Kingdom Hearts III: Graveyard of Memories

A/N: W00t! Second chapter! . I hope you enjoy! Oh ehm gee! Thank you so much, Duncan McGregor! Your review means quite a lot, especially since you were the first to review. :3 I'm glad someone is reading it.

Notes: ITALICS--- Shows flashbacks and memories. I also use them for thoughts but I use ' ' with them for thoughts.

------------------- Scene change, gotta love these things when ya get a bit lazy! And when I show that the chapter is over and have my little notes below it.

Scene change, but in a memory or dream.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did... Well... Let's just say that shounen-ai fans would love it even more. XD

--Chapter Two: A New Mission --

Mickey hadn't changed a bit. Still small, squeaky, and ears that looked much bigger then his gloved hands. Donald and Goofy stood next to the King, still in the same attire they had from before. It was almost like time had just frozen for most everyone. Sora smiled at the sight of the three.

"Hey! Long time, no see!" Sora greeted after fully opening the door. Mickey turned around from the book case, surprised. Same with Donald and Goofy except Goofy was putting back the painting he had clumsily knocked over and Donald was reading a book at the desk.

"Sora! Riku! Kairi!" Donald, Mickey, and Goofy shouted in unison. Donald and Goofy tackled Sora in their usual fashion while Mickey and Riku hugged for a second then shook hands with Kairi.

After the tackling and such was over, seriousness came over Mickey's face once again. He looked at each of their faces, from Sora, to Kairi, then to Riku.

Sora decided to break the silence. "Um... Your Majesty? Why did you want us here?" He asked while fidgeting a bit.

The King sighed as he walked over to the book case. Dusting off one of the books, he handed it to Sora. "I was looking through Ansem's book case and found this one wedged in the back."

Sora, Kairi, and Riku looked at the semi-old cover of the book. On the cover had a picture of a small heart that looked a little faded. Sora carefully opened the fragile book. Inside, it was full of messy, quick writing.

"What's this for, your Majesty?" Sora asked.

"That book looks like it belonged to Xehanort or one of the other apprentices."

Riku grabbed the book from Sora and turned a few pages. "Hey... After the first three pages, it goes blank. Some of the pages are just empty while some look like they were torn out."

Mickey nodded. "Yeah, I suspect that they held more important information, but someone had taken them out and tried to get rid of them. The first three pages were barely any help. All it mainly said was that the Keyblade can bring peace or destruction. Nothing I haven't heard before."

Kairi spoke up now. "So, why did you want us to come here?"

Mickey turned to Kairi and let out a tired sigh. "As much as I'd hate to do this, but it can't be helped. Sora, Riku, Kairi, I need your help again. You see... Ansem the Wise told me that Xehanort had come to him about thirteen years ago, badly injured and with no memory of anything. He had took him in and nursed him back to health, partly because he couldn't just leave the young man to die and also since Ansem was curious. So... I kinda wanted to find out more about Xehanort, for... for Ansem." Mickey and the rest sadden a bit, remembering how Ansem had forever left them.

Riku bent down to Mickey's level and patted his old friend's back lightly. "Don't worry, we'll try to find out more about Xehanort, for you and Ansem." Kairi and Sora both nodded.

"Gee, thanks guys." Mickey said as he smiled once again. "But that's not the only thing I'd like you guys to do. You see, I've been having a bad feeling for awhile. Ever since the Organization was defeated. I'm not sure what it is, but just be a little more careful now, 'kay?"

Kairi, Riku, and Sora nodded.

"Hey, your Majesty? Are Donald and Goofy coming along?" Sora asked.

Mickey turned to Goofy and Donald, then back to Sora, shaking his head. "Sorry, Sora, but I kinda need them here. Sorry."

Sora frowned a bit, but tried to perk himself up again. "It's okay, your Majesty. Hey, Donald, Goofy!" He shouted. Holding out his arms he said, "One for the road?" Goofy and Donald understood immediately. They tackled Sora yet again.

Mickey, Riku, and Kairi just smiled at the sight. After Donald and Goofy finally got off Sora, the gang headed toward the door until the King stopped them one final time.

"Hey! Before you leave, I have one more thing to help you. When I vistited Ansem once, I saw a little girl following Ienzo. I never learned her name, all Ansem told me was that her close friends left one day and she started to help out Xehanort and the other apprentices. Maybe if you find her, you might be able to learn more about Xehanort. She'll be your best bet, that is, if you can find her. Well, good luck!"

Sora, Kairi, and Riku nodded and waved good-bye to the King, Donald, and Goofy. As they walked through the hallway leading to the Postern, Sora put his hands behind his head in his normal fashion, Riku had his thumb in his pocket, and Kairi just held her hands behind her back. No one said anything until they reached the Postern.

"Hey, Riku, Sora." Kairi started. Both Riku and Sora turned and gave her an acknowledging "Hm?" as they continued to walk. "Do you think we can visit the castle before we leave? You know, the castle where I lived in when I used to live here?"

Riku and Sora both nodded. "Sure! We can visit your home, Kairi." said Sora.

Kairi shook her head at what Sora had said. "No, my home is Destiny Island. With you two."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The castle was completly fixed. It had all of it's former glory and with some new additions, like the side gardens and the mini-fountains scattered artfully around those gardens. The three walked to doors. The inside didn't have one thing changed. It was still the same. Riku grimaced a little. The outside didn't have the old feeling the inside held. The memories from when he was working for Maleficent were slowly creeping back into his mind, not letting him forget.

"Riku?"

Riku looked up to see Sora's worried face. "You alright? You looked kinda scared..."

Regaining his composure, Riku said, "Me? Scared? Listen, Sora," he smirked, "I'm not a wuss like you are."

Sora was about to protest but Kairi shouted for them to come upstairs.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What is this place?" Sora asked. Kairi had told the two to get upstairs to where she was, so they did, but they weren't sure what room this was. It looked like a very old library, but it had many slowly decaying pictures of people who had a some similar features with each other. Riku and Sora walked up to where Kairi was. She was staring at an old picture that had an old woman holding a young girl in her lap. Riku and Sora's eyes widen.

"Is that you, Kairi?" Sora asked.

"It looks like it is me. And that's my Grandma. I remember her... This place was where she once told me that the light in childrens' hearts brought back the worlds.. I know there's more to it, but I can't recall. All I remember is that here my Grandma had called me and my old friend here. Though... Everything after that is blurry..."

Riku and Sora looked at the picture and then to Kairi.

"You had a friend here? What was their name?" Riku asked.

Kairi smiled. "Her name was Hikari. She used to follow me around everywhere, since there was no one else our age or even around it. Hikari also liked to hum this tune all the time, no matter what she was doing... I wish I could remember it."

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed. "You know what we should do? We should look for her too, Kairi!"

Riku smiled. "Yeah, we should look for her. Plus, you don't wanna disapoint Sora. He actually had a halfway decent idea." He finished with another one of his teasing smirks.

"Yea- Hey! What do you mean by that, Riku?"

Kairi giggled at Riku and Sora's current argument. She grinned and then walked to the door. " Hey, you guys! C'mon!" she shouted as she walked through the doors. Riku and Sora stopped their little debate and raced each other to see who could catch up to Kairi first.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey... What's wrong, little girl?" asked a tall man. He had on a white, loose shirt and black slacks. His oddly colored white hair had three spikes, one on the left, one on the right, the other on top, but from behind you could see his hair went all the way down to near the middle of his back. His golden eyes looked sypmathetic towards the young, crying girl. Even though he was bandaged, he managed to pick up the sobbing girl.

"I-I'm... okay... Mister..." she managed between sobs and hiccups. She had dark brown hair with matching eyes. Her hair was kept in a messy ponytail with a yellow scrunchie. Her outfit was just a simple yellow dress with a flower border on the bottom and pastel pink slippers.

The man frowned. "No you are not. You're crying. Now tell me why you are crying."

She looked up at him with her large, puffy, dark brown eyes. "M-My friend...left me... I-Im... alone.."

"Where did your friend go?"

"I dunno... I wish... I knew...but I... don't..."

The man patted the girl's head. "There, there. Want me to be your friend?"

Looking up again at the man, she said, "R-Really?"

Setting her down, he nodded. "What's your name?" he asked as he held out his hand.

She messily whiped away her tears and snot with the arm that wasn't holding the man's hand. "I-I'm H-Hikari... What's y-your...name... Mister?" her hiccups still hadn't subsided.

"... I don't have a name. Or, at least, not one I remember."

"What? How...can you have...no name?"

"I'll eventually have a name, don't worry, little Hikari."

After a few days, the white haired man finalled decided on a proper name for himself, Xehanort. His wounds healed in a matter of weeks, and he started to be a bit more active around the castle. Hikari followed Xehanort like a dog would do to a colorful chew toy. She hardly left his side, she sometimes even convinced her parents to let her stay the night with Xehanort. The days became weeks, weeks into months, and suddenly Xehanort had realized that he had stayed in Radiant Garden for almost a year.

Xehanort had made a few close friends that shared his thrist for knowledge and were more his own age, though he still let Hikari tag along. Xehanort's friends liked having Hikari around every now and then, she was pleasant to talk with and even though four soon going to be five, she could keep up with each of their conversations.

"Shh..." said a very large, muscular man. He placed a small, sleeping Hikari in her cute, little bed. He bid her parents farewell and left the castle were Hikari lived. It's grandeur equaled that of the other castles in Radiant Garden. Though, that one that Hikari's family owned, the Kotsu's, was more white, and made of marble and other soft, shiny, and light materials.

Standing near one of the pure white fountains, stood a long blonde hair man, smirking at the large man.

"... What is it, Even?" asked the large man.

The long haired man, Even, just shook his head. "Oh, nothing, Eleus. It's just that, a man of your raw strength and size, putting s four year old to bed, it just strikes me as bit funny." Eleus just grunted and beckoned Even to follow him. Today was the normal day for all of them to meet up and just discuss various topics. Hikari once referred to it as 'just a day to hang', but Xehanort didn't like that term. He had said that it was 'too immature for men of our intelligence.'.

Once they arrived at the normal meeting place, the large fountain near Ansem the Wise's castle, they had found that with them there, only one was missing.

"Hey, guys, what took you so long?" asked a man with long black hair tied in a tight ponytail. The first thing you would notice about him is his eyepatch. Hikari immediately noticed it. Though being highly intelligent for her age, she was still a four year old. The first thing she said when she met him was, "Are you a pirate!" His response was a laugh.

Even pointed to Eleus. "Mr. Softy here went to put Hikari to bed, Bleig."

Bleig snorted, but then stoppd when he saw Eleus' expression. "Hey, hey, hey! It's just a tease, Eleus!"

Eleus just shrugged it off and sat down on the fountain edge next to a man with large side burns and dreadlock-looking hair. He wore what everyone else had on, a loose T-shirt and a pair of slacks. Though Bleig and the younger one were wearing jeans. Speaking of the younger one, he was sitting a bit far from the others, close enough to listen, but far enough to be left out. He had silver-ish hair that completly cover his right eye and had his arms folded like he always did.

"So..." said the man with the dreads. "Where is Xehanort?"

Before anyone could say something, Xehanort walked up with a box. "I think I'd be here." he said.

"What's in the box?" Even immediately shot.

Everyone looked at Xehanort, each wondering what was in it. Xehanort sat down beside the younger one, making him a bit surprised, and revealed what was in the box.

"Ice cream?" asked the young one.

"Yes, Ienzo, ice cream. Ansem gave them to me, saying that we should try it. Called it 'Sea-Salt Ice Cream'." He pulled out a bar and handed each of them one. After everyone got one, they all started to eat them. They ate in silence until Xehanort spoke.

"Hey, where is little Hikari?"

Bleig was about to make a crack about why she wasn't here, but the dreadlock man was too quick for him.

"Are you just noticing, Xehanort?"

Xehanort's ears went slightly pink.

"Don't worry, she just got sleepy and went home."

"Too bad too," Bleig said, unable to be quiet. "This ice cream is pretty good."

"So," Eleus started, "what is today's topic?"

Xehanort finished his ice cream bar. "Do you know what Ansem had just started to research?"

They all shook their heads.

"He has just started a study on hearts."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Gosh... Sorry, I've been so lazy lately! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter! I'll try to update as fast as I can. Also, reviews really motivate me. Hint, hint