Hello again!

Okay, so second chapter up. It's a start!
Last chapter I asked for anyones thoughts on this story, but no one reviewed... so I'm going to shamelessly ask again! If I don't know what's wrong with this, I can't make it better, #yougetmeblud? (Also, this is like 1000 more words than last chapter, and the longest chapter I've ever written in a day. [I usually get bored...] So yay me!) :D
Updates for this story will come at least once a week if I can help it, and possibly more depending on how busy I am. Once I get back to school after the holidays, though... we shall see. :)

Lots of love from
Nai x

The first thing she thought as she stepped into the station was that it was unusually quiet.

A train, vivid purple in colour and decorated in burnt orange stars, sat stationary on the track; its doors open to invite passengers in. Ghost scrutinized it for a moment, before deciding it was safe and turning to walk to the ticket booth.

"Uh, one ticket to… wherever, please," she asked uncertainly, dropping the money on the counter.

No reply.

The silence dragged on as she stared into the empty office behind the grate. From what she could see, there was no-one in sight in the whole area. It was like a ghost town, and Ghost herself briefly wondered whether the whole population of Twilight Town had been that what was gathered in Tram Common ten minutes prior.

Quickly realising it was useless, she gathered up the 900 Munny Olette had given her and slid it into the pocket of her shorts, pushing away from the counter and stumbling forward a little. Her quiet footsteps echoed in the silence, reverberating off the red brick walls and concrete floor. It was only then she realised the situation she was in.

She was alone. Physically and mentally. Not only was she in a town she'd never heard of, with people she'd never met; but she couldn't remember her name, her age, her home, her friends… if she ever had any. What about family? Where were they? Did they miss her? Were they looking for her? What did she do before she forgot?

She nibbled her lip nervously and folded her arms across her chest, fingernails scratching at her biceps. What was she actually going to do when she got on the train? For one thing, she had no idea where it would take her – there were no signs or people around to say. In fact, she was even starting to wonder whether the train actually had a driver or not. She couldn't really tell.

After a few more minutes of worried nibbling, she eventually left her lip alone – now slightly swollen and bleeding a bit from her violent biting – before walking slowly towards the obnoxious train and stepping cautiously inside.

Without warning, the doors slammed closed, and the train wasted no time in sounding its whistle as it pulled away from the platform.

"Have you found her yet?"

Two figures stood idly in a corridor of darkness, the strange purplish black clouds rippling and billowing around them. For now, there were no Heartless or Nobodies in sight to destroy their rare peace – something both men were grateful for. Usually moments like that were hard to come by and often were short-lived as well.

"…I found her, Boss, but…" the smaller brunette trailed off slightly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. His hair viciously defied gravity in an Aiden-Grimshaw-esque side swept quiff, hair falling to cover his sparkling sapphire eyes.

"But? I have no time for 'buts', kid. Listen, I need to find her fast. Otherwise a hell of a lot of people are probably gonna die. And that won't make 'em happy. Got it memorized?" The boss replied, his face masked by a large black hood.

"Y-Yes sir!"

"… So, what's wrong then?"

His question went unanswered for the moment as the dark brown haired boy turned back to the translucent rectangle seemingly hanging in midair in front of him. It flickered every so often as the image changed.

"Well, she just disappeared."

The scenery had rushed by the windows in a blur of sunset and foliage, so much so that it took a while for Ghost to notice it had actually merged into that of an endless dark green. The dull chug of the train was muffled inside the cabin – which was ultimately just as gaudy as the out. It was the same intense purple and amber used on the exterior decoration, except with added scarlet and grey for decoration. The brightness was just about burning her retinas.

She sighed a little, glancing down at her palms. Thin, almost invisible lines criss-crossed the clear skin, following each crease where she clenched her fist. Despite their unmistakeable femininity from the delicate fingers to the ivory tone, they were undoubtedly a soldiers hands – the skin around the bottom of her palm and around her fingers was calloused and rough from gripping the hilt of her sword, not to mention the fact she had needle like scars threading throughout her complexion. And one rather obvious scar defacing the skin visible on the thigh.

She was damaged goods – she didn't need a memory to realise that.

Eventually, however, she surfaced from her metaphorical pond of self pity as she felt the train begin to drop in speed, before eventually coming to a complete stop and opening its doors. There were no noises indicating their arrival, but there was no one else on the train. She figured it was more of a one-stop ride.

Swallowing her growing fear, she pushed herself from the padded seats and stepped out onto the luscious emerald grass, noticing almost at once how the sky was a deep navy blue colour, scattered with flickering stars. She scanned her immediate area; small floating island covered in grass and bushes, a few discarded chests and a lone banana brick tower that stood as the tallest thing on the terra. Well – if you could even call it a terra. It didn't seem big enough t be registered on a map.

Before she had time to turn back around, though, the train had vanished; leaving no sign of a vehicle ever being there. Not even train tracks. Ghost frowned to herself and rested a hand on her sword apprehensively.

"Well… onwards and upwards, I suppose," she said – her optimistic side kicking in.

Keeping a firm grip on the hilt of her blade, she slowly edged towards the tower. There didn't appear to be any sign of life what-so-ever in the grounds before it, so she ascended the short set of steps leading up to the wooden front doors with a star and a moon stuck to them, she pushed them open and went inside without further thought.

The décor inside was a pale orange to match the white staircase that wound around the outside of the room. Another chest lay at the foot of the stairs, beside a greenish-grey column that stood strong in the center of the room. Ghost made her way over to it, drawing her sword and tapping the lid of the chest suspiciously before jumping back as an Ether sprang out.

"…What the…?"

She shook her head as she picked it up, stowing it away for later. Looking up at the twisting staircase, she scratched the back of her head lightly, sighing tiredly as she started to walk up them, into the rippling green portal that floated at the top.

Flashing silver ripped quickly through the small bodies of darkness, as Ghost sliced the last dark entity that stood in her way. She moved forward tentatively, her sword raised in front of her torso, left hand clenched by her side. The quiet shuffle from her boots on the staircase was barely audible as she approached the orange door before her, a large yellow triangle surrounded by swirls for its design.

Making her way to the top of the tower hadn't been as easy as she expected, what with little purplish black bug-like things and weird grey monsters blocking her path. She'd also gotten sick of the sight of three things; stars, moons, and stairs. Whatever architect designed this place must have been suicidal by the end of it, as climbing the stairs was tiring enough, not to mention building them since they were mostly suspended in midair.

That was another thing Ghost wasn't keen on. You could actually smell the magic clouding the air. It was thick and really had no particular odour, but it was clearly there. It unnerved her to no end, not knowing what her strange enemies were capable of. Who was to say the owner of this tower was even a good guy?

Inching forward, she stopped a few centimetres short of the door, pressing her ear to the brightly coloured wood. She took a deep breath, controlling her intake of air and calming her thudding heartbeat.

"…man, really? We barely got back from our last mission…"

"…apologies…"

"At least we're together again…"

"…to put up with Sora for another year."

"Hey!"

The voices inside the room suddenly burst into laughter as someone whined slightly. Ghost frowned, squeezing the hilt of her sword in her hand before slowly opening the door.

The laughter inside stopped almost immediately as she entered the relatively small room. From what she could see, there were two people, a duck and an anthropomorphic dog (AN: Pshh yeah I Googled it). It was silent for a few moments as they simply stared at each other, no-one quite knowing what to say to the unexpected arrival.

"Uh… hi," the boy in the middle finally broke the silence. His caramel hair was beyond spiky, going off in every direction possible; his eyes were a startling electric blue.

"…Good afternoon," Ghost replied, sheathing her sword quickly before anyone got the wrong idea. "Um…"

"Sora, could you please move out of the way?" A deep, gruff voice from behind the collection of human and animals asked. The boy, Sora, looked over his shoulder and started to say something before thinking better of it and moving.

An old man with a long grey beard and a stern expression sat behind the desk, sporting a vivid blue robe and pointy hat with various stars and moons on. His fingers were intertwined with each other as he leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the desktop; his bushy grey eyebrows slanted over his eyes. "You need not tell me why you are here, young one. I have been waiting to meet you ever since I heard from… well, ever since I heard of your existence." The man paused here, as if considering something, before continuing. "What is your name?"

Ghost swallowed, trying to resist the urge to start chewing her bruising lip again. "Ghost, sir. But, I was wondering-"

"-where you are?" The man interrupted, as Ghost nodded. "Hm. This is my home… the Mysterious Tower. It would appear you arrived by train from Twilight Town, much like these three did the first time they visited." He gestured to Sora and the two animals, who grinned at her. "My name is Yen Sid, the former Master of His Majesty King Mickey – although, I'm sure that title will be of no importance to you who has lost your memories."

Ghost flinched. "How do you-"

"That is irrelevant."

Her eyes narrowed as he interrupted her again. "Not to me, sir. For a girl who has no memory of what she used to be, every bit of information I can get my hands on is completely relevant."

Yen Sid studied her for a moment, his eyes resting on the determined gaze locked in her eyes. "The Pastel Guardian," he mused to himself. "I will explain all to you when the time comes. For now, though, I must withhold information for fear of what may happen."

Pastel Guardian? What? "But-"

"Sora," Yen Sid interrupted a third time, and Ghost resorted to glowering silently as he addressed the gathering in front of him, "Donald, Goofy. The time has come to embark on this new mission. I only wish I held more knowledge to give you. Ghost will accompany you… look after her." He paused, gesturing towards the door on the other side of the room, and continued in an almost jokey tone. "You know the protocol. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather will suit you up in new clothes before you leave. I wish you all the best on your journey."

And with that said, he disappeared in a cloud of glitter.

The two teenagers stared at the spot the old wizard had sat for a few moments, before turning to look at each other awkwardly. Sora grinned and put his hands behind his head, laughing slightly. "Welcome aboard, I guess. I'm Sora."

"Donald!" The duck quacked, waving around a staff with a book stuck to the top.

"Hyuk, and I'm Goofy, pleased ta meet ya!" The dog took off his hat in greeting before replacing it on his head.

Ghost bowed her head, placing one leg in front of the other as she curtseyed politely. "I am Ghost."

The group collectively turned their heads towards the door Yen Sid had pointed out, and following Sora's lead, they entered quickly. Three fairies were stood patiently in front of them – Ghost guessed they were Flora, Fauna and Merryweather – dressed in red, green and blue respectively.

"Why, dears, if it isn't Sora, Donald and Goofy! Oh, and who's this? A new friend?" The fairy in red asked, fluttering around the group with her sisters.

"Ghost." Ghost was getting bored of introducing herself.

"Ah, I see," she chuckled nervously, taken aback at the bluntness of her reply. She studied the teenagers for a few moments, exchanging glances with her sisters as they discussed colours and designs.

Ghost took the time to glance idly around the room. It was littered with mirrors in every direction, along with pale yellow cloths to cover some of them and a few familiar looking treasure chests. A small table with a high backed chair stood in the center of the room, made of plain brown wood.

She didn't notice anything moving until there was a bright flash of light – and when she looked, Sora's outfit had completely changed.

In place of his previous baggy parachute pants, he had on a pair of charcoal jeans with a small silver crown on the belt buckle that hugged the toned muscles in his legs, paired with shoes of the same colour that were relatively smaller in size than his last ones. On his torso he wore a loose navy t-shirt with a crisp white dress shirt left open over the top, sleeves rolled up messily to his elbows. He had kept the silver crown necklace around his neck, but a chain had been added to his jeans, hooking on belt loops so it hung around his side.

He glanced over himself a few times in the mirror, his eyebrows raised at the skinny jeans and white shirt. "…Really?"

Fauna giggled from next to Flora. "Well dear, you are sixteen now, aren't you? A perfectly handsome young man who needs clothes to match."

Sora's face began to burn and he looked away from the group, blushing furiously.

Merryweather caught Ghost's smirk and giggled with her sister. "And you're not off the hook either, dear. Come along now, dears!"

She froze as all three fairies turned towards her and raised their wands. There was no time to run as she was hit with the blinding magic and lifted into the air while she felt the material surrounding her body ripple and move around.

When it died down, she landed heavily on her feet, accompanied by a sharp clack. The fairies looked pleased with themselves, as they pushed her towards a mirror so she could see her new clothes.

Her old battle-worn boots had been replaced by lighter brown, lace-up boots that left the front of her shins slightly exposed. Her shorts had been swapped for a pale khaki mini skirt with slits up the side – though the three old fairies had helped keep her dignity intact by giving her light grey bicycle shorts as well. She also no longer felt the cool air of the tower on her stomach any more, but rather on her back – as instead of her bralet she now wore an off-white sleeveless and backless button up shirt, secured with a brown belt under the bust that matched her shoes. A small bronze plate that opened out into a circular shield was secured to her left arm; and her scabbard complete with sword still rested dutifully on her left hip. She also noticed her bangs had been chopped at and styled so they swept to the right, her hair pulled up into a long ponytail that hung slightly to the left.

"Wonderful!" Flora exclaimed, clapping to applaud her work. "I think they both look astounding. Good work, dears!"

"You're free to leave, now," Merryweather smiled, nodding. "Good luck on your mission. I hope you're every bit as successful as before!"

Sora grinned, reaching to put his hands behind his head again. The blush on his cheeks had died down, and his embarrassment had been pushed aside. "Thanks. I guess we'd better be going now – after all, the worlds need their hero!"

"Heroes!" Donald corrected, whacking him on the shin as they left the room. Ghost smiled to herself, hearing the fairies giggle behind them.

"So," Sora began, after rubbing his leg better. "Are you ready for an adventure, Ghost?"

She looked up – her pale peach irises catching his sapphires – and grinned at him, brief excitement flashing in her eyes before it was masked again.

"As ready as I'll ever be, Sora."