Even with her entire world falling apart, it was the sand that first pulled her attention away from the pain. It was grey. Or when the moon reflected upon it, silver. Fragmented pieces of what was once mighty stone, now crumbled to dust beneath her feet. How had she meandered so far? Far from the path she'd thought she'd taken, she was swept away into darkness. She walked on. If someone asked how everything had started, she wouldn't have a clear answer to give them. How had she been pulled so far from everything and everyone she'd known? Had it started with the kiss of a man she'd never see again? A key wrongfully bequeathed? Or had it been sooner than all that, back when a boy had yearned for more than the perfection that surrounded him. She'd never untangle the strings that tied everything together enough to find clarity. It's only at the end of all things, when light fades and darkness creeps in and it feels as if nothing will ever be alright again, that the true journey begins. She walked on.

The glowing stone illuminated her path just enough to continue walking, but no more. She passed the beach some time ago, not that time was easy to measure in this place. All she could do was count the steps she had taken, and she'd already lost track. Grey eyes looked side to side; nothing. Always nothing. For a place so feared, the most threatening enemy she'd encountered was the loneliness. She gripped the soft, worn fabric in her hands. In the dim light, she could just make out the deep crimson color of his scarf. Him. The memory of a feisty grin appeared in her mind and her eyes filled with tears as she bit her lip, willing herself not to allow them to fall. Him. The only one she'd ever let in. Had she let him in? Or had he skirted around her unwitting defenses? Another question she couldn't answer. Him. She hadn't known what to make of that reckless guard when they'd first met. It was amazing that someone of his station could be such a troublemaker. The thought of his shenanigans had her huff with sad amusement. It already felt like a lifetime ago…

How long had she been there? Was anyone looking for her? She didn't think there was anyone around that might still remember her, but maybe… She stopped walking, blinking in surprise. Gone was the sand and dark sky and caves; before her stood a mysterious tower atop a bed of soft verdant grass. A myriad of colors painted the sky; and though it was dim like the evening, it made her light-deprived eyes prickle. She stepped forward.

The door whooshed open, revealing the smiling, royal mouse she'd met so long ago. "Mira, it's you!"

Somehow, whether by fate or her own feet, she'd returned.

Mira gratefully sat in the proffered chair; she'd been walking for so long without repose, she nearly cried from the feeling of sitting, even if it was in a simple wooden chair. When she recovered herself enough to focus her attention, her gaze landed on the old man seated behind the desk. Mickey stood at her side watching her carefully, offering an encouraging smile.

"Perhaps an introduction is in order, young lady. I can see that you are acquainted with my pupil, Mickey. I am Master Yen Sid. I knew your former master, and Master Eraqus as well," Yen Sid began, his face stern. She remained silent, tongue heavy in her mouth, unable to form a sentence of reply. He knew Master Xehanort? Her heart twinged for her master. There was so much more she wanted to say to him, to ask him, but it was too late. It was too late for a lot of things. After a silence wherein she ought to have spoken, Yen Sid said, "I'll get straight to the point: where have you been, Mira?" She swallowed and shook her head, unable to answer. He frowned.

"Are you okay, Mira?" Mickey asked. Grey eyes slid down to his and she slumped further in her chair. No, of course she wasn't, but she couldn't even say that. She shook her head again. Mickey sighed, placing a hand on her arm. The touch was comforting. "No one is angry with you, okay? We just want to know where you'd disappeared to… you've been gone for five years." Quietly, he mumbled, "Though, you don't look much older than when I last saw you…"

Her eyes flashed open in horror. Five years? There was no way, was there…?

A door on the right side of the study slammed open, and out walked three good fairies dressed in red, green, and blue, respectively. "Now-now, she's been through quite a lot, I'm sure, and the two of you jump straight to asking questions," the blue one chastised crossly. "Have you even offered her food or drink? Look at the state of the poor dear!" Without delay, the three fairies pushed all manner of snacks and juice toward her, and she nibbled slowly, savoring the flavor of the fare. Bread had never tasted so good, nor juice been so refreshing and sweet.

Mira cleared her throat. "Thank you," she murmured, voice raspy from disuse. She drank more juice. "You said I was gone for five… years?"

Yen Sid's troubled frown deepened. "You don't remember the time passing?"

She shook her head. "After the world went dark, I know I walked for a long time. But it couldn't have been that long…"

"Where were you walking?" Mickey piped up from beside her.

"I found myself in darkness…" She scrunched her brows together. After she'd been thrown in, Mira had no destination; all she knew was that her heart was hurting, and she wanted to escape the pain. But that kind of pain is impossible to run from. She swallowed and blinked away the moisture; even after five unmeasurable years, her heart was still raw. "I found myself in darkness," she repeated, "so I kept moving."

"You are very lucky to be here, then," Yen Sid said. "Few make it out of the Realm of Darkness unscathed." Mira wouldn't consider herself unscathed, but she didn't voice that opinion. His tone became gentler. "You've been through a great deal, please take the time to rest and recover. Mickey," he turned to his apprentice, "why don't you show her to a spare room where she can stay."

"You betcha Master Yen Sid! This way Mira!"

Something clicked in her mind. Yen Sid knew Master Eraqus. Then perhaps… "Wait! Have you... have you seen Master Aqua?"

"No," he murmured. "Aqua has been missing longer than you…"

"Still missing…?" So, she'd never escaped the darkness... Mira shivered, numbness spreading throughout her body. "I see," she said faintly.

In a monumental effort, Mira pulled herself from the chair, muscles protesting the strain. Her eyes were heavy and her mind foggy. He was gone. They were all gone, and she was alone. The people she'd been too weak to save, too naïve to help. Much of this might have been prevented had she been more proactive, more able, simply… more. Mira clenched her eyes shut, scarcely noticing the magical staircase they descended.

"You can stay in here for as long as you like." Mickey smiled, though it faltered. "Say, are you sure you're going to be okay, Mira?"

"I…" A tear fell. And another. Then they wouldn't stop streaming down her cheeks, and she sunk to her knees before him. "I can't-they're all-" she hiccoughed, "they're gone."

Mickey patted her back. "I know."

"I just… How am I supposed to accept this?" she sobbed. How had everything turned to ruin? Bless the mouse, he stood there, patting her back until her cries turned into sniffles.

After a few moments, when she had calmed somewhat, he said, "You know… whenever there's a lot on my mind, I write it down in a journal! If you're in a muddle, maybe it'll help you sort it out!"

"A journal? But how will that-?"

Mickey smiled. "My friend Jiminy swears by it! That way, you won't forget anything or anyone. It might help you feel better, at least a little bit."

At the very least, the idea had merit. She bade him goodnight and closed the door, flopping onto the bed, asleep nearly the instant her head hit the pillow.

While Mickey's suggestion of putting her experience to paper was sound enough, she faced the problem of beginning. Mira stared at the simple notebook the mouse dropped off earlier that morning. Where did she start? Did she want to go all the way back to the beginning? When she lost her mother and realized her father couldn't bear to look at her anymore? She shook her head. No, she didn't want to remember that time. Perhaps… perhaps it all started when she met the stranger who took her away from everything she'd known and gave her a new life.

Mira opened the book and began to write.