A.N: So this is my first story! I know, weird ship. But I got tired of waiting for someone to ship Rikunzel too, so ta-da! I'm not a Native English speaker, so that might explain a few things :p Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter One

A starry night… Rapunzel had seen so many of those and not only had she enjoyed and admired them every single time, but had studied them and passionately kept track of the movement of the bright celestial bodies throughout the sky. Even the phases of the moon and different constellations were charted on the walls of the tower where she lived, and once every few nights, if she was lucky enough, she would add a new discovery.

That's how she could tell that this sky was completely different from the one she'd been used to for the past 17 years.

Pressing her eyes shut, the blonde grunted and took a hand to her throbbing head. The ground span and Rapunzel felt a wave of nausea kick in.

Was her mother still out? If only she were here maybe she could help her to her feet and walk her to her bed. Sadly that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Rapunzel's limbs felt numb and her aching back was leaning against something hard and cold. Her senses wouldn't stop buzzing.

Perhaps Pascal could do something to help her. It would be nice to have him for company now that she felt so woozy. He'd probably be taking a nap after devouring a whole basket of fruit. Too bad her voice refused to come out to call out to him. He was small, but he was capable of so much more than what his size suggested

She opened her eyes slowly, only to find a dark blurry image. The ground kept spinning.

Rapunzel told herself that once she felt better, she would prepare a delicious hazelnut soup. Yeah, that sounded nice. That would certainly make her feel better.

'Oh gosh, how could I fall asleep here?'

She blinked a couple of times in an attempt to clear her senses. Moving her arms little by little she gathered enough strength to push her back off the wall. However, the sudden movement sent the world spinning even more than before so she stopped for a moment to hold her head between her knees, hoping it would just stop already.

'Ugh, did I fall from the rafters? Maybe it's something I ate'

The sounds in the background gradually became clearer. Overcoming her dizziness and the weakness possessing her body, the blonde carefully came to her feet with the help of the wall, until she leaned against it. At first an awful wave of nausea kicked in, but she felt a small victory as the ground slowly returned to its natural state. She dusted off her dress as she usually would whenever she fell and, alarmed for a second, glanced at her long golden hair only to find it perfectly intact.

Nonetheless, there was one thing that even her foggy mind could tell for sure.

She was not in the tower anymore.

"Mother… Pascal…" Rapunzel turned around, frantically looking everywhere around her. Her stomach flipped and her heart pounded. Tears started to well up behind her eyes. Pressing them shut, she forced herself to remember anything from before she awakened. 'Okay, Rapunzel, you have to breathe. Breathe. That's right, breathe. Keep breathing. BREATHE. Okay, just CALM. DOWN.'

In spite of her best efforts, worst-case scenarios rushed into her head. Was she kidnapped? And by who? Was it because of her hair? No, that couldn't be, she wasn't tied or anything and no one was around. But how had she gotten there? Where was Pascal? And her mother? Were they okay? What if something had happened to them? Drops rolled down her cheeks and her throat tightened. 'No time for that now, Rapunzel. You can't know that, you're just being silly. M-mother knows how the world works and Pascal- and Pascal… he- he can hide! Right! He can hide. It's useless to worry now. I'm sure they're fine. Yes, of course they are! Think, just- think. You have to remember something. Anything.'

She thought so hard it gave her a headache. But then it hit her.

Shadows.

Pushing her emotions aside, she scanned her surroundings and found herself standing in a dark alley. Not that she could be certain, since she'd never been to one. A pair of old wooden boxes and a wooden wall blocking one end, while the other led to a more promising destiny where the light wasn't dim at all. Without hesitation, the young woman headed in that direction.

The light blinded her for a moment and she used her hand to shield her eyes until they adjusted. When they finally did, she gasped.

A wide esplanade lay just ahead, only a short downward flight of stairs away. To the right of it were some tables with chairs and small candles on them. A rustic and comfy restaurant. Big bright signs and colorful doors were scattered here and there, inviting costumers to nice-looking shops. Next to the stairs was a mail post with a large hat.

"Wow…" Walking forward, she whispered to herself as she glimpsed a colossal set of double-doors that looked like the main entrance. The whole place was so simple, yet breathtaking, with a warm, peaceful and quiet aura to it. Was she dreaming? Rapunzel knew she wasn't but suddenly everything seemed so surreal.

A tiny, tiny voice inside her spoke. It desperately begged her to go and explore every inch and every corner of the entire site. To go to the restaurant and try every single dish, to visit every single shop and buy things she doesn't really need, to talk to every single person in the place… It desperately asked her to take the chance.

The chance?

Then she snapped out of her thoughts and realization hit her. She was out of her tower.

Out. Of. The. Tower.

Guilt stirred inside her. How could she be thinking of that in a moment such as this? For all she knew Pascal and her mother could be in danger, and there she was, thinking of taking a tour.

Nonetheless, the blonde decided she would need as much help as she could get if she wanted answers, guidance, or anything! She could start by finding out the name of this kingdom. This had to be the one she'd been admiring from afar, right? Where else could she be? The only kingdom she'd ever known existed had to be this one.

And then a dark thought crossed her mind. It had only been a few hours right? Had it been days? No, of course not, now she was just being silly again.

The extravagant signs read 'Items', 'Jewerly' and 'Accessories.' She had to find her mother. She would be so worried. She resolved to enter the Accessories Shop.

She opened one of the doors and it creaked ever so slightly. "Hello?" She called hesitatingly, as she silently closed it behind her. The interior of the shop was neat and warm. To the left of the room, there was a wide window and a large green counter, whereas to her right a couple logs burned at a stone fireplace. There was an empty crystal displayer at the center of the room, which reflected the soft, orange glow of the fire. Rapunzel could stare at it for hours. Behind it, a ladder hung from the ceiling and in the far corner to the left were some comfy-looking couches and another large empty displayer attached to the wall. The blonde couldn't help but wonder why no merchandise was to be seen. New shop, perhaps?

Excitement rushed within her and she tried to hold it back. This was the first shop she'd ever seen. AND IT WAS A NEW ONE. How amazing was that?

"Comin'!" A male raspy voice replied from above. Rapunzel was a bit startled at first, but shrugged it off and allowed her eyes to keep wandering around the place. She was reminded of the situation she was in and her excitement was replaced with worry. It would be best if she found a way to keep calm. Surely Pascal and her mother would be fine.

Right?

Not long after, a man started coming down the ladder slowly, carrying a large pile of boxes with a bandaged arm. He stopped halfway down, whispering a curse, as he began struggling. Rapunzel placed herself right next to the ladder without a second thought. "That looks heavy. Can I help?"

"Ha!" He snorted, without glancing down. "You think ol' Cid can't handle this? Then you… know nothin'… about me…" Judging by the tense look of his body and the guttural noises he had apparently meant as words, it was obvious the man was in trouble.

Climbing to the green counter, Rapunzel threw one of her long strands of hair to the box at the top of the pile, tying it to the ladder as she did so.

"Wha-what you doin', lady?!" The man stammered, although Rapunzel couldn't tell if it was out of shock for what she just did with her hair or if it had anything to do with his pride. Probably both. "Just keep- going… down…!" The blonde grunted as she pulled her hair with all her might, barely lifting the top box, so that she could take enough weight from his injured arm and allow him to peacefully go down the rest of the steps. Unfortunately, the box was way heavier than she had expected.

"I-I can't-! My foot's stuck!" The man ranted. "Damn! Ma' arm!" He hissed. It didn't look like he would resist much longer. "Just... hold on…!" Rapunzel insisted, not as loudly as she would've liked, since she didn't think wasting her breath would be too convenient. If she lowered the box more than a few inches, she knew he wouldn't be able to maintain his balance due to the sudden weight of the box being on his arm again.

Suddenly, her feet started to give in too. Rapunzel tried to step back, but it was pointless. Her feet kept sliding bit by bit, until it was too late. She pressed her eyes shut, preparing for whatever happened next…

"Drift!"

In the blink of an eye, all the weight that she'd been struggling with was gone. She waited for the loud sound of boxes falling, the man crying out of pain, but nothing happened. The blonde popped her eyes open, only to find herself hovering inside a magnetic sphere that delicately landed her on the floor and then disappeared. Mouth wide open, Rapunzel observed from her position that Cid and all the boxes had landed gracefully (and safely) as well. "Wha- How-?"

"Magic." A deep, velvety voice responded from behind, before its owner helped her off the ground, his grip firm but gentle. Their eyes exchanged looks for a second. He seemed about her age, maybe a bit older, at least 4 inches taller than her. His build was muscular, short silver hair and bangs falling right above his aquamarine eyes. Rapunzel thought for a brief moment that she was staring at one of those tropical seas she'd read the description of in one of her books back at the tower. This had to be the color she'd never been truly able to imagine.

Still not letting her go, the corner of his lip turned up. The young man blinked twice, finally letting go of the girl, as Cid emitted one of his guttural sounds. "Cid, are you all right?" Their savior inquired, as he hurried to the man's side. Rapunzel followed his lead.

"Riku! O' course I am! I ain't hurt. No more than ma' pride, anyway." Cid replied with a cocky grin, as Riku helped him to his feet. "I looked for you everywhere in Radiant Garden, but Leon and Yuffie told me you were here" Riku commented, letting him go.

Cid shook his head. "A friend o' mine told me he'd many clients here, so I thought why the hell not? Only while ma' arm recovers. But I guess we've both seen how that turned out." He explained and turned to Rapunzel, before Riku could say another word. "Wait, I still have a customer. What can ol' Cid do for ya, lady?"

Rapunzel lumbered close to him, her eyes full of guilt. "Are you sure you're okay, sir? It's my fault, I'm so sorry" She lowered her gaze, as the blond man grinned sympathetically.

"Hey, Blondie, it was ma' fault" He laughed dryly. "It's thanks to you and that… hair of yours that I'm fine." His gaze discretely followed the trail of hair behind her, although he seemed to dismiss the thought almost immediately. He'd given up understanding women many years ago. "And you can call me Cid" He winked. "So, what can I do for ya?"

The young woman inhaled. "What… kingdom are we in?" Cid narrowed his eyes and Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Kingdom? Uh, you're in, uh, Traverse Town." Cid responded. "Is that…all?"

"No! It's just that… I don't know how I… ended up here." She sighed "I was with my best friend in my…" She paused briefly to choose her words. "Home and suddenly- Look, this may sound crazy and all but all I can remember is everything being covered up by… shadows." She almost whispered that last word in frustration, acknowledging how weird she might sound. "And I don't know if my mother's okay, or where my friend is." Fighting her tears from coming out again, she looked up only to find Cid studying her with understanding eyes, while there was something deadly serious about the way Riku examined her. Both of them exchanged a nod.

"What's your name again, Blondie?" Cid asked. "I'm Rapunzel." The confused girl stated, alternating her gaze from one man to the other.

"Where are you from, Rapunzel?" Riku stepped forward, speaking in an almost solemn voice.

"Kingdom of Corona" She mumbled.

The silverette crossed his arms and shut his eyes. 'So it is true. Worlds are still being lost to darkness…' He thought bitterly to himself. He would have to report the name of such kingdom ('world' would be the right term) to master Yen Sid. As a Keyblade Master, it was his duty to look out for the well-being of the worlds, and that especially meant to keep the balance between light and darkness, which absolutely didn't include worlds being lost to the latter.

"Can you tell me anything else about these shadows? It's extremely important."

"I… I'm sorry. That's all I got." A painful expression spread across Rapunzel's face, as she fervently wished to remember with clarity the unfolding of such events. But no matter how hard she tried, everything was a blur. Only then, Riku's features softened.

"C'mon! You gotta help 'er, man." Cid slapped lightly Riku's back, but he shook his head. "I can't. I'm on a mission." Even if his face said otherwise, the silverette's heart flinched. He wanted to help. He knew how difficult it had been to Kairi and Sora to lose their world. Their home. Even if he didn't feel it at the time and came to feel it much later. Nonetheless, Yen Sid wouldn't be happy if he found out that a mission strictly related to the universal well-being had been postponed just because the new Keyblade Master chose to help one girl that reminded him of one of his own old wounds. His new duty demanded a level of responsibility that wasn't always compatible with individual good.

Cid shot a glare to Riku. "Look, I know why you're here, dude. I ain't installin' a single gummi block for you, 'til you agree to take Blondie here with you."

As if that made things any easier.

"Cid," He gave him a patient look "you have to understand. It isn't because I don't want to help, it's because it's dange-"

A terrifying scream came from outside and both of the entrance doors flew open. Rapunzel gasped at what lied beneath.

Four shadowy creatures desperately approached the three people in the room. Riku summoned a sword-like weapon out of thin air and in a matter of seconds the small intruders were gone with three slashes of his blade. Cid stepped up next to him once it was over.

"Heartless? What are they doin' here?" It wasn't hard for Rapunzel to notice the tone of worry in his voice.

"I don't know" Riku turned to Cid. "I have to talk to Yen Sid. This changes everything".

"Watch out!" Rapunzel yelled just in time for another Heartless to be gone with a quick strike of Riku's blade. But it wasn't the only one. Soon many others started to flood the room.

"Where are they comin' from?!" Cid complained, as he managed to vanish two of them with one strong kick.

"They aren't even fighting back, they just keep dodging. It's like they're trying to-" Riku's eyes widened, before he glanced briefly at the girl standing now at the bottom of the room. Cid followed his gaze and needn't more explanations.

They were after her heart.

Five minutes later, there were no Heartless left. Rapunzel approached her two protectors, holding her hair in case they all needed to run. She was speechless.

"Soon there'll be more." Riku said, not tired at all after the small battle. He locked his eyes with Cid's. "We have to get out of here and-"

"Take this, man." Cid threw a small elastic piece that came from his pocket and landed in Riku's hands. "It's my baby you got there, so listen to me. You gotta go to a world named Montressor. There's a guy there who owes me a favor. He'll install that gummi block for you if you tell him I sent ya'. It'll provide improved armor, increased acceleration and greater firepower." He looked briefly at Rapunzel before returning his gaze to Riku. "It'll also show you the way to unexplored worlds. I'll take care of things around 'ere".

"You sure you'll be alright?" Riku inquired not forgetting about the man's injured arm.

"Who do you think I am, kiddo? 'sides someone has to stay and do some research. I'll get Leon and the others to come. We'll be fine" Cid pretended to hit his jaw with his fist.

"Very well then." The silverette examined the piece in his hands. "What's the name of the guy in Montressor?"

"His name's Jim Hawkins. You'll know when you see him"

"Jim Hawkins. Got it. Thanks, man." Riku nodded, before turning to face the blonde, who had been trying to listen as much as she could before making any questions. "Rapunzel, there's no time to explain right now, but those shadows that you saw before are called Heartless. I don't know why they're after you, but if you come with me maybe we can find out what happened to your home and your friends. I promise to explain more once we're safe"

Everything was so confusing. It's not like she had a choice, anyway. What else was she supposed to do? If she tried finding someone else, she might get attacked by those Heartless again in the process and she definitely had noticed that they were especially after her. What could she have possibly done to deserve that much attention from those terrible creatures? Besides Riku and Cid seemed to be telling the truth. They had even protected her. This could be her only chance to actually get some help.

"Okay." She sighed before turning to Cid. "Thank you for everything" She offered him a smile. "And sorry about before" She shrugged, still feeling a bit guilty.

"Hey, don't even mention it, Blondie. I should be thanking ya'. Maybe those boxes were too heavy after all" He chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head. "I hope you find your mother and your friend. Good luck!"

"Thanks" With one last grin, Rapunzel followed the aquamarine-eyed young man to the exit of the shop.

"Huh… you know, that's the first time I actually see headstrong Cid admitting that something's too heavy for him. You must have made quite the impression" Riku confessed, trying to make the mood lighter, as he followed the way to the gummi ship.

"Really? He seems quite nice and easygoing" Rapunzel replied kindly.

"He's a nice guy, I give you that much." Riku inspected the surroundings, but everything seemed to be clear, at least for now. "C'mon, we've gotta hurry"

Rapunzel nodded and followed his pace, not holding her hair anymore. Riku tried to keep a reasonable speed. After all, he did not know how fast she could run, especially with a hair that long… So far, it didn't seem like she was having any trouble following him.

Deep inside, Rapunzel was excited about the adventure that seemed to lie ahead. After all, all her life she'd been eager to leave the tower and get to know the world.

Except she was about to take on an adventure that would take her, not just one, but to many, many worlds.