Even with her entire world falling apart, it was the sand that first pulled her attention away from the pain. It was grey. Or, when the moon reflected upon it, silver. Fragmented pieces of what was once mighty stone, now crumbled to dust beneath her feet. How had she meandered so far? Far from the path she'd thought she'd taken, she was swept away into darkness. She walked on. If someone asked how everything had started, she wouldn't have a clear answer to give them. How had she been pulled so far from everything and everyone she'd known? Had it started with the kiss of a man she'd never see again? A key wrongfully bequeathed? Or maybe it was sooner than all that, back when a boy had yearned for more than the perfection that surrounded him. She'd never untangle the strings that tied everything together enough to find clarity. It's only at the end of all things, when light fades and darkness creeps in and it feels as if nothing will ever be alright again, that the true journey begins. She walked on.

The glowing stone illuminated her path just enough to keep walking, but no more. She'd passed the beach some time ago, not that time was easy to measure in this place. All she could do was count the steps she'd taken, and she'd already lost track. Grey eyes looked side to side; nothing. Always nothing. For a place so feared, the most threatening enemy she'd come across was the loneliness. She gripped the soft, worn fabric in her hands. In the dim light, she could just make out the deep crimson color of his scarf. Him. The memory of a feisty grin appeared in her mind. Her eyes filled with tears and she bit her lip, willing herself not to allow them to fall. Him. The only one she'd ever let in. Had she let him in? Or had he skirted around her unwitting defenses? Another question she couldn't answer. Him. She hadn't known what to make of that reckless guard when they'd first met. It was amazing that someone of his station could be such a troublemaker. The thought of his shenanigans had her huff with sad amusement. It already felt like so long ago…

How long had she been there? Was anyone looking for her? She didn't think there was anyone around that might still remember her, but maybe… She stopped walking, looking around in surprise. Gone was the sand and dark sky and caves; before her stood a mysterious tower atop a bed of grass. A myriad of colors painted the sky, though it was dim like the evening. It was bright to her light-deprived eyes, and they prickled. She stepped forward. The door whooshed open, revealing the smiling, royal mouse she'd met so long ago.

"It's Mira!"

Somehow, whether by fate or her own feet, she'd returned.

Mira gratefully sat in the proffered chair; she'd been walking for so long without repose, she nearly cried from the feeling of sitting, even if it was in a simple wooden chair. When she recovered herself enough to focus her attention, her eyes landed on the man seated behind the desk. Mickey stood to her side, watching her carefully, offering an encouraging smile.

"Perhaps an introduction is in order, young lady. I can see that you know my pupil, Mickey, but I am Master Yen Sid. I knew your former master, and Master Eraqus as well." Yen Sid began, his face stern. She remained silent, tongue heavy in her mouth, unable to form a sentence of reply. He knew Master Xehanort? Her heart twinged for her master. Former master. There was so much she'd wanted to say to him, to ask him. But it was too late. It was too late for a lot of things. After a silence wherein she ought to have said something, Yen Sid asked. "I'll get straight to the point: where have you been, Mira?" She swallowed, shaking her head, unable to answer. He frowned.

"Are you okay, Mira?" Mickey asked. Grey eyes slid down to his and she slumped further in her chair. No, of course she wasn't okay, but she couldn't even say that. She shook her head again. Mickey sighed, placing a hand on her arm. The touch was comforting. "No one is angry with you, okay? We just want to know where you'd disappeared… you've been gone for five years." Quietly, he mumbled. "Though, you don't look much older than when I last saw you…"

Her eyes flashed open in horror. Five years? There was no way? Was there…?

A door on the right side of the study slammed open, and out walked three good fairies dressed in red, green, and blue, respectively. "Now-now, she's been through quite a lot, I'm sure, and the two of you jump straight to asking questions. Have you even offered her food or drink? Look at the state of the poor dear!" Without delay, the three fairies pushed all manner of snacks and juice toward her and she nibbled slowly, savoring the flavor of the food. Bread had never tasted so good, nor juice been so refreshing.

She cleared her throat. "Thank you." She murmured, voice raspy from disuse. She drank more juice. "You said I was gone for five… years? How is that possible?"

"You don't remember the time passing?" Yen Sid's troubled frown deepened.

Mira shook her head. "After the world went dark, I know I walked… for a long time. But there's no way it was that long…"

"Where were you walking?" Mickey piped up from beside her.

She scrunched her brows together. "I was just walking." She met Yen Sid's gaze. "I wandered the Lanes…" She'd had no destination… all she knew was that her heart was hurting, and she wanted to get away from the pain. But that kind of pain is impossible to run from. If she could've, she would have left her heart behind to die with him. Him. She swallowed and blinked away the moisture. "I found myself in darkness. So I kept walking."

"You are very lucky to be here, then." Yen Sid said. "Few make it out of the Realm of Darkness unscathed." His voice became gentler. "You've been through a great deal, please take the time to rest and recover. Mickey," he turned to his apprentice, "why don't you show her a spare room where she can stay."

"You betcha Master Yen Sid! This way Mira!"

Something clicked in her mind. Yen Sid knew Master Eraqus. The perhaps… "Wait! Where's… I mean, have you seen Master Aqua?" If anyone could help her, it was -

"No." He murmured. "Aqua has been missing longer than you…"

"Missing…?" Even Aqua was gone? Longer than she had been? She shivered, cold numbness spreading throughout her body. "I see. Thank you for telling me." She hardly heard herself speak. In a monumental effort, Mira pulled herself from the chair, muscles protesting the strain. Her eyes were heavy and her mind foggy. He was gone. Aqua was gone. They were gone. The people she'd been too blind to help. She barely noticed when they climbed more stairs. She clenched her eyes shut.

"You can stay in here for as long as you like." Mickey smiled, though it faltered. "Say, are you sure you're going to be okay, Mira?"

"I…" A tear fell. And another. Then they wouldn't stop falling and she sunk to her knees in front of him. "I can't-they're all-" she hiccoughed, "they're gone."

Mickey patted her back. "I know."

"I just… I don't understand! How did this happen?" She cried. How had everything turned to ruin? Bless the mouse, he stood there, patting her back until her cries turned into sniffles.

After a few moments, when she was finally calm, he said. "You know… whenever there's a lot on my mind, I write it down in a journal! If you're in a muddle, maybe it'll help you sort it out!"

"A journal? But how will that-?"

Mickey smiled. "My friend Jiminy swears by it! That way, you won't forget anything or anyone. It might help you feel better, at least a little bit."

"I suppose…" At the very least, the idea had merit. She bade him goodnight and closed the door, flopping onto the bed, asleep nearly the instant her head hit the pillow.

While she thought Mickey's suggestion of putting her experience to paper seemed sound enough, she still faced the problem of beginning. She stared at the simple notebook the mouse has dropped off sometime that morning. Where did she start? Did she want to go all the way back to the beginning? When she lost her mother and realized her father could hardly bear to look at her anymore? She shook her head. No, she didn't want to remember that time. Perhaps… perhaps it all started when she met the stranger who took her away from everything she'd known.

Mira opened the book and began to write.