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The rest of the group sniffed the air, there was indeed a strange scent hanging about, one like none that they had ever smelled before.

"Hey yeah, there is something that smells a little weird." Ritsuka said with curiosity.

"Come on guys, let's go see what it is." Mowgli said with a smile as he attempted to guide baloo over to where the scent was coming from. Baloo was about to agree but his eyes met with Bagheera, who gave him a stern look. Baloo sighed, he knew what he had to do.

"Hey uh, wait just minute there little britches, we kind of need to talk." Baloo said.

"We can talk later, right now we have a mystery to solve." Mowgli insisted as he kept trying to pull the bear with him.

"No Mowgli, we... we have to talk right now." Baloo replied, hanging on tightly to Mowgli's hand and putting a paw on his shoulder.

"What's the matter papa bear?" Mowgli asked, sensing his friend's sadness and discomfort.

"Listen Mowgli, I know I said you could stay in the jungle with me but..."

"But what..." Mowgli's smile was slowly disappearing from the his face.

"Mowgli I... you gotta understand I... I have to take you back to the Man Village." The bear finally managed to say.

"The Man Village!" Mowgli cried in shock, a look of utter betrayal on his face as he stepped out of Baloo's grip.

"Now listen Mowgli, let me explain..." Baloo began as he tried to approach the hurt little boy.

"No, you said... you promised I could stay in the jungle. You lied to me... you LIED!" Mowgli took off running to the dense brush of the jungle.

"Mowgli!" Baloo called as he and the rest of the group began chasing after him.

"Mowgli, Mowgli wait!" Ritsuka shouted.

"Come back, kupo!" Moguri added.

"Mowgli please, we just want what's best for you!" Bagheera said. Mowgli hid behind a tree as the group passed him down the trail. Once he was certain they were gone he stood back up and began wandering around, kicking the dirt in frustration. Just then his nose picked up that strange scent again. Curious and desperate for something to take his mind off of things, he followed the scent deeper into the Jungle.

"Mowgli... ah come on Mowgli, please come out, I'm sorry!" Baloo pleaded as he looked behind every bush, under every rock, anywhere he thought he might find his little buddy again. Ritsuka walked up to the distressed bear and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Baloo, we'll find him, I know it." he encouraged. Just then, they heard a screaming coming from the direction they just came in, a scream they all recognized to be Mowgli's.

"Mowgli!" Baloo cried as he fallowed the sound of the scream. The rest of the group followed suit, preparing themselves for whatever lied ahead.

In a nearby clearing Mowgli is being held two feet in the air by a large serpentine tail around his neck. A large muscular humanoid body holds him up. The human half resembled a man with long hair. The creature looks into the boys eyes and his pulse with the same colours and pattern as Kaa's. The boy is almost instantly put into a trance and coiled. The creature seems to chuckle as it see's you emerge through the bushes. It roars and throws the child. It's tail being roughly eight meters. It moves swiftly rushing towards Ritsuka knowing him down. It moves into the trees and seems to disappear. As you stand up it leaps out again now in front of you and roaring ready to fight.

Mysterious Tower

I see, I see. Very peculiar,” Yen Sid said slowly, stroking his long beard as he spoke. Karin was calmer now than before. After sitting and explaining her situation, not to mention the friendship she had created with Ritsuka, Yen Sid now seemed far less frightening. Though his face always looked fierce, Yen Sid had had never been rude to Karin. She had learned that Yen Sid was actually Ritsuka’s teacher. He had sent Ritsuka off to check on the growing darkness, and when he did not return he knew the heartless had returned. Karin was glad she could tell Yen Sid that Ritsuka and Moguri were doing okay, it seemed to sooth him. Well, at least she thought so. It was hard to tell with a face like that. Silence fell over the two after Karin had explained her strange arrival in Twilight Town. The old sorcerer had his hands folded in front of his face, his eyes closed in deep thought. Karin heard him mumble to himself, but it was too quiet to catch the words. Rather than stare at him, Karin’s eyes wandered the room. She wondered what it would be like to train under a man like this. Would the training sessions be difficult and demanding? Would there even be any physical training or did Ritsuka always have his nose in a book? No. She had saw him fight, she knew that couldn’t just be instinct. Her eyes finally fell on her intertwined hands. It was crazy to think that just a few days ago she was home training, the fear of the heartless far from her mind. Crazy how fast life changes.

“Well, It seems to me we have no choice but to reunite you all,” Yen Sid finally said, rising from his chair. Karin couldn’t help but jump up with him.

“Yeah? Can you do that?” Excitement flooded her voice.

“In due time. I believe I can anticipate where they will be next,” He told her, walking over to rummage in one of his dresser drawers. After a moment, he withdrew holding what looked a blue gem from the drawer. As Karin looked closer, it resembled what she thought to be a star.

“Do you know what this is?” He asked, approaching her. Karin shook her head slowly.

“This is a star shard. Your gummi ship has one built into it. This is what we use to transport people to other worlds.” Yen Sid explained, carefully handing the object to Karin. It felt warm in her hands, yet solid like a gem. Karin had watched Cid repair her gummi ship before, but she had never seen anything like this. It looked as if a lightening bolt was tearing out one of the sides; trying to reach another world perhaps? Karin’s gaze met the sorcerer’s.

“I will let you barrow this. BARROW, not keep. I’ve had a nasty habit of letting these get out of my site. When Ritsuka has finished his task you will have him return it to me, understand?” He asked her, his face looking fiercer. Karin managed a nod.

“Alright, since you’ve never used one of these before… hmm…” He starred hard at her.

“It’s quite possible you’ll end up transporting yourself somewhere random. Alright, together then!” Yen Sid said, closing Karin’s hands around the gem. Karin looked at him bewildered. Before she could say anything he raised his hand, silencing her.

“Close your eyes and concentrate,” The sorcerer told her. Karin gave him a confusing look, but did as she was told.

“What am I supposed to be concentrating on?”

“Just focus on the stone. Don’t think of anything else. Don’t want you winding up somewhere you shouldn’t.”

“What if I mess this up?”

“You won’t!” His voice was hard.

“You can do this. And if not, you’ll eventually end up back here.” Karin heard him chuckle. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to calm her down, or if he found the thought of her bouncing around random worlds funny. However, after a few moments she felt the gem grow hotter in her hands.

“There we go. You bring that shard back now!” He told her. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the star was enveloped in a bright, white light.

“Be safe, kid.” For the first time Karin saw a smile on his face. She only saw it for a second before the bright light blinded her, pulling her away from the world.

"WHOA, what in blue blazes is that?" Baloo exclaimed s he saw the Heartless.

"It doesn't matter what it is, it has Mowgli!" Bagheera replied, referring to the boy coiled up in the creature's tail.

"Yeah, well not for long." Ritsuka stood back up and summoned his Keyblade, staring the beast down as it reared its hand back to strike.

"Reflect!" Moguri cried, summoning a transparent barrier around the group. The Heartless brought its fist down, clashing with the Reflect, causing it to bounce right off of it. As soon as the Reflect fell Ritsuka went on the offensive, leaping into the air and landing a three hit air combo on the Heartless's chest, causing it to stagger. The Cobra Heartless then did a 360 spin, its tail swiping the entire area. Ritsuka managed to avoid the attack by jumping over it, coming back down with a Spark Dive, damaging the Heartless again. It let out a roar and turned its face to the sky, spitting up a ball of what seemed like liquified darkness into the air before it exploding into a multitude of projectiles hitting all over the ground. Ritsuka managed to evade them, but as they landed they stuck around as puddles on the ground. Ritsuka tried rush up and attack it again, but as he did he accidentally stepped into a puddle, a sharp pain shooting through him as he did.

"Gah!" He groaned at the damage. He looked down and noticed the puddle of darkness was bubbling, and emitted that same strange smell from before. "Shadow Venom, great." He moaned. Just as he was about to turn his focus back on the Heartless, it slapped the Key bearer across the field, crashing into a tree.

"Ritsuka!" The entire group said with concern.

"Alright, no more messing around, let's go you over grown worm!" Baloo antagonized, putting his dukes up for a fight. the Heartless struck at him with its tail and Baloo actually managed to grab it, holding on for dear life as Heartless tried to shake it off.

"Baloo, hang on!" Ritsuka stated as he got back on his feet.

"What other choice do I have!" Baloo replied sarcastically. Ritsuka threw a Strike Raid at the Heartless's back, gaining its attention, but rather than charge at him it hid amongst the trees, about to strike from a different angle.

"Reflect!" Moguri cast on Ritsuka. The Heartless then jumped out of the trees and tried to punch Ritsuka, but it was countered by the Reflect, leaving him open for a retaliation. Ritsuka used Blitz and landed three powerful slashes on the Heartless's chest, angering it. It raised its head and prepared to shoot out the Shadow Venom once again, but once the ball made it out of the its mouth...

"Moguri!" Ritsuka called.

"Fira!" the Moogle cast, shooting a ball of fire at the mass, causing it to explode in the Heartless's face. It howled in pain, covering its face as the Shadow Venom burned its eyes, allowing Ritsuka to get around it over to Mowgli and Baloo.

"Baloo, let go, I gotta get Mowgli out!" He instructed, to which Baloo complied. Once he was off Ritsuka hacked away at the tail, being very careful not to harm the boy. With each slash the coils loosened until eventually Mowgli fell from its grip and into Baloo's arms. "Get him out of here and somewhere safe, this battle isn't over by a long shot." he said. Baloo nodded and rushed with Bagheera out of the field, allowing Ritsuka to take care of the creature.

The naga heartless let out cries as it began to take small damage. Hissing it glowed purple and the wounds from the acid like attack healed. Being able to heal external damage and keep itself fighting fit it would be tough to defeat. Roaring in a furry it pulled up it's body and sprayed the damaging acid onto the trees and around the clearing. It burnt into the trees turning them to stinky smoldering tar like material. It would keep anything in and anything out. "No esssscape." It says hissing. The large serpent remained inside the bush and out of view. Little to everyone's knowledge it burst from the ground. It used it's tail to swing around sweeping the ground. The solid rock and soil now mixed up and broken. The tunnel the heartless came through broke down and caved in. The heartless began to strike for the smaller Moguri to stop their spell casting.

Port Royal

When Karin’s feet finally touched solid ground, and the bright light faded, Yen Sid and his tower were nowhere in sight. Instead, it was replaced with a vast ocean. The moon shone brightly overhead and illuminated the area. Wooden ships, both grand and batted, were docked around Karin. The sound of the waves rocking the boats was almost soothing. As she turned around she saw a large town. Wooden buildings covered the town, and in the distance she saw a fancy home larger than the others. This place seemed so far from the jungle her friends were in, how would they know to come here? What if she had wound up in the wrong place? Karin’s insides squirmed as she looked down at the star shard. There was no sense in using it again until she looked around. So after pocketing the gem she made her way to the town. The harbor seemed empty as she walked, and very quiet. She wondered how late it was. Had Ritsuka and Morgui already found a place to stay?

Moguri let out a small cry as the Heartless appeared before him, raising its hand to strike.

"Reflect!" He quickly cast the barrier, trying to protect himself. However this particular strike was able to overpower the Reflect, knocking Moguri across field.

"Moguri!" Ritsuka cried out to his downed friend. Ritsuka glared at the Heartless as it went to continue beating on the little Moogle. "Oh no you don't!" Ritsuka threw a Strike Raid at it, hitting its shoulder and gaining its attention. The Naga Heartless let out a roar and spat out Shadow Venom in a sweeping motion in a continuous stream. Ritsuka leaped over the stream on the initial sweep before rolling forward to avoid the second sweep. He then went right into a Sliding Dash, hitting the Heartless right were hits snake body touched the ground, causing it to loose balance. It caught itself with its right hand but Ritsuka immediately hit it with a Quick Blitz right to its face, knocking it to the ground. Ritsuka took this moment to check on Moguri, pulling out a Potion from his pocket. "Moguri, are you ok, here!" Ritsuka said as he kneeled down to the Moogle and threw the Potion over him, causing it to activate and heal him. Moguri sprang back to life, shaking his head from the impact.

"Thanks, kupo." He thanked with what Ritsuka felt was meant to be a look of gratitude. They turned their attention back to the Naga Heartless, who had recovered and was now rushing towards them. "Aero!" Moguri cast, creating a protective gust of wind around Ritsuka. He then blocked Naga's fist with his Keyblade, thanks to the Aero's support, and then began to trade blows with him, blocking and slashing at its fist as he swung punches at him. The Heartless tried to sweep him with its tail, but Ritsuka leaped over it, and it was then that he noticed that the wound he made on its shoulder had begun to heal. Ritsuka then formed a plan and tossed a Strike Raid at the wound, reopening it and causing some major damage to the Heartless.

"Wait a minute, that's it!" Ritsuka said as his Keyblade reappeared in his hand. The Naga Heartless then refocused on Ritsuka and threw a powerful punch at him, but instead of blocked it, he merely dodged it, the force causing it to bet imbedded into the ground. Ritsuka quickly ran up the Heartless's arm as it was raising it up from the ground and threw another Strike Raid at its shoulder to damage it. Once it came back to him, he stood on the creatures shoulder and hacked away at its face causing it to bring its other hand to try and swipe him off. Ritsuka leaped over its head to its injured shoulder and landed a Spark Dive right into it, greatly damaging it as it let out a wail of pain. Ritsuka landed back on the ground and lowered into his defensive stance. "Moguri, aim for its shoulder, don't give it a chance to heal!" He instructed, to which Moguri complied.

"Thundara!" Moguri cried, bringing a bolt of lighting down on the Heartless's shoulder. It growled in pain and held its shoulder, giving Ritsuka the chance to slash at it for a while. Once it regained its composure Ritsuka used Strike Raid again, but this time the Heartless swiped the Keyblade away. However, this was just a distraction so that Ritsuka could leap up to it and land an, aerial Sliding Dash to the shoulder. The Heartless sustained a lot of damage, but it wasn't done yet, he fled back to the brush, out of the two apprentices' site.

"Where did it go!" Ritsuka inquired, keeping on his guard. Suddenly, the ground beneath Ritsuka gave way as the Heartless leaped out of the ground, knocking him into the air. It then slammed Ritsuka with its tail, sending him flying into the Shadow Venom barrier, damaging him.

With Ritsuka flying towards the barrier heartless came up enraged. Letting out a deep roar it proceeded to groan and transform slightly. It rose up and with a shriek it's head rapidly changed shape. Its arms seemed to melt away and it took the form of a massive snake. Being nearly twenty meters long it struck for the small Moguri. It's fangs now being four main ones where nearly the size of him. Headbutting him he flew slamming into a tree. The snakes mouth began to glow a dark purple. It swung it's head around shooting a powerful stream of acid. It hit's the remaining trees melting them. As Ritsuka hit the barrier he would get a massive electric shock. The massive snake roared and leapt down mouth wide sweeping up the chunk of dirt and melted wood Moguri is in and goes to swallow him.

Port Royal

Since she was garbed in a long, thick dress, the walk through town was quite pleasant. After venturing through town though, Karin had convinced herself that her friends had either not arrived yet, or she was in the wrong place. She briefly wondered if she had missed them, but she was sure they wouldn’t have cleared this land that fast. She was hopeful that her friends would arrive here soon as Yen Sid had said. Still, she couldn’t help the detected feeling she got after searching through the calm down. This place seemed to be free of heartless; a place where her friends were unlikely to venture to.

After sighing, she twirled the mug between her hands and watched the frothy liquid slosh up the sides. She had managed to find her way to a small pub, filled with the laughter and chatter of drunken men. She hoped that by being around others who were happy, she would feel better about her own situation. Though the bartender knew she had no munni (at least not munni that could be used in this world) he took pity on her and offered her a glass of something that smelt woody. The taste was foul, but after a few sips the drink had a calming effect on her. The only thing she had to worry about now is where she would stay until her friends arrived. If they arrived…

“Lance! I’ll take whatever you have on tap old friend!” A pompous man made his way through the pub. His wild dreads were pulled back by a red bandanna and a tattered tricorne accompanied it. He used his hands obnoxiously when he spoke to the bartender as if he was trying to convey a message larger than he delivered. The bartender merely sneered at him.

“And how do I know you’re going to pay me, and not run off like last time jack?” He spit his name. Jack starred at him for a moment before he drew closer and pulled something out of his pocket. Karin saw the glint of gold before it disappeared back into Jack’s coat’s pocket.

“I think I can handle it, mate.” Jack grinned to reveal several gold teeth before he turned and strode through the bar. Karin couldn’t help but stare; something was quite off about the man but she couldn’t place what. Jack caught her gaze and before she could turn away he began to walk over to her.

“Couldn’t help but notice that I’ve never noticed you before, darling. Where do you hail from?” The man asked her, putting his muddy boot up on the chair as he spoke.

“Oh uhh, across the seas you know. You’ve probably never heard of it before. Small town!” Karin nervously replied. She didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention to herself.

“Across the sea eh? Humor me! I may have been there before.” The bartender dropped off Jack’s mug of booze and Jack began to hastily drink it. Karin rubbed her neck as she began to think up her next lie.

Ritsuka screamed in pain as he hit the barrier, the electric shock paralyzing him for a few moments as he fell to the ground. He regained his maneuverability just in time to see Moguri get scooped up into the Heartless's giant maw. "Moguri!" Ritsuka cried before rushing closer to the creature and leaping into the air. He wasn't able to jump high enough and so he cast Magnet, directing it at the mass of dirt and stone, drawing it over to him, including Moguri. The Heartless closed its jaws trying to capture the tiny little morsel, but failed and so turned his attention to the descending Keyblade Wielder.

"Zero Gravira!" Moguri casted, resulting in himself, Ritsuka, and the masses of debris to float in the air. The two leaped from mass to mass, avoiding the snapping jaws of the Heartless until they tricked it into smashing its head into the barrier, allowing them to regroup on the ground. "Cura!" Moguri chanted as he healed both of their wounds. "Are you ok, kupo?"

"I'll live, for now." Ritsuka lowered back into his battle stance as the Heartless turned to face them. It reared it's head back, its mouth glowing purple again before shooting out another stream of acid. The two leaped into the air to avoid it, but despite that the Heartless continued shooting the acid, covering the outer part of barrier with it, the acid remaining in a bubbling ring. "Damn, it just keeps boxing us in!" Ritsuka stated. The Naga Heartless swiped at it with its large mouth, but Ritsuka managed to fight it off, clashing its teeth with his Keyblade. "We gotta finish this guy off quick!" Moguri gave a nod of confirmation and they sprang into action.

"Aerora!" Moguri casted as they dashed towards the Heartless. It attacked them with its tail but Ritsuka managed to block the first three swipes and on the final one, he stabbed his Keyblade into it, clinging onto the creature. He climbed into the tail and ran up its body, leaping over its numerous attempts to bite him off. Once he made it to the head he unleashed a Spark Dive, knocking its head down to the ground. Before the Naga Heartless could get back up, Ritsuka slid off of it an Moguri cried out "Gravira!", causing gravity to keep it pinned down. Ritsuka then began attacking it, concentrating most of his slashes at the back of its head, finishing his onslaught with a Blitz, leaving it with a severe wound.

The Naga Heartless then broke free of the spell, letting out a fearsome roar before it reared back its head for one last stream of acid. Ritsuka was counting on this, lowing into a defensive stance as his Keyblade began glowing with a strange energy. Once the Heartless let loose the attack Ritsuka leaped towards it and unleashed a Prism Wheel, drilling right into the acid spray. He plowed straight through it until he reached the beasts mouth, ordinarily the attack wouldn't be enough to cause any major damage, but with the wound on the back of its head, the force was just enough to tear the head in two from the jaw, finally killing the Heartless. The body fell to the ground as did Ritsuka, he looked back at it as it disappeared into nothingness, leaving behind a large Heart that just flew into the air and disappeared as well. Ritsuka let out a tired sigh and sat on the ground to rest.

"Man, this is a lot harder without Karin." Ritsuka admitted.

"Yeah, no kidding, kupo." Moguri agreed. Just then, the barrier of melted trees faded away as well. "Come on, let's go meet back up with the others, kupo." He suggested, to which Ritsuka complied and the two went off back into the jungle.

The void which he viewed this from sparked red and blue lightning contrasting elegantly in the darkness. Watching the battle with his naga heartless got him worried. "They are clever. But we can't allow this." A dark echoing voiced filled the darkest reaches of the chaotic void. Bringing up the large map of the worlds and their boarders he went to the world refereed to as Port Royal. "This could work." Dark clouds formed making a orb that showed a wet coral covered ship. On board it were strange looking men. Each one seeming to blend in but they where blurred as it soon focused on another. A tall man with what looked like tentacles sat at a large pipe organ.

"Jones." The shadows voice says echoing in the strange mans head. He looked up and around. "What is the pleasure I own this to?" He asks gently. "I can help you get your heart if you assist me. I can give you the power to rule the seas and the beast to do it. Now I ask for a trade." He says clearly knowing about him. The man seeming to be called Jones looked troubled but looked up. "What is it you require?" "A target. A woman and her friends. Like me they don't exist on your world. Your job is to kill her. Her friends as well. Do this and the heartless will join you in finding your heart." He uses the tentacles on his face to push some keys. "I shall do this. But consider it the closing of our deal and we are both paid in due." "As you wish. You will not hear from me again." The voice then stops and leaves him. The voice chuckles seeming to have forged allies in worlds.

In the jungle the barriers between the worlds faded. Enough to let them through. However something was amiss. A key hole still needed closing to stop heartless returning. This would be the final task of the 'keyblade wielder' to do in order to protect the world. "What is going on?" Baloo says resting at a tree with Bagheera and Mowgli. "I don't know. That thing was not of this world." The panther replies. "Bagheera we shouldn't of let them face it alone." Mowgli says seeming upset.

Port Royal

“Well you’ve got me, I’ve never heard of a strange place like that before.” Jack leaned back in his chair and gave Crystie an odd look. His third mug now lay empty on the table. Crystie shrugged, swirling her mug around in her hands. After her first few sips she decided she was against the bold taste and the funny feeling it gave her.

“That’s just me I guess, strange,” She chuckled lightly.

“Hey Jack! Jack come o’er ‘er! I gotta show you somthin’!” A dirty, long haired man waved over Jack from a table in the back. Sighing irritably, Jack stood.

“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll just be seeing what Fin wants,” He said before striding over to the back table; his image was soon engulfed by the crowd of drunken men. Seeing this as her chance, Crystie left the bar quietly, leaving only her mug behind.

Though the night air was chilly from the sea breeze, it was sort of comforting to Crystie. It reminded her of her days at home, walking the beach under the starry sky. She had so little of those warm memories anymore. Not since the heartless had attacked. She hoped her friends hadn’t met their fate against them…

A sudden noise caused Crystie to jump; her hand instinctively grabbed her shrunken kantana at her hip. The shadow of a hunched over man was concealed by one of the shabby building in front of her, rifling through the garbade. He didn’t seem armed, but in the shadows Crystie couldn’t tell.

“Uhh, excuse me? Are you alright?” Crystie asked, slowly approaching the man. The man froze when he heard her voice, but then slowly emerged from the shadows. The man’s image caused Crystie to recoil.

The man was dripping wet, covered in what seemed to be coral as if he had been laying at the bottom of the ocean for years. His head was even more disfigured than his body, as if he was a hybrid between a blowfish and a man. He smiled at the look upon her horrified face.

“You look like you’re not from around here, little lady,” The man muttered, taking a step towards her. Instantly, Crystie whipped the kantana out from her hip and pointed it at the man-fish.

“Stay back!” This only seemed to make the man laugh. Spikes from the man’s cheek puffed out as he did.

“You can’t scare us with the thought of death.” He grinned again. Us?! Before she could turn around Crystie was seized from behind and a large, coral hand muffled her scream. The next moment something hit her hard from behind and the world crumbled around her.

"Don't worry about us." Ritsuka said as he and Moguri got into earshot of the group. "We can take care of ourselves."

"Ritsuka!" Mowgli cried in joy as he leaped into his arms. "You made it, you actually made it!"

"Of course, defeating Heartless is what we do, kupo." Moguri replied boastfully.

"Ha, ha, ha, well what do ya know, you're pretty tough for a Man Cub." Baloo said as he caught Ritsuka in a headlock and began messing up his hair.

"You know it Papa Bear." Ritsuka said as he escaped the bear's grip.

"Well done you two, no doubt with that creature gone, it's smaller minions will quite down a bit." Bagheera said with gratitude.

"No, there's only one way to put an end to the Heartless problem once and for all." Ritsuka stated, realization dawning on him. "Hey, you think you can take us back to those ruins?"

Later

Ritsuka was facing the throne that King Louie once sat upon, a faint keyhole shaped symbol carved on it. Ritsuka summoned his Keyblade, the Keyhole revealing itself as it resonated with the Keyblade, he pointed his weapon at the symbol and a beam of light shot out at it, sealing it. "That should do it."

"Hey uh..." Mowgli said nervously, gaining Ritsuka's attention. "I...I'm sorry for running off like that, I got us all in a lot of trouble."

"It's alright Mowgli, everything worked out anyway." Ritsuka reassured the jungle boy.

"Well, I hope you now understand how dangerous the jungle can be Mowgli." Bagheera interjected. "Things worked out this time, but this Man Cub, and Baloo and I for that matter, won't always be around to protect you."

"I know Bagheera, but... this Jungle will always be my home, it's where all my friends are, and my family too. I won't always be small and helpless, and once I can take care of myself, I'll come back, that Shere Kahn won't know what hit him!" He declared, looking over and getting a nod from Ritsuka.

"Now that's the spirit Little Britches!" Baloo said confidently, but his face dropped a little soon after. "Still, I'm really gonna miss you kid."

"As will I." Bagheera admitted.

"...He may be leaving, but you won't really be apart." Ritsuka stated. "As long as you remember each other, you'll meet again, someday." The group smiled at each other before Ritsuka looked up to the sky. 'That's right, we'll meet again, Karin.' At this thought, a Keyhole appeared in the sky, revealing a new pathway. Ritsuka raised his Keyblade up to it and unlocked it. "Well, looks like we gotta hit the road too."

"Oh man, so many goodbyes in one day, rip my heart out why don't ya." Baloo quipped, gaining a chuckle from the two apprentices.

"We'll come back, promise, kupo." Moguri assured.

"Safe travels you two." Bagheera said.

"Happy trails." Baloo added.

"When you get back, I'll be a little bit stronger, count on it." Mowgli said.

"Alright, see you guys." Ritsuka waved goodbye as he turned his back on the group, heading back to the Gummi Ship.

The sound of moist wood creaking with wet leather would enter Karins ears. After being taken by the strange fish like man she was brought to a dark coral and moss covered wooden cell. The place was dimly lit but images could still be made out with little trouble. Outside of the cell stood another of the mutant men. This one however seemed like a tiger shark with sharp teeth and black strips crossing his back. He held a wet yet firm looking steel blade as he stood on guard.

Outside the cell in the same room with the same large pipe organ sits the hybrid called Jones. Grasping a drink of some sorts and gently sipping he stands up and wanders to the door calmly humming. "Whats so special about her?" He asks himself questioning why this girl and her friends are important. He came to a decision out of curiocity to interrogate her before killing. To see if maybe she is worth more alive. He puts the cup down on a wooden bench near the door and walks out. Several other fish men stand and nod at him as a sign of respect.

While the steps creak as he wanders down them he reaches the cell level. "Captain." The puffer fish man says. "We went through her belongings but found nothing to claim she was important other then some swords of well craftsmanship. She shows no signs of being aligned with the bastard British or any other pirate brand though." He says with a report. "Well let me see her. Maybe she knows something of great importance." He says being shown the cell. Walking up the ground creaks making the decaying yet somehow above water ship eerie to the point of panic. Tapping one of the bars with the tentacles he waits for a response.

Karin finally awoke to the familiar sway of a ship. For a few moments she dreamily wondered if she was back on her home island, sailing off to one of the nearby lands. However, the murky scent of the wet wood hit her a few moments afterward and ripped her from her dreamland.

Groaning, she pushed herself up into a sitting position; her hand went back to rub the painful lump on the back of her head. For a few
moments she merely sat in this position as she gathered her scattered thoughts. What happened to me? How did I get here..?
When she finally remembered the strange men outside the bar, she forced her eyes to open. The cell she was placed in was small, only containing a hard wooden bed and a small pail in the corner. The door to the cell was made of solid wood, containing only a small opening towards the top that was barred to make her escape nearly impossible. To make matters worse, another sickening fish man stood guard at the door, armed.

Instinctively, Karin reached to her side for her kantana but found it to be missing. Of course, they wouldn’t give me my weapon in here.
Fear began to rise in her, but she forced it back down again. There's no immediate danger, nothing to be worried about just yet. Besides, I can fight them if they try to come in here. Sighing agitatedly, Karin
pushed herself to her feet and began to pace the room as she thought about what could come next.

A few minutes later Karin came to a stop at the sound of voices outside her cell. Slowly, she turned her gaze to look out the window, which was a little hard due to her height. However, on her tippy toes she noticed a head that seemed to be made out of an octopus.

Startled, she dropped down flat footed and remained breathless until his face emerged over the bars. Shuttering, Karin took a step back further into her cell.

“What do you want with me?” She asked him.

"...Hey, Moguri." Ritsuka said, as he and the Moogle blankly stared at the controls of the Gummy Ship.

"Yes, Ritsuka, kupo." Moguri replied.

"Any idea on how to drive this thing?"

"Not one, kupo."

"...GAH, WHAT THE HECK ARE WE GUNNA DO!!" Ritsuka exclaimed in frustration. "Sure we can just use my Keyblade Glider to get to the next world, but we can't just leave Karin's Gummy Ship here! Man... if only Karin were here." He slumped his shoulders, reminded of his friend's capture.

"Hmm, maybe this thing has some sort of Autopilot function we can use, kupo." Moguri suggested, searching the control panel for such a device. "Well, first things first, we should probably turn it on." The little Moogle reached for the ignition, pushing the button and bringing the ship to life. As the control panel began functioning, there was some kind of notification on the screen. "Hey, Ritsuka, come look at this, kupo." He urged him. Ritsuka complied and walked over to read the message.

"Star Shard... resonance, what's that mean?" He said quizzically.

"I don't know, but it looks like it says it can take us to the next location, see, the world that the path we just opened leads to." Moguri pointed out, the screen showing a map of the worlds, with the path to the next one highlighted.

"Well... alright, I guess it's worth a shot." Ritsuka said. He reached over to the control panel and pressed a few buttons, ordering the ship to follow the "Star Shard Resonance" to the next world. With that the ship immediately started to zoom off to the Lanes Between, jerking the two apprentices around in the cockpit. "Gahhahah, maybe we should've sat down first!" He lamented as the ship flew to its next destination.

"What do I want? What I want is information. Like who are you and why are you here?" Jones asks remaining quizzical and curious. "I personally have no interest in hurting you. But." He laughs. "I know someone who thinks your a bit of a problem. So maybe if you say who you are and why your here I could consider the fact you broke out if I like what I hear." He says hinting at his willingness to let her go showing almost a lack of loyalty for his employer.

Back outside on the ships deck deeply laced in fog several small dark shadows moved along the ground. The half fish half human pirates looked at them curiously. The crabs on deck scurried away falling off as six thin armored heartless formed. These ones had black and gray helmets and chest plates with long pointed legs. "So these some of the captains new friends?" A pirate asks looking at them. The remain silent and look around the deck before reshaping their look to now resemble the hybrid pirates but purely black with yellow eyes and the off glow of purple. Looking down faint bubbles where seen proof of something lurking. One more time they changed form now resembling more humanoid pirates but with sharp teeth and shark fins. The unique form of the heartless and this ability of theirs seems to be a by product. After being sent they now seem to be shaped by Jones heart. Since he technically doesn't have one they alter their form to find a suitable one. This is all in all something never seen by heartless before in other worlds.

Karin starred at the fish man for some time as she debated on what to say next. There was no way she could tell him where she came from,
regardless of whether or not he had good intentions. She couldn’t just go around and tell people that she was from a different world; that would really mess things up! However, perhaps this man already knew of the existence of other worlds if he knew of someone who was onto their plans. Perhaps he was in contact with whoever took her from her friends? She decided it was best to start out simple.

“My name is Karin. I’m a…soldier fighting against darkness,” Seems generic enough.

“I honestly don’t know what I’m doing here. I, err, got lost from some of my other friends and happened upon that bar when I was looking for them. This really wasn't the place I was hoping to stop at.. Better question is, what do you and your friend want with me? What do you plan on gaining?” She asked, moving closer to the bars. She needed to be careful if he was affiliated with the darkness. Still, she hadn’t seen any signs of them yet so there was no need to
be wary.

Ritsuka and Moguri panted heavily as the ship finally came to a stop.

"Well, that was definitely an experience." Ritsuka said as he stood back up, cracking his back.

"Did it work, kupo?" Moguri inquired, still a little dizzy from the ride. Ritsuka looked out the window to see the world they had stopped it. It took the form of a ball of water with a port placed upon it, on the bottom was a strange, dirty looking pirate ship, but its most outstanding feature was the skull and crossbones that was placed on the front.

"Well, we're definitely somewhere." Ritsuka replied. "Come on, let's land and see what we can find, if the pathway led us here that world is probably in danger."

"Alright, just let me sit down first, kupo." Moguri said, learning from his passed mistake.

After a few fumbling moments of trying to figure out the controls, the two apprentices finally landed the Gummi Ship on the world, disembarking into the docks of Port Royal via a Save Point.

"Hmm, this place doesn't really look like it gets many visitors, kupo." Moguri observed.

"Well, let's look around, maybe it was recently attacked by..." Before he could finish his sentence, a group of Heartless ambushed them, appearing out of the darkness is splashes of dirty sea water. "Heartless!" Ritsuka cried as he summoned his Keyblade, and Moguri summoned his sword. The two stared down their enemies before one attacked, Ritsuka quickly slashing at it.

These heartless resembled pirates with black and red bandannas and bulky grey pants. They wielded swords and slashed forward clashing with the keyblade wielder. The one that leapt forward was slashed on its chest and broke apart into shades and shadow. The others silently slash and gash at their foes not letting up and pushing them back towards a dock.

"What do we want with you?" Jones chuckles looking into the cell. "We have a goal in mind and from what I have been told. But I don't think you are a major pest at this point." He continues to avoid giving answers yet shows some signs of respect for her. "So do you think your friends will come for you? Or will they trust you to escape?" He asks while his tentacles curl with the bars.