Demyx: *takes out cue card* Okay, the author is still sick so we KH characters are gonna take over for her today!

Kairi: Really? That's weird.

Xemnas: There must be some alterior motive...

Riku: ...Or it could be that she's sick with the flu.

Namine: Besides, she almost always lets us say a few words or so every chapter. Most of the time.

Saix: Stop this foolishness and get back to work!

Demyx: Okay, okay! Alright, here's the disclaimer. K-chan does NOT own anything KH related. Square Enix does.

Kyrie: *writes* But she does own me.

Kingdom Hearts

Bonded Soul

Chapter 55

After their argument had settled down, Donald set course for the next world, which happened to be Port Royal. Kyrie smiled as she relaxed in her chair, watching Sora bounce up and down in his seat in anticipation.

"Port Royal…I wonder how Jack, Elizabeth, and Will are doing." she thought with a soft smile. The second they got to the Rampart, Sora ran over to look over the town of Port Royal, a grin on his face.

"We're back!" he called excitedly. Kyrie smiled and nodded as she joined him, but a familiar figure caught her eye as she looked down, to see Jack Sparrow surrounded by…undead pirates?

"Huh, Jack? Undead pirates? But I thought the curse was lifted!" she thought as she stared. She quickly grabbed Sora's arm and gave it a harsh tug, snapping the boy out of his thoughts as she pulled him towards the stone stairs.

"Kyrie- hey! Why're you-" he cried, but she continued to drag him, with Donald and Goofy right behind them. Halfway down the stairs, Sora spotted Jack and the undead pirates and acted immediately, rushing past her to assist the pirate. Once they got down the stairs, Sora called out to him.

"Jack!" he cried, trying to get the man's attention. Jack turned his head slightly towards them, taking note of their presence.

"Zola! Some assistance!" he cried. Sora snorted as he summoned his keyblade, but ran to the man's side none the less.

"That's SORA, Donald, Goofy, and Kyrie!" but the man sighed. "Will ye leave a mate to perish?" Kyrie giggled silently as she summoned her keyblades, getting ready for battle.

"Aye aye..." Sora muttered as he ran in, slamming his keyblade into the first pirate who rushed at him. Jack and Goofy followed right after him, while Kyrie stayed behind with Donald, who was taking the weaker pirates out with magic.

The fight didn't last long, since they're weakness was the moonlight itself, and before long they were all taken cared of. The five regrouped as they dispelled their weapons, Kyrie looking around anxiously as she did so.

"Those were cursed pirates…but why? I thought we had seen the last of the Aztec curse. Did someone…?" she thought as she looked at Jack. Her eyes narrowed for a second, before she shook her head. "No, he couldn't have done it. Jack knows better than to steal back cursed treasure. Despite his nature."

"I'd thought we'd seen the last of the curse of the Aztec gold…what gives?" Sora asked as he turned to Jack. The man was quiet for a moment before shrugging, waving his hand as he did so.

"Some scallywag must've got greedy. Oh, I see…you don't trust me, do you?" he asked as he looked at them. Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded while Kyrie shook her head, making the three blink at her in confusion. Turning to them, she whipped out her notebook and began writing.

Why would Jack take the treasure? I realize that he is a pirate, but even I think Jack isn't stupid enough to take cursed treasure after one of his enemies swiped it and got cursed himself. No offense, Jack.

"None taken, lass. But it would be a wise choice to not trust me, mates. After all, I am a pirate." he spoke, waving his hands in his usual manner. Kyrie huffed and placed her hands on her hips, was Jack trying to make everyone suspicious of him?

"I swear, at times he can be almost as bad as Axel when it comes to others trusting him." she thought with a huff.

"Jack! Sora!" a familiar voice called out, making Kyrie flinch. The others jumped and turned as they spotted Elizabeth running to him, holding up some of her dress as she did so. Jack was about to turn and walk away, before Elizabeth stopped him.

"Wait, Jack! The cursed pirates have returned. Will had to find out why, so he went to Isla de Muerta to check on the Aztec treasure. I fear something's happened. You have to take me to him." She explained. The pirate was silent for a moment before sighing and turning to her.

"Aye, there it is. If you'll be wanting him rescued, best do it alone, lass." He spoke, completely turning the young woman down. Kyrie gasped and blinked at him, why was he so reluctant to help? Elizabeth scoffed.

"Alone? Really, Jack? Sail to the island and take on the cursed pirates?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. He shrugged. "Well, if any lass could…"

"Are you sure he's in trouble?" Sora asked, turning away from Jack to face her. The young woman was silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head.

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

"She really does care for him…so much that she's willing to go into danger just to see if he's all right. It's…really sweet." She thought, giving a soft sigh. The woman turned to him, looking extremely desperate.

"Please, Jack! Take me to him!" she begged. The man was silent before holding up a hand. "Hold a moment. I see no profit in it for me."

"I shall reward you. Of course…you do owe Will. He has saved your life before." Elizabeth spoke, pointing out how Jack's dept to him. He was about to protest before stopping, sighing as he did so.

"Right. Shall we?"

-A little while later-

Kyrie sighed as she stood in the center of the deck, still not comfortable around pirate ships or any ships of the sort. The ship rocked back and forth beneath her feet, reminding her of the ocean that was beneath. Shuddering, she decided to head below deck and clear her head, at least for a little while.

"Besides, hearing Jack and Elizabeth bicker is really getting on my nerves." she thought with a huff as she opened the door, heading below deck. Unlike the Interceptor, the Pearl was a bit messier. But since it used to carry a bunch of undead men, it didn't really surprise her. Throwing off some dirty sheets and clothes off one of the hammocks, she settled herself down and closed her eyes, listening to the creaking of the ship. She stiffened though when she heard the familiar sound of a dark corridor opening. Cracking an eye, her eyes flashed open immediately as Demyx and Axel appeared in the cabin. Demyx smiled.

"Hey, Kyrie! We finally found you!" he cried as she sat up, walking over and ruffling her hair as he did so. She smiled and protested as she tried to get the water mage to stop ruffling her hair, while Axel watched on from where he stood.

"We've been looking for you everywhere, and we decided to come here last because Luxord's here and we didn't wanna get caught. But I'm glad we came, it's great to see you!" he continued. She blinked in confusion, Luxord was here?

"Well, I think that's our culprit." she thought, pulling out her notebook.

It's great to see you too, Demyx, Axel. I missed you both so much, and I've been really worried. Are you guys doing okay? Sleeping well? Eating well?

"Of course we are! Although it has been hard trying to find a decent place to sleep. We've been sleeping in abandoned houses, warehouses, ruins…" he answered as he began to list the places the two had to sleep in. Axel gave a huff where he stood, making Kyrie blink at the pyro in confusion. Realizing that he hadn't followed after him, Demyx turned to him.

"Hey, Ax. Aren't you gonna say hi to her?" he asked, confused. The pyro gave the nocturne a hard look and he gulped, realizing that he wanted to talk to Kyrie. Alone. Turning to the girl, he gave her one more pat on the head before opening a corridor. The girl blinked at him in confusion as he turned to look at her.

"I'm going to go and make sure Luxord doesn't know that we're here. It'd be really bad if he were to catch us, with his power over time." and with that, he was gone, leaving Kyrie and Axel alone in the cabin. The two stared at each other silently for a few minutes, Axel in hesitation, and Kyrie in confusion.

"C'mon Axel, get a grip. All you're doing is just asking her to be your girlfriend, nothing else." he thought, clenching his fists tightly. He quickly walked over and sat next to her, making her jump at his sudden movements. She quickly turned to him and watched as he looked away, not meeting her gaze.

"Something's wrong…but what?" she thought as she stared at him. Reaching out, she placed her hand against his cheek, making him jump and stare at her in confusion. Pulling it away, she wrote in her notebook and passed it to him.

Axel, is something wrong? You don't seem like yourself today.

"No, everything's fine, Kyrie." he answered. She quickly pulled her notebook back and wrote more, before passing it to him again.

Axel, you know you can always talk to me about anything, right? I'm here to listen if there's something you need to tell me.

The pyro was silent as he read her words before taking a deep breath. "Okay, here goes nothing…"

Without warning, he leaned in, his face close to hers. She felt her cheeks warm up and explode with color as his eyes slowly closed, his lips just inches from her. She felt her body freeze and her eyes widen, she didn't know what to do. Her mind became completely blank, the butterflies in her stomach returned, and she felt her heart hammering wildly inside her chest as he inched closer. And just as they were about to touch-

"Hey, Ax, Kyrie, I'm back! Luxord wasn't close so I thought I'd-" Demyx started but stopped the second he stepped out of the corridor, making Axel snap his eyes open, both blushing furiously as they jumped back. The melodious nocturne blinked in confusion, before realizing what he had just interrupted.

"Oh…uh…sorry!"

"Demyx…" Axel growled as he clenched his fist, glaring at the man angrily. Kyrie looked away, her face bright red as she tried to calm her heart as it pounded wildly inside her chest. But the pyro sighed, getting to his feet.

"We better go, before someone catches us." he muttered as he opened a corridor. Demyx nodded furiously as he ran in, and right before he could follow, Kyrie grabbed his wrist. He looked back and saw the hurt in her eyes and felt something throb inside him, where his heart should've been. He gave a sigh.

"I'm sorry." and with that, he was gone. She stared sadly at the spot where he had been, her hands held tightly over her chest.

"Axel…"

-A few minutes later-

Kyrie sighed as she walked up to the deck, her mind in a whirl. Did Axel…care for her, like she did for him? She didn't know what to think, because Axel didn't have a heart. He could never care about her in that way, never. And this thought broke her heart.

"But…I want him to…feel the same way. Is this what Belle was talking about, how it hurts knowing your feelings can never be returned?" she thought as she stepped onto the deck.

"But…how do I feel about him? Do I love him? Or is he nothing more than a friend to me? I wish I could know…" her thoughts continued as she walked over to Goofy, who was leaning over the railing. The dog looked at her from the corner of his eye, and saw the sadness in her eyes.

"Gawrsh, is something wrong, Kyrie?" he asked. She paused for a moment, before shaking her head. He gave a small shrug before spotting something from the corner of his eye, leaning over the railing to get a better look. Kyrie leaned over as well, trying to keep her attention from the water below them. A ship was sailing towards them, and they recognized it immediately.

"Interceptor off the starboard bow!" Goofy called to the others as he and Kyrie pointed. They came over just as the ship sailed up next to them, the group gasping when the spotted a familiar figure slumped over the railing.

"Will!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Jack took a few steps back and bowed his head, placing his hat over his chest. She scowled at him.

"Stop that, Jack! We have to rescue him!" she spoke. The others nodded as Sora and Donald lowered the gangplank, Jack, Elizabeth, and Goofy rushing over to help the man onto the Pearl. Once he was on board, they rushed him into the Captain's Stateroom, where Elizabeth and Kyrie began to tend to him.

"Will, wake up." Elizabeth urged as she patted his face gently. The man gasped quietly as he started to regain consciousness, looking around the room blearily.

"Elizabeth…"

"What happened?" She asked softly. He was quiet for a moment as he tried to remember, before speaking.

"The medallions…and the stone chest- someone's taken them…the next thing I knew, we were attacked…but I couldn't see who it was- his face was shrouded…in a black hood." he explained. Kyrie blinked at him before growling silently, she knew who it was.

"The Organization!" Sora whispered. Getting to her feet, she walked a few steps away as he continued.

"We found a way out of the cave…but the villain sent a horde of terrible creatures after us…I've never seen their likes before…I think I'm the only one who made it back to the ship…"

"Will…" she spoke sadly. He looked at her. He was losing consciousness and fast.

"Elizabeth…I feel rather…" and with that he went unconscious once more. She quickly leaned him against the wall and began looking over him once more as Sora turned to the others.

"Our turn, guys." he whispered. The woman got to her feet and turned to them, concern clear on her expression. "You'd best go prepared. We've no idea what's out there." but Jack held up his arms, stopping them.

"Pardon me, lads and lasses, but your captain will have no monsters today. Thank ye. We're turning for home." and with that, he turned and walked away. Elizabeth scowled.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that!" he answered. The others turned and stared at him in shock before they followed after him, wanting to convince the man otherwise. But once he opened the doors and stepped outside, he stopped.

"Don't remember invitin' you." He spoke in irritation. The others looked around him and gasped as a man in an organization uniform stood on the ship, next to the stolen chest. Sora and the others ran in, weapons drawn.

"So it was the Organization. We'll handle this!" Sora called as he held his keyblade. Kyrie nodded as she drew both keyblades, knowing who this man was. But the man held up a hand, stopping them.

"The Darkness of men's hearts- drawn to these cursed medallions; and this Heartless- a veritable maelstrom of avarice:" suddenly a grim reaper-like heartless appeared behind him as he continued to pace, making Kyrie scowl.

"I wonder, are they worthy to serve Organization XIII?" he finished. Jack rolled his eyes at the man.

"And you want an answer now?"

"Precisely!"

Maluxia: Axel, you dog!

Axel: Dammit, I was THIS close! ARGH! *headdesk*

Roxas: ^^; Uh...it's okay, Axel. Maybe next time.

Xion: Yeah, next time.

Sora: So keep reading, guys! And review, don't forget to review!

Donald: Sora!

Goofy: He's right, Donald. Reviews help keep the author lady happy!

Sora: Right. So review! And see you next chapter! *waves*