IM BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! DIDJA MISS ME, FOLKS? :D

Anywho…I've pretty much got this fic figured out. Several planned places are going to be excluded unfortunately, as I don't want this to be TOO long. I might write them up as omake or something. Anyway, on to Port Royal! Short chappie, I know…next one is on the way!

Chasing The Truth

By FlikFreak

Chapter Twenty-Four: Apprehension


Beat was hesitant to let Rhyme get any rest, probably out of fear of her falling comatose again, and the only good that came out of it was his own peace of mind. He, Shiki and Kairi would keep her company when they could, but the one thing she only ever talked about most was "the white place" and "the girl in the white place." Shiki was hesitant to ask about it, and decided to leave it alone, but when Rhyme began to look pale again she couldn't ignore the matter.

Kairi left with Yuffie, Aerith and Leon to check on the town, and in their place Xenuk had arrived to guard the house, along with Shantotto and Freya whom arrived later.

"Where's Zidane?" Xenuk asked.

"Still with Cid in the laboratory," Freya replied silently. "He's trying to track something. I've never seen him act quite like that…it's almost as though he's out for blood."

Shantotto only nodded in agreement, uncharacteristically silent again. Shiki glanced back at Rhyme, whom was sitting on the bed and hugging her knees. She looked far more nervous than she ever had, and the color was still drained from her face. Taking the cue, Shiki offered her a drink, but Rhyme shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Shiki replied. "Rhyme, can you tell us what's wrong?"

Rhyme only shook her head, evading answering the question. "Where is she? She said she'd be back."

"Who?"

"The girl from the white place."

That again. Just what was Rhyme getting at?

Xenuk narrowed his eyes in thought before glancing up. "Rhyme, is something bothering you?"

Rhyme sighed and finally nodded. "Yeah. I just don't get why it's not bothering you."

"What's not?" Shiki said. "There are several Nobodies outside, but the others are taking care of that."

"She's right," Beat said. "The only thing botherin' me is that you're bothered by something and you ain't tellin' us."

Shantotto quirked an eyebrow. "That must be it, don't you see? While we can't, she can…perfectly."

"What is it that she can, then?" Xenuk asked. Shantotto only shook her head, and everyone was left right where they started.

A signal from the computer sounded. Sighing and standing, Xenuk headed over to the computer and flipped on the monitor. "HBRC Headquarters."

"You don't have to be so formal; it's only us."

At the sound of Riku's voice, everyone headed over to the monitor. Riku was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, while Sora was in his usual position with his fingers over the control panel. Axel was in one of the seats in the back staring out the window with immense interest, and Neku had his arms folded oddly in his lap while he stared in annoyance at the screen – at least, it looked like annoyance. Shiki knew better.

"Hey, Phones!" Beat said with utmost gusto. Rhyme smiled, giggling at her brother's sudden change of gears.

Neku smirked, waving back. "Hey, guys. How're things over there?"

"There are enough Nobodies to keep us busy for a while," Freya stated. "It's nothing too serious, but it's quickly becoming an annoyance."

"Where have I heard that before," Sora muttered quietly before shaking his head. "Oh, yeah! You doing okay, Rhyme?"

Rhyme paused, and nodded. "I'm fine. Just a bit anxious."

"How was the King?" Freya asked.

"He's fine," Riku replied. "Apparently the nobodies got in thanks to a stone called Nethicite. Naxeyv used it to get through the barrier. You know anything, Xenuk?"

Xenuk crossed his arms. "A little. Nethicite exists on a world called Ivalice. It's capable of absorbing magic energies, and natural Nethicite ends up expelling it in large explosions of raw power. On Ivalice, a single shard of it managed to destroy an entire fleet of airships, while another one took out the capital of a city and covered it in mist."

"Mist?" Neku echoed. "What's a bunch of fog going to do?"

"Mist is a source of magic power," Freya explained. "At least on Ivalice it is. You can't always see it, but if there's a very high concentration of it, you can. People that are sensitive to it tend to get nauseous or go berserk entirely, so it's either a blessing or a curse to have around depending on who you are."

"That makes sense," Axel said, turning from the window. "If that piece of rock can absorb magic or whatever, then it probably absorbed enough of the cornerstone's power to weaken the barrier."

"Which means the barrier around the castle isn't stable," Shantotto added, "And the nobodies can invade since now they're able."

"So what's he plan on doin' with it?" Beat wondered, scratching his neck anxiously.

"It's hard to say what kind of things Naxeyv plans to do with a piece of Nethicite," Xenuk said, crossing his arms, "But whatever it is, we're not going to like it. Even before he was a nobody, Naxeyv was always after that kind of power. The good news is that if he tries to use any magic of his own, he'll find his own tool working against him, but if there's an explosion waiting at the end it still won't be pretty for either side. If you guys run into him, I'm pretty sure it'd be a good idea to get it away from him and destroy it as soon as you can, unless you plan on a pretty painful death."

"We're headed for Port Royal right now," Sora stated. "Larsa said he's probably there, so we'll keep an eye out. Hey, Shiki?"

Shiki started at the mention of her name. "Yeah?"

"You still have that needle and thread of yours?"

It was an odd question, but Shiki smiled at the mention. "Yeah, I do! What do you need?"

"Think you could make a new outfit for Axel? That cloak isn't doing him any favors."

The redhead crossed his arms. "Hey! What do you mean by that?!"

Feeling a squabble coming on, Shiki laughed and interrupted the two. "Okay. I'll see what I can come up with, don't you worry."

"Be careful everyone," Rhyme said, almost inaudibly.

Sora apparently heard her and nodded, grinning widely. "We will. Promise."


You know, Rhyme's worried about you. Haven't you gone to see her?

There are too many nobodies. I doubt it'd be safe, even considering that she…

Right. Got it. Still, don't you find it kind of interesting? If she wanted to, she could become-

I doubt she would. There aren't exactly lovely memories of that time for her. Still, it could happen involuntarily. For now, we should focus on what we're here to do.

Right. I'll keep an eye on headphone boy. You stick around here to make sure nothing happens to Rhyme. The Zoners are bound to go after her again if we're not careful…


Neku stared at the ceiling. "So, that rock that Naxeyv's got can suck up magic and spit it back out as a massive blast?"

"Pretty much," Axel said. "He mentioned mist, too. If that stone decides to detonate, I'd rather not be nearby to figure out if I'm one of those people that are sensitive to the stuff or not."

"Then when we find it we'd better destroy it," Sora said. "Finding Naxeyv shouldn't be that hard; if the Zoners are after Neku we won't have to do much in that department."

"Gee, thanks," Neku groaned, staring out the window. It's bad enough that I've got voices in my head, and now I've got those guys coming after me wanting to kill me. For real. With no UG. Isn't this a wonderful vacation?

Neku…Sakuraba…

Ugh, right on cue. What do you want?

Listen…to the…

"We're here!"

Sora's jovial announcement snapped Neku from his daze and he blinked, rubbing his eyes for a few seconds and staring at the world nearby. It was rather dark; he couldn't make out much of whatever was on the surface. "This is Port Royal?" he asked. "I was kind of expecting something a bit…well…"

"I know," Sora replied. "This place is pretty different from the others. There's a lot of open water, but there are a few places, like the port, the island where the old treasure trove was, and the ship graveyard."

"Anything we need to look out for?" Axel asked. "Aside from Nobodies, I mean."

Sora sat back for a moment, staring upward contemplatively. "Unless someone dove to the bottom of the ocean and fished out a chest full of cursed gold coins that make you turn into a pretty creepy version of the living dead when the moonlight hits you…just the nobodies."

I don't know whether to be freaked out or disgusted.

"Everyone ready to land?" Sora asked.

Riku sighed, standing. "More or less. The sooner we find Naxeyv the better."

The portal lit up, and one by one, everyone stepped through. Neku took a deep breath, stepping forward warily after Sora and Riku entered. Axel crossed his arms, sighing. "I've heard about this world. Not exactly my type of place."

"Then we'll have to find Naxeyv quick," Neku replied. "Come on, Axel."

Axel hesitated, but shrugged, stepping forward. Neku watched as he stepped through, the portal flickering very slightly as he entered. Something caused his stomach to twist as he stepped forward, but he ignored it.

The moment Neku stepped outside, he found the ground beneath him shift away like it wasn't there and the darkness of the area shocked his eyesight. After a few moments Neku realized that he had stepped out of the portal and into the middle of the ocean. Sora and Riku were nowhere in sight.

And neither was Axel.


I'm so evil, aren't I? XD Next chapter coming soon!

Also, wow...a new crossover section. Is anyone actually using that? Or...bleh. I'll figure it out. O.o

Zoners:

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