Recappy From the Last Chappy: Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and the dews that had begun forming in the corners of her eyes began to dry. Deciding that if she continued she would wake him before long, she retracted the hand that pet Red XIII, wiped her eyes, and rested it on the empty part of the mattress in front of her face.
Riku . . . I know it's not over. It's just not. She closed her eyes.
Red XIII opened his good eye and lifted his head, twisting to look over his shoulder at the girl. He gazed at her sad, yet serene, face, and his eye softened. For helping me with Gilligan. He returned to his original position and settled back into sleep.
Chapter Thirty-six: The Little Sea Monster
"Hey, Hiki, wake up! We've made it to the next world. Donald already landed the Gummi," called Sora. He beat on Hikari's mattress like a drum when her eyes remained closed. "Wakey-wakey, eggs and bacy!"
The kunoichi twisted part of the way onto her back and rubbed her eyes. "Mmmm. . . ." I don't want to get up, though. . . . Do I really have to? She peeked with one eye as she stretched; according to the clock, she had slept for almost ten hours. ". . . It's time to get up."
Sora had already left the room, leaving Hikari some privacy as she dressed and performed some necessary parts of her morning routine. She did them quickly and proceeded toward the cockpit, stopping by only the kitchen to pick up a banana to curb her morning hunger.
She was passing one of the side windows as she peeled the banana; a few angelfish swam by.
She stopped with the tip of the banana in her mouth. ". . . ?" Biting off a small piece, she walked back a few steps and looked out the window more directly. A school of fish crossed her vision, and she noticed the bottom side of a starfish was stuck on the window.
. . . . "DONALD!"
In the cockpit, said duck jumped and widened his eyes with fear. He heard Hikari's stomping as she ran to the front of the ship. He squawked, and would have looked for a place to hide, but it was too late; she stood in the doorway connecting the hall and the cockpit.
"You sank my Gummi ship!" she yelled. "What were you thinking? This thing is barely equipped to act as a boat, let alone a submarine! Man, I just fixed the engine, too. What do you think being underwater will do to it?"
The duck quickly composed himself and crossed his arms. "Nothing will happen, I used my magic on the Gummi to keep water from hurting it. It keeps the air inside, too, just like a submarine. This world is all water—there was nowhere else to land!"
Hikari pouted and took another bite out of her banana. "What's this place called, anyway?"
"Atlantica." He smiled smugly, taking her silence as victory. "Now come on, we've got some exploring to do!"
Sora spoke up. "We're going out there? Into the sea? We'll drown!"
Donald shook his head and winked. "Not with my magic, we won't!"
"Magic this, magic that . . . ," Hikari mumbled. She finished her banana, tossed the peel in a trash bin, and followed the guys to the door. She did not question how they would exit without flooding the inside; there was a beam-like feature that would warp them outside.
The magic used by Donald to ensure they would not drown was a simple transformation spell that gave them the ability to breathe underwater. Sora's legs and hips resembled a blue-skinned dolphin's, and Donald traded in his legs for blue tentacles with yellow suckers. Goofy was now a sea turtle with only his head resembling his actual self and his shield attached to a yellow shell; Red XIII was made into a red sea lion, retaining only his face, mane, tattoos, and clips.
Hikari, like Sora, took on more of a merperson's appearance; only, her tail was salmon pink and did not resemble a dolphin. Her shuriken earrings were replaced with orange starfish dangling from a couple pearls. Aside from the Hokage necklace, the sole items on her torso were two starfish, much to her chagrin. More like patches than a bra, they deepened the line of her cleavage more than she would have liked.
Much more.
As soon as she noticed, she took one arm to cover it while the other was used to keep her from sinking. Without legs to kick with and no idea how to best move her tail, she struggled; the others were in a similar situation, adjusting to their fins and tentacles.
Red-faced, Hikari glared at the magician as he swam like a superhero flies; namely, his arms were stretched out in front of him. He was kicking, or pumping, with his tentacles. "You're trying to embarrass me now, aren't you? This is too revealing!" It's worse than when Sora saw my bra. . . . This barely even has support!
He turned his head toward her and twisted; somehow, he became upside-down. Annoyed—both with she and his tentacles—he crossed his arms and scowled. "What do you want? Mermaids wear starfish or sea shells!"
He averted his eyes and smiled darkly.
"Change me! Use something else—be creative!" She shook her head and performed the transformation jutsu. "Never mind, I'll do it myself."
The starfish were traded in for seaweed, which wrapped over her shoulders and across her breasts, over some pink fishnet. The fishnet was in the shape of a tank-top and cut shortly before it would cover her navel.
While Donald rolled his eyes, another mermaid, a yellow flounder, and a crab swam their way. The mermaid was a beautiful redhead with blue eyes, bright red lips, a green tail, and a purple seashell bra. She looked over her shoulder at the puny crab. "Come on, Sebastian!"
Sebastian continued to propel his claws like windmills. "Ariel, wait! Slow down! Don't leave me behind!" He came face-to-face with Donald, who was still upside-down, and screamed before quickly retreating.
"Relax, Sebastian," giggled Ariel. She stopped a small distance away from the gang and floated while she studied them. Somehow, Donald had fixed himself so he was upright. "They don't look like one of them. Right, Flounder?" She peeked over her shoulder at the yellow fish with blue stripes and fins.
"I don't know," the fish responded. He peered shyly from behind his friend. "There's something weird about them."
Sora laughed nervously and pumped his arms to keep himself from sinking. "Uh, w-whataya mean?"
Ariel approached the brunette and circled him, taking a closer look; he was trying to turn with her. "Well, they do seem . . . a little different." She looked at Hikari. "Seaweed isn't really used for fashion, here, either. Where are you from?"
"Uh. . . ." Sora thought of a lie while Donald shot Hikari a look for being singled out in not blending in; she responded with a flippant shrug. "We're from kinda far away, and we're not really used to these waters. . . ." He laughed nervously once more.
"Oh, I see." She smiled. "In that case, Flounder can show you how we swim around here."
Halfway through the swimming lesson, a group of jellyfish-like Heartless called "Sea Neon" interrupted. Their presence was minutely convenient in that they were about to begin the combat part of underwater training and Heartless were good practice dummies.
Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian led the gang to King Triton's palace in the center of Atlantica. The amount of Heartless they encountered in place of merpeople was concerning to the otherworldly visitors; the presence of darkness was rather strong.
A variety of Heartless called "Screwdiver" followed them to Triton's throne in a group of three. They looked similar to scuba divers dressed in green, but with fishlike helmets instead of goggles and they did not carry air tanks. As weapons, they carried metal spears.
From his throne, King Triton used his gold trident to strike the Heartless from existence with yellow energy. There was a deep frown on his face. "As long as I have my trident, I will not tolerate those creatures inside my palace!"
"Daddy!" Ariel exclaimed with delight.
"Oh, Ariel!" he began, making her cringe. His presence was a powerful one, for his old age. He had a full head of long white hair and a complete mustache and beard. He was also in amazing shape; he had a very strong upper body and a healthy-looking turquoise tail. In addition to his crown, he wore gold wristbands. "When will you listen, it's dangerous out there!"
The red-haired mermaid rolled her eyes, having heard lines similar to this a thousand times.
Before he responded to his daughter's reaction, he noticed Hikari, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Red XIII's presence; Sebastian decided then to announce him. "Behold, you swim before the ruler of all the seas! His Majesty, King Triton!"
"And who are they?" he asked the crab.
"They helped us fight off those creatures!" Ariel smiled.
Reluctant, he said, "They don't look familiar."
Sora reiterated his earlier lie. "We come from an ocean, very far away."
"Yep!" chimed Goofy. Either distracted by something interesting or finding amusement in swimming as a turtle, he slid past Sora toward something invisible. "We came to find the Keyhole!"
Triton's eyes widened. "The what?"
Hikari and Red XIII exchanged concerned glances.
"What's that?" Ariel asked as she linked her arms behind her back.
"Well, it uh—"
Triton interrupted them with an intimidating tone. "There's no such thing, certainly not here."
"But Daddy—"
"Ariel, not another word! You're not to leave the palace. Is that clear?"
He was absolute. King Triton had laid down the law. The stare between father and daughter was a heated one, and ended with the latter defiantly swimming out of his throne room. Her friends—new and old, with the exception of Sebastian—followed her. Hikari and Red XIII looked back, wondering if they had been made.
Triton sighed. "Perhaps I'm being too strict. I'm just concerned for her safety."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Sebastian assured. "But I must admit, now I'm quite curious about this Keyhole."
The sea king's eyes darkened. "That need not concern you, Sebastian."
Ariel took everyone to her grotto, which was a short distance from outside the palace wall. Sora moved the boulder acting as a door to the entrance, admitting everyone to the bottom of a cylindrical area with many rows of naturally formed shelves. An opening at the top let in light from the sun, seen shimmering above the water's surface.
The shelves were filled with junk that would not belong in an ocean and had probably found its way underwater due to shipwrecks or the object simply falling overboard by accident. There was a myriad of items, from trunks to dolls and music boxes to silverware. She was proud of her assortment even so.
"Look at all of the wonderful things Flounder and I've collected. I think it's all from the outside world." Whimsically, the little mermaid swam upward and spun. "Someday, I'm going to see what's out there. I want to see other worlds." She stopped and turned to Sora. "Does that sound strange?"
"No, not at all," he replied. "I used to feel the same way."
She cocked her head. "Used to?"
"I mean . . . I still do."
Hikari peered at them out of the corner of her eyes as she held a white music box she had picked up from one of the shelves. The couple were posed mid-dance, and spun on a small metal stand; a beautiful melody played.
The look on Ariel's face as she spoke of those words—she recognized it as the same worn by Sora, Riku, and Kairi before that fateful night—the night everything was set in motion—on Destiny Islands. She especially was made to think of Riku.
The day he discovered me on the islands—I was scared. I was already smitten with him; he was so amazing, the way he carried himself so coolly and maturely. And me—I didn't have a body, could never recognize friendship, and my brother was an idiot!
But, I had no reason to be afraid.
Once we got passed the questions of how I came to be at Destiny Islands, and why I could appear as a ghost—questions I wasn't really sure how to answer—talking to him became pretty easy. He asked questions about my world, what I had seen. He wanted to know everything, and I was happy to tell . . . well, most of it.
About a week after our first meeting in the secret place, I entered his dreams. I'd gained a few abilities as the ghost of a heart, and because Naruto was shacking up with Riku, it was a little easy—I also had his permission.
In the domain of his dreams, I could make the Land of Shuriken and Kunai come alive for him—parts I remembered, that is. Mostly Konoha.
I loved the look on his face as we ran around my village. Beneath his cool expression, he was glowing.
It felt like a date. We were completely alone, running around the village with smiles on our faces and laughter in our hearts. We even laid down on the roof of the Hokage Building and cloud-watched, side by side. His hand brushed against mine, and it was like I could truly feel it; I was "solid" here.
At one point, we were running toward the village gates. Even I was curious about what would lie beyond. I didn't get to leave the village much—didn't have reason to—so I couldn't remember what was outside very well. The most time I'd spent outside was far away, and I was young. . . .
Riku and I raced each other to the gates. The double doors were open just a crack, so we could see a little bit of green and a road before us. He looked over his shoulder and teased me; he was in the lead. He eventually beat me to the gate and pushed it open.
I was not prepared for what I saw.
When he pushed open the gate, the road and the trees disappeared. Konoha was still at our backs, but there was a clearing in front of us. The area darkened instantly, and inside the clearing, within an opening that could've been a mass grave, a staircase led to a secret hideout.
One of Orochimaru's hideouts.
The hideout where he had tainted me.
I couldn't move. Riku had his back to me, so he didn't see my reaction, and started toward that evil place. "Let's check it out," he said.
I reacted, stepped after him, reached out, and grabbed his hand. "N-no!"
"—!" He turned toward me with wide eyes. Throughout our time in my memory of my world, I had been more than happy to show him every nook and cranny he wanted, but this place was different. His eyes were silent, asking me why.
"I. . . ." The words wouldn't come out. I didn't know what to say—I hadn't meant to grab his hand. I'd panicked! I was feeling tense all over, and I couldn't help the terrified look on my face as I stared into his eyes, trying to find my answer.
Then, my mouth just started moving. "This place, this place isn't supposed to be here. It should be away—far away, but—but I don't know exactly where." I looked down at my zori and hid my blushing face with my hand. "I wanted to forget this place. . . ."
Riku looked back at the hideout, made even more curious about the inside than before. He was reluctant to turn away, but faced me even so. His hand tightened around mine, a reassuring grip. "Let's go look at the place where you and Naruto learned your jutsu."
I looked up at him. He was smiling at me so sweetly, trying to hide his disappointment; I couldn't help but smile softly back at him. "That's the Ninja Academy, back on the other side of the village. Are you sure you want to see a bunch of classrooms and empty training facilities?"
He nodded.
"Okay."
We walked back through the Village Gates, holding hands.
Hikari softly looked at the couple in the music box. The melody was so pretty, she almost found herself humming it. She returned it to its place among the other miscellaneous items of Ariel's collection with a sigh. Riku. . . .
"Hey, why don't we try looking for that Keyhole you were talking about?" Ariel asked suddenly.
"But your father said—," began Sora.
The redhead pouted and clenched his fists; had she legs, she probably would have stomped her foot. "Oh, he treats me like a little girl. He never lets me do anything. He just. . . . He just doesn't understand."
Out of sight, near the opening of the grotto, Sebastian overheard.
Deep in the Tidal Abyss, Ursula's grotto lied. The sea witch herself watched over her bubbling cauldron, which contained the image of Triton's daughter and her new friends leaving for their search. A crimson grin spread across her face. "Ha! Those impudent fools will never find the Keyhole. Isaribi, now is her time to act.
"And, I've got the Heartless on my side," she laughed, waving a pudgy arm over the cauldron. It cast a slight glow on her purple complexion and made the jewels hanging from her ears sparkle just a little. The rush of bubbles disturbed her short white hair—which stood up under normal circumstances—and her black tentacles curled with satisfaction.
A girl around the same age as Hikari swam into the grotto through what appeared to be a large shell, but was actually a passageway. "Ursula."
"Girl" was not quite the correct term for her; while she was female, she not human and her appearance was not typical of a mermaid. Instead of a tail, she had a pair of scaly legs with small fins and amphibious webbed feet. Her arms were also scaly and had fins on the underside; her fingers were also partially webbed. Scales and gills were visible on her neck and covered all of her scalp; another fin crowned her.
Her face was light green, but was almost human in appearance. There were scaly patches on her cheeks under her eyes, and she had fangs. Her clothes, however, resembled styles above surface; she had a v-neck light blue jumper with slits at her hips, a white camisole, and brown shorts. A white band was around her waist.
Ursula turned and met the little sea monster's black-eyed stare. "Isaribi. Just the little creature I wanted to see." She grinned devilishly. "Come, sugar. It's time."
Isaribi's neutral expression did not change. "If I do this for you, then you'll change me? I'll no longer be a sea monster—you'll undo the experiments that made me this way. Can I trust in that?"
"You signed the dotted line, dear. I am contractually obligated to hold up my end of the bargain—if you do your part. Helping people is what I live for, darling, hnhnhn."
Isaribi looked down at her scaly limbs and closed her hands. What I'm doing . . . it's probably not right, but. . . . She looked up at the sea witch. "I won't let you down, Ursula." She eagerly swam passed her and her cauldron and departed from the grotto.
Ursula watched her leave and retained her sinister smile. When the "girl" was but a speck in the distance, the old sea witch started to chuckle darkly, which crescendoed into a delightful laugh. "That girl is an even more obedient pet than Maleficent's lapdog!"
She stroked the ring of her cauldron and regarded the image of Triton on the liquid surface. ". . . Triton, my old friend. . . . Your day is coming."
Leading everyone to the site of a sunken ship, Ariel suddenly turned in front of the gang and floated casually into open water. She held her chin and looked up. "So, what's this Keyhole look like? Flounder and I don't know what to look for. . . ."
"Well . . . ," Sora began.
"Sora, summon your key." Hikari swam up to his side and explained. "You had treasure chests in your grotto, and were lucky enough to find keys for some of them. Keyholes are what keys—like what Sora's holding—go into. We're looking for a big version of that."
"Hmm, I don't think I've seen anything like that . . . ," she said, sounding discouraged.
Then, Red XIII spoke up. "Keyholes are usually hidden rather deeply, so residents often don't realize their existence. They could be anything or anywhere. I've heard of them in trees, doors, and even fountains."
The little mermaid tilted her head. "What are those things?"
Nervous they had given away a little much, they hesitated to reply. Hikari answered her questioning look. "Things from other worlds. . . . Not that we've seen them—we've heard about them. The Keyhole in this world will look like it belongs here, though."
"Okay." She turned toward the ship and began swimming again. "Flounder and I've wanted to explore this place for a while, actually. There are always so many of those creatures, though. And, it's rumored this is where the sea monster lives."
Donald stiffened. "Sea monster?"
Goofy swallowed. "What's that look like?"
Ariel shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen it, but people started talking about it three years ago, and the stories are pretty different." She turned toward them again and held her chin thoughtfully. "Let's see. . . . I've heard stories of it being huge, and small. Someone said it looks like a turtle, and others said it looked like a mutated fish or mermaid. It's even been said it could be like one of those creatures—what did you call them? Oh, 'Heartless.' The only thing they agree on is that it's green."
"That's too different," Sora remarked. "Are you sure they aren't two different monsters?"
Ariel averted her eyes and started thinking again, but was quickly interrupted by Goofy.
"Look!" He pointed with his trembling fin. "I-is that one of them?"
Everyone followed his fin toward the sunken ship. On the other side of the crow's nest, Isaribi was suspended in the center of a circle of Screwdivers. She was far enough away that one could not tell if she was consorting with the Heartless or being ambushed by them.
"So, she's a small, mutated mermaid who's controlling the Heartless?" Ariel asked rhetorically. Flounder cowered behind her.
The gang did not reply immediately. In truth, if it were not for Ariel's say-so, they would not have known Isaribi looked irregular by Atlantica's standards. She was not dwarfish or gargantuan, and her scales were in slightly different places. Her attire was actually more human than mermish. Being foreign to this world, they were less quick to judge.
Then, one of the Screwdivers took its spear and attacked her.
This decided the situation for Sora. He summoned his Keyblade. "Sea monster or not, she's in trouble! We have to help her."
Hikari drew her tantos and Donald produced his staff. Minus further prodding they, as well as Red XIII, Goofy, and Ariel, swam after the Keybearer to the sea monster's aide.
Isaribi kicked her legs to remain afloat, but her hands were covering her side where a Screwdiver had wounded her; the water was turning red with her blood. The Heartless were still around her, an apparent threat yet not relentless in their assault. Another positioned itself to attack, but it was quickly rammed into by Red XIII.
The gang each took on their own Heartless. Goofy and Red XIII adopted a similar style of butting them like rams (the former because he had his shield on the back of his shell) although Red would occasionally employ his fangs and magic. Sora, Hikari, and Donald's style did not change much from how they fought above water, except they refrained from Thunder/Lightning or Fire-based magic or jutsu. Ariel also contributed, weakly smacking a Screwdiver with her fin or using magic of a supportive nature.
Isaribi removed herself from the ruckus while the Heartless were distracted. She was slow, and would have been limping on land, but she simply floated along with small kicks. She cast a dubious glance at the group and noticed the trail of red, cloudy water she left.
Donald finished off his target first with Blizzard magic and helped Ariel end hers. Shortly after, the rest of the Heartless were exterminated within seconds of each other. As soon as Sora defeated his, he dismissed his Keyblade and swam over to Isaribi, taking one of her scaly arms over his shoulder—it felt like having a snake on him.
The duck raised his staff and casted Cura. Magic in the form of clovers came to be around the wound, glowing, but blood continued to contaminate the water; there was zero effect.
Hikari furrowed her brow. "Cure" doesn't work on people in this world, either? But Ariel was casting it, too. How—ah. Chakra. Come to think of it, I can sense some. And Ariel said rumors of the sea monster began about three years ago.
She saw more Heartless headed their way out of the corner of her eye. "Let's take her to the palace. I can work on her there without having to worry about the Heartless."
The Keybearer nodded and reaffirmed his hold on Isaribi. "You just hold your wound, okay? I'll do all the kicking. Trust me."
She stared at him widely and cynically. Her wound was not so serious that she would lose her insides if she uncovered it, and she would be fine if she persisted pressure, but she would likely overexert herself trying to swim to a safe place. She also was not trained in medical ninjutsu. Even so, she was reluctant to receive help from someone—especially someone who appeared to be normal; attractive, even.
She frowned and blushed. "You want to help me?"
"Sora's like that," Donald said. "He meddles in everything."
Goofy chuckled. "Especially when a girl's involved."
The brunette blushed. "Her being a girl has nothing to do with it!"
"Um, guys?" inquired Flounder, who had been hiding in the crow's nest of the ships. He carried a piece of crystal that resembled the head of Triton's trident in his mouth.
"What's that you got, Flounder?" Ariel asked.
"I found it in the nest," he answered timidly. "But, the Heartless are getting closer . . . shouldn't we leave?"
"You're right," nodded the mermaid. "Let's get going." Taking the lead, she swam out of the area. Sora was directly behind her with Isaribi, and Donald brought up the rear as he fired a few spells to keep the dark beings at bay.
The gang decided to take Isaribi back to Ariel's grotto, feeling King Triton may not have taken kindly to the "sea monster" being brought inside his palace. She was placed at the very bottom, where Hikari proceeded to put Tsunade's gem to use.
The wound was a fairly simple fix. It was not very deep and it avoided infection. Isaribi was silent the entire time, having not been eased by earlier banter about Sora's meddling. She was still anxious, being apparently accepted by these people.
Ariel took the crystal trident Flounder found in the shipwreck and placed it in a similarly marked crest on the wall of her grotto. It glistened from the sunrays that reached it as the group watched it expectantly.
Suddenly, they heard a voice: "Ariel, you've disobeyed me again!"
The glow on Hikari's hands from her use of medical ninjutsu faded as she finished healing and she turned her head with the others to the grotto's entrance, where King Triton stared them down; they were tense, Ariel in particular.
"I told you not to leave the palace!" the sea kind bellowed. He looked passed the party at the crystal in the wall, sparkling. Frowning deeper than ever, he raised his actual trident, pointed it at the crystal, and ignored his daughter's plea not to destroy it; he unleashed a great bolt of energy that blew it into small pieces.
The little mermaid stared at the destroyed stone in awe. "H-how could you. . . ." On the verge of tears, she stormed out of the grotto.
King Triton simply turned to the others. He singled out Sora. "Young man, you're not from another ocean. You're from another world. Aren't you?"
Sora's jaw dropped. "Huh?"
"Then you must be the Keybearer."
"How did you know?"
"You may fool Ariel, but you don't fool me. You don't know your dorsal fin from your tail."
Hikari glanced at her form. We have both . . . ?
"And also," continued Triton, as he turned his attention to Isaribi, "only outsiders would treat that thing as anything but a monster!"
His eyes were full of disgust, brimming with hate. They were eyes that struck something within Hikari, who had become acquainted with such a gaze when hand-in-hand with her brother in Konoha. Back then, it brought tears to her eyes, but even now, when it was not directed at her, it twisted her heart.
The blonde rose from the floor and stared at Triton with stone cold eyes. "Her appearance makes her a monster, huh?" She grunted. "You don't even know the meaning of the word. Someone who can gaze at an innocent person, someone they don't even really know, with eyes like yours is the real monster!"
All surprised eyes were on her; but for now, she only had eyes for Triton. She ignored Sebastian yelling at her for speaking to the king in such a way. "Not all monsters have claws and fangs, or are disfigured. Real monsters are those with hearts blacker than a shadow." Her shoulders shook as she pointed outside. "Or whose very being is made of darkness, like the Heartless. So how—"
Isaribi was looking up at Hikari as she unloaded, and could not believe her ears. From the moment the blonde began, the little sea monster had to recover from her shock at someone actually defending her. But soon, she found her ability to stand, grab onto Hikari's arm, and speak. "Stop!"
"Eh—!" The blonde looked down at her. "But why?"
"It's okay," she replied, letting go. She was stoic. "Leave me alone. You've done enough for me already."
"You serious? I can't do that." She threw her arm toward Triton. "He's—"
Isaribi's fangs grit as she snapped, "I'm telling you it's none of your business! I'm a freak. On my world, a human with scales is unnatural, and here, I'm deformed. No matter where I go, I'm mutated. It's natural for them to find me creepy."
Hikari's shoulders slumped. "How is that your fault?"
She looked away. "That doesn't matter. Humans—or merpeople—don't let someone different from them into their group." Once she said that, she swam out of the grotto before anyone could stop her; she was a very speedy swimmer.
Triton watched her to make certain she left and turned his attention back to the group. He addressed Hikari first, and then Sora. "Regardless of her appearance, outsiders are not welcome here. As a Keybearer, you may already know. . . . One must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds."
"Of course I know that," Sora began, "but. . . ."
"You have violated this principle. The Keybearer shatters peace and brings ruin."
"Aw, Sora's not like that," Goofy injected with a stupid grin.
"I thank you for saving my daughter," the sea king responded as he turned around. "But, there is no room in my ocean for you or your key." He swam away.
Sora stared hard at the Keyblade and Hikari looked down at her open hands, which she closed. She also shut her eyes and trembled.
End of Chapter Thirty-Six
Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Thirty-seven: Bijuu
Meanwhile, malevolent laughter rang inside the palace, as Ursula brandished Triton's prized weapon. "The trident is mine at last! And I couldn't have done it without your help, my dear." She glanced at Isaribi.
The little sea monster floated near the throne, where Triton sat in a weakened state. She frowned and looked away, feeling contrite. She did not speak.
This one was a pretty easy write, since it's basically a rehashing of Atlantica. This was the introduction chapter, so I guess it's to be expected a little. For Naruto readers who read only the manga, Isaribi is not an OC of mine, she is a filler character from the Land of the Sea Arc (or whatever they call it... it delves into Anko's past a bit.) Like Yakumo for Wonderland, I felt she was most appropriate for this world.
I'll leave this short and sweet. Any questions? Please leave them in a review or privately message me. No questions? You can leave a review anyway! :D Thanks for reading, God bless. Please, leave a review!