What A Mess (Open)

[Zexion]

Drinks flew across the room, drunkards fired shots off at random, and the amount of noise this group of people made would have been quite impressive if not for the wretched smell that accompanied them. The men and women, most of them pirates, squandered their time and heeded every command their hearts presented them, no matter how foolish or the obvious consequences. On occasion a person keeled over, either passed out, knocked out, or dead. If no one removed them from the scene, they quickly found themselves under a multitude of feet.

The short, cloaked figure near the wall did not fit in with the rowdy crowd at all, preferring to stand silently without courting the women or chugging down a pint. Even with his hood on, those who passed him knew he watched them with a keen, critical gaze. They scoffed at the teen in ridicule and the fear of the unknown, of a potential threat. He shrugged off any who tried pulling him into the masses as well as any other offers a regular man would have taken. He did not belong. Still, his small stature and lack of any flashy items caused people to forget him relatively quickly.

Zexion couldn't care less what these vulgar locals did as long as they remained away from him. He came only because he hadn't cared to visit this world before, so he wanted to know what it held. Now he knew and he wished he never visited. What a hellhole. As he remembered, Luxord spent some time in this world, for what reasons he couldn't fathom. The man possessed a great eloquency that was misplaced here, and he had no doubt the card games would present no challenge to the Gambler of Fate.

A man clasped him on the shoulder, startling him out of his reverie. "Hey kiddo, why the long face?" He shoved his drink into Zexion's hand, grinning madly. "That oughtta loosen ya up, and there are a few girls over there that'd love ta cheer ya, if ya catch me drift." He winked, still leaning on the teen.

Zexion held the mug away from him, tipped it upside-down, and dropped it. He smelled alcohol on the man's breath, not to mention a few other unsavory scents, and he did not tolerate drunks. Being stuck in a room full of them was bad enough, but now they tried to talk with him. It disgusted him. "I do not drink," he said stiffly, "and I do 'catch your drift,' but I refuse to converse with the likes of them, let alone anything else." He pulled away sharply and made way towards the exit. He couldn't use a Corridor in the midsts of these people without giving away that trade secret.

Behind him, the man cracked his knuckles, severly annoyed and ticked. Who did that kid think he was, wasting his money and insulting his girls? No way any shorty would get away with that. He nodded to his crew, who filed behind him and began following the kid. A few lessons would have to be taught.

[Rain Staker]

Never had Rain been so depressed in all his life.

You'd think... with the booze all around him, the sea, and even ships filled with bloody pirates he would be content. Well you are thinking the wrong way then. This is Port Royal he found out... not Cutlass Island. This wasn't even Paraga. Ever since Rain had left Paraga he had been searching for a way back home. But he found out only recently. The “heartless” had consumed his world utterly and entirely. And even worse still there was nothing he could do about it. Not only that but these blasted black monsters were EVERYwhere. The countless ones he had seen defeated before were less than the smallest fraction of the ones that were out there. He looked down at his ale… and sighed.

Yeah he was a little tipsy… and irritated… and the noise around him was only making it worse. He wished he hadn’t wound up on this god forsaken world that he was on now. The smell of the sea was only making him homesick. A random “fellow” pirate brushed up against him, which made Rain push him back and scowled. The man looked back in protest, but suddenly turned tentative when he saw the anger on Rain’s face. Rain more than merely upset at his woes… he needed something to pilfer. He had gone days without stealing a single thing and now that it dawned on him that he might never go home… Rain NEEDED to take his mind off some things.

So he did. He pilfered. The pirate who had brushed against him before had a small pouch hanging out. It seemed to be impressing the women around him that he was trying to “get into bed with”. It disgusted Rain. Money isn’t meant for showing off… it’s for hoarding and turning into power. There was nothing in his world that money couldn’t get you, and he betted everything he could steal in his lifetime that there was no world that was any different. As long as there were people, there was money. And as long as there would be money, it could be stolen. Easily.

But apparently the dude who Rain had stolen from had cronies. Cronies who were loyal to their, Rain suspected, captain. Just like back home. The men approached him which made Rain look up and smile innocently. “Hello there chaps! Can I help you?” “You be stealin’ from our boss?” a bigger man in the back of the group asked. “I think the word you be lookin’ for is captain. I’m a captain to y’know.” “You sound an awful lot like a certain infamous pirate around here…” “What?! Really?” “But still you be stealin’ from our boss. And that’s no good y’see. We is gonna haf to rough ya up a bit.” “We don’t need to be so… uncivilized.” Rain pulled out the pouch that he had stolen from the captain. “How ‘bout I pay you three of whatever they do money in here.” “KILL ‘EM BOYS!”

But Rain was quick and nimble. He carried Ole Cove like it weighed a ton but while she was in her pack, Rain was quick to the knives. He placed it to one of the men’s throats. “Listen, ole chaps… we are all good pirates here aren’t we? So let’s be good pirates and respect what I stole.” He slowly backed away from the men who followed him towards the exit. There was a pretty young guy near him… not a hostage… but possibly an escape route. “Hey! Pay ya to take wherever you are going.”

[Zexion]

While Zexion left, yet another scuffled broke out inside, apparently something stolen by the sound of things. He shook his head and stayed against the outside wall, waiting for a few more people to leave. If Xemnas or Saix found out he used a Corridor in public, he'd never live it down. A few men kept by the doorway, looking back at those caught in a fight every now and again. He wondered what their reason was for staying. It didn't occur to him that they might be waiting for his back to be turned.

Someone shouted for blood, the final straw in whatever fight happened. At least he left before that fight broke out. He saw a brawl earlier, one that involved the whole mob, and it was not pretty. Seconds later, a man slipped past those guarding the door and stood beside him, offering payment for a way out. Zexion scoffed and turned away. Just another drunk pirate looking for the easy way out.

"I will not be taking the likes of you with me, and I have no need for any sort of currency," he said curtly. "I suggest you run before your friends return. They still sound rather upset."

Upset. Yes, this is what hearts did to people. When they regained their hearts, such lack of control would never happen again. They would be in control of their emotions, Xemnas promised them that. He looked at the pirate one last time, then turned and walked off. There was nothing left for him here.

"Now!" one of the pirates roared. They rushed out of the doorway and towards the Cloaked Schemer. Zexion saw their assult and scowled. He had never been one for combat. That's why Dusks existed. He summoned two and kept on moving. Hopefully the pirates would play with those instead of chasing after him.

[Rain Staker]

Rain could only stare as two greyish white figures seemed to appear from no where. They seemed twitchy at best... much like the black monsters. The heartless they were called. Wait...

Rain knew now. He would bet more coin than he had that this kid knew exactly what was going on around her. The Heartless... the heart shaped lights... these new white monsters, EVERYTHING! Rain knew this guy could tell him about what happened to his home world. A hand met his shoulder which made Rain turn back only to narrowly avoid a fist coming at his face. As he dodged he spun grabbing out of his back Heart Stab's Cove. The shield appeared small at first, much more like a buckler than an actual shield but this was only to make it easier to handle. The shield expanded and became almost as tall as he was and double as wide. "WAIT! I have to ask you something!" he called behind him towards the kid walking away from the fight.

Two pirates ignored the dusks and came straight for him but these pirates, Rain found out, were softies. They didn't plunder nor pillage nearly as much as the world Rain had come from. Paraga was cutthroat. Paraga was kill or be killed. In fights like these, people died within seconds. He used his large shield and charged straight at one of the two pirates. He was easily knocked unconscious by the speed that Rain moved. As soon as he felt contact, Rain turned to the other pirate and slammed him against his shield. The two pirates were easily taken care of and probably wouldn’t remember what happened. The shield returned to its smaller size as Rain turned back to the boy.

“Wait kid! Wait… I have to ask you… what… what do you know about ‘heartless’?”

[Zexion]

Zexion assumed that the commotion behind was from the pirates taking care of the dusks, yet the battle ended too soon and he never counted on the dusks beating the pirates. Ealier, the pirate who tried to buy a ride out called to him, but he ignored the man and kept moving. Now he turned around, the scene explaining much more than his ears could tell him. The pirate defeated the others, not the dusks, and whatever interest he had in the heartess, well, that could be explained later. He had proven to be much more interesting than Zexion first imagined.

Smirking, he waved the dusks off. "You have quite an array of skills, I must say, most of which do not belong to this world. Shouldn't someone who travels between worlds know of the heartless? Really, I have no time for such pranks." He walked off in the opposite direction, content.

He had no doubt this man did not know what heartless were, or nobodies for that matter, but he wanted to see just how desperate this man was, how much he wanted the information. Possibly, if he had a strong enough heart, he could be used by the Organization for their gain and made into a nobody.

Out of curiostiy, he called back, "have a safe travel. Make sure your heart stays yours and out of the heartless' clutches." If he really didn't know about the heartless, then the response to that statement would most likely prove it, and Zexion hoped it would. This was too much of an oppertunity to give up just yet.

[Rain Staker]

Rain blinked. "You... You can travel between worlds?" he whispered to himself. The mere thought made him grin excitedly. It was odd though... He remembered being in a place called Agrabah once. And then he wound up here. He didn't dare ask the locals for information in fear that being alien would ask more questions than he would want to answer. But now that he thought about it... how does one travel between worlds? He remembered being swallowed by darkness when he left his own world. But moving from Agrabah to here was a blank. "Wait... wait it's not a prank, kid. I ain't tryin' to pull your leg or nothin'." He thought hard to try and gain the boy's interest.

And then the boy gave him strange advice. 'Make sure your heart stays yours... and out of the heartless's clutches.' Wait. He knew even more now... what the shining hearts were. They were his crew's hearts. Rain wasn't stupid. "Wait!" he rushed in front of the boy and stood in front of him. "You mean... the heartless. They take people's hearts? What... what do they do with them? Why do they need them?" He asked curiously. "I mean... I ain't tryin' to be rude... but a man's heart has to be worth something right?"

Which meant people are worth more than just slaves. If these heartless gave a good price for a few hear-... "But those black things don't act... intelligible. What would they know about a man's heart? And what are those white creatures that were protecting you?" Rain had so many questions, but the one true question that he really had was how was he going to get home? He was told that his home might as well just be destroyed but... if there was even a slim chance to get back to his crew and to the Lily, then he'd do anything.

[Zexion]

Oh yes, this man would prove interesting indeed. With this avid curiosity and the right guidance, he certainly could prove useful. Zexion stopped and crossed his arms, trying to look annoyed despite his growing interest. Better to warm up slowly at this point than become all smiles and raise suspicions. He listened to all the questions, mentally categorized them and chuckled at a few. The man seemed to answer a few on his own a few times, or at least parts of them. Perhaps this trip hadn't been a waste after all.

He sighed, attempting to still act reluctant. "The heartless, since you obviously have little idea what dangers they pose, are creatures of darkness, the things left behind when a heart is stolen. They are darkness and know only darkness. That is why they consume hearts. The darkness in hearts draws them, and because darkness resides in every heart, they attack everyone. And they do not need them, they want them. It is their sole purpose to gather hearts." He nodded once, sharply. That's was Xemnas taught them, the sole purpose of the heartless, and he had to agree with the Organization's leader.

Zexion paused. He knew only too well the worth of people's hearts after hanging around Xehanort and Ansem. That was all they studied, how much the heart mattered. Everyone faded to darkness, leaving him behind with Ansem the Wise, who tried so hard to keep a close watch on him but still failed. Without the others, the castle held nothing more for him, so he followed in their footsteps and became a Nobody as well. He doubted a cutthroat pirate like the one standing before him would understand such loyalty.

He had a few questions he wanted to ask the pirate, but he refrained. Sometimes questions shut people up and he didn't want that in this situation. Later, but not yet, not yet. "From my understanding, there are a select few individuals in this universe that can understand the heart," Zexion continued, ignoring the question of a heart's worth purposely. "The Heartless are not intelligent enough to understand the heart, actually, they are not intelligent in the least. The white creatures were of a completely different species, what is known as a Nobody, capital 'N'. They are what is left behind of a person with a very strong heart who loses that heart. Those are lesser Nobodies called Dusks." He smirked. "Some even keep their original, human form, although those are rather rare. My name is Zexion, by the way, in case you were wondering."

[Rain Staker]

"Heartless come from darkness..." Rain whispered to himself. Now that was something he hadn't thought about. It made sense why his world was consumed. Paraga was littered in people who would go over the deep end just to get more power or money. But then... why did he remain intact? Was he stronger than most? He had impressed the younger individual clearly from his change in lack of interest. Rain didn't exactly go to school in his youth but that didn't mean he didn't know social cues. The kid was interested... but in what? His ignorance? That seemed a bit... odd.

"So the heartless hunt hearts. Because every heart is at least a little dark. So then... what? Do they eat them? What do they do with them? I know I sound like a parrot... but... now you've got me thinkin' kid. If there was a way to use that kind of power... so many people would pay to have that kind of strength." And where there was pay, there was money. That was something Rain always looked at in the end. How much money could a heart get him... He listened in to what the rest of the kid had to say. Nobodies and Heartless. How Rain heard it... Nobodies are the body and the heartless are the heart. He thought about it for a minute... " Nice to meet you Zexion. Name's Cap'n Rain Staker of the Heart Stabs." Rain grumbled to himself. "Well... ex-captain anyways. So then... the Nobodies are intelligent creatures? So then what's their goal? To capture bodies kinda like the heartless? Or are they doing something much bigger?"

Suddenly a small thought seemed to scream to the forefront of his mind. "Wait kid... you said that Heartless are born from darkness right? Well my world, Paraga. It was consumed by the Heartless I think... but anyways I had to fight a bunch of heartless. Like a lot. Thousands. In the end I blacked out and eventually ended up here. Why didn't the heartless take my heart? Am... am I like too pure or something?" Rain highly doubted that, but any explanation was better htan none.

[Zexion]

Zexion could picture the gears turning in the young man's mind as he finished. Even more questions followed as he processed what had been said. He chuckled. The man would have made a good apprentice back at Hollow Bastion from what he had heard, the talk of strength and what people would give to have that. If only the pirate knew what some had gone through to try and obtain that power, plots made and followed that he and the others diligently obeyed, but he meant to keep a few secrets his own.

"The heartless, to the extent of my knowledge, use the hearts to further their power and sate their hunger for darkness, nothing more." He shook his head. "You have reached the question many have asked, how to harness the heart's power and use it to one's own benefit. Indeed, many would pay great costs to obtain the heart's power." He wondered what this man planned to do with hearts since he had such a keen interest in them. This was not an ordinary pirate in the least, shown at first by the combat skills, now by the obvious way he planned and plotted. He liked this man more every minute.

He nodded when he said his name was Rain and laughed when he asked if Nobodies wanted bodies, then cut himself off. That was too much. Nobodies had no emotions, so they couldn't be amused, yet he laughed twice in a short period of time. He couldn't tell the others to stop their charade if he continued one himself. Emotion on occasion was fine, but too much and it became excessive and redundant.

"Nobodies want their heart back, not bodies," he said, the idea still funny despite his personal rebuke. "And whether or not they are planned something greater, that depends on the type of Nobody. Only those who retained their human form can create such plans, and to regain one's heart would take an elaborate plan, correct?" He smirked, knowing he enjoyed this way too much for the simplicity of it. Still, he loved toying with people through words, even if it was a small thing like this.

Everything else took a back seat to Rain's statement about fighting off the Heartless and surviving the death of his world. Only those with strong hearts could live through the death of a world, either that or be extraordinarily lucky. Zexion's eyes shone. So Rain had a strong heart, possibly one that could let its body become a Nobody if stolen. Xemnas would have to hear of this.

"The purity of your heart has nothing to do with its strength, what allowed you to keep it through that ordeal. Such hearts are not found every day, so while you may not be pure, you could say you are superior to some. Your heart will not be taken easily. Consider yourself fortunate." He started off again towards the better lit area not too far ahead and waved the pirate forward. Better move now and out of the way of any more rogue pirates or those who might have decided to hang around and listen to their conversation.

[Rain Staker]

The next statement said by Zexion confirmed Rain's own interests. Rain's face seemed to turn only to smiles. "See that's where ya thinkin' too small kid. Knowing that people want to learn about the power of a heart... means that we sell hearts to those that need them." Before today, Rain would have only plundered and pillaged random houses. He would have been only a small time crook... but now knowing that people's hearts were more powerful than anyone could understand. "I would be wealthy and famous... I could fund people's research to learn how the heart really works. And then kid... when we discover how to use it... I would be powerful beyond all imagine..."

He frowned at Zexion's laughs, which made him realize how uneducated he was. He knew basic reading and writing, and had good wits and could put two and two together... But ignorance was something he now dreaded. Zexion was teaching him a lot for sure... but now he craved more. It was funny how that always worked with Rain. He always wanted more of anything. Knowledge, power, wealth... it didn't matter; he wanted everything. And he took every measure of getting it that he knew. "So... when a person with a heart dies, he becomes a heartless. Imma guess that the heartless don't actually use the hearts... 'cause the way you put it, you could get back your own heart if ya needed to." Rain paced for a minute. "Then there are nobodies... who want their own heart back. They are the bodies of people who had strong hearts who got offed... makes sense. Lose your heart leave a body. And sometimes they even leave their original body behind. And those are the ones who could still have their bodies."

Those are the ones who could still have their bodies. Rain grinned. It finally clicked in his head. Why would this guy know so much about nobodies? He obviously had a good connection with them. So either he was hunting Nobodies... or he was helping them. And this kid could summon dusks with a wave of his hand. Rain finally came to a solid conclusion about Zexion. But he would file that away for now. Zexion's last statement while they walked together, was the one Rain was the most interested in most of all. Rain had a genuinely strong heart.

"So... that means if I were to be defeated... I might become a heartless and a Nobody." It almost warranted getting himself killed. But Rain was no scholar. He was a thief and a pirate. He wanted more fame and fortune. Rain sighed. He knew Zexion was interested in his skills... but... it didn't make sense. What for? Were the heartless that hard to defeat? What purpose did he need Rain for... It finally made him simply stop. "Hey kid. What's got you so interested in me? Better yet... why don't we do a bit of trading... y'know I scratch your back, you scratch mine?"

[Zexion]

With everything said about capturing hearts and selling them, Zexion entertained the thought that Rain might be a Heartless himself, hence the interest in them, the reason why he lived through his world's annihilation, and why he gave hearts so much attention, but he corrected himself quickly. Rain was a pirate who simply lack the knowledge to understand the complexity of the task he proposed. He snapped out of his analysis of the pirate and looked back up at him.

"You are proposing stealing hearts and selling them to others? By all means, proceed, that is, if you can discover a way to do so. My colleagues and I spent years studying the heart and attempting to find ways to harness its power, yet we have made little progress in the grand scheme of its workings. If you do discover a method, trust me, you will have a market clambering at your door before you take another breath." If Rain did manage to capture and offer hearts, Zexion wanted to be the first one to hear about it. The progress that could be made with Kingdom Hearts, or even bypassing that step completely. "If you need my help in the matter, I would be more than willing to comply."

Many of the Nobodies talked about what they would do with a heart, and now that the day when he finally regained his heart seemed close at hand, he found he had no reason to have it back. It troubled him knowing that he chased an objective without having a reason to complete it. Some things couldn't be done without a heart, but most things he did required few emotions. When he had time, perhaps he would think about it more.

"Anyways, the way most think a heart can be regained is through Kingdom Hearts, the collection of hearts gathered by the Keyblade. That is what the Nobodies are after, a collation of hearts with the power to rule the worlds." He brushed his bangs away, along with the thoughts of Kingdom Hearts and regaining his heart. "Find Organization XIII and you will find those Nobodies."

Something caused the pirate to stop with the questions and become silent for a moment. Zexion wondered if something he said caused Rain to connect the dots and if he had seriously underestimated him, but just the opposite. He relaxed. "You are an intelligent person, especially for being a pirate, who thinks beyond where the next literal treasure chest lies and creates one instead. The appeal you have towards hearts is a factor as well, considering I have put so much time into them."

He paused. Cooperating with a pirate, perhaps not the best of ideas, but still, if he wanted to keep an eye on Rain, then he had little choice. "The one thing I want right now is to find more intelligence on hearts. Since you intend to market hearts, you will need a fair amount of information, and if you succeed, you will gain information. I want the information that you gain." If Rain didn't get that he was a Nobody after that, he would be surprised. Enough hints had been dropped already, not to mention summoning the dusks.

He thought about it for a moment. "And if all possible, I want a certain person, the Keybearer Riku, done away with in any fashion you might conceive." He smirked. How he would love to have that boy suffer like he did. The Replica might have done him in, but he would have had no trouble with it if not for the real Riku. That was who he blamed for his death.

[Rain Staker]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; background-image: url(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs24/i/2008/016/5/d/Pattern_Wallpaper_Template_by_lukeroberts.png); border: 4px groove #213566, bTable][atrb=border,0,true]

[atrb=style, font-family: Arial; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #213466; border: 1px dashed #c9c9c9; color: c9c9c9; padding: 10px; opacity: 0.7]Organization XIII. Rain nodded to the suggestion. Though he wanted to ask what a Keyblade is and everything else, there was something that he wanted far more than that. He admired the kid's seriousness to the plan that Rain had concocted. Back on Paraga, the crew rarely took him seriously. His "get rich quick schemes" always seemed to "fail" when in actuality they made it easier to find more treasure. Rain enjoyed trading information for money. Many pirates wanted dirt on others, or weaknesses that they could exploit. That was why Rain was also considered a Heartbreaker. There was no source of information that was safe so long as Rain was around. But the biggest problem with Rain and information was his own greed. Even now, he thought to betray Zexion once he had gained all the materials he needed to be able to trade in hearts. But that would gain him nothing. In fact, having a business partner was a near perfect way to gain money without many costs. He hated owing debts but he did not mind sharing if it constituted even more net gain than he anticipated. The way Zexion described the ability to convert hearts to power... It seemed like not only was it nigh impossible, but many had been trying for years to no avail. "Rule the worlds huh?" Rain muttered to himself. "Not to insult the Organization or nothin' but... ruling everything just seems boring. No one is willing to deal in expenses when you always got your iron fist at their throat, y'know. But I'm not gonna tell them how to run their business. How you describe 'em... it's like they are stronger than I need to think about. As Zexion continued, Rain realized why Zexion was so interested. "I ain't as bright as you make it kid... but the pirates around here aren't the ones from back home. They drink and shiv each other like it's past time. Sure killing and drinking is great... but that's nowhere near what we did back on Paraga. We only drank when we burned cities to the ground lookin' for the best treasure. We gutted any bloody marine that happened to cross our path the wrong way... We didn't hide from the law. We WERE the law. If you weren't part of a crew, you were dead weight. Dead weight gets cut away." But now it was time for what Rain really needed. "Alright kid... here's the deal. I've been to two places since I got off my world. One was called Agrabah... the other was this one. I don't remember how I got from Paraga to Agrabah or from there to here. But I do know that's it's literally impossible to get out of this place. I'll give you any information you want, if you can get me out of here, or better give me the ability to leave worlds and go to others. Any information that I find is yours."

[atrb=style, font-family: Arial; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #213466; border: 1px dashed #c9c9c9; color: c9c9c9; padding: 10px; opacity: 0.7]TAGGED: open WORD COUNT: 512 NOTES: Get me off this rock

[Zexion]

Zexion shrugged. Ruling the worlds didn't appeal to him either. When you ruled, everyone knew who you were, making it much harder to make plans or gain information. He saw no reason to complicated things any further. Besides, the Organization wanted Kingdom Hearts to regain their own hearts, not take over the worlds. At least that eliminated Rain as a megalomaniac. He couldn't stand people insane as that.

With that avenue no more than a dead end, he listened to Rain's account of the differences between his home world and Tortuga with growing apprehension. Coming from such a bloodthristy crew, he realized that Rain didn't fit into his stereotypical view of pirates, dumb, easily tricked, and good for no more than Heartless fodder. Still, such a life made a peson strong and weeded out the idiots with one track minds. Rain said he was a captain earlier, so not only did he survive in Paraga, he thrived. The idea made Zexion wary, but not nearly enough to leave.

The memory of Axel's betrayal and his part in his death rang through his mind, an occurance that he might have been able to prevent if he paid more attention to others. Rain might be the next to turn on him. No, he'd just pay attention to the pirate and make sure that things wouldn't turn south. He was the Cloaked Schemer. He could handle a pirate.

And of course the pirate wanted out of this world. There was nothing left for him here. "I will not provide you with transportation to every world you want to visit, so you must obtain a gummi ship. This world lacks the materials needed to craft gummi ships, so you need a world that does, or better yet, has a supply of gummi ships," he said, thinking aloud. "Traverse Town has such a stock, and perhaps someone will be unfortunate enough to have parked their ship in reach." He opened a Dark Corridor and looked at Rain. "You said you were ready to go, but is there anything you wish to do before you leave?"

Perhaps he should have told the pirate that he was a Nobody before opening a dark doorway, but too late for that now. "I don't recommend using these too often. You might have a strong heart, but I reckon you also have a dark one, and you might lose it to a Corridor before the Heartless." Zexion couldn't have Rain losing his heart just yet. He was so promising. The Organization could really use him.

[Rain Staker]

[atrb=cellSpacing,20,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; background-image: url(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs24/i/2008/016/5/d/Pattern_Wallpaper_Template_by_lukeroberts.png); border: 4px groove #213566, bTable][atrb=border,0,true]

[atrb=style, font-family: Arial; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #213466; border: 1px dashed #c9c9c9; color: c9c9c9; padding: 10px; opacity: 0.7] Rain grinned inwardly. This kid knew his stuff… but he didn’t know everything. There was one thing Rain had learned from living in Paraga. There is no one that is more trustworthy than his or herself. Rain was known as the Heartbreaker. He backstabbed. He stole. He pillaged and he plundered. And there was nothing in the world that would stop him from getting what he wanted. For now though, he would entertain the idea. He had always traded in information, so he would with Zexion. He saw nothing to lose from agreeing to going along with the deal Rain himself had struck. Traverse town. Sounded like a quiet place. Rain sighed relieved. While he was extremely homesick, what he found most comforting was the open sea. The waters washing over themselves… the gulls squawking loudly… his men laughing and insulting each other. It was serene. It was what he needed… not Tortuga. Tortuga wasn’t even half way as cutthroat as home was. He wanted out of this makeshift place. “A Gummi Ship? That’s how people get around, eh? Hmm… I guess I could pilfer myself a new ship. Miss the White Lily but I can make do with another vessel.” He jumped back as a black portal formed in front of him and observed. “I…I don’t have here except my things. And I always take my stuff with me.” He gestured to his pack on his back. Really the only important thing in there was the shield folded up neatly in it, Heart Stab’s Cove. “Lose my heart?” he questioned and then gave and eager grin. “Like I’ll lose my heart to some gateway to wherever. My ticker is only gonna get lost when I run into true predicaments… like which ship I’m gonna loot. Those are true problems to my heart.” He looked over at the portal and walked up to it. “Kid… There is one thing you should know. I maybe a pirate, but I don’t like owin’ debts, and I owe ya one now. You can count me as trustworthy till my debt’s been paid.” He walked to the Corridor and then hesitated. “You’re in for a storm Rain.” He grinned one last time and then stepped through.

[atrb=style, font-family: Arial; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #213466; border: 1px dashed #c9c9c9; color: c9c9c9; padding: 10px; opacity: 0.7]TAGGED: OPEN WORD COUNT: 373 NOTES:Sorry bout the wait... Muse died and couldn't think of a good way to end this.

[Zexion]

Zexion stood in front of the Corridor for a while, thinking about what he had just agreed to. Rain told him that the trust given to him wasn't forever and at the first opportunity he would turn traitor. With his sense of loyalty, he wouldn't put up with such treachery. Precautions and rules needed to be laid down before their dealing went too far, and every spare advantage he found had to be guarded as if they were the keys to the treasures he and Rain so desperately wanted. If the pirate wanted to play dirty, fine, he'd go along with it.

Such deals had been made in the past, some going better than others, true, but this wasn't anything new, so why didn't he move? What kept him rooted to the spot, leaving Rain in the darkness alone? Perhaps it was the pirate's statements about being the law and cutting dead weight away, small, blunt things that showed just how much respect he had for anyone other than himself.

Zexion stepped through, his arms crossed and mind whirling. Yes, almost everything about Rain set him on edge, including his evident ruthlessness, but there was something more. He knew he would get shortchanged, just like he planned to do to Rain, but what-?

"That's it," Zexion muttered under his breath. "I understand now."

It wasn't the attitude of the pirate, but his heart. Years had gone by since he studied the heart again, the last time only because of the way the Keyblade released hearts, and now this man convinced him with so little to pursue the topic he labeled as a dead end long ago. Why was the heart so important, so influential? He chuckled and pushed the thoughts away. Xaldin was right, some things couldn't be done without a heart, even if it served nary a purpose.

It looked like they were both on stormy seas.