"Which world is this train taking us?"

Reina sat opposite Goofy and Sora, who munched on snacks she packed while she in turn pressed them with never ending questions. Donald, along with a kind cricket named Jiminy, sat at a distance from them, counting the munny that was left in the orange pouch King Mickey gave them.

"Dunno, must be somewhere important if King Mickey's sending us there." said Goofy, before taking another taking another bursting handful of chips. Based on the brief background story Sora and Goofy told her, it was no surprise to Reina to see them so ravenous; going to different worlds and then taking out all the Heartless that were there must've been hard work.

"Well…how does Mickey know I'm looking for someone anyways?"

"King Mickey." Donald corrected form the other side of the car, still absorbed in counting munny as Jiminy started scribbling in his miniscule journal.

"Guess that's something you hafta ask the King yerself." Goofy said.

"Who are you looking for anyways?" Sora asked with his mouth half-full.

"My best friend." Reina told them, an automatic smile on her face. "I've known him since childhood."

"Good thing we're on the same train, then. I'm searching for my best friend too." Sora smiled. "We'll find our friends together!"

"I sure hope so…" Reina said, looking out of the window opposite her. *I want to find him as soon as possible…*

The oranges and pinks that used to paint Twilight Town's sky seemed to be fading now, and stars were popping into view.

*I'm going to another world.* She thought in amazement, still not being able to believe it. She wondered which one Roxas would be in and how many she'd have to go to find him when a familiar flash of blue light caught her attention. Reina quickly turned to see where it came from and saw Donald grinning suspiciously. He had something clasped in his hands and when he took a peek inside them, greed was evident in his eyes. Before she could ask anything, the train finally halted to a stop.

"Finally!" Sora said, getting up to stretch. He was the first to get off the train, so when Reina took her bag and attempted to get off too, he lent out his hand to help her. She, however, was too mesmerized by the huge tower in view to notice and got off the train with ease. Sora flushed and instead scratched his head to cover up.

"Were you guys here before?" Reina asked, turning around. It seemed like a tiny island in the sky; there was nothing on it except for the huge tower and the small amount of landscape surrounding it.

"Nope, I don't remember it…" Goofy said, scratching his head. Behind them, Donald quacked loudly out of shock. To Reina's amazement, as soon as the duck out off, the train vanished on the spot.

"Heh…there goes our ride…" Sora chuckled nervously.

"How are we gonna get back?" Reina asked, alarmed. Before anyone could respond, Goofy placed a finger on his lips and pointed towards the castle.

"Someone's already here." He whispered and Reina spotted the large, rotund cat he was talking about. He had large, pointy ears and seemed to be wearing a suit of armor.

Curiously, Sora went up to him and asked, "What's going on?"

He just chuckled and didn't even look back at who asked him the question. "I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this tower's as big and as tough as they say. Word is he's a real powerful sorcerer, which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it don't matter how tough he is - once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say!"

"Heartless?" Donald exclaimed. Reina dropped her bag when her weapon appeared in her hand again and looked at the trio in confusion. They all had their own weapons and were in fighting stances, and Reina mimicked them.

"That's right. They're the things that come outta the darkness in folks' hearts," he explained, still not looking behind him, "Why, with all those heartless at her side, my dear friend Maleficent is gonna conquer everything!"

The guys relaxed and Reina gave them a questioning look. Sora told her with a satisfied smile, "We," he drew his finger across his neck, "her."

Sora frowned and said, "In a way…" which just increased Reina's uneasiness. Before he could explain, the fat cat yelled loudly.

"Whaa—? It's you!"

"Pete?" Donald and Goofy shouted in unison. It seemed that they were as shocked as he was.

"You know him?" Sora asked.

"We sure do! Pete's been causing trouble for ages! His Majesty banished him to another dimension a long time ago. I wonder how he escaped…" Goofy explained thoughtfully.

"Pete started laughing."You wanna know, eh? Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how! And now your world - no, no, no, all words - are gonna belong to yours truly..." he did a mock bow, "'Cause Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em!" he ended a satisfied smile.

"Maleficent, huh?" Sora smirked as Goofy and Donald snickered.

""What are you laughin' at? Why, Maleficent's power is so great that—" Pete started but Sora cut him off

"She's toast." He snickered.

"Whaddya mean?" Pete yelled, outraged. Then, realization hit his face as he exclaimed, "You! So you're the ones who did it!" he waved an accusing finger at the three.

Sora grinned and wrapped his arms behind his head. "Well, we mighta had something to do with it."

Pete shook with anger and shouted, "Just you wait! Nobody—and I mean nobody— messes with the mighty Pete!"

"So, mighty Pete," Sora mocked, "who lives in this tower anyway?"

"Oh ya don't know, eh? Well it's old Yen Sid. 'Course, he's probably a heartless by now!" he replied haughtily. Donald and Goofy both made sounds of astonishment.

"Yen Sid is the King's teacher!" Goofy explained at Sora's and Reina's confused faces. The duck and dog immediately ran inside.

"Wow, sounds powerful!"Sora exclaimed, and Reina nodded. They both followed Goofy, leaving poor Pete alone with his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

But as soon as they went inside, they were met by Heartless already fighting with Goofy and Donald. The small creatures saw Sora and Reina enter the room and several others immediately appeared, creeping towards them.

Reina gripped her weapon in her right hand tightly and used all the Struggle techniques she could think of against the Heartless. Each time one was defeated and burst into a haze of darkness, a small, sparkling heart was released. The process went on until the last Heartless was cleared, though the trio was less than happy at the victory.

"Heartless, Heartless, Heartless! Things haven't changed one bit!" Donald stomped on the floor angrily.

"Good thing we're on the job, then." Goofy said in a would-be positive voice, but he looked disappointed too.

"So, the worlds aren't at peace after all…" Sora muttered sadly, staring at the floor.

"Well…" Reina started shyly and they looked up at her. She knew she probably won't be able to relate to the hard work the three put in, but she wanted to keep a positive outlook in this group.

"I don't think you guys should lose hope now." She said. "We're so close to meeting Yen Sid and I bet he'll be able to tell you why the Heartless are still popping up. I mean, look at him! He's the King's teacher! If he can't tell us, no one can. And…and maybe he'll be able to help us find our friends…"

Sora smiled and turned to Goofy and Donald. "She's right, guys. We can't give up now!"

"Right, then let's move." Donald said, leading everyone several flights of stairs. Though there were several encounters with Heartless, and though Reina kept feeling dizzy whenever she looked down, they all managed to reach a door with a golden star on it in one piece.

Donald and Goofy rushed inside the door quickly while Sora and Reina took their time, looking around the large but crowded room. It was filled with various, dusty books with notes and bookmarks sticking out of them. Their eyes finally stopped at ancient man with a long white beard with a pointy blue hat with matching blue robes.

"Master Yen Sid! It's an honor!"Goofy and Donald said in unison as they bowed. Reina looked at them confusedly and ended it copying them.

"Hey there!" Sora waved.

"Sora! Show some respect!" Donald hissed, shooting him a quick glare. Sora grinned awkwardly, and Yen Sid acknowledged everyone.

"So you are Sora. You must be Reina. I've heard a lot about you two." He said, turning his eyes to the teens and then addressing everybody. "Now, then. Have you seen the King yet?"

"Yes, but we haven't got a chance to talk to him yet." Donald replied.

"The King has quite been busy of late….Therefore, it seems the task of instructing you four falls upon my shoulders. You have a perilous journey ahead of you and you must be well prepared."

"You mean…we're gonna have to go on another quest? I was looking forward to finding Riku…" Sora said, looking crestfallen. Reina had a mixed reaction at this statement: excitement to be traveling all sorts of worlds, and fear to be encountering Heartless, just how the others described their previous journey.

"I know it must be troubling, Sora, but everything in this journey is connected. Whether or not you and Reina will return to your worlds with your friends or whether the worlds are going to be there at all rests on both your shoulders."

Before Reina could question, Sora asked, "But, wait a sec. I thought we closed the door to Kingdom Hearts. How come the Heartless are still running around, then?"

"It's true that in your previous journey, you encountered many Heartless and defeated those who controlled them to take over Kingdom Hearts. The Heartless may be weaker now, but they are darkness made real and darkness still yet lingers in every heart. It will be a difficult task to eliminate them all." Yen Sid answered.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all let out a big sigh, and Reina didn't like the sound of it at all.

"But...does that mean I have to go on this quest with them too?" Reina asked Yen Sid, dreading the answer.

He nodded. "What you have with you is important to the success of their quest."

"Wha…" Before she could ask what she had that was so important, the answer appeared in her hands, in a flash of light. She held up the key-like weapon, staring at her reflection in it.

"The Heartseeker." Yen Sid said, also looking at the weapon. "It chooses the ones with the purest heart as its own, and only if the predecessor chooses to relinquish it."

"So does that mean she's like one of the Seven Princesses?" Goofy asked.

"Precisely. Paired with the Heartseeker, Reina can harness the very power of Kingdom Hearts." Then, his face darkened. "This is exactly why the Nobodies and Heartless would want to use her."

"What are Nobodies?" Reina asked, fearing that they would be even more dangerous than the Heartless.

"When a heart is consumed by darkness, it separates from the darkness and becomes something known as Heartless. A Heartless has no reason, and attacks humans to steal their soul," Yen Sid explained as he waved a hand and a hologram of a Shadow Heartless appeared.

"Meanwhile, when a human - evil or good - with a strong heart becomes a Heartless, the shell left behind develops a will and acts on its own. They are called Nobodies and they don't truly exist at all," Yen Sid explained as he summoned white-suited creatures that moved like they were dancing. "On your journey, there will be an alarming amount of Nobodies with frightening and unique powers that will intend to harm you all. Still, they're nothing but empty vessels destined to return to darkness. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but they only pretend to have hearts."

*That's so sad…they don't have any feelings…* Reina thought, pitying the dancing, white creature.

"There are some among them that possess intellect and look like humans. They've formed an alliance and control the lesser Nobodies. They call themselves Organization XIII." Yen Sid went on. He waved a hand and a figure all too familiar to Reina wearing a long black robe with the hood on.

"Hey! I've seen him before!" Reina exclaimed.

"Where?" Yen Sid asked, looking slightly alarmed.

"At Twilight Town, before my friend disappeared." Reina's eyes widened as she realized something. "Maybe they're the ones who took Roxas…"

"You must be careful, Reina." Yen Sid warned. "I am certain Organization XIII has powers that we don't know, which just makes it easier for them to try and capture your heart. A source tells me that you are the key to their plan. Never let your guard down!"

"Well, at least we know they can control lesser Nobodies." Donald pointed out.

"Like how Ansem controlled the Heartless!" Goofy recalled.

"Correct. While Heartless use their instinct for action, Nobodies function in a higher manner. They can think and plan and these particular Nobodies seem to be working towards a goal. I am not sure what they're planning, but the King has sensed a severe crisis and he's searching every corner of every world to reveal their objective." Yen Sid concluded.

"So that's why the King said he can't go with us yet…" Goofy said, obviously worrying about him.

"Well, at least you've got us now! We'll make sure those Organization guys don't near any heart!" Sora stuck out his chest importantly and flashed a cocky grin.

"Yeah! You can count on us!" Donald and Goofy joined in, and Yen Sid smiled.

"But, before you leave…" Yen Sid turned a door in the room which Reina hadn't noticed before. "Flora! Fauna! Merryweather!"

Suddenly, three blurs of color burst from the door and ushered the Sora and Reina into a circular room. The door shut, and the three fairies stood smiling in front of them.

"What's going on?" Reina asked.

"We're going to make you some new clothes, dear. You can't go traveling all of the worlds with just normal clothes!" Flora, the one in pink, replied and with a wave of her wand, two measuring tapes appeared.

"Stand still!" The fair in blue, Merryweather, commanded. The teens did as told and Fauna, the fairy in green, took notes of the measurements. After it was done, Merryweather quickly stepped up and waved her wand.

"Done!" She said proudly. Reina looked at her clothes and jumped. They were all blue!

Fauna shook her head in disagreement. "No, no, that won't do!" She waved her wand and turned the clothes green. Everyone looked at each other uncertainly.

"How dare you!" Merryweather yelled. She waved her wand, and the clothes became blue again. It went on like this for a few moments and it was dizzying for Reina to see her clothes turn from blue to green to blue and back again.

"Can't you guys decide already?" Sora asked impatiently. The fairies looked surprised, and looked at each other in a silent agreement.

"We can't be squabbling now!" Flora said. The other two fairies looked at each other and nodded. "All together now!" Flora said, and the three waved their wands at once. There was a flash of sparkling light and when it subsided, Reina looked into the mirror and gasped.

Her full outfit changed magically from a simple dress and flats to a pale blue and green sleeveless kimono-like top that had the material crossing over her shoulders to connect to a hood, which covered her slightly bare back and black shorts. The top was secured by two buckled straps on the side and was very comfortable. Fingerless gloves with the same heart emblem that appeared on the Heartseeker covered her hands, and so did a variety of arm bands and an armor-like shoulder guard on her right arm. She had ankle sneakers and black thigh high stockings with a pack on her left leg.

*Olette's gonna be so jealous* Reina thought smugly, looking happily at her new outfit. Sora had on the same style of baggy pants and jacket as before, but with different colors and different shoes and he too looked pleased with the new outfit.

"Those aren't ordinary garments." Fauna told them. "They have very special powers."

Before the two could ask what powers were, Flora waved her wand at Sora. "Take the orb, dear." He did as told, and another flash of light appeared.

"Woah!" The brunette had two Keyblades and wore a red outfit, though it was the same style as his previous one. Reina looked at him in awe.

"This journey is going to be twice as difficult as your last one." Merryweather told him and Sora sunk into a deep, defeated sigh. It would take forever to find Riku and get back to islands…

Flora waved her wand again and another orb appeared in front of Reina. The teenager took the orb and another flash of light appeared in the room. It cleared and revealed her in full armor, complete with a helmet which she could see out of. It was silver and black, and it encased her outline perfectly, though it felt more like a metal shell to her.

"It's so heavy!" Reina said, raising an arm with some difficulty. She summoned the Heartseeker and tried to lunge at the air, but she lost her balance. Sora, as an instinct, tried to catch her, but the armor was so heavy that he fell too. They both cracked up laughing, and their magical outfits disappeared in another flash of shimmering light.

"Your garments also have other powers but you will have to discover what they are on your journey." Flora told them with a slight chuckle.

Sora and Reina looked at each other and smiled. "Okay, we'll do our best." Sora said.

"Thank you very much!" Reina added with a grin.

"Oh!" Flora exclaimed. "There's something waiting for you outside from Master Yen Sid." Muttering excited goodbyes to the fairies and Yen Sid, the two rushed outside to see what the surprise was.

"The Gummi Ship!" Sora shouted happily at the sight of an orange airship, designed like a rocket. As he raced towards it, Reina stayed behind, staring at the spot Pete was and frowned. She wondered what actually happened to Maleficent…the trio looked way too innocent to actually be able to kill someone. She sure hoped so; they were the only people she could trust to get Roxas back to Twilight Town.

"What's wrong?"

Reina jumped and saw Sora looking at her peculiarly. She shook her head. "Nothing." She followed Donald and Goofy towards the Gummi Ship, but before she could set her foot onto the steps to climb onto it, Sora blocked her way with a mischievous smile.

"Stop! You can't get on!" He said, sticking out his palm in halting motion.

Reina looked him, surprised. "Why?"

"This ship runs on happy faces!" he grinned, remembering when Donald and Goofy told him the same thing in Traverse Town. "Without one, you can't enter!"

"Oh wow." Reina rolled her eyes, but a slight smile danced on her lips.

"What's wrong?" Sora repeated, looking a little more serious. Reina smiled slightly at his thoughtfulness, but faded when she spoke.

"Well, remember what you said about Maleficent? Did you actually…?" Reina trailed off.

"Oh, that." Sora said with a smile, realizing how new Reina was to this. "Well, we did." Seeing Reina's expression he continued hastily, "But she was someone who controlled Heartless. If she went on, worlds would've been taken over by Heartless."

At that, Reina felt a little more at ease, though she hoped that she would never have to encounter something like that in this journey. Just the thought of it made her blood run cold. Setting those thoughts aside, she gave him a huge smile and he returned it with one of his own.

"That's more like it!" He stepped aside and waved his hand courteously at the entrance. "Welcome aboard!"

Reina laughed and entered the ship, with Sora at her side. She was surprised to how small it was inside; it had a small room that served as a living room with a kitchen attached to it opposite of the entrance and a hallway on the right side of the room. There was only a sofa and a dining table to adorn the room's white walls and tile floor. The hallway had four doors on either side of it, and had a bigger door at the end of it.

"There's my room, Donald's room, Goofy's room, the Front…" he frowned.

"What happened?"

"There's no room for you."

"It's okay, I'll just sleep on the sofa." Reina waved off.

Sora shook his head. "You'll get cold. You can take my room, if –"

"No, it's alright, really!" Reina insisted, turning slightly red. She didn't want to be a burden on them, especially after they had to take her in on such short notice. Before Sora could argue, she turned to the door leading to the Front. She opened it, and outpoured a huge number of colorful buttons and blinking devices in every direction. There was a huge glass dome, giving a 360 degree view of whatever was going on outside. Three seats occupied the room, with Donald and Goofy occupying two of them. They seemed to be absorbed in conversation concerning a blank radar on the side wall, and before she knew it, Sora joined in.

Feeling too tired to ask what was going on, Reina just slipped back into the main room and flopped onto her back on the sofa. So much happened in just a short amount of time…she lost her best friend, fought Heartless, left her home world for the first time, and met a whole bunch of strangers (not to mention a king). Just thinking about all that made feel ever more tired so before she knew it, she drifted off into sleep.


A figure clothed in black crouched behind a bush in Twilight Town's forest, feeling thoroughly disgruntled. He set his blue eyes to the sky and thought, *How come I'm the one stuck with this stupid job?*

The Organization XIII member was supposed to wait for a certain redhead to pop up, on Number VII's command. He sighed heavily and drew his finger into the ground, drawing a tower in the dirt when he finally heard two voices.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

That voice…it reminded him of someone…

"For the millionth time, yes. If you ask me one more time, I swear I'll burn your hair off." The other voice said, annoyed.

Definitely Axel.

"Jeez, just asking. How long will it take?"

Axel just sighed while the other person kept asking him questions. The voices seemed to be coming closer and the blond did his best to hide himself in the forest's greenery. Then, he saw the two figures in plain view and widened his eyes.

*Roxas!*

Without thinking, he jumped from the hiding spot and faced the startled Axel and Roxas.

"I- I can't believe you!" he said, pointing an accusing finger at the shorter blond, who still wore a shocked countenance. "You traitor!"


Eesh, I'm so sorry for the lateness of this chapter…again ;A; School's really killing me, and I hateeee it

I'm kinda sorry about this chapter xp It's kinda rushed (at least to me) and I couldn't string all my thoughts together because homework kept getting in the way -_-" I wonder if there are any spelling mistakes…gahhh too lazy to check -_-"

Anywayyy I hoped you liked this chapter and I would love some ideas, feedback, comments! :D

p.s Anyone else having trouble with the line breaks? :/