Pre-note: Hello. I'm really sorry for the current hold on Memories of Days Bygone and Skeleton in the Closet. However, I do NOT have intentions to abandon them, and I WILL finish them someday. You can count on it. In the meantime, please enjoy this another brainchild of mine; it's something that I wrote for a fun activity at KHInsider forums, and I decided to share it with you here. The story takes place after the end of KH1, but before Riku's halfway point in CoM.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

Happy reading!

"Your Majesty!"

The little king was startled by that urgent sound of his title.

"Riku!?"

There was no further reply, but he knew what to do, and he didn't waste any time.

Mickey stood up rather tensely and closed his eyes, his magic-augmented perception reaching far and wide to locate the origin of that cry. Just a moment later—and that wasn't a mean feat—he finally did, and immediately sent away a portion of his light in the direction of that cry. The orb of purest white zipped forward at impressive speed, cutting through the void that lay before him.

Finally, he had located Riku. At all costs, he would find him.

"Take care of her."

Directed to Sora at the other side of the door, those words were the last Mickey had heard from Riku before they became separated.

Right after the door had closed, Mickey saw an intense burst of light before darkness eclipsed his vision. It seemed that he had been knocked out cold by some unknown force, because he could vaguely recall regaining consciousness. Unfortunately, though, Riku was nowhere to be seen, and the space he was in upon awakening was nothing short of surreal.

He had been floating in a sea of nothingness. All he could see around him was a mass of fuzzy, grey cloud-like substance that seemed to be so near, yet so far from him at the same time. Soon, he lost his bearings, and he could no longer differentiate up from down. Not only that, he had no control over his body; when he tried to flail his limbs to navigate around, he would only continue to drift.

After drifting for a while, Mickey finally felt the tug of gravity and was gently pulled down to the apparent ground. He managed to correct his orientation just in time to make a landing on his bottom; at least he didn't land on his head and cause himself unnecessary injuries, and he was thankful for it.

As he stood up, the clouds dissipated in the most abrupt manner, startling him. Almost instinctively he summoned his golden Keyblade into existence, his sharp glance directed ahead as he constantly pivoted around to prevent getting ambushed from behind by the enemy. For good measure, he also heightened his concentration, so that he would be ready to blast with his magic those who dared try anything funny to him.

But so far, nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.

Half convinced that his grounds were safe, Mickey dropped his wary stance and slightly relaxed, although his Keyblade he still held tight. From his experiences in that world of darkness where Heartless thrive, he knew that one could never be careful enough. However, it didn't feel the same right now, and it wasn't until he really inspected his surroundings that he finally became aware of what kind of place he was currently in.

The green of grass reached to the horizon, where it transitioned abruptly into the blue of sky. Under his feet was a trail of dirt that extended just as far, both forward and backward. Verily, no matter how far he looked, there wasn't any single feature or landmark that he could use to tell where in the world he had exactly ended up.

What intrigued him the most, though, was the fact that this place felt truly strange. He could identify the presences of both light and darkness, just like in other worlds, but something was obviously different here.

Bizarrely different.

The darkness was strong, yet the light was just as strong—possibly weaker, but only ever so. He felt the sickening chill of darkness, but at the same time, the gentle warmth of light was evidently existent, too. The two contrasting forces mixed and mingled in the air, giving rise to a new sensation he couldn't really explain in words.

However, he had something more important to do right now. For all he knew, Riku could have ended in much worse a predicament, so Mickey set out to find him. The boy was struggling to keep the darkness in his heart at bay, and what would happen if the Heartless found him again in this place, where darkness was stronger, was anyone's guess.

Unfortunately, like other things, it was easier said than done.

Many hours had passed and Mickey had not yet found even a single clue as to where Riku could be, and he began to falter. He knew, though, that he couldn't let his doubts win against his faith; just a trace of weakness in his heart would lead to him being consumed by the Heartless and whatever abomination that might reside in this new realm. Yet, it was hard not to lose hope… really hard.

Exhaustion finally caught up, and Mickey was forced to sit down. Looking ahead, he saw how the dirt path still meandered gently and continued to the yonder and beyond. He shook his head slowly, not knowing whether he should continue forward, go backward, or even veer completely off the course and into the grassy unknown.

If Riku would just give him a signal… that would be all he needed.

"Gosh, I wonder if I still can find him," Mickey sighed dejectedly. If it weren't for Riku and his other friends, he would probably have given up by now.

That was right. Riku, and his other friends.

Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, and everyone back at the castle…

And that boy chosen by the Keyblade, Sora…

Their power to believe was something else. Never once before did doubt appear in their hearts, and not even the harshest of adversities would do harm to their faith in one another. At the start of his journey a while back, they still believed in him although he had suddenly gone missing, and even went on a search for him with their newfound friend, Sora…

It struck him like a sledgehammer to his skull. All those kind souls believed in each other… but what about him? Sitting here all alone in uncertainty, in the verge of not being able to believe in even himself.

What was that, if not pitiable?

Realising that he had been dangerously close to letting darkness take over the light of his heart, Mickey mentally slapped himself. Once again he raised his head and stared into the distance, but this time his gaze was firm. He couldn't lose hope, not now…

And he certainly couldn't fail his friends like this!

"… I hafta believe. No matter what it takes, I will find Riku," he said in a resolute tone of voice. With newfound determination, he put his right palm over his chest and curled it into a ball. "I made him a promise, and I won't fail him!"

And as though responding to his determination and faith, that voice called out.

Like an oasis in the middle of the desert, the voice filled his heart with renewed hope…

"Your Majesty!"

Believing that his light would lead him to his destination, Mickey broke into a run, a hopeful smile pasted on his face. One look was enough to tell that he was exhausted, but he knew time was of crucial importance. He simply couldn't afford to entertain even the thought of stopping again to rest if he still wanted to reach the source of the voice on time.

Mickey ran, ran, and just ran, letting his tiny yet strong feet take him where his light led him to. Unbeknownst to even himself, his tired smile had transformed into a grin, one from which a warm mix of happiness and relief radiated. Fatigue held no power over him now; those two words alone were enough to give him strength to carry on.

"Stay safe, Riku. I'll be right there with ya," said Mickey, still smiling with hope.

Yes, so great was the power of faith.