FicWad

Kingdom Hearts: The Journey Begins
By PaopuPassion

Disclaimer: As I said, I do not own the Kingdom Hearts storyline in any way, shape, or form - though I do own the PS2 game itself, as well as its sequel (both of which I love to play). Anyway, this entire tale is devoted to novelizing the game and hopefully my own style of writing will interest you. No offense is made while writing this story. Copyrights belong to Square Enix, Inc. and especially Tetsuya Nomura. Any original dialogue will be purely my own creative twist since I want to broaden the adventures in each world - the basics of the story will be there, however, I'm just branching off on them using the movies the characters were taken from. (Thank you for taking the time to read this long disclaimer, and I promise this is the only chapter you'll see it in. That's why I'm addressing the matter straight off the bat.)

Author's note: I've lately become rather obsessed with the game so I've decided to put said obsession to good use and employ my writing skills to treat fans as crazy and insane as me to the full story and plot of the game. I may even go on to do the sequel, too. Kingdom Hearts II is my favorite game, after all. I think it was the plot mainly that captured me, and the fact I good beat the crap out of the bad guys continuously. On with the story, I guess. (One more thing, this is more a friendship piece than anything ... at least friendship between Riku, Sora, and Kairi. I'll only write the romance of other characters, but I'm not touching those three. I think they're perfect as only best friends. All of them included. Friendship, after all, is the one thing that can withstand the test of time.)


Prologue - Awakening

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately ... like is any of this for real or not?"

The odd sensation of falling settled in his stomach, twisting it into a fluttering feeling there under his heart. He felt as if he were falling into an abyss, an abyss of cold darkness that consumed him. It felt similar to swimming in the ocean, no control as the waves lapped against his skin and brought him crashing to the shore. Letting go of all rational thought, he let himself slip farther into abyss, succumbing to the sensation all around him. It was invigorating, in a way. Cold and refreshing at the same time. The air brushed over his exposed skin, seemingly both icy and somehow smooth. There was no sharp bite to the freezing water, but was it really water? It sure felt like it, but at the same moment it caressed him like the wind on a far-off autumn day. The freedom that came with the feeling, though, was what really made it worth it. He found himself loving the experience. And then it was gone, suddenly stopping for no reason. Just like that, it was over.

His bright blue eyes snapped open and there was an abrupt flash of light. He shielded his eyes from the sun, taking in the expansive ocean before him. His sneakers were digging into the sandy beach he stood on, the waves retreating away from him as they came only inches away from his shoes. It was his island - his home. But hadn't he just been falling deeper into what felt like this very ocean? By now his eyes had adjusted to the change of setting and he slowly removed his hand, still looking off in the distance.

There was somebody standing out in the water. He squinted at the figure, a vaguely familiar outline that he recognized. Ash blonde hair falling in choppy waves, powerful muscles held within a lithe build, skin lighter than most on an exotic island. Wasn't that ... Riku? A grin formed on his face, thinking a way to sneak up on his friend. The other boy's back was turned, what better opportunity to play a prank on him? He took a step forward, ready to charge at his life-long pal. But, as his feet met the water, it unexpectedly retracted from beneath him. There was no sound of a splash, no feel of liquid seeping through his shoes either. He checked to see if he was simply imagining things, glancing at his feet. No ... there was no water around his sneakers, it had all receded outward.

Looking back up, he bit back a gasp as he saw exactly why the water had gone out to sea. A huge tidal wave was forming ... and heading straight for Riku. He wanted to call out a warning, but no sound escaped him. Besides, his friend could see it clear as day, couldn't he? It was barely twenty feet from him, strong and approaching fast. Yet, Riku hadn't moved an inch. He mouthed his friend's name, trying to find his voice to shout out. And as if he had heard his feeble attempts, Riku turned around to face him as he watched helpless on the beach, staring at him with those perceptive bottle green eyes. The other boy appeared to be smiling as he extended his right hand toward his friend, beckoning him with that candid motion.

He sprinted into the ocean, one hand stretched out in front of him to grab the other boy, to save him from the oncoming wave now only a few feet behind his friend. The tip of the wave began to curl in on itself as it came closer to the shoreline. He was knocked back by the force of the tidal wave on impact and found himself pushed under the water despite how shallow it had been earlier. The wave had swallowed both him and the other boy, though Riku looked as though the water hadn't touched him. He was still standing, in exactly the same spot where he had been before the wave had struck. Opening his hand even further, he reached out for Riku, striving to grasp the proffered hand. Didn't he want Riku's help? Did Riku want his?

He struggled fruitlessly against the water's powerful current, still desperately trying to seize Riku's outstretched hand. The current suddenly grew even stronger than before, countering his efforts and throwing him backwards into the unknown. He was flipped endlessly by the rushing water until he didn't know which way he was headed, which way he needed to go. He endeavored to yell out, rewarded only with a mouthful of salt water. Gagging, he forced his mouth shut, closing his eyes as he resisted the urge to breathe in, seeking air as his lungs burned. When he finally managed to break the surface, gasping for air as he blinked open his eyes, he noticed the high noon sun had been replaced by the soft glow of a setting one. He shook his head in confusion, water droplets falling from his spiky hair with the motion. After a brief moment, he regained his bearings and realized he was still on the island - well, technically he was in the water around his island.

"Sora! Over here, Sora!"

The youth looked in the direction of the voice that had called to him. There on the beach was a girl with short red hair and the deepest blue-green eyes he had ever seen, waving and smiling as she gestured for him to come to shore. He happily complied, grinning and waving back just as enthusiastically.

"Kairi!"

Swimming through the orange tinted waves, the sun on his back to warm him, he pulled himself through the water and at last dragged his heavily water-logged body from the rebellious ocean. The girl couldn't help but laugh at her friend, throwing her head back a little as her hand automatically went to her mouth to smother her mirth. Sora looked up at her, somewhat breathless from all the exertion, but still managing to shoot her that charming smile he reserved only for his friends. Kairi laughed again at the goofy grin on his face, and his smile widened in response. The redhead's smile faded, though, as her eyes strayed to the sky. She blinked, seemingly bewildered by something. There was something in the sky. It couldn't be a shooting star, like the fiery ones surrounding it ... and it definitely wasn't a bird, but there certainly was something in the sky. The expression on her face caught Sora by surprise and he followed her gaze questioningly.

The moon had already made an appearance among a few early stars, the sky darkening with the impending night, but that wasn't what had bothered Kairi. No, it was the falling body silhouetted by the fading light that had caught her attention. There were two sharp intakes of breath as they both recognized the form, the figure in the sky. It was .... It was him. As fast as the impact of that realization hit him, he felt as if he were falling and his eyes widened in alarm. The ground beneath him seemed to slip away, and Kairi twisted around to look at him with a gasp. He ... He was falling. But, how could that be? He had been standing perfectly upright on the beach beside Kairi, and she wasn't falling. Sora looked up, or rather down, trying to see where he would land, but there was no ground in sight. He then turned to Kairi, extending his hand in a silent plead for help. But she could do nothing more than reach for him as he had Riku. It was as if they were on two separate worlds, both trying to reach the other but never succeeding. Sora opened his mouth and shouted with all he had, repeating her name over and over again - but no sound escaped his lips, just like before. And in the blink of an eye, to Sora's shock and horror, the image of Kairi was gone, shattered as though she had only been a reflection in a mirror.

He leaned back, knowing by now that it was futile to cry for help. Nothing could reach him at this point, as he fell into the very sunset he had admired from below. And suddenly, in a flash of brilliant light, Sora found himself once again surrounded by dark blue waves, as if he were right back where he had started - seemingly falling into the ocean. He spun and twirled through the water-like atmosphere, falling headfirst into the abyss. As Sora struggled to open his eyes, which he hadn't realized he had closed in the first place, he felt his feet right themselves and touch some kind of ground at last.

Sora looked around, but there was nothing to see. All was dark, not another soul in sight. Not Riku. Not Kairi. No one. He took a brave step forward, feeling lost and uncertain. As his foot touched the floor once more, a blinding light erupted from underneath his sneaker and spread throughout the darkness. He had to shield his eyes as the bleak, depressing air was broken. He lifted his hand away and watched as the black expanse beneath his feet morphed into pure white doves, flying off into the surrounding darkness.

Tilting his head to the right, he skimmed the area to check that he truly was all alone in this forgotten place, and then looked straight ahead yet again as his fears were confirmed. He studied the small circular platform he was on, taking in the very design engraved upon the flooring. The picture was of a beautiful young woman with such fair skin that he was reminded of the rare occasions he had seen snow on the Destiny Islands. Her hair was dark, contrasting with her light complexion, and her dress was done in pale yellow and blues. Within her grasp was a blood red apple held aloft, while encircling her on the platform were seven little men that each displayed a different emotion or trait - from happy to grumpy. It was not the big picture that interested him, though. The knowledge he actually sought was the answer to where he was and what in the world was going on.

He ran a hand tiredly through his spiky brown hair, pondering only one question. What to do...? Out of no where, Sora heard a voice calling to him - a voice that appeared to come from every direction and then no direction at all. The voice rumbled like thunder yet there was an underlying hint of softness in it. Wherever it came from, it caused Sora to glance once more over his shoulder to check that he most certainly was floating alone in the darkness. He tried to pinpoint the voice, turning his head from left to right in hope of finding the source, but it was no use. The speaker obviously wished to remain anonymous.

So much to do ... So little time. Take your time.

Sora was at a loss. Hadn't the voice just said there was so little time? How was he honestly supposed to "take his time" when he had so dreadfully little of it? He found himself puzzled and a tad unnerved by the series of event unfolding before him.

But don't be afraid. The door is still shut.

Door? What door?

Now, step forward. Can you do it?

For a fleeting moment, he was greatly uncertain that he could. His feet suddenly felt extremely heavy, as if he had grown rooted to the spot while listening to the voice in the dark. Sora observed his surroundings for a while, wondering if he really ought to obey the strange voice. Then, swallowing hard, he lifted his yellow sneaker up off the ground and took his first step forward. One after another followed at a slow and steady pace and the chain around his neck, bearing a silver crown, swayed with his every movement. He managed to cross over to the center of the platform and then halted, suddenly still, as though awaiting further instructions from the thunderous voice above.

Power sleeps within you.

Swiftly, a beam of light appeared to his right. Sora craned his neck to look at it, watching in fascination as a stone tablet rose from the ground where the ray of light had touched and bringing with it a dark red shield.

If you give it form ...

Sora spun around just in time to see another beam of light fall upon the surface of the platform to his left, this stone tablet bearing a green wand with a blue symbol atop the wooden structure. Three circles made up the symbol, one big and two smaller ones attached to it, reminding him of a similar emblem from the islands that meant faith. He then glanced back toward the shield to see that it too bore the same symbol - the symbol of faith to him.

It will give you strength.

Yet another beam of light had appeared and summoned the final stone tablet to rise from the depths of the flooring. Sora twisted his head to gaze at this newest edition, inspecting the broad sword resting on the stone tablet so deceptively calm for such a destructive weapon. Its gold and blue hilt shined brightly against the black void around him, and he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the power of all three weapons. The trio of objects surprisingly lifted from their current positions and began to twirl in midair above the stones they once sat upon. He looked at each item in turn, baffled, when the voice came to answer his unasked query.

Choose well.

After a moment's hesitation and thought, Sora stepped toward the platform that held the sword. He pulled himself up onto the stone and took the sword in his gloved hands. Upon further inspection, Sora located a small red circle on the hilt of the blade and saw that inside was the same symbol of three circles that he had seen on the other two weapons. He stared at the sword in awe, his blue eyes wide in wonder. It felt good in his hands, like he was born to wield it.

The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?

Sora looked up into the darkness, still hoping that the owner of the voice would reveal himself. After a moment of empty silence and continued staring into the blank sky, he looked back to the sword in his hands and nodded his reply. The sword instantly vanished from his grip, breaking up into small balls of light as though it had been made of fireflies. He was shocked to feel strength flow into him, his body absorbing the pure light of the sword and combining with his own initial power.

Your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?

He hopped off the stone that had once held the sword and considered the two remaining items, slowly deliberating between the shield and the wand. "Give up ...?" he asked quietly, unsure and perplexed. He had to trade one of those abilities in exchange for his newfound power? Straightening up from his faintly slumped stance, he walked closer to the shield, but stopped as he reached the center of the platform. No, who wanted to be strong and weak at the same time? He had no choice. His eyes drifted from the glistening shield to the glowing wand. He swallowed roughly and walked toward it, pulling himself onto the stone and looking sadly at the item as he gently gripped it in his hands.

The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power?

The wand seemed nothing short of amazing in itself. It had a very simple, clean-cut design, which in all novelty probably made it not only useful for magic, but good for bashing things as well. His fingers fiddled with the blue spheres that adorned the top as he tore his eyes away from the staff and looked back up into the darkness. Once again, Sora nodded into thin air. And, similar to the sword before it, the wand broke into light, and he watched silently as the lights winked out one by one; he was not absorbing them this time around, rather he felt a sense of loss.

You have chosen the power of the warrior. You have given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?

He had to wonder why the strange voice kept saying aloud what his choices had been, but once again he nodded his approval - his acceptance of his path. It sounded pretty good to him, anyway. Sora turned on his heel slightly, awaiting further orders from the voice. As he waited for the return of the voice, however, there was a large jolt that almost knocked him off the gray stone he stood on. He looked down at his feet and realized that the tablet was sinking into the stained glass image from whence it came.

There was another, larger jolt, and Sora tumbled fully from the stone and onto the colored glass below. He stood up quickly, realizing that the glass was shattering beneath him as well. The pieces flew up around him and then disintegrated into the all-consuming darkness. Sora hoped briefly that he wouldn't fall, but when the glass directly under him broke, he was sorely disappointed to find his hopes were false. He ended up free-falling at quite an impressive speed.

Now, no light shined at all; he was engulfed in eternal darkness. Where had he been taken? Sora assumed he would never find out. Was he dreaming? But... it felt so real. And this dream was lasting longer than any other dream he had ever had before. So, what was happening to him exactly? Was he going crazy?

His hair fluttered about wildly as he plummeted further into the dark. Sora's blue eyes strained to catch the glimmer of light that he doubted was going to come any time soon. The darkness seemed to last forever, which really wasn't good news for him. Most kids his age probably wouldn't agree, but Sora disliked the thought of dark nights. When he was just a child, he had always slept with a candle lit while he slept, the warmth comforting as well as the pale light it gave off. The dark didn't scare him too much, he only felt that it held some kind of ... evil - an evil that was hard to fight off once it devoured the light of its captive.

At once, like a ray of hope, Sora's eyes caught sight of something that gleamed with a vivid blue radiance in the black void. He gazed at it intently, as though it was his savior. He eventually came to the conclusion it was another platform, just like the one before it. This one too had a girl printed upon it like the stained glass windows of the churches he had seen in many books. The girl, however, was a stunning blonde who wore a long blue dress; and in place of the seven little men, he saw pictures that seemed to tell some sort of story - something to do with a prince and a crystal shoe.

After a few more minutes had passed, his feet finally touched the smooth surface and everything that he had noticed was momentarily forgotten. A sword had appeared in Sora's hand, almost instantaneously as if it had been called forth. He examined it carefully and discovered it was the very sword he had chosen from the other platform. He checked it again. Yes, he could see those familiar three circles on it.

You've gained the power to fight. Take a swing.

Sora had almost disregarded the voice as his imagination playing tricks on him. It had surprised him to hear it once more, and he jumped back a bit. The shock faded away rapidly and he did as he had been instructed. He took the sword in both his white gloved hands and swung it in an arc out in front of him, just like the wooden ones he had used on the island - at home with his friends.

Use this power to protect yourself and others.

As if he hadn't already figured that out for himself, Sora thought and suppressed a laugh. His cheery grin, though, was wiped away when a dark spot appeared on the platform. He followed it with his gaze, turning to watch it and leaning forward to examine the strange shadow-like creature that was taking shape with ever so curious yellow eyes that glowed abnormally. What was it? Was it dangerous? Would it hurt him?

There will be times you have to fight.

He continued watching the creature as another spot emerged beside it, and even more amazing to him was when the two creatures rose from their two dimensional forms and stood before him. He began to stagger backwards, taken aback by this turn of events. One more glance at the creatures and he knew what was needed of him. It looked like one of those times the voice had talked about. Sora dug his feet into the ground, stopping his retreat and clenching the sword tightly in both hands, blue eyes wide in alarm.

Keep your light burning strong.

Swiftly, the thing jumped at him with sharp claws in an attempt to attack. Sora leapt back and then ran with his all his might so he was directly behind the creature. He took three good swings at the black shadow creature, and on the third swing it exploded into a hovering black mist. The other similar creatures that had popped up flattened themselves into the floor and vanished. Sora spun around several times, checking, making sure that they really had disappeared.

Behind you!

The voice caught him completely off guard again. Sora swerved to the side quickly to face the shadow that was approaching him from behind. He swung the sword wildly, thrusting it out and into the creature's chest luckily enough. It vanished with an explosion of darkness and only one was left now. Sora regained his footing as fast as he could, turning around fiercely and narrowing his eyes at the being wiggling its antenna at him. He was just about to attack when the creature, as if reading his intentions, flattened itself to the floor and receded into a dark blotch that moved with speed in its horizontal form.

He was dismayed by the black patch's sudden appearance since it meant his sword was next to useless for a moment. As he heard a nearby rumbling noise, Sora's head snapped in the direction of the disturbing sound and his eyes widened in horror. Dark blotches were spreading across the platform like a black plague, as if they were some kind of awful disease that lived to torment the unwary traveler. They appeared first near the circular rim, branching from the black void around him, and then they were everywhere. For the first time, a cheerless expression flitted across his face as he realized he was surrounded. He couldn't move; not because his body wouldn't obey him, but because if he did ... he would simply step into the darkness. And who knew what would happen if he did that?

Either way, it really didn't matter. The dark spots appeared right under his feet, creating a sinister portal. Sora immediately sank into darkness, and he gasped in shock as he felt his body slip further and further as if he were in quick sand. The more he struggled, the more he seemed to sink in the black hole. It was cold, biting his skin, and he knew without any hesitation that this truly was...evil.

He couldn't stand it, the smell and feel of revolting malice, and he was up to his waist in it. He tried to pull himself out, reaching out to the maiden in the center as if she would come to life and help him. He scrabbled to grab hold of something - anything - that could aid him. The darkness was creeping up his neck now, and Sora thrashed about more violently. He fought against the stuff pulling him down and lifted his hand upward one last time in hope that someone would pull him out - bring him somewhere safe...

His face was covered now, eyes wide in terror as the last of him vanished from sight.

He struggled against the darkness and its hold on him as though his very life depended on him escaping from its clutches, his eyes shut firmly and his breath held in belief it would somehow repel the evil that he was in. But after a long moment, Sora gasped for air, his eyes opening and searching. His hands gripped the nearest object in his reach and he was grateful to feel his hands press against a smooth, glass-like surface. There was even a soft pink glow out of the corner of his eyes to comfort him slightly. He glanced around cautiously, and then slowly rolled onto his stomach, gladder than ever to find that he had ended up on another platform.

This one, nevertheless, was different from the others since it did not have a distinct image of a girl on it. However, the platform did have three pink hearts embellished upon its surface, each of which showed a white silhouette of a girl, the same girl in all three hearts. Who she was, what her story was, Sora probably would never find out. There was nothing else on the stained glass platform, save for a beam of light coming out of the seemingly endless darkness, shooting out at an angle. He followed the light with his eyes and noticed what it was pointing at. There, as it jutted out of the surface of the platform, was a large arched door.

Sora stood up and walked toward the door, examining it as he strolled around the semi-transparent doorway, and then he stopped right in front of it. The top of the door was decorated in a beautiful ornate pattern, as were the edges, the handles, and the place where the two doors joined as one. It looked like it was somehow important, though Sora couldn't fathom how at the moment. It didn't seem to lead anywhere - just to the other side of itself, to empty space. He placed both hands on the door's front surface and pushed.

'I can't open it ... But can you really open something that's not there?'

He folded his arms across his chest, placing one hand thoughtfully under his chin. Now what? There was nothing else there, right? Sora turned himself around slowly and spotted another beam of light. He followed the column of light down to where it met with the platform and discerned that a peculiar red chest had appeared. Bemused, he walked toward the chest and knelt next to it. It was some kind of treasure chest. He opened it with a few taps of his sword since he could find no locks or clasp to undo. Whatever had been in the chest, however, had disappeared by the time he had finally succeeded in opening the chest. It left only a few twinkling lights behind. He sighed and closed it again, standing to take another look back at the door. And when he did, he gaped in surprise.

The door was no longer transparent. He blinked in confusion. But ... how? Sora walked back to it, but before he could lay his gloved hands on the door, he heard a strange noise coming from within. He hurriedly took a few steps back. If anything was coming out of there, he didn't want to get in its way. Then, it was silent. Sora examined the door again, starting from bottom to top. What was happening? Suddenly, the double doors began to part, bit by bit.

A bright white light spilled forth, so powerful that Sora had to shield his eyes - it was becoming a habit, really. The door threw itself open even wider, inviting him to enter. He looked down at the floor, and then slowly raised his eyes upward toward the light, allowing his eyes time to adjust to the brightness of it. He then began to step forward, leaning forward as he walked, curious now as to what was creating the light - or what precisely the light had been hiding. But the light grew stronger and stronger until it finally swallowed him up, and he was now engulfed in everlasting light.

After a moment, Sora could hear the soothing sound of water rushing up onto the shore. When he reopened his eyes, he found himself back on his island, up on one of the wooden platforms that had been built in the trees. He looked around, mystified. What was he doing back here? Had he woken up from his bizarre dream? If so, why did he find himself still standing upright? Was it even possible to fall asleep standing up? Sora couldn't resist the temptation to hope beyond hope that he had finally managed to wake up.

Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself.

No such luck, he supposed and sighed in disappointment. The presence of that voice ... It meant that he was still in this peculiar dream world. Sora glanced up from the floor, choking back a gasp when he saw the girl sitting on the wooden railing. She was stretching her limbs and yawning as though she were a cat just waking up from a long nap in the sun, her legs swinging back and forth playfully from where she sat. He knew her. He recognized the way her copper hair swung outward, her clear green eyes that always seemed to sparkle with mischief, even the yellow sundress she loved to wear. Yes, Sora knew her. He smiled and stepped forward to greet her, when she suddenly turned to look at him. He was shocked by the hardness and untold wisdom that had replaced the usual spark of mischief in her young green eyes.

"What's most important to you?" she asked, her voice ringing in the air.

Sora stared back at her, waiting for her to break the gaze. But it never happened. Sora sighed, surrendering. He didn't even have to think about the answer to that question. "Friendship."

"Is friendship such a big deal?" The girl's expression didn't change as she looked away.

A strange sense of panic washed over Sora. He began to back up hastily, but in doing so almost flipped over the edge of the platform and nearly fell into the water. Grabbing onto the edge of the platform, he hoisted himself back up onto it. He bent over, his hands resting on his knees, as he fought to regain his breath and steady his racing heart. And as his gaze was directed at the ground, he saw a pair of sandals just inches away from where he stood. Sora raised his head up to find another one of the kids he recognized from the island. It was a boy this time. He wore a familiar short yellow and white jacket with blue shorts that were longer on one leg than the other - a blitzball uniform, if he was correct. Spiky golden hair adorned his head, and when Sora glanced at his eyes he saw that same hardness and wisdom that he had seen in the girl.

"What are you so afraid of?" he asked, his voice crystal clear.

He looked at the boy as if he had grown another head, and he had to wonder if these truly were the kids he knew from the island or were they just false reflections like Kairi had been? Maybe the strange voice was playing tricks on him, taking images of people he knew from past memories. It didn't matter. The voice had said to tell him more about himself. Sora sighed in defeat, but gave his answer a good deal of thought.

"Being ... Being indecisive."

"Being indecisive, is that really so scary?" He looked away after that, just like the girl had.

It was as if Sora held nothing of interest to them, or as if they simply didn't care about anything. And it was scaring Sora beyond belief. Hesitantly, he moved backward. He had this place memorized. He knew all the pathways, the trees, the docks, and the plants ... the whole island; he knew practically everything by heart. So, he headed straight for the way off the platform, but instead bumped into yet another one of the kids from the island.

The boy was fairly tall, with hair that was unmistakably loaded with gel to keep it at its vertical angle. He was fiddling around with something similar to a volleyball, spinning it around on one finger and watching its movements fixedly. But when Sora bumped into him, the boy's attention diverted from the ball to Sora's nervous face. As Sora was about to apologize for bumping into him, the boy spoke aloud, his voice just as clear and determined as the two other kids before him.

"What do you want outta life?" he asked, somewhat casually.

By now, Sora had decided it was best not to argue with the voice's will. The quickest way out of this dream, this nightmare, this premonition, was probably to answer all the questions. Sora straightened his back so he was looking directly into the boy's eyes, and tried to mull over his answer without flinching. It took him a while to figure out what he truthfully wanted from his life, but in the end he knew the answer.

"To be strong." Mind, body, and soul.

"To be strong, huh?" It looked like the boy was going to laugh at him, at his answer. Did he not believe he could do it? Sora was mildly baffled that the boy hadn't looked away, though. He hadn't lost interest as fast as the others, his eyes lingering amusedly on Sora's face until he finally turned away as though he had to go off and laugh by himself. Sora almost grew angry, about to step forward and smack him one, when he found that his feet were glued to the floor.

Your adventure begins in the dead of night.

The voice again.

Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journey's end.

Sora was somewhat dazed, suddenly this didn't feel like a dream at all - rather it seemed his fate was being set in stone before his very eyes and he hadn't a clue.

The day you will open the door is both far off and very near.

The door? Did that mean the door he'd seen on the other platform? The one that he wasn't allowed to enter just yet? Sora was abruptly blinded by a great white light, stumbling forward as he waited for it to dim to a tolerable level. When it did, Sora found himself somewhere else, on another one of those stained glass platforms that floated in the darkness. Sora's footfalls became steady as he crossed the platform, examining the image on the surface.

Another girl with long blonde hair, flowing down her back this time instead of up in a bun like the last one. She seemed to be asleep, her eyes unmistakably closed. In her hands was a red rose with thorns, but the thorns continued to surround her, covering the edges of the platform. Three good fairies encircled her, as if to protect the maiden from the harm the thorns could inflict. Sora moved closer to her face, still examining the picture, when a beam of light touched a part of the girl's dress in the opposite direction. He looked up to where the light seemed to be coming from, and then walked over to where he guessed it was pointing to. Yet as he reached it, he found himself trapped by the little black creatures from before. The sword appeared suddenly in his hand as Sora charged forward, running to the first one within his reach and slashing at it ferociously until it disappeared in a black mist. The rest of the shadow creatures huddled together as they began what seemed to be some kind of group assault. Sora could hardly keep the smirk off his face as three wide swings from his sword defeated the entire group at once.

He straightened, confident now that all the little shadows were gone. Turning his attention back to the beam of light, he noticed it had moved - it was no longer on the girl's dress. It had moved upward, creating a circular imprint near the maiden's face. The outline looked like white fire, ever burning and seemingly growing stronger all the time. Sora ran toward it, dropping to his knees as he reached it. He stretched out a hand into the circle and, when he felt nothing out of the ordinary, stood and stepped inside it. He was starting to think that he was on some kind of training mission; either that or a wild goose chase - both very plausible conclusions.

As he stood there, waiting for the voice to speak up again before he forgot about its presence, the beam of light moved again. This time it went all the way over the edge, and as soon as it did a series of square stained-glass steps appeared, making a spiraling staircase for him to use. After checking the platform and seeing there was nothing more for him to do, he ran toward the stairway and hurried up it, careful not to slip and fall into the pit of darkness that engulfed him on all sides.

The brilliant yellow glow of the platform ahead, connected to the stairs, happened to be the first thing that Sora distinguished as he ran higher and higher upward. And there, right in the middle of the glass, just like all the other platforms before it, was a girl. A lovely brunette, wearing an expensive looking golden dress. She was quite the beauty, but just behind her was the face of a horrible beast. Yet, both of them looked quite peaceful together - neither seemed afraid or angry. Forming a circle around them were the silhouettes of various household items; candelabrums, clocks, and even several objects from a tea set.

Sora pushed away the thoughts dwelling on his mind and looked for that familiar beam of light. He found it, just above the center of the platform. He smiled slightly as he stepped toward it, curious now as it wasn't running away from him like before. He stopped right underneath the light and gazed up at where it seemed to come from. Then, the voice that he had been waiting for spoke up at last.

The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes.

He was no longer sure if the voice was being cryptic or literal. Though somewhat baffled, Sora slowly turned around to look at his shadow. Sure enough, there it was. Darker than he'd ever seen it before, and reaching all the way from the center of the circular platform to the very edge. His shadow turned slightly to face him, adjusting itself so that it looked like it was lying down on the floor, as if it were staring him straight in the eye.

Sora's heartbeat sped up. He hadn't done that.

Then out of the blue, the shadow began to pull itself up out of the floor. Sora stepped back in alarm, staring at it as it began to transform its shape. It had at first looked just like him, but now its hair stretched out to look like black tentacles reaching out from its scalp, some of which chose to wrap themselves around the creature's head. Two eyes began to glow an ominous yellow from deep within the mask of dark tentacles. Its fingers stretched and sharpened into pointed black claws. Its feet became smaller, curving inward as he followed with his eyes to its toes. Sora stepped gracelessly backwards, faltering as fear gripped his heart.

But don't be afraid.

A giant heart-shaped hole had appeared in the shadow's chest. He swore he could see right through the creature. The shadow had now grown to immense proportions. It loomed over Sora, dark and menacing, staring down at him with its eerie yellow eyes. Taking small steps backward, one hand held slightly upward, he hoped that it would see that he didn't want to fight it. But somehow, Sora felt that he was going to be doing just that.

And don't forget...

Sora's eyes widened impossibly larger as the creature completed itself. He stumbled backwards, gasping with terror, trying to escape. He ran, still staring over his shoulder at the giant shadow creature. It was just standing there, as if it were waiting. Sora continued to run, but nearly slipped over the edge. He'd nearly forgotten: there was no way out. He was on a large circular platform that floated in the dark. Where could he possibly run? He began to teeter on the edge of the platform, his footing slipping, but thankfully managed to shift his weight back onto the platform. A look of pure despair graced his face and Sora swallowed hard, spinning to face the creature. He had no choice but to fight it. What did he have to lose anyway? His life, most likely, but that didn't matter at the moment. Staring up at the monster, he watched warily as it straightened to its full height.

It ... was ... huge.

He gripped the sword securely in his hands, and then ran toward his shadow. Its gigantic frame appeared to grow the closer he got to the thing, becoming more and more frightening as he approached. But Sora had learned a long time ago that he had to face his fears, to blow out that candle and face what he could not change. He rushed at the nearest available limb, raising the sword and bringing it down straight into the creature's right hand. Unfortunately for Sora, the hand seemed to be creating a large purple energy sphere. Its first attack, evidently. Sora didn't care, he followed the hand at all cost - he could take a few hits, after all. Even when the creature raised its hand into the air and then slammed it onto the platform, he continued his ruthless attack. The purple energy had disappeared as a black patch had materialized underneath its palm.

The hand was resting on the ground, not moving at all. An opening! Sora leapt into the air, sword thrown out in front of him and began to swing wildly at the hand. His swings didn't seem to do anything to the creature, but Sora had to keep trying. He slashed the fingers and the palm furiously, and followed that hand everywhere it went. He wouldn't let it get way from him.

Suddenly, Sora felt a sharp pain at his back. He spun around and saw those little shadow creatures from before surrounding him. So, that was what the giant had been doing, pulling little helpers out of the platform. Sora slashed at them too, pushing them further away from him, and then returned to the black hand he had targeted previously, He leapt at it when it was high above his head, and swung his sword with all his strength when it was level with him at last. He didn't think about the little creatures, though they were attacking him from behind and weakening the ferocity of his own assaults on the giant. It seemed lady luck was on his side, however, as they moved themselves in the way of his sword and became his newest victims. And every time they disappeared, Sora felt some of his energy return.

Eventually, all the small shadows had disappeared, but the giant had other means of attack. From the heart-shaped hole in the being's chest appeared a huge glowing sphere of that same purple energy. Even through his apprehension, Sora refused to give up his assault on the beast. Even when the energy sphere shattered into pieces and all those pieces came after him, Sora did not hesitate in his bombardment of slashes. Even though every muscle in his body screamed for him to just run, he had merely jumped into the air in order to keep his attacks rolling smoothly.

He was starting to believe that the battle was hopeless. He switched his focus from hand to foot and back to the hand. Nothing seemed to be working. The giant continued slamming his fist into the floor, making it rumble to the point where Sora almost lost his footing. The giant didn't even seem to notice that it was being attacked, and that's when Sora remembered. The creature's face! He'd read in a book somewhere that the face was always the weakest point of a fighter's body since the muscles in the face couldn't be built, no matter how much training the person endured. Sora jumped up onto the creature's arm and began to run up toward the monster's face, clutching the sword tighter as he climbed.

"Hey, ugly!" he yelled furiously as he reached the monster's head. "Your face is wide open!"

He slammed to a halt in front of the monster's face. The head moved a bit, acknowledging Sora's presence. He raised his sword high into the air and then swung the sword swiftly downwards, the blade slicing across the giant's face, right between the eyes. The creature roared in fury: Sora had won.

Sliding down the monster's arm, he planted his feet steadily on the stained-glass platform and then spun around to face it. He moved quickly backward, retreating away from the creature for the first time. He had won, but the giant hadn't disappeared yet. It was still standing there, still looming over him. The sword felt slippery in his sweaty palms and he clutched it closer, waiting for something to happen. Without warning, the sword he held vanished in a flash of white light. He wanted to scream - he was weaponless! And the monster was still alive and ready to go another round. The urge to run became stronger than ever, but he knew there was no escape - he was on a circular platform, where could he run? Even so, he had to get away from the giant shadow monster; just being out of reach would be good enough for him.

He leapt backward again when the creature lashed out at him, pounding its fist into the platform to knock him down. As the shadow slammed one clenched hand and then the other into the ground, Sora felt the rumbling beneath his feet threatening to throw him off balance again. The creature had fallen to its knees before him, glaring heatedly at Sora with those hate-filled yellow eyes.

Sora's own knees suddenly gave way, and he tumbled to the floor. All his fear returned, ten-fold. He was powerless. He couldn't swallow his fear anymore. The sickening horror he felt was in danger of being thrown up as he wrapped his arms around his stomach, willing away the terror he was experiencing. He stared up at the creature with fear in his eyes as his arms loosened their hold, still trying to get away even though he was sitting on the ground. He kicked his feet, thrashing about as he pushed on the ground to help him get away, but he abruptly felt a familiar texture creeping up his hands and legs. He risked taking a glance at the floor and was horrified by what he saw. It was one of those dark patches from the blue platform - the ones that had swallowed him up. One had formed underneath him again. His heart stopped, jumping to his throat. It had paused so long he was afraid he was going to burst from lack of oxygen.

The monster stared down at Sora, its yellow eyes gleaming as though everything had gone according to plan. He squirmed under the giant shadow's gaze. Those horrible, glowing yellow eyes ...

But don't be afraid.

Too late.

Sora tried to escape from the dark blotch that was below him, but this patch was different. Instead of slowly pulling him under like quicksand, it was reaching up to him with its dark tentacles and holding him down. Along with its black tendrils was something that resembled black fire and smoke, curling around his limbs and holding him against his will. They wrapped around his legs, engulfing both in darkness. They seemed to hold him rigid, as if petrifying him as he sank into the black abyss. Sora struggled hard under the feeling of it, as if cold yet soft hands had taken hold of him. He clenched his teeth, biting back a scream of frustration and terror.

The monster was still there, still glaring at him, but doing nothing more than that. Its malicious glowing eyes burned holes into the side of Sora's head. His mind raced with possible outcomes, but he could do nothing more than stare back at the giant ... but ... that hideous gaze was starting to unnerve him even more than it had previously. What was it planning? All of a sudden, the creature raised itself so it was standing partially upright, and his suspicions had been confirmed. It was planning to do something, to deliver the final below.

You hold the mightiest weapon of all.

The voice gave off the impression it was trembling.

Sora had finally managed to roll onto his stomach, even though those dark tendrils had wrapped around his entire torso. He tried to crawl over and grab the edge of the platform, but it wasn't working. He could barely gain more than a few inches. He stretched his arm out, but his hand couldn't reach the edge. Then, the dark tentacles and the black fire began to consume his hands. Now, all of Sora's limbs had been caught by the dark substance. There was nothing more he could do, but watch helplessly as the darkness overwhelmed him.

So don't forget:

The voice was definitely shaking.

He found himself slowing starting to sink into the dark patch as the tentacles brought him further and further into the vast, empty blackness. Turning around to check the location of the giant beast, his jaw dropped and eyes widened as he saw it was still looming over him and it was leaning downward as though intending to crush him with its body. His eyes continued to widen in terror, begging for mercy. No, he didn't want to die here. Not here. Not in this bizarre place where no one knew nor cared about him. No, never here. Anywhere but here. Black tendrils of fire and smoke reached up and began to interlace themselves around Sora's face.

"Cold ... so cold ... and dark ... no more darkness ... please."

You are the one ... who will open the door.


The sound of water crashing on the beach shore slowly filled his ears as he came back to his senses. He opened his eyes and stared up at the perfect blue sky. The large white clouds rolled by lazily across the wide blue expanse. He shielded his eyes from the sun as he stared up. It looked like it was noon, but he couldn't really tell.

"The sky's so blue today ..."

He switched his attention from the sky to whatever lay before him. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and propped himself up with his hands. It was the ocean. A great stretch of glistening blue water spread out in front of him. No mainland in sight. He smiled sleepily and yawned, then laid himself back down to get some more sleep. As his body hit the sand underneath him, eyes closed in blissful appreciation of the sun, but then he found himself suddenly lying in some chilly shade. He lazily opened his eyes and looked up. His view of the sky was obstructed by a girl.

"Whoa!"

He sat up straight, the chain at his side jingling and his necklace swaying with the sudden movement. Still on his knees, he turned himself around to face his friend, his exposed knees rubbing against the beach sand. Both friends began to laugh at each other.

"Gimme a break Kairi!"

Kairi chuckled softly, tucking a loose tuft of her short crimson hair behind her ear, and then stared directly into her companion's face, still grinning as though she knew that he'd done something wrong. Her blue-green eyes were still dancing with laughter as she spoke to him in a tone that sounded just like his mother when she was reprimanding him.

"Sora, you lazy bum. I knew I'd find you snoozing down here."

Then she turned away, as if to shun him for his wrong-doing, her nose lifted haughtily in the air. She looked back at Sora from the corner of her eyes, waiting for him to laugh at her imitation.

"No! This huge, black thing ... swallowed me up!" Sora started. The adrenaline had rapidly begun to course through his body, just like it had at the end of the dream. He tried his best to recall everything he'd seen, every detail, his blue eyes burning through the ground as he struggled to find the words to describe what had happened to him. "I couldn't breathe, I couldn't ..." A hand thumped the top of his head. "Ow!" Sora raised one hand to his head and rubbed where Kairi had hit him.

"Are you still dreaming?" she laughed, dropping the false mom act. She leaned forward and looked straight into Sora's face.

"It wasn't a dream!" protested Sora, but the words caught in his throat. "Or ... was it? I don't know ..." He looked down at the sand, perplexed. Had it really just been a dream? But it had all felt so real. He then glanced over his shoulder, toward the ocean as though its deep depths held the answers to his many questions.

"What was that place?" he murmured, mostly to himself. "So bizarre ..."

"Yeah, sure." Sora stared at Kairi in surprise and slight dismay. She didn't believe him ...? Maybe it was just one of those things you had to see to belief, he guessed with a hint of disappointment.

At least she had given up making fun of him - for now. Kairi strolled casually toward the shoreline, and stopped just a few inches from where the water receded from the shore. She looked up at the sky at first, gazing at the white fluffy clouds as they moved slowly across the horizon. Then she switched her gaze to the far-off distance where birds flew free in the air, as though she also believed that some big secret lay in wait out there on the ocean - a secret she just had to know about.

Sora fixed his eyes on his friend, watching her for a moment. "Say, Kairi. What was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up?"

He shifted his position so he was no longer kneeling in the sand - the texture was starting to irate his skin - and turned slightly so that he was still facing Kairi. He propped himself up with his arms, his gaze never drifting far from her.

Smiling at his question, she answered as always. "I've told you before, I don't remember."

"Nothing at all?" Sora sounded unconvinced, and almost doubtful of her answer.

"Nothing." An upturn of lips, she replied as if it didn't bother her one bit.

"You ever wanna go back?"

"Mmm ... Well, I'm happy here." Kairi's smile deepened as the words slipped from her mind to the air.

"Really?" He still sounded skeptical. Sora finally looked away from her and stared out over the horizon, off into the distance just like she was doing.

"But you know," Kairi went on, laughter in her voice, "I wouldn't mind going to see it." She smiled at the thought.

"I'd like to see it too," said Sora, fixing his gaze back on Kairi and resting one arm on his knee. He grinned. "Along with any other worlds out there. I wanna see 'em all!" His tone was wistful.

Kairi laughed out-right as she turned to face her friend with a nod. "So what're we waiting for?"

"Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?"

Both Sora and Kairi turned to look at the owner of the new voice. There, standing with a log tucked under one arm, was another boy. He was taller than the duo on the beach with shoulder-length silver hair that stuck out just about everywhere, though it was mostly done in a stylish manner, and green eyes that were sharp and keen. He was well-built for a fifteen-year old, having trained himself without restraint on the island with all kinds of opponents, and he held the log aloft as if it were nothing. Sora grinned. He'd known this guy since he was little, they went way back. He and Riku had grown up together.

"So," Riku continued with a shake of his head, "I guess I'm the only one working on the raft."

Riku glanced at Sora with a slight smile and tossed the log to him as he walked over to Kairi. The younger boy yelped in surprise and fumbled to catch it, failing miserably. His friend chuckled and then looked right at Kairi, raising an eyebrow as he stared evenly into her innocent looking blue-green eyes.

"And you're just as lazy as he is," Riku finished, accusing Kairi as he motioned to Sora.

The spiky haired teenager made a face at Riku as he pulled the log closer to him, making Kairi giggle. She put one hand behind her head in a bashful gesture and feigned a wince as Riku spoke. "So you noticed," she laughed, a sheepish grin spreading across her face. "Okay, we'll finish it together! I'll race you!"

"Huh?"

Sora had seated himself on top of Riku's log and stared up at Kairi as though she were the craziest loon he'd ever met in his entire life. There was no way he was going to race both Kairi and Riku after he'd just woken up.

The silvery haired boy had also seated himself down in the sand next to Sora. And then, as though Riku had read Sora's thoughts, he groaned, exhausted from the work that he'd been tending to all day long - alone, as it turned out. He rolled his green eyes so he was looking up at Kairi, the only one still standing.

"What, are you kidding?"

Kairi paid no attention to their protests, merely laughing at their expense. She then cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted, "Ready, go!"

The two boys exchanged glances, then leapt to their feet abruptly and began to sprint along the shoreline as fast as they could. Riku glanced over at Sora, his face filled with amusement. Sora, on the other hand, appeared absolutely determined to beat Riku at this race. Riku almost laughed at Sora's seriousness, and finally looked straight ahead. If Sora was going to try to win, then so was he. Kairi laughed the entire run across the beach, the stitch in her side slowing her down, though she didn't care as she brought up the rear of their so-called "race". She couldn't stop herself from laughing at the two boys as she made her way to the old "boat ruins" on the other side of the island. Both Riku and Sora were way ahead of her, the two of them currently neck in neck.

Sora finally looked over at his companion. The pair stared at each other for a moment as they ran, and the suddenly they both grinned at one another, as though there was some kind of joke just the two of them shared, and continued their race. Sora's grin grew wider, the mysterious dream pushed from his thoughts. Then both boys looked back at Kairi, grinning from ear to ear and calling out her name to urge her to run faster.

There was only this moment. This eternal summer that had been granted to the three of them in the form of an island paradise. There was only now. There was no door. No darkness or mysterious voice. Just this wonderful place ...

These were the Destiny Islands.

The passage to Kingdom Hearts.


A/N: All right, hoped you enjoyed the prologue to this eventual full out novel piece.

A few things I should explain:

(1) When Sora compared the symbol on the weapons to a symbol of faith, I was really referring to the Celtic symbol known as the Triquetra, which for some odd reason reminds me of an upside-down version of the Mickey Mouse emblem on each of the items in the beginning.

(2) I'll be writing the characters and story as if you, the reader, have never heard of Kingdom Hearts before and are completely clueless. Hopefully you'll enjoy the end product, but I'm really itching to write the sequel.

(3) If you have any questions or concerns, let me know. I'll try to keep everyone in character and make this as enjoyable as possible for you.