At the nighttime version of the Final World, Hikari woke up and looked around. "This place..." Then, she looked at herself. "At least...I'm all here." Finally, Hikari noticed that no one is here and shouts, "Heeey! Is anyone out there? Hellooo!"

As Hikari listens, a voice spoke. "Hey." It became sightly loud. "Hey."

Hikari was relieved as she looked up. "Who's that?"

"Where are you?" The voice asked.

"Over here!" Hikari shouted as she ran over to a stranger figure which was a young man.

"I see you," the young man said as he walked over to Hikari.

Hikari was surprised as she looked at the young man. She knew that he looked familiar. "Hey, aren't you—"

"You know me?" The young man said looking curious.

Hikari remembered what Rex had mentioned back at Toy Box. "Yeah, you're Yozora, right?"

Yozora was surprised. "How do you know that? Who are you?"

"I'm Hikari," Hikari introduced. "And actually...there's something I have to ask you—"

Yozora gasped. "Hikari? You're Hikari?"

Hikari was amazed. "Huh? You know who I am?"

"Sure, I've heard of you," Yozora said calmly.

Hikari frowned a bit. "If you're here, then this can't be the real world, can it? But wait, that girl, she told me about you. Maybe you are real after all."

Yozora looked slightly angry. "Are you done? No, this isn't the real world, and I am here. But this isn't what I really look like. How'd you recognize me as Yozora?"

"What are you asking me about?" Hikari asked, looking a bit scared.

"Why are you using Hikari's name?" Yozora asked.

"Because...I am Hikari," Hikari frowned. "And I'm a Princess of Kingdom Hearts."

"If you are who you say, and it was fate that brought us here..." Yozora clenched his fist. "...then...my path is clear." He summoned his gun-like weapon.

"What?" Hikari gulped as Yozora aims his weapon at her and the scenery changes into a cityscape with lots of building, similar to Shibuya. "Hey! Wait!"

"I accidentally wandered into this place, and went through some trials," Yozora explained. "Then, I was told to "save Hikari.""

Hikari's eyes widened. "Huh?! Then what's with the weapon?"

Yozora summons a red glowing sword and prepares for battle. "Time to end this."

Hikari summoned her Counterpoint Keyblade and battles Yozora for the first time. She did her best by dodging his attacks.

After the battle, Yozora was defeated and looked at his hand as he starts to fade away. "I guess...that my powers aren't needed yet."

"What do you mean?" Hikari frowned.

Yozora smiled a bit before fading away. "Never mind."

After Yozora faded away, Hikari was soon back at the Final World.

Meanwhile... a man shouts at Yozora. "Commander! Commander!"

As Yozora woke up, a man who sounded like Luxord spoke to him. "Impressive, is it not?"

Hikari's voice spoke. "I've been—"

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately," Yozora continued.

"Like, is any of this for real or not?" Yozora and Hikari said at the same time.

Hikari frowned. "None of this...makes sense to me."

Meanwhile at Ansem the Wise's lab in Radiant Garden, Even and Ozuru noticed the static on the computer screen. "What's happening!?"

"I don't know, Even," Ozuru said.

"Me neither," Ienzo agreed. "And just when things were going well."

"They were," Rini said, "But..."

"Something's wrong. Shut it down!" Ansem the Wise ordered.

Soon... Hiromi woke up and found herself at the Final World. "This place..." She walked around and started to have a flashback. A long time ago after she lost her husband and her two daughters, she was fighting off Heartless and protecting young Kairi until she saw Terra-Xehanort arriving.

Inside the castle, Terra-Xehanort placed both Hiromi and Young Kairi in the pods and explained only to Hiromi. "This world will be engulfed in darkness—everything you care about and everyone you love. If you truly are the queen of Kingdom Hearts, your heart will resonate with a princess of Kingdom Hearts's, and I believe you can lead me to that princess's world. That is the only possible way to save ours. You see, this is more than an experiment—it's hope. Like most, you probably believe that nothing exists outside of this world you live in. And yet, there are countless other worlds. You can see them sparkle brilliantly in the night sky. Through that sea of stars, fate will guide your ship to where you are meant to be. However, if you arrive in a world that's neither of light nor darkness, but somewhere on the other side, your task will be far from easy. If that happens, you must abandon your search—we have failed." The two pods began taking off.

As the flashback ended, Hiromi opened her eyes and sees the special crystal which broke into seven pieces. She began floating after them and grabbing the six pieces until she sees a stranger in a black coat. "Who are you? Show your face!"

The stranger in the black coat, revealed himself as the spirit of Master Xehanort and holds up his hand to stop Hiromi, who summoned her Keyblade. "Not so fast, Your Majesty."

Hiromi glared at Master Xehanort's spirit. "You're the one who tore my family apart and keeps messing with my fate. If it weren't for everything that you've done, then my daughter and the rest of my family and my friends would be safe. Even if you're not really here and this is just a memory or illusion...I won't let you walk away!"

Master Xehanort's spirit smirked. "You're right, I set you adrift in another world and drastically altered the course of your fate. In the end you made a reckless sacrifice, paving the way for Princess Hikari's disappearance."

Hiromi fights Master Xehanort who grabbed her Keyblade and lifts her up. "You've become quite the Keyblade Master! Back when you were a little girl, Eraqus and your father prepared you remarkably well."

Hiromi released her Keyblade and summons it again as she continued to fight Master Xehanort.

Master Xehanort stopped Hiromi for a moment. "This world was created from the memories contained within your heart. You seek clues to your daughter's whereabouts by using your memories of her to search through your own heart. But there's nothing for you to find here. I'm afraid the answer you seek lies in memories that are long gone."

Hiromi was tossed into the air and summoned her Keyblade, charging towards Master Xehanort. "I have had enough of this!"

Master Xehanort dodges Hiromi's attacks and then summoned his own Keyblade to block the attack and knock her back. As he was about to finish off Hiromi, he noticed that she's wielding Hikari's Counterpoint Keyblade. "Ah, look who joined us."

Hiromi stands up as she shape-shifts into her daughter, Hikari.

Master Xehanort smirked as he prepares for battle. "As I thought, your voice can't reach us here. Now I'm certain of where your heart is."

The two fight each other to the bitter end.

After the battle, the last crystal piece flew out of Master Xehanort's body and onto Hikari's hand.

Hiromi returned to her normal self and smiled. "Thank you... Hikari."

"On the day that I sent you out from your world... Do you remember what it is I said to you?" Master Xehanort asked. "Those words hold the answer you seek. I may cause you to suffer, but I am a product of your heart. For that reason, I shall give you your answer." He shape-shifts into Xemnas, then Ansem, then man in the robe and finally... Terra-Xehanort from the time he served Ansem the Wise. "Before, when my heart and body were still united as one, I told you about what would happen if we were to fail. "If you arrive in a world that's neither of light nor darkness but somewhere on the other side, your task will be far from easy." That is the answer I have for you."

Hiromi was surprised as Terra-Xehanort vanishes. "What does that mean?"

At Ansem the Wise's lab in Radiant Garden, Hiromi explained to Ansem the Wise, Rini and the others about what Xehanort had said to her.

""If you arrive in a world that's neither of light nor darkness, but somewhere on the other side, your task will be far from easy,"" Ienzo pondered.

Rini looked at Hiromi as she took her hand. "Is that what he said, big sis?"

Hiromi nodded. "Yes, he said that's the answer."

Even began thinking. "Not of light or darkness, but on the other side?"

"We've never heard of a place like that..." Ozuru said.

Rini agreed. "I know. It might be ominous."

Even looked at Ienzo. "Something else he said perplexes me... "Your voice can't reach us... I'm certain of where your heart is.""

"You would assume that he's referring to the realm of darkness, but..." Ienzo said.

"That clearly isn't the case here, wouldn't you say, sir Ansem?" Ozuru looked at Ansem the Wise.

Ansem the Wise began thinking. "Where voices can't reach... The other side of our world, of reality... Unreality? A fictional world?"

Rini gulped. "F-Fictional?"

Ansem the Wise sighed. "I'm afraid such mysteries are beyond our comprehension."

Hiromi gets an idea. "Maybe Mickey, Master Yen Sid or my father knows."

"Any news?" Riku asked as he, Sora, Haya and Nobu arrived.

Hiromi was relieved. "Sora! Riku! Haya! Nobu!"

Haya rushed over to hug her mother. "Mom! You woke up!"

"Yeah, just now," Hiromi nodded as she looked at Sora and Riku. "Where are Kairi and the others?"

Sora smiled. "Oh... Kairi went back to Master Yen Sid's tower with Donald, Goofy and the King. And as for the rest of the guardians, they are still on the search party for Hikari."

"I see," Hiromi nodded. "How come you're all here?"

"Well, actually Sora and I found some info about Hikari," Riku said.

Hiromi was enthralled. "Really? We got something too!"

"You did?" Sora asked as Fairy Godmother appears, much to everyone's surprise.

Fairy Godmother smiled. "Oh, excuse me, dears, I certainly didn't mean to startle you." Then she looked at Sora and Riku. "If you boys are not expecting magic, it can be a surprise."

"No kidding," Riku chuckled.

"Yeah, thanks for the heart attack," Sora agreed.

Fairy Godmother giggled and turns to the others. "Now then, I am the Fairy Godmother. And it's a pleasure to meet you all."

"She came here at Yen Sid's request," Riku said to everyone.

"Yeah," Sora nodded. "He said she's got a clue that might help us find Hikari."

Hiromi was surprised as she looked at Fairy Godmother. "Yen Sid sent you?"

"That's right," Fairy Godmother nodded. "To find Princess Hikari, we need three keys. First, Sora and Riku, and then of course there's you, dear Hiromi."

Hiromi smiled. "Okay..."

"With Sora and Riku's dreams and Hiromi's memories, you three have already done your part," Fairy Godmother said.

Haya looked at Hiromi. "My mom's memories?"

Ienzo nodded. "Yes. We performed an examination of your mother's heart and obtained an important clue from the lost memories it contains, which is that...there's another world on the other side of ours that's not of darkness or light."

Hiromi looked at the two boys. "Sora, Riku, what did you two dream?"

"Oh well since Hikari disappeared, Sora and I've been having dreams about a large city with tall buildings," Riku replied.

Sora looks down in thought. "Apparently, that's the clue."

Even was astonished. "A city..."

Rini looked at Ozuru. "Maybe that's what Xehanort was talking about."

"Right, honey," Ozuru nodded. "A fictional world..."

Sora exchanges looks with Riku and turns to Rini and Ozuru. "A fictional world?"

Ansem the Wise nodded. "Yes, perhaps. The three realms of our world—light, darkness, and between—these are all places we can travel to because they are on "our side." This also includes the worlds of memories, data, and dreams. If I am correct, then this "other side" of our world from which voices cannot reach must be a place outside of our reality. Namely, it must be unreality, or fiction. But...that is the extent of our knowledge."

Hiromi looked down and then looks up at Sora, Riku, Haya and Nobu. "So, I thought we should go to Mickey, Master Yen Sid and my father to ask about it."

Fairy Godmother frowned. "Mmm, I'm not quite sure they're be able to help you, my dear."

Riku was disappointed. "Then what now?"

Fairy Godmother looked at Sora and Riku. "Oh, you forget; there are four people who hold the key. There's still one more. One with a strong will and a very precious dream."

"Who is it?" Hiromi asked.

"You'll see," Fairy Godmother smiled. "I'll introduce you!"

Sora and Riku gasped. "Huh?"

Soon... Fairy Godmother teleports herself, Sora, Riku, Haya, Nobu and Hiromi to the Final World.

Hiromi looked around. "This place..."

"It's the world of ocean and sky," Sora said.

"It's beautiful," Nobu smiled.

"You know this place, mom?" Haya asked.

Hiromi nodded. "Yes, Haya. I came here with your sister, and also in my dreams while I slept. This is...the Final World. But there's no one here."

Fairy Godmother tapped Hiromi's shoulder and smiled. "That's not true. Why don't you look closer?"

Sora, Riku, Haya, Hiromi and Nobu looked closely and sees the stars appearing, much to their surprise.

Hiromi looked around. "The stars. I never noticed."

Fairy Godmother nodded. "Yes, strong hearts gather here after death until they are ready to move on. I'm sure she's around here somewhere."

Riku exchanges looks with Sora and turns to Fairy Godmother. "She?"

"The final key," Fairy Godmother smiled as she winks at Sora and Riku and walked up to the star with the others. "We found you! We've been searching all over for you, my dear."

The star backed up. "Do I know you?"

Hiromi walked up to the star. "I'm Hiromi." She looked at Haya and Nobu. "And this is my family." Then at Sora and Riku. "And my friends." She looked back at the star. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

The star was amazed. "You're all able to retain your appearance in this world. I met someone else who could do that."

Sora's jaw dropped and turns to Fairy Godmother. "Um, so she's the final key?"

Fairy Godmother nodded. "That's right, dear. Now we finally have all four."

"But how exactly can she help?" Riku asked.

"It's simple," Fairy Godmother replied. "She came from the world on the other side."

"What?" Hiromi and Nobu gasped.

"The one that Ansem the Wise told us about?" Haya asked.

"You see, she's very special," Fairy Godmother explained, looking at the star. "Her form was taken from her, but she managed to find her way here. If she goes back to her world, her heart will certainly be stolen. Right, dear?"

The star was flattered. "Oh...yes. It seems you know a lot about me."

Fairy Godmother chortled. "A little, and I would use my magic to change you back if I could. But I'm afraid that's impossible while you're in this form. Don't fret, though. I believe that we'll find a way to make your dream come true very soon."

The star smiled a little. "My dream...come true?"

"I want to help make that happen," Riku nodded.

"Me too," Sora said. "Will it lead us to Hikari?"

"Oh, I'm afraid it's not that simple, Sora," Fairy Godmother replied. "First, we must get to her world. She can open a path for us, and you and Riku can use the power of waking to go there."

"The power of waking..." Sora and Riku said at the same time.

"Sorry, but did I hear you say "Hikari"?" The star asked.

Hiromi looked at Nobu. "She knows our daughter's name."

Haya ran up to the star. "Wait. Do you know Hikari?"

"Yes," the star said to Haya. "She was here. She encouraged me not to give up. Did something happen to her?"

"Yes," Nobu said as he and Hiromi walked up to the star. "Hikari disappeared."

"She's our daughter and Haya's big sister," Hiromi said. "And also the princess of Kingdom Hearts, so we've been looking for her."

"Right now, from what Sora and Riku here had mentioned, she might be in a big city full of tall buildings. Ring any bells?"

The star knew what Haya and her parents are talking about. "A city full of tall buildings... Quadratum?"

"Qua-what now?" Haya looked confused.

"It has more skyscrapers than any other city I know," the star explained. "That must be it."

Riku looked down. "Quadratum..." He looked at Fairy Godmother. "Is that where Hikari is?"

Fairy Godmother smiled. "There's no way of knowing, but I believe it is possible."

Sora smiled a bit. "Right..." He looked at the star. "Think you can help us?"

"I'm not sure exactly what's happening," the star replied. "But if Hikari is in trouble, I want to help. Please, let me know what you need from me."

"Thank you," Sora smiled as he and Riku summoned their Keyblades and opened a portal.

"I'm afraid this is as much as I can do," Fairy Godmother said. "It's up to you, Sora and Riku, to take care of the rest."

Before Sora and Riku can enter the portal, Haya ran up to them. "I want to go."

Much to Sora and Riku's surprise, Nobu shook his head. "Haya, you can't—"

Haya frowned. "Yeah, I know, dad. I want to go with Sora and Riku. But... I know that I can't. I need to finish training. I need to become stronger." She held her mom and dad's hands. "And when I do, we'll be one happy family again."

"Good," Riku said as he and Sora smiled.

Haya looked at Nobu and Hiromi. "But first I'll go explain everything to grandma and grandpa..." She looked at Sora and Riku. "...to Kairi, Donald and Goofy and to Naminé, Mickey and Master Yen Sid."

As the five smiled at each other, Fairy Godmother walked up to Sora and Riku. "Be careful out there, dears. And try not to do anything too reckless. Especially you, Sora. Come straight back if you boys encounter any trouble."

"We will," Riku nodded with Sora as they faced the portal and used their Keyblades to enter Quadratum.

A little later, Haya and her parents returned to the Mysterious Tower and told her grandparents and Master Yen Sid about Sora and Riku embarking on a new world to find Hikari.

King Mickey and Naminé were shocked when they heard what Haya and Hiromi said to Master Yen Sid. "Sora and Riku went alone!?"

"But that's way to dangerous!" Mickey said as he looks at Naminé. "We hafta go after him now!"

Naminé nodded as she and King Mickey ran towards the door but they are stopped by Kairi, Donald and Goofy.

"Do not be hasty, Mickey, Naminé," Master Yen Sid said.

"He's right," Sakiya said to the King and Naminé. "Going after them would be suicide."

Naminé frowned as she and King Mickey walked up to Master Yen Sid. "But Master Yen Sid..."

"They're all alone in a world we know nothing about!" King Mickey finished.

Master Yen Sid nodded. "Precisely. We have never faced something like this before, which is why we must remain calm."

"But..." King Mickey and Naminé said at the same time as Kairi, Donald and Goofy placed their hands on their shoulders.

"So..." Taigen said to Hiromi. "This information you bring us, it comes from Xehanort during his time as a researcher?"

"That's right, father," Hiromi nodded.

"Then that means he must have been aware of this other world for quite some time," Master Yen Sid said.

"But we defeated Xehanort," Haya said. "Is there anybody else we can ask?"

Master Yen Sid exchanges looks with Taigen and Sakiya and looks at everyone. "When Taigen, Sakiya and I are still serving as Keyblade Masters, it was known that the ancient masters had crossed over into another world. We surmise that Xehanort looked more deeply into that world."

King Mickey looked at Hiromi and Nobu. "The ancient Keyblade Masters..."

Taigen nodded. "Yep. The ones that Sakiya and I are in league with a long time ago."

"For now we must reach out to those in Radiant Garden, the Land of Departure, and Twilight Town who are searching for Princess Hikari to inform them of what we have learned and have them halt their respective efforts," Master Yen Sid said as he turns to Donald and Goofy. "Donald, Goofy, I leave this to you."

"Yes, sir!" Donald saluted.

"Yes, sir!" Goofy saluted as well.

Master Yen Sid looked at Kairi and Haya. "And Kairi, Haya, will you two continue your training as both of you were before?" He turned to Naminé. "And would you be able to show Naminé the ropes so that she can become a proper Keyblade wielder?"

"Sure," Kairi nodded with Haya. "And actually, we'd like to study under Masters Terra and Aqua."

Master Yen Sid smiled. "That is an excellent idea. I approve."

"Okay," Haya smiled back at the sorcerer. "Thanks!"

Master Yen Sid looked at King Mickey, Nobu and Hiromi. "And you, Mickey, Hiromi, Nobu."

King Mickey stands straight while Hiromi and Nobu nodded. "Yes."

"I task the three of you with the investigation of this new world and how it is related to the ancient Keyblade Masters," Master Yen Sid replied.

"But how do we do that, sorcerer?" Nobu asked.

Master Yen Sid closed his eyes for a short silence and looked at Mickey, Hiromi and Nobu. "You'll begin...in the world of Scala ad Caelum."

THE END. An Oath to Return.