((A/N: Yes, it's me again...okay, I'm re-writing this story, because A. The first one was crap since I was up late at night, and B......a better version was on my mind ^^ Anyhoo...

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts in any way at all...sad, ain't it?

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Chapter 1: A Hidden Message

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"W-w-we're back."

"You're home." A red-headed girl sighed as she held her hand out towards the smiling boy in front of her, who was sitting in the water next to an anthropomorphic dog and duck. He gladly took the hand with great enthusiasm and stood up. Sora, Kairi, and their friend, Riku, were finally glad that they were reunited again after the final battle. With the worlds at peace, the three friends could go back to their normal lives.....

That had been almost over two months ago, as the three teenagers tried to go back to their normal lives after Xemnas' defeat. Key word being, tried. As easy it looked, they really couldn't adjust to the simple, calm, and normal life on Destiny Islands. It just wasn't that simple. For each one, it was a different situation, but it was pretty much the same.

Kairi couldn't help but keep checking on Sora and Riku practically all of the time when they were together. She feared that if she looked away from them, they might go away and leave her again-- willingly or not. So, she made sure that she kept watch on the both of them, just to make sure they'd never leave home...at least not without her, of course.

Sora, on the other hand, still kept his happy-go-lucky demeanor, even when facing his parent's reaction to him coming home for the first time within a year. In a synopsis, they flipped out, but tears of joy and sorrow came afterward. Yet, there were some days where he would seem serious, and would watch the sky almost every night. He passed this off to everyone, saying he was just star-watching, but it was not entirely true. He was checking to make sure no other worlds left to be lost to darkness.

As for Riku, he'd become more quieter and even more pensive than he was a year ago. Being around in the realm of darkness would do that to a person, although Pete wasn't the best example. There would often be times where Riku kept glancing over his shoulder, as if expecting for something to come at him...or to make sure that his new life back on the islands wasn't all a dream. It took some convincing from his younger two friends to prove this otherwise, but he became less apprehensive with each day.

Then, one day...everything changed due to a simple message in a bottle.

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Sora held his hands behind his head, the fingers slightly tangled in the spikey-brunette's locks, as he walked towards the secret cave. Kairi had been hinting all week about how he should go check it out, at least for ol' time's sake. When he asked, she just shrugged her shoulders as a reply. He would've asked her to go with him if Selphie had came along, wanting to show the red-head something. So, he went alone.

It felt odd, coming back to this place after all this time. Sora now, was surprised that he hadn't came to the secret cave once he and Rike came back to the islands in the first place. Then again, what else was there to see? All that was there were the cave drawings made by practically every one on the island, including him and Kairi. It wasn't much, but it was history. He smiled to himself as he remembered the small doodles of a self-portrait that they made of eachother when they were very little. And that's when it hit him-- even the addition that he made last year was there too!

Quickly, he broke into a sprint and started to head for the entrance of the secret cave, though he had to duck a couple of times as hanging branches had almost hit him in the face. Almost, but not quite. Many thoughts ran through his mind as he began to wonder if Kairi had seen the drawing. More than likely, since she had been on the island since the worlds were at peace and up until Axel had kidnapped her. If that was the reason why she was dropping hints about coming, Sora couldn't even picture what her reaction was when she first saw it.

Cheeks grew red and his skin became hot just as the cool air inside the cave blew against his face. The air was refreshing, but Sora didn't want to bask in it's breeze, as his mind was already anxious enough.

He slowed down and placed his hand along the wall, running his fingers over the drawings made many years ago, as he walked further and deeper into the cave.

A smile grew on his face, giggling a little at some of the 'art' that was there, and then some that were just...well....there. He was very glad to see them again, all of them brought back happy memories, until he reached the end of the cave. Sora's eyes widened as he reached it, the drawing that had his little addition.

He kneeled down in front of it, staring at it as he remembered the day he and Kairi drew eachother as though it was just yesterday. Then, it was then that his ocean blue eyes noticed the additions that were there. Wait...additions? He had only made one, and it was his hand that was giving her a star, which was supposed to be the legendary Paopu fruit.

But then, who drew Kairi's hand giving him one? That's when it had hit him again; it was Kairi who drew the hand! So that was why she kept hinting to him about visiting their secret place.

At that moment, only one thing crossed his mind.

She likes me! She likes me! She really, truly, likes me! I'm the luckiest guy in the world!

Okay, four things...three if you count the first two being the same idea. If Sora's smile was already wide, then the new one that replaced it was growing wider with each minute he gazed at the drawing. Lucky for him that Riku didn't see this.

Now that the drawing was there, all Sora had to worry about now was actually saying it in the open.

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Riku had been sitting at the top of the large Paopu tree's huge crooked trunk that he and his friends had sat upon a lot of times in their younger years, watching the day end. He was doing the same thing. He watched the calm blue waves crash against the white sand before receding back into the ocean again, repeating their serene movements. The surface reflected the bright orange glow that came from the sun that was setting into the sky above the sea. Riku breathed in and out slowly, enjoying the warm breeze as it blue against his silvery white bangs and hair. He didn't even move his emerald eyes when he heard loud footsteps coming towards him, no doubt they would belong to his spikey-haired friend. The boy's huge shoes were sometimes a dead give-away.

As Sora stopped at the tree, he jumped on top, and then hopped on over the tree, leaning against it with his hands behind his back. There was still a huge grin upon the boy's face as Riku spoke.

"Nothing's changed, huh?"

"Nope. Nothing will." Sora agreed, while Riku smiled.

"Heh...What a small world."

"But...part of one that's much bigger." A long pause came over the two of them before Sora spoke again. "Hey Riku? What do you think it was, the Door to Light?"

Riku jumped down from the tree with a small chuckle, before tapping the center of Sora's chest with a knowing smile. "This."

"This?"

"Yeah. It's always closer than you think." It took a moment, but Sora slowly nodded along with Riku, and the two boys smiled in understanding. Just then, a shout had called to their attention.

"Sora! Riku!" Heads both turned to see that the owner of the voice was none other than Kairi, who waved at them while running towards them. When she finally reached them and stopped to catch her breath, Sora's heart slightly leaped, now aware of her subtle drawing. But, he pushed this aside, as she had something in her hand, and she looked excited.

"What's up?" He asked. Kairi looked up once she regained a normal breathing rate, and held up a bottle.

"Look." Inside, it was just an ordinary piece of parchment....but this parchment had small mouse symbol on it.

Sora's eyes widened as he gasped. "From the King?" He quickly took the bottle and uncorked it, pouring the note out for them to read together. As his blue eyes scanned it, a pair of green and a pair of violet eyes joined him in reading the letter.

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Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi

I hope you three are enjoying back home, I know I am with Queen Minnie. It's been awhile since being back at Disney Castle, but I'll have to leave it again. You see, I'm afraid that we're just not done yet with saving the worlds. Sure, they're at peace, but I've got that same feeling inside that appeared around the same time one year ago.

It first started within the second week here at Disney Castle, when Dr. Ludwig von Drake and I were in the library. He was showing me some new books he had gotten for the castle, along with his new telescope to inspect the stars as well. Then, one night, I peeked through it up at the sky and a few stars started to go out. At first notice of this, I went to contact my teacher, Master Yen Sid--by the way, he says hello. Anyway, he confirmed my suspicions and told me to inform you three of this.

We haven't got a clue as to why this is starting up again, but one thing's for sure, it can't be good. The Heartless and Nobodies are on the rise again, so you'll need to be prepared. Plus, even though Organization XIII is vanquished, I have a feeling that something else is just waiting on the sidelines.

As of right now, I'm writing this from Master Yen Sid's tower, and he's gaining new information by the day. I'll have to leave him though to find some research on my own, but you'll be able to get the new scoop once you meet him. In fact, he's very interested in meeting all three of you; Sora, Riku...and Kairi.

By the way, that reminds me. Riku, I need you to give Kairi that keyblade you gave her to use in The World That Never Was. As it turns out, it's her's, but it called to you at the moment. I'll need you and Sora to make sure she gets some training in with her keyblade because we'll need her for this journey.

So, with that said, the Gummi-Ship will probably arrive in two weeks. Maybe longer than that since Chip and Dale's friend, Gadget, keeps tinkering with the ship's engine. If there's any problems, don't hesitate to see Cid, since that'll most likely be your next stop.

I don't know when we'll meet up again later in this journey, but remember this: No matter where we go, we'll never forget eachother. So don't be discouraged!

Signed, Mickey.

PS.- Sora, don't worry about Kairi. She'll be fine; as you said, she's a lot different now.

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Three pairs of eyes looked up from the letter, each with a different reaction to their friend's message. Riku nodded with no doubt, knowing that the King knew what he was doing—sort of. Kairi felt a little anxious and a bit unsure about all of this, but she was more determined than ever. And Sora...well, there was no expression in the worlds that could show what he felt at that moment.

His mind was split into two different sides. The first side was very excited, and glad that he would be able to travel with his friends along with Donald and Goofy to worlds old, and new. Another adventure for all of them, saving the worlds and meeting new people. Then, there was the other side that summed up most of his feelings: fear.

It wasn't that Sora was afraid for himself, or Riku's since they were both very skilled with their keyblades. No, it was for Kairi that he was scared for. More than anything, he wanter her safe and sound, and out of harm's way. If he could, Sora would actually lock and enclose all of Destiny Islands into a huge bubble of some sort to keep enemies away...with Kairi inside as well. He had already lost her—twice, and he didn't want to go through with it again. Knowing her, she'd probably want to go anyway, wanting to help as much as she did almost three months ago. Sora sighed to himself, now thinking of what his heart would say in this internal discussion.

Let her come....

Riku looked between the two 15-year-olds, knowing that this journey would affect them two the most. He couldn't help but feel jealous at their relationship, but he shrugged it off as he quietly backed away from the two; glad for Sora's small daze and Kairi re-reading the letter over again.

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Hands in his pockets, Riku walked along the deck towards the shores of the island, lost in his thoughts. Although what King Mickey had written was indeed important, that was the furthest thing from his mind. All he could think about, was Sora and Kairi.

It made him laugh a bit, recalling on past memories of how he and Sora would compete for Kairi's attention and affection. Most of their 'battles' were just for fun, but there were some that were in fact real. It wasn't until just when he and Sora were about to be separated by the Door to Darkness, did he realize how much Kairi meant to Sora. Well, actually it was around the time when the spikey-haired lad had sacrificed his own heart for the girl, but it was all the same. In fact, he knew that Sora cared more about Kairi than Riku did, which helped him come to his conclusion about his feelings for the girl. Now, it felt more like a brother-sister relationship, something that grew and turned away from his once-upon-a-crush on Kairi, and he was fine with that. At least now, Sora wouldn't have to worry about competition on winning Kairi's heart....but Riku figured that Sora already had.

Without realizing it, Riku came upon the place that started it all: the secret cave. It was here that his curiousity for the other worlds grew. It was here that he acted upon his own selfish need to open the door, with no way of knowing how to close it. It was here, where he decided to throw himself amidst the darkness...It was here, that his heart delved into darkness.

The memories flowed in quickly into his mind as fast as the cool cave's breeze went against him. Both were cold, yet somewhat unexpected. A frown creased across his face as he remembered how arrogant he was. Thinking that everyone he knew had turned their back on him, and Maleficent was his only friend, when it was completely the opposite. It had almost cost him his own heart until he knew it was all a lie and fought back. Then, when the same feelings of dread almost made him lose himself to darkness...it was Namine who told him not to lose his light, referring to Kairi.

He kept that in mind, but Kairi was truly Sora's light, his drive that kept the Kingdom Key-bearer going. Although she had also kept Riku going, he knew that she wasn't his true light.

But then, who was? Was there someone out there that he had never met that would give him the same feeling as Kairi did, but more than the sibling-feeling? He didn't know, but the future did always hold in surprises.

The dreaded door came into view as he ventured further in the cave, noticing that it was shut again, but it wasn't locked. Shaking his head, figuring that Sora had probably forgotten to lock it, he summoned Way to the Dawn, and pointed it at the door. The key-hole shape formed against the wood, and a white glow came from it. Riku's keyblade reacted with it's own beam of bluish light that was twilight, and it shot towards the keyhole, sealing it and making it vanish without a trace.

Satisfied, he turned his head to see if anyone was coming, but there was no one. Knowing Sora, he was probably still trying to confess his feelings to Kairi, or at least try to dance about the words. So, Riku sat down onto the cave's cool sandy floor, deciding to wait a little while before going back to his friends...plus, he wanted to take a little rest. It wasn't before long, did sleep claim his conscious.

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He found himself in darkness, surrounded by every inch of it, yet none of it actually touched him. This darkness....it felt very different than the usual darkness he was used to, as he traveled about the Realm of Darkness for longer than most people, so it must've been a dark room. Riku could see himself, however, no lost appendages or anything, but nothing else besides his body.

"Hello?" He called out. "Anyone there?" No answer, except for a small chuckle coming from completely nowhere....and it sounded feminine.

Then, it was followed by a bright flash of light, it was so bright that Riku had to shield his eyes for a moment, before it died down. When the light faded, he opened his eyes again and there stood the light, but in a figure a few inches shorter than him, but taller than Sora's height. The figure bore a ponytail, and a girlish shape, so Riku figured that it was obviously a girl. The white light that the girl was covered in was still too bright for him to make out a face, skin tone, or any other features, but then half-way down the middle, one side turned into a bluish light. Mixed with the pure white light, it almost reminded him of a in-between lights; twilight in a way.

The girl turned on her heel, back facing towards him, and just before Riku could reach out to her, she walked away.

"Wait. Wait!" He called out to her, now running to keep up, but she too, broke into a sprint. So, there they were, running in the darkness with him chasing her, and she ever remaining aloof. The mystery girl seemed to pay no heed to his cries, but Riku could've sworn he heard her calling.

"Riku....Riku....Riku...."

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((And there you have it ladies and gentlemen...hmm, this one seems a lot more better than the last one....and a bit longer if I may add. Poor Riku, makes you want to hug him (grabs a Riku plushie and squeezes the living daylights out of it) tee-hee...

Anyway, you know the drill...sort of.....Read and Review!

V See the button? It's wanting you to click it...please?)))