A/N: Hello again everyone! Here is the first official CHAPTER, seeing as the other one was the prologue. Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed, hope you're liking it :) I hope it isn't too confusing. The page breaks usually signify a switch in point of view, so just a heads-up there. Hope everyone is following it alright. You may not know who's speaking at first, but hopefully you can figure it out from little clues and the way they talk. My normal writing style is Katie and her POV is the majority of the story so I hope you're all fine.

Also, I'll probably be updating twice a week and I'm thinking of keeping Wednesday and Sunday as the update days. So look for new chapters on those days. If I don't have time to post, I'm sorry. I'll try to get to it the day after.

And sorry but I gotta get the legal stuff outta the way now.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, any of its characters, worlds, plotlines, or any other things pertaining to the series. I DO however own the plotline of this fanfiction and any OCs that appear in it. They are not to be used/recreated in any other story, image, etc. without my direct consent. Thank you and enjoy the story.

The rain never ceases here. I have no way to measure time because the clouds hide any trace of sky. Kingdom Hearts perpetually looks down with its chilling stare and there's nothing else. Only its glow and the rain.

All the streets look the same. I have no idea if I'm walking in circles or not. I still have no clue where I am either. There seems to be absolutely no life here.

I spoke too soon. A strange creature in white floats out from behind a building. It drifts aimlessly through the air, almost like a kite. I instinctually ready myself for battle but it doesn't seem to notice me. It hovers above the ground and slowly snakes its way down the street. I watch the creature curiously and follow.

Before long, the strange white being and I come to an opening in the narrow streets of the city. The creature continues on and disappears around a corner but I stop in my tracks. The open, asphalt field before me is eerily illuminated by the lights from a towering skyscraper. It looms into the dark, restless sky above the city. Why does everything in this world give the impression that it's watching me?

I take a step forward but something stops me. A blur. A flash almost. I shake my head confusedly. Glancing around, I cautiously start to walk again. After a few more paces, it happens again, but this time, my head starts to whir. I squint my eyes shut and grab my head to stop the dizziness. I see us walking to Hollow Bastion Castle.

The sensation immediately stops and my eyes snap open. What the heck was that? It was like remembering something without meaning to.

"They don't call it Memory's Skyscraper for nothing," a voice calls out.

My senses snap into instinct mode again. "Who's there?" I yell.

I'm answered only by the rain beating against the ground.

"Who's there?" I repeat. "What do you want?"

Thunder rumbles softly through the distance. The world doesn't make a sound. With a sigh, I shove my hands in my pockets and keep walking. I head in the direction that the white creature from before had gone. I turn and walk around the side of the skyscraper. Buildings surround either side of the road, threatening to close in and suffocate me. I feel more comfortable when the road widens out. But suddenly, it ends.

And there, hovering above a gaping abyss, is a gigantic, haunting, white castle. Kingdom Hearts sits patiently above it. A strange, black insignia is carved into the main tower. I can't describe what it is, but the whole place gives me a strange feeling. It's not quite fear, but not quite anxiousness. It's almost like…premonitions…

"Don't go in there," a voice warns.

A chill runs up my spine and I whip around. A figure in a black cloak identical to mine is standing there. The voice sounds like the same one as before.

I narrow my eyes. "Why not?"

"You won't like what you find."

It isn't until then that I recognize the voice. I take a tentative step forward.

"…Riku?"

Today, I'm ten days old. I live in a castle now. That's where the tall man with silver hair took me. There are other people in black cloaks here. They all watch me when I walk by. They never say anything to me.

I have my own room. I have a bed, a desk, and a journal. I don't have much to do so I write things down. My training starts tomorrow. I'm not sure what that means, but I was told not to question anything. The man who brought me here is the leader of the castle. His name is The Superior.

There are twelve other people here in the castle. I'm the thirteenth. That's why I'm called XIII. That's all I know right now.

He pulls his hood down to reveal his face. "Hey."

"Hey, Riku," I smile back, laughing slightly at the casual greeting. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah…how are you?" he asks.

"Alive," I shrug with a smirk. "You?"

He looks down like something is troubling him. "…I'm fine."

"What's wrong?" I ask. "You ok?"

He pauses. "A lot happened while you were…asleep."

"More like unconscious. How long was I out anyway?"

"…A month or two."

"That long?" I gape in disbelief. "Wow, I must've been pretty tired!"

"You took a pretty hard hit back in Radiant Garden," he replies sullenly. This was the thing that made me feel uncomfortable around Riku. There were times when he was so darn serious.

"Where are weanyway? It's a pretty weird world," I note, trying to change the subject.

"Let's talk somewhere else," he suggests, glancing up warily at the castle. We start to walk back into the city.

"Where's everyone else? Are they here too?" I wonder.

Riku says nothing.

"Riku, you're making me nervous…Is everyone ok?"

He shifts his eyes nervously before pulling me into a narrow alleyway. "You have to be careful what you say here, Katie. You never know when something else might be listening," he whispers. He looks over his shoulder before continuing. "Look, nothing is like you remember it. Everything has changed. Don't count anyone as your friend and don't trust anyone you don't know. I have no idea what's going to happen or if we can set things back to normal."

I don't understand most of what he's saying, but I suddenly feel clueless and alone.

"I'm sorry…but that's the way things are right now." He pulls his hood back up and walks out of the alleyway. I mimic the action and follow close behind. A brilliant flash of lightning shoots through the air. I look up to the sky. Kingdom Hearts meets my gaze with its mask of stone.

My heart shivers and I immediately focus on the road again.