*yawns* Yes, yes, I know that I should be writing Sonic Underground: 25 Years Later and Passion of the Hedgehog, but I've hit a shortage of inspiration.

And since I've recently beaten Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (the ending was gravity-defyingly awesome!), I've decided to write a KH fic! The main cast will be my OCs, but secondary cast is a massive crossover with a bunch of shows and books I like, and so on.

Also, I was in a random mood, so I've been putting together a sort of soundtrack for the fic (something that my friend Beth indirectly gave me the idea for). The story's main theme (like how most actual KH games have "Passion"/"Sanctuary") is "Under the Sky" by Sayaka Minami.

So, without further a due, here beith thine premiere chapter~!

I own all of the characters in this chapter, except one, and I do not own the plot I'm basing this off of, or many characters that will appear later.

{"They say… that every darkness still holds a burning light… and every light still has a speck of darkness."}

Chapter I: Other Worlds

14-year-old Kyle Sholtz stifled a yawn as he prodded at a leisurely pace down the dusty path of Franklin Town; a city with little to say for itself, but one that he had grown to enjoy living in. He paused for a moment, to heave his heavy, slipping-off backpack up onto his shoulders again.

As he reached the end of the path, he held one hand up to protect his eyes from the bright sunlight the reflected from the soft, pale sand. Kyle scanned the wind-swept beach before him, and chuckled softly to himself.

The brunette boy bounded his way down the sloping dot of coast that bordered the edge of town. He slip his pack from his shoulders, and let it hit the sand with a muffled thump.

The honey-haired girl, napping passively on the ground, sniffed a little and blinked lingering sleep from her bright eyes. Kyle smirked a little smirk.

"Megan," he scolded with a little tsk. "I knew I'd find you snoozing here." Megan yawned and pushed her body into a technically upright position. She shook her head furiously, and brushed her hair from her eyes.

"What-what?" she stuttered a little. "It-it was like this-this black thing… and it swallowed me up…" Kyle laughed as he started un-packing his bag's contents. He leaned over and gave Megan a gentle knock on the head.

"Wake up, Meg!" he reminded her. "Are you still dreaming?" Megan shook her head wearily, trying to clear it.

"S-sorry." She fumbled over her words as they left her mouth. "Let's just get to work."

"Let's." Kyle agreed. "But we better wait for Emily. You don't want a repeat of last time, do you?" Megan somehow managed to scoff at Kyle's teasing and grimaced at the memory, all in one twitch of the face. Levelheaded, "kind and cruel" Emily could be very dangerous, simply because she could make any bad thing (or good thing, for that matter) seem still more horrible in a few choice words.

It was five or so minutes later, when a tousled-haired, 15-year-old redhead with a grin and a twinkle in her eyes stumbled down the beach, kicking up handfuls of sand as she did so. She skidded to a disheveled stop before Kyle and Megan. "Well, you're early!" She quipped breathlessly. Kyle rolled his eyes.

"No, you're just late." He corrected her. Emily waved her hand in some vague, dismissing gesture.

"Nah uh. I'm always on time. The rest of the world's just early. Do you want to get this raft finished or not?" she said, placing a slender hand on her bony hip.

Megan grunted as she and Emily pulled their crude working of a raft from the nook they had stored it in a few days before. She cast an aside glance to her resolute companion. "So, do you really think there are actually going to be other worlds out there?" She started, trying to seem casual.

Emily shrugged, although her strong gaze never wavered. "God only knows." She said plainly. "Only one way to find out, right?" Megan nodded numbly. Emily shot an indirect glance at Kyle. "Maybe… when we're out there, we'll find his world too…" Megan nodded, remembering clearly the day when a scared, bruised castaway named Kyle had shown up in Franklin with no explanation that anyone could give.

Megan smiled a weak, hopeful smile as she stepped away from the makeshift raft. "How far do you think this is going to get us, anyway?"

Emily gazed at it with almost dark determination. "We can't be sure." She said at last. "If we have to, we'll find another way." She pumped her fist firmly. "We're gonna make it, though. I know we will."

Kyle laughed as he sewed another stitch into the raft's soon-to-be sail. "If you're quite down being over-dramatic…"

Emily decided to ignore that remark.

Kyle hissed as his needle slipped and he pricked his finger for the umpteenth time, but then gave a solemn glance to the brilliant scarlet the sky had become. He looked over at Megan and Emily, who were struggling fruitlessly to keep the raft's mast upright. "Hey, you guys! It getting late!"

Emily nodded and, with a sighed, Megan set the mast down sideways on the raft. "Man, are we ever going to get this finished?" the honey-blonde asked quietly. Emily gave her a firm smack on the back.

Megan winced. "Hey! What was that for?"

Her redheaded friend giggled, and gave Megan's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Man, don't be such a downer. Give it few more days! And a steadier mast…" she insisted. Megan gave a tiny, tight smile.

"If you say so."

Megan hummed a little song with no words as she trotted down the eastward path leading back the central part of Franklin Town. She stopped and turned a little at a shout of her name.

Something yellow and star-shaped flew through the air and landed lightly, right in Megan's hands. She blinked as she examined it.

It was a fruit of some sort, with a smooth yellow skin, and a few tuffs of leaves on the "points" of its star-like shape. Megan glanced quizzically up at Emily, who approached with a confident step and a little hint of a sneer.

"It's a paopu fruit." She explained. "I snatched it from the marketplace." She gave Megan a little flick on the nose as she pasted her. "The folk tale says—"

"I know what is says." Megan informed her impatiently. Emily sniffed a little, but continued on.

"Well, you wanted one, didn't you?" Emily gave her a lopsided grin. Megan made a little 'um' sound. The older of the two laughed a little and shook her head. "You haven't figured it out yet?" She gave her friend a good-natured punch in the arm. "It's for Kyle."

Megan found herself unable to choose between sarcasm and utter denial.

"Y'know, you better hurry up…" Emily teased as she fiddled idly with one of the paopu's leaves. "'Cause, if you don't, I will."

Megan blinked in a taken-back way, before managing to say, "What?" Emily laughed and ran off, giving her friend a little wave as she did.

Megan grumbled a little to herself, rolling her eyes as she continued along the path. "Meh, who does she think is, anyway?"

Megan tucked the paopu into the front pocket of her backpack as she walked off.

13-year-old Delaney Jacobson dashed wildly, and as quickly as she could, through the palace's royal gardens. "Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man, oh, man…" She muttered in a panicking voice as she pushed aside branches and kicked rocks from her path. "Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man… Ruby!!"

The alarmed girl halted, panting, before her longhaired friend, who was leaning up against a squat stone fence, dreamily admiring the magnificent rose beds, twirling a white rose petal in one hand. She swung her head around to get a look at the worn-out brunette. "Oh, hello, Delaney!" Ruby said with a cheery smile.

Delaney dismissed her greeting without a thought. "Ruby, oh, there's no time! It's serious, really serious!" Ruby blinked, and pushed a strand of her hair away and tucked in behind her ear.

"What is?"

"Oh, it's, it's… Well, for one thing, it's top-secret! We can't tell anyone about this?"

Ruby tipped her head in surprise. "Sir Noah?" She squeaked. Delaney shook her head vigorously. How could Ruby be so carefree?

"Definitely not Noah!" She demanded. Ruby eyes widened a little. Sir Noah was the captain of the royal guards! Everything that could pose a threat was told to him immediately.

"Blaze?" Ruby choked a little.

"Not even the princess!" Delaney was aware she was yelling at this point, but she didn't care. "You won't believe this, but the—"

"Girls, why all the commotion?" A soft, but firm voice asked form behind. Delaney eyes burst open, and she very slowly turned around.

There was none other the Princess Blaze herself, and the captain of the guards with her, at that.

"Oh, good afternoon, Your Majestism!" Ruby said cheerfully.

And, there you have it, folks!

And, yes, I named a character after myself. Deal with it.

And, while we're on the subject of Kingdom Hearts, there's a new trailer out for Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep! And it's awesome!

-Flames-the-Rabbit344, signing off! (Yes, I've shortened my chapter-ending phrase. Deal with that, too.)