A Heart Unbound

Chapter 15: Old Men Tell No Tales (Part 2)

Luxord left me down in the dark, with not even a spec of natural light. I could feel my energy slowly diminishing by the passing hours.

"Hana, I can't stay inside you much longer. If I do, you'll...well...die." Ventus warned me.

"I understand, but...Ventus?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't leave me."

"I...won't." Ventus exited my body, and the pain abruptly returned with rushing tears. "Hana."

"Ven..." I couldn't finish his name because my breathing grew too heavy.

"I'm right here."

"Ven..."

"Yeah? Talk to me."

"I want to save you. Sora wants to save you, but how can we do that...if we don't know where you are?"

"I wish I could tell you, but I can't." His whispers quivered in a way of remorse.

"Why?"

"Believe me, I would tell you, if I could."

I soon noticed that the pain gradually decreased in intensity when the burst of detonating cannons broke the utter silence of the lower deck. Explosion after raging explosion went on for a solid 15 minutes before Sora bursted through the wood floor of the upper deck. My heart jumped with joy when I saw he had come to rescue me.

"Sora! You're here!"

"Of course! There's no way I'd let this creep keep you locked up." Sora used his Keyblade to free my wrists from the cuffs.

"Seems like you're in good hands now. Call me if there's anything else you need." Ventus dematerialized.

"Thank you, Ventus."

"Hurry! Let's get off of this ship!" Sora took me into his arms as he launched back through the giant hole he created. I noticed Luxord on the corner of my eye while Sora and I leaped for a smaller ship. He seemed to have let Sora escape with me. I read Luxord's lips from a distance, and the statement he mumbled brought chills to every part of my body.

"Don't get too used to freedom."

Sora steered the new ship away from Luxord's after we fell ungracefully to the deck. Donald and Goofy joyfully greeted me, and I looked around the ship for the rest of the group.

"Where's Jack and everyone else?"

"You won't believe what happened, Hana!" Donald loudly explained.

"Yeah! Jack got us our very own ship!" Goofy noted.

"And then they took The Black Pearl and left us!" Donald stomped his foot to the wooden floor.

"Yep! Without sayin' a word!" Goofy awkwardly smiled while helping Donald tell the story.

"Wow. That's pretty crazy." I told them. "So, uh, where are we headed, exactly?"

"Jack said something about Shipwreck Cove before he took off with the others." Sora informed.

"Huh? Shipwreck Cove? That sounds...really scary!" I shuddered.

"No need to worry, Hana. We're heroes! We'll protect you!" Donald perked up nobly.

"Thank you, Donald."

The duck's honorable posture quickly shriveled as I wrapped my arms around him.

"Aww." Donald scratched his feathered cheek. I felt the drop of rain on my cheek that prompted me to look up at the sky, and I had noticed that dark clouds began to cover the sun's brilliant rays. The rain soon poured heavily as the wind created massive waves.