Facing a New Ally

As always I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story. They all belong to Square Enix and Disney. I only own the mysterious character that is revealed in the story. Enjoy! And please, rate and review!

Sidenote: Notes and explanations at the bottom.

The darkness was everywhere. Painting his skin, flooding his eyes, wrapping itself around his heart. He couldn't move, couldn't see, couldn't feel. Why couldn't he? He was supposed to be a part of the light, that shimmer of hope that guided others who'd been led astray. But the evil that he was supposed to protect others from, was now inside him. He wished he could somehow stop this, stop it from consuming his life—his SOUL. If he couldn't shake it off, then what good was he for? What good was he if he had been defeated by what he was fighting? Sora could only wait and see, slowly allowing the darkness to consume him. Just as he'd thought the darkness had taken him whole, a light filtered through, cutting through the black tar. It was—

Beautiful.

He woke with a start, his body gasping for air. His hands immediately went to his neck, the ghost of darkness' hold sharp and present. What the heck had that been? Did it have to do with their new journey ahead? Nightmares like that didn't usually occur to him—least not that he could vividly remember. He was certain, though, nothing had been as strong as this. A sharp seagull cry came through his window, bringing him back to reality. Maybe the dream had been nothing. Nothing to worry about, at least. He sat up on his knees and opened up the shutters to his windows. A fresh breeze filled in the stifled air of his room, washing away any hints of darkness that had remained from Sora's dream world. He glanced out to see the palm trees swaying with the wind, the ocean sparkling in the sun. He took in a breath and sighed.

I hope Riku and I can come back, soon. I really did miss this.

Meanwhile, as Sora was preparing himself for the trip over to Disney Castle, Riku was pondering in his own bed about what the whole message in a bottle thing meant. King Mickey had written that it was urgent that they meet back at Disney Castle to discuss the new problems that had just arisen at new and visited worlds. He also said that it was of utter importance that they were to be ready for anything that would come crossing their paths because it was going to be a tough journey. He rubbed his eyes lazily and groaned to himself. The sounds of early risers rang outside his window, going about and taking care of the daily dues, others preparing for the school day ahead. Riku concentrated on the shuffling of feet outside, a sad smile prickling his features.

I wish I was in their shoes. Living a normal life, never having to worry about all this stuff with worlds. Maybe, one day, Sora and I can live in peace and not need to worry anymore. One day...

Riku just sighed. It was too early to be thinking about the possible future. He needed to concentrate on the now—King Mickey needed help, and they were the only ones who could. He rushed then to get himself ready, throwing on a pair of clothes, packing lightly, and saying goodbye to his mother. It'd be a while before he would have the privilege to do this again. Even though he was rushing, every second at home counted. Leaving with a final message of consolidation, Riku trekked out of his home, heading down the path to Sora's house. In his wake, a flash of familiar red hair caught his eyes up ahead, his feet moving of his own accord to catch up with it.

"Hey Kairi! Wait up!" Riku hollered, running forward.

"Oh, hi Riku! You're going to Sora's house, too?" she asked, casually putting a strand of hair behind an ear.

"Yeah. I was just headed there, you know because of the-"

"I know. Because King Mickey asked for both of you again, right?" she interrupted.

"Pretty much. Can't really risk the worlds being swallowed by darkness, y'know?" he chuckled. "You came to say goodbye?"

"Not really. I just came to wish you guys luck. Goodbye means I'll never see you two again. I don't really want that. I'd rather just say that I'll see you guys soon," she smiled.

Riku laughed, about to make a snarky comment, before his eyes locked on a truly hilarious sight."Uh, thanks for the luck but I'm pretty sure Sora will be needing it more than I will." Riku pointed over to Sora's house. Both he and Kairi could see Sora getting smothered by his mom, several cries of worry and fear presently loud.

"Mom! I told you, everything's going to be fine!" Sora half-said, his face smushed by his mom.

"I know that! But what I don't want happening is that you end up turning into one of those creatures or worse…." Sora's mom burst into fresh, new tears.

"Mom, look. Like I said before, I have friends that have my back and neither they nor I will let anything happen," Sora consoled.

"I just want you to return back safe and sound," she cried. Sora pulled back from her death-like grip and squeezed both of her hands in his.

"Don't worry, mom. I promise to come back. And remember, I always keep my promises," Sora gave his mom one last hug and started to head in the direction of the beach where the gummi ship had been parked earlier in the week. The sound of giggles brought his attention to see Riku and Kairi, both red and in laughing fits. His cheeks flushed, embarrassed but content to see them. His mother glanced in their direction, a bitter taste in her mouth. After Sora had returned from his "trip," his mom had been nothing but bitter towards both Riku and Kairi. From what she'd interpreted from Sora, it had been their doing that he'd almost died several times. Though they had been childhood friends, she couldn't help but feel discontent with both of them. It secretly gnawed at her, but she didn't want to let Sora know too much about her feelings. It would only upset him—she didn't want that feeling to come through to him. Watching Sora go off with Riku and Kairi, his mom longed silently that Sora would be safe.

If only it was that easy.

XX

"C'mon guys! We don't have all day! King Mickey must be frustrated!" Donald called out to the trio impatiently. They were already 10 minutes behind schedule, and Donald didn't like to keep King Mickey waiting. Especially, on a mission like this. Sora and Riku, clearly hearing the warning, began to run towards the gummi ship when Kairi pulled both of their arms back.

"Ouch!" Sora and Riku yelped simultaneously.

"Look guys. I know that I wasn't called forth to fight too but I just wanted to wish you guys both good luck and to give you these," Kairi snuck something into both of their hands.

They were two lucky charms that looked exactly like Kairi's only tweaked a bit differently. Sora's was painted a soft gold with light-blue edges; Riku's was painted a royal purple with ebony black edges.

"Wow thanks Kairi, but you really didn't have to make these for us," Sora said, feeling a bit guilty.

"I know. I just wanted to let you both know that no matter what happens, you'll always have a piece of Destiny Islands still with you," she replied, a smile on her face.

"Well, I'm sure we'll never forget this old place. Right, Sora?" Riku nudged Sora.

"Yeah! No matter how much stuff gets in our way, we will always find our way back here," Sora said, a proud smile on his face.

Kairi vaguely smiled, pulling them in for a tight hug. She'd miss them terribly, of course. But it was the right thing to do. No one could save the worlds like they did. Even if she hadn't been specifically asked for, Kairi still felt that she'd fight beside them in spirit. Sora and Riku waved at Kairi one last time before boarding the gummi ship. Donald was in a fit, as always, while Goofy was going on about Gummi Ship Safety Standards. Sora only gazed out the window, taking a subconscious picture of Destiny Islands.

Please let me come back to this.

"Ok Sora let's get one thing straight," Riku interrupted.

"What's that?" Sora broke through his reverie, looking over to Riku.

"Kairi made my lucky charm look cooler," Riku smirked.

"No way! She made mine better!" Sora exclaimed.

The banter when on like this, thoroughly getting on Donald's nerves, almost causing them to crash several times. It was an uneventful trip, to be fair. Not surprisingly, they faced against few Heartless ships, but it was manageable. It only made Riku on edge—if Heartless were so few here, did that mean that Heartless weren't their problem? Were they going to face against something else? These thoughts invaded the platinum blonde until Donald announced their arrival to Disney Castle. Chip and Dale hurriedly escorted them through the gummi hangar as they filtered out of the ship, heading into the direction of the Gardens. Mickey was busy at his desk—Minnie scouring for an interesting read in the bookshelves—when the heroes entered the library.

"Your Majesty!" Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy said in unison while bowing.

"At ease, fellas!" Mickey got up from his desk and walked towards them. He greeted them warmly by the hand, delighted at their arrival.

"So, your Majesty, what is this quest all about?" Sora asked, concernedly.

"Well, it's something you ought to sit down for," Mickey rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy went to sit in the overly plush chairs positioned by the door, attentive and concerned.

"I think I shall go and tend to the Kingdom with Daisy. We must be getting ready for the Spring Ball," Minnie implied, striding towards the large double doors of the library.

"Minnie, would you mind getting her? Please?" Mickey asked.

"Oh, of course!" Minnie said, dashing off through the doors accompanied by a pair of magical brooms.

"Who is this she?" Donald quacked out, an awkward silence following.

"It's a long story. But, as always, it starts off after Riku and Sora defeated Xemnas," Mickey began pacing in front of them.

"After that, when I returned to Disney Castle, I was still a bit on edge about the darkness. Something, I wasn't exactly sure, was running rampant through the worlds. It continuously bothered me until a girl, about your age, Sora, had come through the world's barrier in a half-destroyed gummi ship. She was mumbling too much for me to understand, but I did happen to see a keyblade emblem on her cheek. I'm not entirely certain, but she might just be a keyblade wielder, just like Sora, Riku, and me." Mickey paused, gauging their reactions. Donald and Goofy, already familiar with the story, stayed serene, whilst Riku and Sora only looked anxious to hear the rest.

"I had her sent to our medical center, nearby, to get treated before really doing anything," The King continued. "I decided to meet up with her there after she had been cured with a Curaga spell and had her wounds bandaged. She said that her world had been overrun by Heartless and that a man who proclaimed himself to be ruler of them all, had come to her world to find her. She managed to get out but not before this 'ruler"' had captured her mom, dad, and younger sister and turned them into Nobodies. At first, I had my suspicions that she had some darkness left in her, but she didn't seem too frightened by the light. She actually embraced it.

"Soon, though, the 'ruler' sent one of his assistants to threaten me. He said that he'd devour all the worlds that you'd saved, and more, if I didn't turn in the girl to him. I didn't, of course, but I couldn't just let his threat slide. So, I called Donald and Goofy to get you two, and begin a new quest. With, also, an addition of one new member," Mickey finished, stopping his tracks.

Sora and Riku pondered over this. Sora was ecstatic, they could always use another member. Someone else to help save the world with them. Riku, on the other hand, was just a tiny bit suspicious. Haven't felt the cold grasp of darkness himself, he didn't really understand how that girl would've been able to have avoided being tainted by this 'ruler.' And did this 'ruler' have anything to do with Xemnas? Just as he was about to ask about more information about this girl and her history, the sound of hinges creaking brought his attention to the doors.

"Go on, don't be shy," Minnie urged her in.

A girl, the girl, entered. She was dressed plainly, a white hospital robe and matching white slippers contrasting with her semi-dark skin. Honey orbs darted hesitantly between Sora and Riku, the presence of newcomers exciting, yet terrifying to her. She was already accustomed to seeing the regular Disney residents, but had not yet been exposed to outside world visitors. There was that gnawing sensation constantly bothering her about people being in league with the 'ruler,' overruling most of her prejudices. Despite her already deep trust of King Mickey, she kept her eyes peeled over the two males.

"Well, come on in! We were just talking about you," Mickey said, gesturing her over to them. She shuffled slowly over to King Mickey's side, seated by one of the many broom servants nearby. She kept her hands folded on her lap, polite but anxious. Sora, being the ever cheerful one, was the first to break the silence, standing suddenly and holding his hand out to her.

"Hi there! My name's Sora!" he smiled widely, almost scaring her off her seat. She stared nimbly at his outstretched hand, before reaching out and shaking it. The warmth of his hand was comforting in contrast to her chilled skin. He seemed strange, but not borderline suspicious. Riku, on the other hand... "What's your name?" Sora bombarded, focusing her attention back on him. She retracted her hand, offering a ghost of a smile.

"My name's Kailee."

A/N: With the liberty of doing so, I've had Sora live by the beach and Riku in town. Of course, I don't really know where they live in Destiny Islands, but I'm sure Square Enix will make that clear, sooner or later. And, I've made it look like Sora told his mom about everything that happened. So, yeah. Also, the italicized writing is Sora's thoughts and the italicized bold writing is Riku's thoughts, for future reference. Feel free to rate and review as always!

10/17/15 UPDATE: Going back through this fanfiction has been cringe-worthy. Of course, I must say that I did do many good things, but I still have SO much to fix about this story. So, to those of you still reading this, be warned that A LOT of things will change and the story will take a different turn than I had planned for