Chapter 12: Atlantica: Swim This Way
A/N: Well, you guys voted Hikari should sing in this story and sing she shall. Since I'm a huge Final Fantasy fan, I'm going to be using the songs from that series. I'll let you vote on which song she should sing next if you like.
I hope you like the song Hikari sings in this chapter, I thought it reflected her mood with her whole quest to find Riku. I recommend you listen to it on YouTube.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or the song that is used in this chapter; I just own Hikari.
Enjoy!
/
As Sora sailed their Gummi Ship to another world, Hikari took this as an opportunity to take a little nap.
Since they had been fighting heartless nonstop, she really didn't get the chance to rest.
She sighed contently as she closed her eyes to catch some 'Z's.
/
Hikari ran through the corridors of the castle one day and didn't pay attention to where she was going.
As she ran, she bumped into someone and fell down.
Even; the scientist of the castle glared at her.
"Watch where you're going, Hikari" he snapped.
Hikari flinched at his voice and scooted away from him.
Even just sneered at her.
"You may be Taiyouko's daughter, but that doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want"
Tears welled up in Hikari's eyes as she looked at him.
Out of all of the people who worked here at the castle, Even scared her the most.
The scientist continued to scowl at her.
"Don't tell me you're going to cry?" he asked.
When Hikari tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, Even just sighed.
"What in the world am I going to do with you?" he asked himself.
Hikari was about to sob and call out for her mom, but someone came over and scooped her into their arms.
Hikari looked up and saw it was her dad.
His face was still blurred out, but she could tell it was him.
"Daddy" she said.
Her father turned to Even and seemed to glare at the scientist.
Even shrunk back from the look.
"I-I didn't know you would be here,-"
The name was blurred out as well, but she knew that was her father's name.
Her dad just continued to glare at him.
"Of course I would be here. This is where I work" he said.
He held his daughter tightly.
"And if I find you harassing my daughter like that again, I'll ask the Master to experiment on you next"
Even gulped and hurriedly walked away.
Hikari's father rubbed her back as he walked down the hall.
Hikari just snuggled into her father's chest and let him carry her.
He kissed the top of her head as he went down one of the corridors.
"Don't worry, Hikari" he said.
"Daddy will always protect his little princess"
/
Hikari rubbed her eyes when she woke up.
"Another dream about dad" she thought.
She remembered that her dad was as protective of her as Leon was.
He always made sure she wasn't alone in the castle and held her when they walked.
He would always call her, his princess.
She smiled softly at that.
"At least I knew he loved me" she thought.
When they arrived to their next world, she followed Sora towards the door.
'I wonder what adventures this world will have in store for us?" she thought.
/
Out at the open sea, the moon reflected its brilliant light across the still waters.
Everything was calm and tranquil until a certain mermaid jumped through the waters.
Ariel jumped across the calms waters and looked up at the moon happily.
"The night sky is so beautiful right after a storm…" she said to herself.
She stood there and just looked at the moon for a while until she saw some debris float past her.
She looked to her right to see someone floating on a wooden board.
Ariel gasped and swam towards the person.
She saw the man was passed out; likely due to the storm.
She knew that he wouldn't survive if he stayed out in the open water and had to bring him to land.
She carried him back to the nearest beach, where she sat right next to him and watched as he slept.
She had never seen a human being before, and she had to admit that this man was very beautiful.
As she brushed her hand alongside his face, she couldn't help but sing.
"What would I give to live where you are…
What would I pay to stay here beside you…
What would I do to see you smiling at me…
Where would we walk, where we would run if we could stay all day in the sun…
Just you and me, and I could be part of your world…"
As she was singing, she didn't realize the man was starting to wake up and saw her face.
When he woke up fully, Ariel quickly went back into the water.
The man slowly stood up and walked towards the ocean.
"The girl who rescued me…." He said.
"Her voice…"
As he was looking out at the ocean, he didn't notice to eels were watching him.
/
The waters of Atlantica were calm and relaxing.
Fish were swimming and plants swayed with the waves.
Everything was peaceful.
That is, until four certain strangers magically appeared and ruined it.
Sora, Hikari and the others wound up in Atlantica again and were back in their fish forms.
"Oh boy! Under the sea again!" Donald said.
He and Goofy swam casually while Sora had a hard time trying to keep himself upright.
Hikari was about to laugh at him, but she found out that she too forgot how to swim in this world and was trying to keep herself up as well.
They were so caught up with their own little battles, that they didn't notice Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder swam up to them.
The mermaid smiled when she saw her foreign friends.
"Sora! Hikari! Donald! Goofy!"
She went up to them and laughed when she saw Sora was upside down.
"You forget how to swim already?" she laughed.
Hikari used her arms to keep herself upright.
"Uh…sort of" she said.
"Den you just need to practice" Sebastian said.
"You follow Flounder-he show you what to do"
"You can do it!" Flounder said.
Sora and Hikari practiced how to swim by following Flounder around the area for a bit until they got the hang of it.
"That's much better" Sora said.
Sebastian swam up to them.
"Now den…" he said.
"What brings you four into da sea? Is something going on?"
"Kind of" Hikari said.
"But everything SEEMS peaceful" Goofy said.
"Oh, everything's fine…as long as daddy's in a good mood" Ariel said.
Sebastian's face lit up.
"Hey, we got us a concert very soon" he said.
"Why don't you sing in my musical extravaganza?"
Hikari raised an eyebrow.
Sing in a concert?
She had never done that before.
Heck, she never really sang at all.
Sebastian swam up to her and Sora.
"Please say yes" he pleaded.
"Ariel's been actin' strange lately. But she might settle down and practice if you're dere, too"
"That sounds fun!" Donald said.
Sora nodded.
"Let's give it a shot" Sora said.
Sebastian smiled.
"Splendid!" he said.
"Now den, I teach you everything you need"
"What do we have to do?" Hikari asked.
"It's easy" Sebastian said.
He showed them how to dance underwater and to dance with Ariel.
When they finished, he smiled at them.
"Dat's all there is to it" he said.
Goofy tilted his head.
"Gawrsh, I don't know" he said.
"We'll practice back at the palace" Sebastian said.
He ushered them to follow him back to the underwater kingdom.
/
When they made it to the music hall, Sebastian stood in front of a grand music stand.
"Break a fin" he said.
Hikari looked at Sora.
"I've got a bad feeling about this" she said.
Sora just smiled at her.
"Just relax" he said.
"We hardly get any time to have fun. Consider this as an opportunity to do so"
Hikari just gave him a skeptical look and nodded.
She mentally prayed to herself to sing good and not look like an idiot in front of everyone.
When Sebastian waved his conductor stick, the orchestra started to play.
As the music started, the group started to sing with Ariel.
"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"
"Let the music move you!" Sebastian said.
"You can do it!"
"Don't be shy, let the music inside
And dance, dance, dance!"
"See, you can do it!" Sebastian said.
"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"
"Watch the stage now! How exciting!"
"See the sign?
Can you reach it in time and tap, tap, tap?"
"Yeah, that's it mon!"
"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"
"And if you can't reach the target, use magic!"
"It's all the same, if you've got steady aim.
Just zap, zap, zap!"
"There, you got the rhythm now!"
"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"
It's not over yet! You can do it-keep going!"
"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"
"Now what about the bubbles?"
"Just a touch, cause it won't take too much
To pop, pop, pop!"
"Onto the next one!"
"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"
"Drum solo! Give him the clue!"
"Count him in, so he'll know to begin
To drum, drum, drum!"
"Now the cues are up to you!"
"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's your big moment! Make them cheer!"
"Don't dilly-dally, it's your big finale
Sha, la, la!"
"You made quite a splash!" Sebastian said.
"That was fantastic!"
"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"
Ariel sung the last part solo.
"Swim along, just join in the song
A musical for everyone to have a lot of finny fun!"
With that, they finished the song off with a dance.
Ariel looked at the group when they finished.
"You guys were amazing" she said.
Hikari blushed slightly.
This was the first time that she had ever sung, and she was surprised she did so well.
"Hey! I wanna sing more lines!" Donald said.
Ariel chuckled.
"Don't worry, you will" she said.
"At the concert, the singers get to finish off by singing a heart song"
Sora raised an eyebrow.
"Heart song?"
Ariel nodded.
"It's a song that comes from the heart" she said.
"The singers listens to the feelings its heart is saying and they express it through a song"
She smiled at them.
"Why don't you give it a try?"
Sora rubbed his head.
"Uh…I don't really know what to sing" he said.
Donald and Goofy just shrugged.
They guys turned to Hikari.
"Well, Hikari. What about you?"
Hikari looked at the ground in embarrassment.
"Uh…I guess I could give it a try" she said.
"But you have to promise not to laugh!"
They nodded.
"We wouldn't do that to you" Sora said.
"Just give it a shot"
Hikari sighed.
What was her heart feeling right now?
Her mind wandered over to Riku and thought about the quest she was on.
She felt determined to find her true love, yet sad at the same time.
It seemed that no matter where she went, she couldn't find him.
It was as if he was lost in the dark.
She slowly started to sing.
As she did, the orchestra picked up and play music to follow the theme.
"Toiki omowaseru amaoto ni tsutsumarete Tsutawaru no wa hitotsu dake Hakanai nukumori de futari no sukima wo umete Kimi to aruku gogo wake mo naku futo omou Yokan no koe kiku yori mo Sasayakana nukumori de futari no kizuna tsunaide Nani mo kamo utsurou sekai Hakanai nukumori ga haruka ni hanareta toshitemo
Kotoba wa muryoku to ki ga tsuiteru
Sou, sameta hoho ni tenohira de furete kanjiru
Kodou wo hibikasete kono toki wo wakachiaeru kara
Hitomi tojite
Yagate kono hibi wa owaru no kamo...
Sou, emi wo kawashi tenohira wo kasane shinjiru
Inochi wo kanadete itoshisa wo moyashite
Kono shunkan wo somete
Toki wo tometai to negau yume kiete mo
Ima kimi to ikiteku hi to toki wa
Yume jyanai kara...
Tamashii furueta shunkan no omoi yadoshite ashita he
Natsukashii tenohira wo watashi wa wasurenai kara
Kimi e to tadoritsuki meguriau...kanarazu
Kurayami sae mo koete"
(Kimi e from Final Fantasy X-2)
When she finished singing, she saw the group with their mouths opened.
She looked at them nervously.
"What? Was it that bad?" she asked.
The guys shook their heads.
"I never realized you could sing like that" Sora said.
"That was amazing!" Donald said.
"It was so pretty, but sad" Goofy said.
Ariel went up to her and gripped her hands.
"Oh, Hikari. That was such a powerful heart song" she said.
"You must have a very strong heart to come up with something like that"
Hikari laughed weakly.
"I guess" she said.
"But it's all thanks to a special someone that means a lot to me"
Sora didn't have to think twice to who she was referring to.
"Riku…" he thought.
He sadly watched his friend and pitied her.
While Kairi was safe on the islands, Riku was still out there on one of the worlds.
She wouldn't rest until she found him and saw he was safe.
He bit his lip and prayed that his friend would have her wish come true.
Ariel smiled at Hikari, but soon frowned when her father showed up.
King Triton swam towards them and saw the keyblade bearers.
"King Triton" Sora said.
"I certainly hope there hasn't been a need to use those keyblades of yours" Triton said.
They remembered the last time that they were here, he was against them.
"Nope. Everything's fine" Sora said.
"Not a heartless in sight" Hikari added.
Sebastian went up to Triton.
"Your Majesty, our guests, dey wanna sing in the musical" he said.
Triton looked surprised.
"Well, that sounds like a splendid idea" he said.
He moved closer to Sora and Hikari.
"We may need your help after all…" he said.
"You see, I'm afraid Ariel's still infatuated with the human world. A busy rehearsal schedule might be just the thing she needs to stop thinking about life up on the surface"
They looked at Ariel to see her sulking off in the corner.
Hikari couldn't help but think of Riku.
It wasn't not so long ago that he wanted to see the outside worlds uncover their history.
Ariel was no different.
/
Up on the beach, the man that Ariel rescued walked along the shore.
He couldn't get the image of the girl who saved him out of his head.
As he was walking, he heard someone singing.
"That's the voice I heard!" he said.
"I'm sure of it!"
He looked around to see if he could find anyone.
"Hello! Where are you hiding!" he called out.
"I know you're the girl who saved me. Please, come out so I can thank you"
Sadly, no one would come out.
/
Under the sea, Sebastian watched as Ariel looked at the surface in wonder.
"Ariel?" he asked.
When she didn't respond, he chewed one of his claws.
"That girl's actin' strange again" he said to himself.
"Probably been flittin' around on da surface…ohhh, the Sea King is going to have my claws for dis!"
Sora and Hikari swam up to Ariel.
They were going to keep their end of the deal with King Triton and help Ariel get out of her funk; at least for now.
"Come on, we got to keep rehearsing" Hikari said.
Ariel looked at her and shook her head sadly.
"I'm sorry, but I don't feel like it" she said.
She went and swam off.
"No! Ariel!" Sebastian cried.
This was not good.
If Ariel wouldn't rehearse, then they were in big trouble.
Flounder swam up to them looking cheerful.
"I've got an idea, Sebastian" he said.
"I know how to cheer Ariel up!"
He swam away and lead them all to the sunken ship wreak area.
He pointed towards a rock that had something wedged under it.
"Over there, see?" Flounder asked.
They swam up to the rock and noticed that it was a statue that was stuck in the sand.
Sebastian panicked.
"Oh no! This must be from de human world!" he cried.
Flounder nodded.
"I found it after that storm-and I bet it's from a shipwreck" he said.
"Don't ya think Ariel will love it?"
Sebastian shook his head.
"But if de sea king finds out about dis…" he said.
"It's better than going to the surface" Donald said.
"Yeah, and whatever King Triton doesn't know won't hurt him" Hikari said.
They tried to see if they could move the rock that was on top of it, but the darn thing wouldn't budge.
"It's no use" Sora said.
Hikari sighed.
"We'll have to come back when we learn a few more spells" she said.
"Magic is the only thing that will get this sucker out"
They departed from Atlantica for the time being so they could learn a spell that would help them get the statue out.
There was no way they would abandon their friend like this.
However, this gave the group an opportunity to think of their heart song for the musical.
If they were going to sing a song from the heart, they wanted to make sure their feelings were heard, and that included using the right words.
/
A/N: I know that was short, but then again, the Atlantica episodes are rather short. I hoped you all liked Hikari's song, and I recommend you listen to it, it's really beautiful.
Next up, we get to go to the coolest pirate film that Disney has ever made.
Grab your medallions and doubloons 'cause we're gonna see Jack Sparrow!
Please review and tell me what you think!
Ja ne