Chapter 1

(Trust in the Storm)

I opened my eyes to the bright sunlight, watching the sun rise over the sea. The seagulls were flying overhead, the breeze was warm and gentle… Everything was perfect.

SPLAT!

"What the hell?!" I screamed, jumping up and looking down at the white splotch of goop on my coat.

"Well next time, don't stay were the seagulls fly Axel!" I looked up to the top of the coconut tree to find Riku chuckling at me.

I glared at him, "Once again, what the hell? Do you know how hard it is to wash this? Black fabric shrinks if not washed properly!" I growled.

"Well, maybe it's time you hung up the old coat Axel. Kiari went through all that trouble for getting new clothes for you, yet you still wear the coat day after day!"

I rolled my eyes and waved him off, "Sorry, but I don't look good in golds. Black is the only color that works with me."

Riku jumped down from the tree, "Yeah. And you're pretty likely to stand out when we start traveling around. You know Ax-"

"You know, if you call me Axel one more time, I'm gonna flip, alright?" I told the silver haired Keyblade Master with a glare.

"I'll stop calling you Axel when you get rid of that coat." Riku crossed his arms at me, "Seriously Axel. That coat is from the Organization. If you wanna leave your name behind with them, then you gotta leave the coat as well."

"Whatever you say, oh great Keyblade Master." I muttered sarcastically, before heading to my shack.

We were on the Destiny Islands, for now that is. Riku's been trying to teach me to "properly" use my Keyblade, but so far, it's been a pain in the ass. He nags me on everything, and like this little argument has shown, he refuses to call me Lea until I give up my coat, which drives me insane.

I went into my shack, heading into the backroom and turning on the water in the tub, letting it fill up, the vapor calming my nerves, and I sighed. I got out of my coat and into the tub, sinking in slowly and allowing the water to settle me down.

I soaked for a few minutes, closing my eyes so I could think, running the facts through my head.

My name is Lea, I'm 16 years old, I wield a Keyblade, my favorite element is fire, I would like to burn Riku's ass to a crisp, Sora's annoying, Kairi's just… eh…

And I can't let go of the past…

As I thought of Kairi and Sora, memories flooded my mind. Painful memories, that I wished I could forget. I mean, everyone else forgot about Xion, so why couldn't I? Why did I have to loose my three closest friends? Why did-

I slapped myself, shaking my head, "No… Don't think about it… Remember what Riku said about recovering from the darkness…" I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

According to Riku, should one withdraw from the darkness, they become weak to insanity, and could become a complete wreck. Of course I still want to burn him, but he was probably right. He probably knows all too well what it's like to withdraw from the darkness. I remember that it was the same going into the darkness. An endless storm, clouded with madness and confusion, until you learn to control the storm.

I sighed and got out, washing my coat off and putting it back on. I then let my hair flame up a bit to dry it, then went outside. Riku, Sora, and Kairi were waiting.

"Aaaaand it didn't work…" Riku muttered, rubbing his head, "Oh well, we can worry about the damn coat later. Come on Axel. We're going to a new world today, and you're coming with us." He said as the gummi ship flew down to us.

I rolled my eyes, "That's way too much work! Come on, I'll open up a dark portal and-"

"NO!" Everyone shouted in unison at me. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Fine, fine… You guys are too strict." I muttered as I got into the cramped ship.

Sora got to the drivers seat and called out, "Next Stop, Gravity Falls!"

Dipper's P.O.V.

"A friend? That's all you've ever wanted?! You messed with my Uncle's Mind and you want a friend?" I exclaimed in shock. Right in front of me was Bill Cipher, the demon that had tried to destroy my Uncle's mind, and he had asked the shocking, to be friends!

"Yeah, of course Pine Tree! I'm a Dream Demon! How many of those do you see on the streets? No one's gonna just come up to me and say 'Hi Bill'! It gets lonely you know. I just wanna be friends." He explained to me, "No catch or anything! I wonder about things too you know, and we could unlock them together!"

I sighed, looking down to where Mable was working on her puppet show with her friends. She had so many friends… And besides Sus and Wendy… I had no friends…

I looked to Bill and sighed, "Alright… You have a deal." I grasped his hand, "Friends."

Bill smiled… Err… I assumed he smiled with his non existing mouth… as he shook my hand, "Good choice Pine Tree. There's a rough storm coming up ahead. Trust me though. We'll get through it.