Chapter 1
New Arrivals
After landing somewhere in the outskirts of the village, Sora and his friends were welcomed back with open arms, but they did give their new friends a warm welcome too, after they explained the events that had transpired from before. Many of the women from the tribe were gathering some food for a celebratory feast to honor Pocahontas' refusal to see another conflict begin, following her refusal to let hatred guide both parties into an all out war that would destroy each other, and themselves. Mischievous Meeko saw one basket filled with berries, followed by Percy, the pug who once belonged to Ratcliffe, but was stopped by Grandmother Willow who refused to let their squabble continue any further. The little racoon jumped from basket to basket, but the poor dog fell into the soft snow. It didn't hurt him, but at least the landing was soft enough to avoid any injuries. Nakoma looked up, mildly annoyed, until a snowball struck the basket she was carrying. Pocahontas was trying to get her to play once more, even though she remarked about how they had grown too old for the games they played as children. The two friends threw snowballs at each other, even as Flit watched them in the middle, until he was struck by one and became a snowman, even though he was a hummingbird. Far away, Sora and his friends arrived to see them having fun. At least until they stumbled into the basket and slid down the hill. Pocahontas laughed with joy, until they flew through the air and landed in more snow.
"Nice to see you guys having fun with each other," said the spiky brunette.
"Sora! Kirito! Asuna! Leafa! Yui! Welcome back!" cried Pocahontas, as she ran up and hugged them one by one.
But Nakoma was surprised to see more new faces she'd not seen before.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm Shea Haulia," answered Shea.
"I'm Yang. Yang Xiao Long," grinned Yang.
"My name's Yumi. It's a pleasure," greeted Yumi.
"I'm the great ninja Yuffie Kisaragi," smiled Yuffie.
"So, my name's Yuzuriha. Nice to meet you all," said Yuzuriha.
"Hi, I'm Asuka," giggled Asuka.
"I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose," added Ruby.
"I'm Rebecca Bluegarden, and this is my friend Happy," said Rebecca.
"Hi," squeaked Happy.
"I'm Compa," said Compa.
"My name's Chisato. Chisato Nishikigi," added Chisato.
"And my name's Cody," finished Cody.
"They're friends of mine, and part of Team SSKYYYYYLAARRCCC," Sora explained briefly.
"I'm Nakoma, and this is Pocahontas," greeted Nakoma.
"Hello," her best friend greeted as well.
But Nakoma noticed a somber look in Pocahontas' eyes, and placed her winter cloth over her shoulder.
"Oh, much time has passed since the news of John Smith's death. Perhaps it's time to put this behind you," she sighed.
"I know you are right. It's just hard to say goodbye," replied Pocahontas, and she slowly walked away with the compass in her hands.
Sora looked at her, and sensed a great deal of sorrow in the poor girl's heart, until Meeko and Percy bumped into Nakoma from behind. The two animals were surprised to see him and both his old and new friends at his side.
"It's alright, you two. They're friends," she assured them, then tossed some dog biscuits away.
But of course, Meeko caught them and ran, leaving an angry Percy to chase him, until he slipped and slid down the frozen ice, and right into a tree. Snow fell and landed on top of where he crashed, until he saw the last biscuit being split in half by the racoon. But instead of sharing, Meeko ate it all up, until Flit swooped down and stopped them from getting into another fight, just as the Warriors of Light arrived.
"Flit's right. Enough is enough. Don't you see that Pocahontas is still upset about what happened to John Smith, Meeko and Percy?" he asked sternly.
That got both animals to know their place at once, at least until the hummingbird saw the newcomers.
"It's okay, Flit. They're friends of ours. You can trust them," assured Leafa.
Flit nodded, remembering how he was mistrustful of John Smith, then flew off to where Pocahontas was kneeling down by another frozen pond, which was where they first met each other.
"Think we should cheer her up, Sora?" asked Kirito.
"No. Let's leave her alone, Kirito," replied Sora.
But Flit and Meeko went down to Pocahontas' side anyway, and Percy, despite trying to find a way, slipped and fell into the snow once more. All three animals came to her side, until they heard her sing about what was happening around her.
"The earth is cold
The fields are bare
The branches fold against the wind that's everywhere
The birds move on
So they survive
When snow's so deep
The bears all sleep to keep themselves alive
They do what they must for now
And trust in their plan
If I trust in mine, somehow
I might find who I am
But where do I go from here?
So many voices ringing in my ear
Which is the voice that I was meant to hear?
How will I know?
Where do I go from here?
My world has changed and so have I
I've learned to choose
And even learned to say goodbye
The path ahead's so hard to see
It winds and bends but where it ends
Depends on only me
In my heart I don't feel part of so much I've known
Now it seems it's time to start
A new life on my own
But where do I go from here?
So many voices ringing in my ear
Which is the voice that I was meant to hear?
How will I know?
Where do I go from here?"
Sora hung his head, and blinked heavily to fight back against the tears forming in his eyes.
"Oh, Pocahontas. I really do understand how you feel," he murmured.
"Poor girl…" sobbed Shea, who sympathized with her new friend.
"Maybe Nakoma was right. Saying goodbye to someone you've known for a while is one of the hardest things to do," admitted Yumi, who was also touched by what she heard.
Suddenly, there came a loud bang, snapping everyone out of their thoughts. A ship appeared on the horizon, sailing to Jamestown. All the people in the slowly forming town rushed to the front gates, hoping to bring her into port. As they opened, the dock keepers were given several lines to help bring her about, and the anchor was lowered. However, far away, several warriors from the Powhatan tribe watched from behind the trees, wondering who would be coming into Jamestown. Then they saw Sora and his friends with Pocahontas, as they watched new supplies being unloaded and brought to the new houses and shops. A small contingent of soldiers arrived and saluted to welcome a newcomer who rode on a horse.
"Who is he?" wondered Chisato.
"I don't know, but we'll find out soon enough," replied Leafa.
The warriors echoed what they spoke in their native tongue. One grocer shoved past Pocahontas.
"Filthy barbarian," he growled, making Flit angry.
"Now that wasn't very nice of him," scoffed Asuna.
He flew towards him and tore a hole in the bag. Biscuits fell one by one, and one landed on Meeko's head, making him chase it. He accidentally bounced off of Percy, making the dog chase him as well, until they came towards the man on his horse. The grocer was about to recover the biscuits, when the creature began prancing and stamping the ground in a wild frenzy, while its rider tried to steady it, despite the hummingbird's scolding.
"Uh-oh," gasped Rebecca.
The man fell off his horse and landed with a thud, then watched it gallop off towards the grocer. Fearing that he would be hurt, Pocahontas ran and pushed him out of the way before he could get trampled by the animal. Normally, he would've thanked her, but as he raised his fist to strike, the warriors burst out and readied their bows and arrows, while the soldiers readied their rifles for a fight. Pocahontas, not wanting another fight to break out, ran between them.
"No, wait!" she cried, and Sora joined her side.
"HOLD YOUR FIRE! Pocahontas saved that man's life from being run over by that other man's horse! You don't want to start another conflict with each other!" he called, even as he set his Keyblade into the snow.
"YOU HEARD THEM!" the other man shouted, his hands also raised up.
This made both groups stand down at once, and they walked away, making Pocahontas relieved.
"Bravo, lad. That was very brave of you," he said to Sora, giving him a smile of admiration.
"Thanks, but I just couldn't sit back and let Pocahontas do this alone. Still, I guess I can appreciate your help, even after what two of her friends had done to scare your horse," replied the spiky brunette.
"Sora…" murmured Pocahontas, even as she slowly walked away.
"Oh, I... I never meant to intrude," the man said quickly.
"No, you didn't. But something tells me Pocahontas might be annoyed at you for choosing to support her refusal of another war. Why don't you give her some space for a bit? That way, she'll start to learn a bit more about you," answered Shea.
The man stepped back a bit, surprised to see a girl with bunny ears and a cotton tail, as well as dressed in what appeared to be a bikini, despite the cold weather.
"Oh, well, uh, Ahem! I don't believe I've ever met a young lady like you, or any of your other friends, but perhaps introductions are in order. I am John Rolfe," he explained.
The whole of Team SSKYYYYYLAARRCCC introduced themselves to John Rolfe.
"Fascinating. You truly are a rather lively group," admitted the newcomer.
"Uh, I guess…" replied Sora.
"Anyway, I'll go get your hat, while Sora gives both Meeko and Percy a good scolding," added Ruby, and she darted off.
Rolfe was surprised, but also pleased to know that he'd met some people who were more sociable, even around many different kinds of people, no matter who or what they were. Luckily, the red-cloaked huntress recovered his hat, and Sora glared at Percy and Meeko.
"Geez, you two. What were you thinking? Your actions nearly got everyone killed. Next time, don't start another ruckus, otherwise you'll be in even bigger trouble," he scolded them.
Flit flew by, nodding in agreement, then buzzed away, just as they heard some of the other settlers talking about another conflict about to start, which Pocahontas would never allow. Just then, a boy arrived with John Rolfe's horse, after he calmed it down.
"Oh, there you are. Thank you," he said to him.
"Why don't you follow us, John?" suggested Yumi.
"Very well, you can lead me to where Pocahontas lives," replied Rolfe, and they galloped away.
In the village beyond, Powhatan watched everyone dancing around a bonfire, including Pocahontas and Nakoma, as music echoed through the forest. Of course, Meeko was up to his usual antics, as he took food from a plate a warrior was about to eat, until he was led away to join in the celebration. Normally, the celebration would have continued, until they all heard the neighing of a horse, with John Rolfe on it, even with Sora and his friends leading the way. This made everyone both surprised, and worried. However, the whole tribe was aware of both Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Leafa, and Yui, but also a bit skeptical about their friends.
"It's alright, everyone. They're friends. They chose to come with us of their own free will," assured Asuna.
"Asuna's correct, and hello Great Chief. I am John Rolfe," added John Rolfe.
"Yeah. Also, the reason why we led John Rolfe here was so that he could give Pocahontas a gift. This horse. You know, as an offering for peace, not conflict," explained Sora.
The chief nodded, then turned to Pocahontas.
"Daughter. This beast is for you," he said to her.
"Thank you, Chief, and we're so sorry for our arrival ruining the celebration," apologized Yumi.
"Please, you didn't ruin anything. But it's wonderful to see Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Leafa, and Yui again, even after John Smith gave his life to protect me," assured Pocahontas' father.
"You're right, but it's time I tell you all the truth about myself. Unlike everyone around us, I was born with darkness in my heart. In other words, I'm the child of Xehanort," sighed Cody.
"XEHANORT!?" gasped Pocahontas.
"I'm afraid so, Pocahontas. But I'm not the monster! Because I want nothing more to do with my own father! Please, believe me! Sora promised that he'd never let the past repeat itself again and again, because a third Keyblade War is the last thing he'd want for us, which means that it could perpetuate the cycle of conflict," he begged her.
"Is it true, Sora?" the chief asked.
"Unfortunately, it is, Chief," sighed Sora.
"But unlike what I'd been in the past, I once believed in my grandfather's wishes to see evil be eradicated from not just the world I came from, but in all other worlds. That was until he told me that both light and darkness must always coexist with each other. And we can't have one without the other. So please, Chief Powhatan. Don't kill Cody because he was spawned from a man who turned to evil so that he'd become a god that controls all things," explained Yumi.
"I'd actually listen to her if I were in your position, Chief. Because Cody's more than just a friend to us. He's family, and family is what binds our hearts together," added Kirito.
The chief sighed, then quietly motioned for everyone to stand down and leave Cody alone.
"Very well, everyone. But just make sure you keep a very sharp eye on him," he warned them.
"Don't worry, Chief. We intend to," replied Leafa.
"Hmm… Good show, chaps," murmured John Rolfe.
"Thank you," replied Yuzuriha.
"Well, brushing that aside for now, maybe we could find a way for both you and everyone to coexist with each other after we sort things out. John Rolfe told us that he wants you to come with him to England so that he can talk to King James about forming a truce with each other. That way, there may be no further conflicts that could lead to mass destruction for everyone," explained Ruby.
"That's right. But I'm also worried after what Shea just told Sora about what she saw in her nightmarish premonition. Also, we know that even though you don't want to come with us, we understand. But seeing both you and everyone else wiped out by what she's seen in that nightmare she had is something we want to prevent," added Yang.
Surprised by what she heard, Pocahontas could tell that the half-siblings were right.
"Thank you, Yang," she sighed, after calming down from her panic at the revelation of Cody being Xehanort's offspring.
"What?" one of the warriors asked in shock.
"If it's okay with you, Chief, why don't you let Pocahontas go to England? She can help stop a new war from happening, just like what Shea had seen with her ability to see the future," pleaded Rebecca.
"Rebecca is right. I can do this," Pocahontas begged her father.
"You have your mother's spirit. Very well. It is decided," he sighed in defeat.
"Thank you, Chief. And don't worry, we'll watch over her, and protect her from anyone that wants to hurt her, including the Heartless," replied Sora.
"But we'll need to talk with someone who can help us out," said Yui.
"Grandmother Willow might help. She's never let me down, and was able to help me rediscover my true path when John Smith was about to be executed after Kocoum's planned death at the hands of Marluxia," smiled Pocahontas.
"He was the bravest man we all knew, and was always willing to protect his friends from certain death. But, after Marluxia revealed that he was the one that wanted him out of the way, we fought back and defeated that monster, and now his heart is resting peacefully in Kingdom Hearts," explained the spiky brunette.
"Yeah. How could any of us forget that, even though he asked for forgiveness after he was manipulated by that 'Graceful Assassin?'" sighed Asuna.
"But as you said, Kocoum's at peace," assured Nakoma.
