**** This is a sequel to a previous story 'True Friends' I highly recommend reading that story first before heading to 'Third Beginning'; but if you would rather be a rebel that's fine too.****

Summary: The last we saw Hinata, she had an intense encounter with Riku as he was beginning to be taken over by Xehanort's Heartless. During the encounter she was nearly choked to death but Riku was able to momentarily overpower Xehanort and bring Hinata safely to her gummi ship before heading back to Hollow Bastion.

Third Beginning

Chapter 1

The sweet aroma of the flowers in the garden wafted through the air as two sisters walked through the stone pathways between the flower beds. They giggled together as their red hair floated in the cool breeze that brushed past them.

The smaller girl hooked her arm through a brown woven basket as she skipped towards a bed of yellow and purple daisies. She plucked a single yellow flower and held it up proudly. "Look at this one Hinata! Isn't it pretty?"

Her older sister, Hinata, walked up beside her and knelt down. Her golden eyes were beaming as she looked at the flower in her sister's hand. "It's perfect Kairi." She told her with a smile. "You should wear it in your hair."

Kairi shook her head, "Nu-uh! This one is for mommy!"

Hinata laughed, "Oh alright, fine. Mom can have this one. What about Grandma?"

Placing the yellow flower in her basket, Kairi gazed around the garden and pulled on the sides of her white dress. Widening her eyes she pointed towards a rose bush and exclaimed, "What about those?"

Looking where her sister was pointing, Hinata shook her head and informed her, "No, those are roses. They have thorns."

"What's a thorn?" Kairi asked, skipping over to the roses anyways.

Hinata shook her head as she followed her younger sister. "Thorns are little spikes that will hurt if you touch them."

Kairi approached the bush and lifted her hand in the air proclaiming, "Thorns won't hurt me!" Before Hinata could stop her, she wrapped her hand tightly around the stem of a rose. "Ouch!" She cried out as she swiftly retracted her hand only to be greeted with tiny beads of blood forming on her palm.

She looked over at Hinata with water welling up in her eyes as Hinata shrugged; "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Hey Hinata," A voice caught the girls' attention. As they turned towards the voice they saw two boys approaching them. A young boy with spikey red hair reached them first with a large smirk, "Isa and I were wondering if you wanted to spar with us."

"More like you were wondering, Lea." Isa noted as he approached, fiddling with a long wooden weapon strapped to his back.

Lea waved him off, "Yeah, yeah, but really. Do you want to?"

Hinata smiled at her friends before shaking her head, "Sorry guys, I'm watching my little sister this afternoon." She pointed behind her and looked back but Kairi was nowhere to be found. Groaning, Hinata said, "Oh no, not again." She spun around as she scanned the garden looking for any sign of her sister. All she could see was the basket left on the ground in front of the roses. Turning back towards Lea and Isa she asked, "Can you guys help me find her?"

"Sure thing!" Lea grinned as he gave her a thumbs-up, while Isa sighed deeply behind him.

"Thanks, she couldn't have gotten too far." Hinata noted as she turned back around to the garden.

She took a step forward when a strange dark blue creature appeared right in front of them. It twitched on its four pointed legs as it glared at the group with two red eyes.

"What is that thing?" Hinata exclaimed as she jumped back.

Lea reached into his orange vest and pulled out two bright frisbees with flame insignias on the top. He placed his fingers in the inner rims of both of them and spun them in anticipation. "I don't know what that is," He admitted, "But it doesn't look friendly."

Isa spun around and saw another blue creature appear behind them. Reaching behind him he grabbed his wooden claymore and brought it out in front of him. "There is another one over here." He told them matter-of-factly.

Hinata clenched her hands into fists and readied herself for a fist fight. "Um, I don't suppose either of you brought along my blades?" She asked, staring at the creatures that were rapidly surrounding them.

Placing both frisbees in one hand, Lea reached into one of his pockets and pulled out two wooden blades. Tossing them to Hinata he said, "Yeah, I brought them in case you were going to spar."

"How did you fit those in your pocket?" Hinata asked as he tossed them to her.

Lea shrugged and noted, "They're deep pockets!"

Catching her swords with ease, Hinata readied her blades behind her back and once she noticed her friends were in position she looked toward the multitude of creatures in front of her. "So now we wait." She commented under her breath.

Lea chuckled and spun the Frisbees in his hands before saying, "Who's waiting? I'll do the honors!"

Without notice he lunged forward towards the enemies. Spinning around he hit a creature across the face while throwing the other weapon into the throat of another. Both of the creatures disintegrated upon impact but were replaced by a forming hoard of new creatures.

Hinata shrugged as she saw Lea attack and followed suit. Spinning the blades in her hands she took a step forward before stabbing her weapons in front of her into the chests of two creatures. They disintegrated around her swords as she continued her attack. Isa held his claymore with both his hands as he bashed the heavy weapon on top of three creatures in front of him, causing them to splat onto the ground before disappearing like dust in the wind. The three of them continued to fight the hoard until eventually they were pushed back to back.

"How many of these things are there?" Hinata asked breathlessly.

Lea scoffed as he placed both Frisbees in one hand and reached into another pocket, pulling out a lighter. "You guys want to see something cool?"

"Right now?" Isa asked annoyed.

Hinata peeked over her shoulder and caught sight of Lea's lighter. She started to open her mouth to object but then shrugged and warned him, "Just don't set the garden on fire you pyro."

Flicking his lighter into a flame, Lea placed it against the cloth skin of the frisbee, setting it ablaze. His emerald eyes lit up as fire quickly engulfed the liner. Looking up at the creatures he noticed that they were beginning to back up at the sight of the flame. Placing the frisbees together, Lea caught them both aflame before smirking at the group of creatures and calling out, "Burn baby!" As the words left his mouth he spun around with his arms outstretched and disintegrated the front line of enemies. Turning back towards them he clapped his burning weapons together in front of him before rotating his wrists to hurl them towards the largest group of foes before jumping back. The burning discs quickly ignited the creatures' skin upon impact causing them to scatter. As the area began to clear out, Isa reached into a pocket of his white pants and tossed Lea a water bottle. Lea caught the bottle and ran towards his weapons, pouring the water on top and causing a cloud of smoke to bellow into the air. Placing his arm over his mouth and nose, Lea began coughing as smoke made its way into his lungs.

The smoke cleared up and the flames died out, revealing that all of the creatures had scurried away. Lea grinned over at his friends and beamed, "See, I told you that was cool!"

Hinata scoffed as she put her swords away. "Well at least you didn't set the garden on fire." She paused for a moment before chuckling, "Did you say 'burn baby'?"

Lea shrugged and began to laugh along with Hinata, saying "That's my new catchphrase! Got it memorized?" Hinata rolled her eyes as Lea tapped his head with one of his fingers when Isa interrupted their banter.

"What were those things?" he asked as he placed his wooden claymore behind his back.

Widening her eyes, Hinata spun in place to scan the area. "I don't know, but we better find Kairi before they do." She pointed out.

Isa and Lea nodded as Hinata quickly made her way towards a set of stone stairs that led up to a second level of the garden. As she reached the top she was met with an array of buildings leading into the main town. The small blue creatures were spotted roaming throughout the town; however after the fire they were avoiding the three friends. Turning around, Hinata looked up at the large towering castle on the other side of the garden. A large set of stairs led up to the castle courtyard and in the center of the area, Hinata could make out the familiar dark red hair of her sister.

Pointing up she told her friends, "She's up there!"

Lea groaned as he came up beside her and saw where she was pointing, "Sheesh! She just had to run someplace that requires us to climb a ton of stairs! Not like we just fought a bunch of creatures."

"Stop your complaining." Isa lightly hit Lea on the back of the head, "At least she's safe."

"Come on you guys!" Hinata bolted towards the set of stairs as Lea and Isa trailed behind her.

Running up the stairs, Hinata gasped when she heard Kairi let out a scream. She stopped momentarily and widened her eyes before pushing herself to run faster. Suddenly a woman with bright blue hair ran past them with Kairi in her arms. The three of them stopped in their tracks and stared after the woman as she reached the bottom the stairs; placing Kairi on the ground and patting her on the head before stretching out her arm. Hinata cocked her head to the side in confusion as she took a couple steps down the stairs. There was a bright flash of light and a weapon appeared in the woman's hand; a long thin blade arching into a spiked crescent at the tip.

"What in the world?" Lea commented under his breath.

As the weapon appeared, the woman left Kairi and ran back up the stairs, paying no mind to the three teens that stared after her. They watched her go out of view before Hinata shook her head and began running down towards Kairi.

Reaching her, Hinata knelt down and hugged her tightly, "Oh Aiko, what were you thinking running off like that? Are you alright?"

Kairi nodded, "Yeah I'm fine! That nice lady saved me from those blue things!"

Hinata pulled back and smiled in relief at her sister, asking "Do you know who she is?"

Shaking her head, Kairi told her, "Nope! But I want to pick her some flowers."

With a sigh, Hinata fell back into a seated position. "You don't quit. A near death experience and you're acting like nothing happened!"

Kairi giggled as she turned around and skipped into the garden to pick some flowers. Hinata shook her head and looked behind her at her friends; Lea had a grin on his face with his hands placed on his hips, while Isa was looking towards the stairway the woman went up with his arms crossed.

"Well, thanks for the help." Hinata told them before looking up the stairs and musing. "I wonder if Even would know what those creatures were."

"If he doesn't, I bet your dad would know." Isa reluctantly looked away from the stairway and walked up beside Hinata.

"We should go ask!" Lea offered as he ran up to them.

"We aren't allowed into the castle, you know that." Isa pointed out.

"Maybe…" Lea admitted as he placed his hand to his chin and then whispered, "But we could always sneak in and find out for ourselves."

"What makes you think that we would find out just by sneaking in?" Isa scoffed, though with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Think about it," Lea began to explain excitedly, "The castle is the only place around here that's in lockdown. And if it weren't for Hinata's dad, we wouldn't know anything about it at all. With those strange creatures and that lady with the magic weapon appearing out of nowhere, the castle seems like the only place that could have an explanation."

Isa listened intently to Lea's words and when he finished he thought about it for a moment before resigning, "Alright, let's do it."

Hinata laughed, "Seriously? You're going to try to sneak into the castle?"

"What you're not coming along?" Lea pouted, sitting beside Hinata.

"No way," Hinata shook her head, "For one, my dad's there, so just imagine how much trouble I would get into if he found out I tried sneaking in. And second, I need to keep an eye on Kairi." Then she looked over at Lea and asked, "Why don't I just ask my dad when I see him again?"

"Because sneaking in would be so much more fun!" Lea pointed out, getting an eye roll from Hinata.

Hinata looked up at Isa and asked, "And you're going along with him?"

Isa shrugged, "I want to know what's in there. And I'm curious about those creatures."

"Well alright you two," Hinata looked back towards the garden, "But if you get caught, I'm not bailing you out."

"We'll be fine!" Lea assured her getting up and brushing off any dust from his back from sitting on the ground.

Isa and Lea waved at Hinata as they began to walk away. Hinata laughed under her breath as she stood from her spot and walked towards Kairi in the garden. The creatures were still avoiding the garden after the encounter so the area was thankfully still safe. The cool breeze swept past causing Hinata to shiver, her wooden swords rattling together as she shook. She rubbed her free hand over her bare arms for warmth. Coming up beside Kairi, she placed her dao swords on the ground and sat on the stone path beside her.

"Which flower do you think she would like better?" Kairi asked holding a yellow and blue flower in front of her.

Hinata shrugged, "Why not both?"

"Good idea!" Kairi giggled as she grasped her tiny hand around the stems. "I'm going to go give them to her!"

"Wait for me." Hinata told her as she got up from her spot but Kairi was already running away. She groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she was about to run after her.

"Hinata, where is Kairi?" Hinata turned around after hearing an older voice call out to her, and saw her Grandmother. She was much shorter than Hinata, with a hunched back and gray hair wrapped in a bun.

"Hi Grandma," Hinata strained a smile and greeted. "Kairi just ran off to go to the castle courtyard. She wanted to give someone some flowers."

"And you just let her go?" Her Grandmother asked exasperated as she walked by. "You're supposed to be keeping an eye on her."

"I am." Hinata defended taking a deep breath to stay calm. "I was just about to go after her when you called out to me."

Her Grandmother momentarily stopped walking and without looking back at her she noted, "If you were looking after her properly she wouldn't have run off in the first place." When Hinata didn't respond she looked over her shoulder at her. "Am I wrong?"

Hinata bent down and grabbed her wooden swords as she responded. "You're right Grandma. I should have been more careful. I'll go get her right now."

"No, don't bother. I'm headed up that way anyways." Grandma told her as she glanced down at the weapon in Hinata's hands. "And you really should stop playing with those… things. It's not ladylike."

"They came in handy earlier." Hinata retorted and laughed softly.

"Regardless, I don't know why your father allows you to use them. He encourages you, even!" She sighed and shook her head before turning away to walk towards the stairway after Kairi.

Hinata strained a smile as her Grandmother walked away; rolling her eyes once she was out of sight. She looked down at the weapons in her hands and mumbled, "I wish she would back off." Turning around she looked at her surroundings, trying to catch sight of any more creatures. Readying her blades she began to walk out of the garden saying, "Might as well make sure there aren't any more of those creatures around town."

She walked through the streets of town looking for any sign of the creatures but none could be found. As she approached a small item shop she stopped walking to catch her breath. "It's like they just disappeared…" She muttered as she scanned the area.

"What disappeared dear?" An older duck wearing a top hat and waddling with a cane asked her.

Hinata smiled at the duck as he approached, putting her swords away. "Hello Mr. Scrooge. It's these weird blue creatures that attacked me and my friends earlier. I saw them all over town not too long ago but now there just gone!"

"Oh yes, I saw those creatures." Scrooge told her, tapping his cane on the stone ground. "A young lad with rather spikey hair saved me from a rather monstrous one with a strange weapon. If I had to guess, I'd say he wasn't from this world."

Cocking her head to the side, Hinata knelt down to Scrooge's level and asked, "Another world? Is that even possible?"

Scrooge placed a feathered hand on his chest as he laughed. "My dear, there are many things that are quite possible. I suppose you wouldn't even believe that I am not from this world myself. Have you ever questioned why I am the only duck resident in this town?"

Hinata widened her eyes from the news before laughing under her breath. "I guess I never really thought about it." She stood up and crossed her arms before getting back to the subject, "Okay, wait, so a young man saved you from the creatures? Then what happened?"

"I gave him some tickets to my home world!" Scrooge told her proudly.

"Why am I just now finding out that you're from another world?" Hinata asked, "I've known you my whole life!" She closed her eyes and waved her hands in front of her, "I mean, never mind that. I saw a woman that didn't seem to be from around here. I wonder if they have something to do with the creatures." She crossed her arms as she looked up and saw the castle of the town towering in the distance. "I think it's time I paid my dad a visit." Looking down at Scrooge she smiled and told him, "Thanks for the help, I have to go."

As she ran past him, Scrooge called out, "You're quite welcome my dear! Come back when you're free and we can talk more!"

Hinata turned around momentarily and waved before turning back to head towards the castle. She exited the town and began heading up a tall brick staircase until she reached a courtyard that led to two blue double doors that were guarded by two men. Hinata smiled as she reached the area and walked towards the men that seemed to be bored at their post. On the left of the door stood a tall man with long black dreadlocks pinned up in a ponytail while on the right stood a muscular man with red hair slicked back with the ends spiked behind his head. They nodded in acknowledgment to Hinata as she approached them.

"Lady Hinata, what brings you here today?" The red headed man asked in a monotone voice.

"Hi Aeleus, I was wondering if my dad was here?" Hinata greeted.

"We just saw him." Aeleus told her, motioning his head towards the other guard. "He wanted to speak with me and Dilan."

"But I'm afraid he isn't available for… family visits today." Dilan spoke up with a thick accent, giving Hinata a slight glare.

Hinata crossed her arms and stared back at Dilan before replying, "What did he want to talk to you about?"

"Just because you are family relation does not give you special privileges." Dilan told her, swiftly becoming exasperated.

Sighing, Hinata resigned, "Fair enough, I was just wondering if he or anyone of you guys knew anything about those creatures that were appearing around town."

"We're not sure what they are." Aeleus spoke up shaking his head. "After we came back from speaking with your father they all seemed to disappear."

Hinata pointed to Aeleus and nodded, "You noticed it too! I saw a woman that didn't seem to be from around here either. And Mr. Scrooge mentioned that he saw a young boy that seemed out of place too."

Dilan and Aeleus exchanged glances as Hinata spoke.

"Did you guys see them too?" Hinata asked, sensing their apprehension.

Before they could respond, the blue doors swung open as a slender man with slicked black hair hurriedly walked out of the castle, holding two silver arrow guns in his white gloved hands. Hinata quickly moved out of his way as he rushed passed her.

"Hey Braig!" Hinata called after him.

The man momentarily stopped and looked behind him wearing a mischievous smirk. "Hey Princess, no time to talk; I'm on an urgent mission."

"Just a quick question," Hinata quickly spoke holding out her hand, "Have you seen anyone that doesn't seem to be from around here?"

Braig laughed before holding up one of his arrow guns and informing her, "Sure have; on my way to meet with one right now!" Noticing a look from Dilan he shrugged, "For non-violent reasons of course." Looking at Hinata he nodded, "You be a good girl now!" With that he turned around and quickened his pace.

As he left Hinata stared after him before looking back at the two men in front of her and asked "So there are off-world visitors here? Is that why those creatures were here?"

Dilan closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose before groaning, "Don't you have anything better to do than interrogating us? Where are those annoying friends of yours?"

Hinata rubbed the back of her neck and uncomfortably chuckled, "Oh um… I haven't seen them today." Her cheeks turning red as she spoke.

At Hinata's response he gave her a confused look and then glanced over at Aeleus before motioning his head towards the castle. Without saying anything, Aeleus nodded and walked into the building as another man wearing a white lab coat with pale blonde hair falling on his shoulders walked outside into the courtyard.

The blonde man raised an eyebrow as he saw Hinata and gave her an unsettling smile. "Oh Hinata, do what do we owe this pleasure?"

Dilan groaned as Hinata began to explain her inquiries once again and turned towards the doors of the castle to close them as they were still left open from Braig's previous exit. He looked into the entryway and caught sight of Aeleus walking towards him dragging two boys behind him.

"Hey we were just looking around! We weren't going to take anything!" Lea tried to defend as he tried to escape Aeleus's grasp, while Isa being dragged beside him simply crossed his arms and sighed in exasperation.

Dilan stood out of the way as Aeleus tossed the boys through the open doors that led onto the stone courtyard.

"I've told both of you multiple times now," Aeleus scolded them, "The castle is off limits to civilians! Stop trying to sneak in before I have to take real action!"

Lea scrambled to his feet and sheepishly smiled, "Alright, alright, we won't do it again. Promise!"

Isa stood up beside Lea as his cheeks were flushed. He crossed his arms and nodded, "Yeah, we won't do it again."

Dilan smiled up at Hinata and sarcastically remarked, "Well it seems we found your friends for you."

Both Lea and Isa's eyes widened as they both shot glares at her. "Did your terrible lying skills give away our position?" Lea exclaimed.

Hinata was about to respond when the blonde scientist she had been speaking to broke in. "Not that it hasn't been lovely visiting with all of you, but we really must be getting back to work."

"But you never answered my questions Even." Hinata protested, "Do you know anything?"

"Nothing that I could tell you without violating protocol." Even told her, shaking his head, "Now you three stroll off, there is much for us to attend to."

Hinata sighed in defeat before nodding her head towards Lea and Isa. They walked up beside her as she told the men, "Alright, sorry to bother you guys. See you later."

The three men nodded at her as she turned around and began to walk away with Lea and Isa in tow. Once they were out of earshot Hinata muttered, "Well that was a complete waste of time."

"It might have gone better if you didn't rat us out." Isa bit in a frustrated tone causing Hinata to glare at him.

"Even!" Braig's voice yelled out causing the three teens to jump.

Following the sound of the voice, they saw Braig staggering up the stairs with one hand clasped around his eye as blood seeped through the once white fabric of his gloves. Even ran down the stairs towards Braig and as he reached him he rushed him back up to the castle.

Hinata ran over to help but was pushed aside by Even before she could do anything. "What happened?" She yelled after them as they left her and her friends behind.

"Terra!" Braig yelled out before he was led inside the castle and the front doors slammed behind him.

"Terra?" Hinata repeated under her breath before looking back at her friends worried, "This day just keeps getting more confusing… What or who in the world is Terra?"

They stared at each other in silence before Lea forced a smile and walked over to Hinata. "They'll take care of Braig so don't worry. Now that those creatures are gone we can finally fight!" When Hinata slightly smiled up at him he smirked and boasted, "Although, don't get your hopes up or anything! I've been practicing and I know today is the day I'll take you down."

Hinata scoffed as she lightly pushed Lea. "Yeah you wish…" She looked over at Isa, who avoided her gaze. She sighed before smiling back up at Lea. "I could take you on blindfolded and still win!"

Lea laughed and grasped at his heart as if he was wounded, "Ouch, you really think I'm that bad? I took care of that hoard of creatures earlier nearly singlehandedly!"

"Well yeah, because you brought fire into it," Isa pointed out, joining in on the conversation. He looked over at Hinata and gave her a small smile as she smiled back at him.

Placing his hands on his hips, Lea defended, "Either way, I got them away didn't I?"

The three friends laughed as they continued down the stairs until they reached the garden that led into the surrounding town. As they reached the bottom, Hinata crossed her arms and stopped walking, causing Isa and Lea to look back at her.

"I think I might actually go home, it's getting close to dinner time." Hinata told them as she looked up at the reddening sunset.

Lea sighed, a look of disappointment flashing across his face; "Alright fine. We'll spar another day." He was about to turn around to leave when he pointed his finger into the air, "Oh right! Isa and I met some new kid today."

Hinata cocked her head to the side, "Oh really? When?"

"It was on our way to sneak into the castle." Isa told her. "I wanted to drop off my claymore at home and on the way back to the castle we found a kid sulking."

"Yeah, he seemed like he was just having a bad day." Lea agreed. "He had this weird looking weapon he called a Keyblade and to cheer him up I challenged him to a fight!"

"A Keyblade?" Hinata repeated, "I've never even heard of that kind of weapon. What did he look like?"

Lea placed his hands on his hips, "What? You don't even want to know if I won the fight?"

Hinata shook her head, "You fight with frisbees Lea, it's not like you're very intimidating."

Looking at the sky, Lea closed his eyes and lamented, "Geez, where do I find such encouraging friends like you guys, huh?"

They chuckled before Hinata jumped back to her previous question, "So really, what did he look like? Did he have spikey hair?"

Isa and Lea looked at her confused. "Yeah, he did." Isa told her.

"He said his name was Ven." Lea continued.

Hinata placed her hand on her chin and whispered, "Ven huh? I wonder what's going on around here." Putting her hand down she looked back up at her friends and smiled, "Well, whatever's going on, I really should get going home. I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

Her friends smiled and waved as Hinata turned and made her way back home. Within a blink of an eye she arrived at her home, not even realizing she had taken a step. The stars were sprinkled throughout the suddenly darkened sky. Hinata looked up at them in confusion before reaching for the doorknob to enter her house.

"How did I get here so fast?" She muttered under her breath as she turned the doorknob.

As the door swung open, a warm sweet scent of ham wafted through the air in the beautiful home. The furnishings and style of the house were regal and classic in looks but Hinata paid no mind to the surroundings as she inhaled deeply and grinned.

"Hinata? Is that you, Sweetie?" A kind voice called from the marbled kitchen past the living room.

"Yeah Mom, I'm home!" Hinata called back as she swiftly took off her shoes and rushed to the kitchen. Walking into the room she saw her mom, her red curled hair pinned up and wearing a blue frilly apron around her waist. Hinata laughed as she spotted her mom stealing a bite of the freshly cooked ham, "I saw that!"

Her mom laughed in return as Hinata came up beside her and gave her a large hug. When the hug went on longer than usual, her mom gave Hinata a concerned look and asked, "Honey, is everything okay?"

Hinata hugged her mom slightly tighter before reluctantly pulling away and assuring her, "Yeah, sorry. I just really missed you I guess." She looked up and forced a smile.

"Well alright, if you say so," Her mom shrugged as she grabbed the platter of ham to carry it to the dining room. "But if you ever need to talk, you know I'm here."

"I know Mom, thanks." Hinata told her as she grabbed a small piece of ham, shoving it in her mouth before her mom could fully object.

Her mom chuckled as she carried the platter and then called behind her, "Can you get our little Aiko? She's up in Grandma's room; I think she's listening to one of Grandma's stories."

Hinata nodded, turning to head up a flight of stairs when suddenly she was at the dining table filled with plates of half-eaten food and surrounded by her family. Her eyes widened as she looked around and saw that her sister Kairi was walking around the table picking up empty plates to bring them to the kitchen.

"Did we just eat dinner?" She asked in disbelief, looking down at a messy plate in front of her.

Kairi stopped what she was doing and looked up at Hinata in confusion when her Grandmother, who was sitting across from her, spoke up. "Of course we did. You ate more than all of us!"

"I did?" Hinata asked as she looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway of the dining room with a worried look on her face.

"Hina, are you sure you're alright?" Her mom asked with her eyebrows knitted in concern.

Hinata gave the area a once over before shaking her head and smiling, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just tired… Is dad here tonight?"

Her mom solemnly shook her head, "No, he won't be home for a few days."

"Oh alright," Hinata slumped before asking, "Is there anything I can help with?"

"You can do the dishes for me!" Kairi batted her eyelashes at Hinata and giggled.

"Now, now, my little Akio, no trying to get out of your chores," Their mother scolded, "It's your day to wash dishes. Let's let Hinata get some rest."

Hinata laughed as she shakily brought herself to her feet, "No worries. I'll help her out a little bit." She smiled at Kairi, "At least keep her company."

Kairi smiled back at her and Hinata took one step forward, but as she did she suddenly found herself in the garden courtyard with the sun high in the sky. She yelped with surprise as she looked around.

"What is going on?" She yelled out towards the sky.

"Um… are you alright?" Isa asked her, causing Hinata to startle.

Hinata's breath became shallow as she whipped her head around and found Lea and Isa standing next to her. Isa looked at Hinata in bewilderment as Lea took a few careful steps towards her.

"How did I get here?" Hinata asked, rapidly looking around.

"It's alright Hinata," Lea tried to calm her and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Isa and I picked you up from your house this morning when we heard about the new apprentice."

"Don't you remember?" Isa asked.

"No…" Hinata admitted as her breathing began to regulate. "I know this sounds crazy, but I keep jumping from one thing to the next and I can't remember anything that happens in between."

"So this apprentice sounds really cool!" Lea burst out, suddenly on the other side of the garden rather than at Hinata's side like he had been seconds before.

Hinata knitted her eyebrows in confusion as she protested, "Hey wait, didn't you just hear what I said?"

"Yeah, he sounds awesome actually." Isa agreed with Lea, ignoring Hinata's words.

"No wait, seriously guys, what's going on?" Hinata pried.

"I heard that when Braig found him he had a full set of armor and his own weapon!" Lea continued excitedly, getting Isa abnormally excited as well.

Hinata flung her hands exasperated in front of her sighing, "You guys are just ignoring me aren't you?" The boys continued their conversation, completely disregarding Hinata's words as she crossed her arms and turned away from them to face the staircase that led to the castle above.

"Are you alright?" A deep male voice asked behind her.

Hinata groaned as she turned around and complained, "Would people just stop asking me that?"

Her eyes widened when she turned and saw a man standing in front of her. His piercing amber eyes looked at Hinata with an expression that was both kind and concerned. His white hair fell past his shoulders blending into the long white lab coat he wore, adding a sense of wisdom to his otherwise youthful face.

"Are you alright?" He repeated.

"Who… who are you?" Hinata stammered. "I feel like I know you."

"You mean you don't recognize me?" The man asked, his eyes flickering momentarily from kindness to anger.

"It's nothing personal; honestly, I'm just having an off day." Hinata sheepishly smiled as she rubbed her hands together in front of her. "Are you the new apprentice?"

"I was," The man shrugged, "But that was months ago."

"Months?" Hinata repeated, not noticing as the bright surroundings of the garden began to meld into darkness until all that surrounded them was pitch black.

The man placed his hands behind his back as he began to pace around Hinata. "I started out as a mere apprentice, unaware of my full potential; but then as I grew to understand who I was I became a sparring teacher as well as a scientist. My days were filled with various works and mentoring as I gained the trust of three young teens." He glanced over at Hinata, who was staring at him in confusion, before shaking his head, "You still don't remember…" Motioning his head upwards he noted, "Perhaps this will jog your memory."

Hinata spun around as the dark surroundings melded into a tan room, with large windows and racks filled with weapons lining the walls. In the center of the room stood Lea and Isa in white uniform; standing across from each other and laughing. Hinata smiled as she saw her friends and walked towards them; but as she tried to place her hand on Lea's shoulder to get his attention, she went straight through him as if he were a cloud.

Staring at her hand, Hinata asked, "How is this happening?"

"Just watch." The man told her.

The sound of a door opening caused Hinata to turn around, and she saw herself walk into the sparring room wearing her own white uniform with her long red hair tied in a bun. This other Hinata was followed by a double of her mysterious guide, wearing a black uniform rather than the bright white lab coat.

"There you are, Master!" Lea grinned. "We were beginning to wonder where you guys were."

"I had to finish up some experiments back at the castle." Their master informed them, "I apologize for my tardiness."

Hinata turned around from the scene playing out before her and stared back at the man who had brought her there. "So you became our sparring master?" When the man nodded, she looked back at the scene as the trio began performing different routines with wooden weapons. "I feel like I remember all of this… But how? It hasn't happened yet, right?" She looked back at the man in the lab coat.

"Has it not?" The man challenged with a smirk.

"Who are you?" Hinata asked as she crossed her arms.

"Why don't you tell me what you remember?" The man told her, motioning his head towards the sparring scene.

Hinata looked back at the scene and watched as the group in front of her was laughing and chatting while they practiced various sets. "I remember… I remember that sparring was like a dream come true for the three of us and that we really liked having you as our master. But then…"

"Then what?" The man pried, his voice deepening.

"The more you worked in the castle the more distant you became." Hinata continued as the scene in front of her began to change. The room darkened as their master harshly scolded them over tiny mistakes. "Then whenever we would ask why you changed you would just say that you were preparing us." She looked back at the man. "You were especially harsh to me, and whenever I would call you out you kept telling me that I was special. That I was gifted and that's why you were pushing me harder than the others."

"It was true." The man told her.

Hinata shook her head before continuing, "But it doesn't make sense… nothing ever happened. What were you preparing us for?"

"Something did happen." The man stalked up to Hinata, causing her to take a couple steps back. "But for some reason you have locked it away in your memory."

Backing away, Hinata's pace quickened as she asked "What was it? Why is this happening?" As the man began to walk towards her again she suddenly began to panic. "Where am I? Why is nothing making any sense?"

"What's my name?" The man asked as he walked towards her.

"I don't know!" Hinata yelled out honestly, "All I know is that I really don't feel safe right now! What is going on?"

"What is my name?" The man bellowed as the sparring room began melding back into the darkness from before.

Hinata clasped her hands around her ears as she fell to her knees and cried repeatedly, "I don't know! I don't know!"

A hand landed softly on Hinata's shoulder, and a soft familiar voice reached out to her. "Hinata, it's alright, I'm here."

Reluctantly, Hinata removed her hands from her ears before opening her eyes and looking up to see Riku, who was standing in front of her. Shaking, she slowly stood and looked around to find that she was in a dark hallway back in Hollow Bastion. Riku supported her as she stood and pulled her into a warm embrace.

"What's going on?" She cried into his shoulder.

"Everything's going to be alright." Riku told her softly as he rubbed his hand along her back.

She slightly pulled back to look at Riku's face and asked, "How did I get here?"

"Do you know my name?" Riku asked her as he placed his hand on her cheek.

Hinata knitted her eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean? Of course I do. It's…"

Before she could finish her sentence Riku moved his hand from her cheek down to her neck and gripped it tightly.

Coughing slightly from the reduced air, Hinata grasped at Riku's wrist and begged, "What are you doing?"

"You need to remember!" He yelled at her, his voice fused with the deep voice of the man she had been speaking with earlier.

"I don't know what you are talking about!" Hinata told him as his grasp once again tightened. "Riku please, I can't go through this again…" She begged with her eyes shut tight.

"You remember his name but you can't even remember your old master?" Riku scolded her.

Hinata's opened her eyes and glared at Riku, yelling "After I saw what you did to all those innocent people you really think I would still join your Organization?" As the words left her mouth her eyes widened. "I remember…" Riku scowled at her words and placed both his hands firmly around her neck.

"You were specially trained, you offered yourself willingly!" Riku yelled, "What is my name?"

Hinata's eyes were closing and her breaths were becoming few and far between. In a weak whisper she told him, "Xehanort."

Everything around her morphed into darkness as her final breath escaped her body and she was left alone, lying in nonexistent space. Everything was silent and still until a faint alarm began to slice through the unnerving stillness. It started out barely audible but slowly grew louder with each screech. A barking animal cut through the increasing noise of the alarm, shattering the darkness. Hinata slowly winced her eyes open as the sounds were swiftly becoming overbearing. She rapidly blinked and gasped as her ghost dog Jack yelped in front of her.

"I'm on the gummi ship?" She asked hoarsely, painfully attempting to clear her throat to no avail. Moving one of her hands to her throat she immediately retracted it and winced. "I must have been dreaming…" She whispered.

She looked around the gummi ship; things were strewn around the entire area. A red light was flashing from the cockpit and an alarm blared, causing Jack to keep his ears flat upon his head. He floated in front of Hinata tugging on her shirt in an attempt to get her up.

"What's happening?" She tried to ask him, but her voice was barely heard over the other sounds.

"Alert!" The intercom of the ship spoke to address Hinata's question, "Impact in approximately five minutes."

"What!" Hinata's voice broke as she screamed raspingly.

She pushed herself to stand. With every movement her muscles quivered from strain. Struggling to keep her balance, she rushed into the cockpit of the ship. Various lights were flashing across the control board as the ship's alarm alerted Hinata to their impending doom. She looked out the windshield only to see a large planet becoming larger and closer by the second. Frantically, she began pressing random buttons on the console in an attempt to gain some control.

"Why are we crashing?" Hinata choked out to the computer.

"Alert, this world's border has regained integrity. Gummi flight is no longer possible." The intercom of the ship informed her.

"What does that even mean?" Hinata panicked, "Can you give me control of the ship so I can at least try to land it?"

"Navigation is off line." The ship's computer told her.

"Is there anything I can do?" Hinata threw her hands in the air as she stared wide eyed out the windshield.

"Alert! Impact in approximately four minutes." The intercom repeated.

"Apparently not," she mumbled, turning around and rushing into the next room, "Jack! We need to get off the ship!"

As she passed through the door leading into the living area the ship rocked violently, causing her to lose her footing. The turbulence caused the door to the cockpit to slam shut, catching Hinata's hair inside. Her head jerked back from the force and she let out a pained yell. Slamming her hand on a gray button she attempted to open the door but it didn't budge.

"Computer!" She yelled as loud as her hoarse voice would allow. "Open the door!"

"Unable to comply; the door is jammed." The computer told her before saying, "Alert, impact in approximately three minutes."

Hinata placed her hands against the closed door as she tried desperately to wriggle her hair free with no success. She looked around in panic and cried, "Where are my blades?" When she couldn't find them she called out, "Jack come here!"

Jack barked as he instantly floated to be in front of Hinata's face.

"Jack, you have to find something sharp; something that I can use to get myself free." She told him hurriedly.

He barked in response as he began searching the ship. While he searched, Hinata caught a glimpse of the planet she was crashing into through a nearby window. Towering strange plants began brushing past the sides of the ship causing it to rock back and forth. Ripping her eyes away from the chaos outside, Hinata caught sight of her hook shot gauntlets lying on the table. Reaching out her arm she struggled to pull them towards her, and once they were within her grasp she hurriedly put them on her shaking hands. She glanced back at the other gifts she had received on her travels and tightly closed her eyes, forcing herself to look away.

"Alert! Impact in approximately two minutes." The intercom spoke over the whirring alarms.

"Jack!" Hinata cried out, tears beginning to appear on the corners of her eyes.

Within seconds, Jack reappeared holding a triangular shaped metal shard in his mouth. Hinata held out her hand as Jack dropped it in her palm.

"Good boy," She spoke quickly as she placed the metal piece at the edge of her hair. She paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and cutting it off.

Immediately she was set free and she stood back up straight, staring for a moment at the unattached hair jammed in the door. She threw the metal to the ground, looking out the window as the ship crashed through the tree line. Holding her hands in front of her, she gave the gauntlet a quick once over before turning around and rushing to the ship's outside door. Clenching her hand into a fist, she pointed her gauntlet towards the rectangular window on the door and got ready to release the hook shot. Closing her eyes and looking away she fired and the hooked chain shot straight into the glass, immediately shattering it. With a sigh of relief, she retracted the wire as strong winds began storming their way into the gummi ship.

"Alert! Impact in approximately one minute." The intercom was barely heard over the alarms and the whistling wind.

"Jack, can you go through the window and somehow open the door?" She looked over at her ghost dog, who was floating beside her with his ears flat upon his bony head. When he only whimpered in response, Hinata frowned, "Then I don't know if we'll make it off."

As the words left her mouth some sort of tough plant hooked through the window; ripping it off of the ship. Intense winds burst into the gummi ship causing Hinata to wrap her arms in front of her face as a shield before rushing to the open doorway.

"Jack come on!" She yelled as she held onto the edge of the doorframe. Looking out at the unknown world below, Hinata gulped and whispered, "I can do this…"

Noticing Jack was at her side, Hinata jumped out of the ship and once she was clear of the crashing vessel she pointed her gauntlet towards the top of a strange plant and fired her hook shot towards it. It shot out immediately, striking the stem of a towering plant and jerking Hinata from her free fall. She let out a hoarse scream as she went barreling towards it, slamming hard into the solid stem of the plant. Her neck whipped back from the impact as Jack flew up beside her whimpering.

Hinata looked at Jack through half-opened eyes and mumbled, "We made it."

She dazedly scanned the area. The long slender plant she found herself stuck to was hundreds of feet off the ground. Its stem winded upwards before mushrooming at the very top. They were in a canopy of the tall mushroom like plants and the ground was covered with various mosses and fungi. A moldy smell wafted through the air as Hinata let out a long breath.

She tiredly looked over at Jack and whispered, "Where are we, Jack?" As the words left her mouth her eyes rolled back into her head and she lost consciousness.

****Author's Note: Welcome back you guys! I am so excited to finally be posting this. It came out three days later than I anticipated, due to extensive editing; however, I am pretty happy with the results. I know it's confusing right now, but please bear with me! Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! ****