Author: Stormforce
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Don't own either series.
Notes: <Anything in these are thoughts>

The group had boarded the ship and took their seats to relax tired mucles. Willow leaned her head back, and smiled when Tara sat down in her lap. Two bottles in her pouched made a dull clank reminding Willow of the paper she caught, reaching into the pouch she pulled out the yellowed paper, and glanced at it. What was one sheet of paper suddenly became two when she saw there was a second sheet stuck to the first.

"Whatcha got there, sweetie?" Tara asked looking at the paper in Willow's hand.

Willow shurgged. "Don't know. Jafar must have dropped it, or something." she said then startled everyone on the bridge when she shouted, "Hey!"

"What?" Buffy asked when her heart slowed down from thumping madly in her chest, and put the ship on autopilot.

Willow glanced around at everyone before taking a deep breath, and began to read the writting.

Report 1

Much of my life has been dedicated to pursuit of knowledge. That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that. I am blessed with people's smiles and respect.

But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand. I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times.

Darkness...

Darkness of the heart.

How is it born? How does it come to affect us so? As ruler of this world, I must find the answers.

I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness.

D'Hoffryn

Donald and Goofy were sitting stunned as Willow finished, leaning forward Donald sighed. "Jafar had that? Then that means the woman who was with him must've been Maleficent... Clay was right, she and the Heartless does have the pages."

"Okay, so, he knew the Heartless would soon try and destroy his world, and he began studying them...but what did he find out? I mean that's the first report, right? So where's the others?" Faith asked standing and began pacing the room.

"Jafar had this one, so maybe if we keep looking we'll find more." Goofy said and glanced out the windshield, before leaning against the backrest.

"I'm with Goofy, we just have to keep looking. I just wonder how many reports there are?" Tara said laying her head on Willow's shoulder. "What's the other paper?"

"I don't know...it's weird. It has a drawing of a large tree with a door in the trunk."

Buffy's eyebrows shot to her hairline, "A tree with a door? What the hell's that mean?"

"Who knows, but I'm assuming we'll find out sometime." Faith said before looking out the windshield. "What the hell is that?"

"What is what?" Donald asked following Faith's line of site, and staring into space. There was a dark spot moving closer to the ship at a high rate of speed.

"Heartless?" Goofy asked ready to buckle his seatbelt in case Buffy got the bright idea to start doing flips, to avoid the Heartless ships.

Willow shook her head, "No, doesn't look like a Heartless ship..."

"Yeah, but it doesn't look friendly either!" Buffy said hopping into the pilot's seat.

"Shit! That thing is huge!" Faith said as the spot got nearer to the ship.

Tara slid from Willow's lap and kept her eyes glued to the dark shape getting closer, and gasp when she could make out what it looked like. "Is that Sin?" she asked worriedly.

"Don't think so, but from this distance looks a hell of a lot like it." Willow said cocking her head to the right.

"Sin? What's that?" Donald asked as Jiminy hopped onto Buffy's shoulder.

"Tell ya later, Donald." Tara said, in no hurry to remember Sin, and what'd he'd done.

"It can't be!" The little cricket shook his head, "By the stars! It is! But he's bigger!"

"What? You know what that is? Tell me!" Buffy said grabbing the controls, as a giant whale passed over the ship, causing it to shake. Everyone that was standing fell to their knees, and hurriedly crawled back to their seats, and buckled up.

Jiminy wrapped his little hands around the strap of Buffy's yellow bra as she ship shook again when the whale nearly sideswiped them.

"It's Monstro! He's a whale of a whale, and vicious to boot!" Jiminy said as Monstro began coming toward the ship at a fast speed.

Buffy pulled back on the controls with shakey hands Holy Shiva! The controls are stuck! Buffy thought and once again franticly pulled at the controls. The nose of the ship barely rose up before it fell back to where it was. This can't be happening!

"Whoa! Buffy, get us outta here!" Donald shouted, as Monstro got closer.

Buffy shook her head, "I can't! The damn controls are stuck!"

"Fuck! B! Do something, I don't wanna get killed out here!" Faith shouted her voice telling everyone how scared she was.

"I'm trying, dammit! I'm trying, but the controls are stuck!"

Willow looked out the windshield and saw the whale closing in. "Buffy, calm down, and try again, please."

"Too late!" Buffy went wide-eyed as the giant whale opened it's mouth. "He's gonna swallow us!"

As the ship entered Monstro's mouth, Willow unbuckled her seatbelt and slid into Tara's lap, holding on for dear life. Faith wrapped her arms around Buffy from behind, as Donald and Goofy gripped the arm rests. The ship shook as it sped down the throat, and stopped dead still near the stomach throwing everyone around.

Time seemed to freeze, only to resume in slow motion as the group was jarred and thrown around the ship's bridge.

Buffy only had time to let out a strangled cry when she was thrown forward, with her head connecting on the control panel, and was jolted back when the ship finally settled. Sparks flew from the spiderweb cracks in the control panel, as Buffy's world went completely dark.

Faith had lost her hold on her lover, and had skidded forward before she was knocked to the back of the ship, when it came to rest. She stood and limped her way back to Buffy, tears filled her eyes as she looked at her lovers face. Buffy's face was covered in blood from a deep gash on her forehead.

Even with Tara's vice-like grip on Willow's waist didn't help when the ship came to a rest. The force of the dead stand-still brought Willow out of Tara's lap, and to the floor where her head connected with a sickening thud.

Tara had lurched to towards the front of the ship, and lost her grip on Willow, she watched as her lover's head hit the floor. She hurriedly unbuckled the belt when she saw a pool of blood began forming around Willow's head.

Donald and Goofy had only been knocked around in their seats, and hurried to help the others with Buffy and Willow. The duck-mage checked over the girls' wounds and gave the others a small smile.

Besides the wounds on Buffy's face; the back Willow's head had a deep gash from the force of the hit, Donald was surprised it wasn't worse. He'd been worried that both girls' skulls had been cracked, but was relieved when he only found the wounds.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine after healing them...but they will have a pounding headache when they wake."

"Willow, sweetheart, wake up." A familer voice called out softly.

Willow opened her eyes to find herself lying on her side in a dark room, with no windows, no door, nothing. Turning over she sat up and stared into the darkness ahead of her, she could just make out a shape approaching, and went to grab her blade. Shit! I don't have my weapon, and just where the hell am I? And who's with me?

"Don't be afraid baby-girl. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Mom?"

Sheila smiled as she stepped closer to her daughter, and giggled slightly when Willow gave a relieved sigh. "You scared the hell outta me, mom! Please don't do that again."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I've come to speak with you." Sheila said as she sat down next to Willow and took the redheads hand.

"What's up mom? Is something wrong?"

Sheila took a deep breath, and gave a small nod, "There is a couple of things you must know. The first is, you're holding the key to another world in your hand, and you don't know it. If you are to seal that world's Keyhole, you must use the Key you have."

"Key? What key? And where can I find this world?"

"I'm sorry, daughter, but you and the others have to find it on your own. If you don't, then you know what will happen. I can tell you, you've only just obtained this key, and I'm pushing it...but return to Traverse Town, other than that I'm afraid I can't tell."

"Well, that sucks. Traverse Town? We've sealed that Keyhole, but don't worry, we'll return there. That's a promise." Willow sighed before looking back to her mother. "What was the other thing I need to know?"

"You're going to have problems...and these are not your everyday problems. You and Buffy will be tested, but you must not give up, either of you. If you do, all is lost."

"What is this test? And when will we be put through it?"

Sheila sighed and lowered her head, "Again, I'm sorry, but I can't speak of when it will happen...but know this, you will recieve aid from an unusal looking man. Don't take him lightly his strength comes from his heart, and his heart has been leading his search, a search that has been going on since his world was destroyed."

"How many worlds were destroyed?"

"Many, and many more will be destroyed if you and Buffy don't pass this test. My time is almost up, but I will tell you this: Don't let Tara and Faith follow their hearts into protecting either of you girls, if they do, your test is shot and you'll be plunged into darkness. Also, don't fight with Donald and Goofy, when the time comes, let them do as they wish, this in the end will help." Shelia leaned over and left a soft motherly kiss on Willow's cheek. "Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I think so...don't let Tara and Faith protect us, or it'll ruin the test, and let Donald and Goofy do as they like, right? But how will I know?"

"Don't worry, baby-girl, you'll know, as will Buffy. I'm sorry, but it's time for me to go, and you to wake." With a tight embrace, Willow watched her mother disappear as the darkness began turning to light.

Willow slowly opened her eyes to felt her head pounding Again with the pound pain in my head! By Ifrit's Hellfire! I should have brain-damage by now, what with all the times I've either been hit on the head, or knocked unconscious!

Soft hands was playing with her hair, causing Willow to close her eyes and smile. Tara

"Hey you." Willow softly spoke so as not to startle her lover.

"You're awake." Tara smiled and leaned down covering Willow's lips with hers, in an up-side down kiss. "Again, you're scaring me." she teased in a whisper before her lips were captured again.

Willow giggled when Tara leaned back, "I'm sorry baby, but I didn't mean to."

"I know, how do you feel?"

Willow closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them to stare into Tara's light blue eyes. "Besides having a blitzball bouncing off the inside of my skull, good. But I would be better if I could possibly, you know, get another kiss from a beautiful, sexy, smart, funny, and did I mention beautiful? woman."

Tara laughed before a serious look crossed her face, "Where is this woman? I'm going to kick her ass for even thinking about my wife."

"She's right here holding my head in her lap!" Willow laughed right before Tara's lips covered hers again.

"Oh, by the king! Get a room!" Donald shouted, his poor brain was beginning to fry on the overload of seeing Tara and Willow kiss -not to mention Faith and Buffy's kissing that had led to a lot of moaning.

"Quiet duck!" Faith mumbled before going back to the task at hand, which was kissing Buffy senceless.

"You need to get laid, Donald!" Willow giggled and pulled a blushing Tara back into another up-side down kiss.

Goofy let out a laugh watching Donald turned red from anger, as he hopped up and down on one foot, swinging his right arm around, and quacking like mad. None of this disturbed the girls, who were in a land of their own. Donald froze standing on his left foot, with his mouth hanging open, as Willow and Buffy, both, let out very loud moans that echoed around the area.

Teach him to tell us to get a room. Was the thought that crossed the girls' minds as they broke their kisses to breathe.

"Knock it off!" Donald pleaded, and sighed in relief when the girls stood.

"Well, I can see you two are alright." Goofy laughed glancing from Willow to Buffy.

"Yeah, I'm good." Buffy said in a daze, as Faith smirked proudly.

Suddenly remembering her dream, Willow grabbed Buffy's arm, "I need to talk with her for a sec, be right back." she said pulling the Al Bhed behind the ship.

"I had a dream while I was out--"

"I think I had it too. Giles told me we had a key to another world, we're gonna be tested, not to let our lover's protect us, and about letting Donald and Goofy do as they wish."

Willow wasn't surprised at all, seeing as they'd shared dreams before. "Yeah, that's what my mom said, too. It's sort of worrying me, you know. I mean sure, I don't want Tara in danger any more than you want Faith in danger, but we've always protected one another...and I don't think they'll like it, that is if we tell them."

"I don't think we should. If we did it would only worry them, just like we were worried about Tara getting the Final Aeon, remember? And I don't want them that worried. Do you?"

"No, I don't, so, let's keep this between ourselves... It can't hurt...at least I hope not."

"Yeah, but if something starts to go wrong, we agree to tell them, right?"

"You got it, Buff. Now, let's get back."

When the two young women approached the others they saw a small blue chest fall just missing Donald. The duck jumped back and let out a startled quack.

"And for today's weather: Expect showers." Goofy joked and hurriedly held his shield above his head. "Heavy showers!" he said as something hard bounced off the shield.

"Hey! Who's there?" Donald asked when he saw something move.

"It's me." Pinocchio said approaching the chest that'd dropped.

"Oh, it's just Pinocchio." Donald said turning to leave and spinning around. "Pinocchio!?" he watched the wooden boy walk off with something in his hand.

"Pinocchio? Pinocch, where are you going?" Jiminy asked hopping after the boy, "Come on, everybody! After him! Quick!" the cricked shouted and was scooped into Faith's hands as the group hurried after Pinocchio.