A girl too young to be described as anything more than a child trudged forward aimlessly, a nearly ruined sword far too big for her to carry properly dragging along the ground behind her as she pulled it with all the might her tiny, untrained body could muster.

Aiz Wallenstein had no destination in mind. All she had done was walk in a single direction for what seemed like days.

Her golden eyes, once filled with bright, childish innocence had turned into dull, bottomless pools of despair. Her blonde hair that could have once been described as locks of spun gold was completely matted with swear and caked in dust. Her skin, having been exposed to the arid environment for far too long without hydration, was cracked in several places, to say nothing of her lips. Her body had thinned to the point where her ribs were visible through her skin. The white sundress she wore had been reduced to such tatters that an observer would have said that her appearance was borderline obscene.

If they somehow missed how she looked like she could drop dead at any moment.

She was clearly in no condition to continue any further, and she knew that better than anyone.

Her arms felt like lead, her legs felt like jelly, her stomach constantly grumbled, her vision was rapidly darkening, and the pain that once radiated from her dehydrated body, keeping her conscious, had begun to fade.

Of course, it was not because her condition was improving. It was the exact opposite.

Her body had reached the point where even pain could barely register anymore.

All physical evidence pointed to her being on her last legs, and yet she kept moving.

Even the willpower that had been driving her forward against all odds was beginning to break down bit by bit.

The only thing that kept her going was the thought of her parents.

Her indomitable father and her beloved mother, the two pillars of her existence she had been sure would remain by her side forever.

Torn away abruptly and cruelly.

Even now, the image of her father's shattered body, riddled with too large wounds that leaked too much blood, haunted her mind.

And her mother…ah, her mother…

She had been forced to watch as she was swallowed whole by the Black Calamity.

Such a terrible loss would have broken any other, and indeed, she was on the verge of doing just that.

But the ever so small hope of rescuing her mother, of avenging her father held her together, if only just.

She just had to…keep moving forward.

Every step she took would bring her one step closer to her ever distant goal.

Yes, she just had to-

A loud, groaning right next to her ear cut through the mental mantra she had been using to stay on her path like a hot knife through butter.

Her eyes tiredly turned towards its source…and widened as she saw the cracks on the blade she was holding, her father's sword, begin to spread across the already heavily damaged surface.

"No please…not this too…!"

She begged mentally, her throat far too parched to voice it.

Evidently, her pleas went unheard as the sword crumbled into metal dust.

Her gaze went straight to the cloth that had been tied around the sword's hilt, the scarf that her father once wore, now a ragged strip of cloth, and yet was a most precious memento.

With what little strength she had remaining, she raised her hand towards it, willing herself to grasp it, to have even just a tiny reminder of what she was aiming for…

"Ah…" A tiny, raspy voice emerged from her mouth as her fingers missed it.

She could only watch despondently as the last memento she had of her father was blown away by the dry wind until it vanished from sight.

Taking her what was left of her resolve with it.

Aiz collapsed to her knees as the exhaustion that should have downed her long ago caught up to her all at once as despair threatened to overwhelm her.

Her goal that had already been far away enough seemed truly unreached at that moment.

What was even the point anymore?

Her father was dead. Her mother had suffered a fate even worse than that.

Everyone she had known and loved was gone.

And she was so very alone.

Her eyelids began to drop, no longer able to stay open as every scrap of energy she had left began to drain from her.

She was so…so tired…

Aiz Wallenstein closed her eyes, her frail form sprawled on the shattered earth beneath her, the land utterly devastated by the living disaster that had visited it.

In another timeline, the sheer hatred she held towards the thing that had destroyed everything she loved would have supplied her with the extra boost she needed to survive, to keep going until she found help.

Here however, she could not even muster that much.

This should have been the end for her.

At least until a tiny mote of light, a small, seemingly insignificant thing, fell from the heavens and touched her.

The Boy who embodied the Radiant Heavens above found himself adrift, an exhaustion and hollowness unlike anything he had never felt before permeating his being.

He was diminished, the penalty he had received for knowingly breaking a taboo of nature again and again.

Yet he knew he would do it again in a heartbeat for her sake.

The Girl Who was an endless Ocean of Light was worth that much to him.

And he also knew that he had gotten off very, very lightly.

Originally, he should have been completely erased from existence as punishment for what he had done.

Only his connection to the Guardian of the Heart of All Things as its new true wielder had kept him from paying the full price.

What a twist of fate that had been.

The peerless weapon that his nemesis had used to nearly bring ruin to all of Creation, the object of unspeakable power he had been willingly handed in the aftermath of their cataclysmic battle, was what had saved him.

Instead of fading completely, his Heart had instead been shattered as the X-Blade once had long ago.

Twenty fragments, scattered across the Infinity of Existence. The chances of them ever coming together again next to nil.

A terrible fate, no doubt, one that would absolutely horrify his comrades once they pieced together what had happened, but it was still better than the alternative.

And now, he, or rather one of the twenty fragments of his Heart found itself in the Ocean Between Worlds, moved by an unseen force to a destination unknown.

No doubt the other fragments were experiencing the same thing.

He chose not to fight it. This was already a lightened punishment and he had enough sense of self-preservation remaining to not potentially make it worse.

He couldn't help but wonder where exactly he would end up in the infinite expanse of the Ocean.

He soon got his answer as his senses, vastly improved and extended into the realm of the metaphysical by the X-Blade, picked up the presence of a Heart far larger than his own nearby, the Heart not of a person, but of a World.

It was…an odd one, to say the least.

It was one of the bigger Worlds he had ever seen. Not quite on the sheer scale as San Fransokyo and Monstropolis, both of which had been dizzyingly massive, spanning several countries and continent that formed what he learned from its inhabitants was called a 'planet', but larger than most.

He counted at least 3 continents, all of which appeared to be inhabited, judging by the number of Hearts he could sense.

A worrying proportion of which radiated a strong sense of fear and wariness, almost enough to drown out any positive emotions they could feel, as though they were all living with a sword constantly dangling over their head, one that could fall and kill them at any given moment.

But far more worrying was the even larger number of not-Hearts he could sense writhing beneath the surface.

They were twisted, wretched things, like they had been haphazardly cobbled together out of magic rather than the metaphysical elements that composed true Hearts, like something a madman could wrought into existence with only limited knowledge on the subject, radiating nothing but animalistic rage.

And they appeared to be spawning from an unusually large Heart that was located almost right next to the Heart of the World.

And that was another cause for concern, because the Heart in question, nearly half the size of the Heart of the World, was almost completely steeped in Darkness, practically a supernova of sheer hatred, only a few tiny specks of faded Light to be found within it.

What was going on in that World?

He supposed he was about to find out, because he had just passed through the Dimensional Barrier that kept the Darkness thriving in the Ocean Between from getting in.

He surveyed the land he was falling towards.

Inhospitably arid drylands stretched on for miles and miles without no end in sight, the far too bright sun hanging overhead, heating the constantly blowing wind over the land and kicking up copious amounts of sand and dirt to form a sandstorm, They resembled the poor condition Scar's incompetent reign had left the majority of the Pride Lands in, but far, far worse, not a single Heart to be sensed within them.

He could feel the residual Dark energy permeating the earth. It was as though a particularly large Heartless had rampaged through the area, leaving nothing but utter destruction in its wake. Plenty of the stronger Denizens of the Dark Realm could do this. He had experienced their power first-hand and triumphed over them in spite of it.

No doubt the former inhabitants of this land had fallen to whatever had done this…

Wait, no.

If he really concentrated, he could faintly feel a single Heart directly beneath him.

That his X-Blade enhanced senses could only just barely pick up on it spoke of how badly weakened it was.

He cast his gaze downwards, trying to see past the veil of sand…

…and laid his eyes on a unmoving small form laid on the shattered earth.

Just a child, probably not even half the age he was when the Darkness tore his World apart and set him on his long, long journey, far too young to have to go through whatever tragedy had transpired here.

Her body showed all too clear signs of long periods of exposure to the elements, whether it was the cracks on the skin, the cuts accompanying them that had been made by the airborne sand, the utter filth that caked her hair or her obvious emaciation.

But far worse than her physical condition was the state of her Heart.

What was supposed to be a Heart filled with the bright Light of innocence was submerged in a Dark mire of despair and hate, and even that was beginning to wane as it showed all the signs of impending departure from the World.

Whatever she had experienced had broken her so thoroughly that both her Body and Heart were on the verge of complete collapse.

And from his experience, what awaited someone whose Body and Heart had both perished was a true death from which there was no coming back from.

He knew that better than anyone. He had been a hair's breadth away from experiencing the same.

He had only been able to return from that state because She had fought with all of her might to keep him from fading completely.

He knew he had to do something, anything to stop this child from ending up in that state.

But what could he, reduced to a mere fragment of what he once was, possibly do?

The answer came to him almost immediately.

The Heart of the Boy who rode with the Winds had once taken refuge in his, and in doing so, eventually gave rise to his ability to wield one of the hallowed Keys a decade later.

If he did something similar, he may be able to save her.

But there was no telling what would happen if he went through with this.

Ventus's Heart, split in two and further weakened by the clash with his dark half, had fallen asleep for more than a decade before he had awoken it.

And it had still been in better condition than the mere fragment that he currently was.

Perhaps he would fall into a slumber far deeper, from which there was no rousing?

Or maybe…even worse?

Was it truly worth the risk just to save someone he didn't even know?

As soon as the question crossed his mind, he scoffed.

Of course it was. If there was someone in need of help in front of him, he would never turn away from them, regardless of whatever danger would be posed to him.

That was simply his nature, and not even the Shattering of his Being could change that.

He willed himself to race faster towards the child. Every precious second counted now if he was going to save her.

He touched her Heart, and the world around him melted away into a familiar landscape.

A seemingly endless void, illuminated by only a single enormous cylindrical pillar of stained glass.

The child's Heart, her Station of Awakening.

As he thought, it was in terrible condition.

Depicted at the centre of the gold-themed stained glass was the child, her face the very picture of innocence. Behind her was a breath-taking field of flowers. On the inner circle of emblems next to her head were the portraits of two people, a smiling woman who was an older mirror image of the child and a confident-looking man with messy black hair and blue eyes almost the same shade as his, who he could only presume were her parents.

In its pristine condition, it would have been truly beautiful.

Now…

Parts of the stained glass were unnaturally dark. The pillar was severely cracked, portions of it having already fallen off, ruining its perfect cylindrical shape. The cracks were most severe over the portraits of the parents, almost obscuring them entirely.

And most of all was the sense of loss and despair radiating from it.

Lying atop this breaking pillar was the child's unconscious form, as beaten and bruised as she had been in the physical realm.

He could only presume it was the loss of her parents that left her Heart in this state.

Frankly, he wasn't sure if he would be able to do anything for her, but he was going to try his damnedest.

Originally, he would have needed her permission to join their Hearts together, much like how Ventus needed his, but his current self was a mere fragment and hers was already falling apart.

He could make this work.

As the fragment of his Heart joined with the child's damaged one, he felt both become whole once more, the hollowness he had been feeling just moments before vanishing entirely.

It was by no means a perfect fit. He was not magically restored to his entirety, nor did the haze of exhaustion fade away, for no two Hearts were naturally identical, but it was enough to keep hers from fading and provide a sanctuary for him to rest.

Slowly, the damage done to the child's Station of Awakening was reversed, the missing parts being filled once more, the cracks mending themselves and the unnatural dark splotches here and there disappearing as though they were never there.

The once purely gold-themed stained glass now had additional hues of the sky blue that he knew to be the color of his own Station of Awakening, the crown emblem that embodied him appearing in concentric circles.

The proof that their fragmented Hearts were now joined.

With time, the portions she had lost would return.

But right now, he had to focus on healing her broken body.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, extending his own will to her body.

It was a good thing she was still catatonic. It would have been hard for him to take control otherwise.

He moved the child's arm, willing the hand to close into a first.

The Kingdom Key, his constant companion in its truest form, appeared in her grasp.

He frowned at its appearance.

Its once gleaming silver blade and golden guard had dulled.

The counterpart to his Heart had also been greatly diminished.

No matter, even in its current state, a Keyblade was still a Keyblade, a weapon of incredible power and mystical forces.

A green light gathered at its tip, the third tier of the restorative spell that had been ingrained into him coming naturally even in his current state.

As a powerful green light washed over the child's body and all the damage wrought by the environment was undone, another wave of exhaustion struck him, threatening to send him to the realm of sleep.

He persevered through it, forcing himself to stay awake, for there was still one last task for him to perform before he could allow himself to rest.

Even if her Heart was made whole again, even if her body was healed, all of it was pointless if she was simply swallowed by her despair and repeated all of this again when she woke up.

To save her, there was one more thing he needed to give her.

But this was not the place to do it.

If his theory about the nature of her loss was correct, it was too soon for her to see the portraits of her presumed parents.

Thankfully, he had a suitable destination in mind, one that getting to was easy here where the realm of sleep bordered with the realm of death.

He walked over to her and delicately scooped her tiny form into his left arm, laying her head gently against his shoulder.

He held his free hand out, and the Kingdom Key appeared in a flash of bright light.

Destination in mind, he pointed the Keyblade upwards.

Light gathered at its tip, coalescing and firing as a beam.

The space above seemed to shatter, a keyhole appearing in its place.

The Station of Awakening melted away, the dark space replaced by endless expanses of blue skies and clear oceans.

The Final World, a limbo where those whose Body and Heart had both perished would end up when not fully claimed by death yet.

Now that the Warden had been sent back to the Realm of Light, he and the child were essentially alone here, the only other inhabitants being the remnants of the dead who were barely even lucid.

He sat down on the surface of the water below him, crossing his legs so that he could lay the child's head on his lap.

As he gently ran his hand through her hair, he waited for her to regain consciousness, knowing she would need all the help he could give her.

Aiz slowly regained her senses, and felt herself being basked in a comforting warmth, one that radiated kindness and safety.

Just like…

"Mama…? Papa…?"

"Sorry, I'm not either."

Her awareness rapidly returned when her mutters unexpectedly received an answer.

She found herself lying headfirst in a lap and quickly pushed herself up, looking around at the strange and wondrous world of endless skies and seas around her…

…and felt her breath stop short as she met the warm blue eyes of a gently smiling young man with spiky brown hair, dressed in strange black and red clothes that she had never seen before.

Blue eyes, almost like her father's.

A sob escaped her throat as the memories of the tragedy that had befallen her threatened to overwhelm her.

"Mama…Papa…!"

Hot tears stung at the corners of her eyes, but she did everything she could not to let them fall.

No matter how much she cried, it wouldn't bring her parents back.

Tears were unneeded, grief was meaningless. What she needed was…!

A black flame began to burn within her as dark thoughts crossed her mind.

Thoughts that were cut off in the next moment.

Her eyes widened as the young man pulled her into a gentle hug. She couldn't resist from the suddenness of it.

"It's okay to cry." He gently whispered to her.

She froze.

"I know what it is you're going through all too well. Bottling all of it up is the worst thing you can do. Doing that won't make those feelings disappear. They'll just grow and grow, until you can't hold them in anymore and break down from the inside. So…it's okay to cry. Let all of it out. I'll be right here for you."

A hand gently combed through her hair, just like…her mother…used to…

She let out a heart-rending wail as she finally allowed herself to mourn her loss.

It hurt, it hurt so much to know that she was alone now, that her parents were gone and not coming back without a miracle.

All of her sorrow, all of her grief, her anger, her hate, she screamed all of it at the heavens as the young man wordlessly held her and comforted her.

And yet…as she did, her trembling started to settle, her cries softened to whimpers and then to sniffles, and all of the emotions she had been holding in…

…They hadn't disappeared, but…they no longer felt like impossibly heavy weights in her gut.

The black flame that had begun to burn inside her vanished as though it was never there.

For the first time since the disaster, she felt…at peace.

Eventually, the tears stopped coming and she was finally able to regain her composure.

She flushed red, embarrassed at her complete breakdown in front of a stranger.

Her shame was alleviated when she found no judgement or derision in his gaze, only understanding and the ever present kindness.

"…Aiz. Aiz Wallenstein." She said, her voice still just a little shaky,

It was…only polite for her to introduce herself, right? That was what her mother had taught her.

The young man's smile widened into a toothy and almost goofy grin.

"Hi there, Aiz. Name's Sora. Nice to meetcha!" He replied with aplomb.

His smile turned gentle once more, as did his eyes as he looked into hers firmly.

"And I promise you. You will never be alone again."

Such simple words should not have carried such gravity, but they did and as she listened, she felt reassured that everything was going to be okay.

The forgotten feeling of hope sprouted within her once more.

As the Hearts of the two conversed in the Final World, a distortion appeared above Aiz's body back in the physical realm and enveloped it.

If Sora had seen it, he would have identified it as a form of time magic, not a spell deliberately cast by another but one that had been coincidentally brought about by the lingering energies permeating the land.

Aiz Wallenstein vanished from that time and reappeared a millennium later a distance away from the gates of the Labyrinth City, right in front of the shocked eyes of a Trickster Goddess and the 3 children that had founded her Familia, having just returned from an unofficial request from the Guild.

The wheels of fate had begun to turn, a new grand destiny about to unfold once again.

And the two at the centre of it all remained oblivious, at least for now.

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I actually wanted to post this on either Spacebattles or SV so that it would be easier to communicate with readers, but the formatting confused the hell out of me. If anyone wants to tell me how to use the damn thing, feel free to PM me.

This is meant to be a crossover between Danmachi and a somewhat more serious AU of Kingdom Hearts. Changes are mostly to stuff that didn't make sense in the original version or small nerfs because Kingdom Hearts powers are hilariously OP in the Danmachi setting. Those will come up in later chapters where they're relevant or be mentioned in passing here in the Author's notes.

I don't think it's ever made clear how exactly Aiz winded up in present day Orario when she's supposed to have been born 1000 years ago, so I took some liberties with it.

My knowledge of Danmachi extends as far as the anime, manga and the movie, so some parts of the setting may be inaccurate. I've never read the original LNs and don't feel like investing any energy into actually looking for free translations.

What's with all the weird titles in Sora's POV? Nothing really, just me being a cryptic asshole because I can. It won't happen again. Probably.

Don't expect too much from me though. My muse is a fickle mistress and loses its interest very easily. I have like half a dozen other fics that I lost interest in before I could even finish the prologue.

Flames and nonconstructive criticism will be laughed at and thrown out like the trash they are.