Night. Was this what Riku lived within now? An eternal night? Sora stirred from under the blanket that covered him, sleep escaping him, as it had the past few nights of their travel. Restless, he turned his eyes up to the star-filled sky. Perhaps it was this feeling he was getting, this feeling, which told him that they had to be nearing the entrance to Kingdom Hearts. He could feel it, deep down inside. For two years he had been searching…wandering everywhere in existence, it seemed, to find a way to that inaccessible location. Yes, it was true; Gummi Ships were now inadequate forms of travel. But, with his keyblade, Sora had found he could open doorways and portals, which connected the worlds. Of course, he never let Donald or Goofy know that it was he, who opened those gates. Because they knew, as well as he did, that those doors were meant to remain shut forever. No, it was simpler to tell them that he found them open; so surely, it was destiny for them to continue on. If he hit a rough spot with them, all he had to do was mention King Mickey's name and they'd continue on unconditionally. Sometimes though, he wondered what prices he would have to pay later on for opening so many doors. But, as for now, he would pay any price to reunite his friends. It would all be worth it. Sighing, Sora threw off the covers, finding sleep an unattainable pleasure. Grabbing his keyblade, he decided it was time for a walk.

Sora looked around him, a gentle, observant smile on his face. He was unsure of the world he found himself in now, but he knew one thing. He loved the atmosphere. Gentle sloping hills curved across the land, as the moon shone down with a tender radiance. Stars seemed to flicker in and out of existence, winking at him from across the cosmos. There had been no one in sight when they had arrived, and that absence had remained throughout their entire time here. Aside from the birds and an occasional brown speckled deer, not a single living thing had crossed their path. Dismal thoughts, however, dampened the beauty and glory of the terrain. Riku…Kairi…what were they doing now? Were they happy? Sora sincerely doubted Riku's happiness, although he could pray for nothing more every night. Nothing more than that and to find the gateway to Kingdom Hearts soon. Feet slowly, quietly, treaded across the soft ground, bending the stems of grass below them, coming to a gradual stop by a stream. He looked right and left, then back behind him in confusion. Where, exactly, was he? Deciding it trivial where he was, as long as he was in the same world, he sat down beside the stream and watched the water hasten down it's path, jolting around the rocks, and sputtering down a small waterfall. Sora watched the movement with slight interest, subconsciously trying to keep his mind on light-hearted things. Suddenly, he sensed movement all around him, and he stood up, looking around. His hand slowly ran to the keyblade by his side, ready to draw the weapon at any moment.


"Hello?" he said quietly, eyes shifting from one direction to another. "Is anyone there…?"

He was answered by the rustling in some bushes to his right, followed by the appearance of one of his least favorite things. A Heartless crouched before him, the small shadow-like creature mocking his presence. Sora glared at the small intruder, and started to walk towards him, not really intending to kill the creature. After all, Heartless were supposed to be gone from this world. They were sealed away into Kingdom Hearts. Putting two and two together, Sora was sure this little one could lead him to the gateway. The Heartless cocked its head, as Sora crept forward, its antenna quivering slightly. Suddenly, it darted off, dashing to its right. Now, he was sure something was up; the Heartless never ran from him before. Encouraged by this change of pace, Soar took off, dashing wildly after the renegade Heartless, shoving tree branches and cobwebs out of his way as he followed it. The chase only lasted a few moments, for Sora caught the creature, right as it scurried into a small opening in a rock beside him.
"How am I going to…?" Sora sighed, realizing only his arm could fit into the small cavity.

He sat by the gap and thought for a few moments, every once in a while, peeking into the small hole, which seemed to lead to nothing but a shadowy cavern. After discarding a few theories that had popped into his mind, he decided the best course of action would be to try and blow up the rock, revealing a larger hole, which he could fit through. He took a few steps back and pointed his keyblade at the rock.

Exclaiming, "Blizzaga!", he held tight to his keyblade, as ice shot out from it, blasting into the boulder.

After a few rounds of the spell, the boulder began to crack. Grinning, Sora swung around with his keyblade, slamming the weapon into the rock as hard as possible. He flinched as the blade hit the stone, but was rewarded for his efforts. The boulder shattered, revealing a cave. Mouthing words of triumph, he hastened into the cavern

The cave was damp and murky, the smell of decaying flesh lingering in the air. Holding his nose and trying not to be sick, Sora continued in his pursuit of the Heartless. Surely…it couldn't have gone far. Moving along at a gradual pace, he tried to get a look at his surroundings, but there wasn't any light at all in the cavern. No wonder it attracted Heartless so. Although his sense of sight was useless, he could still hear and feel perfectly well, and relied on those senses to guide him throughout the area. And, both senses served him well, for as he felt his way around a corner, the scurrying of feet caught his attention. He quickly followed the sound, and found that as he did so, a dim light began to fill the cavern. Thrilled with this new breakthrough, Sora started to run after the sound, only to run…head-on into a wall. Cursing out loud, he glanced around abruptly for the Heartless. He had lost its trail. Kicking the wall he had run into, he took his slow pace back and continued on. However, he didn't have very long to go. As he turned the corner, a portal came into view, looming before him ominously. In sheer awe, Sora took small steps forward, his eyes locked on the amethyst gateway…that had to lead to some realm of darkness. Immediately, his heart leapt, could it be? The doorway to Kingdom Hearts? He nearly darted straight in, but something stopped him. He thought of Donald and Goofy, back where they had camped for the night. Should he go get them? Sora thought for a moment, and then slowly shook his head. No, he should leave them there; this was too dangerous for them. But…leaving a note might be a good plan. Sora shuffled through his pockets, amazed to find both a pen and a scrap of paper there. He knelt down on the ground, and wrote for about three minutes, slowly standing and leaving the paper on the floor. He faced the portal and took a deep breath.

"I'm comin', Riku." Sora slowly said, as he stepped through the gateway into shadows.