When we returned to Radiant Garden - and after having asked Lea to deliver my letter and present to Arashi- Aerith, Yuffie, Kairi and Chise all insisted that Riku and I spend the night there and rest before heading out once more. I didn't know whether it was Kairi's stubborn attitude or Chise's puppy-dog eyes, but Riku and I quickly caved in to their demands.

Since the restoration committee was still trying to piece back together their world, the accommodations were small, but I didn't mind sharing a bed with my baby sister so Riku could have his own. It was kinda like being back at the lake; staying up late, telling Chise our adventure to the world of Pokemon and how I got turned into a Sylveon. Chise certainly enjoyed how I was transformed into the Fairy-type, as it was her favorite Pokemon, and she constantly laughed at the mentions of my blunders, including getting caught by Team Rocket and Riku having to save me, much to my embarrassment.

When Chise finally fell asleep, I let my mind wander, unable to follow my sister to the land of dreams. It's not that I wasn't tired, but more like my brain just didn't want to shut down. So much happened back in Kalos; it was almost too much to process.

I'm not sure how, but the next thing I knew, I was within my heart, standing on the familiar stain-glass mural. I felt my spirits lift a little when I saw Ayame standing before me.

"You seem troubled," the young spirit stated. She titled her head to the side, a concerned look in her baby-blue eyes. "You wanna talk about it?"

Even though I had learned that Ayame had died when she was still a small child, she possessed the demeanor and wisdom of someone not unlike Master Yen Sid. Maybe it was the fact that she had been a spirit for so long, or that she tried to act mature to forget her past, I'd probably never know her reasons. Still, it was comforting to know that she was there to support me.

Accepting her offer, I smiled and nodded. "I'd like that." I sat down, Ayame joining me, as we both looked up, though I wasn't quite sure what to find, given there were no stars or moon to gaze at. "It's just that a lot is on my mind lately, especially with what happened back in the Pokemon world."

Ayame nodded, seeming to understand. "Even though some things were answered in regards to your brothers, many more questions quickly took their place. I can see how difficult this is for you, confirming your fear that Genji is indeed working with Organization XIII and that he believes you are the reason our home was swallowed by the Heartless."

I sighed and bowed my head. "I'm not sure I'm not the cause of that," I explained. "I mean, my powers could have easily drawn the Darkness to the lake, so maybe he wasn't wrong to assume so." I know Cloud and Riku both had tried to convince me otherwise and that Xehanort was to blame, but that continuous nagging feeling inside me had kept me from letting the idea go.

"I don't thing that's the case though," Ayame said. "Even if it's true the Light within your heart is almost equal in brilliance and strength to that of the Princesses of Heart, up until you were rescued by Ansem the Wise, you powers had remained dormant, unnoticed and untraceable." She paused a moment before, more reluctantly, she added "I... I should have told you this sooner, but the truth is... someone warned me that the Heartless were coming just before the attack."

I felt something jump in my chest as my eyes bolted back to Ayame. "What!?"

"I... I don't know who it was or how I could hear them, but they told me that our world was in danger and that I had to try and get anyone I could out of there." The blond bowed her head. "But I was barely able to pull Chise from the shadows before the lake was swallowed. I failed." She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs tightly, shaking.

I smiled sympathetically and placed a hand on top of her head, causing the youth to look up at me. "You didn't fail at all, Ayame. You did everything you could that was within your power; you got Chise out of there and kept her safe for as long as you could. No one expected you to get everyone away, so promise me you won't put yourself down like that, alright?"

Ayame seemed surprised by my statement, but smiled and nodded. "Alright, I promise."

Ayame's POV (Third Person)

When Hikari had faded away and entered the realm of dreams, Ayame sighed heavily. "You know I can keep you a secret from her for only so long," she stated aloud.

Seeming to answer, a figure clad in a white cloak appeared behind the spirit. "And you have my gratitude for keeping my presence here unknown," the newcomer replied with a young male voice. "It is best Hikari does not know, for her awareness of me would not only endanger herself as well as the young Keyblade Master, but also..." He couldn't seem to finish his sentence, which appeared to frustrate him as he clenched his hand into a fist under the sleeve of his coat.

Ayame turned to the other resident of Hikari's heart, her eyes filling with sadness and sympathy. "You still can't recall that person's name, can you?"

The cloaked man's hands shook as he seemed to tighen his fist even further and put it to his chest. "As long as she continues to sleep, it will continue to elude me. I can't stand not being able to remember her name or even her face. It's tearing me up inside."

"I can only imagine how hard it must be," Ayame consoled. Looking to the distance she added "After I had to cut my connection with Chise and retreated to Hikari, I happened to cross the plane of Sora's heart and met a girl with jet-black hair. She told me her story, and how when she had disappear, she could only watch from afar as her closest friends slowly forget her name, then her face, until there was nothing left. It made me think about my family; Do they still miss me? Do they still even remember me, or had memories of me been lost when they gave up looking? It's been over 40 years since that man took my life and buried me under that tree, but I still cling to that small strand of hope that they've continued to hold memories of me close to their hearts." Tears streaked down her face as she began to tremble as well, but she quickly collected herself and dried her watery eyes before turning back to her companion. "I will continue to keep you hidden, until the time comes when you remember her name and the prophecy fulfilled."

The young man nodded. "Thank you, Ayame."

Riku's POV (Third Person)

The next morning, after having restocked on supplies and saying their goodbyes, Riku and Hikari returned to The Lanes Between. Having no current leads on Sora or the rest of Hikari's family, they were really just keeping their eyes and ears open for any possible clues.

Though he was all too familiar with the scene before them, Riku notice how difficult it was for Hikari as they saw worlds swallowed by Darkness right before their eyes; there one second, gone the next. Having let Darkness into his heart and Xehanort's Heartless control his body, the sight was almost something he was used to and rarely reacted. Even so, when the Destiny Islands were once again taken into the shadows, it had taken all his strength not to show his own heartache.

The silverette wanted to do something, anything, to give Hikari hope that they hadn't lost the fight yet. He wasn't really sure how exactly though. He wasn't social and outgoing like Sora and - quite frankly- he didn't know how to talk with girls. Sure, he was comfortable around Kairi and Selphie, but he had been friends with them since childhood. He had found it somewhat difficult talking with girls his age, especially after the embarrassing moment he had with Shiki in the Dream Worlds.

There didn't seem to be much he thought he could say, that is, until he spotted a world that not only lifted his spirits, but he was sure would encourage Hikari as well. "Hikari, look down there," he said, pointing to the world.

The angel solemnly turned to where Riku indicated, where her expression quickly changed to that of awe and wonder. "What is that world?"

"It's King Mickey's home, Disney Castle," Riku replied.

"It's amazing. The Light coming from it is so pure." Hikari gazed at the small world, mesmerized.

"Come on." Riku directed his glider towards the castle. "We don't have any leads, so maybe Mickey might have something for us to go on. Plus, I can introduce you to Sora's friends, Donald and Goofy."

Hikari nodded eagerly and followed the Keyblade Master to the bright wold.

Riku and Hikari touched down in a small garden with carefully sculpted hedges of different animals and guardsmen, rose bushes dotting the border. While Hikari studied her new surroundings with almost child-like curiousily, Riku reverted his glider back into a Keyblade and dismissed his armor, then the Keyblade itself.

"Is that you, Riku?"

The teen turned around smiling when he saw a familiar knight walking towards him. "Hey, Goofy."

"Ah-hyuck, it's good to see you're alright," the dog humanoid stated with a chuckle. Tilting his head he added "Any news on Sora?"

The silveretee frowned and shook his head. "Sorry. We haven't had many leads as to where The Organization took him, but we were hoping The King might have something for us to go on."

"Well, His Majesty was in the library last I checked. I'm sure he'd be happy to see ya. By the way; who's that over there?"

Riku turned and saw that Goofy was indicating to Hikari, who was smelling a patch of flowers. "That's Hikari. She and I are working together to find her family and Sora."

"Ohhhh, she must be the new Keyblade wielder The King was talking about, ah-hyuck."

Just then, a familiar quack was heard, followed by the owner of said quack rushing out from the opposite end of the garden. Donald was waving his wand with madness as he ran towards Hikari, his face red with fury.

"Intruder!" The duck yelled, snapping Hikari back to reality and causing her to look at the magician quizzically. When Donald began to fire up a spell, the young Keyblader's eyes grew wide as she quickly summoned her wings and took to the air, narrowly dodging a Fire spell.

"Donald!" Goofy yelled. "It's okay; she's with Riku!"

The duck didn't seem to hear as he let out angry quacks from below the hedge that Hikari had retreated to the top of. "Get back here!"

"No thanks," Hikari replied with a slight smile on her face, almost as though she were enjoying the entertaining moment. "I'd rather not become roasted barbecue today."

Riku couldn't help but laugh a little as he walked up to the duo. "I wouldn't worry, Hikari. In terms of magic, you could easily take him on."

"Hey." The magician turned to Riku with a scowl, seeming offended.

"Oh; what seems to be going on here?"

Everyone looked to see two more anthropomorphic individuals enter the garden, these ones being female. The mouse - who clearly had some relation to King Mickey - wore a pink and red gown with white gloves, silver ring and golden tiara with a red gem in the shape of her head. The duck next to her wore a more simple dress of violets with a high collar, matching gloves, and a smaller golden tiara with a purple gem in the center.

"Donald!" The female duck scolded, causing the magician to flinch and cower. "You said you'd take me into town today, yet here I find you trying to avoid our date."

"But Daisy-" Donald tried to explain.

However, Daisy gave him no time as she grabbed the collar of his uniform and began to drag him away , badgering him about how he was a poor excuse for a boyfriend and why she even bothered half the time.

The female mouse could only giggle at her friends, before turning back to the remaining trio. "It's so good to see you again, Riku."

"Same here, Queen Minnie." Riku looked up to Hikari and added "Come down; I want to introduce you."

The angel floated back down to the ground before dispelling her wings and walking up so she was standing next to Riku.

"Hikari, this is Queen Minnie," Riku introduced. "She's King Mickey's -ahem- very special someone, as Goofy puts it," he added with slight embarrassment.

"It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty," Hikari greeted with a respectful bow.

Minnie gave another light-hearted laugh as she smiled kindly. "The same can be said to you. Mickey has told me of your bravery and how you are working hard to find Sora as well as rescue your family and stop the invading Darkness. You are most welcome here."

Hikari blushed under the compliment and lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Now then." The female mouse turned to Riku with a curious expression. "I can only imagine that you're here to speak with Mickey, is that true?"

The Keyblade Master nodded. "We were hoping to see if he might have any possible leads we can go on in terms of Sora or Hikari's family's whereabouts."

"Of course. I'll take you to him right away. Follow me." Minnie turned towards an archway before heading into the castle, Riku right behind her and Hikari not too far back, slowing her walk to admire the architecture and artwork. Goofy meanwhile returned to his patrol of the castle, waving goodbye as he did so.

"I sure hope Mickey will have something for you two to go on," Minnie stated. "He's told me how you've been having difficulty when it comes to finding leads, especially with those horrible Organization XIII brutes making a mess of things."

"I hope so too, Your Majesty," Riku replied. Stepping closer so that only the mouse would hear, he added "And the other reason we came here is because I wanted to try and lift Hikari's spirits."

Minnie nodded, a sad look crossing her usually bright and cheerful face. "Yes; Mickey told me of what happened between Hikari and her brother in that strange, distant world. Perhaps later you might want to visit Disney Town; I'm sure the festive atmosphere will liven her spirits."

"As do I."

They stopped before a set of gray-brown doors with the familiar mouse head insignia on them, allowing Minnie's signature smile to return. "Well here we are." The queen turned around to look at the Keybladers as she added "King Mickey should be right- huh? Where is Hikari?"

Riku's eyes grew wide as he spun around and realized that Hikari was nowhere to be found. "She was right behind us a minute ago. Hikari?"

No voice answered, but instead a trembling of the earth itself, nearly causing Riku and Minnie to lose their footing. As this happened, a bright light could be seen coming down the hall from the cracks in the door of the audience chamber. However, the earthquake only lasted a moment before the ground was once more still and the light vanished.

"That almost looked like someone just opened the passageway to The Cornerstone of Light," the queen exclaimed.

Did Hikari maybe see someone enter the audience chamber and go after them? Riku thought to himself. But then, why wouldn't she tell us?

Just then, the library doors opened and King Mickey rushed out, Keyblade in hand. "Someone's gone into the Hall of The Cornerstone!"

Riku turned to the king. "Mickey; Hikari disappeared just before we felt that tremor."

"What!?" The mouse king looked down the hall with a worried expression. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Come on." He hurried towards the audience chamber, Riku and Minnie right behind him.

iPlease be alright, Hikari, Riku silently prayed.