Chapter One: Disquieting

The wind whistling around the shadowy rooftops of Steeple Town had done little to lessen the dense bank of fog that plagued the town. The townsfolk insisted no-one had set foot at street level in years, not since the Storm. The fog reached as high as the third floor of the buildings that crowded the winding lanes and alleyways, and the citizens dared not venture into its murky depths, indoors or out. The high, shadowy rooftops were the roads here, and only the buildings with four floors or more were occupied.

This suited the cloaked figure nicely, as did the town's state of perpetual night. The Storm hadn't brought that about; it had always been, and it made for a terribly eerie atmosphere. The Figure was waiting – waiting and watching – as had been the case for so very long. Sworn to protect the worlds, to protect them from those that would endanger their safety and the safety of their inhabitants; that was the vow the Figure had taken. It had been a long time since the vow had been made, but it was an important one, and one of the few things left. Duty and loss had made it more than a vow – it had become a reason to live.

The Figure had sensed it – a calling; a unseen shadow that was creeping, slowly, quietly, in some far corner of the worlds. Its faint whispers had called out, and the Figure had heard them, seen its sinister shifting, and was determined to put an end to its coming evil, hopefully before it started, or at least before it did some irreparable damage. But it would not do to act directly; it was not anyone's place to meddle in the affairs of the worlds at large. That was another vow, and, unlike some, the Figure intended to keep it.

But first, the facts needed to be verified. When you have a hunch, it is best to make sure it is a very good hunch, preferably before you act on it. What was it the Grand Master used to say? Villainy may cast forth its machinations, but be wary not to act rashly, lest you become a part of them. He had always had a penchant for histrionics.

There it was again! The shifting; not dark, not light, just shifting… Its identity was a mystery, and its intent unknowable, but the Figure knew what must be done.

"It's happening again."

In a white chamber, in a world on the divide between light and darkness, another figure was facing a strange crystal ball in the centre of the room. This castle was strange, a shifting mass of rooms and hallways, interconnected yet never fully whole. He was deep in thought about the puzzling place, and its potential applications, as a portal opened up behind him.

Out of the Corridor of Darkness stepped a young woman in a Black Coat - an unnecessarily thin Black Coat, to be honest, but pointing that out would be a waste of time. With one fluid motion, she flicked back her hood, threw back her hair and adjusted the shoulders of her coat, proceeding to brush imaginary dust off of herself.

"Telzane, you have got to stop sending me on these pointless patrols. There isn't anyone in the castle, you know!"

"My dear Mediana, you have returned."

"Are you even listening to me? You're not listening to me, are you?"

"Forgive me, my mind is not my own. The Master has sent word of the fruition of the first stage of our plans."

"Wait - he knows about our plans? It was Ziaoban, wasn't it? Oh, I could wring his neck! How did he find out? Did Ormyne-"

"My dear girl, calm yourself and listen! There has been no revelation of our scheme. I simply refer to the plan that we, as a whole, are working towards. The plan devised by the Master."

"Oh. That's all right, in that case. Nothing to worry about. We're ready to go then?"

"Indeed. The Event is finished. There is no further need to delay. I shall begin Stage Two immediately. Please summon the others, if you would be so kind."

"Honestly? I've only just gotten back, and you're telling me I have to leave again? It's a good thing this arrangement is only temporary, until the 'fruition' of our own plans, otherwise I might have had to Blink you."

The figure laughed darkly, as Mediana vanished through a portal behind him. "Perhaps you should, before I decide that you have outlived your usefulness…"

Destiny Islands had been peaceful since Xehanort had been defeated once and for all. Or, at least, Sora hoped it was once and for all. It hadn't been all that long ago that things had seemed their worst. Barely three months had gone by since King Mickey had summoned him and Riku for the 'Mark of Mastery' exam, and he didn't really want to relax and assume that everything was back to normal just yet. Ever since that first night when the islands had been swallowed up by the darkness, it had just been one adventure after another; or, as Riku would say, "One disaster after another."

But things were quiet now. King Mickey had taken Kairi to see Radiant Garden for a couple of weeks, now that things were normal-er, and Riku was off doing…something. He wouldn't tell Sora what, which only made him more curious. Riku had mentioned having strange dreams not long after they had arrived home. Apparently, this had been happening a lot while they had all been away, ever since the two of them had been trapped in the Dark World, and Kairi had rescued them.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Sora," he had said. "I only mentioned it since I thought it was strange when they didn't go away when everything settled down. Forget I said anything."

He had seemed worried, though, and that had only made Sora worried, since it wasn't like Riku to be bothered about something like a dream. He hadn't mentioned them since, though, so maybe they had gone away. Sora couldn't help thinking about the dreams he used to have, before all of this started. He still didn't fully understand those; maybe he never would.

"Yaaaaawn…." All this talk of dreams was making him sleepy. Maybe he should take a nap. The tree might not be the best place though. And besides, there was something weird. Something he just couldn't put his finger on… Something… Loud!

He hadn't seen the monsters arrive, and he didn't know where the loud static noises were coming from. All he could make out in the bright light was Riku running towards him and then…darkness…

King Mickey was amazed at how well the restoration of Radiant Garden was coming along. It had been years since it had been any better than a ruin, but now it was nearly back to how he remembered it from so long ago; so long ago when Ansem the Wise had shown him around his masterpiece, his kingdom. The poor king had been so proud of his life's work that it had saddened Mickey when he next saw it, crumbling and empty, no sign of the beautiful flowers that had given it its name. But that sad place was fast becoming nothing more than a memory.

"The hardest part has been trying to remove the crystal cliffs that have grown up all over the place," Leon had told them, when they had met him at the Restoration Committee headquarters in Merlin's house. "That and trying to find out what it was like back in the castle's heyday. Our memories are limited, but Tron has dug up an awful lot of structural data, and we should be able to piece together how it looked using these paintings you brought, Your Majesty."

Leon and the others had asked if King Mickey could recall any specific details about the castle and what it had been like before, and the King had recalled that Ansem had given him several paintings to the castle and gardens as a gift, a souvenir to remember his visit. The King of Radiant Garden had been very grateful for Mickey's warning about not meddling in the workings of the heart. It had given voice to a fear that had been plaguing his own heart for quite a while before that: that what he and his apprentices were doing was dangerous and unethical. Unfortunately, both kings had realised too late that the apprentices had been the ones in control of the experiments all along; Ansem the Wise had been little more than a figurehead, and had been involved and informed of only as much as the apprentices had deemed acceptable. But it would not be wise to dwell on the past.

"The gardens are really beautiful!" Kairi called from the edge of the walkway. "And they're not even finished. They'll probably look amazing when they are."

It had seemed a good idea to take Kairi with him when he went to bring Leon the paintings. After all, this was her world, and it was unfair that she had never gotten the chance to see it properly. But King Mickey couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. Something he just couldn't put his finger on…

"Something isn't right. But what..?"

"It's time…"

The voice startled the King. Where had it come from?

"Your Majesty, what was that voice?" Kairi whispered, running over to him.

"I don't know, Kairi, but I think we're about to find out!"

"I am a friend. I am here to help you, to prevent the harm that might come to you otherwise. And you must hurry if we are to right what has been wronged, and fix what has been broken." A portal opened up in front of them; it was not a Corridor of Darkness, but Mickey recognised it, though from where he couldn't say. The voice floated through, muffled, yet almost echoing. "Your Majesties, you both have hearts pure and radiant enough to pass through the darkness unscathed. You must hurry. Time is short."

In Disney Castle, there was never a dull day. In Disney Town, there were even fewer. And yet, it was positively tedious in comparison to all the adventures Donald and Goofy had become used to. Not even Pete was menacing the town anymore and Maleficent had completely disappeared to who knows where. Nothing was happening and it was getting very boring very fast. Not that either Donald or Goofy wanted Heartless to start swarming up and attacking the place, but now the King was gone too and… well, you get the picture.

Queen Minnie had been busy organizing the Festival of Dreams and Daisy had been helping. Chip and Dale were working on a top secret Gummi Ship design with Cid, so they were constantly busy. And with everyone in town getting their entries in the Shooting Star Competition ready, they were all preoccupied too. The Captain of the Guard and the Court Magician were lamenting their unfortunate position when the portal appeared.

"Donald and Goofy, right?" the voice called out of the portal. "Listen, I don't want to alarm you guys or anything but-"

"We're already alarmed!" Donald butted in. "What's the big idea, coming along, opening portals when people're trying to-"

"I didn't say interrupt me. Did I say interrupt me? No! It's a bad idea to interrupt a guy when he's talking; don't forget that. Anyway, where was I? Oh right! I don't want to alarm you, but Sora's in really big trouble, and I think he needs your help. Well, maybe not your help, necessarily, but he needs someone's help and I guess you two are just going to have to do."

"Uh, how did you know he was in trouble?" Goofy asked, picking his shield up off the ground next to him, while Donald grabbed his stave from the nearby table.

"Because I'm one of the big troubles he's in the middle of! You should really get into the Corridor now..."

So, there's the beginning of my first proper fanfic. It's just a short chapter to start with; the next one ought to be a bit longer.

Any and all advice and constructive criticism is more than welcome, since I could probably use it!

Needless to say, I don't own Kingdom Hearts - Square Enix and Disney do.

See y'all next chapter!