Hello, boys and girls. I'd like to tell a story.

It's been years since I've written a Kingdom Hearts story. I've wanted to do one but lacked the inspiration. Then the release of Kingdom Hearts 3 Final Trailer came out. And suddenly, I had a story.

A fair warning. I have not seen any of the streams of those who got the game early. This is a spoiler free story. And, as this is a spoiler free story, I would ask that you please respect my wishes and not spoil anything for me. I've been waiting for the game to come out for 13 years. Three more spoiler free weeks is all I ask.

Thank you and enjoy this story.

A Link to All

As Sora sits on the steps leading to Master Yen Sid's tower and looks at the sky, he can't help but notice that the sky is different here than on his Island home. If he was being honest, the sky looks different on every world he's been on. This sky has a milky purple hue to it. Perhaps it's because it straddles the border of the In-between. Maybe it's because of Yen Sid's magic. But the one constant between this sky and the one at home is the twinkling lights, representative of the thousands of worlds beyond this one.

A heavy sigh heaves from his chest, perhaps the first one he had exhaled in the last couple of days. He is exaggerating, of course, but it feels like he has been going nonstop ever since Master Yen Sid summoned him and Riku to his tower. The old Keyblade Master has called the two of them to undertake the Mark of Mastery in preparation for the return of Master Xehanort. The two of them had to go to the Sleeping Worlds and awaken them from their slumber. Unfortunately, their test was hijacked from the beginning by Master Xehanort. Sora had nearly fallen into the darkness. If it wasn't for the intervention of Riku and the King, he might have been a pawn in Xehanort's designs.

Sora shudders. It's a scary thought.

He's back now, safe from the Old Master's machinations for the moment. But he knows that their conflict is inevitable. Truth be told, he's terrified.

Terrified of losing his friends

Terrified of losing his heart

But perhaps more importantly, he's terrified of being unable to save the people with whom he is connected.

"Are you okay," a voice gently calls out to him. Sora doesn't have to turn around to know that it's Riku. His friend, his rival, the person he has always looked up to. And the one who is going to be by his side come the final battle. The silver-haired teen takes a seat next to him.

"Just thinking about things." It's an honest, if not vague answer.

"Don't hurt yourself," Riku jokes, ruffling Sora's hair. "We need you for the upcoming battle."

Out of habit, Sora playfully swats Riku's hand away. "Hey, do you know how long it takes me to style my hair like this?"

The two of them have a good long laugh, breaking the tension in the air.

There is a silence for half a beat. Then,

"Are you sure you're okay?" He's serious again. Sora can see the concern in Riku's aquamarine eyes.

"Yeah." The morose, lackluster answer is telling.

Riku closes his eyes. "If it's about me being chosen as Master…"

The brown-haired teen doesn't give his friend the chance to finish. "I meant what I said before, Riku. I'm proud of you." And it's the truth. To be honest, he isn't that bothered by not being a Master. "I'm sure that you'll make a great Master. And I'll do my best to support you."

Riku snorts quietly. "It's actually the other way around."

Sora smiles. "Like I told Xemnas and Xigbar, I'm proud to be a small part of something bigger, the people that the Keyblade has chosen."

Riku says nothing after this and the two of them stay in silence for a while. They know what is at stake, nothing less than the fate of all worlds.

"I'm scared, Riku." Sora isn't afraid to admit this to his friend. After all, their friendship was built on honesty and pushing each other to better themselves. "This test made me realize that I'm just as vulnerable as anyone to the darkness."

The silver-haired teen says nothing. He knows exactly how Sora feels. No matter how strong a person is, it only takes one slipup to fall into darkness so deep, there's no getting out.

"The scary thing about the darkness? It's very easy to fall in it." Sora takes another beat before he continues. "And I wanted to fall in it. Even though I heard your voice, I just want to…."

"Wanted to what?"

Sora shrinks into himself and doesn't continue. "I saw Roxas," he says, changing the subject.

Riku quirks up an eyebrow.

"Or maybe it was a version of Roxas that my heart wanted me to experience." Sora continues. "He told me that there are so many hearts connected to me. And that it has to be me, whatever that means. I also saw a girl with black hair in the Organization coat. I didn't recognize her but for some reason, I felt like crying." Sora hugs himself, as if to comfort himself before telling Riku what happened next. "Then I saw a guy and a girl, beckoning me to follow them. My legs started moving on their own, even as I heard you telling me to wake up."

"What did they look like?" Riku is curious. Why would Sora's body act on its own?

"One of them was a guy with brown hair, tall and broad-shouldered. The girl had blue hair and a kind smile." Sora puts his index finger to his chin. "Strange. It feels like I know them from somewhere."

Riku looks away. The guy Sora describes reminds him of that visitor that came to their world. "Terra." His whisper is a half-remembered promise. He was the one who told the young boy of the outside world. His dreams were simpler then. Riku wanted strength to protect his friends. There's a part of him that wonders if his life would be better if the two had never met, if he had not been bequeathed the Keyblade. Would he be obsessed with leaving his island? Would he have fallen to the darkness? So many questions. Perhaps they were better left unanswered.

"What else?"

"Then, I fought Xemnas again. I won but exhausted myself. They had me in their clutches. And…well…you know the rest."

Riku did know. After fighting Ansem, the silver-haired teen realized the dire straits they were in. Riku remembered just how desperate he got trying to awaken his friend as Sora fell into the deepest pit of sleep. But then he learned that Sora had been captured. He was to be used as the final vessel for Xehanort. Desperation had kicked in as Riku rushed in to save his friend. The margin of victory was razor thin but thanks to the intervention of Mickey, Axel (or Lea as he keeps reminding them), Donald, and Goofy, they were able to save him. Saving Sora was much more satisfying than being named Master.

"As I faced off against Xemnas, I felt something," Sora admits. "It was like I could feel everybody supporting me. You, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy. Maybe everyone who has ever wielded a Keyblade. It made me realize something."

"What did you realize?"

Sora takes a moment to collect his thoughts. Then… "The whole purpose of the test was to find a way to awaken a sleeping heart, right? Because there are people relying on us."

Riku notices a slight shiver passing through his friend's body.

"What if it's not enough? What if we fail? What if all of our power isn't enough to stop Xehanort? What if something happens to us?"

Riku can't remember the last time he had seen Sora be so despondent. Seeing him have doubts feels wrong somehow. The spiky-haired teen is ever the optimist, the one who sees the glass as half full and willing to share half of that half with a friend. Seeing a frown mar his face is disconcerting. Comfort isn't really his forte, even with his closest friends, but he can't let Sora wallow in despair.

The silver-haired teen takes a deep breath. "Sora, I won't lie to you, because you are my friend. Our next journey is going to be difficult. I won't deny that. And you or me or our friends may get hurt. With an enemy like Xehanort, there's no avoiding it. But I know that we'll succeed."

Sora is awed by Riku's confidence. "How can you be so certain?"

Riku turns towards Sora and offers him a small smile. "Because you saved me from the darkness. And if you can do it for me, then I know you can save the others."

"Riku…"

"And just like you felt when you battled Xemnas, you are not alone," Riku continues, turning back to look at the night sky. "You have Donald and Goofy. You got Mickey and Lea. And you got me and Kairi. We'll be here to lighten your burden. You'll succeed because you have us."

Riku's words filled Sora with a sense of assurance. "You're right. With all of you on my side, Xehanort doesn't stand a chance."

The older boy sees a smile grace his friend's face again. That's the Sora they need.

"Riku?"

Said person turns around.

"I'm lucky to have a friend like you." Sora's smile is blinding now.

Riku can't help but return the smile. "It's actually the other way around."

The two of them do not know what awaits them on their next journey. But they know that they will not have to do it alone. Their friends are their power. And with that power, all of Xehanort's machinations will mean nothing.

In the end, they will win.

Word Count: 1,555

As much as Sora is ever the smiley-faced hero, even someone like him is going to have doubts. Riku or Kairi is going to be the one he opens up to and of those two, Riku is the most likely as he knows a thing or two about what he's going through. So that's the origin of this.

Edit: For some reason, I originally wrote Xaldin instead of Xigbar. And that bothers me. Like, did I even play the game? Quite shameful.

Anyways, love it? Hate it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you. And please, PLEASE, PLEASE, if you have seen any of the spoilers in the game, don't leave it in your review. That's all I ask.

Three more weeks,

A. Angel