Okay, I might go on a short HIATUS because of some problems at home, but never fear! I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can! ...Now I'm gonna go and eat a sammich.

OCs (c) Me

Kingdom Hearts (c) Square Enix

Kingdom Hearts

Sanctioned Soul

Chapter 9

All was quiet in the Castle that Never Was, the castle almost completely empty of all life except for the few individuals that remained. But the silence was quickly broken by the sound of someone grunting as well as sparks being emitted as two keyblades slammed into cell doors.

"Ah!"

Kyrie was thrown back, landing on the floor with a heavy thud as her keyblades flew out of her hands, her body being shocked by the dark energy as she did so. This was her fifteenth attempt to try and break out of the Soundless Prison, but again it had failed. The darkness was too strong, and she was too weak from the draining effects of it to overcome it. She slowly got to her feet, staggering a little.

"I have to…try…again!" she panted heavily. But when she reached out for her keyblades, her knee gave out from under her, causing her to collapse to the ground. Giving up with a frustrated sigh of defeat, she slumped against the wall.

"It's no good…no matter what I try, I just can't break out. My keyblade won't even open the corridors of light because the darkness of this cell is so strong. Damn it…" she thought with a tired sigh. Rolling onto the floor, she curled up tightly as her eyes fluttered closed, exhaustion gripping her. After a few minutes, she slipped into a deep sleep, her body's needs winning out over her will.

"I need to get out of here…I…I want to go home…!"

-Meanwhile, Axel-

"Okay, so we need to find this Miu girl so she can help us with Kyrie or finding this Ventus kid, right? So where do we start?" Demyx asked as he sat on his chair, staring at Sora as he manned the controls. The boy was pensive for a moment, before he answered.

"Well, we can start searching other worlds than the ones we already know. Since she's a traveler, she must like going to new places." he suggested. Axel rolled his eyes from where he sat, dismissive of the boy's idea.

"Yeah but what may be new to us may not be new to her. She might also be on a world that we've already been to. And we can't just focus on her, we need to find Kyrie too! K-Y-R-I-E, got it memorized?" he added, pointing to his temple for emphasis. Sora sighed at this, Axel was right. The girl could be anywhere, and they didn't know where to start. Not to mention that Kyrie was a top priority, too.

"Right. Sorry…" Axel groaned as he scratched the back of his head, now he felt bad. This was one of the bad things about having emotions, when you make kids like Sora feel bad, you feel as guilty as hell. And the fact that this boy carried Roxas's consciousness somewhere inside of him didn't help matters.

"Nah, I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated that we have no clues to where this girl is, that's all." he explained. Sora nodded in understanding, he knew exactly how Axel was feeling. When Kairi had been kidnapped by the Organization a year ago, he was overwhelmed with worry and guilt that none of the others knew he had. So he could understand where the pyro was coming from.

"It's okay, I understand. It's like finding a needle in a haystack." the boy said softly. Donald and Goofy looked between the two for a few seconds, before the bipedal dog had an idea.

"Gawrsh, I know! We can just go to every world and look 'til we find her, and we wouldn't have ta stay there long. We could just take a quick look around, and be on our way again!" he exclaimed, smiling as he did so. Donald and Demyx face-palmed at this while Axel just stared at him, deadpanning. But Sora, being the optimist he was, agreed.

"Yeah, that sounds good! What do you think, guys?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder at the group. Demyx and Donald nodded hesitantly while Axel just shrugged.

"Sure, it's better than doing nothing."

"At least we can revisit the world's we've been to and explore new ones we haven't."

"Hopefully we find another world filled with water. Atlantica's been too boring lately." the group glared at Demyx immediately.

"Demyx, you can't slack off!" they shouted in unison, causing the melodious nocturne to cry out as he covered his head with his arms.

"Okay, okay! Jeez, I won't slack off!"

-A Little While Later-

"Hey, look!" Donald exclaimed as he pointed to the screen. The others looked up from what they were doing and got up, walking over.

"What world is that? I've never seen it before…" Sora asked as he cocked his head to the side. The others shrugged while Donald looked at the screen.

"Hm…it must be a new world." he stated as he stared at the screen, seeing no name appear by the image of this new world, which had an Indian-like settlement at the top and a large wooden barricade on the bottom. Dark trees and a large river separated the two places, but it was clear that both were part of the world. Sora grinned at this as he leaned forward.

"Then let's go explore it! We might find her there, or Kyrie!" at this, Axel moved forward to join them as well. Donald nodded as he set the commands to land in the new world.

"Hang on tight!"

-The River Bend-

"Wow…" the group awed in unison as they stared at their surroundings. They were currently in the middle of a dense forest, the trees towering over them as they outstretched towards the sky. No signs of men ever disturbing this place were apparent, meaning that they were basically in the middle of nowhere. Sora scratched his head as he looked around, confused.

"But where's the people?" he asked as he looked around. The others shrugged their shoulders as well as they looked around before Donald spoke up.

"Maybe people don't live here. It might be like the Pridelands." But Axel wasn't convinced.

"If this were like the Pridelands, we'd be animals by now." Demyx agreed.

"Yeah, but since we aren't there has to be someone living here. Maybe a hermit or something!" he suggested. A sudden noise startled Goofy as his ear flicked, making the bipedal dog glance over his shoulder before he gulped, his eyes widening.

"Gawrsh, uh, fellas-!" he exclaimed as he pointed, shaking like a leaf. The others blinked as they turned, confused on why he was frightened.

"What is it Goof…y…?" Sora started but trailed off as soon as he saw what Goofy was pointing at. Men dressed in fur skins carrying spears, clubs, and other weapons surrounded them, led by a man with painted bear paws on his chest carrying a spear. They summoned their weapons immediately, not sure what to make of them.

"Heartless?" Donald cried as he summoned his staff. Demyx shook his head as he summoned his sitar.

"No, I think they're human!" he exclaimed. Axel growled as he summoned his chakrams, glaring at their current enemies as he did so.

"Well whatever they are, they picked the wrong guys to mess with!" he growled, twirling his chakrams in his hands as he prepared to throw them. Sora turned to agree with the pyro, but his eyes widened when he saw a silhouette creep up from behind him.

"Axel! Watch-" before he could finish, Axel felt something slam into the back of his head, sending him to the ground. His eyesight wavered for a second as he felt his head throb in pain and something wet drip down it, before everything went dark.

-Dreamscape-

At first, everything was dark. I didn't know where I was. The last thing I remembered was looking at Sora, and him shouting about something. Then I felt something hit my head- and that was it. Am I dead?

"The tiny world that is like a prison to the heart that seeks freedom, a world where darkness is born in the hearts of the brave. The Destiny Islands."

I started to hear the sound of waves and the cries of the seagulls before I felt something warm touch my face. I opened my eyes, seeing sand in front of me as I lay in it. It quickly sat up, looking around at my surroundings as I did so. I was back at the Islands?

"How'd I get here?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Heh, you've always been here. You came here after Xemnas fell, because you didn't want us to be apart!" a familiar voice laughed. Wait, I recognize that laugh! I turned, spotting Kyrie as she stood in front of the door to the Seaside shack. She was beaming at me, smiling that shy smile I loved so much as she held her hands behind her back like she wanted to play a game.

"Kyrie? How'd-" I cried as I got to my feet, but the second I did that, she turned and bolted through the shack, closing the door behind her as she did so.

"Hey, Kyrie, wait!" I cried as I ran after her. I ran to the shack and opened the door, expecting to see the old sea wood that made up the shack. But instead I was met with the sound of trains and a familiar sunset sky. I was in the Tram Common in Twilight town!

"The world that is both peaceful and in chaos. It is the world between light and dark, where only Twilight remains. Twilight Town."

"Huh? Wait, wasn't I just-" I started as I turned to the door, but it slammed right in my face. I grabbed the knob to try and force it open, but the damn thing wouldn't budge. I sighed.

"I guess I can't go back. Oh well, better keep going and find Kyrie." I sighed as I turned. With that I began walking, making sure to stay off the tram tracks so I didn't get run over by one of the stupid things. But the funny thing was, there was no one around. No, I'm not kidding. There's no one around, no people, no pets, not even the trams that ran through this place about every hour every day. Which didn't really make sense because I could hear the trams and the train, but couldn't see them.

"That's weird. There's no one around." I said aloud as I walked, my arms crossed. But I just kept walking, at the moment I didn't care about anyone else. All I cared about was finding her. But after a while of walking and searching, I wasn't coming up with anything.

"Gah! Where is she?" I exclaimed as I grabbed my hair, completely frustrated. Then I glanced up, seeing the top of the Station tower as I did so. I saw a familiar silhouette and blinked, making sure that I wasn't seeing things. But I wasn't, Kyrie was standing on the top of the Station tower as she glanced off into the distance. I smirked as I turned, running up the Station Heights as I did so. After getting into the Station and running up the stairs that led to our special place, I was at the top of the Station.

"Kyrie?" I called as I walked around the corner. But once I got there I stopped, spotting her as she stood there. She perked up at the sound of my voice, turning to me before smiling shyly. I quickly walked over as she sat down, seating myself beside her as I did so. There were so many things that I wanted to say, so many things I wanted to do, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to say or do anything.

"This was our special place." she began as she stared out into the sunset. I raised my eyebrow as I turned to her, what was she talking about? She pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them as she wrapped her arms around them.

"You, me, Roxas, and Xion used to come here everyday when we could, and ate Sea-Salt ice cream together as we laughed and had fun. But then…Roxas and Xion went away and only you and me were left." I blinked, who was Xion?

"Xion? Who's Xion?" I asked as I reached out, brushing her bangs away from her face. She didn't answer, but I felt someone sit next to me. I turned, about to say something, but the words died in my throat as I caught the sight of blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Who's Xion? You know who she is, Axel!" Roxas scolded as he sat next to me, a small smirk on his face. I blanked out as I stared at him, I still had no idea who this Xion girl was, and I had no idea what to say. Then I watched as a person dressed in an Organization cloak with their hood pulled up sat next to him. Roxas turned to the person and smiled.

"Remember how you and me would always talk about how great it would be if Axel and Kyrie got together, Xion? You always thought that they would make a great couple like in those cheesy romance books in the library." he laughed as he playfully shoved the person's shoulder. The person nodded as they pulled down their hood, revealing a girl with short black hair and blue eyes. Wait…this girl looks like Kairi and Namine!

"Yeah, I knew Axel would take care of her, and he needs someone like her to even him out. He's not as sarcastic and a jerk when she's around." the girl giggled. Kyrie smiled as she leaned forward, nodding at the girl.

"You both were right. I'm happy to be with Axel, because I know he'll always keep me safe and happy." I flinched at her words, feeling a deep ache in my chest. But I didn't keep her safe, she got taken by Xehanort and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Guys, I'm not-" I started, but I quickly gasped as they began to fade away. Kyrie smiled sadly at me as she faded away into shards of light, staring at me like she was peering deep into my soul.

"Don't worry, Axel. You did your best, I can't ask anymore than that." and with that, she was gone.

-Back to reality-

"Axel?"

Axel groaned in his sleep, sweat gathering on his brow as he twisted and turned slightly, trapped in either a nightmare or a strange dream.

"Axel, c'mon, wake up!"

"Ya hafta get up!"

"Dude, get up!" Demyx growled as he shoved him, causing the pyro to stir as he opened his eyes blearily. After a few moments he was finally awake, grunting in pain as he glared at Demyx.

"What the hell was that for?" he growled, clearly irritated and with a throbbing headache to boot. Demyx sighed in relief, glad that he was up.

"Sorry, but you've been out for awhile and we've been worried! We thought you weren't gonna wake up at all!" the melodious nocturne explained. Axel moved to hit him, before he realized that he couldn't move his arms. Looking down, he realized that his arms were pinned to his sides by rope as it circled his abdomen. He looked at Demyx, Sora, Donald, and Goofy and saw that they were tied up as well and were gathered so that they were pressed back-to-back.

"What the-! How'd we-?"

"Silence, intruders." he quickly looked up, to see the man with the bear paws painted on his chest as he glared at them. Axel narrowed his eyes.

"Why are we tied up? And who are you?" he demanded. But the man grabbed a spear, aiming for this throat.

"We do not answer to the likes of you!" the man snarled. But a hand on the spear stopped him, causing him and Axel to look up at another man who was draped in many animal skins, wearing a headdress on his head.

"Calm yourself, Kocoum." he quickly turned to Sora and the others, and his eyes narrowed.

"Who are you, strange visitors? Are you with the men who are accompanied by strange creatures?" the man asked as he stared at them warily. Sora quickly shook his head.

"No, we aren't."

"Then why are you here? Are you here to take our land and slaughter our people?" the other man, Kocoum, demanded as he pointed his spear at Axel's throat. Demyx gulped at this and started to panic, looking at Sora for help. The boy craned his neck to look at the man.

"No, we aren't here to hurt anyone! We're just here to find someone and a friend!" he exclaimed. At this time, other people who looked similar in skin tone started to gather, staring at them with suspicious and disapproving gazes. Kocoum and the man beside him were the same as they stared at them.

"Liars! These people have come to destroy us along with the men who have landed on our shores! They are accomplices!" he accused. Donald and Goofy were looking at each other in worry, not sure what the outcome for this was going to be. Suddenly though, a young woman came through the crowd and joined the two men, pushing Kocoum's spear away from Axel's throat as she did so. She too was dressed in animal skins, but she wore a blue-shelled necklace around her neck and her long, ebony hair came down her back and stopped at her waist.

"Wait, these people may not be our enemy! They look nothing like the men who have landed on our shores, there is no reason to kill them!" the woman protested. Kocoum glared at the woman and the other man stared at her disapprovingly.

"My daughter-"

"Father, these people remind me of my rescuer! They dress just like-" but another voice cut her off as it echoed through the trees.

"Pocahontas!" everyone began looking around as the voice got louder.

"Pocahooonnttaaaasss!" the voice continued, and it sounded closer as it came from the trees.

"Oh no, here she comes." someone murmured. Sora and the others blinked in confusion, who was coming?

"Pocahoooooooooonnnnnntaaaaaa sssssssss!" within seconds, a figure leaped from the trees, soaring over Demyx's head and landing on the ground as it cart wheeled over to where the woman was standing. When the dust cleared, there stood a girl with wild auburn hair and a strand sticking up like an antennae.

"Pocahontas, there you are! I was looking everywhere for you!"

Oh my... who could this person be? And for all of you who guessed Pocahontas, you're right! (sorry, I'm such a sucker for this movie. But I hated the sequel, despite Disney's attempt at historical accuracy. And yes, Pocahontas married John Ralph in real life, not John Smith.) So this is the first step for imaginative originality on a whole plot, so I hope you guys enjoy it from here on out!

And please... review and tell me what you think!