Sorry for being off radar! College is a menace, writer's block is manslaughter, and I swear I lost a good amount of my brain cells in the last three weeks -.- sorry this is a little short, but now that I got the flow going, the next chapter would be a lot better ^^

As usual, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. The torch has finally been lit, now let's get started. :3

21. Shark Tale

"Why is it every time we enter a new world, we get separated?"

"How should I know? Maybe it's just rotten luck?"

"That seems to follow us on every adventure we get sucked into."

"Yet another disadvantage to bearing a Keyblade."

"Hey, I resent that!"

The light conversation was followed by a chorus of whole hearted laughter. As alien as it may seem, Riku and I were having a civil talk. No fighting, no arguing, no threats to each other's body parts or limbs. An actual companianate conversation with the occasional strikes at each other's ego.

... Yeah, the whole concept is a little hard to digest, even for me...

I blame the oceanic atmosphere. It was too calm a place to start an all out brawl. The water pushed and pulled on its own accord, light refracting the surface and setting the sea alight with beams, and although quiet and vacant of any aquatic life (which can be rightfully blamed on the Follower's sudden invasion), it was still a beautiful sight, what with all the vegetation sprinkled upon the sand and the various pastel shades of coral growing plentiful.

For most of our search for our friends, I clung to Riku while he pulled me along through the water without an effort. I attempted many times to push myself along with the flimsy tail I sprouted, but the next I knew, I had a mouth full of sand, and a silver haired teenager resisting (and ultimately failing) the urge to burst into a fit of laughter.

Said failures involved a test of my new tentacles.

Now that I think of it..., "Wait, how come you can swim so well? I don't remember you telling us of your visit to this world."

Riku gave a nonchalant shrug, "It just came naturally, I guess."

"I'm starting to think you were born giving strangely vague answers," I sighed, pinching my nose with my one free hand, "Do you even know where we're going? I feel like we've passed that reef three times already." I growled, eyeing a particular tree shaped reef with disdain.

"This place is a maze. Even you would get lost," Riku rolled his eyes. In that moment he turned another corner, holding tight to my arm as we passed a strong current, "We can try looking for them near the palace after we check this place."

"Never thought I'd see another castle, let alone one underwater," I mumbled, "Kind of makes me miss home."

Riku froze and shot a slightly worried look in my direction.

"It's nothing," I shook my head and tossed a small smile of reassurance, "Just a bit of home sickness."

He didn't reply. Only gave a subtle nod and continued swimming between currents while I buried myself in self-inflicted sorrow.

I couldn't help but miss Chronos Cay.

I missed my home. I missed the golden sand that would get caught on my skin and cause it to glitter. I missed the hint of sea salt in the air and the call of the distant Amenome crack the soothing peace of the islands with its harmonious song to its flock. I missed the exotic smells of spices mingled with freshly baked pastries that were sold in town just below the palace.

I even missed the little ice cream shack that sat on its lonely perch by the ocean, surrounded by hordes of laughing children and their high strung mothers trying to contain them. And I missed being one of those said children.

'Hell, I even miss those idiots back at the lab,' I thought with a slight roll of my eyes. I wonder if they made it alive...probably not. It's best to not get my hopes up, else I'll set myself up for disappointment later. The Guard, the citizens, my colleagues, there's no way all of them could've survived an attack of that magnitude, even if they did manage to escape to another sister island.

Wow, when did everything become, as Anolani would say, "Such a drag?"

"Check that out," Riku's awestruck voice pulled me back to the present, his eyes glued to a shadowy mass hovering above us.

It was too dark to make out anything distinct about it. The entire creature could best a cruise ship at most, and the way it swam leisurely through the water was systematic. Predatory is the best way to describe its movements. As it passed over us, dark wisps evaporated off its skin.

"That's the same thing that attacked the ship," Riku stated, keeping an eye on the shark shaped beast as it passed through a nearby corridor into darkened waters, "Looks like it's searching for something."

"That's Ni!" I noticed the subtle blue glow in the shadow's belly.

"Another Inkling?"

I nodded, "Nil must've let him out. My guess is that he's looking for the Keyhole."

"Then let's trail it. It might lead us straight to it if we're lucky."

"Geez, Sora. Next time warn us before you do some totally awesome magic transformation spell, 'kay? Now my head won't stop spinning!" A certain raven haired guard exclaimed, holding her head in place while her eyes continued to twirl. She sat comfortably in the sand, her maroon colored marlin tail curled beneath her.

"Sorry about that. It was sort of last minute," Sora rubbed the back of his neck, the feel of embarrassment soon wearing off as he inspected his surroundings.

"Where are we exactly?" Kairi wondered, using her newly acquired orca tail to skim about the sand. The water seemed dark and dreary, the sun's rays barely passing through the surface and the three were settled behind a large decrepit ship buried firmly in the sand.

Sora held his chin a moment, "I've been here before. This place led us to Ursula's lair the last time we came."

"Really!? The octopus lady from your stories!?" Anolani inquired, her eyes set aflame with the prospect of another fight about to brew, "Yes! I wonder if we'll get to fight her! Total epicness!"

Sadly, the cheerful guard's demeanor fell to disappointment when Sora shook his head no.

"She's long gone. At least, I hope she is. But I can't shake the feeling I'm forgetting something..." The brunette rubbed his hand through his spikes, "Something important..."

"Sora, you're not losing any of your memories, are you?" Kairi asked with worry.

"Huh? ...Oh! No, it's not like that!" Sora put up a reassuring smile, "This is all on me! There was something here that I was supposed to watch out for."

"In a dark, spooky place at the bottom of the ocean?" Anolani said bluntly, sighing and raising her firearms expectantly, "okay, where is it?"

"Where's what?" The two other islanders pondered.

"Every time you forget to bring something up, a monster jumps out to attack us," the raven rolled her eyes, "last time, it was a dragon, and we were almost barbecued!"

"C'mon! Whatever it is, we can take it out, no problem!" The keybearer declared with a grin, unaware of the menacing shadow looming above him, "what could go wrong?"

Anolani and Kairi didn't respond, there eyes glued solely on the giant shadow hovering over their friend, ghostly blue eyes glaring holes into his back.

"It's official. You deserve a badge Sora," Anolani sighed, pointing her guns towards the creature. Said boy had turned in confusion, blue eyes widening upon sight of the shark-like beast about to strike.

"When did that get there!?" He summoned his Keyblade, Kairi doing the same with an exasperated look.

"Sora, please don't take this the wrong way, but-"

"You are a grade A jinx!" Anolani finished, firing the first shot to start off the battle.