"Why didn't the King tell us about Mitsu?" Shige asked quietly as a cigarette hung from his lips.

"I'm not sure…everything that he does is for a reason…then again we all know that King Mamoru is an enigma," Yasuto said as he reclined on the sofa in Cid's shop.

"The Queen was hysterical when she found that note…" Shige sighed heavily as he lit the cigarette.

"Honestly Shige…something is bothering me about Yue," Yasuto said. Shige arched an eyebrow as he looked at his comrade across from him.

"Yeah I know…we've been working with each other too long I know when something is bothering you," Shige replied and took a drag from his cigarette. "Out with it,"

"It's Yue...he knows more than both of us combined. He was already aware of Mitsu and who knows what else he knows," Yasuto began. "It doesn't make any sense as to why the King wouldn't mention something like that to us,"

"Maybe it's just what you said. Maybe he does more," Shige replied. "What will you do now?"

"I...I don't know," Yasuto sighed and ran a hand through his hair frustrated at their current situation

"Good questions…" Shige said and took another drag from his cigarette.

"You do know the story behind it right?"

"I know it, I was the one that told Kairi...If you share it with someone they'll stay in your life forever,"

"A-are you sure you want to share this with me?"

"I am holding it out for you to take am I not?"

Her cerulean blue eyes focused on the star-shaped fruit and then to the teen. He broke off a piece of the fruit and handed it to her. She took the piece of fruit and waited till he took a bite of it before she followed.

"Don't worry Kairi, we'll be back. I have Riku with me there's no way we'll get lost," Sora said as he smiled sheepishly at the red-haired girl in front of him.

"Do you still have it?" Kairi asked with a small frown on her lips.

Instinctively Sora went to his pocket and pulled out a star-shaped charm and held it up for Kairi to see, Riku did the same but had an extra charm in his hand. The group of teens silently looked at the extra charm in Riku's hand, it was Mitsu's charm.

Kairi smiled and took Sora's charm and in exchange she took his, she looked to Riku and grinned.

"You can get your charm back only when you give Mitsu hers," Kairi grinned as she took the charm from the teen. "Sora, you better come back so that I can get my charm,"

"Alright," Sora and Riku said together.

"Now…Go!...before I start to cry…" Kairi trailed off her eyes welling up with tears.

"We'll be back with Mitsu. We promise!" Sora shouted as he ran off with Riku. Kairi watched as her two friends set off to find another friend.

"Just…come back safe…please…" Kairi said quietly.

"Alright! Let's go!" Sora said as he walked past Shige and Yasuto and stood in front of the sleek black ship.

"Yeah we don't want to waste any more time," Riku added as he followed Sora.

"Wonderful," Shige replied as he followed the two teens.

"Are you going, Yue?" Yasuto asked hesitantly.

"I don't have a choice, I am the Princess' knight after all," Yue said as he approached the ship.

"I just hope you're ready to tell us more about what you've been up to Yue," Shige began, as he lowered the ladder to the ship. As Sora and Riku boarded the ship Yue looked at the two men confused.

"Secrets aren't fun if they aren't shared with everyone," Yasuto said as he began up the ladder into the ship. Yue sighed heavily as he looked to Shige, the citrine haired man shrugged and smirked.

Minutes later the sleek ship jumped from hyper travel and landed in a desolate area with few pieces of jagged earth littered across the almost transparent ground. The sky empty nearly void of color, on the horizon was debris of what may have been earth of the world that was seemingly devoured by darkness.

"W-What happened here?" Sora asked as he looked around shocked.

"There's almost nothing here," Riku said as he also looked around.

"This is what the darkness is capable of if left unchecked," Yasuto started as he too looked around.

"Destroy and Devour and everything in hopes of getting a heart…" Shige commented.

"This was a world at one point, that strayed too close to the darkness," Yue commented.

"It's so empty…" Sora commented.

"Let's go…" Yue said as he began forward, towards the light on the horizon. The others silently followed after the man. Eager to start their mission they were silent as they walked towards what they thought was the center, what they deemed as light but wept darkness at the same time. As the group continued towards the center, they focused on their main task of rescuing Mitsu. Closer and Closer they inched forward to the center when sudden Sora faltered in his step.

"Sora are you ok?" Riku asked as he too stopped, the rest of the group stopped to make sure that the teens were not left behind.

"There's something here…pulling my…heart" Sora started as he looked up, an ominous dark cloud hovered over them and suddenly engulfed the group.

"This orb is giving off dark energy," Yasuto said as he stood in front of Sora.

"Finally action…bring it," Shige said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Sora you ok?" Riku asked again as his key blade appeared in his hand. Riku held out his other hand to help Sora stand.

"Yeah I'm fine," Sora said as his key blade appeared in his hand.

"Here it comes," Yue said as he gripped his new crimson lance.

"So this is her…" a man in a hooded red cloak said as he looked at Mitsu's unconscious body. "The elusive eighth princess...it has been some time since I've seen you,"

"She...doesn't have a heart..." a female in a hooded black cloak commented.

"That is fine…" the man replied. "That is perfectly fine, it's only temporary,"

"But her friends," the female began.

"Will be of no trouble, if they do manage to make it far, my experiment will be completed," the red-cloaked man replied as he ran the back of his hand across Mitsu's cheek.

"Besides...she is safe and she will have a heart. I will make sure of that," the man stated firmly.

"Is she really what you say she is?" the woman asked.

"That she is…the Eighth Princess, the one that was forgotten to the world…a lost memory so to speak," the man replied.

"That's sad...to be forgotten by the world," the woman said as she looked down at Mitsu's sleeping form.

"It takes time for memories to be recovered…but it is never forgotten, Namine," the man replied. Namine looked at the red-cloaked man and then down to Mitsu as if lost in thought.

"They will come for her you know what you are to do Namine," the man said as a portal appeared.

"Yes…I know," Namine replied quietly as she turned to the man and watched him vanish into the dark portal.