Chapter 43: Isla Cruces

Brian had become his usual self again but had managed to find Gibbs' drinking pouch. He came on the desk after apologizing to Max about saying that he mom was a cow and getting shot in the leg 'accidentally' by him when some Unbirths decided to attack the ship. Brian took a swig of the rum in Gibbs' pouch and went to find something to do when he noticed that Elizabeth, Kairi and Hikari were sitting on some steps on the deck. Brian decided to just eavesdrop for the moment to listen what the girls were mopping about.

Elizabeth sighed, "I miss Will."

Kairi sighed as well, "I miss Sora."

Hikari also sighed, "I miss my toffee cakes." Elizabeth and Kairi turned their heads and looked at Hikari strangely. "What? I miss them."

Brian chuckled at Hikari's comment, knowing that she would say something like that. He then watched Jack walk up to them. "My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that you three are troubled." Jack said as he took a swig of his rum.

"I just thought I'd be married by now." Elizabeth sighed, "I'm so ready to be married."

Upon hearing the word 'married', Brian jumped out of his hiding place and stood next to Jack, "Married as in a wedding?" Brian asked, Elizabeth nodded. "A wedding! I love weddings, drinks all around!" Brian raised his arms up as he cheered.

"You're having none of my rum, mate." Jack told him as he handed the bottle of rum to Elizabeth.

Hikari then noticed something in Brian's hand, "Is that Gibbs' pouch?" Hikari scowled at him.

Brian quickly looked at the pouch and flew it on the other side of the deck as quickly as possible before looking at his friend innocently. "Pouch? What pouch? I don't see a pouch." Hikari just shook her head while resting her hand on her forehead.

Jack looked at Kairi, "And what is troubling you, young lady." Jack asked

"Be careful Kairi. Jack's being polite." Hikari warned him, which learned a laugh for Brian and Elizabeth.

"I just worried about Sora." Kairi sighed sadly.

"Sora can look after himself." Brian straightened his right arm, "Just the same as you can look after yourself." Kairi just nodded, unsure to what to say. Jack asked Elizabeth if he could talk to Elizabeth privately, leaving Kairi, Brian and Hikari near to stairs. Brian then sat between Kairi and Hikari. "Besides, you got me to look out for you." He said in a flirtation way.

Kairi and Hikari got up from the stairs from the smell of Brian's breathe, "I think Kairi would rather be with Sora then you, Brian." Hikari said nastily to him, knowing that Brian was going to be a jerk today.

"You guys have been saying that I'm actually like Sora so why wouldn't we work." Brian smirked at Kairi, who was walking away.

"Maybe because you don't act like Sora at all." Kairi came to a halt and looked at him.

"Thank you! Someone agrees with me!" Brian cheered.

Hikari rolled her eyes. "How so Kairi?" Hikari asked.

"Well for one, Sora is highly optimistic when Brian just has this negative attitude." Kairi answered.

Brian turned around to this, "Hey, I am highly optimistic! It's Sora who isn't optimistic." He complained.

"Also, Sora has the ability to forgive people, not hold grudges."

"Well I'm glad I don't have that, otherwise you see me going up to the Colonel of the Order and say 'Hey there, I forgive you for kidnapping royalty and taking over half of the worlds in this galaxy' there's a purpose for grudges."

"Like your grudge with your father?" Hikari asked him. Brian thought about it before nodding.

"Okay, let melist some things that Sora is and I'm not." Brian started to count his fingers, "He's gullible, he's childish and he doesn't know how to work a computer so he gets frustrated.

"Like you then." Hikari shot back.

"NO! Not like me." Brian gave her a death glare, "How did we get to talking about mine and Sora's personalities? We were talking about us." Brian said to Kairi.

"It won't happen." Kairi's voice sensed of irritation.

"I beg to differ." Brian went to step forward but was stopped by Kairi aiming Oathkeeper at him. "Even though I'm like Sora in some ways, I'm like you too."

"You're nothing like me." Kairi spat coldly.

Neither of the girls noticed Brian's eyes flash a bit of violet before turning back to their normal blue coloured self. "We both are loyal and headstrong, as well as stubborn to a point. We also determined and courageous when someone we care about is in danger and we are not afraid to speak our mind."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I speak my mind by saying, MY HEART BELONGS TO SORA, NOT YOU!"

"Brian, go and find Max instead of hassling Kairi." Hikari said to him, reaching for her blade.

"Fine! I get the message when I've said enough." Brian began to walk away when he stopped and looked at the girls, who were prepared to hurt him if he said anything else, while leaning against the mast. "Maybe you should ask the Captain what really happened to your boyfriends." Brian began to run as he knew that would have Hikari over the line as he heard her draw her sword and come after him.

Kairi watched Hikari chase after Brian, wondering that rum shouldn't have cause Brian to say that, something was up. Elizabeth came towards Kairi and saw that she was upset. "Are you alright, Kairi?"

Kairi nodded and the two just watched the view of the island that they were about to search: Isla Cruces.

BOWBOWBOW

Kairi, Elizabeth, Brian and Jack were walking the beach of Isla Cruces while Max, Hikari and Gibbs stayed on the Black Pearl. While Kairi and Elizabeth were in front of the group, Jack and Brian were behind them, Brian holding a shovel. Elizabeth was holding Jack's compass, leading them the way while Kairi and Brian looked around their surroundings as they had saw glimmers of Unbirth while docking the ship on the beach.

After a couple of minutes of following the compass, the group found themselves to a halt when the compass decided to change direction all of a sudden, making Elizabeth paced up and down the beach with frustration.

Brian was rubbing his forehead from not only from the beating he received from Hikari but from the constant headache that he has had every since he drank that rum back in Tortuga. He knew that he shouldn't had started to flirt and hit on Kairi, he even tried to hit on Elizabeth by saying 'Can I have ya booty?' which he would have done anyway but that wasn't the point.

I wish I could say sorry to Kairi. Brian said in his head. But she won't even look at me. I have to make it up to her somehow.

Elizabeth sighed with irritated as she threw the compass to the sand. "This doesn't work. And it certainly doesn't show you what you want most." Elizabeth complained. Elizabeth sits down on the sand and buried her head between her knees as Jack scurried over and looked at the compass.

Jack saw that the needle was pointing towards Elizabeth, "Yes it does." Jack said to her, looking at the compass. "You're sitting on it."

Elizabeth looked at Jack with confusion, "Beg your pardon?"

"Move." Jack commanded her. Elizabeth moved out of the way with curious while Jack whistled, signalling Brian to come over and start digging in the point where Elizabeth was sitting.

Kairi and Elizabeth looked around to see pirate like Unbirth appear in front of them, making Kairi and Elizabeth get in their battle stances, the girls looked behind to see Jack hid behind one of the sand junes right when a barrier appeared between the boys and the girls.

"Coward!" Elizabeth shouted to Jack. The two then turned towards the Unbirths. The Unbirths pulled out their cutlass and pistols and started to run towards them.

Elizabeth started to parry with one of the Unbirth while the other four started to come towards Kairi. Kairi summoned Oathkeeper and charged to the first Unbirth. The Unbirth dodged Kairi's attack and shot her in the shoulder blade. Kairi back flipped away while holding Oathkeeper and her gun wound as she landed. Before Kairi could heal herself, another pirate Unbirth came up from behind from behind her. Kairi swing around and bashed the Unbirth away, receiving a sharp pain from her shoulder blade.

Elizabeth looked over to Kairi and saw that one of the Unbirths were coming behind her. She quickly ran over and cut apart of it's blue shadowed arm. The Unbirth hissed making Kairi turned around. The Unbirth started to attack Elizabeth and had gotten her to the floor. Before the Unbirth attacked, it was frozen in place as if time had stopped. Kairi then teleported in front of the Unbirth and cut it in half. Kairi panted for a while as she looked around her empty surrounding before turning to Elizabeth and helped her off her feet.

Kairi's adrenaline had faded away now, letting her remember about the multiple gun shots to her shoulder blade. Kairi tried to cast cure but found that all of her magic had been used for her last spell. Kairi then started to search her pockets for ethers or potions only to find them empty. Kairi sighed with annoyance and pain as she told Elizabeth that she'll be okay before heading back towards the boys.

Jack Sparrow saw the two girls walk their direction and started to wobble towards them. "Well ladies, I hope that you found my assistance useful." Jack said to them.

"You didn't assist in anyway." Elizabeth complained, "You were too busy hiding."

"I would rather watch both of your fighting skills then get my pistol nicked by one of those blue things."

"Jack, you know what they are called." Kairi said to him as she walked toward Brian, who was digging.

Brian wiped his forehead from sweat when he heard a feminine voice call his name. He turned around to see Kairi knelling down by the sand. Brian planted the shovel in the sand and had an apologising expression on his face. Before he said anything, he noticed Kairi holding her shoulder blade, changing his expression into a concerned one. "What happened to you?" he asked.

"I got shot and I have no magic left to cure myself. I couldn't find any ethers or potions either." Kairi explained.

Brian nodded in understandment, "Hold on." Brian held his hand out in Kairi's direction, "Curaga" Magical green tendrils poured out of his fingers and wrapped themselves around Kairi, healing her gun wounds on her body. Kairi thanked him and started was walking away. Brian was about to call her back when Jack came towards the hole.

"Have you found it yet?" he asked, while drinking some rum that he had brought.

"Not yet, Jack." Brian said as he picked up the shovel and started to dig again.

"Captain!" Jack told him, "Captain Jack. Why can't you be like your brother." Jack then walked away from the hole. Brian planted the shovel in the sand again and climbed to the top of the hole.

"I. AM. NOT. SORA'S. BLOODY. BROTHER!" Brian growled at Jack before jumping back in the hole and started digging again…

BOWBOWBOW

On the beaches of Destiny Islands, Ven stood in his usual place when it came to watching the sunset. He hasn't been here for a long time, he remembered appearing here after Terra had saved him from getting struck by his master, because of the ability that he had. He remembered finding his other half here, his evil half, telling him to come to Sunset Horizon, to the Keyblade Graveyard to save his friends.

He just couldn't believe all that has happened.

He remembered gathering with his two friends at the centre of the Keyblade Graveyard, ready for the final battle to prevent another Keyblade War and to stop the Unbirth. He remembered explaining to his friends that Master Xehanort wanted his ability to use at his own, to recreate the Keyblade War, all for one key. He remembered asking his friends to put an end to him if such a key was to be near to creation. He remembered attempting to fight Master Xehanort before being frozen alive by him. He remembered being held by Aqua, unable to do anything. He remembered being held down by Unbirth, seeing the face of his other side before everything went black.

Now he was twelve years into the future, finally unfrozen by two boys about two years ago in a place called Castle Oblivion. He had gone to Radiant Garden only to find it being called Hollow Bastion, in search for his friends, Aqua and Terra. He had found out that both of his friends remained missing, finding no clues in any of the worlds that the three had visited before, only to find the world he grew up in, remained in darkness, covered by dark creatures called Heartless.

A couple of months later, he went to Disney Castle to find that the King Mickey was on a journey as well as Donald and Goofy. Ven had asked Queen Minne what was going on, who was surprised to see him, and where the King was. Minnie had told him everything that had happened and had show him the letters that Mickey sends her to let her know that he was alright. It was just the fact that this information about the certain two islanders and a girl from Radiant Garden all seemed very familiar to him, if only he remembered why. Due to him being asleep within the Room of Awaking in Castle Oblivion, his heart had slowly restored but still lacked the connection of his other half, meaning that his darkness could be lurking. So when Ven woke up, he was glad to feel like his normal self again.

Pluto's bark brought Ven out of his deep thought as he looked at the letter that Pluto had held back on the endless fields where Pluto had seen Sora, Donald and Goofy. Ven slowly took the letter away from Pluto and unrolled it before he started to read the letter to himself.

"Ven. If you are reading this then there is much to be told…" Ven read out loud

BOWBOWBOW

Brian was still digging while Jack sat in a lotus position nearby on a sandy slope and Kairi and Elizabeth stayed on look out as they came to realisation that the guys weren't gotta help and wished that Hikari was with them.

BANG

Kairi, Elizabeth and Jack turned towards Brian as they saw him kneel down in his hole. The three approached the hole when a huge chest came flying out of the hole. Brian climbed out of the hole, only to receive a dirty glare from each of them. The four of them dusted all of the sand off of the chest before opening the chest.

The chest contains a pearl necklace, documents, full of letters and roses as well as a smaller chest.

Brian looked at it intently as Jack took the smaller chest out while Elizabeth and Kairi looked at the letters and read to themselves. "If the sea were to fall, the sky will forever be stormy." Brian said quietly as the chest in front of him flashed into a small box with pictures and charms as well as a certain broken keychain.

"Are you alright, Brian." Elizabeth asked after taking her view away from one of the letters. Brian eyes widened as he looked at Elizabeth with confusion before looking back to where he was looking to see it was only the chest.

"Why would Jones have these kind of letters?" Kairi asked Jack, holding one of the letters. Elizabeth wanted to know too and forgot about her concern for Brian.

Jack brought the smaller chest near them, "Because love, Jones was in love once only to be heartbroken and the pain was too much for him."

Kairi suddenly felt pity for Jones as well as fear of being heartbroken. Even if Sora did say it, he could have meant friendship love. I rather stay friends with him then be heartbroken.

If you just stay friends then nothing is going to happen.Naminé told her. Besides, Sora might need you more than ever.

Before Kairi could question her other, she heard a thump coming from the smaller chest. After hearing that, all four of them bend near the smaller chest and rested a ear on it, only to hear another thump like a heartbeat.

"It's real…" Elizabeth gasped

All four of them leaned away from the chest, "You actually were telling the truth." Brian said to Jack.

Jack just shrugged, "I do that quite a lot." Jack said, "Yet people are always surprised."

"With good reason!"

Kingdommad