Here we arrive at the very first world of KH, Traverse Town, where all whose world disappear go to... well in this case not everyone. Let's go through the motions and see what comes up, shall we?

(As Hope's Peak and the world around it disappeared, Makoto finds himself surrounded by nothing but darkness. Eventually, his eyes open and he finds himself in some kind of alleyway. Though a bit hazy, his vision clears up and he stands)

Makoto: Ugh, my head...

Makoto: Feels like my head got stabbed, maybe that's how other people felt when their word got destroyed?

Makoto: Huh?

(He takes a second to realize… he's still alive. And he's not dreaming either)

Makoto: I'm… I'm here…

Makoto: I made it! I'm alive!

Makoto: Wait, where are the others!?

(He quickly runs out of the alley, but suddenly finds himself in what looks like a town square surrounded by several shops. He even noticed a few people, all of whom he didn't recognize)

Makoto: Where… am I?

(He looks to the sky, and finds it to be nighttime, with many stars in the sky. However, to his surprise he notices one of the stars disappear)

Makoto: Huh? What was that about?

Resident #1: What do you know, another one's gone.

Makoto: Another one?

Resident #1: Another world, taken by the darkness.

Makoto: Is… everyone here like that?

Resident #2: Oh it is, just don't bother asking about the details. We've all got bad memories of it.

Makoto: (In more ways than one, but at least that killing game is no more)

(Cue Traverse Town theme)

Makoto: (But still, what is this place?)

(Curious about his current whereabouts, Makoto enters one of the shops, and upon entering finds an older looking man with short blonde hair and goggles atop his head, his chin covered with stubble, donning a white t-shirt with baggy blue pants and an orange waistband)

?: Hey there, how can I…

?: Aw, it's only a kid.

Makoto: Oh, s-sorry. I just wanted to ask some questions.

?: Oh is that it? Well alright then, what's yer name?

Makoto: I'm Makoto Naegi.

?: Well Makoto, why the long face? You lost or somethin'?

Makoto: Maybe, can you… tell me what this place is?

?: Sure, the place you're in is called Traverse Town!

Makoto: Traverse Town?

?: It's a place for people who's worlds got taken by the Heartless. Like you I reckon.

Makoto: Wow, I didn't think so many people had to deal with that.

Makoto: Was it the same for you Mr…?

Cid: Cid, call me Cid.

Cid: Anyways yeah, my old home was overrun by the Heartless, so now here I am, running an accessory shop.

Cid: Where'd you come from anyway?

Makoto: An academy, Hope's Peak…

Makoto: But, me and 14 others… we were forced into a game where we were supposed to-

Makoto: Kill each other…

Cid: Seriously? What kinda sick and twisted person would do that? You don't seem like a bad kid.

Makoto: I don't know, we never found out. The Heartless came not long after…

Makoto: The last thing I remember, we managed to get out, but the whole place was in ruins. And we all just waited, waited for it to be over…

Makoto: I made a promise that I'd find them all again, I guess I better get started.

Cid: Well, I wish you luck kid in whatever you're doin'. If you run into any trouble, come find me, I'll look after you. And if you need any accessories, feel free to stop by, if you have any munny that is

Makoto: Thanks Cid, oh by the way…

Makoto: If you see anyone come here looking for me, please let me know. There's too many to describe but… they'll stand out.

Cid: Okay, makes sense. I'll let you know if I see anything.

(With that, Makoto exited the store and headed back out. Noticing the large door near the back, he decided to go through there to check the place out)

Makoto: Well, if I'm gonna find my friends, then I guess this'll be as good a place as any to start.

(Makoto goes through the door, meanwhile back with Cid…)

Cid: Hmm, poor kid. Forced into some sick game like that, I wonder what kind of people-

(While lost in thought, the door opened once again, but this time three people he didn't recognize entered the shop)

Cid: Huh? Who are you guys?

(Turns out Makoto wasn't the only one from Hope's Peak to make it to Traverse Town, as Sayaka, Chihiro and Hifumi made it as well)

Sayaka: Hello, we need to ask a few things if that's okay.

(Cid remembered what Makoto asked, and he knew they stood out. He thought "could they be from the same place as the kid?")

Cid: Mind tellin' me who you are first?

Sayaka: My name's Sayaka Maizono.

Hifumi: I am Hifumi Yamada, but I'm also referred to as "The Alpha and the Omega!"

Chihiro: And… I'm Chihiro Fujisaki, nice to meet you.

Cid: I figured…

Hifumi: Figured what good sir?

Cid: You must be some of the guys that kid was talking about.

Chihiro: Huh? Was someone here looking for us?

Cid: Some kid in a green hoodie, said his name was "Makoto".

(Their eyes immediately lit up, Makoto made it and he was here!)

Sayaka: He's here! Where?

Cid: I saw him heading towards the Second District, through that big door behind the shop.

Hifumi: Thank you very much Mr. Shopkeeper, your kindness will not be forgotten.

Cid: The name's Cid, but anyways, no worries.

Chihiro: He must not be far, let's go!

(They quickly ran out of the shop to find Makoto, meanwhile Makoto had just entered the Second District and spotted a man he saw in the previous district running before falling down. Suddenly his heart separated from him and his body began to fade into nothingness, his heart meanwhile started moving into this black vortex When the heart met the vortex, soon a Heartless spawned from it. But unlike the small shadows he met before, this one was different.)

(The body and eyes seemed similar, but this one donned a helmet like you'd see on a medieval knight as its eyes popped through, it's body was a dark blue with red accents, its shoes were visible, but what stood out the most was the mysterious black heart on its chest, almost like an emblem of sorts. It disappeared shortly after spawning)

Makoto: That… wasn't like the others.

Makoto: (Something tells me there'll be more types from what I've seen)

(While lost in thought, more Shadows came up from the ground, surrounding him. On instinct, Makoto got his Keyblade out)

Makoto: Here too!?

(Cue Night of Fate)

(They charged towards him and he was able to knock them back, some even over the railing in front of him. As he dealt with those he could still see, one was able to sneak behind him, and send Makoto flying down over the edge and onto the lower ground. It wasn't a long fall, but it hurt all the same.)

Makoto: Ow….

(The Heartless he knocked down noticed his guard was down and began moving to attack, and even more began to appear, but Makoto noticed them and managed to take them all down as well as the Shadow who knocked him down)

(Eventually he managed to beat them, then decided to climb back up to the upper level via the stairs. He took the time to notice his surroundings, on the left side which he was on he noticed a hotel, the opposite side held a series of small shops. And to the far back laid a large mansion with a bell tower. On the lower level was a plaza, most noticeably a small fountain with a large ornate mural that appeared to be carved)

(Going back to his primary objective of finding his friends, he decided to check out the hotel first. But just as he entered, Sayaka, Chihiro and Hifumi enter the Second District shortly after)

Chihiro: Hmm, they said he went this way.

Sayaka: Let's get to work, he can't be too far!

Hifumi: Something tells me this is gonna be a long search.

(The hotel's interior was nothing too impressive, a simple corridor with five doors to represent five rooms, though none of them seemed to open. But Makoto didn't want to bother anyone so he proceeded to exit the hotel)

Makoto: Well, no one was in there.

(As he exited, he noticed he was right next to the large mansion, and above the nearby door was a sign that read "Gizmo Shop")

Makoto: Maybe there's someone in there that noticed something?

(He entered the Gizmo Shop, but like before, he didn't notice the people following him)

Sayaka: Makoto!? Are you here?

Chihiro: I don't see him anywhere Sayaka.

Hifumi: We best keep moving ladies, the Keyblade Hero cannot be too far!

(Inside the Gizmo Shop, it was mostly a stone-walled building with machinery and moving parts everywhere, Makoto didn't understand it all)

Makoto: Huh, not what I expect from a shop…

(Sadly for Makoto, no one was in… except for more Heartless)

Makoto: I guess that explains why there's no one here.

(He began fighting, but as he took them down one by one, more and more kept showing up. He was worried he'd be overwhelmed in no time)

Makoto: How many more of these things are there? I don't know if I can take this for much longer.

(He decided to cut his losses and fall back for now, and though they tried to stop him. They disappeared as soon as he exited, and the others trailed behind once again)

Hifumi: Did you ladies hear something?

Sayaka: I thought I did, maybe he was here?

Chihiro: It doesn't hurt to look…

(He left the building, but was met with a dead end and a wobbly ladder he couldn't climb. Having no choice, he felt the best way to depart was to go directly down to the ground. Despite the long drop, Makoto landed on his feet with no injuries.)

Makoto: Huh, that'll be good to keep in mind for later.

Makoto: I never had this problem before, maybe it's the Keyblade.

(Deciding to ponder on it later, Makoto decided to check out the large mansion adjacent to the Gizmo Shop, and like before the others were too late to see him)

Sayaka: Makoto!

Hifumi: This may take a while…

Chihiro: I hope we find him soon, I'm getting a bit anxious.

(The mansion itself seemed rather impressive, but surprisingly vacant. It had a study in the front, a living room, a dining room, and a den in the back. After checking it out for a bit, Makoto decided to exit via the front. He noticed there was one more door on the lower section he hadn't tried yet. He ran over, luckily no Heartless appeared, and entered the door as Sayaka, Chihiro and Hifumi appeared over the hotel's other entrance)

Chihiro: I was hoping he might retrace his steps.

Hifumi: We can't give up now!

Sayaka: Makoto…

(The alleyway didn't yield much results in Makoto's search either. It showed the back of the hotel and a waterway to a blocked off sewer. But no signs of anyone, let alone Makoto's friends.)

Makoto: No one here either, I haven't seen anyone since that first district. Guys! Where are you!?

(Sadly, his cries only got the Heartless' attention)

Makoto: Shows what I get for opening my mouth like that.

(As Makoto fights the Heartless, Sayaka, Chihiro and Hifumi are looking around the plaza of the Second District)

Sayaka: I hope he's doing okay, if those… things are around.

Hifumi: You worry too much Miss Maizono, even if those Heartless are around here, Mr. Naegi has the Keyblade at his beck and call!

Hifumi: If he could handle that large beast, he can handle anything!

Chihiro: W-We can only hope so Hifumi.

Chihiro: Though I gotta say, this place looks pretty interesting.

Sayaka: Yeah, and the night sky is so beautiful. It's so… mesmerizing.

(They looked to the night sky, Chihiro and Hifumi seemed to understand what Sayaka meant. Sayaka in the meantime was lost in her thoughts, thinking back to Makoto's promise and his fights with Monokuma and the Heartless. She found herself blushing, which Hifumi picked up on)

Hifumi: Ooooo, is Miss Maizono perhaps thinking about her white knight?

(His comment immediately brought her back to reality in a state of nervousness)

Sayaka: Huh? What? I mean, you see I….

(Chihiro and Hifumi chuckled at Sayaka losing her composure, she simply pouted at their laughs)

Sayaka: Oh very funny!

Hifumi: Well, luckily for us there's one place we haven't checked yet.

Chihiro: One place? What's that?

Hifumi: Fortunate for us, there is another door, right there!

(Hifumi points to the door to the alley, Sayaka and Chihiro noticed immediately)

Sayaka: Maybe Makoto went that way!

Hifumi: It's worth finding out, onwards ladies! To our hero!

(They made their way into the alley, but sadly for them Makoto had already left as he's seen heading into the plaza from the mansion entrance)

Makoto: Not there either, am I ever gonna find them? Maybe Cid noticed something while I was gone, it's been a while since I spoke to him… or anyone.

(Makoto heads back to the First District, but upon re-entering he notices the district is empty unlike before when he noticed plenty of people around)

Makoto: Huh? Where is everyone?

Makoto: Did… the Heartless get them?

(He walked over to the front of Cid's shop, but then more Heartless appeared. Knowing he couldn't leave them be, he went off to fight them. But then, the door to Cid's shop opened…)

Cid: Hey kid, in here, quick!

(Knowing the rising number of Heartless wouldn't stop, Makoto decided to fall back and quickly ran into Cid's shop. He managed to get in and Cid closed the door before the Heartless got in. Not long after, an unknown person began dispatching them...)

Cid: Whoa kid, you got guts takin' on the Heartless like that.

Cid: What's that thing you got with you anyway?

Makoto: It's called the Keyblade, it's a weapon made to fight the darkness, the Heartless especially.

Makoto: Oh yeah, I needed to ask you something!

Makoto: Did… anyone come by here looking for me?

Cid: Well if you could believe it or not kid…

Cid: There were some people here that looked like they came from your world.

Makoto: Really? What did they look like?

Cid: Let's see, there was a chubby guy with glasses, a sweet little girl with a long skirt, and a blue-haired girl that looked like she was still in school.

Makoto: Wait, blue-haired? You're sure?

Cid: Sure as sure can be, someone you know?

(Makoto could barely hold his excitement, Sayaka survived and she was here. And judging by Cid's description, it seems Chihiro and Hifumi were with her too)

Makoto: That's the best news I've heard all day! They must be out there looking for me.

Cid: Pretty much, you musta been running around in circles trying to find each other.

Makoto: If that's the case, I better retrace my steps! Thank you so much Cid!

Cid: Anytime Makoto, and feel free to come back here if you need any supplies!

Makoto: With pleasure, thanks again!

(Makoto then excitedly ran out of the shop, knowing some of his friends were closeby)

Cid: I think there's good things in store for that kid, one can only hope.

(Makoto runs outside and begins to head back to find his friends, but suddenly)

?: They'll come at you out of nowhere.

(Surprised, Makoto turns to where he heard the voice)

Makoto: Who are you?

(And notices a strange man with long brown hair, a white shirt under a black jacket, and black pants with 4 belts around his waist. The feature that caught Makoto off guard was the scar across the man's face)

?: And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade.

Makoto: (Wait, how does he know about this?)

?: But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?

Makoto: Hey, what's that supposed to mean?

?: Never mind. Now, let's see that Keyblade.

Makoto: Forget it! I need this if I'm gonna find my friends.

Makoto: I can't let you have this!

?: Alright, then have it your way.

(The strange man took out his own weapon, what looked like the cross between a gun and a sword)

Makoto: Huh? What's tha-

(Before Makoto could finish speaking, the man charged forth and attacked. Makoto barely had enough time to block, but even though he succeeded, he was still pushed back a great deal)

Makoto: (Okay, I can't afford to mess around here. I need to get serious)

(Knowing he had to fight, Makoto charged forth, but the man kept blocking all his attacks before swiping and dealing damage to Makoto himself)

Makoto: Gagh…

(As the man raised his weapon again, Makoto knew couldn't give up, so he used as much of his strength as he could and dashed behind him in the blink of an eye)

?: Huh?

(Before managing to land a few blows and sending him flying into a light post)

?: Grgh… I see you at least know how to use it.

Makoto: I've had a bit of practice.

(The man leapt towards Makoto, so the latter decided to meet him in the air and the two's blades clashed)

Makoto: Who are you?

?: No one of consequence.

Makoto: Well you have to be if you're trying to take this from me.

?: Hmph…

(Suddenly, fire started forming around the man, and he launched a small fireball at Makoto. He reacted thusly and blocked it before the man jumped towards him and tried to break Makoto's guard with his gunblade)

Makoto: Can't we just talk this over?

?: Sorry, not in the mood for talking.

Makoto: Have it your way then…

(Makoto broke the guard and sent the man flying with a few more well-placed strikes, they later met at the center of the district just by the base of the steps, circling each other while they awaited their opponent's next move.)

(Having had enough, they both charged and began clashing, blow for blow, each refusing to give their opponent any leeway. Eventually, Makoto was able to sidestep the man and deal more blows)

Makoto: I won't give up now!

(And before he could get a chance to breathe, he was hit with more blows from the Keyblade wielder. Eventually, he was able to find an opening and began returning the favor)

?: Get off!

(Makoto was sent flying by that last blow, almost felt like a small explosion. Though he was down, he wasn't out as Makoto got up again ready to fight)

Makoto: I can't let you have this!

?: Then it seems we're at an impasse.

Makoto: Not for long!

(Makoto charged forth, and remained one step ahead as he leapt over him, catching him off guard momentarily to deal a few more strikes)

Makoto: Take this!

(And with one more sending him flying, the man began to slump, kneeling on one knee. Visibly exhausted, Makoto began walking towards him again…)

?: No… How could I… lose?

Makoto: Now you're gonna… you're gonna…

(Sadly he couldn't keep up the fight as Makoto was too exhausted and passed out. The man then regained his footing soon after)

?: Aw, you're slipping Leon.

(The man named Leon turned around and saw a young woman with short black hair, tan short-shorts, and a green tube top. Her most notable aspects were her metal headband and the yellow scarf wrapped around her neck. Seeming annoyed, Leon responded...)

Leon: I went easy on him. Looks like things are worse than we thought, a lot worse.

(Meanwhile, in the alley…)

Chihiro:: Hello? Anyone here?

Hifumi: All seems quiet… too quiet…

Sayaka: We can't give up now! Makoto *has* to be here!

Chihiro: It feels like something could just jump out at any second.

Hifumi: Stay strong Miss Fujisaki, I'm sure we'll be-

(Suddenly Hifumi feels someone tap his shoulder behind him)

Hifumi: GAGH!

(Hifumi's scream disorients the girls and they all start panicking, but then…)

?: Excuse me, are you looking for someone?

(Their fears subsided and they turned to see a young woman with long brown hair held by a red ribbon, wearing a long pink dress with brown boots)

Sayaka: Um yes we are actually…

Hifumi: And who might you be my fair maiden?

Aerith: I'm Aerith, I'm sure there's a lot of things you need answers for right now.

Chihiro: Y-Yeah, we kinda do.

Aerith: Let me take you to my hotel room, I'll explain everything.

Sayaka: Well, okay, but we can't stay long. We need to find someone very important.

Aerith: Don't worry, this won't take long.

(The group then followed Aerith out of the alley, unaware of the small, soldier-looking Heartless behind them)

Looks like they may be reunited very soon, but the Heartless always lurk behind when you least expect it. Next time, the reuniting, the villain's meeting, and the beginning of a brand new adventure for the students of Hope's Peak Academy!