CHAPTER XXVII: The Kraken, and the Shores of Scaraba
The breeze felt good on Ness' face as he stood at the front of the ship. They were pulling out of the Toto Port, starting their two-day sail to Scaraba. He removed his hat, letting the wind whip at his ever-growing black hair.
"Man," he said to himself. "I need a haircut."
From behind him, he heard the sound of smaller feet, and smelled that unique, flowery fragrance that signified Paula's arrival. He turned. Her hair was whipped by the sea breeze, and she had a small smile on her face.
"How do you like it?" She asked.
"Wha...?" He looked confused.
"Your hair," She urged, still smiling. "How do you like your hair cut?"
"Oh," he smiled. "That. Well, sort of long in the front, like it is now, but shorter in the back...and a little messy, but not really...I dunno how to describe it..."
She smiled, took his arm, and led him to her cabin. She sat him down in a chair, and started snipping at his head with a pair of scissors. The snipping sound reminded Ness of when his mother used to do this.
After about ten minutes, she held up a mirror. He looked at his reflection.
"Perfect," he complimented, standing and dusting the hair from his clothes. She came over, brushing at his shoulders with a small brush.
"I didn't mind," She mused. "It reminds me of cutting the kids' hair at the Preschool..."
Sympathetically, he touched her shoulder. She looked up, tears in her eyes.
"I'm so homesick, Ness," She sighed. "I know we have to do this, but..."
He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. "Paula," he whispered to her. "We've all been feeling this. I had this problem, Jeff had it, I even had to give Poo a little lecture back in Onett. I'm telling you the same thing I told him...I'm...we're here for you."
She sobbed into his shoulder as he held her, running a hand down her hair in a comforting manner. She sniffed.
"Sorry," she mumbled, pushing herself away. "I got your shirt all wet..."
He smiled gently, putting the Mr. Baseball Cap on his head. "It's all right," He said. "I've got a shoulder to cry on, and an ear to talk to. If you ever have any problems, just talk to me, okay?"
She sniffed again, but smiled. "Thanks, Ness," She said.
"You're welcome, Paula," he grinned back, turned, and left. "Oh, and thanks for the haircut."
She waved as he opened the door, and went out. Outside, he trekked to the boy's cabin, and entered. Poo was nowhere to be found, but Jeff was sitting on his bunk, working on a long, four-foot tube. Ness blinked.
"What are you doing?" he asked. "And what is that?"
Jeff grinned, pressing a small button on the side. Two handles popped out of the tube, and a little crosshair jumped out. The inventor smiled.
"I made my own bazooka," he said, pushing the handles back in, and shoving the tube into a long, homemade carrying case. He was just slinging it over his shoulder, when a cry from outside brought them to their feet.
They ran out the door, and took off for the port bow. The Captain was standing, frozen with fear, as a giant, round, green head lifted from the sea. This was followed by a long, serpent-like body, with great red fins running down the back like spikes. Paula and Poo joined them on the deck, readying themselves for battle.
"It's the Kraken!" the Captain wailed. "We're doomed!"
"Will you shut up?" Ness growled. "We'll take 'im! Ready, guys?"
"YEAH!" the other three said as one.
The Kraken breathed out a sigh of fire. Ness' eyes widened, the shock at the back of his neck alerting him.
"Guys," he warned. "This isn't just a monster!"
"He's right!" Poo said, taking a defensive stance. "It has Giygas' influence wrapped around it. And it's strong!"
"We can take it," Said Jeff, loading a charge into his laser. "We just have to work together."
Paula was charging a PSI Freeze blast in her hand. "Keep you guard up!" She growled.
And from above, the rain began to fall in sheets.
A crash of lightning in the distance signaled the beginning of the battle.
The Kraken reared it's eyeless head back, then whipped it forward, blowing a scorching sheet of flame. All four of the teen fighters leapt into the air, avoiding the blast like the plague. Ness hovered in the air, readying his baseball bat. With an unearthly yell, his body suddenly screamed through the wind, charging over the water towards the serpent. He struck a two-handed blow across the creature's snout. The hit caused the Kraken's head to snap to the side, but the end of it's tail rose from the water, the two green fins on it slamming into Ness' back. He flew out over the water, landing with a splash in the icy deep.
Paula threw out her hand "PSI FREEZE GAMMA!" A slew of huge, razor-sharp icicles rushed towards the evil beast. They struck it's face, leaving deep, bloodless gouges. The Kraken roared it's rage, and blew a sheet of fire on the girl. Her hasty psychic defense prevented her from frying, but she took some damage from the sheer impact of the fire. Holding her side, she dropped to one knee. It raised it's tail to deliver one final crushing blow, but it never quite made it.
Ness, dripping wet, along with Poo, had caught it's tail fins. They gripped them as tightly as they could.
"Ready, Poo?"
"HAI!"
"PSI ROCKIN' BETA!"
"PSI THUNDER GAMMA!"
The twin energies spiraled up the Kraken's tail, lashing at it's skin. It roared like some enormous lion, twisting in agony.
"It's not enough!" Ness cried, sweat popping out on his brow as he continued sending the power up the tail. "We need more! Paula!"
With a yell, she leapt to her feet, grabbing the tail as well.
"PSI FIRE GAMMA!"
Lightning, fire, and pure destructive energy were running through every pore of the Kraken's body. It thrashed like a fish out of water, but was recovering quickly.
Jeff pulled his bazooka from it's case, aiming carefully. The crosshair was directed right at the Kraken's face. He grinned.
"Good night, sweet prince!" he yelled before pulling the trigger. A huge blast left the weapon, and struck the evil serpent dead-on. The Kraken's fins began to slowly disintegrate, and the decay spread to it's head and body. Sinking beneath the briny deep, it completed it's death. Bubbles rose to the surface.
Ness hauled Paula to her feet. "Good job, Jeff," he smiled at his companion, before helping Paula to her room. "We all did good, guys. Let's rest up until we get to Scaraba."
The Captain peeked his head out from behind a barrel. "Is it gone?" he asked.
Poo struck him lightly with the side of his hand. "Hai, the Kraken is dead, no thanks to you."
Ness was sitting quietly on the roof of the cabins. He was relaxed, leaning forward a bit, his elbows on his knees. The waning gibbous moon in the sky stared back at him. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out the blues harmonica that the Runaway Five had given him for his birthday. Putting it to his lips, he began playing a long, forlorn, lonely strain that hovered eerily over the waters.
"Hey, getting' better,"
Jeff was climbing up the side of the cabins. He stood there with his hands in his pockets.
"Oh, hey, Jeff," Ness smiled.
"Paula woke up," he grinned. "She'll be okay, just some bruised ribs. She heard your music, and wants to see you."
Ness nodded, and hopped off the cabin roof. He walked down the side of the ship towards the cabin doors, the water sluggishly leaping over the rail, washing the deck with icy-cold liquid. He opened the door to Paula's cabin, and stepped in quietly.
"You wanted to see me?" He asked, his eyes struggling to accustom themselves to the dim light. Paula sat up in her bed, looking over at him.
"Yeah," She said quietly. "I heard your music. It's beautiful, but you need to get some sleep. We'll be hitting Scaraba tomorrow, and who knows what we'll be facing when we get there?"
Ness nodded with a slight smile. "I'll be okay," he grinned boyishly. "My mom always said that I didn't understand the usefulness of a good night's sleep. I can't really change, can I?"
She smiled at him. "I suppose not," She said, lowering her eyes. "Well...goodnight Ness."
"Goodnight," He smiled, flashing a peace sign. With a nod, he turned and left.
His thoughts on his way back were focused completely on Paula. He was struggling with himself as he opened the door to the boy's cabin. His mind was awhirl as he put on his pajamas in the darkness. And as he lay down to sleep, he finally resolved that he was completely infatuated with his traveling companion.
This isn't exactly a good thing, he thought to himself. For one, I have no idea if she feels the same way. Even if she did, it would definitely get in the way of the journey against Giygas.
A thought occurred to him there. Where exactly was Giygas?
This gave him pause. Once he had recorded all of the Sanctuary melodies, where was he supposed to go? After a while, he decided that Buzz Buzz would probably appear to him again.
That solved, Ness rolled over in his sleeping bag, to dream troubled dreams.
His eyelids fluttered open to a heavy pounding at the door.
"Hey, in there!" Paula's voice yelled from the other side of the door. "We're almost to Scaraba! I can see the coast from here!"
Ness rolled out of the bunk, hitting the floor with a loud thud. "Oof," He mumbled, running a hand through his tangled mop of black hair. "I need...more sleep..."
Jeff, in the next bunk, was rubbing his eyes with one hand, and groping for his glasses with the other. Poo was already up, doing sit-ups in the corner.
"Man, Poo," Jeff yawned. "You sure are an early riser..."
"It's part of my training," Poo grunted. "Three hundred and three...three hundred and four..."
Ness hefted his yellow backpack onto his shoulders, sliding his baseball bat into the starched ring at the back. Jeff picked up his brown backpack, and Poo grabbed his leather traveling case.
"Everybody ready for Scaraba?" Ness asked, placing the Mr. Baseball Cap on his head, pushing open the door.
They joined Paula on the deck of the ship, and saw the shores of Scaraba for the first time. It was a burning, sandy beach, with palm trees lining the coast. A few men wearing turbans were walking around, leading camels around by leather leashes.
Paula wiped her brow. "Jeez," She moaned. "It's BURNING!"
Ness nodded in agreement, the sweltering heat making his energy drain from him. Jeff whipped out a handkerchief, and dabbed at his brow. Even Poo had to wring the sudden sweat out of the only lock of hair on his head.
The Captain steered the ship to port, and the four friends disembarked. The first person they came by, a tall, hairy man in a red turban, greeted them in a merry manner.
"Hello, foreigners," he boomed mightily. "Welcome to Scaraba!"
Ness nodded a greeting. "Excuse me, sir," he asked in a respectful sort of voice. "This may sound completely crazy, but have you happened to see a yellow helicopter around here within the last couple of days?"
While he was saying this, he was absently wondering how this guy could stand to have so much facial hair in a place as hot as this. His head looked like a fuzzy rug.
"Well," The big man grunted, scratching at the shaggy fluff adorning his face. "Now that you mention it, I did. It was heading south, towards Deep Darkness. It was fluttering around like a diseased chicken, if you know what I mean."
"Thank you, sir," Ness bowed, and the four friends walked away.
"So Pokey made it here," Paula mused, holding her chin in one hand. "That's a surprise."
"It sure is," Jeff sighed. "With the damage Ness did to the helicopter, it's amazing that he didn't crash on the way to Summers!"
The searing heat had sent Ness' sweat glands into over-drive. His shirt had been plastered to his chest. He peeled it away. "Let's find a place where we can eat," He moaned, fanning himself with his hand. "I'm beat!"