Chapter 26: from bad to worse
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 we arrived on tatooine! The desert planet with the twin suns! Han solo Chewbacca and Vincent valentine have returned!
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
The town, which Mushu had called it, was much larger than the Keybladers had originally thought. From a distance, it looked like a large cluster of low-level concrete houses that blended in with the desert landscape around it. Nothing that special. But as they entered the streets, they could see that it was much more. It was a large, bustling city that was thriving with life. The houses were fascinating pieces of work that seemed to be made from the very earth itself.
But that was nothing compared to the town residents. Aliens of every shape and size roamed the streets. Some walked on three legs, one had two heads, others didn't even reach up to their waists. They rode in cars that hovered above the ground or on large beasts of burden that towed various cargo, but most simply walked in the dirt roads.
"Look at this place," Sora breathed. It was unlike any world he had ever been too.
"So many...people," Kairi said uncertainly.
"Look at all the freaks!" Mushu exclaimed, rather loudly, making a few creatures stop and give them evil looks.
"I never thought I'd see the day when I found an entire town uglier than Beast," Jack said, nonchalantly. Beast responded by knocking his face into the earth. "I'm okay..."
"So, do you think we can find some help here?" sonic asked no one in particular. At that moment, a ship lifted off out of one the many hangers through out the city. After hovering in the air briefly, it blasted off into the clear blue sky.
"There's your answer," Sora replied, watching the craft until it was just a speck. "We just need to find someone willing to give us a ride. It shouldn't be too hard, right?" A large blue brute with four arms shoved past him, cursing in a strange language.
"Seems like a real friendly place," Kairi commented dryly.
They all set off into the strange alien city looking for someone to give them a ride. They waded their way through the bustling streets, taking in more of the sights as they did. They found themselves walking through a busy marketplace. This place reminded Sora of Agrabah with all of the market stalls about and the alien merchants shouting at people, encouraging them to buy their merchandise. But, also, he couldn't help thinking that this place was...familiar.
"Tonga naka flunga!" one of the merchant vendors exclaimed to Mulan, waving a dead lizard in front of her face, much to her disgust.
"What am I supposed to do with that?" she stammered.
"Might be a nice snack," Mushu said grinning. "A little bit of seasoning and...Charlie?" He hopped onto the vendors stall and approached one of the dead lizards hanging from a string. "Charlie, is that you? Charlie! What have they done to you!?" The alien merchant raised a huge meat cleaver and Mushu ran back to Mulan before the alien could chop him in half.
"How are we gonna find a ship through all this?" Beast asked, looking around. "It's a zoo. We don't even know where to start looking."
"Maybe we should split up," Kairi suggested.
"Good idea," Sora said. "We'll cover more ground that way."
"I'll make the teams!" Jack said, exuberantly. "Sora, Beasty, hedgehog-boy...you're on one team. Mulan and Kairi with me." He grinned mischievously while everyone else groaned in annoyance. After much arguing and whining from Jack, they decided that Kairi, Mulan and sonic would go one way while Sora, Beast and Jack would go the other.
"Why am I with him?" Beast moaned, referring to Jack. "Why am I always with him?"
"You think I'm happy?" Jack sighed. "I'm stuck with a bestially-struck prince and a dweeby little boy."
Sora handed Kairi a Kimmunicator. "Use this if you find anything," he told her. "And be careful."
Kairi smiled. "We'll meet back here when we get a ship," she said. "See you soon!" She, Mulan and sonic walked down one street while Sora, Jack and Beast walked down the street opposite.
As sonic walked, a sudden chill went down his spine. He quickly turned around and looked about, trying to find the source of his unease. Mulan noticed he wasn't following. "Everything alright?"
"Cat got your tongue?" Mushu asked.
sonic frowned. "I just thought I...oh, never mind." Shrugging off the feeling, he followed the others in their search for help.
On the roof of a building by the outskirts of town, the hunter observed with heightened vision. The desert winds blew around his dread-locked hair as he watched the Keybladers split up and move through the city. Making his presence known for that split second had almost proved fatal; he was almost discovered. But, luckily, there was only one target it was interested in. He turned his binoculared helmet toward the road taken by Sora. He tapped in a few commands on his wrist computer and disappeared into thin air.
"So where should we start looking?" Sora said, walking with his hands behind his head.
"Well, we need to find some kind of place where pilots would congregate," Beast said thoughtfully.
"And I know just the place!" Jack grinned. "We're looking for captains, savvy? And if this place is anything like my pristine jewel that is Tortuga, then there is only one place we should go to find a crew. The local tavern!"
"Tavern?" Sora said.
"The pub, the bar, gin joint, whatever. The point is that all sailors, be they space or sea, need a place to unwind, to let loose until they sail again. And you see, now, I have solved that problem by taking the tavern with me!" He took out his rum bottle and downed another gulp. "And look, there! We've already found one!" The group stopped before a spacious building that many aliens were entering and exiting.
"How do you know it's a bar?" Beast asked. There was a neon sign above the doorway but it was written in a strange language. Suddenly, through the doorway flew a man, tossed out and thrown in the dirt.
"And stay out, ya bum!" called a voice from the building. The alien dusted himself off and angrily stormed off past Sora, Beast and Jack.
"Oh, yeah. It's a bar," Jack slurred. Taking no care off the scene, he started off for the entrance. Sora and Beast shared an uncertain glance but followed after him anyway.
There wasn't much light inside, only a few windows that allowed some rays of sun into the space. Lurking about were the scariest and ugliest aliens they had so far seen, sitting at tables and at the bar. A bandstand held a group of beady-eyes musicians playing strange instruments. It was an upbeat song which contrasted to the unnerving atmosphere. This seemed like a very popular place for all the scum and villainy of the city. The three Keybladers took all this in as they walked across the threshold. Everyone in the bar stopped what they were doing to glower at the new arrivals.
Sora smiled nervously. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he whispered to Jack.
"I never said it was a good idea," the pirate captain answered. "Now's no time to get cold feet. Your shoes are to big for that." He waltzed into the bar and Sora and Beast followed. "Since I have more experience with this kind of matter, I shall take it upon myself to find a crew. You mates stay here while I ask around. I'll start with her!" He made his way to a scantily clad blue-skinned woman with two long tentacles emerging from her head. Sora and Beast watched him go, disapprovingly.
"Well, we lost him," Beast stated. "We better stay together. Don't want to be separated in a place like thi-" before he could finish someone grabbed his arm and lead him away from Sora.
"We got another one for arm-wrestling, boys!" said the small wiry man leading Beast. "You look like a big strong guy! How would you like to earn some extra dough? You just have to beat these wimps here!" They walked over to a table where many burly aliens were sitting. Beast shook his head in annoyance.
Sora was now by himself. He decided to wait at the bar until Jack managed to find them a ride. That is if could stop flirting with the alien women. Walking up to the counter in the middle of the room, he sat on a stool next to a man with long black hair and wearing a red cape. The bartender was a relatively normal looking man compared to the other things in the room. He regarded Sora skeptically. "Aren't you a little young to be in here, kid? We don't serve juice, you know."
"I'm just hanging out," Sora replied, a little offended.
The bartender expression softened. "It does my heart good to see an underage minor hanging out in a dark scary bar." He then walked away to his other duties, happy he was making a difference in the world.
Someone tapped Sora on the shoulder. He turned around to see an annoyed looking man with a disgusting pig snout on his face. "You're in my seat," he growled.
"Oh, sorry," Sora said politely, getting up from his seat. He was about to walk away but the large brutish alien grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"You got a problem, punk?" The snouted man sneered.
"Uh...no."
"Shut up!" He shoved Sora to the ground. "Let me teach you a lesson on how to respect people's property!" He cracked his knuckles and approached the downed Sora. Before Sora could whip out his Keyblade and wipe that stupid smile off the pig-an's face, something unexpected happened. Before the man knew what happened, he was staring down the nose of a triple-barreled hand gun. The man with the red cape Sora had been sitting beside was now standing and pointing a gun right between the pig-man's eyes. Now that the man was standing, Sora could get a good look at him. He wore a black outfit under his cape and his right arm was covered by a golden claw, while the other, normal hand, held the strange gun. His eyes were as red as his cape.
"Leave the boy alone," he said in a cold voice that could make a Heartless shake with fright.
The big bad bully went weak at the knees and grinned nervously. "Y-yeah. S-sure. We were j-just kidding around. Right, kid?" He immediately helped Sora up and dusted him off. "No hard feelings, eh? All in good fun!" The red-eyed man cocked his gun in warning. "O-okay! Take it easy now!" He ran from the bar and out the door with his tail between his legs.
The pale man twirled his gun and placed it back in its holster. He sat back down in his stool like nothing happened. Sora sat back down in the seat next to him. "Thanks," he said. "But I could have handled him myself."
"No doubt you could have," the man replied nonchalantly.
"I'm Sora." The man looked at him momentarily, regarding him with his blood-red eyes before turning back to the bar.
"Vincent. Vincent Valentine." He didn't say anything else after that, making Sora a bit uncomfortable. "You're the boy with the Keyblade." Sora was brought back to attention when Vincent said that. "Aren't you?"
"Yeah," Sora said, surprised. "How did you know?"
"Cloud told me."
"Cloud?" Sora said in surprise. "You know Cloud?" Sora hadn't seen his blond friend in a while. The buster sword-wielding warrior was quite the character. The last time he had seen him was when he was fighting an epic battle with his arch-enemy before they both disappeared.
Vincent grunted. "Oh yeah. He and I go way back."
"I haven't thought about Cloud in a while," Sora admitted with a tinge of guilt. "He always seems to disappear and reappear when ever he wants."
"That's Cloud for you. A real lone wolf. Then again...can't blame him."
"What do you mean?" Sora asked.
Vincent closed his eyes. "If you know Cloud, then must also know of Sephiroth, right?" Sora scowled. He knew the one winged angel all to well. He was a being of true darkness and had been Cloud's nemesis.
"Yeah, why?"
"Do you ever wonder why Cloud hates him so much. Do you know what their connection is?" Now that Sora thought about it, he really didn't know much about Cloud or his hate for the silver-haired destroyer of worlds. The man was an enigma. Vincent, seeing Sora's expression, continued. "Cloud and I both come from the same world. A world called...Midgar." Vincent closed his eyes again, remembering a time far off.
"Our world was peaceful place. Beautiful cities, sparkling seas, majestic nature, all that could be found in a paradise. Within our world there was a mass corporation called Shinra. A vast empire that powered the entire planet using life from the planet itself. I worked there as a security guard at the time. The pay wasn't great but I had connections. Anyway, for a long time everything was perfect.
"But then Shinra began to grow greedy. Their motives slowly turned sour, taking what wasn't theirs and not caring about who they hurt in the process. Naturally, the public didn't take to this too kindly. To counter this, Shinra formed a group of highly trained warriors which perform at their command. A group that would stop anything that tried to get in their way. They called them SOLDIER. And that's where our favorite lone wolf comes into the story."
"Cloud was a SOLDIER?" Sora asked, listening to the story intently.
"The best of them all. Appointed leader after not to long. He, and rest of the SOLDIER's kept everything in line.
"As Shinra's power grew, so did their greed. In the subterranean floors of their labs their scientists performed unnatural experiments. These operations were kept secret from the public lest they cause a panic.
"One scientist in particular took Shinra to whole new levels. A madman...named Hojo." He spoke the name with such malice that Sora felt his skin crawl.
"Hojo's research circled around only one subject: the heart. He was obsessed with its mysteries, its power. He wanted to know all there was to know. In his studies, he discovered that every heart holds a darkness within. Every person, creature or entity. That's when Hojo got to thinking: what if there was a way to remove the darkness from one's heart?"
"Remove the darkness?" Sora repeated. This Hojo sounded just like Xehanort.
Vincent nodded. "That's when the madness began."
"Hojo demanded living test subjects for his experiments. And what he wanted, he usually got. All through Midgar abductions took place to feed Hojo's lust for knowledge. People were torn from their homes to become the subjects of his twisted experiments. Entire families disappeared. It was terrible. But there was nothing I could do.
"Finally, the day came when Hojo was ready to begin his operation, to surgically remove the darkness in the heart. But he needed an appropriate subject, someone strong enough to withstand the experiments. They lucked out on that."
"Cloud...," Sora whispered.
"You got it. The leader of SOLDIER himself. They didn't need to capture Cloud, not that anyone could. Cloud openly volunteered. Hojo couldn't be happier. Cloud was the perfect test subject. Strong, smart, and with a heart just as strong.
"I was present at the lab when the operation took place. I saw everything. Cloud was hooked up to a machine that Hojo had designed to extract the darkness from his heart. It was a painful operation. Most people would have died under such pain and stress but Cloud didn't utter a sound. Finally, it was over. Hojo had completed what he had set out to do. There was nothing really impressive about it. Just a black blob floating in tank. At least it was at first.
"The darkness that was once within Cloud began to change, take form. Its shape fitted its very nature, its existence, the being that come to be known as the Destroyer of Worlds. Thus was born...Sephiroth.
"To say Hojo was shocked would have been an understatement. This transformation was not in his calculations. The figure that stood before him was mistake, a miscalculation. I was horrified. I went weak at the knees as I looked into those cold eyes that were filled with nothing but hate and pain. It was as if I saw my own death before my eyes.
"As for Cloud...he was still a little shaky from the operation. He and Sephiroth's eyes locked and Cloud immediately knew what the winged man was. For the first time since I'd known Cloud, I could see that he was afraid..
As his first act of villainy, Sephiroth destroyed the Shinra building. But he wasn't finished there. After that day, Midgar fell into chaos. Everywhere the one-winged angel went, destruction followed, but nothing could sate his thirst. Finally...he destroyed Midgar and everyone in it. An entire planet blown to pieces. The first world in his crusade of darkness. Somehow, Cloud was able to survive, just as I did. I don't know if anyone else got out okay. But Cloud was anything but okay. His home was gone, his friends were dead and he knew it was his fault. It was his darkness, his evil that he'd unleashed on the universe. Sephiroth was his sin, one that would live with him forever. From then on he swore that he would do whatever it took to destroy Sephiroth, destroy the darkness that came from him. No matter what."
When he was done with his story, Sora's mouth was hanging open in amazement. He knew Cloud was a little emo but he had no idea what Sephiroth had done to make him that way. It was so sad. "Wow," he said quietly. "I had no idea."
"Don't worry about it," Vincent replied. "It's not your problem. Why should you care?" Sora frowned.
"Why wouldn't I care? Cloud's my friend."
"Cloud doesn't have any 'friends'. I'm not even sure that word's in his vocabulary. You shouldn't concern yourself."
"Don't talk like that!" Sora suddenly snapped. "Cloud's been through a lot, I understand that! And I know he wants to do everything on his own. But I've learned that you need friends to keep you going. You can't do everything yourself. And once my friend finds us a ship, somehow we're going to help Cloud out, too!"
"You tell him, Sora!" Sora turned to the other seat beside him to see Jack sitting at the bar and drinking rum as usual. "Can you believe my luck? They serve rum here!
"Jack! What are you doing here?" Sora shouted. "You're supposed to be finding us a ship!"
"So it's okay for the sixteen year-old to drink a pint but ole' Jack has to do all the work! Well I'm glad I know where I stand in this little epic adventure."
"I wasn't drinking! I was talking to..." When he turned back toward the other stool, he found it vacant. Vincent had disappeared. Sora quickly turned to the doorway just in time to see the ruined end of a red cape swish out the door.
"Don't worry my under-aged friend, I won't tell your parents...wherever they are." Another swig of rum cleared his mind...more so. "And in any case I did find a ship. So don't get all judgmental on me. Frankly, I think I made a pretty good choice." Sora looked behind him and saw a mass of brown fur. Looking up, he discovered the fur covered the body of a very tall creature. It looked like a walking carpet that was strong enough to tear Sora's arms right out of their sockets. Its entire face was covered in hair except for its eyes and mouth. A very intimidating creature to say the least. Sora grinned weakly.
"Uh, hi," he said finally. The creature let off some kind of howl in response.
"Do I know how to pick em' or what?" Jack grinned.
"Rrrraaagggghhh," the creature growled.
"Tell me about it, mate!" Jack drawled.
Wraaggghhh."
"Oh, sure. I've been there!"
"Rarararara."
"Gin rummy!"
"What's he saying?" Sora asked, fed up with their conversation.
"Not a clue!" Jack replied cheerfully. "I figured Beasty could speak Big Hairy Monster to him. But I do know he has a ship." The creature motioned them towards the back. Sora and Jack rose to their feet and walked over with the carpet monster leading the way.
He lead them to a booth in the corner of the room where a man sat with his feet propped up on the table. He was rather scruffy looking with short brown hair and a black vest over a white shirt. A laser pistol was strapped to his belt. He motioned to Sora and Jack to sit down across from him, which they did. The man set his feet down to address them.
"I'm Han Solo," the man said. "Captain of the Millennium Falcon. This is Chewbacca," he said, motioning to the hairy creature, who howled in response. "He tells me you guys are in need of a ride."
Jack whispered in to Sora. "Let me do the talking." He turned back to Han Solo. "I am Jack Sparrow. Captain of the Black Pearl. This is my witty assistant Sora." Sora glared at the pirate. "And yes, indeedy we need a ride. But that depends on who we get the ride from, savvy? Your ship any good?"
"Good?" Han scoffed. "You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?"
"I make it a rule to avoid all things with the word Millennium in it." Han frowned.
"Well, don't worry. It'll get you where you need to go. Which is where exactly?"
"We need to meet up with our friends in their ship," Sora explained.
"A docking job, eh?" Han said with a smirk. "Well that'll cost you a little extra then."
"Cost?" Sora repeated.
"You didn't think we were getting a free ride, did you?" Jack asked. "In this day and age there's a rising demand for public transportation. Honest men like Mr. Solo here need to make an honest living."
"But what about helping us out of the goodness of your heart?" Sora asked, hopefully. Jack and Han shared a look...before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. Chewbacca also howled with laughter.
"Ahahaha! Oh, that's a good one, kid!" Han laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Goodness of his heart, he says!" Jack howled. Sora shoulders slumped dejectedly. "But all kidding aside, what's your price?"
"Well for you, the kid and the big hairy guy over there," Han said looking at Beast who was still arm-wrestling. He was currently holding his own against five other people, looking very bored as he did. "Four-thousand munny."
Sora choked at the steep price but Jack kept his poker face, obviously used to haggling. "Four-thousand, eh? How do you come to that estimate?"
"One-thousand a head," Han answered. "But for him..." He glanced at Beast again. "...it's two-thousand. Three of you, four-thousand. Take it or leave it."
"What about Kairi, Mulan and sonic?" Sora asked. Jack stiffened.
"Three more people?" Han asked smirking wider then ever. "Well then your price comes to seven-thousand." Jack glared at Sora who was grinning sheepishly.
"Just don't mention the little dragon," Jack hissed. "Mr. Solo, perhaps we can negotiate. Two of the passengers of our little group are mere children. Certainly not worth the weight in one-thousand munny. Five-hundred for the children is what I propose."
Han turned to Sora. "How old are you, kid?" he asked.
"Sixte-" Jack elbowed Sora in the ribs. "Uh, twelve?"
Han scowled but shrugged. "Alright. Five hundred for the kids. I'm not a greedy guy." The Chewbacca creature made a sound that sounded like laughter causing Han to scowl further. "So that comes to six-thousand."
"And did I care to mention that one of the passengers is a mere hedgehog? Are you really going to charge one-thousand for the head of a hedgehog?"
"Alright, alright!" Han sighed. "Five-thousand and that's my final offer. Take it or leave it."
Jack grinned widely while Sora gave him an almost admirable look. Jack was quite the conniving, scheming cheat. But was that a good thing? "Mr. Solo, you get half when we take off and half when we arrive, savvy? We want to leave as soon as possible."
"Sounds good to me," Han shrugged. "I'm not planning on staying here any longer. Meet us at hanger 69 in an hour. That'll give us enough time to refuel and restock."
"Very well, mate. It was a pleasure to do business with you and your helper monkey. We look forward to flying in your Aluminium Falcon."
"Millennium Falcon," Han said scowling.
"Whatever floats your boat, mate. Come, assistant!" Jack stood from his seat and left the booth with Sora. "We're out of here, Beasty!" Beast raised his head at Jack's call. He promptly slammed his arm down, sending the five men he was arm-wrestling flying into a wall. He left them without a second glance.
"I can't believe you actually came through," Beast said to Jack.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Jack slurred. "Don't answer that. The point is we have a ride and it's all thanks to me!"
"I'll call Kairi and the others and tell them we have a ship," Sora said, taking out the Kimmunicator. "Now we can get out of here before the Chasers come for us."
Back with Han and Chewbacca, the hairy alien growled something to his friend. "Yeah," Han answered. "I don't like them either."
KHKHKHKH
"59...60...61...," Sora counted as he walked past the other hangers as he searched for hanger 69. He and the other Keybladers had joined back up after Sora, Jack and Beast had confirmed they had a ride out of here. Kairi, Mulan and sonic didn't have any luck themselves. sonic had somehow been talked into buying a monkey's paw but that was about it.
"So who are these guys again?" Kairi asked.
"A Mr. Tan Bowling and Chewiebacca!" Jack answered.
"Han Solo and Chewbacca," Sora corrected.
"Well whoever they were they sure were nice to give us a ride," Mulan said smiling.
"Yeah and it only cost us all our munny," Beast muttered.
"You had to pay them?" sonic asked.
"It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, mate," Jack explained.
"68...69! This is it!" Hanger 69 was down an open pathway, crowded with people, that lead into the hanger itself. They made their way through the hustle and bustle and reached the hanger doors where Han Solo stood with a pack slung over his shoulder. Chewbacca also hefted a pack of his own.
"About time you got here," Han scoffed. He looked at the other Keybladers. "Hey wait a minute! You said there was a hedgehog!"
"There is a hedgehog," Jack countered, sauntering to sonic. "I just never said how big he was! Meet our hedgehog!" sonic growled at jack while Han scowled. Jack had got him good.
"Hello, other people I've never met. I'm Han Solo and this is my co-pilot Chewbacca." Chewbacca growled in response. "What are your names? Never mind, I'll never remember them. Alright, let's get out of here so I can get paid!" He walked into the hanger and the others followed him.
"He seems nice...," Kairi said dryly.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Han shouted as they entered the open roofed hanger. "Meet the Falcon!" Parked inside was a large slightly rusted ship of unique design. It was in the shape of a saucer with two mandible-like pieces sticking out the front. A satellite was mounted on the hull and the cockpit was connected to the right side of the ship.
"Wow!" Kairi exclaimed. "It's so cool!" Han smiled proudly.
"Yup! One of the fastest ships in the galaxy! You guys picked the right captain to hire!"
"Are you sure this thing will fly?" sonic said irritably. "It looks pretty beat up."
"Don't you worry your blue-haired head, this ship can do point five past Lightspeed. Now everyone on...board?" Leaning against the landing gear of his ship was a pale man who's face was partly covered by a red cloak.
"Vincent!" Sora shouted. Vincent Valentine opened his crimson eyes and walked over to Han Solo.
"Who's the vampire?" Han asked. "Sparrow, you didn't say anything about another passenger. That's gonna cost you another thousand." Vincent pulled his strange gun out from its holster and pointed it at the spaceship captain. "Although in your case I think we can make an exception!" Chewbacca roared angrily at the red-cloaked man.
"Vincent! What are you doing?" Sora shouted. Vincent didn't answer or move his gun away.
"Sora! Who is this guy!?" Mulan asked.
Vincent's eyes narrowed. "Don't...move...," he hissed to Han. The pilot was confused at his words until he realized that Vincent wasn't looking at him, he was looking behind him. Out of the corner of his own eye there was nothing there.
Vincent quickly moved his gun from Han's face and fired a triple-shelled shot right over his shoulder, nearly deafening the pilot in the process. The bullets went straight past him and collided with something in thin air. A angry inhuman cry split the air. Han whipped out his laser pistol and fired at the same place Vincent had. Sand started flying as footprints appeared in the earth that dodged Han's lasers and Vincent's bullets. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blue ball of energy was shot straight at Han and Vincent, who rolled out of the way.
"Chewie! Start the ship!" Han yelled as he kept firing at nothing. The hairy beast ran up the ramp that lead to the Falcon. "Everybody on board!" Blue blasts of energy rained down from all directions and Han and Vincent aimed at the direction they came.
"What's going on!?" Beast hollered. A blast exploded beside him.
"We're being attacked by ghosts!" Jack cried. "I knew this day would come!" He ran up the ramp in a hurry and everyone followed him while Vincent and Han covered their escape.
"No time!"
Sora didn't follow but looked around frantically to try to find the attacker. But there was nothing anywhere. Then he saw it, a shimmer in the air that Han had been able to score a hit on. The hit momentarily caused the shimmer to become a solid form and Sora was able to see their assailant. The eyes behind the sleek steel helmet locked gazes with the young Keyblader and Sora froze in place. The cannon on the attacker's shoulder took aim at Sora but Han knocked the boy out of the way and fired at the creature before it could fire. The creature dodged with amazing agility and once again disappeared.
"Come on, kid! We're out of here!" Han shouted dragging Sora up the ramp. Vincent fired a couple more shots and followed after. The ramp closed behind him and laser blasts pounded on the hull of the ship. Han lead Sora through the ship and to the back where the other Keybladers were. "Strap yourselves in. We're taking off!" He then left them to head for the cockpit.
"Are you okay?" Kairi asked as he came to them.
"I'm fine," he answered.
Han ran into the small bridge where Chewbacca was already preparing for takeoff. Outside, laser blasts continued to hammer on the ship. Their attacker was now fully visible, the need for stealth now being gone. "Start the countdown, Chewie!" Han ordered. With a answering howl, Chewbacca activated the engines. The Millennium Falcon slowly began to rise out of the hanger. The creature outside stopped its barrage seeing this and hopped onto a pile of crates stacked high on top of each other. Once high enough, he leapt for the ship and barely caught on by one hand to the side.
Luckily, Han Solo noticed this. Smirking, he said, "Hope he likes to fly!" He jerked the ship and the creature lost its hold high above the city. At the mercy of gravity, he plummeted back down to the earth. But it wasn't dead yet. He quickly aimed his wrist computer at a nearby tower and shot a small but strong grappling hook. It wrapped around the tower and he used it to swing to the safety of a nearby rooftop. Once on solid ground, the hunter turned his visor to the skies where the Millennium Falcon was growing smaller and smaller as it flew away. It clenched its fist in annoyance but calmed down soon after.
The hunt wasn't over yet.
KHKHKHKH
The Millennium Falcon exited the desert planet's atmosphere, leaving the danger behind. There was nothing ahead so they flew unheeded through space. Inside, the Keybladers and Vincent Valentine stood from their seats. "Alright," Mushu sighed. "What's trying to kill us this time?"
"I don't know," Mulan said. "I couldn't see anyone there."
"Whatever it was," sonic said irritated. "I couldn't even seen it coming."
"What was it?", Kairi wondered. "A Heartless?"
"A Yautja." Everyone turned to Vincent.
"A what?" Sora asked.
"A Yautja," Han Solo said, entering the hold. "Now I think it's about time you guys tell me who you are!"
"What do you mean?" Sora stammered. "We're just a couple of unlucky travelers who happened to need a ride."
'Don't give me that!" Han snapped. "You all have to be pretty special to have a Yautja after you!"
"What is a Yautja?" Beast asked.
"One of the most feared creatures in the known galaxy," Vincent said, leaning against a wall. "A race of highly skilled hunters that kill merely for sport. They're strong, confident, very dedicated fighters. They travel from world to world in search of formidable prey that they can hunt down in the name of their honour."
"They use highly advanced technology made solely for killing," Han continued. "We couldn't see him back there because of his cloaking device. That thing makes the Yautja virtually invisible. A pretty valuable piece of equipment. That's not all he's limited too, either."
"Once a Yautja determines its prey, it will stalk it to the end," Vincent explained. "It will never stop the hunt until either it, or its prey, is dead. For proof of the kill, it collects a trophy from the prey."
"Trophy?" Kairi asked. Han slid is thumb across his neck and Kairi recoiled in horror.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Jack whined. "Now I've got a Chaser after me, a Yautja and Davyyyyyyy...Crocket! Yeah, that's it! Davy Crocket! He and I go way back!" He smiled and scratched his head nervously.
"So the question is," Han said, eyeing all the Keybladers, "why is one after you? Cause all I know is the Yautja race only recently came under the service of the Empire."
"The Empire!?" the Keybladers chorused. "So that's it!" Sora seethed. "Darth Vader! He sent that thing after us!"
Han looked surprised for a second. "You have a beef with Vader?" he asked. "Alright, who the heck are you guys!? Spill it or you can walk back to your ship!" The Keybladers all shared nervous glances. "Well!?"
"Alright, alright!" Sora chided. Raising his arm, he summoned his Kingdom Key. Han's eyes widened at the sight. All the other Keybladers raised their arms and summoned their own Keyblades. Han's eyes were the size of saucers.
"Keybladers?" Han whispered. Sora nodded.
"Sorry we weren't honest with you before, but-"
"Alright!" Han suddenly exclaimed. "This is great! I hit the jackpot! Promotion, here I come!" Everyone watched in confusion as Han paraded around the hold, shouting praise to himself. It didn't look like he would stop any time soon.
"I've seen this before," Jack sighed. "He's got ocean madness."
"We aren't in the ocean," Kairi stated.
"That's not important right now. The only right thing to do is put him out of his misery." Jack raised his Keyblade to knock Han out but Mulan restrained him. "Let me go! It's for the best!"
Han finally stopped his dancing and calmed down. "Sorry," he panted. "It's just that we've been looking everywhere for you guys! We've looked under every rock and tree and you just fall right into my lap! I'll be eatin' well tonight!" This went on and on until Sora finally stopped him.
"Wait!" he called. "What are you talking about? Who's been looking for us?"
"It's not another guy that wants us dead, is it?" Beast groaned.
"Yeah, I'm beginning to lose count," Mushu agreed.
Han chuckled. "Sorry. Guess I should explain. Truth is I haven't been entirely honest with you guys either. I wasn't in that cantina looking for business. I was recruiting."
"Recruiting?" Sora asked.
"For what?" Vincent asked. Han chuckled again.
"You guys ever heard of the Rebel Alliance?"
KHKHKHKH
Shelke's blue eyes slowly began to flutter open. She thought back to before she was knocked out. She and the Keyblader Sora had fought each other in the Olympus Coliseum and he had won, sending her into a long sleep. His last attack must have disrupted the magic in her body that kept her from dying and aging, thus giving her a while to recover.
She looked at her surroundings. She was in unfamiliar surroundings that seemed to be some kind of medical ward. She lay in a white pristine bed that wasn't very comfortable. And sitting in a chair beside the bed was one-eyed Shalua. She was fast asleep. Shelke gave her a blank look before rising to her feet.
She quickly assessed the situation. She was cut off from her allies and most likely captured by the enemy. Somehow, she had to escaped and returned to her master, the Horned King. Her two sabers lay on a table in another corner of the room. She regained them and examined them for any damage.
"Shelke?" Shelke turned back to the bed where Shalua was now awake. "You're awake! Thank goodness." She rose to her feet and made her way over to her long lost sister. Shelke immediately ignited her sabers.
"You were a fool to let me live," she stated coldly. "Now I'm going to kill you and return to the Horned King."
Shalua stopped and breathed deep. "I've been looking for you for over ten years, Shelke. Ten long years that went by so quickly. When I saw you, I was blinded by gushing feelings of happiness and relief. But that's not like me at all! Not since that day. I tell you this, I don't want to hurt you, Shelke, but I won't let you return to that monster!"
Shelke's expression didn't change. "I don't need your permission." Shalua laughed lightly.
"Very well," she said, craning her neck. "I don't recall you ever being able to win any of our fights." She raised her hand in a fighting stance. "Let's go."
KHKHKHKH
The Millennium Falcon, flown by the Wookie Chewbacca, continued to sail through the stars, heading for the SheraIn the hold, everyone else had gathered to listen to Han Solo's explanation.
"Basically, the Rebel Alliance is an opposing military force to the Galactic Empire. We wish to bring back things to the way they were before they came and messed everything up. We travel to many other worlds that are fed up with the Empire's control of things. We're small but effective, growing each and every day."
"Wow," Sora whispered. "It's good to know that a lot of people hate the Empire as much as we do!"
"It's very admirable," Vincent commented. "Don't let anyone push you around. That's what I like to see."
"Yup," Han said. "They sent me there to see if I could find anyone else who would like to help our cause. Then I met this guy." He jerked his thumb at Jack. "And I figured I could make some easy coin on him."
"Yeah, well you have bad hair," Jack retorted feebly.
"But why do you need us?" Kairi asked.
"Well we not only have to deal with Stormtroopers but Heartless as well. They've broken out across the galaxy. Way more then there were before. We're having a lot of trouble containing this problem. Then we heard about Keyblades. Keyblades are the stuff of legends!" Han replied. "Some wield more power then a Jedi! So, we recently heard that Keybladers had been seen again. We need more help than ever in our crusade. The Empire's moving and we can't do much t stop them. But, with the Keybladers on our side, we just might have a chance."
"Yeah, everyone wants a piece of Jack nowadays," Jack sighed.
"That's cause most of them haven't met you yet," sonic remarked.
"So what do you think?" Han asked hopefully. "Will you join us?" The Keybladers were silent for quite a long time.
"Huddle!" Mushu cried. The Keybladers all gathered round in their own nifty Keyblader huddle. Vincent shook his head at the embarrassing display. They whispered amongst themselves as Han strained his ears to hear what they were saying. Unfortunately, he could decipher nothing. They had obviously practiced this. Finally, they broke apart.
"Thanks but no thanks," Mulan said gently. "We have our own problems to deal with first."
Han's face fell. "Awww. Really?"
"Yeah, sorry," Sora said. "We also don't want to put any of you in danger. These Keyblades carry nothing but trouble. You see, we're being hunted."
"By the Yautja," Han stated. Sora shook his head.
"Something worse." Han raised an eyebrow but didn't press the subject. "We don't want to put anyone else in danger. I've already made a huge mistake about this and I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me. It's already happened before..." Sora's mind wandered off to his silver-haired best friend, a captive of the evil Darth Vader. Vincent regarded Sora with his gaze and smirked lightly.
Han also stared at Sora admirably before sighing. "You know, Sora," he said. "You're a real good kid. You remind me of someone else I know." The ships speakers went on and Chewbacca's howling rang through the hold. "We're coming up on your ship. Guess it's time for you to leave."
"Thank goodness," Beast sighed. "I need a shower. My fur's full of sand and various other unidentified foreign objects."
"Here, let me help you with that!" Mushu said jumping off of Mulan and onto Beast, then proceeded to pick all the bugs out of the brown fur and eat them.
The Shera floated not far off. It wasn't moving at all, just drifting harmlessly through emptiness. Chewbacca maneuvered the Millennium Falcon to dock at the back of the Shera. The Falcon was slightly smaller than the Shera but it managed to make a perfect dock nonetheless. They hooked up to a small door that connected the two ships. The door led to a hallway in the Shera but no one was there to meet them. In fact, nobody even acknowledged their arrival.
Sora and the other Keybladers walked into the hallway while Han and Vincent saw them off. "What are you gonna do, Vincent?" Sora asked the red-cloaked man.
Vincent crossed his arms. "I'm going with these guys. This Rebel Alliance sounds like the real deal. Besides, I've got nothing better to do."
"Great," Han sighed. "We lose the Keybladers but we get an emo instead. Lady luck is looking out for me today."
Sora smiled. "Take it easy, Han. I'm glad we had the chance to meet you."
"Speak for yourself," Jack muttered.
"Thanks, Sora," Han said, grinning. "And if you guys ever need any help, look us up. We're in the book." Sora and the others walked away.
"Sora," Vincent called, gaining the boy's attention. "If you ever see Cloud, tell him I said hi." Sora grinned and gave him a thumbs up. The door closed and the Millennium Falcon disconnected from the Shera. Once at a safe distance, it warped out the area as if it had never been there.
"Oh no!" Jack suddenly cried.
"What's wrong?" Mulan asked.
"I forgot to get our munny back! That no good swindler! Five-thousand munny! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Everyone sighed. Ignoring the pirate's whining, they made their way through the Shera once again.
"Where is everybody?" sonic asked as they walked. The halls were completely empty. "I was expecting some kind of welcome back party. What a gyp."
"They must all be on the bridge," Beast said. "Won't they be surprised when they see I'm back."
"I'm sure Aerith and Quistis will be happy to see me," Jack drawled with a grin. "They'll cry tears of joy upon my heroic return."
"They'll cry, but it won't be for joy," Mulan joked.
"Well, I can tell you right now, I'm starving!" Mushu stressed. "Which way is the kitchen? I've got a craving for some pasta!"
"Well there's only one thing I want to do," Kairi sighed. "Take a nap. I'm beat."
"But the first thing we have to do is tell everybody about the Chasers," Sora said. "I just hope they take it as well as you guys did." They came to the doors that lead to the bridge and walked through them as they swished open.
"Break out the rum, boys and girls! Captain Jack is back on board!" the pirate announced. He walked straight into the back of the Beast who had stopped dead in his tracks. Frowning, Jack peeked over his shoulder and saw what everyone else saw. "Oh, bugger."
The bridge was in a state of disarray. The control panels had been ripped apart, the wooden floors were torn asunder and all around lay the unconscious forms of their friends. Leon and Yuffie were sprawled across the floor with their respective weapons in hand. Quistis, Cid, Barret and Wade were in a similar state. Adelbert was face down on the floor but Lula was nowhere to be seen. Kim, Ron and even Rufus were knocked out. The cause of all this stood by the large window, staring into space. Black armour and a long cape made up his ten-foot tall body as he turned around to face the shocked Keybladers.
"Welcome back," the Chaser said. "We were getting quite restless. But now that you're here..." In his hand he summoned a large, threatening Keyblade. "...the fun can begin."
And that concludes another chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews, adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt, turn it into a webcomic or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!