Atlantica Part 1

This is a re-write of chapter 8. If you miss the old version it can be found in a separate story titled Process Works and Deleted Chapters: I Can Only Hold On For So Long. I felt that the pacing for this world needed a big adjustment, so I took a step back, re-arranged the order of scenes I liked and added a bunch of extra stuff. Hopefully you agree that the changes were worth it!

See the end of the chapter for notes.

Sora neglected to mention that they wouldn't be underwater on their visit to Atlantica.

"What do you mean we're landing on the beach?" Riku asked from the pilot's chair. They were just entering the atmosphere, and Riku had been angling for the water when Sora had corrected him.

"We've gotta go to the castle to meet up with Ariel," the younger boy explained.

Kairi gave Sora a funny look. "I thought you said she was a mermaid?"

"Well…" he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "She was, but now she's a human. She and Prince Eric are in love, so her dad transformed her so they could be together."

"So we don't need the blending in spell, is what you're saying?" Riku clarified.

"Oh," Sora shook his head. "No, we don't. We're good as is."

"I was excited to be a mermaid," Kairi complained. Riku privately agreed with her.

They parked the gummi ship in a small empty cove, then walked along the beach until they reached the castle. Sora kept darting on ahead, challenging Riku to race and splashing both him and Kairi with sea foam when the opportunity presented itself.

The castle lay on the edge of the capital city. It was a grand building with white plaster facades and round red tile roofs. Many-colored flags adorned gilded posts atop almost every tower. An anchored ship with furled blue sails sat in the heart of the structure, surrounded by buildings on three sides and the open ocean on the fourth. Sora, Riku and Kairi entered through the walled courtyard to the front, striding up to the gates as if they owned the place. The guards on either side expected the trio of teenagers to stop and say something, but Sora just shoved the doors open and walked right in before they'd even had a chance to process what was happening.

Of course, they immediately scrambled to intercept them, brandishing swords. "State your business!" one guard growled. He pointed his sword meaningfully at Sora, who backed up a step but didn't lose his smile.

"We're friends of Ariel's. We came to visit her."

The other guard glowered at him. "Be respectful when speaking of the Princess!" he snapped. He'd barely gotten the sentence out when a blur of red hair and green dress rushed between them.

"Sora!" Ariel exclaimed, rushing forward and grabbing both of his hands. "It's so good to see you!" She didn't give him a chance to answer, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she peered around him. "Where are Donald and Goofy?"

Sora chuckled. "It's great to see you too, Ariel! These are my best friends, Riku and Kairi. Donald and Goofy had other stuff to take care of, so they couldn't come with me this time."

"That's a shame, but I'm so glad you finally found your other friends!" Ariel let go of his hands to first shake Riku, then Kairi's hands. "I'm Ariel. It's nice to finally meet you! Sora's told me so much about you." She grinned, elbowing the boy in question. "You're pretty much all he talks about."

Sora scowled at her for all of half a second, then they both burst out laughing, in on some sort of joke that went right over Riku and Kairi's heads.

Eric reached the group at a much calmer pace. Hearing him approach, Ariel turned around and finally noticed the guards. In a moment, she shifted from bubbly teenager to practiced monarch, straightening her stance and saying calmly, "At ease, gentlemen. These three are my guests. You may return to your posts." The guards bowed stiffly and stalked off, closing the gate behind them. Then Ariel was suddenly child-like again, dashing the few steps to Eric's side and draping herself adoringly on his arm. "Eric, you remember Sora?" she asked once they'd reached the group. "These are his friends, Riku and Kairi. This is my husband, Prince Eric."

"Of course I remember," Eric replied, letting go of Ariel's arm to shake Sora's hand. "It's great to see you again, Sora. And a pleasure to meet you too, Riku, Kairi," he added, shaking their hands as well. They smiled, greeting him in turn. Ariel looped her arm back through his as soon as he was done. He smiled fondly at her.

"Sorry we missed the wedding," Sora offered a little sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ariel waved him off. "It's all right," she said breezily. "I'm just glad you stopped by to see us again." Leaning in, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Are you here on official Keybearer business?"

Riku and Kairi exchanged a look, eyebrows raised. She definitely wasn't supposed to know about that, but Sora didn't even bat an eye. He just shook his head, saying, "We mostly just came to say hi."

"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like," Eric replied. "We're forever grateful for your help dealing with Ursula."

Sora grinned, swiping a finger under his nose. "Don't mention it."

"Has Sora told you that story?" Ariel asked, eyes bright.

"A little," Kairi replied.

"It's hard to believe she's really gone," Riku murmured absently, lost in thought for a moment. He'd hated that obnoxious sea witch.

Ariel and Eric exchanged a look. "Did you know her?" Ariel asked.

"Prince Eric stabbed her in the stomach with King Triton's trident!" Sora cut in quickly, talking over the tail end of Ariel's question to save Riku from having to answer. Riku shot him a grateful look while Eric rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Ariel chuckled at him, leaning into his side.

"How sweet!" Kairi chimed, holding her arms behind her back and smiling at the clearly besotted couple. Eric wasn't quite sure what to make of her finding life-saving violence adorable.

It was quickly decided that Ariel wanted to show the three of them her new kingdom. Eric offered to give them a tour by carriage, which they were happy to accept. Ariel was less enthused about the idea after he insisted on driving.

"I broke the front axel last time," she informed Kairi in a whisper. Kairi was privately glad that Ariel wasn't at the reins. Her first impression of the older girl wasn't the most flattering. She seemed… well, not terribly smart, if Kairi was being honest. Her uncharitable opinion was not helped by the way Sora and Ariel effortlessly ran the conversation, trading snippets of songs and wedding snafus as if they'd been close friends forever.

"So what else is new with you?" Ariel asked.

Sora shrugged, "Not much."

Riku rolled his eyes, "You know, aside from saving the worlds." His sarcastic tone made Kairi giggle.

"Oh yeah…" Sora rubbed the back of his neck again, ducking his head.

"Sora!" Ariel chastised, laughing. "That sounds pretty important! What happened?"

Sora glanced at Riku and Kairi, unsure how to answer. Riku simply raised an eyebrow, inlining his head just a little as if to say "So… tell them about it." Kairi shifted in her seat, looking uncomfortable. Sora rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh… well, you know, just… Keyblade stuff," he muttered, shrugging and giving Ariel an unconvincing smile.

She could practically hear the sigh on Riku's face and wasn't surprised at all when he clarified.

"We stopped an evil man with oversized ambitions from achieving his goals."

"What was he trying to do?" Eric asked over his shoulder.

"Remake the worlds," Sora said quietly.

"By destroying them first," Kairi added, staring at her hands in her lap.

"You dealt with him by yourselves?" Ariel asked, concerned. They were younger than her, and most of the time she was stressed just dealing with life at court. She knew Sora was capable of great things but still… it seemed like a lot for the three of them to handle.

Sora leapt in right away, shaking his head, "Of course not! All of our friends helped - Donald and Goofy and their King, plus a bunch of others I haven't told you about. We all did it together." He spread his arms wide behind Riku and Kairi, emphasizing their teamwork, then leaned back in his seat, smiling. To his left, Riku stared at the scenery, expression telling of just how hard that task had been. On the right, Kairi wouldn't meet Ariel's eyes.

Eric glanced over his shoulder for a moment, taking in their expressions. "I'm glad you're all okay," he said sincerely. "Thank you for defending us."

"Of course," Sora replied immediately, and for a moment his smile dropped to something more grim before he picked it up again. "Riku and I did this crazy test thing too, before the big fight. He's a Master now," he bragged, elbowing the other boy.

"Sora slept through his exam," Riku snarked, smirking back at him.

"Oh, Sora!" Ariel teased, giggling.

"Congratulations, Riku," Eric added.

"We should celebrate!" Ariel offered, grinning. "Eric's been teaching me a new dance, and I could use an excuse to practice." She leaned over to Sora, adding, "It's a lot harder than I imagined when I had fins."

"Fins were a lot harder than I expected, too."

Ariel laughed. "You know none of us believed you about the water being different, right?"

"Hey! I couldn't come up with anything better," he protested.

Eric cut in, "Do you want to have a gala?" he asked, then to Ariel, "We've got that treaty signing coming up. That could work as an excuse."

"Would you want to, Riku?" she asked.

He looked at Sora and Kairi. Sora was grinning, eyes lit up, and Kairi had a wistful smile on her face. When Riku didn't answer right away, she said, "We have to celebrate together. The cake you two had at Master Yen Sid's without me doesn't count!"

"It could be fun," he admitted.

"Then let's do it!" Ariel declared. The rest of the carriage ride was spent gushing over plans. It was immediately decided that they would be knighting Riku, since they couldn't exactly list "attaining the Mark of Mastery" as the official reason behind the event.

Dealing with Ariel's heritage had been a challenge for the royal couple - they couldn't straight out say he'd married a mermaid princess. So they had come up with a fictional country for Ariel to be a part of - the island kingdom of Atlas. Official maps were made with a nonexistent island placed in the exact spot Ariel's actual home was located. She and her father coordinated trade. They prevented curious locals from traveling there by saying the island was closed off to foreigners, so no one would discover the ruse. So far, it had been working all right.

For the party, Sora, Riku and Kairi would be presented as Atlasian nobility with the knighting ceremony itself sealing a military treaty King Triton, Ariel, Eric, and Eric's counsel had been working on anyway.

The next two weeks were going to be a flurry of activity as decorations, music, entertainment, food and clothing all had to be decided on, ordered, and then prepared. None of the three teenagers had anything "proper" to wear, especially not Kairi - a fact that made her press her knees together, anxiously smoothing out her short skirt. Eric was also willing to provide etiquette lessons for the three of them, since their world's manners were certain to be different from his own.

However, before getting anything started, the couple insisted on treating their guests to a cozy dinner, warm baths, and a good night's rest. The teens swung by the gummi ship to get their stuff, then reconvened at the castle for dinner. The four-course meal seemed lavish to the three islanders, but Eric and Ariel considered it a simple affair, with the highlight of the dinner being a hearty brussels sprouts and kale dish called Boerenkool and some sausage made from Eric's last hunting trip.

Following dinner, Eric went to show the boys to their rooms. Sora was placed in a suite in Ariel and Eric's wing that would one day belong to their children. For now, it was a cozy guest room for dear friends. And Riku, officially the guest of honor, was given their best suite. It was easily double the size of Sora's room, with a grand bed, intricately tiled bathroom, and a sitting room filled with plush chairs and books.

Meanwhile, Ariel guided Kairi to the castle's most luxurious bathroom.

"You can borrow some of my gowns until we get some made for you," the princess was saying, leading Kairi by the arm. "We're pretty similar in size, so it should be fine."

Too similar, Kairi thought traitorously. She wished her hair was lighter and long again. Ariel's brilliant locks had a volume she'd never been able to manage. Even on land they almost seemed to float around her. She felt dim and childish in comparison to the bubbly, beautiful woman beside her. Not to mention distinctly less curvy, though the difference was much greater in her mind than in reality.

The ex-mermaid was still talking. "I've got a purple dress that I think will look beautiful on you. Sora especially should like it." She winked at the younger girl. Kairi turned bright pink, eyes widening.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" she mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and studying the floor as they walked.

Ariel laughed. "Oh c'mon, Kairi - I know how he feels about you," she explained, elbowing her gently. Catching Kairi's eye, she gave her a big smile. "You two are sweet."

"Thanks," Kairi replied, managing to give a small smile in return. She rubbed her right arm reflexively, hating the churning in her stomach and the heat in her ears and cheeks. Her guide watched her for a moment, then turned her attention to where they were going, humming contentedly. After a few bars, Ariel decided to pose another question.

"So Sora and Riku are Keybearers… are you one too?"

"Yes," Kairi replied instantly, looking up in slight surprise at the question. "Though I haven't been one for as long as they have."

"I always thought Sora was the only one," Ariel mused, still smiling. "He never mentioned anyone else having a Keyblade. I would've asked for one myself if I'd known!" She laughed, and Kairi found herself chuckling too.

"I don't think it's that simple. Sora's a special case. But, you don't really want to leave here now, would you? Keyblade wielders travel a lot."

"Hmmm, that's true. I couldn't really leave now that Eric and I are married. He needs my help with my father, and I do like it here. It's a whole other world to me. Still, it sounds fun."

Kairi pondered that for a moment. "Seeing new worlds is fun. All the three of us ever wanted to do was travel together. When we were younger, we built a raft, but I don't know why we thought that would get us anywhere." She chuckled behind her hand. "We were just dumb kids back then."

"Not that dumb," Ariel replied, still smiling. "That's pretty much what you three are doing now. Well, minus the raft," she added with a grin. That earned another small laugh from Kairi.

"Sora said you fight with magic too. Where did you learn?"

It was Ariel's turn to look surprised at the change of topic. "Magic runs in my family, though none of us are very good without Daddy's trident. I got a lot better running around with Sora. What magic can you use?"

"To get ready for our fight with Xehanort — that fight we were telling you about earlier — I trained with a wizard and a man named Lea who had also recently been given a Keyblade. I learned all kinds of things from both of them. Magic's actually what I'm best at," she added, self-consciously looking away and tucking her arms behind her back.

"Really? That's amazing!" Ariel gushed. "You'll have to teach me something new while you're here. And maybe I know a thing or two your wizard didn't."

"That sounds like fun," Kairi agreed. As she said it, Ariel pulled open the heavy wooden door that led to the tower bath. It was a round room lined with windows that faced the ocean. Two shallow staircases surrounded the sunken marble tub. A delicately carved stone fish fountain burbled between them, pouring steaming water into the clouds of foamy bubbles on the bath's surface. Stained glass lanterns lit the space with an amber glow, and Kairi was amazed at all the stars she could see through the windows since there was no moon tonight. They were high enough up she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her.

"Here's soap and a towel," Ariel said, pointing to amenities on the edge of the pool. "Pull this cord and Carlotta will come and show you your room. You relax and enjoy, all right?"

"Thank you, Ariel," Kairi replied with a smile. The older girl beamed at her.

"I can't wait to get to know you better, Kairi. Get a good night's sleep okay?"

"I will," Kairi replied earnestly. "Good night!"

But when it came time to sleep, Kairi couldn't manage it. She was in the room Ariel originally stayed in when she got legs. The bed was softer than any imagined cloud, with big fluffy pillows and a warm, cozy quilt. The ocean's gentle susurrus wafted through the open windows, doing its best to lull her to rest. She'd blown out all the candles and hugged Violet and a few other stuffed animals close. Her pajamas wouldn't sit right, and even though the curtains were open, the new moon made the night oppressively dark. The creaking of the castle kept frightening her, making her sit up and clutch her necklace, right palm itching. For a split second, she thought she heard Vanitus's voice, calling to her from the beach, but she'd imagined it.

Her stomach churned as her mind kept bringing up sudden, horrible thoughts. She didn't like not knowing where the boys were, what they were doing. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw pairs of haunting yellow ones burning back at her - Saïx's, Xehanort's, Xemnas's. Her right wrist ached in remembered pain, and she kept rubbing it even though the bruises had faded away weeks ago.

You're safe, you're safe; they're fine, it's fine. Everything's okay, she tried telling herself.

Unhelpfully her train of thought answered back, But what if it's not? What if something's already gone wrong, and you're too late? Something horrible could happen and you wouldn't even know. They wouldn't even tell you.

Kairi curled up tighter around her pillow and pulled out her gummi phone. Maybe pictures or a round of Classic Kingdom games would distract her.

Riku wasn't sleeping either. Unlike Kairi, he was used to not being able to sleep and had a bit of a routine. His Keyblade was out and he was running drills, passing through forms King Mickey had taught him while they traveled together. The routine, the repetition, the movement itself calmed him.

Well, usually calmed him. Tonight it wasn't working like it normally did. Frustrated, he tried and failed to come up with a good reason why. Maybe he'd gotten too used to having Sora and Kairi next to him, safe and sound. He had made a habit of waking up in the middle of the night and cloaking himself in silence and shadows to walk over and make sure they were still breathing.

Now he didn't know which rooms they were in or how to get to them.

They're fine, he told himself for the millionth time. You'd know if there was darkness here.

But it didn't help.

So, finally, he sent his Keyblade away and pulled out his phone.

You awake? he texted the two of them.

Sora hadn't even bothered trying to sleep. He'd only managed to the night before because he could smell them. (Though if you asked him, he would deny that thatwas the reason.) Here, he was back to his regular human nose, and while that was mostly a good thing, he knew sleep was out of the question. So at the first opportunity he'd scrambled out of his window and gone running on the beach.

The sound of the waves and the sand under his shoes felt like home. He sprinted, full out, up and down along the shore until his lungs burned and his eyes watered. As he ran, he noticed a strange blue glow on the horizon. At first he thought it was the moon, but it wasn't round, and it wasn't in the right spot for what time it was, and that blue was not the right color for the moon here.

Whatever it was, it was really far away. He decided to ignore it, and then was irritated when he kept noticing it out of the corners of his eyes.

Finally, his aching lungs and shaking limbs forced him to stop. He pulled out his gummi phone, so he had something else to think about, since he couldn't keep running. There was a text message chain waiting for him.

Riku: You awake?

Kairi: Yeah

Kairi: Why?

Riku: After yesterday I figured it was worth a shot. Where are you?

Kairi: I'm in the tower of the north wing, I think. Carlotta talks really quickly.

Riku: I'm in the north wing too. Is Sora with you?

Kairi: No. He's not with you?

Riku: No. Bet you 5000 munny he's asleep.

Kairi: I doubt that…

Kairi: Fine, I guess you're on!

Riku: Deal

Kairi: So why are you awake?

Riku didn't get a chance to answer before Sora's text came through.

Sora: Im not asleep!

Kairi: Yes! Riku you owe me 5000 munny!

Riku: Fine, fine. You two should head to my room.

Sora: Ok where is it?

Kairi: Scroll up a little bit, Sora

Sora: I did! The north wing doesnt really tell me much other than what side of the castle its on

Riku: It's the room with double doors near the tower.

Kairi: Oh, you're really close then.

Riku: See you soon

Sora: Itll take me a minute - Im on the beach

Kairi: Why are you on the beach?

Sora: …

He typed one reply, then deleted it. His second attempt was worse. He was at the castle by then anyway, so he pocketed his phone and took a few deep breaths before sprinting back up the building's plaster sides, through his window, and into his room. Still winded from running on the beach, he leaned against his bedroom wall, sliding down it until he was sitting on the floor. It took way longer than he would have liked before he could stand up and go find Riku's room.

Kairi had been at Riku's door before she'd even read his "See you soon" text. He'd opened it as she'd lifted her hand to knock and for a moment in the dark she'd been frightened. His eyes were hooded, and she caught a faint whiff of sweat as she passed him to step inside the room. Probably training, she thought and wondered why she hadn't had that idea. Lea had better luck sleeping after running drills too.

Without really speaking, they both headed through the sitting room into the bedroom. The buzz of their gummi phones receiving Sora's text made Kairi jump. Riku shot her an odd look as he pulled out his phone. When he saw her start typing, he put it away. They both stood at the foot of the bed, Kairi all the way to the left, Riku on the right.

"No response?" Riku asked after a long pause.

Kairi shook her head. "He was typing, but he must have deleted it." She glanced between Riku and the bed, then climbed on it, sitting on top of the clearly untouched blankets. Riku stayed where he stood.

He watched her as she shifted, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs to hold them in place. She glanced out the window - looking for Sora, he guessed. He tried to ignore the way her pajama shorts rucked up under her legs and the way her hair fell on her shoulders. It had grown a few inches since she'd come back. That was good. Dead people's hair didn't grow.

She felt his eyes and glanced away from the window at him. His gaze flinched away from her, so she looked down at her knees. Riku checked his phone. Still nothing from Sora.

"So you couldn't sleep either?" Kairi finally managed. Her tone was hesitant and heavy, despite her best efforts to keep it light.

"No," Riku answered simply. "What's keeping you up?"

"I don't sleep well in new places." It was most of the truth, if not all of it. She looked out the window again.

"Heh. Me neither." After a moment, he settled on the edge of the bed, folding one leg underneath him.

Kairi turned to watch him and found herself wondering for the hundredth time where he learned to be so careful and quiet. Naminé would know, she thought. She had no idea where the sudden conviction came from. Riku was one of the things they had avoided talking about.

He couldn't stand her silence or the questions in her eyes, so he checked his phone again.

Kairi saw his frown deepen, and his jaw tighten just a hair. "I'm sure he's fine," she said, trying to be soothing.

"Something's off about him," Riku replied, glancing back up at her. There was a test in the words - had she noticed what he had? She didn't particularly like the implication, but she was saved from answering by the sound of the door opening.

"Guys?" they heard Sora call from the dark sitting room.

"In here," Riku replied. A few seconds later Sora entered the room. Thinking fast, Riku chucked a pillow at him. "Took you long enough."

Sora caught the pillow and whipped it back, harder than Riku had. The older boy caught it one-handed, right in front of his face. Grumbling, Sora crawled onto the bed in-between his two friends and flopped on his back. Kairi watched him, and he looked away when their eyes met.

"Why were you on the beach?" she asked again.

Sora shrugged and gave her a big grin, "Just homesick, I guess."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "You're who wanted to come here."

"I wanted to come too," Kairi threw out, frowning at Riku. They stared each other down for a moment until he looked away.

"We all wanted to come. I didn't mean it like that."

Sora propped himself up on his elbows, looking between his two friends. "Everything okay?"

"Just tired," Kairi supplied. Silence settled over the bed as all three of them refused to look at each other.

Sora finally ventured, "Should we go to sleep then?"

"Here?" Riku asked.

"Why not?" Sora asked, shrugging.

Riku could think of a couple of good reasons, all of them starting and ending in places he didn't want to continue contemplating. Curling up together in the gummi ship or a vacant lot was one thing… in a castle full of staff was another. He'd caught the disapproving look Carlotta had shot at Kairi's skirt, and she hadn't been the only one. People would talk. He glanced at Kairi, hoping she would say it so he didn't have to.

Kairi wasn't having any of it. She frowned at him, throwing back the blankets and scrambling under them. Her eyes were set and stubborn and he knew arguing was pointless. Some part of his heart twinged a little, fond of her confidence and continuously marveling that she was here.

Sora watched Riku, not sure what to make of his and Kairi's silent argument. Catching Sora's eye, Riku sighed and shook his head. "Might as well," he finally said. Sora shuffled backwards until he could slide under the covers too. Riku went around blowing out the last of the candles before he climbed in next to him.

The bed was definitely not made for three people. Kairi shifted to lay on her side, facing away from the boys, and had to carefully negotiate not falling off the edge. Sora kept his arms and feet tucked in close, not wanting to bump into either of them. Next to him Riku did the same, hyper aware of the knife-blade thin space between them. But exhaustion won out over nerves. Sora fell asleep first, body practically yanking his brain under with how much he'd worn himself out. Listening to his steady breathing lulled Riku next, and Kairi wasn't far behind him.

When they were awakened in the morning, everything had shifted.

Ariel ended up being the one to wake them up. She'd gone looking for Kairi, carrying the purple dress she'd talked about letting her borrow last night. But, since Kairi wasn't in her room, it took a lot of asking the night staff if they'd seen her. Finally, one of the watchmen admitted he had seen the young women in an embarrassing state of undress heading towards Riku's room. Already mortified at the implications for their young guest, he did not mention noticing Sora walking the same way not long after. The reasoning for his cagey answers went right over Ariel's head, like most of this kingdom's rules about sex and clothes and what was appropriate for women. She simply hadn't been raised that way, and couldn't summon a good reason to care about most of it. She tolerated what she had to for Eric's sake.

Still, she wasn't expecting to see the three teenagers tangled together in Riku's bed. Kairi and Sora were facing each other, with Sora wrapped around one of Kairi's outstretched arms. His feet were folded over Riku's. The silver-haired teen had woken up at the sound of the door opening and was propped up on one elbow, tense and ready. Still, it wasn't hard to gather from where he was that he'd been curled up against Sora's back a minute ago. At least, Ariel noticed, they all appeared to still be wearing clothes.

"Sorry," she whispered, "I brought this for Kairi." She laid the dress over a chair and awkwardly backed out, glancing away from Riku's eerie stare.

In all honesty he wasn't trying to glare at her; he was barely awake.

The door shutting behind Ariel woke Kairi up. She moved to stretch, but stopped when she realized that Sora was hugging her arm. Face bright pink, she carefully extricated herself. Riku watched over his sleeping friend's shoulders, amused at the knowledge that Sora absolutely wouldn't wake up. Once she was free, Kairi grabbed her pillow and swatted him, which only made his irritating grin bigger.

"What are you laughing at?" she hissed, face still red.

"He could sleep through a hurricane," Riku answered, poking Sora's shoulder to prove his point.

"And your point is?"

"Go get dressed," he said, sliding out of the bed and into the bathroom.

That boy was a snake in another life, Kairi thought savagely, irritated at his grace and his bed-head free hair and the exhaustion hanging off of her shoulders and dragging down her eyelids. Still, she gathered up the purple dress and stalked back to her room. It was far heavier than clothes had any right to be, and she dreaded putting it on.

It took Kairi almost forty minutes to get into the damn purple dress. Without tags she wasn't sure which way was what, and there was just so much fabric. Then there was the matter of how stiff the silk was - she could only get into it from one direction and that was not the first or even the second way she tried. Eventually, Ariel came looking for her again. A lot of struggling and plenty of swearing later, they decided to get Carlotta to help.

Despite their apparent similarities, some alterations were necessary if Kairi was going to attend breakfast appropriately dressed. Mainly, the seams of the sleeves had to be cut open so that Kairi's arms could fit through them. She had considerably more muscle mass than the wispy erstwhile mermaid the dress had been made for. She was mortified, but Ariel insisted that it was nothing to be ashamed of. After all, she did spend a considerable amount of time swinging around a huge metal sword.

"I'll show you - let me lift it," she pressed.

"You won't be able to," Kairi stated, not talking about the Keyblade's heft. Carlotta shifted the dress on her, then started tying the strips of fabric into the neatest bows she could manage, leaving the excess to trail rather romantically behind the Princess of Heart.

Ariel wouldn't be dissuaded. "Let me try!"

Sighing, Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace. She gripped it by the blade to hold it out to Ariel handle first. Eyes alight, Ariel grasped the handle with both hands, ready for the weight. Kairi let go, and the mermaid didn't even have enough time to rebalance before the Keyblade flashed, teleporting from her hands back to Kairi's.

"That's amazing!" she enthused, still staring at her empty hands. "What spell did you use for that?"

"It's part of the Keyblade's magic, not mine. They can only be wielded by their person."

"That would have come in handy," Ariel mused, thinking that Ursula would have been much easier to deal with if the Trident had such a spell. "Oh! We're going to miss breakfast - c'mon!" She grabbed Kairi's hand and dashed from the room. The Keyblade wielder couldn't help but laugh as she tore after her.

When they reached the dining room, Ariel stopped them short, turning to smooth out Kairi's hair.

"There. Perfect," she said, grinning at the younger girl. Kairi ducked her head, blushing a little. She was suddenly very nervous about the boys' reactions. It's just a dress, she reminded herself. They probably won't even notice.

Ariel swept into the room before her, hurrying to her seat so she could see Sora and Riku's faces. When she caught Eric's eye, she gave him an over-exaggerated wink that made him smile and shake his head at her. The boys watched the door, concerned about what had taken so long.

Kairi walked in much more slowly, hesitant for reasons she still didn't understand. The black and white checkered marble was cold on her bare feet, and the sensation seemed to travel straight up her spine. She was glad the skirt hid that detail at least. She and Ariel had completely forgotten the issue of footwear until it was far too late, and they were definitely not the same size. Biting her lip, she grasped her right forearm as she made her way to her seat. The massive dining table sat in an even more massive room, and the journey to the far end where they all were eating felt like it was taking an age. She caught Sora's eye and felt her ears burn as her whole face flushed.

Stunned was a bit of an understatement for the expression on Sora's face. Somewhere in the back of his head, his train of thought was making a flatline noise. He tried to keep his eyes on Kairi's, but the dress's swooping, embroidered neckline wasn't helping. Neither was the way she was holding her arms, which pressed certain things together and up, creating a deeper cleft just barely visible above the stitched flowers and seed pearls.

Kairi didn't know what to make of how his eyes kept flicking up and down, so she decided to look at Riku instead. His face was neutral, as usual, but in a careful way. The look in his eyes was sharp and focused and hers. She felt her stomach flip and the hair on her arms stand on end and she couldn't keep holding his gaze without feeling like the dress might just burn off her. That was a thought she couldn't let continue, and at this point she'd reached her chair anyway, so she looked down and took a seat, face burning, gut churning, don't-keep-thinking-that-thought yearning.

When they were little, it had been a foregone conclusion that she and Riku would end up together. On the rare occasions she had gotten the boys to play house with her, Riku was the dad and Sora was the baby or, at his insistence, the pet monkey. (Being the monkey's more fun! Babies can't climb trees!) As they'd gotten older and Riku had become more distant, this dynamic had shifted. She and Sora had grown closer, and she'd wondered what she'd seen in the aloof, sharp-eyed boy who could make even the lightest comment sting. But it was easy to forget all of that when he was looking at her like this.

She was supposed to feel this way about Sora. Only about Sora. She'd picked him; she liked him! So why couldn't she stop peeking at Riku out of the corners of her eyes?

They started eating in almost total silence, with all three of them barely able to swallow around the twisting butterflies in their stomachs. The air between them felt electric, like it had been laden with tiny thunder spells in advance. Under the table, Ariel gripped Eric's hand and drummed her feet, endlessly amused at the blushing teens. Eventually, though, she had mercy on them and struck up a conversation about music. This was enough distraction to fill the rest of breakfast. Following that, Eric whisked the boys off to practice dancing while Ariel and Carlotta took Kairi to her first of many dress fittings.

"That was fun," Ariel chuckled, smirking behind her hands.

"You're the worst," Kairi replied, holding back the urge to swat her. "Ever," she added when this failed to produce any remorse. Ariel just cackled louder.

They headed towards Ariel and Eric's suite of rooms. Their sitting room had been rearranged, with most of the seating either removed or pushed to the far corner of the room. By the bedroom door several of Ariel's gowns were hung from a coat stand, and a basket of sewing supplies was tucked unobtrusively next to it. On the cleared side stood three massive mirrors surrounding a round raised platform. Carlotta led Kairi over to it, offering her an unnecessary hand up. Equipping a cushion bristling with metal pins to her wrist, she began bustling around the young woman, pinning the purple dress she was currently wearing until it fit her much better. Kairi was uncertain of her brusque movements, but did as she was told while Ariel went to her closet to fish out more dresses. Occasionally, they'd hear a loud gasp and then she would dash back in, holding up her latest find and asking if Kairi would like it. While one or two options were full gowns, most were simpler affairs, with light skirts and normal necklines.

"What about this one?" Ariel asked, bouncing back into the room again. In her arms she carried a cream and gold dress with an overskirt, underskirt and full petticoat. Its neckline mirrored a scallop's shell, and between the full skirts and the puffed sleeves it looked massive.

Kairi tried and failed to keep her aversion off her face. "The skirt looks… heavy," she finally managed.

Ariel draped the dress over a chair, then flopped down sideways in the one next to it. "It is," she agreed, ignoring the look Carlotta was giving her. "Most of these dresses are. Clothes are so much heavier than I thought they would be."

"I never thought a dress could weigh so much," Kairi agreed.

"What you were wearing when you got here didn't look so bad."

Carlotta made a disapproving noise in the back of her throat, pinning a section of the gown's bodice with excessive force. Kairi was just glad she didn't prick her.

Ariel got the hint. "So what other worlds have you been to?"

"Oh, not that many, actually," Kairi said, glancing at the ceiling as she remembered them all. Most she would have rather forgotten. "Not nearly as many as Sora and Riku."

"What was your favorite?" Ariel pressed, shifting so that she could sit up and lean forward, eyes alight.

That required some thought. "Hmmm… probably a place called Twilight Town. It's a small world, but they have a beautiful sunset all the time. I can't wait to go back and see our friends that live there."

"Sunset all the time?" Ariel asked. "How do they sleep?"

Kairi laughed. "I don't know. I've never asked."

"Where else have you been?"

"Well, we just came from a big city called Zootopia. The citizens there are animals, but they all walk on two legs and wear clothes and do things like humans do. It took some adjusting."

"Weren't they confused by you?"

"Oh, no, I know a blending-in spell, so we were animals too. I was a lioness, Riku was a wolf, and Sora was a rabbit," She grinned, glancing over at Ariel to see her reaction. "He was tiny - he didn't even come up to my stomach… well, if you didn't count his ears."

"I wish I'd seen it! I can't even imagine how strange that would be… Why'd you pick a lioness?"

"I didn't - the spell uses the heart of the world to pick what you look like."

"Is that the same spell Sora used when he came here before?"

"Yes, but Sora doesn't know the spell. Donald did it for them."

"Of course he did," Ariel said with a grin, nodding. "I can't see Sora having the patience for that kind of magic."

"Me neither," Kairi agreed, turning at Carlotta's prodding. Satisfied, the head of house shooed the younger girl behind a screen where she carefully helped her out of the purple dress and into another of Ariel's gowns. Then, with her back in front of the mirrors, Carlotta began the fitting process all over again. Kairi felt like she was going to crawl out of her skin - holding certain positions was awkward and uncomfortable and she hated staring back at herself in a mirror. Thankfully, Ariel kept her pretty distracted with questions about the blending in spell, other magic and other worlds. Finally, the fittings were done, but they were still confined to the sitting room until Carlotta could finish a dress for Kairi to wear. So she sat with the two older women while they sewed.

"What was your home like?" Ariel asked, picking through spools of thread until she found the perfect shade of pink for the skirt in her lap.

"Destiny Islands? It's small but beautiful there. Everything's covered in trees and plants. Things there are so simple…" Kairi trailed off, staring at the intricate cornice lining the room without really seeing it.

"It sounds like a lovely place," Carlotta said soothingly. "Do you know how to sew, dear?"

Kairi shook her head. "No, ma'am, not clothes anyway," she admitted quietly.

"Here," the kindly woman leaned over, showing Kairi what she was doing. In no time, she had picked up enough to do some of the simpler alterations. Once she was settled, conversation resumed.

"I wish I could see your islands," Ariel said wistfully.

Kairi chuckled, "I wish I could see your home too! I was mad when Sora said we weren't going to get to be mermaids after all. He'd spent so long telling us about your world."

"Honestly, I miss home too. Flounder comes and talks to me sometimes, but I haven't seen Daddy and Sebastian in a long time. I even miss my sisters!" She laughed. "It would be nice to go back, just to visit."

"Couldn't your father transform you back?" Kairi asked.

"I mean, he could…" Ariel admitted, toying with the pinkie nail on one hand, "but I don't really want to ask him. I don't want him to think I regret my decision to stay here, you know?"

"That makes sense." For a moment, the girls returned their attention to their sewing. Still, Kairi couldn't quite suppress the desire to go see Ariel's home. "Ariel, what if we used the blending-in spell… on you?"

The other red-head looked up at her in surprise. "Would that work?"

"It's worth a try, isn't it?"

"Okay, let's do it!"

Carlotta cleared her throat. "Perhaps you could do it at a different time, Princess? Our guest needs clothes to wear until the dressmaker can make her some… and lunch is in an hour. Louis's prepared something really special for your friends."

"Oh, alright," Ariel relented, but she was smiling.

Notes:

Happy belated New Year everyone! I hope 2020 and the decade to come are full of things and people you love!

To ring in the new year I wanted to post this re-dux of chapter 8. Chapter 9 will be getting a re-write as well. I really appreciate everyone's kind comments and support throughout this hiatus. There's been a slow and steady trickle of kudos, likes, and favorites across here and on AO3 and it really brightens my day that people still care about this story even though I vanished for so long. Taking some time to really sit with the story and not worry about posting has given me some fresh perspective and I think will help make it a stronger narrative over-all. However, I have decided that I have to do this at my own pace, without the pressure of a posting schedule, as much as I hate to disappoint you guys. So I'm going to be posting chapters only after I finish the following chapter. I do have a bit of a lead going right now, but I still want to make sure I know what I'm doing and don't publish stuff before it's ready. I don't want to have to do this to you guys again!

Having said that, if you're missing the original chapters or the little hiatus blurb, those can still be found in another work! I decided to make a separate "story" to put that stuff in and also give you guys some process work as well, things I wrote but won't be actually using in the story itself. I already added one new thing over there, so please go check it out and enjoy! I hope to keep updating it as I go, but I won't be purposefully writing things for it, just adding stuff I've already made as it becomes safe to give to you. No spoilers, I promise!

Finally I would like to give a shoutout to everyone who favorited or followed the story while I was gone. You all are so sweet and I want to thank each of you by name. So thank you ninjagirl99204, Skylandy, and DebraLove!

Also a big BIG thank you to CeleneTheAngel, IanAlphaAxel, || Kairi ||, and supersandy220 for leaving reviews! I always appreciate anyone taking that extra step, and especially since they all came during a hiatus.

Thanks again, Happy New Year, and see you guys soon!