Minato was greeted by the sound of flowing water as he opened his eyes. The back of his head was throbbing and it was hard to focus on anything, but he could see he was in a court of fountains. He couldn't recall everything from before he crash landed in Radiant Garden, but he remembered fighting off a cloud of Unversed invading its atmosphere, and he remembered one of them ramming itself into his glider just before he passed out.

He gave himself a moment to regain his senses and then set off to look for the Unversed. It had been a while since he'd set foot in a large town like this, and he took his time walking around. The buildings in the part of town he was in weren't overly decorated, but practical, and the inhabitants were bustling around doing their work, advertising their wares as their children ran around playing, their spouses coming out from their shop that also acted as their home to help them out.

In the late afternoon sun, it was comfortable and familiar. It made him remember the warm sun on his face as he sat beside her, ice cream in hand. The scramble to clean it up after it melted all over his arms and legs. Her laughter afterwards.

No matter what had happened, she had always been smiling.

For a second, he thought he saw her walk around a building and hurried after her. When he turned the corner, he found himself on a remarkably empty street with only two stores. One was closed (maybe for good, judging by the state of it), and the other had a strange fluffy white creature floating out front. It was arguing with a strange old man with a long blue hat and an even longer white beard.

"I keep telling you: you're driving all my customers away, kupo!" The creature was exasperated.

"Utter nonsense! The rumors of this book have spread too far and I'm simply trying to keep any more ruffians from trying to use it! Look! There's another one! Off with you! Go on!" The man had spotted Minato and began shooing him away.

"Book?" Minato tilted his head, perplexed.

"See? Just as I told you!" the old man puffed out his chest and stormed off to a rundown building across from the moogle.

"He's just crazy, kupo. The local hermit who thinks everyone is trying to take something from him," the moogle shook its bobbing head as it pocketed something shiny. "Go ahead and take a look at my wares, kupo!"

Minato bought a few potions to placate the creature before hesitantly knocking on the door of the elder's house.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" The door opened and the man grumbled at Minato. "Oh, it's you again, is it? Very well then, come have a look, if you must. Though I must say, having so many visitors on one day is quite odd for a wizard like myself."

"Are you being bothered by them, Sir?" Minato gingerly stepped over a pile of books stacked in front of the door as he was ushered inside. The interior of the house was cluttered and disorganized, with various books and knickknacks littered around the single room house.

"The name is Merlin, boy, and nothing can bother me. Here, have some tea while I fetch the book." At this, a teapot on the table in the middle of the room floated up and began pouring hot liquid into two cups. Minato's eyes grew large as the cup and saucer flew over and settled in his hands.

"You use magic for everyday stuff like this?"

"Of course, my boy! Wouldn't want to waste time when I could be doing something else," the magician muttered as a cup found its way to him. "Anyway, this book is very interesting, as it seems to have the power to awaken your hidden potential."

Merlin set the book on the table, and Minato carefully unbound the book to take a peek.

A warm glow emanated from the book. Happy memories were brought to mind, and he could feel himself being drawn in.

"And I think that's enough for today!" And with that, Merlin snatched the book from Minato's grasp and slammed it shut. "You must make sure not to get swallowed up by magical objects. The results could be disastrous! Now, away with you! I'm sure you have other things to do, child."

"Oh, uh, right. Thanks, Merlin."

The wizard harrumphed and guided Minato out the door.

000

Minato continued his hunt for the Unversed, eliminating any he found. At the world's castle, he spoke with the guards who had nothing to offer on the origin of the Unversed. As he left them, he heard one say "What kind of miserable world must we live in that children fight in our stead?"

He laughed to himself. Yeah, it's really unfair. But it beats living on the streets any day.

As time passed, the monsters became unusually sparse, but he could still feel a strange shadow over the brightness of the world. It settled on his shoulders like a heavy fog, putting Minato on high alert.

While patrolling the area in search of the source of the fog, he spotted Terra storming off toward the outer gardens, too engrossed in his own thoughts to see Minato as he sped by.

It was then that the other Unversed finally decided to show themselves, prancing around the square and wreaking havoc on everything they touched. Minato gritted his teeth and focused on the enemies in front of him.

So͝m̀ęţh͟in͡g͠ s͟o̸ ҉t̢riv̶ial.

"Urk...!" He clutched his head as the voice resounded in his skull. Images of the monster he had dreamed of so long ago flashed through his mind and he barely managed to avoid serious injury from one of the real monsters around him.

Grounding himself in the present, Minato cleared out the Unversed. They came in waves, pushing him backward into the smaller streets to pin him in. Despite the smaller area the battle itself was rather easy, and he returned to the town center to find a middle aged man escorting a child away from the square, as well as a familiar shape running down to the outer gardens.

Aqua left the old wizard's house smiling. The book Merlin had shown her was one she hadn't seen in a long time, not since Master Eraqus had taken her on as an apprentice. That had been so long ago, and her family had grown so much since then.

Of course, Eraqus was like a second father, and Terra and Ven were her goofy brothers. Those two were polar opposites of each other yet somehow they'd grown inseparable. Master Iqarus had been something like a quirky aunt.

Minato was someone special. He would always listen to her funny stories, her rants about the other boys, her ideas. He had his faults, too. He was short-tempered and never asked for help. But still no matter what, he was always there for her. He always knew what to say to make her feel better. And she needed that more than anything right now.

Where did I go wrong?

Aqua was pulled from her thoughts by a familiar voice shouting "Ven!" She looked up to see Minato headed for a large archway set at a lower level than the square proper.

"Minato?" she called. He stopped and waved when he saw her, crossing over to meet her in the center of the plaza. "Was that Ven?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Looked like he was chasing after Terra. ...Did something happen?"

She hesitated before answering, "Master Eraqus instructed me to keep an eye on both Terra and Ventus, but..."

"They didn't appreciate it, I bet." He gave her a sympathetic smile.

"No," she sighed.

Minato rubbed his neck. "...Well you're not alone at least. Maybe I can bring Terra to his senses."

Aqua couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."

"A-anytime. See ya later?"

"Always. Also, Minato, there's a boy named Vanitas involved in all of this somehow. I don't know who he is, but keep an eye out for him."

His face darkened, but with one last squeeze of her hand, he merely said " 'Course," and ran off to talk to Terra.

That's when she spotted him. A boy in dark clothing with his face shielded from view by a tinted mask.

"A mask? You must be the boy Ventus mentioned!" So soon?

She could practically hear the boy smirk as he casually turned to face her. "Ah yes, Ventus. Tell me something, has he learned to put up a decent fight yet?" The way he spoke to her, like she was barely worth his time, made her angry and she gritted her teeth.

"What do you mean?"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I'll be asking the questions. And why shouldn't I? After all, between the two of us..." Aqua bit her lip as dark electricity crackled to life and a Keyblade appeared in the Vanitas's hand. "...I'm the only one who will be walking away from here alive."

Aqua called forth her own Key and readied her stance. "Guess again!" She wouldn't allow such disrespect from a total stranger, especially one who would harass her beloved little brother.

The fight was completely one-sided, but it unnerved Aqua every time she landed a blow on the boy and he would simply throw himself at her again and again and again. His arsenal of spells was limited to just the very basics, which were imbrued with dark energy. She noticed he had a tendency to try and catch her from behind, but it was so predictable that he never managed a single hit.

At last, Vanitas reached his limit, and Aqua's next attack threw him across the square. She warily approached him and knelt to remove his helmet. "Who... who are you?" Who are you really? His sudden laughter caught her by surprise and she leapt back. It was hysterical and psychotic, making her skin crawl.

Eventually the boy calmed himself and stood. "Not bad at all! Congratulations. I'll keep you around. Never hurts to have a backup."

Excuse me?

Before she could retaliate, a blast of purple smoke hit him in the gut. Aqua gaped at Minato, who was at the top of the stairs to the outer gardens, Keyblade in hand. A wisp of darkness hovered at the tip.

"What did you do?!" Using the darkness is expressly forbidden!

Another fit of laughter erupted from the boy, who said nothing more as he gripped his stomach and kept up his casual air as he stepped back into a cloud of darkness that had appeared behind him. Minato flew past her in hot pursuit.

"Minato!" she cried, but he vanished into the darkness.

And she found she didn't feel that much better after all.

The instant he stepped into the swirling portal, his vision went black. The pressure dropped and Minato's stomach twisted as a wave of nausea and dizziness washed over him.

He stumbled forward, unable to see through the dense fog.

I'm cold.

The only noise was something akin to a breeze in an endless tunnel.

What have I done?

He could feel bony fingers around his ankles, but he kept walking.

Aqua... I just left her. I didn't even think about it.

He shivered as sweat rolled down his back.

Why'd i even run after him? i don't know a thing about these dark gates.

His movements felt sluggish.

i risked my life for this?

The hands on his legs grew firmer, more solid.

i'm such an idiot

i'm so c old

i ca n' t—

Then he was back.

The sudden change blinded him a second time and his ears popped. It had only lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. His throat was sore.

His clothes were damp, but the sun was drying them fast. The world he had stepped into felt unbearably hot after his time in what he could only imagine was the Realm of Darkness. The noises, too, were loud and unceasing, coming from a little distance away.

The world itself was bright and cheerful, with festival decorations hung and posted in every available spot. There was no sign of Vanitas.

Minato had gone to find Terra, only to see him take off on his Glider, leaving Ven staring after him. He had considered approaching him when he heard the sound of metal against metal back in the town plaza. When he got there, he'd seen Aqua jumping away from the masked boy as he got off the ground.

"What did you do?" Aqua had been horrified. They both knew too well the dangers of using the darkness, and still...

Minato wasn't sure why he had attacked Vanitas. All he could remember was a surge of anger and the next thing he knew, his Keyblade was pointed at the boy. And while he certainly hadn't meant to, he couldn't say he regretted it. Especially since it hadn't done much of anything. Besides, he was speaking to Aqua like an object that could be replaced.

That was unforgivable.

A rumbling sound came from around a corner and when Minato went to investigate, he barely missed being hit by a car flying out of an alley. At the wheel was a large cat that yelled at him as it passed. "Outta the way, pipsqueak!"

The driver yanked the wheel hard to the left and the car lifted off its wheels for a second before doing a complete 180 and crashing into a nearby wall. A wheel rolled down the street, having been knocked loose from the collision. The cat wobbled out of the vehicle and glared at Minato, stomping his feet. "Oh, now you've done it! You busted my kart!"

Minato was taken aback. "I'm... sorry?" While it was true the kart was busted, it was by no means Minato's fault. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond to this wild accusation.

"You better be sorry! By the time I'm through with you—" He broke off, as if realizing something important. "I mean, uh, if I were just any old citizen you'd be in deep water, but you're talking to the Rogue Racer, Captain Dark! And while I can't let ya off the hook, fix my kart and we'll be square. You're lucky I'm so generous."

"Uhh.." I guess I can take a look at least?

The car was beat up, but other than the loose tires the only thing visibly wrong with it was some paint was scratched off, and that looked like it came from more than just this accident. Since this was a race car, most of the damage was probably from that, though his poor driving definitely didn't help.

"Do you have any tools I could use?" he asked 'Captain Dark'. He had seen some older men do similar work in Twilight Town and while he had never done it himself, Minato figured reattaching the tires couldn't be all that difficult.

"Hah? 'Course not! Left 'em in the garage! Can't have nothin' slowin' me down, y'see."

Minato stared at him. "Then how'm I gonna fix your kart?"

"Why, we'll just, uh, take it to the garage and you can get it all fixed up," the racer spluttered.

And with an exhausted sigh, Minato collected the tire and pushed the vehicle down the street as Captain Dark led the way, bragging about his accomplishments.

Once there, Minato found the tool box and pulled out the wrench he needed. Tightening the bolts proved to be as simple as it looked and he was done in a matter of minutes, with the rogue racer watching from afar.

Minato stood and dusted off his hands. The wheels now firmly attached, the only remaining flaws on the kart were the dents and scrapes, as well as packed-on dirt from multiple races. An idea formed in his mind and he bent down to inspect one of the smaller marks on the hood. Using a small hammer, he started lightly tapping the metal.

"H-hey now... What're ya doin'?"

"You're a racer, right? Your kart's gotta look presentable." He didn't stop.

"Hmm, ya gotta point there. But don't you go breakin' it further!"

And with that, the cat grabbed another hammer and beat out the larger dents. Together they finished fixing the hood and buffed out the scratches, both too focused on the tasks to talk.

Afterwards, they inspected their work. The kart had been repainted and waxed, and it shone in the bright sunlight.

"Huh, not bad, kiddo. If I wasn't so sure I's gonna win, I mighta voted for ya!"

Minato wasn't sure he understood. "Voted...? For what?"

But Captain Dark ignored him and hopped into the vehicle. "The Rogue Racer returns to the track!" And with a short cackle he sped off, fishtailing down the road.

What was that all about?

"Oh, that's not nice of him to leave his new friend behind..." Minato jumped when he heard the voice coming from a small mouse in a pink dress. She had a crown between her round ears, telling Minato this must be the world's queen, Minnie. The mouse giggled. "And who is our new friend?"

"I-I'm Minato. It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."

She smiled gently. "Likewise. And thank you so much for helping Pete." Pete? Was that his name? "He doesn't have any friends and hardly talks to any of the townsfolk, so it was very kind of you to reach out to him."

"It, uh, was nothing. Um, what did he mean about voting?"

"He must have meant the Dream Festival. Every year, we hold a celebration in honor of the wonderful citizens of this town, and the one who everyone thinks is the most helpful citizen gets an award. However... Oh dear..." The queen's smile faltered.

"What?"

She looked up at him, eyes full of regret. "Since you don't have a pass to Disney Town, you're not a citizen, which means you're not eligible for the award. I'm sorry, Minato."

Despite himself, Minato felt a pang of disappointment. "T-that's fine. Does he— does Pete have a chance?"

"...I'm sure that deep down, Pete has a good heart, but so long as he keeps pushing the townsfolk away, I'm afraid he won't receive many votes." Minnie sighed, staring off in the direction Pete had driven.

That sucks. "Oh. And non-citizens can't vote, can they?"

To Minato's surprise, the mouse smiled up at him. "Everyone can vote for their favorite citizen!"

"Wait, really?!"

Minnie giggled in response. "This way."

The next world he visited was Olympus Coliseum. His Master had often taken him here whenever there was a big tournament to watch those who aimed to become "true heroes", but never once had he ever participated. He hoped one day he and Terra could compete against each other, but that would have to wait until after this Unversed business was settled.

Even if he had intended to sign up, it seemed all the slots were filled and the coliseum itself was closed to non-combatants, so Minato left to explore the city. Just outside the coliseum, however, someone caught his eye.

Angeal?

Upon closer inspection, he found it was not Angeal, but the boy swinging his sword aimlessly in what vaguely resembled a practice routine did bear some similarities with the veteran soldier, namely his hair.

He chuckled under his breath at the boy's amateurish movements before catching his attention. "Training for the games?"

"I have to... prove myself to Phil... so he'll train me... to become... a hero." The words came out in bursts with each swipe.

Phil? He'd heard of him— the legendary trainer who'd taught the more famous heroes. He was also notoriously picky in his students— this kid didn't stand a chance. "Hm, the air looks like it's been bullied enough, so why don't I have a turn?"

The kid stopped his mindless swinging and grinned at Minato. "Sure, I could use the practice! Just know I won't go easy on you!" And with that, he donned a metal helmet and readied his sword. Minato called his weapon and lifted it over his shoulder.

The match was short enough, brought to a halt by the wannabe-hero realizing he had no real chance of beating Minato.

"Aw, come on! You challenged me knowing you would win!" The kid plopped onto the ground, panting.

"Yeah, but you're the one who accept— look out!" Throwing his Keyblade over the boy's head, he slashed through one of the large Unversed.

"Not these guys again!" Hopping back to his feet, the two fought back to back against the monsters.

Once the area was clear, the two rush back to the coliseum to make sure nothing happened there. There were no Unversed in sight, so they decided to wait outside until the tournament began.

Minato handed the young hero some pasteli he'd gotten from a nearby stall.

"So you're trying to become a hero?"

He nodded. "It's been my dream ever since I was a little kid. I wanted to be like this guy I grew up with. He was always going on and on about honor, but he was the closest thing to a hero in our town."

Wanting an answer to his suspicions, Minato asked him, "...Your name isn't Zack, is it?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I met a guy who sounded a lot like that, and he—"

"You met Angeal?!" Zack jumped up, sesame crumbs falling off his armor as he stood a little too close for comfort. "Where?"

"Uhh..." He didn't know what he should say, since the boy's hero was on another world entirely.

He must have hesitated too long, because Zack's face fell and he said, "Can't say, huh? Well, at least he's okay." Then like a switch flipped in his brain, he was back to his normal peppy self. "Man, now I'm really fired up!"

Armored men bearing torches came out of the coliseum and began lighting the sconces around the area, signalling that the tournament was about to begin.

"Well, looks like it's time. Thanks a lot, uh—"

"Minato."

With a swift salute, Zack re-equipped his helmet and jogged inside.

The stands filled up quickly and the games began soon after. Minato was surprised to see the Unversed as contestants, but they stayed within the boundaries and only targeted their opponents. Still, several human entrants managed to defeat them and move up the ranks, including Zack.

The other surprise was seeing Ventus on the other side of the arena. He was cheering on Zack, too, as well as someone the announcer called 'Hercules'. Ven was clearly having a lot of fun, and Minato thought to himself how lucky Ven was that he wasn't Aqua or that fun would have been brought to an end as soon as she'd spotted him.

There was a break just before the semifinals, which was between Zack and Hercules. Minato watched from his seat as the three boys grouped together to talk, but was then distracted by the now familiar tug of a dark portal as the short goat he'd come to realize was the Phil hurried over to the group of friends.

"Hey! We got trouble!" was all he could hear from where he was, but Ven leaving the coliseum in a hurry told him all he really needed to know.

Sorry, Zack. Gotta go clear out more Unversed.

He followed after Ven, and didn't notice the other two just behind him until they were stopped just outside the vestibule by a giant Unversed crashing down from the sky. It was around twice as tall as a human being, with two long blades in place of its forearms, and strongly resembled a gladiator.

It stood between them and the city beyond. Hercules looked past it and moaned, "Ven might need our help, but this thing is too close to the coliseum..."

"You go on ahead. I'll take care of this one," Minato kept his eyes on the monster as the trainee heroes hesitated. Hercules ran around the Unversed, but Zack stayed behind. "I'll be fine, Zack. Go help your friends."

He shook his head. "You're my friend, too. Ven and Herc can take care of themselves!" Minato mentally rolled his eyes but didn't argue further.

They split up to flank the enemy.

"So now you're playing hero?"

Minato whirled around and saw Vanitas leaning against a wall.

"What are you doing here?" he growled.

"I'm not here for you if that's what you meant."

"Hey! Minato?" He heard Zack calling from behind him, but it was distant noise in his head.

The boy stood up straighter and lifted a hand to the gladiator.

Zack's shouts finally tore Minato's attention back to the real fight. The Unversed was right on top of Zack, who was barely fending it off.

It lifted one of its arms behind its head.

Minato felt a warmth in his other hand and without thinking, he threw the blade at the monster.

At the same time, he felt a twist in his stomach as he willed the creature to somehow miss its attack.

The Unversed suddenly changed course and plunged its arm into itself right as the mysterious other Keyblade hit it in the back.

As it disintegrated, Minato checked behind him and saw Vanitas still standing there. When he saw Minato looking at him, he sneered, "Don't bother believing you can save them, or else you're gonna be real disappointed." The boy turned and opened his strange gate. "And nobody's going to save you, either."

Then he was gone.

"That was a close one! Thanks a lot. You saved my life, man." Zack, having recovered from his near-death experience, was crossing the courtyard. Minato didn't hear him.

Why'd the Unversed attack itself? Why was he here? What about Ven?

"Hey, you alright?" Zack was in his face now.

"Uh, y-yeah. Let's go check on the others."

"Oh yeah! If the monsters out there are anything like that one, they could be in trouble!" And with that, Zack took off.

Minato lingered behind.

That other Keyblade... what is it? And... I'm not the one who did that. Right?

What should I do, Master?

thank you for reading this far