Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me, though that should be obvious.

.

Destati

We landed on the crystalized road in between the worlds. Domino clutched the letter from his sister in his hand, looking out towards the endless sky as if he were deep in thought. I saw a single tear trickle down his cheek, and he hurriedly wiped it away. He held the hand with the paper in it in front of him, and the letter vanished into a swirling vortex of darkness. Rika eyed Domino suspiciously, "You never told us you had a sister. What's she like?"

"I also had three brothers, two uncles and two aunts, a grandfather, a grandmother, and a nanny who all lived with my parents and I, back in Sanctuary, my homeworld," Domino said, tears sparkling in his eyes. "My sister, Diantha…she was so sweet, and caring. She's three minutes older than me…so mature and always looking out for me. She put up a great deal of a fight when my parents were ready to take me to Utopia to seal the barrier. They had to put her on house arrest so she wouldn't attempt to follow us. To think she's got a Keyblade of her own now…"

"Three minutes older?" I asked. "So she's your twin? You have a twin?"

"I guess you could say that," Domino replied, cracking his knuckles. My family's a little odd…almost always two or more of them are born in the same day. The two of my uncles were born on the same day as my father. They were triplets. Same with my two aunts and my mother…triplets as well. The two uncles married the two aunts, and my father and mother married of course. My younger brothers are also twins. And then there's me and my sister."

"You do have a weird family," Rika chuckled silently. "Guess what? I don't have a family. Unless you count the other girls who were adopted alongside me and Merlin who adopted us. That's all the family I've got." Domino looked to Rika apologetically, but Rika simply shook her head and said, "None of that is needed. I don't mind your boasting about your large family. I'm kinda intrigued to meet this twin of yours."

"Same," I replied. Domino wiped his tears and smiled a toothy grin. He held his hand out before him and said, "I can smell where this letter came from…it's near. Right—" He pointed in random direction. "—there."

The world he pointed at was a tad dark. What looked like a building jutted out. Houses littered the world. I could see a sign that read: Hotel. "That's Traverse Town?" Rika asked. "It's kind of dark and gloomy, isn't it? I'll be getting there first!" creating her Glider beneath her feet, she shot towards the world.

I jumped into the air, and below Domino and I appeared his Glider. My feet landed on the Glider, and the two of us blasted off towards the world, a few yards behind Rika. We then entered the world, heading downward to the ground. The three of us landed, the Gliders vanishing beneath our feet. In front of us was a building that looked kinda like a store. I turned around to see a small staircase leading only a few feet downward to a lower section of the ground.

Several yards away from the staircase was a giant wall with a door in the center. The door was shut, and whatever loomed outside was a mystery. "Stay away!" yelled a voice, and a small girl that looked about six years old ran passed us, being chased by two mysterious creatures.

Their bodies were completely black, save for their glowing yellow orb-shaped eyes. They were short, barely over two feet tall, with two antennae jutting from their heads. They swung their clawed hands towards the little girl as they chased her towards the store. The girl opened the door and closed it behind her, the creatures being stopped at the door.

"What are those things?" Rika asked.

My thoughts exactly. Something about those dark creatures seemed to implant fear into my heart. MY body began to shake. What were these creatures? Domino took no time in slashing his Starlight at them. After slashing through their dark bodies two or three times, they vanished into liquid darkness before Domino. Their dark blood hit the ground. Domino bent over and ran his fingers along the ground, lifting his hand up to inspect the black liquid staining his fingers. He sniffed them closely and said, "It's darkness. The darkness became animate in the form of those creatures. But how were they created?"

"My thoughts exactly," a female voice said as the door to the store opened up. Standing in the doorway was the little girl, clutching the leg of a taller girl who wasn't much taller than Domino. Her hair was long and purple, curling at the bottom and falling over her shoulders. Her eyes were a startling silver…the same color as Domino's. The family resemblance was uncanny. However, that's where the resemblances ended. Her skin was a bit tanner than Domino's, and her eyebrows were thinner, her lips pinker. She wore a white t-shirt that revealed her belly, a furry, pink, sleeveless jacket over her white shirt. Her jean shorts went above her knees. She was barefoot…just like Domino "I see you three just rolled into town?"

Domino looked speechless. Rika smirked and said, "So this is your famous sister we've hardly heard about. Did they not invent shoes where you people are from?"

"Oh, my boots are in the Accessory Shop," the girl said, pointing to the store behind her with her thumb. "Anyway, my name is Diantha. I'm Domino's sister if you couldn't figure that out. This girl to the side of me is Desiree. Head on inside so the grown-ups can talk." Desiree nodded her head and rushed into the store again. Diantha stepped outside and closed the door behind her. "Hello, Domino."

Domino remained speechless. Finally he said, "You…you're here. I can't believe it, you're actually here!" He rushed passed me and Rika, nearly knocking me over, and grabbed Diantha's hands in his, shaking them. She shook his hands as well. The two jumped into the air and twirled in midair, falling to the ground back-to-back. Domino lifted his left foot from the ground, and Diantha did the same with her right foot. They pressed their feet against one another's, and then turned to face one another and gave each other a high five. "It really is you!"

"What the hell was that!?" Rika asked in amusement, trying to hold back her laughter.

"It's how we greeted each other every day back in our homeworld," Diantha said with a smile. "We were really close back then. It's good to see you again, Brother."

"Likewise," Domino replied, giving Diantha a tight hug and then releasing her. "In that letter, you mentioned you obtained a Keyblade?"

"Yes," Diantha replied, holding out her hand as light formed in her palm. When the light vanished, a Keyblade was in her hand. The Keyblade was purple with what looked like a leafy design all along the sides of it. The teeth of the blade were designed to look like a pink rose. The handle was a yellow and silvery color. "My Divine Rose." Hanging from the bottom end of the Keyblade was a Keychain that, at the end, was shaped like a rose. "The Keyblade you hold, Domino—" Domino made his Starlight appear again. "—that is the original form of your Keyblade. But if you would apply a keychain to it, it could change its shape. Mine used to look different…but after applying a keychain to it, it looks a lot stronger and better!"

"I think the Starlight Keyblade is perfect as it is," Domino said, holding his Key before him, Starlight vanishing into darkness. The Divine Rose vanished into light. "Anyway, Diantha, I'd like you to meet two of my friends. There's R—"

"Rika," Rika finished, cutting Domino off.

Domino continued with a little annoyance, "And K—"

"Kane," I replied, laughing when Domino shot me an agitated look. "So, Diantha…any embarrassing stories you'd like to tell us about Domino when the two of you were kids?"

"Oh come on, Kane!" Domino yelled in annoyance.

"Well," Diantha said, rubbing the back of her head while she tried to remember. "On his seventh birthday he hated the taste of his chocolate cake so he tossed it to the ground and stepped on the cake. He walked away from it and slipped, falling next to the sink and causing a bunch of dirty dishes to fall all around him and on him! He smelled like chocolate and other foods for a week!"

"Okay, please stop," Domino said, covering his eyes with his hand, probably wishing for us to stop talking.

"Oh, and he tried to ask out this girl when he was twelve," Diantha said on the verge of laughter.

"Don't you dare," Domino growled.

Diantha began giggling as she said, "The thing is, the girl he was going to ask out was actually just a guy with long hair." Diantha bent over and couldn't control her laughter. Domino crossed his arms and looked away, utterly embarrassed at the stories his twin was telling us. Rika laughed at Domino's stupidity when he tried to cover Diantha's mouth with both of his hands. "Okay, okay, I'm only trying to make friends with them."

"And it worked," I said, pulling Domino off of his sister. "So…please tell us. What was that creature?"

"I call it a Shadow," Diantha replied, scratching the back of her head. "They just recently started appearing around the border of this world and even within Traverse Town. I'm trying to figure out where they're coming from. I haven't seen them in any other world but Traverse Town. Maybe I can explain more. Come inside for a glass of lemonade or any other drink of your choosing." She opened the door, and Domino, Rika, and I walked in after her, closing the door behind us.

The only ones inside besides the four of us were the little girl named Desiree, a man behind the store's only desk, and some kind of creature.

The girl had short blonde hair that was braided into a ponytail. She wore a white gown that was larger than her, falling onto the floor and trailing behind her. The man behind the desk was a tall, skinny figure with a white lab coat that was long and went below his ankles. He had no facial hair. His black hair was kind of long and scraggly, falling onto his shoulders. His eyes were emerald green and behind small, circular glasses.

The creature was the strangest of all…a short, pudgy pink body with a rounded head and a red pompom balancing off of a black antennae sticking out of its head. Its arms and legs were short with no fingers or toes. Its nose was big and as red as the pompom hanging over his head. On its back were purple bat wings. Its eyes appeared shut.

"What is that?" Domino asked, holding a finger out, ready to poke the creature in its head.

"It's a Moogle," the man behind the desk said in a high pitched voice. "Not much is known about these little guys… there are many of them here in Traverse Town. This one happens to be my partner. He's been by my side for twenty-four years."

"He doesn't look that old," I replied, staring at the Moogle. It sure was an interesting creature, alright.

"From what I can tell," the man said, putting a hand under his chin. "Moogles can live forever if they're healthy enough."

"Does he have a name?" Rika asked, poking the back of the Moogle's head.

The Moogle looked up at Rika as if studying her face, and then said in a high voice, "My name is of no importance." Rika backed away as if not expecting it to talk.

"My name is Doctor Robert Julius," the man said, stepping out from behind the desk. "I'm a scientist studying the Moogle folk as well as keeping a watchful eye out for those Shadow creatures. The girl in white is my neice, Desiree. She was dropped off here as an infant because her family didn't have enough money to support her. And I see you've been acquainted with Diantha."

"Interesting group you've got here," Rika said, continuously poking the back of the Moogle's head.

"So this is the famous Domino I never hear the end of," Dr. Julius said, holding a hand out to Domino. Domino took it and the two shook hands. "Hello, Domino. Wow, the resemblance between the two of you is uncanny." Right? Almost as soon as Julius finished his sentence, four Shadows suddenly rose from the dark corners of the room and surrounded him. "What the—"

"They found their way in," Diantha said, making Divine Rose appear in her hand. Domino and Rika summoned Starlight and Darksouls, respectively. Desiree jumped off of the couch and ran behind me, clutching my leg in fear.

"It's going to be alright," I whispered to the girl, as she dug her nails into my leg. "Let's leave them to fight the Shadows." I turned towards the door, but in front of it was another creature. It was fairly more humanoid than the Shadow, and much taller. Its antennae were jagged like bolts of lightning. Its glowing yellow eyes were smaller and more like a human's. Its arms and legs were longer. "What is that?"

"Neoshadow," Diantha said right before she slammed her Key into the face of a Shadow in front of her. Suddenly a Neoshadow appeared right behind Diantha. It was too late to stop the monster.

It swung its claws at Diantha from behind right as I yelled, "LOOK OUT!" Diantha twisted her head around right before the Neoshadow's claws scraped across her face. Before that chance came, a giant beam of light shot through the ceiling, shattering the ceiling into splinters of wood as the light slammed down on Diantha. Each of the remaining Shadows and Neoshadows were obliterated into showers of light. The light continued to swirl around Diantha, causing Domino and Julius to fall to the ground and the Moogle to fly into the door. Desiree hid behind me, wrapping her arms around my legs.

"Diantha!" Domino yelled out. "What's happening!?" Diantha rose a few feet in the air, her eyes closed shut and her hair flowing about behind her. Her feet landed softly on the ground, and her eyes opened. She had no more pupils, and the color of her eyes was a sparkling white. "Whoa…what is happening?"

"What the hell is with that bright light!?" Rika shouted, the light roaring over the sound of her voice. She shielded her eyes. I couldn't even take the light either. Suddenly, in my eyes, my vision adjusted to the light. I saw Diantha much clearly now. She looked like a goddess from where I was standing. The light seemed to reflect and glow brightly off of her purple hair. "What is she!?"

For some reason, this all seemed familiar. The light, the glowing eyes, the whole thing. Before I could say anymore, Domino yelled out, "You…unhand my sister, Juiz!" Juiz!? I tried to wrack my brain to remember that name, when I remembered her all at once. She was a witch that helped us battle the witch Abigail in the first world we visited, Salem. Juiz had possessed Tara back then, which ultimately led to Domino accidentally fatally wounding her. Seeing Juiz take control of his sister must've been scaring him. If he wasn't careful, he could end up harming Diantha. Was this really the Juiz that we had met before?

"Juiz?" Rika asked, confused.

Diantha raised her hand and began speaking, her voice and a deeper, inner voice speaking at once. "I have come here to purge the darkness in this world." Then where was she when we fought Hades!? "And the main source of the darkness here is not the Heartless." Heartless? Was she talking about those black shadowy creatures? "It is you." She pointed to Domino. "Your darkness shall be purged, child."

"You are Juiz!" I yelled at her. "Weren't you one of the good guys? You can't destroy Domino. I won't let you!"

"In Salem I was known as Juiz," the godly woman said before us. "My true name is Destati, and I am no witch. I am the Goddess of the Heart, one who holds dominion over the light. I control prophecies; I control fate. I lead ones such as you to their ultimate destiny."

"Destati…" Julius muttered before standing up. "It's an Italian word, meaning Wake up, Awake, or Awaken. What are you…doing here?"

"I must purge Domino's eternal darkness," the goddess said, holding Diantha's arms out in front of her. In her left hand appeared a burning white light which shot towards Domino. Fear welled up in my throat. I was unable to speak. A light as bright as Destati's would incinerate Domino. But if I didn't have darkness within me…what would happen? I took the risk. I jumped in front of the beam of light. I was bathed in the warm glow of Destati's light. Instead of feeling a burning hotness, I felt a soothing, calm, shower of light. "You fool!" I opened my eyes…and all I saw was a pitch blackness.

I felt water surrounding my whole body. It was a warm, soothing water. It made my silvery hair flow behind me. I felt myself falling, and as I did, glowing blue bubbles trailed behind my feet, which were facing upwards. I fell slowly headfirst into the dark unknown. I saw a circle of light below. As I neared it, I saw a large picture of me on its glowing surface. The entire circular platform looked to be stained glass, forming a large picture of me with both my arms out on either side of me and my eyes closed shut. Lightning sparked in my picture's hair and rings of fire circled around my arms. A large wave was behind me, the base of the wave frozen in ice.

As I fell closer to the platform, I saw small circles on the bottom left and right corners. On the left, within the two circles were Kale and Ibiki Kamikaze, respectively. On the right were Tara and Ty Skye. On the top right corner, standing behind the picture of me was Domino, and on the right were small circles with the faces of Rika and Xena in them. The faces in each of the circles had their eyes open with determination, as if waiting for something. The picture of Domino behind the one of me had his eyes shut. Faded out behind each image was a background that looked like a deserted wasteland, dull Keyblades jutting out from the sandy soil.

I readjusted the way I fell, my feet pointing downwards now, and my feet softly tapped against the surface of the circular platform. As soon as I stood on it, the feeling of the water around me vanished. I felt a calm, cool wind sweep past my face that swept the bangs out of my eyes.

"Your heart is filled with a radiance that shines as brightly as the sun." Who's there? I tried to speak, but no sound came out. The voice spoke in my head…it was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman. It spoke with power in its voice, echoing off of the walls of my mind. But somehow I knew, it was Destati speaking. "Beware, for the darkness is a force to be reckoned with. The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes. And yet you haven't let your shadow take control. Don't let the darkness take you like it has Domino."

Where am I!? I wanted to yell at Destati, but again, I was unable to speak.

"You hold no Key, and yet you still have a powerful weapon at your disposal." Oh yeah? What would that be? "Your heart is your weapon. Your friends are your power. They keep your light burning strong." My heart…was my weapon? My friends…my power? The voice spoke to me so cryptically, yet in the back of my mind I knew exactly what she was saying to me. Even without a Keyblade, I was able to wield unimaginable strength…strength controlled my my heart and the ties I had with my friends.

I looked at each of the faces on the platform I stood on. Tara, though gone, still resided within my heart. Kale and I may have parted ways, but he was still on my mind every passing day. Ibiki, though he was out to kill Domino and I, was still once my guardian and my father. Ty was in another family, and I hadn't seen him in a while now, but we were still close within my heart. Xena, whom I had only known and seen for a day, was close to my heart. I felt a strong connection to her. Rika and at last, Domino, were traveling with me. I didn't think I could be friends with Rika, but she calmed Domino like no other when he was angered. And Domino…he had always been there for me, no matter what. We love each other as much as any friends could.

They were my power. They were what…made me strong.

"Now choose…which side do you wish to fight on? The Guardians of Light? Or the Seekers of Darkness? Take your pick."

I had never really thought about it. I had just gone with the flow…I travel with Domino even if he was on the side of the darkness. Did that mean I was also a member of these Seekers of Darkness? Or could I fight for the light which was a far more forgiving force to stay on? Or…was the light even that forgiving? Destati is willing to kill a person, Domino, because he used the forces of darkness at his disposal. Which side…was the wrong one?

I don't know, I thought to myself, hoping Destati could hear my thoughts. In my book of prophecy it already says someone who holds no Key shall fight the Dark Lord. Does that mean me…and Domino? If that's the case, then I can't really choose. Destiny is controlling all of this.

"Though destiny is indeed stronger than any force, people such as you still have the power to change their fate. Now which do you choose? The light or the dark?"

"The…" I muttered, my voice returning. "The light." I knew I would say that. Yet it didn't feel like I said that at all. It felt like my subconscious took over at that moment to say it. Destiny was forcing me to choose the light, the side that Domino was against. Or was it me? It was hard to wrap my brain around this. "Destati…where is this place?"

"I should think it's obvious. We are in your heart, Kane Carter. This is where your destiny to serve the light begins. This is where it all starts. No force can stop the battle between light and dark. It is destined to happen, so it must. I am simply pushing you towards that goal. Fight Domino and take his life. Only then can this war be won by the light."

After she said that, words flashed through my mind in Destati's voice.

Seven Defenders of Light
Thirteen Warriors from the Darkness
Twenty Blades made to unlock one door
The Key to the Door
The Door to Kingdom Hearts
A new War to decide its Fate
Theχ-blade shall be forged yet again
Now it will be complete
The Power of the Foretellers will decide its Alliance
To be filled with Darkness
Or to be guided by the Light
Old wounds will be Healed
Only one victor will come
Many Worlds will act as one, together

The platform below me vanished into a shower of light, and I felt myself falling down as if bricks were attached to my feet. When I landed on hard ground, my eyes opened and I saw that I was back inside the Accessory Shop. Julius was holding Desiree next to the door of the shop, shielding her from Destati. The Moogle stood to the side of them. Rika stood with her Keyblade pointing at Destati, and Domino was at my side shaking me from my sleep. Sleep? I felt as if I had just woken up, but I remained standing. Destati's light had vanished, but her eyes still radiated with power as she stared at me.

"What did you do to Kane?" Domino asked loudly. I blinked several times and shook Domino's hands off of me. "You're awake..."

"I showed him his destiny," Destati said as she stared at me with those mesmerizing white eyes, her voice still joined with Diantha's. "The two of your destinies are intertwined with this great prophecy. A storm is brewing. And the two of you are smack in the middle of it."

"What does the prophecy say about me?" Rika pouted.

Destati scoffed and said, "Though no words in the prophecy speak of one such as yourself, it does allude to many of Domino's followers. They are known as the Seeker of Darkness. A group of thirteen powerful darkness users from Utopia who are gathering the darkness users of the many worlds and banding them together to start a war with the light. You may be within his group as well."

"I don't care about any prophecies, or any of this," Domino said, staring into her glowing eyes. "All I want is you to release my sister…possess someone else. Not her."

"She's a worthy sacrifice for my cause," Destati said, no emotion in her voice. That comment made Domino jump out of his skin. "I promise that when this war is over, I will revive her and she'll be at peace. As with all of the other casualties along the way. All of the light users will be revived as well. Even your precious Tara may see the light of day again." That nearly tugged at my heartstrings. "But anyone who possesses the darkness will stay in the eternal abyss of death forever. There is no denying that destiny."

"You just watch!" Domino shouted. "I'll win this war then! I will make sure that everyone knows what power is! I'll finish off you and those pesky Keyblade Hunters as well! Just watch me, Destati."

"Did someone mention me?" a voice asked from outside the door. I face-palmed, already expecting this lunatic to show up. Julius and Desiree moved to the side as the door opened, and poking his head through the door was Asher. "Phoenix Asher, at your service. They call me the obliterator of light and the destroyer of darkness. Now gather under the…what are you doing!?" A beam of darkness shot from Domino's hand and a beam of light from Destati's. Asher backed out of the doorway as the two beams collided, hitting the door yet causing no damage to it. "I'll be back, then!" I heard a thumping outside. Did Asher trip over? Oh well.

"Where were we?" Domino asked, annoyed.

"My light is so strong—" Destati said, holding out her hand before her. "—that it's burning up this girl's insides. She'll be my vessel until this body is worn out."

"So people are just pawns to you!?" I yelled at her. "You think you can just possess someone, and then toss them aside, all in your quest for the destruction of the darkness!? You're a monster, Destati!"

"Call me what you will," Destati said, light swirling around her. "But I'm not the real monster…Domino is. He kills for his own selfish vendetta and chooses darkness over the light. I on the other hand purge the darkness. I kill light users either in the crossfire or have them as my vessel, but I promise to bring them back once this is all over. Which one of us is the greater evil, Kane? Think on it. I will take my leave now." In a flurry of light, Diantha's body disappeared, vanishing into pure, warm light. Destati was gone with the body of Domino's sister.

Domino fell to his knees. "How could this happen…?"

The door opened, and in limped Asher, holding his arms in front of him as if to protect himself. "Oh, she's gone. Uh…I kinda fell and twisted my ankle on the way out."

"Come here, I'll fix you up," Julius said to Asher, taking the boy by the wrist and walking him to the couch in the corner, where Asher laid down. "So…she's gone then?"

Domino pounded his fist into the ground in anger, and no amount of darkness from Rika calmed my friend down. This journey was just full of ups and downs. Could we ever catch a break? I sat down, thinking about what Destati said in my really vivid dream. What were we to do now? Did I really have to fight Domino…to the death? I couldn't do that…could I? I trembled at the thought.

Desiree talked to Asher kindly to see if he was alright, and he responded with "Never better!" The Moogle rose from the ground with his bat wings and landed atop the girl's shoulder. Julius was looking for some bandages to wrap around Asher's foot. Domino sulked in the corner of the room. All I could do was fall onto my back, trying to relax.

Who was I kidding? I couldn't relax. Not now. Not with this prophecy, the Keyblade Hunters, the oncoming war or Destati's quest for the purging of all darkness.

I drifted off to sleep.

.

And so begins the arc in Traverse Town. When will we see Destati again? Maybe not next chapter, but surely in the future. Also, her name is inspired by the music piece by Yoko Shimomura that plays in the Kingdom hearts series.
Fun fact about the music: it's considered a cursed song. Whenever they were practicing composing the song, bad things always happened like half of the building's electricity going out as they composed it. That is why after Kingdom Hearts I and the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II they rarely ever use the music again in the series. I got this info from the khwiki . net. Stay tuned for the next chapter!