TUH: For once, it's my fault.

TN: Sorry everyone for the delay in the chapter. Sir Herald over here was busy and had little time to work on the chapter. Which he wrote half of! Congratulate him!

TUH: This is the best chapter for you to guess who wrote what.

TN: Enjoy
TN: Fluff, that's all I have to say.

Sora: Disclaimer follows as normally. They own nothing but OCs, plot, and various items of possession in their homes.

PS!

POLL IS UP! GO VOTE!

Chapter XIII

Jones Unleashed

Isla Cruces
August 22, 2010

Kairi sat with her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees. Sora sat next to her, only inches away, inside the mouth of The Flying Dutchman. They had casually talked on the way there and slept in shifts. But in her mind, questions and thoughts buzzed. She had thought about the whipping. Why had Sora done it? It was obvious to her now. She should have believed Naminé so long ago. She finally knew that Sora loved her.

And she loved him, too.

But, as great as this thought was, she couldn't help but worry. What if they became something more? The commitment to keep that strong, and continue fighting through the worlds scared her. She had never thought that what Sora did, all these brave adventures, could be so deadly and dark. And the thought of her, going through them all with him gave her mixed feelings. She would gladly go anywhere with him, but she would be scared at the same time. She was confused. What if he went too far one day and sacrificed too much?

And that was another problem. She was weak. She had cried when he was sleeping. She had cried hard because she could have done more. She could have taken that whipping, and even if she didn't, she could have fought against it. She could have tried harder, made things easier. She could only watch as he sacrificed his self for her. Again. She could have done more. And last night, during her shift of tears, she had promised herself to try harder and fight more for the boy she loved. If he could fight everyday to save the worlds and protect her. . . then she could do the same for him.

She loved him, but she was scared. She leaned into his shoulder, letting her sorrow, happiness, all her confusion just lay down. He didn't react and she didn't look up to see him do so (which he did). She could be content to spend her life with him, one protecting the other. But the constant threats. Would they ever end? This was Sora's third adventure within two years. It seemed as though when one enemy was vanquished, a new and more powerful one returned. Would she have to live her entire life fighting by his side, always risking her life to save the worlds? She would do that if she had to, but she was scared.

Too many thoughts swirled in her mind. She took a deep breath. She snuggled a little closer to Sora. If they ever decided to take their friendship and turn it into something more, they would need to talk about all of this. All of these thoughts. What they needed to talk about right now, though, was the whipping. She needed to clear that out of her mind. She would as soon as they landed and could have the privacy.

I love you, Sora.

She let her fears and confusion lay at rest.

If only for just a little while.

HoL:TS

"Land ho!" Sora heard a fish sailor scream from up above. Kairi had dozed off on his shoulder. He had surprisingly not become nervous or shown any of his normal symptoms. Something had changed, and it was for better. He saw the Black Pearl anchored off the shore. The Dutchman began to turn about, ready to anchor itself. Will motioned for them to jump. The rind rushed through their greasy hair and over their salty skin. Sora was happy to be away from the filth covered grime of the Dutchman's mouth. The water was cold and exhilarating. The salt water helped remove some of the lankness from his hair and it just felt refreshing altogether. He surfaced with Kairi, breathing in the fresh air.

They swam the short way to the sand, coarse like back home. The water dripped from his clothes and they could see figures off in the far distance. One was digging furiously. One was meditating serenely while another two just stood, watching the digging. Sora was about to rush over and see them when he felt a tender hand grab his muscled forearm. It was Kairi.

"Sora, come with me for a moment," she said. He nodded and followed her to a secluded spot among weeds, brush and trees. She turned around and looked up at him with those beautiful violet orbs. Her auburn hair cropped her face.

"Sora, about what happened a few nights ago. . ." Kairi muttered. He felt the subtle wind change.

"Kairi, I—"

"No. I'm going to say this," she stated, cutting him off.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am for what you did. But, you need to know you can't always do that. You can't sacrifice everything, or else you will die. What you did was noble. . . and foolish. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, but don't do it again. It hurts me too much to see you in pain," she explained solemnly. Sora was stunned. Speechless. It was nothing compared to what happened next. She approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into a tight hug and resting her chin on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her as well.

"Thank you, Sora," she whispered into his ear. He didn't answer. She pulled away from his, a tear running down one cheek. She stood on her toes and kissed him on his cheek. She ever so slightly brushed her lips on his cheek and then walked away, leaving behind only her footprints.

Stunned wasn't quite the word for how he felt. A smile broke his face for the first time in a while. After a moment, he rubbed his cheek where she had kissed him. The emotions he was feeling were too wild and random. The only one that was final was happiness. After a few moments of calming his heart's rate, he followed her, his head in the clouds.

HoL:TS

Kairi's heart smiled brightly. Her heart was thudding. She had just kissed the boy she had had a crush on for years, and just recently, the boy that she loved. And the look on his face, that boyish grin, sent her heart aflutter and it melted in the process. The day suddenly felt warmer and the sun shined brighter. The sand was buoyant and her steps were upbeat. She thought she could make out who the people were in the distance—

"KAIRI!" Merideth yelled from the distance, running toward her now. Kairi smiled even wider and ran to meet Merideth in a hug. "Sora!" Merideth shouted. She ended her hug with Kairi and hugged him as well. His face winced at the pain, but Merideth hadn't noticed.

"How have you guys been?" Merideth asked. Kairi shared a glance with Sora.

"We'll talk about it later," Kairi answered her. Merideth nodded as the trio walked to Jack.

"Jack! It's great to see you again!" Sora said as he approached Jack, who had broken his meditation.

"Ah, young Sora. How are you?" Jack asked, standing up.

"I've been better," Sora answered.

THUD. Everyone looked down into the hole that Norrington was digging. After much scrambling, Norrington was able to life the object out of the hole and onto the surface. It was a chest. Jack broke the lock off, sorted through the letters and papers on the inside, and then retrieved a small chest. He sat it on the large chest. Kairi was infused with a golden light as Naminé appeared. Roxas did the same with Sora.

They all listened.

Thump. Thump.

"The heart of Davy Jones," Jack whispered. Will knelt before the chest, retrieving his knife and the key.

"Oi, what're you doing?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to kill Jones and free our fathers," Will said, indicating Sora and himself. Jack's sword met Will's throat.

"I can't let you do that," Jack said. Will warily got to his feet. "If Jones is dead, who's going to call his beastie off the hunt?"

"I intend to free our fathers," Will said, stealing Elizabeth's sword from her, now pointing it at Jack.

"I can't let you do that, sorry," Norrington said, drawing his sword on Will. Jack pointed his at Norrington.

"If I return the heart to Beckett, my position is restored," Norrington. Sora's Keyblade flashed to life.

"Our fathers are more important," he said menacingly.

"Um. . . YEAH!" Roxas comically said, summoning his Two Become One. Suddenly, a blade was slashed at Will. Sora blocked it. And then it became a confusing set of fighting as they started running off in the distance.

"Roxas, why are you fighting?" Naminé asked.

"This looks like fun," he said, walking to her and letting them fight. Kairi watched as Roxas gave Naminé a passionate kiss and then ran to rejoin the fight, now off in the distance, Elizabeth screaming at them. Kairi felt envy seep into her, wishing she could share that with Sora when—

"Kairi, watch out!" Merideth said, tackling Kairi out of the way of a sword swing from an undead pirate. Kairi's Destiny's Embrace flashed to her hand as she brought it up to parry a blow from another sailor of Jones' crew. She parried a few more blows from the sailor before she cracked it in the skull with the flat of her blade. It fell over, unconscious. She looked at the shore and many more were coming.

"Girls!" Elizabeth shouted at them. Kairi and Merideth turned around to see her pointing at a receding Pintel and Ragetti, running with the chest. They rushed after Elizabeth and into the dense jungle. Weeds snapped at Kairi's ankles and low branches tried to smack them. They took an odd roundabout way and found themselves in front of Pintel and Ragetti. Kairi and Merideth stepped on either side of her, drawing their Keyblade and bow respectively. The two men threw their swords to Elizabeth. She caught both as Pintel and Ragetti ran by, Jones' crew in hot pursuit. All five ran in the same direction. They watched as a giant wheel rolled by; Will, Norrington, Sora in it sword fighting. Jack and Roxas were in it's wake, following.

Kairi didn't have the time to think about it as the chest was dropped. She and Merideth took defensive stances to protect it as Elizabeth had to share swords with Pintel and Ragetti. Fish guts flew in all directions as the quintet battled the sailors. It seemed as if they would drive them back when two things happened. The first was that a hermit crab headed man took the chest by himself. The second was that the three new types of Heartless showed up.

As a Knight would have struck Kairi down with its sword, an arrow flew through its head. It dissipated into nothing, just to be replaced by a Praetorian. Its sword-arms slashed violently at her, whistling sickeningly through the air. She blocked them as best as she could but let out a small squeal as one nicked her leg. Blood trickled down. She brought her Keyblade up to its helmeted face.

"Fira!" she shouted. She watched in satisfaction as it exploded, shrapnel flying into other Heartless. She healed her wound quickly, and rejoined the fray. A Knight cast a Fire spell at her. She dodged with a roll, springing back up and casting a Blizzara spell back. It froze temporarily before taking back its control. She mentally swore as she had to swordplay with it while also dodging its Fire based spells. She rolled forward and sliced its stomach at the same time, ending its existence.

Things had went quiet as she looked around. The crew had retreated and the Heartless were all taken care of. Trees were pin-cushioned with Merideth's arrows, as they seemed to pass through the Heartless once killed.

"At least it saves me ammunition," Merideth remarked. They followed Pintel, Ragetti and Elizabeth. The chest lay next to the downed hermit man. They scooped it up and ran back for the beach, hoping that the boys had returned.

Kairi spotted the wheel falling over. Roxas was fighting in the distance and Jack was doing something in the rowboat. Will, Norrington and Sora climbed out of the wheel. They seemed extremely dizzy as they kept stumbling around, falling over and not being able to get back up.

Kairi allowed herself a quick laugh at Sora's state as she rushed to help him.

HoL:TS

As Kairi was following Elizabeth into the jungle. . .

Sora ran after the trifecta that was Jack, Will and Norrington. Roxas followed after him, just for fun as he had said. Sora was doing this to save his father. He needed to help Will. Dense weeds and brambles tried to tangle around his legs as the ran uphill. He persevered until they crested down a knoll and then through some trees, trees that blotted the sky in patches of dark. Sora smiled in this rush, as he felt the breeze blow over his skin and somewhat through his clumpy hair. Norrington had started fighting with Will and Jack outside a decrepit and large mill. Each of them struggled to grab the key.

Sora joined in the sword play. He blocked blows from everyone and they blocked his. They all moved deftly away from each other in side-steps and rolls, until Jack grabbed the key and ran for the building. They all followed inside. It was confusing inside the small tower as they ascended stairs. Will had taken a rope and pulley up, using it to his advantage and grabbing the key on his way up. More fighting ensued. Sora blocked a blow from Roxas.

"Roxas! We need the key! Not me!?" Sora shouted at him. Roxas was bursting with laughter.

"I'm just having fun," he said in return as they fought and exchanged keys onto the roof of the church.

They fought on the narrow ledge of the roof, footwork becoming all too important. They ducked and dodged, mastering their swordplay. Sora's blade whistled over Norrington's head, colliding with Will's sword. Jack thrust at Roxas who avoided and countered. The sun shone down on them, gleaming off the sweat shining on their skin. Metal clashed and voices of yelling came from the forest. Sora worried about Kairi but knew she could take care of herself now. Jack grabbed the key and they turned on him.

"Please excuse me while I kill the man that ruined my life," Norrington said.

"Let us examine that claim for a moment, former Commodore, shall we? Who was it that at the very moment you had a notorious pirate safely behind bars saw fit to free said pirate and take your dearly beloved all to himself . . . aye? So whose fault is it really that you've ended up a rum-pot deckhand what takes orders from pirates?

"Enough!" Norrington shouted in rage. Jack jumped daringly off the roof, key still in hand. "Unfortunately, he's right!" Norrington shouted, swinging his sword at Will, who barely blocked it.

"Sora, help me!" Will asked in fear, jumping onto the mill's old power wheel.

"Roxas, go after Jack!" Sora shouted, jumping with Norrington onto the wheel as well.

"Got'cha!" Roxas said, and jumped off the roof as well, rolling deftly on the grass.

"Okay, Norrington . . ." Sora was saying until they felt the wheel shift under them. It creaked and groaned until—

POP! The wheel broke off its hinges with a sick crunch and began to roll. Sora's feet adapted to this new change as the three of them fought, Norrington in the middle. He walked sideways, trying to combat them both on top of the wheel.

"Ugh, my head," Jack said as he stood up in the grave. Roxas jumped in the grave too.

"The key, please," Roxas said with a smile.

"Oh?" Jack said as he saw the wheel come at them. It cascaded over them and brought them up into the wheel.

"This is going to be crazy, eh Roxas?!" Sora shouted.

"Ya know, you could take a fight to the death more seriously…" Roxas said, wielding his Keyblade, briefly preparing to strike at Norrington before hearing the air being sliced behind him, forcing to turn and block Jack's sword. "Hey what gives?!"

"Every man for himself, mate!" Jack said, his tone being slightly disturbing knowing what he was implying. Roxas' feet were sent into overdrive as he tried to adapt to sword fighting on the spinning wheel. Roxas was a better swordsman than Jack, that was of no doubt, but Jack's insane stepping habits made it so he fought on the wheel completely unhampered.

Meanwhile, Sora was doing much better, as Norrington was a laughably easy opponent for Sora. Like fifteen years in the Navy and having a stick up god knows where would make a man even half as skilled as a Keyblade Wielder near the level of a master. Sora hopped from his position to the top of the admiral, slashing downwards as he did. Norrington blocked with ease, pushing Will back with a swift kick to the stomach, however, this was all planned by Sora. Putting more strength into his weapon, he pushed himself further away, landing behind Norrington.

"Not so fast!" Norrington exclaimed, predicting Sora's Keyblade to go for his chest, turning to block it. Sparks flew as the metal clashed, Norrington smiling at the successful block: "Swagger all you want, you are still a boy. Jump out now and I may turn a blind eye on your interference." Sora then exploded in a burst of laughter.

"You kidding? It'll be YEAAAAAAAAAAAAARS before you can face me!" he replied with a fit of laughter, slicing at Norrington with swift horizontal slashes so fast he needed to move back as he blocked to break the pressure. Which proved to be just what Sora wanted. "Hey, watch out behind you!" Sora exclaimed as Will's blade trusted at Norrington. The navy member had to jump to the side, grabbing to the wheel as he fell.

"Sora, take this more seriously! I could have had him!" Will exclaimed much to Sora's embarrassment.

"I guess I got carried awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay-" the Keyblade Wielder screamed when Norrington pulled on his feet on his way back up, sending him barreling out the wheel.

"Sora!" Roxas cried whilst he deflected Jack's blows. Falling onto the ground and rolling, something in Sora flared up. And it wasn't gonna die down soon.

"Oh, no more Mister Nice Sora…" Sora cringed, his hand clasping his Keyblade extra hard while he summoned the powers his friend Donald had once gifted him with. "LIGHT!" invoked the Keyblade wielder, his clothes burning white for a few seconds before dying down into a bluish-gown. "Wisdom Form is a go!" and with that, he leapt, magic glittering below his feet as he did.

And he rode on the magical tracks miraculously summoned forth by Wisdom form, doing some tricks in midair for the kicks while catching up to the wheel. "Hey guys!" shouted the boy, gaining everyone's attention. "Dance!" Pointing his Keyblade at the wheel, especially Norrington, unleashing a rain of magic arrows upon the running men.

"Oi! That's just unfair there mate!" Jack complained when he had to increase pace to dodge around Sora's unfocused hail. "Yer becoming a darn good pirate kid," he added, much to Roxas' confusion. He really didn't GET pirates. Still, he had to admit Sora did help him quite a bit, as even if he was being showered along with the others, Jack and Norrington were taking the brunt of the assault, allowing him to get some breathing time. However, as he engaged Jack once again, he was baffled as the pirate screamed: "Hey kid, watch out!"

Sora scuffed and laughed at the remark: "Ha! Think I'll fall for that Ja-"

CRASH!

Right on Sora's left cheek. Jack had told the truth, Sora had paid too much attention to the wheel and for that was punished with a thick twig of a tree to the face and a face plant on the ground.

"Wait a sec…" Sora gasped whilst ignoring the pain and standing up. "Jack told the truth?!" shaking off his amazement, he realized the shock had thrown him out of Wisdom Form… and he wasn't getting back into it anytime soon. "Unreal but… I gotta get back to them!"

Meanwhile, on the wheel, Roxas had just seen the key fly off into ground, where it got stuck to a splinter, meaning it started to spin around with it. Taking notice of it, Will swiftly jumped from the top of the wheel and grabbed it, causing both Jack and Norrington to want his blood.

"I don't even know what's going on anymore!" Roxas said while he blocked Norrington's onslaught while Will and Jack fought for the precious Key. At one point, they arrived at a stalemate, Jack and Will grabbing onto the Key and chain respectively, as their swords ground together.

"I'm baaaaaaaaaaack!" Sora shouted, throwing his Keyblade from the distance… cutting the chain. "Oooops…"

"Thaaank you!" Jack exclaimed, getting the much better end of the deal and escaping to the top of the wheel, where he met the newly arrived Sora.

"It's you and me now Jack!" Sora exclaimed, pumping himself up and taking battle stance.

"Well, that's where we are at odds. You see, for me, it's something like: 'It's me and them!'" Jack explained, confounding Sora just enough for him to grab onto a passing giant leaf, leaving the wheel to go his merry way without him. "Adios!"

"Gotta admit… he got us." Sora cursed as the wheel sped away from Jack's location, the pirate skipping away into the forest.

HoL:TS

"He fell behind," Sora answered in question to Gibbs. The crew of the Pearl was making ready for leave. Sora and the group had just explained the fight on the beach and how Norrington had risked his life to save theirs.

It was noble and foolish.

"Well, rest his soul. The bright side is that you are all back, right Jack?" Gibbs said. And in the irony, at that moment the Dutchman rose from the depths.

"I have this!" Jack established. He began to shout over to Jones.

"Oi! Fish face! Lose something, aye?!" he shouted, hoisting his jar of dirt like a trophy. "Look at what I've got! I've got a jar of dirt, I've got a jar of dirt and guess what's inside of it!"

Cannons fired at the Pearl.

"Hard to starboard!" Jack shouted in fear. Sora ran to release the castings and sails. Iron cast balls racketed the Pearl, piercing holes in it and splintering beams into nothingness. The wind caught the sails and they rushed forward at full speed. Ball still rammed into them, rocking the ship. They suffered a few more shots before they ceased. Sora ran and looked back at the Dutchman.

"She's given up!" he shouted. Jovial shouts broke out on the Pearl. Then, the Pearl suddenly stopped. They were too far out for them to have come across a reef.

"The Kraken!" Will shouted, warning everyone to get ready.

As if that wasn't enough, suddenly heartless of all kinds assailed the ship, scattering the crew and our heroes.

"Jack? Where's Jack?!" Will shouted, looking around the ship, seeing nothing but blood and a scattered crew.

"Jack abandoned ship he did! Took the boat and murmured something about a missing heart!" Gibbs shouted as he tried to fight back with a dirty knife. Will was burning on the inside, another betrayal not falling well.

"Darn it all! We have no other way to run but to fight to the life boats!" Will exclaimed, taking out his blade and rushing into the heartless with it drawn high.

"Kairi, stay next to m-"Sora began, Kairi's eyes widening as her most important person spewed blood in her face. In mere instants, Sora was elevated far beyond the masts by a gigantic tentacle.

"SORA!" Kairi yelled in despair as she saw Sora get his life slowly squeezed out of him.

"Kairi, let me take you to co-"Roxas began, suddenly being assaulted by two heartless, being forced to fend them off.

"No… not anymore," Kairi began gripping her Keyblade so hard her blood vessels threatened to explode. "I'm going to repay those lashings!" the Princess of Heart exclaimed, recklessly darting to the edge of the ship. Three heartless stood in her way. Knowing that she was far from a master, she took the clever way out.

"Fira!" she shouted, shooting a fireball at her feet, the blast covering the air in smoke. With that on her side, she slipped through two of the soldiers and pierced the third one with a swift but somewhat clumsy stab. Breathing heavily, she resumed her dash, her blade swiftly cleaving two Shadows' heads clean off. Her body was moving fluidly, perfectly, as if she were born for this. She knew she wasn't nearly this good… or at least had no idea how to become like she was now, but heartless were falling left and right to her blade and magic. She could see how the light had begun to coat her body without her noticing or asking for it, as if it were natural.

"Sora! I'm coming!" she blared, her hand burning in gleaming light that she commanded to spear thought he the rest of her opposition, the path to the tentacle clean. Sora's face seemed to become darker and darker, he was running out of oxygen obviously. Channeling all of her remaining energy into her Keyblade, Kairi jumped off ship and swung the empowered weapon against the tentacle, the burning blaze of light slicing it clean off.

"Did the girl just cut off one ye Kraken's arms?!" Gibbs and the entire crew exclaimed, shocked to an incomprehensible degree. Can you blame them though? Even Sora was completely incredulous as all the pressure around his stomach vanished. However, there was something wrong. Kairi had let go of her Keyblade and was falling head first into the Kraken filled water.

"She lost her consciousness…?" Sora deduced, realizing that the power was probably too much for Kairi to tame in such a short time. Casting Gravity on himself, he swooped down to Kairi's level and then used Glide to get back on board, cleaving all Heartless in a circle around him.

"Sora! You okay?!" Roxas exclaimed, reaching out to him. Sora swallowed some blood and nodded, at least pretending to be fine. "No you're not, but you can run, right? Will is working on the gunpowder and rum, we got to help him!" Roxas urged, Sora nodding and rushing with Roxas to the other side of the ship, never attacking because of Kairi, only protecting her from harm and helping the sailors as best as he could.

"Hoist the Rum!" Will suddenly yelled, Sora turning to see Will being pulled up with the net of Rum and gunpowder.

"Will!" Elizabeth shouted in distress, Sora cleaving a Heartless that came down on her.

"Just shoot!" Will exclaimed, taking his sword and cutting himself off as Elizabeth pulled the trigger.

The bullet hailed a blazing inferno. The Kraken howled in pain, the Heartless all vanished in fear of the flames, everyone was pushed to the ground as cinders slightly burned their skins.

"Well now, that was quite the firework, wasn't it?" Sora heard Jack's voice say, looking up to see just that.

"Jack! How dar-" Roxas began, his efforts almost immediately canceled.

"Calm down sonny. I was already coming back to help me crew, but Will over there seemed to have already hatched a plan. Now… we abandon ship. Into the long boat."

Shock and Awe.

"D-did you just…"

"She's only a ship Gibbs," Jack dismissed, leaving everyone stumped at his willingness to leave the Pearl behind.

"We can get away if it takes down the Pearl," Will agreed. Gibbs gulped down and nodded.

"Abandon ship or abandon hope…" he admitted, kneeling before Sora and helping him transport Kairi to the longboat. When he turned to see Jack though, he was flabbergasted as he saw him and Elizabeth parting from a kiss.

"Jack and Elizabeth?!" he exclaimed before seeing the truth behind the ploy.

"I'm not sorry…" Elizabeth told Jack as he realized he had just been handcuffed to the ship.

"What is she doing?!" Sora roared, the entirety of the crew coming to crash down on him to stop him from jumping in and breaking the chain. "Untie him! JACK!" Sora cried as the longboat descended. "Don't you dare leave Jack behind! He's our friend! YOUR CAPTAIN!" he cried, the boat slowly rowing through the waves.

"He betrayed us!" Will shouted, but it was too late. Sora had jumped into the waters and was ready to swim back to the ship. "Sora! If you go back there and get eaten, what am I going to tell Kairi?!" That was enough to stop Sora. Biting his tongue, he swam back to the boat… just watching the inevitable.

Back in the Pearl, Jack had already given into his primal instincts and tried everything to survive, no matter how slim the chance. By using oil from a lantern he had slipped his hand off the cuff and freed himself…

Then it rose. A gaping maw of one thousand teeth appeared behind Jack, its tentacles capturing the Pearl, crushing it in front of Jack's eyes. As he turned back into the beast, it roared, slime and filth covering him. Still, Jack's mannerism's didn't change.

"Not so bad," Always shaking it off like a minor inconvenience. His hat even flew back into his face. "Oh! My hat," Jack slowly grabbed his hat, cleaned the mucus putting it back on and sighing. Then looking the Kraken dead on, he said: "Hello, beastie!" Drawing his sword as he did.

And so, with not one cry. Not one more word, he charged, he charged truly into the belly of the beast.

From the depths of Hell I stab at thee.

HoL:TS

Tia Dalma's Shack

August 24, 2010

The thunk of Will's knife entering the grain of wood was the only sound in the hollow, mourning silence of the shack. Tia Dalma made her way into the room, holding a tray of cups of strong tea. She offered one to Sora and Kairi (who were sitting on the floor and slightly leaning into each other). They both silently took one and drank. Sora felt his body warm, but not his heart. It ached in grief. He looked over at Kairi, glad to have her safe and healthy again. And at least conscious.

"Did ye hope to free your fathers with it?" Tia Dalma asked as she continued to hand out tea.

"It doesn't matter now. The Pearl is gone. . . along with its captain," Will said with no emotion whatsoever.

"Aye. And already the world seems a bit less bright. He fooled us all, right to the end. It seems as his streak had finally run out," Gibbs said as he lifted his cup. "To Jack Sparrow!"

"Never another Captain like Jack," Ragetti said.

"A man of fortune, he was," Pintel said.

"He was a good man," Elizabeth said.

"Clever and sharp as the sword he carried," Kairi added.

"And a great friend until the end," Sora said.

"If there was anything you could do to bring him back, Elizabeth—" Will began.

"—would you do it?" Tia Dalma interrupted. Everyone looked curiously at her. "Would you do anything? Sail beyond the ends of the world and back to acquire Jack and his beloved Pearl?" she asked.

"Aye," from Gibbs.

"Aye," from Pintel.

"Aye," from Ragetti.

"Awk! Aye," from Cotton's Parrot.

"Yes," from Elizabeth.

"Aye," from Will.

"Aye! I would do anything to have him back!" from Sora, truculent as the fire in his heart.

"Aye," from Kairi.

"If you all are willing to brave those queer, uncharted waters at World's End, then you will need a captain that has tread those waters before," Tia Dalma said with a cruel smile.

Thud. Thud. They all looked in shocked awe as Barbossa and Jack the Monkey descended the stairs.

"So, tell me, what has become of my ship?" he said as he bit into an apple.

"But, Tia Dalma," Kairi began as Sora was just staring in dumbfound shock. "We have to go and help the other worlds," she said.

"That not need to be a problem, lass," Barbossa said. He rummaged through his pocket and procured something.

"Take this. It's a piece of eight," he said, handing it to her, where she handed it to Sora. "When you hear its call, we will then be in need of ye. Until then, do what you must." Sora nodded and goodbyes were made to everyone. Flash.

They were gone.

HoL:TS

Aboard the Highwind

August 24, 2010

He was ready for a hot shower. Oh yes. But as he went to the hangar, there was a message on their telecommunication relay. Sora shouted for the girls to come over. Roxas materialized himself as well as Naminé. He opened up the urgent message to find an ad.

But it was an ad he COULD NOT resist.

THE OLYMPIAN CUP!

Come all, to the biggest event in the cosmos!

Fighters from all around the universe will be attending for the grand prize, and that winner might be you! Come and see all the grandness that is the Olympian Cup!
September 1st

"Well, at least we know where to go to next," Sora said, closing the message and putting the auto-pilot to work. They, without a word to each other, went to their respective quarters. He went straight to his bathroom. The whoosh of the steel door sliding up greeted him with the fluorescent lights overhead. Each bathroom came with a personal washer and drier in one unit, courtesy of each ship. He kicked off his shoes and socks, stretching his free toes. He threw them in the washer, yes, even his shoes. He proceeded to take his grimy and stinky clothing off, piece by piece until he was fully naked, save for his crown pendent. He started the machine and then turned his shower on to a steamy downpour. He slid the glass door open, stepped in, and closed it.

The three shower heads from his front, back, and overhead blasted their hot contents into him. The water splashed his face and the ceramic bottom. Droplets ran down his dirt streaked neck, washing away the two weeks of sweat, salt and blood. His hair slopped down and he reached for his shampoo. He lathered his hair and relished in the feeling of cleaning himself, cleaning away the past two weeks. After he was sure he had cleaned the last of the dirt and who-knew-what-else out of his hair, he grabbed a cloth and lathered it up with soap.

He started at the neck, rubbing softly around it. His eyes were closed and the water splashed. His mind was blank save washing the pain and dirt away. He circled over his chest and stomach. He ran over the Keyblade scar he had given himself gently. He then washed his back, oh so delicately. The scars were bumpy and rigid. By next week they should heal and no pain should assail him there. He raised a leg onto a level and washed the dirt and sand out of his coarse hair. Moving up his thigh and back down, all the way to his foot. Sora repeated the process with his other leg. He lathered some more soap up and washed his groin thoroughly. After he had rinsed off, he just stood in the steaming water, relishing every moment. He had washed away the dirt. The memories and pain wouldn't go away so easily.

He bowed his head and supported his weight with an outstretched hand on the wall.

The water splashed.

HoL:TS

The shampoo was cherry blossom, her favorite. The dirt and sweat washed out of Kairi's hair as she stood in her hot shower. She absent-mindlessly washed herself, lost in thought. The water rinsed her hair. She was excited about this Olympian Cup. Maybe they would see some of their friends again, there. Sora said he had always won every event held at the world. She didn't know whether to believe him or not, but she would see for herself. And she would enter and try to win. The bar of soap, smooth, met her hands and she rubbed it softly over her body. But where would their adventures lead them next? Would King Mickey ask them to return and send Riku out to do the same job? Would they go to a worse and more deadly world? She didn't know, and she didn't want to think about. She almost hated the world they were just on, had it not been for the friendships she had made. The soap passed in between her breasts, the water running down he torso as she washed her front. She continued past her waist and onto her legs. She would need to shave them. Sora seemed to have healed well, but she was still upset with him and herself. She had battled fiercely today, but she would have to be more careful in the future. She would have to learn her body's limitations and she would have to improve and she would prove that at the Cup. They would do what they had to to stop Maleficent. She was sure of that. They could do it. The razor met her skin. It glided smoothly over her skin, radiant and clean. Up and down the razor went, until her legs were completely smooth. She grabbed the bar again and began to rewash her body. The water steamed. She was no longer afraid of the Heartless. She could fight them and protect herself and her friends. She was more afraid of people than creatures now. It was astonishing what the mind was capable of doing when it urged the body to do it. She placed the bar down as she rinsed her soapy body. She turned the water off and stepped out. She dried her hair and body, still lost in thought and dressed into her pajamas. She wanted to rest her body and her mind. She shut off all lights, curled under her blankets and went to sleep.

The stars passed by.

HoL:TS

Port Royal
August 26, 2010

"We did, however, find a man," the guard said to Lord Beckett. Maleficent wickedly smiled.

"I already filled in my name," Norrington said as he sat down the Letters of Marque and a brown sack. The sack went thump.

"Ah," Maleficent said joyfully, smiling widely. She reached down and retrieved the heart of Davy Jones. "Yes, he shall be my servant, and he will reap in the rewards," she said.

"And what about me?" Beckett asked indignantly.

"For now, you may have a single world under your control. It shall give you reward enough," she replied.

"And it is. . .?" he asked expectantly.

"Treasure Planet is its name."

HoL:TS

I'ltorien
August 2, 2010

"It's been two weeks already…" Christina said, staring out into the blue skies from the window in her room. It was the first time since she had arrived nearly three weeks before that the skies had truly been clean. The valley was truly a sight to be beheld once nature lifted its curtains.

"Has it now? Time does fly. For the better and for the worse…" Elincia commented while slipping on her training chainmail.

"Yes. But it has been truly enlightening to be with you all. I've learned so much about the world, about the people… I really don't know how to thank you," Christina sighed, shaking her head as she did. She really felt like this the entire time she was here. People were TOO nice to her, to the point where she couldn't possibly compensate. Outside of a select few of course…

"Your will to help us is enough, don't worry," Elincia swore gently when she finished preparations. "Well then, shall we?" she asked Christina, who had promised her to train with her the day before.

"Yeah!" Christina nodded, the two girls opening the door for a day of training.

Yeah, as if.

"As- Amalia?!" Elincia said in surprise as the sandy blonde stood there, obviously in waiting for them. She frowned at Elincia's apparent slip of the tongue, but she still turned to Christina.

"Rex needs you One, it's important," the woman told her, urgency tainting her expression. Christina had seldom seen Amalia, much less outside the meetings, so she knew that for her to be there, it had to be something big.

"Can you take me there?" Christina asked, Amalia nodding and signaling them to go after her.

"I still don't understand why you don't tell everyone your real name…" Elincia whispered as they walked, completely aware Amalia was hearing them, but she didn't want anyone else to.

"It was a promise I made… maybe I'll be more willing later on. Just not now, okay?" And not another word was spoken as they moved towards the chocobo stable.

As they arrived at the top of the mountain they saw the entire council in a reunion, just with one person more.

Yes, we have seen her before, haven't we? The lady in red with the elven ears.

"Are you certain she's up to it?" The woman questioned while Rex simply scuffed.

"Relaaaaaaaaaaax, Tikiwiki. Christy is the right choice. If anyone should see the outside, it's her," Rex said, leaning back and basking in the sun. He was the only person who didn't seem petrified into their seats around the other women. Even Zelgius was wary.

"For the last time Rex, only Merlina and my family can call me that in public!" she reprimanded and Christina swore the man in white that assaulted her verbally was nearly leaping out of his chair at that minimum outburst.

"Fine, fine… oh, speak of the angel! Christina, someone's here to see you!" Rex exclaimed, everyone face palming at how he had essentially "revealed" her name. To be fair, everyone that worked with him already KNEW the name, but they would only call it that once she allowed them to by revealing it herself.

"Someone? But I don't…" Christina began before the woman Rex called Tikiwiki took a massive interest in her.

"Oh, it's more evident and powerful than I thought…" she began, slowly moving in on the girl. "So it's true then. You did survive," she said reaching her hand out to Christina and smiling gently. "I am Tiki. As Princess of the Divine Dragon clan, I'm honored to meet you at last," Well then, this was a shock in more ways than We can count.

"D-D-Divine Dragon Clan? The one in The Tale of Tirion the Ashbringer?!" Christina stuttered, a bigger, prouder smile from the woman enticing her to ask more questions. "And you're… Tiki? But you were with him… you guided him… Tirion." Suddenly, Tiki's expression changed to one of annoyance.

"Don't remind me…" she said, looking up to the sky as she extended her arms. "That was two thousand years ago… I was so young and naïve, just a six hundred year old toddler. I even crushed on the prince that helped Tirion. Aw, look what you just did! You made me feel old!" she whined in a much more childish tone than everyone would expect from her.

"I'm so sorry… but you said something about knowing me? And being honored at meeting me? I'm nothing special…" Christina said, breaking line of sight.

"You would believe that, wouldn't you?" Tiki said with a thoughtful, worried tone. "Still, that's a tale for another time. Christina, I need your help," Tiki said in a much more serious tone than before, taking Christina by surprise.

"Why me?" Christina questioned, Tiki's finger pointing at Rex.

"Out of everyone in the force, Rex said you both fit and needed this mission the most. That and I have some information to pass on to you alone. It's from your mother," Christina's heart skipped at LEAST five beats at the last line. At that precise moment, she stopped thinking about all else. She needed to go.

"I'll do it!" she exclaimed full of determination and desire. Rex laughed and threw her a letter.

"That's what I like ta hear! Now, go out and make us proud. There are still some naysayers in the army, I do think that what you are about to accomplish will shut them right up!" Rex said, turning to Tiki and giving her thumbs up. "You two come back safe. I don't know what we'd do without the two of you… literally," the change of tone on the last word was fast and dark. Christina KNEW Rex meant what he said. He may not look worried, but she knew he was.

"Very well… we leave now. We have a long voyage to take," Tiki said, giving Christina two things. One she recognized as Merlina's letter to Merlin, the other was a simple pouch of what seemed to be berries. "Those are Naga Berries. They stop your body's craving for food for three days each… trust me, we'll need them. Do not lose them," she warned Christina. At this point, our girl knew she was in for the long haul, so she turned to give her farewells too Elincia, telling her to tell the same to the rest of the group. When she turned back, she was blinded by light and then blinded in awe. Tiki's majestic Dragon Form stood there before her, a tingling sound in her mind urging her to climb on.

"Very well little kitten. Today you'll learn the vastness of the cosmos!" She heard the voice say as they took to the skies at blinding speeds. Through the clouds they went, through the very atmosphere they penetrated. In moments, it was the wide black yonder. The Lanes Between. "Don't worry. My presence will protect you from the Darkness tainting the Lanes. For now, just open the letter Rex gave you… I will explain it all as after we do,"

Christina first took a moment to marvel at the space she was now flying into. Taking on the blackness of space, the millions of lights surrounding her, seeing I'ltorien vanish behind her… all of this was overwhelming. She truly wanted to know the purpose of it all… so she opened the letter.

THE OLYMPIAN CUP!

Come all, to the biggest event in the cosmos!

Fighters from all around the universe will be attending for the grand prize, and that winner might be you! Come and see all the grandness that is the Olympian Cup!

September 1st

TUH: FINALLY! I'm FREE!

TN: Yeah. EVERYBODY! The Olympian Cup will be two chapters long! And it will be all me. No I'ltorien. No Herald. All me! Can't wait to see ya there!

TN: The shower scenes here at the end of chapter 13 were entirely for the sake of character development. I find the shower to be a very relaxing place for thought and peace. Such was seen with Sora and Kairi as they thought about their own internal conflicts. If you were unnerved by the shower scenes in any way, I'm sorry.

TUH: REMEBER TO VOTE! Now I go and sleep. See ya later bitches! See ya after Christmas!

TN & TUH: Happy Holidays!

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan
The Unknowing Herald