To reiterate, I'm not making Sora out of character here. Don't be fooled by how he was in Kingdom Hearts III. That kid's been through a lot and he's desperately trying to be positive (and that is in no way healthy at all for him). And the emotional support he has isn't around anymore. It's very easy to forget that, at the end of the day, Sora's still a kid. And certain people and forces don't care that you are. Man that is messed up.

I'm still going to put in some original content, however. Given the chance, Sora will show that he's as dangerous as a Horseman. For now though, his power is sapped. But give him time.

You know the drill with the disclaimers. I own jack shit.

Brief mentioning of Max, Della Duck and the triplets.

The next morning, Sora got up pretty early. He didn't have a good sleep, with his dreams plagued by odd dreams (the first one mostly forgotten). It has fire, fighting and death. He couldn't make sense of it, but… at least he got up at the time to tell Ulthane on him leaving. He had been here for a few days, and he had to go.

Slowly getting up, he put on his jacket, shoes, and his gloves before grabbing the Keyblade and left the room.

Walking around a bit, he isn't sure on where to find the large man, considering that he wouldn't enter someone else's room. So, he settled on heading to the kitchen. He places the weapon against the table before he climbs up to sit on the stool. Though as he sat there, he then thought of something. Even if he does leave here, where could he go? He doesn't know this world. He's an unknown to this world, like how he was in some of the other worlds, but here…he's just…out of place. He doesn't belong here. He wants to find a way off this world, because…

The boy looks at the Keyblade. He may not be…welcomed because he has the weapon. He only had it for a year, but…although it helped him to be able to help other people, from what Ulthane implied, it also did its fair share of destroying other people. Sora puts his chin onto his hands folded just under it. A lot of people had thought of it as a weapon for the forces of good. It slays the darkness and help spread the light…but if it steals the light…

Growing up on the islands, Sora never knew exactly what 'hurt' is. The concept of 'bad' is from stories that he heard or read about. He doesn't know much about religion, but he knows enough that angels were 'good', and demons are 'bad'. Yet, Ulthane said that there are angles who aren't 'good'. That some can be bad. If that's the case, then there really are some Keyblade users who are bad.

Or maybe were once good and…things just happened. People has a reason, and Sora believed that no one started off 'bad'. The Organization were once humans. They were once good people. But time has made them like this. They wanted their hearts back…yet the method they went about it isn't right. They're hurting other people for their own goal. And Sora's not a 'picture perfect' hero himself. He can admit, he's childish, not that smart or even that strong, or talented. What he got going for him was the second strongest among the kids in a relatively peaceful world. He had lived on his world, blissfully unaware of the suffering of others. All that changed the moment his world was swallowed by darkness. Just a regular Joe, thrown into the craziness that was his adventure – before and current.

Sora heaved a sigh, before planting his face into his arms when he laid them flat on the table.

"Well! Brooding doesn't suit ya!" Sora admittedly jumped from his seat when he heard the voice and turned, seeing Ulthane at the doorway.

"Oh! Ulthane!" He perked up at seeing the giant man. He carefully got out of his seat, to stand before him. "Ah, sorry, just…thinking." He recalled a bit of what he wanted to say. He noticed Ulthane beginning to move away to leave. "Wait!"

Ulthane turned to him with an inquisitive look. "What is it pup?"

"Well…I kind of want to go. Like…leave and try to find my way home," Sora explained. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you've took me in and I'm grateful. But I can't…exactly…remain here forever."

Ulthane's expression was unreadable as Sora spoke. "Then where do ya intend to go?"

"I don't know," Sora sighed. "I haven't…thought that far ahead."

Ulthane shook his head slightly, muttering something under his breath. "That can get people killed at times…but I suppose that even best laid plans could go wrong. So, ya wanna go home?"

"Well…at least try to," Sora admitted. "I don't want to feel like a burden on you. That, and…" his eyes trailed over to the Keyblade.

Ulthane looked at the weapon. "Ah. You're worried about gettin' into trouble, pup? With the big key about?" He waved it off. "Not everyone cares. The Keyblade are the business of humans. They're more concerned about their own wants and needs." Sora looked at him. "Not many people had interacted much with humanity…but to most, humans are known for destroyin' everythin' around them as well. So, they're no different from them pigeons or them mangy dogs from hell. But are capable of so much more, humanity I mean."

Sora stared in surprise. "…Oh." He just muttered softly. Because… Well, that's…a bit of a relief.

"But…ya still want to go?" Ulthane asked him.

"Yeah," Sora nodded without hesitation.

The giant of a man sighed. "…Ya seem like a stubborn lad. But…something tells me that it's one of yer perks." He looked at Sora. "Take what you need from here. It'll be a long trip, ya know."

Sora looked surprised, before he looked around. "Are you sure?"

"Aye. I got enough to last me a while, and I know a thing or two about farmin'."

Sora looked uncertain…but nodded. "Okay." Ulthane left, leaving Sora to look around a bit.

After a good while Sora looked over a few things he had. Some food to last him a while if he rations it carefully, and a canteen that would give him fresh water. While he does eat food while on the ship and on other worlds, before he left Traverse Town the first time, he bought himself a canteen and filled it with water. He held onto that canteen for a year, before he had to replace it in Radiant Garden, a bit after they got to the world a few months back.

Sora had filled it up with water beforehand, and found a pack he could use to store the food he got out in. It looked to be in good shape, so he put some of the food into it, them carefully folded up.

At least it's a bit light enough for him to carry it around without it hindering him when he put it over his shoulder to test its weight. He nodded his approval, hooking the canteen to the side. He picked up the Keyblade and walked out of the kitchen to find Ulthane.

He looked around for a bit, trying to find him. But as he passed the way to the entrance, he heard, "Pup! Over here!"

The boy did a bit of a double take, looking to the direction where Ulthane showed him what outside is like. "Oh." He jogged over to him. "Umm…"

"Now, don't try to make anything sappy," Ulthane stopped him by holding up his hand.

Sora slowly closed his mouth. "…All right then."

Ulthane pulled the stone doors open, showing the outside again. "Now, see that large tower in the distance?" He gestured his head to something, with Sora looking up. There is a dark, ominous tower in the distance, with several pieces of it floating around it. "That tower is not where you should tread lightly, pup."

"Why not?" Sora asked.

"That…is where the one who ruined this world is. A lad like yerself is not gonna last long if ya go up against him."

"He's that powerful?"

"Aye. There are also demons about, so ya can't let yer guard down," Ulthane warned. "But that way is around where you could at least get a semblance of an old city. There's a lot more to the world…it has its perils so you best be prepared."

Sora furrowed his brows in thought. Demons may not be like the Heartless nor the Nobodies. They can be smarter. More organized. While Organization XIII are their leaders – humanoid in form – they can be smart. Though…

"Roxas…why…?" A distraught cry entered his mind, along with the memory of it- he shook his head. He can't- he can't think about that. Nobodies don't have hearts. Right?

(Then again, what DO you know? You didn't know about the Keyblade after all)

"OK," Sora said. "I'll try to be careful." He looks at Ulthane. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah, now go! I can't hold it open forever!" Sora nodded before he walked out. The stone doors closed behind him. The teenage boy looked around the place, then at the sky, with meteors still falling. He glanced at the tower in the distance.

"…Well, here I go," he muttered, hefting the bag over his shoulder before he soon heads off.

He doesn't know what awaits him, but he hopes he can take it.

'Hope' being the keywords there.

~o~

"So…let me get this straight," Leon began as he crossed his arms. "You were about to go on your way to Twilight Town when you got ambushed?"

"Uh huh," Goofy responded, with his head covered in wrappings for the most part. His hat lies on the small table beside the bed he's sitting in.

"You fought your way, but then a massive Heartless ship came out of nowhere," Leon continued.

"Yeah," Donald nodded, with most of his body covered in wrappings too, nearly resembling a mummy. His clothes are on the side of the bed.

"And overwhelmed, you guys had no choice but to evacuate the ship. And yet you guys were in one and Sora's…in the other one?"

The two's expression fell further, before they simply nodded.

Leon didn't have to ask them anymore than that. Mostly because…there's no need.

After all, Sora could be OUT there somewhere. Lost and alone on a world they don't know. They knew that he could handle himself, but…

Leon heaved a sigh, palming his face. He could feel Yuffie's gaze at him before she asked, "So…what now? Sora could be ANYWHERE at this point!"

Goofy made a worried noise. "Gawarsh… we know it's an accident, but…"

The brown-haired man lowered his hand to look at the Knight and Magician, both having worried expressions. And to be honest, he doesn't blame them. Sure, they DID start off in a form of an alliance to find Sora's friends and the King…but the three of them gradually became close over the course of their adventure. When Sora had explained what happened after escaping Hollow Bastian to return to Traverse Town a year ago, the two of them looked guilty over choosing to fulfill their duty to their King. Not to mention the shock Sora felt at not being the actual chosen wielder of that particular Keyblade until it returned to Sora. And since they left for the End of the World – and forgetting them for a year for some reason they yet to figure out still – their return to the world just months ago had them seem…closer for some reason. And to those three, it just seems…natural.

Yuffie had said that the two of them are like his dads at one point. Leon wasn't certain if the two had families of their own, really. But he heard snippets. (Goofy had a son who's in training, and Donald had a twin sister that had gone off adventuring, and he helped raise his nephews.) So…it didn't seem surprising that the two of them had practically adopted the kid.

(Though, he did recall on the one-time Sora was asked about his parents – it was when they had stayed for some hot pot before they left – the boy seemed…evasive about it. He noticed it but didn't comment on it.)

And now the two of them looked and felt guilty over something that was beyond their control. How could they even predict or even detected an ambush like that? It wasn't fair to them.

"Gee, it wasn't your fault," Jiminy, who was mostly silent along with the Chipmunks that is with them, looked up after leaning over his top hat. "But Sora would get upset if we're upset, you know."

The two gave each other a knowing glance. "Yeah, he would," Donald agreed. "But we just can't leave Sora alone!"

"NOT while you have injuries," Aerith interjected, having a surprisingly stern look on her face. "You were a mess when you got here. You both get your rest until then, all right?"

Aerith can…REALLY surprise him at times. She acts like the nicest person ever at times, even being able to understand certain things not even they ever could. But she can be a fierce fighter. …Not to mention he DID hear her swear one time. And there was that one time where she hit a Nobody over the head with a folded chair…

Okay, best not to think about it.

"She's right," Leon said to the two. "We'll try to see if we can find him. Sora's our friend too after all." He lowered his head. "He did a lot for us."

"So, how do we do that?" Yuffie sounded skeptical.

The man sighed. "I don't know. We'll leave that to Cid and Merlin for the time being. Aerith, you make sure these two don't do anything stupid. We'll need to keep up with our patrol for now."

Yuffie groaned dramatically. "Again?"

Leon inhaled a little, clenching his hand a little. "We need to keep this up until then," he responded. Not worth getting worked up or getting angry over.

Aerith simply nodded. "All right," she said. "I only hope that he could handle what would lay before him."

"He's a tough kid," Leon assured her. "He'll be fine."

(He didn't sound convincing though…)

With a wordless gesture, the he and Yuffie soon left the building, leaving the small group alone in the house.

(They never noticed a figure in a black coat overhearing everything, having a concerned expression himself on his friend's disappearance, before he quickly left.)

(Nor of certain wiggly, silver monsters that overheard most of it before they slinked off. Their masters…will NOT be pleased to hear the news.)

-End of the Prologue Arc-

There will be no cameos of the Organization. But just know that the lesser Nobodies will be trying to find the boy. They can't have their plans completed without Sora anyhow. A couple of plans are jumbled up as a result…

Though I got some…plans on how the 'aftermath' will go…because of course some people will notice. Also, before you make any assumptions, Sora has a good home life, and his folks are good to him. There's just ONE little issue that won't be revealed until later.

More remakes of the chapters will be coming. Pretty soon, too!