This is what...my fourth KH fanfic. Yeah my other series didn't really work for me. I'll try to finish it but I give no promises at all :p Sorry about that.

But this one I'll try to since I've been all inspired by the promo release of KH3 :D Are you guys excited cuz I am. But oh well without further ado let's get into the summary so that we can get to the story itself.

Summary: If you asked me who I am, I would tell you my name: Ayano. If you asked me what I'm doing here, I would tell you: I have no idea. But by then I would know exactly what you would ask me next, and I would know what answer you would expect from me. And thus I would lie. Lie, lie, and lie some more because quite frankly that's all I know how to do. Heartless love that and take heed to me, but others not quite. But I haven't quite given up yet. I ran away and abandoned my home and now I'm here, in this place called Hollow Bastion with this strange boy, Riku. And yet all I see with my eyes is a girl who's scared of change but lies to all, a place of darkness with buried secrets, and a boy...a boy who's afraid of something he can't say.

First Lie: Truth not be told

You're awake, at last.

"Huh?" my head spun just as that syllable escaped my lips. It was hard to think and as always all I saw was darkness. "W-Where am I...?" Standing up didn't help for I was pretty unstable. Where...? "Father...?"

Child, do I sound like your father?

No. He didn't. In fact, now that I listened to him better, his voice was quite deeper than my father's. "Who're you, then?!"

You could call me that.

I didn't understand then but I'm quite sure any stranger isn't my friend. "Where am I? Why am I here?"

To the 'where', I can't answer simply because many people call it by many names.

"And the why?"

Well...I've heard your wish...

"So..." I whispered hopefully. "Can you?" I took a step forth without really knowing where exactly 'forth' would be. And seeing how actually one single step had driven her to here -wherever 'here' actually was- it was saying quite much. "Can you grant it?"

I cannot. But there is a way for you to accomplish it.

"How?" I couldn't believe my words. I was actually listening to a disembodied voice that came from nowhere. "Tell me how." A sudden burst of light blinded me making me place my arm before my eyes.

...wait...what?!

The bright light ebbed a bit before becoming bearable. When it had I lowered my arms to find the silhouette of a man standing ways from me. Despite the lighting, no recognizable feature could be seen of him. It was just a shadow contrasting against the light.

If you so desire to make it come true then you will gain the power to make it so. But all in accordance to an exchange.

"Exchange...?" I muttered not understanding.

It is beyond me to give this gift for nothing, child. You must leave something behind, in this place, in order to obtain what I can give you.

"But...I have nothing to give. How can I exchange something for something I do not have?!"

It is not that which you don't have but that which only you posses.
...your own 'self'...

"What...?" I hissed not getting what he meant. "I don't get you. What do you mean 'my own self'?"

You will have great power but in of itself 'you' will be lost. And until one who was like you sees the face you do not posses, will 'it' be returned to you.

"One who was...like me...?" a hand I couldn't see, but knew was mine, reached out and faintly brushed my eyelashes, missing my eyes. "You mean...because of my-?" Turning up to see him as I spoke, I could only see the light as it began to fade. "No, wait! I still have things to ask you!" But the light didn't heed my word and kept vanishing almost gone for good, letting my eyes get accustomed to the darkness once more. "My father!" I cried out reaching, "I never said sorry! I need to find him!"

And you will...All on its due time.

The light faded but by then I couldn't tell that well since my eyes were beginning to turn heavy with sleep. Why was I so tired. I fought it as much as I could but to no avail as it slowly took over me. Yet there was one last thing I heard him say to me.

Just remember...to him all hearts connect. Remember that, and you will find your answer.

A person once told me: Tell the truth and you will sink in the dark from all the happiness that you're giving away to others. Keep lying and you'll be deceiving even yourself that you're salvageable to the light.

I don't know whether to believe them or not but lying has always been my forte. But to be truthful, I'm not very good at it.
Isn't it strange? That the truth is always the one that seems most suspicious...

"I can't believe you!" Oswald reprimanded her for the umpteenth time that day after catching her yet again not doing her chores. Picking at her ear playfully to mock him, the blonde that sat just in front of him sighed in boredom. His cheeks puffed red in annoyance, "Will you pay attention for once in your life?!"

"Yeah, yeah," she said flicking away her fingers. "What are you so mad about anyways?"

"What am I-!" he puffed again and unable to speak from how angry he was he walked away leaving Ortensia to talk to the young and rebellious teen.

"Deary," Ortensia began and paused trying to think of what to say that would go through the blonde girl. "Oswald is just trying to make sure that everything's in order for the banquet at the Castle tonight."

"Well, he shouldn't have trusted me with the china arrangement knowing that I literally trip on my own feet," she said sticking her tongue out at Oswald. "Besides, this here is Wasteland and here anything painted becomes real, doesn't it? Why don't you draw some more pretty china, stupid bunny?"

"Argh!" Oswald yelled turning to face her. "I am not a bunny! I m a rabbit!"

"Same difference," she muttered standing up.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Oswald shouted out waving his fist about as she walked past them.

"None ya," she called sticking her tongue out again.

"Wait right there! Don't you take another step young lady!" Oswald yelled but only watched her as she stepped out of his house. "Ayano!"

"Oh my," Ortensia said with a great sigh.

"That unruly brat!" he huffed more while putting his hands on his hips.

"She didn't mean all that, dear. I'm sure you didn't either," Ortensia said placing a hand on his shoulder.

Huffing one last time, he looked at Ortensia and sigh letting his anger go as his ears dropped low. "I wished she wouldn't rely on them so much."

"But you know she can't help herself, Os," Ortensia said calling him by the nickname the once little Ayano had called him when she couldn't say his whole name. "She doesn't know how to. If she would only let us help her though."

"She won't," Oswald said crossing his arms and raising his eyes to look at the shelf where he kept a very special weapon in storage. "She's too much of a stubborn mule to ask for it."

"She'll come around," Ortensia assured him while staring at the path that the girl had left through. "She'll come to us when she's ready."

Oswald sighed again and sat on his chair while holding his head, "What will I ever do with her in the meanwhile, Ortensia. She's..." With another grave sigh, his ear hung low once more, "Ayano's changed."

Ayano sat in the garden reservoir atop one of the buildings in Ostown. After an incident that Os had told her about when she was little, Ostown and all the other places where reconstructed for the toons here. The building she was in now was a great hotel that Clarabelle Cow was in charge of and the Garden Mystique was a reservoir of exotic plants and flowers that was made by Oswald for Ortensia as a gift. So only her and others she let in were able to. Lucky for her, Ortensia only allowed Oswald, her, and Clarabelle.

But since the banquet was today, Clarabelle had declared the hotel was official packed. If she wanted solitude that was the right place, nobody would bother to come up.

Sitting at one of the tea tables, she sighed and plunged her forehead onto the table.

Why...

Why did she let herself do it again...?

"Why the hell did I lie?!" she bellowed holding her head and screaming at the sky. Letting her head fall back and her arms fall to her sides limply. Her eyes wondered off and found the clear glass walls of the dome that surrounded the garden to let the sunlight in. On it, she saw her clear reflection. An image she had, since long ago, learned to hate. Her wavy blonde hair was short to her shoulder blades and much of her bangs were unruly falling all over the place giving her waves a lot more shape. Her skin was fair and her stature short for someone her age, 5'2" at fifteen. But what she hated the most of herself were her eyes.

Those cat-like eyes that were the brightest color of red. And when she said bright, she meant bright. Even on the crystal they reflected back a sharp string of red every time she moved. Sick of her image she turned away and laid her head on her crossed arms upon the table.

Ever since she could recall, those eyes were the worst thing. It was because of them that she would lie so much. How, might you ask, that is? Well, her eyes were the ones that were able to deceive people into seeing what she wanted them to see. What she would often do, unconsciously, was use them as a mirror to create an exact replica of the personality of the person she was facing. Since Oswald back then was so pissed off at her that her eyes instantly reflected that upon him and Ortensia to see.

Yet inside all she felt was guilt for having made such big mistake. She knew that the banquet was a pretty big thing for Oswald since his half-brother would be coming over for the occasion. She had never met him in person since she couldn't attend the yearly feast when little. Ortensia told her, though, that both were like two drops of water. Tonight, seeing as she was already of age, would be her first time attending and her first time witnessing the brothers together.

She wanted to very bad, ever since she was little but now she doubted Oswald would let her. Not after the china incident, specially not after that backtalk she had delivered too.

She sighed and smacked her face for her stupidity. Why couldn't her eyes just stop for once?! She had tried many times to stop them with no avail. So far she had never found a way to turn them off and so she kept lying.

Oddly, enough though, that wasn't all her eyes could do. Just the same way they could lie, her eyes could also tell apart the truth. She herself was a liar, yet, in very rare times, did her eyes change perspectives and see the truth that hid inside people's hearts. This happened more often when she was little but much less now that she had grown.

Either part of that she hated immensely. She didn't like lying but she didn't like knowing all the truth. Why couldn't she just be freaking normal?!

"I thought you would be here," Ayano's head snapped up and turned to see Ortensia standing not far from the rosebush. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," Ayano's said unknowingly putting up the mask that she had with Ortensia. What the older kitty saw was a timid but sweet girl who had trouble adjusting to such different world. "I wish he wouldn't blow a fuse so easy though."

"He's sorry for sure about shouting at you," Ortensia assured her walking closer. "But shouldn't you apologize too?"

"I guess," Ayano said looking at Ortensia who raised an eyebrow making her chuckle. "Okay, yes. Maybe I should."

"Now then," she said smoothing her skirt. "The banquet's starting in a few hours. I think you should start getting ready for it."

"Sure," she said standing up. I wouldn't mind being grounded though. I'd deserve that. "Good thing the bunny's a good person, huh? Otherwise I wouldn't be going."

Ortensia chuckled, "That would be so, deary. Now on you go."

"Yeah," Ayano mumbled.

Why can't I ever tell the truth...

Ayano sighed heavily not seeing anything she liked to wear for the party. And since it was a special occasion the thought of wearing a dress crossed her mind but at looking at the ones she had she thought she'd rather kill herself than wear one of them.

Opting to go for her good black skirt and a nice white blouse and dark heels, she tried putting her messy hair in a bun. It was hard as it was since it was long and rebellious. So in the end, loose strands of hair popped here and there. Blowing one out of her face while looking in the mirror, her eyes caught her reflection again and barely caught the string of red light that followed their movement. Her left hand came to a fist but before she reacted she thought and instead calmed herself down. Many times before had she struck a mirror when she had seen her reflection, or more like her eyes in it. That was exactly how she had gotten a scar between her middle and ring finger knuckles.

After that, she's tried hard to keep her temper under control. Her short temper was one of the few things that she could catch were originally hers. It was hard to since all the personalities she mirrored mixed with her own. It was hard to tell which were hers and which weren't.

Sighing and letting the issue go for tonight, she headed towards the Castle. Having to pass Oswald's study to tell him she was heading out first, she stepped short while raising her fist in the air to knock at hearing Os's worried tone of voice come from the other side.

"What do you mean she needs to leave?"

What?

"I apologize greatly for the burden I've imposed you both with along with taking care of the child, Oswald," an old man's voice came barely audible to her ears. "But as of now, it seems she's absorb way too much powers from you. She'll soon become a beacon to the Heartless like she did when we found her."

Found...me? They found me?

"But is this the only way to avoid her from doing that?" Ortensia asked sweetly.

"I am afraid not. As of now, there's still no way to cage whatever emanates her powers," the old man said grimly. "And until then, if ever, we must keep moving her. She cannot fall in the wrong hands. You understand this, don't you, Oswald?"

There was a great pause before his answer, "I do. We will...I will send Ayano to you tomorrow first thing in the morning."

No. Sending me...away? Why? Retreating her fist, she stepped back and sprinted away towards the Castle and it seemed like she had arrived there before anybody else.

She started pacing around and about trying to ignore the painful throbbing that kept coming to her head. The slight burning on her eyes wasn't helping much either. She couldn't understand why, though. Why would Oswald agree to send her away? Sure, she was a major pain in the butt but she didn't mean anything by her words. Oswald had figured that out years ago, then why?

Why?!

"Aya?" Brusquely turning to Ortensia's voice it seemed as if she were frightened of them now. At seeing her concerned face, her eyes instantly identified the person and masked her confused and scared expression with a surprised one.

"H-Hey," she said still stuttering. "What's there to do still?"

"Not much," she said as more guests and caretakers started entering the castle. "But surely you'll find something to keep yourself busy meanwhile the time comes."

Ayano stared at the clock that set ten minutes till ten. The dinner started at 10:20, odd time but still. She had exactly half an hour to calm herself down. "Yeah, I will." Walking around to the restroom she opened a faucet to splash water on her face.

You've gotta calm down, Ayano. Take deep breaths. What you heard must have been a mistake. Yeah, just a mistake.

"Just a mistake." Her murmurs echoed through the lonely restroom as she kept her eyes on the basin. But at looking back up a still shadow caught her attention. Although brief, she distinguished the figure. It was herself but in a black palette and pale skin. The eyes red as ever staring back at her own through the mirror and a grim grin showing her way. At turning Ayano found no one there. Had it been her nerves? "Enough with the creepy crap," she muttered to herself and walked out of the restroom.

The dinning room was even fuller than when she arrived, as was expected of only ten minutes till dinner. A lot of people were already sitting down including Ortensia who was at the left side of Oswald's empty seat which rested on one end of the long table. The seat across from her was reserved for Oswald's brother while the one next to hers belonged to Ayano. But as she was now, she couldn't possibly remind seated and calm. She needed to walk around for as much as could.

Stepping out, she sensed something off and odd about the situation.

Why's everyone whispering so loudly?

"This is to be a great event!"
"I hope His Majesty arrives safely."
"I don't get it. Why do we have to stay in here while the brother comes? Why not go to his fancy place instead?"
"This is boring."
"I'm ready to go home any time."

"Be quiet," she whispered walking around without really watching where to. Unintentionally pushing someone out of her way in her struggle to shut the voices out of her head, she made one of the waiters tumble over with the great amount of food he had littering the floor. Looking at what she done and at the waiter, "I'm so sorry." She covered an ear trying to keep out the sudden shout that came.

"Dumb brat! What am I to do now!" "It's fine. Hope nothing happened to you." Did she just hear him speak twice?

"How rude!" "Such spoiled child." "She's that monster kid that Oswald took in." "I thought she wasn't allowed to this banquet or any public service." "I wonder why they let her appear?" "Out of pity, perhaps."

It was too much. Her head was about to explode. And finally it did.

"SHUT UP!" Gasps and sighs were heard from everywhere as everything stopped to her bellow. Breathing deeply, her head was finally quiet until one person grabbed her by her arm and pulled her aside into one of the corridors. It wasn't like she cared since blissful silence had finally hit.

"What's the matter with you, Ayano?"

"Oswald?" her voice came faintly and surprised, as if she actually missed hearing him.

"Who else, brat? What's wrong with you! You expect me to let you attend with that attitude of yours like that?" Oswald hissed back.

"The banquet..." she mutter remembering. Then she heard his voice again but not aloud, "Why couldn't you just be normal for once!"

"You..." she said hurt but not knowing for sure. "You think I'm a freak too?" That was it. Something in her mind snapped and she heard a distant hissing in the back of her mind. Her teeth grinding she spat out the truth for once, "Is that why you're sending me away? 'Cause I'm not normal!?"

Oswald's eyes widened and his ears twitched straight before falling slightly back. "Y-You...You overheard?"

But she didn't hear him and she continued her rampage, "Well, newsflash pal, I've never been normal. I'll never be normal. You want to know why, because no one wants to accept me. You and all the others just push me aside as if I'm just trash and a burden." She stepped out attempting to leave but her wrist got caught by Oswald's hand.

"Wait-"

"No!" she yelled brushing his hand away. "I'm tired of being left out like this. I hate it. I hate this. And most of all, I hate you!" Oswald's ears dropped at the last words she said. She scowled at him and leered, "Don't bother sending me off tomorrow." She ran off without turning back at the rabbit.

His hand still reaching out it dropped as he saw her disappear. "Oswald!" Ortensia's sudden shout mingling with others caught his attention. Behind him, hoarding against everyone that was there, were black figures with bright yellow eyes. His ears perked up as he stretched his hand out expecting something to happen. But what usually had happened didn't anymore.

"What?!" the shadows took over the people and soon over Ortensia. Oswald, seeing no other way, ran away as his children kept the shadows away from him.

"It seems she's absorbed way too much powers from you."

Slamming the door of the house open and back close, she sprinted up towards her room and got her satchel as she packed in a few things. Among them a pare of pistols that she had been working on reconstructing. Afterwards she headed towards the rabbit's study where he kept most of his old stuff.

Rummaging through cabinets and shelves, she found what she sought inside one of the cabinets. A purple and bluish star shard that she'd seen Oswald use before to travel. She knew that besides Wasteland there were other places.

"Please," she whispered to the cold crystal that she clutched between her hands. "Take me away. Somewhere, anywhere. Anywhere but here." The shard started to shine in her hands, the light shinning bright between her fingers. Feeling a bit queasy, she felt a sudden pull and push as she fell into a dark place, falling unconscious.

I basically didn't know what to expect. Was I dying? Was I still alive?

While all those questions, and more, engulfed me, all I knew for sure was what a voice uttered to me.

"Lying brings out your own misfortune but in the in end it'll render happiness attainable for others."

Well? How was it?

Pretty long intro chapter huh? I hope it's interesting enough to catch your attention. And in each chapter they'll be bold letters like the ones on this one and it'll all make sense in the end. You'll see :)

Please review :D