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(725 A.I.)

(Destiny Islands)

The Destiny Islands were built solidly on the repetition of every day life. There were things that no one did, simply because no one before them had. It was a simplistic, and in many ways, unfulfilling existence, but no one could explain exactly why it was done this way, just that it was, and stop questioning me and make yourself useful, youngster, would be the last thing said on the subject. There weren't many who questioned their small existences, or things like why they never sent any boats off to other islands, why half of the town had mysteriously disappeared thirteen years ago, or even why no one ever visited the small islet visible just on the edge of the horizon.

Ghosts, they blamed the last one on. The tiny island was supposed to be haunted by spirits of those long lost at sea. They'd drowned out in the waters when their boat capsized, or a storm came, or maybe they just couldn't swim in the first place, stolen away by a rogue rip tide. Their bodies floated to the surface, gray and bloated, but their spirits were still drowning. They groped for the nearest land that their ghostly fingers could grasp, which happened to be that tiny islet on the edge of the horizon. If they couldn't grab it they'd be sucked right over the edge into the sun. Those who managed to grab hold of the islet would stay forever, or so the legend said.

The first time that Haru and Kyra had seen anyone who'd died at sea, it was a little boy with whom they'd been friends—his parents were dead as well—named Vindina. He'd drowned just off the coast of their own island, and when he was pulled out of the water his eyes were still open but his skin was insipid, almost ghostly. His death had drawn a crowd of adults and children alike, the latter being a crowd of only orphans, who had no parents to shield their eyes and hurry them back inside. Kyra and Haru watched the entire time, as they wrapped Vindina's body up in linens and carried him away. There was a hushed silence over the throng, and it was because of this that everyone was able to hear when Kyra spoke up and said, her voice troubled, "Vindina drowned close to our island."

"Don't worry, Kyra—if you stay out of the water, you'll be safe," one of the men said, misunderstanding her and patting the top of her head.

"But what about his ghost? The ghosts reach for the closest land they can find. That's our island. He was close to us."

Several of the adults exchanged worried glances and began to clear away. A few people told her not to worry, and others told her not to think so damn much until there was no one around but she and Haru, her child's curiosity hanging heavy in the silence.

Ever since that day, Kyra had spent a fair amount of time wondering about the little islet on the horizon. She was pretty sure that she didn't believe in ghosts. After all, where was Vindina's ghost? Where did the spirits of people that didn't drown go? Where were all of the dead parents? Did they stick near their children, or just pass on peacefully? No one else thought about things like this, Kyra knew. But she'd always wanted to know how and why, even when nobody would give her the answer.

(And, even if ghosts were real, they didn't come out in the daylight…right?)

The much anticipated sunrise had come and gone, leaving the little house of the two teenagers bright and much more cheerful as the sun took it's place in the sky and the sky returned to its normal, endless shade of blue. Breakfast was a simple affair—Haru cooked omelets over their stove while Kyra minded the teapot, and they both sat down to eat at the small table in front of their couch. The curtains on the windows were perpetually open, and the first thing that Kyra did in the morning was open up the windows themselves, letting the fresh air cycle through the house before it became too hot.

It was today, Kyra decided, that she'd present to Haru an idea that had been in her head for years now—to take a boat out to the 'haunted' island and prove that everyone had been lying, or at least pacify her own curiosity, for the time being. She knew that Haru wouldn't take to the idea as she had; he wasn't one to say no to an adventure, but he put more stock in what was told to him than she did, and he believed the legends. As expected, once she proposed her plan to him, he wasn't eager to see it through.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea—"

"Why, are you scared?" she taunted. "Baby Haru, running from children's stories…"

"I'm not scared!" he protested quickly. "I just…don't want to get in trouble." Kyra had that gleam in her eyes, the one that meant that she was thinking again, and whatever the thought that had entered her mind, it wouldn't leave until she beat it for all it was worth. Usually, these thoughts ended with trouble.

She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her nose in the air. "Hm. Maybe I'll just go alone then. I don't need your help to do anything."

He knew that she was playing games with him. He knew it, but it still didn't stop him from sighing, a little deflated, and muttering something about coming with her and hoping, for her sake, that she was right about there not being any ghosts. Kyra's face lit up promptly, she sped through cleaning the breakfast dishes, and she was already dragging him down to the docks by the time he'd worked up the guts to protest.

Tied up to the dock were several rickety, old children's boats. They belonged to no one in particular, were simply just there, and since no one had cause to leave the island in such a small vessel, they sat unused. Kyra, as an inhabitant of the island, felt it her right to use what she deemed as 'public property' and with only a little more arm-twisting, she and Haru were crammed in one together.

"Get your knees out of my face," he complained as she wriggled around, trying to get the ancient oars to move. Finally she put enough force behind her efforts and the wood arched into the water, leaving Kyra with a smug grin on her face. It took a few minutes for them to figure out exactly how to use the rowboat, but before long they were halfway between the isles. Kyra insisted on rowing them herself, girl or not, and he wasn't exactly keen on the idea of doing it, so he didn't argue.

Haru was craning his neck to look behind him at the supposed ghost's haunting ground. It looked harmless enough, if not overgrown. There was even a little wooden dock, like the one back home. The beach looked the same, the water still crystal clear…nothing particularly scary caught his eye. Haru wanted to laugh at himself for putting stock in the dumb stories, but he didn't dare do it out loud, because then Kyra would join in.

They stopped the boat next to the dock, tied it to the legs with an ancient rope that was sitting in the bottom, and climbed up onto the almost rotted wood, a little worried that it wouldn't hold their combined weight. But it held strong, enough for them to walk across it to stand on the sand.

There were manmade structures, though they looked long abandoned; planks had fallen off or were in splinters, and the island's growth had taken most of the land back. But there were things that had once been little wooden shacks, ladders, and walkways, and they were mostly discernable.

"So what are we supposed to be doing here, exactly?" Haru asked. "Looking for ghosts?"

"Looking for something," Kyra replied. "I'm not sure what, exactly," she admitted, almost sheepishly. She looked around, unsure where to start, before spying something of interest. "Look, a waterfall!" she said, pointing. "That means fresh water. Someone must have lived here, once."

"Or spent a lot of time here," Haru concluded. "How old do you think those, uh, buildings are?"

"Only one way to find out." They trekked down the beach, and tried to open the door to a very weather-worn, dilapidated wooden shack, but it wouldn't budge, and Haru was afraid that if they pulled too hard, the whole thing would come down around them. He ran his hands along the wood and stepped up to the waterfall, feeling small, cold flecks of water spray him in the face. It was quite refreshing.

Kyra was looking elsewhere: there was a small piece of land not far out into the water, though it was too high to climb to the top of, and on it sat a very warped tree, curved almost like a seat. She'd never seen any other plants like it, and she wondered if there had been a way to get to that island at some point. She shook her head and continued her walk, looking down at the sand and noticing that the only footprints were those of birds; whenever it was that a human had been her last, it was a long time ago, and whatever secrets this island held had stayed with them.

Truly, it felt different to be here than it did back home. Almost as if the island was whispering to her—though it was a ridiculous notion that had crept into her head, because she did not believe in ghosts—she heard…something in the wind. Kyra felt the back of her neck prickle and she shuddered, dismissing the thought. Stupid ghost stories. It was just an island, nothing special.

She found another doorway, one that actually did open. It was built into a stone wall, which opened to a tiny shack with nothing distinguishing save another door, and when she opened this one she found herself on a tiny spit of land, a cove in the side of the island. The only way to get to the other side was to wade across, but she wasn't going to explore any farther without Haru, who'd left her side at some point. For someone still anxious about ghost stories, he'd wandered off alone pretty early on. Kyra stuck her head back through the door.

"Haru! Over here!"

His head perked up. He'd been studying the shack with the busted door, and realized that, had the roof been stable, he could have climbed on top and been level with that islet that Kyra had been studying earlier, from a distance. She must have found something more interesting now. He followed her voice around the corner and saw her leaning out of a doorway.

"Opened one," she said with a grin, and ushered him forward. "I figured out how to get to the other side without rowing around. Come on!"

They waded through the cove to the other side, and both craned their necks upwards. There was a tower of sorts, still half-standing, that stretched up to reach the blue of the sky. The ladder was rotted and broken, so they didn't try to climb up, but began to wonder exactly what all of these structures were for, and where the wood had come from.

Another tower met them down the beach, this one much more simplistic, with no ladder at all. The land sloped up and created a pathway (if you were brave enough to jump the gaps between rocks that jutted out the side of the island) up to a big hole in the side. The beach around them could be easily described as a coconut grove, and it seemed a waste to let these trees go for so long.

"No ghosts," Haru said, looking around.

"Not yet," Kyra grinned. "I was hoping for something more exciting—the only thing here is a bunch of rotted wood and an overabundance of seagulls."

"I think its kind of cool," Haru admitted. Wind whipped through the grove and, for a split second, he thought he could hear the echo of a child's laughter. He looked around anxiously, but the sound was gone, and there was no one around. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kyra asked.

"Nothing," he replied, too quickly. Kyra raised a blonde eyebrow. "This place…it feels weird," he elaborated. "I can't explain it, really. Let's…let's just go back to the boat."

"Back to the boat? We just got here!" Kyra complained, though she was feeling the same apprehension that Haru was. But she wasn't about to let him know that.

He started walking, and after a few seconds, she caught back up with him as they waded through the water and back to the other side of the island. Haru headed towards the rickety boat, but Kyra grabbed his arm before he could get too far. "Let's at least sit in the sun until our legs dry off—we don't want to get that little boat too wet on the inside, or the bottom might start to really rot away." It was a weak point, but Haru conceded, and they sat next to the waterfall, stretching out their legs to soak up the sun.

Kyra was memorized by the white clouds drifting lazily across the sky, and while she kept her face turned upward to them, Haru was looking at the overgrown wildlife around them. The spot they were sitting in was raised up off the beach, and looked to have once been a clear path. Strangely enough, it was shaped to be curved around the waterfall, leading, in one direction, straight into the brush. He pushed a few plants back from the ground and found, in fact, that the path did continue. His heart thumped hard in his chest, just once. Weird. He did this again, Kyra asking him what it was that he was doing, and finally stomped through it all until he walked as far as he could. He felt the stone, closer, and closer to the bottom until…yes! His arm went straight through; he'd found a hole in the rock. A big one too—he'd probably be able to fit, if he crawled though it.

"What are you doing?" Kyra repeated, coming over to kneel beside him.

"I found something," he explained. "A hole."

"I wonder if it goes anywhere…"

"Only one way to find out," he replied, looking over his shoulder to smile at her. Strangely, all of his earlier apprehension had disappeared, replaced by an odd calmness. "Think I'll get attacked by anything?" he asked, trying to see into the hole, but finding it too dark.

"Getting scared again?" Kyra teased. She was eager for him to go in so that she could follow. She felt as if…well, almost as if she was supposed to be in there. It was almost unsettling, but the feeling was drowned out by those of want.

As if to answer her, Haru wriggled his shoulders into the entrance, and eventually his feet disappeared inside. Kyra waited a few seconds, but crawled in after him. It was pitch black, damp, and cramped, but the air inside wasn't stuffy like she'd expected. When she finally came across the widened portion of the tiny cave she found out why; there was a small hole in the top, that let in a few rays of light and some fresh air.

"Whoa…" Kyra said, standing up to her full height and looking around. It was a perfect little stone hideaway, though the walls were marred with faded images, but that wasn't what had drawn her attention, unlike Haru, who was crouched down again to try and make some of them out.

At the very end of the cave was a door, looking nothing like the others they'd come across. It was in perfect condition, seemingly brand new, though it had no knob or hinges. Kyra strode over to it and pressed her palm against the wood before gasping and pulling her hand back. It was warm, unlike the rest of this chilly place. She ran her fingers over it again, looking for divots or any way to open it, but it was completely smooth.

Something did unnerve her about the door, however. When she pressed her hand flat against it, it almost felt as if it was pulsating, like a heartbeat. You're being silly, she told herself. Stupid ghost stories…

"Kyra, look at these drawings!"

She turned away from the door and took a few steps over to Haru, leaning closer to the walls. Yes, she could make out the pictures scratched into the stone, though they were all more than a little strange. The one that Haru was focused on looked to be of two people, stars stretched out between them.

"Who do you think they are?" she asked. Her friend shrugged beside her.

"I don't know. But…" he trailed off.

Can you feel it too, Haru? She wondered. There's something about this place, something…magical. Is it tied to us, somehow, through our memories? Have we played here before, scribbling on these walls? What exactly is this island, and who was here before us?

They spend their entire afternoon in the little cavern, looking at the walls and making up silly stories to explain all of the pictures. As they left, neither of them noticed the door begin to glow around the edges.

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(704 A.I.)

(Destiny Islands)

Riku had been right about King Mickey's arrival—his Gummi Ship landed on the play islands just a day later, and the three were lucky enough to be walking home from school at just the right time; they saw the flash of light across the sky and ran for the docks. By the time that they'd managed to secure three rowboats and row them out to the island, the Disney trio was sitting on the sand, awaiting their arrival.

Sora hopped out of the boat, excited to see his friends, who, apparently, shared his sentiments. "Sora!" they cried out in unison, and before he knew it, Sora was at the bottom of a strange, anthropomorphic pile, spitting out the sand that he'd accidentally inhaled.

"Donald, Goofy!" he laughed, trying to disentangle himself from limbs and wings. "I don't care if it's only been a week—I missed you guys."

"Ahh, we missed ya too, Sora!" Goofy chuckled. "Even Donald!"

The duck in question crossed his arms. "Hmmph." Sora grinned and pulled them in for a hug.

Riku and Mickey were having a reunion of their own, though without the theatrics. Riku had knelt down on the sand to be (closer to) the King's level, and they were exchanging pleasantries, after a handshake. Kairi stood off to the side, not really minding her exclusion, but remembering yet again that all she did during the past few years was get lugged around by Riku, unconscious, and then wait around on the Islands for far too long. But not this time—combat or not, she was coming along this time, no matter what!

"Whelp, fellas," King Mickey began, once everyone (namely Sora, Donald, and Goofy) got settled down again. "It sure is good to see you guys again! Especially without any Heartless and Nobodies around." Goofy nodded his head in agreement, and Donald was still feigning indifference. "But our jobs aren't over yet. Our next goal is to educate people on as many worlds as we can, so that if the Darkness does ever come back, we can be one step ahead of it!"

"And be there to fight it again!" Sora said, pumping up his 'Keyblade arm.'

"That too," Mickey laughed. "So, are you guys ready? The sooner we tell our stories the better."

"Why's that, Your Majesty?" Kairi asked, joining in the conversation. She didn't think that they'd get down to business so soon, especially if they really were to tell the entire Islands about their adventures in other worlds.

Mickey turned to look up at the auburn-haired girl. "Gosh, Kairi, you can just call me Mickey, like Riku does. We're all equals. Anyway, to answer your question, the sooner we get started, the better! There are lotsa worlds out there, just waitin' for us. We can think of Destiny Islands kinda like a practice run."

Sora remembered the night that he told his mother about his adventures. He talked well into the night, about Hearts, Darkness, and other worlds. She interrupted him sometimes, but not often, to ask things like Where did Alice come from? and Did you skip any meals when you were away? and How could Riku ever think that he didn't have people back home that cared about him? Sora answered her the best that he could, but not when it came to Riku, because that was not his story to tell. He would never understand his friend's descent into Darkness, but he understood the way that he'd clawed his way out, and that was enough for Sora.

Besides, Riku had told the story to his own mother, he later told Sora on a muggy afternoon, and she'd grown so pale and shaken that he was afraid he'd broke her, and Sora hadn't seen that kind of fear in his friend's eyes, not in a long time. She drew him into a long hug, Riku said, and they didn't talk about it, not even when she had to wake him in the middle of the night because he was fretful, because Riku didn't want her to think about the things that her son had done.

How would the people on the Islands, the people who hadn't held them close as children, the people who hadn't sworn to love them no matter what, react to their story? Would they give Sora more credit than he deserved (he wasn't the only fighting, no, definitely not—there were people stronger than he was fighting the Darkness their whole lives, and there were friends that would give up everything)? Would they shun Riku? Would they believe?

Only one way to find out.

"We can call everyone together in a town meeting," he decided. "And tell them all at once."

"Good idea," the King replied. "The larger the audience, the better."

They talked about what they would do, and how they'd do it. It was on the way to the mainland that Sora realized something: the King hadn't asked if they'd accompany him. He'd known that they would, he'd counted on it. He knew that if he asked Sora, Riku, and Kairi to do something, for the good of the Worlds, they wouldn't question it.

Later, he'd resent it. For now, he shared a boat with Donald and Goofy, and laughed when they tipped it.

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Gahhhhh so much trouble with this and it's only the second chapter….asdfjkl

Here's to hoping that the first part wasn't too slow. Things will start picking up soon. I hope.

Don't forget to check out the extended authors notes on my forum of the same name!