Hey everypeoplez. Here's the deal with this story. About a year ago, me and my cousin Mike grew tired of waiting for Kingdom Hearts 2 to come out, so we decided to make our own Kingdom Hearts story. I think it was pretty good, but then my cousin moved away and we never got to finish it. So, I've decided to bring our story back after all this time. I had to tweak the story a little bit, since with the release of KH2, parts of our story didn't make sense. Half of the credit for this story goes directly to Mike, because without him, the story would not exist. This first chapter is just a recap though, just to bring some people up to date. I really hope you enjoy it.

All things Kingdom Hearts related are owned by Square-Enix.

All things Disney related are owned by the Walt Disney Company.

All OCs and the plot are owned by me and my cousin Mike.

Now let's get this show on the road! Ladies and germs, I proudly present Kingdom Hearts: The Next Generation!

Chapter 1

The Legend of Sora and Kingdom Hearts

Years ago, a brilliant man named Ansem the Wise sought to understand the nature of the heart and the influence of the darkness upon it. Fearing the darkness would overtake his world, Radiant Garden, he began to research these mysteries, hoping to find a shield against the threat. He discovered that when the heart of a being is lost to darkness, it is liberated from the body and swallowed. Then the darkness takes shape, becoming a creature that seeks out other hearts to steal, enveloping them in darkness and multiplying. He dubbed these strange creatures the Heartless.

Although creatures of instinct, the Heartless can be manipulated, commanded, and artificially enhanced. Ansem discovered the Heartless were drawn to power and sought not only the hearts of individuals, but also something greater – the hearts of worlds themselves!

One day, Ansem received a visitor. It was King Mickey Mouse from Disney Castle. Mickey had learned about the Heartless and realized the threat they posed. Should the Heartless consume a world's heart, the boundaries between worlds would decay. They would eventually spread to others, growing and consuming, until all was lost to darkness.

Despite King Mickey's warnings, the experiments continued. Now shrouded in darkness, Ansem grew in power. His world soon began to overflow with Heartless, becoming the ravaged world known as Hollow Bastion. With Ansem vanishing into darkness, others sought to control this dark power. Using the abandoned castle in Hollow Bastion as a staging ground, a consortium of villains – Oogie Boogie, Ursala, Captain Hook, Jafar, Hades, and their leader Maleficent – used Ansem's research to seek an even greater power, using the Heartless to break the way and discover the keys to Kingdom Hearts.

The legendary Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds. Seven princesses held the keys to this treasure within their pure hearts, untouched by darkness, and the villains scoured and destroyed world after world to kidnap them. Alice, Belle, Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White, Cinderella, and another…

One such world consumed by the Heartless, Destiny Islands, but one that would prove pivotal in the war against the darkness. Three young friends, Sora, Riku, and Kairi, were flung to strange worlds as their world was swallowed by the darkness.

Sora, stranded in the transient world of Traverse Town after Destiny Islands was destroyed, found himself the bearer of the mysterious Keyblade. This weapon could lock and unlock magical doors and free hearts from the darkness. Donald Duck and Goofy, from the court of Disney Castle, found Sora and accompanied him in search for their friends, Riku and King Mickey. Riku and the King made a second journey, looking for answers as to why the experiments on the Heartless had not ceased.

Sora and his new friends journeyed from world to world, sealing away each world's keyhole, having them from the approaching darkness. Sora was briefly reunited with his friends, in the process learning that Kairi was one of the seven princesses whose heart was needed to open Kingdom Hearts. While Riku and Sora ended up clashing, as Riku struggled with the darkness within his own heart – a darkness named Ansem. With all the pawns in place, Ansem opened the doorway to Kingdom Hearts but was defeated by Sora. To prevent the darkness from spreading, Riku and King Mickey sealed themselves on the other side of the doorway to the dark world. As the worlds consumed by the Heartless reformed, Sora and Kairi were separated again, but their hearts intertwined.

As time passed on, Sora, Donald and Goofy searched for their friends and a way back home, defeating every foe that crossed their way in the process. They were eventually reunited with the King, but Riku wasn't with him. When Sora questioned him, Mickey refused to answer, saying that he made a promise to Riku. Sadly, in order for Riku to help Sora, he felt that he needed to use the powers of darkness, and the only way to do that was to take the form of the darkness in his heart; Ansem.

Riku felt what he had done was unforgivable, but he was surprised by Sora's response. "No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within," he said. Sora had learned this a long time ago, and still followed its teachings.

When the worlds were safe from the Heartless at last, and Riku's true form restored, Sora opened the door to light, and was able to return home with Riku and his friends.

However, our story doesn't end there…