Chapter 14: the hunt begins
I do not own kingdom hearts or the properties shown in this fanfic. They belong to the respective owners and the original story is based on the works of Darius Almighty. Kingdom hearts and trials of the keyblade is owned by square Enix, Disney, and Tetsuya Nomura. Please support the official release.
Right. Now I know sora discuss with kairi an uncertain dream with riku involving her kissing riku but no kh fan would fall victim to that! God forbid kairi would never fall in love with riku!
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
"My old sailing mate, Sora! Big yellow shoes and all!", Jack Sparrow exclaimed as Sora arrived on the Black Pearl. "The shortest pirate ever to sail the Caribbean!" A very small man, by the name of Marty, gave him a look as he walked by "Oh, right. Sorry mate."
"Jack! I mean, Captain Jack!"
"Welcome aboard the Black Pearl Mr. Sora! Allow me to introduce you to my new crew!" He walked over to a slightly heavy man with thick scruffy hair. "This is my first mate, Gibbs! Don't mind him. He always smells like that."
"Pleasure to meet you lad! Heard you helped Jack get the Pearl back," Gibbs said, shaking Sora's hand.
"It was nothing!" Sora replied. Jack then took him to an old man with a parrot on his shoulder.
"This is Mr. Cotton," said Jack.
"Hi!" Sora said. Cotton didn't answer. "Hello?"
"He can't talk. He had his tongue cut out." Cotton opened his mouth to reveal that he was indeed missing a tongue, causing Sora to recoil. "He's trained his parrot to talk for him. Haven't figured out how yet."
"Braaaa! Anchors away!", the parrot called.
"He likes you!" Jack said. Sora smiled uncertainly. "But tell me my spiky haired mate, what gets you stranded on a godforsaken island in the middle of nowhere? You had a mutiny, didn't you? One minute you're breezily flying around in your little space boat, and the next, they turn on you. Happens to the best of captains."
"No, nothing like that. I got separated from my friends and ended up on that island. Then I was attacked. It's a good thing you guys showed up."
"Yeah! That's right! You see, I was sailing along, minding my own business, when suddenly I saw that my old buddy, Sora, was in a spot! 'Change course!' I shouted! 'I've got a mate to save!'
"Actually, it was the girl who told us to turn around. Captain Jack was in his study with the rum stash," Gibbs said, earning him a glare from Jack.
"Well, I will admit that I was reluctant at first...but when I saw that it was my mate Sora, I turned right around!"
"Girl?" Sora asked.
"Oh yes, nice petite lass sent down from the heavens to fill the gaping loneliness in my heart," Jack said, slightly teary eyed. "Her name's Coco!"
"No, her name's Kala," Marty said.
"Kala? Her name is Kalan!," Gibbs stated.
"Braaa! Kiwi!" Cotton's parrot cawed.
"Kiwi's the name of a fruit, not the name of a girl sent from the heavens!" Captain Jack said. At that moment, the door to the captain's study opened and said girl came out. "Her name is clearly-"
"Kairi!"
"No, that's not it."
"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed running over to him and giving him a hug, which he returned.
"Woooooooooo!", Jack drawled. "Sora, my overly hormonal mate, you fancy my gift from above, eh? Well I suppose you could have her. Plenty of other fish in the sea, or women in the sky. Savvy?"
Sora and Kairi both blushed and let go of each other. "This is my friend Kairi, not a gift from above!"
"He keeps calling me that," Kairi whispered to Sora.
"If you could think of a better name for a lass who fell from the sky I'd love to hear it. Now if our little rescue is over and done with, we must be on our way!"
"What's our heading Captain?", Gibbs asked.
For first possible time, Jack Sparrow was speechless. He pulled out his trusty black compass. "Now, let's see here. Uh, mmm, um, that way!", he exclaimed, pointing to the horizon. "Or is it, that way?" Everyone slapped their foreheads.
"Uh, Captain? Kairi and I need to look for our friends. Unless you've seen them?" Sora asked. This perked up Jack's attention.
"More mates to find, eh? Any lookers?" Sora glowered at him. "Alright! Well there's only one place to go to find someone and since you helped me out of a spot, I'll take you there! Gentlemen, we have our heading!"
"Where to, Captain?" Jack flashed Gibbs a smile, showing off his golden teeth.
"Tortuga."
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Back in Port Royal, in the house or rather, mansion, of Elizabeth Swan, her new friends had gathered for tea in her study. Beast looked very awkward sitting in the padded chair that was much too small for him and sipping his tea with his pinky extended. Mulan, who was not used to using such instruments was having a bit of trouble of her own. Elizabeth could not help but smile at their antics.
"You'll have to forgive the people of this town," she explained. "You see, we had a bit of trouble in the past."
"What kind of trouble?" Mulan asked.
"Oh, you wouldn't believe me if I told you." She then took in their appearances. "Then again... Many months ago, we were attacked by pirates. Cursed pirates to be exact. But with them were terrible creatures of shadow that devoured hearts." Mulan and Beast both showed a knowing glance.
"Heartless," they both stated. Elizabeth looked slightly surprised.
"You know of them?", she asked.
"We've dealt with them," Beast muttered.
"Then you must know Sora!" Both Mulan and Beast looked at each other. "Sora was able to help us rid this town of the creatures. We owe him so much. Is he here now?"
"We don't know," Mulan answered. "We were separated when we arrived here."
"Oh, dear. I wish there was something I could do to help you but..."
"Elizabeth!", a voice called. "Are you in there?" From the doorway emerged a handsome young man. "Oh, you have...visitors," he said, eying her strange company.
"Yes, these are friends of Sora," Elizabeth explained.
"Oh! That explains it!", the man said walking over. Elizabeth smiled.
"This is Will. My fiancé." Will went to Elizabeth's side and kissed her on the cheek. Both Beast's and Mulan's hearts ached at the scene, having lost their loved ones. "The wedding is in a couple of days and there is still much to prepare."
"What's going on? Do they need help?", Will asked.
"No, don't worry about us!" Mulan said. "We don't want to spoil your wedding plans. We'll just have to find a way. Somehow." Will and Elizabeth still didn't look convinced.
"Mulan," Beast said. "What about that thing Sora gave us on the ship? He said it would help us communicate." Mulan realized what he was talking about and pulled out the Kimunicator.
"We can contact the Shera with this!", she exclaimed, smiling. As fast as the smile came it disappeared. "How do you make it work?"
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Tortuga. A paradise for every pirate, criminal and lawbreaker on the sea. Everywhere you looked men ran about, shooting pistols, swinging swords and chasing women. All in the name of rum! It was truly a terrible place to be for any law-abiding citizen.
But Jack Sparrow was anything but law-abiding.
"Welcome to the jewel of the Caribbean mates. It is indeed a sad life for any that have never breathed deep this, proliferus bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?"
A drunken man fell from a balcony directly in front of Sora. "I'm speechless," he replied. Another man ran by in his birthday suit shooting his pistol in the air and screeching. Kairi shivered and moved closer to Sora. "What makes you think our friends will be here?"
"Did I say that? I really can't recall. All I know is I'm here to recruit more members of my crew. No better place than Tortuga!" Sora glowered at him. "Not to worry my spiky haired mate, with you and your big key stick around! You might come handy...", he said with a knowing glint in his eye.
The walked up to a bar where immediately a man came flying through a glass window. Sora and Kairi winced but Jack took it all in stride, walking in without a care in the world. Inside was chaos. People were drinking, fighting, and most of all laughing. "Keep a sharp eye," Jack whispered before walking off.
"Are you sure we can trust him?" Kairi whispered to Sora. "He seems to be focused on his own agenda rather than on helping us."
"Well, he is a pirate. But something does seem to be bugging him," He then grew thoughtful. "Say, Kairi. When we were little, did you and Riku...kiss?"
Kairi blushed bright red. "Uh, what makes you say that?", she said, laughing nervously. Sora eyed her contradictingly. "Alright! Alright! I admit it! I had a crush on Riku when I first arrived on the island! It was a stupid childhood crush and it's over now! How did you find out?"
Sora looked away. How did he find out? Did he have a dream?
The doors to the bar were then kicked open stopping all the madness inside. In strode a familiar fat cat. "Alright you lousy, no good pirates!", Pete shouted, looking smug as usual. Sora and Kairi ducked under a table as Pete, wearing a ridiculously huge pirate hat, shouted to the bar. "I'm looking for someone, see. Someone who goes by the name of Jack Sparrow. I saw his ship in port and I know he's here! So where is he?"
As an answer, every man in the room pointed their swords and pistols at him. Pete's expression didn't change, in fact his smile grew wider. He put his two fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. From the ground around him appeared several Pirate Heartless, all brandishing sharp swords. One of them brought its sword to the closest pirate and impaled him. A wordless scream emerged from the mans mouth before he was covered in shadows and transformed into a Heartless himself. Al the men in the room looked on in horror. "Now, as I was saying..."
This time everyone pointed their weapons to a potted plant in the corner, behind which Jack was hiding. He stuck out his head, smiling nervously. "Evening mates. Beautiful night, eh?" Pete and his Heartless posse made their way through the bar, with none daring to get in their way.
"Well if it ain't old Jack Sparrow,"
"Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Whatever. Haven't seen you since the whole cursed treasure incident."
"Yes. I don't recall that working out for you. Even with the scary little cartoon monsters...which are very impressive by the way. Nice sharp swords, quirky little outfits, evil yellow eyes that strike fear into the hearts of a thousand men!"
"Quit with the fast talk!" By now, all the pirates in the bar had run out in fear of the Heartless, but Sora and Kairi still hid behind the upturned table, not wanting to leave Jack behind. "I know you're hiding that brat Sora here! Now make with the kid!"
"Sora? Sora? I don't know a Sora. Who's Sora? There's no Sora here! Anyone know a Sora?"
"You ain't fooling me, bub. The Heartless are drawn to the Keyblade and they say that he's here! But who do I find when I come here? You! It's basic geometry! Now, where is he?" Jack sighed in defeat.
"Alright, mate. You got me. No fooling a smart fellow like you. I yield to you and your unholy minions of evil." He pointed to the upturned table at the far end of the bar. Pete smiled in triumph and made his way over, the Heartless following.
"Alright Key boy," Pete hollered at the table. "The jig is up! Time to become a Heartless!" He kicked the table away and the Heartless pointed their swords. No one was there. "Hey! You said they were-" Jack Sparrow was now running out the door with Sora and Kairi right behind him. Pete stood dumbstruck before hopping up and down in anger. "After them!"
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"And that is the secret of eternal happiness!", Marty finished explaining to Gibbs. Both were standing on the docks at the gangplank of the Black Pearl awaiting the return of their captain.
"Wow..." Gibbs whispered. "Really?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Huh! And the snails?"
"All true!"
"Wow. I'm glad I stuck around to hear that!"
"Yup! I'll never explain that one again!" The sound of terrified screams reached their ears, instead of the normal shouts of happy drunken revelry. "What's going on?"
"Not sure," Gibbs replied. Suddenly, three people rounded the corner that lead to the Black Pearl and ran to reach it. "Is that Jack?'
"I think he's shouting something."
"RAISE THE ANCHOR! RAISE THE ANCHOR! RAISE THE ANCHOR YOU DAFT LOONEY"S!" Jack hollered as he Sora and Kairi ran like mad men. Suddenly, a hoard of Pirate Heartless rounded the corner and took after them, all wielding their swords menacingly. Gibbs' and Marty's eyes bugged out of their sockets.
"YOU HEARD THE CAPTAIN! RAISE THE BLOODY ANCHOR!" Gibbs shouted to the crew. They rushed up the gangplank to prepare the ship for departure.
"Faster! Faster! Faster!" Jack yelled. The Heartless were right behind them. They finally reached the Black Pearl and ran up the plank to the ship just as it started to move away. On the dock, the Heartless were forced to come to a skidding stop.
Sora looked over the edge of the ship and waved farewell. "See you guys!" But shoving his way through the Heartless, knocking many in the water as he did, was Pete. In a fantastic leap he jumped for the ship managing to grab the edge where Sora was. He hung on with the dark water below.
Jack waltzed up to the cat that was 'hanging in there' as it were. "This little piggy went to market!", he sang, plucking one of Pete's chubby fingers off the rail. "This little piggy stayed home!" Another finger. "This little piggy...Oh the heck with it!" Instead of singing he just took a large mallet and smiled evilly Pete, who's eyes grew as wide as saucers.
WHAM
"YEEEEOOOOOWWWW!" Pete shouted as he fell to the murky depths with a large splash. The crew of the Pearl cheered as they left behind the Heartless and their fat cat leader.
"Mr. Gibbs! Bring me that monkey! I want to shoot something!" Jack shouted angrily as they sailed away from Tortuga.
Pete bobbed in the water as he watched them go. He grabbed his pirate hat which was floating a few inches away and placed it back on his head. With an angry growl he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled again. The water around him began to bubble and froth and he was smiling once again.
"Thanks for the save back there Jack," Kairi said, once they were safely away from Tortuga.
"Well I couldn't leave my mate Sora out to dry now, could I? Him or his large key of a blade! Speaking of which Sora," he said turning to the boy. "I have a favour to ask..."
He didn't get to finish as the water exploded right next to them, shaking the ship and sending everyone tumbling. Sora picked himself up and looked out the ships side. Now, right beside the Black Pearl was a Heartless Pirate Ship. The front of the ship had a figurehead of a skullhead Heartless. The eyes of the skull face glowed red and it seemed to be cackling. Heartless Pirates manned the many cannons that were pointed directly at the Pearl. A Heartless emblem was depicted on the large white sails. Standing on the deck was Pete, laughing.
"You're not out of this yet! That brat's gonna be a Heartless by the end of this night!"
Jack clenched his teeth. "Man the cannons! Powder the guns! Weigh the anchor! I'm not about to lose this ship!" The crew of the Black Pearl all grabbed their weapons and loaded the cannons to do battle with the Heartless menace. Sora and Kairi summoned their Keyblades and helped with the guns.
On the Heartless ship, the crew did the same. The fearless crew of the Black Pearl were ready. They shouted defiantly at the creatures of darkness as they floated across in their living ship.
"Fire!", came the simultaneous command from Jack and Pete.
The cannons went off with deafening shots, plowing into the ships. Heartless were obliterated, men were struck down but still continued the fight. Sora raised reflega to block the cannonballs that threatened the ship, sending them right back. "Prepare to board, lads!" Jack Sparrow called. Several men, including Sora, grabbed grappling hooks and the gangplank for a route across.
"Bring em on!" Pete challenged, wielding a Heartless sword. All the other Heartless brandished their weapons for battle.
At a command from Jack all his men threw their hooks to the other ship. They latched on to the sails and the men swung over wielding swords and pistols. Sora launched his hook and it landed successfully. Kairi latched on to him and together they swung to the battle.
As soon as they touched ground they were attacked by Heartless who fell by their Keyblades; they moved on to deal with more Heartless.
The gangplank was placed across the gap between the ships allowing easier access to the Heartless ship. Across it charged Jack Sparrow wielding his Skull and Crossbones. Across from all the fighting he spotted Pete, who was knocking away any pirate that came his way. Pete spotted him and grew panicky. He ran to the ship's mast and started to climb his way up. Jack followed after him.
On the deck of the ship the battle was favouring the pirates. With Sora and Kairi in extermination mode, the Heartless had no chance. Soon every Heartless was gone and the men bellowed a mighty cheer. Sora looked around. Where was Jack?
Along the ship's sail was where he was. He and, surprisingly, Pete were balancing on the boom that held the sail. The dueled with their swords fiercely. Pete's had a clumsy style of fighting compared to Jack's lanky skill. "Go Jack!" Sora cheered.
His cheers ceased when he felt the floor start to move under his feet. The eyes of the skull Heartless figurehead glowed red. All of a sudden tendrils of darkness sprung out of the deck of the ship, grabbed a man and sucked him below. His screams died as he was taken under. Several more tendrils then emerged, and like tentacles made of shadows they snaked their way to the pirates. "Back to the ship!" Sora hollered.
"You heard the lad! Back to the Pearl!" Gibbs shouted. Everyone hurried to the gangplank, filing across carefully. Sora covered their escape by slicing through the tendrils when they came too close.
"See that Sparrow?" Pete taunted as they fought. "This Heartless will tear your little toy boat to itsy bitsy pieces. So much for the famous Jack Sparrow!"
"Not...going...to lose...this...ship...again!" Jack shouted. His sword then glowed a bright light. The compass on his belt glowed as well. Jack and Pete both stopped fighting at the light's appearance. In a final bright flash, Jack's sword was replaced with a Keyblade. The hilt, shaped like a ship's wheel, was encrusted with jewels. The blade itself was lean, with a sharp axe like portion at the end. Dangling from the keychain was his compass.
Follow the Wind. "Wind? What wind?" Jack asked when he heard the voice in his head. It was different from the other voices he heard.
Pete stood by, dumbstruck at the new Keyblader. "You gotta be kidding me!", he exclaimed. "You got a Keyblade? You? How?"
Jack chuckled. "I did," he began. "Because I am Captain Jack Sparrow!" With a grin he and Pete dueled one again. This time however, Jack clearly had the upper hand. His skills seemed to have increased tenfold as he fought. His Keyblade shined as it struck Pete's sword, beating it back.
On the Black Pearl, the crew watched this. "Jack's got a Keyblade? How?", Kairi asked.
"It was when his ship was threatened! He didn't want to lose it again!" , Sora explained.
Finally, Pete's sword was knocked out of hand. He stood at the edge of the boom as Jack leveled his new weapon at his fat neck.
Pete chuckled nervously. "Can't we be rational beings and talk this over? I was just kidding about the whole 'break your boat' thing. You can keep it! Please don't hurt me!" Jack merely grinned before he jumped off the ledge and slid down the supporting ropes. "Yeah, you'd better run! Nobody messes with me!" Pete hollered after him.
As soon as Jack touched down, he sliced his Keyblade clean through the mast. "Timbeeeeerrrr!" Jack shouted as the sail came falling down. Pete, who was still on the boom, also fell, but thankfully in the water.
Jack ran through the Heartless ship doing all the damage he could possibly do. He cut through the black tendrils, sliced away at the cannons, and threw bombs into the eyes of the skull.
All the while, he sang.
"We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot! Drink up me 'earties yo ho! We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot! Drink up me 'earties yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate's life for me! Oh, I love this song!", Jack laughed. He cut the deck to the ship open and dived inside the belly of the beast. The Black Pearl's crew all held their breath. The Heartless began to groan and moan loudly as Jack hurt it from the inside.
Finally Jack re-emerged from the wound. The Heartless was now thrashing about in the water. All across it explosions sprouted signaling its imminent destruction. Jack smirked in triumph and grabbed his grappling hook, flinging it back to the Black Pearl. He swung to safety as the Heartless ship began to sink. When the ship was fully submerged a large purple heart rose out of the water.
"Jack's got a giant key," the Pearl's captain said, lifting his weapon. "And he likes it!"
"Alright Captain!" Sora said. "You're a Keyblader!"
"Darn right I am! Told you I'd get this thing!"
The water then exploded a few feet from the ship. Everyone turned to see another Heartless Pirate Ship emerge from the sea. Another explosion on the other side of the ship signaled another Heartless ship arriving. They were in-between a rock and a hard place. The Heartless aimed their cannons at the Black Pearl.
Standing on the deck of one of them was Pete. "This ain't over yet! Not by a long shot! What do you say now?"
Jack took a handkerchief and tied it around the top of his Keyblade. He waved it back and forward pathetically. "Parlay?", he said, smiling nervously. Everyone slapped their foreheads.
"Ha! Fat chance! Ready!" The Heartless loaded their cannons. "Aim!" The cannons were aimed for the Pearl and everyone braced themselves. Pete smiled evilly. "Fi-"
BOOM
An explosion was heard but not from the Heartless cannons. The Heartless ship was hit by two missiles that came from the sky, shaking it from the damage. Everyone looked skyward to see a gummi ship fly down firing its weapons at the Heartless.
"Cavalry's here!" Barret shouted from the pilots seat. Beside him, Yuffie fired the weapons while he avoided the cannon balls that were now being fired at them. They swooped over one of the ships and swung around for another pass.
The Black Pearl's crew, with renewed vigor, loaded their cannons and fired on the other Heartless.
As the gummi ship flew over one of the Heartless, the ramp lowered. Out of the opening stepped the Beast, looking determined. Without a second thought he summoned his Keyblade and jumped out of the ship heading straight for the Heartless ship. The rate which he was falling combined with the strength and power of his Keyblade packed quite a punch. Still falling, he brought his Keyblade down in the middle of the deck , splitting it in half. Unfortunately, Pete was at the end of the ship when it happened, and was catapulted into the stratosphere. He shot through the sky like a shooting star screaming until he was out of sight. The remains of the Heartless ship dissipated and the heart floated away.
Mulan stepped onto the lowered ramp and clung to the side to avoid falling off. Summoning her Keyblade she blasted a burst of searing hot flames at the remaining Heartless ship as they swooped low over it. The sails caught fire as did the deck and the Heartless cried out in pain.
Flying low over the Black Pearl, the gummi ship released Mulan before it flew off again. Mulan fell down to the deck and landed gracefully in front of Jack Sparrow. "Wow! Women falling all over the place today! I shall call you gift from space!" Mulan gave him an odd look.
The last Heartless ship, filled with holes from cannons and lasers, finally began to sink. Before being completely submerged, it disappeared and the heart floated away. The Black Pearl crew gave off another cheer in triumph.
Beast clawed his way up the hull of the ship from the cold water. He flung himself on board soaking wet. Dropping down on all fours, he proceeded to dry himself like a dog, shaking off all the water and drenching anyone who was too close. Such as Sora. Beast smiled sheepishly at the now soaking Sora.
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"So let me get this straight," Jack said carefully. Everyone had gathered on the Black Pearl, including Barret and Yuffie, who had landed their ship on the deck. "You want me to go with you on your fancy little space ship and travel a to a bunch alien worlds to look for your mate and the big hairy guy's lass. And while we're doing that you hope to defeat the evil menace that threatens us all. Is that what your saying?"
"Um, yeah. Pretty much." Sora said.
"And I'll be gone from here?"
"Yes."
"Millions of miles away?"
"Uh huh."
"So far away that no one from here has any chance of finding me? Right?" Sora nodded this time. "Sounds like a plan to me! Yes! All in the name of truth, justice, and of course: rum! A hero they'll hail me!"
"But Jack!", Gibbs said running up to him. "What about Da-" Jack slapped a hand over his mouth and dragged him away from everyone else.
"Hear me out mate! If I'm off on a stupid little quest for the greater good on other worlds, how's old Davy Jones gonna find me?" Gibbs nodded understandingly, though his mouth was still covered. "Exactly. I get a few extra days off my little debt. Now, while I'm off gallivanting about with these nut jobs, you gather a crew, and find me that chest! Savvy?" Gibbs nodded again and Jack released him.
"But what about the key?" Gibbs asked. Jack smiled his golden tooth smile.
"We don't need that key anymore," he said lifting his Keyblade. Gibbs smiled in understanding. They both turned back to the confused travelers. "Well then, it's settled! I'm off for greatness! Mr. Gibbs, I leave the Pearl in your capable hands!" Gibbs saluted. Jack brushed past everyone else, heading for the gummi ship. "Now let's get this ship floating! Raise the anchor! Hoist the sails! Break out the rum! Whatever it is you do to get this bird flying! Set course for adventure, mates!" Everyone stared at him, blathering on as he walked up the ship's ramp.
"These guys keep getting weirder and weirder," Barret muttered.
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The Super Star Destroyer Executer floated through space silently. The five huge booster engines roared, pushing the massive ship. The smaller Star Destroyers floated along side it acting as escorts and guards in case of attack. Like the thing needed protecting.
Inside, the Imperial officers worked diligently at keeping the ship in working order. Hundreds of them worked on the bridge making sure they were on course. Even more Stormtroopers patrolled the walkways making sure there were no emergencies. And they guarded the holding cells where a certain silver-haired boy was being held.
Riku tried again to summon the Keyblade. A vein involuntarily sprouted from the side of his head. After his eighteenth try he finally gave up. It was no use. These fancy cuffs he was wearing cut his hands off from the rest of his body. Dark Aura, Dark Shield, all useless. Riku lay against the wall of his cell. As much as he hated to admit it, he was trapped.
The doors to his cell swung open, gaining his attention. It was Darius. He and two Stormtrooper guards walked in. "Let's go," he said.
Riku found himself walking through the steel corridors of the Executer. Stormtroopers, officers, and robots passed them by as they headed to their unknown destination.
"So where are we going?", Riku asked Darius who was walking in front of him while two Stormtroopers walked on either side.
"Lord Vader requests your presence," Darius replied.
"Lord Vader, eh? What's up with him anyway? I saw his hand. He some kind of robot?"
"The scars of battle. Nothing more. You should show some respect."
Riku smirked. "Sorry to knock your master." Darius ignored him.
After what seemed like an hour's walk for Riku, they arrived at a steel door. The Stormtroopers stopped here as did Darius. He opened the doors and motioned for Riku to go in. The boy frowned and entered.
Inside it was almost pitch black. The doors closed behind him and he was seemingly left alone. He noticed that there was something projecting light on one end of the room. It was some kind of large spherical object that someone was sitting inside. Riku walked toward it.
The person who was sitting in it had his back turned so Riku could not see his face. His head, though, was pale and completely devoid of hair and Riku could make out a number of scars along the scalp. Something lowered from the roof of the sphere. It was a mask, and it dropped down to perfectly sit on the man's head. As soon as it was on the man turned and faced Riku.
"I was wondering what was taking so long," Darth Vader said. Riku glared at him.
"What do you want?"
"Your friend Sora," the dark lord began. "He knew where Disney Castle was located, did he not?" Riku didn't bother answering that. "And you recently visited there to see the King. Right? I would appreciate it if you would give us the location."
Riku bristled. There was something else in the room. He glanced to the side briefly before he turned back to Vader. "Why are you so intent on knowing where it is?"
"At first, it was just to reach the King. If Sora would not help our cause, the King was our backup."
"King Mickey would never help you guys." He tensed. There was definitely someone else here. He glanced left and right but there was nothing there. Just darkness.
"Perhaps. But it's always good to have a backup. Then I met you Riku. Suddenly, Sora and the King weren't needed anymore. The King may not be useful but he is a possible threat. Once we have the castle's location, we'll deal with him." Riku growled.
"You're not getting the location from me. What do you want with me anyways? Kingdom Hearts?"
"Hardly. Keybladers are some of the most powerful beings in the universe. They were wiped out long ago. All but gone from existence. But then they started appearing again. My master knew this. He sensed it. As did I. My master lived during the times of the Keyblades and he knew of their power. With a Keyblader under the Empire's control, none could stand in our way."
"I'll never help you. Neither will Sora!"
Vader watched the boy with amusement. "I'm afraid Sora is now a threat to us as well. He will be dealt with in due time. As will the King."
"Yeah? How? You don't even know where he is."
If Riku could see under Vader's mask, he would see he was smirking. "I won't be looking. He will."
Riku gave him a look. He casually looked over his shoulder where Vader was now looking. Now standing behind him was a fierce looking creature. Riku jumped away at its sudden appearance. It was in the form of a man but was taller and broader than any normal man. Its green colored skin was visible under a fishnet shirt on his chest. The top of its chest was armoured, as were its shoulders. On one of its shoulders a small cannon was mounted. The skulls of many different creatures decorated the necklace and belt it wore. Mounted on its strange head was a steel helmet that concealed his face. Dreadlocked hair sprouted down from it. Clawed hands and feet were visible. It truly looked terrible.
The creature turned its head to regard him then turned to Vader again. "Bring me the Keyblader's head." Vader ordered the creature. It raised its right arm and a two blades extended from the armour on his wrist. Riku's eyes widened. The creature then walked away and out of the room.
In the hanger a large, sleek metal ship was parked. In the cockpit, the creature sat at the controls. Typing in the commands to take off he gripped the oddly shaped steering wheel. The ship flew out of the hanger, heading for the Keyblader, Sora.
For it was the predator.
And Sora was the prey.
The hunt had begun.
And that concludes another chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!