The world around her was nothing but lush jungles, with choruses of birds singing in the trees. Nixe grinned excitedly as she marveled at the sights around her.
"I'm finally here! Another world! Man if Laaurim could see this place, the gardener in him would flip at all the plants!" She giggled as she walked through the jungle brush. She suddenly heard the rustling of branches nearby to her right and jumped with a startled yelp.
"Who-who's there?!" she asked, summoning her Keyblade and holding it in a defensive stance. The bushes rustled again for a moment before, finally, a large black panther walked calmly out of the brush.
"A panther." She said softly as the panther gave her a curious look as if studying her in disbelief.
"A man-cub? Here? In the jungle?!"
Nixe's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Did-…did you just talk?" she asked, completely startled. The panther blinked at her for a second then chuckled.
"Yes I did. I apologize if I startled you. Don't worry, I don't eat man-cubs." The panther said as Nixe looked at the panther in further disbelief.
"Wow this must be what I can expect from the other worlds." She mumbled to herself.
"It appears we've gotten off onto the wrong paw. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Bagheera." The panther introduced as he climbed up onto a low hanging branch.
"Uh-…I'm Nixe." She replied, lowering her Keyblade and extending a cautious hand towards the panther. Bagheera merely sniffed her hand, unsure of the gesture.
"Why are you here so deep in the jungle?" Bagheera asked.
"I'm kinda just exploring. I'm sorry if I'm trespassing." Nixe said but Bagheera shook his head.
"No-no, it's not that. Just be cautious. As I said, I don't eat man-cubs but there are others who would." Bagheera said as Nixe rolled her eyes.
"Jeez, not even here five minutes and I'm already hearing my mom." Nixe groaned.
"Yeah ol' Baggy really knows how to bring down someone's spirits, little britches." A voice said from nearby. Nixe spun around towards a rocky mound to see a large sloth bear scratching its shoulders against the rocks.
"A talking bear! Wow this place's got everything!" Nixe yelped as the bear stopped scratching.
"That would be Baloo." Bagheera commented as the bear approached.
"That's my name alright. So what brings ya all the way out here this deep into the jungle, little britches?" Baloo asked, reaching up and shaking a nearby banana tree slightly, causing a pair of ripe bananas to fall into his waiting paw, the bear offering one to Nixe.
"Uh, well I'm really just exploring. See I'm trying to pass a kind of test and in order to do that, I need to travel around and get some experience." Nixe explained as Baloo swallowed the banana in one gulp, peel and all.
"Man just hearing you talk about it made me tired." Baloo said as Bagheera rolled his eyes.
"Is this test difficult?" Bagheera asked.
"I'm not sure but I feel I'm ready for it. Although I've only got the basic abilities and I've only learned a few of the more advanced moves but I'm hoping to learn more out here while I explore." Nixe explained.
"So let me ask ya this little britches, do you ever kick back and relax?" Baloo asked, earning a curious look from Nixe.
"Yeah…sometimes…once I've finished my chores." Nixe replied, mumbling slightly in frustration. (Music Cue: The Bare Necessities – The Jungle Book)
"Well come here and listen to me little britches, ol' Baloo has the secret to all your troubles. You can't just work all the time. Sometimes ya gotta get by on the simplest of things." Baloo explained as Nixe looked up at him curiously.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Baloo smiled at her.
"Let Papa Bear tell ya, kid…" Baloo said before he started to sing…
"Look for the bare necessities,
the simple bare necessities,
forget about your worries and your strife.
I mean the bare necessities,
old Mother Nature's recipes,
that bring the bare necessities of life."
"Heh, a dancing bear!" Nixe chuckled as Baloo danced and sang…
"Wherever I wander, wherever I roam,
I couldn't be fonder of my big home.
The bees are buzzin' in the tree,
to make some honey just for me.
When you look under the rocks and plants,
and take a glance at the fancy ants,
then maybe try a few."
Baloo sang as he lifted up a rock, showing a swarm of ants underneath.
"Uh, thanks but I don't eat ants." Nixe replied as Baloo shrugged and got a couple of ants on his claws before licking his claws, swallowing the ants.
"More for me then, but are ya gettin' what I'm sayin' little britches?" Baloo asked.
"I think so." Nixe replied as Baloo sang…
"The bare necessities of life will come to you."
"They'll come to me?" Nixe asked as Baloo replied…
"They'll come to you!
Look for the bare necessities,
the simple bare necessities,
Forget about your worries and your strife,
I mean the bare necessities.
That's why a bear can rest at ease,
with just the bare necessities of life."
Baloo sang as he led Nixe and Bagheera towards a cactus and a large melon tree.
"Now when you pick a pawpaw
or a prickly pear,
and you prick a raw paw,
well next time beware.
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw,
when you pick a pear,
try to use the claw."
Baloo explained as he motioned to the cactus then shaking the melon tree, knocking a couple of large melons from it as he sang…
"But you don't need to use the claw,
when you pick a pear of the big pawpaw.
Have I given you a clue?"
"Pawpaw, heh! Utter nonsense." Bagheera grumbled as he sat on a branch overlooking the two. Baloo smirked up at him and yanked on the panther's tail a couple of times.
"Oh come on Baggy, get with the beat!" Baloo replied before singing…
"The bare necessities of life will come to you.
They'll come to you!"
"So you're saying to not work too hard and just live for the moment?" Nixe asked as Baloo shrugged.
"Naw, I'm just sayin' that the best solution to your problems doesn't have to be a complicated one." Baloo explained as Nixe pondered.
"You know, I think my Master's tried to teach me that before…yes I'm sure of it now!" Nixe replied.
"But not every solution is easy, you have to understand that, Nixe." Bagheera said as Nixe nodded.
"Of course. Some are easy some are tough but when the easy one's an option, go for it." Nixe explained.
"And find some time for you to relax. Can't work hard all the time, little britches." Baloo said as they approached a river.
"Well I know one thing, I've sure been feeling relaxed ever since I came here." Nixe said as Baloo laughed in delight, ruffling her hair.
"That's the spirit, little britches!" Baloo said as he slid down into the river on his back saying…
"So just try and relax, yeah cool it, fall apart in my backyard." Baloo said as Nixe slid down into the water with him, Bagheera opting to follow on the branches overhead.
"'Cause let me tell you something little britches, if you act like that bee acts, Nuh-uh, you're working too hard." Baloo said as Nixe climbed onto the bear's stomach, sitting Indian style on him as he floated down stream.
"And don't spend your time lookin' around, for something you want that can't be found." Baloo said before clapping his paws together and singing…
"When you find out you can live without it,
and go along not thinkin' about it,
I'll tell you something true.
The bare necessities of life will come to you."
"I think that's why I came here: to learn a valuable lesson. Thanks mom." Nixe said, looking up at the sky before she and Baloo started singing…
"Look for the bare necessities,
the simple bare necessities,
forget about your worries and your strife."
"Yeah man!" Nixe exclaimed before rejoining Baloo singing…
"I mean the bare necessities,
that's why a bear can rest at ease.
With just the bare necessities of life.
With just the bare necessities of life."
"Yeah man!" Nixe exclaimed as Baloo laughed in delight, floating up to a river bank and coming to a stop on the shore near a large wide open plain of tall grass. Nixe climbed up off of Baloo, helping the bear to his feet.
"So what are ya gonna do next, little britches?" Baloo asked, shaking the water off of himself as Nixe looked down at her soggy clothes.
"Well first I'm gonna dry off." She replied as she raised her left hand which started to glow with a slight red aura before she snapped her fingers, causing her entire body to glow with a red aura for a brief moment, causing the river water to dry away instantly.
"Hey dig that fancy light show." Baloo said as Bagheera leapt down from the branches overhead.
"It's a gift and that was the easy solution." Nixe said with a smirk before smelling something burning. She looked down and saw the left leg of her pants was smoldering. She quickly slapped at the smoldering area, putting out the fire.
"Whoops! Small side effect there! Haven't fully mastered that skill!" Nixe yelped, looking up at Baloo with an innocent grin. Baloo however had his attention elsewhere. He was looking ahead at the plains with a curious expression.
"What is it?" Nixe asked.
"There's something in the grass." Bagheera commented as both the bear and the panther looked suspiciously towards the grass. Nixe calmly summoned her Keyblade and started approaching the grass.
"Wait here, I'll check it out." She said, creeping into the grass, taking care to watch her step. She eventually stepped out of the grass into a large open area where the grass had been cleared away. As she neared the center of the area, she heard the grass rustling behind her. She spun around but saw nothing. She began to back cautiously away from the edge of the grass but as she did, she backed into something which caused her to leap forward and spin around. Her eyes widened at what she saw. It was a figure clad head to toe in a black coat and hood with black gloves and boots.
"Nixe." The figure said as Nixe dropped into a fighting stance.
"How do you know my name?" she asked as the figure raised its hand out to its side and in a flash of light, summoned a sword to its hand and dropped into a fighting stance of its own. (Battle music cue: Another Side –Battle Version- - 358/2 Days).
"What do you want with me?" Nixe asked the figure before it suddenly launched forward, swinging at her but she slid to the side, taking a swing at the figure but was blocked.
"Fire!" she shouted, casting a Fira spell at the figure at point blank range but the figure quickly dropped down, the fireball flying harmlessly past and into the air. Nixe quickly cast an Aero spell, using the spell's powerful winds to launch herself up into the air where she turned in midair, her Keyblade pointed at the figure.
"Alright, eat this!" She yelled as her Keyblade glowed with a fiery red aura before firing off a steady stream of fireballs at the figure. It was one of her Shot Locks: Flame Salvo. The figure immediately began to run, evading the fireballs with nimble speed and agility. As soon as the last shot was fired, Nixe landed on the ground and attempted to attack the figure but was blocked yet again.
"Who are you?!" she asked as she reared back and started swinging at him but the figure nimbly dodged and evaded her attacks with little effort. She came around for another swing but the figure calmly raised its hand, summoning a large glowing blue wall of energy that blocked the blow then disappeared, causing Nixe to stagger backwards. The figure suddenly tripped the disoriented Nixe up with its sword, knocking her feet out from under her. It then attempted to run her through with its sword while she lay on her back but she quickly rolled away, back flipping up onto her feet again and firing a Thundera spell but the figure rolled to one side, evading the attack.
"How are you doing that?!" Nixe asked in frustration as she continued casting Thundera spells, the bolts of lightning falling from the sky but only striking empty space as the figure rolled from side-to-side, easily evading her attacks. She then cast a magnera, the powerful force causing the figure to dig in its heels to fight against the spell's power. The figure quickly launched a fireball of black and purple flames at the swirling spell, using the magnet to slingshot the fireball straight towards Nixe who quickly blocked the fireball with a Reflera.
"Why are you attacking me?!" Nixe asked as she started to glow with a yellow and blue aura, the stars on her Keyblade starting to glow and leave streaks of white light whenever the Keyblade moved. She suddenly launched towards the figure and started attacking with increased speed and agility, the figure forced onto the defense as it parried her attacks.
"A Command Style?" the figure asked calmly amidst her attacks.
"Yeah! It's my tier one unique! Runaway Rave!" Nixe replied as she took a vicious swing at the figure, the force of the blow sending it sliding backwards on its feet clear across the area. Nixe then grinned at the figure as she raised her Keyblade across in front of her, the stars on the Keyblade beginning to turn different colors at random.
"Alright, time to finish this!" Nixe declared as she threw her Keyblade into the air, the Keyblade spinning and throwing red, blue, green, and yellow stars of energy into the air as it spun. The stars would suddenly freeze in midair, their glow quickly intensifying, leaving pillars of their respective colored lights wherever they hovered, reminiscent of colored stage lights at a party. The figure quickly found itself in the middle of these lights and quickly began running clear of the lights before they quickly intensified into powerful beams of energy one at a time. The figure was unable to escape though as the lights suddenly intensified all at once, the figure trapped in the center of them, as they all turned into a blinding white light. (End Battle Music) As the light faded, Nixe smirked as her Keyblade fell into her hand, catching it by the handle. Her proud smirk widened as she saw nothing left of the figure in the spot where it had been standing moments before.
"That should teach you to just attack me at random." Nixe said, dismissing her Keyblade as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her smirk suddenly vanished as she felt the figure's sword pressed up near her throat, the figure standing behind her, completely unscathed.
"Reckless and inexperienced. You're fortunate I'm not here to kill you." The figure said as Nixe snarled.
"What are you here for then?" she asked as the figure lowered the sword and walked out from behind her, moving to stand in front of her with its arms crossed over its chest, the sword in its hand disappearing in a flash.
"Relax, Nixe. I was sent by a friend, someone who wants to make sure you're safe. I have been tasked with ensuring your wellbeing." The figure said as Nixe glared at the figure.
"Really? You sure have a funny way of helping out." She grumbled.
"I had to be sure of your capabilities first. You're powerful but you don't know how to control your power. You're probably going to make me work to complete my mission." The figure said as Nixe arched an eyebrow.
"Mission? What mission?" Nixe asked.
"I already told you, you're my mission. My mission is to keep you safe and protected." The figure said as Nixe rolled her eyes.
"On whose order, as if I didn't know already." Nixe grumbled. She was thinking of her mother.
"You've never met the person who sent me but we do have a mutual acquaintance twixt us, Nixe." The figure said as Nixe summoned her Keyblade.
"One of the Sisterhood?" she asked in a defensive posture but the figure shook its head as it reached for the hood.
"No. I mean Master Sora." The figure said as it pulled back the hood, the face beneath it giving Nixe pause. She looked at the figure curiously.
"I know you…don't I? I feel like we've met before." Nixe said as the figure shrugged, his long white hair hanging down at his shoulders.
"Maybe, maybe not." The figure said as Nixe rolled her eyes.
"Whatever, so why did Sora send you after me? Are you a friend of his?" She asked.
"He didn't send me and yes, Sora is a friend of mine. He doesn't even know I'm here." The figure said as Nixe arched a curious eyebrow.
"Really? Then who sent you?" Nixe asked.
"It's not important right now, but what is important is that you return to Sublime City as soon as possible. The Sisterhood of Seven is aware that you have left that world and is planning on ambushing you at the next world you visit. You need to return home immediately so that you're safe." The figure instructed.
"How do you know that? How do you know that the Sisterhood is watching me?" Nixe asked suspiciously.
"I…I just know." The figure replied hesitantly.
"You hesitated. I don't trust you. If you want me to go back to Sublime so bad then that must be where the trap has been set, that's if there even is a trap. Besides, I've waited years for the opportunity to see the other worlds and now I have a chance to see them!" Nixe argued as the figure sighed heavily in frustration.
"Fine, if you're going to be stubborn like that, then allow me to accompany you on your adventure. You've seen me fight so you know how capable I am." The figure said as Nixe looked at him curiously.
"Well…have you ever been to other worlds before?" Nixe asked as the figure nodded.
"Plenty." He replied.
"Good, then you can be my guide. Come on…uh…what is your name?" Nixe asked as the figure smiled warmly at her, extending a hand.
"I'm Riku."
End Chapter 17.
The theme for this world, Jungle Book, is "Deep Jungle" from KH1. The song above was a very lightly altered version of Jungle Book's "The Bare Necessities."