Chapter 22

I never thought there would be people besides us interested in other worlds. She explained everything in her secret grotto was found from the land above the sea.

"Look at these wonderful things me and Flounder collected. I think it's from other worlds." to anyone, it was a collection of random objects, but I knew to Ariel, these were treasures. "Someday, I'm going to see what's out there. I wanna see other worlds. Does that sound strange?" she asked.

"No, not really." Sora said, "We wanted to, too. Right, sis?"

"Yeah, along with two other friends."

"Hey, let's find that keyhole you guys were talking about."

"What about your dad?" I asked.

"He treats me like a little girl. He never wants me to do anything. He just... doesn't understand."

We left Ariel's grotto to look for the keyhole. She told us that there was a place full of sunken treasure was worth checking out.

When we got in, I noticed a small chest near a window. Amara was wrapped around my arm. I opened the chest and it had a crystal shaped like a trident.

'That's the shape from Ariel's grotto!' I thought to myself as I picked it up. I looked out the window and saw a shark swimming this way.

"Piri, Amara, look out!" Ariel shouted. The shark busted through and I managed to swim backwards, with Amara clinging to me, to get away before getting chomped. It got close again and my back hit the wall. We were cornered and he was ready to attack. I held Amara close to me and closed my eyes forcefully. But, nothing came. I looked to see Goofy in his shell and between us and the shark. He champed down on Goof's hard shell and broke his teeth. The shark swam away as fast as it came.

"Thanks, Goofy." I said and Amara nuzzled his cheek as a thank you.

"Gwarsh, it was nothing, your highness. You and Amara are my friends. I wasn't going to let that mean ol' shark hurt ya." Goofy said. I hugged him; It's good to know he would go that far to protect me.

We arrived back at Ariel's grotto. I handed Sora the crystal and he put it in the outline on the wall. We waited to see if there would be a reaction.

"Ariel, you've disobeyed me again!" we all turned to see a very angry king. "I told you not to leave the palace!" he turned his attention to the crystal trident. His trident began to glow and he pointed at the crystal.

"Daddy, no!" Ariel cried but he ignored her and destroyed it. "How could you..." she swam out of the cave.

"Ariel!" I was about to swim after here when her dad stopped me.

"Young man, young lady, you're not from another ocean, you're from another world, aren't you?" He did know! "Then you must key bearers. And you, young lady, are the Princess of Memory!"

I frowned, "How did you know?"

"You may fool Ariel, but you can't fool me. Neither of you know your dorsal fin from your tail."

"With all do respect, sir, but I happen to know what it-" I started but was interrupted.

"SILENCE!" He shouted with rage and we all straighten up, "As the Princess of Memory, you must know not to meddle in the affairs of other worlds."

"Of course I know that!" I said, growing slightly aggravated.

"You have violated this principle. And what I understand, you also have a balanced heart. Your mother gave you this power when she passed the princess title and power to you." how did he know that? "That also gives you the power to see the future." the others gasped. "One with these power cannot change it and protect it. You have only shattered that peace and brought doom to others!" my glare softened. I... I've brought doom?

"Piri's not like that!" Sora exclaimed and he turned to leave.

"I thank you for saving my daughter. But, there's no room in my ocean for either of you or your keys." Triton said as he left.

Amara pushed back my long bang behind my ear as if to say, 'Everything's alright.' and I sadly smiled. Sora gripped my shoulder. My light started to glow as it did back on the ship.

"Don't listen to him! You don't bring doom anywhere, you've brought-"

"No!" I snapped and Amara swam away from me. My light began mixing with darkness. "He was right! Back on the Islands, I saw us peacefully sailing back, on our raft, home. It all changed when I told you guys there was other worlds." my light/darkness grew brighter, "I've meddled enough already and looked what happened: our home is gone! I caused a lot of hurt and doom to others." I floated down to the floor in tears, screaming. The light faded into darkness until I felt familiar arms around me and looked up to see Sora.

"We'll find a way to restore our home," he tried to soothe me and calm me down but he was clenching his teeth and closing one eye; I was hurting him. But then he smiled, "Don't worry, sis."

The darkness cleared away and I hugged back. Soon, Amara, Donald, and Goofy join in. I knew then in there, it was truly all for one and one for all.

khkhkh

No one's POV

Ariel sobbed outside, not to far from the grotto. She suddenly heard a chilling voice.

"My, my the girl suffers a deep sorrow." she looked up to see two eels circling her.

"What pity. If only there was a way we can help..." the second eel said.

"Wait, maybe she can help."

"Yes, maybe she can be some help to you."

"Who are you talking about?" Ariel asked.

"She'd make all your dreams come true."

"Ursula can help..." the second eel said before they both burst into a cloud of ink.

"You called my dear?" an octopus lady emerged from the ink.

"Your Ursula?" she asked and the octopus nodded, "I was wondering if-" she began, but Ursula stopped her.

"It's all right. Helping others is what I do best. Lemme guess, you wish to see other worlds. That shouldn't be too hard. After all, your friends came from another world." she said and Ariel gasped.

"What?"

"They had special help from those mysterious keys of theirs." her hopes sank as she knew she had nothing like that. "Cheer up, sweetie. You have something special too." Ursula said. She was talking about the trident. If Ariel got it, she could help her go to other worlds.

'I know it's wrong... but..." Ariel thought.

khkhkh

Piri's POV

We swam back to the palace to see of Ariel was there. I smelt the bitterness of darkness in the current, a smell I'm getting tired of. I swam a little faster with the boys close behind. We arrived in the throne room and heard voices.

"The trident is mine at last! And I couldn't have done it without you, my dear!" A voice said.

"Ursula, this is not what I wanted!" Ariel cried out.

"Why not? Aren't you tired of following your dear daddy's orders? Oh yes. We had a deal, did we? Time for a little journey- to the dark world of the heartless!" Ursula exclaimed. I managed to look and see a half-octopus women holding the trident and two eels circling her.

"We can find the key hole." the first eel said.

"The keyhole isn't here." the second said.

"Enough!" I yelled. Ursula turned to us.

"We have company. I'm afraid you're a little late, your majesty." she disappeared in ink.

Ariel came with us and we headed off to find the sea witch. I think Amara sensed more heartless so she lead the way. We came to skeletal remains that served as Ursula's domain. Inside, we found Ursula.

"That heartless is pitiful! Mind if I see that heartless, dearie?" I growled at her.

"No way in Hade's will I give you her!" I cradled Amara.

"You can't run!" Donald said.

"Your time has come!" Sebastian said. Ursula glared at them, which scared both of them in silence.

I smirked, "I guess her face is so ugly, it's scary." my comment made everyone, except Ursula and the twin eels, snicker.

"Silence! I'll show you not to mess with me!" the witch said, glaring at me.

"Well, standing there ain't going to stop us!" I glared back, summoning our weapons.

Donald and Goofy attacked Ursula while Sora and I tried to attack the eels. She threw a bottle into her cauldron and it began bubbling. King Triton told me that thing is where she draws he power. I pointed my Rainfell at it and one of the eels wrapped around me. The other knocked away Sora and just as I was about to slip out of the hold, the other eel came and made it harder to escape.

"Piri!" I saw Ursula face me and shoot a bolt of darkness at me. Sora swam in front me, taking the hit.

"SORA!" we all yelled. I rampaged out of my hold and my light and darkness grow. I released it it and it knocked everyone into the wall, including the unconscious Sora.

"See? I told you would never escape me!" I heard a voice in my head say and my mind went blank.

khkhkh

Sora's POV

I opened my eyes to see Piri glow extremely bright with both light and darkness again. But the light faded into darkness yet again.

"Inversed Firaga!" she shouted with her voice and another dark voice at the same time. A Large flame circled by light and dark destroyed the cauldron. She turned to the two eels and evily laughed. I was scared she was going to fall to darkness.

I shouted to her, "Piri! Calm down!"

She looked me and scoffed. Her eyes were red instead of crystal blue. I realized it wasn't her. She shot Prism Rain at them and the evaporated in green flames.

"Y-you'll pay for this!" she cowered away and disappeared. I looked back at Piri and she was still angry. I swam towards her and hugged her. She screamed and darkness blasted throughout the room. It mostly hit me- and trust me, it did hurt- but I refused to let go.

"Sora! Piri!" I heard Donald, Goofy, and Ariel yell.

"Piri, snap out of it!" I yelled as she tired struggled out of my hold, "Knock it off! Do you think Riku would want you to fall to darkness?"

She stopped. Her teeth were clenched and her eyes were closed tight. The darkness stopped and her eyes were slowly opening and turning back to normal.

khkhkh

Piri's POV

I blinked. I saw Amara and Ariel were taking care of Donald and Goofy, who were hurt, and Sora was hugging me. "Sora? W-What happened?" He gulped.

"We... we almost lost you to the darkness..." I gasped at this.

"You mean, I hurt you guys?" he didn't say anything so I broke the hug and swam backwards, slowly. "I... I hurt..."

Donald and Goofy straighten up.

"You didn't hurt us!" Donald said.

"Yeah, you just hurt that sea witch," Goofy agreed. I sighed in relief but still didn't smile. That's when I looked at Sora and saw marks on his shoulder, bloody marks. He reached for it and winced when he touched it, quickly stopping his actions and removing his bloody hand.

"I-it's okay! It's just a little scratch." he said and I swam away, not believing him. "PIRI!"

I went out of the witch's castle, into the calm depths where I smelled darkness. I heard Sora calling my name and turn to him and the others.

"Stay away from me!" I swam back, "Before I hurt you again!"

Sora was about to say something when I heard Ursula evily laughing. We turn to her. "You poor unfortunate souls, darkness is your future."

"No, it's not!" Sora yelled back. "I think you should check your cauldron, again."

"I'll help you see it's the truth, handsome..." she lifted up the trident and grew ten times bigger. I growled at this, my darkness growing. Sora stopped me.

"Don't get mad, sis! Take a deep breath and let's fight together." he said with soft eyes.

I nodded and took a calming breath. "Let's do this!"

She was probably the hardest one yet. She wasn't a heartless, but even so... Dammit.

"Sora! Focus on your light and direct it through your keyblade!" he nodded and pointed his keyblade to Ursula. A ball of light formed at the end of it.

"Keep going!" I got my Last Resort ready and looked over at him. There was now two balls of light. "Together, Sora!"

"LIGHT!" we both shouted and flung the orbs at her. It was too much for her and she fell back in a cloud of ink and disappeared. Sora held his shoulder as his keyblade was dismissed.

"That takes care of one prob-" he let out a small groan of pain. I looked at him, but a pillar of light caught my attention. It disappeared, revealing the trident. We returned it to the sea king and he asked us the seal the keyhole, which was hidden in Ariel's grotto. We went back there and the trident glowed. It lined up with the print on the wall and revealed the keyhole. We pointed our keyblades at it and sealed it.

"Sora, Piri, can you tell me what your world is like?" Ariel asked.

"Oh, about that... sorry for lying to you." Sora said.

"It's okay. Besides, if you can travel to other worlds, maybe I can, too. I know I'll get there someday." I was happy to see her excited about other worlds.

We left that world through the entry point and Sora, Amara, and I were in the cabin while Donald and Goofy drove us to the next world. Sora's wound was getting worse and I was the one who caused it. Darkness was swarming the wound, trying to enter it. I it wasn't for his light, he would be consumed by it.

"I'll be okay, sis!" he smiled, trying to think of something to repeal tthe darkness.

"Sora... I'm so sorry for everything did..." tears hit the floor.

"I'm not mad at you." he still put up a smile, wiping away them.

"I... I need to learn to control my emotions. They seem to link to my light and darkness..." light and darkness... I looked at his wound. I had an idea! "That's it! Light and darkness! Sora, focus on your light again that way the darkness will disappear." he nodded and closed his eyes. He's smile only grew and the darkness faded quickly. I was surprised on how fast it was. He was a special kid, just as Aqua said.

"It's gone!" he said excitedly.

I giggled and healed the wound, making it disappear, "Keep your light shining bright, little brother."

"Okay!" he grinned.

"Hey, we're comin' up on the next world, A-yhuck!" Goofy said from the top of the ladder.

"Hey, Pi?" I looked back at Sora, "Thanks for teaching me how to summon light orbs. One day, I'll summon eight like you!"

I smirked and winked, putting a finger u to my mouth, "We'll see..."