite end of the room was none other than Sora, Remembered Dream in his hands. In the center of the room, facing Sora, was a slim figure in black.

A Zoner…what's he doing here?

Upon closer inspection, Sora looked weary, but Neku's arrival must have lifted his spirits. "Neku! What're you doing here?!"

"Looking for you," Neku retorted. "Who's this guy?"

The Zoner turned slightly, pulling his hood down. His face was sharp, eyes narrow and lips pressed into a firm line. Silver hair framed his face, and he smirked at the ex-proxy. "Well, well, well, who do we have here?"

"Give me your name and I'll give you mine," Neku scowled before turning to Kite. "What do we do?"

Kite shrugged. "I'd fight him, but in this state I can't do a thing."

Sora froze. "Roxas?"

The Zoner, however, laughed. "Well, isn't this a new development. The others will have to hear about this…would you mind coming with me, Neku?"

Neku resisted the urge to laugh. "Over my dead body."

"But you are of no use to us dead," The Zoner lamented. "Although, I can't quite say the same about your little friend. If the keyblade's resonance killed her this would be much easier, but then again it is because she resisted it that she is a problem…"

It wasn't hard to put two and two together, although Sora did it much faster than Neku did. "Rhyme!?"

"We would have had her by now if that meddlesome apparition wasn't blocking us out," The Zoner continued, scoffing.

"She's not an apparition, Jaxuk," Kite growled. "And if you don't leave right now you'll be feeling so much pain it'll make your heartless squirm."

Jaxuk chuckled. "I never thought you were the violent type…but if you want a fight, I can very well give you one." With a snap of his fingers, four white, winged nobodies appeared, lances in hand and long appendages waving limply as they hovered.

"Dragoons!" Sora cried. "Neku, run!"

"I believe running isn't an option," Jaxuk said, gesturing to the passage behind them. It was sealed shut. "You're going to come with me, Neku, even if it means for you to be unconscious." With that, he vanished in a swirling portal of black, leaving the three alone with the Nobodies.

"Don't they ever fight their own battles?" Neku grumbled as he drew his sword.

Kite hovered back for a moment. "If they did, you'd already be dead, trust me."

Neku didn't doubt it at all. Gritting his teeth and gripping his sword, he charged into the fray.


WHAT THE HELL?!

Yes, Neku, we all hate Monstro just as much as you do. Blah, next chapter is going to be way more exciting.

Characters Met:

Monstro (Kingdom Hearts/Pinocchio)
Kite? (???)

Zoners:

The Deceptive Evoker, Meyxours (Chasing The Truth/???)
The Elegant Reaper, Jaxuk (Chasing The Truth/???)
The Fallen Prince, Zarxilt (Chasing The Truth/???)
The Ruthless Emperor, Naxeyv (Chasing The Truth/???)