Aoi Hyoudou: First things first: Remake FTW! Hopefully, it will be a big improvement from the original due to a lot of changes had to be made in order for it to work. With that being said, enjoy this short prologue to the series. *Spoiler alert* It's connected to Ash's past.

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The Dream

It's never easy to accept reality.

A funeral.

The same, cruel existence, which was once bestowed with promising hopes and wondrous dreams.

Gravestones.

A ray of light shattered by the unbearable darkness.

Storm of strangers.

Two broken souls swallowed by the sea of sorrow.

One boy.

One girl.

Together they fall, together they…

The girl weeps.

Tears of anguish erupt in the glooming, grey sky.

The boy remains strong.

On this tragic day, the boy and the girl lost their parents to what man calls…reality.

"Those poor children…," a short, elderly woman in black said with an aching heart, watching the little four year old girl with red hair collapse with grief.

"And so young…," added a bearded man in black with a red scarf. "But we must remember that their hearts will only grow strong as long as they are full of light." He stared at the five year old boy with messy black hair staring blankly at the gravestones.

"What do you propose we should do?"

"The only thing we can do…watch quietly over them as they step forward into the future."

The old woman and the man agreed in silence.

The little girl continued to cry as her older brother struggled to keep his composure, but kept a good grip around her hand for comfort.

They are alone, but…they still have each other.

He had to be strong for her, to give her some kind of hope to keep on living.

"Kairi."

His little sister continued to cry.

"I know you're sad. I'm sad, too. Mom…and Dad are gone, but you need to be strong. I need to be strong for you."

"But, but…" She choked between tears.

"I know the world is scary. I'm scared, too, but if we have each other, there's nothing to worry about, right?"

The tears stopped as the little girl slowly glanced up at her big brother with wet tears still sliding down from her cheeks. "You really mean it?"

"Of course!" He grinned. "You're my little sister and I'm your big brother. I have to take care of you like mom and dad said."

"Big…brother."

"I promise we'll always be together and I'll protect you from bad things."

"You really promise?"

"Of course! A big brother never lies to his little sister. I love you, Kairi."

The little girl took his words to heart and smiled. "I love you too, A-"

"Honey, wake up! Breakfast is ready!" a familiar voice suddenly shouted.

A pair of auburn eyes immediately opened as Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town jolted straight up from his bed, covered in cold sweat. He clutched his forehead as he could feel his heart pounding rapidly thanks to the unexpected awakening from his mother who was calling out to him from downstairs. It took a moment for the sixteen year old to finally calm down and relax, allowing his heartbeat to return to normal. When he was sure that he was safe and sound in his room, he slowly fell back to his pillow and pressed his right forearm against his forehead, staring upright at the ceiling with a dazed expression on his face.

'That dream again…' He briefly shut his eyes and exhaled a tired sigh.

It was the fifth time this week he had that strange dream.

He couldn't explain why it was haunting him.

He didn't have this problem before until…he came home from his journey after competing in the Kalos League, taking second place and parting ways from Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena.

It was almost like a part of him had finally awakened from its s-

"Ash!" his mother shouted again.

"I'll be down in a minute, mom!"

Jeez!

Mothers these days…

A/N: Well, there you have it! A brief preview what to expect later down the road. Also, care to guess who were those two adults in the dream? I'm sure it's obvious. Next up, Ash's getting a…Keyblade?!

P.S. – Give the proofreading and editing credit to my beta-reader, Vandenbz.

Aoi Hyoudou (formerly known as Johan07)