I do not own kingdom heats in any way other then the copy of the game that I bought.

Sorry it took so long, it might be a while until I get to post the next chapter.

Thanks to all those who reviewed my average story that I wrote in my spare time during school.

"Cid, we found a strange gummi in another world. Can you tell me what you know about it?" I said, knowing Cid best, I knew what to expect as he approached us with a tempest's fury of words that only could come from a middle-aged, short-tempered, chain-smoking pilot denied of a cigarette for several hours too long. Making comments along the way about this being a 'waste of my time' and 'damn kids don't know shit about their own ship,' "Yeah, I know what it is. I'm not gonna bother with the details but pretty much, it powers up you ship so you can go to other worlds." Said the angered pilot.

Sora, amazed at the power of just one gummi block, was first to speak up. "Really? We can go to new worlds!" Said Sora like an exited child after hearing school was just canceled.

"Yep, I can hook it up for ya. Just go and deliver this book to the house past the door with the flame markings on it," Commented Cid.

Sora had already taken the strange brown book with a smile, saying he'd do it. "Good, just give it to him. The weird guy in the blue robe, name's Marion or Marlin or something. Tell him I did what I could but some pages were missing."

With a nod Sora took the old, large, book and took off towards section three, the rest of us followed. We ran, hardly bothering with the low-level heartless that plagued the city. It was in section three that we found the strange door with flames engraved into the wood. I remember hearing of a strange wizard had lived behind that door, most likely the guy Cid was talking about. "Sora I think this is the place." I said.

"Um. Ok, well here goes nothing." Said Sora as he fell into a deep concentration, pointing the keyblade at the flame emblem as a small ball of fire shot from the weapon and opened the door. As the door opened a small lake with several strangely floating stones leading to an "island" containing a small house at the other end of the pool.

The four of us jumped across the stones and entered the house, empty. "Hello, is anyone here?" Sora asked.

"Who are you?" said a strange voice from behind us. We turned to see an older man in a blue robe and strange pointed hat; he had a long white beard that nearly went to his feet, to his side was a large traveling bag. "Um.we're from Cid's" Sora stuttered out.

"Oh, do you have my book then?" said the man as he opened his bag. I stood in shock as furniture began to exit on its own accord, growing and placing itself in its place in the room. The man took the book that Sora was holding. "Thank you, I've been waiting for this."

"Cid said he did what he could but several pages are still missing, Mr." Sora started, the wizard quickly finished tough, "Merlin and who are you two?" he said looking at Sora and myself.

"I'm Sora and that's Cloud." My youngest companion chimed in.

"I can feel it in both of you, a great power," said Merlin.

"Well, I am the master of the keyblade." Said Sora proudly.

"Is that so? Well please come with me then." Said Merlin as he stepped onto a discolored section of the floor.

Sora obediently followed. When he stood on the strange part of the floor, it rose for up into a hole in the ceiling. The rest of us waited for roughly an hour or so until the section of the floor full back to our level with Sora and Merlin. Just looking at him, at him I could see he was stronger somehow. I figured that Merlin thought him some type of magic. Before we left a strange woman appeared from a small stagecoach. She announced herself as a fiery godmother, she also explained what the strange stone that Sora got from Leon was. Apparently it was called a "summon stone" "In every world that the heartless have destroyed most of the people had their hearts and souls taken," she started. "But, there are a few exceptions, some hearts are too strong to be taken. As their world is destroyed they continue to fight. The hearts become hard and they take form in the summon stones so that they can continue their fight against the heartless even if they only can fight for short periods of time."

"But then what about people like Sora and myself? Our worlds were destroyed and we are still around." I quickly asked.

"Ah yes. There are some hearts that even too strong to become stones, they are usually those who had a direct influence of the fate of that world or whose fate was to do so." She stated, her eyes shifting over to Sora at the end.

We all nodded and left, Merlin telling Sora to return for more training. Sora now with his first summon, Simba, the lord of the lions. We made our way across the lake from Merlin's home and into the streets once again. As I had expected, heartless shadows rose from the ground we had all drawn our weapons, expecting to have to do another battle with the low-level creatures. Before we had even started to fight they were already dead. Before us stood a strange man a bit taller then. He had sloppy, silver hair, and he carried a large red sword in his right hand. Sora excitedly ran foreword, "Riku"

The figure turned around to show youthful face, about the same age as Sora, I was taken back though by his large, bright eyes. In them I saw a strange, indescribable look. A look I had not seen in some time. I felt a growing discomfort in the pits of my stomach as I uttered one word under my breath, "Sephorith." I doubt anyone heard me, which was most likely a good thing, the name that was forever etched in my mind, despite the fact the legendary warrior died at my hands years ago. I was snapped out of my daze by Sora, "Cloud, you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I quickly responded I was fine as Sora and Riku caugh yp, neither of the apparently had found their friend Kari. Soon Sora was going on about the ship and was about to invite his friend along when Donald stepped in, the loud duck unwilling to allow Riku to take up any more space on our small ship. This quickly escalated into an argument between the two shortest members of the group. Sora looked up to invite Riku to join us, despite the ducks continuing protests only to find his friend missing. "Riku, where are you? Where did you go?" Sora shouted but his friend was nowhere to be seen. I was the one who interrupted him, "We should probably get going." Sora, despite his disappointment, Sora agreed and we went to the small home where Leon, Areith, and Yuffie lived.

The visit to Leon and the girl's place was a nice break from the constant battle with heartless and such. As we entered we were greeted with Cid, cigarette in mouth as I was used to and now wearing his old flight jacket. "Ya deliver the book?" he immediately started.

Sora responded affirmatively and Cid said he had attached to new gummi and also added a warp gummi to speed up the longer trips. We then spoke of Ansem the ruler who spent years studying the heartless and the keyholes, till finally being lost to his growing madness and disappearing. Leon said it would be best we continue to search for the keyholes in all the places we end up and to keep our eyes out for any pieces of the lost Ansem's report on the heartless, which he said could be useful in our battles. Areith also told us about the legendary witch Maleficent.

The rest of the night was much less serious. We stayed and relaxed talking and enjoying the break. Leon, as always was the life of the party, standing against the wall, eyes closed, arms crossed and silent. Cid calmly sat at the table, his feet up as he worked on filling the room with smoke. Areith and Yuffie spoke with Sora and myself. Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy kept to themselves. The next morning as we where about to leave and go after the Transverse Keyhole, Leon pulled my aside. "So you're actually going with them?" He asked in usually quiet, melancholy tone."

"Yeah"

"Then can you do me a favor?" He asked, handing a picture of a young couple. The man about twenty, with a large scar going across his face in a navy blue uniform, Leon. His are was wrapped around a young woman of about the same age, with a pretty face and wearing a tan dress. "Her name's Rinoa, my girlfriend, I planned to propose but the heartless came and I lost her. Cloud, can you look for her."

"If I see her I'll bring her back, but I can't make any promises." Leon gave a small smile, as much as I've ever seen him give at least and then his thanks as our mall group left the home of Leon, Areith, and Yuffie. "Guys I have a feeling about the bell tower above the gizmo shop, mind if we check it out?" I asked.

"Sure thing, guys lets check out the gizmo shop." Said Sora, excitedly sprinting ahead of the rest of us, right into a heartless ambush. I muttered under my breath, "Kid better start watchin' out form himself before he gets himself killed," before mentally slapping myself, deciding I'm starting to sound too much like Barret as I sprinted towards the Heartless, raising the buster sword. I had to save the keyblade master.

The four of us were able to dispatch the heartless, a great deal of them being the large rounded ones whose great defense always cause great difficulty in killing. After a while we were finally able to enter gizmo's shop were more heartless attacked us. Exhausted we still fought tem off and made our way to the tower. Quickly bursting our way through the wooden blockade, I rang the bell three times. After the third ring, each of which the scene behind the fountain changed with, Sora said something about a keyhole and sprinted off the fountain the rest of us trying to keep pace. When we reached it, a massive beast of a heartless crashed in front of us. I heard Sora mentioning that he thought he killed the thing before, but I had already drawn my sword and was ready to take the armor-clad behemoth down.

The four of us charged at the foe and attacked, the armor fell quickly with little difficulty. The rest of my party celebrated the quick victory, I had a bad feeling though, it was far too easy a kill for a guardian. My fears were quickly proven to be founded as the fallen pieces of armor began to shake violently, and reform. The metal gauntlets then slamming into the ground, shattering the stone underneath. The feet rose to where the rams had been, and curved forming what resembled a "U" as the body itself reversed. The awkward threat stood before us, the rest of the party now ready for a second round.

The four of us charged again, I immediately went after the lower gauntlets wildly hacking and slashing at the figures "feet." I say Sora doing the same to the iron-plated heartless upper body. I say Goofy jumping in attempt to shield-bash the body only to be casually swatted away by one of the armored hands, sending the dog crashing through a brick wall near the fountain.

In my distraction, I didn't see another giant hand flying at me. The impact tossed me away from the fight, crushing my ribs in the process. As my battered body crashed into Donald who had been supporting all of us with his magic.

I struggled to stand, the pain in my chest not making it easy. I saw Donald and Goofy both out cold. I looked at the heartless, it had gained the upper hand against Sora. In its curved hand it had the keyblade master in a vice like grip its other, raised in preparation for the killing blow.

I was not going to let that happen, I wasn't going to allow Sora and my chance to see Tifa again to die. Summoning forth the dark power of Pandemonium itself I gasped in pain as the dark wing burst from my shoulder. Quickly taking to the sky, I attacked the not stopping till the heartless was dead, violently hacking at the dark steel armor my sword breaking its shields with every blow. I kept hacking no longer knowing how long for now how long I continued to attack. When the Heartless was finally dead, the wing disappeared and the pain returned. Letting my sword fall from my hand, I feel to my knees as the city faded away.

Ok, this chapter isn't as good as I hoped it would turn out as I was rushed near the end. Either way though, I have already started writing the next chapter. Thank you for your patience.