Well, I did it again. After promising myself I wouldn't start anymore fanfictions until the ones I'm currently working on are done, what do I do? I start another fanfiction. -sigh- Well, you can't have everything. I just got back from a trip to Disney World (most awesome place EVER!!) two weeks ago, and of course, as to be expected, I was on a Disney craze when I got back, so I started looking up Kingdom Hearts fanfictions on this website. But there were only 3 stories centered around King Mickey and Minnie! Of course my reaction was, "WHAT?! This won't do!!" And so thus, this story was born! I'm amazed, it only took me 2 weeks to complete it! -gasp, new world record!- But I guess it is only a one-shot...but I am going to ignore that fact and celebrate anyways!!

At this time I'd like to give credit where credit is due, and thank four authors on here that helped inspire me to write this story! First is Riku-Rocks, who wrote Meeting Mrs. Mouse. It helped me get a better idea of how to create Mickey's dialogue. Second and third are Krisandra and RootsOfAHotelWindow, who were the ones who actually got me thinking of writing a MinnieXMickey based story! Krisandra wrote a KHII story called Home, and RootsOfAHotelWindow wrote Too Long, which also helped me with the drama element of my fanfiction. And lastly, there is Squad Unit 9 who wrote Carnival Troubles. It reminded me of one thing that will be surfacing many times throughout this one-shot: Mickey's grin. (you'll see!) So if I stole any of these peoples ideas, they and they only have the right to sue me...PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!!

--

It's over. The light has won over the darkness. The Heartless have all vanished. Our enemy has at last been defeated. The worlds are connected once again. Our journey has finally ended.

Mickey looked around at his celebrating friends, a tired yet happy smile set on his face. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were back home on the Destiny Islands at long last and the long and weary battle over the true wielders of the magnificent key blades was over. No more violence, no more fighting, no more lives lost. And most importantly, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy could finally return home.

It had been so long since Donald or Goofy had laid eyes on their beloved kingdom, and even longer so for the king. It seemed like an eternity that King Mickey had been away on his journey, that he had longed to see his kingdom, if even for a second. The thought of going home meant more to Mickey than anything else in the entire world. He was coming back to the place where his heart had always been and where it always would be. To Disney Castle. To Minnie.

"We did it, Kairi! We actually did it! We're home!!" Sora joyously exclaimed, grabbing Kairi's hand and jumping up and down in excitement.

"You're home." Kairi repeated, smiling up at his warm, caring face. The overwhelming happiness that Sora felt at being reunited with Kairi once again was clear in his eyes. Immediately, Sora pulled Kairi to him, holding her as if he was afraid that if he let her go, he might disappear from her life again, for good.

Seemingly as if Kairi had read his exact thoughts, Sora heard her say softly, "I always knew you'd come back to me. And this time I'm never letting you disappear again." She tightened her grip on Sora's shirt. "Never."

At this, Sora closed his eyes and smiled. He then gently leaned his head further into the crook of her neck. After a few moments, they both looked up at each other, slightly embarrassed.

"U-Um, Kairi?" Sora asked, apparently trying to address his feet instead as his face starting to flush, "T-There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a really long time now, but I-" He was cut off by Kairi's finger on his lips. Sora looked up at Kairi in confusion.

"Me first." she grinned mischievously. With that said, Kairi put her lips on Sora's and kissed him. From the way Sora's eyes appeared to bulge out of his head, it is a pretty accurate assumption that Kairi kissing him had not been on his list of expectations for the day.

"It's about time." Riku muttered distastefully, briefly looking away. He had a smirk on his face nonetheless.

Kairi quickly broke off the kiss, and took a step backwards, winking at the still dumbfounded Sora with a triumphant grin on her face. Soon enough though, Sora got an extremely "goofy" look on his face. He had on an ear to ear smile, his shoulders were slightly drooped, and his eyes were half open, their lids drawn down like he was about to fall asleep. Kairi broke into a fit of giggles upon seeing what her kiss had done to him.

"Eh-heh-heh-heh, eh-heh-heh-heh!" Donald laughed, an occasional quacking sound escaping his bill as he pointed a finger at the now completely flustered Sora.

"Sora and Kairi, sitting in a tree! K- I- S- S- I- N- uh…G! A-hyuck!" Goofy sung, stumbling a bit on the last letter of the word he was trying to spell.

"Donald! Goofy! That's not funny!!" Sora yelled, his face as red as a tomato.

"Aw, shucks Sora. We're just messing with ya." Goofy explained, chuckling.

"You should have seen how stupid you looked!" Riku exclaimed, taking advantage of his maintained higher stature to mess up Sora's hair (1), "Like a frog waiting for a bug to fly into it's mouth!"

"Riku!! Cut it out!!" Sora yelped in protest, slapping Riku's hand away in humiliation.

He looked away from the others, who were once again laughing at him, a look on that clearly said he wanted to crawl up into a little hole and hide. That's when Sora noticed that even the king was having a hard time containing himself, his hand clamped over his mouth and doubled over with the effort of trying not to laugh.

"Even you, Your Majesty?!" a distraught Sora cried.

Eventually, the laughter died down, and King Mickey was able to speak.

"Haha. I'm sorry Sora," Mickey chuckled, "I couldn't help myself."

"Heh heh heh heh, that look kinda reminds you of a certain mouse and his wife, doesn't it You Majesty?" Donald snickered.

"Oh no, Donald! Why'd you have to bring that up?" Mickey squeaked, pressing his large ears over his face to cover his embarrassment.

"What?! the king?!" At this, it was Sora's turn to laugh.

"W-W-Well, uh….d-d-don't make me bring up you and Daisy!" King Mickey tried to counteract Donald's statement, still hiding behind his ears. At this, Donald glared.

"Hey." he complained.

"Alright, alright. That's enough you two." Goofy scolded them, waggling a finger at the both of them. Mickey came out from behind the protection of his ears.

"Aw, you know I was just joking around with you. Right Donald?" the king said, walking over to pat his friend's shoulder.

"Yah, yah." Donald grumbled.

"Well, Sora, Kairi, Riku," Mickey said, a hint of sadness in his voice, "I guess this is goodbye, for now."

"What?!" Kairi and Sora yelled in surprise. Riku remained quiet.

"You aren't even going to stay the night?" Sora uttered feebly. King Mickey just shook his head sadly.

"I cannot ignore my duty as king any longer. My people have been without their leader for far too long." he replied.

"Yah. I gotta get back to guarding the castle and knighting and what not." Goofy added.

"And it's my duty as Court Magician to escort the king safely home." Donald concluded.

"Gawrsh, don't forget me neither!" Goofy piped up.

"Well then, Donald, Goofy, I guess this is i-" Sora began, but he was cut short as Goofy barreled into him, knocking the wind out of his lungs as he was almost squeezed to death in one of Goofy's famous bear hugs.

"I'm going to -sniff- miss you!!" Goofy choked out between huge sobs, streams of tears soaking Sora's clothes.

"I'm gonna--miss you too, Goofy! Now can you let me breath?" Sora said in not much louder than a whisper. Goofy gave one last huge sniff, then placed Sora back on the ground with a weak smile. Sora patted him reassuringly on the back. Once Sora was set down by the large Goof, Donald came over and hugged him in farewell. Even the usually crabby duck shed a few stray tears.

"Goodbye, Sora." Donald sniffed, taking a few steps backwards to stand next to Goofy.

"See ya around, Donald!" Sora waved, an uncomfortable smile playing across his face. He slowly turned to face the king, Riku and Kairi at his sides. He paused.

"Farewell, Your Majesty. And thank you for everything you have done for us." he said, giving a short bow.

"Aw, gosh Sora, it's me who should be thanking you," Mickey responded, compassion glittering in his eyes, "You're the one who came to our aid as the chosen wielder of the Keyblade, casting away the thought of returning home if it meant you could help protect your friends and bring peace back to Kingdom Hearts."

"And you, Kairi…" he said, turning to face the young woman in front of him, "You stuck by mine, Riku's, and Sora's side throughout the long fight, and the love and courage you showed summoned your Keyblade to your side, giving you the strength to protect those most precious to you."

"Riku," the king now said, at last turning to face him, "You faced the most challenging test of all. Not only did you come back to the light after being succumbed to darkness for so long, but you learned not to fear the darkness and that with every light, there is always a shadow. I'm really proud of you, Riku."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Riku said solemnly, bowing. And to Riku's surprise, instead of simply nodding or using a small gesture to show he acknowledged him, like most royalty would, King Mickey dropped all formality that was associated with his title and ran up to Riku to hug him tightly around the legs. The force of the hug, or the surprise of it for that matter, was enough to make Riku almost lose his balance.

"I'll miss you, my friend." Mickey said quietly, a tiny smile gracing his face. Riku smiled tentatively.

"I'll miss you too, my friend."

Once they separated, Mickey walked over to Sora and extended his hand out to him. Sora grasped it and they shook firmly, nodding their heads at each other in respect. Kairi kissed each of the three deportees on the head (though Goofy had to bend down a bit for her to reach him), causing them all to scratch the back of their heads and their faces tinted a slightly redder shade.

"Oh boy! It's gonna be great to see the kingdom again after so long!" King Mickey began, excitement growing in his voice.

"And I bet you can't wait to see Minnie too!" Donald declared.

"Yah, and I can't wait to see Minnie too!" the king continued. A dejected look befell Donald.

"That's what I said." Nobody could ever understand poor Donald.

"Get home safely," Kairi wished them good luck, "And make sure to come visit us really soon, okay?"

"A-hyuck, we sure will!" Goofy promised, a silly grin on his face. As the three of them began to walk away, Sora finally realized something and yelled after them.

"Wait! How're you guys supposed to get back if you don't have a Gummi Ship?" Sora asked, completely lost.

"Do you really think His Majesty needs to rely on a Gummi Ship to get around?" Riku asked incredulously, giving Sora a teasing shove.

"He's got powerful magic," Goofy joined in, "Even stronger than Donald's."

"What?!" Donald hollered, jumping up and down angrily with steam shooting out of his ears, "Nobody's magic is more powerful than mine!!" Donald charged at Goofy, waving his wand around erratically and trying to throttle Goofy at the same time.

"Fellas, fellas!" King Mickey jolted, frantically trying to separate the two. He succeeded and looked at Sora, Kairi, and Riku sheepishly.

"You'll have to excuse my friend here." he apologized, "He's got a bit of a temper."

"Don't worry, we know it all too well." Sora grinned. Donald shot him a menacing glare.

"Bye!!" both Sora and Kairi shouted as their friends walked away, their hands waving over their heads. Riku just waved to them silently.

"Don't forget!" Kairi added in a rush, her hands now cupped around her mouth.

"We won't." the king vowed, looking over his shoulder at her and offering a confident smile.

"Buh bye!" Donald waved back. They stopped walking at the spot where they were almost receded from view, and turned one last time to see the friends they were leaving behind.

"Fellas," Mickey said quietly, looking at his two closest friends, "Lets go home."

He raised a gloved hand and in a bright flash of white light, they were gone. Sora gazed after them sadly, his eyes betraying the pain he was trying to hide deep inside him. Kairi immediately recognized it and began to try to help the one she loved so deeply out of his depression in the only way she knew how…by teasing him.

"Are you sure you of all people should have been treating the king the way you were?" Kairi whispered in Sora's ear, "I mean, I realize he's not like most royalty, but at least Donald knew him…" The distraction worked.

"Nah, don't worry. We're pals." Sora replied, not quite catching on.

"You? Friends with the king? I mean Riku's understandable, but…" Kairi continued, a sly look on her face.

"Hey! Why is it hard to imagine I'm friends with royalty! I'm everything better than Riku!!" Sora fumed, shaking his fists in the air. He began chasing a giggling Kairi across the sandy beach, and Kairi squealed as he inched closer and closer by the second. Riku followed them at a slower pace, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Children."

Yes, it was just like the good old days.

--

King Mickey couldn't believe it. They were actually back. He looked around at the familiar grounds, with the courtyard filled with millions of ear shaped flowers, the hallways that branched off to the library and the different bedrooms, the Gummi Garage where his friends Chip and Dale engineered and repaired all kinds of fantastic contraptions, and of course, the throne room, by which he ruled from seemingly so long ago. Feelings of pure joy swelled in his heart.

"Wow, it's so dark already." Donald commented, squinting against the darkness. The only light was coming from the full moon which was already high in the sky, and it illuminated the courtyard where they stood in a pale blue glow.

"It must be nightfall." the king said, looking around at the deserted grounds.

"Gawrsh, that means everybody in the castle must already be asleep!" Goofy realized, pointing a finger in the air.

"Guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow to announce our presences." King Mickey responded.

"Yah." Donald agreed. Suddenly, loud barking could be heard racing towards them, and Mickey turned around to be tackled to the ground by his faithful dog, Pluto. Pluto didn't even give his owner a chance to recuperate from the fall before he started licking Mickey's face, drenching it in slobber.

"Pluto! You're gonna wake up the entire castle! H-Hey, stop it, cut it out! T-That tickles!! Ahahahaha, stop it!!" Finally, Pluto got off Mickey and let him get up. He panted happily, his tail wagging rapidly back forth.

"Aw, I've missed you too, boy." Mickey said, rubbing Pluto's head affectionately.

"Well, g'night fellers!" the Goof told them, "See you in the morning Donald. You Majesty." He bowed to King Mickey, who smiled despite the fact he found it odd that his two friends felt they had to bow to him, then turned to leave.

"Good night!" Donald called after him, waving. He then turned to the king.

"I think I'm going to go too. I've gotta find Daisy." he declared.

"Alright. Good night Donald." King Mickey replied. Donald bowed, then took his leave.

"C'mon Pluto." the king said, turning to his dog. Pluto woofed, then trotted after him, content.

--

Mickey gazed at the hallways around him in awe, being careful not to make any noise that could possibly arouse the residents of the castle.

"It's exactly like I remember it, boy," he whispered to Pluto, who walked by his side, "Nothing's changed." Pluto nodded vigorously, clearly proud of himself for helping keep up the maintenance of the castle. Pluto, still celebrating the compliment in his mind, didn't notice when King Mickey stopped outside one of the doorways that lined the hall and he continued to head happily towards the throne room. He eventually stopped when he noticed he had gotten ahead, and he turned back to look at his owner in confusion.

"Aw, you go on ahead boy. There's something I gotta do first." the king explained, motioning with his hand to the door. Pluto's ears perked up in response, but then he nodded knowingly, and continued to trot off to the throne room where his warm cot was calling his name.

Mickey had wanted to follow Pluto, for he had missed waking up every morning and entering the magnificent room with its golden arched doors, marbled floor, and intricately painted walls at which he gazed at day in and day out from his place at Minnie's side on the high thrones. Plus he was eager to get a head start on the stack of papers he was sure had accumulated during his long absence. But more than anything, he had to see something first. Someone.

--

Mickey quietly entered the room, and shut the door lightly behind him. The room was bathed in darkness, but Mickey didn't need a light to make it through this room. He slowly made his way over to the small bed with its light blue covers and oak wood mantel and saw hi love fast asleep, curled up tightly under the blankets with her head resting delicately on the pillow. She didn't make a sound in her slumber, not even stirring when Mickey got up on the bed and gently crawled across it to her. Her body was silhouetted perfectly against the covers, an angel of innocence. His one true love.

Mickey bent down and whispered softly in her ear.

"Wake up, my Queen."

Minnie stirred, her eyes fluttering open at the sound of his voice. She blinked drearily a few times, then looked over her shoulder to see where the voice had come from. She locked gazes with her king.

"Mickey?" she asked disbelievingly, as if she didn't trust what her eyes were seeing. Mickey smiled warmly.

"I'm home."

Not a second after Mickey had finished his sentence, Minnie flung herself on him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly and sobbing into his shoulder.

"This is real!" Minnie sputtered, her voice slightly muffled by Mickey's shirt, "I was terrified I might never see you again! Every day you were on your journey I worried about you. If you were well, safe, if one day you'd come back so I could tell you how much I love you and how much I missed you!" Minnie continued to sob into Mickey's shoulder and a pang of guilt shot through him at how much he put her through. As gently as if he was holding a dove, Mickey placed his hands on Minnie's shoulders and pushed her lightly forwards so that he could look at her face. It was streaked with tears, but even with the dampness on her features, she still stunned him by how beautiful she was.

"Minnie, I don't know how I can ever make up for what I've done to you. Leaving without a trace and forcing you to wait here alone," Mickey began, "But I just want you to know I love you more than anything else in the entire world and I promise never to cause you any more pain."

He tilted him head to the side and softly brushed his lips against hers. It was short, light, but to Minnie it was the sweetest thing Mickey could have ever done.

"I love you Minnie." he murmured, closing his eyes and resting his cheek against hers.

"Oh, Mickey!"

Again, Minnie wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder, crying silent tears of joy. Mickey pulled her closer to him, nuzzling his head against hers and rubbing he back slowly, soothingly. He held her for a long time, but to them it only seemed like minutes, they had been separated for so long. At last, Minnie moved her hands from behind Mickey's head and he let her go. They both stared into each other's eyes lovingly, Minnie's tears gone away, and they smiled.

"I love you too, Mickey Mouse," Minnie said, "And I think it's time this mouse had some sleep. It's way past his bed time.

As if on cue, Mickey yawned loudly, stretching his arms above his head with a slight groan.

"I won't argue with you there." he replied sleepily.

Together, the two lovers crawled under the covers, Minnie giggling shyly as Mickey helped tuck her in. Mickey laid down on his side of the bed and was just about to shut his eyes when Minnie came over one last time to kiss him affectionately on the cheek. She offered a small smile, and then rolled over once again to her side and fell asleep. Though he would never admit it, as he was settling down to enter a deep slumber, Mickey did indeed have that goofy grin on his face.

--

(1) But isn't it already kind of messed up?

So what did you guys think? I know I kinda got off track in the beginning and made it more a SoraXKairi pairing at first, but I love that pairing so much, I couldn't help writing just a little too much about it. But at least I got back on track after that!! :D And don't forget...to review!! xD