Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is copyrighted Square-Enix & Disney Inc.

NOTES: Italics without quotation marks are thoughts. This fic is in third person view, but if you're still confused on who's speaking what, I'll try to make it clearer. Hopefully my attempt doesn't go unnoticed.

As for those confused on where this story is going, your question should probably be resolved soon… I'm not going to write all of my speculations here, because it will destroy the storyline as spoilers. Please please note that this is a fanfic. More specific Author Notes can be found at the end of the chapter.

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Dream Sequence

Chapter 3

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The still-hooded figure woke up with a groan. The crick on his neck felt dully sore after oversleeping. He proceeded to stretch his muscles, still on the bed. It was quite a strange sight… Someone so menacing looked so vulnerable when caught just after waking up. Satisfied that his legs were awake, he crossed over the floor to the bathroom. It was then that he realised he was still wearing his cloak. With a pull at the zipper the cloak came undone, revealing a black zip-up shirt and a pair of black pants. His gloves came next. The long calloused fingers were set free and he involuntarily flexed them. After disposing the rest of his clothes he sunk into a tub of warm water. He sighed, obviously pleased with the temperature. He took the rigorous task of scrubbing his skin vigorously. All the day's worth of dirt and grime was scrubbed clean – not that there was much to begin with anyway.

After re-dressing himself in more casual clothes of long-sleeved blue T-shirt and short overalls with the front and straps left hanging from his waist, he went back into the sleeping quarters. A brown dog jumped and attempted to lick his cheek but he dodged it playfully while laughing.

"C'mon Pluto, you're getting rusty!"

The two soon went off in a cat and mouse fashion before running out the door into the orange sky of Twilight Town. Under the brilliant fiery hue, he was like a perfect turquoise gem, the colour of his hair. From outside, no one would notice the slightest hint of the mission that this young man had to accomplish.

All they know is that he was the man with a brown dog. Riku didn't mind the status in the slightest bit. It hid his mission well.

Hollow Bastion

The noises in the library steadily increased as Mickey's explanation stretched beyond the gang's expectation. Yuffie just stared in disbelief, Cloud was silent, Aerith was listening intently and voicing her opinion just as gently, while Leon seemed ready to burst his lungs from yelling so loud.

"So are you saying that this NEW Heartless can possess humans!?"

"First of all, they are not entirely new, just evolved Heartless. Surely you've seen the Neo Heartless? They were the earliest to breach the world border after it was brought up again though they were not as well evolved as the new ones. And no, they do not possess humans¾"

"Then what would you call it!? Hypnotise? Taking over? Puppet show? NECROMANCY!?" Mickey promptly closed his ears as Leon's voice stabbed his over-sensitive eardrums. Leon's face was contorted with surprise, disgust and disbelief. His last outburst woke everybody from their stupor. Was it even possible that the Dark Art is still being utilised? The Heartless wouldn't happen to possess Necromancy skill, would they?

"For the lack of better words, yes. They eat the Heart but occupy the corpse before it is sent to another world. They are still Heartless, but with a solid body. Unless they are extracted out of the body again, Keyblades have no effect." Mickey materialised his Kingdom Key and cast a solemn glance. How can the most powerful tool be rendered useless over the law of nature?

"King Mickey, are you sure that the Keyblades cannot face this new threat?" Yuffie tried hard to imagine if Leon or Aerith were to be possessed like that, could she even tell the difference between the Heartless and their friends? She shook her head. It was not a good time to think negatively and she knew it as much.

Ever the perceptive one, Aerith piped up the question or rather, statement.

"If the Heartless have the ability to evolve, can't we just upgrade the Keyblade? At the moment what you have is a Keyblade which locks. I have heard from Donald that Sora almost got killed by the Keyblade which unlocks. If we can somehow combine these two things, might we not get a Keyblade that is able to unlock the Heartless out of the body and destroy it?"

Mickey contemplated the idea before speaking again, "One of the legends mentioned about the changing nature of Keyblades though there was no mention of a dual-natured one."

"King, what is the Keyblades made off?"

"The Keyblades are made of particles of Hearts. Legend has it that both Kingdom Keys are the crystallisation of the creator's Heart. That is why they only work against Heart matters and not human bodies."

"Then isn't it possible to modify it by using someone's Heart as well?"

Promptly the room fell into silence. The implication of tempering the Keyblades was as tempting as Eden's Apple, but it meant sacrificing a Heart in the process. The stake was one too high from what they could pay.

"Cloud, I'm afraid the price is too high… If my assumption is correct, then we need a very strong heart to alter the Keyblades — specifically a Keyblade Wielder's." At that point there were 3 known Wielders: Sora, Riku and Mickey. With Riku nowhere in sight, the only option they had was between the King and the brown-haired lad. Thousands of thoughts and memories resurfaced. The group realised the unspoken weight should they make the final verdict.

"There is nothing more we can do at this point regarding this matter." Mickey shook his head in sadness. "I will continue to analyse these new Heartless, meanwhile everyone of us should steer away from them as long as you can. I will send Pluto over to inform any progress." Leon nodded in understanding, and with an ominous air the King stepped out of the library to come back the way he came.

In the distance, the sound of a train can faintly be heard.

Traverse Town

"Donald, Goofy… What did… Mickey meant with 'Keyblade wielder'? And 'Worlds'? What does this letter mean?"

"Sora… I don't think we can tell you right now."

"But why? Don't I have the right to know about myself?"

"But Sora, you have to know it yourself. We cannot make you remember your own self."

"Remember what? How am I supposed to remember something I don't even know in the first place? What is a Keyblade wielder? And why do we have to come out of this place as soon as possible? Does it have to do with the "ghosts" the townsfolk have been talking about? Where are we going after this?"

Donald sighed, while Goofy put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "The walls have ears Sora… We have to wait until we get out of this place first, then we can answer your questions."

"But—"

"No buts. Goofy and I don't want to put you in danger. There is much for you to learn but this isn't the time and place. You will be safe in this place as long as you remain in the shadow." Sora did not respond. He was dying to know who was this King Mickey was.

And what the hell is a Keyblade? A sword in the shape of a key?

"Alright Donald, but tell me just this one thing… Why do we have to get out of here?" His voice was calm; one question wouldn't hurt, right? But Sora wasn't prepared for the answer.

"Because the main target is you."

Unknown

"Well, well. What have we here?" A feminine voice broke through like a spear of light in the eerie oblivion. Her eyes made a beeline to the dimly lit table in the centre of the room.

"Isn't it beautiful? Took me ages to create." A slightly older, masculine voice replied.

"What's their use? They look… dead." A grumpy voice this time.

"Axel, shut up and watch!" The older man harked. His mouth shut, though his bored eyes seem to do all the talking as the older man released the straps tying the white creature down.

As if on cue, the white thing on the operation table started stretching. Its limbs moved like rubbers, stretching this way and that in a most grotesque way possible. It tried to open its mouth, though the restraining stitches stayed intact. The woman muttered a 'wow' while Axel just chuckled in disgust. The white creature emitted a sound akin to ungreased hinges.

"What does it do?" The woman seemed eager to know more about this newborn.

"The Dusk is a creature that can absorb rather than 'eat' Light. The more light it absorbs, the stronger it becomes. It is immune to Keyblades."

The redhead scrutinised the creature again, noting the strange design. At least it didn't look as peachy as the Heartless… "That's all it can do? Psh! I've wasted my time here…" Axel spat and turned his back and walked out. He was yet to reach the door when a huge ice shard flew past his head.

"What the…?"

"It can also detect enemy weakness." The older man smirked. "Bet you didn't know that." Axel gritted his teeth and continue walking out, muttering a string of curses and diminutives.

"Vixen, is that all it can do?"

"Of course not, m'dear. It can do much more than these basic functions…"

The conversation ended there, and the woman went out from the dark laboratory. Finally their plan had come to fruition.

To be continued…

A/N: This fic actually came out differently than I had thought. With new info coming in on KHII and CoM, I had to make adjustments. Vixen is here, and the mystery woman is here as well (lol, I'm just waiting for them to announce her official name… Don't wanna make spelling mistakes here!). The other Unknown with a scythe should appear soon, don't worry.

That said, I'm gonna limit putting in new information starting from this point. Otherwise the fic won't be finished. The story WILL be different from the actual KH games, so bear that in mind.