A/N: AHHHH have you guys seen the new Final Trailer of KH 2.8?! It's so beautiful!

Please read Little Adventures and New Beginnings to understand this story more ^^

Special thanks for everyone who has read, reviewed, faved and folowed this story! I love you guys!

I found out that Sora spent around 25 days in CO! Wow... Haha I guess that kind make sense...

Ian12091995: hehe, I got excited to post the new story

Aknamkanon: Ah! Ciao! Awww thank you so much! I never realized Game of Hearts received so many love haha, I'll try ^^. Your English is very good, don't worry

Tankaide: Thanks!

Guest: More pages are coming for Little Adventures ;) and I planned a lot of things to happen hehe. And thank you so much :D

Lulu9814: I'm glad too! Thank you so much!

Trista Liu: thanks!

Tkd2016: thank you!

Guest (Gamergirl) : Awwww thank you so much!

BlueXRedKnight: thank you so much!

V3NU5. S01AR. 570RM. S74R: hehe thank you so much!

Kingdom Hearts (C) Square Enix

Chapter 2
Guide

"Again?" Aerith asked.

Hikari could only sigh as she made a beeline to the table. She pulled out the chair and slumped down, burying her face in her arms.

Aerith frowned before she headed to the small kitchen. She came back out a few minutes later with a tray of barley tea in her hands. She placed the glass of the chilled barley tea in front of the brunette. The young woman watched as the young teenage girl lift her head up from her arms and took the glass, slowly drinking the refreshing beverage down. The older brunette pulled out the chair beside the younger brunette and sat down, patiently waiting for the younger girl to talk.

The braid-haired woman stared at Hikari with a small frown. She remembered it perfectly. It had been almost three weeks, or to be precise 18 days after Hikari left to look for Castle Oblivion. They expected her to come back a week later or so with results. Not two days later, she came back almost to the brick of exhaustion, empty handed. To say the least, the committee were shocked to see the usually energetic brunette, passed out on the floor. Yuffie had went to full panic and assumed her friend had died when Leon lifted Hikari up to place her on the sofa, but Cid calmed her down, saying that she was stupid to assume such a thing.

The door opened and a spiky-haired blond walked in. His eyes immediately landed on the sulking young brunette. "Again?" he said as he placed his giant sword down.

Aerith turned to Cloud, giving him a small frown. The blond shrug his shoulders in return before approaching the two girls, his arms crossed.

Hikari placed the glass down, leaning back against the chair. "I just don't get it..." she began, her eyes staring at the half-full glass. Both Cloud and Aerith stared at her, waiting for her to continue. She threw her head back, staring at the ceiling. "Every time I used the Star Shard to get to Castle Oblivion, it just brings me back to that grassy field again and again!" she yelled out, her fingers in her hair as she tried pulling her hair out in frustration.

Cloud snorted, making the brunette turn to glare at him. "Maybe you're already there... in the castle's garden or something." he said.

"Well I'm getting sick of it... If it is the garden then it's one amazing garden." Hikari said sarcastically. She gave a loud sigh before she laid her forehead on the table. She felt a hand was placed on her shoulder. She didn't need to look to know that it was Aerith. Cloud was too cool to comfort. The brunette lifted her head up, her chin on the table. Her hand took something out from her pocket. She stared at the blue crown-shaped card with a frown. "I didn't even find the guy who gave me this card." she groaned, dropping the card to the table.

Cloud and Aerith glanced at each other. A day after Hikari recovered, she went back to look for Castle Oblivion again, but by the end of the day, she came back to Hollow Bastion, completely exhausted. She then tried going back to the castle and look for the hooded man, but she didn't find him either. After some convincing from the committee, the young girl agreed to divide her time to look for the castle and to rest. Each time after she returned, she would stay at Hollow Bastion for a day or two before continuing to look for Castle Oblivion.

"Perhaps there's something that you're not meant to see in that castle?" Aerith suggested.

"Or maybe it's just your bad luck." Cloud added.

Hikari turned to look at Cloud. "Your sarcasm amazed me." she deadpanned. She straightened her posture and her eyes stared at the piece of card on the table. The image of the castle printed on the card was making her even more curious about this castle. Not only was she curious about the castle, she was curious about the man who gave her that card. He told her that he was someone she knew and the card had something to do with memories. "Bad luck or not... Shouldn't the Star Shard zap me to the castle directly and not the stupid garden?" she continued, picking the card up to look at it.

Aerith placed her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "One thing's for sure, is to never give up. You'll find it one day, right, Cloud?" she turned to face the blond man, giving him a look to say something encouraging.

Cloud sighed, nodding his head in agreement. "As much as I want to say that you should stop looking for the imaginary castle... Aerith is right. You'll find your brother one day." he said.

"Again, Cloud... Your way to cheer me up is amazing." Hikari huffed out. She looked away from the blond man for a few seconds before returning to look at him, this time the frown was replaced by a playful grin. "43 words, Cloud. 43 wor-! AW! HEY!" the girl shouted in pain when she felt a sting to her forehead.

Cloud crossed his arms. "I found it amazing that you can count and sulk at the same time, but can't seem to memorize the book Aerith gave you."

"67 wo-Okay! Okay! Geez!" Hikari stopped counting as she was Cloud raise his hand again to flick her forehead. She raised her hands, covering her forehead to prevent Cloud from even touching it, but he still manage to give the famous 'Cloudy Slap' to the back of her head. It was a term both Yuffie and Hikari used when Cloud slapped them upside their head for being stupid or annoying. "You try memorizing a cook book... It's harder than it looks. Every recipe is just different! One needs 200 grams of flour, the other needs 350 grams!" she puffed out her cheeks, glaring at the blond as she rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, I don't even know why I need to memorize a cook book!" she turned to Aerith.

"No wonder Aerith gave you that book." Cloud scoffed.

"Oh. Can you cook? Last time, when it was your turn to cook, you just got us instant noodles." Hikari retorted, turning back to look at Cloud, giving him a look.

"At least you ate it." The blond shrugged. "The last time you cooked, everyone agreed to go out to eat." he shot back.

The relationship between Cloud and Hikari was a weird one or as Yuffie called it 'the roast relationship'. Sometimes they would get along, sometimes they would act like rivals. When two of the most sarcastic members of the committee are in the same room, one way or another a roast battle would occur. Although they're sarcastic to each other, the teamwork between them is remarkable. It amazed even Cid, that a talkative girl and a quiet and broody blond would get along and make up for what they lacked.

Hikari pause for a moment, before sighing. "...touché."

Aerith giggled. She was glad that they managed to change the topic. It was heartbreaking to see the young girl so sad. It almost feels as if she was losing hope to find her brother again. She knew the young girl's growing hate for her other friend, Riku. Even though she didn't say it to them face to face, the way she talked about her friend proves that she blames him for everything. The young woman tried talking her to at least give Riku another chance, but the girl quickly changed the topic.

"Speaking of dinner, I was just about to start on it. Would you like to help? We'll be having stew tonight." the kind young woman said as she stood up, taking the empty glasses from the table.

Hikari nodded. "Sure, why not?" she grinned.

"...I'll reserve a table." Cloud said as he headed straight for the door.

"Okay, see you later Clou-HEY! I'm offended!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Does it hurt Naminé?"

A pale blonde haired girl sat on a white chair inside a white room. She didn't turn her head to the source of the voice. Her eyes kept staring at her hands folded on top of her lap. A regretful look was seen on her face, but the man who approached her doesn't seem to care. She could hear the footsteps coming closer towards her, but she still didn't turn her head to look.

"Does it hurt to watch your two childhood friends fight all because of you?" The man dressed in a black coat stopped right beside her, staring her down. "You have my sympathies. From the heart." he added, placing a hand on his chest, giving a sympathetic look.

Naminé lifted her chin up, furrowing her eyebrows down, giving an angry look at the fiery red-haired man.

The man leaned back, a smirk on his face. "But don't waste your time. We Nobodies can never hope to be somebodies." he said.

"Very true," a feminine voice replied followed by a giggle. The red-haired man turned to look at the woman who entered the room while Naminé looked away. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Axel." her boots clicked against the floor as she walked closer to the two.

"What are you doing here, Larxene?" Axel asked, facing the blonde woman.

"I should ask you the same too," Larxene snorted at the red-haired man before her blue eyes landed on the pale blonde girl sitting on the chair. She took a few steps closer to the blonde girl and placed her gloved hand on the girl's shoulder. "Awww don't be so glum, Naminé. We can never hope to be somebodies, but at least we can dream. You just keep messing with Sora's memories and it'll all become a reality." she laughed, forcing Naminé to look at her.

Naminé turned her head away from the blond woman.

Larxene straightened her posture, leaving the girl alone for now. "By the way, where's the brat that's supposed to come here?" she asked. At the mention of another child, Naminé folded her hands tighter as Axel stared at the blonde woman. She crossed her arms over her chest, a pout on her lips. "It's been like... almost three weeks since Xemnas told us another brat would come here." she pointed out.

"Maybe the kid just got lost or something. Who knows... It took Sora almost a week to get here, now right?" Axel shrugged.

"In a road that's just goes straight? The kid must be stupid to get lost." Larxene snorted, a hand in front of her mouth. She did her math. Even if the kid started at the same spot Sora did, the kid would've reached Castle Oblivion around a week ago. "Why would Xemnas want us to mess with another kid's head? What's so special about this brat anyway?" she asked.

"The child Xemnas told us is the keyblade chosen one's little sister." A voice answered, making Axel and Larxene turn to face the man. He walked closer to the other two cloaked members, a smirk gracing his lips. "Apparently, she has something Xemnas wants in that head of hers." he continued.

Naminé turned her head to face the man, Marluxia, when he mentioned the Organization's leader's name. She frowned before looking away, but she continued to listen to the three member's conversation. It was rare of them to have a meeting with her beside them. They usually had their meeting at the the next room where they monitor Sora, Donald and Goofy through a giant crystal ball.

"Oh? How wonderful." Larxene smiled in delight, amused with the new information. "If we have that brat on our side as well, overthrowing the Organization will be three times as easy!" she said, eyes gleaming with mischief.

Axel raised an eyebrow. "That's...interesting... What could Xemnas possibly want inside a teenage girl's head?" he crossed his arms, turning to the pink-haired man.

"Who knows?" Marluxia briefly closed his eyes, the smirk still plastered on his lips. When he first heard from Xemnas' second hand man, Saix, that another visitor would be coming soon to Castle Oblivion, he was less than uninterested of the incoming visitor. But after he learned that the child is the keyblade chosen one's younger sibling and that the child has memories Xemnas wanted, he couldn't be more delighted. "All that matters is getting the child here first." he said, his eyes staring at Axel and Larxene.

"Couldn't agree more." Larxene grinned, moving her finger in a swift motion. Is a flash, a yellow and blue throwing knife was seen between her fingers. She stared at the sharp edge of the knife, a smirk on her growing on her lips. "It'll be really fun to break this one!" she flicked her wrist, throwing the knife to the little birdcage at the corner of the room.

Naminé flinched when the knife grazed the metal bars of the birdcage before it embed itself to the wall behind it. She lifted her head up to look at the doll sitting inside the cage. The knife didn't embed through the doll, but it did leave a mark on the wall. Larxene thought it would be hilarious to put a doll that looks like her inside a white birdcage to represent her life in Castle Oblivion. Larxene was right in every way. She was forced to stay inside this castle to alter Sora's memories. Just like a caged bird.

Axel frowned. "Don't break this one, Larxene. It'll be a shame if she's broken before we can even use her against the Organization." he said, staring at the sadistic woman.

"Oh no big deal!" Larxene simply waved Axel off. "We just need to shape her into our liking, just like what we did to Sora. Isn't that right, Naminé?" she turned her head to the quiet blonde.

Marluxia's blue eyes stared at the young girl. "Don't you think it's weird that the girl hasn't arrived yet?" he asked his fellow comrades, walking pass the two as he made his way towards the blonde girl.

"That's what I said, but who cares if the girl's stupid or not, if she's important to Xemnas then that's all that matters." Larxene smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

The pink haired man stopped beside the blonde girl. "You wouldn't have anything to do with it now, would you, Naminé?" he leaned slightly down, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I just... do what you told me to..." Naminé said quietly.

"Good girl." Marluxia said, patting the blonde's head as he straightened his posture. He turned to face both Larxene and Axel. "Perhaps, the child just needs some guidance to reach Castle Oblivion." he said, a smirk gracing his lips.

Naminé closed her eyes. 'I'm sorry...'

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hikari huffed.

"Aw c'mon, you know that Cloud was only joking."

Hikari turned to look at her roommate from her bed. "He really did booked a table!" she sat up on her bed and turned her position to face the other bed where her roommate was polishing her shuriken. "Am I really that bad? You guys like the stew me and Aerith made right?" she asked.

Yuffie laughed. "Sorry, Hikari, as your bestie I have to be honest with you. If Aerith told me it was you and her who made it, I wouldn't even go near it." she said, placing the shuriken away.

Hikari placed a hand on her chest. "Argh! Your words are like a knife that stabbed my heart!" she said dramatically, falling back on the bed. Her eyes stared at the ceiling. The room kind of reminded her of her own back at Destiny Islands. Both Yuffie and Hikari shared a room. It was small, but cozy and she liked the company. It was nice having someone to talk to at a time like this. "Hey Yuffie... Did you ever forget something really important? Like, really, really important things?" she suddenly asked.

Yuffie blinked before she plopped down on the bed, her head hitting the soft pillow. "All the time. I sometimes forget to patrol or take the trash out. Why ask?" she shrugged.

Hikari also moved to a better position, pulling the blanket up before laying her head down on the pillow. "I... don't know why... But I think I forgot something...something that I'm not supposed to forget." she said, turning to face her friend.

The black-haired girl yawned. "Don't worry about it. People forget all the time. Maybe you forgot to take the trash out or someone's birthday." she trailed off, her eyes getting heavier and heavier. Not a minute later, the girl was already asleep.

Hikari laughed before turning her head to stare back at the ceiling. "Yeah... maybe..." she trailed off before closing her eyes.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"See you guys later!"

"Please be careful!"

"Okay!" Hikari grinned as she exited Merlin's house. She closed the wooden door behind her and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air of Hollow Bastion. Since she returned early and had a good night's sleep yesterday, today she decided to continue looking for Castle Oblivion. She didn't know why, but as she woke up, her mind felt clear. It was weird because just yesterday, her thoughts were clouded. "Okay then! Let's start!" she exclaimed as she took out the Star Shard from her pouch.

As she points the Star Shard to the sky, her eyes wondered from the Star Shard to the castle in the background. She lowered the shard, her blue eyes fixed on the castle. A feeling inside her gut told her to head over to the castle, but her mind told her to stay away from the castle. She put the Star Shard away, deciding to trust her gut more than her mind. She knew that it was dangerous for her to wonder the castle alone.

'But a few minutes is alright, right?' Hikari thought as she headed straight for the castle. 'Besides... It's not like I don't know where I'm going.' she continued as she made her way towards the Bailey.

"So you still waste your time wondering in this world." a voice startled her. She quickly turned around and summoned her rod to hand. She stood in a fighting stance, furrowing her eyebrows at the cloaked figure that stood a few feet away from her. "It is such a waste of precious time." the man continued.

Hikari blinked. "You're that guy from the library!" she shouted, pointing her rod accusingly at the man. Her angry look soon turned to a confused one when she realized that the voices aren't the same. "No, wait... That guy's voice was much more heavier...but you wear matching outfits too. Are you a friend of his then?" she questioned, lowered her rod a little as she began to think.

The cloaked figure let out a small chuckle. "Perhaps the word acquaintances fit much better for the term." he replied. Hikari shook her head, staring at the man with raised eyebrows. Well, this guy is definitely different from the last one she encountered. The last one was all dark and creepy. This one seemed a little more...elegant? But still has the same level of creepiness.

Hikari frowned, summoning away her rod. "Either way, you know that guy, right? You work in the same group?" she asked as she reached into her pocket, fishing out the blue card. She showed the card to the cloaked figure. "I'm beginning to think all of this is just some stupid scam. I never found this Castle Oblivion. Just some stupid endless road." she flicked her wrist, throwing the card away.

The card landed right in front of the man's feet, the picture of the castle on top.

"Pass on the message. Tell your friend that I have a few questions to ask him." The brunette continued.

The cloaked man picked the card from the floor. "Are you sure you don't want to find the answers yourself?" he asked, holding the card between his fingers.

"What do you mean?" Hikari stared at the cloaked man weirdly.

The cloaked man raised his hand and summoned a portal. "I'm tasked to lead you to the castle since you seemed to have some trouble reaching it." he answered. "But in that place, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find. That is the way of Castle Oblivion." he said, turning his head to look at the girl.

Hikari gave a look. "That doesn't make sense at all."

"Does it?" The cloaked man threw the card back at Hikari, who caught it. "So what's your decision?"

"I'll give it a shot."

Hikari held the card as she walked towards the portal. The last time she walked through one of these were when she was still with Maleficent and Riku, but that's all in the past now. She shook the memories away before putting one foot inside the portal. One foot after another, she was already walking through the portal, the man following behind her. She summoned her rod into hand as she was still cautious of the man behind her. Who wouldn't actually?

The brunette stared at the end of the portal. She stepped through the end of the portal and closed her eyes when she was engulfed by a bright light. She shielded her eyes with her forearm as the light slowly dies down. She slowly opened her eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the light.

Her blue eyes glanced around, examining the brand new surroundings. It was all white. The walls, the floor, the doors, everything. Every single thing inside the place was colored white. With all of the white color reflecting the bright lighting of the room, her eyes began to hurt a little from seeing the same color.

"Argh... It's so bright..." Hikari complained as she squinted her eyes. She turned her head to the double door, easily spotting the cloaked man in the white room. He stood out like a sore thumb in the room with his black clothing. The man showed a card to the girl and slide it with his fingers, reviling another card behind it. He tossed the two cards to her and she wasn't fast enough to catch them. She picked the two blue cards up from the floor, staring at the picture on them. "What's this? Are you giving me cards to play some sort of card game?" she snorted.

On one card, a picture of the world Traverse Town was printed on it. On the other card, a picture of a world with a cottage, a spooky forest and some sort of mime was on it.

"Those are your memories of the worlds that you have visited. Hold the card to open the door. And beyond it, a world awaits." the cloaked man said as he stepped aside, directing his hand to the door behind him. He soon disappeared into a dark portal that he summoned, leaving the brunette alone in the white room.

Hikari raised the two cards in her hand, staring at them intensely. "A world behind a door... That's something I would like to see..." she said as she walked towards the double door.

She held the Traverse Town's card and pocketed the other one.

"Alright then, let's do it!"