Just to get this out of the way before I get dumb comments again.
THIS. IS. A SEQUEL.
Part 3 to be exact, so proceed with caution.
The sky was a bright blue, the sun letting out its light softly across the wide blue ocean. Clouds moved lazily with the wind, in no hurry to go anywhere. Resting within the otherwise endless ocean, a small island rose up, the trees at its center swaying lightly in the breeze, the beach sand soft and bright. One could tell people came to it often, wooden buildings and bridges scattered about along its surface, a dock on one of the beaches with no boats resting at it.
On this small little island, three figures stood on its shore, looking out to the sea. One of them turned back to look at the island itself, the location unknown to him, whereas to the other two it was basically home.
"So this is Destiny Islands." Bearing white hair ruffled in soft spikes and eyes of bright teal, Toshiro Hitsugaya took a moment to look over the place his two companions came from.
"Yup, we used to play here as kids all the time." A spiky-haired brunette responded with a smile, hands behind his head as he continued to observe the ocean. "Though I guess this isn't the real one… Tidus, Wakka and Selphie would be here if it was."
"I suppose we started here since it's familiar to us, now we just need to focus on the test." Riku spoke up, silver hair moving slightly as a gust of wind passed them. He and his companion Sora had changed outfits upon their arrival here, recognizing them as their old clothes before they even met Toshiro, whereas Toshiro himself remained in the uniform he'd obtained after awakening back on the Grand Line, the world of pirates and Devil Fruits.
"Do you really think taking a raft is the first step?" Toshiro asked the pair, glancing at the wooden raft resting nearby on the shore.
"It's what we tried to do before the Heartless took our home."
"But how far could a raft take us?" Sora asked this time. He was used to traveling by ship, he wasn't sure if going by ocean was the right decision, and Toshiro wished he had the Thousand Sunny here again rather than a child-made raft. He figured he could reinforce it with ice if need be.
"Who knows?" Riku admitted. "If we have to, we'll think of something else."
He and Sora moved over to the raft, preparing it to sail. Before going to help them, Toshiro turned his gaze to the clouds. For the most part they still moved slowly along the wind currents… but there were darker ones further on the horizon that didn't look as sleepy and white, a foreboding anger lurking far across the ocean. He reached back and briefly touched the hilt of his beloved zanpaktou, a rumble answering in his mind. The dragon may need to hold off a storm.
Within moments the raft began moving across the water, and the trio boarded, leaving the island behind them as they headed off into the sea.
"I wonder what kind of test this will be." Sora mused aloud, sitting down onto the logs while they sailed.
"It won't be simple, that's all there really is to say." Toshiro replied, kneeling down and letting his hand drag through the cold water. The brief contact let him spread his senses further out through the ocean, ensuring nothing dark was coming their way.
"Guess we better be prepared for anything." Riku said with a confident smirk. Sora responded with a grin of his own, ready to take on anything.
Within another hour or so, the island long out of sight, their confidence was quickly tested.
"The storm came fast." Toshiro mused aloud, frowning as the cold rain battered against their bodies, the wind violent and unpredictable, the world around them dark as angry black clouds smothered the sky. The raft rocked dangerously beneath them on the tossing waves.
"The waves are getting steep." Riku grunted as he did his best to keep balance. "Furl the sails."
"Right." Sora kept a wary eye on the rising waves as Riku went to do as he said.
A strong wind slammed into their tiny craft, ripping the sail and its post right off the raft, Riku letting out a startled shout as it knocked him off with it. Sora and Toshiro managed to duck and avoid the same fate, stuck on a raft with no more way of moving.
"Riku!" Sora called out for his friend, scrambling back to his feet to see where the mast had gone.
"I'm fine!" The teen called back, holding onto the wreckage of the sail to stay above water, grunting as he pulled himself out and balanced on the logs.
Toshiro looked ahead, noticing something odd about the way the ocean moved. It was swirling into a circle… a whirlpool? That couldn't be good. A grimace crossed his face as darkness began to rise from the center.
"What's that?" Riku questioned while Toshiro already had his blade drawn.
Something rose from the waters around them. Several things in fact. Huge black and purple tentacles. A laugh quickly followed suit, a familiar voice that made Toshiro stiffen. In his mind, Hyorinmaru gave the nastiest of roars at her voice, the voice of a sea witch they never wanted to see again.
"Oh, he was right. Those wretched guppies are here." She crooned, her enormous form rising up from the waters to tower over them, a wicked grin on her face. Purple skin, coifed white hair, and sinister beady eyes. It could only be one person. "Well, it's about time we settled the score!"
"Ursula?" Sora was the first to speak, baffled by her appearance. From what they could remember they defeated her back in Atlantica, Hyorinmaru himself made sure she perished with the Keybearers help. "But how… is this the test?"
"I'll take it as a good chance to pay her back." Toshiro scowled fiercely, the cold from the storm intensifying, the rain becoming hail.
"We can work it out later!" Riku scolded them, finding a better place to balance on the mast, the dark sword that looked like a red and blue dragon wing appearing in his hands.
"All right!" Sora agreed, his own Keyblade coming to his hand, currently in its simple Kingdom Key form as he had no keychains with him at the start of the test.
After hearing Riku's voice, Ursula had looked between the separated boys with a scowl of her own, seeming unhappy that there was more than she expected.
"Sorry, dearies, but I won't fall for that trick!" She growled. They weren't quite sure what trick she meant – perhaps she thought they separated on purpose to flank her – but they prepared themselves all the same.
Her tentacles came at them first, looking to crush the logs they stood on so that they had no way to fight, unable to swim and do combat without their mermaid forms. Toshiro took care of those, swiftly striking at one and using Kido on the other. Ursula growled at the sting of the sword on her appendage, which flopped into the sea in just the right position that Riku could jump across it and join them on the remainder of the raft, the three of them together prepared to counter whatever came their way.
"You dare toy with me," The sea witch hissed as the raft beneath them shook, her tentacles lifting them up out of the water to be level with her head, eyes alight with fury. "You insignificant fools!"
"You're the fool, picking a fight with us again!" Sora shouted back. With a spin of his Keyblade he launched a fire ball at her. He might not have the keychains anymore, but he still remembered his magic.
"Toshiro, you should try to use your Keyblade more." Riku said to the white-haired soul next to him as the fire ball made Ursula flinch back, growling. She was barely hurt, but she didn't like being attacked back.
"I will, but Hyorinmaru and I have a particular history with her and would like to return the favor." Toshiro replied, icy mist seeping off his blade as his dragon roared within his mind.
Deciding not to question it, Riku just nodded and focused on the sea witch. He was using his dark blade rather than his Keyblade, after all, so he didn't have much room to argue.
In retaliation to Sora's magic attack, Ursula leaned over them with an open mouth, magic of her own gathering there.
"Bakudo Number Thirty-Nine, Enkosen." Blade held forward in a blocking position, a spinning disc of yellow light appeared in front of him, creating a shield that the other two ducked behind with him as a beam shot from Ursula's mouth, passing by them harmlessly as the Kido took the hit.
Now it was their turn to counter, Toshiro jumping up into the sky while the other two kept her attention. He could make his own places to stand on, and all he really needed was a vantage point. One thing he'd managed to keep from his time as a Nobody was some of the ice magic he'd practiced with, gladly using it now to send a volley of ice down atop Ursula's head. She let out a pained cry, turning upwards to face him with a fierce glare.
"I hope you didn't forget Hyorinmaru." Toshiro scowled back, holding said blade before him. "Reign Over the Frosted Heavens, Hyorinmaru!"
An angry, crimson-eyed dragon of light blue ice circled around its master before diving downwards, the storm serving to make it stronger as it struck the sea witch head on.
"Argh!" She screamed, weakening but furious. "I will have my revenge!"
'And I'll have mine!' Hyorinmaru snarled as Toshiro summoned another ice dragon just as Ursula lifted a hand and called upon the lightning. He Flash Stepped away in time to avoid the strike, the electricity passing harmlessly over the dragon's body as it constricted around Ursula herself, baring its fangs at her.
"Got her!" Sora shouted as he and Riku both struck out at her face.
She jerked back in pain, still struggling to get the frozen dragon off her, her body slowly being consumed in ice. She released the raft, letting it drop back into the water. Sora and Riku stumbled, keeping on their hands and knees so they didn't get knocked off by the waves. Toshiro rejoined them quickly, returning his blade to normal at its back as he knelt down to help them stand.
They didn't accept the help at first, watching in confusion as they noticed Ursula's form vanishing. With no target to hold onto, the ice dragon curled around itself before vanishing into the sea with a rumble, the ice melting quickly. The trio shared confused glances with one another before the waves pushed them towards the whirlpool, no longer held away by the sea witch.
"Hang on, I'll try to-" Whatever Toshiro was going to try and do was never said, the sea violent, too aggressive for even he to control.
With no way to react, the waves tossed them around, a particularly aggressive one knocking their tiny raft upwards and shoving them off, another slamming down atop them and pushing them deep into the waters. Dazed and dizzy, they simply continued to sink, and no movement was made to swim back up and away. Toshiro recovered faster, catching a glimpse of some kind of shadow above the waters before turning to the other two with him. They were out cold still for the moment but within arm's reach. It would be hard to swim against the churning ocean's waves while holding each of them, but he had to try. Taking another glance back up he saw the raft carried away by the ocean… he could make one of ice, but it wasn't the best scenario.
As he turned back to Sora and Riku, he noticed the latter was finally coming to while the former still looked lethargic and out of it. He also noticed something else the further down into the water they went.
A light.
They were getting closer to it. Toshiro had to think quickly: did he grab Sora and Riku and return to the surface before they got too deep? Or did they hope this light was something good?
Another moment later, the light formed into a distinct shape. A Keyhole. A soft, gentle light pulsed from its outline.
'Well, at this point we better hope it saves us from drowning.' Toshiro mused, allowing his Keyblade to flash into his left hand, the icy form of Frozen Heavens eager to help.
Despite their lack of response, Riku and Sora's Keyblades also summoned themselves to the hands of their respective masters. Drawn by the light of the Keyhole, all three Keyblades pointed their way forward towards it, light gathering at the ends before letting out a beam of light. A muffled clicking sound echoed in the water, signifying that the light had done its work, scattering about in a bright array that caused Toshiro to turn away to avoid being blinded.
The light reached out, embracing the trio, helping them further down to whatever place it would take them. As he became surrounded by the glow, Toshiro felt himself becoming tired, noticing Riku pass out again as well, losing consciousness himself not long after just before they vanished into the light.
Above the water, a cloaked figure observed all of this, expression unknown as their form was completely encased in the shadow of the cloak.
"This world has been connected…"
Alright, finally deciding to put this out into the public to see if posting helps my writer's block, I'm only like... into the second world, so maybe thee chapters? lol, it's been a strange year and getting time to myself that isn't panicking about bills is difficult. Complaints aside, I mostly want to put this out there to encourage myself not to quit on this series, because I've enjoyed it so much and want to keep it going. Hopefully you readers feel the same.
Also fair warning, the next chapter is kind of an exposition dump. I may end up bolding the parts where Toshiro adds new information, but otherwise this first part will be info that a lot of people might already know. Such is making a crossover in an established storyline.