[A/N: This chapter was surprisingly difficult to write. I was looking forward to it because Timeless River is one of my favorite worlds, but having Juliet and Akio being separated made things more difficult than I expected. Whenever I wrote a line for Mortimer I was cringing too. Thankfully I have a friend who's willing to brainstorm with me so that got me out of my rut. Anyway without further ado enjoy chapter 9. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix. All reviews are appreciated.]
The world they'd entered looked a lot different than the one they'd left. This world was completely black and white and they'd landed in the middle of a field. In the center of the field was a giant glowing ball of light. Juliet looked around the field, but found that it was empty. "This sure is a strange place. I wonder where we are." She pulled out the now well worn map and unfolded it. She looked over at Akio and jumped back in shock. "Akio, you look so different."
Akio was also black and white like the world, but his eyes were black and his clothes had also changed. He now wore long black pants, a white long sleeved shirt, a black fedora, and suspenders. "You're one to talk. Somebody changed your clothes too."
Juliet was now wearing a spaghetti strapped shimmering dress and her hair had been cut short so it went down to her ear lobes and curled inwards. Her eyes were also black. She looked around the field again when she saw someone coming down in their direction. "Maybe they could tell us where we are." Juliet walked over to a tall gangly mouse and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me sir, but could you tell me what this world is called?"
The mouse looked down at Juliet at first not caring much, but he did a double take. "Ha-cha-cha what do we have here?"
Juliet ignored the mouse's comment. "What's this world called?"
He gestured to the field they were standing in. "This world? This is the Timeless River. You must not be from around here, babe."
"Yes, I'm not from around here, but anyway thanks for your help and I'll just be on my way." She turned to leave when a new thought came to her and she walked back to the mouse. "I have one more question for you."
"Anything for you babe."
Juliet blinked a couple times and tried hard to ignore the mouse's behavior. "You wouldn't happen to have seen any of the seven pure lights have you?"
The mouse was quiet in thought for a moment. "Nope, can't say I have." He casually draped a arm around Juliet's shoulder. "So babe, do you have a name?"
Akio felt his face heating up in anger and he hastily walked over to Juliet and pushed the mouse's arm off her. "My name is Akio."
The mouse pushed Akio aside. "I do believe I was talking to the lovely lady not you." He took Juliet's hand in his and kissed the top. "I am Mortimer."
This time it was Juliet who stepped away from Mortimer. "Since you don't know where any of the seven pure lights are I guess I'll just be going." When she went to walk away with Akio she felt Mortimer grab her arm.
"Why don't we go on a date and leave the stiff behind?" He gestured at Akio.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I've got some important things to do." She jerked her arm free from Mortimer's grip when she felt him grab her again. "You just can't take no for answer can you?" The next thing she knew Juliet was bound from her shoulders to her knees in rope and she fell to the ground. She felt Mortimer pick her and throw her over his shoulder.
"I didn't want to have to do that, but I won't take no for an answer." With that he began to walk off.
"What are you doing Akio don't just stand there do something."
Akio began to run after Mortimer and Juliet, but when he went around a corner they were gone. He'd come out into a smaller field that was near a pier. "Oh, this is not good this is not good at all." He doubled back to the bigger field where he saw four windows hanging in mid air. "I guess looking through some of these windows might help."
When he came out into the first window Akio found himself in the middle of a construction area. He walked to the center area of the elevated platform and plucked at the rope that was hanging down a hole in the middle of the platform. "Doesn't look like that creepy mouse took her here." When he went to walk back through the window a big black pig with jeweled eyes began running towards him. Akio threw his disk out at the gluttony pig wraith hitting it in the snout.
The pig slid backwards nearly falling off the platform before it began charging back at him with its tusks lowered.
Akio had to side step to get out of the way of the charging wraith. When the beast's back was turned he threw the disk again hitting it in the back.
The pig went sailing over the edge of the platform with a loud squeal plummeting to the ground beneath them.
Walking over to the side of the platform Akio peered over the side to see that the pig was still falling. He winced when he finally heard a thud sound as the pig hit the ground. Akio slowly crept away from the edge and went back to the window and walked back through.
Once he was back in the field Akio looked through the second window to see tiny city with a giant tower in the middle. "I wonder if he took her in here."
He spent several minutes looking around the tiny town, but still found no one. "Where could he be keeping her?" Akio sat down with his back leaning against the tower feeling dejected. "There aren't even any more wraiths in this world." He let his head rest against the stone and found himself wondering why he was so upset about Juliet getting kidnapped in the first place. "I know we're friends, but she can take care of herself." The more he thought about how Mortimer had been so brazenly flirting with her the angrier Akio found himself becoming. "Because she's my friend and I don't want that creep anywhere near her." He hopped up and began to walk back towards the window when a jeweled parrot flew up in his face.
The parrot squawked and began to scratch at Akio's face with its talons.
Akio swung his disk out and hit the parrot upside the head sending it squawking through the Lilliput.
Meanwhile somewhere else in Timeless River, Juliet was sitting on the ground on a blanket. "You know my friend is going to be here soon and if you know what's good for you you'll let me go."
"I can't do that babe. If I let you go then Master Xeha-I'll get in trouble."
Juliet cocked her head when she heard Mortimer's slip up. "Who are you talking about? You do know something about the seven pure lights. Where are the other ones?"
Mortimer gulped and licked his lips. "I'm going to be in so much trouble if I tell you anything-" He was cut off when Juliet kissed him on the cheek. "I guess I could tell you a little something."
"Go on."
Akio left the Lilliput and was back in the field and looked through a third window to see tall building on fire. "Maybe he's keeping her in here." When he slid through he was nearly thrown back through the window by a rampaging envy monkey with big glittering eyes.
The monkey screeched and tried to claw at Akio's eyes.
Again Akio had to throw his disk out hitting the monkey in the tail. He caught it as it rebounded back and threw it again this time hitting the monkey in the head. "Why is it that there are wraiths in this world, but not in Disney Town?" He had to jump out of the way when an anger dog sprung up at him; foam hanging off its fangs.
The dog sprung up at Akio and tried to bite his arm when it was smacked in the nose with his disk. It backed off for the moment and whined softly at it rubbed its sore snout with its paw.
Akio began to back away from the dog when the momentarily forgotten monkey screeched again and tried to jump on his back only to be smacked away. "That mouse can't be the one controlling all these wraiths. There has to be someone else in this world causing all the trouble."
Behind Akio was Puck was quietly creeping back into through the window. He snapped his fingers and the wraiths disappeared.
Glancing around Akio didn't see any more wraiths coming at him and decided to inspect the building. As he walked up to it he noticed that it was still on fire and thought it best that he didn't go in. "There's got to be something else behind this. That mouse probably knows, if I can find him I'll make him spill the beans."
When he walked back through the window Akio found that he only had one window left to check. "They've got to be in there." Entering the fourth and final window Akio found himself in a living room with a black ball hanging in mid air in the middle of the room. The furniture of the room was nailed down to the floor.
Out of the darkness of the one of the other rooms in the house came a lust snake began slithering out. It slithered up to Akio and was about to bite his ankle when he took a step backwards and stepped on the snake's head.
"Well, doesn't look like anyone is in here." He walked back to the window not noticing that he'd stepped on the snake's head.
Once he was back in the field Akio sighed and leaned back to look up at the grey and white sky. "Where else haven't I looked?" He took a minute to walk around the field ignoring the big ball of light that was in the middle when he came to a path that was marked 'Warf'. "That must be where they are. It's the only spot I haven't checked."
By this time Mortimer had told Juliet all she wanted to know about the seven pure lights. "So, babe is there anything else I could tell you?"
Juliet batted her eyelashes. "Do you know the names of the seven pure lights?" She grimaced as he sidled up to her.
"Actually I don't know what their names, but I already told you where they are. Maybe you think you owe me something for that?" Mortimer didn't notice that Akio was coming up behind him.
She sighed and tried to wriggle as best she could through the ropes. "Maybe if you let me loose I could." Juliet saw Akio and smiled at him.
Akio gave her a thumb up before he smacked Mortimer round the head with his disk. He watched the mouse crumple the ground and stepped over him to help Juliet to her feet. "He didn't do anything to you did he?"
"No, but I did get some information out of him."
"What kind of information," Akio asked he leaned down to begin untying Juliet.
"I know where the six other pure lights are."
Akio looked up at her as he continued to untie her. "So, where are they? You know what forget I asked for all we know he could be lying to you."
"I don't think so. He said something about a master, but I couldn't catch his name." She stepped out of the pile of rope that had collected around her feet. "Anyway let's get out of here before he wakes up."
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