Yes, I know, I know, it's been way too long. Hush up. I was busy. And lacking of inspiration. But it's here now!
I have been toying with an idea of a prequel, to see how everyone got to where they were. I have no ideas for a sequel, though you are quite welcome to suggest any.
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Pirates of Destiny Isle
Part Six
Priest Li Xiang
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She was still only wearing the shift that had been beneath her dress, although it was substantially less now. Time was of the essence, and she didn't want to have to deal with her skirt tangling up in her legs as she went. Once again, the tonfa came out, slicing neatly through her skirt, just beneath her butt. The britches she had been wearing the entire time were stained and dirty from lack of washing, contrasting sharply with the white cotton shift. But Kairi could not possibly care less about what she looked like at that moment-- what she cared about was getting off the Ragnarok and heading for the Black Pearl.
Loire had wanted her to remain behind, citing her lack of battle experience as the reason. It was a good reason, solid and well founded, but it rankled her that she would be left out of it, after having been such a part of this entire adventure. Still, half the ship's crew manned the deck of the Ragnarok, and half of it floated out on the waves as a precaution. Pirates were, after all, known for their tricks, and she felt it was only proper for the Commodore not to have taken Sparrow's word above all else-- despite her own sisterly feelings for the man.
What she had no idea of, was that Leonhart had a sinking feeling that about what was happening in the dead of this night, and had only sent a quarter of his men out to sea to allow for them to escape and report the failure, and death, of Commodore Leon Loire. He knew the legends of the Heartless, he knew the only thing that could truly kill them was the Keyblade; a weapon no one had ever actually seen. He knew the way pirates acted, from his own experiences, and he knew what Ansem was like, from the stories he had heard. Danger filled the air, and so Squall had remained on the Ragnarok.
As Kairi dove out a window and into the waters of the small bay that led to the only place a boat could come ashore on the Isla de Bastion, Squall pulled free his faithful weapon. Designed specifically for him, he hadn't drawn it from it's casings since he had given up pirate-hood.
The enchanted blade lit the darkened Captain's Cabin with an eerie blue glow, and Squall gave a tight smile as the first warning shout rang out on the deck. It appeared that Ansem's crew had arrived-- he should introduce them to his old friend. Throwing open the door of his little safe haven, all that saw him froze in shock for a moment.
Ruffled, short brown hair-- cut with a simple hunting knife when he had returned to the ship after letting Sora and Riku go-- and dressed in the comfortable black pants and white shirt with a black vest, his pendant shining with the glow from his blade, he was a sight straight from a nightmare. A nightmare that only pirates had dreamed of before, as the infamous 'undefeated' Squall Leonhart stood in the presence of his brethren and drew a deep breath.
"To battle!"
"To battle!" came the echoing roars of the Navy men, and Squall let loose, fearsome blade leaving cold trails through the air as he cut down one pirate after another.
---
Sora was carefully inspecting trinket after trinket, wondering at the stupidity of some of Ansem's men from time to time-- obviously, the piece he was currently holding up wasn't real gold. Ah well, it hardly mattered, he gave an amused smirk and set the small statue back down. Behind him, Ansem had propped himself up against a small mound of treasure likely worth more than all the gold in Governor Swann's possession.
"I must admit, Sora," the white haired man called to his former captain, eyes heavily lidded as he watched the younger move to another pile, this one of various precious gems, "I thought I had you figured. It turns out that you're a hard man to predict."
"Me?" Sora laughed, fingering a strand of nearly perfect pearls, "I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest." And he fell silent, now preoccupied with a set of fancy, Germanic jewelry. After awhile, he set it down, and turned about to face Ansem's direction. A tiny smirk curved his lips, but the only one to see it was Ansem. Neither the pirate beside Riku, nor the one between he and his mutinous first mate saw it, and Riku was far to preoccupied by staring down at the Aztec coin now about his neck, where Ansem had chained it for 'safe keeping'.
"Honestly, now," Sora continued, with an even more over the top dramatic wave of his arms than usual, as he began to approach Ansem, "It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly..." his voice dropped down, and his hand lashed out, snatching up the blade that had rested oh-so-comfortably at the hip of pirate that was now beside him, "...stupid."
The sword flew through the air, arching towards Riku, and he grinned. The ropes, though having appeared to be tight, had been loose enough for him to work them apart, and now his hands slipped free of them. With his right hand, he caught the sword, whirling about and slamming the pommel into the chin of the pirate that had been watching him, before he'd even noticed that Turner had gotten a hold of the sword. Stumbling the pirate fell back, sliding through the moonlight let in through the air 'vents' in the cavern's ceiling. Riku blinked once, startled by the overall change, it having been many years since he had seen such a thing. But it mattered little now, and he leapt forwards to deal damage to the Heartless.
Barely ten feet away, Sora danced around Ansem's jabs, and the pirate grinned ferally, "You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here, there be monsters."
"Well," Sora laughed, his own sword catching Ansem off guard as he finally drew it to parry several powerful strikes, "I've never been one to be afraid of the dark!"
"You can't beat me, Sora," Ansem's responding grin was viscous as he backed Sora deeper into the caves with his swordsmanship. The pair didn't seem to stop for anything, blades flashing and crashing against one another-- at least until Sora spotted the one thing he had been looking for.
An opening-- one that was used quite swiftly. Sora's sword pierced through Ansem's breast, and out his back, the younger pirate grinning in victory. It was a short lived victory, however, as Ansem responded in kind, not feeling any pain from the normally mortal wound.
Sparrow's eyes widened in shock, and both hands flew to his chest. There was a strange choking noise coming from the man's mouth, and Ansem laughed as he stumbled backwards. Like Sora's victory, Ansem's was very quickly brought to an end when the young man stumbled back into the moonlight and revealed his shadowy Heartless self. Sora abruptly stopped exaggerating his wounds and examined his hand in amusement, "That's interesting..."
A golden medallion rolled across his fingers and halted in his palm. It was a strange sight to see the Heartless waggling it's eyebrows, "Couldn't resist, mate."
"Apparently so," Ansem drawled, following the other's example by removing the sword from his chest and taking another swing. Sora laughed as he blocked the strike, bouncing in and out of the light of the moon, moving between human and Heartless forms. Ansem did not seem to share Sora's simple joy in the pleasure of the battle, his human-side's face set into an impressive scowl.
Their blades crossed again, and the pair held them there for a moment in order to catch the breath neither really needed. Ansem's eyebrow raised, "So what now, Sora Sparrow? Will it be two immortals locked in an epic battle until Judgment Day and trumpets sound?"
"Or you could surrender," Sora grinned cheerfully, his words pulling a bark of laughter from his most hated former first mate.
Meanwhile, Riku wasn't having nearly as much fun as his old friend apparently was. He was too busy trying to fight off three pirates at the same time, and it was really wearing on him. Finally, he stumbled back, and his current opponent grinned toothily at him, "I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain!"
"You like pain?" Riku had never been happier to hear Kairi's voice. He was happier still when the girl whirled her tonfa about and slammed both into the pirate's head. He stumbled back a ways in shock, and she continued, "Try wearing a corset!"
Riku chuckled lightly, and Kairi extended a hand to help the blacksmith to his feet, "You alright, Riku?"
"A little bit rough 'round the edges, but alright considering," Bootstrap chuckled, shaking out a numb hand. He had attempted to block a powerful swing with a sword far inferior to his own blades, and hadn't compensated properly. His entire arm felt like dead weight, despite the fact that he could still use it.
Kairi's incredulous voice cut through Riku's contemplation of his arm, "Whose side is Sora on?"
Riku's lips quirked. How many times had he asked that of his old friend in the past...? Well, however many it was, there was only one solution to that particular question: "At the moment...?"
Their brief respite was over as the three Heartless pirates returned to attack again. Riku scowled, dropping the sword in favor of a large golden rod that must have come from a bed of some sort. Where else would someone need a gold-covered six foot long staff of wood that was four inches in diameter?
Whirling it around his body, Riku gleefully used it to batter his opponents, in an attempt to distract them from Kairi. The redheaded girl's eyes were flat as she removed the blades from their tonfa-shaped scabbards, and she prepared to use them as the swords were meant to be used.
She didn't know how much strength she'd need, so she put the entire force of her body behind the beheading strokes-- one, two, three. Within ten minutes, all three Heartless pirates had their heads and bodies separated, though they still lived. Kairi was feeling sick to her stomach. It was hard to believe that she was the cause of these deaths. Still...
Eyes turning to Sora and Ansem's battle, she was only peripherally aware of Riku bounding across the stones towards the chest containing the Aztec gold. By the time she realized that was where he was moving, and that Sora and Ansem were just haphazardly banging their swords together, he was already at the chest, and was removing a knife from his pocket.
Quickly, the girl ran after her friend, only to be brought short at the sight of a gun being aimed at her. Startled, the girl stared at Ansem, who while facing Sora, was looking at her, "One more step, Sparrow, and I shoot."
The younger pirate stared at the body-snatcher, and licked his dry lips. Quickly, while the other man was distracted, Sora cut open the palm that held his medallion. His slight hiss of pain-- unlike Ansem, he wasn't quite used to being a Heartless, and could not suppress a natural reaction, even if there was no pain-- brought the man's attention back to him, and Ansem hiked an eyebrow, "What do you think you're doing?"
"A little of this, a little of that," Sora smiled cheerfully, and in a motion that was completely unexpected, reared back and threw the medallion at Riku as hard as he could. A mere instant later, the sound of gunfire filled the room-- and Kairi collapsed with a gasp of pain. Her hand flew to her shoulder, clutching at the spot where blood began to blossom on her undershirt.
Ansem, too, looked down at his chest, and raised an eyebrow, turning to face Sora. Sparrow's smoking gun was still aimed at him, an unusually grim look on the boy's face, "Ten years you carry that pistol and now you waste your shot." There was something far to smug in Ansem's voice, and in his face.
A smugness that was washed away by Turner's voice: "He didn't waste it."
Whirling, the Heartless was just in time to witness the two golden medallions hit the rest of their brethren. His fingers felt numb. For the first time in years, his fingers were numb. The sword they held hit the ground without another thought, and the pirate captain's eyes fluttered as he attempted to stay conscious, "I feel..." he whispered, barely responsive fingers pulling at his jacket to reveal the red spot of blood seeping through the shirt beneath, "
Ten years was a long time. When Ansem reverted to the fully human form of Riku "Bootstrap" Turner, he still bore the injuries that the other man had had the day he was cursed. Atop that was the gunshot wound that had only barely begun to heal itself over with the energies that came with being a Heartless. There was nothing there to stop him from dying from blood loss.
All these things raced through the sadistic man's mind as his legs gave out on him, and he collapsed into a pile of women's clothing. Distantly, he wondered where the clothing had come from, but that hardly mattered, as the body that wasn't his gave out on him, and his soul passed on.
Kairi stumbled to her feet, hand still on her shoulder, as she heard her friend cry out in pain, and tumble backwards away from the chest of gold, "R-RIKU!" her shriek cut the air, and Sora found himself moving to check on the boy, just as Kairi was. When they got to his side, they had not expected what they got.
Riku's eyelids were fluttering madly, his eyes darting to and fro beneath them. His breath hitched, and his body spasmed. Ignoring her own injuries, the governor's daughter pulled the young man into her lap, gritting her teeth as her gunshot wound pulled painfully. That didn't matter. What mattered was that her friend appeared to be possessed by the devil; it was the only solution her frayed mind could gather from what she was witnesses.
Because there was no way that Riku's skin could be pulling itself apart only to seal up rapidly again, leaving fresh scars. Fresh scars that, in a matter of moments, faded away as though he had had them for many long years. Worried, the girl went for the only thing that could calm her at times like this-- she pulled the leather strap from her friend's hair, and began to brush it out with her fingers.
She didn't noticed the strangled noise that came from Sora's mouth, as he realized, for the very first time, what he was looking down at. Who he was looking down at. Those scars were as familiar to him as his own-- he had been raised alongside Bootstrap. He'd been there to witness Riku getting the majority of those scars. There was no way in hell that he'd be able to mistake them for anything but what they were.
His eyes darted over to the body of Ansem, and he was more shocked to find that the man's white hair was darkening to red, and the scars that had decorated his face were fading-- were being replaced by the ones that Ansem had earned.
A lump caught in his throat, Ansem's words coming back to him. Switching scars? No, it was more like... switching bodies, only with Riku not getting Ansem's. He didn't pretend to understand what was really happening here. No, all he wanted now was a good bottle of rum. That would clear everything up.
Searching for something to do, other than watch the disturbing recreation of his old friend, Sora's eyes scanned the cave. He didn't really feel up to inspecting the loot that the crew of the Black Pearl had gathered for ten years. There had to be-- his eyes landed on Kairi's shoulder, and the slowly expanding blood stain in her shirt. Frowning, the pirate took several steps closer, and then did something that he probably should have asked permission to do first.
He yanked her shirt open to get a good look at the bullet wound.
Kairi shrieked.
---
Squall felt an unexpected rush as his glowing blue blade plunged into the chest of a man who was, five minutes earlier, an unkillable Heartless. Tearing the blade free of the dying man, the former commodore made as though to take another poor soul's life, when Aeris' hands caught his arms. Her eyes were imploring and worried as she scanned his face, "Sir! Sir, they've surrendered! There's no reason to continue to shed their blood!"
"They are betrayers and mutineers," Leonhart unknowingly echoed his former student, "The gallows are too good for their type."
Several mouths went dry at the statement, and they stared at this nightmare made flesh. He looked so ethereal and pale in the moonlight, but his enchanted sword's blue fire lit his face demonically. This was not a man to be crossing, and men in both the navy and among the pirates feared for their lives. What had happened to Commodore Loire? Where was the man that had headed the destruction of the pirates of the Caribbean? This man was not the same man.
This was a man of pirating legend, and only Jafar had the courage to whisper, "Leonhart..." in the dead silence after the man's words. Squall's face went blank, and Jafar was suddenly sporting a blade through his chest, to the shock of the navy.
The commodore smiled chillingly, "We'll not speak of this, men. We have a job to do. Aladdin, Hercules I want you two--" his words were cut off as the Black Pearl swept past them. From where he stood, he could see Yuffie wave to him, and he frowned. He had planned on taking the Pearl with him back to Port Royal, where he would ditch the men that wished to remain with the Navy, while he rode the Pearl to Tortuga. It looked like that plan had been shot out of the waters.
When they picked up Sparrow, Turner and Swann from the caves nearly an hour later, however, Leonhart's spirits were once again high. Perhaps he did have a chance at his 'escape' again. How... delightful.
---
"Sora Sparrow, be it known that you have--"
"Captain. Captain Sora Sparrow," Sora grumbled, sending dark looks in the direction of his old friend. Leonhart didn't even look like he was blinking as he watched the 'show'. Dammit, he knew he shouldn't have trusted the bastard. Once you turned your back on the pirate within, you couldn't go back to it. That was the problem with morals.
Now, Kairi and Bootstrap on the other hand... well, Kairi looked kinda sick, standing beside her father and the Commodore. Bootstrap... well, he couldn't find his old friend in the crowd. How annoying; his oldest friend hadn't turned up at his execution. Where was the camaraderie in that?
Sparrow was conveniently ignoring the fact that he had been willing to barter Riku's life for a ship.
"--for your willful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature. The most grievous of these to be cited herewith: piracy, smuggling--"
Kairi started when Commodore Loire's elbow caught her lightly in the side. Looking up in confusion, she saw the man's head tilt slightly.
"--impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England--"
Sora half laughed, grinning widely at the executioner, "That was fun."
"--sailing under false colors, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, pilfering, depravity, depredation and general lawlessness. And for these crimes, you have been sentenced to be on this day, hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your soul."
Kairi finally caught sight of whatever it was that Leon had wanted her to see, and her eyes widened slightly. Looking up at him, she barely caught the flicker of his eye, and the twitching of his lips. Maybe... just maybe... everything he had done in the past week had just been an act. Maybe he really was still a pirate at heart.
Because Goofy's parrot was perched on one of the banners, and she knew what that had to mean.
"Can't breath...!", choking, she fell backwards, just barely catching sight of Riku pushing through the crowds towards the gallows.
"Kairi!" with her father distracted and Leonhart being 'helpful', Riku was given the chance he needed. He thanked god that Kairi had provided the needed distraction, so that he could get to his friend. There was no way in hell he was letting Sora get killed now-- they hadn't seen each other in a decade! Think of all the stories!
"Move!" the former pirate bellowed, and the startled people got out of the way-- and just in time. Riku's sword arched through the air just as the trapdoor went out from under Sora's feet. Bootstrap's aim was true, and the spiky-haired pirate had a foothold to stand upon.
In a display of acrobatics he hadn't performed in years, Riku had leapt up onto the gallows, and was dodging and weaving through the executioner's attacks. Grinning, the blacksmith ducked a particularly vicious attack-- one that cut right through the rope keeping Sparrow aloft.
And then the pair were off, racing towards freedom. Their movements were matched as they hadn't been for years-- it felt good to have their partner back beside them. This was what they had needed for a long time; to have their brother-in-arms back. Riku hadn't realized he had been missing it until that moment, when they were working so well together.
Their 'fun' did not last long, however, as they found themselves cornered by Loire's men. Leonhart slowly came up to them, Kairi at his side. The pair followed slowly after Governor Swann, Squall a mixture of pleased and annoyed with his men. Pleased that they had been trained well enough to catch two escaping pirates, but annoyed by their competency. They had stopped his own escape-- after all, who would fault him for diving off the parapet after the two pirates that had put him through so much?
"On our return to Destiny Island," Swann was saying, "I granted you clemency, and this is how you thank me? By throwing your lot in with him? He's a pirate!"
"And a good man," Riku didn't bother to try and explain their strange relationship. It was easier just to let everyone make up their own opinions, "If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will ear two pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear."
To everyone's surprise, it was Aeris who spoke up, her voice curiously dead, "You forget your place, Turner."
"It's right here," Riku motioned to the men who surrounded him, weapons drawn, "Between Sora and the Navy."
"As is mine," the governor nearly jumped out of his skin when his daughter pushed past him to join her friends. She looked curiously young compared to even Riku, who's new scars seemed to age him to match his eyes. But what he saw in his daughter's eyes was not the innocence they once held, nor was it the ageless wisdom in Riku's, or even the half-crazed gleam of brilliant in Sora's. What he saw was faith.
"Kairi..." he shook his head of his thoughts, "Lower your weapons! For goodness' sake put them down!" he was bellowing, he knew that. But he also knew that the men would not listen to anything less. Even now, they hesitated, before lowering the bayonettes. Swann closed his eyes, "So this is where your heart truly lies, then?"
"It is," her voice was just as soft as his had been.
Sora's gaze had not been on this ever so touching scene-- instead, it had been on a certain parrot, and he decided this was as good a time as any to take his leave, "Well! I'm actually feeling rather good about this!" He turned to the Governor with a wide smile, "I think we've all reached a very special place, eh? Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically? Kairi..." he blinked slightly when he realized the girl had her hands behind her back-- and in a hole in the seam. What was that girl up to now? He rather liked her, "It would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry. Riku... nice hat. Men! This is the day that you will always remember--"
Riku looked at his friend, "Now?"
She grinned back at him, tearing her skirt off starting with the hole she had made earlier in the day, leaving her clad in britches "Now."
Before Sora could finish his speech, the blacksmith and the governor's daughter were running at him. Each catching him across the chest with one arm, they leapt from the battlements, laughing joyously. Well, Sora was calling them both bloody fools and howling with glee a moment later, but that was pretty much the same thing.
"What in blazes?" Aeris found herself gaping at the unexpected sight, and then crying out in shock as her commanding officer shed his jacket and threw himself over the edge after the crazy trio, "Commodore!"
The governor stared after them in surprise, and then he laughed softly, "Ah, Laguna my old friend. I suppose you were right. There's too much pirate blood in those ones to let them be at ease anywhere else..."
---
"Captain Sparrow, Captain Leonhart," Yuffie greeted the two men with a grin, "Bootstrap and the girl, as well! Looks like the gang's all here."
The four sopping wet escapees smiled and laughed, enjoying their hard won freedom. Sora stopped after awhile, eyeing his crew critically. Donald raised an eyebrow in question.
"I thought you were supposed to keep to the code."
Donald grinned, his eyes twinkling as he shot a look at Kairi. Both Riku and Sora decided to weasel the story out of her later as the man responded, "We figured they were more actual... guidelines."
Sora chuckled, taking his hat from Goofy, "Thank you, Mister Goofy." The tall, dopey looking man just smiled.
"Captain Sparrow," Yuffie's voice was soft, reverent, "...the Black Pearl is yours."
Sora let those words wash over him for a moment, before moving over to the wheel. After a moment of just rubbing his hands over it, he looked up to find all eyes on him. He hiked an eyebrow, and then he scowled, "On deck you scabbarous dogs! Man the braces!"
Kairi laughed loudly as she raced off to join Yuffie, not so sure of her place in the crew, but willing to learn whatever it took. Squall waved a hand and made way for the captain's chambers. Until he got a ship of his own, he was planning on commandeering the cabin; he was also going to be playing navigator for awhile.
Riku moved to stand at his familiar position to the right of his captain, "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
Sora grinned widely at him, "It has indeed. What say we go rouse up the old gang?"
Riku chuckled, "It'll be an adventure in itself, just trying to find them."
"That's the point!" the captain cheered, pulling out his compass. It had never steered him wrong-- wherever he needed to be, it would guide him. And right now, it was saying he needed to get out on the ocean. Riku smiled to himself, pleased at where he was. He had come full circle, and was finally back where he belonged.
"Now..." Sora murmured, and Riku joined in on that all too familiar phrase. Sora said it before every grand adventure they'd had to date, and this would be no exception, "Bring me that horizon."
Kairi lifted her head from where she was working, briefly looking over at Riku and Sora at the helm. Even though she couldn't tell exactly what they were saying, she had a feeling. The redheaded Miss Swann smiled.
"Drink up, me hearties, yo ho."
---
End.
Thanks for reading everyone!