Author Notes: Imagine this with Simple and Clean playing in the background as you start off this chapter.

I'm doing this fanfic in celebration of Kingdom Hearts III, the final chapter of the Ansem arc.

Chapter 2: Dreams of Adventure

A young man with spiky brown hair and blue eyes sank underneath the waves of the splashed on his home island into a black void.

As he sank into the darkness he thought,

I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like is any of this for real or not?

He then landed on a solid surface that glowed to reveal a green stained glass floor of a woman with lips red as the rose, hair black as ebony and skin as white as snow. She was surrounded by images of seven little men, six of which were white bearded and several woodland creatures. The darkness would dissipate into doves that flew off into the distance.

So much to do, so little time...Take your time, don't be afraid...The door is still shut..walk forward...can you do it?, said an invisible voice that echoed in the boy's head in the void.

It's better than just standing around..., said the boy.

Three platforms rose up as the boy walked forward, each manifesting an object. They were a shield, wand and sword respectively.

Power sleeps within you. If you give it form, it will give you strength...choose well..., the voice requested.

I wanted to beat him at that game...so I'll choose..., the boy said as he chose the sword and wielded it in his hands.

The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction., explained the voice.

Is this the power you seek?, asked the voice.

I don't want to use something that is terrible., the boy shook his head and complained as he moved over to get the shield, unsure of the true meaning of what "terrible" had implied.

The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all...is this power you seek?, asked the voice.

To help my friends. That sounds awesome., thought the boy.

The boy nodded and the shield disappeared into light.

The path is set. What shall you give up in exchange?, asked the voice.

I thought I just choose one? So I have to give up what I didn't choose? That's annoying., snarked the boy as he walked towards the wand.

The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power?, inquired the voice.

Ruin? That means it's broken. Don't need a broken thing.,..., but it's full of wonder, so it's not entirely bad., thought the boy.

He then walked towards the sword, grabbed it and nodded his head.

You have chosen the power of the guardian. You have given up the power of the warrior. Is this the form you choose?, asked the voice.

The boy nodded again in secondary confirmation, annoyed that he wasn't understood the first time around.

What's going on?, he asked as the ground began to shake.

The stain glass shattered, causing the boy to fall into another stained glass floor, this one indigo with a blue dressed woman with dull blond hair and images of slippers, oddly pumpkin shaped carriages and castles adorning it.

The shield manifested on the boy as he landed.

Wha? Where'd this come from?, asked the boy.

You've gained the power to fight. Use this power to protect yourself and others. For there will be times that you will have to fight., the voice explained.

Why would I need to fight when everything's so peaceful-, asked the boy as he suddenly noticed something crawling on the stained glass floor.

A black, flat thing with glowing yellow eyes that slowly rose up and became more solid- a small humanoid with two antennae on its head. It was joined by a few others. Unlike the animals that he'd see at home, these creatures gave off an eerie feeling that didn't belong in the natural world. That if let unchecked, they would be a threat to everyone he held dear.

Keep your light strong., commanded the voice.

Instinctively, the boy attacked the closest black creature until it was gone, causing the others to retreat.

What were that things?, asked the boy. As the creatures retreated into the ground, it caused the stain glass to blacken.

The boy in shock, sank into the darkness and began to wave around as if he were drowning.

He opened his eyes to see he was on another stained glass floor, this one, pink with several feminine silhouettes adorning the floor. There was a door in front of him that opened with blinding light.

The boy walked forward as he felt a nostalgic feeling emitting from the door.

He opened his eyes to see a girl with short dark red hair, violet-blue eyes, a pale complexion, and a necklace with a silver bead. She wore a white top with a black one underneath shown near wwhere her collarbone and at the hem, which slightly exposed her navel, purple bike shorts underneath a purple skirt with a blue belt, and white slip-on shoes with purple caps. She also wore a black choker, a yellow wristband as well as a purple arm band on her left arm and a pair of bracelets on her right arm.

On his right was a a teenage boy with silver hair with bangs, pale skin, bright blue-green eyes, and a muscular build. He wore a yellow-and-black tank top with white-trimmed, black straps crisscrossing his chest and upper back with a white on each end. He sported pair of gray-trimmed, black gloves with matching black wristbands, dark blue pants with brighter blue baggy pant legs connected with white-studded suspenders and are buckled with small black straps on his ankles. On his hip, he wore a black belt with a silver rectangular buckle. His white-and-blue shoes had white-trimmed, black straps, gray soles, and were decorated with yellow strings on the inner sides, some of which crisscrossed each other.

He was back on the island where wooden boardwalks connected the different parts of the community, plateaus with grassy tops and sand covered ground overlooked an endless sea.

"I'm...home...Kairi? Riku?, what are you guys doing here?," asked the boy as he looked as the people that he knew personally, but there was something not right.

"Sora, what's the important thing to you?," asked Kairi the red haired girl.

"My friends, obviously.," replied the boy now referred to as Sora.

"That's sweet.," Kairi said as Sora walked skeptically to the boy known as Riku.

"What're you afraid of Sora?," Riku asked in a confident tone of voice.

Feeling, flustered, Sora shouted out,

"That's not cool Riku! I don't know what to say what or do right now? I just went through a weird dream...or was it?"

"So you're indecisive.," Riku observed much to Sora's annoyance.

Sora spaced out for a moment. It was odd that he was falling from his home into a realm of blackness and stain glass rooms with...black creatures suddenly appearing in the second to last floor.

"What do you want to do with your life?," asked Kairi and Riku in a monotone unison. Sora looked at the sea and looked with deep meaning.

"To see what's beyond this island and the ocean. To see the other worlds that we read about and broaden my horizons...what's gotten into you two?," asked Sora in confusion.

"You want friendship. You're afraid of being indecisive. You want to broaden your horizons. Your adventure beings at midday. Keep a steady pace and you'll come through just fine. The day you will open the door is both far off and very nigh," replied Kairi and Riku in unison in a cryptic tone unbefitting of either of them.

"Sounds good. Who are you? You're not my friends. Who are you!," Sora shouted as the island grew brighter and he was once again back in the black space, this time standing on an orange stain glass floor with an image of a sleeping woman in a blue princess surrounded by thorns. The black shadow beings rose up and started to attack Sora. The atmosphere was much more tense than before.

"That wasn't cool. Why did you want to know me?," asked the boy now attacking the creatures with much more ease than he did before.

There was no answer this time, instead a beam of light trailed a white spot on the floor and led it past the edge of the stain glass, creating a bridge of stain glass suspended in the void as the light continued upwards, leading into a cathedral themed platform.

"No answer this time? Just follow the path...No time to hold back...," Sora said as he walked on the path to the next stain glass floor, which contained a gold circle with a brown haired woman in a golden dress. She was surrounded by animate objects and a briar rose the north of her head.

"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes. No matter how much light repels darkness, and darkness repels light, both are connected.," replied the voice more ominously.

"What's that supposed to mean?," asked Sora as he noticed that his shadow was gradually becoming larger and looked like him less and less, until it rose up in an entirely different form.

It was a towering black humanoid with tendrils covering its face aside from its yellow eyes and had tiny wings on its back. Noticeably, it had an empty, massive heart shaped hope in the middle of its torso.

It created a dark sphere in its fist and punched the ground, causing a dark pool to sprout out more of the small black creatures. Sora dodged their strikes as the larger creature fired a barrage of dark projectiles that homed in on Sora.

"What are these things?," asked Sora as he was slowly overwhelmed by these creatures of darkness.

"But, don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So never forget...you are the one who will open the door...to Kingdom Hearts...," said the voice as it trailed off.

Sora closed his eyes as blackness consumed him...

Island

Sora opened his eyes to see that Kairi was looking at him and looked around the island beach and ocean.

After a moment, he yelled,

"Whoah! Look out! There's a monster!"

Kairi looked concerned and confused, but quickly she laughed.

"Forget it...Give me a break Kairi!," Sora complained, changing subjects.

"Sora, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing here.," Kairi laughed as Sora got up.

"Wait, I remember! This huge black thing swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe! There were doors! And weird floors!," Sora shouted in a frenzy before Kairi gave him a disbelieving look.

"Are you still dreaming?," Kairi asked.

"No, it wasn't...or was it? I don't know...what was that place?...So bizarre..." Sora replied, mostly to himself.

"Yeah sure.," Kairi said as she walked away.

"What was your hometown like? You know where you grew up? Since you're not from around here.," Sora said to change subject, but Kairi got annoyed.

"I told you. I don't remember.," Kairi replied.

"Nothing at all?," Sora inquired.

"Nothing.," Kairi replied.

"Ever wanna go back?," Sora asked.

"You just wanted to see where I came from so you don't get stuck here for the rest of your life. Besides, I'm happy here.," Kairi replied.

"Really?," Sora asked.

"Really..., but you know I don't mind going to see it again...just once...," Kairi replied with a subtle longing.

"I'd like to see it too. Along with any other worlds out there...I wanna see 'em all.," Sora said with bright enthusiasm.

"So what're we waiting for? Let's go!," Kairi replied.

"Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?," asked a familiar voice, causing Sora and Kairi to turn around.

It was Riku, their longtime friend.

"So I'm the only one working on the raft while Sora sleeps as usual..and you're just as lazy as he is.," Riku replied.

"Hey! I'm good at raft making too!," Sora argued as Riku ignored him as he walked towards Kairi.

"So you noticed. Ok, we'll finish it together Let's race to see who gets the least amount of work to do. Ready Go.," Kairi said as she walked away with Riku.

Riku and Kairi ran as Sora joined them...before backtracking and noticing something odd in the water that washed onto shore.

Sora's eyes widened as he realized...

It was the same black shield with red outlines and an odd symbol of circles that looked like a ball with two large ears... the same one from his dream.

And then he noticed an odd ship coming towards the island.

A voice then rang out,

"Yodel-adle-eedle-idle-oo."

Next Chapter: Sora and his friends are encountered by a strange man who claims he comes from another world entirely. But, he is more dangerous than he seems.