Author's Note: Hello everyone, it's me again! As promised, May 2010, I give to thee my fellow readers, Another Side, Another Story: Nightfall, a story continuing the misadventures of Vanessa with 200% more Riku action yay! Sorry Roxas/Vanessa fans, but he's technically dead and I'm strongly against necrophilia... At any rate, please enjoy my second installment, and remember to read and review so that we make this story twice as successful as the old one! Or else.

Oh, and for all you newcomers to this story, you'll get it more if you read Sunset, conveniently located under My Stories. But to save time: The story revolves around Vanessa, a girl who was transported to the world of Kingdom Hearts as a result of a Heartless invasion of her world, Sapphire City. She briefly lived with DiZ, Riku, and Namine as they tried to awaken Sora. As the story progressed, Vanessa discovered that she could wield a Keyblade. Also discovering this info was Organization XIII, who promptly kidnapped her for her power. She was forced to collect hearts for the Organization against her will, and was miserable for the first couple of days until Roxas entered the scene. After spending several months with the Organization, Roxas and Vanessa developed a close friendship that bloomed into something more. Unfortunately, the Organization used the relationship in a plot to harvest Vanessa's heart for the more timely completion of Kingdom Hearts. In the end, Vanessa and Roxas escape, only to have Roxas be absorbed into Sora. Riku and Vanessa, who used to be at odds with each other, reconcile and are now traveling together to help Riku conquer his Darkness, and subsequently save the world.

So yeah, that's Book One in a nutshell, hope it helps!

Disclaimer: Because I know how much everyone reads these, I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything associated with it.

Chapter 1: Chosen Path

Vanessa sat idly on the ledge of the clock tower, looking up at the horizon. The wind attempted to sway her dark brown braided hair, but it was being weighed down by strings of silver beads. The only thing the wind successful managed to ruffle was her black coat's hood. A stream of sparkling dust floated by and materialized into a figure beside her. It was Roxas.

"Why?" he asked. "Why'd you betray me? I thought you loved me." Before Vanessa could reply to his accusations, Roxas blew away into dust.

"No!" cried Vanessa as she bolted awake. She frantically checked her surroundings. It was dark everywhere, as it should have been; it was night.

"Are you alright?" asked a voice in the blackness. Vanessa sighed with relief and smiled.

"I'm fine Riku," she said. "Don't worry about me."

"I can't help it," Riku replied. "You've been having nightmares for days now and you refuse to talk about them." Vanessa pulled her knees to her chest.

"Its nothing," she muttered. Although he suspected otherwise, Riku asked no more questions. He came to know all too well that when Vanessa did not want to talk, she did not want to talk. He sighed.

"Whatever you say," he remarked. He stood to his feet from his spot in a grassy plain. The stars shined above him overhead. He has traveled with Vanessa for one week now, and during this time, the two have moved from world to world under the cover of the Darkness. Every time Vanessa asked where they were going or what they were doing, Riku would never seem to provide a straight answer. They ambled aimlessly through the Darkness, no set destination in mind, or so Vanessa thought. Currently, they were in a world that seemed to be an endless field of grassy hills with a dirt road split right down the middle that seemed to go on forever. They had camped at the side of the path for the night.

"He's here," said Riku. Vanessa furrowed her brows.

"Huh?" she asked, standing to her feet as well. "Who's here?"

"A friend," Riku replied. A dark portal opened to reveal a short mouse with huge round ears. Like Vanessa and Riku, he wore the black coat.

"Riku!" cried the mouse, eagerly running up to him. "I've been looking all over for ya! Where've ya been?"

"I had to awaken Sora," said Riku. The mouse opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he spotted Vanessa. He grinned.

"Oh boy! I didn't realize you were with a friend!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry; I don't believe we've met!"

"Uh…" said Vanessa, looking down at the mouse with confusion and uncertainty.

"This is Mickey," said Riku. "King Mickey I should say." Vanessa gasped.

"K-King?" she repeated in shock. "No way!" 'King' Mickey laughed.

"Aww shucks, I may be small, but yes, I'm technically a king." he said. He stuck out his hand. "Nice to meetcha!" A poorly suppressed snicker escaped Vanessa's nose. She tried hard to fight the smile that rapidly spread across her face, but in vain. Soon, she burst into hysterics.

"Oh my god!" she cried through bouts of laughter. "That's the best I've heard yet!" King Mickey's face fell.

"Well gosh, I fail to see the joke," he deadpanned.

"It's the truth Vanessa," said Riku. "He rules a world known as Disney Castle." Vanessa instantly stopped laughing.

"Whoa, you mean he's legit?" she asked. Riku nodded. Her eyes widened as her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh sugar! Oh god! Oh crap! Oh I'm so sorry! I-I didn't know! Oh god I feel so stupid! I…" The king laughed.

"It's a-ok! I get it all the time!" he assured her. "Don't worry; I understand." Vanessa smiled awkwardly.

"Um, well, I'm Vanessa," she said. "Nessa for short."

"Well it's good to meetcha Vanessa, Nessa for short!" said the king. He once again offered his hand, to which Vanessa obliged. He turned his attention to Riku.

"Now that that's outta the way…" he said. He frowned. "…we need to talk. I can sense the Darkness Riku; why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry," said Riku. "I didn't want you to know."

"And how deeply did you go?" the king asked. Reluctantly, Riku's hands grabbed onto his hood. He slowly pulled it down from over his head, revealing his dark form. Vanessa cringed inwardly; King Mickey shook his head disapprovingly.

"I wish you told me Riku," he said. "Why?"

"It was the only way I could help Sora…" Riku replied. "…and conquer my Darkness." The king sighed.

"Well, I can't stop ya from following your own path," he said. "I just hope you know what you're doing." Riku nodded.

"Thank you," he said. "I just have one request if you please." The mouse king smiled.

"Anything!" he said. "Just name it!"

"Please…" said Riku. "…don't tell Sora where I am, or anything about me for that matter." King Mickey faltered.

"Wh-What?" he exclaimed. "Riku! Sora's been looking the world over for ya! And so have Donald and Goofy! Don'tcha think they deserve to know that you're…"

"Please," implored Riku. "I don't want him to find me. Not yet. Please, just give me a little more time." King Mickey folded his arms.

"I don't know…" he said pensively.

"Please your highness?" asked Vanessa, coming to her friend's aid. "Riku still has issues that he needs to get through on his own. He's not ready to face the music just yet. Sora's a sweet guy, I'm sure he'll understand, won't he? Just a little while longer, that's all we ask." Mickey sighed and smiled.

"Well, I guess a little while longer won't hurt," he relented. "I see you've met Sora."

"Briefly," Vanessa remarked. King Mickey nodded.

"I see," he said. "Well Riku, Vanessa, I wish you both the best of luck on your journey." he said. A portal of Darkness appeared behind him. "Be careful." With that, he disappeared.

"He's a king for real?" asked Vanessa when he was gone. She shook her head. "Damn…" She gave Riku a quick slap on the arm, causing him to flinch. "Why the heck didn't you tell me?"

"But I did tell you!" Riku countered. "Remember?" Vanessa scowled.

"I thought you were joking…" she muttered. Riku smirked.

"Whose fault is that?" he asked. Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"Whatever…" she said. A moment of silence passed between the two.

"Vanessa?" said Riku.

"Mmhmm?" she replied.

"Thank you," said Riku. Vanessa furrowed her brows.

"For what?" she asked. Riku gave a small smile.

"For sticking up for me back there," he said. "I really appreciate it." Vanessa smiled and waved him off.

"Oh you're welcome. You didn't really have to thank me though."

"You didn't have to get involved."

"But I did."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Please, tell me. Why?"

"'Cause I'm your friend moron! Did you go brain-dead last night and forget? Duh!"

"So I'm a moron now?"

"Yes."

"Not subtle at all, are we?"

"Hey, it is what it is man." Riku chuckled.

"True," he admitted. He gently embraced his candid friend. She gasped softly. "Thank you." Vanessa smiled and returned the favor.

"Like I said Riku, what are friends for?" she said. They broke apart. "Now, where to next?"

"Well, we're finished here…" Riku replied. "…but I'm not exactly sure where I...we need to be next."

"Well shoot, you're the leader…" remarked Vanessa. "…I follow you, so don't look to me for no suggestions."

"Believe me, I wouldn't," Riku teased. Vanessa just rolled her eyes, muttering incoherent threats and obscenities that Riku thankfully could not pick up on. He opened a portal to the Corridor of Darkness.

"Figured it out?" Vanessa asked. Riku nodded.

"Yeah, for the most part," he replied.

"So where to Captain Omniscient?" Vanessa joked.

"Away from here," Riku replied as he pulled up his hood and stepped into the Darkness.