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Kingdom Hearts
by hikaranko
Summary: This is, in all seriousness, a direct novel adaptation of the game Kingdom Hearts. "The Destiny Islands are a beautiful paradise where children's laughter abounds. Day after day, Sora, Riku, and Kairi talk and dream of new places, new worlds, beyond their islands... Little do they know a great destiny awaits them..."
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts at all. This entire fan fic is really just the game in novel format, so credit for the existence of all of this goes to all the hard workers at Disney and Square-Enix (most especially Tetsuya Nomura). I must also thank the creators of the KH manga and their translators, both the official ones and the ones over at Aku-Tenshi (I borrowed some stuff from them).
Author's Message: okay, keeping to my word. thanks to Captain A again for the reminder :D so here it is! the long awaited... NEXT CHAPTER! XD (applauds for Atlantica)
Chapter 27
Fathoms Below
Atlantica
The waters were calm; not unusual in this particular spot. It was spacious here, despite being enclosed by walls of rock that had been standing there for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, its surface smoothed down by the ever flowing waters. In the very center of the enclosure was another large rock bed, on top of which lay a large white clam. The light filtered through the waters and cast distorted lines across the sea floor, casting its spell of infinite calm. It was an easy place for any fish to find some measure of peace.
A small school of angelfish passed through the area, playfully swooping around the white clam. But a strange thing occurred the moment they regrouped. Three streams of bubbles suddenly emerged from out of nowhere. Then, following only a few seconds after, there was a brilliant flash of light and three figures tumbled forward into the watery atmosphere. Several of the angelfish let out a frightened yelp, and the entire school raced away.
Sora tried to catch himself, quite unprepared for this splashy entrance. He tried at first to hold his breath, but realized to his shock that he'd already swallowed a massive quantity of salty water. He put a hand to his throat, immediately frightened that he was about to drown, but suddenly realized that there was no uncomfortable, burning sensation in his lungs. Slowly, he peeled open his eyes and found that there was no awkward sting of salt.
He immediately looked around, in search of Donald and Goofy. Much to his amazement, Donald had turned into some sort of octopus and Goofy had become a sea turtle. Though they did look like extremely awkward creatures: Donald's torso retained its usual duck form, turning only his legs into a set of blue and yellow tentacles; Goofy looked largely like a true sea turtle, but his head remained that of a dopey looking dog.
Grinning excitedly upon seeing his friends' transformation, Sora quickly examined himself. What had Donald turned him into? He checked all his limbs. His hands still appeared to be normal, and as he ran them over his head and face he found that they were the same as well. It was only when Sora checked his feet. His legs had melted together to form a single, powerful-looking tail that vaguely resembled that of a dolphin's. His grin grew even broader as he experimentally flipped his new fins and found himself propelled through the cool water.
"I... I'm a merman!" The moment the words were out of his mouth, his spirits soared even higher. He could talk and breathe underwater! Just like the merpeople he knew from all those kid's stories! "I'm really a merman!"
"Of course you are!" Donald sounded both indignant and smug. "I told you there's nothing to worry about, not with my magic around!"
It didn't seem like Sora's grin could get any bigger, and yet somehow, it did. He spun himself around in the water to look at his friends. He had to stifle a laugh at the sight of them. Donald didn't look nearly as excited as Sora or Goofy. He had his arms folded stubbornly over his chest as he drifted headfirst toward the sea floor. It didn't look like he was making any sort of effort into learning how to use his new octopus tentacles to swim. Goofy was dog-paddling through the water, which wasn't quite as effective as he thought it would be with his turtle flippers.
"This is great!" Sora exclaimed, trying to do a back flip in the water and failing. "I've always wanted to know what living under the sea would be like!"
"Ahyuk! Well, now ya know, Sora!" Goofy spun himself around in the water, laughing. "Fun, ain't it?"
Donald rolled his eyes at their excitement. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Sora laughed and whooped happily as he pulled himself through the water and flipped his fins again, which sent him coasting across the grotto. It wasn't long before he found himself heading straight for the rock and, despite his attempts to stop himself, collided into it. He grimaced at his own clumsiness, rubbing the spots where it hurt, and pushed off of the rock.
"I guess I need some practice," he murmured, mostly to himself.
Goofy laughed carelessly. "Then let's get practicin', Sora!"
"Yeah!"
The two then set off for a somewhat awkward looking lap around the cave. Donald shook his head at them. "Oh, brother."
"Come on, Sebastian!"
Donald tried to look toward the source of the unfamiliar voice, but couldn't from the strange angle he found himself at. As far as he could tell, it belonged to a young teenage girl. Soon after she spoke, there was another voice.
"Ah-riel, wait!" it wailed in a heavy Jamaican accent. "Slow down! Don' leave me behind!"
Sora and Goofy's heads both snapped toward the source of the voices, and three new faces suddenly turned into the cave. The person who seemed to be leading them was a teenage girl. Or rather, a teenage mermaid since she, similarly to Sora, had a long green fish tail and fins in place of legs. She had long, fiery red hair that flowed down her back and danced on her shoulders, constantly shifting with the flow of the ocean currents. As soon as she caught sight of Sora, Donald, and Goofy she came to an immediate stop. Her large, blue eyes seemed to grow even wider as she looked at them, seemingly afraid at first. But curiosity quickly replaced the fear, quirking her lips thoughtfully.
One of her companions, a small, red crab, didn't seem to have noticed that the mermaid had stopped. He pulled himself frantically forward, swinging his small crab arms wildly through the water and panting from exhaustion. He came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the water, finding himself face to face with an upside down Donald octopus. For a moment he was silent, Donald narrowing his eyes at him in annoyance, and then suddenly let out an alarmed wail and backed away as quickly as he could.
He looked around him in a panic and, upon sighting his mermaid companion, swam toward her. She gave the crab an odd look, raising an eyebrow at him. She had already found herself cradling her third companion, a chubby yellow and blue fish who.
"Relax, Sebastian," she said to the crab, a light giggle in her voice. "They don't look like one of them."
Sora had to grab onto a long strip of seaweed to stop himself from crashing into the strangers. He then reached over to Donald and turned him right-side up again while Goofy swam up to rejoin them. The mermaid smiled brightly at them and then turned to the chubby fish in her arms.
"Right, Flounder?"
The fish named Flounder stopped shaking at last, but continued to give Sora and the others a wary look. "I don't know," he said slowly. "There's something weird about them."
Donald and Sora tensed suddenly and exchanged worried looks. Sora quickly turned back to the mermaid. He laughed, trying to sound as relaxed as possible and failing miserably. It felt like his anxiety was as clear to these strangers as the nose on his face.
"Uh... What do you mean?"
He suddenly found himself sinking through the water slightly and gave a small, self-conscious kick of his tail to get back to eye-level with the mermaid. The situation was quickly turning awkward, and neither Donald nor Goofy were being particularly helpful. Especially since Goofy had just done a playful twirl and was laughing softly to himself.
The mermaid put one slender finger thoughtfully to her lips as she once again looked Sora over, then moved swiftly through the water toward him. Her friends did the same for Donald and Goofy. Flounder swam toward Goofy, coming up close to his face, screwing his eyes up and trying to look intimidating, but the captain of the guard just grinned lazily at him. Sebastian approached Donald, and the two locked themselves into a glaring contest.
"They do seem..." Her brow furrowed slightly as she tried to think of a good way to describe it. "A little different." Then her eyes met Sora's and she addressed him for the first time. "Where are you from?"
"Uhh..." He searched frantically for a way to answer without lying outright. He didn't dare drop the mermaid's gaze either. Sora was determined not to let her know their secret. "We're from... kinda... far away."
This was a real live mermaid, scrutinizing him from head to... tail. Would she be able to tell if they were among her people? Now she looked at the way Sora was kicking his tail. Sora suddenly felt extremely self-conscious. Was he swimming the wrong way? It was hard to swim and search for cover stories at the same time. After all, it wasn't exactly second nature to him.
"And... we're not really used to these waters."
He laughed nervously again, praying to high heaven that he hadn't blown it. The mermaid smiled sympathetically, putting one finger to her lips again as she thought.
"Oh, I see," she said kindly.
Sora hoped that the relieved breath he'd let out had gone unnoticed.
"In that case... Sebastian can show you how we swim around here."
The crab immediately broke away from Donald's potent glare, letting out a squeak of shock as he turned to look at the mermaid incredulously and swam toward her.
"Ah-riel, King Triton will not like dis!"
Ariel rolled her eyes at Sebastian's scolding, as though he'd told her this a thousand times over and was thoroughly tired of it. She shut her eyes and sighed, shaking her head.
"Oh, don't worry," she assured him.
Sebastian snorted indignantly and turned away, grumbling under his breath. "Easy fo' you to say..."
The mermaid heaved another exasperated sigh and then turned to Sora and his friends, wiping all traces of annoyance out of her expression. "So what are your names?"
"Oh, I'm..." Sora gave another self-conscious kick to stay eye-level with Ariel. "I'm Sora. And these are my friends, Donald and Goofy." He gestured to each of them as he said their names, and they greeted the young mermaid accordingly.
Ariel giggled softly. "Well, it's nice to meet you all! My name's Ariel. This is my best friend Flounder, and that's..." She threw the small red crab one last annoyed look. "...Sebastian."
Sebastian frowned at the manner in which he'd been introduced, but remained silent. He then looked over at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, letting his eyes scrutinize them from top to bottom. He seemed especially suspicious of Sora, since he was still struggling to remain at eye-level with Ariel. Sebastian looked thoughtful for a moment, rubbing his chin with one claw. Then, with an exasperated noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan, he swam over to them.
"Okay, it's time you learn to swim properly." He glanced at Flounder and gestured for him to come closer. "Practice swimming wit Flounder. Try to tag him."
The chubby fish smiled and wiggled his tail playfully. Sora grinned, his hands balling excitedly into fists as he looked over at his friends. Goofy laughed softly, just as eager as Sora was while Donald shook his head and rolled his eyes at the childish behavior.
"All right," said Sebastian, raising his voice so he sounded more commanding. Sora and Goofy straightened, making themselves look like soldiers at attention despite the eager grins on their faces. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at their antics and slowly nodded. "Begin."
Flounder suddenly sprang to life, darting away from Sora and the others. Sora and Goofy gave chase excitedly, leaving Donald behind for a moment as he once again rolled his eyes. Soon enough, all three of them were swimming around the cave, playing a game of tag with Flounder. Ariel eventually joined in, occasionally commenting on something that Sora seemed to be doing wrong (at which times he blushed in embarrassment). It wasn't long before Sora, Donald, and Goofy had all gotten the hang of their new underwater limbs and were perfectly capable of keeping up with the mermaid and her friends.
Sebastian seemed pleased with their improvement, nodding his head sagely as he watched their game of tag. "Good job. Now let's move on-"
He raised a claw in a movement to call them to a stop, but no one had noticed. They were far too distracted with playing and messing around. Goofy and Ariel were still playing tag while Donald and Sora were pretending to be sharks and chasing Flounder around, using their hands as fake teeth. When she saw this, Ariel gave a mock cry of fear and dived toward Flounder, rescuing him from Sora and Donald's outstretched shark teeth and spinning through the water. They dropped the act as Goofy rejoined them, now laughing too hard to keep it up.
It seemed like Sebastian couldn't decide whether or not he liked the idea of Ariel being so friendly with this trio of outsiders. He twisted his face up in annoyance, pressing his lips together.
"Would you people pipe down fo' one moment and let me finish!"
But they continued to shake with insistent giggles and snorts of laughter, hardly able to contain themselves. The crab just glared at them, waiting impatiently with his claws folded over his chest. Ariel tried very hard to stifle her giggles long enough to give Sebastian an apologetic look.
"Sorry, Sebastian," she said, though it didn't sound entirely genuine.
Sebastian rolled his eyes. He then cleared his throat, attempting to get Sora, Donald, and Goofy's attention back. "Now den. Let's move on to self defense-"
But before Sebastian could finish, Ariel and Flounder's laughter stopped abruptly. Their eyes became as wide as saucers.
"Sebastian!"
Ariel pointed at what she'd spotted, and everyone immediately spun around to see. A small group of strange monsters were gliding through the water, heading straight into the grotto. Their bodies were similar to that of a jellyfish; they had spindly looking legs that looked like yellow flippers protruding from a transparent sphere that seemed to serve as the head. Between the two glowing eyes was the insignia of the Heartless.
The Key bearer clenched his teeth, his hands balling into fists. "Not again!"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy immediately rose to the challenge, wiping away almost all traces of the jubilance that had only just been on their faces. Ariel and Flounder swam off in the opposite direction, Sebastian just behind them.
"Class is over," he cried, slightly panicked as he passed Sora. "Good luck!"
The mermaid swam into a separate tunnel while Flounder and Sebastian ducked into the safety of the large white clam perched in the middle of the grotto. Once they were all effectively hidden from the incoming Heartless, Sora turned to his companions with a determined nod.
"Let's go, guys!"
All three of them pulled out their weapons. The Heartless slowed slightly upon finding them in their way. For a brief moment, they did nothing and simply treaded there. Once the fact that they were up against the Keyblade master settled in, they sprang to life.
All of the Heartless extended their spindly legs out, reared back, and then spun around wildly, propelling themselves forward through the water and attacking at the same time. Sora and the others simply swam out of the way in an easy dodge, and then swung their weapons down onto the heads of the Heartless. Despite the rather large number of enemies that came forward, they were easily taken care of. Sora couldn't suppress the slight grin on his face. If it hadn't been for Ariel and then others showing them how to swim better, they probably would've been easy targets for these Heartless.
Once the last one was defeated, Sora and the others turned to one another, exchanging eager high fives.
"That was amazing!"
All three friends turned to face Ariel as she swam up. She laughed carelessly, throwing her arms around Sora's neck in a hug and sending them both twirling through the water. She then pulled away from Sora and gave Donald and Goofy similar treatment.
"How did you defeat those creatures?" she asked them in astonishment. "All we could do was swim for it when they came out, right, Flou-" She blinked in confusion when she failed to find her best friend at her side. "Flounder?"
"Ariel!" came a muffled voice. "Help!"
Everyone turned to see where it had come from, which turned out to be the inside of the white clam. Ariel swam right up to it, putting an ear to its surface.
"Flounder? What are you doing in there?"
"We were hiding from those creatures, and-"
"And now we're stuck!" announced Sebastian's voice indignantly. He must have struck a claw against the inside of the clam since the entire thing seemed to jump slightly in place. Ariel pulled away at once in her surprise.
"Heeeelp!" Flounder wailed.
"Get us outta here!"
Still smiling, Ariel slid her fingers into the small space under the clam's lid, repositioned herself above it to get a better grip, and pulled with all of her might. Sora and Donald moved to help her, but ended up stumbling over Goofy. This sent all three of them tumbling forward in the water, their still drawn weapons flailing. Ariel gave out a shout of alarm and sprang back as they came closer. Donald's staff ended up striking the white clam, which made it immediately pop open. Flounder and Sebastian swam out into freedom, gasping and wheezing as though they had almost suffocated.
Ariel smiled helplessly as Flounder hurried to her side, shaking her head. "Oh, Flounder. You're such a guppy."
"I am not."
Sora, Donald, and Goofy recovered from their awkward fall through the water and quickly put their weapons away. The boy blushed slightly, scratching the back of his head.
"That was kinda embarrassing," he murmured to his friends, showing a lopsided grin.
Donald and Goofy each nodded in agreement.
"But, uh, what're the Heartless doin' here?" Goofy wanted to know.
"I don't know," admitted Sora, keeping his voice low. "But I guess we'd better check it out, huh?"
His friends nodded again and all three of them turned back around to face Ariel and the others. Ariel and Flounder were both apparently being scolded by Sebastian. He was saying something about irresponsibility and the phrase "What would your faddah tink?" was frequently heard. But Ariel didn't seem to be listening. In fact, it was quite obvious that she had taken a much greater interest in what Sora, Donald, and Goofy were saying to one another.
"Do you three know what those creatures are?" she asked, looking wide-eyed at them.
"Uhh..." Sora shot a quick glance in the direction of his friends for help. Donald helped by jabbing Goofy in his side, effectively shutting him up before he gave anything away. "We've, uh... We've just seen them before. Um, back home. But we don't really know what they are. What about you guys?"
Sora couldn't help feeling uncomfortable with the lie, no matter how slight it was. Though it did manage to throw Ariel off for the moment, as a worried frown pulled at the corners of her lips. She exchanged the same concerned look with her companions.
"Those creatures chased us here," she told them, only the slightest twinge of fear in her voice.
The Key bearer nodded his head slowly in understanding. Donald gave him a meaningful look, also nodding in a sage manner. He then gestured for them to continue on their way and tugged on one of Goofy's fins. But before Sora could turn to say goodbye to Ariel and the others, Sebastian let out a squeak of alarm and clapped his claws over his head.
"Oh, no!" he wailed, his eyes widening. "D'oze monsters might be heading for da palace, too!"
Ariel gasped, turning back around to face Sebastian and Flounder. "We'd better head back right away!"
"But-" Flounder raised one fin objectively, his eyes wider than ever and his body trembling. "-wh-what if we run into more on our way back?"
The young mermaid looked thoughtful for a moment, chewing on her lower lip. Then her face seemed to light up and she looked over at Sora, Donald, and Goofy.
"I'm sorry, but we need your help," she said. "Please come to the palace with us."
Something inside Sora jumped in shock and excitement. 'Palace?'
"Don't worry!" Ariel went on quickly, seeming to sense what Sora was feeling. "It'll be fine! We can show you the way there!"
The trio looked at one another helplessly, shrugged, and turned back to Ariel and the others with a firm, solid nod of agreement. A brilliant smile spread across Ariel's face. Flounder and Sebastian merely looked relieved with the notion that they wouldn't have to worry too much about the monsters. Ariel flashed an eager grin at her companions, but only Flounder returned it.
"Okay, let's get going," she told them, swimming forward to lead the way.
But none of them had ever imagined anything quite as incredible as the real thing.
The underwater world was practically boundless on all sides. There were no walls here; only an endless blue space and since gravity was largely irrelevant, there was nothing one couldn't reach. Jutting out of the sea floor at irregular intervals were large, layered chunks of rock. Some of them seemed to have deep tunnel ways carved into them, winding into countless caverns and passageways. A large variety of colorful undersea plants and flowers grew in what seemed like the most impossible places. Large patches of coral dotted the landscape, interrupting the monotonous shades of blue with its bright colors. Sunlight filtered through the water from above, casting strange and beautiful reflections of light haphazardly across the blue-tinted ocean floor.
The only thing about Atlantica that Sora didn't like was the sheer number of Heartless that were around. If it weren't for them, Sora would have preferred to just swim around and play all day. It honestly felt like there was a large group of them hiding behind every seaweed covered rock, waiting to pounce. It made him think of the first time he arrived at Traverse Town. Though it seemed much worse here; without the restriction of gravity, the enemy was free to attack from any angle - from the sides, above, below... Fighting them off while following and protecting Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder all at once was no easy task.
The Heartless had evolved to better suit the environment of Atlantica, many of them taking on forms similar to those of fish. Some looked like jellyfish, others like enlarged versions of blowfish, and still others looked just like Heartless soldiers that had been encountered before, except they were equipped with green underwater gear and wielded harpoons.
"They're worse than ever!" Sora said to his friends, just moments after he'd cut another one down. He winced at some of the reddening scratches on his bare, exposed arm, and quickly used Cure on himself before any blood seeped out.
"Yeah," agreed Goofy warily, pulling back from the Heartless he'd just defeated. "Gawrsh, it's almost like they can't wait to get rid of us."
Sora frowned, watching the last of the Heartless erupt into smoky black bubbles. "I think you're right..."
"Makes sense," Donald pitched in, swimming up to join them. He lowered his voice, shooting a cautious look at Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian as they emerged from their hiding place. "Us sealing the Keyholes must be making 'em mad."
The boy nodded in agreement, though he couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was something else going on. It was just a gut feeling that he couldn't quite understand or some strange, anxious resonating in his heart. It almost felt as though he'd overlooked a detail or forgotten something important. He dismissed it for now, blaming it on his unsettling encounter with Riku, which only strengthened his resolve to find him again and bring his best friend to his senses.
"This way!" Ariel called, pointing down an underground tunnel near her. "Come on!"
Sora and the others nodded and swam over, still casting about them for more signs of Heartless. As both Ariel and Flounder entered the tunnel ahead, Sebastian gave the young mermaid a puzzled look, his brow furrowing slightly.
"But Ariel," he called after her, grabbing onto one of Goofy's fins as he passed, "dis isn't-"
"It's a shortcut," the redhead said, a small, mischievous smile on her face.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her, obviously worried. "Ah-riel, what are you-" He abruptly cut himself off with a gasp. "Jumpin' jellyfish!"
Everyone but Ariel and Flounder came to an abrupt stop as they found themselves face to face with a wall of fast-moving, swirling bubbles. Sora frowned, confused.
"Uh... Ariel?" he asked tentatively, turning toward his mermaid companion. "How're we supposed to get through here?"
"Took da words right outta my mouth!" agreed Sebastian, looking contemptuously at the young mermaid.
"Simple!" she replied in a sing-song voice. Ariel scooped Flounder and Sebastian up into her arms, smiling. "Just follow me!"
Then, before anyone could react, she swam forward, entering the swirling vortex of water despite Sebastian's frantic protests. Sora, Donald, and Goofy wore identical expressions of shock as they watched Ariel get swept away, whooping enthusiastically as she vanished out of sight. Sora was the first to snap out of it and move forward. With one hand tightly gripping the wall of rock as an anchor, he poked his head into the swirling water and tried to search for Ariel amidst the mass of bubbles. His spiky hair billowed wildly into his face, making it even harder to see.
"ARIEL!" he shouted as loudly as he could. But the force of the powerful ocean current seemed to have muffled out all sound. He couldn't hear anything but the roar of rushing water.
A feathery hand suddenly grabbed onto Sora's arm and gave it a strong, insistent tug. Recognizing the signal to come back, Sora tried to readjust his hold on the rock so that he could pull himself back out of the vortex. But the split second in which his weight shifted was all the current needed. At once Sora was swept away, dragging Donald and Goofy along with him. They tumbled head over tail down the narrow tunnel and Sora frantically reached out around him in search of something to grab onto.
His fingers grazed against the stone wall and Sora quickly scrabbled to find a decent handhold. Soon enough, he managed to hook his fingers into a crack in the wall. He came to an abrupt, violent stop that jolted nearly everything in his system. Clinging tightly to his small handhold, Sora tried to search for Donald and Goofy but to no avail. He tried calling out their names, but his voice was lost. It wasn't long before the strong current wrenched him away from the wall and sent him hurtling down the length of the tunnel.
Then something grabbed him by the arm and abruptly pulled him to one side. Sora suddenly found himself hurtling uncontrollably into a patch of seaweed and moss growing on the stone wall. The plants cushioned the collision with the wall, though Sora still wound up pressed upside-down against it. The force of the current and the roaring in his ears diminished and everything suddenly seemed very quiet. Disoriented and dizzy, Sora tried to look around him and regain a sense of himself as he slid slowly down the curved stone.
"Gawrsh, Sora! Are you okay?"
"Wh-What...?"
He saw several pairs of blurry hands reach toward him and pull him back into an upright position. Some of them had to stop and untangle long strips of seaweed wrapped around his torso. Sora shut his eyes tightly for a moment, vigorously shook off his dizziness, and then looked around him again with his eyes properly focused. He found himself looking up into the faces of Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian. Donald and Goofy were apparently on either side of him, holding him steady. Ariel and Flounder both laughed softly. Sebastian seemed to be annoyed and was grumbling something under his breath.
"You okay?" asked Flounder. "That looked pretty bad."
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, but... what just happened?"
"Ariel pulled us out of the current," Donald explained. "But it looked like she pulled you a little too hard."
"Sorry, Sora," Ariel said, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't mean to, you're just a lot lighter than I thought you'd be."
Sora blinked, exchanging a dazed look with his two friends before turning back to Ariel and Flounder. The confusion slowly lifted from his expression and he managed a lopsided grin.
"That's okay," he said, freeing himself from the tangle of seaweed. "I had no idea how I was gonna get outta there, so... Thanks!"
The mermaid smiled warmly. "Well then, you're welcome."
"Now dat dat's over wit," Sebastian pitched in, still a bit grouchy, "we'd bettah get a move on! D'oze monstahs could reach da palace any minute now! We need ta hurry!"
Ariel suddenly became serious and nodded in agreement. She then gestured for them all to follow and kicked off, her and Flounder in the lead. They eventually emerged in a larger cave that appeared to be closed off on all sides. The only other way out was above them, but as soon as everyone swam toward the large, gaping hole, more Heartless appeared in their path. Ariel halted immediately and backed up, hurrying to cover Flounder and Sebastian. Sora, Donald, and Goofy once again swam straight into the fray despite their exhaustion, weapons flashing.
"Go on ahead and take cover, Ariel!" Sora called between slashes. "We'll take care of these guys!"
On Sora's command the little mermaid nodded and swam slightly ahead, carefully picking her way through the so-called battlefield with Flounder and Sebastian in her arms. She floated anxiously on the other side of the hole, glancing about the valley she'd emerged in for signs of more monsters. Soon enough, the trio pulled themselves out and joined Ariel, Sora and Donald taking turns drinking from an Ether bottle. Ariel gaped at them all, extremely impressed by their abilities. As she, Flounder, and Sebastian led the way over a large undersea valley to the palace, they were constantly bombarded by Heartless attacks on all sides. They often had to swim fast to get away since Sora and the others were getting fatigued.
Sora kept exchanging wondrous glances over at Donald, neither of them unable to understand why Atlantica was under such an intense infestation. Even though they had all agreed that the Heartless were probably getting angry, the unrelenting attacks were undeniably unusual.
Ariel and the others pointed them down another tunnel on the opposite side of the valley. They swam through, and when they emerged on the other end of it, Sora had to stop and gape. While they had yet to actually reach and enter the palace, it was clearly visible from that distance. It was a series of tall, golden towers, stretching high up toward the surface as they gleamed brilliantly under the filtered sunlight. The entire palace shone, a bright beacon of golden light amidst the vast stretch of blue ocean.
Donald and Goofy urged Sora forward, as there was very little time to dawdle about. More Heartless had appeared in this new area, and if it hadn't been for everyone else yanking him out of the way, Sora would have wound up with a harpoon stuck in his side. While Sora, Donald, and Goofy fought off as many of the Heartless as they could, Sebastian was in an all-out panic. As they had feared, the Heartless had spread to areas close to the palace, which was never a good sign.
The crab hurried them onward once the area was more or less clear. Both he and Ariel led the way up a long stretch of white stone that served as a pathway leading to the palace. Sora found it to be a little strange; merpeople didn't really need a paved path since they could simply swim weightlessly through the water. He didn't voice this, of course, but he knew by the look on Goofy's face that a similar thought had occurred to him.
Sebastian let out another cry of horror as they entered the palace: more Heartless.
"Dey're everywhere!" he wailed, clamping onto Ariel's tail fin as she swam away.
Sora bit down on his lower lip and tightened his grip on the Keyblade. "Yeah..." He couldn't shake the feeling that it was all because of him.
"Quick, this way!"
Ariel turned sharply down into a long passageway lined on both sides with tall, blue-green pillars. Everyone followed her example as she tried to outmaneuver the Heartless. She kept throwing glances back at them over her shoulder, and Sora could have sworn that she had a small, excited grin on her face. He wanted to laugh because of the adrenaline rushing through his veins, but his own anxiety held the impulse at bay. It was almost completely eliminated when there was a sudden flash of lightning, streaking right past him and nearly grazing his shoulder before destroying all of the Heartless with a bang.
Everyone immediately came to an abrupt halt, turning around fully to stare, awestruck at the empty spot that had once been occupied by a horde of Heartless. Sora glanced over at Donald, wondering briefly if maybe he was the one who'd wiped them out. But judging by the surprised look the court wizard wore on his face, the blast had definitely come from somewhere else.
"That was too close," thundered a voice from behind them.
They all turned around to face the speaker, Ariel with a broad smile on her face. They had apparently wound up in what was clearly the palace's throne room. It was a large, circular room closed off by the same sorts of columns in the hallway. In the very center of the room, the floor gracefully swooped up and blossomed open like a flower, its surface ridged like that of a clam. Emerging from the middle, supported by a stone beam, was an unmistakable throne. It was a large chair that resembled an open oyster, with a high back that fanned outward and looked quite like a sand dollar. On either side of the seat were two more columns, shaped like a large vase that was open at the top, allowing jets of bubbles and soft blue light to issue out from it. Protruding from the top of the throne was a spike, tapering to a point and vaguely resembling a majestic crown.
Seated in this throne was a large, burly merman with long, flowing hair and an equally long beard. Despite the clear age shown by the silver of his hair and beard, his torso was toned and muscular. Large, gold bracers were clasped around his strong forearms, and his firm hands tightly held onto a golden, three pronged spear; a trident. The man's eyes were stern and fierce, currently set into a glare as they focused on the spot where the Heartless used to be. Atop the merman's head was a large golden crown.
Ariel swam over to the merman, beckoning Sora and the others to follow her with a nod of her head. They obeyed hesitantly, Flounder taking a moment to swallow nervously first. He seemed to be shaking as they approached, and he didn't seem to be doing any better as Ariel left his side, approaching the throne faster than the others. Sora patted him absently on the head as they moved forward, his blue eyes fixated on the large merman's face.
"As long as I have my trident," he roared, "I will not tolerate those creatures inside this palace."
The merman tightened his hold on his weapon for a moment, then loosened it again. He placed his golden trident into a holding spot next to his throne, then slowly turned his eyes to Ariel. They didn't lose an ounce of intensity in doing so, and the merman appeared to be glaring at the young mermaid as she approached him. Still, Ariel's smile didn't waver.
"Daddy!" she cried, moving even closer to him.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped slightly in surprise. 'Ariel's father?'
"Oh, Ariel!" he said, his tone of voice scolding and heavy with exasperation. The effect on Ariel was instant: she flinched visibly and her smile immediately vanished in favor of biting down on her lip. "When will you listen? It's dangerous out there!"
Ariel drew in a breath. For a moment it looked as though she meant to explain herself, but she apparently gave up half way. She looked up at the ceiling and gave a small, careless shrug. Understandably, her father grew still more upset.
"Strange creatures lurk outside," he scolded.
And the merman's intense, penetrating glare suddenly turned on Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Clearly, he was grouping the three of them with the Heartless in his statement. Both Sora and Donald's eyes grew wide at this, but the latter could more or less understand how the merman felt. The statement was more or less true; they were outsiders. But Sora was pretty sure he didn't want to be considered similar to the Heartless.
'We're not with them,' Sora thought, dropping his gaze so that he was looking at the floor below them with a disturbed frown on his face. 'We've been fighting them all this time...'
Sebastian, having apparently moved forward through the water so that he was standing on one of the throne's arms, cleared his throat importantly.
"Behold!" he announced, turning to the trio of newcomers and gesturing to the man in the throne. "You swim before da ruler of da seas! His Majesty, King Triton!"
King Triton had now dropped the glare and was eyeing them suspiciously. After a moment, he turned to the small red crab, one eyebrow raised.
"And who are they?"
"They helped us fight off those creatures," Ariel explained, smiling a little.
The king glanced at Ariel, then returned to giving Sora, Donald, and Goofy a suspicious look. "They don't look familiar."
Sora stole a nervous glance over at Donald before speaking up. "We're from an ocean..." Feeling quite uncomfortable with lying, he frantically searched for a half-truth to give them. "...very far away."
"Yup!" Goofy chuckled merrily, swimming around Sora and Donald in a circle. "We came to find the Keyhole!"
Both of his companions turned sharply to look at him, their eyes wide in horror. Sora's heart leapt into his throat nervously. He wanted desperately to reach over and clap a hand over the captain of the guard's snout, but before he could try, Goofy had already swum further away. Donald just barely kept himself from going over and bopping his friend on the head.
King Triton's expression twisted fiercely. "The what?"
Ariel's blue eyes lit with curiosity. She exchanged an excited look with Flounder before turning to Goofy, who was now making wide, lazy circles around them.
"What's that?" she asked, sounding eager and innocent all at once.
"Ahyuk! Well, it's a-"
"There's no such thing!" King Triton bellowed, tightly gripping the sides of his throne and leaning forward. "Certainly not here!"
Sora and Donald stared at the king, shocked by the vehemence in his voice and by the fact that they'd been given another horrible glare. Goofy blinked, disoriented at having been cut off, and turned to look fearfully at the burly merman. He withdrew his head into his shell a little bit in an attempt to hide from King Triton's rage.
Ariel looked over at her father and frowned. "But Daddy-"
The king narrowed his eyes. "Ariel," he growled, with a force that only came from the strictest of fathers, "not another word! You are not to leave the palace! Is - that - clear?"
Sebastian clasped his claws over his mouth as he watched the exchange with increasing anxiety. Ariel glared up at her father, tightly pressing her lips together to keep herself from arguing back. Her hands clenched into fists and she whirled around, swimming away from the throne room. Flounder threw a nervous look at the king before following her, calling her name worriedly. Sora, Donald, and Goofy followed her as well, too afraid of Triton's ferocity and too worried about Ariel to remain there any longer than necessary.
"Perhaps I'm being too strict," he murmured, glancing at his faithful crab retainer. "I'm just concerned for her safety."
He glanced back up and managed to catch one last, fleeting glimpse of the tails of Ariel's newest companions as they disappeared around the corner. Sebastian folded his claws in front of him, nodding his head in a sage manner.
"Of course, your Majesty." Then he also looked toward where everyone had disappeared and scratched the underside of his chin thoughtfully. "But I must admit, now I'm quite curious about dis 'Keyhole.'"
King Triton reached over and placed one of his strong hands over Sebastian. This effectively silenced the crab with a surprised squeak.
"That need not concern you, Sebastian," he said in a commanding voice, narrowing his eyes.
Sebastian gazed up at the king with wide eyes and nodded his head in agreement, suddenly unable to find his proper voice. Only then did the king withdraw his hand, releasing another heavy, weary sigh. His brow became furrowed as he turned to a separate order of business.
"Have you anything to report?"
The crab nodded once again. "Just as you suspected, your Majesty, dey seem to be coming from Ursula's grotto."
"I knew it!" Triton boomed, slamming one fist down on the throne. Sebastian was sent a few inches into the air by the force. "That sea witch is up to no good again! I see exile from the palace has taught her nothing."
He leaned back, stroking his beard, his eyes cast toward the ceiling in thought. Sebastian fixed himself quickly, getting back onto his legs and straightening his shell.
"Yes," he agreed urgently, "she poses serious danger."
The king's eyes turned back down so that he was giving the crab an accusing look. "And I told you to keep Ariel away from such danger, did I not?"
Sebastian backed away awkwardly, laughing nervously and avoiding direct eye contact with King Triton. "Your Majesty," he sputtered, "please, I, uh..."
Triton leaned back into the throne with a tired sigh, putting his fingers to his temple and trying to massage away the incoming headache. He then dismissed Sebastian from the throne room, ordering him to resume his assigned job of supervising Ariel... and her new friends. The ruler of the seas decided that he was indeed most curious about them.
"He's just looking out for her," Donald pointed out with a small shrug. "He is her father."
The boy nodded slowly, facing forward again. "I guess so..."
"Aw, I sure hope they'll be okay," Goofy muttered sadly.
Donald reached over and bopped his fist over Goofy's shelled backside. "It's all because you blabbed about the Keyhole! How many times do I hafta remind you not to talk about that?"
The captain of guard laughed sheepishly. "Gawrsh, I'm real sorry, Donald!"
The duck/octopus shouted something in frustration, but it was so garbled with his raspy voice that it was completely incomprehensible. Sora immediately swam over and clamped Donald's beak shut, muffling his angry rambling.
"Shh! Keep your voice down," he whispered urgently, motioning toward Ariel and Flounder. Donald blinked in surprise and looked over at the young mermaid and her friend, suddenly ashamed of the fact that he'd lost his temper again. Only then did Sora release him and swam over so that he was swimming alongside the Atlanticans. "Ariel, are you okay?"
Ariel and Flounder looked over at the boy in surprise. Apparently, Sora had interrupted some conversation between them. After a brief moment, the young teenage mermaid lowered her gaze and shook her head, giving what looked like a bit of a forced smile.
"I... I'm fine."
Sora tilted his head to one side, not entirely convinced by the statement. Still, he decided it would be better to drop the subject. "So... where are you guys off to?"
They exchanged one of those looks again and then turned back to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Ariel gestured for them to come a little closer and, once they were all huddled together, spoke in low, conspiratorial tones.
"Come with us to my grotto," she said. "I want to show you something."
Three pairs of eyes blinked at her in unified confusion. "Your grotto?"
The little mermaid nodded, a mischievous glint suddenly apparent in her big blue eyes. She then motioned for them to follow her and Flounder and hurried away. Donald looked rather worried as he watched the pair swim ahead.
"I dunno about this," he muttered. "What do you think, So - WAK?"
Upon turning to face his friends, Donald suddenly found himself talking to two bubble clouds where Sora and Goofy used to be. He turned himself all the way around before realizing that Sora and Goofy had gone ahead to follow Ariel and Flounder. Goofy, however, had apparently paused to look back at him and waved.
"C'mon, Donald!" he called with a laugh.
And with that, he continued on his way. Donald frowned and narrowed his eyes, feeling quite fed up with his friends' reckless curiosity. Then, deciding that the least he could do was keep an eye on them, he followed the group as well, grumbling under his breath the whole way.
but anyways! please review, everybody!
