Wow, that was impressive! I've been getting more views than I thought. Please enjoy this fanfic! Although, quick warning: Jared knows some people from Radiant Garden.

I woke up in a new place, but unsure where. I slowly opened my eyes, then as I slowly got up. I noticed that I still have that longsword from my home island in my hand. I decided to explore around, but I didn't expect to be in a town at night! Instead of my home island.

I looked around, and see anything odd, but I found none. I decided to explore this town. But when I reached a new place, a person was running, but then got knocked down from nothing as I see a heart come out of that man!

There was a cloud of darkness from the corner of my eye as the heart floated there, and then turned into a different creature: One wearing armor, but with a symbol on its chest. Looks like some kind of heart symbol is what I saw before it disappeared. I took a few steps forward, then I was surrounded by those same creatures from the island!

I fought them with the best I could, but soon I was out numbered and injured! I need to retreat and heal! I exited the area through the doors I went through, only to see more of those creatures! I had to keep running and find a safe place to go to so I can heal!

I went inside the closest building I went to, but I ended up in a new place. There seems to be a man working the shop, but he looks so familiar and… IS IT REALLY HIM?! I walked right up to him and greeted him.

"Hey, kid! Haven't seen you around before."

"Can you tell me where I am?" I slowly approached him.

"Why, you're in Traverse Town. Never heard of this place, or are you new? By the way, this here's my shop and the name's Cid."

"CID!" I shouted. "It's good to see you again!"

"Huh?" He took a closer look at me, then gasped. "Jared?!" I nodded eagerly. "Well, I'll be! It's good to see you, too! How's life going?"

"Pretty good, Cid. How're you holding up? Haven't seen you since Radiant Garden was lost."

"Yeah, everything's going pretty well. Tell you what: For being a close friend, I'll give you a discount on my merchandise."

"Deal!" I looked what he has in stock, but I have no way on how to pay for it all.

"All the stuff I sell gets paid by Munny. But here, I'll give you some items for free." He presented me with five green bottles, and three blue bottles. "The green ones are Potions, and the blue ones are Ethers."

"Thanks, Cid!" I said as I drank one Potion and, feeling much better, saved the rest as stock, then exited out.

"The Heartless will keep on coming." I instantly turned to where that voice was spoken from.

"Who's there?!"

"And they'll just keep on…" He showed himself, but stopped when he looked at me. "Sorry. You're not the person I was looking for."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" I prepared my sword in a defensive position. I can tell he's impressed with the way I have a sword. "And you're not getting this sword, either!" I added when he took two steps forward.

"Alright," he said as he picked up his own sword. "Then have it your way." He aimed it at me and blasted at me with something fire related, but I quickly parried it, then charged for the offense.

Which was a bad idea! As soon as I was ready to swing, he slashed with his sword, causing me to be thrown back, but I managed to land on my feet with a couple flips. Although, this guy is familiar, I can't tell who he is.

Either way, I can't hesitate for too long because he's about to fire another blast at me! I quickly dodged out of the way, then waited for an opportunity to strike at him where he's most vulnerable.

When I managed to pick off enough hits at him, he started to slip as he lost his balance for a bit and got down. I looked at him with my stare that I've been practicing: the intimidation stare! If I outsmart my opponent and use this stare, then they'll think twice of ever battling me.

But this man just got back up and, after seeing my stare, but didn't attack. I take it he must know that he can't be beaten. But then, he quickly approached me, but I managed to jump back before he did anything.

"You must've been smart," he said, "to know what was coming." I think I may know who this guy is, but I'll have to risk it! But then again, I got very exhausted by the battle I faced against him. And then he continued to approach me.

"S-Squall?" I asked him. He stopped in his tracks, then looked at me. It has been 10 years since I last saw him. "Squall, is that you?"

He grunted. "What makes you think you have the right to…" He moved two steps closer, and then gasped as he lowered his sword. "J-Jared?!" I nodded, but then fell to the ground, dropping my sword.

~"Squal's" POV~

When I saw that the boy was Jared and saw him falling, I rushed over and caught him, then hearing something clatter as his sword hits the ground. I looked at it and saw that it was a longsword.

"You slipped, Leon." I looked over and saw her. That ninja girl can sure show up at times at the most wrongful moments.

"Nothing too wrong, Yuffie," I told her. "Just the same outcome came when we all were kids." I picked up Jared and, with Yuffie picking up his sword, we traveled to the inn at the Alleyway, where Yuffie would look over him until he awakens.

But before we left the First Destrict, I slipped on something. After dropping Jared off at the inn, I told Yuffie to look after him and his sword as I went back to the First Destrict. I head over to where I slipped on that object, I look down to see some kind of staff.

Whoever lost sure would like to have it back. I picked up the staff, then went to the Alleyway towards the Traverse Town inn.

~Jared's POV~

All was black and silent. Then I heard something else. "Come on, lazy bum. Wake up!" I slowly opened my eyes, then see a girl. She looks like Kairi, but she's not! I wonder… Ah!

"Y-Yuffie? Is that you?" I asked her, and she gasped.

"Jared!" She gave me a big hug, to which I grunted in pain a little. She let go immediately. "I think you've overdone it this time, Squall!"

He showed up. "That's Leon." I looked at him and, yep, he definitely is Sqall, but I'll call him Leon from now on. I looked at his feet, then saw my longsword.

"My sword!"

"Yeah, Jared." Yuffie said, then they explained about the creatures. Apparently, they're known as Heartless, beings looking for hearts.

I was explained to that, as long as I have the sword, the Heartless will find me, as well as a different weapon known as a 'Keyblade.' I'd better find the wielder of it and quickly. "Before you go, Jared. There's a place in the Third District where someone lives there that can help you."

I nodded, then head there after taking my sword. At first it was empty. I thought something was wrong and that Leon tricked me into coming here. But then more creatures showed up. They must be the Heartless they warned me about! I have to fight!

Thank goodness Leon taught me some tricks of the sword as I managed to slice them out of existence, each one a heart coming out from a small cloud of darkness in a single hit. Once they're all gone, I put it away.

I was looking around, and I see some kind of painting. What's a painting doing in the Third District? I touched the painting, and instantly, a door appeared. Why is it there? Could this be the way Leon and Yuffie told me about?

I entered in, but then I stood some distance away from a tall tower. I decided to investigate it. The second I stepped inside the tower, more of those Heartless appeared, but from Leon and Yuffie, they're called Shadows.

I fought off the Shadows with my longsword. Once they're gone, I heard a feminine scream coming from up towards the top of the tower. I started climbing up it, taking out and Shadows in front of me, clearing a pathway to the top.

As I reached the top floor, I listened closely for anything suspicious, until I heard a bit of moaning coming nearby. I head over to where the sound is, and bust the door down, to see a man dressed as an assassin keeping a girl hostage to him.

He turned around. "You're too late." He said. "This woman belongs to me."

"You're wrong." I told him as I readied with my longsword. "You will be the one to fall." I charged at him, ready for a faint strike to the feet when it should be a stab to the chest. With the girl behind him, his only means is to either jump, which was planned for me, or try to parry it.

But I never expected his decision. He just slashed back at me, causing me to stagger back from the blow. "You think that kind of attack would stop me? You're worthless compared to my skills."

"We'll see." I called out. I looked up just when he was about to charge me. I knew he'd switch from stab to slash, so I didn't flinch until he changed his angle, to which I parried quite well, and countered it with a stab to the chest.

He never expected it coming as he looked down. "J-Jerk!" He called out when I pulled my sword out and he fell to the floor, dead.

I approached the girl, who was traumatized by the experience because she just saw a fight happen right before her eyes. "You okay there, um…"

"K-Kairi," she said nervously.

"Right. You okay, Kairi?"

"No. Roll the 'r' in my name. Kairi." I pronounced it back, rolling the 'r' this time. "And yes, I'm okay. Thank you for rescuing me. If you hadn't shown up…" She was losing her voice, getting quieter until she stopped.

"It's okay." I told her. "I'm glad he didn't do real harm to you."

"Well, actually, he kinda touched me. In a certain place, but…"

"Stop worrying! It's his sin, and he should pay." She jumped a little and looked at me, surprised.

"W-Wow! I never met anyone who talks like that. I'm glad you came, um…"

"Jared."

"Right. Thank you again, Jared. Here." She reaches into her dress pocket and pulls out a glowing, weird, star-shaped object. "This is a Star Shard. It'll help us teleport from one world to another." So there are other worlds out there! She just said so herself.

"But before we leave Traverse Town, I need to head back to the First District." I took her hand and calmly lead her out of the place and into the Third District, where I saw three pillars blocking us.

"What's going on now?!" I exclaimed. I pulled out my sword and slashed at it, getting nothing except a scratch on the pillar. "There's no way out, Kairi. We'll have to wait for them to go." After a few seconds of doing nothing, I decided to bond with Kairi.

Apparently, she was a Cleric, who heals with a staff. She could also use it to whack the Heartless away if they get too close to her. She was also the descendent to a family of Healers, and she was next in line to possess her healing staff.

"But the problem is," she said, "I lost it somewhere in the First District when the man you killed surprised me. I was hoping you'd come with me." I nodded. "Thank you Jared."

I turned around, but to see the pillars gone, and I see Sora there, holding that giant key of his. "SORA!" I shouted out and ran towards him.

He turned and saw me, then came after me in a tight embrace. "Jared, you're safe!" Then we heard someone clearing their throat. I looked and I see two animals there: A duck, and some kind of dog?

I rubbed my eyes a little to see if I wasn't dreaming. I looked again, and they're still there. "Sora, what happened here?"

"Well, many Heartless showed up when those two crash landed into me…"

"We said we were sorry!"

"…but then after that, a huge Heartless showed up in six different pieces of armor: Two arms, two feet, a head, and a body. We had to work together to finish it off." He looked over and saw Kairi. "Who's she?"

I looked at her. "That's Kairi. But not the Kairi we know. Roll the 'r' in her name. And I saved her from potential rape. I was planning on traveling with her when we got her staff back from the First District."

"You mean this staff?" Leon said as he pulled out a staff. "I slipped on it, then decided to come back for it after dropping you off at the inn."

"That's it!" Kairi shouted out and came after Leon. Leon just tossed the staff and she caught it with a twirl. "Thank you so much!"

"We ready to go, Kairi?"

"Yes, let's go." Kairi came to me and I let go of my hug with Sora.

"Bye, Sora. Hope we meet again soon!" I held Kairi's hand as we went off in a flash of light.

~Sora's POV~

After seeing Jared leave with his new friend Kairi, I turned back to the two that I worked with to defeat that giant Heartless. "So, you two were looking for me?" They both nodded.

"They, too," Leon said, "have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade." Yuffie nodded, as if to prove his point.

"Hey," The dog one called out, getting back my attention, "why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel."

Since I know that Jared is safe, I was still worried about Riku and Kairi. The Kairi I knew since kids, not the recent Kairi that Jared met. I'm just… not sure what to do. "Sora," Leon called out, "go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."

"I guess…" I told him, some doubt hitting my tone.

"But you can't," the duck mentioned, "come along looking like that. Understand? No frowning. No sad face. Okay? Because this boat runs on happy faces."

"Happy?" I thought about it and, if I want to leave this world, I'll have to put on one. So, I did what they said: Put on a happy face. Although I must've looked bad, those two started laughing, with the dog saying that it was one funny face.

That must've cheered me right up. "Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys." They each held out their hand, introducing themselves as Donald Duck and Goofy. "I'm Sora."

The two joined their hands together, and I pitched in. "All for one, and one for all." Goofy called out.