Chapter 21

Piri's POV

As soon as we got up to the control room, I looked out the window to see an underwater world.

"Okay, prepare for landing." Donald said.

I looked at him funny, "Are you insane?"

"Yeah! Land where? In the sea? We'll drown!" Sora exclaimed.

"Not with my magic, we won't. Just leave it to me!" Donald said.

"Oh, that's right! Magic!" I giggled, "I'll help, too!"

"That's a good Idea, Princess!" Goofy said with a smile. I ignored the fact he called me princess.

We landed and then dove into the ocean. I opened my eyes to see beautiful kelp and coral all around us. I was also able to breath, too.

"Wow! This is great! Right, Sora?" I looked at him and he wasn't looking at me. Was he blushing? I realized Donald was a octopus, Goofy was a sea turtle, and Sora was a merman with a dolphin tail. He even had the dorsal fin. Heh, he was was topless... wait, why am I thinking? Wait! if he's topless, what about me?!

I saw a rock that was somewhat like a mirror and swam to it. I gasped at my reflection: I was a mermaid with a white koi fish tail and black fins. I sighed with relief as I saw a black strapless halter top with white and light blue thalassa shells stringed to the bottom. My hair was flowing freely in the currents and I noticed a small tiara on my head. It was the one from Wonderland! It even had the heart shaped snowflake.

"Wow!" I smiled; It's been a dream of mine to swim underwater and not drowning. "I wish Aqua can see me now! Oh, I wish I had my camera!" I looked at them and they were blushing.

"I wonder what Riku would think!" Sora said, gleefully. I blushed and giggled. I found my wayfinder hooked to one of my fins. I unhooked it and held it to my heart.

"I was meaning to ask you..." Goofy started but faded off.

"Go ahead and ask!" I smiled, reassuringly.

"When was that there wayfinder made?" I sighed but kept my smile.

"It was made two nights before Aqua and Terra's Mark of Mastery exam. Sadly, Terra didn't pass." I sadly smiled, "And he had a thing for my sister, too! I think he was a little... okay, a lot humiliated. Even so, Aqua still loved him. I promised myself I will bring back Aqua back and find Terra and Ven, but..."

"Don't worry, we'll find out where they are!" Sora grinned.

"Yeah, we'll help you all the way!" Donald said.

"Really?" I smiled

"It's all for one and one for all, remember?" Goofy said.

"Thanks, guys!" they definitely know how to cheer me up. I felt a tap on my shoulder turned to see a heartless. Sora almost summoned his keyblade, until I stopped him. I noticed the emblem on it's head was different: it was the same symbol that was on my wayfinder!

"Amara?" the heartless nodded. (A/N: she's basically a Sea Neon Heartless.)

"So, Amara changed too?" Sora asked.

We all started to swim around and adjust to our new forms. I saw another mermaid heading our way. Behind her was a crab and a guppy.

"Come on, Sebastian!" the mermaid cried. The crab, who I guessed was Sebastian, was helplessly thrashing in the water trying to keep up.

"Ariel, wait! Slow down! Don't leave me!" he yelled, swimming up to Donald and freaking out. He and the guppy hide behind Ariel.

"Relax, guys! They don't don't look like one of them. Even that one behind the girl... something different about it. Right, Flounder?"

"I don't know... there's something weird about them." Flounder said.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, nervously. She looked from him to me and circled around me.

"You look kinda like royalty!" she giggled.

"Thanks!" I smiled.

"Well, Piri is a princess!" Sora said, grinning. I shot him a glare.

"Wow, I could have guessed by the crown and the shells attached to your outfit." she hovered in front of us, "Hey! I know what these shells are called! They were... uh, thalassa shells, right?"

"Yeah! These shells are awesome!" I beamed.

"There's a lot around here." I gasped and smiled at this.

"Sora, did you hear that? Something of our home are abundant here!" I squealed in excitement.

"Maybe will find some!" he said.

"Oh, where are you guys from?" Ariel asked.

"Uh, an ocean that seems very far away..." I looked down with sadness; I knew we may not be able to go home. Sora placed a hand on my shoulder.

"We aren't used to these waters..." I was convincing but I was worried Sora screwed it up.

"In that case," ... nevermind, "Sebastian can show you how we swim around here."

"Ariel, King Triton won't like this!" Sebastian exclaimed.

"Don't worry!" She said, smiling. It took a little longer to get the hang of it, but soon you couldn't tell we were from another world. I sneakily swim to Sora, who was talking to Donald and Goofy, and tagged him.

"You're it, Sora!" I swam away as fast as I could. Amara squeaked in delight and followed me.

"Hey! No fair!" I heard Sora call after me and Amara.

"Your majesty, there's no time for games!" Donald yelled at me.

"Come on! It has been a while since we loosen up and had some fun!" I continued to swim.

"Slow down, I can't keep up, sis!" Sora whined.

"No way!" I zipped behind Goofy. Donald's face was red with anger.

"knock it off!" I glared at him.

"You knock it off, duck boy! I'm trying to have fun!" I told him, crossing my arms.

"Amara's it!" Sora tagged her and squeaked in surprise.

"Sebastian!" Ariel shouted, grabbing our attention. She was pointing at heartless (not Amara) that were heading toward us. While we fought them, Ariel and her friends hide. What really shocked me was Amara was fighting, too. She's good at fighting, thank goodness, but I still don't understand why she stays in my shadow.

After the fiasco, the crab was afraid that the heartless were heading for the palace so we followed the trident signs on the rocks until we came to a beautiful underwater castle. Unfortunately, heartless were swimming after in the courtyard. We swam to the palace and into the palace with the heartless right on our trail. But they were defeated by a gold beam of energy.

"That was close!" a voice boomed, "As long as I have the trident, I will not tolerate those creatures in this palace." I made sure to keep Amara behind me, hoping he won't see her.

"Daddy!" King Triton was Ariel's dad? That means she's a princess.

"Oh, Ariel, when will you listen? It's dangerous out there! Strange creatures lurk outside." he looked over to us as he said this. He knew we weren't from here. I cloud see it his eyes.

"Behold. You swim before the ruler of the seas: His Majesty, King Triton." Sebastian proclaimed.

"And who are they?" Triton asked.

"They helped us fight off those creatures." Ariel said.

"They don't look familiar."

"We are from an ocean far away." I said.

"Yup. We came to find the keyhole." Goofy said without thinking and I face palmed myself.

"The what?" Triton asked.

"What's that?" Ariel asked.

"Well, it's a-" I covered his mouth and nervously laughed. King Triton slammed his fist down. Amara jumped and Amara's tentacle's grip on my arm tightened a little.

"There's no such thing Certainly not here." something told me that he was lying.

"But daddy-"

"Ariel, not another word! You are not to leave the palace. Is that clear?"

She got mad and swam out of the throne room. We followed after her. His strictness reminded me of Aqua's strictness.

"I don't care if Ven's still up or not, you need to go to bed!" Aqua crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

I sat on Ven's lap, "Venny, do I have to? It's only seven at night."

"Your sister knows what she's talking about, Ri." he told me.

"Aww!" I whined, "But, sis-"

she pointed at the castle, "If you want to be a strong keyblade master one day, you must-"

"Get plenty of sleep and rest. I know this, sis!" I said, mockingly.

"Go to bed!" Aqua said sternly and a bit too harsh. I teared up without them falling and ran to my room before she could do anything.

I

was laying there in my bed with the blanket over my head. I heard my door silently creak. I pulled the covers down and sat up. I seen my sister.

"Sorry I awoke you, Reese." She said softly, "I'll leave-"

"No!" she froze and looked at me. "Please don't go."

"Reese, what's wrong?" she sat next to me on the bed.

"I... I know you have your Mark of Mastery exam in a two days..."

"Yeah, but why would you-" I stopped her sentence with a hug.

"What's going to happen to us? Will we be even more of a broken family as it already is?" I sobbed on her shoulder, "I like you better as a sister... then a mom."

"Oh, sweetie..." she hugged me back, "We're not broken."

"But dad's missing and mom is..." it was quiet after I said that, except for the cries of pain I let out.

Aqua sighed, "We still have Grandma and Grandpa Ice cream, Lightning, Serah, and your brother... heck, even Lea, Terra, Ven, and Master Eraqus."

"I know but what about you and me?"

She laid down next to me, cuddling, "I'm sorry if I'm mean sometimes... I just..." she stroked my hair and I saw tears falling from her eyes, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Please don't cry, sissy..." I tried to wipe them away.

She smiled and exhaled shakily. She wiped her eyes, "You wanna hear that song?"

I yawned, "Yeah!"

"Someday I'll find you with open arms." I sang the last part out loud and Sora stopped.

"Piri?" we all stopped and I blushed.

"Sorry guys... I don't know where that came from."

"Gwarsh, you sounded beautiful to me!"

"Goofy's right!" Sora said, "What song was that?"

"It's a song that I really like and Aqua sang it to me every night... if she could." I said with a sad smile.

"Can you sing it to us fully?" Donald asked.

"First we need to go see Ariel." I reminded them, "But I will be happy to later!"

I never told Aqua why I was acting strangely that night. She doesn't know I have the power to see the future, thanks to my mother.

'Wait, Does she know I can see the future? She knows I have a balanced heart and when mom gave me this power...' I kept debating with myself until we reached Ariel's grotto.