No matter where you turned death would be what greeted you. The cries of the citizens rang out as flames engulfed their land, ships burning at the port and sinking deep into the sea. Countless bodies littered the battlefield, the color red staining everything that the human eye could see. Innocents ran into hiding as the pirates and nobles battled it out, so many lives already lost despite the battle having just started.

A young woman ran through the crowds, a person belonging to neither party, and let out a loud battle cry as she swung her heavy blade against those that were determined as her foes. The skies had turned black and her single visible eye- which was usually that of a light caramel color- had begun glowing red as she used the darkness to give her strength. The great sword slashed through the hordes of fighting soldiers, their screams piercing her ears.

The land of Port Royal was a graveyard long before this moment, the war between Pirates and Nobles neverending, but it hardly held such a strong scent of blood in the middle of daytime until now. The woman raised the great sword high into the air, tendrils of black and violet swirling around it, and with a great force she rammed into the earth. A shockwave ran through the air until it engulfed all those that surrounded her, the force of gravity slamming them hard onto their fronts.

Exhaustion ate away at her, but as blood dripped from her wounds a young boy no older than thirteen ran towards her, waving a staff in the air and calling out, "Curaga!" He had been following the woman just as he had been instructed to do, but wound up trailing behind as he attempted to help the citizens that had been wounded by the pirates. He was slender and adorned clothing shades in yellows and blacks, his dirty blond locks a fluffy curled mess. Electricity crackled off his feet and shocked any foe who got too close them, paralyzing them long enough for him to escape. "We have to stop this, Rachel! There's too many!"

"No. We need to get to the boats! We sink them then they can't escape. Once that's done-" The woman grasped the handle of her great sword with both hands, bringing it up and swinging it violently around her. Blood splattered against her form, warm and wet and sticky, and it took all she had not to cringe. "Once that's done… we round 'em up. Knock 'em out a-and hand them over to the nobles."

"But this isn't our battle!" His forest colored eyes narrowed sharply, taking note of how her stance was slipping. She was growing tired. "Our job is to destroy monsters and free the hearts! We're meant to protect the hearts of mankind- not make them stop beating! I refuse to take part in this! I'm not killing anyone!"

"And I'm not telling you to, Michael!" Her voice cracked and she turned to face him, only to have her eye widen. Reacting before the boy realized what was happening she charged forward, knocking him out of the way and blocking an ambush with the blunt of her blade. "Y-You don't have to accompany on this! Go back to the tower!" With a small grunt, her feet digging into the earth as she pushed forward, Rachel managed to knock the pirate off balance. Raising a leg she slammed her heel into his stomach and sent him flying. She let out breath, looking at the young boy sadly. "Go back to Yen Sis, Michael…"

His irritable expression only became darker as he pushed himself off the ground. "I'm. Not. Leaving. You. Alone. It's my job to keep you alive, woman! You're not my mom- you can't tell me what to do!" As he finished his sentence he proceeded to lift the staff in the air, a cold mist beginning to form at the tip of the diamond. He pointed it directly behind Rachel, where a gang of pirates were running at them. "Blizzara!"

It hit on square on the chest and then proceeded to expand out, locking all three of them in a prison of ice. A path now cleared, Michael held his staff out to the side as if to gesture towards the docks and said, "That way. Now. I'll watch the rear while you worry about the front."

A wry smile spread across the woman's scarred face, her long black hair falling out of its pony and cascading into her face. An ache formed in the boy's chest as his eyes caught sight of the burns, knowing full well that he was the cause of it. She reached a hand out and placed it on his head, ruffling his bloodied hair. "Since when did you grow up?"

He pulled away and scowled, smacking her hand away and looking around quickly to make sure there were no approaching enemies. "Shut up and go already."

Rachel didn't argue then. Carrying the great sword without any struggle the dark-skinned woman ran for it, the boy falling closely behind as he cast healing spells left-and-right to the injured citizens. Michael watched as Rachel fought and bled and defended, the woman often using her affinity to knock her opponents down before dealing the finishing blow. She was strong, having more brawn than the average person. Strength was her greatest asset.

On quite a few other worlds they had visited people often mistook her as a war goddess, seeing the way she defeated the Unversed and whatever Pureblood Heartless that came into view. Unfortunately, despite all her strength and power, Rachel was human.

And that meant she had her limits.

Monsters were much more easier to dispatch than people, since they did not hold the weight of taking a life. When she was little Rachel had been found by Michael's predecessor and they traveled the universe until they wound up at a mysterious tower. There she lived and was raised by him and the old sorcerer that lived there, being taught how to use her powers and to value life. Michael joined the picture much later, but… once tales of the Unversed had gotten out…

Rachel felt she held a responsibility to stop them because of what she was. And because of what Michael was, and his (however reluctant) attachment to the woman, he decided to go with her. Through the years at the tower he had grown bitter and distant, but Rachel was- ironically- the one thing that brightened his stay there. He wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to her. Even if he was only halfway through his training he wanted to keep her safe; he would never tell it to her face, but he thought of her as family.

As the current Keepers of Heart, the Keeper of Darkness and the Keeper of Light, it was their job to protect the missing hearts of the lost. They were meant to work alongside the Keyblade Wielders and protect the people. Protect Kingdom Hearts. They were meant to keep balance.

And when that balance is disrupted…

...Chaos is always sure to follow.

And now, because darkness and light were struggling to devour one another, and greed had grown so strongly in both the pirates and nobles hearts, people were dying. Despite all their efforts to do what they were supposed to and save the lives of people, Michael was now forced to watch as Rachel was made to take lives.

"Reflera!" Michael barely casted the spell in time to avoid the incoming dagger that had been aiming straight for his throat. Panic surged through him for a split second before he ducked down, slamming the end of the staff into the ground in an attempt to amplify his power. Electricity and light crackled off the weapon before exploding outwards, creating a large pulse and shocking everyone in a ten feet radius so intensely it left them unconscious. "That was… too much…"

He blinked a few times, dazed. Michael wasn't sure he was going to last much longer if he kept using up his mana like this. The boy stumbled forward and tried to locate his friend, having lost her thanks to the distraction. He ran towards the docks where he could see black and purple misty flickering into the air, flames beginning to run along a ship's side.

Rachel was strength.

But that didn't mean she didn't know how to light a spark.

Running up the wooden plan onto the boat the boy came to a stop near the top, eyes widening when he saw Rachel was actually struggling to get rid of the people attacking her. One injury after another…

Not knowing what else to do, Michael ran a few feet forward and held his staff up in the air, letting out a shout, "Thundaga!"

Rachel took that distraction for the opportunity to slam the blade of the sword into the wooden floor and jumped up, kicking one of the attackers in the face and promptly doing a running spin that knocked them down. She landed with a loud THUD and pulled her sword out, water leaking into the boat. Sweat dripped from her face and exhaustion clouded her gaze. Michael knew at once she was out of mana; if she fought any longer with herself on such low energy Rachel was going to pass out.

"Rachel!"

Her breath was heavy and her eyes were about to close at any moment. "I'm not… afraid." She mumbled, watching through bleary vision as everyone began to round up on her. "I'm not afraid… to kill you." Her childhood had been nothing but war; it had been mere chance that she had been able to leave the world where she was born. She had learned of kindness and charity thanks to the people she had met, but Rachel… was still all too familiar with death.

And no one was going to stop her from defending Michael and the innocents of this world.

No one.

Not even… a filthy pirate…

Her heart thudded loudly in her chest and Rachel let out a curse, swinging the great sword around blindly in hopes it would hit her targets. Unfortunately only a few were hit, the rest of them able to dodge her blows fairly easily now. Something sharp sliced across her lower back and Rachel gasped, stumbling forward with a sloppy swing of her sword. Michael frantically went to cast a healing spell, but instead was forced to conjure up a shield around himself using his light.

Blades and gunshots rang out, and Michael curled in on himself with his hands tightly gripping onto his staff. Each time a weapon vibrated and bounced off of his shield the boy flinched, fear slowly taking over his heart. His eyes locked onto his friend, watching as she was slowly overwhelmed. A bullet in the shoulder, a slice on the leg, a cut on the cheek…

"Michael! Leave this place, now!"

His eyes shot open wide and his shield temporarily flickered. A blade slashed his arm deep and he cried out, raising his staff in an attempt to defend himself as he saw another sword coming down towards his face. He could feel the warmth of blood spatter against his skin, but… he soon realized it wasn't his. Rachel had broke out of her surroundings by using her darkness, red-and-black bleeding out of her single eye until they formed vein-like markings on her skin. With that she grabbed her sword and with one large SWISH of her blade the men in front of him had been sliced cleanly in half.

So cleanly in fact, Michael was left frozen in horror as he watched their dismembered body parts fall to the ground in front of him. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled noise as tears began to blur his vision. He was a child. A child in the middle of a cursed war.

Was this really what he was meant for? He was taken from his mother and raised in the tower by a mouse and his master for this? This was why he was born?

Michael didn't want this.

He didn't want to be a part of any this.

Forget the roles of the Keepers and what it meant to keep balance…

They were straight-up murderers.

And he knew that. He knew Rachel would kill in order to protect people, but… this was…

This was nothing like the Unversed or Shadows. They were playing with people's lives.

Lives they were trying to get rid of in order to restore balance.

But… didn't that balance come from the state of the world itself? He didn't understand it. He couldn't. Everyone always seemed so keen to be rid of the darkness that they never thought that it should be held in equality with the light. That was the whole reason this world was falling apart- because darkness had begun to overwhelm its counterpart. Keepers so rarely meet their other that the true nature of their job had been lost to time, so it's a struggle each time to understand what they were supposed to do to help restore balance.

Identify the problem. Eradicate it. Restore balance.

But how are they to restore balance… by killing people? The darkness in their hearts is what brought such change. All this negativity has corrupted their very beings into creating such violence. Shouldn't they find a way to purify it instead? To strengthen the light until they reach unity?

The last time Michael saw his mother's face flashed in his mind as Rachel turned to look at him, her tears making far more sense now than ever before. When the mouse came to collect him it wasn't just because she was going to miss him, but because she knew what he was going to have to face. Rachel right now… was wearing that very same expression.

Standing over him, covered in the blood of her assailants… she knew his future wasn't going to be a pleasant one.

BANG!

Their eyes met just in time for a gunshot to ring out. Rachel's body lurched forward from the force of the impact, a look of surprise frozen on her face as a trail of blood bled out from her forehead. Then she was falling, and Michael found himself unable to breathe. Her body hit the floor with a sickening splish as she collapsed onto the blood and entrails of her deceased foes. Her great sword vanished in a purple light and in that moment Michael could physically feel the chain that linked them together as Keepers of Heart snap.

Michael remained there on the ground for only a moment, the pirate that had shot her beginning to laugh. The nobles who had been relying on Rachel's strength faltered in the battle, alarmed by the loss. A strange emotion welled through the young boy, an intense suffocating sort of pain wracking his chest as the darkness Rachel possed began to drift away, encasing her body in a dark glow as tendrils of black began to flow out of her. The pirates, seeing what was happening, stopped in confusion and the fighting between the parties stopped.

The tendrils and mist spiralled, sailing into the sky and high… high up into the stars.

Rachel… was gone.

No. No, no, no.

No. That didn't make sense. She was fine a minute ago. Well, not fine but… she was still moving. Why isn't she moving? This had to be a nightmare, right? They never killed people before, so… it had to be a bad dream.

Spots danced in Michael's vision. His stomach acids churned and he nearly dropped his staff as bile bubbled its way up his throat. His eyes were locked onto the unmoving body of his adult companion.

This was all because they didn't listen to Yen Sid, wasn't it? Mickey didn't want to let Rachel wander off because of her being darkness incarnate, and Yen Sid didn't think they were ready enough to face the dangers of the world. How… How was he supposed to explain this to them? That Rachel… That Rachel was… That his friend…

No. She can't be. He wouldn't let her. He can't lose her like this! She's not dead! She's not!

"R-Rach-Rachel-" He choked, climbing onto his knees and reaching out towards her. He could already feel the effects of the separation beginning to take place, the darkness that had once balanced him and strengthened him now so very far out of his reach. In his grief and denial of his friend's death, a swirling mass of rage and despair began to boil inside of him. "RACHEL!"

His green eyes flickered brightly, glimmering with the brilliant lights of silver and gold. Blinding white tendrils spiralled around his hands as he choked back a sob, the boy giving into the light and allowing the songs of the hopeful to have temporary control. His staff appeared in his hands and with a surge of furious magic Michael slammed the bottom of it into the ground. Dark clouds gathered together in the sky, hovering over the sinking ship and its allies as the flames engulfed them, and from the tip of the staff's diamond exploded a million white and gold fireworks. A great beam of light shined upwards into the loud rumbling sky, thunder clapping from within the clouds before lightning began to strike.

The light amplified his powers, increasing his element's strength by a mountain-fold, and created a thunderstorm so dangerous it began to sweep away and destroy anything that was around him. Friend and foe no longer mattered. The waves crashed into the ships and swarmed the land. The fire Rachel had started was now put out as all was dragged under the sea. Ships, soldiers, pirates… Michael.

The people left on the land evacuated before they would get taken in by the storm, no longer caring about rivalry and just desperate to survive. After a few minutes the skies cleared and Michael was left to sink into the cold abyss of the water, weapon gone and Rachel's body falling just a few feet away from his. His heart was beating, but he was no longer breathing… and as the world faded around him he reached out desperately towards the dead woman, ignoring the salt burning his eyes and wounds.

When the boy awoke he was no longer in the sea. Instead he was in a place of light, silver and golden and white swirling around in a way that comforted him. A warmth against his skin, energy full and restored. He was in intense pain and very dazed and confused, but… he knew where he was. He was in a corridor of Light.

How did he get there? What had happened?

He and Rachel were trying to locate a world with the Unversed to help be rid of them when they stumbled across Port Royal, and then… what? Pirates invaded… and they were forced to fighting for their lives. It was either kill or be killed, and with the city aflame Michael did his best to help the citizens out. He followed Rachel onto a boat a-and then… and then…

"Rachel!" Michael gasped and sat up, suddenly very frightened as the memories came rushing back to him. Pain erupted in his abdomen and throat and he coughed, tasting something very salty and gross. Sea water? His skull was throbbing so badly it was as if someone was taking bricks and slamming them against it. He looked around, only to panic when he realized her body was nowhere to be seen. "Rachel!?"

It made sense, given she was a being of pure darkness… It had always been impossible for her to walk through a corridor of light without being crushed by its purity, so there was no way she should be there now. Heck, Michael couldn't even walk through a corridor of darkness without something similar happening to him. But… she wasn't darkness anymore, was she?

"N-No…" He choked back a sob, lips trembling as the weight of the situation hit him. Rachel really was gone. She… She died to protect him. It was his fault. He did this to her. "R-Ra… Rachel…"

The emotional pain was so great he could barely even feel his physical wounds, a grievous cry erupting from his lips as he curled over. He should have tried harder; he shouldn't have been so careless! He's supposed to be the brains of their duo; he was supposed to be the clever one! Y-Yet he… he let his guard down a-and now she…

Michael slammed his fist into the ground, letting out a string of curses his mother definitely wouldn't have been happy about him saying. The boy curled his fingers into his hair and fell over, sobbing as a pressure built up in his chest, squeezing away at his aching heart. This was all his fault. He had always screwed up in the past, but this… this was so much worse. His best friend was dead because of him.

"I'm s-sorry…"

He didn't even have her body to bury. His dark "light" was gone now.

Yen Sid and Mickey would never forgive him. Rachel…

A young woman of twenty-seven. Michael had been told that Keepers of Heart often die young and it was extremely rare for them to make it their thirties, let alone twenties, and that Rachel had been lucky thus far to survive so long, but that did not mean he was prepared to lose his other half. The emotional pain of losing a close friend and the physical pain of their connection breaking… it was just too much.

Almost an hour in of his breakdown, Michael blacked out from exhaustion. When he awoke again it took ages for him to decide to get up and move, and his body was sore from all the exertion and injuries he sustained. Though feeling undeserving to be healed, he cast curaga on himself and watched as the wounds and stinging salt faded away. Unfortunately, because of how long he waited to cast the spell, the large gash on his wrist became a fairly nasty scar. He was certain he had a few left on his torso and back from a few cuts he had earned, but… at the moment he just didn't care.

In fact, all he felt was this cold emptiness inside. It hurt, yet, excruciatingly so, but… he just… didn't feel anything. Only pain and sadness, and the intense desire to just stop. To stop walking, to stop standing, to stop being. What was the point of it now? Rachel was gone.

First his mother, then a woman he considered a sister. He doesn't even remember his mother's voice… and now, Michael is scared he'll forget Rachel's, too.

The Corridor of Light eventually came to an end. Though reluctant the boy stepped out onto a patch of bright green grass. He noticed with a dull interest that the tower had moved around again and so the surroundings were mildly different. A part of him wondered why he tried to shut Rachel out so much in the past, but he knew fully well why he did. He just didn't want to get close to anyone.

But she had been so determined and he just… gave in to her whims. She was bright and sweet, and understood his homesickness. She made the tower a home for him. And now… looking up at it… the building felt more like a prison he was going to have to walk into.

And Yen Sid, Mickey, and the three good fairies were going to be his wardens.

Grounding his teeth together as his lips started to curl back, Michael squeezed his eyes tightly shut and forced his feet to go forward. His hands shook as his side and he curled his fingers into fists, opening the door and making his way up the staircases. How were they going to react? Definitely furious. Upset…

Oh. There's Rachel's bedroom door.

Decorated with with a moon and stars her wooden door stared back at him, as if a cruel reminder of what had transpired. A room that would no longer have a person to return to it. A room that would no longer be filled with laughter or warm smiles. A room that would surely be closed off for years to come. A lump formed in Michael's throat, an almost strangled sort-of cry welling up, and he was unable to stop a small whimper from escaping.

He was only thirteen. What was he supposed to do without her? How was he going to keep on living here without Rachel beside him? Even when her previous companion died and Michael had taken his place as the new Keeper of Light, she never hated him. She never pushed him away. She accepted him wholeheartedly and made it her goal to worm herself into his little heart.

It wasn't his fault the Light chose him. He just happened to be born at that exact moment the previous Keeper of Light died. But… even though Rachel had been able to accept him… he doubted he would be able to accept his new other.

With her death a new Keeper of Darkness was born. A Keeper of Darkness that wasn't her. How could he accept someone else that wasn't Rachel? They would never be as kind or caring as her, or joking a-and annoying… he didn't want anyone else.

Even when… he burned her face trying to learn fire… Rachel still hugged him and told him it was alright. That accidents happen.

How could he live… with someone taking her place?

As selfish as it was Michael prayed Yen Sid and Mickey would never find the new keeper, uncaring about how being away from his other half for so long would cause him to be gravely ill.

Tearing his gaze away from the door he continued up the staircase, passing by another door the fairies had made for Michael's predecessor so many years back. Finally, after what felt like an eternity (and yet still somehow not long enough), Michael reached the door to the study. He could hear voices on the other side, and recognized them to be the old man and mouse bickering over the current situation with the Unversed. The boy stood there for a long moment with his head hung low, not wanting to open the door and not wanting to see their expressions once he told them what happened.

He wasn't even sure how to explain what happened.

Before he could make up his mind the door in front of him opened. Michael's head shot up and he inhaled sharply, startled, and found himself meeting the surprised gaze of Mickey Mouse. "Michael!?" The mouse gasped, only to catch sight of how bloodied and torn his clothes were. "M-Michael, what happened to you!? Where's… Where's Rachel?"

Mickey stepped back into the room, giving the boy space to walk in. Yen Sid stood up from his chair and turned, looking at the young healer in alarm. The old sorcerer raised an arm, gesturing for the dirty blond to walk into the room and over to his desk. Refusing to look up, Michael did as told until he was in front of Yen Sid's desk, Mickey a few feet away from him.

"Tell me, child, what has happened? Explain yourself." Yen Sid's voice was quiet, tone struggling to remain calm. "What transpired while you were away?"

Mickey looked horrified, but his expression was nothing compared to Michael's. The pain etched itself onto his face in such a way everyone could feel his shattering heart. The boy didn't respond for a good minute, but when he did his voice cracked and became almost inaudible. "We… We were o-outnumbered. W-We thought… we wanted to…" He brought his hands up, looking at his bloodied palms and remembering the battle. "We believed w-we could help. We wanted to stop the Unversed, b-but then… we wound up in a world w-with… I just…"

He squeezed his eyes shut and fell to his knees, legs giving out before him.

"I-I'm sorry, Master, I-I'm so sorry-! I-I couldn't-I couldn't protect her a-and now- she just- to save me, Rachel-" Michael's words died on his tongue and he cried, tear streaming silently down his face as tried to quiet his sobs. Mickey walked over slowly, placing a gloved hand on the child's shoulder sadly. "H-Her body- the... the sea- I'm s-sorry!"

Without a word Yen Sid closed his eyes as grief forged its way onto his features. With a deep breath to recollect himself, the old man waved a hand in the air. Three little lights colored red, blue, and green appeared, flying into the room and expanding. "Flora, Fauna, Merryweather… please take Michael away to his room. I'm… afraid Mickey and I must prepare a funeral ceremony for… Rachel."

The reaction was instantaneous. The three fairies gasped in unison before panicking, Fauna bursting into tears and pulling out tissues from thin air, Merryweather demanding details and wondering why this happened- Rachel was so strong no one should have defeated her, and Flora was trying to calm them down but was crying herself. Merryweather, the blue fairy, began to roll up her sleeves as she took out her wand, sniffling loudly as she shouted, "Wh-Who did this? Tell me! I-I'll turn them into a toad! N-No, a-a slug! H-How dare they take away cute little Rachel!"

"Sh-She was s-still so young!"

"P-Poor girl…"

Yen Sid raised a hand, frowning deeply. "Calm yourself, Merryweather… There is nothing we can do now to change her fate. What's done is done. We do not have her body, but we can still ensure that her spirit will rest in peace."

"But what then, Master Yen Sid?" Mickey piped up, looking at him inquiringly, eyes red with tears. He sniffled, bringing a gloved hand up to rub at his face. "We have to locate the new Keeper of Darkness. Rachel always had a good heart… even if it was filled with the darkness of others. What if the new Keeper is different? If they are taken before we can find them, and gets persuaded to work for the wrong person…"

"Banish such thoughts, Mickey." Yen Sid ordered, turning his hardened gaze onto the mouse. "We will find them and raise them all the same; darkness is not our enemy. It is dangerous, yes, but the Keeper is different. As seen with Rachel it is not purely evil."

"But Master-"

"That is enough. We will speak of this no further. Fairies, please… take Michael away."

The boy looked up at the old man and saw him avoiding his gaze. Guilt crushed Michael's heart and he found himself unable to argue or protest as each of the fairies moved near him, hands resting gently on his back and arms as they began to guide through the next door, walking him up the magic staircase that led higher up into the tower. Their words as they mourned just continued to pierce into the child.

"I-it's as if we lost our darling Rose all over again!" Merryweather whimpered. Flora quickly moved over and wrapped her arms around her, flying in the air. "Wh-Why must this keep hap-happening?"

"I-I don't know, dears," Fauna said as she dabbed at Michael's bloody face with a handkerchief only to wind up using it to wipe away her own tears, "but… but I'm sure R-Rachel wouldn't want us to cry so much. Sh-She hated… s-seeing others upset-" Her voice cracked and she stopped talking, breaking out into tears. Michael stood there in silence, allowing their words to sink in, before he pulled away and began to head up the staircase himself. "H-Huh? M-Michael, sweetie, w-where are you-?"

"My room." He muttered quietly. "I want to be alone."

"But-" Flora began, pulling away from Merryweather.

"I said alone." With that he continued walking, leaving the three distraught fairies behind. His room was in the tallest tower, his wooden door engraved with diamonds and stars. He hated this room. It was a constant reminder of the day he had left Radiant Garden to come here. Closing the door behind him as he entered he made his way over to his bed, which was covered with a bunch of star and moon-shaped pillows, up against the wall where the main window was. He stared at the horribly-sewn diamond pillow Rachel gave him one year for his birthday.

She was an awful seamstress, but she had wanted to get him something even though they had been forbidden from leaving the tower. He sighed, tearing his gaze away to look outside, before grabbing some clean clothes so he could bathe.

Just before he left the room he looked out the window one more time, wishing with all his might the new Keeper of Darkness was never found.

Four years later the Unversed finally disappeared, as well as five very talented Keyblade Masters- three of which were masters, one in training, and another a teenager that was barely as old as Michael himself. However, with the disappearance of the Unversed, a new enemy began to appear: Emblem Heartless.

They attacked every world they could find, destroying everything in sight and stealing the hearts of those worlds as well as their inhabitants. Michael knew something about the hearts being stolen was affecting his well-being, but he had already grown so ill from the separation that it hardly mattered anymore. He was so used to feeling his light diminish a little bit every day that he just stopped caring. He knew now that Rachel would have wanted him to live, so that gave him a little motivation to keep moving through the day, but… it still hard.

He could hardly train without nearly passing out nowadays.

Two more years later and Michael had trouble just standing. Bed-ridden and under the constant care of the three good fairies he was unable to withstand the pain of the separation. The chain between Keepers had been broken for far too long… but Michael didn't want to die. Not anymore. Rachel gave her life to save his and he didn't want that to go to vain.

Even if Keepers didn't live long… he wanted to try.

And so when the Heartless managed to make their way onto this world he found himself determined to get rid of them and protect everyone else that lived there. To protect the memories the tower held. The darkness was corroding his heart away, eating at his light and poisoning him more and more with each passing second, but Michael needed to do this. He felt he had to. No. He wanted to.

Yen Sid was at Disney Castle and the three good fairies were away visiting Aurora. It was up to him.

Yet… determination did very little when one's body was so weak you could barely defend yourself. His cleverness faded away into reckless, and his guilt faded away into will to survive. Even as his heart was ripped out of his chest by a Heartless, he still clung to a desire; the desire to make Rachel proud.

But then his body collapsed against the ground, his nineteen-year-old form flickering with light and black. Even though he was poisoned by the darkness, his heart would always belong to the light. His body threatened to disintegrate, the light keeping it intact gradually leaving his body in search of its new host, and for a moment his body did erupt into fragments of white. But then it returned, his body having been a vessel for light so long it was unable to fade like other bodies after his heart had been taken.

Perhaps it was a curse, but as the remainder of the light left both his body and his heart his body remained lifeless, the light of the Keeper leaving its host in search for a new vessel. He was nothing more than an empty shell…

...while a girl, born at this exact moment, in a far off and unknown world, was given this light. And her older sister, who had been ill for reasons unbeknownst to her and her family, began to grow healthier with each passing moment she remained near the infant. A smile bright on her face, excited to play with her siblings once the family was to return home.

A girl who still had hope in the world and saw everything in the special way children did, blissfully unaware of the future to come.