Riku's POV (Third Person)

That night, Riku refused to leave Hikari's side, sitting in chair next to the bed and watching over the angel like a hawk. Chise had also refused to abandon Hikari and was currently fast asleep, curled up against her sister on the bed like a cat. The young Keyblade Master couldn't help but smile at the sight, despite to circumstances.

Still, one had to wonder when Hikari would wake up and what state would she be in when that happened. Chise had explained how the last time this had happened, Hikari was in a coma for a week, and when she finally awakened, she acted - as Chise put it simply- "like a zombie." She showed no emotions or uttered a single word for nearly a month, most of the time cooped up in her room, only coming out to ear, which was a rare occurrence. Eventually, she returned to her normal self, but had no memory of that month of "zombie-ness."

The story reminded Riku on how Nobodies were when they are first "born." Based on what Lea had told him when he was Axel in the Organization, Roxas was very much like a zombie that first week, barely being able to form a sentence or make eye contact with anyone. However, this wasn't the case for Hikari, as she still possessed her heart, never having been turned into a Heartless. Still, Riku couldn't quite get the idea out of his head and decided he would ask Master Yen Sid once Hikari was in traveling condition.

"So it seems that it's true."

Riku spun around in his chair at the voice, but sighed in relief when he saw King Mickey standing in the doorway. The teen stood up and silently left the room, closing the door behind him. He then looked down at the king. "Leon and the other tell you?"

Mickey nodded, a worried look on his face. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

The teen let out another sigh as he leaned against the wall and placed a hand on the side of his head. "I've never felt so worthless, Mickey."

The mouse tilted his head in confusion. "What do ya mean?"

Riku took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to keep calm. "Because I failed to react in time, Hikari is stuck in a coma and she may never wake up." Looking back at Mickey he added "Isn't it the duty of a Keyblade Master to keep others safe?"

Mickey gave a sympathetic smile. "You remind me of an old friend of mine. He only saw the negatives, never looking at all the good he did. Riku, you can't blame yourself for what happened to Hikari. What matters now is that you're both here, and I have a good feeling Hikari will recover real soon; all you have 'ta do is believe."

A smile slowly found its way onto Riku's face as he nodded and kneeled down to face the king. "Thanks, Mickey. What's passed, passed. I can't change what happened, but I can do everything in my power to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

Mickey gave a small laugh, happy to see his close friend not so gloomy anymore. "Just try not to push yourself too hard, Riku. Even Keyblade Masters need to rest at some point."

Riku nodded once more. "Alright, Mickey. Good night, then."

XXXXX

Third Person POV

Deep within the dream of a small child, there was a large, circular platform made of stain glass. The images on the glass depicted a girl with dark-brown hair with her eyes closed, hand bowed, and hands folded in prayer, three circles above her each holding the image of three more individuals, a boy that looked like the female, another boy that looked much younger, and another girl that was obviously the youngest.

Standing on the circle of the small female was the child it depicted. The girl was clearly confused, seeming not to know where she was as she studied her surroundings.

"What is this place?" She asked aloud. She tried to walk around, but the moment she steed out of the circle, she somehow teleported back to the center. After several failed attempts, she gave up and sat down, trying to think.

"I'm glad I was able to reach you," a new voice said.

The child's eyes lit up as she looked towards the source of the voice. "Ayame! You're okay!"

The newcomer smiled warmly as she pushed a stray strand of curly blonde hair behind her ear. "Same here, Chise. It was a close call, but I managed to retreat to Hikari's heart before the Darkness could swallow me."

"Oneesan's heart?" Chise studied the floor, finally noticing the large image in the center of the platform. "Is this really her heart?"

Ayame nodded, but her smile had vanished. "However, a large piece has been lost."

"What do you mean?" Chise asked.

With a solemn face, Ayame pointed to the upper-left part of the platform.

Chise followed the direction her friend had pointed towards, horrified to find a large chunk was missing, almost reaching the image of her oldest brother, Genji. "What happened!?"

"Too much Darkness entered Hikari's heart and wrecked havoc. If I hadn't been here, her heart would be in far worse shape."

"So what do we do?"

"Until Hikari's heart is restored, she will remain in a dormant state. The piece that was destroyed by the Darkness is unfixable, but a piece she gave up many moons ago can replace it."

Chise was clearly lost, if her confused face any indication. "I don't understand."

Ayame gave a sad smile. "You probably don't remember this, but the night before your fifth birthday, Hikari gave up a piece of her heart to save you. it was for this reason that she fell into the coma back then. Now you have a chance to give it back. Since your departure from your home, you've made many connections and gathered so much Light that you can return that piece of Hikari's heart safely."

Chise looked down at her chest and placed a hand on it. "So I won't fall asleep like Oneesan did?"

Ayame nodded. "Are you ready?"

Chise brought her eyes back up and nodded firmly. "For Oneesan." As if seeming to know what to do, she placed her free hand on top of the one still on her chest and closed her eyes. A warm golden light began to surround her as she slowly pulled her hands away from her body, an orb of white light coming out of her chest. She opened her eyes and looked down at the orb, smiled, and let the orb float slowly to the floor.

The moment the ball touched the ground, the entire platform shined brilliantly with a golden illumination. The part where the piece had been shattered was restored and a new circle was created, but this one was blank.

When the lights of the platform and the one surrounding Chise faded, the child looked at the empty circle that had appeared. Turning to Ayame she asked "Who's circle is that?"

Ayame gave a mischievous grin and winked. "Just you wait. The owner of that circle should be arriving shortly."

Riku's POV (Third Person)

Riku opened his eyes to find himself floating in an empty black space. He straightened himself and looked down, his eyes growing wide the moment he saw the familiar stain-glass platform. Once he touched down onto the center of the platform, he studied the artwork, surprised to see an image of Hikari in her True Form.

"How come he gets to roam around freely?"

Riku swerved around to find Chise and another young girl with long blond hair standing a few yards away.

The second girl smiled and stepped forward so she was standing before Riku. "Welcome, young Keyblade Master. Your strong presence here tells me you are more important to her than I had originally anticipated."

The silver-haired teen blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what he just heard. It clicked a few moments later, followed by a slight blush on his cheeks. "Y-You mean Hikari?"

"Correct. My name is Ayame, and much like your friend Sora, Chise and Hikari have opened their hearts to me for security." Her face then became more serious. "I called you here because we are in need of your assistance."

Riku never missed a beat, getting a pretty good idea of what they needed help with. "It has something to do with Hikari, am I right?"

Ayame nodded and looked at Chise at her spot. "Thanks to Chise, a piece of Hikari's heart that had been destroyed in the events that transpired at Enchanted Dominion was restored, but-" She turned back to Riku and continued "if Hikari is to awaken, her spirit must be pulled out of The Realm of Darkness, and you are the only one that can do so."

Riku felt his heart stop at the mention of The Realm of Darkness. "How can I possibly get Hikari out? Sora and I were only able to get there because Xemnas trapped up in a different dimension, and even then, we had to rely on Kairi's light to open a path back home."

"Your spirit is all that is required to reach Hikari, and I will be there to bring you both back. It must be you, for my connection with Hikari is but a inkling compared to the bond you have with her." Ayame took a deep breath before adding "You two meeting is no mere coincidence, Riku. You were fated to meet from the moment you both came into existence, set by Kingdom Hearts itself."

"Wait; you mean to tell me that Kingdom Hearts planned everything so Hikari and I would meet?"

"The events that resulted in you meeting were never set in stone, but Kingdom Hearts made certain that your lights would seek out each other when the time came."

Riku was at a loss for words. For nearly three years he'd worried that his exposure to Darkness would keep him from finding that special Light, just like how Sora and Kairi connected. To learn that not only had that fear been squashed, but the mere fact that Kingdom Hearts had made sure it would happen made his heart flutter once more.

He wasn't even aware that he was blushing until Chise giggled, gaining his attention. The brunette smiled brightly when the Keyblader looked to her in confusion. "You're blushing, Riku-kun," she stated, which only seemed to cause his face to turn even more red.

Ayame joined in with her own innocent laughter, before clearing her throat a few moments later. Once Riku brushed aside his blush and brought his eyes back to her, she smiled and held out a hand up. "Are you ready?"

Riku nodded before kneeling down and taking the child's hand. He felt a warm sensation wash over him as a golden light surrounded them and they shot off into the sky.