A/N: OKAY! Wow, this has been too long since I updated. Sorry for makin ya'll wait. I had a very very VERY hard time doing this one. I had a major writers block AND I sucked at the editing. Hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. We are actually HALF-WAY DOOOOONE! Lol. Any ways, heres chapter ten!
Kari stared in amazement upon entering the grotto. Chests, paintings and books sprawled all around and laid neatly upon shelf up to shelf to the top. There was an opening at the top, giving a view of sunlight that glittered upon the surface. "Look at all the wonderful things Flounder and I've collected. I think it's all from the outside world. Someday, I'm going to see what's out there. I want to see other worlds. Does that sound strange?" Ariel's voice broke Kari from her attention to a music box. Kari looked back at her and smiled. If only this girl knew...
"No. Not at all. I used to feel the same way." Sora grinned. Ariel raised an eyebrow.
"Used to?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, confusion in her eyes.
"I mean...I still do." Sora quickly said, rubbing the back of his head. Kari chuckled to herself, mostly out of nervousness. Sora almost revealed they were from another world. "Hey, why don't we try looking for that Keyhole you were talking about?" Ariel suggested, casting her confusion aside, and smiled brightly. Finally the red head says something smart! Kari furrowed her brows and balled her hands into fists.
"Shut up!" Kari whispered, narrowing her eyes. Ariel looked at her.
"What?" She asked. Kari tensed and rubbed her arm.
"But didn't your father say—"
"Oh, he treats me like a little girl. He never wants to let me do anything! He just... He just doesn't understand." Ariel inturrupted, her emotions turning from anger to depressed. She sighed and toyed with one of her human artifacts. Kari felt guilt over run her as she knew she had felt the same way once before. Kari's adopted parents didn't truely understood her and her friends desires to travel on the raft. They refused to let them build it, but that didn't stop them.
"C'mon!"Ariel swam out of the grotto, her mood suddenly lifting. The group all had no choice but to follow.
"Those impudent fools will never find the Keyhole! But the two girl's could prove useful. And I've got the Heartless on my side. Triton, my old friend...Your day is coming." A wicked voice said from the shadows as they watched the group swim away from the grotto. She laughed, her voice cackling as she disappeared into the shadows.
"Whoa!" Kari gasped as they reached their destination. Beyond the ridge laid a sunken ship. What's so speacial about it, it's destroyed. Just like this world should be. Kari paid no attention to the voice as they swam towards the ship.
"Let's go in!" Ariel said, her curiousity overwhelming her. They swam into the ship, viewing the inside. Faded paintings hung on the walls with furniture and chests all around. The room they appeared seemed like a captains quarters.
"Hm. Its shape reminds me of something..." looked back towards Ariel, seeing her hold a crystal like object. It was shaped a lot like Triton's trident. Kari stared at the object as if in a trance
"Kari? Hello" Sora waved his hand infront of her face. Kari's eyes darkened into a deep hue. She glared at Sora and slaped his hand away, shocking him.
"Get your hand away!" She hissed and gave her attention to Ariel, giving a dark smirk. "Let's take it to your grotto, Ariel." Kari declared, earning a confused and unsure nod from the mermaid.
"S-sure." She said and they all swam back, Kari swimming in the back with a dark smile on her face. I'm back...
Ariel placed the crystal on the wall over a same mark as it on the wall and it soon started to glow. Kari flexed her hand and her keyblade appeared. But it was different. It had a dark ominous prescence. Almost there... Kari sneered, staring at the crystal.
Kari! Stop this! This isn't you! A voice breached inside her head, shocking her. Kari struggled to move, but can't. She glared at the crystal, frustration building.
"Ariel, you've disobeyed me again! I told you not to leave the palace!" Kari gasped, immediately regaining control. Her eyes brightened and she looked back to see Ariel's father swimming in. He glared over to the wall and aimed his trident to the crystal. Stop him! The voice yelled in her head. Kari chose to ignore as she and the others watch with wide eyes.
"Daddy, no!" Ariel yelled, swimming to her father and grabbing at his arm. A gold beam shot out from the trident and to the crystal, shattering it immediately. Noooooo! The voice yelled. Everyone was silent as they stared at the shattered crystal. Ariel turned to her face, her eyes wide with hurt.
"How could you..." Ariel said, her shakey voice barely above a whisper. Triton's eyes turned from hard anger to soft guilt. Before anyone can say anything, Ariel swam out of the grotto.
"Ariel!" Kari gasped and swam after her, ignoring Sora's cries.
"Kari! Wait!" Sora called after her. But she was already gone. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. He looked at Donald and Goofy, all of them exchanging worried glances.
"Young man, you're not from another ocean. You're from another world. Aren't you? Then you must be the key bearer." King Triton said, gainging Sora's attention. This surprised Sora, Donald and Goofy.
"How did you know?" Sora asked, now that their cover was blown.
"You may fool Ariel, but you can't fool me. You don't know your dorsal fin from your tail. As the key bearer, you must already know... One must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds" King Triton said sternly. Sora beated his fist against his side nervously.
"Of course I know that, but..." Sora looked at the way Ariel and Kari swam off too.
"You have violated this principle. The key bearer shatters peace and brings ruin."
"Aw, Sora's not like that." Goofy said, immediately coming to Sora's defense.
"Yeah! Neither is Kari!" Donald also chimed in, his anger obvious.
"Ariel! Are you okay?" Kari asked when she reached her friend. Ariel laid her head on a rock, her face hidden in her arms. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. Kari floated behind her, unsure of what to do.
"Just go away, please." She wispered, not looking up from her arm. End her misery...Now! The voice shouted. Kari furrowed her brows and clenched her fists.
"No!" Kari claimed and sat next to her, making her look at you. Kari decided to tell Ariel the truth about herself. "Ariel, about that keyhole..." Ariel wiped her eyes and sat up straight.
"Yes?" Kari opened her mouth to tell her the truth, but she was soon inturrupted.
"My, my, the poor child suffers such deep sorrow." Two eels came from out of the shadows and swam around Kari and Ariel. Kari glared at them, immediately not trusting them.
"What a pity. If only there were something we could do..." One of them said, batting their eyes.
"Wait. Maybe she can be of some help." Said the other, ?Kari eyed the two eels suspiciously, her muscles tensing.
"Yes. Maybe she can be of some help to you." Kari looked back to Ariel, curious if she is going to believe them. Ariel met Kari's gaze and looked up to the eels.
"Who're you talking about?" She asked.
"Oh, she would surely help you. She'd make all your dreams come true." The first one grinned. Kari gasped, her instincts signaling the danger. No! Kari flexed her wrist, calling her keyblade.
"Ariel. Don't listen to the-" Kari yelled out but before she could finish, her mouth was covered the eels tails and her arms were held back behind her. Kari muffled and struggled to get out.
"You called, my dear?" Ariel looked back to see a purple skinned woman with an underbody of an octopus and white short hair with a seashell glared at the woman, not likey how all of this is turning out.
"You're Ursula? I was just wondering if—" One of Ursula's tentacles covered Ariel's mouth, signaling her to be silent.
"It's all right. Helping others is what I live for. Let me guess. You wish to see other worlds. That shouldn't be too hard. After all, your new friends came from another world." Ursala explained, waving her hand towards Kari. Kari's eyes widened as she saw the shock on Ariel's face.
"What?" Ariel's voice wavered, the look of hurt clear across her face. Kari shook her head, freeing her mouth.
"Ariel! I'm sorry! It was a rule to not tell-"
"But they had special help—that mysterious key." Ursula inturrupted, looking looked at the keyblade that rested in Kari's hand. Ariel stared at the sea floor, looking quite unsure.
"Now, now. Cheer up, sweetie. You have something special, too." Ursula declared. Ariel looked up at her.
"Huh?" Ursula smiled and wispered in her ear.
"And if you don't give me the trident, your little friend here will soon pay the price." She finished. Ariel's eyes went wide. Kari stared at the woman in fear, not daring to think what the price will be.
"Okay." Ariel said, giving up. "Just don't hurt Kari. Please." Ariel said and swam off, leaving Kari alone in the hands of the enemy.
"Flostam. Jetsom. Take our lovely guest to my lair. Make her feel 'comfortable'." She laughed and followed Ariel.
"NO! ARIEL!" Kari cried as she was dragged away.
"I wonder where Kari and Ariel are," Sora said, looking back at his two friends.
"Maybe to the palace?" Donald suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. The three of them were in search of the two girls, but they were no where to be found. Sora agreed to search at the palace. They decided to leave the world on King Triton's request, but they can't leave without Kari. As they reached the palace, they heard voices in the throne room.
"The trident is mine at last! And I couldn't have done it without your help, my dear." A female's voice cackled.
"Ursula, no! I didn't want this!" Ariel's voice rang out in desperation. Sora tensed and looked at Donald and Goofy.
"Ariel!" Donald yelled out.
"Kari, too." Sora said. They all swam for the throne room.
"Why not? Aren't you tired of following your dear daddy's orders? Oh, yes. We had a deal, didn't we? Time for a little journey—to the dark world of the Heartless!" The woman named Ursala yelled, raising the King's trident abover her head.
"Hey!" Sora yelled back, calling his keyblade in his hand, swimming right for Ursula.
"Sora!" Ariel gasped by her father's side, her eyes wide and a smile on her face.
"Why, we have company. I'm afraid you're a little late, handsome!" The lady grinned and disappeared in a dark portal. Sora slowed and looked around, seeing no sight of Kari.
"Where's Kari?" Donald asked. Ariel looked down, her smile disappearing.
"It's all my fault." She said, on the verge of tears. Sora's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?" Sora asked, fear and anger swelling inside him.
"Ursula said that if I don't give her the trident, she won't let me see other worlds and she'll hurt Kari." She said, her eyes wide in guilt.
"The trident... We must get it back." They all looked back to the King, seeing him holding his side in obvious pain.
"Daddy!" Ariel clung to his arm "Oh, Daddy. I'm so sorry." She sobbed and buried her face into his shoulder. Sora clenched his fist and turned away.
"Come on, let's go!" Sora said to his friends.
"Wait, I'm going with you! My father is hurt and it's all my fault. I have to stop Ursula! And save Kari!" Ariel declared, blocking Sora's exit. Sora was silent for a moment, pondering wether or not to let Ariel join along. He couldn't risk her getting hurt, but she seems determined enough to help them save Kari.
"Okay." He said, giving a nod. Ariel smiled in relief, glad that Sora accepted.
"That's right. I'm behind you, Ariel." Sebastion claimed, swimming up to the group.
"Ursula draws power from her cauldron. To defeat Ursula, you must strike her cauldron with magic." King Triton said. Looks like him and Ursula had a bad history together for him to know that.
"Let's go!" Sora said and they all swam off. Kari...I hope you're okay. I'll save you. No matter what.