(( Welcome to Kingdom Hearts: Reversed Memories. I should point out that this is a direct sequel to my first story, "Kingdom Hearts: Reversed", in which I explore what could have been had Riku become the Keyblade Master instead of Sora. I definitely recommend reading that story first, or else you'll find yourself confused in many places.

If you have read "Kingdom Hearts: Reversed" already, then welcome! As you might have guessed, "Reversed Memories" is to "Kingdom Hearts: Reversed" as "Chain of Memories" is to the original Kingdom Hearts game. As with "Kingdom Hearts: Reversed", don't expect this to be a carbon copy of Chain of Memories with Riku replacing Sora; there will be plenty of changes along the way, as history never happens the same way twice.

Without further ado, I present: Kingdom Hearts: Reversed Memories. Enjoy! ))

Riku stared up at the starry night sky, deep in thought. Each tiny pinprick of light in the deep blue expanse burned brightly. Not long ago, those stars had all been disappearing one by one...

Barely any time had passed since he had closed Kingdom Hearts - it had only been a couple of days or so - but it seemed like much longer. So much had led up to it: losing himself to the darkness, betraying all of his friends, then finally coming to his senses after Kairi's light saved him from being a Heartless forever. He had ruined plenty of lives along the way, all in the name of saving Kairi, but everything had turned out all right in the end. He had saved the worlds he had destroyed, at least. But at what cost? Sora, his best friend, and King Mickey had both been sealed within Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds.

Don't worry. There will always be a door to the light.

That was what the King had said, at any rate. Riku had to keep reminding himself of this; finding Sora was the entire reason that he hadn't returned to his home island with Kairi. It seemed hopeless, but as long as Riku reminded himself of the King's words he was able to stay optimistic. He would find Sora. He had to apologize for everything he had done.

Riku sat up. This was hopeless; he couldn't sleep, and it seemed pointless to continue trying. He got to his feet, then surveyed the area slowly. The grassy green hills stretched on for miles around him; a single dirt path cut through it, with no end in sight. Riku had been following the path for the past two days, but he had still gotten nowhere. The orange dog with the letter from King Mickey had long since disappeared into the horizon, taking away his only lead. Still, he had no better options than to follow this path; it had to end eventually. At least, he hoped it would. Riku slowly began to walk along it once more. Perhaps after he had walked a mile or two, he would start to feel sleepier.

The scenery passed by over the next couple of hours without any sort of variation. Walking became nearly mindless; Riku was able to let his mind wander freely while his body worked on autopilot. He tuned in to realty just in time to see that he was approaching a crossroads.

He stopped at the center; the two overlapping roads formed a perfect X. What was he supposed to do now? When there had been one road, he had known that he was heading in the right direction. With this crossroads came three options, and they couldn't all take him to Sora. What if he turned the wrong way? What was he even moving towards? He stared up at the stars, feeling hopeless.

"Ahead lies something you hold dear-"

Riku nearly jumped out of his skin in shock. In a flash of light, the Keyblade was in his hand and pointed at the intruder. Judging from the voice, it was a man. He was wearing a black hooded cloak; Riku couldn't see anything beneath. Why on earth hadn't Riku heard him approach?

"-But to claim it, you must lose something first."

"Who the hell are you?" Riku snapped, ignoring the man's statement. This stranger was giving him bad vibes. Was it a Heartless?

Without responding, the figure silently turned and drifted away, heading down the center path before suddenly vanishing into nothingness. Riku slashed the Keyblade through the air in frustration. Whatever the intruder was, at least now he had a lead. He began running down the road in earnest.

Barely an hour had passed on the path before the stars began to fade from the sky, all at once; he seemed to be walking into an area beyond all other worlds. Following the figure had paid off. He slowly approached the end of the path.

He found himself staring up at the strangest castle he had ever seen. Pointed, arrow-shaped towers jutted out from the castle in random places, some of them sideways or even upside-down. It didn't seem to be supported by anything, either: the very ground stopped at the end of the path. Other than a small strip of land leading to the door, the castle seemed to be floating in the middle of nothingness. Riku approached it cautiously.

"Is this where he went?" he mumbled to himself. He pushed hard against the huge front door; it yielded and opened slowly. Taking a deep breath, Riku stepped forth into the unknown depths of the castle.