"You're back!" Reno greets excitedly as you walk through the front door of Headquarters.
You give him a small smile as you slump down on a nearby chair.
"How did it go?" Leon asks, entering from the kitchen.
"Okay... Axel showed up," Sora responds.
"Yeah, we told him to check up on you guys. You were taking waaay too long," Yuffie explains.
Riku narrows his eyes as he exits the room, muttering under his breath.
"What's his problem?" you ask.
"Who knows, he's always complaining about something," Cloud responds.
"Not true!" Sora argues, putting his hands on his hips as he stands up for his best friend.
"Stop bickering, you idiots," a voice orders.
You turn around to see Sephiroth standing by the front door, his arms crossed over his chest. Everyone immediately jumps to their feet and salutes him. You narrow your eyes before Yuffie elbows you and hisses: "Stand up!" under her breath. You nod and jump to your feet. Sephiroth frowns when he sees your delayed reaction, making your skin crawl with discomfort.
"Fair! Was this mission successful?" Sephiroth asks.
"Yes, Sir. We killed Shan-Yu, a local man who was summoning Heartless to kill civilians," Zack answers.
"Good, good... And I trust that Axel informed you of the appearance of an Organization member in Neverland?" Sephiroth asks.
"Yes, Sir."
"Good. Then your next mission is clear. You must find them and destroy them... Get as much information as you can before killing them. Sora and Riku, you two are going to sit this one out. I have a mission set aside for you, Yuffie, and Leon. Reno, Zack, Cloud, [Name], Noctis, and Roxas... You'll be going to Neverland immediately. Leave, NOW!" he orders before storming upstairs.
"Another mission?!" you ask in shock as you simultaneously groan and collapse into your chair.
"Get used to it. He's a hard ass," Reno states.
"I HEARD THAT, SINCLAIR!" Sephiroth yells from upstairs.
Reno chuckles before flinging a bag over his shoulder. Looks like he had already heard about this mission if he's already packed...
"Alright, should we get going?" Cloud asks.
"Probably. The sooner we get started, the sooner we can come back and rest," Roxas responds.
"Good plan," you agree.
"Bye, you guys..." Sora mutters sadly.
"See you later," Leon adds boredly, waving to everyone.
You give him a small wave as you start to walk towards the door.
"Good luck," Riku calls out as you exit the room.
"You, too," Zack replies before shutting the door behind him.
"I'll fly the ship this time," Reno offers.
"Thank God! I can't stand another flight with Sora driving... He's awful," Roxas complains.
"Hey, isn't that like saying you're awful?" you point out, laughing lightly.
Roxas smirks and shrugs as he starts to walk onto the ship. You follow him, shoving your hands in the pocket of your jacket.
"Neverland, here we come!" Zack exclaims as he sits down in his seat and Reno revs up the engine of the Gummi ship.
[♥]
You immediately wake up as the Gummi ship starts to shake violently. Whimpering lightly, you desperately clutch the armrests and silently curse Reno's reckless flying. Knowing his cockiness, he probably ran into a meteor while he was showing off his 'superior flying skills' to Zack and Cloud.
Just as you glance outside, a rather large wooden ship goes flying past.
Wait... what?
"What was that?!" you exclaim, causing everyone to turn around and look at you.
"Trouble. Big trouble," Reno responds stiffly, doing his best to maneuver around the ship, which is heading right towards you.
You bite your bottom lip in nervousness as the ship comes to a stop beside the Gummi ship. All you can really see is a black flag hanging off the mask, with a white skull and crossbones emblazoned on it. You can't help but wonder why exactly something that looks suspiciously like a pirate ship is harassing you in the middle of space. A large 'boom' echoes throughout the cabin, and the ship suddenly starts to shake.
"I think they're boarding the ship," Zack mutters, standing up and facing the door, his sword clenched in his hands.
You stand as well, along with everyone else. Suddenly, the door to the ship bursts open, and a bunch of people dressed as stereotypical pirates run inside. Your eyes widen when you realize that they're not just pirates... They're Heartless, as evidenced by the Heartless insignia on their chests, and they don't look human. A man with a red coat and a flamboyantly frilly hat strolls in behind them, a short, chubby man with a blue and white checkered shirt right at his heels.
"Who are you?" Noctis asks incredulously.
The man smirks, bringing an arm up to his face... Or, at least, what should be his hand – instead, there's a metal hook emerging from the sleeve of his coat.
"Captain Hook, at your service," the man greets, giving an exaggerated bow.
"Nice hat, Captain," Reno comments sarcastically.
Captain Hook frowns as he glances over at Reno. He scoffs before turning around, studying everyone else on the ship. His eyes finally land on you, causing you to gulp loudly as an evil grin creeps up onto his face.
"Hm. You might be of use to us, little girl," he muses.
"Little?! I'm 18, thank you very much!" you argue, folding your arms over your chest.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa... You're three years younger than me?" Zack asks, turning towards you.
"Focus, Zack," Cloud hisses under his breath.
"AND you can't just take her with you," Roxas adds, placing a hand on your shoulder as he glares over at the Captain.
"Try and stop us," Captain Hook retorts before snapping his fingers.
You cry out as someone grabs your arm and twists it, pulling you out of Roxas's grasp. You can hear your team members calling your name, but all goes black as your head is slammed into the nearby window.
[♥]
"Urgh..." you mumble, rubbing the back of your head as you sit up straight, your vision blurred.
You look around and groan loudly as your vision becomes clearer. You can tell that you're stuck inside of a cramped room, obviously somewhere on a ship. The walls and floorboards are made of wooden planks, and there is a bunk bed with two mattresses towards the side of the room. There are no windows and, to drag down your mood even more, you're completely alone.
Or, so you thought.
"Well, hey there!" a voice calls out from the other side of the room.
You jump to your feet and turn around as your eyes land on a boy wearing all green; even his tights are green. He is sitting on top of a barrel and holding his head in his hands as he watches you intently.
"You don't need to be scared of me, Miss. I don't bite," he states, standing up.
He smiles as he suddenly floats off of the ground, suspended in midair. Your jaw drops and eyes widen.
"Are you freaking flying?!" you ask, pointing to the space between the floor and his feet.
The boy chuckles and puts his hands behind his head as he leans back slightly.
"Well, yeah, how else would I get around?" he answers nonchalantly.
"And, you think it's normal to be able to fly...?"
He laughs and puts his hands on his hips.
"Anyone can fly! All you have to do is believe!" he explains.
You roll your eyes.
"Okay, well I'm obviously dreaming right now. You aren't flying. This can't be real," you muse.
He shakes his head before flying towards you. Your eyes widen, but he's already right in front of you before you can run to safety. He smirks as he reaches out a hand out and pinches your arm. Hard.
"Ow!" you exclaim, rubbing the sore skin.
"Now do you believe this is real? You were brought here a half hour ago by a group of Heartless. We're stuck here in this place unless we work together to escape! I'll have you know that my friends are up there, so I'm kind of in a hurry, if you don't mind."
You scratch your head, suddenly remembering what happened earlier. The ship, the invasion, being knocked out...
"Okay... Fine. How can we escape?" you ask with a sigh.
The boy grins as he floats right in front of you. He stretches his hand out, and you narrow your eyes suspiciously. There was something a bit off about him, but you couldn't quite put a finger on it.
"The name's Peter. Peter Pan. It's nice to meet ya!" he greets.
You smile and quickly shake his hand.
"I'm [Name]... So, you can really fly. Wow. Can I fly, too, by any chance?" you ask excitedly.
Peter taps his chin before snapping his fingers.
"Yeah, I think that can be arranged. Wait a sec, will ya?"
He whistles loudly, facing the barrel where he had been sitting. You frown and tilt your head.
"Hey! Tink!" Peter yells, floating towards the barrel.
Your eyes widen as a small pixie wearing a light green dress floats up from behind the barrel, a scowl on her tiny face. Golden dust trails behind her as she moves. Peter quickly snatches her and drags her over to you.
"[Name], this is Tinkerbell. Tink, this is [Name]," Peter introduces.
You're about to ask what he's doing, but before you can speak he shakes her above your head. You sneeze loudly as the pixie's golden dust falls all over you. Tinkerbell finally wiggles out of his grasp and kicks him in the shin before flying back to the wooden barrel. You giggle as Peter rubs his shin, grumbling angrily.
"What was that stuff you poured over me?" you ask, shaking your head so the dust gets out of your hair.
"Pixie dust, of course! It's a necessity if you want to fly. Now, all you gotta do is think of something happy, and concentrate real hard. You'll be flying in no time!"
You grin and nod before shutting your eyes. You bite your bottom lip as you subconsciously find yourself thinking about a certain boy, the way he smiles at you, the way he says your name...
"You did it!"
You open your eyes and squeal in excitement as you glance at the ground beneath you. You're only a foot or so off of the ground but you feel completely weightless.
"Whoa... This is awesome!" you exclaim, zipping around the room.
Peter chuckles as he watches you happily fly around. You grin as well, but your eyes eventually widen in fear when you notice you're dangerous close to flying into the wall. You try to stop yourself, but you're not fast enough – you slam into the wooden wall face-first, falling to the ground.
"Nice one," he teases.
You groan and sit up on your knees, dusting yourself off. Your eyes suddenly dart to something peeking out from behind the barrel next to your knees.
"What's this?" you ask, crawling towards it.
You gasp and a hand flies up to your mouth as your eyes land on the body of a girl. She looks around your age, and she's glancing up at you in a mixture of shock and fear. Her short, dark hair frames her pale face as she glances towards Peter.
"O-Oh... Hi, I didn't see you earlier," you tell her, smiling sheepishly. "I'm [Name]," you add, extending a hand.
"... She doesn't talk," Peter mumbles quietly. You glance towards him. "Trust me, I've tried to get her to talk for a couple days, ever since I came in here. Apparently, she just appeared on the ship out of nowhere."
"That's so sad!" you exclaim before looking over at her again.
You reach out and gently place a hand on her shoulder. She jumps slightly, but holds your gaze.
"What's your name?" you ask softly. She just shakes her head in response. "It's okay, I won't hurt you. I'm a SOLDIER. I don't know if you've heard of us, but-"
"SOLDIER?" she asks with a raspy voice.
Your and Peter's eyes widen.
"Y-Yes, we're here to eliminate the Heartless. Where did you come from?" you inquire.
"My... world was destroyed... I woke up here," she replies quietly.
"How'd you do that?" Peter asks, floating towards you.
You smirk.
"Some situations require a woman's touch," you tell him. "So, what's your name?" you repeat to the girl.
"Xion. Can you... get me out of here?"
"We're going to try to!" Peter responds enthusiastically.
"It's nice to meet you, Xion. Do you know how to fight?" you ask.
She wordlessly reaches a hand into the pocket of her sweatshirt. To your complete and utter shock, she pulls out a small silver handgun.
"Now what do we do?" she asks with a small smile.
You can't help but let out a laugh.
"That's... so awesome," you muse.
"Now, we go and save Wendy," Peter adds.
"Wendy?! No, we have to go save my friends!" you argue, glancing back at Peter with narrowed eyes.
Peter frowns, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You didn't come here alone?" he asks. You quickly shake your head. "Hm... Well, they are probably all together, out on the deck of the ship. I'll take you guys there."
You nod, standing to your feet. You reach a hand out to Xion, who smiles as she grabs it and stands as well. The two of you follow Peter out of the cell and into a narrow hallway.
"So, how did you and your friends get stuck here?" Peter asks.
"Captain Hook boarded our ship, and that's all I remember... What about you?" you ask.
Peter smiles sadly.
"I killed a ton of Hook's goons. They were these strange white creatures, with weird emblems on their chest. Their leader was a man who wielded countless lances as his weapons. They invaded my island, and I did my best to stop them before Wendy, Tink, and I were taken hostage," he explains.
"Were the invaders Heartless?" you ask.
"No, they were different. More sinister, and much harder to fight. Especially the leader. I couldn't see his face, though; he wore all black."
You gulp as you're filled with a feeling of dread. It sounds like Axel was right. The Organization has indeed invaded Neverland.
[♥]
"There's Hook," Peter whispers as the two of you peek out of a door leading outside to the deck of the ship.
You follow his gaze and spot Captain Hook standing over a group of people. You squint your eyes in order to focus your vision. You recognize Reno's red hair and Cloud's overly spiky blond hair, and you can't help but smile.
"There are my friends," you add, pointing to the group of boys standing in front of Captain Hook.
"And Wendy!" Peter exclaims, pointing to a girl in a pale blue dress standing behind them.
"How do we get to them without being caught?" you inquire.
Peter stands up straight, his eyes locked on Hook. He nods towards him before jogging forward.
"He's just walking right up to him?!" you hiss.
"What an idiot," Xion murmurs.
A pained expression comes across your face before you follow him. You can't help but question this strategy.
"Hook, let them go!" Peter orders once the three of you get closer, pointing a small hand knife at the Captain's back.
All eyes of everyone on the deck turns towards your intruding group.
"[Name]!" Roxas calls out, since he is the first person to see you.
Everyone else hurriedly turns their heads as well, sighing in relief when they see you're okay. You give them a small salute before turning back towards Captain Hook.
"How did you escape?! Smee, I thought that you locked them in the cell down below!" Captain Hook exclaims, rounding on the pudgy man behind him.
"W-Why, yes, Captain, I-I did. They must have e-escaped," the man named Smee stammers, wringing his hands together nervously.
"You fool! I told you to lock the door! No matter, I don't see the harm in having Peter Pan here while his beloved walks the plank," Captain Hook muses in a mocking tone.
Peter gasps as he notices Wendy being shoved by some of the Heartless pirates onto the plank of wood suspended in midair by the edge of the ship. An idea pops into your head, and you smile lightly.
"Hey, you!" you yell, marching up to Captain Hook.
He turns around, his eyes narrowed.
"Why are you speaking to me?" he asks, almost in a growl.
"How about you let me walk off the plank first, so she can at least say goodbye to Peter," you plead, gesturing towards a frightened Wendy.
Hook gets a bewildered look on his face as he contemplates the possible outcomes of this scenario. His face finally relaxes into an amused expression.
"Are you that nice of a person that you're willing to die for a stranger?" he asks. You nod enthusiastically. "Fine, it's your funeral. Smee, take her to the plank."
You grimace as the pudgy man grabs your arm roughly and leads you towards Wendy.
"[Name], what are you doing?!" Noctis asks.
"Have you lost your mind?" Zack adds angrily.
"Don't worry about me, guys. Honestly," you tell them.
"[Name]," Roxas mutters sadly, "don't do this."
Your heart breaks when you see how upset they all look. But you have to keep your poker face. You can't give away your plan, after all.
You're poked in the back by the sword of the closest Heartless. You stumble slightly, but manage to keep your balance. You look back towards your fellow team-members and give them a small wink before glancing at a smirking Peter. You take a deep breath and shut your eyes before leaping off of the plank. You free-fall until you're about a foot away from the ocean. In less than a second you clench your eyes shut and concentrate. The weightless feeling takes over again, and your eyes flutter open. You glance down, smiling when you see that your feet are just barely hovering over the dark water. You fly upwards as fast as you can, coming to a stop so you're hovering above the plank.
Your eyes first land on Peter and Hook, who are engaging in a sword fight to the death. You scan the deck of the ship, grinning when you see that your team members are fighting off a growing hoard of Heartless pirates.
"What's with the long faces?" you ask as you float towards them.
All of their head's snap up at the sound of your voice, shocked expressions on their faces.
"[Name]?!" Roxas stutters.
"Are you... flying?!" Cloud asks, blue eyes wide.
"Well, what does it look like?" you retort, placing your hands on your hips.
"Awesome," Zack and Reno gush simultaneously, the only two out of the five smiling.
"Now can you come down and help us?" Noctis adds with a raise of his eyebrows before he turns around and thrusts his sword through the gut of a nearby Heartless.
"So, how are you flying?!" Reno asks eagerly from across the ship as he shoots the last remaining Heartless.
"... Let's find out later. I think those two need our help," Cloud says, nodding towards Peter and Xion, who's joined the battle against Hook.
"Yeah, let's go," Zack agrees, springing forward with his giant sword clutched in his hands.
Everyone glances briefly at each other before racing after him, weapons drawn.
>> Fast Forward >>
"C'mon, why don't you tell us?" Riku asks, grinning as he presses the tip of his blade to Hook's exposed neck.
The Captain was quickly defeated by Zack and Cloud, and he was now cornered against the mast. He was sporting a nasty gash to the head, and he winced as Riku's blue sword finally broke the skin and blood started to slowly leak out.
"Tell you what?" he growls.
"What you know about the Organization," Roxas interjects before Riku can, earning himself a small glare from the silver-haired male.
"All I know is a man dressed in a black offered me unlimited power over the Heartless. I'm not a fool, I accepted the offer immediately," Hook answers.
"What's his name?" Cloud asks, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Come close and I'll tell you," Hook retorts.
Riku leans his head forward slightly, only for Hook to scoff.
"Not you. Her," he corrects, glancing towards you.
"Why me?!" you ask in horror, taking a step back.
"Because they're all looking at me like they want to gut me like a fish. You, however, look the least likely to do me harm," he explains.
You glance towards the other SOLDIERs, who all shrug.
"Go for it, I guess," Reno says.
You purse your lips slightly before walking towards the defeated Captain. Riku reluctantly lets go of him and retracts his sword, taking a couple steps back. You stand in front of Hook, your heart racing in unexplainable nervousness.
"What was his name?" you repeat, doing your best to sound tough.
A smirk grows on his face as he leans in close, whispering two words in your ear:
"Fuck you."
You let out a shriek of surprise as he all of a sudden grabs you by the throat and lifts you up into the air. Your hands desperately grab his arms, trying to get him to let go. The pain and fear only last a few seconds, thankfully, as his grasp is eventually loosened and you tumble to the ground, coughing.
"Are you okay?" Noctis asks, kneeling to your side as you sit on your knees, gasping for air.
"Y-Yeah..." you reply in a hoarse voice.
You glance up, eyes widening when you spot Hook lying in front of you, Zack's sword sticking out of his lifeless body.
"Maniac," Zack mutters, pulling his bloodied sword out of Hook's body.
"Why'd you do that?! We never found out who he was working for!" you complain.
"The life of a SOLDIER comes before the life of a lackey to the darkness," Zack reasons, wiping the blood off of his sword with Hook's jacket.
Noctis extends a hand to you, and helps to pull you to your feet. You raise your other hand to your neck, gently touching the sore skin.
"Let's get you back to Headquarters," Riku says, glancing towards you before looking out at the ocean.
You do a double-take when you realize that the Gummi ship is sitting on the water, not far from the ship you're currently on.
"Yeah, we need to fill everyone in. Even though he was just a lackey, defeating one of Maleficent's main followers was important in the war," Cloud adds.
You turn to Peter, Wendy, and Xion, a small smile on your face.
"Are you guys okay?" you ask, glancing between the three of them.
"Yeah. You?" Peter asks, a hand on his hip.
You nod.
"Thanks for everything, Peter. Let us know if anything weird happens around here, okay?"
"Okay," he and Wendy agree with smiles.
You return the grin before turning towards Xion.
"You handled yourself well out there," you tell her.
"R-Really? You think so?" she asks eagerly.
"Yeah! Um... I don't know if I can do this, since I'm the youngest and newest member of the SOLDIERs, but... Would you like to come with us?" you ask, holding out a hand.
Her eyes widen before she nods enthusiastically and runs towards you.
"Yes! Oh, my God, thank you [Name]! I won't let you down!" she gushes before racing after the guys.
"... Really?" Roxas asks with a deadpan expression.
"Hey, we need more girls," you reply with a shrug.
"Well, would you like to join? You seem like a pretty good fighter," Zack adds, glancing towards Peter.
He lets out a light laugh.
"No thanks, I'm happy here with Wendy, in Neverland," he responds, and the girl next to him starts to blush madly.
"Alright, can't blame a guy for trying. Thanks for all the help," Zack says.
Everyone gives lazy waves before Riku, Roxas, Noctis, Reno, and a beaming Xion make their way to the Gummi ship. You turn to follow them, but a hand on your shoulder makes you stop and glance up to see Zack standing behind you.
"Zack?" you ask.
"Just making sure you're okay... I know that what happened to Shan-Yu kinda freaked you out, so I can't imagine this is any better..."
You smile, turning around to face him fully.
"Well, Shan-Yu also wasn't trying to strangle me to death," you joke as Zack lets out a chuckle. "Thank you, Zack. I owe you one."
Zack grins as he gently places a gloved hand on your cheek, staring down at you for a couple of seconds before making his way to the ship.
"Hurry up before we leave without you, [Name]!" he calls out, swinging his sword behind his back as the cheery tone is suddenly back in his voice.
You place a hand up to your cheek, blushing slightly as you shuffle along behind him.
"Well, that was awkward," Peter muses with a laugh as you and Zack enter the ship, which is now floating in the air with Reno behind the wheel.
"Whatever do you mean, Peter?" Wendy asks, tilting her head slightly.
"You couldn't tell?" Peter inquires. Wendy shakes her head. "Well, I thought it was obvious! All of them like her."
"Wha - really?!" she asks.
"Oh, yes! When you've been around as long as I have, you can tell these things. They all seem to be quite fascinated by her."
"... How old are you, Peter?" Wendy finally asks.
Peter only laughs nervously as he scratches his head.
"Let's get back to the island," he mutters sheepishly.
>> MEANWHILE >>
"Insolent little brats! How dare they kill him!" a woman screams as Zack pulls his sword from Hook's dead body.
A group of five people are gathered around a large, metal cauldron. The images of your encounter with Hook are being played out for them.
"He was an idiot. Good riddance, I say," a man argues, twirling his pointed beard with a long finger.
"Why aren't we going after these SOLDIERs personally? I can handle them!" a heavy-set man asks, bugs falling from his arms as he lifts them up in the air in frustration.
"Patience. We will kill them eventually, along with the Keybearer and his pesky Nobody. For now, however, we're following the orders of our Superiors," another woman points out.
"Aren't WE supposed to be the Superiors? Why are we taking orders from this Organization?" another man asks, the light blue flames on his head greatly resembling hair.
The second woman visibly seethes in anger as they all glance down at the cauldron. Zack is currently standing in front of you, his hand cupping your face as the two of you smile.
"I'd like to rip those smiles right off their faces," the first woman muses before laughing manically.
"Ah, I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that," a man muses as he walks out of a black portal that appeared towards the back of the room. "That honor, will go to me."
Everyone except for the second woman frowns at the intrusion.
"Leave us!" she orders, and the other four people grumble as they snap their fingers and disappear. "What can I do for you?" she adds, turning to the tall man.
He is wearing Organization robes, the hood covering his face.
"I'm sorry to hear about your loyal follower. We can at least be comforted that he did not name names."
She scoffs.
"I'll need another person to work directly for me – four people are simply not enough," she tells the new arrival.
"That is being arranged right now, actually. He should be here soon."
"Good. So why are you here?" she asks.
The man smiles beneath his hood.
"I have a proposition for you..."
[♥] SURPRISE RESULT – NOCTIS [♥]
"Hey, Noct," you greet as you slide into the chair next to him on the Gummi ship.
"[Name]," he replies, not taking his gaze from the view outside the window.
You roll your eyes before leaning in closer to him.
"I know you bought me my sword..." you whisper, and he quickly snaps his head towards you.
"Wha- how??" he asks hurriedly.
"Zack told me," you reply with a smirk. "Thank you. I love it, it's gorgeous," you add.
He quickly reaches a hand up and scratches the back of his neck.
"Oh... Yeah, you're welcome."
An awkward silence falls between the two of you, and you roll your eyes.
"Y'know, you can actually talk to me!" you tell him.
He smiles slightly as he continues to stare down at you.
"I know. It just... takes me awhile to feel comfortable with people," he responds. "You do seem nice, and I'm sure we'll be close eventually. I'm just kind of... private."
You narrow your eyes as you study him.
"Okay... I guess that's an acceptable answer. But I'm going to force you to be comfortable with me!" you counter.
He lets out a chuckle and nods as you stand to your feet and walk towards your seat beside Roxas.
"Good luck with that, [Name]."