Chapter 1: A New Story Begins

A/N: It's finally here everyone. After a long wait, the much-anticipated installment of Trail of Memories is finally here! I hope the wait was worth it to you all.

Now that Hikari is a Keyblade Master, that means she has a very difficult challenge ahead of her. Will she be able to find the rest of Lumen's heart so she can bring back the Wayfinder quartet? Will she stop Xehanort from getting the X-blade? Will she uncover more secrets from her past? There's only one way to find out!

Without further ado, here is A Trail of Memories 3!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my characters.

Enjoy!

/

Long ago, in a world lost in time, there were two boys sitting in a library. While everything was bustling and busy outside, it was slow and relaxing inside. Instead of reading books and studying, they decided to play a simple game of chess. It may have been a simple game to them now, but one day in the future, it would turn into a serious battle between old friends.

But how would Xehanort and Eraqus know that? They just thought they were playing a simple game.

"Have you heard of the ancient Keyblade War?" Xehanort asked.

"Of course I have" Eraqus snorted.

Xehanort moved one of his pieces on the board, knocking one of Eraqus's off.

"Long ago, Keyblade wielders waged a war over the ownership of light."

"Yeah, the Master's favorite story" Eraqus agreed.

Xehanort looked at his pieces, thinking over his next move. Then again, he really wasn't thinking about their game.

"I wonder what they planned on doing with Kingdom Hearts after…making it appear" he wondered.

Eraqus shrugged, clearly focused on winning their game.

"Who knows? I don't get why anyone would initiate a war."

Xehanort duly moved one of his pieces on the board again.

"So…you know the 'Lost Masters'? The ones who started the Keyblade War?" he asked.

Eraqus looked at his friend puzzled and shook his head.

"Never heard of them. Where'd you hear about that?" he asked.

"Come on Era. You've heard Master tell us this a million times" a new voice said.

Both boys looked up to see a young girl with wavy blond hair walk up to them.

"'On that land shall darkness prevail, and light expire'. A perspective Keyblade Master should know this" Serinity said.

Xehanort scowled slightly as he got up from his seat and went to her.

"You're supposed to be in bed, Rini" he chided.

Serinity pouted as she wrapped the shawl she was wearing tight around her.

"I can only stare at the walls for so long before I go crazy, Xeha" she said.

"Besides, I'm feeling better. The fresh air is good for my lungs."

Xehanort gave her a dull look.

"If the fresh air is supposed to be good for you then why did you have a coughing fit when I opened your windows earlier?" he asked.

Serinity's face went red as she looked away.

"T-that's because my room faces the ocean! You know I can't stand the smell of the salty water!"

"Didn't you both grow up on an island before you came here?" Eraqus pointed out.

"You're not helping me, Era!" Serinity snapped.

"Anyway, were you both talking about the Keyblade War again?"

"The Master has been talking about it a lot lately. There must be a reason why he brings it up" Xehanort said.

Serinity rolled her eyes and went over to the window ledge. She hopped on the ledge and took Xehanort's spot.

"I was sitting there" Xehanort said dully.

"Well, I don't see your name anywhere so don't say it's yours" Serinity said.

She stuck her tongue out at him for good measure. Xehanort just rolled his eyes, clearly used to her childish antics.

Serinity picked up one of the discarded pieces and played with it.

"Wonder why Master likes that story so much? Does he think another Keyblade War will happen and he wants us to be prepared?" she asked.

"Don't be silly, Rini. It's just an old fairytale from a long time ago. There won't be another war" Eraqus said.

"I won't be so sure on that philosophy" Xehanort said.

He gestured to the Gazing Eye Keyblade that hung over the library door. It had been on this world long before anyone came here. Some believed it was here before this world was even created.

"The Gazing Eye sees the fate of the World. The future-it's already written" Xehanort said.

"I don't believe that nonsense" Serinity said.

"How can the future be already written when it's never happened? You have to know what's going on in order to write things down."

"I meant metaphorically, not literally" Xehanort deadpanned.

Serinity chucked one of the chess pieces at him and glared.

"You know what I mean! Nothing is ever set in stone. Sure, some things are bound to happen because of certain events in the present. But there can be so many different outcomes. One incident can always lead to different futures. There's no such thing as one solid future."

Eraqus chuckled and moved one of this chess pieces.

"I have to agree with Rini on this one. Anything can happen in the future. Maybe light will prevail and defeat the darkness this time" he said.

He gave Serinity a cheesy grin.

"Or in the future I can change it where you and I get married later in life."

"Fat chance!" Serinity said.

She jumped from her seat and walked over to where the Gazing Eye was displayed.

"I'm not going to believe that my future is set. I can't live with the idea of my life being already planned. I don't want to be this weak girl forever" she said quietly.

Xehanort looked at her sadly. He slowly walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Rini"

Serinity gave him a weak smile. Xehanort was always worried about her ever since they were little. Then again, he was her older bother so of course he was bound to worry.

She was about to say something before she suddenly had a coughing fit. It seemed being in the dusty library wasn't helping her weak lungs at all.

"Rini!" Xehanort cried.

Eraqus rushed over to them as Serinity fell to her knees when she had trouble breathing. Her body ached as she continued to cough. She couldn't tell Eraqus off as he picked her up and rushed her to the infirmary that was inside the castle.

Xehanort looked at Serinity helplessly as he ran with them. If only it was possible to change what was written. If only there was a way to make it so his sister could have a happy ending. But sadly that would never happen.

There was no happiness in his future. That was how it was written and there was no one who could change that.

/

Present Day: Yen Sid's Tower

Xehanort seemed to have made sure that everyone he had encountered would suffer in some way. Like a domino effect, each person he encountered and harmed resulted in someone else getting tangled up in his schemes. He ruined Terra and Lumen's lives which resulted in him taking over Terra's body. From that, he formed a bond with Taiyouko which tangled Hikari up in this mess. When Hikari arrived on the islands, that resulted in Riku becoming his new vessel which led to Hikari gaining a Nobody. With Ankoku, she and Roxas suffered at the hands of Xehanort's Nobody Xemnas. This string of people were all connected by one man. And this one man was planning on causing more harm to others in his wake.

But thanks to this unlikely connection, it formed many bonds that helped them get through dark times. It helped them become stronger.

And it helped them form a group that planned to bring Xehanort down once and for all. If he wanted to start another Keyblade War, they were going to be the ones who stopped it.

The pieces were starting to fall into place. The issue at hand now of course was finding the missing ones so everything could be complete.

Hikari was able to find one of the missing pieces thanks to her special bond with Lumen. Now they needed to find Aqua and Ven. By finding them, they would wake up Lumen which would lead them to where Terra was.

Everything was connected thanks to Xehanort and now it was time to put that connection into motion.

"The great battle with Xehanort is almost upon us" Yen Sid said gravely.

"As you know, we must take action to keep this seven pure lights safe, and thus we must hasten to assemble the thirteen guardians of light. It is time to return to our world the four Keyblade wielders we lost over a decade ago. Ventus, Terra, Aqua and Lumen must be saved from their sad end for they have more to achieve."

He looked over to where Lumen's sleeping body was resting on the chair in the back of the room.

"We have one of them here thanks to Taiyouko's bravery however we need the other three in order for her to wake. We were able to get the heart fragment Terra was protecting but there is still Aqua and Ventus. We must find them if Lumen is to awaken from her slumber."

"Well how are we supposed to find them if we have no clue to go off of?" Ankoku asked.

"It could take us forever doing that."

"Perhaps, but at the same time we already know where one of them is hiding" Yen Sid said.

"Following their first battle with Xehanort, Ventus's heart refused to awaken. As a result, Aqua and Lumen found a safe location to conceal him. But when they set off in search of their lost friend, Terra…Lumen herself fell into a deep sleep, making sure Xehanort couldn't use her heart in the process. As for Aqua, she fell into a place from which there is no return without outside help."

He looked at Mickey and gave him a small nod. Mickey understood what he was trying to say and looked at the group before him.

"I saw her…in the realm of darkness."

He slowly told his tale of how he ran into Aqua. Back when Sora and Hikari went on their very first adventure, they made it to the Dark World where Kingdom Hearts was hiding. While they were fighting with Ansem the Seeker of Darkness, Mickey was on the other side of Kingdom Hearts looking for the Kingdom D blade. He ran into Aqua and found out that time seemed to have frozen in the realm of darkness. Poor Aqua had no idea that a decade had passed as she traveled this forgotten realm. She helped Mickey find the Keyblade and they made their way to Kingdom Hearts with the hope of getting to the other side. What should have been a hopeful moment turned sour when a horde of Heartless lunged for Riku just as he was about to pass the door. Not wanting to see another soul suffer, Aqua made the ultimate sacrifice and stayed behind so the Heartless wouldn't get through as the door was sealed on both sides.

Since that day, Aqua was still trapped in the realm of darkness. Fighting off Heartless and never finding a way out.

Riku felt his mouth go dry when he heard that story. It was his fault that Aqua was still stuck there.

"She sacrificed herself to save me?" he said quietly.

He quickly turned to Mickey looking mad.

"Why did you keep this from me for so long?! We could have gone and helped her!"

Mickey looked at the floor sadly. This secret had been eating away at him for almost three years now.

"I know"

Taiyouko went up to him and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"You did a similar thing not too long ago either, Riku" she said gently.

"You didn't tell Sora or Hikari what had happened to you when we were fighting the Organization the first time. There was so much going on then, I don't think it would have been a good time to explain all of this."

"Taiyouko is right, Riku" Yen Sid said.

"As Mickey told you clearly in his story, reaching the realm of darkness the first time was not a simple task. And even if we had found a way back in, regrettably none of us possessed the necessary means to get Aqua back out safely. So, I forbade Mickey from telling you, let alone go after her."

Hikari looked at Yen Sid. If they needed Aqua so badly, why didn't he say anything before?

"Why would you keep this a secret?"

"That much is obvious. If not you, then certainly Sora would have staged a reckless attempt at rescue" Yen Sid stated.

Hikari was about to protest but stopped herself. He was right. If she had known what had happened to Aqua before hand, she would have for sure done something reckless. Her almost dying in the exam was proof of that.

Mickey looked at them hopefully.

"But, now we can save Aqua" he said.

"We're gonna go find her!"

Riku suddenly got pumped up. He needed to help Aqua since she saved him back then.

"Count me in!" he said.

Taiyouko stepped forward and smiled at her two close companions.

"I'm coming too. She's been in that realm for so long and who knows what that'll do to a person's body. She's probably going to need my healing magic."

Hikari bit her lip as she looked at the group. It was a no brainer that she should go with since she had a literal connection to them thanks to Lumen. The only thing that made her nervous was the fact that she had to go to the realm of darkness. Even after everything she faced, she was still terrified of the dark. She should have been over such a silly fear, but some fears were ingrained in ones heart.

But she couldn't let her fear stop her from helping someone. Aqua needed help and she was going to give it to her.

"I'm going too" she said.

Riku gave his girlfriend a sympathetic look. He knew she was still scared of the dark, but she was trying to be brave.

He went up to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Remember what I said earlier? You don't have to shoulder this all on your own. We all want the same thing so let others help you out too." He said gently.

"But I-"

Riku pressed his forehead against hers. He didn't care that the others were watching them. To him, only Hikari and himself were in the room.

"It's ok to sit this one out. I know you're still scared so don't push yourself past your limit. I can take care of rescuing Aqua while you try to find clues about where we can find Ven. We'll tackle more if we split up."

"Riku is right, however I have another task for you to do instead" Yen Sid said.

"Seeing as you are a Keyblade Master as well, it would be best if you stayed with Sora."

"What?" Hikari said.

"Sora failed his exam which means he must find another way to become a Master. Since you have passed, it would be wise if you stayed with him. He could learn from you, and you would keep him safe from the Organization. You would be killing two birds with one stone so to speak."

"You want me to be a mentor to him?" Hikari asked.

Yen Sid nodded as he smirked.

"It would do him good to learn how to be levelheaded like Riku and yourself" he joked.

Ankoku scowled when she saw that everyone seemed to have forgotten that Kairi and herself were in the room too.

"That's great you have jobs for everyone but where do Kairi and I fall in this equation? You going to send us on some crazy ass mission too?"

"I have a special job for you, don't worry" Yen Sid said.

"Seeing as you are the Nobody of Hikari, that means you have prior knowledge of wielding the Keyblade. While you are not a Keyblade Master, you can be a teacher to our newest Keyblade wielders. You will go to Merlin the Wizard, where he will take you to a special location so you can focus on your training."

Kairi grew confused at that. She thought she was the only one who recently got a Keyblade.

"You mean there's someone else besides me?" she asked.

"Yes. His name is Lea" Yen Sid said.

"Who the fuck is Lea?" Ankoku said.

"He means Axel!" Mickey said cheerfully.

That caused mixed reactions out of Kairi and Ankoku. Kairi was horrified while Ankoku was shocked.

"Axel's alive?!" Ankoku cried.

"No way am I going near him!" Kairi snapped.

The nobody looked at her oddly. Since she had been on the islands, she hadn't seen Kairi snap like that.

"You met Axel?" she asked.

Kairi scoffed as she crossed her arms.

"I wouldn't call it a meeting. More like a kidnapping" she said.

Now that really caught Ankoku's attention.

"Say what now?!"

Hikari made a face as she laughed nervously.

"I guess Tsukiko never told you, huh?" she said.

"After you and Roxas returned to us, it seemed like Axel didn't take it well. He wanted to bring you both back and he thought if he used Kairi as bait it would cause a reaction out of us and thus make you…return"

It was dead silent as Ankoku heard all of this. She balled her hands into fists in anger.

"OH HELL NO!" she roared.

"You guys are going to have to find a new guardian of light cause I'm going to kill him!"

She stormed over to the door and kicked it open.

"Axel, you cock-sucking mother fucker, I swear I'm gonna chop your…." she continued to swear as she stormed down the stairs.

"Have fun with that one" Riku deadpanned as he looked at Kairi.

Kairi looked at Yen Sid helplessly.

"Is this really a good idea?" she asked.

"At the moment, it's the only idea" was all the wizard said.

Kairi sighed in defeat and went after Ankoku before she destroyed the tower.

Mickey looked at Riku and Taiyouko.

"It's time for us to go too" he said.

"We need to find an entrance to the realm of darkness."

"I'm sure it won't be that hard. Anything is possible lately" Taiyouko said.

"Mickey, take these with you" Yen Sid said.

He waved his hand across the desk and summoned three suitcases. Each other them were colored that represented Riku, Mickey and Taiyouko.

"The three good faires asked that you be presented with these. They are new vestments which will shield you all from the darkness" he explained.

"And you will need these as well."

He waved his hand again only for a small device to land in everyone's hands. Everyone looked at them oddly.

"What are these?" Hikari asked.

"It is called a Gummi Phone. Chip and Dale created these after they found those clues in Jiminy's journal" Yen Sid said.

"While you are all traveling, you can use them to communicate with each other. It'll help with finding clues as well as warning each other what the Organization is doing. We don't know how long this journey will take so this is the best way we can all stay in touch with each other"

Riku looked at the phone in his hand. He was worried about being separated from Hikari. He knew she could handle herself and she would be with Sora. But since Sora had to start at square one with his training, he didn't know if Hikari would be ok. At least now he had a way of communicating with her so if she was in trouble, he would know right away so he could help her.

"I have a feeling Sora will have no idea how this thing works" he joked.

Hikari looked at them with a weak smile. She didn't know how long it would be until she saw them again. It seemed like whenever she started a journey, she was always pulled away from Riku and her mother. She just hoped that this time, it would be the last time that she saw them off.

She went up to her mother and gave her a tight hug.

"Be careful, mom. That place is super dangerous. Make sure you stay close to Riku and King Mickey" she said.

Taiyouko returned the hug as well. She tried not to show it, but she could feel her heart shattering in a million pieces. Her daughter was still young. She should have been on the islands going to school and doing regular teenager stuff. She shouldn't have to fight in a war where there was a chance she could possibly die.

She felt like a failure as a mother.

"Don't worry about me. You have a much bigger target on your head than I do. I'm sure Xehanort has caught on that you're tied to Lumen and he's going to do everything he can to make sure she doesn't wake up. You protect yourself, got it?" she said.

She was gonna add that if Sora was in danger to just leave him and save herself, but she had a feeling Riku and Kairi wouldn't have liked that.

The two of them pulled away from each other.

Hikari locked eyes with Riku. Neither of them said anything. They knew that they had to part ways for now, but they weren't ready to do it yet.

Yen Sid seemed to have sensed the mood and decided to get up from his desk.

"I'll be bringing Lumen into the other room so she can rest on something better than a stiff chair. I also feel that Sora would react the same way as we all did when we saw her. Best not to startle him"

He went over and picked up Lumen's sleeping body. Giving them all a small nod, he left the room for a bit.

Taiyouko and Mickey knew what the Sorcerer was doing and played along.

"We're going to put on our new outfits before we head out" Taiyouko said.

"We'll wait for you outside when you're ready" Mickey added.

And just like that, the two lovers were left alone in the room. Riku slowly walked up to Hikari and cupped her face.

"It's going to be okay. We'll see each other soon" he said.

Hikari placed her hand over his and closed her eyes. She made herself remember how his touch felt and how he smelled of the ocean. She would remember these when things got rough.

"Please come back to me when you find Aqua" she said quietly.

Riku got closer to her and pressed his forehead against hers again. Aquamarine eyes stared into emerald.

"I'll come back to you. I promise" he said.

"No matter where we are, no matter how far apart this journey takes us, our hearts will always bring us back together. It's always been that way since we first met."

He looked at the small bow that was tied on their fingers.

"And I have to make sure I keep my promise to you when this is all over."

Hikari blushed a little as she recalled his promise to her. When they finished this battle with Xehanort once and for all, they were going to spend the rest of their lives together as husband and wife.

The two of them gave each other a deep, heartfelt kiss. Even if they had to go their separate ways for now, they would find each other again.

When they finally pulled away from each other, they knew it was time to start their journeys.

"Try to make sure mom and King Mickey stay out of trouble" Hikari said.

"That's going to be more difficult than finding a way into the realm of darkness" Riku joked.

With one last look at each other, they let go of each other's hand. Riku grabbed his suitcase and left the study so he could catch up with Taiyouko and King Mickey.

Hikari looked at the bow that was on her finger. Everything was going to be alright. It just had to be…right?

/

"Should we be worried that Sora isn't back yet?"

Sora had gone back to the realm of sleep after he failed the Mark of Mastery exam. He said he wanted to tie off some loose ends in the realm, but Hikari didn't realize it would take him that long. She hoped that he didn't fall back into a deep sleep again.

"Sora should be fine this time around" Yen Sid assured her.

"Xehanort wouldn't perform the same trick twice. After seeing he failed to turn Sora into a copy of him, he's bound to be coming up with a different plan right this minute."

Hikari sighed as she slumped in her seat.

"I can't tell if I should be relieved or worried about that" she joked.

Yen Sid looked at the young woman in front of him. So much had been thrown at her in such a short time. The stakes were high for her. Now that Xehanort knew about Hikari's connection with Lumen, she had a huge target painted on her head. If anything happened to her, then they couldn't save Terra, Aqua, Ven and Lumen.

"Hikari"

The Keyblade master looked at the old man. His usual stoic expression had a softer edge to it.

"I know the task that you are about to take on will be very stressful. You are our only key to bringing back our four lost heroes. Xehanort must realize that by now as well" he said.

Hikari smiled weakly.

"Is that the real reason why you wanted me to stay with Sora, Donald and Goofy still? So, I can have bodyguards?"

"Not entirely" Yen Sid corrected.

"I meant what I said that I want you to guide Sora on his quest so he can learn how to become a Keyblade Master. He seems stronger and at his best when he is with close companions so being with his old travel companions might be the trick. That being said, I also think it would be best if you stayed with him for your safety as well. Sora has always strived to protect others much like yourself. With the bond you both share with Donald and Goofy, I know that'll be the perfect shield that will protect you from Xehanort. As long as you four stay together, everything will be fine."

Hikari bit her lip in worry. That plan did sound good, but would it work? Guess she wouldn't know until Sora got back.

No sooner had she thought that did the door to the study burst open. Jumping into the room with a bright smile on his face was Sora.

"I'm back!" he cried.

He looked around the room and realized it was only Hikari and Yen Sid waiting for him.

"It's just us?"

"The others all had important work to do, so I sent them on their way" Yen Sid said.

Sora pouted and crossed his arms.

"They coulda said goodbye at least" he said.

Donald got angry and stomped his foot.

"It's your fault you missed them" he snapped.

Sora got angry and looked at Donald with his hands on his hips.

"It is not. I just like to say goodbye to all of my friends" he explained.

"Then it is your fault for doing it slow" Hikari deadpanned.

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Sora pointed out.

Yen Sid cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. This was no time to bicker over silly things.

"We have matters to discuss" he began.

"In order to defeat Xehanort, there are allies we must gather, acting now to rouse them from their slumber. We discussed this before. Your Mark of Mastery exam was conducted in the hopes you would acquire the power to wake them."

He gave Sora a serious look.

"However, the darkness nearly took control of you and your grasp of your new abilities to leave much to be desired. Furthermore, Xehanort nearly made you his vessel and in the process stripped you of most of the power you gained by now. I suspect you had already noticed this, correct?"

Sora looked sad for a moment. It was true. When he went back to the realm of sleep to thank all of his dream eater friends for their help, he noticed he wasn't as strong as he was when he first took the exam. It seemed Xehanort really did a number on him.

But he wouldn't let that bother him. He wasn't this strong when he first got the Keyblade, he could just rebuild himself again.

"Don't worry. Happens all the time. I'll get my strength back" he said.

Yen Sid smiled a little at Sora's positive attitude. It was nice to know that Xehanort didn't crush his spirit.

"Chip and Dale are currently analyzing data that they found in Jiminy's journals. This could bring us clues into retrieving our lost friends. I have very high hopes for this data. However, our greatest chance of stopping Xehanort's plan still lies with you both. If you trust the guidance your hearts give, I know we will find all the guardians of light" he said.

"But first, Sora must regain all of the strength he has lost. Perhaps it is foolish to expect a complete recovery, but it is absolutely vital that he perfect one power-the power of waking, which he failed to master during his exam."

Hikari wondered what sort of power both Riku and herself acquired when they passed their exam. Yen Sid they both gained a new skill, but he didn't elaborate what it was. Perhaps she would find out on this journey.

"How can Sora get his strength back again?" Goofy asked.

"There's someone who lost his strength and found it again…a hero you ought to pay a visit" he said.

Sora and Hikari caught on to who the Sorcerer was talking about. They knew a certain someone who endured a similar situation like Sora did.

"Perhaps he can point you in the right direction" Yen Sid offered.

"Got it!" Sora said.

Donald and Goofy stepped forward and saluted Yen Sid.

"Master Yen Sid…" Donald said.

"You can count on us to take care of Sora and Hikari!" Goofy finished.

"I don't need a babysitter" Hikari muttered.

Donald and Goofy ignored her and looked at them both.

"We'll be keeping an eye on you two! You scared us with that exam!" Donald said.

"Oh, this is going to be lots of fun!" Goofy said.

"It's not a vacation, you guys" Sora said.

Despite the danger that was going to be ahead of them, it seemed like nothing had changed between the four of them. Even if they had to face great dangers, they would make this journey a memorable one.

/

Sora made a face as he sat in the pilot seat of the Gummi Ship. Everyone was all excited about traveling again and visiting old worlds that they forgot one crucial thing.

"So, how are we supposed to get there now?" Sora wondered.

Donald was fuming in his seat.

"What?! I thought you knew!"

"I guess the old highways are closed" Goofy said.

"That makes sense. When we sealed up Kingdom Hearts last time, it must have sealed up the pathway to other worlds as well" Hikari realized.

That put everyone in a pickle. If they couldn't find the gateway to reach other worlds, they were stuck. They needed to figure out how to travel.

"Didn't Master Yen Sid say that you guys should trust the guidance your hearts give?" Goofy pointed out.

Donald got antsy and looked at them.

"C'mon Sora! Which way?"

Sora tried to think for a moment. It seemed he didn't just lose his powers thanks to Xehanort but his connection with his friends were messed up as well.

"Would you hurry up!" Donald snapped.

Sora glared at the magician.

"Gimmie a break, I'm trying! These things take time!" he said.

"We don't have time; in case you didn't notice" Hikari said.

Goofy scratched his head as he thought of an idea.

"Well, since we've already been there before, why don't you try picturing our friends like we're there?" he suggested.

Sora tried that idea. He tried imagining that they were there and seeing their friends on that world but nothing happened.

"Sorry, I got nothing" he said.

Hikari and Donald slumped in their seats.

"Now what do we do?" Donald said.

Goofy was quiet for a moment as he remembered something.

"May your heart be your guiding key."

Everyone looked at the knight. Hikari had heard that saying before, but she never expected Goofy to know it.

"Where did you hear that, Goofy?" she asked.

Goofy shrugged.

"Master Yen Sid always said that right before we went off on any of our real important adventures" he said.

"He said if we ever felt lost or didn't know which way to go, just let our hearts guide us. Thought maybe this would have been a good time to try that."

Sora mulled over what Goofy said. He recalled hearing that as well, but he didn't know where he heard it.

"May my heart be my guiding key…" he muttered.

Standing up from his seat, he summoned his keyblade and aimed it at the window. Closing his eyes, he focused on his friends and where he needed to go. Letting his heart guide him, he thought of the path they needed to follow.

Goofy's plan worked. Moments later, a pathway appeared before them.

"Alright!" Sora said.

Jumping back to his seat, he grabbed the controller and started the ship up.

"Olympus Coliseum here we come!"

He flew into the portal and headed to where Hercules lived.

With that, Sora and Hikari's quest had begun.

/

A/N: And we're off! Lot of stuff is about to happen. Next time the gang gets to see all the new tricks Hikari learned from her exam as well as how her new Keyblade works!

Hope you're all excited about what's going to happen in this story!

Please review and tell me what you think!

Take care!