A/N: Better late than never is what i always say. And by that i mean i still have writers block and I havent been writing. i have been avoiding this fic like the plague and i am sorry for the gigantic gap between updates. Here we go though. everyone strap in.

The outline of the Interceptor crept out of the fog slowly. Something was wrong. There was a strange look to the loose sails and Eleanor let out a breath as they came to a stop along-side it. It was bobbing in the choppy water completely unmanned. The lights on the deck were dark and there was no movement at all anywhere. It was very eerie to say the least.

Sora leaned out over the edge at her side and narrowed his bright eyes at the Interceptor. "Well this doesn't look good." Despite the dangers there was still an excited glimmer in his eyes as eh turned to the others. "What do you guys think?"

Donald and Goofy slipped on the deck and stopped at his side.

"Well gawrsh guys, that's definitely the ship he left in but I sure don't see Will anywhere." Goofy's eyes scanned the deck of the other ship carefully.

Donald groaned. "I don't like this. I gotta really bad feeling."

Eleanor shook her head and took a half step closer to Goofy. "Yes, I don't like it either."

"Well. Me either, so it is fortuitous you're all here. Considering you are the professional adventurers and all. You all will play the hero and I shall guard the ship." Jack crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "Should the worst happen make sure to scream loudly enough for me to hear and I'll make sure to hurry over-"

"Jack." Eleanor shook her head. "We'll need your help too."

She felt Sora step up beside her and he set his hands on his hips. "And what about when that man comes back? We're gonna need you and that sword. What if something happens and we can't fight our way out of it?"

Jack paused before he let out a long breath. "I can't believe you're ropin' me into this again. If the worst should happen you'll all be responsible." He waved vaguely over at the Interceptor. "We'll need to get over to the ship then so someone needs to grab the planks so we can get over there, if you're all so eager."

"Well, I guess that's the spirit there Jack." Donald crossed his arms and nodded to Goofy and Sora. "Well go on and get the planks."

After a brief struggle with the awkward long planks of wood to help them over the choppy waves from the Black Pearl to the slick deck of the Interceptor, they managed to bridge the gap from ship to the next. Sora went first, balancing carefully on the warped wood. Goofy was next, and then Donald, who slipped midway and ended up inching his way across on his feathery hands and knees. Eleanor let Jack help her over the railing and onto the gangplank before holding out her arms for balance and keeping her gaze on Sora, whose hands were out to catch her when she made it over the treacherous waves.

"Gotcha." He caught her hands and helped her over the railing of the Interceptor.

She stumbled briefly but stood and took her hands back. "I'm fine. I have done this before. Of the pair of us, only one is a dangerous pirate you know."

"Oh sure of course. How could I forget." Sora grinned.

Jack practically waltzed over the gangplank and instructed Donald and Goofy to drop the anchor quickly so they wouldn't drift any further from the Pearl. Sora's bright eyes scanned the deck before they fell on Will, lying unconscious on the steps.

"Oh here we go." Jack groaned.

Together, Sora and Goofy managed to carry Will's limp form into the cabin after a brief struggle into the cabin. Jack held the door open for them, despite a brief complaint. Eleanor and Donald crowded forward as Goofy carefully laid out the unconscious man out on the carpet. A beat of silence passed.

Eleanor knelt at his side and gave Donald a desperate look. "Can you heal him?"

The magician groaned and waved his hands over Will's chest. "He's just unconscious. Nothing magic here. Relax will ya?"

"Well gawrsh, what d'ya suppose happened to him?"

"How am I supposed to know? I can't tell that kind of thing with magic!" Donald snapped.

"Well not with that attitude you can't." Sora quipped.

Donald squawked and jumped up and down a few times. "Well, what d'ya want me to do about it!? I can't make him wake up faster than he's gonna wake up!"

Goofy stifled a laugh behind his hand as Donald's squawking at Sora became unintelligible.

"Please.. This isn't helping the situation at all." Eleanor held up her hands to stop the argument with an exasperated sigh.

As the argument continued, Will groaned on the cabin floor between them all.

"He's awake!" Donald and Goofy jumped forward, the first pushing the second so he could make sure there was nothing wrong with Will's head.

"Oh good, thank heavens. How could I possible contain my relief." Jack rolled his dark eyes towards the door to keep watch.

"What happened, my head is pounding." His voice creaked a little as he sat up and looked around. "What are you lot doing here?"

"Been asking that meself." Jack grumbled.

"Elizabeth was worried sick when you didn't come back. She sent us out to look for you." Sora said after he narrowed his eyes up at Jack. He let out a breath, and set a hand on Will's shoulder. "What in the world happened to you, huh? Do you remember anything at all?"

Will ran his hands through his hair and glanced around at everyone who had come to his rescue. "I sailed to see if the cursed pirates were a result of the treasure at the Isla de Muerta being tampered with. I recall it being sealed off and since the island is near impossible to find and all there are very few who could have found and taken the pieces." He shot a look in Jack's direction, that the pirate missed because he was staring pointedly back in the direction of the cabin door. "I obviously didn't make it to the island though, I don't remember a lot only these ghostly white monsters and then nothing I'm afraid."

"The Nobodies were here?" Goofy muttered.

"Maybe brought here by the Organization member who threatened us?" Eleanor offered.

"Well gawrsh, maybe.." The knight gave her a nervous look but didn't say anything else.

"The monsters were with a stranger in a hood, if that's what threatened you." Will continued after a moment. "If your Captain knows nothing about the missing gold then perhaps the stranger will."

Eleanor looked up at Sora who nodded thoughtfully.

"Err, it appears we have company." Jack drew his sword quickly and nodded to the door. "Shall we?"

"Company?" Donald shook his head quickly. His wand filled his hands and he took a defensive step in front of Will. "We have to get Will back to the Black Pearl and to safety. He can't fight in this condition."

"Sure. But stay safe." Sora affirmed.

In a bright flash his keyblade appeared. He shielded Donald and Will as they slipped out the door and onto the slick deck of the Interceptor with Goofy, Jack and Eleanor close behind. The waves were rocking the Interceptor dangerously and there was a strange chill in the air that set her nerves on end. Donald rushed Will across the gangplank before quickly disappearing into the cabin for safety.

"I don't like this Sora, I fear that man will return." Eleanor took a step up behind him and set a hand on his back as she looked around warily.

"What man was this exactly." Jack asked.

"What man indeed. Finally made it here." The deep voice from earlier made them all turn. A huge heartless floated behind the cloaked blond with a scythe poised carefully behind its back and the cursed treasure cradled in its other arm. "And you lot have sure been busy here haven't you. Dancing around this one for hours, but alas it was all for naught wasn't it."

"Stay behind me." Sora said quietly as Eleanor summoned her keyblade in a flash and eyed the massive ghostly heartless.

She took a half step to his side. "I would rather protect you from here if that's okay."

He gave her a breathless look before nodding. "Yes that's fine."

The second long interaction ended and Eleanor turned to the Nobody, who was watching them carefully with cold eyes.

"What are you doing here? Explain yourself!" Sora shouted over at him.

"Finally you make a move. A poor one but a move nonetheless I suppose. You can call me Luxord, I have been tracking you through the connected worlds since Xemnas threatened you all in Hollow Bastion. Somehow I expected more from you." He drawled as he shrugged, half heartedly. He beckoned the huge heartless forward and it dragged its scythe along the deck causing a horrible creaking sound that made them all cringe. "You know it's interesting though, this gold. Like the heartless, drawn to the light, greed and avarice and all that." He ran his hands over the coins as he strolled forward a ways across the desk. He turned his haunting yellow eyes on them and stopped with a click of his black boots.

Goofy jumped as each of the gold pieces clinked against one another and dipped behind his shield. "I don't like this." His voice wavered.

"You shouldn't. I am here to threatening you, after all." He grinned wickedly. "The gold will keep this heartless alive until you can get all the pieces back to the chest, and then you'll fight it and then you'll die." He tossed the coins he had pulled out of the chest into the air and three milky white nobodies appeared from nowhere and disappeared with them.

Donald squeaked, but before anyone who could react the ship rocked violently on the choppy waves. Luxord grinned wickedly and the ship rocked again. Eleanor tried to grab onto Sora, but her hands slipped out of his and she slid across the slick deck. Her head hit the thick wood railing and the world fuzzed into black.

"Eleanor. Open your eyes. C'mon." Sora's voice made her eyes open with a start.

She sat up and her short bangs flopped into her face, bringing into sharp reality that she was drenched. "I'm wet!" She said indignantly, scrambling back away from where from the ocean lapping up through the boards beneath her. With a sharp breath, she realized she was no longer on the deck of the Interceptor. She turned to Sora, who was watching her with a curious expression and pushed her hair out of her face. "What happened? Where are we?"

"Well, Luxord and that giant heartless sunk the ship and we all got knocked out. And for the second question, I mean to be entirely honest with you, I don't exactly know where we are." Sora crawled towards her. "But we all got separated and I've been crawling around in this.." He motioned vaguely to the mangled wood around them. "Jack and Goofy and me all found each other on this island that's, well I guess it's technically above us." He paused and stood carefully. "Speaking of which, we gotta get out of here. There's something you should see."

Eleanor pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and squinted to look around the dimly lit space. There was moonlight leaking through the gaps in the wood somewhere above her and there was the ghostly outline of at least three or four other hulls around them, outlined against the dark sky. She let out a long breath. There was only one place this could be.

"Shipwreck Cove then?"

Sora laughed. "I don't have any idea."

"No, I meant I'm fairly certain that's where we are. Something about the way the currents pull on wrecked ships, they all tend to end up in a mangled heap here. We're just South of the Isla de Muerta. I've never seen this place myself but I'm almost positive, if I could get a peek at the stars I could tell you for sure." She stood and absentmindedly tried to squeeze some of the water out of her shorts as she spoke. She offered her hand to Sora who was giving her a sort of star struck impressed expression. "Oh stop that. I did spend almost my entire life at sea before meeting you, you know?" She kept her eyes on her boots in order to keep from getting more flustered.

He grinned and took her hand. "Well yeah but I haven't. That's impressive."

She rolled her eyes, and changed the subject. "You said that there was something I should see?"

"Yeah but, you're not gonna like it." He leaned towards her. "It's Jack."

Her blood ran cold. "What about Jack. Is he hurt?"

"No, not exactly."

"I don't like the way that sounds. Please explain?"

"I promise it'll be easier to just show you."

They clambered up out of one sunken and destroyed ship, through a second and a third until they were able to hop onto a cave carved out of craggy grey stone and lit by the silver moonlight. She took a second to peer out at the ocean over the tops of the ships piled around the small island. They had a long way to get back home and no discernible way to get there. She had heard stories of shipwreck survivors ending up stranded here, it was so hard to navigate the currents in this area and she sighed shakily. There had to be a way to get back to Port Royal, or else Luxord would no doubt wreak havoc without them to stop him, without Sora's keyblade to stop him, and he was no doubt heading back to Port Royal.

"This way." Sora pulled her out of her thoughts with a soft tug on the hand he was still holding. They rounded a corner and immediately her eyes fell on Jack, pacing through a cavern that was spotty with moonlight while Goofy looked on with a worried expression.

"Oh good! Bring more confusion into the situation." Jack snapped. He turned sharply to Sora and Eleanor, causing Goofy to jump.

"Don't be rude." Sora set his hands on his hips. "You're the one who asked me to find her. Now show her what's going on, she might be able to help"

Eleanor nodded. "Please Jack? We're currently shipwrecked on an island we have no way off and no to mention the gigantic threat that we need to find a way to fix. If something is wrong please share it-"

Jack groaned dramatically and stepped into the moonlight and his body faded into a skeletal version of himself with his hands outstretched as if to ask 'what do you make of this'. He was obviously cursed by the gold that the Organization member had stolen out of the chest. She covered her mouth with her hands and turned to Sora.

"Okay. Right. And what does this mean, exactly?" Her voice was soft and sort of wobbly as she tried to make sense of everything.

He shrugged. "No idea. We were hoping you would. You know this curse better than us."

"Which is hardly at all. Jack knows better than I do, I don't know what I could possible contribute that he hasn't already expressed." She turned back to Jack.

Goofy spoke up next. "Well gawrsh maybe it's on account of that Nobody stealing the gold? And seein' as how Jack is from this world maybe he just.." He trailed off anf gestured vaguely to Jack's skeletal body. "Y'know! Caught the curse?"

"Caught the curse?" Jack said incredulously.

The revelation caught up with Eleanor slowly. He got cursed because he was from this world, whatever Luxord had done it had effected Jacks blood because he had been there when the gold was taken. Of course that made some kind of sense she was sure, but she had been in the moonlight only moments before and hadn't been cursed. Or at least Sora hadn't indicated that she had been cursed. And Sora and Goofy were currently standing in the moonlight, completely solid and unaffected. They definitely weren't from here.

"Oh." She breathed out slowly.

"Hey El, are you okay?" Sora's voice sounded like it was coming from underwater.

She took a stumbling step forward into the moonlight and turned her hands over and then over again. Flesh and blood. "Oh no.."

Sora's hands took hers. "Hey what is it? Whats wrong?"

She looked up to him desperately. "But.. I'm not cursed."

He shook his head confused for a moment and then realized what she was trying to say. "You're not cursed, but Jack is."

"I'm not cursed but Jack is." She repeated.

Goofy was confused still but Jack wasn't. He took a few steps out of the moonlight so he looked normal again and let out a long breath. "So, I suppose now's as good a time as any. You're a magnet for weirdness, in a general sense. Always have been. Wherever you came from it certainly wasn't here, this is just sort of where you ended up I always assumed and never pressed at it."

"Wait but.." Eleanor looked up at him, and clutched at Sora. "What did you just say?"

"Listen. I always said, I found you in Tortuga which was mostly entirely true. You were in Tortuga sure, but you appeared behind a bar in this strange light. You were just a kid then and you were out cold and couldn't remember a thing when you woke up about where you had come from." He shrugged but he had a careful expression on his face and kept his eyes on hers. "Whatever you were dreaming of all those years, this kid and this strange world? Those dreams were trying to give you answers I'm sure that I couldn't give you." He let out a breath. "I wasn't always the most transparent with you, but you never asked and I never wanted you to feel like you didn't belong. Well, that is to say you belonged with me. So I never looked for answers as to where you came from. But all of this, provides some.. Clarity I'm sure." He cleared his throat awkwardly. Jack was never at a loss for words but he stumbled and struggled and eventually he trailed off. "I er, I am sorry this is how this had to come to light. I never thought I would have to tell you. I should have earlier, before but I never had answers so there would've been no point. You see? That is to say I didn't have any answers, not until well.." He gestured vaguely to Goofy and Sora. "And then you were gone. Just like that and it didn't seem like the right time then. You understand? You haven't said anything and I'm certain I have been talking long enough."

Her mouth dropped open. She stole another glance at Sora who was watching her but gave her an encouraging nod and squeezed her hands lightly. "Right." She said only loud enough for him to hear. Her eyes turned back to Jack. He was inspecting his dirty fingernails. "Jack I.. How did you know I wasn't from here?" She took half a step forward, with a tight hold on one of Sora's hands. He trailed just behind her.

Jack sighed. "Well you weren't wearing the right clothes were you. And those shadow monsters? All of this wasn't the first time they've been around. Always creeping just out of view whenever you were asleep like they were watching you or something." He glanced at Sora as if he would have the answers. "I didn't intentionally keep this from you, it wasn't ever something I thought was important because there was never a reason to think it was. Or at least not until he actually showed up and everything clicked into place. Whatever you are, wherever you came from it wasn't here. You're meant to be doing just what you're doing, that's what I think. I think that you're meant to be protecting this light.. Or something." He gestured vaguely to Sora again. "Whatever role I was meant to play, what this place was meant to play, is passed love. You knew this was true, I think long before this moment. Something has always been different about you, pulling you away from here. The way the light shines around you and now that you're with this kid, it's different. You may have been here, but you were never meant to stay."

Her eyes fell to the cave floor beneath her boots with a shaking breath. She was at a loss for words. Sora's hand kept her grounded, at least partway. He stepped forward, switched his hand that was wrapped around hers, so he could set the other on the small of her back and he bent to look into her eyes.

"This is a lot to think about." His voice was soft at her ear. "Everything about this a lot but-"

"But? There's always a but isn't there?" She glanced up at him, her voice was a little harsher than she had meant it to be but she wasn't angry. "This whole thing, everything that has happened to me has brought me to you. Jack, you kept me alive so I could do whatever destiny the universe had outlined for me, didn't you?"

"You make it seem a lot grander than it was love. I left you in the care of pirates and prostitutes."

Eleanor laughed half-heartedly. "I guess I was never normal. I knew that but I never questioned it. I've been dreaming of the same blue eyes for as long as I can remember, and now the final piece of this puzzle is in its place. I was never meant to come back here, I was meant to be here with you. I am meant to be here with you Sora and I will protect you no matter what, there is no question now is there. I am exactly where I need to be as long as I am with you."

Sora gave her a shaky smile. "I uh.. I'm glad. You're uh.." He cleared his throat and trailed off.

"Right, good."

There was a long stretch of silence where all she could see was his eyes. Her mind was hazy, there was too much that had happened in the short time they had been together. Everything had gotten harder and harder, everyday something new made her question everything all over again. But, now there was no place to run back to. She never belonged in this place, Jack was not her home. Not anymore. She would never fully understand why she had been given the keyblade, or why she had been deposited in this foggy world and given to jack. But none of it mattered, and for what had to be the third or fourth time since she had left Port Royal, she was sure that all that mattered was Sora.

Jack groaned loudly. "I never wanted any of this. She's your problem as far as I'm concerned." He marched out of the cave, leaving Goofy looking on at the pair with a thoughtful expression. He had emotionally checked out of the situation and wouldn't be much more help.

"Gawrsh I feel like every time something good happens something bad is next in line." He took a few steps towards her.

She stole a quick glance over at Sora. He was still holding onto her hand, with a bright look in his eyes. "No I, uh. I think I'm much better than.. Well that is to say thank you, but I think I'm okay. This has been a very long and confusing couple of.. Well however long its been. And obviously I haven't been having an easy time with it. I mean I have had more breakdowns lately then I think I ever have had the pleasure of having. But, this all strikes me as a sense of closure. I already couldn't come home. I don't belong anywhere but here with you. All of you. And now at least I know no one is going to try and tell me I don't belong here." She shrugged. She was feeling strangely numb to the entire thing. "That is to say that no one can tell me that anymore. I finally have some sort of an answer for all of this."

Sora smiled softly. "That's the spirit."

"At least we have a few more answers where you came from now!" Goofy's worry seemed to evaporate and he rushed towards her and took the hand that wasn't still holding onto Sora's. "No one can tell you otherwise. You're one of us."

"Finally, finally, finally." She agreed.

Of course she couldn't have just been from Port Royal. She wasn't born here, Jack had found her when she was ten or eleven in strange clothes and no answers. Of course. Technically he hadn't lied, had always told her he had found her but she assumed she was a baby. But she supposed it made sense. And then there were the monsters, and the dreams and the keyblade. Sure. There was no reason why it wasn't plausible, anything was at this point. It seemed to almost roll off her shoulders. Finally, anyway. It was a relief to finally be numb to the strangeness.

"Hate to interrupt the revelations but Master Will Turner seems to have managed a rescue. He and your magician are waiting for us just off shore in the boat we arrived in, isn't that fortuitous. Shall we leave this forsaken place or would you lot rather stand around and talk about how confused we are." Jack poked his head back into the cave long enough to deliver the news before he was gone again.

"C'mon. I guess we should get back to the.." Goofy started and then trailed off, his gaze sort of wandering to the space behind Sora.

"What is it?"

In a flash, Goofy's shield showed up in his waiting hands. "If I'm not wrong, which I might be, it sure does look like one of the Nobodys with those cursed coins."

Sora grinned and looked over to Eleanor. "Go ahead and meet Jack and Donald back at the ship and me and Goofy will take care of this."

She was too spaced to argue and nodded. "Sure. Please be careful or something."

"I'll stick with or something." He winked.

They had retrieved two of the five missing coins from shipwreck cove. The Nobodies were being drawn to Sora's keyblade, which for once was incredibly convenient. Another appeared on the ship while they were sailing back towards the Isla de Muerta, which Will had a hunch they might find another couple of the Nobodies considering that was where the chest had been housed. His theory was maybe they'd be drawn there and no one had anything better to add so they were following his plan. Jack seemed to be completely on another plane of existence. He had checked out of the adventure and disappeared into the cabin leaving will to captain the ship. Donald and Goofy were arguing just over Wills shoulder.

Eleanor was as alone as she could manage. Curled at the bow of the ship and just on the other side of the railing on top of a pile of ropes, so the salty breeze could roll over her skin. Her hair fluttered around her cheeks.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sora's voice made her jump.

She turned to him, leaning against the railing close to where she was sitting. The breeze blowing his already wild hair around and his eyes were bright and curious. "Yes and no. There isn't much to talk about I'm afraid. I am happy I just have a lot.. you know.." She motioned vaguely around her. "I guess it makes sense in hindsight in a way. That I'm not from here."

He climbed up the railing so he could sit beside where she was huddled into a pile of ropes. He hesitated and then reached out and took her hand. Carefully he threaded his fingers between hers and gave her a smile. "You don't have to be from somewhere to belong there."

"That was uncharacteristically profound Sora. Thank you."

"Hey anytime I can be uncharacteristically profound and it'll make you smile you just let me know and I will be there."

And she did smile, she even managed half a laugh which is more than she had in a long while. His hand was warm in hers, and his always fidgety fingers were tapping against her knuckles in a comforting way. The stars had come out and they were reflecting off the otherwise calm sea. She took a short breath, her heart beating a little too loudly in her ears and leaned her head into his shoulder. He peeked down at her before smiling too.

"I uh.. I'm glad that you didn't belong here." He said softly into her hair.

She laughed through her nose, an airy sound that left a soft smile on her face. She snuggled a little closer into his side, feeling bold, exhausted and completely smitten. Her eyes slipped closed and she let the warmth of his body wash over her. "Yes me too."