(Hey there! It's Topaz speaking. I'm giving the Axel love stories a break. This time, I'm pursueing something...deeper. Get it? Deeper? As in the ocean? Oh...that was terrible. Forgive me. As for the chapters of this, each one will be based on a different Atlantica song. It may be a while before I update sometimes, seeing how I haven't yet unlocked all of the Atlantica songs in KH2. Okay, so, I give you my first Disney pairing! Enjoy, and as always, please read and review! --Topaz Fox)

(Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its various attachments. Actually, I don't really own the title of this, either; I saw it in my BradyGames KH2 strategy guide, and I thought it would be perfect. So I gotta give BradyGames credit for that!)

"Swim this way, we'll dance and we'll play now

It's very easy, come on in

Just take a chance and shake a fin…"

Here he was, in the brief moment before anyone else came on stage, dancing next to her. Well, more like flailing his still-slightly-awkward fins and going through a series of choreographed moves with her. Still, it was heaven, his bare back and arms brushing hers, him feeling the currents of water carved out by the movement of her body.

Heaven in the sea.

"Don't be shy,

Let the music inside

And dance, dance, dance!"

Actually, it was near impossible to let the music inside. It didn't help the situation at all; its near-sickening commercial cheeriness just seemed to egg him on, made him want to show off in front of her. He wanted—needed—to do his best, just to prove himself to her.

His mind wandered back to Kairi. What would Kairi think of this? It was just a little crush, right? It didn't really mean anything…not really. Did it?

It was so hard to stay in love with a distant memory. Sure, he had made that promise to her, and he was usually one to believe strongly in the power of a promise. Yet…did a promise to such a far-off shadow of a girl really matter that much? Did he really love her anymore?

The depth of his thoughts distracted him slightly, causing him to miss-step—miss-swim? Regardless, she ended up having to pull him by the wrist up through the water to the next spot he was supposed to be. He wished they could just keep swimming up like that, her sweet, soft fingers around his arm, swimming up through the water, up into the air past the land and clouds and everything. Sure, they'd end up either burning to bits in the sun or suffocating in the atmosphere, but that didn't matter.

As long as he was with her, nothing mattered.

"See the sign?

Can you reach it in time

And tap, tap, tap?"

Indeed he could. With flawless precision, he flipped head-over-fin and tapped the big clamshell with his trusty Keyblade. Exactly in time with the music, a little baby ray swished from the now open shell and clicked together two bits of coral.

Sebastian said something from his rock perch, but the boy barreling through the water paid no attention to him. He knew this entire number already.

"It's all the same

If you've got steady aim

Just zap, zap, zap!"

Moving with self-assurance and pride, he twirled the Keyblade over and under his knuckles before grabbing its hilt with both hands. Demonstrating well-honed skills and the fruits of a dozen rehearsals, he let out two bright bubbles of magic from his weapon's tip, aiming them at a patch of crystal stalactites. The glassy spikes illuminated as the magic crashed into them.

Now it was time for her dance solo. With astounding grace, like she had done this a hundred times before—and she had—she swished, flipped, pirouetted in the water, finishing with a coy, inviting glance over one shoulder. Her startlingly clear blue eyes rested on his for just a moment before flickering away.

"Just a touch,

'Cause it won't take too much

To pop, pop, pop!"

A pair of fat bubbles rose from seemingly nowhere. He swam to them and did a fin-flourishing backflip, grazing their tight surfaces. Both of them exploded, each in a pretty ring of amber light. Next, he had to wake up that useless blob of a drummer, who somehow still depended on others to give him his cue…

"Count him in

So he'll know to begin

To drum! Drum! Drum!"

He tore by, spinning in the water, flashing the octopus a thumbs-up sign and a big grin. So he was happy. So what? The music had, yet again, gotten to him. Although, it hadn't gotten to him even half as much as the beautiful mermaid with the seafoam-hued tail and the lovely locks of poppy red…

The joyful chorus sounded. That was his signal to make a beeline for her, and exactly above the clamshell stage, they joined hands. He could feel her energy just through her palms: her brightness, her boldness shone through him, and he was literally jolted with amazing energy just from touching her. Still linked, the two swam downward. Right before they hit the stage, they let go of each other and performed synchronized flips, meeting again in the center of the stage.

"Don't dilly-dally,

It's your big finale:

Sha-la-la!"

For a second, they twirled on-stage, back to back, a refreshingly genuine smile on both of their faces. Then, still perfectly in time with the tune floating through the water, they stopped, thrust their arms in, out, then turned to face where the audience would be and posed identically, limbs outstretched.

Once again, he had done it. His part was finished. There was nothing left to do but dance a little more. Once that was over, he stood back and let himself bask in the clarity of her perfect voice:

"Swim along,

Just join in the song,

A musical for everyone

To have a lot of finny fun…"

The expression on her face during that succint solo made waves of delight pass through him. He loved seeing her this happy. The last few notes died away, and she turned to him and gave him a red-lipped smile.

"Great job, Sora!"

He smiled back, hoping against hope that he wasn't blushing. "You too, Ariel."