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Chapter One

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Sora made his way up the mountain, Donald and Goofy trailing behind him. They were huddled close, the coldness causing them to cling onto each other's warmth like a blanket. Sora was ignoring it. The coldness did register to his mind and body, but he had more important matters to tend to. He would admit: Merlin wasn't exactly the Einstein of choosing locations. No. Not to be mean to the wizard, but his location picking sucked.

If Sora thought correctly, Arthur had once told him that Merlin had lived--before his home in Traverse Town--in a forest which was fool of wolves. For one who came searching for it, it was impossible to find. Only one who was lost to begin with would find his humble abode.

So, Sora guessed that if he was lost for a long enough time, he would find Merlin's new home on this wannabe Mount Everest. He hadn't seen any signs of civilization since they ran off the trail a few hours ago. They had been following that cursed trail for about three days, trying to find his home. When he realized that following this trail really wasn't getting them anywhere, he thought back to what Arthur had told him and decided to take a chance and get lost.

He was starting to regret ever refusing that old woman's offer. She had offered to give them a map that would give them clear and perfect directions to Merlin's new home. He had refused since the Gummi ship needed some repairs and new devices and the map cost 20,000 worth of munny.

"Sora! When are we going to get to this stupid wizard's house!" Donald's squawk of a voice was almost unintelligible--more than usual--through the roaring wing that whipped around them.

"I don't know, Donald! But, we should be getting there soon, ne! We've been going at it for hours now! It's bound to turn up any second now!" Sora brought his arms over his face to shield his eyes from the onslaught of ice crystals and cold air. It didn't help much, but it did help. His eyes remained squinted and he only moved his head to make sure it wasn't frozen into position.

"But, uh, Sora what if we don't find it at all!" Goofy asked.

Sora decided he wasn't going to even bother answering that question. He really didn't want to say what he was thinking. He wanted to make sure that his teammates still had hope. They needed that hope to will them on in the search for this stupid wizard's cottage.

His foot collided with something jagged protruding from the snow and he fell forward. The cold snow wet his clothing which was the only layer between his skin and the harsh cold.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy shouted in unison, sped up, and grabbed one of Sora's arms each to heft him up from the snow.

"Are you alight, Sora?" Goofy questioned worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, you guys. But, what the hell did I just trip over?" They all turned towards the place Sora's foot had tripped over. There was this odd material--definitely not something natural--sticking up from the snow. It was a bright red color and Sora now wondered how he hadn't noticed it before.

"What, uh, is it, Donald?" Goofy asked as Donald approached it.

"Well, how would I know you dimwit!" He poked it with his staff. The he poked again. All was silent except for the howling wind all around them (jeez, what an exception). Donald stood there for a few seconds longer before letting out a howl/squall and repeatedly hitting the red thing with his staff. Goofy rubbed the back of his head with one hand while Sora sweat dropped and held a hand up as if attempting to stop the temperamental duck.

"Uh... Need some help there, Donald?" Sora asked while grinning.

"No I do NOT need help, Sora!" Donald paused to answer but then began attacking the thing again.

Sora collapsed onto the snow and shook his head. "This hopeless."

"Don't say that, Sora. We've been through tougher times together. We've come too far to go down in a place like this!" Goofy grinned in his characteristic way of grinning--goof-like--and winked at Sora.

Sora managed a small smile but then the corner of his lips went back down to a frown. Goofy was right. They had come way too far to just give up and die in a place like this. The whole reason they were coming to see Merlin was because of the new lead he had sent message of. Sora had asked if Merlin could possibly send the lead through some sort of message but he said that they must come in person to receive this important piece of information.

Information on King Mickey's possible location. Information on how to get his best friend Riku back.

This was what Sora had been searching for three years now. The other side of the coin; his friend. For three years now, the image of Riku standing behind those white doors of Kingdom Hearts haunted him. Those eyes which he had looked into with so much respect as a child. The eyes that reflected their home on Destiny Islands. Not blue, not green. His eyes were the exact color as the clearest water in the ocean.

That's all Sora could think about. The way those eyes had looked at him in so much pain. So much distrust... So much hatred. Those eyes were everything. He remembered when he fought Riku on the islands, their childish games of battle. Riku would always come out dominant in those games. Always better than Sora. One would imagine that Sora would begin to hate Riku but, no. Their friendship only became stronger.

Sora needed to see those eyes again. He needed Riku.

Those eyes haunted him. The way they had shown confusion. Confusion Sora hadn't noticed back in Traverse Town or in Monstro. Eyes that asked him why he wouldn't join him. Asking him why he was being replaced. Asking him if he even cared anymore. Sora had been too young. He hadn't understood. All he had known was that Riku was on the wrong side and that he needed to find Kairi.

Kairi.

Sora couldn't say he hated Kairi. No, Kairi would always be his friend. She hadn't intentionally separated Sora and Riku. Though, it was a coincidence that her name itself meant "separation." But Kairi was everything she seemed to be. She was kind, friendly, funny, silly, cute, and everything else that was expected of her. She was almost perfect. But, not Sora's perfect. She was a dear friend to him, but he would never feel right laying in bed with her. He would never be comfortable. Never feel like he was doing the right thing.

Kairi just wasn't the person he wanted to wake up next to in the morning and hug. Lightly kiss while they slept. No, he didn't want Kairi for something like that.

But, that was off subject. Sora had to find Riku. That was his top priority until he finally did find him. He wouldn't give up until he would be able to hug his best friend and tell him that he was sorry for not being there when he was needed the most.

Sora needed to find Riku.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the shifting of the snow below him. There was a deep rumbling noise and he could hear something like snow falling in some sort of hollow cave below them. "W-wha!"

He had only a second to react. His eyes widened. The second was lost and he soon found himself falling into a dark pit of seemingly nothing all the while hearing Goofy and Donald screaming around him.

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