Hey guys, how's it goin'? I've got another KH story for you, this time taking place… in the future! Set many years after the Kingdom Hearts games, this story will chronicle the adventures of Sora and Kairi's son Sho as he becomes a Keybearer and travels the multiverse in order to reunite with his missing family and fight against a powerful new enemy. Most of the story will be told from Sho's POV, and I hope you enjoy it! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

I was five years old when I held a Keyblade for the first time.

I had been watching the sunset with my father, Sora. Before my sister and I were born, he and Mom protected the multiverse from darkness as Keyblade Masters, but they retired in order to raise a family. Dad would tell us tales of his adventures, and I was always fascinated by the idea that there were many worlds other than Destiny Islands.

Anyway, out of the blue, my dad said to me, "Sho, you have a good heart."

"Eh? What do you mean, Daddy?" I asked, confused by this.

"I mean you have a strong will and are kind to others," he explained. "Tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

That was an easy answer. "A Keyblade Master, just like you! I'll become strong and fight the Heartless and keep you and Mommy and sis out of danger!" As I spoke, I took a stick and cut through the air like it was a sword, but I ended up falling forward when I put too much energy into a swing.

Dad chuckled at my response. "Is that so? You certainly have enough energy!" Smiling at me, he then asked, "Well then… would you like to see what it's like? To hold a Keyblade?"

"Really?! I can hold one?!" I exclaimed excitedly, jumping up to my feet.

"Settle down now," he told me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Yes, you can hold it. But only for a moment, okay?" After I nodded, I watched as Dad stood up and held out his hand.

His Keyblade, also known as the Kingdom Key, appeared in his hand and he knelt down as he turned the handle toward me. "In your hand, take this Key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend—no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."

I listened to his words intently before reaching out and taking the Keyblade in my own hands. It was a little heavy, but I was amazed: I was actually holding it! "Wow…"

"You see? You can do it," Dad said with a proud smile. "And because you're able to hold on to it, someday you'll get a Keyblade of your own and become strong enough to protect our family."

"Promise?" I asked with wide eyes.

"Promise," he replied, ruffling my dark brown hair before taking the Keyblade back. We then started walking back down the beach together.

Dad explained to me later that what we had done was the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony, which basically meant that he had chosen me as his successor. I was so excited, and I began learning swordplay from him, training like crazy so I would be ready when the time came.

It's been 9 years since that day… why I'm dreaming about it now, I don't know.

…

Somehow I was observing the memory from above, and looking back at it filled my heart with nostalgia. But before I knew it, I fell into the ocean below. As I sank deeper into the dark water, I panicked at first until I realized I could actually breathe and was falling at a relatively slow rate.

After what seemed like several minutes, my feet finally touched the ocean floor… or at least, that's what I thought. Suddenly, the floor erupted into white doves who took off in flight, revealing a circular stained glass platform, and the water had disappeared completely.

The image shown in the glass was my father, his eyes closed as he lay along the edge of the platform. Across from him was another man with blonde hair, and between them laid the Kingdom Key. I had never seen the other man before, but from listening to Dad's stories, I guessed that it was his Nobody, Roxas.

"…Where am I?" I muttered to myself.

So much to do… So little time…

"Eh? Who said that?" I asked, looking around but not seeing anyone.

Take your time. Don't be afraid.

Scratching my head in confusion, I then saw a beam of light appear in front of me.

Now, walk forward. Can you do it?

Giving the light a curious look, I said, "Sounds easy enough." I approached the beam, which disappeared as soon as I touched it. Then three small columns appeared around me, each one showing a different item: a sword, a shield and a magic staff.

Power sleeps within you. If you give it form… it will give you strength. Choose well.

Looking at all three items, I instinctively went for the sword, as I've been trained in it for years. As I took the weapon in my hand, the mysterious voice spoke again.

The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?

Having no idea where the voice was coming from, I simply looked out in front of me and replied, "Yes." All of a sudden, the sword vanished!

Your path is set. Now what will you give up in exchange?

"Huh? I have to give something up?" I questioned, but I didn't receive an answer. I then looked back and forth between the two remaining items, the staff and the shield. After a short debate, I decided, "Hmm… I can't use magic right now, so I guess I can give up the staff. That's more sis's thing, anyway."

The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power?

I nodded, and as a result the staff disappeared. Suddenly, the glass underneath me shattered and I was falling through the darkness again.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before another stained glass floor came into view. This time, it showed my mother Kairi sleeping in the same position that my father was in before. A blonde woman in a simple white dress, probably her own Nobody Namine, was across from her, and between them was the flowery Keyblade known as Destiny's Embrace.

Then, to my surprise, the Kingdom Key appeared right in my hand! "What the?!" I exclaimed. "This is Dad's Keyblade. Why am I…?"

But my thoughts were interrupted when small black creatures with glowing yellow eyes started to appear and began moving towards me. I had never seen one before, but there was no mistake. "Heartless…" I whispered.

There will be times when you must fight. Keep your light burning strong.

Gripping the pommel of the Keyblade, I took a deep breath and got into a battle stance, just like Dad taught me. Then I rushed forward and slashed at one of the Heartless, destroying it. But then the voice spoke up.

Behind you!

Reacting quickly, I spun around and swung my weapon, hitting a Heartless who had tried to sneak up. "*Phew* That was close…" I then proceeded to fight the rest of the creatures, some proving harder to hit than others. Once I got down to the last one, it swiped at me but I was able to block it before cutting into it and it vanished like the others.

I couldn't help but stare at the weapon in my hand. "So this is what it's like, Dad… to wield a Keyblade. It feels so natural… is this really just a dream?"

Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by Heartless! "Man, these guys don't give up!" I commented as I slashed at the first one I saw. At first it seemed to block my attack, but I got it on the second try. Within a minute, I had managed to get rid of all of them, although one of them did manage to scratch my leg. It wasn't serious, but it did sting a fair bit.

Then on the other side of the platform, a set of stairs appeared leading up to another platform. Without hesitating, I raced up the stairs and as I ran, they disappeared behind me.

When I reached the top, I looked out at the stained glass image. This time it showed a man with long silver hair, who I immediately recognized as Riku, my parents' best friend and fellow Keyblade Master. Like the others before him, he lied along the edge and his Keyblade, the Way to the Dawn, laid next to him, but his aqua eyes were open in a sad stare and there was nobody lying across from him. Instead, there were five images showing my parents, my sister Mizuki, me… and in the center was a broken heart. Uncle Riku was always a bit mysterious to me, but I wasn't really sure what to make of it.

In fact, I didn't have much time to think about it at all.

The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes.

Glancing behind me, I saw my own shadow detach itself from me and grow in size, turning into a huge monster with a heart-shaped hole in its chest. My heart was pounding, and in my nervousness I began to back away.

But don't be afraid. And don't forget…

"Don't forget what?!" I cried out as I tried to run away, skidding to a stop when I reached the edge of the platform. I was trapped.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, I finally turned to face the shadowy monster, readied the Keyblade, and ran forward. It slammed its fist on the floor and I leapt out of the way, but then a swirl of dark energy appeared at the point of impact and a few Heartless appeared. Rushing, I took out a couple of the smaller creatures before reaching the fist and slashing at it with all I had.

The monster withdrew its fist and knelt down. Getting rid of the last Heartless, I kept my focus on the monster, hacking and slashing at it until suddenly, the Keyblade disappeared! "What? No!" I exclaimed, watching as the creature stood up again. Frightened, I fell backwards, unsure of what to do.

…But don't be afraid.

Even as the voice spoke, darkness appeared beneath me and I struggled as I tried to escape.

You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget… even in the deepest darkness, there will always be light.

"No…" I whimpered as I reached out in a last-ditch effort to break free, but it was no use. The darkness swallowed me up, and I blacked out.

…

"AAHHH!" My eyes snapped open and I jolted up into a sitting position, breathing heavily. I placed a hand on my heart which was beating like crazy, and I was covered in sweat.

Glancing around, I saw that I was back in my bedroom and the sun shone outside my window. I could hear the waves hitting the beach. Breathing a sigh of relief, I fell back against my pillow. "That was some crazy dream…" I muttered before glancing at my alarm clock. The time was 8:00… and it was a school day!

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" I shouted as I leapt out of bed and dashed out of the room.

I almost ran right into my sister Mizuki, who was already in her high school uniform and ready to go. She's three years older than me with long raven hair and purple eyes. "About time you woke up, I was about to come get you," she commented, folding her arms.

Jogging in place, I said quickly, "Sorry sis! I'm gonna shower and change, just go ahead without me!" And with that, I ran around her to get possibly the fastest shower ever.

Once I had gotten ready, I grabbed my schoolbag and ran downstairs stopping only to greet my parents. "Morning Mom, morning Dad!"

"Sho, did you oversleep again?" Mom asked, her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, sorry! No breakfast for me today!" I blurted out as I put on my shoes. "I'm off! I love you! Bye!"

"Have a good day!" I heard Dad tell me, and seconds later I was out the door and racing down the beach, praying that I wouldn't be late for school… again.

Well, that's the prologue! Let me know what you think, and whether or not I should stay in the first-person POV. If you want to check out profiles for my original characters, as well as any others who will appear later, you can find them on my deviantART page under the same name as my pen name here. I hope you enjoyed it! ^^