A Tale of Two Hearts

by KingdomKat

One with a heart so pure…I fear the visions of the future I receive; the worlds drowning in darkness, one man standing triumphant above it all…Only you can stop this from happening. Travel with the Key Bearer, seal the hearts of each world, but do not forget: Many lives depend on you, and sometimes that calls for personal sacrifices. (Rewrite of a Kingdom Hearts Sora/OC story)

12. Part of Your World

THAT KH3 TRAILER THOUGH. I'm SO excited that the plot is finally being revealed piece by piece! I literally cannot wait for that next trailer on the 15th. There's so much hype there's no way this can't be a release date. (Plus my bets are on for the world reveal being either Frozen or Treasure Planet. What do you think?)

Anyways—back to the story—I've got a lot of feelings about Aqua! I just want her to be rescued and live a happy life! So, the beginning is a merging of her and Akira's dreams, lamenting what could've been as she's trapped in the Realm of Darkness. I figured her regrets and wishes would always be playing out, torturing her with the future that will never be.

Also, Ursula is one of my favorite Disney villains, so I had a lot of fun writing her this chapter! She's just got so much personality to work with!

As always, please enjoy! And don't forget to leave a review if you liked it ;D I value any and all reviews no matter how short!

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Chapter 11: Part of Your World

"Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind."

—Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

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"Aqua…"

The word slipped from my mouth almost too easily. Barely a whisper, it rose above the whipping sea winds and settled in the air around us. It belonged there; it was hard to believe I had lived without its presence for so long. The only problem was I didn't know what it meant or why I had said it.

Wasn't it another word for water?

"Did you say something, Akira?"

The crashing of the waves roused me from my stupor. I blinked, meeting Sora's confused expression. Behind him, the sun was just starting to set behind Destiny Islands. The light framed his face perfectly, and the colors reflected in his eyes were more beautiful than the setting sun. At my prolonged silence, he started to laugh. "You're acting weird."

I leaned my head against his shoulder, letting out a content sigh. "Gimme a break. I just had the weirdest dream."

"Oh yeah?" he mused. "What about?"

I closed my eyes, trying to recall the dream. I couldn't really remember, everything turned fuzzy when I tried to think. As I opened my eyes to tell Sora that, I was startled to see the whole scene had changed. Destiny Islands was gone and Sora had been replaced by someone much taller. As I shifted, the figure I was now leaning against laughed and patted my head fondly.

"You awake yet, sleepyhead?"

Pulling back, I found myself staring into friendly, light blue eyes. The word from earlier found its way into my mouth once again.

"Aqua," I murmured, reaching out to softly poke her cheek. Another word for water, suiting her personality perfectly. She flowed with an easy-going nature, and yet at the flip of a coin could become raging and intimidating if the situation called for it. How could I forget?

She tilted her head, giggling softly at the touch. "Yes?"

"I had…the weirdest dream," I said, settling back into her with a strange sense of déjà vu. "I think I lived on an island. It felt so real, like it could've actually happened…"

"'Cept you've always lived here with us," she chirped, reaching up a hand to stroke my hair. I leaned into her touch, humming my agreement. The sun was setting behind the hills in the Land of Departure. A string of what felt like memories entered my mind, a wistful atmosphere about them. We had just finished a training session together. I almost managed to beat her this time.

Silence passed between us, until it was broken by a forlorn sigh. "It could've been like this," Aqua whispered, her tone now heavy with remorse.

Her shoulders started to shake, and I leaned away in surprise to view tears streaming down her cheeks. I peered into her face with concern, not understanding what she was saying.

"I could've seen you grow up. You and Ven both," she continued, standing up and walking forward. "But now…" She let out another heavy sigh, her body suddenly drooping from exhaustion. "There's no use dwelling on meaningless dreams."

The background of the Land of Departure fell away, dissolving into darkness. I jumped out of the way just in time for a dark portal to swallow the spot we were standing in. I whirled around, watching Aqua continue to walk away without looking back.

"Aqua—Aqua wait!" I called out to her, reaching a hand out desperately. If she heard this, she didn't acknowledge it. Striding forward, Keyblade in hand, she disappeared into the dark.

KH

"Aqua!" I screamed, waking up with a violent lurch and jerking my hand up. My eyes widened in horror as my outstretched hand promptly smacked Sora in the face, sending him sprawling back onto the couch.

"Owwww," he moaned, tossing a playful glare my way. "Who knew karma hurt so bad? I'll never kick you in my sleep again."

"Oh my gosh, Sora I'm so sorry," I gasped, reaching a hand out to cup his cheek gingerly. He gave a disdainful sniff but still leaned into my touch. After I soothed most of the red away, he broached into the topic of the dream carefully.

"Looked like you were having a nightmare. Everything okay?"

I nodded my head, letting out a sigh. "I don't really remember it anymore. Slapping your best friend first thing in the morning really clears your head, I guess."

He snorted out a laugh at this and I found myself giggling along. The dream was pushed to the back of my mind. All I could recall now was the crashing of waves and a sunset dropping the world into darkness. Still, something was buzzing around at the back of my mind—another word for water? I shrugged it off, feeling somewhat uneasy.

A nudge at my shoulder brought my attention back to Sora. His hand was in my face as he stretched the sleep from his system. I pushed it away with a laugh to view his thoughtful expression. "Y'know, you were talking in your sleep."

"Oh yeah?" I raised an eyebrow. "And what did I say?"

He paused, a flash of what could've been contemplation on his face (like he was going to say something serious) before it was replaced with a smirk. He placed the back of his hand against his forehead, falling back into me dramatically. "Oh, Sora! You're so amazing and devastatingly handsome! Please, teach me how to be cool like you!" he cried, his voice in a higher pitch as he did a bad impression of me.

"Get real!" I shoved him off me with a snicker. "I think you were talking about your own dream."

He leaned all his body weight against my pushing but I locked my arms into place, keeping him at bay. "Sora, you're the one true Keyblade Master!" he continued quoting mockingly as he dangled over me. "I could never hope to be as awesome as you!"

I struggled to keep him in the air as I laughed, the euphoria making my arms weak. Eventually they buckled under the pressure and he collapsed onto me in a fit of giggles.

As he moved to get up, I felt his lips accidently graze against me. I shivered at our closeness and immediately felt the guilt settle in, chasing away the good feelings. I wanted to pull him into me, to kiss him soundly, but we couldn't. I couldn't. As I stared into his eyes, I saw the same confliction reflected within them.

"Are you guys gonna kiss?"

We both froze, our heads slowly turning in unison to view Pinocchio watching us, a smile on his face. Our gazes returned to each other, red slowly working its way up our necks to our faces. Sora burst into action, quickly scrambling off me. In his haste, his leg slipped off the couch and he went tumbling to the floor in a flurry of limbs.

Pinocchio got a kick out of this, bending over to clutch his stomach as he howled at our awkward encounter and Sora's resulting pain. "You're funny!"

"Pinocchio, are you playing nice?" Geppetto's voice echoed down the hallway.

"Yes, Father!" Pinocchio shouted back, abandoning us in pursuit of something more entertaining.

I shook off my embarrassment, reaching a hand down to Sora. "You okay?"

He waved off my offer of help, standing on his own. "Yeah, nothing hurt but my pride."

"I'm sorry," I murmured, not referring to his injured pride. He gave a light-hearted shrug and a smile as if to say no big deal, before heading towards the kitchen. I watched him go, the regret and guilt eating at my stomach.

The noises seemed to rouse Donald and Goofy, who emerged from their rooms to join us for breakfast. Donald, who went to check on the state of the ship, returned in a chipper mood. "We've charged up enough to warp right to Traverse Town! You all must've been putting out a lot of happy energy."

"I should hope so!" Geppetto laughed. "I'm reunited with my son and we're heading back home, what's not to be happy about?"

Sora and I both quietly exchanged looks at this, but said nothing. I felt a sardonic smile twitch at the corners of my mouth, watching Sora cover up one as well. Donald and Goofy, oblivious to this exchange, nodded their heads at Geppetto's words.

The warp was just as unpleasant as the first time, but I felt like I was getting used to it. The headache and nausea faded faster this time around. We landed safely and without incident, the Gummi Ship seemingly in good shape despite everything it went through. As we pushed the gates to Traverse Town open, Geppetto took off at a brisk pace, toting Pinocchio along.

"Follow me, my shop is this way!" he said, looking over his shoulder at us. We quickened our pace to follow, having trouble keeping up with such a spry old man. We passed Cid's shop along the way, and I saw Donald viewing it with slight trepidation.

"Afraid of Cid's wrath when we ask him to look at the ship?" I said with a smirk, giving him a nudge.

"No!" he huffed, crossing his arms. "I'm just worried he'll charge us this time!"

Eventually, Geppetto led us to a small shop with darkened windows. He paused, viewing it with a wide smile, before lifting up a mat and producing a key. Swiftly unlocking the door, he ushered us inside. As he flipped on the lights, I gazed around in wonder at all the intricate carvings gathered on shelves. There were clocks and toys of all shapes and sizes, colors still vibrant even if a layer of dust covered them.

"Geppetto's woodshop is back in business!" he said with a chuckle, gazing around proudly at his creations. Pinocchio took off at once, winding up the toys and clocks and making them all go off at once. The tunes of each wooden creation mixed together to create a sort of music, which Pinocchio and Geppetto danced to happily. The four of us watched them together with smiles on our faces.

A cough and knock at the door brought our attention to the front of the shop. Cid and Yuffie were peeking their heads past the door, watching the dancing father and son duo with eyebrows raised. "Geppetto's back?" Cid asked, leaning further into the store to take a better look.

"And he's got his son!" Yuffie said with a triumphant shout. "Wait—is he…made of wood?"

"Yup," Sora chirped, sending a grin their way.

Geppetto seemed to realize he had more guests, as he gestured for them to come in. "Cid! Yuffie! Come, join the party!"

Yuffie didn't hesitate, with a giddy laugh she ran to activate even more clocks and music boxes. Cid stood alongside us, his arms crossed as he watched the antics. "I assume you all comin' back at the same time isn't a coincidence?" Cid eventually asked, toying with the toothpick perched in his mouth.

"You assume correct," I nodded.

"We got swallowed by a big ol' whale named Monstro!" Goofy chimed in. "And Geppetto was already in there with Pinocch!"

"We were lucky to even get out of there," Donald said, rubbing his forehead as he recalled the stressful escape. "But I guess it's a good thing we got eaten. We wouldn't have found these two otherwise."

Cid let out a grunt of agreement. "Y'know, you kids are doin' good work out there."

"Good enough to get a check up on the Gummi Ship for free?" Sora asked with a sheepish smile. Cid looked down at us with his eyebrows raised. We all beamed back at him with hopeful expressions. Eventually he sighed and shook his head.

"Yer puttin' me out of business. Lemme go get my tools." He walked from the shop, grumbling under his breath. We snickered at his misfortune and our luck before starting to follow after him. Geppetto took notice of this and stopped us with a shout.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked, hurrying towards us.

"Yeah, we've gotta be off to another world," Sora answered, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry to just drop you off and go."

"No, it's okay! I understand completely," Geppetto said with a smile. "I just hoped I could find some way to thank you for all you've done, some reward—"

"We don't need a reward, Geppetto," I quickly interrupted, shaking my head. Donald elbowed me in the stomach hard but I ignored him. "It's honestly enough to see you back and happy with your son."

Geppetto hummed thoughtfully at this. "I'd at least like to give you something…Oh!" Skipping away from us, he ducked behind the counter, pulling something from under it. He placed another wooden object on the counter, blowing dust from it before producing it for us to see.

Wooden gummi ships rotated around several planets and chimed a small tune at the press of a button. He gazed at it proudly. "I made it while I was working on the ship to save my son. I know it's nothing special but, well, it's something." He pushed it towards us with a smile.

"It's awesome!" Sora said with a grin, placing the gift under his arm. "Thank you, Geppetto."

"No, thank you, my boy! Thank you all!" he turned towards Pinocchio and Yuffie who were still dancing to the tunes of the toys. "Say goodbye to your new friends, Pinocchio!"

Pinocchio perked up with a smile and waved. Yuffie hurried to join us in exiting the shop as we shouted our last goodbyes to the pair.

KH

I pressed the button on the toy again, watching the gears turning to move the ships around in wonder. How did he make this?

"Will you please stop pressing that!" Donald huffed.

"I like it," Goofy objected. "It's so pretty!"

"Would've been prettier if we got rewarded with munny," Donald grumbled, turning back forward. We were currently seated on a curb, watching as Cid patched up the Gummi Ship. After I caught Yuffie up with what happened since we last left Traverse Town, she left in search for Leon, claiming he needed to hear Maleficent's grand plan for himself.

As the music clicked to a stop, Sora reached over me and pressed it again. Donald sent a glare his way and he shrugged happily. I met his gaze silently and we exchanged smiles.

When Yuffie arrived with Leon, we regaled them with the story of Agrabah and Monstro, starting with the fact that Maleficent was after Kingdom Hearts. She knew how to summon the Door to Kingdom Hearts and apparently needed others to do it, based on Riku kidnapping Jasmine. And finally, because I was a Pure Heart, I could somehow open this Door and let them into Kingdom Hearts.

Sora and I unanimously decided to keep the information about my communication with Kingdom Hearts a secret. I planned on keeping it just between us anyways; the fact I still didn't know a lot about it kept me silent. Sora didn't say anything for an entirely different reason; I think he knew the method of saving Riku was a bit taboo. Sharing our plan with the party and having it shot down would be devastating.

By the time we had finished, Cid was done with our ship and caught the ending of our story. He scratched his chin as he plopped down beside us. "That's some heavy shit."

"Maleficent's more dangerous than we ever realized," Leon sighed, rubbing his forehead. As he spoke, he viewed me from the corner of his eyes. "If what everyone is saying is true, and she does know how to summon Kingdom Hearts, we need to keep you away from her at all costs."

"We know," Goofy said with a nod. "We'll be prepared if she tries anymore funny business!"

"Besides, I'd never even let her lay a finger on me," I said with a disdainful sniff.

"We know you guys are rough and tumble, but still," Yuffie said with a half-smile. "Be careful. Maleficent is seriously no joke."

"Hey, stop worrying!" Sora jumped up suddenly, placing his hands on his hips. "We'll stop her before she even has a chance to put her plan into action!"

"I think her plan is already in action," Donald mumbled under his breath. I nudged him sharply with my elbow. He gave me an incredulous look in response as if to say 'What? You know it's true!'

"Sora's right." Goofy smiled and slung an arm around us all, pulling us closer. "We'll take care of it!"

"Optimistic, I like it!" Yuffie snickered. Leon simply shook his head.

KH

One goodbye and a warp later, and we were in the same stretch of space we'd left so hastily. Donald was in control, all of our eyes peeled for the giant space whale. However, he was nowhere to be seen. After only a few hours, the world we were heading for before Monstro had unceremoniously swallowed us came into view.

I blinked at how blue it was before I realized this blue was all water. Looking back at Donald, I expected him to say something about this being a mistake, but he just continued prepping for landing. I then turned my gaze onto Sora, hoping someone was at least a little perturbed by the fact we were heading towards an open ocean.

Luckily, he was. We met eyes and shared an incredulous expression before turning back towards the window and watching our slow descent to the word. My eyes opened wide as I tried to take in the huge expanse of water. Not even a speck of land was visible. The waves stretched from horizon to horizon, it was dizzying to even comprehend.

"So, you're just gonna…land in the water?" I asked.

"Yup!" Donald chirped. The Gummi Ship landed with a splash, bobbing as the waves slapped against the hull. Sora and I continued to watch with bated breath as the ship slowly slipped below the surface. Bubbles streamed past and multitudes of fish swam across the window until our descent stopped with a sudden lurch.

"Looks like we hit the bottom, time to get out and look around!" Donald said happily, heading towards the ladder. Goofy hovered behind him, seemingly also unsure about his companion's intentions.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sora jumped into Donald's path, his arms spread wide. "Get out? Into the sea?! We'll drown!"

Donald sighed and shook his head. "We would, if I were just some ordinary duck." He paused to brandish his wand. "But my magic will take care of everything, so stop worrying!" With this being said, he slid down the ladder, disappearing from sight.

The three of us left behind hesitated.

"We'll be okay, right Goofy?" I turned towards him with a questioning expression. Goofy blinked, seemingly debating internally, before offering a comforting smile.

"Well we haven't ever had to change forms before now, but I'm sure it'll be fine! Donald's practiced all kindsa magic after all." He nodded as he said this, as if confirming the statement to himself, before climbing down the ladder as well.

"Change forms?" I repeated, looking at Sora for an answer now. He was just as lost as me and offered up a shrug before following the two. You can imagine my surprise when, upon arriving in the common room, I saw the hatch to the outside world was opened.

Initial panic flooded my system as I had flashbacks to the disaster of Tarzan's world before I realized no water was surging inwards. It was held at bay, almost like it was behind a forcefield.

I approached cautiously, as if any moment the spell could break. The three boys were also gathered around it, Donald watching over the stunned expressions with a smug grin. I watched as Sora poked a finger into the water, swirling it around with a mystified smile.

"So, who's up first?" Donald asked, tapping his fingers against the side of his wand.

"U-Up first?" Sora spluttered, suddenly taking a step away from the door.

"It'll be fine!" Donald huffed. "You just have to jump! I'll take care of the rest!"

Sora cast a worried glance back at Goofy and I, who were standing far enough away to indicate we wanted him to be the first candidate. He glowered at us before peering up, seeming to be judging the distance to the surface in case something went wrong. I would've done the same, but the longer he waited the more frustrated Donald became.

"Just jump already!" Donald eventually shouted, waving his wand around.

Sora screwed his face up and bubbled his mouth in preparation for the dive. He got a running start and leapt past the safety of the ship just as Donald cast some sort of spell. A blinding light hid Sora from view; bubbles trailing downwards was all that was left when it faded.

Donald didn't seem worried about this, in fact he turned towards us with a smile. "Who's next?"

Goofy and I exchanged worried looks. "Rock, paper, scissors?" I offered up.

"Uh…I thought Sora said that eeny meeny miny trick was the only way to go?" He responded, his finger on his chin.

An impatient hum interrupted our conversation, and I looked at Donald to see him tapping his foot against the floor with his arms crossed.

"Alright, alright, I'll go," I sighed, holding up my hands in surrender. Donald acknowledged this with a nod, holding his wand at the ready. I moved to stand before the door, crouching in preparation. With a mental countdown, I steeled my fear before hurling myself into the sea.

The shocking sensation of the water hit me first, followed by a tingling sensation traveling up my legs. It was uncomfortable enough to make me squirm and inhale sharply, a seemingly deadly mistake when I remembered I was in the middle of the ocean. But as the water entered my mouth, I breathed as easily as if I was back on land. I clutched my throat in shock, only to become more startled at the foreign feeling of my hands.

I held them out in front of me, viewing the thin material of webbing stretching between them in shock. My eyes trailed further down my body, and I let out a shout when I saw my lower half had disappeared and was now replaced by a long fish tail. I was a mermaid—a freaking mermaid!

I leaned over (making myself flip forward through the water) to feel the strange substance of my newfound tail. It was cream in color with reddish stripes of various widths running across it. When I looked over my shoulder, I could see spindly spines jutting from my lower back and continuing down the tail. The coloration and fin display reminded me of a lionfish. As I worked to figure out the muscles that controlled my tail, a blue bullet dove past me, sending me spinning.

"This is the coolest world yet!"

I looked to the speeding figure that rushed by me, watching as Sora tumbled through the water. He flicked his tail this way and that experimentally, every now and then giving a hard push that sent him flying. His tail was sleek and had a bluish hue. The dorsal fin that curved from it identified it as a dolphin tail. I smiled to myself, thinking how the playful nature of a dolphin definitely fit Sora.

This smile suddenly fell as I viewed his now very visible upper body. It had been sometime since I had seen Sora without a shirt on, and his new muscle tone was really showing through. Like…really showing through. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. As his eyes met mine, I could see the same embarrassed expression dawn on his face. It was then I became aware of the fact I was also wearing nothing, excluding the two reddish shells covering my chest.

"Whoa, uh, Akira you look, uh…" he drifted off, his face flushing an unhealthy amount.

Fortunately, Donald's angry face floated its way between us, breaking our flustered staring contest. He was upside down, seemingly weighted by the eight tentacles that had replaced his lower half.

"An octopus?" I said with a questioning tone, righting him so he could swim correctly. He made no move to sustain this form and slowly tipped over once more.

"I ran out of ideas," he grumbled.

"Fellas! Check me out!" Goofy called out, languidly drifting past us. He had the form of a large sea turtle and was slowly paddling through the waters. It seemed he easily gained control of this new body.

Fish of all shapes and colors had now began to emerge from their hiding places, curiously darting in between our forms. Multi-colored coral and plant life bloomed from the seafloor and stretched as far as I could see, which was pretty far considering how well lit the waters were. The scene was so tranquil it was like we were in some sort of dream.

Or it was, until a shriek pierced the silence. The fish around us darted back into hiding as three figures emerged around the corner of a rock wall. A young mermaid with bright red hair, a chubby yellow fish, and a small red crab were furiously swimming our way. The crab caught sight of us first and let out another shriek. "Ariel, watch out! There's someone ahead!"

The mermaid, Ariel, paused, viewing us with wide eyes.

I made attempts to right myself and seem semi-presentable, which only sent me further away from the position I wanted to go. Sora wasn't having much luck either, as he put too much effort into the swing of his tail and went flying past the three new arrivals. The other two weren't really helping with the first impression, as Donald was still upside down and Goofy was still lazily paddling around.

This, for some reason, didn't perturb Ariel. She gave us a big smile, moving even closer with a curious gleam in her eyes. "Oh, hello! Are you new around here?"

"Don't talk to them Ariel!" The crab cried, swimming in front of her face and waving his arms around. "They could be dangerous!"

Ariel shooed him away and let out a laugh. "Oh would you relax, Sebastian? They don't look anything like those creatures." As she said this, she turned towards her yellow fish companion. "Right, Flounder?"

Flounder, who was hiding behind Ariel's tail, examined us all critically. We did our best to stay upright and smile innocently. "I don't know…" he eventually said. "There's something weird about them."

Sora gave a very nervous laugh at this, waving his arms to stay in place. "W-Whaddya mean?"

Ariel hummed thoughtfully, moving to swim circles around our group. She placed a hand on her chin as she viewed us with a questioning gaze. "Hm…they do seem a little…different."

"And they're terrible swimmers," Flounder added. We all balked at this statement, even if we knew it was true. These new bodies were hard to get a hold of!

"We're from very far away!" Sora eventually shouted as an explanation.

"Yeah—yeah! We've been swimming for miles and miles," I joined in.

"This all sounds suspicious," Sebastian hissed.

"Have a heart, Sebastian! They must be so tired!" Ariel cried. She turned to us then with a smile. "Don't worry, I have a place you can rest safely—away from those creatures."

"Oh no, no! Not the palace, Ariel! King Triton will not like this!" Sebastian placed his head in his claws in despair. Ariel rolled her eyes, watching as he sunk to the bottom of the sea floor dramatically.

"Uh…guys, about those creatures," Flounder broke off, pointing a trembling fin to where the trio had first emerged. Three jellyfish-like Heartless were drifting their way towards us, their pace almost leisurely enough to make them seem less threatening.

"Just stay back, we got this!" Sora said, pushing Ariel behind him as he swam towards the Heartless clumsily, his Keyblade in hand. I followed suit, the weight of the Heartblade appearing into my hand a familiar comfort. It seemed the Heartblade, for whatever reason, wasn't constrained by the physics of water. It swung just as easy as it would in air and embedded itself into the gelatinous substance of the Heartless.

Unfortunately, it was constrained by the physics of gelatin. As I was attempting to pull the Heartblade back out, the Heartless delivered a jolt of electricity into my side with a swing of its tentacle. I'd been stung by jellyfish before, but it was safe to say this was on another level of pain. I pulled back with a hiss, instinctively raising my hand to cast a spell in retaliation. "Blizzara!" The spell plowed through the Heartless, dissolving it back into darkness.

The boys were wrapping up their fights, all seemingly sporting stings the same as me. With a quick uttered cure from Donald, the reddened welts faded into nonexistence.

"That…was amazing!" Ariel shouted. We turned in surprise to see her hands clasped together and her eyes shining with adoration. Flounder and Sebastian were cowering behind her, obviously thinking otherwise.

Sora dismissed the Keyblade and rubbed the back of his neck at the compliment. "Heh, thanks! Just doin' our job!"

Ariel perked up at this statement. "Your job? Did you hear how we were having trouble? Is that why you came from so far away? Are you going to help my father take care of these creatures?"

"I—uh," Sora froze up, clearly not prepared for her barrage of questions. His eyes darted towards Donald, seeming to beg for forgiveness for the slip up. Donald's glare was enough of a response. Oh well. If anything, this journey taught us how to roll with the punches.

"Yes, that's exactly it," I spoke up. The three boys sent incredulous stares my way, but I waved for them to play along or stay silent. "We only want to help. If you don't mind taking us to him, we've got some questions to ask."

"I told you Sebastian!" Ariel faced the crab with a triumphant grin. "Imagine if we had just run away like you wanted!"

Sebastian simply continued to glower. "If anything, the King will want to know these strangers are swimmin' around in his waters…" he mumbled loud enough for us to hear.

Ariel and her two friends took up the lead as we swam towards the palace. I could spot it in the distance; a tall glimmering building hidden beneath the waves, surrounded by an underwater utopia. As we made our way there, I hung back and talked in hushed tones with the boys.

"Why did you go along with Sora's mistake?" Donald hissed.

"Yeah, why did you—wait, my—?"

"Listen, this King probably knows where the Keyhole is," I said, interrupting Sora's indignant cry. "We can help him out with the Heartless and get quick access to the Keyhole as thanks!"

"Seems a good a start as any!" Goofy said cheerily.

Donald simply sighed. "I hope this doesn't come back later to bite us."

We encountered several groups of Heartless on the way containing more of the jellyfish and another type more merfolk in shape. They were easy enough to take care of, but for every one we cut down two more took its place.

"You guys are really being overrun, huh?" I called back towards Ariel, blocking an incoming strike from one of the Heartless. One swift parry then counterattack and the Heartless was vanquished.

"They're comin' from everywhere!" Sebastian groaned. "They've already caused so much mayhem and destruction, left so many refugees—" he broke off with a sigh. "Half of me really wants to believe you four can help."

"We can," I responded almost instantly. He gave me a surprised look that quickly faded into distrust once again.

"We'll see about that."

Eventually we reached a wide-open area fenced in by carved coral pillars; it was filled with all sorts of merfolk. The courtyard was filled to the brim, but they all seemed to recognize strangers within their midst despite that.

"The refugees," Flounder whispered to us.

I caught the gaze of one and gave a half-hearted wave. Their eyes narrowed and they turned to whisper to their friends, casting occasional glances back at me. I dropped my hand and swam a little faster.

"Sorry about that," Ariel nudged me. "They're a bit on edge."

It didn't really make me feel better, particularly because four armored mermen were currently making their way towards us. I heard Ariel give an exasperated sigh as we came to a halt in front of them. "Princess Ariel, my apologizes, but King Triton is looking for you. He's uh," the guard paused, looking uncomfortable, "he's not happy."

Sebastian audibly swallowed.

"I know, we're going now!" Ariel replied, swimming past them.

"We, ma'am?" The guard repeated in a confused tone of voice. Our group flashed him nervous smiles and waves in return, to which he raised his eyebrows.

"I get the feeling we aren't very welcome here," I whispered to Sora. He shook his head, his hair swirling around his face as he did so. We drifted closer together as the guards took up positions around us.

"It's weird. Not being welcomed," he whispered back. The realization this was the first world we weren't ever truly welcomed hit me and explained the sinking feeling in my gut. In Traverse Town we had Yuffie and Leon, in Olympus Phil and Hercules accepted us without much question, in the jungle Jane and her father welcomed us with open arms, I could go on. Now, with this strange water realm, we were finally being treated like outsiders. I didn't care for it much.

By this time, our swim through the palace led us to a large circular room surrounded by more of the white pillars. Armed guards posted at the entrance watched us pass into the room with curious expressions. Ariel led us directly to a tall blue throne, currently seating a large and imposing merman. Most of his features were hidden behind a flowing white beard, but dark stormy eyes were staring daggers at a guard he was in a quiet discussion with.

As soon as he spotted Ariel over the guard's shoulders, his face morphed into one of relief before rage quickly overtook it. "Oh, Ariel! When will you listen to me?!"

Everyone, even the guards, flinched back at the force of his booming voice. However, Ariel stood her ground. "But, Daddy—"

"No buts Ariel!" he interrupted, holding a hand up. "It's too dangerous for you to be outside the palace right now! Strange creatures—" he broke off, his eyes narrowing when he finally spotted us— "lurk outside…"

We recoiled slightly at the stare. I felt like he could see right through our façade. Sebastian pushed passed us, swimming up to stand beside the throne. Once he paddled his way over, he addressed us with a straight stance. "Behold! You swim before the ruler of the seas: His Majesty, King Triton!"

Triton didn't bat an eye at this introduction, keeping his gaze glued onto us. "And just who are they?"

"They saved us from those creatures!" Ariel said, her eyes alight as she looked back at us. "They said they're going to help us deal with them!"

His features softened when he heard we saved Ariel, but only by a hair. His tone was still filled with mistrust. "Hm. They don't look familiar."

We all exchanged glances. Donald nudged Sora, who elbowed me, sending me drifting closer to the King. I swallowed heavily. "Ah—yes, your Majesty, we're from an ocean very far away. We've come to help eliminate these creatures, but we need to ask you a few questions."

He raised a bushy eyebrow at this statement. "Like?"

"Well, uh—"

"Like where the Keyhole is!" Goofy interrupted. I stiffened and whirled around to face him, readying a harsh glare at revealing our hand too soon (and without much tact). Donald and Sora had both pounced and covered his mouth to prevent him from saying more, but it was too late.

King Triton's scowl returned and his entire demeanor became icy. "…There's no such thing. Certainly not here."

"Daddy!" Ariel cried. "You haven't even looked! If you could just—"

"Not another word, Ariel!" Triton interrupted with a yell. "You are not to leave the palace again, is that clear?"

Ariel cast a hurt-filled and very defiant glare at her father before turning and swimming away from her father. "Let's go," she muttered to us as she passed. She swam from the room without another look back. Flounder quickly followed after her. We turned to leave as well, until the King's words stopped us in our tracks.

"You four."

Our heads turned in a slow and reluctant unison to face him.

"Stay away from my daughter."

KH

The King watched in some satisfaction as the blood drained from the strangers' faces before they turned tail and swam hastily from the room. That satisfaction died fast, however, knowing his warning fell on deaf ears. He should've just locked them up right on the spot, as soon as they mentioned that blasted Keyhole.

But Ariel wouldn't have understood. She would've…

He sighed heavily, letting his Kingly persona fade away in the presence of his most loyal subject. Resting a head in his hand, he turned to face Sebastian. "Perhaps I'm being too strict…I'm just concerned for her safety."

"I understand completely, your Majesty," Sebastian replied, bowing slightly. The crab hesitated to continue, knowing he was about to tread on thin ice. "Although…I must admit, now I'm quite curious about this Keyhole."

The King's face darkened. "That need not concern you, Sebastian."

"O-Of course, your Majesty," Sebastian dropped to bow once again.

Triton let his gaze drift to the hallway his daughter disappeared down (with those strangers). Stroking his beard, he changed the subject. "Have you anything to report?"

Sebastian straightened, happy to be bringing back useful information. "It's just as you suspected! These creatures seem to be coming from Ursula's grotto! Their numbers are growing every day!"

"I knew it!" Triton slammed a fist down into the arm of his throne. "That Sea Witch is up to no good again. I see exile from the palace has taught her nothing…"

"Yes, these creatures prove she is still a great danger," Sebastian readily agreed.

The King faced the crab once again, his eyebrows raised. "And I told you to keep Ariel away from such danger, did I not?"

"Your Majesty, please, I uh—" Sebastian spluttered, drifting back with his claws raised as if to protect him from the stare of disapproval. Triton ignored this display of fear, instead gesturing for one of the guards to step forward.

"Tell the captain of the guard to gather my finest warriors. We're heading to Ursula's grotto," he commanded. They saluted before swimming off to the right. Triton then pointed to Sebastian. "You go follow Ariel. I have a feeling she's already disobeying my orders."

Sebastian nodded before furiously swimming down the same stretch of hallway Ariel had taken, leaving the King to his thoughts.

KH

"My father is so stubborn!" Ariel huffed to no one in particular, not slowing down her pace at all. Flounder kept up with her just fine, but our group was struggling.

"He just doesn't understand!" she continued. "He's always scolding me, telling me I'm 'too young to help out'. He probably judged you because he thought you were too young as well. But he didn't see you fight!" After this rant, she suddenly halted, causing us all to run into her back when we didn't stop in time. "Sorry, it's just—you said something about a Keyhole? Will it help us stop those creatures?"

We all exchanged a glance, trying to decide how much to tell her. "It's not like a weapon or anything," Sora eventually said.

"But it should stop attracting them here. Thin their numbers," I added on. I looked back at Donald and Goofy for confirmation. They both nodded their heads in agreement.

Ariel grinned widely at this. "Then let's go find it."

"B-But, Ariel!" Flounder cried. "Your father said—"

"I don't care what he says! If he won't help the Kingdom, we will." She turned to face us. "Right?"

"Well, of course we'll help," Sora said, returning her smile. "But we don't have any idea where to start looking."

Ariel hummed at this before lighting up, darting off in a random direction. "I have an idea! Follow me!"

We all balked at her fast pace before following after her. "All this swimming around is really taking a lot out of me," I groaned. The boys all gave various tired noises of agreement.

She led us to a large boulder strangely positioned in front of a rock formation. Placing her hands on the rock, she pulled it back enough to reveal a sliver of a secret cave behind it. Ariel giggled and swam through the opening, peeking her head back outside to view us with amusement. "What're you waiting for? Come on!" With that she disappeared back into the darkness.

"Ladies first," Sora said, nudging me forward.

"What a gentleman," I huffed.

I wiggled my way in, popping out into a circular cavern. Almost immediately I was struck dumb in amazement. The cave was vast and had rough, carved shelves containing piles and piles of odd knickknacks. Silverware, pottery, musical instruments, paintings, anything and everything from a world on land was there. The cavern stretched up to the surface allowing sunlight to filter through, bathing everything in a soft glow.

Gasps of wonder echoed behind me, signaling Donald, Goofy, and Sora had also made their way inside. Ariel faced them, beaming a proud smile. "Flounder and I collected everything here. I think they're from an outside world…and someday I'm gonna visit it! I'm gonna learn everything there is to know about the world and the people that live there!"

Her words rang in my ears as I viewed the various treasures and trinkets strewn about the room. They were obviously remnants from life on land—but how did Ariel manage to find them? There wasn't a bit of land in sight on this world that I could see from the Gummi Ship.

Then again…maybe there was a tiny island lost somewhere in this stretch of ocean. Maybe there were kids on it, a group of friends, dreaming of another world besides their own too-small island, not knowing one existed right below their feet. They didn't know how good they had it.

A hand on my shoulder jolted me out of my thoughts. Turning, I saw Sora giving me a soft smile. I returned it, suddenly glad for the water that surrounded us for disguising the lone tear I couldn't stop from slipping through. Nostalgia really hits you hard.

"Does it seem strange?" Ariel suddenly asked.

"Does what seem strange?" Donald quacked.

"That I want to see other worlds. Everyone usually just laughs it off but, I get the feeling that you all understand me." She paused to let out a soft laugh. "Is that strange?"

"No. Not at all," Sora responded immediately. She whirled towards him in surprise, her eyes hopeful. His arm stretched around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him in a side hug. "We used to feel the same way."

"Used to?" Ariel asked, her eyebrow raised. I felt Sora tense as he realized he let out another slip up. It wasn't really his fault, Ariel seemed attuned to picking up these types of things. I guess when you live with a father who won't tell you anything, you'd get your information through good perception.

"I mean—we still do. We just haven't thought about it in a while is all," he hastily explained. Ariel seemed to accept this, turning her head away and nodding. Sora relaxed and let out a quiet breath of relief.

"So, how does this place help us find the Keyhole exactly?" Donald asked, floating over to our group.

"Oh!" Ariel brought her palm to her forehead. "Sorry, I got distracted. It's over here." She motioned us over to a large crate filled with parts of a grandfather clock. Pushing it aside with a grunt, she revealed a blue trident indent carved into the cave wall. "I've showed this to my dad before asking what it was, but he got all huffy and told me to leave it be. I bet it has something to do with your Keyhole!"

"Say, that's a pretty good idea, Ariel!" Goofy said with a smile. The young mermaid flushed with pride.

"I'm just happy to finally be able to do something!" she responded.

"But how do we activate it?" I voiced, letting my finger trace the carving. It did nothing in response. Ariel hummed in thought at this.

"I-I might know how," a small voice from a corner in the room pipped up. We all turned in surprise to view Flounder, tracing a fin on the ground shyly. "Remember the sunken ship, Ariel? It had a treasure chest in it that wouldn't open with that symbol on it."

"Oh, Flounder!" Ariel rushed over to give her friend a hug. "You're a genius! C'mon guys!" In a flash, she swam towards the entrance of the grotto, leaving only bubbles in her wake.

"Ariel, wait up!" Sora cried, taking off after her. I groaned internally at the thought of playing catch up with Ariel all the way to this ship, but swam after them despite my muscles screaming in pain.

KH

Little did they know; three pairs of eyes had watched the entire conversation. One belonged to a crab who quickly scuttled after the group. The other two belonged to a pair of electric eels, who emerged from the darkness of the shelves with twisted grins on their faces. The snake-like snickering was amplified by the cavern as their yellow eyes glowed ominously.

Far away in her own little hide away, Ursula was breathless from laughter, having to turn away from the image projected in her caldron. "Oh, no, no, no—I can't stand it. It's too easy!"

Her loyal henchmen, Flotsam and Jetsam, had done a wonderful job spying on King Triton's precious daughter, but Ursula had enough information. More than enough information, actually. Her plan was finally ready to be put into action.

She made her way across the room, sitting in front of a mirror and puckering her lips. She had to make sure she was absolutely perfect when she exacted her revenge. "Hm…not enough lipstick." One of her many tentacles grabbed a tube and applied more of the red color thickly.

Poor, sweet, Ariel. She only wanted to help! But dear Daddy wouldn't even let her try. Now she had friends who could help the Kingdom and, more importantly, help her attain her dream. Oh, she wouldn't say it out loud, of course, but the little mermaid had her suspicions about these new arrivals. Ursula could just see these things in a person.

With Ariel in doubt about her father's intentions, finally starting to branch out on her own, it was the perfect time to goad her into giving up the trident! Once Ursula had that, and Triton had been given a taste of his own medicine, then she could handle the business with the two wielders. If there was one thing Ursula valued, it was a deal. And Maleficent had struck her the deal of a lifetime. Control over the Heartless in exchange for two teeny, tiny, favors. Kill the boy, bring the girl to her. Simple!

After dotting on herself for a little longer, she strode through her humble abode. It was hidden below the depths, mingled with the hydrothermal vents and carcasses of long dead underwater beasts. She rather liked it here. Much better than the cramped room she had in the palace anyways...It had a lot less impudent fools bothering her every moment of her life.

The only thing she didn't have the joy of was the garden she left behind. She had tended to that like it was her own child, cultivating every ingredient for every spell you could imagine. But, then again, she had started a new one here. Perhaps even better than the one back in the palace. Hovering over the garden, she let out another cackle at the faces of the writhing polyps, drawing back from her in horror. Hopefully they'd have a new addition soon enough.

"Triton, my old friend…your day is coming!"

KH

I never knew ships this big existed.

We had little ones that would tote people between the islands, sure, but I felt like the whole population of Destiny Islands could fit on this one wreckage.

It had obviously been there for many years. It was settled at the bottom of the trench, tilted to the left with a broken mast and its deck all but rotted away. As we made our way towards it, the water around us became colder and I felt my lungs working a bit harder as the pressure increased as well.

"This place is a little spooky, huh?" Goofy muttered.

"Don't worry," Ariel whispered back. "There's nothing around here except sharks, and they won't mess with us!" Flounder gave a very sarcastic laugh at this and Ariel seemed to hesitate. "Okay, well, Glut might."

"Glut?" Donald repeated, now looking anxious about going any further towards the ship.

"It's okay!" Ariel said, waving off her momentary lapse in bravery. "We call him Glut for a reason! He's so fat we'll outswim him no problem!"

The four of us with obvious swimming problems all exchanged nervous looks. We'd improved, sure, but maybe not quite enough to outswim a native sea creature. Before we had a chance to voice our concerns, Ariel and Flounder had already swam through a hole in the hull.

"Well, if we can't outswim it we always have our weapons," Sora said with a shrug."

"We can't just go around beating sharks to death," I protested. "They're just trying to eat like the rest of us!"

"You mean trying to eat us!" Donald snorted. "For once I agree with Sora!"

Sora looked back at him with his eyebrows raised in surprise. We could all see the cheeky comment forming on his lips, but Donald beat him to it. "Don't get used to it," he grumbled.

"Guys! You coming?" Ariel called to us from within the ship. We all hurried to swim through the same spot they disappeared into. Broken crates and boxes laid strewn about the inside, and I peered inside of them as we passed by. Ariel and other curious creatures had obviously been here more than once to raid their contents; they were all but empty.

"Up here," Flounder gestured for us to swim through the fallen through deck into the upper part of the ship. The room we entered was obviously the captain's quarters. Broken down fancied furniture and a nice bed pointed to that fact, as well as a wide window overlooking several opened treasure chests.

Donald quickly swam over and greedily grabbed the last of the coins within them before he realized (with a high degree of disappointment) that he had no pockets to stuff them in. As he let the gold float onto the ground with a scowl, Flounder pushed the other empty chests aside to reveal a perfectly pristine one in the back. Just as he said, a painting of the same blue trident was on the front.

Sora moved to open it, his muscles flexing as he struggled to pull it open. Eventually he was forced to give up with a sigh, and the chest fell back to the ship floor unmarred. A bash from Donald's wand and a hit from Goofy's shell proved fruitless as well. As Sora moved to give it another attempt, I placed a hand on his shoulder and held him back.

"Wait. If this thing is supposedly connected to the Keyhole, why don't we try our blades?" I said, summoning the Heartblade.

"Oh, yeah!" he gasped, summoning the Keyblade as well. We pointed our weapons towards the chest as if we were sealing the heart of a world away. Light gathered at their tips and shot into the small keyhole, and a resounding click echoed through the room.

Ariel was once again awestruck by the demonstration. Even Flounder seemed impressed this time around. However, our attention was quickly stolen away by the soft glow emanating from the chest. Ariel grabbed the object inside of it, producing it for the rest of the group to see. A three-pronged crystal trident, just like the carving, sat in her hands.

"This is it!" she cried happily. "This must activate your Keyhole!"

"Good work you two," Donald said, giving his rare proud smile. I wish I could've enjoyed that more, but the hairs on the back of my neck were currently standing up as I shudder ran through my body. I could've sworn I saw something swimming just outside the window. It was so dark I just couldn't tell.

I felt Sora twitch beside of me as his head perked up as well. We met eyes, both our expressions wary. "Did you see—?"

The windows instantly shattered and I heard Ariel shriek as I was flung back by an arm around my waist. Massive jaws clamped shut where my head was moments ago. I blinked owlishly at the blackened body and yellowed eyes of a 20-foot Heartless shark, the perpetrator of the attack.

Another jerk broke me from my trance. I moved my fin out of the way of another bite and turned to see Sora, who had tugged me out of the fray, with his Keyblade already in hand.

"Can we beat this one?" he shouted. I nodded fervently, the adrenaline from yet another near-death experience flooding my system. I summoned the Heartblade and held it in a defensive position, watching as the shark impaled itself on the blade's tip. It violently swung its tail, lurching back from the blow. We took the time to swim out of the ship, joining with the rest of the group outside.

The Heartless wasn't far behind. It tore through the ship's weakened wood, pushing its way towards us with jaws snapping.

"Ariel, Flounder, stay back!" Goofy warned, tucking into his shell to deliver a smack to the Heartless's head.

"What happened to Glut?" Ariel cried, hugging Flounder to her chest as she floated backwards, eyes wide in horror.

"T-T-That's not Glut a-anymore!" Flounder struggled to respond through his clattering teeth.

"Guess he couldn't outswim the Heartless," Sora muttered, breaking off with a grunt as he jammed the Keyblade into the side of the creature. It thrashed about, leaving Sora little time to maneuver out of the way.

Donald distracted it with a blizzard spell as we rushed to attack its sides, far enough away to avoid the hungry jaws. Several cuts on its body bled a dark liquid, but the thing just wouldn't stop. While we were all panting from the stunts we pulled to avoid its bites, it was still raring to go with its unnatural strength and endurance (courtesy of the Heartless).

Just as Donald narrowly avoided a chomp to one of his tentacles, a sizeable rock smacked the Heartless's head. We looked up in surprise to see Ariel, baring a defiant expression that quickly dropped when the Heartless shook off its daze and headed straight for her.

"Ariel, move!" I shouted, going so far as to pull on the beast's tail in attempts to stop it. She deftly dodged the incoming shark and darted back towards the ship, but it seemed she was still counting on the Heartless having Glut's speed. We desperately cast spells and rammed into the shark's side but nothing was helping. It caught up to Ariel and seemed determined to take down the one sea creature that didn't have a weapon to flaunt around.

Just as all seemed lost, a large golden bolt suddenly struck the side of the shark and sent it tumbling into the wreckage of the ship. The weak structure readily collapsed on top of it, and I watched as a small heart twinkled upwards before blinking out of existence. Ariel looked towards us with wide eyes and a very guilty expression as we stared back in a confused manner.

"That was too close!"

We all froze at the sound of the deep echoing voice. It was then I realized Ariel wasn't looking at us, but past us. Turning my head reluctantly, I watched as King Triton drifted closer to us with a glowing trident in his hand, Sebastian at his side, and a legion of guards behind him.

"Ariel. You've disobeyed me for the last time." His accusing glare snapped towards us. "And you four, I thought I warned you to stay away from my daughter."

"They're just trying to help, Daddy!" Ariel cried, jumping in front of us as if to shield us from his glare. "We're saving the Kingdom together because you won't do anything!"

"That's quite enough from you, young lady," Triton snapped. "Now I want you to head straight back—" He broke off, his eyes widening. We followed his gaze to see Flounder floating towards us, the crystal trident grasped tightly in his fins.

Without another word, he quickly swam over and grabbed the crystal from Flounder, who was all too willing to give it up. To our dismay, he crushed it within his fist without any sort of hesitation.

"No!" Ariel jolted towards him, hand outstretched as if there was still something she could do. "How…how could you?"

"I'm protecting us. You don't understand," Triton muttered, his face a stony wall of anger.

Ariel shook her head, backing away from him slowly. Her hiccupping breath and shaking shoulders was the only indication she was crying. Triton seemed to show a flash of remorse at this and reached towards her, but she pushed past him and swam out of sight.

"Ariel!" Triton called after his daughter, but it was too late. He sighed heavy, and I felt a twinge of guilt at the divide we seemed to be pushing between the two. This quickly faded into fear when he turned his stormy gaze onto us.

"Young man. Young woman." His eyes darted between Sora and I, then down to the weapons we still grasped tightly in our hands. "You are not from another ocean. You're from another world, aren't you?" Even though it was a question, his unwavering voice showed he knew it was a fact. It didn't stop any of us from recoiling in shock. I heard Donald give a quack of horror, his worst nightmare coming to life right before his eyes.

"Those weapons gave you away," he scoffed his answer to the unspoken question, gesturing towards the Keyblade and Heartblade. "But you didn't have me fooled for a second. You don't know your dorsal fin from your tail!"

I winced at that. We were so blatantly obvious from the beginning; I was surprised Ariel hadn't figured it out as well. He extended his trident towards us and we jerked our weapons up instinctively as defense. His lips pulled back in a disgusted snarl at the sight of it. "As bearers of the blades, you should know not to meddle in the affairs of other worlds! You have all violated this principle and put the world order in danger!"

"B-But, that's not fair," I interrupted, my voice fluctuating as my throat closed slightly in fear. "We've been saving—"

His eyes took on a knowing gleam at I spoke and he fixed me with a sharp stare that stopped my words in their tracks.

"Pure Heart, you should know better than anyone, the bearers of the Key shatter peace and bring ruin to all. Even those they promised to protect."

I flinched back, unable to stop the gasp from escaping my lips. How? How did he know about that? My jaw worked up and down as I struggled to refute this, but nothing would come of it.

Sora looked between my shocked face and Triton's glare in dismay. Seeing me struck speechless with not a word to say in his defense broke down what little courage he had against this stern King. He backed down, giving the Keyblade a foreign look.

"You're wrong!" Donald, of course he wouldn't lose his voice in the face of this man, moved to stand in front of us. His expression was fierce. "You're wrong about them!"

Goofy followed, his expression less fierce but still stern. "Yeah, Sora an' Akira aren't like that! Sure, we've been meddlin', but it's only so we can help other people!"

"You've helped quite enough," Triton replied, their appeal to him falling short. "I thank you for saving my daughter earlier, but dragging her into danger, bringing these creatures around my people, it's unforgiveable."

With this being said, he promptly turned around and addressed his legion. "The strongest creatures have been manifesting in this area. Spread out and search for the entrance to that Sea Witch's lair." They saluted and all swam off in separate directions.

We lingered, if only still in shock from what the King had said. He sensed this hesitation and glanced over his shoulder at us. "There's no room in my ocean for you or your blades. You need to leave, now. Before you attract more of them here." He left then, Sebastian in tow, confident his message hit home.

It couldn't have hit harder.

KH

Ariel swam faster than she ever had before. She swam until she couldn't hear her father's shouts, past the concerned faces of the merfolk, ducking under the coral and schools of fish until her lungs burned and her tail couldn't carry her any further.

Drifting to the bottom of the sea floor, she leaned against the sheltering form of a rock and let all of her frustrations out in a sob. Her father—he's the one who doesn't understand! She just wanted to help! She wanted to help these strangers, to know about them and their mysterious ways. She had so many questions she knew they could answer, so many things to share! For the first time in her life, she felt understood.

Her father…he could never hope to accomplish that.

"My, my, the poor child suffers such deep sorrow…" a voice crooned above her. Ariel's head shot up and she tensed, seeing two eels circling overhead. They both gazed down at her, each with one unblinking yellow eye.

"What a pity," the other responded with a sigh. "If only there was something we could do."

"Wait. Maybe she can be of some help," the first one offered.

"Yes, yes," the second hissed happily. "Maybe she could be of help."

They both turned towards Ariel, their eyes glowing as they spoke in unison, "To you."

"Who? Who can help me?" she asked, too desperate for answers to be wary of the way they smiled. They drifted upwards in a lazy spiral, ignoring her question.

"Oh, she would surely help you. She'd make all your dreams come true." They were swimming closer together now, a twisting dance that left Ariel in a trance.

"Ursula can help," they hissed a final time in tandem before a spot of black ink emerged between them. It spread quickly through the water, blurring the two eels until Ariel couldn't see them anymore. She coughed and backed away from the rock, waving the cloud away from her face.

When it finally faded, she opened her eyes slowly and was startled to see a large woman suddenly standing in front of her. Her bottom half dissolved into a whirling mass of tentacles that curled its way around her like devilish seaweed.

"You called, my dear?" Ursula sent a sweet smile towards Ariel, opening her arms as if she were a long lost relative expecting a hug.

"You're…Ursula?" Ariel repeated the name the eels had said.

Ursula nodded in response, drifting closer. "That's what they call me! Ursula the Sea Witch, the kind soul who only lives to help others."

She t'sked as she swam around Ariel, giving her a good look over. "Let me guess, I'm usually very good at guessing what you poor souls need." She broke off to hold her hands outwards, exaggerating a meditative trance.

"Hmmm…why, you want to see other worlds, don't you?" She laughed as Ariel jolted back in surprise. "I told you I was good! Well now, traveling to another world, that shouldn't be too hard."

"Really?" Ariel gasped, swimming closer to Ursula.

"Of course! After all, your new friends came from another world…oh, did they not tell you?" Ursula feigned pity at Ariel's shock, wrapping a tentacle around her in a hug. Ariel tensed but didn't pull away, her eyes were now wide with wonder.

Hook, line, and sinker.

"How—how did they get here? Can I leave with them, is that what you're suggesting?" Ariel asked, her eyes shining.

"Eager one, aren't you?" Ursula chortled, holding back a gag at Ariel's blinding smile. "They had special help—those blades you saw them using."

Ariel frowned, suspicion grabbing a hold of her heart for a second. How did she know about those mysterious weapons unless she'd been watching them?

Ursula mistook this silence as a forlorn one, as she cooed and pulled Ariel closer, resting a hand on her shoulder as she guided her from the grotto. "Now, now. Cheer up, sweetie! You have something special too, you know," she whispered to the mermaid. "Something your father hid away from you, like always."

Ariel bristled at this statement. Hitting too close to home a little too soon (or just at the right time, in Ursula's case).

By this time, they had passed into the open ocean, chatting as Ursula casually guided them towards the palace. There were only a few guards out here, easily avoidable. Most were in that legion out searching for her. Boy, were they in for a surprise.

"Did you know I was banished from the palace? I bet your father hid the real reason why from you," Ursula placed a hand against her forehead as if lamenting her tragic past. "I was only trying to help people, you know. Good folk who only wanted their dearest wishes to come true after toiling away their whole lives! But dear King Triton wouldn't let me help them. He ordered me to stop, because I was using magic he didn't approve of to make their dreams come true!"

She broke off with a heavy sigh. "You know how hard it is to get his approval. Well, I went against his orders. I just couldn't let those poor, unfortunate souls suffer under his negligence! But, as you can see, he found out and cast me from the palace. Sent me off to live in squalor, wasting away—practically starving!"

They were just outside the gates now, successfully hidden from passersby within the shadows. Ariel still hadn't moved away, completely enthralled in the story.

"And now he's done it again. You see, those two and their blades used a special kind of magic to get here, something your father disapproves of. But he possesses the same kind, in that trident of his. What a hypocrite," Ursula snorted.

"His…trident?" Ariel repeated, looking hesitant.

"Yes, my dear. Now, let me offer you a deal. If you help me into the palace without being seen, we can work together and use his trident for something good. We'll reveal the Keyhole your friends are so desperate to find, and I can get you to those other worlds you long for."

Ariel still hesitated, and Ursula's grasp got a little tighter. "What's in it for you?" Ariel eventually spoke up.

"The satisfaction from doing the right thing, of course," Ursula replied with a smile. "Do we have a deal?"

Ariel searched the witch's eyes for a few seconds (looking for a sign of a lie perhaps) before letting out a barely perceptible nod. "Okay…just follow me."

"Lead the way, sweetie."

KH

The four of us swam in silence, neither of us wanting to address the words of the King. Flounder trailed behind, watching our slow progression back towards the open ocean with a frown. Putting on a burst of speed, he stopped before our group with his fins spread wide.

"You guys aren't just gonna leave, right?" Flounder broke the silence with a trembling voice. "I know you can help—maybe there's another crystal around here somewhere!"

We all exchanged glances, and I could see the answer in their eyes. Of course we wouldn't leave, not with the Keyhole unsealed. But it was hard to get motivated with the King's words still ringing in our ears. I offered the worried fish a smile before saying, "Don't worry Flounder, we aren't going anywhere. Not yet, anyways."

Flounder let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I know the King scares a lot of people off but what he said, back there," his head tilted towards the trench, "I know he didn't mean it. He's just trying to do what he thinks is best."

"Gawrsh, he didn't have to be so mean about it," Goofy mumbled, casting a worried glance at Sora and me.

"He was probably just trying to psych us out." Sora paused, casting an uncertain gaze towards me. "Right?"

I held my tongue, not able to stop the torrent of images in my head. They both had the same knowing glare, like they could see into your most inner thoughts.

"Pure Heart, you should know better than anyone."

In a fit of jealous rage, they killed their Pure Heart—

"The bearers of the Key shatter peace and bring ruin to all. Even those they promised to protect."

It is not just a story. It is your history.

I swallowed hard and gave my best reassuring smile. "Right."

He seemed to brighten at this and I banished the doubts to the back of my mind again. Sora was the chosen one, I bet his heart shone even brighter than mine. If anyone could reclaim the name of the Keyblade, it was him.

"Then we know what we have to do," Sora said with a nod, redirecting our path to the palace. I heard a slight sniff behind me and turned to see Donald looking towards Sora with bright eyes.

"What?"

"Sora's being responsible, I never thought I'd see the day," he replied, acting as if he was wiping a tear from his eye.

"I heard that," Sora called back over his shoulder. Their banter and Goofy's poorly contained chuckle seemed to revitalize our group. The confidence that was shattered moments ago was pieced back together as we swam towards the palace with new purpose.

KH

Ariel's heart felt like it was about to beat out of her chest. She knew the hallways were going to be empty, but still she flinched at every sound within its walls. What was she even doing? Taking a stranger into the heart of the palace to steal her father's trident?

Glancing behind her, she saw Ursula trailing her like a shadow. The witch gave her a smile, more menacing than reassuring considering her pointed canines. She directed her gaze back forward, her heart making another leap when she realized the circular throne room was quickly approaching.

Motioning for Ursula to stay back, she swam into the room. Just as she feared, her father was currently in his throne. The trident was draped across his lap as he rubbed his forehead, a frustrated stance she was more than used to.

Maybe she could just ask for the trident? Try and explain things to her father…She took a deep breath. "Daddy?"

Her father's head jerked up, a relieved smile spreading across it when he met her gaze. "Ariel! You've been in the palace this whole time? I never thought…" he drifted off, moving to stand in front of his daughter. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he smiled warmly. "Well, what matters is that you're safe."

Ariel fidgeted, not able to offer her father even a glimpse of a smile. She was frozen, watching the shadow of Ursula emerging from behind the throne. Watching her tentacles inching towards the trident left so carelessly behind by her father. Set aside so he could rush to her, his daughter.

Triton's smile faded slightly, a solemn look overtaking his features. He sighed heavily before continuing. "Ariel, I know you're upset with me. And I know we haven't always been on the right page with each other, but…well what I'm trying to say is…I want us to talk. I want us to be honest with each other. From now on, I'll try my best to—"

"Triton, darling, I'm gagging over this sentimentality. Care toning it down a notch?"

His entire body went stiff, his fist closing around empty air. Expecting his trident to be there, no doubt. Whirling around, he held an arm out to protect Ariel from whatever would be coming next. "Ursula! What are you doing here?! You were banished from the palace!"

"Well, that's no way to greet an old pal," Ursula cackled, casually holding up the trident for him to see. "Your daughter let me in! I thought we could all have a nice reunion!"

The King barely had time to glance back at his daughter before a golden bolt struck him squarely in the chest. Ariel gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth as he went flying into one of the coral pillars, crashing into it with enough force to bring it toppling down.

"Whoops! Sorry, still getting the hang of this thing!" Ursula feigned shock as she gazed down at the King's unconscious and half-buried body.

"No! Daddy!" Ariel screamed, darting down to cradle his head in her hands. He was still breathing, but it was shallow. She furiously pushed the crumbled pieces of coral off his chest, her shoulders shaking and her breathing coming out in harsh gasps. "I didn't—I didn't want this! I didn't want this," she repeated to herself in a whisper, as if that would alleviate the horrible guilt bubbling in her stomach.

"Now that dear daddy's been silenced, we had a deal, didn't we?" Ursula crooned, pointing the trident straight at her. She stared down the Sea Witch silently, her lip quivering. "You let me in, we get the trident, find the Keyhole, and I send you to another world! Well dearie, time for a little journey…to the dark world of the Heartless!"

"Flotsam, Jetsam!" she snapped suddenly. A black spot of ink pooled in the water, and from it slithered the two eels from earlier. "Where's the Keyhole?"

The eel to the right of Ursula sudden broke her moment of vengeance with its slow raspy voice. "We cannot find the Keyhole."

"The Keyhole is not here," the other confirmed.

This caused Ursula some pause. "What?" The trident lowered slightly as she redirected her rage towards the eels. They slinked back at her harsh stare.

Ariel felt the fluttering of hope within her as she realized Ursula needed the Keyhole to progress any further in her plan. She had no idea it was within her Secret Grotto.

Before Ursula could think about how to handle this new developing, she picked up on the sound of swishing tail fins.

"We have company," she scowled, turning to view the guards swimming towards her with weapons raised. "Well, I needed more practice with this thing anyways."

KH

Our confidence was apparently not shining bright enough to avoid the law. As soon as we made our way past the refugees and towards the palace gates, guards drew their weapons and pointed them at us menacingly.

"By order of King Triton, you are not allowed to swim in Atlantica's waters any longer," one of the guards stated, gesturing with his sword back down the pathway. "Go back to the trench you crawled out of." A few of the guards behind him chuckled at that, making us bristle.

Donald swam his way to the front of the group, mumbling threats under his breath as he did so. Pushing the guard's sword away, he thrust an accusing finger into his face. "We need to see the King now! We have important business to take care of!"

A few of the men behind him gripped their weapons tighter. However, the man Donald was currently having a stare down with cracked a smile. "I don't take orders from a squid."

"I'm an octopus! Can't you count?!" Donald shrieked. We hastily pulled him back from the guard and drifted back into the crowd. Their mocking laughter echoed behind us.

"Well that didn't go well," I mumbled.

"Couldn't have held it together a little longer, Donald?" Sora huffed.

"They have no right to talk to us like that!" Donald bit out.

"Uh, fellas?" Goofy tapped us on the shoulder, pointing towards the guards. An anxious mermaid was currently shouting and gesturing back towards the palace. The guards exchanged looks before swimming towards the way she pointed, weapons in hand.

"Trouble?" Sora turned towards us with his eyebrows raised.

"Let's go!" Flounder cried, tugging us towards the gates. "It could be those creatures!"

We followed after the group without another word. As we passed by without being stopped, I felt a warning settle deep in my gut. No guards present at all? Never a good sign.

Upon entering the throne room, I confirmed my suspicions, but it was so much worse than I could've imagined. Several unmoving bodies of guards were scattered about the room, King Triton laid partially buried under the rubble of a column, and Ariel was currently digging him out. The perpetrator of this mess seemed to be a large half-octopus woman clutching the King's trident. Two eels floated beside her, fixing us with a glare.

"The wielders are here," one of the eels announced.

"I'm afraid you're a little late, sweethearts," the woman laughed. "But I guess I can fit you into my schedule!" We summoned our weapons as she whirled around and thrust the trident towards us. Dodging the golden blast it fired, Sora and I swam up on either side of her and struck the first blows.

"Ariel, what's going on?" Donald cried, watching as the woman flew back, momentarily stunned.

"That's Ursula the Sea Witch!" Ariel responded. "You have to get the trident back!"

Ursula recovered from her stupor with a growl, her triumphant manner quickly fading. "Flotsam, Jetsam! Protect Mommy!"

The two eels darted forward, one wrapping around me and the other around Sora before delivering an electric shock. Goofy and Donald were right behind us, however, and with a shell smash and a blast of magic the two eels uncoiled themselves with a hiss.

Another blast from the trident was sent our way, and Goofy tucked himself into his shell to absorb the blow. It sent him flying into one of the coral pillars which cracked from the force of the blow. Donald quacked and bolted towards Goofy just as the column toppled over from the crash. It was headed straight for Ursula, but she destroyed it with another burst of golden light.

It was the perfect distraction; the destruction of the pillar created a cloud of dust that hid us from sight. Sora delivered a hard blow with the Keyblade from the front, sending her straight into my swing. The Heartblade left a deep gash in her back and she howled in pain, unconsciously letting go of the trident.

I shot forward, my hand outstretched to snatch it, before I was yanked from the air. Something was currently coiled around my stomach, pinning my arms to my body and squeezing me tight. I looked down through narrowed eyes to see Ursula's tentacles wrapped around me, and no amount of wriggling was lessening her grip.

Another jerk through the water and my back was slammed against something hard. I shook the black spots beginning to encroach around my vision away, fixing Ursula with an intense glare.

"You're just a little pain, aren't you?" she hissed, bringing the trident up to touch my throat. I could feel the tip of it brushing against my skin and swallowed hard.

"You know, Maleficent's always prattling on and on about how special you are, but, to be completely honest dear, I'm not seeing much!" She lifted my chin with the trident as I glared, continuing to struggle. "Your looks are cute, sure, but besides that—"

"Let her go!" Sora rushed in with a cry, his Keyblade poised for a strike before the two eels struck him from either side, pinning his arms to his body. He grunted and thrashed through the water in efforts to free himself.

"Relax lover boy," Ursula sneered. "She's free to go as soon as I'm done with her! After all, Maleficent would be a thorn in my backside if I just up and killed her now. You on the other hand…"

My eyes widened as she turned and pointed the trident straight at him. It glowed with an otherworldly light. "You're disposable."

"Goodbye, handsome—agh!" Ursula broke off with a gasp as Ariel darted up and yanked back on her hair as hard as she could. The trident swung upwards as Ursula lurched backwards, letting the attack loose right as the two eels moved upwards to avoid the intended blast radius. Their surprised shrieks were cut off as the light hit them both, instantly incinerating them.

"No…!" Ursula stared at the spot her two loyal henchmen were a few seconds ago. Her grip finally loosened and I wiggled out in time for Sora to swing his Keyblade in an upward arc, hitting her firmly in the jaw. A blizzard spell whistled past us, nailing her in the stomach just as Goofy came spinning in, pushing her back into another column.

She wheeled backwards, bent over in pain, the trident unfortunately still firmly grasped in her hand. Ariel stood beside the four of us, her chin raised in defiance.

Ursula wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, looking at the liquid that stained it with anger. "You…pathetic fools," she rasped, her head raising to look at us. The trident began to glow within her grip. "I rule the seas now! Show your new queen some respect!"

As she shouted, the trident's glow exploded outwards, sending us all flying back. When we recovered, the glow had grown to cover Ursula's entire body, morphing it with its magic.

All we could do is watch in horror as Ursula used the power of the trident to grow to unimaginable heights. The ceiling of the throne room cracked as the Sea Witch burst through the top, showering us all with heavy debris.

Ariel suddenly broke away from us with a cry, diving down to Triton's still unconscious form. We all followed, lifting the King and pulling him from the fray. As we exited the palace, we were greeted with the chaos that had ensued outside.

Merfolk were screaming and swimming in all directions as Ursula towered above the crowd, her massive form blotting out the sun. With a wave of the trident, a whirlpool started to form, preventing anyone from escaping.

"The sea and all its spoils bow to my powers!" We all flinched back and covered our ears as her booming voice shook the very ground.

"How are we supposed to stop that?!" Donald shrieked, waving his wand about wildly. I couldn't answer, my eyes locked onto the larger than life Ursula cackling above us.

"Get the trident…from her…" a voice weakly spoke up from behind us. We all turned in surprise to see Triton had finally awoken and was struggling to push himself off the sea floor.

"Daddy!" Ariel hugged her father, probably a bit too hard for his wounded state. He winced but wrapped an arm around her to return the hug. "We need to get the trident from her," he repeated, his head raising to stare at us. For once it wasn't contorted in a glare. "If she's not in contact with it, her powers should fade."

We all looked towards the giant trident currently within her grasp. It seemed a daunting and impossible task. She was still waving it in a circular motion to conjure the whirlpool, the scattered remains of the palace and various buildings being lifted into the air because of it. An idea suddenly popped into my head and my eyes darted back and forth as I solidified the plan.

"I got it!" I cried, startling the boys. I pointed towards a spire still attached to the castle. "It's like giant a spear! If we break it off, Ursula's whirlpool is gonna bring it straight towards her!"

"And if it misses?" Donald voiced. I hesitated, not really sure how to tell him I hadn't thought through it that far.

"We make sure it doesn't," Sora finished for me, brandishing his Keyblade. "She's not the only one who has magic."

"I guess we don't have time to think of something else," Donald sighed.

"Exactly, so let's go!" Sora shouted, swimming off towards the spire.

"We'll go distract Ursula and keep her in place," Goofy called out to us, pulling Donald towards the Sea Witch. I swam after Sora, dodging the flying pieces of debris on our way to the tower.

"Think this'll work?" Sora called out to me, smashing away a rock that flew too close to him.

"We'll find out!" I replied, hearing him give a small snort of laughter.

I looked towards the battle going on in the distance, seeing both Donald and Goofy attacking Ursula's face and darting around her waving arms. They were slowly pushing her back into the perfect position for the spire to strike her back. I noted the bleeding wound I'd inflicted earlier was still there and made a mental note to aim for that area.

Once we arrived at the spire we hesitated slightly. It was a little bigger up close to say the least. Sora broke away first, slamming the Keyblade into the coral walls. It was chipping pieces away, but it wasn't fast enough. We needed magic, and a lot of it.

I held the Heartblade out, culminating the feeling of desperation that had summoned the barrage of spells last time in Monstro, and watched as a light gathered at its tip. "Sora, you better move," I warned before spinning around and flinging the spell from the blade.

Sora gave a kick of his tail and sailed smoothly out of the way. Several pulses of light exploded against the side of the tower, blowing chunks out of the frame. When the dust cleared, it was slowly toppling to the side.

"You've got to teach me that," Sora nudged me before throwing the Keyblade as hard as he could. It imbedded itself into the coral, successfully pushing the spire free from its foundation. It started floating downwards before rumbling to life in the winds of Ursula's spell.

"Yes!" Sora fist pumped before summoning the Keyblade back to him.

"It's not over yet, we've gotta make sure it hits." I waved for Sora to follow me as we swam beside our homemade missile. Donald and Goofy were still managing to keep Ursula's back towards us, but I knew time was running short. Their energy was almost out, Ursula's hits were becoming harder to avoid.

"Akira, it's drifting!" Sora shouted, pointing to the spire. It was tilting to the side, on a course to avoid Ursula entirely. We both pushed into the side of it, grunting from the effort of putting it back on course. It wasn't doing much, so we had to resort to using aero to move it. It worked, but unfortunately it went too far right.

We both cursed and swam to the other side, creating another gust of wind to steer it back on course. Unfortunately, it was now tilted too far to the left. "Stay here," I held my hand back to Sora, swimming once again to the other side and balancing it out with another spell.

We bounced it between each other and I fought the ache developing in my head from using so many spells in such a sort amount of time, but eventually it reached its target. With a final aero spell combined with the force of the whirlpool, the spire went crashing into Ursula's back. It plunged deep into her body and her mouth opened in some sort of silent scream. The trident slipped from her grip, quickly shrinking in size as Donald and Goofy moved to catch it.

Ursula collapsed back into a large cloud of ink which wafted through the palace and dispersed into the ocean. When it cleared, Ursula was nowhere to be seen. The whirlpool disappeared as well, the harsh winds dying down until the ocean was serene once more.

I dismissed my blade and let myself float down to the seafloor, my energy spent. Sora appeared in my vision, drifting above me with chin perched on his hands. "Looks like we saved the day again, huh?"

I hummed, turning my head to view the decimated remains of the palace and surrounding courtyards below. "Sort of."

A blur of motion was all the warning I had before Donald and Goofy crashed into us. My head protested this sudden movement greatly and I conveyed that feeling in a groan.

"I can't believe that plan worked!" Donald cried, ignoring both Sora and I's pained expressions. "To be honest I never thought it would!"

"I had complete faith in both of ya," Goofy chimed in as I narrowed my eyes towards Donald.

When we finally reached the seafloor, Ariel was in front of her father who was being supported by several merfolk. He waved off their help, standing on his own despite his clear injuries.

Donald and Goofy passed the trident onto Ariel, who clutched it in front of her father with teary eyes. She slowly held it out to him, eyes cast to the floor in shame. When he accepted it with a relieved expression, she let out a small sniff. "Daddy, I-I'm so sorry. I didn't know she…I d-didn't want you to get hurt, I—"

She broke off as Triton pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're safe…" he murmured.

Ariel's eyes widened before she closed them happily, tears escaping and mingling with the waters around them. I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my face as I watched the reunion. A tug at my heart almost brought tears to my own eyes as I thought of my parents for the first time in a few weeks. I wondered if they were safe…

As Triton pulled back from the embrace, he glanced around at all the destruction and sighed heavily. "This is my fault."

"No, no it's not!" Ariel immediately protested. "I'm the one who brought Ursula into the palace!"

"But you followed Ursula because…well, because I wouldn't let you follow your heart," Triton frowned down at his daughter. "Could you ever forgive me?"

"Daddy…of course."

He turned towards us next and I couldn't stop the way I stiffened in preparation for a lecture. However, his expression was one of thanks. "Keybearer, Pure Heart, I owe you an apology too. I never would have thought you'd come back and risk your own lives for me and my people. I did you a great injustice by misjudging your intentions."

We both blinked in shock at this heartfelt admission, turning to give each other a wide smile.

"I have one more request of you before you leave," Triton said. "Please, seal the Keyhole."

"But, uh, you destroyed the crystal that could reveal it didn't ya, sir?" Goofy hesitantly spoke up, as if the memory would send Triton into another rage. All he did was rub his head in embarrassment.

"I'll admit, I lost my temper. But there is another way to reveal the Keyhole. Follow me, please."

The crowd parted as we swam behind the King. The gazes that were once full of mistrust and suspicion were now ones of awe and reverence. We all held our heads a little higher on our way towards Ariel's grotto.

"Merfolk live long lives," Triton eventually spoke up. "I've been ruler of these seas longer than I can remember. I've seen firsthand the ruin those weapons can bring upon a world. Since that day, I decided them and their wielders were no longer welcome in my Kingdom. I hid the Keyhole and kept the key to revealing it hidden as well. That is, before someone stole it away, not even knowing what dangers it contained. That was some time ago, and I spent all those years wishing I had just done away with it. So, when the opportunity presented itself, I took it."

"So, if you were the one who hid the Keyhole…" Sora trailed off, raising his eyebrows.

"Then I am the one who can reveal it," Triton finished.

A few moments passed in silence before Ariel turned to view us in a curious light. "Tell me, what's it like traveling between worlds?"

All of us, including King Triton, fixed Ariel with a surprised stare.

"Ursula told me those weapons help you do it," Ariel explained with a flustered frown. "Sorry—I've been trying to hold my tongue this whole time but I can't help it anymore! I need to know!"

We looked towards the King with hesitation, however, he gave a barely perceptible nod.

"Sorry about lying to you," Sora laughed lightly and scratched the back of his neck. "We kinda have to."

"It's okay, I understand now." She gave us a smile.

"We've been to several worlds now, but all of them are so different from each other," I said. "It's hard to say what it's like, honestly."

"Yeah," Sora nodded his head in agreement. "We've been to worlds that make you shrink by drinking from a bottle, worlds full of huge trees, worlds with nothing but sand—anything you could imagine!"

"What about your home world?" Ariel asked, her eyes already shining from finally getting answers to her questions.

This caused Sora and I some pause.

"Our world…nothing can compare to it," I eventually answered. "It was beautiful."

"Was?" Ariel chirped, her head tilted. Damn, I forgot about her amazing perception skills. Now I fell for the trap. "What's the matter?"

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked towards Sora's questioning face. I nodded slightly, letting him know I was okay, but my mouth refused to cooperate with me. "Those creatures, the ones Ursula was bringing around? They…well, they destroyed our world," Sora answered for me. I nudged him softly in thanks.

Ariel gasped and held her mouth in shock, suddenly looking very regretful. Even Triton cast a pitied glance back at us. "I-I'm sorry, I had no idea. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Ariel spluttered.

"No, it's okay," I smiled at her. "It helps to talk about the good times."

Sora and I took turns telling her about Destiny Islands, down to little details like the taste of salt on the wind and the peculiar way the Paopu tree leaned. We even told her snippets of Riku and Kairi and our (sometimes misguided) shenanigans. Ariel was completely enthralled. Even Donald and Goofy listened in curiously, despite us telling them about the Islands before.

"That sounds amazing," Ariel breathed out as we ended our tale, now that we arrived at her grotto. "I can't believe how many different places and people there are out there…"

"Maybe you'll visit one someday!" Goofy said with a smile. Donald and King Triton both looked towards him with a frown, but Ariel fixed him with the widest grin.

"Oh, I'll find a way somehow," she said with a laugh. "But some way that won't put anyone else in danger!"

"Some things never change," Triton sighed quietly.

As we entered the grotto, we all gathered around the small trident indent before turning our gazes towards the King. He swam in front of us, holding the trident out so the tips touched the cave wall. The glowing magic imbued within it filled the indent and a golden sheen covered the entire wall. When it faded away, a Keyhole was in its place.

With a nod from Sora, we both summoned our weapons and held them towards the Keyhole. Light gathered at their tips and shot into it, leaving behind the echoing sound of a lock as the Keyhole dissolved into bubbles. Ariel followed the bubbles as they rose to the top of her grotto, twirling around them with a mystified expression.

"Mark me, Keybearer, and Pure Heart be warned," Triton spoke softly, and we turned to view his wary expression, eyes glued onto our weapons. "If mishandled, those blades may bring unspeakable calamity. Wield them with caution."

We nodded, dismissing the blades. He grunted in approval before turning and swimming from the grotto. "Good luck on your travels. I pray we never have to meet again."

"Ditto," Donald mumbled under his breath. Sora and I turned towards him with a horrified expression, but luckily Triton didn't overhear it.

Ariel now drifted down towards us, her expression sad. "I guess you'll be leaving now?"

"Yeah, we've got to get to the next—" I broke off with a surprised yell as Ariel threw herself into me in a tight hug. I watched as she did the same to Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Thank you for everything! And please don't mind my father. Visit anytime you'd like," she smiled widely at us before heading towards the exit. As if remembering something, she jumped and whirled around. "Oh! Can you bring something for my collection too?"

Sora scratched the back of his neck and laughed. "We'll see."

Ariel's eyes lit up and she waved a final goodbye before disappearing from sight. As we swam from the grotto, something caught my eye, fluttering amidst a pile of broken pottery. I glanced at the boys before tugging the papers loose, examining them critically. Hopefully Ariel wouldn't mind these going missing.

"Guys, guess what I found!"

KH

I took one step and instantly flopped over, barely managing to avoid Sora's prone form. Donald and Goofy suffered the same fate, leaving all four of us in a miserable dog pile on the floor.

"My legs…I can't move them at all," I groaned, rubbing my sore muscles. Not only did it feel strange to have two legs again, but they ached like all hell. I guess that's what swimming around for hours did to you. Can't say I missed being a mermaid.

We all stumbled towards the bathrooms, our dripping hair and clothing leaving puddles of water on the floor. Donald's magic may be miraculous, but apparently, he forgot to make us dry before changing us back into our original forms.

As I walked back into the common room, a towel draped around my head, Donald and Goofy were already sitting and staring at the pages curiously. I leaned over their shoulders, joining their staring. Sora followed, placing a hand on my arm and pushing me slightly as he looked on as well.

One of them was almost certainly Ansem's report, the other looked like a torn page from a children's book. Unfortunately, both were waterlogged and the words were dripping and almost unreadable.

"You think Jiminy can repair them?" I spoke up, trying to decipher the words on the pages.

"Hopefully," Donald sighed. "Whoever brings these to him has to tell him all about what just happened in Atlantica, though."

We all froze, our eyes narrowing at each other. Telling Jiminy about the world would mean staying up for, no doubt, hours, while the others got to take naps.

"Eeny meeny miny?" Goofy suggested.

KH

I don't really like Ursula's cauldron fight, so I just fixed it up a bit ;P I mean, you have the trident, why swim all the way back to your secret hide out instead of kicking butt?

You may have noticed I tweaked the summary a bit—I thought a change was in order to make it fit the plot a little better!

Also I'm a bit of a procrastinator, I think that much is evident! If you care to know what I do when I'm not writing, feel free to message me for my tumblr! You can watch me avoid my responsibilities. It's like 95% Kingdom Hearts lol

ShadowDragon07: Thank you so much! And I know, it took me some time to be able to define my own plot within Kingdom Hearts' already complex plot. I'm glad to hear it's working out on the readers end though! I work hard on it :D

It is pretty hard to put myself out there. I always get nervous before posting a chapter, but I keep myself motivated every time by telling myself even if nobody likes it, I had fun writing it! (but I am really glad to see people like it!)

Hollow Bastion will be a wild ride, that's for sure. And it'll be here soon! Next is Halloween Town, then Neverland, and then Hollow Bastion :0 (I might take a chapter between Neverland and H.B to do Winnie the Pooh while Cid fixes the ship up though). Glad to hear you're enjoying! Thanks for the review!

TheRoseAlchemist17: Yay! I'm so glad you enjoy this story and get excited for new chapters! That seriously makes me so happy!

And about my writing: it took me a long time to get this far! I still have this story saved from when I first wrote it (2010-2012) and BOY HOWDY. The story and my writing has improved a LOT. It just takes time and practice! I've been writing for around seven years now, and I have a lot of fun with it! That's the important thing: to just enjoy yourself and have fun! (plus I think your story is pretty great!)

I'm so glad I could help your confidence! I look forward to all of your future reviews :D

NuncaNiem: YAY HOLIDAYS! And yeah, Monstro was always my most hated world? It's so confusing to navigate! And just imagining the smell and the noises—yuck!

LOL I'm officially hiring you to write spoofs for this story. That was hilarious! If only that could've actually happened!

Riku deserves more screen time! I'm planning on giving Kairi some love and attention too later on in the story. I'm glad to see you're enjoying it ;D I think you're gonna like where the story is headed plot wise! Lots of moments for you to yell warnings Akira and Sora can't hear!

KittyCatKate: Hey it's all good! Real life stuff happens! I still get happy no matter when the review comes in :D I'm glad you enjoyed a look into our tormented teenagers' inner thoughts! Hopefully more good stuff to come!