Aoi Hyoudou: UPDATED VERSION!

IV

Radiant Garden

Space.

It's really, really, really big and spacey - just like in the books. The stars were shining so bright, Ash couldn't help but compare them to Christmas lights. The galaxy itself was so empty and quiet, filled with many wonders. It was quite a sight.

Ash couldn't believe he was actually in space. It felt like a dream – a child's dream, to be more precise. But here he was – traveling on his glider bike – in his Keyblade armor – through space – in order to protect the worlds from darkness and find the "lost souls" before another great war broke out. What a magical experience. If his friends and family were here with him they would've enjoyed the scenery too. But thanks to the Heartless such an idea was nothing more than a mere dream.

What a shame...

A few hours ago…

"Master Yen Sid, how am I supposed to travel to other worlds?" Ash asked.

"I can only assume that Aqua forgot to tell you something important before she left."

Ash nodded and sighed.

Yen Sid noticed the teen's frustration and chuckled. "Do not fret, young Ash, I have the answer you seek-" he said with a wry smile. "I am certain it is one of which that doesn't require the need of a Gummi Ship."

"A…Gummi-what?" the Keyblade wielder said confusedly, blinking at the strange name.

The sorcerer proceeded with his explanation. "When an apprentice receives their Keyblade armor from their Keyblade Master, their Keyblade is also bestowed with a new ability."

"A new…ability?" Ash repeated slowly.

Yen Sid nodded in response.

"Summon your Oathkeeper," he instructed solemnly.

"Oathkeeper?" The raven haired teen blinked.

"It's the name of your Keyblade," he elaborated.

"Oh."

Taking a deep breath, Ash complied and raised his right hand. In a flash of light his Keyblade materialized. Attached to the hand-guard was a Keychain token in the form of a blue and white star, his Wayfinder.

"Now I want you to focus your aura into the Keyblade and toss it into the air."

"My aura?" Ash glanced down at his Keyblade, a growing concern lingering in the back of his mind. "I think that's easier said than done, but I'll give it a shot." He glanced back up and grinned.

Yen Sid observed closely with a smile on his face as the young Keyblade wielder tried to focus his aura into the Oathkeeper, but failed miserably on a number of counts. Moments later, the man's eyes widened when he noticed the teen instinctively placing his left hand over his heart and closing his eyes, muttering something softly that caught his immediate attention.

"May my heart be my guiding key…"

'Wait…Don't tell me he's-'

Ash opened his auburn eyes and tossed his Keyblade into the air, a bright light engulfing it before it descended towards the teen in the form of a blue and white glider bike, still maintaining the Oathkeeper's features.

"Whoa!" Ash closely examined his new ride, simply amazed at how cool it looked. "What is this?" He couldn't help but ask.

Yen Sid simply cracked a small smile. "It's a Keyblade Glider. It will provide you the necessary means to travel through space and other worlds."

"That's cool." Ash grinned.

"May I offer a suggestion, Ash?"

"Sure, what is it?" Yen Sid's unexpected request immediately piqued the teen's interest.

"Head to Radiant Garden."

"Radiant…Garden…?" The Keyblade wielder repeated slowly.

Yen Sid nodded.

"You may not remember it, but you were born there."

"W-WWHHHAAAATTTT?!" Ash nearly choked on his saliva as he cried out.

'Radiant Garden, huh…' A lot was on his mind after learning his true birthplace from Yen Sid. The Pokémon Trainer had always believed he was born and raised in Pallet Town because of his mother. But thanks to the revelation provided by Yen Sid, he didn't know what to believe anymore. Several questions bounced around his head as he traveled through space on his glider bike, but he couldn't allow them to distract him now, especially when he had far more important matters to worry about.

Heh.

Easier said than done.

Beep, beep, beeeeeeep! Beep, beep, beeeeeeep! Beep, beep, beeeeeeep!

"Hm?" Snapping out from his trail of thought, his unique visor – equipped with a high-tech scanner – was detecting a nearby planet in his vicinity. The Keyblade wielder noticed that something was coming into view when he looked straight ahead. It was a world with a town sitting on top of it and a castle that overlooked the town. According to the data that his visor was displaying, he had reached Radiant Garden.

Gripping the glider's controls firmly, Ash pressed his foot on the accelerator, causing the thrusters to gain momentum as he headed towards his destination.

Rocks. Rocks. And more rocks. Ash found himself standing in the middle of some kind of valley, surrounded by countless cliffs and rock formations. Cautiously examining his new surroundings, his visor analyzed and gathered data about the area. Obviously, he had missed his primary landing spot if he ended up in some area called The Great Maw. He could see the town and the massive castle in the distance. By air, it would only take him a few minutes to reach his destination.

But...there was a concern that kept him from doing so. Ash didn't know if the townsfolk were friendly or hostile toward outsiders like him. If he had arrived in town on his glider bike, it would definitely draw unnecessary attention to him and probably cause a huge commotion. His best bet was to travel on foot. While it wasn't the most ideal plan, it was the best to prevent suspicion.

When his Keyblade armor reverted back into its original form after he touched his left shoulder pauldron, he began to walk forward only to stop short when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. "Hm?" The raven haired teen glanced to the right and noted two lone gravestones in the distance, surrounded by a patch of dead flowers. He walked over and approached the gravestones, crouching down and plucking a dead flower from the ground. The flower immediately withered away into dust. The Pokémon Trainer fixed his gaze on the tombstones, not bothered that neither one had a name carved into them. In fact, he couldn't explain why, but he felt even more disgusted the more he stared at them.

Ash stood up with both fists clenched as he gritted his teeth and gazed downward at his feet, mumbling something quietly under his breath.

Unbeknownst to the Keyblade wielder, a mysterious figure in a black coat was standing behind him, observing him with interest.

Feeling that he was being watched, Ash instinctively spun around only to find no one there. He cautiously looked back and forth to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary until he heaved a sigh and placed a hand on his forehead. All of this was just too much. Perhaps he should leave before something weird happened to him again.

As he proceeded to take his leave, he paused momentarily and glanced back at the gravestones with a small frown on his face before shrugging off the feeling and walking forward without a second glance.

The same figure from a moment ago was now standing on top of the cliff. Under the hood, a small smirk tugged against the figure's lips. "His memories are starting to come back to him." There was a dramatic pause. "Good."

Ash finally arrived at his destination as he walked into town and discovered that the city was in the middle of reconstruction. Several homes and buildings were receiving upgrades, new shops and facilities were being built, and a water fountain was being constructed in the center of the Marketplace that he had stumbled upon. The atmosphere was soothing, but there was something about the town he couldn't quite put his finger on. It seemed awfully familiar, almost as if he had been here before. But that was ridiculous! And yet…he knew his way around like an expert without the need of a map.

As the young Keyblade bearer was passing through to gather some information about the town, he noted that several bystanders were mumbling something that he couldn't make out. He also noticed a few girls giggling as he strolled by, which puzzled him greatly. If things weren't bizarre enough, a couple walked up to him and offered their respect by bowing their heads before heading off to who knows where.

'What was all that about?' A baffled Ash blinked, staring at the departing pair. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he turned away and looked forward once more only to come face-to-face with a grinning girl leaning her face towards his. "AAAHHH!" He stumbled backwards, putting some distance between them before noticing that the girl was giggling at his expense.

"Easy there, I don't bite," she said jokingly.

Ash quickly recovered his composure and stared at the mysterious girl. She had short, black hair with violet eyes. He could see that she was wearing a black headband with white lining around her head, an unzipped, dark grey combat vest with a black strap dangling from the right pocket over a navy blue tank top with white floral designs a white wristband on her right wrist, and a grey, fingerless glove on her left arm. Her shorts were slightly darker and had another black strap dangling from the left side. Lastly, she sported black, over-the-knee socks with white stripes at the top underneath dark tan sneaker boots that were knee-high in length.

"W-Who are you?!" he finally asked, narrowing his auburn eyes at the girl suspiciously.

"Wow." She sounded a bit offended. "I can't believe you don't remember." Ash furrowed his brow. "But I guess I can't blame you either." A soft sigh escaped her lips. "Your memories haven't yet restored you to your true self."

"My…true self?" Ash repeated slowly, unsure how to respond to that.

"Yup!"

"…"

"To refresh that little brain of yours," Ash frowned at her playful jab. "I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie!" she exclaimed proudly with a grin.

'Ninja?' The Keyblade wielder blinked. He'd met with several ninjas in the past during his Pokémon journey, but this one took the cake. Yuffie wasn't exactly a shining example of ninja material, but who could say she wasn't?

"I must say-" Yuffie's voice drew the Keyblade wielder's attention right back to her as he noticed that she had folded her arms against her chest with her right hand cupping her chin in thought. "-I would've never thought in a million of years you would grow up to be such a cutie." She shifted her gaze and stared at the raven haired teen with a smile on her face. "While Sora's way cuter, I would pick you any day of the week over his dorkiness."

"Huh?!"

"Don't worry about it," Yuffie said dismissively. She walked past the baffled teen, causing him to glance over his shoulder and notice that she was already walking towards the entrance that led to the Borough. She paused momentarily and offered another smile when she turned away and faced the Keyblade wielder. "Leon and the others would love to see you again. They're at Merlin's. Come on! It's this way!" She sprinted off.

"Wait up!" Ash cried out as he chased after the ninja girl.

"Okay…*pant*…Where is she?" Ash took a moment to catch his breath after chasing Yuffie only to lose sight of her upon entering the Borough. He studied his new surroundings very closely, looking to his right and then to his left for any sign of the girl. "Boy, for a ninja…she runs pretty quick."

"HHeeeyy~!" a familiar voice called out. His ears perked up as he shifted his eyes over in the direction of the voice where he noticed Yuffie was waving her hand up high in the distance with a chirpy smile on her face. "Over here!" Giving the teen no chance to respond, she sprinted around the corner.

Ash immediately sprinted down the path, hoping he won't lose sight of her this time around. When he made the sharp turn around the corner, he skidded halt after spotting a decent-looking house with a giant wooden door. 'Is this the place?' he wondered as he advanced forward with caution while keeping his eyes open for any sign of Yuffie. When he approached the door, he hesitated for a moment, believing that he was trespassing on someone's property without their permission. However, something told him that he was welcome to come inside without any regrets.

And so he did.

When Ash first entered, the first thing he noticed was three people standing around a computer and one leaning against a wall.

The first individual was a male with short, brown hair and blue eyes. He bore a distinctive scar, which ran diagonally across the bridge of his nose. He wore black gloves, black, zipper-lined shoes, a silver Griever necklace, and a white undershirt. His black, short-sleeved jacket sported red wings on the back and a red Griever symbol on each shoulder. He also wore three brown belts on his left forearm and three buckles on his right thigh while three black belts were present on his left thigh. His black pants featured a vertical zipper going down the side of each leg. In addition, he wore two brown belts and two black ones around his hips, all of which were quite loose except for one, a black one worn properly around his waist.

The one individual occupying the seat in front of the computer was also male with short, blond hair and blue eyes. He sported a pair of goggles around his head and a necklace with a rectangular charm. He also wore a white T-shirt, blue baggy pants, and black shoes. He had a toothpick in his mouth, implying that he was gnawing on it for stress reasons.

The woman standing next to the blond man was quite attractive. She had long, brown hair which was braided down to her back and green eyes. She wore a carmine pink and white top held up by a string that wrapped around her neck. Underneath the top, she also wore a pink dress with a horizontal white stripe near the bottom. Her footwear was a pair of brown boots.

The final member was a male with short, spiky red hair, said spikes being styled upright. His attire was a black coat. He was the one who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and both eyes shut. Sensing that they had a visitor, he opened his bluish green eyes and shifted his gaze at the doorway towards said guest.

His eyes widened with a soft gasp escaping his lips. 'It can't be…He-He looks just like-'

Yuffie appeared out of nowhere and grinned at the Keyblade wielder.

"Glad you could join us!" she greeted cheerfully, obviously thrilled that the teen was here.

"AAAHHH!" Ash yelped loudly as he stumbled backwards yet again, clearly he didn't expect the ninja girl to greet him like that.

The loud shout alerted the three adults as they diverted their attention away from the computer over to their unexpected guest. Their eyes lit up in surprise when they spotted the raven-haired teen.

Ash's body tensed up at their constant staring, a worried feeling lingering in the back of his mind.

What happened next, he didn't expect.

Yuffie's friends greeted him with open arms, almost as if they hadn't seen him for many years.

"Welcome home! We missed you!" The brunette smiled, clapping her hands together.

Ash raised an eyebrow at the woman. 'Welcome home?' So, Yen Sid wasn't lying after all when he told him that he was originally from Radiant Garden.

"Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes?" The blonde haired man smirked, wiping a thumb against his chin.

"Can't believe it's been over ten years since we last saw you," said the brown haired man, a genuine smile tugged against the corner of his lips. "What kept you?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his tone of voice.

Ash simply blinked at the trio with a confused expression plastered on his face. While he couldn't figure out who these people were, their faces seemed awfully familiar, almost as if he had seen them somewhere before.

Yuffie came to his aid and explained the current situation to the group. "Guys, he doesn't remember us. I should know since I already tried."

"Is that true?" the brunette asked quietly as she stared back at the young teen with sad eyes. "You really don't remember us?"

Ash shook his head and answered slowly, "Should…I?"

"I see," The scarred male's lips descended into a deep frown as he crossed his arms and cupped his chin in thought. "His memories haven't yet been fully restored." The blonde haired man agreed.

"Looks like it," he said, gnawing on the toothpick in his mouth.

"We could try reintroducing ourselves. That could jog his memory a little." the brunette suggested.

The brown haired man thought it over for a moment and agreed. "That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea, Aerith." Aerith smiled.

"Then leave it to me!" Yuffie exclaimed with a huge grin on her face.

"We don't need some dumb ninja brat to screw this up. Let Aerith take care of it!" the blonde-haired man spat.

Yuffie turned away from her friends and faced the Keyblade wielder, obviously ignoring the old blonde. "Alright, Ash-" She ignored the teen when he flinched after she addressed him by his name. "-Let me introduce you to the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. That's Aerith." She gestured her hand to the brunette who waved with a bright smile on her face. "The old fart is Cid." She lazily introduced the blonde man.

"Who are you calling an old fart you damn ninja b-"

"And that's Squall." Yuffie ignored Cid once again and gestured to the brown-haired man.

"It's Leon." He corrected with a death glare.

The Pokémon Trainer took a moment and allowed the information to be processed before he smiled. 'They seem…nice enough.' "It's nice meeting you all." He grinned.

The Restoration Committee smiled.

Then they shared a quick glance with one another and nodded.

Cid stood up from his seat.

Ash observed very closely as Leon, Aerith, and Cid suddenly dropped to a knee. 'W-What are they doing?' They placed their right hands over their hearts and bowed their heads respectfully at him. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuffie was mimicking her friends, which was starting to get weird. "W-What…are you guys doing?!" he panicked, not sure what was going on.

"It's simple." Leon answered calmly without lifting his head. "We're showing our respect."

"To you, Ash." Aerith added with a smile.

"Even though it's so damn degrading to my character," Cid grumbled, earning a playful smack to his shoulder from Aerith.

"But, why?!" Ash still didn't understand why they were doing this.

"It's because you're a prince," said a new voice.

The Keyblade wielder flinched. 'A prince? M-Me?!' They had to be pulling his leg. Did they even look at him? He wasn't exactly a shining example of prince material.

Turning his head to the source of the voice, he fixed his gaze on the redheaded man who in return glanced back without shifting a muscle in his composure. The pair spent the next few moments just staring at one another, waiting for the first person to break the ice between them. If Ash didn't know any better, he could've sworn he had seen the latter's face in the past somewhere.

"But you're not just any ordinary prince-" The man spoke up again, drawing the Keyblade wielder's attention once more. "Noo…you're Radiant Garden's "prized" treasure: the Prince of Hearts." There was a hint of sarcasm when he emphasized the word "prized" in the sentence.

'Prince of…Hearts?' Ash blinked in confusion.

Why did that title sound familiar?

"And that's Lea..." A frustrated sigh escaped Yuffie's lips, causing Ash to glance back at the ninja girl who was back on her feet with an annoyed look on her face. "That guy knows when to spoil a big surprise."

"You know I can hear you, right? I'm not deaf." The former Nobody shot her a glare.

"Anyway-" Yuffie ignored Lea and continued, "-What he said was true, Ash." She smiled. "You're a prince. A very special one."

"I see." Ash cupped his chin in thought, processing the information. 'I guess that explains why they know me so well.'

Suddenly, a puff of grey smoke magically appeared and brought Ash back to reality. The smoke quickly disappeared and standing before him was an elderly man in a blue wizard robe with a blue pointy hat, long white beard, and tiny little glasses.

"Oh! I thought it was you. Right on time!" he said with relief.

"Merlin!" Aerith greeted the old wizard with a sweet smile. "What brings you here?"

"Why, lass, I'm here on an important matter to speak with our young prince." Merlin fixed his gaze on the young teen.

"Me?!" Ash blinked.

"That's right, lad." he stated with a chuckle. "Master Yen Sid has informed me that you need to go on a dangerous journey to save Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, yes?"

"You know Aqua?" Ash asked in shock.

"That I do, my boy." He smiled. "And her friends too, but that's not important right now. What's truly important is preparing you for your journey."

"Which is?"

Merlin smiled. "How familiar are you with magic?"

"Umm…"

"We should get started then, Your Highness."

A/N: THIS IS NOTHING MORE THAN A REVISION THAT I KEEP FORGETTING TO POST! As for an actual update, starting next week I'll start writing a chapter for Aura Guardian of Beacon: Resurgence. Due to high demands and popularity, I'll work on it first before going back to PokéHearts. Keep your eyes out for it! Enjoy your summer break!

P.S. – Give the proofreading and editing credit to my beta-reader, Vandenbz.

Aoi Hyoudou (formerly known as Johan07)