Authors notes:
Warning: DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER AND BEYOND IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE CHAPTERS THAT LEAD UP TO IT.
Major spoilers ahead. This is the second half/sequel of the story. Every chapter leading up to this point has been KH2. From here on is KH3. If you have not read the earlier chapters, you will also not have context for most of the story elements that are to come. Please make sure to read chapters 1 through 30 for the full experience.
If you do not care about spoilers and just want to dive in, or if you're a returning reader (welcome back and thank you!) go right ahead. I hope you all enjoy part 2! Or KH3 if you prefer.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor the Disney and Square Enix characters. Please support the original works.
Kingdom Hearts Route B Part Two
Kingdom Hearts Three
Prologue: The Meeting
Tethered to others by the bonds in your heart,
You stand on the crossroad, where your next journey will start.
Gone are the days of weakness and doubts,
Yet the corrupted will ask,
"Are you truly devout?"
In the deepest darkness, the true light sleeps.
Forget not your faith, or your heart it will reap.
Mary Poppins was never late. Although an exact appointment time hadn't been set, it was impolite to ignore a summons of such magnitude. The letter that contained said summons was resting perfectly in her silk glove, not moving an inch as Mary floated downward. Holding her black umbrella overhead, Mary gazed at the town where her fated meeting was to take place.
The setting sun painted the buildings in orange and red shadows. Though it was the end of summer, the twilight brought a cool breeze that fluttered through the alleys and along the leaves of the many flower beds decorating the building walls. Trams pushed the air toward Mary, and she felt the soft wind hover along her ankles as her feet touched down on a brick road.
Closing her umbrella and setting it properly under her arm, Mary straightened, facing a restaurant beyond the tram station. The eatery's golden windows flickered, silhouettes of busy wait staff and excited patrons moving behind the glass. The sound of jazz could be heard, along with the clatter of forks and the humming of voices as people excitedly talked over their meals. Outside the restaurant was a small plaza with rows of round coffee tables. The patio of the restaurant was just as busy as the inside, with waiters running around, handing out menus and refilling drinks to the happy customers.
Ignoring the regular citizens of that world, Mary strode to a table at the edge of the plaza and sat across from her target. The old man at her table didn't look up, but didn't ask why she had suddenly taken a seat. Instead, he took a long, delicate sip of his tea, making sure the hot liquid didn't run down his white mustache and long beard. Only when his cup was placed back in its porcelain saucer, and his round spectacles adjusted, did the old man speak.
"Good of you to come, my dear. And on time too."
"Of course," said Mary. "I wouldn't dream of keeping the great wizard Merlin waiting."
The wrinkles around the old man's eyes deepened as he smiled. He placed a purple bag onto the table. Opening it with a click, he pulled out a ridiculously huge scroll that was much too big to have reasonably fit into his tiny bag. A few nearby children caught the magic trick. They tried to get their parents attention, but the adults were too interested in their meals to look up.
Opening the scroll, Merlin cleared his throat.
"This is quite serious. I must admit, I did not believe it when I learned what was happening, not until I saw it myself. I've been running all over, charting as much as I could of this strange phenomenon. Yet, just when I think I have mapped out all the connections, yet another surprise pops up right under my magic wand."
Mary leaned forward, peering at the scroll. If she were surprised by the secrets revealed on the paper, she would not be so foolish as to show it on her face, especially around ordinary townsfolk. Mary Poppins never exclaimed. However, scanning Merlin's work revealed some troublesome facts that made even her feel slightly anxious. Just a touch. She quickly quieted her concerns. Mary always kept a cool head.
"Sir Merlin, you have gone above and beyond what was asked of you. Then again, what did I expect for a wizard that has the foresight of a grandfather clock."
At this, Merlin, let out a frustrated, "hmph!"
"Must you start with that 'old' nonsense? I'm still as spry as I was a hundred years ago!"
Mary didn't even twitch at the wizard's outburst. "Fit as a squirrel and as wise as ever. Just as you say."
She placed a letter on the table, pointing to the broken wax seal. If one were to look closely, they'd notice that the blue wax was in the shape of a pointy wizard's hat with white stars.
"I trust that the master is somewhere in this town?"
Merlin nodded. It was impossible to be angry with Mary for too long, especially when her lovely smile could melt a candle faster then the sun.
"You are correct," Merlin stated. "We are to meet with the master shortly. However, he has requested that we keep these events to ourselves, at least until a course of action is decided upon."
Mary placed the letter in her coat pocket. "Very well. Shall we be off?"
Placing some munny on the table, Merlin rolled up the scroll and stuffed it back into his bag. This time, the surrounding children screamed and pointed, which resulted in some gentle scolding from their parents. Still, the odd event went unnoticed as Mary and Merlin walked away. Once they had turned into an alley, the two of them magically vanished, leaving behind nothing but a sparkling, blue cloud.
The realm of darkness was somehow...different. Vast, constantly changing, full to bursting with hungry creatures that skulked, waiting to ambush exhausted prey, one would have to be lost or crazy to stay in such a place. Oswald felt as though he were both. Countless years he had wondered that wasteland of darkness, searching for his beloved Ortensia. In all that time, not once did the realm of darkness do something new. Between wandering and fighting heartless, he had settled into a predictable dance of survival and searching. But now...
"Something's not right," he said as he tapped his wand against his temple.
Standing in a thorny maze of darkness, Oswald's long, rabbit ears stood straight and stiff on top of his head, listening for the signs of an incoming attack. His wand glowed a brilliant silver color. It had been shimmering since Oswald had casted a holy spell with Kairi. Whenever an attack came, the wand buzzed with light, a final, unintentional gift left to him from his friend.
After a few long seconds, he realized no attack was coming.
Oswald lowered his weapon. "Did the realm of darkness open up? No, I would have felt or heard a change if it did."
Any time there was a tear in the realm of darkness, the stale, motionless atmosphere shifted, bringing with it a fresh breeze, a touch from the realm of light that momentarily pushed away the timeless, endless nothing of the darkness. But Oswald hadn't felt anything like that since Kairi had left.
He paced, tapping his wand in his palm. "If the heartless aren't attacking," he looked up into the dark void above, "then what are they waiting for?"
Chapter One: The Raft
If someone were to walk along the shore of Destiny Islands, watching the seashells being pushed along the sand under the shimmering, gentle waves, they would feel nothing but an overwhelming sense of peace. The sky was clear, the air warm and silky. Falling asleep by the shore would be as simple as lying down and closing one's eyes. Normally, a passerby would spot children playing on the beach, right under the sun.
But for one boy, relaxing was the furthest thing from his mind. Holding a large log under his arm, his other hand clutching a basket, the boy ran across the beach, heading toward the wooden door that led to the other side of the island. Just a few feet away from the door, something stringy looped around his ankle, tripping him. Landing face first onto the ground, the boy spat the warm sand out of his mouth, and then rolled over.
A girl in a yellow dress glared down at him. She pulled her jump rope from his leg, and put her hands on her hips.
"You're not escaping today, Sora. Tidus and Wakka are getting the nets ready. You promised you'd be my partner! We've still got a score to settle!"
Rising up to his feet, Sora shook the sand from his spiky, brown hair. "Selphie, I'm sorry. I don't have time for blitzball today."
"That's what you said yesterday!" She threw her jump rope and it looped around Sora's waist like a lasso. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's so important that you're ditching me and our game. If I'd known you were going to bail on me, I would have asked Riku to be my partner. At least he's reliable. Speaking of which, where is he? I haven't seen him or Kairi since yesterday. Are you guys still grounded or something?"
Sora really wanted to say, "or something." Groaning like a horse that was just too tired to be wrangled, Sora tried to come up with a good enough excuse for Selphie to let him go. Too bad he wasn't very good at lying under pressure.
"I've got something important to do."
Selphie tapped her foot. "Like?"
Something in the ocean shined, catching Sora's eye. He resisted the urge to turn and look at it, but he couldn't stop the tiny twitch in his cheeks, nor did he have the self control not to turn his head slightly. Selphie noticed this. She was about to look out into the sea and search for the distraction, when Sora quickly waved his arms, bringing her attention back to him.
"Trust me, it's super important," he said breathlessly.
There was a splash. Sora wasn't fast enough to stop Selphie from looking out into the waves. When she didn't see anything out of the ordinary, he took a second to relax. He may as well tell Selphie what she wanted to hear, before she noticed things she wasn't supposed to.
"If you let me go take care of it now, I can hurry and be back before the ball game."
Selphie pulled back her jump rope, her green eyes dancing. "Really? Booyaka! Hurry it up then. Tidus and Wakka are going to wish they never took on the two of us!"
Sora quickly picked up his log and the basket before Selphie could change her mind. He ran toward the door. Once he passed through the wooden wall that separated the back of the island from the main beach, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out into the sea.
"Ariel, are you there? It's safe to come out."
A head popped out from under the water. Sora got closer to the cliff of the small, sandy hill he stood on. He grinned down at the mermaid below him. She returned his smile, pushing her long, red bangs away from her blue eyes.
When she spoke, her voice quivered with excitement and curiosity. "Sora, what's a blitzball?"
"It's a game that my friends made up. You play in the water, trying to punch or kick the ball into the other team's net to score points."
"That sounds like fun. I'd love to see you play." The mermaid swam out to the sea, her silky, long hair floating behind her. "There's so much to discover here, so many things to see. If only we had the time."
She swam in a circle much the same way that someone would pace on land. Then she came back around and pointed to the log under Sora's arm.
"Throw that into the water. I can bring it to the shore."
"Thanks." Putting the log down, Sora kicked it, watching it splash into the water below. "How are Riku and Kairi doing?"
"Working hard." Ariel said as she wrapped her arms around the floating piece of wood. "It's really fun to watch. I wish I could be more help."
Sora walked to a wooden bridge, treading carefully over the poorly constructed walkway. Arial swam by his side in the sea below.
"I still can't believe you were actually human all this time." She watched his legs move with fascination. "You can jump, and run, and dance, or stroll along down a-what's the word-street. It's amazing!" Her smile faded, to be replaced by a distant expression. "I wish I could visit under better circumstances."
A pandemonium of unanswered questions swirled in Sora's mind, but he would have to wait before he could ask them. He could only imagine what Ariel had been though and he didn't want to remind her. Still, he caught Ariel looking out into sea, lost in thought. Then she quickly shook her head, her usual curiosity returning.
"The girl in yellow," Ariel spoke, referring to Sephie. "What was that long thingamabob she was using to keep you trapped. Is it a net for humans?"
Sora nearly choked, forcing down a laugh. Since coming to the Destiny Islands, Ariel had been one big ball of questions. She explored his world with the excitement of a child opening presents on Christmas morning. One simple explanation from Sora was all it took for her to beam with delight.
"No. Her name is Selphie," Sora explained. "And she was using a jump rope. It's for exercising, playing, or, in Selphie's case, fighting."
"Fighting?"
"Yeah, the kids on the island love to compete. We play fight sometimes. Selphie uses a jump rope. Riku and I use toy swords. Tidus, the boy in the shorts, he uses a red stick, and Wakka, that guy with the pointy red hair, uses a ball."
"You don't fight with your keyblade?"
"Not when we're playing. Believe me, I hit way harder when I'm not underwater. Plus, it wouldn't be fair to the kids on the beach."
Sora made it across the bridge. Ariel swam out further into the sea, going around a little cliff and then pulling herself up onto a small beach on the other side. By the time Sora caught up to her, Ariel was already resting on the shore, pushing the log up on the sand. Just a little ways away from Ariel, a boy and a girl worked, tying logs together. Sora met up with them, handing the girl the basket.
"Here you go. One hammer, nails, and some ropes, as ordered."
Rising from her task of lining up logs on the sand, the girl stretched, taking the basket from Sora.
"Thanks," she winked.
Like Ariel, she had red hair and blue eyes, except her hair was shorter and darker then the mermaid's vibrant locks.
"Did you bring the cloth too?"
Sora flinched. "I may have forgotten that. Sorry, Kairi."
She wiped some sweat from her forehead, the silver gauntlet on her arm gleaming as she did so. "What about the last log you promised to get?"
"It's over here." Ariel waved at them from the shore.
The silver haired boy that had been roping the logs together stopped. He picked up the heavy piece of wood that Ariel had pushed ashore.
"Nice job," he said.
"No problem, Riku. It's the least I could do."
"Uh huh. And it wasn't just Sora being lazy?"
"Hey," Sora huffed. "I brought it halfway here."
Ariel covered her mouth, but the shining in her eyes gave away her quiet laughter.
"Okay, okay." Riku placed the log on his shoulder. "Now go get that cloth you forgot."
Sora scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to go back to the main beach right now."
Kairi put her hands on her hips. Despite her rather disapproving stance, her smile was quite relaxed. "What did you do?"
"Selphie. She's on the war path. I promised her we'd take on Tidus and Wakka in a blitzball match. That was way before Ariel got here. I've been putting the match off, but Selphie's getting pushy."
Kairi clicked her teeth. "She's going to keep pestering you till you get it done. You'd better go do it before we finish the raft."
"Watch out for Tidus' trick shots," said Riku.
"What's a trick shot?" Ariel asked.
"It's-I'm not sure how to explain. It's better to see it. Hey, why don't we take a break and get Selphie's thing done? Ariel can watch the game from behind the paopu island."
Ariel clapped her hands. "Really? A game played with feet instead of fins? I can't wait to see it!"
She waded back into the water, giggling as she sunk under the waves.
Kairi tapped Riku's shoulder.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? We've already made her wait a few days while we get the raft ready. Can we really stop working to go watch Sora's game?"
Riku shook his head. "Ariel's home got attacked by darkness, and she doesn't know what happened to her family or friends. She could use a little fun. Besides, if the three of us work together, we should be ready to sail by tomorrow morning."
Sora cracked his back. "With Ariel watching, I'd better give this game my all."
"Show off." Though his words were snappy, Riku's tone was more playful then annoyed.
Kairi smirked. "Wakka and Tidus are going to wipe the floor with you. This will be fun to watch."
Sora raised his eyebrows. "I thought you were supposed to on my side?"
"I'll cheer for you, but there's no way you and Selphie are beating Tidus and Wakka."
"You two haven't beaten them either," Sora retorted.
Riku clicked his teeth. "We could have won last time if Tidus hadn't hit us with his trick shots."
Kairi crossed her arms, pressing her lips together in an attempt to push back a giggle. "Oh sure, we can take on heartless and save the worlds from destruction, but a ball game is the thing we consistently lose at? I'd be embarrassed if it weren't so funny."
The three friends walked to the other side of the island, where Sora met with Selphie on the pier. Across from the pier, was small island that rose up from the sea, in the shape of a wide cylinder. It was the perfect spot to watch the game since it overlooked the beach down below. Riku and Kairi sat on top of the cylinder shaped island, right under the a tree with star shaped fruit. From her spot, Kairi could see Ariel floating behind the island. The mermaid watched the players gather on the beach.
Standing on the sand, across from Sora and Selphie, were a pair of boys. One of them was tall, with a cowlick of spiky, red hair sticking straight up from behind the blue bandana on his forehead. He rolled a ball on his finger, his accent making his taunts sound even more cheeky.
"You're goin' down, brudda."
Sora clicked his teeth. "You wish, Wakka."
Standing next to Wakka, was a blond boy. He wore a pair of jeans, with one pant leg that was longer then the other, and a yellow vest. He stretched, rotating his neck. "This is going to be so easy," he said.
Now it was Selphie's turn to back talk. "You're so annoying, Tidus! Don't go claiming victory before you even play the game!"
The two boys ignored Selphie and Sora. They waded into the sea, setting up a pair of nets that floated on the water thanks to the driftwood attached at the ends. When all four players were in the water, Riku and Kairi cheered from their seat on the paopu island.
Kairi threw her fist in the air. "You can do it, Sora and Selphie!"
"Break their winning streak!" Riku called.
Ariel muttered a tiny "good luck," that no one, except Riku, could hear.
Selphie and Sora stepped into the water.
"Goalies to your spots!" Tidus shouted.
Selphie and Wakka got in front of their team's nets. Meanwhile, Sora and Tidus swam to the middle of the playing field and shook hands. Then, they tossed a ball into the air.
Game on.
Tidus grabbed the ball first, swimming around Sora, and tossing it toward Selphie's net. She punched the ball, sending it careening back toward the shore. Sora managed to swipe the ball before Tidus could catch it. He swam toward Wakka, with Tidus chasing after him. Dunking the ball underwater, Sora kicked it, and it sailed right into Wakka's net.
"One to zero!" Kairi screamed from overhead.
"Keep it up," came Riku's voice.
Grumbling, Wakka threw the ball back into the game. Tidus caught it. Sora swam to steal the ball, but missed when Tidus threw the ball over his head. Sinking into the water, Tidus swam under Sora. The ball came down, but Sora wasn't able to catch it. Tidus burst through the surface of the ocean, distracting Sora with a splash of saltwater, and reclaiming the ball. He feigned right when he neared Selphie. She moved to the wrong side, and wasn't able to block the ball.
Goal!
And so it went. Tidus scored. Sora scored. Rinse and repeat until Selphie whacked the ball so hard that it went sailing right into Wakka's goal. Riku and Kairi roared. Wakka sank below the waves and threw the ball at Tidus, who then snuck a goal right below Selphie's feet while she was too busy celebrating. One minute left and Sora was able to get one more goal in. All he and Selphie had to do was play defense and they could at least walk away with a tie. Sora floated near Selphie, protecting their net.
Wakka and Tidus didn't move. They stayed on their side of the water, watching. For a moment Sora thought they were giving up. There was only fifteen seconds left. Tidus sank below the waves. He came rushing back up to the surface like a breaching shark. He and the ball flew upward. In midair, Tidus flipped, kicking the ball down with such force that neither Selphie nor Sora could stop it. It crashed into their net.
"Time's up!" Kairi called from the paopu tree. "Tidus' team wins!"
Riku leaned forward, shaking his head. "Beaten by another trick shot."
Selphie pointed at the winning team and growled low under her breath. "Next time, we'll get those two for sure!"
"Yeah!"
Grinning, the two losers shook hands, resolving to get even next time.
Meanwhile, Tidus and Wakka were all high fives and chest bumps!
"You and Riku may be the best fighters on the island," said Tidus.
Wakka threw his head back, laughing. "But when it comes to sports, me n' Tidus got no match!"
Despite the loss, Ariel couldn't stop talking about the game when the four of them went back to working on the raft. As Riku, Sora and Kairi put the finishing touches on their vessel, they patiently and happily answered all the mermaid's questions about the game, their home, the raft, what humans did for fun, and what certain "gadgets, whose-its and what-its" were used for in the human world. Time flew by, and the raft was finished just before sunset.
Setting up a campfire, the three friends shared an evening meal with Ariel. When their bellies were full, the serious conversation began.
Sora spoke through a mouthful of cucumber sandwich. "So, Ariel's home is out there somewhere?"
"I think so," Ariel answered. "I swam here after," she swallowed, "after the heartless attacked."
Kairi got up from the campfire and sat down next to Ariel by the shore, putting her hand on the mermaid's shoulder.
"I'm sorry we made you wait until the raft is ready."
Ariel wrapped her arms around her tail. "It's okay. I'm sure Daddy, Flounder, Sebastian and the others are all right." She stared out into the sea, her eyes closing. "They have to be."
"I know you said the heartless attacked your home, but can you tell us the full story? It has to be hard to talk about, but the more we know, the better we can help you."
Ariel rubbed her hands over her tail. Sora and Riku left the fire, sitting down by her. Surrounded by support, Ariel began her story.
"Everything was peaceful one moment, and then heartless poured into my grotto. I've never seen so many. It was like swimming through a sea of octopus ink. Flounder and I made it to the castle, but I couldn't find Daddy, or Sebastian, or anyone really." Ariel paused, staring up into the stars overhead. "I lost Flounder in the chaos. There were too many heartless for me to face by myself. I kept swimming, as fast as I could. I didn't know where I was going. The heartless that swam after me, they were different then the ones Sora and I had fought before. There were these human like creatures, with swords."
"Invisibles," Kairi whispered. "I've seen those in the realm of darkness."
"That's not all. There were those round ones with faces. And some more new ones. There were these spiky ones that dug through the sand, and heartless that looked as though they were made out of water."
"Did they have emblems on them?" Sora asked. "You know, those heart shapes with the thorns."
"No. I have no idea where they came from. I managed to escape. I just kept swimming until I was exhausted. The next thing I knew, I woke up on the beach you three standing over me."
Riku spoke. "Is our ocean connected to Ariel's somehow?"
Kairi fidgeted with her fingers. "The worlds are divided from each other. This shouldn't be possible, unless the heartless are destroying worlds again and Ariel came here because Atlantica disappeared."
Sora shook his head. "I locked the keyhole in Atlantica, so there's no way the heartless can destroy Ariel's world. Remember when our islands were destroyed on my first journey?"
No one saw it, but Riku cringed.
"If our homes are connected, then Atlantica should have disappeared at the same time the islands did back then. There was no way I could have gone there on my first journey, if that were the case."
Riku scratched her temple. "But then how did Ariel get here? Are our worlds colliding or something?"
Sora turned to Ariel. "Are you sure there was nothing else you saw? Nothing out of the ordinary."
Ariel stretched out her tail, letting the sea water wash over her fins. "There was one thing I thought was strange. When I was swimming away, I looked up. There were shooting stars in the sky."
Kairi gasped. "Like a meteor shower?"
Ariel nodded.
Sora and Riku leaned toward Kairi. "Got something?"
"When I was little, the night my world was attacked by heartless, there were shooting stars in the sky. I remember reaching out to one and wishing to go someplace safe. I ended up here."
Sora looked up, scanning for shooting stars. "So, Ariel was brought here the same way you were when you were little?"
"It can't be that simple," Riku surmised. "Why was there such a large outpour of pureblood heartless in Ariel's world?"
"That's what we're going to have to find out. We'd be dumb not to investigate," Kairi said.
"Besides," Sora nudged Ariel's shoulder with his own, "our friend needs our help."
Ariel smiled. "Thanks."
The next morning, the three friends pushed their raft into the water. They watched the Destiny Islands getting smaller as they sailed away. Ariel swam nearby, occasionally pulling herself onto the raft for breaks and snacks. The sea waves were soft, the temperature a perfect blend of warm and breezy, filling the sail and pushing the raft further out into the ocean. Slowly, the islands vanished, and soon they were surrounded by nothing but clear, calm seawater.
Kairi took off her boots and socks, soaking her feet, watching the fish swimming deep below. Occasionally, she would spot a sea shell she liked, and Ariel would swim down to grab it for her. Sora lay down on the raft, staring at the clouds overhead, trying hard not to doze off. Riku stayed by the mast, keeping his senses open.
They drifted without issue for a while. Then, Kairi pulled her feet from the water. She stood up so fast, she nearly tipped the raft over. "Riku, furl the sail."
"What is it?" asked Sora as Riku folded the cloth on the mast.
Ariel surfaced nearby, tilting her head. "Why'd we stop?"
Kairi squinted. "I feel something nearby."
"Darkness?" Sora and Riku asked.
"No, but it's not completely light either. Whatever it is, it's powerful."
Ariel's eyes widened. "Can you pinpoint it?"
"Under the raft. At the bottom of the sea, I think." Kairi jumped off the raft. In midair, she spread her arms and shouted. "Reflect!"
A bubble of magical glass surrounded her. She slammed into the water. Ariel swam around Kairi, poking the magic glass.
"Wow. That's a neat spell."
Kairi grinned as her magic ball began to sink. "Ready to go down there and see what we find?"
"Be careful," said Sora and Riku.
"We got this. Right?" Kairi asked Ariel.
With an excited nod, Ariel dived. Kairi sank. Sora watched her glass ball as it slowly descended into the water, disappearing into the blue depths. He paced on the raft, waiting. Fifteen minutes later, the girls broke through the surface of the water. Kairi, breathless and dripping wet, was pulled back onto the raft by Sora. She looked up at him, an expression of concern on her face. It wasn't until Sora looked at Ariel that he realized why.
She floated by the raft, staring down at the golden trident in her hands. "Daddy," she whispered.
Sora bit his lip. Ariel's father, King Triton, would never let go of his powerful trident. He was about to speak, to comfort Ariel, but something beyond her made his stomach fill with fear. Far away, on the horizon, a wave was swelling, growing wider and taller until it was a rounded hill of water that was set on a collision course with their raft.
Riku reached out his hand. "Ariel!"
As Riku pulled the mermaid onto the raft, Kairi unfurled the sail. Once the cloth was free, Sora pointed his keyblade at it.
"Aeroga!"
A sphere of wind hit the sail, the blast filling the fabric and sending them rocketing out over the waves like a speed boat. They weren't fast enough. The wave was catching up. A round shadow appeared below the blue surface. A moment later, the wave burst. Something grey and massive appeared out of the splash.
Every bone in Sora's body felt as though it had frosted over. "No way."
Riku's eyes widened. "I know that scent, it's-"
Kairi's stumbled backward, her back hitting the mast. "Monstro!"
The beady eyes of a giant whale locked on to the tiny raft. Its bulbous, grey head rose up from under the water, its mouth opening wide, revealing a powerful jaw of rounded, white teeth, and a massive tongue that curled, ready to taste its prey. It swam like a torpedo, the shadow of its head casting shade over the raft as its jaws opened wide.
"Firaga!"
Kairi's fire spell hit the whale right in the eye. Grimacing in pain, Monstro closed his mouth, sinking under the water. The wave from his dive washed over the raft, pushing Ariel off its wooden surface. She vanished into the depths below. Riku gripped the mast, his nails digging into the wood. Sora reached out, grabbing Kairi's arm before she could slip off. The three friends tried to regain their balance as their raft bounced and hurled over the agitated water. Rubbing salt off their faces, they didn't notice the massive blob of darkness that had moved under their raft. Seconds later, a fin slapped the bottom of the raft, breaking it into splinters, and sending all of its passengers up into the air.
The wind screeched in Sora's ears as he tumbled upward, spinning in midair. With his head whirling, he couldn't notice Monstro breach the water below him. Monstro's mouth opened and Sora, Riku and Kairi felt his damp, smelly breathe surround them as they fell toward his throat. Something yellow and hot flashed beneath them. A beam of golden light hit Monster right in his underbelly. Sora saw a glimpse of red hair as Ariel swam forward, the trident raised over her head. The golden weapon glowed and a second later, Ariel threw another powerful beam of light at Monstro, hitting him in his other eye. The whale fell to the side, swimming away. Sora, Riku, and Kairi fell into the tidal waves it left behind.
Sora rolled in an azure storm of bubbles, not knowing which way was up or down. The sea water stung his eyes, but he managed to spot a patch of light. He swam up toward it, breaking through the surface of the sea, drinking in the air. On his third breath, he called out.
"Riku! Kairi!"
"Over here!"
Across the waves, Kairi was using a broken piece of their raft to keep herself afloat. Riku was swimming to catch up to her. She waved at Sora, and then her mouth opened wide in a terrified scream.
"Sora, look out!"
He didn't see the wave that hit him, all he knew was that he was sinking downward, and fast. Pressure beat down on his head, and it took all of his strength to reach the surface one more time. In the midst of the confusion, Sora heard Kairi scream something before another wave slammed him back under the sea. He sank, replaying Kairi's last words in his mind until he lost consciousness.
"Guys, meet back up at Disney Castle!"
Jiminy's Journal
Ariel (First appeared in The Little Mermaid, 1989): A curious mermaid that has always been fascinated by other worlds. She loves to explore and gather human items to add to her collection. Ariel escaped her home after the darkness attacked her underwater city, finding safety at the Destiny Islands. She hopes that, with Sora's help, she is able to find out what happened to friends and family.
Monstro (First appeared in Pinocchio, 1940): A whale of a whale and vicious besides. Sora was swallowed by Monstro on his first adventure. He should be back in Pinocchio's world. Why was he out in the seas near Destiny Islands?