||Episode 2 - Part I: The Outside World||

*Where Is This?*...[Traverse Town]

"Ugh... My head is killing me."

I was sitting on the ground with my back pressed to the brick wall behind me. The constant aching in my head continued to throb for a few more minutes until finally settling down. It took me a little bit to remember what happened, and then it all came back to me as I sat there in a dimly lit alley. All of the terrible things that transpired however long ago. When it did happen, my mind was still hazy in remembering.

There was an awful storm that tore the islands apart... Destiny Islands.

I had doubts about it being just another storm. Or, maybe it was for a while before that strange vortex showed up along with those yellow-eyed monsters. It definitely was no ordinary storm or anything. Riku was taken away from me and Sora by some kind of black mass. Darkness, I thought. Kairi disappeared and was probably snatched away by the very same thing. Sora and I... We were separated by it, too. Now I was lost in a place I didn't know. Although these bad things happened, I still held onto hope that my friends were out there somewhere. That was considering the fact that I was here in this strange world.

"None of it was a dream," I mumbled to myself. The memories were too strong and vivid to just be cast aside, and it hurt to pinch my wrist. "So... it's true."

My eyes rose to stare at the night sky. This place I was currently in was the outside world my friends and I were trying to reach with the raft. The stars were just like the ones back home on the islands, but the view was far more clearer than there. And the layout was a lot different, too. I noticed that there was a lot of brickwork even in this alley. A shallow pool of water connected to drainage pipes poured through spaced out metal bars into some kind of waterway. And, by the looks of the signs hanging over the pathway, this was the back end of a hotel.

"Traverse Town...?" I read aloud the words on one of the big banners hanging from a long rope. Getting up to my feet, I stepped out into the middle of the alley and examined it. There were others that appeared very inviting, either giving a welcome to the town or invitation to stay at the hotel. I checked my pockets for what munny there was in them. "Aw, not good. This won't be enough to book a room for more than a night, probably."

Worst case scenario, it meant that I would have to somehow get a job here in town. Even worse... I wouldn't be able to get a new set of clothes for a while even if I managed to pay for the hotel room. There wasn't a whole lot I could do with just 200 munny.

I-I think I'll just do a little bit of shopping for now. Just some clothes to get into. There weren't any places I could go in that dark alley, so I took my search for a clothing store through a set of doors leading to another part of town.

It was to my luck that there were a good number of shops to check out. This place I went to was apparently the Second District. Seemed like I hit the jackpot, too, because there were a lot of stores to go around. A variety of handbags and other kinds of bags, fancy clothes and more, and one that sold different kinds of footwear. I was amazed by the simple but wide selection I had to choose from. The front end of the hotel was behind me on the second level. So, this was where it all was at. Interesting.

"Wow, these are so affordable!" I grinned to myself after looking at the clothing prices in the window. Nothing seemed to go over 100 munny, which made me one lucky girl. Thankfully the shop was open, so I could freely go inside and pick something out. I wasn't sure what time it was right now, so there was no telling when they were going to close. Hurrying inside, I went to find myself a new pair of clothes to wear. "Now, what can I get in here?"

There were several aisles filled with nice clothes in the store, and I walked down every one to see what I could afford. Eventually, I came around to the section of clothes that was just my size- shirts, pants, and so on. Down the row, I noticed that there was a small selection of shoes that I could pick from. Unfortunately, the really nice outfits costed too much altogether.

I went ahead and picked out a black T-shirt, jean shorts, and a pair of cheap sneakers to start out with. Once I got everything, I carried what I found back to the cashier's register to make my purchase. Seeing that there wasn't anyone there immediately, I rang the small bell sitting on the counter. Maybe they were in the back taking care of some things or something.

"Oh, a customer?" asked a man coming out from behind a curtain spoke up after a few minutes. It was relieving to know that I wasn't the only one there. Even though the sign outside said the place was open, I could see that I was the only one shopping around at this time. This man who stepped out was middle-aged, maybe older. His hairs were graying, and he had a bushy beard. With the round glasses he wore, he looked like an awfully nice person. "Well, now, this is quite the surprise. What can I help you with, little miss?"

"Uh, I-I'd just like to buy these for now," I told him, pointing at the small pile of clothes on the counter. The clerk was pretty quick with adding up the total cost for the clothing. It was a bit much, but everything turned out to be 150 munny. That meant that I still had enough munny to spare to grab something to eat. "Thanks."

"Not a problem, little miss," the old clerk nodded with a smile. "Say, you aren't planning on staying out in this district for too long, are ya?"

"I do. Is that a problem?" I wondered, taking my bag of items.

"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but it's a little too dangerous for a young one such as yourself to be out wanderin'," he told me, coming around the counter to look out the window. From where I stood, I had a pretty clear view of the outside. It looked empty out there. No people busying themselves or anything. The man then pointed at the hotel across the way. "If I were you, I'd stay the rest of the night at the hotel. Or, if you can, stay in the First District. Those are the safest places around town. Some mighty nasty critters are lurking out there. Got some folks locking themselves indoors. Maybe you ought to do the same."

Nasty critters? I tapped my chin, trying to figure out what he meant by that. Either that meant that there were some rabid animals out there somewhere, or maybe he was talking about those things. Whatever it was, I was sure that I could handle it. It wasn't like I was an unarmed child in danger of anything crawling in the dark.

"Thank you," I said to the shopkeeper and prepared to head out on my way. "I'll keep that in mind, but I should be okay."

"Not scared, are ya?" he smirked. "Know what? Take this and get yourself a room at the hotel. Least I could do for someone keeping me in business."

I wasn't expecting such a kind gesture, but the old man handed me a small pouch of munny. He told me that there would be enough to book a room for a night. That was all I really needed for the time being, at least until I figured something out with finding a way to get some more munny. Thanking him again for the generous offer, I left the shop and quickly made my way to the hotel.

On my way there, a chilly wind blew through the district. A strange feeling throbbed in my heart as I walked up to the doors. It felt like something was coming. Not the good kind of something. At the same time, I wasn't sure if it was all that bad, either. Maybe it was just part of my imagination, but I hoped that everything would be okay.

The thought was shifted to the back burner in my mind as I stepped inside the hotel's lobby area. A lady was standing behind the counter with a small book in her hand. She looked a little bored judging by her facial expression. For some reason, it seemed like a bad idea to bother her right now.

"E-Excuse me..." I stepped over to the counter. "I'd like to rent a room."

"Hm?" She looked up from her book at me, never changing the aloof look on her face. Nervously, I tried to smile and push the pouch of munny toward her. The woman silently opened the pouch and counted how much there was inside. "Got enough for a night and a half. Only room available is the door at the end of the hall."

A night and a half? Well, I guess that works a little better for me, then. I politely thanked her and roamed the hotel until I got to my hotel room. It was a quaint place, warm and cozy. The blue room was exactly what the name implied.

Light and dark accents of blues decorated the room. The pictures on the wall featured images from unknown locations. One was a vast ocean and a couple of others looked like different parts of some islands. I sighed and took in the nostalgia. It was perfect for someone who lived on an island in the middle of the great blue ocean. If only the others were here. They'd get a kick out of this.

Tossing my stuff onto the soft mattress of the bed, I dug into my latest find from shopping. I set the new clothes off to the side and decided to jump in the shower to clean up. My skin felt so dirty from waking up in the alley. Worst of all, there was a faint stench coming up. That was enough of a sign to get me in the bathroom. I took my time in getting into my new outfit. As soon as I was done, I could start looking around town for clues of my friends' whereabouts.

*Music End*

間

Traverse Town.

Since the chosen one disappeared from the island, it was determined that the source of power went away to that world. The world where all refugees of destroyed worlds went to find solace. There, he would meet the chosen one who had a heart balanced in both light and darkness.

That heart was a special one that he could not afford to lose sight of. Someone needed to guide it in the right direction...