In the cockpit of the Gummiship, Goofy hopes that Pinocchio and Geppetto got somewhere safe. Donald agrees with him.

Sora hoped so as well.

Sora worries about Riku, looking out of the window.

Riku flinched, looking away. How could Sora still care about him even when he had seen what Riku was willing to do? When he had seen that Riku fell to the darkness?

Sora looked at Riku when the older boy flinched, leaning on his side. He didn't know how to help Riku. But he wasn't leaving.

Donald flies close to another world and says to prepare for landing.

Sora blinked when he recognized Atlantica. He had forgotten that it had come after Monstro. Both it and Halloween Town tended to slip his mind.

Sora asks where and that they'll drown. Donald says not with his magic.

"What's he talking about?" Xion asked, tipping her head to the side, and Sora chuckled nervously, suddenly remembering how they got around in Atlantica. And how they looked in Halloween Town. It was… bad per say, but he had a feeling Kairi was either going to find it adorable or tease him about it. Probably both.

"Donald's magic… changes us if we end up in a world where looking like ourselves would break World Order," he explained, rubbing the back of his head. "That includes worlds that are underwater and the like."

Both Terra and Aqua blinked. They hadn't had anything like that when they were traveling around the worlds. Then again, they weren't magicians. And nothing really bad had come from it, right? And there wasn't the same stigma against traveling to other worlds then. At least, not that they had seen.

On the world, the three of them land in the water, with them each being transformed into a different sea creature.

"You got to be a mermaid!" Kairi exclaimed, sitting up in shock as she saw the form that Sora had been transformed into. "No fair."

Sora giggled, before remembering who hard it had been to swim in the beginning. Don't get him wrong, he was a good swimmer. He had to be, living on an island and all that. But it had been hard to adjust from legs to tail.

"You have to take me there," Kairi told him seriously, turning to look at him. "I need to be a mermaid too." Sora smiled at her.

"Of course," he said, mapping out the trip in his head. There was so many places he wanted to take the both of them. "I think you'll like Ariel."

"Ariel?" Riku asked, not recognizing the name, thank goodness.

"She's the princess of the kingdom," Sora explained. "We met her during this visit."

Mickey laughed slightly as he saw the forms Goofy and Donald had been transformed into. Goofy looked happy about it, but Mickey could tell Donald was slightly upset.

From another cave, a mermaid and a fish came swimming out of it fast.

"Ariel," Sora said, gesturing towards the young woman and Kairi's eyes rounded. It was one thing to see Sora be transformed into a mermaid. It was another to actually see a real one. She had thought they were only in stories.

Ariel calls back to the crab trying to follow them, who can't keep up.

Sora smiled when he saw all the people he had met in that world. It had been a nice world, barely any big problems that they couldn't solve. A nice… distraction from the previous encounter.

While swimming, Sebastian nearly runs into Donald and gets scared, running back to Ariel, who comforts him and says that they don't look like the others.

"The Heartless?" Ven asked, aiming a glance at Sora who nodded. Even though it hadn't been as bad, there had still been challenges.

"They really are everywhere," Aqua murmured.

Xion leaned closer to Roxas. "The Heartless can swim?" She wondered and he shrugged. He wouldn't know.

Flounder says there is something weird about them.

"Yes, but not in the way you're thinking," Kairi said, smiling. Though it would be very hard to guess that these people didn't actually look like they did, and they were in fact from another world, very far away.

Sora asks what they mean, and Ariel concedes that they seem a little different.

It's probably how I was swimming, Sora thought. I must have looked so weird before I got the hang of it.

Ariel asks where they're from and Sora replies that they're from far away.

There were several snorts of laughter. Truer words had almost never been spoken.

Sora says that they're not used to these waters and Ariel volunteers Sebastian to teach them how to swim.

"You're from an island?" Vanitas snarked, rolling his eyes, and Sora sighed.

"Yes, but I learned to swim with two legs," he replied, gently but firmly. "Not with a tail."

Sebastian tells Ariel that King Triton wouldn't like it and Ariel brushes him off.

"King Triton… Her father?" Aqua asked, remembering that Sora called her a princess.

"Yeah," Sora responded. "They had a… strained relationship. But it got better!"

I know that well, was a thought echoed by many of the watchers, some more surprising than others.

Sebastian teaches the three of them to swim properly and Flounder helps.

Kairi thought that looked extremely fun. She would have to visit that place.

Ariel suddenly notices something, and they turn to see some Heartless appear from the cave next to them.

"You can't even escape them in the submerged world," Axel mentioned, shaking his head.

Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian flee while Sora and the others fight the Heartless, destroying them.

Several of the adults were glad that Sora kept his skills even when underwater. It could have gone very badly.

The other three come out of hiding, with Ariel mentioning that the Heartless chased them before.

"Is she also a Princess of Heart?" Aqua asked, unfortunately at this point, well used to something bad happening to those girls, which included both Kairi and Cinderella, she had been able to guess.

"No," Kairi replied, shaking her head a little. She would remember if she met a mermaid at Hollow Bastion. "She's just a Princess and the Heartless are just jerks."

Sebastian worries that the Heartless might be heading for the palace and Ariel says they should head back.

"And just thrown themselves back into danger?" Roxas wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Sora, no wonder you get along with them so well." He might not know his Somebody that well, and he still doesn't know if he wanted to get to know him, but just from the past viewings alone, it was clear that Sora just couldn't stay out of a fight.

Sora blushed slightly, looking down, hearing Kairi giggle slightly from next to him. He looked like he was missing when he could elbow her easily, but Riku was in-between them now.

Aqua smiled slightly at them, happy that they weren't too hurt from what they had seen last. Her eyes moved to Riku. Now if she could just see the same things from him…

Ariel asks Sora if they could come with her to help them make sure the beasts weren't attacking the palace.

"Hear me out," Axel started, his voice sounding like an easy drawl to anyone not paying too much attention. "Don't they have like… guards to do that? She lives at a palace; they should have guards." He would know, from all the times he and Isa had both successfully and less so successfully snuck past Aeleus, Dilan, and Braig in their youth. Before of course… everything.

Sora thought back. "I don't remember ever seeing any," he admitted, getting looks from anyone who had ever been in a palace. Which was most of them, funnily enough.

"Maybe because no one else lives under the sea, thus no one to attack them, they don't need guards?" Kairi wondered and Sora nodded. There hadn't been anyone else when he had been down there.

Aqua scrunched up her nose slightly, before smoothing her expression back to neutral. Another time when a world or place relied on Sora as its only defender. She needed to start keeping a list or something. Though that would probably just make her mad. At least when she, Terra, and Ven were traversing the worlds, fighting the Unversed, there were usually some defenses set up in each world against normal threats. While they couldn't do much against the Unversed, it was the thought that counted.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy follow Ariel and her friends through the caves, out to the open ocean and palace, fighting the Heartless the whole way.

Kairi watched, more fascinated by the architecture than worried about Sora. At this point, she had slowly and slightly unwillingly admitted to herself that Sora had skill to fight the Heartless and could usually take on what they threw at him, after all this time. Even if the creatures were getting stronger, so was Sora. And it was mermaids! How cool was that?

Fighting through one of the hallways, Sora is taken aback when a beam of light comes from nowhere and destroys the Heartless.

Several of the watchers jumped slightly.

"Ariel's dad, King Triton," Sora explained, remembering the shock that had gone through him when that happened.

Ariel swims up to the throne, followed by Sora and the others, and Triton says as long as he has his trident, he won't tolerate the Heartless inside his castle.

Now, that sounds like foreshadowing, Axel thought in his head. And what has my life gotten like that I recognize foreshadowing in real life?

Ariel greets him and Triton scolds her, reminding her of how he told her it was dangerous out there.

"Out in the ocean? Her home?" Terra wondered, taken aback by Triton's immediate scolding of the girl, instead of asking if she was okay. "The Heartless aren't even normal, not in this amount."

"He's a little overprotective of her," Sora explained with a shrug, remembering how that ended up. "And I think Ariel has a habit of going to the surface. Which is dangerous for mermaids."

Sebastian introduces Sora and the others to Triton, who asks who they are.

Mickey nodded to himself. If anyone would recognize if someone knew was in their home, it would be the leader of it. He himself would always notice if someone knew popped up in their home.

Sebastian says they helped fight off the creatures and Triton says he doesn't recognize them. Sora explains that they're from an ocean very far away.

"I don't think that's going to work on him," Kairi muttered. Sora shrugged.

Goofy says they came to find the Keyhole.

Several of them sighed, at this point used to Goofy breaking World Order by accident.

When Ariel asks what it is, Triton cuts off Goofy angrily, saying there's nothing like that here.

Axel raised an eyebrow. That sounded… far too angry to just be distrust of the new people. Almost like Triton was hiding something…

Triton tells Ariel she's not to leave the palace and Ariel swims off angrily, Sora and the others following her.

For a second, Ven felt a small moment of kinship with Ariel. Trapped in what many would say wasn't even close to being a prison, wanting to leave but not being able to.

Triton wonders if he's being too strict and is just worried about Ariel's safety.

If you're worried, don't make her more eager to sneak out, Ven thought. Had someone done that for him, yes, he probably still would have followed Vanitas but maybe he would have told Master Eraqus or Aqua if he felt like they wouldn't try to stop him from leaving, instead coming with him.

Sebastian admits he's curious about the "Keyhole" and Triton says it doesn't concern him.

This time, it wasn't just Axel who noticed how weird Triton was when it came to the Keyhole.

Triton asks Sebastian if he has anything to report and Sebastian tells him that the beasts are coming from Ursula's grotto.

"Another villain working with Maleficent?" Roxas asked Sora, looking over, and Sora paused, thinking.

"I don't know if she was working with Maleficent, due to Ariel not being one of the Princesses of Heart, but she at least had enough darkness in her that the Heartless were drawn to it," Sora replied, tapping his chin as he thought.

Triton says that she's up to something and that exile clearly taught her nothing.

Vanitas snorted. Of course, it didn't, if anything it probably motivated her to become worse.

Sebastian says she poses serious danger and Triton tells him that he told him to keep Ariel away from danger.

"I don't think Sebastian could do that much about the Heartless," Xion murmured, remembering the few times Saix had blamed her for something that wasn't her fault. She shivered slightly, leaning deeper into Axel's side.

Back with the others, Ariel tells Sora she wants to show him her grotto.

None of them were surprised that Ariel didn't do as she was told and left the palace again.

Inside the grotto is a bunch of human things, with Ariel explaining that she and Flounder collected it all. Ariel says that someday she's going to get out and see the other world.

Sora blinked. At the time, he hadn't noticed it, too busy trying to not think about Riku and… everything that had just happened, but now, he couldn't help but see the similarities between Ariel and Riku. Wanting to leave the life they had to see the "outside world". In Riku's case, it had been worlds, while in Ariel's it was the surface.

Ariel asks if it sounds strange and Sora says it doesn't, saying that he used to feel the same way.

Sora had noticed the similarities between the two of them, but he had refused to think about Riku. It had hurt too much.

When Ariel inquires about the "used to" Sora says that he still does.

"Do you still?" Kairi asked, blinking across the couch at Sora, who paused, thinking.

"Not as much now," he admitted. "After everything we've done, everything we've been through I would be happy to just go back to Destiny Islands with Riku and you. It would be… nice." He frowned. "Though, I don't know how long I could stay."

Riku sighed quietly, thinking. He felt kinda the same as Sora. While it would be nice to see his home again, see his friends and his siblings and parents, as strained as their relationship had been, he didn't think he would be able to abandon the stars, now that he had walked among them.

Worlds always needed protection and there was always a bad guy trying to use darkness for their own gain. While he couldn't meddle too much, he would be able to help once the darkness got too big. Plus, he couldn't leave Mickey. He had promised to go and meet Minnie. And… Mickey had been such a huge influence and guiding hand the past year. He didn't know what he would have done without the mouse. He didn't want to never see him again.

Xion and Roxas both frowned at Sora's words. While the idea of not having to fight again, of just being able to live with each other and Axel, no responsibilities, no rules, sounded nice, they didn't know where they would go, if they even existed after this. Twilight Town perhaps? But Roxas didn't know. The Twilight Town that he had been in, that had all his friends, had been fake, not real. Who knew if they even would want to be his friend if he met them again. Also, what if Axel wanted to return to Radiant Garden now that it was being restored, if what Mickey said was true and he was coming back as a Somebody.

Axel frowned. All he wanted was to get to a place where his half-pints would be safe away from the Organization. Maybe, just maybe, they would be able to exist after this. And if they did, he was going to drag them to Twilight Town, place them on the clocktower with Sea Salt Ice Cream, and leave them there, safe, until he could destroy the Organization for good. He didn't know if Sora had managed it completely. And maybe drag Isa back with him as well, once he thoroughly chewed out the man for treating Xion like he did and stabbing him. Hopefully, Isa would want to come with him and not go back to Radiant Garden. He didn't think he could stand to live there, not without his sister.

Terra, Aqua, and Ven all felt a pang in their hearts as they thought back to their homeworld. As much as it had been a prison for one of them, all three of them wished to return. It was where they had been raised after all. But they couldn't do that. Aqua wouldn't let herself go back home when there were still people to fight, when Xehanort was still clearly out there, as shown by Terra's confusion at being back in his own body. While she would do everything to get the other kids home, maybe even convince Ven to stay with them until they had fought the monster and slayed, she doubted that herself or Terra would be returning until there was no darkness to haunt them anymore.

Naminé looked down, blinking rapidly. The idea of having a home, having somewhere you could always go back to, no matter what… it was desirable, so desirable. Somewhere that wasn't painted white, where she didn't have to jump and shrink away at every footstep, somewhere that she could just sit and draw for as long as she wanted and drawing whatever she wanted to, not just memories. Maybe… not even alone. In her mind's eye, she could see him. But would he want to stay with her, even after everything she had done to him?

Vanitas scoffed again, looking away with a glare, ignoring the tiniest part of his chest that squeezed. He had a home, the Keyblade Graveyard. It was where he was born- created. It was where he lived. But he didn't want to go back there. What kind of a home was it if you didn't want to go back there? But where else would he go? If he even existed after this. Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Mickey smiled as he thought of Disneytown and the Castle that housed all his friends. He needed to go back, and he would, once he got all the kids home first.

Ariel offers to help search for the Keyhole and Sora hesitates, mentioning what Triton said, but Ariel cuts him off, saying that Triton treats her like a little girl.

Aqua raised an eyebrow, looking at the screen in more detail. While Triton's actions in regard to his daughter left much to be desired, Ariel wasn't completely in the right either, even if it was for reasonable reasons. She was what… sixteen? Not exactly old enough to go fight monsters. Not that it had stopped Sora and Riku, unfortunately.

She says he doesn't understand, and Sebastain comes in to hear that last part.

Several people winced. That probably wouldn't be helpful.

As Sora, the others, and Ariel leave, two eels appear from overhead.

"What are those?" Xion wondered, blinking in slight wonder, slight concern. The ocean had so many creatures that she didn't know existed. She thought there were only shells in there, along with the fish and crabs. Clearly there was more. Much more.

"Eels," Sora said. "They're helpers of Ursula."

An unknown woman says that they'll never find the Keyhole, while watching Sora and Ariel through a magical mirror.

Kairi shivered. "Sora, what is it with villains and watching you using magic?" She asked, wrinkling her nose, and Sora shrugged, ignoring the slight shiver that had gone through himself as well. He hadn't realized that Ursula had been watching them then.

Ursula muses that Ariel could be useful and says that the Heartless are on her side. She tells Triton that his day is coming.

"And we stopped her," Sora muttered, crossing his arms. Riku thought Sora did that a lot. Every world he ended up in, he had to fight someone. Honestly, couldn't Sora just be thrown into some relaxing world to take a break in?

Sora, Ariel, Donald, and Goofy explore a shipwreck, with Sora finding a piece of crystal trident, which reminds him of something. As they leave the shipwreck, they get attacked by a shark.

Several people yelped in shock as the shark came out of nowhere, trying to eat Sora and Ariel. Riku stiffened and Kairi looked like she was regretting staying at Riku's side as she couldn't cling to Sora and remind herself that he was okay.

Xion felt her eyes widening. There seemed to be so many scary things in the ocean. Whales, whatever that thing was. She didn't know if she wanted to go swimming in it anymore, or at least, not as deep in it.

Sora fights off the shark and he and the others return to Ariel's grotto.

Kairi breathed out a sigh of relief when Sora beat the shark. She shouldn't be as worried as she was, having seen Sora face down so many more creatures so much stronger, but she couldn't help it. She was always so worried about him and hopefully, after this, she would be always able to go with him, to keep him safe.

They head to a wall of Ariel's grotto that has the same symbol as the crystal trident Sora recovered, putting it into the slot. Triton emerges from the cave from behind them, saying that Ariel disobeyed him again.

Oh crap, several people thought, mostly those who'd had to deal with a disappointed parent before.

In the back, Vanitas froze, his breathing rocketing up several paces.

"I thought I told you not to summon those things again."

Triton tells Ariel that he told her not to leave the palace.

"They're a part of me! And they're your fault. If you hadn't-"

"Are you speaking back to me?"

Triton sees the crystal trident.

"No, wait-"

"I warned you, Vanitas."

"Wait-"

Triton uses his trident to destroy the crystal trident.

"Please! Stop!"

"You have to learn. Those things aren't any more human than you. They deserve to be destroyed."

Ariel yells at him to stop.

"Stop… Stop, please."

Ariel asks him how could he before fleeing the grotto.

"… stop..."

"I hope that put the lesson through your head. I truly wish I won't have to teach it to you again."

Triton tells Sora he knows he's from another world.

"He does?" Mickey wondered, blinking in shock. Aqua and Terra had similar reactions.

"I never learned how he knew," Sora said as explanation. "I suppose it was just something he knew."

In the corner, Vanitas curled his hands into fists until his nails split the skin in his palms. Under the chair, hidden in the shadows, a Flood bigger than the last appeared, blinking and looking around in confusion.

Triton calls Sora the Keybearer and Sora asks how he knows.

"Of course, he doesn't answer," Roxas snarked, rolling his eyes. No one who ever knew information ever said anything.

Triton says it's clear that Sora doesn't know how to swim.

"Well, you don't have to say it," Kairi muttered, trying to add a bit of levity to a situation that had lost all of it.

Triton says that Sora should know not to meddle in the affairs of other worlds.

"To be honest, that seems to be a rule that Keybearers usually ignore or forget," Ven admitted, rubbing the back of his head, thinking about, his, Terra's, and Aqua's adventures. Both Aqua and Terra made faces, thinking about what Ven was saying.

Triton says that Sora violated that principle and that Keybearers only shatter peace and bring ruin.

All the Keyblade Wielders in the room flinched.

Terra looked down at his hands, slowly curling them into fists. He hadn't… he hadn't meant to but… wasn't that all he had done? He had helped Master Xehanort, had allowed him to possess his body like that. Had hurt Aqua, had hurt Ven.

Ven and Aqua both grimaced. They hadn't done… much damage to the worlds they had been in and had helped in several occasions but…

Riku looked away. Triton wasn't wrong. He had kidnapped several people, had allowed his heart to fall and Ansem to possess his body and nearly summon Kingdom Hearts. (Or the Door to Kingdom Hearts? Mickey's explanation hadn't gone that into depth.) Had allowed both Xion and Roxas to die for the sake of Sora and had looked away when it was a possibility that DiZ was hurting Naminé. All he did was bring ruin.

Roxas and Xion didn't know how to feel. They hadn't done bad things for the Organization, but they had helped in their schemes. Not that they knew it was a scheme but… should they have known?

Sora huffed, before leaning into Riku's side, knowing what the older boy would be thinking of. Triton was wrong, the Keybearers always helped in each world they went to. Triton was wrong.

Goofy says that Sora's not like that and Triton thanks him for saving Ariel, but tells him that the ocean has no room for him or the Keyblade.

Kairi sniffed. "At least he said thank you," she said. She didn't like Triton, she decided.

As Triton disappeared from the screen, Vanitas let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and was abruptly aware of the flood hiding under chair. When panic swept through him, the Flood twitched, responding to his emotions and he reached faster than he had with almost any of the other times he had to absorb an Unversed, snatching it up and forcing it back inside him. The fear and panic that the Unversed had been holding flooded him for a second, but he just made his palm bleed a tad bit more and it disappeared before another Unversed could be summoned.

Ariel is crying on a rock when the two eels from before approach her.

Several shivers went up peoples' spines when they heard the eels' voices.

The eels offer that there might be someone who could help her. When Ariel asks who, they respond with Ursula's name.

"You defeated her right?" Kairi checked and Sora nodded.

Ursula appears and Ariel asks if she can help. Ursula says that helping people is what she lives for.

Riku winced, turning away from the screen.

"I only want what's best for you. You're like a son to me."

Sora's hand slipped into his and squeezed.

Ursula says that Ariel wishes to see other worlds. She tells Ariel that Sora and the others came from another world.

"Another point for her working with Maleficent," Xion mentioned, tipping her head at the screen in acknowledgement. How else would Ursula know that?

She tells Ariel it was because of the Keyblade and tells Ariel that there's something that could help her travel to other worlds as well.

"What would it be?" Terra murmured to himself, thinking it over.

"Trident," Aqua said and Terra paused before nodding. That made sense.

Ursula tells Ariel that the Keyhole they seek is probably in the castle and if Ariel can get her into the castle, she'll help Ariel get to other worlds.

Both Terra and Riku turned away from the screen, unable to look at another making their same mistakes again. There would always be someone out there willing to take advantage of someone's desperation to get something for themselves. Whether it be people, a body, or a trident.

Ariel leads Ursula into the castle where the trident is sitting on the throne.

Axel just barely managed to contain his scoff. You have a weapon like that and you just leave it out? Sitting for anyone to take?

He rolled his eyes. Who did that?

Ursula moves and snatches the trident as Triton enters the room.

Vanitas couldn't help the way he tensed up again as the merman entered. Idiot, he hissed at himself. Weak.

In the ocean, Sora's attention is grabbed by an explosion from the palace. The three of them exchange looks before swimming towards the castle.

"Sora," Kairi groaned out, but she wasn't surprised. Because Sora would always rush in to help someone, no matter the danger.

Triton is lying on the throne with Ariel hovering over him. Ariel tells Ursula she didn't want this.

I would have done anything for someone to take out the old man, Vanitas thought, digging his nails back into his palms, feeling fresh blood trickle down his palms beneath his gloves. He took a second to realize that he managed to break through the material of his suit from sheer force alone. That… wasn't something he had ever been able to do.

Ursula asks why and asks her if she's tired of following Triton's orders.

But I didn't want Master Eraqus dead, Ven thought. And I don't think that Ariel wants her father dead.

Ursula says they had a deal and tells Ariel to prepare for a trip to a new world. To the dark world of the Heartless!

Both Aqua and Riku made a face, remembering the dark, stifling world. Aqua looked down as she remembered traveling for miles, over and over again, never getting anywhere. A second later, a hand landed on her shoulder, and she looked over to see Terra watching her in concern.

I'm fine, she told him, tipping her head to the side a fraction.

You sure? A raised eyebrow.

Positive. Her hands laced together and the hand on her shoulder squeezed once before letting go.

The eels tell Ursula they can't find the Keyhole, with her being confused.

"Because the last couple of Keyholes were in a doorknob's mouth, a tree behind a waterfall, hidden behind a wall in a mystical in a Tiger God's mouth, and locked behind a bell being rung," Roxas snarked. "Of course, it's not just sitting in a corner with five arrows pointing at it." Xion giggled at his remark, followed by a couple of the other teenagers.

Ursula looks behind her, seeing Sora and the others approaching. She disappears in a cloud of ink.

Terra pursed his lips. The sooner someone stopped her, the better.

Triton says they have to get the trident back. Sora tells the others that they need to go.

Riku and Kairi both sighed. So much like him.

Ariel says she's going with him and that her father is hurt and it's her fault. She says she has to stop Ursula.

A feeling that two people in the room related with heavily.

Triton tells them that Ursula draws power from her cauldron and that they have to take it from her.

"If you knew that, why'd you let her keep it?" Ven asked the image of Triton, face twisted up in confusion. "If you were so concerned about her that you banished her, why'd you let her keep the center of her power?"

None of them were able to answer him. It… didn't really make sense.

The four of them, plus Sebastian, head to Ursula's cave, encountering some sharks and Heartless on their way.

Xion made a face when she saw the sharks. She did not like them. Why did things like that have to be in the ocean?

Ursula appears from the back of the cave and Sora fights her and her two eels.

Roxas snorted. "Why are you having trouble with the eels?"

"They were electric," Sora replied, remembering their attacks, and everyone who knew what he was talking about winced. Roxas and Xion blinked in confusion and Axel leaned down, explaining in rapid words.

Naminé tried not to flinch at the mention of electricity.

Aqua rolled her eyes at Roxas's jab before pausing. That… honestly sounded like something Vanitas would say. Speaking of, he had been suspiciously quiet for this whole section. Arguing with herself for a second, she finally convinced herself to look over at the dark boy. She frowned instantly at the way he was sitting, shoulders hunched over, hands pulled to his chest, like he was… trying to make himself smaller. But… why would he do that? What was the point? She thought he would be making fun of Sora, this section had offered more times to do that. So… what was going on?

Had something happened? Was something triggering him?

She dismissed the thought instantly. Honestly, what was she thinking? This was Vanitas, who tormented the worlds and Ven for fun. What could possibly be triggering him? He probably just didn't want to make anyone else mad at him. He was good at that. She turned away from him, barely stopping an eyeroll.

In the back of her mind, she wondered. What if something had actually happened?

The eels die from a barrage of attacks and Ursula says that they'll pay for this. She flees.

"Follow her," Kairi hissed.

"This is Sora," Riku muttered. "You think he wouldn't?" Sora gave them both a look.

They follow Ursula into the open ocean, where she tells them that she rules the ocean now. She uses the trident to make herself grow.

"Ohmystars," Kairi breathed out, hands wrapping around Riku's arm since he was closest, and scooting closer to him. Naminé's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She had somehow missed this memory when she was going through them. Both Xion and Roxas froze in surprise and neither of them were ashamed to admit they leaned closer to Axel's embrace. Aqua felt the air get punched out of her lungs as she watched Sora stare down the giant Ursula. Was Sora the only one fighting her? Besides Donald, Goofy, and Ariel that is.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Ariel fight the giant Ursula until they beat her. She shrinks down and disappears into the darkness, leaving the trident behind.

"Damn Sora," Riku muttered out. When had Sora become such a good fighter?

Kairi relaxed slightly after Ursula was gone. Good.

Ariel grabs the trident and swims away towards the castle, leaving Sora and the others to follow her.

Why are going back to him? Vanitas wondered incredulously. You have his power and he's too weak to stop you. Leave damnit.

In the castle, Ariel gives Triton the trident back and apologizes to him. Sora tells Triton to not be mad at her.

Kairi smiled at Sora's words.

Triton says that it's his fault and that Ariel only followed Ursula because he wouldn't allow her to follow her heart. And when he saw the crystal, he lost his temper and destroyed it.

Vanitas choked on his breath, watching the scene with wide eyes. What… what was happening?

Goofy asks why Triton destroyed the crystal and Triton says that it had the power to reveal the Keyhole.

Wait, are we just going past that? Vanitas thought, slightly hysterically. Triton just… he just… what? He carefully grabbed onto his emotions, keeping them locked up as he did his best to not create another Unversed. What did Triton just do?

Why were the back of his eyes burning?

Triton says that the Keyhole is dangerous, and he had to keep it from them.

"He should have let Sora seal it," Kairi muttered. "Then the seas would be safe for his daughter to traverse."

"I don't think he realized that," Sora replied.

Triton requests that Sora seal the Keyhole and tells them that his trident has the power to reveal the Keyhole. He asks Sora to do it.

"It's almost like that was what he wanted to do in the beginning," Roxas said with an eyeroll. Again, the smallest part of Aqua's brain tapped her on the shoulder, mentioning that Vanitas usually made those comments. She brushed it away.

Sora says of course and that was why he was here in the first place. Ariel asks where the Keyhole is and Triton says it's in her grotto.

"Bets, is it coming up from the floor or will it be hidden behind one of Ariel's vases?" Ven asked, humor in his voice, and several people laughed, thinking back to all the other random places the Keyholes of the past had been in.

Before Sora leaves, Triton gives him a paper, saying that it appeared in the world years ago. It's another piece of Ansem's report.

Instantly the mood dropped as they thought about the last time they read one. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to hear what this one said.

The four of them head to Ariel's grotto, with Ariel using the trident to make the Keyhole appear. It appeared as an immaterial keyhole in the wall.

"Just as strange as the others," Naminé whispered.

Sora seals it.

Kairi was glad Ariel would be safer when she traveled around her world now.

Ariel asks Sora what his world was like, and Sora apologizes for lying to her. Ariel says it's okay and says that if he can travel worlds, maybe she can too one day.

"Maybe…" Sora wondered. "Donald's magic could maybe change her into a human form. We could take her to Destiny Islands. I bet she'd like that."

"What about World Order?" Mickey asked and Sora shrugged.

"I mean, she already knows I'm from another world." Mickey acknowledged that with a nod of his head.

Ariel says that there are so many places and that she's see them some day. She's sure. Sebastian says if she ever finds it, to leave him out of it.

There were several snickers from some of the teenagers. The screen went dark.

"So… one of your more… dangerous worlds?" Kairi wondered. Sora shrugged.

"They were all kind of the same amount of dangerous," he replied and Kairi gave him a look.

"That doesn't reassure me," she told him. He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Riku smiled slightly at the two of them.

Vanitas focused back on making sure his breath was even. They were done, Sora wasn't going back to the world. He was fine. Every was fine.

Everything was fine.

It had to be.

But what if it wasn't?