Kingdom Hearts is property of Disney and Square Enix.

It's update day! I'm updating everything today. Well, almost. Anyway, I've been working on this for the last two days. I've gotten off track and I'm afraid if I don't update now it'll be a long time before I'll get around to it so I've decided to just update everything now.

(Take into account that this is a different day, Donald and Goofy went to Hollow Bastion and Mickey went home to Disney Castle. They have just received a letter from Mickey.) Kairi's POV

Sora finished reading the letter and turned to address Riku and I.

"Mickey's dead," He said bluntly.

I took a few seconds to take this in. "Excuse me?" My voice shook with slight hysteria.

He handed me the letter, "Disney castle was attacked, everyone that was there at the time is dead. Even Maleficent and Pete. I don't know who exactly it was that didn't die because it specifies that some of the women went to go run errands but… a large portion of the population is dead." His solemn tone suggested that Donald had better not put money on Minnie and Daisy being alive either. The letter was signed elegantly, Leon.

"So what do we do about it?" Riku asked, "Are they asking us to go help clean it up and rebuild?"

Sora shook his head, "No. I'm afraid… it sounds like they have… something else in store for us."

Riku and I both looked up from the letter. Something else? "Like what?" Riku grumbled through gritted teeth, having been turned against his friends on numerous occasions, cloned, and asked to do many things that bothered him morally to no end, he wasn't exactly too thrilled about another task to perform.

"Bounty hunting." The light breeze jostling the leaves of the palm trees and the waves crashing ashore were the only sounds to be heard on our quaint little island.

"That… is… so… COOL!" I screamed, "Oh my gosh, do I get to wear cool outfits like you two?! I can't believe it, I'm actually a part of the adventure this time!" I grabbed Sora's sleeve, pulling him towards town, "Come on! You have to help me pick out some awesome battle clothes! I'm not really all that experienced with this stuff you know… you… know?" I stopped talking when I saw their disappointed glares. "Guys…?"

Sora sighed, "Kairi…"

I finally understood where this was going, "No! No way, you guys can't do this to me!"

"You can't come with us, it's too dangerous, Kairi," Riku clarified.

"No! I can't stay here! I can't stay on this island any longer! I can't take it here, I just can't take it anymore! Take me with you, please! I promise not to get captured!" I pleaded, latching onto Sora forcefully. "I won't let you go until you agree to let me come with!"

"Suits me just fine," Sora murmured with a smirk, "Ow!" He cried as Riku delivered a blow to his head.

"We don't have time for fun and games! Kairi, just let the boy go and we'll promise to write-"
"Shut up, Riku, you don't know what you're talking about. You're a double agent, I'm asking the hero," I hissed severely.

"What?" He snarled back.

Sora laughed a little, "You think I'm a hero?" Riku gave Sora a disapproving look.

"Now she's definitely not coming with." I gave Sora the puppy dog eyes, feeling them wet automatically with fake tears. He looked to Riku uncomfortably. "Sora… don't do it, it's a trick. You know this… Sora…" He shook his head but made the mistake of peeking out of one eye. He flinched.

"You can come with…"

"No!" Riku cried.

"Yes! Thank you so much Sora!" I hugged him tighter.

"But!" I looked up to prove I was listening to his conditions, "You have to be with either Riku or I the whole time!"

"What about Na-" No! He doesn't fully understand Nobodies yet, Kairi. He still has no clue who the boy that came out of him was! Now is not the time to explain this to him! Namine warned harshly. You mean Roxas? He doesn't know about Roxas yet? How can he not know? I questioned. He isn't… the most observant boy… Ah…

"What about what?" Riku muttered, walking towards town where I'd been headed briefly beforehand.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts, "Uh… never mind. Come on! You gotta help me get a new outfit!" I dragged Sora by the hand all the way to town.

Sora's POV

I waited on a bench while Kairi changed for the fiftieth time. The store owner came over and gave me a sympathetic look. "How much longer do you expect to rate her outfits, young man?"

I shot him a weak smile, "We're kind of close, and this is really important to her. I'm here until she decides what she wants."

"Ah, I see. You're that kind of boy. I'll be back with some soda and little debbies."

"Much appreciated!" I called after him.

The door came open and by this time I'd become immune to the thought that this could be the last outfit. "How's this one?" She gestured to herself.

In all honesty it wasn't all that bad. It was practical for fighting and the maroon colouring matched her hair well. The only problem I could really point out was that the shirt was the kind you pull over your head and that takes up too much time. It was frilly, and not really representative of her style. I tried to imagine her wielding a keyblade while wearing it. Again, the skirt was fine, it was the shirt that threw off the look. "It's good, but..."

"It's the skirt isn't it?" She cut me off. "I knew it was too short!"

I jumped up to correct her, "No! No, the skirt's fine, it's the shirt!"

She gave me an inquisitive look, "You like the short skirt?"

I shook my head, "If the size bothers you, why not put shorts on under it or leggings?" I suggested. All this girly stuff was beginning to rub off on me.

She glanced back at the mirror, "I guess... are you sure? Do you really like it?"

I paused, "Is this one of those questions where if I say that I really like it I sound like a pervert or is it the kind where I'm saying the right thing and that you'll roll with it?" I guess she didn't understand that that wasn't a joke.

She giggled, walking back into the dressing room. Not again! The store owner came and sat next to me handing me a coke and a mini brownie. "How's it going?"

"I think she's decided on a skirt..."

Just then the sound of obnoxious laughter rang from outside. We looked up to see Riku laughing and pointing at me from outside the shop. "Hey! 'Tis an honourable thing he does! Shoo! Away with you and your pride!" The shop owner hollered, waving a fist at him. Riku's expression flashed panic and he bolted off, deeper into town.

"So, how this shirt?" Kairi asked. I gawked... it was so... normal. It was just a maroon spaghetti strap. She turned around and moved her long hair so I could she the back. "It zips up, see? I was gonna put a jacket on over it. What do you think?"

I clapped my hands together, "Sounds good!" She smiled and went back in. I was relieved that she'd stuck with the skirt.

She hung two jackets over the door, "Pink or brown?" She asked. "The pink has lots of pockets but the brown matches your jacket!"

I blushed, she wanted to match me? "Whatever you think is best... But I think the brown goes with your hair better."

She thought over, "Your right! I'll go with that one!" She came out, fully decked out in her new clothes. She turned to the slightly surprised manager, "Can I buy this while it's on me?"

He looked at me and then back to her, "You are the keyblade boy! I remember now! Kairi used to talk about you all the time! That is... before she was mysteriously found missing." He glared pointedly at her. She shrugged innocently. "For you," He waved a hand at the two of us, "free of charge!"

"Thanks, Mister!" I beamed at him.

Kairi grabbed her things and then started to lead me out the door and back into town, "Let's go pack, Sora! We need to leave as soon as possible! Thanks to you and your help we got this done faster than I would have expected!" How long was she expecting this to take?!

She bought a few things that we'd need to take along such as food and drink but she also bought things like flash drives so we could carry important information with us and temporary hair dye in case we needed to go incognito. These were things I'd never even thought of. Where was she getting these ideas?

At the end of the day she stopped by the ocean, breathing in the salty air. "How are we going to get anywhere without a gummi ship?" Riku scoffed at the sky. "By this time you should know that we can't exactly raft to other worlds like we'd originally planned, Kairi."

She smirked at him over her shoulder, "Thanks a whole freaking ton, Riku, but I didn't plan on making another rinky dink raft." She stretched out a hand toward the sea and suddenly a black swirling mass erupted from her hand. I recognized it as a dark portal.

"How-" I began. She pressed a finger to my lips, "Not now, but soon. Soon, you'll understand. Kay?" Riku was maybe even more confused than I was, but we didn't question it. We watched her walk into the portal and did the same. We came out in Hollow Bastion Restoration Society's headquarters. Everyone was asleep. What time was it, here? I looked out the window to see a rainy day afternoon. I supposed such depressing weather would have a drowsy affect on people.

"Boo!" Leon droned, tonelessly, opening the door. "We've been waiting for you... three? Who's she?"

Riku grinned at Kairi. She folded her hands over her chest, put her nose in the air and turned her head away from Riku with an indignant, "Hmph!" I motioned a hand toward Kairi, "Leon, this is Kairi. You remember, I was looking for her..."

"Oh yeah! Huh, you're a little feistier than he described." He shrugged and walked out into the storm, a sign that we should follow.

"Feistier?!" She repeated under her breath.

We followed him to the secret lab where Tifa and Cloud awaited our arrival. Tifa and Cloud formally introduced themselves to my friends and greeted me with a nod from Cloud and a hearty pat on the back from Tifa. We went into the computer room but the computer was completely shut down.

Leon turned and gave the three of us a stern look, "Noticably, Tron is exactly available at the time."

"Please leave a message after the beep. Beep," Kairi intoned quietly.

Leon scowled at her and she slowly made her way to the safety of my shadow. "Actually, there aren't really many worlds that are contactable at the moment... or reachable... or tangable. We don't think that they're... gone... but they aren't... there. Does that make sense?"

"Like a Nobody," Kairi whispered to me.

I was thrown a bit off guard, "Yeah! Kairi, who told you about Nobodies?"

Her eyes grew wide and frantic, "Mickey!" She said quickly. Riku and I knew a lot about Nobodies but we were battling them. I suppose having been kidnapped by one you may learn one or two things but it seemed odd she'd pick it all up so fast.

Leon bobbed his head in agreement, "Just like a Nobody. We have reason to believe that whoever destroyed Disney Castle did this, but we don't think it was a Nobody. If not, they have to be wandering around here, Twilight Town, or the World That Never Was. Even if they aren't, we don't have any way to check the other worlds and see, anyway. Start your search here and if you don't find them, we'll have to try and figure out the way to bring the other worlds back. Until then, you're on your own. Meeting adjourned." We nodded and made our way out.

We stood outside the door to the lab, huddling for a meeting, "Alright, since we're already here, we might as well search this place for the culprit first. Riku, you take the left side. Kairi and I will take the right."

"Wait," Riku interupted. I was a little annoyed because I'd been sounding so cool and leader-ish. I never get to sound cool and leader-ish! "Whose right? Yours, or mine?"

"Mine," I told him. "If you spot anyone suspicious, greet them and give them a bit of light questioning. If it gets to the point where the two of you are fighting, send up a dark flare." I instructed. He nodded his head curtly and went on his way.

"Come on, Kairi," She pouted her lower lip as she followed. No doubt she was feeling babied.

Riku's POV

This was pointless, it was so rainy I wouldn't be able to see or hear anyone anyway. Still, it wasn't like we had anything better to do. Sure, we needed a place to stay but that could wait until nightfall. I strolled the deserted streets of Hollow Bastion. Occasionally a shop would be open but I wouldn't stop. No one looked suspicious. I was about to give it up and call it a day when I saw a black figure in the distance. I quickened my pace. Even though it was thunderstorming and visibility was almost nill, the person looked back at me over their shoulder and started running. Just great, that's really what I needed right now, to go chasing after some hooded figure in black. Wait... hooded figure in black?! Organzation XIII! But who could have survived? I racked my brain but could find no answer. Instead I decided I'd ask the person. When I'd caught up with them, I grabbed them by their shoulders. "Stop, and no one gets hurt!" Was that a scoff I heard? My eyes narrowed, "I just want to speak with you, if you'll follow me to a drier place, I only wish to investigate a recent murder. I know it is highly improbable that you are a witness or accomplice, but I do need to check and see. Please come with." I waited for their answer.
Without removing their hood they sarcastically replied, "Whatever you say, officer." It was a girl, how wonderful. It's not that I have a thing against girls, I just don't get them and when you're me, not getting something can lead to lots of misunderstandings and bad things... like death.

I lead her to the bailey, hoping she would cooperate. I turned around, "Alright we can do this the easy way or the hard way-" I cut off when I came face to face with what looked like a keyblade. Her hood was down now. Her green, black, and pink streaked hair flowed over her shoulders and her emerald eyes were cold and peircing as the storm outside. "The hard way then..." I grumbled.

"I like a challenge." If there had ever been a doubt in my mind that the mysterious figure that looked like she was from Organization XIII was the culprit, it was gone now.

I held out my hand and my keyblade appeared in it. She was unfazed by the now equal playing field. I took a swing at her but she ducked and avoided it. She thrust the blade upward at my neck. I weaved sideways just in time and it gave me an uneven hair cut. I wrapped my arm around hers, so that both of our keyblades were temporarily rendered useless. I pinned her down on the ground, holding her weilding arm behind her back. She struggled and thrashed, surprisingly strong for such a short girl. "Why did you kill Mickey?" I spat. Her thrashing ceased momentarily

"I didn't... know he was dead..."

Maybe the two cries weren't related? "Then what about the worlds? Where are they?"

At this she shook with laughter. A sharp pain in my side drove confusion from my mind and blind anger fueled me. I jumped off of her, readjusting my keyblade so I was in position to stab her. When I thrust my arm forward, I hissed in pain as the keyblade ricocheted off of something. I looked up to find she'd somehow aquired a second keyblade! "How did you...?" Before I finished my sentence she answered me.

"Your chain." I glanced at where the chain on my pants had been before. I scructinized the new keyblade, finding that it was my chain! "Child's play. You really aren't cut out for this job, things like this are better settled with the keyblade master!" I paid close attention to the fact that she said "the" instead of "a".

Now enraged I dived at her, swinging my keyblade this way and that, only for her to dodge and smack the keyblade away anytime I came close. "You can't dodge me forever!" I hollered.

"I don't need forever, only until you're weak enough to kill!" She sneered. I rose my hand in the air, building up dark energy, then blasted it at her. When I could see her again, she was the picture of astonishment but I could find no trace of pain in her. Then her expression turned to that of fury. "You idiot! Who do you think you are, trying to harness the power of darkness?! You could never FATHOM the extent of darkness's power!" She pulled her keyblade back to either stab me or strike me, either way, she was stopped by Sora's voice.

"Riku!" He called. The girl looked back at him over her shoulder, I took this moment of vulnerability to my advantage and went to strike her with my keyblade but she'd been more conscious of her situation than I was aware and did, appearantly, the only defensive tatic she could think of at the moment.

???'s POV

It was Sora! The Keyblade Master! I stared at him, stunned that he and I were actually meeting, face to face, albiet not the most formal of introductions. Just then, out of the corner of my eye I saw the silver haired boy pull his keyblade back to finish me. In a fleeting moment of panic I pulled my leg back on and kicked. "AGGH! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" While my kicks weren't ever the softest, no one had ever reacted to one in that fashion before. I drew but one conclusion. I kicked him in a place where I, being an innocent girl, should never think about.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, I just kicked and it- Oh, I am so sorry!" I prattled, embarrassed.

"Excuse me?! You were just about to KILL ME!" He screamed, and while he did have a point, I didn't have time to explain my sudden mood swing. I turned and bolted off in the other direction. Oh, my master was gonna kill me! He was already so tense from the accusations put on him for the Disney Castle massacre, WHICH HE DID NOT DO, he really didn't need any more stress on his shoulders. And though I'd known of the massacre, I hadn't known for sure that Mickey was dead, now that he was, it was just another part of me wasted away.

Kairi's POV

Sora ran to help Riku up as the girl ran. It seemed odd to me that she struck me as familiar. My memories had faded once before, perhaps she was a missing part of me? I chased her calling after her, "Hey! Wait! I promise, I wont hurt you!" She reached the edge of the bailey, preparing to jump. "Stop!" I gasped, realizing the voice screaming after her was not my own, but Namine's. Though stunned, I did not slow my pace. The girl stopped and whirled around, looking expectantly at me. Had Namine's voice triggered something? "I'm Kairi!" I told her, watching her expression fall. "I don't know who you are or why you were fighting Riku but I assure you we mean you no harm!" I rambled, taking her hands, "I just met you but... would it sound weird to say I feel like I've seen you before?" Even as I spoke, images of her, crying, laughing, screaming, reading, sleeping, filled the space between she and I.

She stood, shocked, as if in a stupor before finally nodding her head. Then she shook it, "I mean no! No! It... wouldn't sound weird."

I smiled, "Come. I wont let Riku hurt you." She seemed to freeze up even more at his name, "You know... we're travelling with the Keyblade Master. We wont let anything happen to you. Please, just come with us." She nodded dully and followed me back to the borough where everyone was still asleep.

You've probably already guessed who the girl is but whatever. Hope you liked this chapter. Please review!