Dear Readers,

After the completion of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Dreams – Final Mix, I have decided to go ahead and work on getting Cypher's Final Mix up to you. This story will be quite a bit longer, and will expand upon the situations that the original one didn't. I intend to give some time to everyone's families, and the parents themselves. So, if you read the original story, you'll know where the content changed and where it's the same.

Disclaimer: All original titles, plotlines, characters, settings, abilities, weaponry, and events belong to Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix & Disney Interactive Studios.

Claimer: OCs, Keyblades of my creation, settings, abilities, weaponry, and worlds that do not appear in Disney/Square Enix/Anime/Manga properties belong to me.

If you have any questions, please PM me, as it will be easier for me to answer your questions.

Enjoy the story.

{…..}

Blue light gleamed around them, the sound of waves crashing catching the attention of the two teenagers as they held onto the hands of their friend after finally being reunited. Cyan eyes looked at the orbs of light that fell like stardust around them, as they held one another's hands firmly, looking at one another, relief flooding them as sky-blue eyes, shining with warmth, and peace kept their eyes on them while he kept his black-gloved hands clasped with theirs.

"Riku!" the boy's light voice called out to the silver-haired fourteen-year-old, causing a small sense of panic to sink into his stomach.

"Sora! Come on, jump!" Kairi called only for the boy to give her a small smile as the land started growing further apart, making a distance between the three of them.

"Look after Kairi, okay?" cyan eyes widened in fear.

"Why would I have to? Aren't you coming back with us?" particles of light began to appear, spreading outwards as the Destiny Islands reappeared around them.

"Just… keep her safe, okay?" Kairi's eyes flooded with tears.

"No! Come back with us! Sora!" the ground connecting them split apart, causing Riku to snag Kairi's shoulders to keep her from falling as the two of them tried to hold onto Sora's hand.

"Kairi… listen!" aquamarine eyes looked up to him.

"Please… don't leave!" a smile came to the boy's features.

"I'm always with you, Kairi…" their hands were wrenched from one another, Kairi trying to reach for Sora's hand once more.

"I'll come back to you! I promise!"

"Kairi! Hey, don't forget me… okay?" the image of a boy's smiling face flashed within her mind as a gasp left her, and a now fifteen-year-old Kairi Misaki shot up from her bed.

Chapter 1: Scattered Memories

{Destiny Islands: January 7th, 2013, 7:54am}

The sun was barely in the sky as the red-haired Princess of Heart put her hands over her face, taking in steady breaths as tears burned her eyes while she took a moment to regain her bearings. Aquamarine eyes looked to the window next to her bed as the girl reached forward, and pushed it open, the breeze off the ocean blowing her hair away from her face as she looked to the ocean and its darkened state. The sand was silver in the early morning hours, the plants and trees looking more like shadows and silhouettes instead of all the colors they normally had. The girl leaned against the windowsill, her eyes burning as her mind replayed events from just under a year ago. Since that day, things hadn't quite been the same for her or the others on the islands, resulting in her having to put up a front around the others while everyone else tried to continue with their lives, not mentioning a missing bright spot in their lives.

Kairi's eyes trailed to a picture frame lying on her bed. It was a picture, taken two weeks before the entire fiasco happened, of herself, Riku, and the one person who had vanished right before their eyes. What made him so special? She asked herself that often, and she always got the same answer: what didn't make him special? From his comical personality, his warm heart, his bright smile, his messy dark brown hair, and his loud, and wonderful laughter, his energy, and his enthusiasm. Calling him a lazy bum, when she was no better, and most of all, his eyes. They looked a lot like the sky did now: clear, bright, and full of life. Kairi sighed as a breeze flew into her window and mussed her hair.

"I wish you'd come home… I miss you, Sora," she muttered as she curled up with her comforter.

Sora, was one of her dearest friends, someone that she had never thought she would have to live without; however, that had all changed almost a year ago. They had been swept away to other worlds, split up, and forced to face challenges and fears they never believed they would. At once though, they were back together, and then in a twisted series of events, she and Riku had been able to arrive back home, safe and sound, but Sora, their friend since they were toddlers, didn't return with them. Aquamarine eyes welled with tears as she thought of the last time she'd seen the brunette boy, his bright, beautiful sky-blue eyes shining, a calm smile upon his face as a glowing white-blue light appeared, taking him away from them. Kairi wiped her eyes, taking in a steady breath as she started to get up and ready for the day.

It was the same routine every day since they'd returned home, waking up just as the sun rose, having barely slept the night before, but trying to continue life the way she always had. Kairi took a steady breath as she brushed her hair in the mirror, brushing her bangs out of her face as she put concealer under her eyes to try and hide the dark circles present. Kairi never used make-up, but lately, she had been wearing it more and more in order to cover up her exhaustion, but Kairi would admit that it wasn't exactly working. A huff left her as she pulled on a pair of shorts, and a light-weight jacket, the early morning being cool, but not greatly so as she grabbed her wallet, house keys, and cellphone before heading out the door of her room and towards the stairs, traipsing down them quietly before she went out the front door, glancing towards her sandals left on the porch before she merely walked away, her bare feet touching down softly on the paved drive way as she walked down it and out towards the ocean, the breeze blowing her hair slightly as she stepped further along the way, the pavement giving way to the pale, soft sand of the Destiny Islands beaches as she started further towards the water, walking steadily, stepping into the water, letting it lap at her ankles as she took in a deep breath, looking out towards the play island as she stood amongst the rushing water, the sea feeling cool and strangely still despite the rushing of the waves.

"It's to calm…" a series of footsteps came behind her, and Kairi glanced slightly over her shoulder.

"Yea, dad said that this would be a fine day to go on the waters… the wind's strong despite the ocean being this still," Riku mentioned as Kairi looked to him.

He had changed more than she had in a year. His hair, that used to only reach the nape of his neck, now reached just past his shoulders, and was normally in a low ponytail or left to hang free. His bangs had been trimmed out of his eyes, and his attire had changed from what it had originally looked like. He now wore loose-fitting dark blue jeans, a black studded belt, a black tank top that zipped up, and an off-white and yellow trimmed vest that was always unzipped. His boots had been exchanged for sneakers that were black and white with yellow laces, and he always wore a white, long arm warmer on his right hand. Kairi smiled, as she knew Riku was the only one who understood her feelings and situation.

However, looking at Riku showed her how much time had passed since a year ago. She herself had been thinking about it earlier. She had changed from the sportier look from a year ago into something more suited for her age. She looked at her folded hands and sighed. Her attire consisting of a pair of pink shorts with zippers, a white v-neck t-shirt, and a belt with a pouch that had a pink ribbon tied around it; her pearl, tear drop necklace; a set of three bands: one white, one pink, and one sky blue. She looked different; they both did. The mere idea made her flinch.

"Hey… Riku?" the silver-haired teenager glanced to her.

"Something wrong Kairi?" the girl took in a deep breath.

"What do you think Sora looks like now?" she questioned.

"Hmm… he's probably a littler taller, his voice might have changed… but… he probably looks the same for the most part." Kairi nodded.

"You think so?" Riku reached forward, placing a hand on the girl.

"Kairi, Sora told us that he would come home, he made a promise… just like he promised you and I that he would help us get home safely… he did everything he could… even when I was being an idiot and let myself get pushed into a situation I only thought I had control over… and you know what? He succeeded, so we've gotta believe he'll return home one day soon," he told her as the girl took a moment to look at the three bracelets on her wrist.

"I want to see him again… every day he's not here… it feels like there's something missing in our lives." Riku smiled.

"Something told me you would say that… but… Kairi, we've gotta believe that he'll come home to us, just… give it time," he assured his longtime friend.

"How much longer should we wait? It's been almost a year… Sora should have come home by now… but he's… just…" her bottom lip trembled, tears filling her eyes as she let out a slight breath, tears slipping down her cheeks once more as Riku watched the girl.

While there had been a brief point in time, that Riku had found himself with a slight crush on the red-haired girl, he knew that Kairi had always had eyes for Sora. The brunette boy had been a great light for them both when they had fell into darkness, and even before then, had been the brightest spot in their days. Without him, it felt strangely empty, the islands having lost much of their vibrancy when that boy hadn't returned. Kairi had seemed to lose the warmth she carried just enough to be noticed by even those not touched by the Keyblade, and as for himself, he had begun to feel as though, one of his reasons for wanting to fight Ansem, had been forcefully pulled from him.

"Kairi… what if we searched for Sora ourselves?" he asked, causing the girl to look at him in confusion.

"Riku… are you serious? How can we – "he shook his head.

"I'm not sure, but we'll find a way. I promise… we'll get off the islands, and find Sora… we'll bring him back home," he promised.

"We've gotta figure out how to find him though… and right now we…"

"Don't give up like that, okay Kairi?" the girl jolted, looking around the area as her heartrate picked up.

"Kairi?" Riku asked.

"I heard someone talking…" the silver-haired teenager rose an eyebrow.

"Huh? I didn't hear anything, you must have – "

"Hey now, don't be like that… come on Riku…" the two teenagers looked to one another as they heard the voice speak.

"Who was that?" asked Riku as he looked around.

"That's a good question…" Kairi felt her tense body ease as she thought about the voice.

"I don't know that voice at all," Riku stated.

"Me, neither…"

{Hirigaya Household: 8:40pm}

Riku sighed as he pushed the food around on his plate in silence, his mind thinking of the choice that he had made alongside Kairi that morning. Though the two of them weren't certain how they would manage it, both knew that waiting around for Sora to return would result in nothing changing or improving for either of them, nor the chance of them seeing their friend again. Sora meant the world to both of them, he was part of their lives, practically family in every sense of the word. They had been through many things together, and had endured multiple ups and downs that varied between one another and in order to help one another. Now, they had only one choice to return things to as close to how things used to be as possible.

"Riku? Is something wrong?" cyan eyes looked to the silver-haired woman across from him while they ate.

"I was… just thinking about something…" he muttered.

"About Kairi?" the teenager looked to the man at the front of their table.

"Dad, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in Kairi," Riku stated.

"She's a pretty girl, surely you've got some interest in her." Akira, Riku's mother shot his father a glare.

"Hiroki! Enough, its obvious that Riku isn't thinking about Kairi…" Riku sighed in relief.

"Then what are you thinking of?" the silver-haired teenager sighed.

"I was thinking about… Sora…" Hiroki sighed.

"Sora Seiren? Riku, listen… that boy isn't going to be found," he stated as Riku glowered.

"Yes, he will! Sora's fine, I know it!" Akira looked to Riku as Hiroki shook his head.

"Riku, listen, I know your clinging to that story you told all of us about some kind of battle all of you went through, and some sort of story about magic, and mouse Kings, and other things like that… but it's just a dream you had, so you need to let go of this fantasy you've created, and think about what you're doing," Hiroki said as Riku glared at his father.

"If you don't want to believe me, then that's fine! But I know that it's true… I didn't dream it! Neither did Kairi… we know what happened…" Akira looked to her husband.

"I believe that Sora's still alive, Riku. But, he's not going to come home any time soon." Riku glanced to his mother and he sighed.

"Then… Kairi and I are going to go look for him," he announced, startling both the adults.

"Go looking for him? Are you insane? You don't even know where to begin!" Riku took in a deep breath.

"We'll figure it out. Sora is our friend, and until something shows us that it's hopeless, we'll never give up on him… no matter how much it you think we should," he told his father as the man narrowed his eyes.

"Riku, you and Kairi will not be leaving the islands on some kind of ghost hunt!" the man slammed his hand down on the table, and Riku shot up, his chair falling over as he bowed his head.

"This isn't a ghost hunt… this is… to help someone I care for… Sora is my best friend… practically my brother… and I am not going to leave him behind! So, whether you like it or not, I am going to find Sora!" with that he walked away, startling his parents as the boy walked out the front door, slamming it behind him as he rushed down to the beach, choosing to take a walk to clear his head.

It wasn't typical of his father to be that way, as he had always viewed Sora as a second son; however, lately he believed that Riku and Kairi were obsessing over Sora's disappearance, and that they needed to realize that the boy was gone. Still, the behavior was strange, only because until recently, he had assured them that Sora would return, but now, it had all changed. Cyan eyes narrowed as he kicked at the sand beneath his feet, glowering sharply at it as though it was to blame for what was happening. The soon to be sixteen-year-old, started walking, letting the crash of the ocean's waves and the breeze ease his tensed form while he continued to walk.

Things had changed in the year since they'd returned to the Destiny Islands, and it had little to do with Sora's absence. People had started changing around the island, acting as though the storm that had been caused by him letting the darkness in, had never happened, and then people stopped mentioning Sora, and chose to try and move on, almost as though the brunette boy never existed. However, Himitsu, Sora's mother, never stopped talking about him or hope that he would return home. The silver-haired teenager blew his bangs out of his eyes, taking his time to walk across the beach, his mind wanting to forget all the insanity of the people who seemed to be willing to forget someone so special. Riku couldn't fathom why anyone, even Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka, wanted to stop talking about Sora, and move on.

"How can you just move on… and… forget someone whose special to you."

Riku looked up at the moon as he walked along the beach, his mind going blank as the moon hung overhead while a tired sigh left him. Lately, he hadn't been able to sleep that much. He had done all he could thus far to help Kairi, and himself, in waiting for Sora to come home, but waiting wasn't easing their worries. Riku had tried his hardest, to keep trying to get through the days, but nothing ever paid off, and he would try and tell Kairi that maybe it was time to stop, but he never could find it in his own heart to admit that Sora was truly gone. He couldn't imagine the brunette never returning, and while he tried to reason the situation out and be rational about it, he knew Sora could pull off some rather amazing things. Because of that, Riku knew Sora was out there somewhere, and that they had to find him.

"Sora, wherever you are, give us some help, okay? Kairi… really misses you….and I miss you, too... the Islands aren't as lively without you… and it just doesn't feel right without my best friend here…"

A heavy sigh left him as a strong wind came off of the ocean and nearly knocked him over. Riku righted himself, before hearing a faint humming noise that he knew wasn't from the rocks around the island. Standing tense, Riku listened as the sound grew louder and louder, until another strong wave of wind flew out of nowhere and knocked him off his feet. Cyan eyes looked around in confusion, before landing on a colorful oval shaped ship that had parked on the beach. Riku jumped to his feet and prepared for a possible attack, when the hatch opened, and two figures stumbled out. He blinked momentarily in confusion as they got up, and he heard a surprisingly familiar voice.

"I thought I said to put it down gently?" asked a figure in blue.

"Gwarsh, sorry, I just…."

"Shush… we're being watched!" two sets of eyes landed on him, and instantly, a staff and a shield were drawn.

"Whoa! I come in peace!" Riku declared as he held his hands up. He knew this wasn't the time nor the place to fight, and he didn't feel up to seeing if he could still draw a Keyblade: he hadn't had to in a year, and he wasn't keen on putting a target on his back right then.

"Who are you?!" Riku stepped closer to them so he was standing in the light from the hatch of the ship, and the two figures became much clearer to him.

"I'm Riku! Riku Hirigaya!" he said as he kept his hands up.

"Riku? Wait… RIKU!" The two dropped their guard, and Riku finally got a look at them.

"Donald? Goofy? What are you two doing here?" he asked in confusion as the Court Magician and Captain of the Knights looked to him.

"King Mickey told us to come and get you, and Kairi." Cyan eyes widened.

"What?! Why are you supposed to get us?" Riku inquired, a knot of concern bubbling up in his chest.

"Gwarsh, we're supposed ta tell the two of ya once we're on tha Gummi Ship." The silver-haired teenager took in a deep breath as his eyes shifted towards Goofy.

"Okay… I'll get what I need, and go and get Kairi… we'll be back," he stated as Donald nodded.

"Hurry! It's important!" Riku nodded.

"Alright… I'll be back as fast as I can," he said as he took off, leaving Donald and Goofy behind as he rushed back to his house.

By the time Riku returned home, his lungs were burning, his legs shaking a bit as he pushed the front door open, and started to run up the stairwell, ignoring the questioning call of his parents as he went upstairs, and into his room, and grabbed a backpack, putting a long-sleeved shirt, and coat into it in case he required it before zipping it up as he pulled it onto his back and shut his cellphone off, putting it inside a drawer before he took in a deep breath, and turned around, starting out the door of his room, only to be stopped by his parents.

They stared at one another, just for a moment, and then Akira walked forward, pulling her son into her arms, placing a hand upon his head before looking to him with a firm nod as he smiled to her and started walking forward, his father placing a hand on his shoulder, not saying a word before Riku walked away, heading down the stairs, and towards the front door before he rushed out and into the night, heading down the street as fast as he could towards Kairi's house.

{…..}

It started out as a feeling…

{…..}

Author's Note: Welcome to the Final Mix edition of Kingdom Hearts: Cypher! I hope that this story is better in explanation, and that it's easier for you guys to follow. When I reread Cypher's original version, I ended up not liking it's flow very well, and decided to do this instead. Let me know if you guys like this or not, and leave a review!

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.