Disclaimer: I really don't own anything worth taking, so don't bother to sue me for this. Square Enix and (or) Disney owns absolutely everything in here that I can think of…

Author's note: I posted this story on and Mediaminer years ago. But the muses and plot bunnies that helped me write it never completely left me alone. That's why I'm putting it back up here after way too much editing. But instead of Sora/Kairi, the story will eventually be Riku/Sora.

In other news, I'll be staying as close as I can for the Kingdom Hearts II for the background info in this story.

Sunset Hearts- Reloaded

Chapter 1

Tonight, the sunset was just as exquisite as those he remembered growing up, and Sora really was still glad to be home. Especially since he had found both Riku and Kairi and they were both with him almost all of the time. But for the moment he was glad to be alone… right now, his heart was millions of miles beyond the Destiny Islands… He thought of all the friends he'd made on at least a dozen different worlds and he smiled as he always did. All things considered, he'd been very lucky to have so met so many interesting people, his only regret was that Riku and Kairi had been able to meet so few of them.

It had only been a whole year already, and tonight Sora was restless as he looked out over the seemingly endless expanse of water that surrounded his island home… How were his friends doing now that the doors between the worlds had been closed again? He wanted to see Donald and Goofy and the King again, but he was glad that they had all gotten some rest from the constant fighting that had become so normal for all of them...

He reached into his pocket and smiled as he took out a small purple card. 'Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member, Sora.' It read. How was their massive rebuilding effort coming along? He knew that Leon and the others were determined to set things right and he knew they could it, but he couldn't help wishing he could see it for himself… Would Jack Sparrow ever straighten out like Will- no. Even as he thought about it, Sora laughed, it was more likely that Will would get a little less serious and more adventurous like Jack, actually... Had the Beast and Belle managed to break the spell?... Was Prince Eric really going to marry Ariel, even though she was a mermaid?... And what about Auron, what was he up to now?

Sora focused on the Keyblade, and smiled when it appeared in his hand as Fenrir. He had half forgotten that this was the last keychain he had used on it. He studied the bold edges of the powerful sword carefully, by far this keychain created the biggest and the heaviest incarnation of all the Keyblades he possessed. It was a fierce looking weapon just because of its size and weight, and it was phenomenal how hard it hit things with every strike, but that wasn't the only reason he liked it…

It reminded him of Cloud's great sword but it had been a gift from Tifa that alone was enough to make him hope that someday Cloud's quest would be over and he would be able to go home with the girl who had been so determined to find him... Sora still remembered watching the creepy one winged Angel attack the unarmed Tifa, luckily she had been alert enough to keep dodging until Cloud had distracted Sephiroth by getting in his way… but one thing had been made brutally clear- the two men had a terrible score to settle, and Cloud hadn't liked seeing Tifa get caught up in it...

"I guess your light found you, didn't she, Cloud?" Sora said softly, looking down at the ground beyond the massive cutting edge on Fenrir.

"Talking to yourself or the sky, Sora?" Riku asked, sitting down beside him on the trunk of the bent palm tree.

"No… not really, I was just thinking about some friends," Sora shrugged.

"You actually met someone named Cloud? Where did you manage to do that?"

"Well, Cloud got sent back to life from the Underworld by Hades to fight my friend Hercules to the death, but his heart wasn't in it and he lost. Even though he was supposed to kill my friend, I liked Cloud. Anyway later on herr showed up at Hollow Bastion- err I mean Radiant Garden right before the Heartless invaded it full force and he helped us defend it. Then he hung around for a while afterward because he sensed that this guy named Sephiroth was there and…"

"Sephiroth?" Riku interrupted. "I thought… hmm…"

"You know him?" Sora stared at him for a moment. "Did you meet Sephiroth too?"

"Hell no. We never met him, but DiZ- I mean Ansem the Wise thought for a while that Xemnas was afraid of someone named Sephiroth… He thought that was why the organization tried to invade all those worlds so hurriedly that I had to go and try to stop them myself. We thought they were trying to finish creating Kingdom Hearts as fast as they could before this mysterious Sephiroth guy showed up again and just killed them all… See, Namine told Ansem that Xemnas tried to recruit someone named Sephiroth to the organization- by forceand she said that the leader of the nobodies lost. But, man, DiZ and I looked everywhere and we never saw the guy or heard anything else about him so we sort of figured that maybe Namine was wrong or something… Wait a minute you said did I meet him too- Sora, you mean this Sephiroth guy really exists?"

"Yeah, we talked to him a bunch of times he's a little taller than Cloud, has long hair that's silver and he carries the longest sword I've ever seen. He looks kinda creepy though, because his eyes are a weird shade of ice blue and they glow. Plus, he has one big black feathered wing on his back- like he's some sort of a morbid angel… He's got incredible magic and deadly combos with that sword too. Cloud told us that Sephiroth is the embodiment of his darkness and Sephiroth never exactly denied it when we ran into him..."

"What do you mean?"

"It was weird talking to Sephiroth. Half of the time he didn't really seem to be talking to us as much as just sort of thinking out loud. Even right after he attacked me he casually turned back around and pretty much ordered me to go find Cloud for him like he thought I was some sort of a slave." Sora rolled his eyes, amazed that such a small memory still annoyed him the way it did. "Cloud was a real loner and we never really talked a whole lot, but I liked him anyway. It's weird, but lately, I can't shake the feeling that I'll see him and everyone else again soon- but that's impossible, isn't it? I mean the doorways between the worlds are really closed now- aren't they?"

Riku shrugged. "I thought so, but, if there's one thing I've noticed, it's that these 'feelings' of yours tend to be pretty accurate, Sora. You have good instincts even though you're a bit slow at following them sometimes. I came out here because I wanted to know what wrong- why you were holding the Keyblade. Is it just that he gave you that one?"

Sora smiled, looking down at Fenrir again. "Cloud did give me a cool one at the Coliseum last year, but I lost it somehow along with all the others when I got put to sleep for that year- this one was a present from Tifa, actually. She had been following Cloud and she finally found him while he was fighting with Sephiroth. Talk about lousy timing. When I first met Cloud he told me he was looking for his light- and I know after the way he protected her that he meant Tifa That's what I was thinking about before..."

"Say, did you ever share the star fruit with Kairi?"

Sora shook his head. "No, I didn't- I mean it just never seemed like a good time to bring it up."

"I see…" Riku grinned, and leapt to his feet. "Come on; let's spar. That is, if you think you can still lift that thing you're holding."

"Sure, but I wouldn't worry about my skills if I were you. You were there when this sword knocked Xemnas off of his pedestal, ya know." Sora shot back, taking a better grip on Fenrir's pommel.

Riku nodded, sliding into his fighting stance against the fading light of the sunset. "Maybe this time you're the one who needs to be knocked down a few pegs…"

"Sora! Riku!" The two boys turned to see Kairi running toward them across the bridge waving her arms.

"What is it?" Sora asked, he released the magic that had drawn Fenrir to his hand and moved to her side as she stopped to catch her breath.

"The door- the one that was down in the cave…it's back and I-" Kairi gasped out. "I just heard something on the other side rattling it like they are trying to break it down!"

"What? Stay here, Kairi."

"Not on your life, Sora. I've already lost you twice; I'm not taking that chance again. I'm not going to let you two have all the fun either. Besides we'll be stronger together, we can help each other this time; I know we can!"

"Hang on. Let's go check out that old door first," Riku shrugged, "It might not go anywhere at all…"

"It does go somewhere," Sora shook his head slowly. "I was warned about that door before we ever left the island on our first adventure… As long as the Keyblades continue to answer our summons that has to mean there is still danger out there for them to fight against. And Yen Sid told us that the worlds themselves are the ones that create the doors for the Keyblades to open. The worlds always seem to sense the danger before we do so if that door is back, then there must be a reason…"

The Keyblades appeared in Riku and Sora's hands, and the two of them formed a protective circle around Kairi as several dozen of the heartless moved in to surround them... The ant like creatures seemed to be coming from everywhere- across the small bridge and the sands around it.

With the two of them fighting, it was over in only a few minutes. They were only shadows, after all. But Riku just looked at his Keyblade. "So it's really true… we either missed a door somewhere or there is a new enemy out there…"

"I knew that Maleficent is probably still around too, but I was really hoping that she and Pete might have lightened up a little… I mean, they actually did sort of help us out a few times…"

"No, you really can't trust her, Sora... ever." Riku said quietly, looking away from them. "I let her have so much power over me that I almost killed both of my best friends for a plan I never even liked! I didn't want to say anything in front of King Mickey, but I know what a manipulative bitch she is. She helped us because it suited her own plans."

"Ok, I guess you know her better than anyone," Sora sighed.

The three of them walked along the beach, but then paused at the mouth of the small cave, and Sora and looked at Kairi. "Hey, are you sure you want to come with us?"

"I'll go anywhere you do, Sora. We made a promise, remember?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"Then I won't be afraid," She said softly. "Even if we get separated again, because I know you always keep your word."

"Gawd! Let me out of here preferably before I get sick..." Kairi grinned, hugging Riku before he could move away from them though.

"Best friends have to stick together," she told him, smiling. "Even when they are mysterious and secretive about it like you were. Just don't forget that you can depend on us too, okay?"

"That's right," Sora grinned. "It's what friends are for!"

Riku just rolled his eyes and grumbled something they couldn't quite catch as he walked into the tiny cave.

Kairi giggled softly as she followed Riku into the cave. "Come on!"

"Sora! You better come take a look at this!" Riku called.

Author's Note: One should never try editing all night long... But I did! XD