I always wanted something outrageous to happen in my life. Like a young, handsome man from a distant world appeared before me and said that I was a princess to a lost kingdom. But I never thought in a million years I was going to become part of the wonderful story of Kingdom Hearts, a video game that's been a big part of me ever since I could remember. I was getting ready to play it one afternoon when my head started to spin. It felt like I was on a pirate ship sailing on rough seas and then, I found myself falling onto my bed's soft linen sheets. When my eyes opened, I was almost blinded by a bright sun. My vision cleared from the sun rays and I noticed I was on a beach. I could hear seagulls crying above and the sound of rolling waves rushing to the surface. This beach felt familiar to me as I observed my surroundings. I did my infamous high pitched gasp when I realised I was on Destiny Islands, the place where this wonderful story began. A wave of excitement came over me and a loud squeal escaped my lips. I placed a hand over them from embarrassment. In the distance, I heard faint laughing and twirled to find Sora, Riku and Kairi striding towards me, giggling at an unheard joke. I hid behind a bush in front of a beautiful waterfall and watched the trio from afar. Should I approach them? If I don't I may never have this opportunity again. Maybe they will know why I was brought here. I gathered up my courage and proudly walked up to them. I greeted the three with a big, goofy smile and an outstretched hand.

"Hello!" I said awkwardly. I could tell by the look of Riku and Kairi's face that I was an odd person. Sora greeted me friendly back with no concern.

"Hi! What's your name?" Sora asked obnoxiously as he shook my hand.

"J-Jade?" I scratched the back of my head nervously.

"You don't sound so sure." Riku teased.

"Yeah, that's me!" I said assuringly this time and Riku shook my hand.

"So what brings you here?" Kairi asked. As we shook hands, I got this hateful vibe from her. Did she not like the idea of me taking the boy's attention away from her?

"To tell you the truth, I don't know what brought me here." I shrugged my shoulders. The three gave me enough time to explain my situation. They welcomed me with encouraging smiles but I knew that hidden beneath that friendly face was someone who wanted me to go away.

"That's very odd." Riku thought out loud.

"Why don't you stay with us until you figure things out?" Sora suggested. Riku and Kairi pulled Sora off to the side to have a secret meeting but they didn't know how to keep it down.

"Sora are you crazy? You can't just invite total strangers to live with us!" Kairi said in a failed whisper.

"But she's not a stranger anymore."

"Still, would your mom allow a girl to stay at your house? You know how she is."

"If she has to, then she can stay at my house." Kairi suggested. Sora's face lit up. It was nice to know that someone appreciated my being here.

"See it all works out!" He said cheerfully. I couldn't help but chuckle at his silliness. But it seemed like I was becoming a problem so I had to say something.

"Guys, if it's too much I can stay here on the island." I shrugged. They glanced at me with shocked faces like they had no idea I was listening in.

"No it's not too much! You're welcome to stay as long as you want." Sora offered. My face turned completely red and looked away bashfully. Riku wrapped his arm around me playfully.

"Welcome to the group!" Riku smiled and ruffled my hair. Kairi embraced me and then I was squeezed with a group hug. Throughout the day, we walked over the whole island and it didn't seem odd to them that I knew which direction to take. Our tour ended with them showing me their raft that was almost finished.

"Wow this is so cool! You guys did a great job!" I shrieked like it was the coolest thing in the world.

"We're planning on leaving this place to explore the world! Want to come with us?" Sora asked obnoxiously.

"Sora! You can't go around inviting people! Especially ones you just met!" Kairi growled and smacked Sora on the head playfully.

"Guys it's okay. I'm really flattered by this." I blushed.

"You are a strange girl." Riku chuckled. I laughed at his little insult.

"Yeah, people back home think so too!"

"So what's this place like? Your home, Is it near here?" Sora asked. I thought on how I was going to explain this to them.

"No...it's in another dimension per say." I rubbed my eyes so they can refocus from the sun's powerful rays. Their jaws dropped and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Another...dimension?" Riku repeated. My lips curved into half a smile.

"Yeah and to people in my dimension, you guys and this world doesn't exist." I said in a high pitched and nervous voice. I offered them to sit and told them about video games and my thoughts on what my purpose on being here was. Sora listened intensively and the other two were laid back as if the sounded like a bunch of crap.

"Wow! So are we real to you?" Sora asked. I knew there was something different about him, he wasn't his goofy self anymore and that worried me. I held his hands tightly and he jumped at my sudden action.

"Of course!" I assured with a slight nod. After that, the sun began to set and we headed for the docks. I was overflowed with excitement knowing that I got to see where they lived in person. People back home would love to have this opportunity. I climbed into Kairi's boat and watched the island create a beautiful silhouette in the distance. I acted like a total fan girl as we approached their home. I couldn't see but I felt Kairi pierce the back of my head with a confused look. As the pulled into the docks, I tried so hard not to rock the boat with my body shaking. They tied the boats and I was the first to jump on land. My eyes lit up and I squealed at the sight of their hometown.

"Why are YOU so excited?" Sora asked.

"It's just, back at home. People never get to see your hometown in the first game. So this is an amazing opportunity!" I shrieked. Sora gave me a fake smile and turned away, trying to hide his sad face.

"Sora? Are you okay?" I asked with concern. He shook his head and chuckled.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I went off into space is all." He lied. I knew something was bothering him but I decided to let it go. We stopped at a cross road and the four of us went separate ways. I wanted nothing more than to follow the boys home and see where they lived. Kairi placed her hand on my shoulder.

"My house is this way!" She pointed down the dimly lit path. I noticed her mood changed too but in a good way unlike Sora's. She seemed to be more enthused about my being here.

"So I heard rumours in my dimension that you're the mayor's daughter. Is that true?"

"Wh-where did you hear...that?" Her face turned completely red from embarrassment.

"On the internet."

"What's the internet?" She questioned in a childlike tone. I described what what it was on the way.

"Oh. Well the rumours are true. I AM the mayor's daughter." She covered her mouth and I raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not supposed to blurt that out to the villagers and...I told you." She giggled.

"I won't tell anyone I promise!" I assured.

"Somehow I knew you wouldn't. Like you gave me this feeling that you're trust worthy." She smiled. When we reached her house, I was introduced to her parents who surprisingly believed our little white lie, of my parents being out of town. They treated me like I was part of the family. After dinner, Kairi took me to her room that I was so ecstatic to see. She walked in like it was no big deal. But I on the other hand acted like I was walking into a celebrity's house. She laughed at my goofiness.

"You are so weird Jade." She teased. That night we sat on the floor and talked about anything and everything. I told her more about home, about my parents, my friends and hobbies. I never talked about myself like this to anyone. She gladly listened and would ask multiple questions. When I was finished, it was her turn to talk about herself. I in return listened and asked thousands of questions. The night could go on forever by the way we talked. When the sun rose, Kairi fell a sleep for a few hours but I was too excited to sleep. I explored her house quietly like a ninja to pass time. Kairi woke up and decided after breakfast to take me to the island before the boys. While rolling on the waves there was a question that was eating away at me that I HAD to ask.

"So you guys are going to see new worlds right? Wouldn't you be running away? Why would you want to leave this beautiful place? If you don't mind my asking."

"You know, I never thought of it that way. I guess because we've been here all our lives and never traveled as far as the island." She answered with a shrug.

"And you guys have three boats. Why make a raft?" I raised an eyebrow and Kairi's face turn red.

"Don't you see that our boats are small?" She asked to avoid my question and I knew that she didn't have an answer. I shook my head and chose to ignore the subject. Once at the docks, I was the first one ashore.

"Why did you want to bring me here before the boys?" I whispered like they were listening.

"I thought you would like to see the secret place in person. I noticed that we never even came close to it yesterday." She said with a smile. I embraced her with open arms.

"Oh thank you Kairi!" I shrieked. We headed towards the secret place and my heart was pumping. She offered me to go first and I crawled as fast as I could down the twisting path. At the end of the tunnel I saw light shinning through the top of the cave and screamed.

"Oh my gosh! This is so cool!" I ran around to all the drawings and said what the picture was supposed to be. I stopped at the drawing Sora and Kairi drew together and stared at it with awe. I touched the drawing of Sora and giggled.

"Kairi. People back home think this is the cutest thing they've ever seen." I chuckled. Her blush intensified.

"R-really?" She stuttered and looked away bashfully. I then glanced at the door and my mood changed. Thinking what was behind that door, was it the reason these three went through so much?

"Jade? are you okay?" She placed her hand on my shoulder comfortingly and I shook my head to come back to reality.

"Yeah, sorry. I was going blank there for a moment." I lied. We walked out of the cave and wondered around until the boys came. The whole day we did nothing but finish the raft. The boys would ask me questions like Kairi did last night. There were times when Sora would be in his own little world. He would wonder off saying he was gathering food but I had a feeling that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. It bothered me that ever since I told him where I was from, he completely changed. I didn't like it cause I thought I was going to become friends with the Sora I fell in love with all those years. There were moments when I thought about my parents and if they noticed I was gone. But I was having too much fun to go home, not yet. One night, Kairi and I were staying up late talking about girl things when I heard a faint roll of thunder.

"No, not the storm!" I complained silently. Kairi ran to her window in terror.

"Oh no! The raft! Let's go check on it. Maybe Sora and Riku are already there!" She shrieked. I grabbed her wrist before she stepped through the door.

"Hey, let's see if I can teleport us there." I suggested. Kairi raised an eyebrow.

"Say what now?"

"I mean, I must be able to cause how was I able to get here?" I shrugged and Kairi allowed me to try. At first, I waited for something to happen but got nothing. Kairi grew impatient and I focused on the location harder. In minutes we were out of Kairi's warm and cozy room out into the cold air. An instant shiver ran up my spine and I rubbed my arms together as the rain stung my eyes. The howling wind made it hard to think. Behind Kairi on the pier, I saw a bright light and was almost blinded. In a few seconds it was gone.

"What was that?" I shouted over the wind and pointed to the pier. Kairi twirled around and then back to me.

"What's what?" She shrugged.

"There was a bright light all of a sudden." I squinted and saw a familiar figure standing there.

"Kairi look! It's Sora!" I pointed again and she glanced back.

"Sora!" She called and ran towards the shack that leads to the pier. A small dark shadow stood between us and the shack and I jumped in front of Kairi protectively.

"It's the heartless!" I screamed. The heartless jumped at us and I embraced Kairi making it so the heartless would only harm me. I was prepared to feel a small scratch but nothing happened. With a slight turn I saw Sora in a battle pose with his new keyblade. I never thought I would see this majestic weapon in person. It's beauty was beyond words and it shone within the darkness. Sora turned to us with concern.

"Are you girls okay?" He asked and Kairi responded with an embrace.

"Where'd you get that?" I pointed to the keyblade already knowing the answer. Sora shrugged.

"I don't know. I was trying to grab Riku's hand while darkness was surrounding us but then this bright light appeared and this was in my hand." More heartless showed up and Sora swung at them with no hesitation. He then gave me a determined look.

"Jade. Are you able to get Kairi out of here?" He asked grabbing my wrist.

"I can try. But I know what you're thinking and I'm not leaving you behind!" Sora stared at me.

"Please. For me, I have something important to do." He begged. I couldn't leave my best friend here, not like this. I looked at Kairi and then back to him.

"Can you promise me one thing? Keep Kairi safe for me!" He didn't give me a time to answer and pushed us out of the way of a heartless' attack. I grabbed Kairi's hand and pulled her through the shack's door and closed it before she ran after Sora. I held her hands tightly.

"Jade! What are you doing? We can't leave!" She shrieked. The sound of thunder rumbled over the creaking shack. I squeezed my eyes tight and told myself Take us to Traverse Town. It then felt like I was evaporating into thin air and within minutes, we were in the first district.

"What was that for? We left Sora with those THINGS!" tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Kairi, Sora begged me to. He wanted me to keep you safe. He made me do it!" I shouted back.

"I wanted to bring him too but he refused." I explained. She stopped making me feel guilty and I was able to have room to breathe. The town seemed a little too quiet. I took one step and another heartless appeared before us. I stopped Kairi from going any further.

"Those are the creatures from the island!" Kairi squealed. I held her shoulders tightly and gave her a pleading look.

"Kairi, I want you to run. You hear me?" I said demandingly.

"What? I'm not going to leave you here!" She refused being stubborn.

"I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. Please Kairi GO!" I pushed her forcefully before the heartless charged. There was a bright light and the majestic keyblade was in my hand. It looked the same as Sora's but the colors were slightly different. The blade was grey but the only change was of the handle being a dark shade of purple. It was like this weapon was made for me. I swung at the heartless and it disappeared in an instant.

"Whoa! Isn't that what Sora got at the island?" She asked pointing to the key.

"Yeah," I said looking at its beauty. A dozen more heartless appeared and I rolled my eyes.

"Can't you just leave us alone?" I shouted at them thinking they will understand me.

"Girls! In here!" A familiar voice shouted. I turned to find Cid from the Final Fantasy series urging us to run into his shop. I excitedly ran through and once we were in we slammed the door. We stood in front of it so the heartless wouldn't break through. Cid pushed us out of the way.

"Wait! Don't go out there!" Kairi begged but Cid blew them away with an odd canon. Kairi and I stared at him with shock.

"That was a close one!" Cid sighed. He laughed at our shocked faces.

"What can I do you for?" He asked.

"We are looking for our friends, Sora and Riku." Said Kairi.

"Have you seen them anywhere?" I added. A light bulb went off in Cid's head.

"Oh, I met a Sora not too long ago. He did mention something about you girls, asking me to look out for yeh." He said searching through his pockets for something. Kairi gave me a huge smile and blushed.

"Did you hear that Jade? Sora is thinking about me, I mean us!" I couldn't help but giggle at her mistake and patted her head playfully.

"So, did he give any instructions for us?" I shrugged at Cid. He pulled out a crinkled paper and handed it to me. It was a letter from Sora addressed to us. The letter hold us to go on an adventure and not to worry about him or Riku, and that we'll see each other again soon. Kairi took the letter and sighed. After that, we said our goodbyes and headed out to the town square. Hoping no more heartless will attack.

"I wonder where Sora is now." Kairi thought out loud. I was about to shrug when another familiar voice called to us.

"Are you the girls HE talked about?" I twirled to find Leon creeping around the corner of Cid's accessory shop and felt like I was going to faint. Kairi looked at me like I was crazy.

"Do you know Sora?" I asked trying to keep my cool. Leon nodded.

"Yes and he asked me to inform you on what's going on." Leon gestured us to follow and I gladly did. Leon brought us to the hotel I recognized. When we arrived, I shrieked when I saw Yuffie and Aerith waiting for us.

"You must be Jade and Kairi. Please have a seat." She offered us a spot on the hotel's bed. We got comfortable and the explanation began. We discussed about heartless, Ansem and his report and about the keyblade. In and out I would listen to the conversation cause I was deep in thought. Why was I able to use the keyblade? I'm an outsider, I'm not a character created for the series so why?

"Jade?" I was interrupted by the sound of Kairi's voice. I jumped and blinked at her.

"I'm sorry. Yeah?" I asked.

"Are you okay?" She cocked her head to the side with worry and I gave her a fake smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied.

"Is something on your mind?" Aerith asked with her gentle voice.

"I'm wondering why I'm able to use the keyblade, cause I'm an outsider. I shouldn't be able to..." I stared at the ground.

"Maybe it has something to do with Sora? Maybe you two are connected somehow." Aerith suggested.

"Could be a possibility," I agreed.

"Then how come I can't use the keysword?" Kairi asked.

"Keyblade" everyone corrected her in unison.

"Sorry."

"Maybe you're time will come Kairi." Aerith assured.

"Yeah...years later." She sighed. We talked some more with group when suddenly a lone heartless appeared. I summoned my keyblade and stood in front of Kairi protectively while Leon did the same for me. I almost forgot to keep my cool at the thought of Leon protecting me.

"You girls go on ahead! I got this!" Leon demanded. I pushed Kairi to move forward and called to Leon.

"If we don't see you again, thanks for everything Leon! Tell the girls that too!" I pulled Kairi through the door since she wasn't running at a face pace and ran us all the way back to the first district. When we reached the square, I fell on my stomach from lack of oxygen.

"You're not very athletic are you?" Kairi teased.

"Yeah, I wasn't really active back home." I laughed and brushed dirt off.

"I wonder how Leon is doing. I hated leaving Leon there by himself." I wondered aloud.

"Hey Jade, if I can't use that keyblade can I at least buy a weapon so I CAN defend myself?"

"Sure! We just got to look for a weapon shop." I said excitedly and glanced around the area. When I found a sign that read Weapon Shop, I took Kairi's hand a dragged her along. She gazed at all the beautiful swords, bows and arrows and shields that came along with the shop. Kairi walked over to the Bows and found one that was perfect for her. It looked like a hunter's bow but without the camouflage coloring.

"Until I am able to use the keyblade, I found my weapon!" Kairi showed it off with pride. We bought it and headed back to the square. Kairi gazed at her weapon's beauty as she swung the arrows across her back. I couldn't help but chuckle at her little moment of happiness.

"So, where do we go now?" Kairi asked holding dearly on to her new weapon like I was going to steal it. I had to think for a moment. I am definitely skipping wonderland, not going through that torture again! How about…well…honestly there aren't many great worlds to go to in this game. Wait! I know! A light bulb went off in my head and I took Kairi's hand excitedly.