Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Kairi laughed as she watched Sora and Riku race towards the surf, wishing she could join them. She drew her legs up, resting her arms on her knees as they ran into the water before disappearing beneath the waves, leaving her on the beach with two piles of clothing beside her. After a while she flopped back to cloud watch before eventually starting a bonfire to roast whatever they brought back.

They were grinning when they stumbled back up the beach, both carrying a string of fish to be cooked over the fire for dinner. She was just glad she'd finally convinced her parents to let her stay on the Play Island with them overnight during the summer break. They'd thought it risky since she was reliant on her canoe to make it between Islands but Riku had promised they wouldn't leave her alone for hours and hours on end. She'd seen their looks at that, but eventually they had agreed.

She shrieked as Riku rang his hair out over her and Sora shook his head to rid his off the excess, the rest dripping down their bodies. She wiped her face and accepted the fish, going to work removing the scales and preparing her share to be cooked. They both dropped into the sand, sprawling beside her as they took their own to eat. She skewered them and set them about the flames to cook, watching them and enjoying the view.

An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back, making her laugh as Riku held her down and Sora tickled her, pouting when her shirt got in the way. She rolled her eyes but let him yank it off, thankful she'd worn a bikini under her clothes. It used to be that she wouldn't bother but the last few years her parents had insisted. Of course she didn't complain when Riku tugged at the straps around her back, untying them and letting it slip free. She ate her fish before they burnt and then the three of them spent the rest of the day playing in the sand and shallower water, the boys taking their promises to keep her safe very seriously.

When night fell they all got dressed, though they wore skimpier clothes than she did against the evening chill. They headed off the beach and up into the treehouse, curling together to sleep for the night.

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Riku desperately wanted to see other Worlds but he was also scared and he knew Sora was too. What if other Worlds were too different? They'd never been forced to live away from the sea before, could they do it? He remembered the older boy who had come that day, though he barely remembered the words he had said, just the incredible feeling when he'd held the strange Key like object.

The door in the secret place…that was the key to leaving, the raft wouldn't really get them off World otherwise others would have left and there was only the one story about it ever happening. They'd wanted to leave ever since Kairi had arrived, proof that other Worlds really did exist. She had become one of them in every way and yet there were parts of their lives they couldn't share with her. He knew Sora was hoping there would be some magic or science out there that could make it possible. It was a nice dream, but he doubted it existed. But out there, they'd be the same, outsiders and explorers. Out there, people wouldn't try to separate them because they weren't the same and they thought… how could anyone ever think they would hurt her?

He leant down and pressed his nose to her hair, smelling her shampoo and under it her natural scent. She smelled so good, but not in that way. She tipped her head back and smiled sweetly at him even as he rubbed his cheek against hers.

Sora leant over, almost overbalancing on the Paopu trunk to join in, grinning widely. Riku smiled at the soft noises he was making, knowing Kairi couldn't hear them like he could but in physical contact like they were, she'd feel the slight vibrations.

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"I'm going to the Play Island with Riku and Kairi!" Sora called as he dashed for the door.

"Sora, wait."

He sighed but stopped and turned back to his Mum, knowing what was coming. She walked over, running her hand through his hair and he couldn't help pressing into her touch. He loved his Mum so much, he did, but he just didn't understand her.

"Aren't you three getting a little old for all of this?" she asked, and he grimaced.

"Mum…"

"I've been where Kairi is and no matter how much you try, it won't work. You've got a foot in each world but Kairi and Riku…"

He pulled away, shaking his head. "It'll never be like that! Just cause Dad…" he turned and ran from the house, rushing to the dock where Riku was lifting Kairi down into her canoe.

He looked up, sensing Sora's approach and frowned in concern. He let out a sharp, high pitch whistle and then Sora slammed into him, shaking, Riku immediately wrapping his arms around him, nuzzling.

"Sora?" Kairi scrambled out of her boat in alarm, coming up on the other side so that he was held between them. "Shh, it's okay, we've got you."

"Your Mum?" Riku asked, voice a little rough from several days of not speaking.

Sora nodded. "She just sees what happened with Dad," he admitted, feeling Riku's grip tightened even as he shook his head, hair flying.

"Never!" he denied. He pulled Sora even closer with one arm, freeing the other to wrap around her.

"Let's get over to the Island," Kairi whispered, her hand slipping under his shirt to gently rub his side, and Sora slowly nodded. She pulled his shirt off for him, even as Riku yanked his shorts down, wriggling out of his own loose clothes at the same time. Sora felt Kairi step back and then Riku dropped backwards off the dock, still holding him.

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Kairi dropped their clothing into her boat and got in, not surprised when her boat began to move without her needing to row. As soon as they were across she tied it up and grabbed their clothing, heading for the beach to wait for them, but then she stripped off and waded in, going for the shallow, sheltered area and sure enough she found them there, curled together in the water, Sora's face hidden in Riku's shoulder. She swam over and sat on the sand beside them, reaching out to gently stroke Sora's hair.

It wasn't fair for people to judge. Neither Sora or Riku were anything like Sora's Dad. She'd heard the tales, all meant to warn her away as they grew older. It was fine for the children to mix and play together, it kept things cordial, but when they grew up then they should keep to their own kind. Except Sora didn't have his own kind, caught between two worlds.

She leant in and kissed the side of his throat, offering what comfort she could and he lifted his head slowly, turning to her. Wide, luminescent, blue eyes met hers and he made a soft noise. She smiled and opened her arms in offering, hating that he hesitated but Riku gave him a gently nudge. She wrapped her arms around him, not even having to think to avoid sensitive areas after knowing them so long. She ran her hands over wet, cool, skin and scales, feeling him tremble now and then but he slowly relaxed.

Kairi understood the woman had been deeply hurt, left to care for a child she didn't always understand or know how to help but…sometimes she hated her. It was why she wanted to leave, to find a World where they could live and be happy.

A wet hand caressed her face and she smiled at Riku, seeing the sadness in his eyes. No one seemed to get it, they didn't need to speak the same language to understand each other. Riku smiled back and lay down, submerging himself fully while he had the chance, one hand resting on Sora's hip.

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He watched the three children sleep in a pile together, focusing on the silver haired boy. He was the key and yet he was proving resistant to his guidance. He needed him to surrender to the Darkness and yet the bond between the three was slowing that. Riku wanted to leave the Islands but they kept him distracted. Bond…unnecessary, useless things. He would need to come to see that. Once away from this tiny World, he would see the truth. He moved closer, reaching for the boy's Heart, watching as he shifted restlessly in his sleep, brow furrowed.

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Sora lay panting on the sand, blinking in the sand…had that been…a dream? He sat up and looked around, spotting Riku down the beach with a log in his arms. He scrambled up and stretched, rubbing at his eyes. Kairi was…he smiled as he spotted her half way up a tree, cutting down fronds. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, he didn't even remember laying down… he shook it off and scrambled to finish his part of working on the raft. They had to make it small enough for them to tow if needed but large enough for all three of them at night so they could share body heat and keep Kairi warm. Plus he was too used to spending his nights and at least part of the day on land.

The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes…what was that even about?

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"So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" Sora asked as they watched the setting sun, Kairi leaning against him as they sat on the bent trunk.

"Could be. We'll never know by staying here," Riku answered as he leant against it, arms crossed.

He felt…off balance, had been for months. Spending more time in the water wasn't helping…nothing was. He knew they were worried about him, but he didn't want to leave them, it wasn't something like that. And it wasn't anything else they were still being warned about. He shifted slightly towards Kairi, wrapping an arm around her waist, smiling as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"But how far could a raft take us?" Sora asked curiously, legs swinging.

"Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else," he promised. "We won't let anything happen to Kairi." He turned his head to face her and she smiled, leaning down to let him nuzzle her. He would carry her himself if he had to.

"So, suppose we do get to another world, what would we do there? We'll have no family support, no local currency…" Kairi worried.

"Well, I haven't really thought about it," Riku admitted, he'd just been focused on getting them all away to somewhere they could live together in peace. Sora rocked back and forth on the trunk of the tree, thinking. "It's just... I've always wanted to see what's out there, beyond out islands and see. Our World is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could've just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

"I don't know," Sora admitted, stretching out on the trunk. "On any other World, would we be like we are now? Or would we all be landlocked?"

"Exactly. That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go," Riku grinned. Yes, he was a little worried about what they'd find but he'd heard the whispers, the adults were going to do something to keep him away from them. That couldn't happen! They were the only ones who used the Island anymore of their age group, everyone else had allowed the separation.

"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Kairi asked, fingers back in his hair.

"Thanks to you. If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks," he leant his head against her. It wasn't fully true since that man had come before she had but he had told him to keep it secret.

"You're welcome," she giggled before dropping down. The only reason her parents didn't put up a bigger fight was that she be back before the sun had finished setting. As if she wasn't perfectly safe on the water with Sora and Riku there.

They headed towards the dock, Kairi leading the way.

Riku paused and then reached up into the tree, it was a silly legend, but… "Sora," he called and Sora turned, catching the star-shaped fruit.

"A Paopu fruit..." Sora looked from it to him. "Thought you don't believe in the legend?"

Riku shrugged, "better safe than sorry, right?" he asked and Sora grinned. He ran back, grabbed his hand, and then dragged him to where Kairi was waiting for them.

Sora held it up as they reached her, and her eyes widened. "Want to?" Sora asked her.

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what," she whispered. "Think it matters that there's three of us?" she asked. She didn't point out that it was a legend for those on land and that two of them belonged to the sea, they all knew it.

Sora shrugged and lifted it to take a bite before handing it to Riku who did the same and then he passed it to Kairi. She grinned and bit down as well, all three chewing and then swallowing. Maybe it was just a legend, but they wouldn't let anything tear them apart.

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Kairi grinned and sat on the completed raft. Finally! The sail was strong, the logs bound tightly…it would sail. There was a waterproof compartment built in to store fresh water and food for her and there was room for all three of them to lie or sit.

She leant back as arms wrapped around her waist, trusting Riku to take her weight. He was the physically strongest of the three of them after all. She turned around and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head over his heart, listening to the familiar rhythm, so different to her own. She felt the vibrations that meant he was speaking his native tongue, too high for her to actually hear.

"Riku?"

"Hmm?" he nuzzled at her.

"What's wrong? Something's been bothering you and it's not just the whispers."

"I…I don't know," he admitted. "Strange dreams….Darkness but not the kind of the deep sea. A voice calling me, it…"

"It scares you," she whispered, and he shuddered, holding her closer. "We're here for you Riku, no matter what," she promised.

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Riku woke suddenly, panting for air. He looked around in confusion before heading for the surface, swimming for the island. He stumbled onto the beach and grabbed the cloths he kept there, shoving on his shoes in a daze. He felt…strange, like something was pulling him along. He had to go back…go to Sora and Kairi…but he couldn't make himself turn around.

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Kairi put her book down and looked out the window towards the Play Island. Something…something was wrong. Riku! She got up and slipped on warmer clothing, seeing the gathering storm. She shoved her shoes on and then went out the window, making the leap for the tree to shimmy down it. She ran for the dock and got in her boat, rowing for the island.

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Riku walked towards the door as if in a trance, unable to fight, seeing the robed figure he'd seen once or twice when he was younger. He felt something stir inside him, a weight in his hand even as he lifted it.

"It is time," a voice told him.

No! No….he wouldn't do it…he was drowning in Darkness…just like his dreams…he was a child of the sea…he couldn't drown…he couldn't…

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Kairi ran into the Secret Place and looked around, she was sure Riku was there but he wasn't. She froze, staring at the door with wide eyes, dim memories of terror overtaking her. No…not again…not again…Riku…Sora…

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Sora lay on his bed, arms crossed beneath his head as he stared at his models. Everything was ready, tomorrow they would leave and find a new home, somewhere they could live together in peace. He'd miss his Mum, he would, and he felt bad about leaving her, but he couldn't stay any longer. He'd heard the talk getting louder, about keeping them away from Riku, especially Kairi, that Sora himself needed to be kept more on land too. He couldn't do it, his was as much his Dad's son as he was his Mum's, he needed the water.

Thunder rumbled softly, catching Sora's attention and he gazed outside. In the darkness of the cloudy night sky, lightning flashed, striking near the Play Island. "A storm?" he frowned in confusion, he couldn't feel it though. There shouldn't be a storm…and those clouds didn't look right…

He leapt off the bed and hesitated before grabbing his waterproof bag, shoving clothing and shoes into it before scrambling out the window, dropping easily to the ground a storey below. He ran for the dock but didn't bother grabbing one of the boats, noticing immediately that Kairi's was gone, dumping his shorts and t-shirt in one before he dove into the sea. He swam for the Island, calling for Riku in concern but there was no response.

He made it onto the beach and opened his bag, throwing on the pants and shirt but not bothering with anything else as the wind picked up. He looked up and stared in shock at the large orb of energy hanging low in the sky, wind swirling in it dark depths.

"What's that?" he whispered, bewildered, looking to the dock. "Kairi's boat," that was a relief, she could have been shoved off course in the rough seas.

He looked around warily, seeing no one. In the dim landscape a pair of eyes emerged from the ground. The eyes illuminated the Shadow's body, its antennae wriggling as it scanned its surroundings. Another appeared and Sora gasped in fear, remembering his strange dream. He took out his wooden sword as one of them leaped at him, but he blocked the strike. He tried to hit them with the sword, but they seemed unfazed by it. It felt to Sora as if it was going right through the creatures.

Sora bolted, he had to find Kairi and Riku, trusting his speed to outrun the creatures. He spotted Riku standing at the small island across the bridge, facing the orb in the sky and rushed across it before hesitating, something was wrong…what was Riku doing? He was just standing there, unmoving.

"Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!" he yelled over the ever increasing wind.

"The door has opened..."

Sora's blood ran cold. "What?" he gasped, remembering the strange figure from the Secret Place…he hadn't had some kind of weird hallucination? And there was something off with the way Riku sounded…as if he hadn't been on shore for weeks.

Riku turned to face him. "The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!" he sounded…manic…grinning, but Sora stared at him and eyes able to see in the depths spotted it, Riku's eyes were glassy, slightly unfocused.

"What are you talking about? We've gotta find Kairi!" he told him, trying to snap him out of whatever was wrong with him.

"Kairi's coming with us!" he barked. "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the Darkness!" he held his hand out to Sora like he had so many times but this time Sora knew he had to be the one to reach Riku.

"Riku..." he didn't know how. He took a step towards him, and Riku grinned triumphantly "Riku wake up!" He screamed only to gasp in horror.

A pool of Darkness formed at Riku's feet, its tendrils licking at where he stood, wrapping around his impassive body. Sora rushed forward to save him, uncaring for his own safety, and the Darkness grabbed at him. He tried to reach toward Riku, but the weight of the Darkness pulled him down. Riku's face was unchanging as Sora failed to grab his hand, the Darkness proving too much for him.

"Riku…" he whispered, whistling in distress, before everything went black.

Sora opened his eyes, nearly stumbling forward , staring at the large object in his hand. Its golden handle and silver blade shone like a sword, but the tip of the blade was pointed like the teeth of a key. A keychain hung from the pommel of the weapon. A name whispered softly in Sora's ear.

"Keyblade... Keyblade..."

Shadows appeared around him and he swung at them with the Keyblade, baring his teeth in a snarl. A Shadow, unable to dodge, was knocked backward in a flurry of stars. With a few more swings, the Darkness of the Shadows was driven away by the might of the blade, and they vanished. With as many as he defeated, more appeared, and Sora raced back across the bridge. He saw a strange door over the entrance to the Secret Place and ran for it. Kairi! The door opened and he skidded inside.

"Kairi!" he yelled, seeing her standing in front of the door.

She turned to him, eyes wide in terror and he reached for her. "Sora…" she lifted her hand to him in return.

The door behind her gave way, a great wind rushing towards them, but Sora reacted instinctively, reaching deep inside himself for the power he held. The wind was just like a storm and he would not let it hurt her! The wind broke around them and he lunged forward, tucking her against his chest, feeling her cling to his shirt as exhaustion hit him, the wind slamming into his back, sending them flying back down the tunnel, Sora wrapped tightly around her, he could take more damage than she could.

He came to on the beach with a grunt, getting really sick of being knocked out, but relieved to find her sprawled on top of him and beginning to stir. Sora knelt in the sand, Kairi in his arms, looking around at the island below him. Large chunks of the island had broken off and risen into the sky towards the dark orb.

"Whoa!"

"Sora?" she mumbled, and he stood, gently setting her on her feet. He dug in the bag still slung across his body and pulled out the cord he used to tow her boat, wrapping it around her wrist and then his own, ensuring they wouldn't be separated.

"I've got you," he promised.

The orb loomed above them, lightning crackling in its dark depths as the wind swirled in the air with rocky and wooden debris.

"Riku?" she asked, blinking rapidly and shaking her head, thankfully seeming okay.

"He…he's gone. Something took him, I tried to get to him but I couldn't."

She shivered but nodded. "We'll get him back."

Sora grinned weakly but then froze, sensing a presence behind him, turning around to see the demon from his dreams, Darkside, gazing down at them through black tendrils. Sora felt the Keyblade materialise as Darkside knelt on the ground. Energy pulsed in the heart-shaped hole in its torso and it released beams that targeted them. Kairi screamed and Sora moved, pushing her up onto his back even as he dodged. Kairi was not only slowing him down but restricting his movement but he was not risking being separated, not when Riku was already gone.

He couldn't fight so he focused on dodging, there was nowhere left to run to, Kairi wouldn't survive the maelstrom the sea had become, he might not either. All that was left of the Island was what they were on, so he had to keep moving. He could see the orb coming ever closer and it terrified him but there was nothing he could do to stop it. Smaller Shadows appeared, swarming him, but those he could hit without dropping Kairi who was hanging on as tightly as she could to keep his arms free.

Sora dropped to the ground as Darkside was pulled into the air, pulling Kairi to his chest again, the wind whipping at them. He grabbed a wooden board stuck in the sand and held on for dear life. "Don't let go of me!" he yelled over the wind.

Every muscle in his body tensed as the wind pulled them upward. His fingers slowly lost their grip and he wrapped that arm around her too as they were sucked into the orb, screaming.

TBC…

So Sora and Riku are mermen, well, Sora is half human. Didn't get into too much description of their forms yet, that will come later, as will more in depth explanations of the culture and stuff. Opinions on colouration? Differences between half and full?