/ Chapter 1

Sora

Everything was normal again. Sora, Kairi, and Riku were all back on the islands, together at last. They even had extra companions, Roxas and Naminé, who appeared on reflective surfaces whenever Sora and Kairi were together. Heartless and Nobodies were nowhere to be seen. Everything was peaceful. Everyone was happy.

Or, everyone should have been happy.

Unrest seemed to have settled in everyone instead. Because of how small the islands were, there was no adventuring left to do that they hadn't done as children. Plus, everything felt public, like there wasn't a time for private conversations. Having Roxas and Naminé around didn't help Sora and Kairi's relationship, either. Not that Sora was in the mood to just talk anymore. He wanted to move—to find Heartless and take them on, to go on journeys to new worlds, or at least, to old ones and see his other friends again. Time on the islands had become an extended vacation, a cage.

His problems didn't make life any easier. Whenever he thought back on his adventures, thinking that, if anything, he still had his memories, he found blanks. They were mysteries, and whenever he tried to think through them, to try to remember, nothing came, except pain. It was like ripping hair out, then touching the place it had been. So was it better to just act like he did remember? Like nothing was wrong?

It wasn't like his friends could help him, after all. All of them had been on their own adventures, and weren't always there for his. They could always share out what happened to them, tell stories of giant Heartless and magic, but for some reason, here on these peaceful, little islands, it felt like speaking of the old days was a taboo. So no one said anything. Or, well, most of the time, anyway.

In fact, this story begins with one of those rare times when times of adventures and magic came up. But this time, once it started, it refused to be left alone.

Riku was at the usual meeting place, not because he asked someone to meet him there, but because that's where he ended up, when Sora found him. While Riku sat on an almost-horizontal palm tree, Sora leaned against it, his hands behind his head, standing next to him. Riku spoke first, getting his thoughts out.

"Nothing's changed, huh?" he said.

"Nope, nothing will," Sora replied.

"What a small world."

"But part of one that's much bigger."

"Yeah."

It was silent for a moment, before Sora changed the subject, while at the same time, breaking the taboo.

"Hey, Riku…what do you think it was, the door to the light?" he asked.

Riku jumped down from the palm tree, and Sora relaxed his usual pose, taking a step away from the tree so he could face Riku.

"This," Riku said, pointing to Sora's chest, where his heart lay.

"This?" Sora asked, putting his hand where Riku had pointed.

"Yeah. It's always closer than you think," Riku said.

Sora thought about this, then smiled, satisfied. Riku always helped him with his problems.

Suddenly, a shout came, calling their attention to Kairi, who was running towards them.

"Sora! Riku!"

Kairi stopped in front of Sora, bending over, out of breath.

"Hey, what's up?" Sora asked.

"Look," she said, holding out a bottle with a piece of paper in it, rolled up to fit inside. On the paper was a seal, resembling an unforgettable friend.

"From the King?" Sora said, grabbing the bottle and rushing to get the letter out, excitement clear on his face. While Sora unrolled the paper, Kairi and Riku looked over his shoulders, Kairi on his left, Riku on his right. Riku had an unreadable, if not curious, look on his face. Kairi, on the other hand, was obviously worried.

Sora, barely able to contain himself, quickly read the letter, smelling an adventure.

Dear Sora, Kairi, and Riku,

Although I had thought that all would be peaceful with Xemnas gone, it seems the forces of evil are at work again. This must be discussed immediately. Please come to Disney Castle, using the corridor of darkness. Naminé should be able to help. I would've sent a gummi ship to you, but it seems that we don't have an extra. Please hurry.

Sincerely,

King Mickey

The three friends stood there, stunned, for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. Kairi broke the silence first.

"Another journey, huh?" she said, but she sounded edgy.

"Yep," Sora said.

"I'm not going to be left behind this time." Her voice was solid, final, and determined.

"Huh?" Kairi usually stayed behind, well, until she was kidnapped.

"I'm not staying here without you." Kairi wouldn't budge.

"But…" Sora looked uncertain. Adventures were dangerous…

"She has to come anyways," Riku said, taking the letter. "Naminé can't keep the corridor of darkness open with you two on separate ends, right? So she has to come."

"Uh…yeah, I guess…" Sora admitted. Kairi looked triumphant.

"Then come on, let's go!" Whatever was bothering Kairi before was gone now, and she pulled Sora by the wrist. Not expecting this, Sora let out a little "Hey!" of surprise and almost fell over.

Kairi all but dragged Sora to the secret place as Riku followed behind. This was where the friends had decided to put the mirror. The secret place was dark, with only a little light streaming through the top. It was like a cave, complete with cave drawings the islanders had etched onto the walls with rocks that made white marks. When they were younger, Sora and Kairi had drawn pictures of each other. Just about a year ago, before the islands had been taken over, Sora had drawn the picture of him giving a star to the picture of Kairi. Kairi had returned the favor by drawing the picture of her giving a different star to the picture of Sora, after the real Sora had saved the worlds and brought the islands back.

Now, there was a full-length mirror by the door that led to other worlds, which was tightly shut. If that wasn't enough, it also had no doorknob to open it with. There was no way, currently, to get off the islands.

When Kairi and Sora entered the secret place, Kairi let go of Sora's hand, and wandered around the room. Sora stayed where Kairi had left him, as if reluctant to leave Riku behind. When Riku did catch up, he was stuffing the letter into his pocket for safe keeping.

"Okay," he said. "Time to fill in the Nobodies."

When Riku said "Nobodies," he didn't mean it in an offensive way. Nobodies were incomplete people, who had lost their hearts to the darkness. Roxas and Naminé were Nobodies, while Sora, Kairi, and Riku were Somebodies—complete people who could feel emotions with their own hearts. But because Somebodies couldn't exist without their Nobodies, Roxas, who was Sora's Nobody, had to forfeit his life, so Sora could live. However, Roxas still existed, but no one in the realm of light could see him completely, without a reflective surface. Otherwise, if Sora and Kairi called Roxas and Naminé without one, they would be translucent. Sora and Kairi had once lost their hearts when on an adventure, which, in turn, created Roxas and Naminé, but Sora and Kairi were able to retrieve their lost hearts by saving each other.

Agreeing with Riku, Sora stepped up to the mirror and Kairi followed suit. Seeing their own still reflections, the two joined hands and closed their eyes, calling Roxas and Naminé with their hearts. A brilliant light filled the cave, and then died down. When Sora and Kairi opened their eyes, their reflections were replaced with Roxas and Naminé.

Roxas had golden blond hair that curved up, which contrasted Sora's straight brown hair that jutted up and out, seeming to defy gravity. While Sora mostly wore black, Roxas mostly wore white. They both wore running shoes, although they looked very different, and Sora's seemed to be two sizes bigger. Sora also wore black gloves and a chained necklace with a silver crown on it, and while Roxas didn't wear a necklace, he wore a checkered wristband and two finger-bands on his left hand. However, their eyes were the same shade of blue.

Naminé and Kairi also had different hair. Naminé had light blond hair that parted on her right side of her face, and came around her head to stay between her neck and her right shoulder. Kairi had red hair that parted on her left side of her face. It hung loosely down to her shoulders, a little shorter than Naminé's. Naminé wore a plain white dress with a square collar, and tank-top-like sleeves. The dress had a laced hem and she wore light blue sandals with it. Kairi also wore a white dress, but she wore a pink zipper dress over it, with a necklace and pink running shoes that matched her outer dress. They could've been sisters the same way that Sora and Roxas could've been brothers.

Roxas, standing close to Naminé and holding her hand, couldn't hide his smile. But Naminé, looking uncomfortable being so close to him, was eager to learn what was going on.

When the three islanders had explained the King's letter, Naminé asked, "So you want me to take you to Disney Castle?"

"Yes, please," Kairi said.

"Okay," Roxas said, shaking the dreamy look off his face. "But are we really going right now?"

"Why wouldn't we?" asked Kairi.

"Won't your parents worry?" Naminé said, looking concerned.

"They'll understand," Riku said, stepping next to the others. His reflection in the mirror wasn't there, since the mirror was showing the world that Roxas and Naminé lived in—in a way, a world of shadows. And because Riku had never lost his heart completely to the darkness, he did not have a Nobody.

So the mirror did not show that he was almost a whole head taller than Sora and Roxas, who were a little taller than Kairi and Naminé. In the mirror, you couldn't see Riku's long hair, which hung to about his shoulders and was silver, despite his age of sixteen, a year older than the other four. You also couldn't see Riku's black shirt and white sleeveless jacket over it, with his baggy blue jeans and his own pair of running shoes. You could not see anything where Riku's reflections would have been. It was like he wasn't even there.

"The King sounded urgent," he said, "so we should probably go now."

"Right," said Sora, with nod and a smile on his face.

Without a word, Naminé raised her hand, summoning the dark corridor. It sprang up, different shades of purple and black.

Their next adventure was about to begin.

*~x~*