Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts!

Author's Note: Okay, here we go...my first continuous story that isn't a total parody! This, honestly, is some confusing stuff, so bear with me. The story will make more sense as it goes on-it's almost completely AU, based upon an apoctoplyptic world. Also, be warned: I plan to become an author in the future, so don't be surprised if this randomly gets deleted and an actual story gets published based almost exactly like this, only with new characters. That will likely be me. I honestly wanted this as an original story, but this is just too cool to pass up. Onwards!

"Ladies and Gentlemen…"

At their entrance, overwhelming noise had erupted throughout the tent. But now the crowd watched with wide eyes, mouths agape; a tense, still silence coated in anticipation replaced the cheers. Tonight, the Ringmasters themselves were actually performing.

"We proudly present…"

Their voices were soft and breathy, with rolling R's that were almost purrs and their voices perfectly synchronized. They were wearing identical smirks, with eyes lidded and relaxed postures. As if in prayer, their palms were pressed against each other's and their heads were bowed.

"The Selenic Circus!"

And then the Circus begun.

The Heartless and Nobodies nearly ruled in this new, chaotic world of mayhem and insanity. Humans were uncommon-the remaining ones lived in fear and suspicion; bodies gaunt, bony, sickly with disease and famine. Regret, terror, hostility-negative emotions were the Decomposers; they broke, destroyed the scraps of humanity Death had taken pity on. Insanity, delusions, hallucinations-they held a tight grip on those who escaped the influence of the Decomposers and their Master, and even captured some already caught in the web. It was a web drenched in a wicked poison-it killed slowly, leaving the victim begging for Death to snatch them away from the nightmares now plaguing them. Many had their pleads answered-Death was a speedy Master; he caught every escapee in the end, often sooner than later.

After the Selenic Asteroids struck the world, it was tossed into chaos. No one knew what had happened, what would happen. They were merely foolish mortals-despite advances in technology and knowledge, they had no control over the multiple threads in the Sea of Time.

There were so many overlapping strings in Time, each a possible future caused by their decisions…Every pluck of a thread in the Sea of Time sent a ripple throughout the waves, and that ripple washed away other threads-other possibilities were lost in the wave. But in washing away the old, it brought new with it-new possibilities were opened. You had to be wary, though, in the Sea of Time; the Sea was treacherous, with storms of confusion and uncertainty which often brought accidental waves.

Someone, something had interfered. Someone, something had pulled the waves in the Sea of Time. Out of sheer curiosity or childish cruelty, no one knew-with this realization, humans were led to believe this was Lady Luck or Mistress Fate's doing; the Goddesses were easily tempted by their fascination or wonder, as well as their insensitivity for their own children. and by pulling that one, small string, a chain of events had unfolded. A Chain of Memories-for this was the past, recalled only by the Gods and Goddesses themselves; The Selenic Asteroids had struck long, long ago; how long ago, not even the Masters knew-had unfurled, spreading links and links of feathers until it had finally opened its wings in a dark flight that could be silenced by none. The humans had seen the signs of the Selenic End already-glancing into the dulling monochrome sky, shadows of a great bird flickered and danced; fading feathers fell-but no one expected the Selenic End to arrive so soon.

The Phoenix spread its wings.

Shadows silenced us.

The bird-it was a Phoenix's Nobody, Heart captured by spreading Shadows. A Phoenix, once empyreal feathers smearing and running into each other before dulling into oblivion, now a monochrome mess of blurry gray, a color of blurred lines, lines of good and evil torn and ravaged and slashed and hacked at until it finally shattered and the barrier of black and white fell and the colors smeared. Gray-Nothingness.

The Phoenix spread its wings.

Nothingness engulfed us.

A new world-a Phoenix was a bird of rebirth, one that was destroyed valiantly before it rose from the gray ashes and reformed, a new being entirely. It lived on-with every death, a birth. A new bird, born from nothing. This was the last trace of hope-the world was engulfed by a Phoenix, who would eventually die and with it a new one would arise. A new world of hope.

The Phoenix spread its wings-flames engulfed it and the world, Selenic Asteroids shattering the fragile land, spreading tongues of flame along all that crossed its path. Then, rebirth. Shadows ruled-Nobodies and Heartless. Beings of Nothingness, oblivion, lost beings with no meaning or purpose. They corrupted the world and the people and the things until all that was left was a mass of negative emotions and Death.

The Phoenix's dark wings...hid the world in supposedly eternal Shadows.

Author's Note: So, anyone have an idea of what's going on? Some of this has already begun to be explained, but still...a lot of this is confusing, or at least, when I act like someone who has no clue how the story goes...

Farewell, human-worm-babies!

-Kurai, Lord of all Humans!