Note: All right, FanFiction.net was down for a bit, but I still have the chapter ready, and I hope you all like it. Since everyone seemed so intent on seeing on what happened to Riku, and who this mysterious stranger is, here is Chapter Three, and the real starting point of the story. Not only do we get to meet this new character, find out a lot more about Kingdom Hearts (in my eyes, people, I can't influence Squaresoft or Disney!), but we also get to find out why I named the fanfiction, 'The Third Door'. Yay!

It seemed like he had slept for an eternity. Riku slowly awakened, rubbing his eyes, although there was no light to jolt them from the world of dreams. Strange though…his dreams had not been nightmares. No, quite the contrary, they had been memories of good times from the past, and possibilities of the future. Wonder what miracle brought that change about…? Suddenly, Riku leapt to his feet, shouldering his keyblade, spinning around to look behind him, breathing and heart rate accelerating. Where was the giant flood of Heartless that was supposed to come shooting after him, the giant flood of Heartless that was supposed to attack him and chase him until he felt as if he were about to die? He blinked once, and then twice, followed by the rubbing of his eyes. After a few moments, he smacked himself hard across the face, coughing when his hand made impact. He shuttered, that had really hurt. So…it wasn't a dream, then. First peaceful sleep…now Kingdom Hearts without Heartless? Something was really…terribly wrong. Slowly, Riku allowed his keyblade to fall to the ground, and he forced himself to calm down. One cannot think with a panicked mind. His eyes surveyed the surroundings deftly, looking for anything else unusual. Nothing…nothing…wait! Riku glared up about ten feet onto a platform, where a figure, hidden in shadows, stood motionlessly. Instinctively, he grasped his keyblade, fingers running over its smooth surface without thought. The target was at a distance…time to break out the magic.

"Thundaga!" he exclaimed, pointing his keyblade in the figure's direction.

A grin spread across his face as the thunderous bolts of lightning shot towards the being, but the grin was quickly replaced with a grimace of anger, as a barrier of Aeroaga formed over the person. Damn it, that wasn't only a blocked attack, it was a waste of valuable MP as well. Now, it was time for the direct approach, he would have to move in. Clutching his keyblade in one hand, Riku ran forward and jumped, intending to leap straight onto the platform. Unfortunately, what was intended to happen didn't. Instead, his jump was not quite high enough, and he ended up hanging off the end of the overhang. He screamed as a foot stomped down on his hand, struggling not to let go, to keep his grip. There was a glint of metal, and Riku suddenly found his eyes locked on the point of a keyblade. For a moment, there was silence.

Then, the figure spoke up, saying, "Firing stray lightning bolts is not a very polite way to greet the guardian of Kingdom Hearts."

The man took hold of Riku's other hand and pulled him up to face him on the platform. Now that they were eye to eye, Riku could actually make out most of the unknown person's features. Long raven black hair crossed down his chest, ending at about his waist. Stunning silver eyes regarded him curiously…eyes that seemed to penetrate right down to your very soul. His expression, however, seemed stone-like…emotionless. As if nothing could ever faze him. He stood about 6'1", not all that tall, but very intimidating. He wore a black cloak draped about him, with a silver-gray uniform beneath. If there was more to his appearance, it could not be distinguished from the shadows surrounding him.

Desperate to break the deafening silence, Riku spoke up, saying, "Kingdom Hearts…has a guardian?"

The man nodded slightly, face showing an expression of pensive thought. He looked at Riku carefully, before responding.

"Yes, Kingdom Hearts has a guardian. But, that seems to be no more than a title these days, as even I am powerless to stop the reign of Heartless here. I haven't seen anyone here for years…millennia…" he replied, trailing off slowly at the end, but extending his hand to him. "But, how rude, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Sarain. It is an honor to meet you…Riku, right?"

Riku simply nodded in reply, eagerly taking Sarain's hand and shaking it. He wasn't interested in asking how Sarain knew his name; after all, he was the guardian of Kingdom Hearts. However, it was clear he was preoccupied with other thoughts.
"What about the king?" Riku asked. "Surely, you've seen a big mouse walking about here…"
"I've seen no one aside from you." Sarain replied bluntly. "But, this may tell you something. I found this keyblade a year ago…when I picked it up, it morphed into what you see now. Your king…he wielded a keyblade, didn't he?"
He responded with a scoffing tone, "Not my king. But…yes, he did carry a keyblade. I suppose he died…the keyblade chose you as its next master… Is that even possible?"

"Highly possible. You think the blade would remain obsolete just because its wielder died?" was the response he was given.

There was silence after that, until Sarain turned to look into the distance.

"You want out of here, don't you?" he asked Riku, his emotionless face actually showing some compassion.

Riku's heart leapt at the hand fate had dealt him. Was it possible that he could get out of here? Away from the shadows and constant terror…away from the living nightmare? Sarain slowly smiled, reading the response from the youth's eyes.

"Follow me." he told Riku, jumping down off the platform and heading west. "I think I know a place that might help you out."
Riku automatically followed, his mind still reeling. This had to be a dream…but he knew it wasn't. He was actually going to leave Kingdom Hearts.

"Don't go getting your hopes up, now." Sarain spoke up from ahead of him. "I'm not sure this will work, yet."

Although Riku heard him, it felt impossible not be excited. He had a chance to get out of here, to go home, and go back to the way life used to be. To see Kairi…and Sora. The thought brought him to greater exhilaration, above and beyond the capabilities of calming down. The trip was silent, and Heartless-free, to Riku's further confusion.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked the guardian, "Where are the Heartless?"

"On the other side of Kingdom Hearts." was Sarain's reply. "They should be distracted for quite a while now. Don't concern yourself with that, though."

Before he could respond, a blinding light shattered through the darkness, causing Riku to fall to his knees, eyes squinted ahead to see what could be generating such beauty as light. Before him stood a giant, white tower, which seemed to be made of pure light.

"Welcome to the White Tower, Riku." Sarain said to him, looking down at the kneeling figure. "Light's prison within Kingdom Hearts."

Climbing to his feet, Riku stared in awe of the sight in front of him. He took a few hesitant steps forward, then broke into a frenzied run. Light. Blessed light. Before he could reach that holy tower, he found himself clinging to a tall white gate, unaware that his path was blocked.
"Now, we see if you can get out of here." Sarain's voice called out to him. "Your keyblade possesses the ability to unlock hearts. Let's see if you can unlock the gates of the realm of hearts!"

Discouragement tried to rear its ugly head, but Riku pressed it aside, and nodded. He had to be able to unlock the gate…there was no way that he was not going to make it. Not when he was this close. Taking a few steps back, Riku held out his keyblade, silently praying. Nothing seemed to happen. He forced back tears, no, this couldn't be happening. He nudged the blade closer to the keyhole, and closed his eyes, concentrating every part of his existence on opening that keyhole. He felt a powerful energy shoot from the tip of the blade, and was pushed back a few feet. There was a creaking noise as he opened his eyes. The gate swung open, and Sarain put a hand on his shoulder.

"I have much to explain to you, and little time to do so." he insisted, pushing Riku forward. "Hurry, before the Heartless come."

As they walked in, Riku saw they were confronted with what seemed to be an endless string of stairs. Without comment, both he and Sarain began to climb.

"Kingdom Hearts is, indeed, the source of all hearts." Sarain said, eyes locked on the path ahead. "I can understand why some would doubt this. But, Kingdom Hearts simply reflects the hearts of others. And, the hearts of our worlds are balanced, as they should be. So, one would think, Kingdom Hearts would be split between the light and the shadows. And, it used to be this way, true. But, when Ansem's powerful, and dark heart, gained so much power, he shifted the scales in favor of the shadows. So, now all that is left of the light is locked away in this tower."

Sarain looked to Riku for his understanding of the concept, which Riku showed he gained with a nod. It made enough sense…

"Now, the only way to restore Kingdom Hearts to its true form, and stop the Heartless's tyranny is to undo the damage that Ansem did. Your friend, the other keyblade wielder, he made a good start. He destroyed the source…"

Riku's mind wandered away from Sarain's lecture for a while. Sora. Where was he now? Was he all right? Was he even…alive?

"But, the next step is even harder. During his 'reign of power', Ansem found the Three Doors."

"Three Doors?" Riku asked.

"Yes, the Three Doors. One holds the essence of life and light, another holds the essence of darkness and death. The other holds the essence of the balance, and nothingness. According to legend, the three keyblade wielders are supposed to open one door, close another, and leave one 'as is'. If this is done correctly, then peace will return." Sarain explained.

Riku thought for a moment, listening to the pounding of their feet upon the stone steps, then looked to Sarain with a confident look.

He gave an open-armed gesture, unable to hide the smile on his face, responding, "Easy enough. Sora wields a keyblade, I wield a keyblade, and you wield a keyblade. That's three. All we have to do is find Sora and…."

He broke off, seeing a rather depressed expression fall over Sarain's face.

"What's wrong?" Riku asked slowly. "I'm right…aren't I?"

"We'll save that for the top of the tower." was Sarain's reply.

After about thirty more minutes of straight climbing, Sarain and Riku finally reached the top of the tower. Riku paced over to one of the windows and looked outward. Kingdom Hearts didn't look much different from a distance then it did from up close. Darkness and shadows. Sarain was apparently telling the truth about the relocation of the Heartless, as the ground on the far-end of the area seemed to be shifting, wreathing about. Holding back an urge to be sick, Riku looked away from the window and to Sarain, who stood before a small candle in the center of the room.

"Now, here is your mission." he told Riku, looking up at the boy. "You must find your friend. Together, you must seek out the Doors…and the new third keyblade wielder."

Riku's eyes shone with disbelief and confusion; a new keyblade wielder?

Before he could ask, Sarain continued, "Because I have to remain here. Someone has to protect the White Tower…and this flame. This flame cannot go out, for it holds all of Kingdom Heart's light. I'll give my keyblade to you. You must find someone to wield it."

Sarain handed his keyblade to Riku, who had fallen speechless. This was the first time he had gotten a good look at the weapon. It was made of pure silver, sleek and shiny. Ebony-colored wings seem to spread outward from the weapon's handle, stretching down to its blade. Riku held the keyblade to his chest for a moment, looking to Sarain.

"You…you're giving up everything, Sarain." Riku stammered. "You-you don't have to…"

"Live strong, Riku." Sarain said, holding his hand outward towards a wall to reveal a portal. "We all rely on you now. Find your friend and the third keyblade wielder. Save the worlds."

Riku felt himself being pulled towards the portal, and took a few unintentional steps forward. He looked back to Sarain, and gave a determined nod. The guardian gave him a gentle smile, then waved his hand, ushering him forward. Riku looked ahead of him, the portal waiting for his move. He walked forward and into the gateway without a second thought.

"What an amazing kid. Feeding and clothing him was worth the effort after all…." Sarain thought, watching his departure.

"You wait and see, Sarain. I'll make you…Sora…and everyone else proud." Riku thought, allowing himself to be absorbed in the intensifying light of the gateway. "I promise…"