The waves of the ocean still tossed and turned somewhat violently from the collapsing ofthe castle, but everyone had already returned to safety. They were sitting on the ship, waiting and waiting for Ariel to resurface, hopefully with Keira... Goofy, like most of the people in their group, was staring over the side of the ship, hoping to get a glimpse of something, anything. "Gawrsh, do you think that Ariel will find her?"
Beside him, Riku was gripping the railing so tightly that his knuckles were white as he peered into the dark waters. "She couldn't have gone far."
"And, besides, Ariel's a mermaid. It's not like it would be hard to find her," added Sora.
Kairi sighed. "That wouldn't be a problem now, would it?" She sounded so uncharacteristically depressed that he turned to face her.
"What's wrong, Kai?"
"She took a lot of hits, Sora. Even if Ariel can find her in an instant, what if she's not..." trailed off Kairi, but the others got the gist of what she was (or was not) saying. They all considered it for a moment, but Sora was the first to shake his head and respond.
"Hey, if she's anything like me when I was looking for you and Riku, I'd say that we've got nothing to worry about." Riku snorted something about Keira's stubbornness rivaling Sora's, but Sora chose not to respond.
Roxas folded his arms over his chest. "She better be alright, at any rate."
Naminé, still wearing his jacket, turned to face him with a bewildered expression. "Why's that?"
Roxas grinned. "We need to seal up that keyhole permanently." Kairi and Naminé smacked his head and he added, in a slightly more mellow voice, "She'll be fine, guys. Calm down."
At the opposite end of the ship, Cloud had his eyes fixated on the ocean as well. "I've failed again to protect someone I've cared for."
Tifa shook her head as she invaded his personal space. "Cloud, you've seen that girl; she's like Yuffie. There's no way that she's not alright." Despite her words, she also stared uneasily at the setting sun. They had almost been in the world for twenty four hours now, and, during that time, spent maybe less than an hour in Keira's presence.
"How can you be-?"
Tifa cut him off, guessing the remainder of his sentence, "I'm not sure that she's okay. I'm hoping because I have faith in her." She nodded once, looking away from the sun and back at Cloud, her tired eyes intense with hope. "You should, too."
"The sunset over a sea is always so beautiful, the most beautiful thing in the world," mused Kairi, though she was not staring at the sunset; her eyes had returned to the ocean. Only Sora was beside her now, as the others had moved around to see if they could get a better view.
"You're wrong." His voice was so soft that she nearly missed him speaking at all.
She quirked an eyebrow, lifting her gaze to stare at him. "Excuse me?"
"The sunset over a sea is not the most beautiful thing in the world," he repeated.
With an amused smile upturning the corners of her lips, Kairi asked, "Then, what is?"
Sora only glanced at her for a moment before turning away, mumbling, "You are." His cheeks burned, but his blush was somewhat difficult to see. The cold had already made his cheeks quite pink.
The amusement dropped from Kairi's tone as she gasped, "What?"
Though he feared her reaction, he knew that he had to be honest, so he sat himself on the bottom of the stairs leading up to the steering wheel. "Kairi." The wheels in his head whirled as he attempted to put words to his thoughts and feelings. Unfortunately, this was not exactly his strong suit in these types of situations. Trying once again, he said, "Kairi, when we lost the Islands and I couldn't find you or Riku, I was so scared. When I saw you on Hook's ship without your heart, I was worried and I hated that Riku kept taking you away from me because I thought you'd be safer with me. Anyway, when Peter Pan finally taught me how to fly and I needed a happy thought, I thought of you. I thought of being with you and you being okay. Then... I could fly.
"And when Jack and Sally were dancing in Halloween Town, I thought of me and you. And then," He paused for a breath. "When we got to Hollow Bastion and I saw you lying there on the ground, I knew that I couldn't let anyone take your heart, though at the time I didn't know why." His voice was oddly soft. "After I defeated Ansem and you still weren't okay, I was so worried, until I knew your heart was within me. I didn't even hesitate when I knew the only way to release your heart was also to release mine. I just wanted you to be alright again."
"Sora..."
Sora shook his head. "I have to finish this or I never will. And then, just a while ago when I found out that Organization XIII had you, I..." Sora paused, his voice shaking. He had never told Kairi about this. In fact, he had made perfectly sure that only Goofy and Donald knew. "We were in the Radiant Garden and Xemnas had just disappeared. Axel came and told us that he had kidnapped you, but then he left because Saïx came. I..." Sora inhaled a steadying breath. "I begged him to take me through the darkness so I could see you. He told me to show him how much I wanted to see you, and so I got on the ground and bowed down to him."
Kairi gasped. If there was one thing she knew about Sora, it was that he never gave in to an enemy. She was about to say something, but then thought better of it and allowed him to continue. "When Kingdom Hearts closed on you and the King, I was actually relieved. I was afraid that I would lose you if you were to try to fight in the darkness so soon," he finished, his eyes returning to the sun. "I guess what I'm trying to say, Kairi, is that I care about you a lot; I love you."
Though, just a few moments ago, she thought she would not be happy for quite some time, she was amazed by the difference. With a warm smile on her face, she settled herself beside him on the stairs. "Sora, I never knew that you bowed down to Saïx just to get to me. He said I fueled your anger, and I hated being used like that," she reminisced. "Anyway, Sora, before I remembered who you were exactly back on the Islands when you had disappeared, I always felt like there was this huge hole in my heart. I was happy, but I knew there was something very big missing from my life. So when I finally remembered you, I was dedicated to see you because..." She forced her eyes to her feet, a blush burning her cheeks before she looked back at him. "Sora, I love you too." The two stared into the other's eyes, but they're were interrupted as Roxas slid down the railing.
"That took you two long enough." He stated, shaking his head. "I was worried you two would never get around to it."
"You're one to talk," glared Sora, furious about his Nobody ruining the moment. "What about you and Naminé?" Looking much more graceful than Roxas, Naminé slid down the railing, landing easily on her feet beside him as he put his around her waist.
"Sora, didn't Kairi tell you?" giggled Naminé. "Roxas and I have been together for a while."
Sora's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped, "What?"
Kairi laughed, "I'm sorry." She apologized as she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. "But Roxas wanted to wait until you and I got together."
"Just so he could rub it in your face," remarked Naminé and Kairi in perfect union, grins on their faces.
Sora groaned and smacked his forehead. "Oh well," he said as he stood and placed his jacket around Kairi's shoulders. "I've got Kairi and that's all that matters."
As if that was not good enough, at that moment, Ariel surfaced with Keira's limp form in hand. Riku climbed down the side of the ship and gently took her into his arms. "Ariel, thanks."
A huge weight felt like it had been lifted from their shoulders. "We need to seal that Keyhole," reminded King Mickey, though a relieved smile was on his face. Although Morgana had fallen, the Heartless had not. Not for the first time, they wondered if the Heartless had been acting directly on Maleficent's orders to babysit her lackeys as they had back in the Enchanted Dominion. Sora and the others joined.
"Do you think she'd be okay to do it?" asked a concerned Naminé as she chewed on her lower lip. As if to answer her question, Keira coughed roughly and her eyes fluttered open. They slowly adjusted to the surrounding figures until she realized that they were her friends. Riku gently set her down as she coughed more violently.
"You're okay," cried Melody's voice as she made her way to the front of the crowd. She knelt down and stared at the other girl. "I'm sorry." She apologized for what seemed like the millionth time.
"Hey, Melody," mumbled Keira weakly, "Stop saying sorry or I'll have to find something for you to be sorry about." Weak laughter came from the group as Melody smiled somewhat.
"I really messed up."
Keira shrugged. "We all do, Mel. But you know what you can do it about it?"
Melody shook her head. "No. What?"
"Do everything in your power to make things better. Or, at least, apologize to your mother, father, and grandfather?" she suggested with a wry smile as she hugged the towel that had been placed around her shoulders.
Melody looked up at her father. "I really am sorry. I'm so sorry." A geyser of water shot up from the ocean, holding up King Triton and Ariel.
Ariel smiled. "We know, sweetheart, it's alright."
"I can make the group of you ones with the water one more time so we can get rid of this mess." King Triton gestured to the Heartless, holding up his Triton.
Tifa cast a worried glance at the girls. "Are you sure that the two of you are okay to go?"
Melody and Keira's faces immediately broke into grins. "Of course."
"Then, let's do this," declared Triton, also smiling as he reverted Sora, Kairi, Goofy, Donald, Keira, and Melody into water creatures.
XxX
Sora was surprised to see that the things in Ariel's grotto appeared much older since the last time he had visited, which, really, had not been so long ago. "Wow. Time really does work differently in other worlds." Ariel nodded, staring at her old things fondly.
"Mom, is that a statue of dad?" whispered Melody from beside her mother. Sure enough, the large statue of Prince Eric was still in the center of the grotto.
Ariel smiled as she embraced her daughter. "It is. It was one of my prized possessions at sixteen, and it still is; now, it's just not my favorite."
Sora glanced back at Kairi and Keira. "Let's do this." With Keira on one side of Sora and Kairi on the other, they pointed their keyblades at the shell on the wall. The keyhole shone blindingly bright as three beams of white light entered it. Outside of the grotto, Heartless let loose terrible screams as, Keira guessed, they were extinguished from the world.
"Now then," King Triton said, turning to the others. "We just have one more thing to do."
XxX
That night, the group spent the night in Prince Eric's castle for the purposes of recuperation. 'If there's anything that makes me glad that I'm on this journey, it would be all of the things I get to see... And all of the nice castles I get to relax in,' thought Keira early the next morning as she dressed in one of her dresses for a 'celebration' they were going to have at sea. She had slept like a baby in the canopy bed, exhausted but, as she got ready, she could not help but remember all of the thoughts that had plagued her when she thought she was going to die.
As she exited the castle, she was greeted by the brightly shining sun, images of a grinning Nalani, smiling Quince, and a third girl appeared in her mind. 'Guys, I'm so sorry... But I'll make this right.' She was driven from her thoughts as she saw Melody, wearing a yellow dress, pointing the Trident at the castle's wall. "Go on, Melody," urged Eric, and a beam of light exited the fork of the weapon, disintegrating the wall on the spot. Many people were gathered on the beach and in the water, people from the castle, nearby houses and, even, mermaids.
Keira's sundress was long and light blue, reaching to her knees, which she liked for the water much more than a short skirt... Even if it flowed about just the same. She grinned, thinking of the numerous things that Nalani would say if they were together, though the smile promptly disappeared as her mind forced her to be more realistic. Fortunately, Tifa spared her from the thoughts as she tapped her on the shoulder and pointed at Cloud, who was sitting on a rock. They grinned mischievously as they silently swam toward him. Quietly, Keira climbed onto the rock. "Cloud!" she shouted at the last moment possible as she jumped onto his back, forcing them both into the water. When they surfaced, Cloud pushed his hair out of his face, swimming in Tifa's direction.
"No, put me down, Cloud!" cried Tifa when he picked her up, looking to Keira, who only laughed and waved. Cloud climbed onto a taller rock deeper into the water.
"Have fun, Tifa!" she shouted as Cloud and Tifa fell back into the water. She jumped when she felt a tap on her arm, thinking that Cloud had, somehow, magically gotten behind her. Much to her relief, it was only Melody.
Clenched in the girl's hand was a starfish keychain. "Mom says that you guys have to leave. But, let's promise to always be friends," she dropped the starfish into Keira's open hand. "It's for your keyblade, don't forget about me," she added with a grin.
Keira smiled back. "Oh, I won't be forgetting about you anytime soon, Mel. How could I forget the girl that nearly cost me my life multiple times?" she joked before hugging her. Melody was suddenly called away by an attractive-looking merman, the one from the city. Blushing, Melody looked at the boy with hesitance. "Oh, go on! Go ahead! Be brave! If you can brave Morgana, you can do anything." Melody immediately grinned, nodded, and jumped into the water to join the boy, who seemed surprised at her human appearance.
When her shoulder was tapped yet again, Keira was sure, this time, it would be Cloud getting his revenge. Once again, it was not Cloud. Kairi, still in her pink dress, sat beside her, dangling her feet off of the rock and into the water. "You already seem to be back to normal."
"Yeah, well, no use in dwelling, right?" answered Keira, a faint blush on her cheeks as she recalled how, not too long ago, she had been doing just that. "I heard about you and Sora, congrats! Riku has been complaining about the two of you forever, but he seems pretty pleased now, though." Kairi was wearing a wry grin that did not seem to fit what Keira had just said, and she called her on this, asking, "What are you grinning like that for?"
"It's just about Riku," she answered, still grinning. It was a grin that Keira easily recognized, for her cousins seemed to wear it all the time; it meant that Kairi was about to tease her something awful. "I wonder if he feels something for you." The grin faded as her face became more serious. "After Morgana knocked you into the water, he was worried; we all were."
Keira could feel her face turning increasingly redder. "That's normal. You're my friends, of course he was worried, too."
Kairi's smirk returned. "Yeah, maybe," she agreed though it was obvious that she did not believe it.
Keira decided to change the subject in favor of not looking like a radish. "So, are you going to miss being a mermaid?"
"Yes," groaned Kairi, staring at her purple shoes with longing, "You?"
"I would not be upset if I didn't step foot in the ocean for a few years," she grumbled, causing Kairi to laugh.
XxX
Ariel was no longer a mermaid, though her father had offered her and Melody the opportunity to remain as such. Both declined but, he said, they could change their minds from day to day if they wanted. With her husband, daughter and fluffy white and grey dog named Max by her side, she stood on the beach before Sora and the others. "Thank you all for your help."
"It was great to see you guys. And it was good to meet you, Melody," added Sora.
Melody inclined her head a little, "Same here."
"Sora, Kairi, I have something for both of you, hold out your hands." Ariel instructed, dropping keychains into their open hands. Kairi's keychain was a beautiful, pink underwater flower. (A/n: If you look at the original VCR cover of the Little Mermaid, Kairi's keychain is the flower that Ariel is wearing in her hair.) "I found it in the courtyard by the castle in Atlantica, and I thought you would like it." Kairi attached it, and the same pink flowers covered the blade, aside from the center, where there was a red starfish.
In Sora's hand was a small version of Atlantica's castle. He, too, attached it and the metal became gold, shark teeth making up the teeth of the blade, sand in the middle with a few music notes. Beneath the hilt were small pictures of young Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian. Near the bottom was a picture of the Trident. Kairi and Sora made sure to properly thank Ariel as Keira finally attached her own keychain, causing Shadow Heart to disappear as it was replaced by pink metal. The teeth of the blade were formed by the fins of a red mermaid's tail with small, icy hearts lining the rest of the blade. made out of ice.
Keira grinned. "This won't be the last time we see each other, count on it!"
A/N: A/n: 6.13.11 – I actually decided to expand this much more than I originally did because 1) it was short and 2) the setting was perfect to add details.
Old note: Alright! Goodbye Ariel and Melody. Next world I think we'll go to somewhere with a Beauty and a Beast. Hm, wonder where it could be :O Amyway, did you know how hard it is to come up with new keyblades? xD This will probably be updated next weekend! See you all then.