A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter in comparison to my previous ones...I'm very busy right now with graduation nearing and my moving out on my own--into the real world. Scary I know. Nah, I'll be fine. Getting my life together has been the best thing for me thus far, so moving forward will only help things along hopefully. Enjoy and it may be a little while before the next chapter is up.

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Chapter 5: Discovering the Kingdom

"What just happened!?" Riley yelled aloud as the wind picked up again.

"I-I don't know…" Noah replied though his mind wasn't entirely there.

"We've got to get back to Kaycee! We'll find Jack, come on Noah." Riley responded, pulling Noah to his feet by his arm. They ran back toward the beach. They had left Kaycee a few blocks behind to try and keep her out of harm's way.

When Kaycee was in sight Riley picked up his speed but Noah stopped him. "Look." Noah nodded his head toward Kaycee. "That's not Kaycee."

"What do you mean it's not her!?" Riley yelled at him angrily and defensively.

Noah pointed. "Look at her eyes. Those eyes don't belong to the Kaycee we know."

A sinister laugh sounded from behind the girl and out of the darkness stepped the cloaked figure again. He placed his hand upon the girl's shoulder. "Very good, Noah. You catch on quickly. Oh, don't worry about Kaycee. She's been placed in the safety of a hibernation chamber. Her heart and memories will prove to be very helpful to our cause in time. Kingdom Hearts will falter to the darkness once and for all. Your friend, Jack, will be a key player in this hand. Will you play with what you've been dealt? Are you willing to let go? Do you really believe you'll be able to save the ones you care for? I think he's right personally, you're scared and weak. Heh. Look at you; you can barely stand. Some hero." The figure mocked him as his knees shook and nearly buckled beneath him.

The figure and the girl were consumed by the cloud of darkness that was progressively swallowing the world. His sinister laugh rang out as they disappeared. It sent shivers running down Noah's spine and Riley screamed out angrily. "NO!! KAYCEE!!" He dropped to his knees in defeat, losing almost all hope.

"He lies." Noah muttered in a bitter tone.

Riley looked to him. "What?" He asked dumbfounded.

"It's not true. Kaycee is fine, but not with him. He doesn't even know where she is. We have to find her before he does."

"How the hell do you know!? What aren't you telling me Noah!?" Riley shot to his feet and grabbed Noah's arm roughly, turning him around forcefully.

"Hey! Calm down, I'm on your side!" Noah assured him, pulling free of his tight grip. "I don't know how I know. I just do. You have to trust me!" Noah continued in a somewhat firm tone. "I'm your friend Riley. We have to stick together. Who knows what can happen?"

Riley sighed and his head dropped. "I'm sorry Noah…" Riley apologized" sincerely. "It's just…if anything happens to her—"

"We'll find her! Nothing bad will happen to her, I promise. I promised…" Noah replied, cutting off Riley mid-sentence.

"What about Jack?" Riley questioned, his tone riddled with distaste of the traitorous name.

"One thing at a time. I'm sure we'll be seeing Jack again. We'll figure it out then. For now we have to find a tear or portal or something that will take us to the world they're in." Noah began searching for a way out and Riley followed suit. They remained silent for a long time while the world around them was continually being consumed by darkness.

Out of no where, Riley yelled. "Look out!" He pointed behind Noah then reached for his hand in order to try and run and escape.

Noah turned just after a monstrous tidal wave had formed and begun traveling over the beach and streets toward them. He turned and went to run but the wave was much too fast. In an instant the wave came crashing down, engulfing both Noah and Riley and dragging them under in the current.

They fought their way to the surface, gasping for air and desperately trying to stay above the water. They kept getting dragged down repeatedly and over and over again they fought their way to the surface, paddling wildly. The water took them through some streets of the town which had been nearly reduced to ruin. They plunged through an alleyway and were slammed into 2 large white doors. The water drained away and they were left choking and gasping upon the wet ground.

The door was completely out of place. They were serene and almost cathedral-like…placed upon a dank concrete wall. Their edges shone bright white, welcoming light.

Noah shivered and coughed a few times, breathing heavily. He slowly got to his feet, examining the door in wonder. Riley coughed violently for a few moments then swallowed hard and lifted his head to look at the door as well.

"I think these doors will take us to the world where the cloaked figure and Jack are." Noah mumbled slightly, wiping some droplets from his forehead.

"And Kaycee?" Riley asked, getting to his feet.

"She might be there too. It's worth a shot right?" Noah replied, looking at Riley.

Riley sighed and nodded, stepping forward. Noah put his arm out in front of Riley, to stop him. "Hmm?"

"Let me go first." Noah said, stepping in front of Riley.

Riley scoffed slightly then shook his head and gestured for Noah to go ahead. He wasn't pleased though. He was just upset so Noah let him be as best he could.

Every muscle in Noah's body tensed up as Noah took a step toward the door. Riley was watching him warily. Who knew what could be behind that door? Noah held his breath as he reached for the doorknobs, slowly grasping them. He tried to turn them, but they wouldn't budge. "Huh?" Noah was confused. These were the doors from his dream, the ones the voice had talked about. He was supposed to go through them…but they wouldn't open.

"What's wrong?" Riley asked.

"They won't open." Noah replied, looking back at Riley unhappily.

Riley stepped forward. "Let me try." He reached for the knobs. Before he could wrap his hands around them, the white light grew brighter, almost blinding. Riley and Noah both had to shield their eyes with their arms. "Argh! What's going on?"

"I don't know!" Noah nearly shrieked. When the light returned to its normal brightness, a large keyhole symbol was left on the doors. Noah gazed at it in awe. He reached up and let his fingers glide over the texture of the door, solid and smooth. "A keyhole?" He asked aloud. A light went off in his head all of a sudden. "The key!" He shouted, opening his right hand. The white light shone onto his palm and in it formed the key.

"Great! Now what?" Riley crossed his arms over his chest impatiently.

"Lets see…if I do this—" Noah began, lining the key up with the large keyhole. A loud click resonated in the alley and the white doors unlocked and flew open with a burst of sparkling white light. The key then disappeared and both Noah and Riley were left standing before the majestic doors, mouths slightly agape.

"How did you?" Riley asked a few moments later, still gazing through the doors.

"I just knew that's what needed to be done…I have no idea how." Noah responded after composing himself. He stepped into the doorway, squinting to try and see through the bright white light.

"I'm right behind you buddy." Riley reassured him, giving him a nudge to urge him forward. "Light can't be bad right?" He chuckled nervously.

"Sure…" Noah mumbled, completely unsure of what could happen. He walked through the doors into the light and Riley followed after him. The doors shut behind them and disappeared right before their eyes. They were standing in an all white atmosphere, unknowing of what to do or what to expect…or where to go from there.

It didn't take long for something to happen. Out of no where the floor opened up and they plunged into darkness, shrieking and yelling. All their senses were useless. Before they knew it, they had blacked out themselves.

Noah awoke sitting on cold dank stone, leaning upright with his back against a concrete wall. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust. It was dark, everything, but a small street lamp on the corner that faintly illuminated the area surrounding it. Noah groaned. "What happened?" He rubbed the back of his head then slowly got to his feet, feeling drained. "Where am I?" He questioned aloud, searching for anything familiar or something that could tell him what he wanted to know.

He stood under the street light, peering into the darkness. "Riley!?" he called out, remembering that his friend had tumbled through the floor as well. He kept himself from growing frantic though. That wouldn't solve anything. He needed to stay calm, in control. He needed answers.

He wandered through the darkness for some time, trying to make heads and tails of the strange place. He finally stumbled upon another street light next to a post box and a sign that read: Traverse Town. "Traverse Town? Where's that? I've never heard of it…where am I?"