Hi folks!!! This is the first fan fiction i've ever written so I hope it's not too bad...be nice and leave reviews XD
WORD OF WARNING - you are actaully reading a re-written and edited version of this chapter. Peeps who have been following this story will know that I was unhappy with how the beginning of the story was written - so I decided to do it again, i've tried to leave off in exactly the same place so the chapters don't seem disjointed or whatnot while i'm still uploading them...when i'm done fixing this part up, i'll feel more comfortable writing the ending.

1st version uploaded - 21st February 2008
2nd version uploaded - 7th April 2009

Disclaimer - Okay, here it is now...so no badgering me to disclaim later in the story if I happen to forget...I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters/plot/concepts - I am simply writing this because I enjoy it and to provide entertainment for my fellow fanfictioners, the only thing I'm making out of this is the satisfying feeling that comes when you find out other people like what you've written...

This story begins on the Islands, two months after the end of Kingdom Hearts II


Chapter One - Be careful what you wish for

Two months. Two whole months since he had heard anything, and he was supposed to be saviour of the universe, or did that only count for that one time? The teen couldn't help but feel bitterness as a slight chill went through him despite the warm breeze of the evening air. Although he knew, he understood that the king just wanted him to have a normal life, and do things that teens should be doing, but didn't he realise that it was too late for that? As much as he wanted to settle back and live on the islands like nothing had happened, he knew he couldn't, after all, how could you be satisfied with simple life on a small island when you had seen magnificent kingdoms and experienced great wars against evil? Sora sighed and ran his hand through the brown spikes that lat atop his head sticking out all over the place (although if you asked he would have said he was going for that look), now he knew how Riku must have felt way back before any of this happened, always yearning for something bigger, to do something amazing and make a difference instead of spending every day lazing on a beach.

As dangerous and stupid as some might have said, Sora missed it. As he sat on the edge of the pier, feet slowly swaying to and fro, he looked towards the horizon, to the orange sun that was slowly dipping below the edge of the sea. He felt torn; one side of him wanted the danger, the pure adventure and adrenaline that came with saving the universe whilst the other felt guilty over the fact that Mickey had allowed him to carry on with his life instead of being thrown into something that he was just too young to understand.

His thoughts trailed back to when Riku had told him that nothing had changed, the island itself was still the same, same pier, same paopu tree, same caves, same drawings. But the people were different. It was odd, when they had returned, his parents acted as if he hadn't been gone for the least two years, it was like they didn't even acknowledge those two years had ever taken place. It gave Sora a kind of detached feeling, which only added to his craving to leave.

Of course, with the good memories came the bad ones. He might remember how he had helped Ariel in her quest to find true love, but he might also remember how he had literally had to kill himself, or how his own best friend had tried to kill him and the feeling of hopelessness that always washed through him when everything was becoming too much. Perhaps it was these thoughts that stopped him from contacting two of his closest friends and asking if he could stay with them for a while, or telling his childhood friends, who both desired a normal life free from darkness and power.

He was taken out of his thoughts when the peaceful sounds of the waves sloshing against the shore by the steady rhythm of feet walking across the pier, getting louder as the person came closer.

Kairi plopped herself down next to Sora and smiled at him before turning her gaze towards the ocean to see what had the brunette so captivated.

"Something the matter?" She said in the usual caring tone she liked to adopt when someone was upset.

"It's so peaceful isn't it?" Sora said without taking his eyes off the horizon.

"Yeah." Kairi agreed.

"But so boring." She looked at him curiously.

"It's not that bad." Sora paused, mulling over the right words to use before continuing.

"I can't help it, I know it's stupid and reckless but I miss it. Going out there, saving the worlds, battling evil…its one of the best things that's ever happened to me, even if it did come with a price."

"Sora…" He cut her off.

"Don't get me wrong, I love it here, I love being back with you guys, Its just…I feel so…helpless." Sora lowered his head; Kairi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, you'll always be needed and what you've done for the worlds, no one will forget that! It's not as if someone else is going to come gallivanting in and suddenly everyone's forgotten about you." As much as he wanted to tell Kairi that he was sure she was wrong, the words of the young princess did make sense to him, despite his tendency to be illogical. Sora didn't answer, he wanted to say something along the lines of 'that's already happened before' but he knew that he would just be digging himself into a deeper hole.

"We can actually have fun without leaving the island you know." She said after a few moments. This time, the brunette couldn't help but get frustrated, what did Kairi know anyhow; she spent most of the time unconscious!

"Like what, build another raft??" Sora stood up quickly, towering over the redhead who was still sitting. "Well, we all know how that one turned out don't we?" He added bitterly, getting ready to turn and walk away from her. Kairi stood up calmly, but the look on her face said otherwise.

"There's no need for that." She said in a stern voice that halted Sora in his tracks. She sighed. "Maybe your best friend can talk some sense into you." She snapped before storming down the pier away from Sora.

He felt it coming before she did, a slight trembling and a groan in the wood beneath him alerted him to that fact that the old planks were beginning to give out. That was odd, sure the things had been there as long as Sora could remember but they hadn't felt at all unstable a moment ago. He ran towards Kairi, wood snapping beneath his feet as he did. He managed to reach her and push her roughly onto the soft sand of the beach out of harms way before the planks gave an almighty groan.

He ran towards Kairi as the wood gave an almighty groan, pushing her roughly onto the soft sand of the beach and out of harm's way. Sora's foot, however, had already crashed through the wood as it collapsed, sending him tumbling into the shallows beneath the pier. He landed on his front and the wind was knocked out of him as he struggled to lift himself out of the water so he could breathe. He rolled over and took a deep gulp of air, coughing out the sea water that had managed to get into his mouth.

"Sora! Are you okay?" He heard Kairi call as she rushed to the edge of where the wood had broken.

"Yeah, just a bit wet." He answered back. He could hear Kairi talking in the distance but his attention was focused on the supports that had supposedly rotted away. He crawled over to one of the broken planks and ran his fingers down the wood, he didn't need to be a key bearer to realise what was in front of him.

Claw marks. Great big slashes that cut into the wood, making it so the pier wouldn't be able to take someone walking across it without collapsing. As shiver ran down Sora's spine as the marks sent thoughts racing through his head, he could only think of one creature on the islands that could cause this – what's the likelihood that something native to the islands would attack the pier supports, just as Sora and Kairi were standing on it? Sora found himself wishing that he hadn't been so naïve in his earlier thoughts. The possibility of the return of darkness to the islands threw sharp memories forward of the night he was taken away from his home. There was a hand on his shoulder; Sora looked up to see Kairi staring worriedly at him.

"…you didn't hit your head did you?" He caught these last lines.

"No…sorry."

"So, what caused this?" Sora made sure to cover up the claw marks so Kairi wouldn't be able to see them as he turned towards her.

"Planks were rotted," he lied. "They have been here for a long time; guess they just needed replacing or something." He felt guilty for lying to one of his best friends, but he didn't wish to worry her either – especially if it would be something that meant the three would have to be split up again.

"Someone should have seen to it before now, you could have been seriously hurt." Sora was surprised that Kairi bought what he said straight away without questioning him or looking at the supports herself, she could usually tell when the brunette was lying. She sighed and stood up, wringing out the bottom of her dress. "Come on," she held her hand out to Sora, "I think I might have left a towel in the secret place." Sora took her hand and they both made their way awkwardly to the secret place – after all, neither found walking in wet shoes a pleasant experience.

As soon as they were inside the small cave, the sun had been completely blotted out save for a few gaps in the roof where thin shafts of light could filter through.

"Ah ha!" Kairi smiled as she spotted her beach towel and a pair of flip flops lying on the cold but soft ground. Sora simply kicked off his shoes while Kairi sat down and began to unlace the pink boots she liked to wear. She grabbed the towel and held it out towards Sora. "Do you want it?"

"Nah, I'm okay." Once again, Sora had been distracted. As soon as he had entered the cave he could smell something, it wasn't overpowering but definitely noticeable – it smelt like decay. He wondered why Kairi hadn't pointed it out yet. He turned to look at Destiny Islands' keyhole and nearly gasped. The vines that had once looped their way through the cave and around the rocks stood rotting and wilting as they got closer to the keyhole – like it was giving off some sort of poison that was killing the plants. "What the…?" He trailed off, the feeling he got as his was sitting underneath the remains of the pier was back in full force. He reached out and touched one of the vines gently and pulled back sharply when the thing disintegrated under his touch. But what really unnerved him was the fact that he could tell that the world's heart was still safely locked away, he couldn't sense any darkness – being around it constantly for two years had made him aware of when it was present. Yet there were signs that suggested the darkness slowly creeping back into the Islands.

"Sora? What are you doing over there?" Kairi asked, noticing that her friend was wandering off in a daze once more. She stood up and slipped on her flip flops before walking towards the boy and placing her hand on his shoulder. "You sure you're okay?" Sora looked at her confusedly, how could she not notice?

"Can't you see that?" He asked, clearly pointing towards the rotting vines.

"See what, Sora?" Her expression was flickering between puzzlement and slight concern.

"The vines! Look! They're all dying." He said, voice rising in frustration. He grabbed another one of the vines and tugged it sharply, only to find that the thing wouldn't budge. His gaze turned away from Kairi and back to the vines…which were perfectly green and healthy. "What?" He said quietly, brow furrowing. They had been dead moments ago…what was going on? Something that clearly wasn't meant to involve Kairi.

"Are you sure you're okay? Didn't hit your head a bit too hard did you?" She asked with a small chuckle, examining his head to see if there were any noticeable bumps.

"Maybe…" Sora trailed off and looked at the ground as if in shame.

"Could have just been a trick of the light." Kairi said cheerily, Sora knew she was trying to make him feel better. He would have probably believed her as well if it weren't for that smell of decay that still lingered in the cave. He suddenly turned around and darted out of the cave, leaving Kairi shouting after him. He didn't stop untill he reached the pier, quickly wading through the shallow water back to where he had fallen just a few minutes ago. Good. The marks were still there. He waited for Kairi to reach him as she took off her flip flops and re-entered the water. "What is it now?" She asked as she got closer.

"Look! Look and tell me that you don't see that." She stared at him confusedly, Sora's panic slowly began to rise.

"What? A load of rotted wood?" The brunette just gaped at her, he noticed the growing frustration in her eyes.

"What's happening?" He whispered to himself.

Night time wasn't much better. Sora fell into a restless sleep, still plagued with the memories of what had happened that day and what it could all mean. He felt torn, the idea of the darkness taking over the islands again was something that he didn't wish to imagine, yet there was a part of him, the part that was angry at the king, that couldn't help but feel excitement at the prospect of being able to travel the worlds with Donald and Goofy once more. In that moment, the thoughts left his mind.

Complete darkness, silence. Suddenly, his mind was assaulted with memories, charging like a battering ram in his skull and flashing like a slide show. The memories that he wanted to remember, and some that he didn't. Sora flinched and his fingers grasped the sheets as he felt the familiar, stabbing pain that came with losing his heart and watched the ground of Hollow Bastion tip up as he fell backwards. Everything was there, all the places he'd visited, the friends he'd made, all speeding past like a bullet. Then there was silence once more. Everywhere was black, Sora stood up slowly, taking in his surroundings. He knew where he was. The realm of darkness.

"How in the world…?" He said under his breath, just in case something was lingering in the shadows, waiting to pounce. He nearly jumped a mile into the air as someone appeared behind him before he recognised the figure.

"Roxas?" He nodded back, and began to walk closer. Sora felt slightly unnerved. "What's happening?"

"They're back."

"What? Whose back?" Sora asked.

"But they're supposed to be dead."

"Who is it?"

"They were all defeated."

"Roxas! Tell me now what the hell is going on!?" Sora nearly shouted in frustration. His nobody looked at Sora, their eyes meeting for a moment before Roxas looked towards the ground.

"The Organization." Roxas answered solemnly. "Or at least, nobodies who are like them, they have human forms."

"How do you know this?"

"I can feel them, and so can you, isn't that right?" Roxas looked at him again with something close to accusation in his blue eyes. Suddenly, his expression changed, it seemed more panicked. "Tell me now! What have you seen?" His tone was making Sora feel more and more scared with each passing moment, it was as if Roxas knew something terrible was about to happen.

"On the islands…the pier…the vines…" He answered quietly. "It feels like the darkness is taking over."

"Exactly."

"But how? The keyhole is locked! The world's heart is supposed to be safe!" Roxas' eyes were darting around the shadows, his breathing faster – a look of fear on his face. Roxas grasped Sora's arms and looked at him directly.

"They're not trying to get in through the world's heart."

"Huh? But..."

"You, Sora! They're trying to get in through you!"

"But…" Sora was confused.

"You're the key, remember? You're the key that connects us all. With you on their side they can-" Roxas was cut off as a cloaked figure pounced from the shadows and grabbed him from behind. The blonde nobody struggled, but the figure held him fast. "Don't let them! Fight it!" Roxas managed to shout out as he was dragged backwards into a dark portal.

"We're coming for you." The figure – now evidently a man – said in a low voice that made Sora's blood run cold. He watched as Roxas mouthed an 'i'm sorry' before disappearing into the portal, leaving the place in silence once more.

It was at that moment that Sora's eyes snapped open, heart beating erratically beneath his ribs. He sighed and closed his eyes, running a hand through his damp hair before resting it on his forehead which currently felt like it was being repeatedly assaulted with a hammer. He breathed deeply and rubbed his head gently, attempting to quell the pain and to calm himself down. Sora rolled over and tugged the covers up until they were right under his chin and brought his knees closer to his chest.

"It's okay, it was just a dream." He whispered to himself, hoping that somehow speaking the words out loud would give them meaning and truth. These are the words he kept repeating to himself like mantra as he slowly drifted off, although the cold, harsh voice was still echoing within his head with promises that made Sora shut his eyes tightly and hug himself closer.

"Guess you really should be careful what you wish for."

Meanwhile…

Fingers tapped against a cold surface in a rhythm as the owner of said fingers watched as a man with an unconscious blonde over his shoulder appeared out of a dark portal. Cold silver eyes continued to watch as the man ungracefully dropped the blonde into the cell before teleporting himself out of there. He was brushing imaginary dirt off his long black coat as he began to speak.

"Well, that was interesting." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. The other spared him a quick glance before turning their gaze on the unmoving blonde currently trapped in the cell. Fingers remained tapping against the steel table situated in the room. "What did you expect? That the kid would just fall off the pier and die?" The man continued, staring at his boss from beneath the large hood.

"Of course not," the voice was surprisingly cheerful, "he's much more fun alive. I guess the heartless were just getting a bit agitated."

"Yeah, well, your agitated heartless may have just ruined things…you do realise he'll probably figure out what's happening…"

"Don't worry, everything continues as planned, all we do now is wait."

And there you have it, basically the same as the previous chapter one, just with more meat...mmm, meat and a tad more (hopefully) interesting stuff and written better than it was before...
please leave reviews, I much wish to know if this version seems better...i like reviews, they inspire me to write quicker *hint hint* - really, even if its just ramble on in text language that I won't understand or tell me that I'm extremely slow at updating...

P.S - I will try to re-write that chapters (I think I need to do up to chapter 15...something like that) as fast as I can xx