Mickey couldn't sleep. Again.
Oh, it wasn't the fault of the nice lady who lead him to this swell hotel. Or the fault of the beds stuffed with feathers and cotton. He couldn't remember when he was more comfortable and he thanked the maids like he should. But the second they left him by himself and he glanced around at the walls that looked the same as each room he passed long the hall, it didn't feel safe. It didn't feel like home.
He should be used to it by now and for the most part he was. He didn't curl into a ball every night like within the first few months on his journey. He didn't run away from those who called for help in fear of loosing his life. And he didn't complain about the endless days of travel. But he almost wished that someone he knew was standin' right before him. With another soul present, he had to force himself to be happy. To be the light in their darkness. Without someone near… who could he fool?
He rolled in his bed, trying to ignore the empty space beside him. emI wonder if she was sound asleep./em Safe and warm. Did she worry? Did she have hope that he was alive? Has she moved on?
He sat up and couldn't help but just stare at what was in front of him. Empty hands gripping a cold sheet. How much longer did this have to go on? What was he even here for anyway? He traveled from world to world in search for Organization XIII and what did he find? His search was about as empty as his hands.
Gosh… Donald and Goofy has found more than he ever could. Palin' round with the "key." Training him to face the enemy. Sure must be nice. No matter where those three went, they were always surrounded by each other.
His face turned into a rare scowl, but then he shook his head. Now now, there wasn't any use for that kind of thinkin'. After all, it was he himself who sent them on their mission. Why did it matter if they became friends with the boy? Why should he care? He shouldn't.
But still... Since this whole keyblade business started, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was becoming a stranger. Every time he has met the three it was always on business or battle. But they always stuck around each other. Goofin' off like there was nothin' wrong in the world.
Like how he used to do.
And if it keeps goin' on...
This "key." This boy. This Sora will eventually replace him.
Suddenly he was pulled out of his thoughts by a sound outside. It was faint, but once it started, it didn't stop for nothin'…. a bark?
"Pluto?" The King jerked towards the window and gazed outside. The barking was moving! Immediately Mickey jumped out of bed and threw on his cloak. Without any thought, he ripped the latch off the hinge of the nearby window and bolted through, leaping over the edge of the balcony. Landing as quietly as he could, the King turned around listening.
There, in the left! He couldn't remember when was the last time he ran as fast as he did. The town roads twisted in a never-ending labyrinth forbidding him to get any nearer. But the barking continued.
"Pluto!" He called out, a small fluttering rising in his chest. Another bark! This time it was moving to his right. So with a turn of his heal, the mouse swiftly ran through the alleyways. It didn't matter if he tripped over trashcans or found himself knocked in the mud. He wouldn't mind because Pluto was here! He had to be!
It wasn't until a few minutes later that Mickey finally had to stop and catch his breath. Gosh… where in the world was he? The houses seem to reflect off of each other so perfectly. Same lawns, same doors, same roofs. It was enough to make his head spin! Wait a minute-
The roof! The King beamed brightly as he summoned his keyblade and in a flash a gust of wind shifted from its natural course above the clouds and gathered by his side. Then with a flick of the wrist, Mickey was able to use the wind to launch himself above all the buildings, higher than the central tower.
But… it was as he rose in the air when he took a good look around him. The city was massive. Thousands of bricks held up by the hard cement decorated the buildings that spread for miles beneath him. And as the wind blew past him as he began to fall, another twist welled up in his heart. He couldn't hear the barking anymore.
Mickey landed quietly and strained his ears to hear as far as the city walls. Only the booming echo of silence screamed back. He'd do anything. Anything to hear that barking again. Anything to have his puppy by his side. Anything...
Slowly, he sagged his head in defeat. His hands softly flicked away his weapon. They were empty again. Heat radiated through his face and burned down to the very pit of his stomach as he realized something that should have crossed his mind back at the hotel. T-that barking prob'ly wasn't Pluto anyway. Dogs existed in nearly ever world. It was stupid to get so worked up... over a mangy mutt. Just a mangy mutt. Just a stupid little-
"PLUTO!" A final cry of desperation echoed cross the land that woke up nearly all citizens sleeping below. But none who mumbled out into the streets found the owner of that cry. The next morning, the hotel room did not stir until the maid unlocked the door for her daily dose of work. When she entered, she was surprised to find the room already clean and the bed made. What more was as she walked cross the floor, she couldn't help but notice a small addition to the room. A pile of coins tossed on the dresser.
Paid in full for another lonely night.