Title: Called Out in the Dark

Summary: As a child, he was thrown into darkness. It wasn't long until he was found by DiZ, the man who raised them. Not long after that, Aqua found them. It didn't take long for the two of them to discover he was the Key to their way home. But… should they even want to return home? The universe is in shambles and the two heroes working to save it aren't enough.

Note: Came up with this crazy idea. Kind of really loved it. You guys should love it, too.

Three children were building a sand castle when it happened. The two boys were arguing over who would be king of the castle, while the girl placed sea shell pieces in place of windows. The girl was their new friend, one that hadn't been with them for more than a year, but they still fought to impress her. But she was made of more stuff than that, which was something the boys didn't understand. It took a lot to impress her. Even if she couldn't remember much of life before Destiny Island, it was like she had seen everything.

"I'm stronger, I should be the king." Proclaimed the older boy of six. He was a boy with silver hair and light blue eyes that rivaled the peek of day. He was very competitive, but also very protective. He believed he was only trying to help his younger friend become stronger. Strength was something he always admired and strived for.

"No fair, Riku! I should be. My dad brings us here!" If only because Riku's father was no longer in the picture and his mother worked hard. The younger's father had taken it upon himself to give Riku a father figure, which is why the boys had become inseparable. The younger of five had unruly brown hair and blue eyes as well, but so very different from his friend's. His eyes were the blue of the ocean they played beside as the sky grew darker. Rich and vivid, yet, always alive and shining. He was called Sora.

"Why does the castle have to have a king?" The girl, also of five asked. "Couldn't it just be a castle?" She had grown used to these two arguing. It was something they did more often then not. They were at odds, but it seemed they enjoyed it that way. She learned by observing the two of them. Riku and Sora were best friends and only grew closer because they fed off of each other. Riku wanted his friend to grow and Sora wanted to be strong like Riku. But, they fought on the meaning of strength. Riku was physical. Sora was emotional. When Riku knocked Sora down, he got right back up.

"Somebody has to rule it," Riku said as he put his hands on his hips matter-of-factly.

"But there's no people to rule," the girl pointed out. "So, the king would only rule a castle and there's no fun in that."

The boys looked at each other. They often wondered how she knew so much about royalty and kingdoms. The two of them speculated maybe she came from a place that was ruled by a kingdom. And maybe she was actually part of the royal family. So, they gave her a nickname.

"Princess Kairi's right," Sora smirked. "You can be the king."

"Hey!"

Kairi giggled as the new argument came up, this time, saying the opposite. They insisted the other should be king. Kairi brushed her short red hair from her face as her deep blue eyes surveyed their work. Eh, she thought. It didn't look like the castles she'd imagined. But it was pretty darn good.

"Kids!" They turned up to face a man who looked much like his son. "Everyone doing okay? No fighting, right?"

"We're fine, Dad." Sora insisted. They hadn't brought out their wooden swords to spar with just yet.

The man and a few of the other men of their village were building a playground on the island. They had drawn up plans after they noticed some teenagers going to the island at an increasing rate. So, the man would bring the children to the island while he and a few other worked on it. At the moment, they were building platforms to connect a deck to a tree house. The work was shoddy, but none of them were exactly architects. In fact, the man was a simple fisherman. But he was happy to try and build a better future for his son.

"Just making sure."

The three went back to work, as did Sora's father. As Kairi made a few touches to the castle, Sora and Riku began to dig out a moat. They still discussed who would live in the castle and who would visit and what kind of parties they would have. There would be jousting events and ancient games reenacted.

Life was simple and sweet. Three best friends stuck in a small town with nothing but the ocean and their imagination. They were good at pretend and good at questioning the world around them. Sweet children with kind hearts, they knew they would be together forever. They didn't want it any other way.

Unfortunately, you couldn't always have it your way. A happy ending just… wasn't always in the cards.

"Sora?" the boy perked at the sound of his name. The voice was foreign, one he had not heard before. A woman's voice, deep and imbued with confidence. He tried to turn to face the person that had called him, but he was quickly snatched by his collar and pulled from his feet. He cried out in shock and fear. Sharp nailed scratched him through his shirt as the woman that held him up asked again. "Is your name Sora?"

"Sora!" Riku and Kairi cried before they reached for him. Riku ran for his friend, but was pushed back by… some sort of force field. He yelled in shock or pain as he fell back into the sand.

The woman chuckled. "So small. So weak. You'll never survive."

Fear wracked his little body. He looked up towards where his father was working. He saw his father. He met his father's eyes as the man ran from his place, trying his fastest to make his way to his boy. Sora tried to call out to him, but he couldn't breathe. His shirt snagged his throat, but before he could try and gasp for air, he was hurtled into darkness.

He screamed. It was all he knew how to do. He screamed as he fell into black sand and all the light disappeared. He didn't know where he was or how he got there, but he was sure if he screamed loud enough and long enough his father would find him and bring him home. That strange woman would be gone and Riku and Kairi would be safe.

He screamed until his throat hurt and screamed some more. He wasn't hurt. He wasn't bleeding. But he was alone. Alone in a strange, dark place. He didn't bother looking around because he knew he wouldn't be alone for long.

He screamed until his little lungs finally gave out. And then, he cried. He cried and sobbed and couldn't breathe. It was so hard to breathe because now, it was clear he wouldn't be found. He wasn't somewhere anyone would find him because one minute, he was home, the next, he wasn't. The crying was what finally did it. He was so stuffed with snot and tears and mucus, he passed out. He had never cried that long. Usually, he was calmed down by someone that that didn't happen. He didn't actually think that what his grandmother told him would happen could happen, but it did.

Nobody was there to tell him to breathe. Nobody was there to wipe the tears. Nobody was there to hug him and tell him it would be okay. And when he finally woke up, he was still alone.

He was cold. He shook and held himself as he wiped his face with his shirt. If nobody was going to find him… maybe he should go find somebody.

So, he walked along the beach. He walked, his shaking legs barely carrying him as he followed the coastline of this beach with black sand and dark waters and a cavernous sky. How long had he been there? A few hours? He didn't know. He couldn't tell because the sky was so dark. There was no sun. No stars or a moon. Just infinite blackness.

He tried to call out for his father. His mother. His friends. No one answered. His voice was leaving him. Then, it was barely a whisper. His legs gave out. His tears were drying up. And he sat before the water. Calm water, not unlike the water at home. Slow, small waves lapped at his feet and the boy began to resign to his fate.

He was going to live here. For the rest of his life. Alone, forever. But it wouldn't be long, he figured. He didn't have a fishing pole to catch fish. He didn't have wood or a match to start a fire. He didn't have a bed to sleep in or fresh water to drink (which he so desperately wanted at the moment). He would die and it wouldn't take long.

And he'd be alone.

He laid there, on the beach, for a long-long time. Waiting for fate to take him. He slipped in and out of sleep, unsure of how long he really slept for. He'd have panic attacks, right where he was. He would start crying and screaming again, hoping someone would find him. He was sure it had been days. Why hadn't his father found him yet? Hadn't he told him that if he ever got lost, all he had to do was stay put and he'd be found?

That was when he began to realize. He wasn't hungry. He hadn't been hungry. Maybe he was just so hungry his stomach became numb from hunger. He also hadn't had to go to the bathroom. Not that there was a bathroom to use, but it made him curious. It was probably all the delusion from hunger and thirst.

Maybe if he got to a high place… someone would see him. Sora got up again, dragging his feet as he pushed himself to find a boulder he could climb. When he finally found one, he struggled, kicking off his sandals as he did so. He felt so weak from all the crying. He sat on top until his bum hurt too much to sit anymore. He slid down until he felt better and climbed back up. It went like this for a long time.

He missed his father. He missed his mother. He missed his friends. He missed his bed. He missed his room. He missed his toys. He missed school. He missed his teacher. He missed his grandparents. He missed the sky and the ocean and Destiny Island.

But this place seemed large. From his place, he could see mountains and buildings in the distance, opposite of the dark waters. And, if he squinted, he could see the other side of them. There wasn't much around him plant wise. Dead grass. Some deader trees. More rocks with crazy shapes. But, there were buildings. Maybe there were people there. It seemed so far. He wondered if his little legs could ever get him there.

He contemplated. He was told if he was lost, he should stay put. Someone would find him, he was told. Someone would find him. Even if he was so far from where people should be. Maybe, just for a little while longer. Just a bit. Only a little longer.

And he was right to wait there. While he got up and down from the rock more times than he could count and finally stopped crying for longer than an hour, he was eventually found. Unfortunately, it wasn't his father. But it was a man he would soon grow to think of as one. Together, they were no longer alone.

"Hello up there." Sora looked down to the man who's face was shortly forgotten. "I saw your light. One that shines brighter than a star, I'd say."

Sora frowned. "I'm lost. Can you help me find my dad?"

"Where did you last see him?"

Sora hugged himself. "We were on the 'play island,' he calls it. He was building stuff."

"He is not in this realm, then?"

Sora shrugged. "I dunno. I haven't seen him for… a while." His vision began to blur and he rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them. "I wanna go home."

"Will you come down, little one?"

Sora knew he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. But this man's voice was kind. Gentle and easy to trust. He carefully climbed down, the man assisting him once he was within reach. When he reached the sand, the man crouched to his level, his eyes softening. Sora knew he was only going to hear bad news.

"Child, do you know where you are?" Sora shook his head. "This is the Realm of Darkness. There is no way out. I'm afraid I cannot take you home, as I so badly would like to. How did you find yourself here, child?"

His head spin. No way home? Was he… was he trapped here forever? For the rest of his life with nobody but this strange man? He began to shake, terrified. He just wanted to go home.

"I… I don't know." Sora stammered. His voice was growing thick with emotion. His voice hurt from all the crying and screaming previously. "There was this lady. She threw me here."

"Did she explain why?"

"N-N-Noooo," he wailed. "I want my daaaaaad!"

"There, there." The man placed his hand on Sora's shoulder. "Child, calm down. You're going to choke if you go on like that."

Sora tried. He tried his hardest to calm and it was much easier with someone there. He was no longer alone in this strange, dark place. Company had found him and if he were to spend eternity with someone, he was glad this man was so kind. After a few moments of the man hushing him and rubbing his back, he had quieted to silent tears.

"We're going to be here for a while, little one. What should I call you?"

"S-Sora."

"Well, Sora. Come with me. I will explain everything."