Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 3

Riku stirred, slowly opening his eyes. His head felt stuffed with seaweed and he sat up, looking around in confusion. Where was…oh…he swallowed. Sora and Kairi were gone, somewhere else. He got up and stumbled, how long had he been on land? He looked around the room, finding another door which revealed a bathroom. No real bathtub that he could use to soak in as an emergency measure. Could he maybe use the Falls outside?

He stripped off and got under the water, sitting at the bottom to let it rain down on him, leaning his head back against the stone, trying to relax. He wanted to change, but there wasn't enough water. He'd dreamt…but he couldn't remember his dreams but there was something…

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Sora watched in awe as they approached a new World, he was scared too. He'd never been so far from home…so far from Riku and Kairi. He could do this, he had to do this. He watched Donald fly, trying to learn from that, just in case. It looked simple enough.

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Kairi watched Yuffie warm up, copying her movement. She had to learn and as fast as she could. Sora needed her help, he did better than Riku when alone but he had his limits. It was why Mer's lived in groups, why Riku was considered so strange because he had left everything behind to stay with them. He'd made himself an outcast, something that usually sent the Mer mad and ended in death. But he was fine because he had them, though she knew Sora was the biggest help there.

"So…how long have you known Sora?" Yuffie asked and Kairi laughed, she was not subtle at all.

"About ten years? He was the first friend I made when I arrived on the Islands."

"Arrived from where?" Yuffie switched and Kairi copied her.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I don't remember my old home, don't even remembering arriving but they say I arrived in a meteor shower."

"Wait!" Yuffie froze, staring at her with wide eyes. "Are you saying you came from another World to one that was still cut off?"

"Yes?" she was confused.

"And this was when exactly?"

"Well…" Kairi paused to think, they always just said ten years cause it was easier. "I guess it's more like nine, why?"

"Because our home was destroyed then," Yuffie told her, and Kairi froze, staring at her.

"You think…I could be from there?" she asked in amazement.

"Yeah, it was one of the first Worlds to fall. A lot of people vanished, some taken by the Heartless, most of us who survived ended up here."

"Oh," she whispered. It didn't really change anything though, did it? The World was gone, like the Islands were gone now, and even if it wasn't she wouldn't go back there to live unless it was a good place for her boys too.

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"Come in Riku, come in," she called, watching as Riku approached.

It had been three days since he had arrived and he had slept under her spell, which should have worked deeper into his subconscious by now. He looked a little pale, tired, despite sleeping the whole nights. Not surprising since the sleep was not entirely restful, he was putting up more resistance than she had expected, but still the one night of spelled sleep was obviously having a lingering effect on his dreams. Still, he would lose, whatever his species was, it was not one that was magically powerful. Oh, he had magic, but it was limited to one element…for now.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, motioning him to the table.

"Fine, thank you," he answered, and she smirked out of his sight, he was a stubborn thing.

"Eat, please, you will need your strength if you are to search for your friends."

There was wariness in his eyes, but he served himself, obviously knowing he did need to eat. She was honestly surprised he had remained in the room, often in the shower for some reason. "Thank you for the room."

"I trust it is to your liking. My companions have all returned, you are welcome to join us, to learn about what we are doing and see if they have seen your friends on any of the Worlds." She had warned them already about the plans for the boy, they would keep up the act. Once he was under her control it wouldn't matter but for now, they needed him to relax and trust the, at least a little. She could overpower him, but it would take a lot more magic and could permanently damage him. They needed him able to wield the Keyblade.

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Sora watched as a cat appeared out of nowhere….a cat that could come apart! Riku would never believe him.

"Who are you?" Donald demanded.

"Who, indeed? Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing!" Okay, so it was a talking cat too.

"Hey, if you know who the culprit is, tell us!" Sora yelled up to it.

"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers—but doesn't always tell. The answer, the culprit, the cat all lie in darkness." The cat vanished.

"Wait!" Sora yelled, and it reappeared.

"They've already left the forest. I won't tell which exit. There are four pieces of evidence in all. Three are a cinch to find. The fourth is tricky. Big reward if you find them all."

"Should we trust him?" Donald muttered to them.

"To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide!" it vanished again and this time, Sora was sure it was gone for good.

"Well, we might as well take a look," he told them, heading into the strange forest.

Of course they were immediately attacked by Heartless, some unlike any he'd seen yet…and a lot harder to take out. The ones that had to be hit from the back were a major pain and he hated to think how much harder it'd be for a human.

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Ursula looked at the boy that had been sent to them by Maleficent's ally. Well, that was certainly interesting. She could feel the sea about him but how was that possible? Triton's people could not just grow legs and walk. Then again, he was not from Atlantica, was it possible that a people similar to theirs lived on another World? And could she use him against the pitiful king?

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Sora stared up at the massive Heartless from where he stood on the table, really wishing for the potion to grow big again. At his normal size it would be a fair fight but now?! He grimaced but readied his Keyblade, glad for the ice magic spell the Cheshire Cat had gifted him. ice was like water, which was more Riku's thing than his, but he should be okay with it, unlike the fire magic. He'd tried that once and it had hurt! It had burned the hand he'd been holding the Keyblade with slightly although thankfully no one had noticed.

As the Heartless approached Sora threw ice at it, grinning when it didn't like it, only to grimace when Donald's fire spell did more damage. They fought back and forth, ending up on the ground eventually as the table and chair were destroyed. And that was when it lit up its batons with fire! How fair was that?! Of course, it then threw fireballs at them, Sora lunging out of the way even as he instinctively reached for the wind…in a windless room. To his shock currents of air blasted into existence, swirling around him protectively. Well…that was different…and helpful as a fireball was literally deflected! He grinned, that was a lot better.

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Donald glanced at Sora who was curled up in his chair, making him look tiny. It was frustrating but they had agreed to return to Traverse Town after each World in order to let him see his friend, or maybe more? And it was probably a good idea to restock when they could, but still, it felt like wasting time better used searching for the King.

Still, the kid had sealed a Keyhole which had to be important, even if they had failed to save that girl which he could tell Sora felt bad about. With all the running around they'd done, they'd stayed in Wonderland for four days with very little rest, obviously Sora wasn't used to that, he looked pretty bad, so maybe it was for the best that they were returning.

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Kairi rushed for the gates, seeing the three walking through, instantly worried when she saw how worn Sora looked, but he still opened his arms and she wrapped herself around him. "Let's get you to bed," she murmured, and he nodded tiredly.

"But we have ta," Donald started.

"Sleep," Leon cut in as he walked over, scanning Sora and frowning. "You two okay to make it?" he asked, and she nodded, manoeuvring Sora's arm over her shoulder.

"Thanks," she told Leon before starting to walk, heading for the apartment they'd been given. As soon as they were inside, she got him into the bathroom and turned the taps on, hearing the rustle as Sora tiredly stripped. "Did you sleep at all?" she asked in concern.

"Not much," he admitted even as she looked him over for any injuries. He caught her hand and pulled her close to kiss before rubbing his cheek against hers. "I'm okay, just tired."

"And in desperate need of a soak so get in."

"Yes ma'am," he teased before getting into the tub, slumping as his body changed.

"Want company?" she asked, and he trilled in response, so she stripped and got in as well, relaxing as he wrapped his arms around her, smiling when she felt his body grow lax in sleep only minutes later.

His condition really worried her. He'd been gone six days, the longest he'd been away from the sea, obviously the ship didn't have a bathtub, but it looked like he hadn't managed time in the water in the World they'd gone to either. That was not good at all, and it made her really worried for Riku, if he couldn't get to water soon…

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Riku sat in the bottom of the shower, arms wrapped around his legs, head tipped back, and eyes closed as the water fell over him. He…he wanted to go home, wanted to swim in the sea with Sora, play on the beach with Kairi, sleep under the stars together like they had when they were little, and no one cared they were friends.

He wasn't sleeping well, and he figured it was because he wasn't used to sleeping in a bed, surrounded by so much stone. He was dreaming but he didn't remember them when he'd wake. He'd met Maleficent's companions, and they had all denied having seen Kairi or Sora but had promised to look when able but…there was something about them that he didn't trust, especially Ursula. How could she be on land and yet in that form? The way she looked at him made his skin crawl. His head felt…fuzzy, lack of water?

Maleficent had offered him training and he'd agreed, why? He didn't trust her, so why had he agreed?

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Yuffie let herself into the apartment, it probably wasn't exactly the right thing to do, but Leon had said Sora looked pretty rough and she was worried…so seeing the bed unused was confusing, but the bathroom door was shut. She crept over and pressed her ear to it, hearing the sounds of someone almost snoring, covering her mouth to keep from laughing. Still…. sleeping in the bath wasn't exactly safe. She went to knock but then grinned and opened the door, ready to surprise and tease the two only to stop and stare, confused by what she was seeing. What the… she gasped and incandescent blue eyes snapped open, mouth opening in a hiss, and Yuffie backed away, eyes wide.

"Mmm, Sora?" Kairi mumbled, pushing herself up, showing she was naked in the water, and giving Yuffie an even better view of Sora…how could that really be him?

The brown spikey hair was the same but the rest…what was he? His skin had taken on a slight bluish tint and there were bits that seemed to shimmer in the light. The eyes watching her were glowing slightly and the colour was a darker blue too. The hand gripping the edge of the bath and not wrapped around Kairi revealed changes there as well, though she couldn't quite figure it out. But the biggest change…

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Sora hissed, holding Kairi closer protectively, unable to really do anything else. He blinked away the sleep to see Yuffie staring at him with wide eyes and his hand gripped the edge of the bath, hard enough he could feel the metal begin to warp slightly. When Kairi mumbled his name and began to life up, he rubbed his thumb into the base of her spine gently and she quickly dropped back down, knowing the signal, one of a million they'd devised over the years.

He could feel Yuffie staring at his tail and couldn't help another warning hiss, which had Kairi stroking his cheek.

"It's okay Sora," she murmured, nuzzling at him.

He usually wasn't troubled too much by the Mer's instincts but with them both vulnerable and in a place he didn't consider very safe it was a lot harder. Thankfully, Kairi seemed to realise that.

"Yuffie leave the bathroom and shut the door."

"Kairi…"

"We'll explain but you're setting off all his protective instincts. He'd never hurt me but right now you're a threat. Just wait in the other room, please."

Sora was relieved when she nodded and backed away, closing the door. He focused on Kairi, and she let him settle himself by checking her over, nuzzling her. She kissed him softly, not having to be as careful as she would with Riku when they found him. He clung to her, calling softly in distress, and she stroked his back, careful of his dorsal fins.

What would Yuffie do now that she knew he wasn't human? Yeah, Donald and Goofy weren't, but they were one species, they didn't change forms and stuff.

"Shh Sora, Yuffie won't try to hurt either of us," Kairi whispered, even as she pulled the plug, letting the cold water drain and he clicked in concern for her. He wasn't exactly warm and cuddly in his current form after all and…yeah, she had goosebumps. "I'm fine, I'll use a potion to make sure I won't get sick," she promised as she got out and wrapped a towel around herself.

Sora closed his eyes, feeling his body change, legs replacing his tail, letting him get up as well. He felt a lot better than he had the night before, back to normal thankfully. He'd had to make do with splashing water on his face and upper body occasionally while they'd been in Wonderland, and it hadn't been enough. He stood up, stumbling slightly, but Kairi steadied him, and he got out, drying off to dress. Kairi hugged him and he hugged her back, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Love you," he whispered, and she smiled brightly.

"Love you too."

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Yuffie watched them emerge from the bathroom, Sora back to how she had expected him to look, their hands tightly interwoven and blue eyes wary as he watched her. Did…did he think she'd hurt him? She went and sat on the edge of the bed; hands folded to show she wouldn't do anything.

Kairi gently tugged Sora further into the room, leaning against him and he wrapped his arm back around her waist. They were so cute together!

"Please don't tell anyone!" Sora suddenly begged, and Yuffie stared at him in surprise. Was that what he was scared of?

"Of course not," she promised. It wasn't her secret to tell after all.

"Thank you," Kairi smiled at her, and then began to coax Sora into explaining the basics.

It wasn't like she'd never met someone who wasn't human, she'd met Donald and Goofy after all. But she didn't think she'd met someone who was half human before, most Worlds with other species didn't seem like they'd be able to have kids with humans. How hard must it be to be half in each society while not really belonging to either? It also explained their desperation to find their friend, he was a Merman and could only go without being in water for so long. Most Worlds had ponds if not rivers but then he ran the risk of being spotted and attacked by those scared of something different, especially with the Heartless around.

She wished there was more she could do to help. The fact Sora refused to tell Donald and Goofy made things harder, they wouldn't understand his need for water but there she could help by dropping a word in Cid's ear, he'd have that ship upgraded fast with a proper bunk room and shower, poor kid trying to sleep in a chair on long trips! Ouch. That should at least help Sora cope better. How to find a bigger bath for them without letting on why?

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Riku panted, lowering the weapon Maleficent had given him. She had been right, it made using magic easier. He just wanted to leave and find the others, he had to find them soon. What if Sora was cut off from water? Even he could only last so long in that case.

"You are doing well Riku," she praised him, and…it felt good. Someone finally seeing…he shook his head, no, that wasn't right. "You have done enough for the day, go, rest for the night."

He nodded; he was exhausted. Soul Eater vanished and he stumbled to his room, collapsing on the bed and falling into a deep sleep, not realising she had followed him.

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Maleficent ran her fingers over the orb in her staff. He was proving even more stubborn than she had expected, she had not thought she would need to cast the spell again and yet she was. She put more power between it this time, seeing him shift uneasily, brow creased, fingers clutching the blanket beneath him. Until she was sure he would follow orders she could not risk sending him to another World, not alone at least.

He had yet to summon the Keyblade either, it was why she had given him the blade. It would also help link him deeper to the Darkness since it thrived off of it. So far, he was proving more of a hassle than a help, she hoped Ansem knew what he was doing, she would not let anything stan in the way of her plans.

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Herc watched the kid who wanted into the games curiously. That weapon…he remembered years ago seeing others like it. If he was anything like them then he'd be fine. Still, there was something else about him that he couldn't quite figure out. He shrugged it off and went back to his own work in preparation. Hades did love crashing the tournaments after all.

TBC….