A/N: I know I said in the last post I would do a holiday special, but unfortunately, the file that had over half the story was lost when my computer crashed terribly. I didn't have the time to completely rewrite and have it done by Christmas, so I sadly had to put that idea aside for next year. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I apologize for the delay and how short of an update it is.

Hikari's POV

After filling our empty stomachs, we returned to the library with Queen Minnie while Mickey went to report to Master Yen Sid. Our hope was to find any information retaining to the vision the Cornerstone had shown me, but we might have been a little over our heads.

Despite the small size of the library, the collection of books was enormous; the bookshelves climbing all the way to the skylight ceiling. The castle had just about every subject you could imagine; from adventure novels to learning how to play some instrument called a zurna, there was no shortage of various genres. However, hours passed and we were no closer to the answers we sought.

It was close to sunset when King Mickey finally returned. Despite our hopes, however, Master Yen Sid was just as baffled by The Cornerstone's actions as we were. While the retired Keyblade Master had no answers as to what my visions meant, he did, however, have a lead for Riku and me in terms of a possible location of Sora or my parents. A sudden influx of Heartless and growing Darkness suggested that someone with a bright heart was on that world.

Luckily for us, Riku knew this world, having traveled to there a handful of times. This meant that we didn't have to use The Lanes Between and instead simply create a Corridor of Light. Apparently, Sora had been to this world in the past as well on numerous occasions and knew quite a few of its residents, so hopefully, we would meet them and perhaps make our search a little easier.

We stood in the garden, saying our final goodbyes to Disney Castle's residents. While this little detour was not what any of us had expected, I felt somewhat refreshed meeting Queen Minnie and the others. While Donald still seemed a little suspicious of me, Goofy showed me what a loyal friend he was and I could tell that he, the duck and Sora were quite the team in their previous adventures.

Finally, with our farewells done, Riku summoned Way To The Dawn. He pointed it outwards, a beam of light shooting from it and creating the portal that would take us to the next world. We looked at one another and nodded before waving to our friends one final time before entering the Corridor of Light.

Third Person POV

In The Castle That Never Was...

Arashi anxiously sat in a chair next to the bed in Genji's room, watching his older brother sleep. Or was he comatosed? The young teen shook his head, trying to focus on the big picture. The fact was that Genji had lost consciousness several hours ago and had yet to wake up. What unsettled Arashi more was that no one in the castle besides himself seemed to be concerned about the teen's well-being. The only other exception was the blue-haired man with a X-shaped scar on his face who had carried Genji to his room. However, Arashi had figured he had done so only because the old man, Xehanort, had told him to do so, for he immediately left afterward.

On the younger boy's lap, Riolu quietly sat, his gaze shifting from Genji's still form to Arashi's sad demeanor. The unease and uncertainty that hung in the air was easily felt by the Emanation Pokémon. He was unsure of what to do to help ease his Trainer or even Genji. While the Fighting type was not very fond of the strange aura that the older boy gave off, Riolu knew that something was amiss. He was also uncertain as to where that other aura had come from that appeared just before Genji lost consciousness. Though the small Pokémon had not sensed it before, he could faintly sense it now, hidden deep beneath the teen's own aura. The question was; How in Arceus' name did it get there?

"Seems something's trying to keep the Darkness away."

"It is of little matter. There is still some time before his full power must be awakened. We've only to keep pushing him in the direction we've laid out."

"But what of the girl? It's only a matter of time before she discovers the truth. I suspect that she and the Keyblade Master may have learned something since their departure from that king's castle."

"We need not worry about her. For now, everything will go as fate has set."

Riku's POV (Third Person)

When the two Keybladers exited the Corridor of Light, they found themselves in yet another castle garden. However, the towering wall just opposite of the castle cast dark shadows, the fading pink light of the sunset barely visible and the sound of the ocean heard from just beyond.

The silverette found this quite odd. He had assumed when they arrived, he would have had to cast the spell Mickey had taught him in order to transform the duo into merfolk, as all his previous visits -as well as Sora's- immediately took them to the sea. This didn't mean that Riku wasn't aware that humans existed in this world; he had learned from Sora that his friend, Ariel, had fallen in love with a human prince and gave up her life in the sea to be with him. It just surprised Riku that the Keyblade would drop them off here on dry land instead. Perhaps this meant that whoever possessed the bright heart -whether it was Sora or Hikari's parents- was up here rather than the ocean.

"Hyaa!"

The scream of a child broke Riku out of his thoughts and redirected his attention in the direction of the cry. Several yards away, a preteen girl with jet-black hair was surrounded by a few dozen Tornado Steps.

"Let's go!" Hikari summoned her Keyblade and bolted forward, knocking back two of the Heartless.

Riku sprung into action himself, bringing out his own weapon and casting a flurry of Dark Firaga spells. The dark fireballs collided with a handful of the dark creatures, opening up a gap for the frightened girl. "Make a run for it," he called out to her.

The pre-teen didn't hesitate and ran towards the castle. However, one Tornado Step managed to get past the two Keybladers and began to chase her.

"I'll take care of it," Hikari stated, quickly taking out three more Heartless with a Thundaga before rushing after the lone Heartless.

As Riku stared down the remaining Heartless, he couldn't help but smirk. "This sure seems familiar." Achieving a speed that seemed inhuman, the silver-haired teen attacked the Tornado Steps that surrounded him, appearing in front of one and striking before disappearing in a flash to pursue another target.

Not even a minute later, the garden was cleared of all dark entities. Riku stood tall, barely a mark on him and breathing smoothly. He wiped the small layer of sweat from his forehead before turning in the direction Hikari and the girl had disappeared to.

However, before he could even make a step, a commanding voice stopped him.

"Halt! Identify yourself!"

Crap, Riku cursed internally.