Pairings: Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas Leon/Cloud more pairings later?

Warnings: AU, I guess spoilers or something for people who haven't seen all the way through the end of the game, medieval stuff, possibilities of violence and bloodshed and sexiness

Comments: I got this muse in the shower! Again! My second KH fic, so don't kill me!

Author's Comments: I finally stopped being lazy for a second! Go me!

Princely Garbs 10

"We're not going to be able to handle them all right now," Leon said as he looked over at Cloud, the two of them standing in front of Riku and Sora with their weapons drawn. "Our best bet would be to get through the door and escape."

"You're right," Cloud said frowning slightly. Running away from his home again, would this always be his fate? He glanced back at the door then looked at Sora. "You three, get through the door now."

"Huh? Uh…r-right!" Sora turned reaching down and grabbing Riku's hand. "Come on, Riku."

"Yeah, sure." Riku said frowning back at the men before he ran off with Sora heading into the door.

"Yuffie, go with them," Leon said not taking his eyes off the men.

"Huh?!" Yuffie's eyes widened in confusion before she shook her head. "B-but-!"

"Just do it! We'll follow in a minute."

"Um…o-ok." Yuffie ran off starting to follow the princes. "But you guys better not take long!"

"Dude, it looks like our targets are getting away," Xigbar said grinning like a fool as he watched them before he stuck his two weapons together and looked through the scope, going into sniper mode. "Guess I'll take one of them out." He aimed at Yuffie, the grin still on his face as he squeezed the trigger.

Ding!

Leon glared at Xigbar as the shot from Xigbar's gun fell to the ground having been blocked by his gunblade. He didn't put it down yet, still having it held in front of him with both hands, only his eyes being seen. "I won't let you hurt them," he said, barely registering Cloud coming to stand beside him.

"Heh. Who said anything about me hurting just them?" Pulling the two guns apart from each other, Xigbar crossed his arms over each pointing one gun at Leon while the other pointed at Cloud. "You should have just let them stay. That way you would have stayed alive longer."

"Let us not take long with this," the big guy said as he came to stand beside Xigbar, a large tomahawk appearing in front of him and slamming into the ground shaking the whole castle.

"Cloud," Leon said in a whisper, not taking his eyes from the enemy as he repositioned his sword. "How long would it take for Sora to lock the door again?"

"I don't know," Cloud whispered in response, a frown appearing on his face. "It depends on how good Sora is with the keyblade."

"I'll stay here and stall them. You hurry up and go through. Tell Sora to lock the door."

"Are you insane?!" Cloud spat out before he forced his voice to lower. "If I leave you here now, there's no way you'll survive against these guys."

"Remember our duty," Leon said glancing over at him. "It's our job to ensure that both princes remain safe from harm. I'll be counting on you to take care of them so don't let me down."

"Leon…but…"

"Go, Cloud!" Leon yelled out, his gunblade held tightly in his hand as he ran towards the two organization members.

"Leon!" Closing his eyes for a second, Cloud clenched his hand tightly around the hilt of his sword before he turned running swiftly towards the door. This was insane. There was no way Leon would be able to survive against those guys. Why couldn't he have just come with them?!

Leon…what are you thinking doing something stupid like this?

Cloud stopped by the door and turned around frowning as he watched Leon running towards the two guys. The brunet didn't stop, even when Xigbar shot his guns at him, hitting him in several parts of the body with his shots. He didn't stop as blood started to pool from his wounds, dripping down on the castle floor, bringing back memories Cloud wished he hadn't remembered. Swinging his sword, Leon aimed at the sniper but was too slow as the other easily dodged and held a gun against Leon's back pulling the trigger.

Cloud couldn't move his body, his eyes widening as the shot reached his ears. He saw Leon's eyes shoot open in pain, blood shooting from his lips as he fell forward falling onto the ground. Cloud couldn't bring himself to move, his mouth gaped open as he stared at the prone body lying on the floor, blood starting to pool beneath it.

Is…is he…n-no…he can't…he just can't be….

"Heh. Well that was easy," Xigbar said as he took a foot kicking Leon's body hard sending him flying to land in a crumpled state by the bed. The male with the dread locks didn't even flinch as he stared down at the body. "I think I got him right in the heart too."

"We still have the other one to take care of," Lexaeus said as he looked over towards Cloud who seemed frozen to the spot.

"I can take care of that one too," Xigbar replied, still holding his precious guns.

…I can't stay here…I have to protect….

He tried not to think about what happened, forced himself to think about the task at hand as he turned running into the portal, his hand grabbing and pulling the door closed behind him. "We have to go," Cloud said as soon as he got through, his eyes not meeting any of them. "Sora, lock the door."

"Huh?" Sora blinked, looking at Cloud. "But…what about Leon?"

"He said he was going back to report to the king," Cloud lied, his eyes looking down towards the ground, trying to figure out why there was a blur to them. "For now, lock the door. We can't let anyone else get through."

"Um…ok then." Sora frowned then turned around pointing his keyblade towards the door. Instantly a shot flew out hitting into the keyhole, the door locking up with a click. That had been a lot faster than Cloud would have thought. Apparently, Sora was learning to control the keyblade's power. "Ok, it's locked." He gave a little sigh. "I can't believe Leon just left like that though."

Cloud barely gave a nod, though he did feel wetness running down his cheek. Wait…was he…crying? He reached up touching his eyes and pulling his fingers back seeing the wetness on them. No, this wasn't the way a soldier was supposed to act. Especially when he was supposed to be leading the group of them. Taking his arm he quickly wiped it over his eyes removing the wetness as much as he could. Leon wouldn't want him crying over something like this.

Leon…rest in peace…

"Cloud, are you ok?" It was Yuffie speaking, her hand resting gently on his shoulder. Out of habit he looked over at her then looked away, mad at himself for showing such weakness. He knew she saw the wetness around his eyes but he didn't mention it to her, instead starting to walk off heading down the hill towards the Magic Kingdom that stood tall in front of them.

"I'm fine. Let's get going. We can't keep his majesty waiting."

"You mean he already knows we're here?" Riku asked, eyes watching Cloud suspiciously.

"Yes. The king knows about everything that happens in his kingdom."

"Cool! I can't wait to meet him!" Sora said happily, oblivious to the little smile Riku sent his way. "I hope he's not an old fart."

"Well…he is old," Cloud said, realizing he was doing what he could to keep his mind off the inevitable thought. "But you probably won't think that when you see him."

"Yeah right. I'll wait to be the judge of that."

…He's picked up a lot from Leon.

Cloud shook his head from that thought, mentally praying that Leon was somehow still alive. He was confused by the feeling, wondering if it had anything to do with those weird feelings he'd had around Leon in the past. This feeling was different though. He felt as though…a part of him went missing when Leon…

Let's not think on that…not right now….

In fact, he was hoping King Mickey could help him out with that. In fact, maybe if Leon wasn't dead yet and those guys were gone then maybe…maybe they could get back and do something to heal him. Cloud's speed quickened as he walked faster, with a new determination in mind.

"Who are you?! State your business here!"

"We are just simply a traveling caravan," Luxord said, giving a slight bow as he rested a hand against his chest. "If we're interrupting something important here, please accept our apology."

"No, it's fine," the guard said frowning slightly as he looked at the four of them, each carrying their own packs with them. "A lot has been going on lately so you'll have to excuse us if we're a bit suspicious right now."

"What been happening?" Demyx asked, coming to stand beside Luxord as he stared up at the guard looking far too cute and innocent to be of any harm to anyone. This was the reason Xemnas had made special note to include Demyx on this trip. Apparently, Demyx was the best when it came to pretending to have his emotions. He was able to easily lull the enemy to lose their guard, especially since they didn't think he could hurt a fly.

But I know that's not true.

He wouldn't say they had no emotions, just more like they lost touch with them. The darkness that surrounded them had separated their hearts from their bodies. In other worlds, the darkness was what was keeping them from feeling anything. They were almost like empty shells, except they were able to still pretend the emotions were there, each of them giving out their own unique personality.

"We've been seeing weird creatures showing up in the city," the guard said as he glanced around almost like he was still seeing them. "I suggest you leave here as soon as possible."

"Weird creatures you say?" Luxord continued, eyebrow lifting in interest. "What kind of creatures?"

"Well they looked human but…" he shook his head as if trying not to remember, his hand unconsciously resting on the sword. Maybe converting this city would be easier than he'd thought. The people here were still scared and frightened by what had happened. "They were…monsters. Glowing yellow eyes, skin as dark as night, and bodies that moved like a being possessed by the devil."

"Monsters, you say?" Luxord asked, though his glancing eyes caught his three colleagues' attention. Of course they knew about the monsters. They were the ones who created them after all. "Well we will definitely keep our eyes open for such hideous beast."

"But right now we're kinda having a problem finding a place to stay for the night," Demyx cut in, giving a sheepish grin as he looked at the guard, staring at him with innocent eyes. Even being part of the organization, Luxord was sometimes confused by Demyx's acting skills when it came to thinking he had a heart. "All the hotels are booked in the city and we really don't have anywhere else we can go."

"Yeah," Larxene cut in, folding her arms. "And being told there are monsters in the city really doesn't set us at ease either."

"Well…" the guard glanced over to another guard who looked at him and shrugged his shoulders before he looked at the newcomers.

"I'm sure we can find them a place to stay in the palace," Aerith said smiling as she came out the door giving a small nod of her head. "My name is Aerith. I am the palace healer."

"Nice to meet you," Demyx said smiling as he came closer and held out a hand . The healer gently took it shaking his hand in return. "My name's Demyx. This is Luxord," Demyx continued gesturing back behind him towards Luxord, "Marluxia and Larxene. We'll try to stay out of the way."

"Oh no," Aerith said quickly shaking her head. "Please, stay as long as you need. I'm not sure when the danger will be over, but it's wiser for everyone to stay indoors right now. I'm sure King Ansem won't mind some guest in the palace."

"That'd be great! I mean if you don't mind," Demyx added in quickly and giving off a light blush as if embarrassed to be so excited.

"King Ansem is very protective of his people," Aerith said giggling slightly at Demyx's outburst. Marluxia seemed to just roll his eyes at that. "As long as you're in our kingdom, you're one of us." She smiled giving them a quick bow. "Please make yourselves at home. I'll have a room ready for you in a jiffy." And she was off, heading back inside not even looking behind her.

"Well that was…interesting," Luxord said glancing over at Demyx.

"More like annoying," Marluxia replied frowning as he folded his arms before lowering his voice making sure only they heard him. "At least this will make the job easier and faster."

"It'll only a matter of time before we sway them to the darkness," Larxene added in, her hand lifting to lightly poke at her hair. "So let's hurry up and get back. I don't want to miss the show."

"You mean with Axel and Roxas? Or with Roxas and the keywelder? Or the keywelder and the prince?" Demyx blinked before he smiled happily clapping his hand. "Oh now that I think about it, all of that sounds fun! Let's hurry so we can get back!" Yes…Demyx was a natural at this. Maybe that's why he was part of the organization, maybe Xenmas foresaw his uses. If anyone could blend in with the heart owners, it was Demyx.

"I have to agree," Luxord said putting his focus back on track as he lead the group inside. "This shouldn't take more than a day. Be sure to earn their trust. Just this kingdom alone can strengthen our force greatly. Let's stay focused and remember our duties."

They made it into the palace with no problems, despite Cloud's persistent rushing. He was getting worse than Leon! What was with his attitude anyway? He hadn't spoken a word since they'd gotten to the other side. Did he and Leon have another fight again?

I hope not. Even if Leon can be a meany butthead sometimes.

Sora couldn't help thinking he looked sad though. What had happened earlier that they weren't being told about? He doubted those three guys just let Leon go without a fight. What if they followed him and -gulp- killed him? No, that couldn't be it. Cloud wouldn't have left Leon alone to fight them….would he? He had to remember that Cloud was a soldier…but would he really abandon his comrades like that?

The thoughts were chased away from his head almost instantly as he stared up at the giant castle standing in front of him. The place was huge, almost as big as Kingdom Hearts! It was a strangely light blue color and almost looked like something a kid would have come up with. Speaking of kids, standing in front of the door to the palace were two small boys, the two looking so alike they had to be twins or brothers with their cute little light brown hair. The only difference between the two was that the kid on the left had a slightly blush red nose and a gap between his two front teeth. They looked like they were probably about four or five making Sora wonder where their parents were. Should kids really be out here by themselves? Especially since it was starting to get late. Maybe they were homeless or loss or something.

We should help them.

"This is it," Cloud said quietly, his first words since his speed torrent. And damn it if he didn't sound out of breath or tired in the least. Why did the tough guys always have to be so…tough. Still trying to catch his own breath, Sora glanced over at Riku smiling slightly as he noticed the other had been staring at him. He tried to blame the heat in his cheeks on the fact that he was tired. Riku probably thought he was a weakling. He was barely able to keep up with the three of them while they were walking. It didn't help any that he was the smallest one in their group either. "This is Magic Kingdom."

"Whoaaa," one of the kids said, the one without the glowing nose, as he looked up at Cloud. "Is that you Cloud?"

"Hey it is!" The other one said starting to jump up and down in excitement. "By golly, it's been a long time! Where have you been?!"

…He knows these two?

"Sorry. I was busy looking for the prince." Cloud gave a fond smile as he glanced back at Sora. "And I found him." Ok, so he didn't know why that look actually made him blush in embarrassment as he tried to hide his face.

"You're joking, right?" The little red nosed boy said, his eyes wide as he came over walking around Sora, Sora's eyes watching him curiously.

"Well he does resemble him," the other boy said starting to walk in the opposite way around his brother, his nose sniffing at the air. "And he does smell like him."

Resemble? Smell? ….These kids are crazy….

"And that messy hair…" the red nosed by blinked before a light seemed to pop up on his head. "By golly, it is him!"

"E-excuse me?" Sora asked the two kids before sending a glare at Yuffie and Riku noticing the two were laughing at him. "H-have we met?"

"Yep, sure have," the kid with the nose said, smiling goofy as he rubbed under his nose with a finger. "When you were reaaaaaaally itty bitty." He held his fingers barely apart causing Sora to squint and lean close.

"You dummy!" the other boy yelled as he punched his brother in the back of the head.

"OW!"

"I'm Chip," the slightly miffed boy said before pointing a thumb at his bro. "And this is Dale."

"They used to visit the palace a lot when you were little," Cloud said walking over and ruffle Sora's hair slightly.

Pouting slightly, Sora reached up to fix his hair. He paused in the middle of doing it, registering what Cloud just said to him. "When…I was little?"

Cloud nodded his head. "That's right.?"

"But…"Sora frowned then. "But they're only four right? How could they have been around when I was little? They're only kids themselves!"

"We're chipmunks!" Dale yelled out puffing his cheeks slightly.

"…Eh?"

"Just because we look like this in human form doesn't mean we're four years old." Chip said folding his arms matter of fact like. "In fact, I knew your dad when he was little."

"…No way…." Sora's eyes widened as he thought about it. "Then….just how old are you?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you guys," Cloud said before he turned his attention to Chip and Dale. "Could you tell King Mickey that I'm here to see him?" He frowned slightly glancing over at Sora before kneeling down whispering to the two boys quickly. Sora stared curiously then glanced over at Riku frowning slightly when he saw the suspicious look in Riku's eyes. Lately, both he and Leon had stared at Cloud like that. Was there something going on that he didn't know about? It made him a bit jealous to be the only one left out of the loop…well…considering that he was a prince and all. He had to admit, he sure didn't feel like a prince.

The two jumped slightly at the whisper and glanced at each other before they looked up at Cloud again. "Ok, we'll do it. It'll only take a sec."

"I'll go talk to the King," Chip said as he looked back at Cloud and the others. "You guys, follow me."

"Then I'll go on ahead and talk to Donald and Goofy," Dale said giving them the A-OK sign. Sora could swear he'd only blinked his eyes for a second, but when he looked again, the small boy was replaced with a cute little chipmunk with a bright red nose and bucked teeth. In fact…he resembled that kid whom…..

Did…did he just….

Sora found himself staring as the little chipmunk ran off inside the building. What kind of strange world was this when humans could turn into animals in the blink of an eye?

Wonder if I could-

"Let's get going!" Chip said, causing Sora to do a double take as he saw the little chipmunk with the black nose staring up at him…and talking.

"D-Did he just…"

"It'll be explained later," Cloud said looking at the three of them. "For the moment just trust me." He looked down at Chip. "Lead the way."

Chip stood up saluting him. "You got it!" Turning, he quickly ran off going inside, the others moving quickly to keep up. If these two kids could turn into little chipmunk…Sora wondered what kind of creature this King Mickey had to be.

I bet he's a lion! Or a tiger! Or a huge bear! Oh man, I can't wait to see!

He was psyched up again, but blushed when he glanced over seeing Riku staring at him again, a smirk on his lips. "What?"

"Oh nothing," Riku said as he started walking. "I didn't know you'd be so excited about a strange place like this."

"I'm not…" Sora pouted.

Riku seemed to hesitate before he looked forward again. "It's…cute," he said causing Sora's head to turn sharply to look at him. He didn't look in return, though there was a slight of red in his cheeks. The redness caused Sora's own cheeks to glow as he stared at him biting at his lips slightly. Had he heard that right? Did Riku just call him cute?

I-I'm not cute…am I?

He would have preferred to think of himself as hot…or something. Girls liked hot guys. But…hearing Riku call him cute….why was it affecting him so much?

"Um…t-thanks," Sora said softly, suddenly feeling shy around his best friend. It brought to memory the time Riku had kissed his cheek like it was nothing…and how good it had felt. Subconsciously, Sora brought his hand up gently rubbing at the cheek Riku had kissed.

I'm…cute?

"Ok guys, here it is!" Chip stopped in front of the door, his form changing back to the little boy as if it were nothing as he reached out opening the door. "Be on your best behavior. I don't want to have to come in there and pound you!" He gave a slightly intimidating look, or as intimidating as it was going to get for a four-year-old looking boy, before he stepped to the side to let them enter. "Go ahead."

Cloud didn't give any hesitations, but Sora did swallowing slightly as he followed Cloud inside, the taller man blocking his view since he was right in front of him. He was too nervous to bring himself to move to the side to see though. The only thought that kept running through his mind was, he's a bear, he's got to be a bear!

Cloud stopped suddenly, Sora almost running into him only stopping when Riku gently held an arm in front of him to stop him. Confusion ran through Sora's brain before he found himself listening to his commanding off- er, his bodyguard's voice. "It is an honor to be in your graces, your majesty." Cloud bowed after saying the words then kneeled on the ground, Yuffie quickly following suit from the other side of Sora as well as Riku, used to doing this when visiting other kingdoms. Sora was the only left standing as he glanced around quickly at a loss. He suddenly found his eyes looking up and blinked finding a tall male standing in front of the throne with a kind smile as he looked down at the keyblader.

"Welcome to Magic Kingdom, Sora" the king said as he started to come down from the throne. "I'm King Mickey." And he looked cool…he looked like what Sora would think a king would look like. He was calm, cool, and his black hair was falling over his eyes in a startling nice way, enough to make Sora actually stare up at him in awe with a slight blush.

…He has to be black panther…or a lion…or...something cool!

TBC…

Yes yes, It's been a loooooooooong time since I updated. I'm so lazy…this fall weather's really making it hard for me to concentrate on anything for long. Hehe, but I'll be keeping up as best I can. My annoying boss makes it a bit hard too…never much time for free time but the weekend. I so need to just get a Master's Degree and get a better job…that I can trust. Oh well, till next update!