Sorry for the wait! As always, thanks for being patient. If it’s not midterms, it’s papers and reading huh?

A Darker Road: Chapter Seven
Port Royal

Roxas didn’t like this town. He didn’t really know why in particular, he just didn’t like the place. It was similar to Destiny Islands only… older somehow. He almost wanted to use the word ‘rustic’, and could already hear Axel laughing at him for such an outdated term. Still, that was what Port Royal screamed at him.

Quaint town for such a violent society. Pirates, don’t you know. Murderous bunch. I could use a few of ‘em on my side.

Roxas shook his head to himself – to his other self. “Haven’t you got me?” he asked quietly, trying to look inconspicuous.

I intend to have fun with this. Don’t you remember the saying ‘the more the merrier?’

“Of course I remember.”

Well then, let me have my fun.

No one looked at Roxas oddly, even though he kept expecting them to scream at the sight of a walking, talking shadow. But he knew that his darkest self had the ability to meld into the shadow Roxas’ body cast, becoming completely indistinguishable from it. As for Roxas talking to himself… well, that was an accepted form of madness.

But having his other self taking over such a personal space made Roxas uneasy in a way that frightened him. He’d never cared much for his shadow before but now that something (someone) else was claiming it as his own, Roxas felt as though he’d given away a part of himself. It made him worry that maybe he wasn’t in any kind of control here.

“Why are were here?” Roxas asked, trying to regain some sense that his actions were under his control. After all, he could easily go somewhere else if he chose to, right? “What’s the point? You’re just here to recruit people?”

No, no. We’re here to observe.

“Sora?”

Of course, but we’re also here to watch the friend of yours whose bound to show up and test him.

Roxas was intrigued by that. “Who is it?”

His shadow didn’t answer, but Roxas could somehow sense the quirked eyebrow and the smirk.

It was just all so familiar.

“So, where are we supposed to be going?”

The Interceptor.

---

Sora awoke in the ship’s hold, feeling something… no, many things were poking and prodding him. He sat up with a choked gasp, barely swallowing a cry of disgust and horror when he saw the rats squirming over his body. He threw himself to his feet, shaking his body down and stamping his feet to make sure none of the rodents had any funny ideas about clinging on longer.

Gross. Too gross. Ick. He had always, always, hated rats. He blamed that one on Riku because he had always insisted on poking the corpses of rats that washed up on the beaches with sticks. Sometimes, when his mind wasn’t overloaded with bizarre visions of the future, Sora still had nightmares about how the bodies writhed with squirming maggots…

Squirming sea creatures on the wall were so not helping his state of mind right now. Despite his best efforts, Sora had barely made more than a superficial dent in the creatures occupying the hull of the Black Pearl. Sora felt his stomach quail. Heartless he could cope with. Being swamped with rats, maggots and sea creatures that oozed unspeakable substances was Sora’s worst, worst…

“Mornin’ lad!” Gibbs’ voice cut through Sora’s nightmarish visions. The door opened with a creak and that was when Sora realised the air was full of different sounds – the sounds of cawing seabirds and the wash of a gentle tide against the outside of the hull. They weren’t moving. The ship had been anchored. “Looks like we’re ready to be takin’ a bit’ve shore leave.”

“Are we at a port?” Sora asked hesitantly, because he knew the sounds of a lively port and what he could hear right now didn’t match up.

Gibbs cracked up. “Pirates in a port controlled by the British Royal Navy! Ha! That’ll be the day lad!”

Sora swallowed a sigh. Being misunderstood and teased was getting tiresome. “So, where are we?”

“Port Royal.”

Sora made a face. “Didn’t you just say…?”

“It’s the name of the whole island lad. We’re pullin’ into its… quieter side. The Cap’n has some people he needs to be seein’. Now, get off yer backside and move it. Need to find you some proper clothin’.”

Sora had noticed how much he stood out but he wasn’t planning on staying here long. After all, Tifa had said she and the others were on the way… Sora’s hand trailed to the PHS and he grimaced when his fingers came back gooey. Great. The ship’s grime had probably broken his only method of contacting his friends.

He followed Gibbs above deck, glad to emerge into the already humid morning sunshine. Dawn had barely broken but warmth wrapped around Sora. Yet despite the rising temperature, the air was still wondrously fresh after the stuffy and pungent interior. Gibbs gave Sora a weird look, and it didn’t take the boy long to realise that he’d brought the ship’s stench out with him.

“This sucks,” Sora moaned, the sunlight revealing just how filthy he was. He was covered in green and brown filth from top to bottom, his hair clogged with it and his skin stained by it. “Ugh.”

Sora didn’t notice the other crewmembers closing in on him until it was too late. Their sniggering alerted him but he had no chance of escaping, the men surrounding him on all sides.

“Give the lad a wash boys!” Gibbs called out, laughing as he walked off, heading for the captain’s room.

Sora was lifted over the heads of the crowd. Then, before he had the chance to cry out, he was tossed overboard. Water rushed over him, the shocking cold of it almost startling Sora into gasping. Salt stung his eyes but Sora took in the blueness of the water anyway, marvelling at how amazingly clear the water was.

Kicking his legs, Sora soon returned to the surface, the noise of raucous laughter somehow louder than the sea washing up against the boat. The men were all leaning over the ship’s edge to look at him. They all joined together in a single command.

“Swim to shore! Swim to shore!”

As if to give him extra incentive, Sora found the barrels of several pistols aimed at him. Sora didn’t take any risks – the men looked mean enough to kill him just for the sake of it. So, Sora looked for the shore, saw it a ways off, swallowed a sigh and started swimming.

It wasn’t taking Sora long to decide that pirates were overrated.

---

Yuna had taken Kairi and Marlene straight back to the library, where everyone regarded the sight with varying degrees of amazement. Merlin seemed the least surprised, with Donald a close second. They both looked at the three girls, recognised the use of a powerful and cleverly altered Time spell and began trying to come up with ways to reverse it.

“But wait a minute,” Goofy said. “Kairi was on the ship with Sora and the others right? How did she get here?”

“I don’t know,” Yuna admitted. “She didn’t say before this happened.”

“Hmm, well, I’m gonna go get the Queen,” Goofy was frowning, puzzlement weighing his brow. “Somethin’ about this seems kinda familiar but I dunno why.” And he walked off, head held to one side as he pondered.

Aerith had taken baby Marlene, rocking her back and forth quietly because the baby had started to cry. “She’s just so adorable.”

“Is it weird seeing her that small again?” Yuna asked.

Aerith thought for a moment. A frown marred her face. “It’s strange. I don’t remember her being this small before. I can’t remember her being a baby at all. How…odd.” And Aerith’s thoughts drifted away, her arms stilling. Marlene began to fuss again but Aerith didn’t seem to notice.

“It’s no wonder,” Red called over from where he had been reading. “You didn’t know Marlene before she was four. You have no memories of her as a baby because you didn’t know her as a baby.”

“But Red, that doesn’t make sense. I’m sure I’ve known Marlene all her life.”

Red frowned and padded over to the young woman. “Aerith, believe me, you haven’t known her that long. We’ve examined your memories, remember, and realised that most of them aren’t right.”

“I know. And I’m sure we’ll find out why.” Aerith’s smile failed to reach her eyes. “It just feels… strange.”

Red felt a tug on his tail and turned to find the miniature version of Kairi behind him, giggling and smiling shyly. “I’ve never seen you before. Are you new here too?” she asked. “I didn’t get here very long ago and at first I thought it was all really scary but Sora and Riku showed me that it wasn’t so if you are new, you shouldn’t be scared okay?”

Red couldn’t help himself. He had to play along with her. “Okay Kairi, I won’t be scared.”

“Hey, you already know my name!” Kairi clapped her hands in delight. “That’s so amazing!”

Red just nodded.

“Do you know my friends too?”

“I know Sora very well.”

“But not Riku?”

“No, I have yet to meet him.”

“Aw, that’s too bad. Still, I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.” Kairi looked around the shelves as if she expected to find Riku perched on one. “Where is this place anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever been here before.”

Red and Aerith shared a look.

It was Donald who breached the gap. “You won a competition,” he said. “You got to come and stay at the castle for a few days. It’s on another part of the islands.”

“Wow! I don’t remember that at all but I guess that’s really cool!”

“Would you like to look around?” Donald went on.

“Sure!”

“I’ll take her,” Aerith said. “I need to find some things for Marlene anyway. I’m sure Kairi would like to help.”

“Okay! I’ll be like Marlene’s big sister!”

“Would you like me to come?” Yuna offered.

“No, you stay here with us,” Merlin said. “I’m very curious as to why you grew older while the others de-aged, so to speak. Yes, it’s definitely a mystery!”

Just as Aerith was about to leave, the door opened and Yuffie came in with a PHS held to her ear. Leon, looking grim, stood behind her. “We have a problem,” he said.

“Several, in fact,” Red succinctly corrected, nodding towards Yuna, Kairi and Marlene.

“What happened?” Leon queried.

“Let’s wait a moment for that tale,” Merlin said. “Aerith?”

She nodded and took Marlene and Kairi away, Kairi chatting animatedly all the time about how she would love to meet the King and Queen and maybe sit on the throne and wear a crown.

Leon didn’t waste another moment. “Tifa’s on the line. Sora’s gone, again. The ship came under attack and they lost him. Kairi too but…”

“Yes, the little girl is indeed Kairi. No one’s certain how she got here but she did. Oh, and the baby is Marlene,” Merlin confirmed.

“And I’m Yuna,” Yuna said with a little wave. “We may have had a little accident,” and she gave a laugh. “Sorry.”

Yuffie relayed the information to Tifa and then listened to what the other group was doing. “Oh, so you know where he is? …Uh huh… Okay, yeah… Aw, I wanna go! It sounds like fun! …Yeah, yeah… all right. When will you be back? …Cool… Yeah, I’ll tell ‘em… Sure. All right, let us know when you’ve got him. See ya.” Yuffie snapped the PHS shut and looked at everyone. “Tifa says she knows what world Sora’s on but they’ve lost contact and are gonna have to search. Now, why the heck is Yuna taller than me and why was Kairi knee high to a grasshopper? And don’t tell me that the baby was…”

“Marlene,” Red concluded. “Yes. It’s all very strange.”

“Ya know, I’m starting to remember something about a door and time…” Donald said.

”Yes, there was a door!” Yuna confirmed. “One moment I was small and the next, I was like this.”

“Have any memories come back?” Merlin asked. “Memories that are after the age you were before? You’re certainly acting older…”

Yuna shook her head. “No, I can’t think of anything.” She frowned and held a hand to her head. “Should I remember things?”

“Well I must admit I really don’t know,” Merlin replied. “I’ve never seen anything quite like this…”

”I have,” Red said. “Yuna has…aged before and she never showed signs of knowing why. I believe there may be a reason but there is something of Sora’s I need before I come to any conclusions. I believe he found something on Yuna’s homeworld that may explain things better.”

“Why didn’t I know about that?” Yuna asked, looking upset.

Red looked at her. “Because you were a child and such knowledge may have been too big for you to understand.”

“And now?”

“And now, Sora is the only one who can tell you because he knows the details better than I. However, I can say for certain that the Keyblade is involved somehow.”

“The Keyblade?” Donald asked. “How?”

“And why,” Leon added.

“The Keyblade wields Light, a power beyond comprehension,” Merlin answered. “Its mysteries may be beyond our limited understanding.”

“Proper study will enable us to better understand it,” Red insisted. “Of course, we do need Sora to be here…”

“Tifa’s working on it,” Yuffie said. “She said something about a bell…”

Goofy and the Queen finally returned, both looking anxious. The Queen spoke first, looking to Yuna. “You went through the door below the throne room?” At Yuna’s confirmation, Minnie’s face fell. “This isn’t good. The door is a connection to the past. The magic was sealed… I don’t understand how it was broken.”

“What’s gonna happen to Kairi, Yuna and Marlene?” Donald asked.

“The door will pull them back in and they’ll be stuck in the past, whether they remember it or not. Someone would have to go in and help them find their way back out. And I can’t imagine what would happen when the magic confuses the pasts of three people from different worlds. It was designed for one person’s past or the past of people who shared their time together. But this… this will confuse the magic too much. It really could be terrible!”

“What can we do?” Yuna asked.

Minnie shook her head. “Nothing. Only a Keyblade can seal such power.”

Yuffie pulled the PHS back out. “I’ll tell Tifa to hurry.”

---

Sora waded onto the beach, cleaner and not at all exhausted by the swim, much to the disappointment of the crew who had rowed past him only a few moments ago. They were still pulling the small ship-to-shore boat up the beach. Sora grinned at them triumphantly, not caring if it led them to devise nastier pranks to pull on him.

“So, this is the new crewmember?”

Sora looked to his left and saw Jack approaching with a young man he didn’t recognise. Sora could tell from his outfit that the newcomer hadn’t been on a ship recently. He showed no signs of the hardships of a life lived at sea. His dark brown hair was neatly restrained, his beard trimmed. His brown eyes held an honesty Jack lacked. He was cleanly dressed in a smart yet simple baggy white shirt and brown breeches. They were tucked into long stockings that in turn disappeared inside black, leather clog-like shoes. But what really drew Sora’s eyes was the sword at the man’s side. Whoever he was, he was built like a fighter and was poised in a way that told Sora this was someone who knew how to handle himself.

He noticed Sora’s gaze and stepped forward, hand held out in greeting. “My name is Will Turner,” his accent was unfamiliar to Sora’s ears, the words gentle and smooth yet full of intensity. “And you are…?”

“Sora.” And he shook Will’s offered hand.

“Well you two seem like you’ll get on all fine and dandy. Good, good. Friends for life and all that,” Jack said, grinning wildly. “You may be glad to know that Will here’s gonna be joining us onboard. He’s got an important mission in Tortuga. Gotta protect his woman and all. Plus I might owe him a favour…”

“You’re protecting someone?” Sora asked.

Will nodded. “Very strange creatures have been prowling around lately, things that hardly seem of this world…”

Sora felt his stomach sink.

“I’ve heard a rumour that they’re coming from Tortuga – that a witch there is creating them. If this is truly the case, I intend to stop her.”

“What do they look like?” Sora asked, mentally listing all the different types of Heartless he had met. He was certain Will would describe one.

“Truly unusual. They resemble… well, nothing I’ve ever seen. They truly are monsters. Their bodies move impossibly, billowing like flags in the wind. They’re as tall as any man but their heads are like pointed hats, almost what a child might design. What they do to people would be funny if it weren’t so strange.”

“What do they do?” Jack asked, sounding intrigued.

“They turn them into cards and die, like it’s all a big game.”

“Interesting fellas you’ve been tangling with mate.”

Sora raised an eyebrow. Okay, whatever Will had seen didn’t seem like any Heartless Sora knew.

So… did that mean there were Nobodies here instead?

“Mysterious creatures eh?” Jack added. “Seems like trouble.”

“Considering how many attacks there have been, trouble is something of an understatement.” Will gave Jack a pointed look. “Will you help me?”

“I’ll take you to Tortuga. But actually help you with this little drama? Now, where exactly would the profit be? I owe you a simple favour is all.”

“For saving you from the gallows,” Will pointed out.

“Yes, right, the gallows. And here I am, kindly escorting you over the seas, so you can go about your business. But for me it’s all about the treasure. I ain’t about to go riskin’ me onesy, twosy” he pointed to the ship, “or my threesy, foursy, fivesy and on and on just for some heroic, noble quest you are far too fond of prancing off on.”

Sora swallowed a snigger unsuccessfully.

Will turned to him. “What about you Sora? You certainly seem different to Jack and the rest of his crew.”

Arms behind his head, Sora replied, “Well… I guess I could help…”

“But not dressed like that,” Will answered. “You’re almost as unusual-looking as the creatures I seek.” He paused, thinking briefly. “Come with me. We will find you some better clothes. There’s no need to cause a scene once we get to Tortuga.”

“Tortuga’s plenty of scene unto itself mate,” Jack answered.

“Indeed,” Will agreed, laughing. “Give Sora and I until sundown. We will return. Besides, it will be easier for you to slip away under the cover of night.”

“Fine,” Jack agreed. “Always the smart thinker, eh Will? I’ll send some of the men into town. Essentials are running low.”

A grin lit up Will’s face. “There’s a good rum shop off the main street, towards the blacksmith. Mr Brown frequented it.”

“Ah, the drunk blacksmith.” Jack almost sounded congratulatory. “It’s a wonder he has fingers.”

“Yes well, he keeps me busy.”

“At least you no longer have a woman to woo. She’s all yours at last.”

“But I could always teach you a few helpful moves.” Will smirked. “Anyway,” he and Sora began moving off. “We’ll see you tonight.”

---

Sora was impressed with the sight of Will’s home. It was massive and high up on a hill. By the time they got there, Sora’s clothes had completely dried out. Thankfully they weren’t walking. Will had brought a horse and cart to the beach and they rode back to his house. Sora was glad their destination was finally in sight. His stomach had been growling since he and Will had first left Jack and the crew.

“Don’t worry Sora,” Will said. “The cook will have breakfast ready. I imagine Elizabeth and her father are just getting up.”

“Who?”

“My fiancé and her father, the Governor. This is their house. I moved in here a few months ago.”

“Oh, okay.”

Will guided the horse through the huge gates that marked the path leading to the impressive mansion. “You’ll have to get cleaned up before breakfast but don’t worry, we’ll see to…”

It became clear very quickly that something wasn’t right at the house. The front door was swinging back and forth, a huge part of it missing. Will brought the horse to a standstill, leaping down from the cart and drawing his sword as he ran to the house. Sora called out Oathkeeper, following behind Will but keeping an eye on the grounds around them. He knew that if the Heartless or Nobodies were behind this, they’d be able to appear out of nowhere in a single moment. The whole place suddenly seemed cold, clouds gathering in front of the sun.

Will slipped into the house and Sora followed close behind. Inside, it became even more obvious that a fight had occurred. Furniture lay in ruins, the wallpaper was gouged and torn. It looked as though something had just barrelled through, not caring what got destroyed in the process.

The silence was taut, their echoing footsteps somehow louder than they should have been. “We should split up,” Sora said quietly. “We’ll be able to search faster.”

“All right. I’ll go upstairs. You look around down here.” Will moved off towards the staircase. “We’ll meet back here.”

They split up and Sora passed into a broken down dining room. The table was in one piece but the cutlery and what might have been breakfast had been thrown everywhere. Some of the room’s windows were smashed too. The sun came out again but Sora didn’t feel its warmth.

And there was something in the air, something that was more solid than simple silence. This something was real, a trace of darkness. Sora held up a hand and flicked his wrist. With narrowed his eyes he could see it, see the shadows twisting in the air.

He blinked and the vision was gone. But he knew what the trail meant.

Heartless.

Sora had only been able to pick up on Heartless trails since he’d returned from the In-Between universe. He’d never focused on it so intently before. It had gone from being a kind of extra sense to a newfound ability. He would’ve been happier without it. Something about it reminded him of Fallen and that was a discomforting sensation. Being able to see the remnants of darkness sent cold pulses racing down Sora’s spine. He drew in a sharp breath.

And heard something step on the glass behind him.

He turned. His eyes went wide.

The Heartless was a massive construct of black, human in shape, around seven-feet tall and bulky with it. It had no extra adornments, no colour to its skin…

…But its eyes were human. Dead, but human.

“This is a very new kind of Heartless.”

A man dressed in the black coat of Organization XIII stepped out. His accent was similar to Will’s although the voice was definitely different – cold and calculating rather than earnest and welcoming.

“I wonder, Sora, where could the one controlling these be?”

“Tell me who you are.”

“Ah, not yet. The right moment has yet to arise. But it’s coming.”

Sora threw up his empty hand in frustration. “What is it with you people and your stupid games?”

“Games are never stupid.” The man sounded offended.

“Whatever.”

The Organization member gave a chuckle. “Tell me something, Sora. Do you remember where you went when you died?”

Sora’s whole body went cold. Not just chilled. Freezing, as if he’d never known warmth. In all honesty, his memory of that slipped more and more with each passing day until all he really had left now were vague impressions and fleeting images. It was something he had kept from his mother… In fact he hadn’t spoken to anyone about it and everyone who knew seemed just as keen as he was to forget his ‘death’.

Except this man.

Sora swallowed. “Yeah, I remember. What about it?”

“Oh, nothing. I was merely curious to know. There are a lot of answers back there you know, in the dark.”

“The…dark?”

Castle.

Shadows so deep he feared his light would be lost entirely.

“Well, I’ll leave you to ponder. For now, there are other places I need to be.” And whoever the man was, he disappeared into a cloud of black smoke.

Sora looked again into the dead eyes of the Heartless. Something inside him plunged, fear threatening to take control. But when the Heartless disappeared and then reappeared an instant later, Sora knew that he had to get his head in the game if he was going to survive this.

He didn’t move fast enough to defend himself. Sora smacked into the wall and hit the ground. Face up, Sora soon found himself looking into the Heartless’ eyes again. In its shadow, chills shrieked through his body. Why? What was this thing? Where had it come from? There was a memory, as if he’d seen it before… but when? Why?

Hungry shadows. Watching him. Concealing things. A place he knew but… what?

A place he had abandoned?

A place he had… created?

And a person who knew but didn’t tell.

The other…

Sora didn’t have time to think. He had to fight. He blocked the next attack and rolled to the side, standing as soon as he could. He held the Keyblade ready. He wasn’t going to lose.

TBC…

Yes I am playing around with the whole door to the past thing in Disney Castle. There’s a reason :)

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back as soon as I have the time to write another chapter :D