Hello, everyone! Lilith here.

Well, here it is, the starter for the next storyline: Fractured Hearts! I said that I would get a start on it within November at minimum, and I've delivered it before the holidays can rear its head.

Now, as a reminder for those of you who are wondering how this one will go, the storyline will have Luna and each of her replacement companions keeping themselves busy with world exploration and any hijinks I decide to throw in whenever I feel like it. However, I can assure my readers that I will regardless make sure that something within 358/2 Days is preserved, if to maintain the integrity of the important plot elements.

And given what I've said regarding how the story will go this time around, newcomers should know that later chapters will be presenting worlds chosen by reviewers who have taken liberties to provide suggestions for Disney worlds to explore. Also, keep vigil for potential Final Fantasy guest characters, for I might drop in some when you least expect it.

Anyway, with these announcements out of the way, I'm gonna work on creating the cover, and ready the next chapter when I have the chance. With the latter, I might have a little surprise for you guys, one that I hope will be unexpected for my lovely readers. :p

So without further ado, enjoy your first step in the next story!

I own nothing of Kingdom Hearts except my OCs.

Read, leave me a review, but flames are unacceptable.

Prologue: Relocation

Luna never thought she would have to return to the pod room where her friends are kept for safekeeping. She was sure that Sora, Donald and Goofy would be safe while in the care of her new friend, Naminé. But when she heard from Naminé that she and her companions are required to meet with DiZ regarding urgent matters, they had to return to Castle Oblivion and find out what the situation is.

After leaving Castle Oblivion, Luna and Medea, now accompanied by her childhood friend Riku, her birth mother Noir, and newest companion Nero, they've been traveling around for some time along with Mickey. However, a problem reared its ugly head: the darkness that Riku had fought against is still there within him. Even though he had beaten Ansem, there is still the threat looming somewhere inside him. Eventually, he parted ways with Mickey in order to attempt to handle the problem on his own. But when he tried to explain to Luna and the others of his intentions to separate from them, Luna adamantly refused to be parted with Riku after having tried to find him since closing the door, insisting that he's the only connection to the islands she still has with Sora out of commission. Her loyal Shadow Guardian, Medea, joined in the argument with a warning that if he ever tried to leave her master behind, then she's going to do whatever it takes to find him and drag him back. Noir shared the same sentiment, and like any mother would do, she insisted that she didn't want to be fretting over his wellbeing when he's somewhere far away. Nero's argument is that if Riku left, there's a good chance that their enemy, the Organization, would likely be able to track down the rest of the party and get their chance to exact revenge for the sabotage at Castle Oblivion – or at the very least, have higher success at kidnapping and terminating anyone who has been targeted. Needless to say, the arguments presented were enough to convince Riku to let them stick around until circumstances say otherwise.

Now, they are back in the pod room where Naminé and DiZ are looking on at the pod where Sora sleeps. Riku now wears a blindfold over his eyes, which he had supposedly chosen to use to maintain some level of control. Everyone else remained the same – for the most part.

Not long after they arrived, Naminé immediately greeted Luna with a warm embrace like she missed a friend she hasn't spoken to in a long while.

"I'm glad you're here," she said quietly.

"We heard there's a problem," Luna replied, "How could we ignore it?"

"That's true…" Naminé agreed.

Another new friend, Naminé is a blond-haired girl wearing a simple white sleeveless dress and light blue sandals. Although the new enemy had initially used her in an attempt to deceive Luna and Sora using her power to meddle with memories during their time in Castle Oblivion, the two were luckily saved by her intervention and subsequently able to take down the mastermind behind the attempt to enforce his control on them, Marluxia. Since then, Naminé has been making amends to them by working on restoring Sora's memories one at a time.

The other acquaintance, DiZ, is a peculiar man to speak of. He is an enigma, garbed in red and black robing from head to toe, every part of him decorated in unusual trimming, and his face wrapped almost completely in a red bandage save for one eye and his mouth. When he came into the picture, nobody knew what to make of the man. Who is really is and what his agenda is, no one knows for sure. All they know is that he knows something about the Organization, and he gave the impression that he has some awareness about some of the people that have encountered him thus far.

But now, it seems like there's been new developments that need to be addressed immediately in the wake of identifying the identity of their enemy – the Organization. Given what they knew thus far, it wouldn't be farfetched if someone brought up the potential danger approaching them by the day.

Immediately, Medea got straight to the point. "So why the hell are we here, old man?"

"You should know why," DiZ answered, "With some of the Organization's members eliminated, those that remain are making changes in their objectives. However, that doesn't mean any of us are safe from them."

"Namine, is DiZ implying that Sora and company are still at risk?" Nero asked.

She nodded, confirming the suspicions. "Yes…I'm afraid so, Nero."

"I don't understand," Noir spoke up with uncertainty, "Weren't those members that operated the castle defeated by Sora, Luna and Riku, respectively?"

"Actually…" Luna started to reply. But then, she stopped herself because she didn't want to voice her ideas about Axel while DiZ is in the room. "…Never mind. I don't know what I was thinking…"

"I think I know where this is going. You're thinking that the Organization might have another plot," Riku speculated, "and you want us to help not only monitor their movements, but also to ensure that Sora is kept out of their reach. Is that what you're trying to say, DiZ?"

He didn't give an answer to the suspicions Riku gave out. He didn't have to reply. The silence that permeated out of him spoke volumes on what the answer is; he does want them involved in his aim against the Organzation. But, for what reason does he want them to get involved with him at all?

Medea frowned in displeasure. "Oh, I get it now. You, mister, are too afraid to do whatever little dirty work you would've loved to do yourself, so you're asking us to join forces with you because we've got giant targets on our backs because of those Organization bozos that are out there somewhere. And I'll wager that you also want us to do the dirty work until the kid wakes up from however the hell long his nap's gonna be. Am I on the right track on what's making your head tick?"

"If Sora is to regain his memories sooner, then yes," DiZ replied with a twinge of displeasure at her remarks. "Working together would be considered the lesser of two evils, wouldn't it? At the very least, it would ensure that one of you does not find yourself immediately detected by anyone in the Organization, let alone abducted and held prisoner at the bequest of the leader of the group."

None of them want to admit it all that much, but he had a point when he said that collaborating with him would make it a little more difficult for anyone in the Organization to track them down while they're still active. After all, it would help them keep tabs on Naminé's restoration progress, and it would also ensure Sora and his memories can be recovered without fear of him being too vulnerable – which could extend to Donald and Goofy, who are also in the same slumber respectively. The other matter is that, given what Riku and Noir know from Nero, Luna is still being targeted by the Organization for unknown reasons; though the details regarding the subject are vague at best, there is still the risk. And besides, if what Luna herself understood from Zexion is anything to go by, then it's very likely their leader might have a few plans arranged to attempt hunting her down.

"…Alright. We'll play along," Riku agreed to the deal, but with some caution. "At least until Sora's memories have been fully recovered."

"I suppose there's no other choice, is there?" Noir reluctantly agreed. She then turned to DiZ with a warning stare. "But know this: if you do anything – or you so much as attempt to do anything – to endanger anyone under our watch, I promise you that you will have to answer to one of us."

DiZ raised a brow at her. "Someone's returned to being the mother again, I see."

However, there is one thing that immediately started to bother Luna. If they want to keep Sora and the others hidden from sight as long as possible, then where should they go? Since returning to the islands is not an option for everyone, and it might be difficult to consider going to Hollow Bastion to go into hiding without placing the people she and Sora met before in peril of the Organization. Staying in Castle Oblivion wouldn't be the best idea either, more so since she and Medea know what manner of problems the castle would cause them to an extent if they stayed there yet again – that, and there is something here that they can't divulge to anyone without risking spilling the beans to the wrong ears.

"But where could we go?" she wondered, "We don't have a lot of hiding places we can choose from…"

"Yeah, my sentiment exactly," Medea agreed with her, "Where the hell can we go to hide away from the guys trying to find us, or at the least blend in until the coast is clear?"

Namine looked over to Nero as he stood in contemplation. "Nero…any ideas?"

For a moment, he didn't respond as he tapped his cheek in deep thinking. But then, a thought crossed Nero's mind as he raised a finger up like he found a solution and wants to share it to his peers.

"I might know a world we can stay at until further notice," he answered.

Riku turned to him, interested. "Does it concern a location we've seen in the card-worlds, particularly one we didn't know about that well?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, it does," Nero replied confidently, "Maybe most of you don't know the place, but I want to believe it will serve as a solid place of refuge until we know whether Sora will wake up. Besides, most of the residents probably wouldn't think twice about finding new faces walking around the streets on a regular basis."

"I think I know where you're going with this…" Noir had reason to suspect the topic.

"Nero, are you talking about that town we saw?" Luna asked innocently, "That town with a perpetual sunset and filled with streets, and with an empty mansion and a clock tower that towers above everything else?" She paused to realize she didn't know the name of the place despite knowing the little details. "Um…what was that town called? I don't think I learned what it was called…"

"Me neither," Medea added.

Nero shook his head with a chuckle. He should've known that the girls never got to know what the name of the town, mostly due to the stressing situation with their enemy and the memory problem. He only gave Riku and Noir the basics of what the location is, and even then, he was rather vague about it. Perhaps now is the time to provide a clear suggestion on a world to hide within while there is the chance.

"I was going to suggest that we hide in that world we've only glimpsed a small portion of," Nero replied, "If we need a place to stay, only one world can do that for us: Twilight Town."