It was quiet travelling between the worlds. The gummi ship swayed like a ship in the seas, turning every once in a while to avoid a stray asteroid. The ship had been between all the words, had carried the most important people in the universe. Right now, King Mickey and his fellow companions, Goofy and Donald, were venturing to Destiny Islands to find Sora. It had been many a year since the friends met, since they had last battled the Heartless to defeat the evil. During the small period of peace Donald, Goofy and the King had returned to Disney Castle to rest and reign once more. Although, as the third year of peace passed, something strange had begun to happen. The days began darker and darkness soon battered against the walls that protected the castle. To the King's shock, The Cornerstone of Light had dimmed and was growing weaker, allowing slivers of darkness to enter the world. All too soon, the Cornerstone shattered completely and Disney Castle was left completely defenceless.

"Do you think Queen Minnie and Daisy will be okay?" Goofy directed the question at Mickey in regards of the protection of his queen. The King's ears twitched and he gripped the controls of the gummi ship tightly.

"I hope so. I'm trusting Hercules will look after them in his world." Mickey had hoped he left his wife and friend in a world that was furthest from the darkness. He remembered the tears in her eyes when he withdrew from their hug, how his own began to mist. He didn't know where to start this time. He didn't know who was harnessing the darkness now, which was creating the Heartless to steal the hearts of others. Kingdom Hearts was sealed, but that didn't stop anyone from trying to open it again.

As Mickey, Donald and Goofy passed the worlds they saved so long ago, they noticed the darkness growing around them. It pulsated with a thick, dark power that had reminded him of the darkness Ansem held around him. Port Royal was nearly covered completely in darkness and it wouldn't be soon until the protecting walls around them would shatter. Mickey was tempted to call upon his Kingdom Key to remind him there was still a way to fight the Heartless, but it wasn't the key that could seal the door to Kingdom Hearts if someone was trying to open it again. So many of the keys had disappeared when the door was sealed, and only few were accessible. Mickey wondered if Sora could still call upon his own Keyblade. He shook the thought from his mind; he would ask Sora when he saw him, back on Destiny Islands. All Keybaldes had one signature ability, and that was the power to open or close any lock or door, be it to a physical object, to the heart of person or world, or to a gate or pathway between worlds.

"How long until we can see Sora?" Donald's voice piped up behind him with a mix of excitement and distress.

"Another days flight by gummi ship, but prepare for the worst, because we don't know if the darkness has reached there yet."

King Mickey thought back on his past while he let the gummi ship sail. When he was young, he had worked as a deckhand with Pete. He didn't realise back then who Sora, Donald and Goofy were until they came tumbling into his world. He watched them fight from a distance and he learned of the Keyblade and sought out someone to teach him how to wield it. Yen Sid had become his teacher at the Mysterious Tower and there he underwent the Mark of Mastery Exam. He ran away afterwards, using a Star Shard that allowed him to travel throughout the other worlds. When the worlds had started blinking out one by one, Mickey had known that soon all the worlds would soon vanish, including his own.

Although, when all of it happened again and his world crumbled under the darkness, Mickey knew it was happening all over again. They would need to find Sora and then travel to Hollow Bastion to ask Leon if he had picked up anything. Mickey shivered and rubbed his hands against the black coat that covered in arms, but it wasn't the cold he was shivering against. Light and dark were out of balance again, and he needed to find a way to set it right.

"So…why are we fishing again?" Sora tugged on his pole, his face forming into a frown as he hadn't caught any fish in the past half hour. The sea gently rocked the boat that he and Kairi sported, yet not enough to send them tipping over. Dark storm clouds were forming over the horizon. They were also a clear sign that something was wrong. He looked over at Kairi who was staring at the clouds, worry etched on her face. She drew her eyes from the sight as she turned to face him.

"We're fishing because we need something to eat for dinner." She poked her tongue out at him and he laughed before returning the gesture.

"Well, we better finish up soon before the storm catches up to us." He looked down at the bucket of fish they had caught together. "Plus, we seem to have enough fish to feed an army." Sora reeled in his line, placing it down beside him and grabbing the oars of the boat. Kairi did the same before easing backwards, closing her eyes to shade them against the sun. He looked down at her and grinned. "So you're going to make me do all the work?"

She peeked at him from under one eyelid with a hidden grin. "I caught all the fish so I deserve a break."

"I caught one!" Sora retorted.

"You threw it back though, chucklehead." She slapped her hand against her forehead and let out a string of laughter.

"Because it was too small…" As Sora drifted off he already knew there was no point in trying to win this match.

"Could have made fish stew with it." She closed her eyes with a smile and Sora gave up with a shake of his head.

While rowing home, Sora took the chance to take in the full beauty of his friend. Mickey had told him the full story of Kairi. She was born in Radiant Garden, where she had lived with her grandmother. One day, she was chased by a group Unversed and she met Aqua, who had sensed a pure light in her heart. Mickey had arrived to help fight the Unversed and also sensed the light in her heart. After the fight, Aqua put a protective charm on Kairi's necklace and tells her, "One day when you're in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another, someone to keep you safe." A year later when Radiant Garden was shrouded by darkness, Kairi appeared on Destiny Islands during a meteor shower where Riku and Sora found her floating in the water on the beach. Mickey had told Sora that her safe arrival was due to the protective spell Aqua had cast on her necklace the year before. She didn't belong on this world and he knew that, but she had nowhere else to go now.

Sora looked up at the storm clouds again and let out a handful of curses. The storm was heading their way too fast, almost two thirds of the way there. He could hear the cracking of thunder and lightning and he pushed himself to row the boat towards the shore. The winds were starting to pick up, harshly picking up the sea water and throwing it against his face. As waves began rocking the boat more, Kairi sat up and began watching the storm roll in.

"Something bad is happening, isn't it?" Sora looked into her eyes and he remembered what he promised himself. He was never going let anything or anyone hurt her. Even if the darkness had returned, he would fight for her till his very last breath.

"Yes," He trailed off for a moment. "But I'm not going to let anything hurt you." She drew her eyes towards his, shining with unshed tears. She leaned forward to hug him but decided against it as it would most likely send them tumbling into the sea.

When Sora reached the pier, Kairi jumped up onto it to tie the boat in place. She then took the bucket of fish from Sora's outstretched hand before he scrambled out of the boat himself. Together they speed walked back to large carved out trees where they lived, slamming the door shut behind them. Kairi tipped the fish into a large tub of seawater before placing the empty bucket beside them, making her way to Sora's room. She saw him staring out the window into the sky, watching clouds tumble one another, racing towards the island. His figure slouched over before reaching across the closing the window before drawing the curtains close. The ferocious wind rattled the window, as if begging to be let in.

Sora took in a deep breath before turning around and meeting Kairi's oceanic eyes with his own blue ones. He walked up to her and pulled her into his arms, dipping his head down so his lips rested against the curve of her neck where it met with her shoulder. He could smell the scent of the sea lingering on her skin, as well as the sweetness of the paopu fruit they had shared the other day. She smelt like home, their home, the one that had been covered in darkness and brought back into the light.

"We need to keep the lights on." His lips brushed against her skin as he whispered his words to her. She nodded, reaching up and sliding her fingers through his dark brown hair. They both knew what keeping the lights on meant. For the first year of balance between light and dark, during the night they would always keep the lights on, afraid that the darkness would bring the Heartless into the room. The journey left the biggest impact on their lives, but Kairi lives and breathes, so Sora accepted all of it, as long as his friend was safe. The two withdrew from the hug and began lighting the lamps that sat around his room. Once the room was well lit, they both lay down on his bed, taking comfort in each other's arms.

"Can you sing me a song, Kairi?" The light that filled the room flickered across Sora's face. Kairi smiled up at him and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think of a song to sing.

"In you and I there's a new land,
Angels in flight,
My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah
Where fears and lies melt away,
Music will tie,
What's left of me,
What's left of me now." Her voice drifted off as the lyrics had lost themselves within her mind. She rested her head across his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. Sora wrapped his arms around her, holding her close against him. Above them, the window whistled through the canopy, high pitched squeals that made them want to cover their ears with pillow.

"Try getting some sleep," Sora mumbled as he closed his eyes. He wanted to ignore all that was going on around them, he wanted the peace they had last year. Why did the gummi blocks fall from the sky? Why did the appearance of these items mean the end of everything? Maybe Sora had been overreacting…

Outside, the clouds had finally cast over the island, sending it into darkness like it had so many years before. Waves battered at the shore, threatening to detach the boats from the pier and sending them tumbling into the dangerous sea. Lightning, thunder and darkness clashed together in the sky. The window rattled again.

Then all hell broke loose.

Hope you enjoyed the second chapter of the story. I'm really hoping to continue this multiple times a week but it depends on my schedule. I'll try and write at least 2k words each chapter so they're nice and long. Thanks guys.