Chapter 102: Land and Sea
Brian shot his eyes open after the light from the teleport had faded away, allowing the red headed mage to look at the exotic scenery around him. Taking the sight of the air bubbles that was being formed as trapped air escaped, the seaweed moving gentle as if it was swimming itself, the colourful amount of fish that swam passed them, making the mage look up at the passing that looked like it led to some sort of underwater city in the distance. God damn it! The stupid teleporter took me to Atlantica. He sighed, only to catch a lung full of water to go inside him, making the teen choke. He wasn't planning on coming to the underwater world so he didn't prepare himself to change form.
"Hold on!" A quack like voice spoke as a light seems to cover Brian.
As soon as the light faded, the teen took in a deep breath as he was now able to breathe underwater. He looked down at himself to see that his clothing was now gone, all but his black gloves that had turned into grey scaly fish hands, to hid the markings. He saw that his slightly muscled chest was on show while his legs had changed into a grey shark tail. "Ah! That's better." He sighed before looking at the others.
Max began to spin in a circle as he tried to swim with his black fins; he had turned into a turtle with a red shell, swimming upside down. "I don't like this world." He muttered as he began to fall slowly to the sandy grotto floor.
"C'mon Max!" Donald encouraged, "It's not that bad." He had six tentacles, all of equal length, and lacked the two longer tentacles that are seen on squids. The top halves of his tentacles are cyan, while the underside is yellow.
"But you've been here before, Donald." Max pointed out before looking back at Brian, "How come you don't have any trouble?" He asked him.
"Guess it comes natural." Brian shrugged. "Question that's on my mind thought is how we ended up in Atlantica."
"Maybe the teleporter is breaking again." Max relaxed on the sandy surface before looking at Donald. "Do you think that Sora managed to get out of there?" he asked with concern.
"Of course he did!" Donald nodded with a grin, "I've known Sora since he first got the Keyblade, and he's not one to go down that easy."
While Donald relaxed Max's concerns, Brian pulled out the communicator, appreciating that Scott's request to make communicators waterproof was finally put through. He quickly checked the locations of the other two communicators, as well as another contact device that he had given to Kairi before the gummi was attacked. "Let see if the others made it." He said out loud as he checked the location of the other devices. As soon as the scan on the communicator was completed, it showed that a communicator was in Neverland while the device that he had given Kairi was set in between of the two worlds. Why is Kairi back at the gummi? She should have gone with Riku, she was right behind us! I need to get back to the gum-
"Hey Brian! Can you contact the others?" Donald asked him.
Brian shut the communicator off, as well as his thoughts before looking at the half duck- half squid. "If I contact anymore, the waterproof won't work so they would break." He informed them.
"Well that's stupid." Donald crossed his arms with annoyance. "Why make a communicator waterproof if it can't make calls underwater?" He questioned, only seeing Brian shrug didn't really answer his question.
"Do you at least know where they are?" Max asked.
"Riku is in Neverland." He answered before looking up towards the surface, "Sora has better not damaged my gummi…maybe I should go back to the gummi if he's there on his own." He said with thought.
"Sora will be fine." Donald shrugged away. "The sooner we get this world's item, the sooner we can return to the gummi."
"What about me?" Max remained them that he still was on the sandy surface, not knowing how to swim in this form. Donald swam over to Max and pushed him back up, allowing Brian to catch him before slightly letting him go, guiding his friend before he got used to swimming.
As soon as Max was ready, the three began to lead themselves to the underwater city, amazing Brian and Max of the number of fish and mer-people living in this city. A number of times, Max had to make sure that Brian stayed away from some of the mermaids but the three managed to get to the royal chambers eventually. "Brian! What's the item?" Donald asked him, being to sound impatient from keeping Brian away from the mermaids.
"Trident's Thunder." He answered, "Pure thunder energy from King Triton's Trident."
"Right." Donald nodded before looking back at Brian and Max. "Now while I talk to King Triton, you guys don't leave this lobby and don't catch attention to yourselves, you guys already know from stories how much Triton doesn't like beings from another world."
"What can we exactly do in the lobby?" Brian moaned looking around the coral like built room, seeing a couple of seahorses buzzing around as well as some mermen guardsmen blocking the way further into the palace.
"Just stay out of trouble!" Donald warned them once more before swimming over to the guardsmen and being let past.
Max and Brian sighed, slowly making their way towards the side, preparing to wait ages from Donald's return as they watched the guardsmen part ways again. "Is Donald done already?" Max wondered as the two watch.
Six mermaids appeared in the lobby, gossiping to each other before as they watched past Brian and Max, their teenage minds taking over slightly as they watched them leave the lobby down another part of the palace. As soon as the mermaids left the room, Brian shot up as he began to follow them, making Max smile slightly as he followed his friend as well. Donald's threats were always thought as an suggestion or a choice anyway.
BOWBOWBOW
" I wonder why daddy wanted to see that duck being?"
"Maybe he came to warn daddy about something?"
"Wait! Wasn't he with that dolphin fin mer-boy last time?"
"The one that helped Ariel?"
"YEAH! He's cute."
"Specially his spiky hair."
"Cute and brave."
"You think he come back?"
"If he does, he's mine."
"In your dreams sis. He's mine."
"Ladies!"
The mer-shark and dog like turtle came to a halt and they placed their heads around the doorway, watching the mermaids bickering over who'll get Sora when he returns to Atlantica. Brian should his head at this with humour before looking around for any guards, he wondered why there were only guards protecting the king and not these lovely mermaids. "Ahh this is fun." Brian whispered before looking down at Max. "I miss this."
"What? Hanging out together or spying on mermaids?" Max questioned.
"Considering the fact that this is the first time spying on six mermaids." Brian pointed out, "I would have to say hanging out with you."
"Thanks dude!" Max chuckled slightly before the two looked back at the girls. "Hey Brian?"
"Yeah?"
"Weren't there six mermaids that came through here?" He asked with worry.
"Yeeeeaaaahhhh." Brian looked away from the mermaids and at his sea turtle like friend. "Why do you ask?"
"There are only five of them." Max simply said.
Brian shook his head. "No. There are six of them." He argued before looking back at the number of different colours from the different colour fins and bras made out of shells. He was sure he was in an underwater heaven. The was red and blue and yellow and two versions of purple, one being violet like Kairi's ey- WOAH! Woah! Woah! Woah! Brian quickly shook his head. Huh? This is no time to be thinking of Kairi. He looked back at the mermaids, only to realise that Max was right. "Where's the one with the orange fin?"
"And what are you two up to?" A feminine voice came from behind them. The two slowly turned around to see a mermaid with tied up brunette hair, wearing an orange crown, orange shell bar and had an orange fin, glaring down at them.
BOWBOWBOW
"WHAT THE HELL WAS KAIRI THINKING?" A voice boomed through the forest, making birds fly away from their homes out of fright from the loud angered voice. That voice only belonged to the Wielder of Dawn. Hikari lead the way while the silver keybearer followed her from behind, searching for Goofy while listening to Riku's sudden temper, giving the impression that he didn't approve of Kairi's daring move.
"She wanted to help Sora." Hikari simply said, leading the two of them into a huge area with a tree in the middle.
"She knew that Sora wanted us off!" Riku growled as he sat on the ground, making a questionable look from Hikari. "Kairi's not this reckless! Why would she do that?"
Hikari shrugged, "Maybe love makes you do stupid things." she suggested.
"Maybe." Riku pulled out the communicator that he had grabbed before he had surprised Hikari back at the gummi. He switched it on to see a flashing light on Atlantica, another one on Neverland and one in between. "I guess the gummi has a beacon on it." He said as he looked on the communicator.
"Did the gummi make it?" Hikari walked towards Riku's side as she knelled down his side.
"Looks like it." He answered, "Also looks like Brian is at Atlantica."
"So we're…" Hikari looked around at the scenery.
"Yeah…Neverland." He said darkly before getting up.
"Silver?" Hikari question her friend's dark actions before shaking her head at him. "You shouldn't let the darkness from your past get to you." She told him.
"I took Kairi away from Sora. I showed him that I was betraying him." Riku looked ashamed as he looked up at the tree, before clearing his thoughts. "The sooner we get the item, the sooner we can get back to the gummi. What do we need?" Riku asked her.
"Pixie Dust." She said, deciding to drop the subject for now.
Riku groaned at this, "Great…"
"How are we supposed to get pixie dust?" Hikari questioned.
"Simple." Riku replied while looking around. "Find a pixie."
"And how are we supposed to find a pixie?" Hikari questioned once more.
"We can't do anything without Goofy. He's the only one that can talk to our support on this world." Riku began to head down the path, in search for their friend, which ended up with him tripping over onto the dusty ground.
Hikari winced as she watched her friend fall over. "That's gonna hurt."
Riku pushed himself up, looking back what he had caught his foot on, only to see a rope stretched between two brushes. "What the-?" He pulled at the rope slightly, only to feel the ground give way, falling into the trap.
"RIKU!" Hikari quickly ran over to where Riku had disappeared, only to fall into her own trap as the hidden rope griped his ankle and left her hanging upside down under the tree. Hikari quickly summons her sword, attempting to cut her way free, only for the sword to slightly slip out of her fingers to let the sword dig in the ground.
Before Riku had the chance to change into his element and escape the pit hole, he could hear a number of yells and screams of excitement as well as a number of footsteps before some shadowy form covered the top of the pit hole, blocking the light. Riku looked up, noticing the shape of the figure. "Oh no!" he said with regret.
"So, you've decided to return to Neverland?" The boy in green hovered over the hole. "I think we've caught one of Hook's agents, men."
Before anything else, his vision went blank.
BOWBOWBOW
"Silver….Silver! Wait up!" Hikari's voice echoed out to him.
The Wielder of Dawn shook his head before he slowly begun to open his eyes, letting the light full them. When he managed to open them, he found that his surroundings were different from before, he was no longer in a pit hole but what looks like to be the inside of a tree or even underneath the tree itself. As he tried to move his body to look at Hikari, he noticed that the two of them was tied up against one of the huge roots within this secret base. He looked in front of him again, watching a group of boys dressed in different kinds of skins of woodlands animals, making him slightly worried that they are kids going around wearing animal's skin. "What's going on?" He asked Hikari.
"Pan knocked you out and brought us here, thinking that we're working for someone called Hook." Hikari answered, making Riku look away with shame. "I'm guessing you know him."
"Yeah." Riku sighed, "Hook helped me travel to different worlds back when I didn't use the portals."
"Explains why Pan expected me when I was with you." Hikari said before looking back at the regretful Riku. "Hey, don't worry. I told Pan that we came here with Goofy, when Pan finds Goofy then this will be resolved."
"So we sit and wait?" Riku questioned, looking back at the animal wearing kids.
"Pretty much." Hikari shrugged.
"Hey!" The two off-worlders looked back to see a chubby kid in a bear outfit talking to them while the other kids watched from behind.
Riku looked back at Hikari, seeing that she had the same confusion in her face as he did before looking back at the kid. "Yeah?" he looked at them questionably.
The two twins with racoon outfits jumped on the boy with the bear outfit when they asked, "Do you know any games?" the two of them asked in union.
"Errrr…" Riku looked over to Hikari for help, only to receive a shrug.
"What about a story?" The boy in the bear suit asked, watching the small boy in the skunk outfit jump up and down with excitement.
"YEAH! A STORY!" They all cheered.
"Sorry. We don't know any stories." Riku said to them.
"Well, I have one." Hikari smiled.
"YOU DO?" The boys said with excitement.
"You do?" Riku raised an eyebrow at her in question.
"Yeah. Stories of travelling with my brother and Zidane." She answered. "We went to lots of different worlds, trying to find a new home for us all, fighting creatures of the night, learning a few tricks or two during those travels."
"REALLY?" The boy in the fox outfit asked.
"What are the other worlds like?" The twin racoon boys asked.
"Yeah! What are they like?" A boy in the rabbit suit asked, all of these boys seemed to be hanging on to Hikari's words.
"Any adventure possibly dreamed." Hikari smiled. "New discoveries. New Friends." She turned to face Riku, smiling at him softly. "Even new pains that you have to deal with." Riku scoffed at this and rolled his eyes.
"You're forgetting about the new dangers, new enemies as well as-" Riku began to counteract Hikari's words.
"MEN! FALL IN!" A voice echoed as the flying boy in green flew in, making the boys snap out of their daydreams of adventure and stand in line and attention as Pan landed to the ground.
It didn't take long for the lost boys to be send to the floor as another figure tumbled his ways down one of the enter ways, knocking into the kids. "Gawsh, that hurt." The figure held his head, showing himself to the tied up Riku and Hikari.
"Goofy!" Riku and Hikari said in unison.
The humanoid dog pushed himself off the boys before looking back at Riku and Hikari. "Riku! Hikari!" He smiled before looking at them in question, "Where's Kairi?"
"Back at the gummi." Hikari answered before saying. "Can you explain to Pan that we're not the bad guys?"
"Yeah. We need to get back to Sora and the others." Riku added.
Goofy nodded, turning around to face the boy. "Riku is on our side now, Peter." Goofy explained, "He helped us take down the bad guys before."
"But he helped Hook take Wendy!" Peter argued.
"I know Peter but he's changed." Goofy defended the Wielder of Dawn.
Peter crossed his arms and began to think, an angry expression still on his face. He looked back at the two every now and again before smiling. "Alright Goofy, I'll let them go."
"Finally!" Riku said with relief.
"If they help us find Hook." Peter finished.
"Wait what?" Riku glared at the red haired boy with pointed ears. "We don't' have time for this."
Hikari rolled her eyes at Riku's attitude before facing Peter. "What do you need help with?"
"Tink got captured by Hook so that he could use her dust to travel to different worlds." Peter explained the situation.
"Poor Tink." Goofy said sadly, making the lost boys sigh in sadness.
"So Hook could be on any world?" Riku said in disbelief, they didn't have time to do this. Sora could have another outburst soon; he would like to be there so that no one gets hurt.
"Hook came back to Neverland not long ago." Peter informed him. "Which means this could be our only time to strike."
"C'mon Riku." Hikari nudged him slightly with her elbow as much as she could. "We hijack a ship, free this 'Tink', look for some Pixie Dust then we're outta here since Neverland and Mousedom share the same Keyhole."
"Yeaaaah. I still don't get how that works." Riku said, referring to the connected keyhole.
"What do you guys need Pixie Dust for?" The boy in the rabbit suit asked them.
Riku turned away from the girl next to him and at the boys. "To help a friend." He simply said before sighing in defeat. "Fine. I'll help you free Tinklebell." He gave in.
Peter smiled at this as he looked at the lost boys. "Men!" He spoke, making the boys stand at attention again, saluting to him. "Free the prisoners." He commanded.
"Yes sir!" The boys smiled as they went over to untie them.
"Now! Let's go find Hook's ship!" Peter said brightly before flying out of the tree base.
Riku, Hikari and Goofy chuckled slightly as they watched the boys push each other out of the way, trying to get out first as they left the tree base. "Reminds me of me and Sora." Riku smiled at the memory.
Hikari chuckled slightly, "Missing childhood?" She asked.
Riku shrugged, "Life is full of adventure. Besides, someone has to be the serious one out of me, Sora and Kairi." He chuckled as he left the tree base with Hikari and Goofy following.
A/N: Boy this chapter was hard to right. Hey everyone! ^^ Back in classes again and now I get to animate and film for coursework. AWESOME! As you've noticed, I've started to PM comments on reviews so that the word count isn't affected as much from the author notes so with that I bid you goodbye.
Kingdommad.