Chapter 63: Court Conviction

A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. I also do not own The Dresden Files, which is owned by Jim Butcher.

This is a creative work that I do not profit off of in any way, shape or form.

Hellooooooo my dearest readers! I hope you are all doing well on this fine day!

I've decided to shake things up a little bit and go back to some characters who have not gotten much attention in quite some time.

Take a look at what King Mickey and company were up to while the Sea Salters visited the Islands!

Read on!

oooo

Goofy's tummy tightened into a big knot—like a sailor's knot or maybe a cowboy's knot—as he watched Roxas and Xion get more supplies they'd need for their journey. Potions and Ethers and stuff, mostly. But also lots of ice cream, since that was the stuff they used to fuel their Gummi Ship. It wasn't that long a way to the Destiny Islands where Kairi lived, but Goofy supposed it was better safe than sorry.

Goofy didn't like it. The way that Xion kept holdin' her arm. It was hurt. She was hurt. But Roxas and Axel were doin' a good job keepin' an eye on her. They cared about her a whole bunch. And Goofy wasn't sure what was worse—the way Xion held her arm or the way she was shakin' every time someone got to close. She shook real bad when Master Aqua walked by.

There weren't that many supplies for them to get, so before Goofy knew it, they were back in the garage. Good ol' Horace Horsecollar was unlockin' the dock for their Gummi Ship so they could get going. King Mickey was there too, with Donald, sayin' their good-byes to Roxas and Xion. Xion was still shakin' and Goofy didn't think that King Mickey noticed. But Goofy did…he had to do somethin'. And he knew just what to say, but first he had to check all his pockets. Let's see…he had a yoyo and some batteries and half a sandwich from his lunch and a camera…no, none of that was good. He'd need to check his other pocket. He had his Gummiphone and some keys and one of his hats…and ah-ha! There it was! Just the thing he needed!

"Remember, Xion," Goofy said, holding up the chestnut from his pocket. "The yummy stuff is still inside."

Xion stared at the chestnut and then back at Goofy. She reached out a hand—a small, tremblin' hand. The hand that she used to hold her Keyblade. Her little fingers closed Goofy's hand over the chestnut and pushed it back towards his pocket.

"Thanks Goofy," Xion said in a real quiet voice. "You're a really good friend."

She smiled at him, but it was the kind of smile that kids gave when they were sad and scared but trying to be happy. Goofy patted her gently on the arm—he wanted to give her a big hug, but Goofy weren't sure that was the best idea. Xion gave a little wave and then followed Roxas and Axel up into their Gummi Ship.

Goofy wasn't happy, not one bit. He watched the big, shiny, silver-y Gummi Ship that Roxas and Axel and Xion used rose up and up and up and flew away. Hayner and the other kids from Twilight Town were on the ship too, which was a good thing. Goofy wasn't just not happy, he was real mad, and he didn't want to shout in front of any of the kids. It was bad for kids when they heard grown-ups yell and fight. He looked down at King Mickey. He'd always been one of Goofy's best buddies. Goofy hoped they'd still be buddies after he said what he had to say.

"Goofy?" King Mickey asked, looking up at him with big eyes. "Is everything okay?"

"No," Goofy shook his head real hard. "It's not alright. It's not alright at all and you know it, yer Majesty!"

"Goofy," King Mickey said. "I know you're upset but I think we might want to talk about this someplace else."

"We can talk about it now!" Goofy said. He made his hands into fists. "I don't wanna talk about it later, yer Majesty. And I don't wanna wait to talk about it someplace else either! What Master Yen Sid did was wrong!"

SMASH!

CRASH!

BANG!

Goofy jumped real high—that'd been a very loud crash. He looked around and saw that Donald's nephews had crashed one of their little cars again. It had skidded all the way around and knocked down a whole bunch of shelves of Gummi parts.

"BWAAAA! I thought Della and I told you that you three were not allowed to use any go-karts!" Donald shouted, runnin' up and throwin' his arms.

"You said we were only grounded for a month, Unca Donald!"

"It hasn't been a month yet! Bwaaa-aaaah!" Donald yelled. "When I get hold of you, I'm gonna bwaaaa-aaaa-aaah!"

Goofy and King Mickey looked at Donald and then at each other—Huey and Dewey and Louie were all lookin' at their feet. None of 'em looked very sorry and that made Goofy even angrier. Those three kept causin' trouble and no matter how many times Donald yelled at them, they never stopped makin' messes. Xion made one mistake and Master Yen Sid yelled at her 'til she cried and then took away her Keyblade.

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Okay, maybe it would be better if they talked about this someplace else…

xxxx

"So there's nothin' you can do to get Xion's Keyblade back?" Goofy asked. "Or any of her other magic?"

"No," King Mickey shook his head. "I can't. Master Yen Sid and Master Aqua are the ones who cast the spell negating Xion's magic, so the only thing to do is for them to remove it, or wait until it wears off. It's not supposed to be forever. Ten days, I think that's what Master Aqua said."

"That don't make it right," Goofy said, crossin' his arms. "I know usin' the mordite sword was bad, but takin' away her Keyblade…how would you feel if it were you, yer Majesty?"

King Mickey pressed his hands together, but he didn't answer. Hs ears drooped down low and Goofy felt real guilty. Maybe that'd been a little too mean.

"Goofy, I'm sorry about what happened to Xion, I really am," King Mickey said. "She's a good friend and I'm not sure I'd even be here if it weren't for how she helped me when we were searching for the Cornerstone pieces. But I'm wondering why you seem to care so much. It's not like you to get angry at anyone."

Goofy bit his lip. King Mickey was nice, but the fact of the matter was, he really didn't spend much time with kiddos. Sure, he'd spent more time with Riku than most, and he'd spent lots of time with Xion when the Cornerstone had gotten smashed. But he didn't spend much time with his own nephews. Goofy couldn't remember the last time he'd even seen Ferdinand or Mortimer. Come to think of it, Goofy wasn't even sure that any of their other friends even knew King Mickey had family apart from Queen Minnie.

"Mickey," Goofy said. "See, the thing is…the reason I'm so upset…I was wrong and I hate being wrong."

"Wrong about what? Xion?" King Mickey shook his head. He didn't seem to even notice that Goofy didn't call him by his title. "I don't think you're wrong to be upset with what happened to her."

"No…the last time Master Yen Sid made her cry, the first time she used that sword," Goofy swallowed. "You know how I went to check on my goldfishies? Well…I went to check on Roxas and Xion instead. And I told her—I promised her—that nobody would hurt her. That she'd be safe…but she weren't. Master Yen Sid did hurt her. I broke my promise."

"Oh…" King Mickey said. "I…I didn't realize you promised…you know I would never hurt her, right?"

"Course I do, but that don't change that I'm angry," Goofy said. "I don't even know what Master Yen Sid and Master Aqua are thinkin', takin' away Xion's Keyblade like that! It's bad stuff when yer own students is afraid of you! I seen it before."

He could see punishin' Xion if she'd done something bad on purpose, but from the way it sounded, she didn't have no choice. And now she was scared of 'em! She'd already been a bit scared of Master Yen Sid, but now she was real scared! And Goofy didn't like it…part of him wanted to teach Master Yen Sid a lesson!

"I know," King Mickey said. "But there's nothing else I can do…wait, what was that about seeing it before? This is the first we've ever really seen Master Yen Sid lose his temper, he was strict with me, but…"

"You don't remember, do you?" Goofy sighed. "This was way back, when Maxie was a kid. Remember his buddy PJ?"

"Captain Justice?" King Mickey asked. "What about him? You took him into your chambers in the castle, but he's been all grown up for years now. He's Pete's son, but he's nothing like him."

"And that's a good thing darn-tootin'," Goofy shouted. He was tired of it! Tired of not sayin' what needed to be said! "'Cause back in the day, PJ used to get hurt and it'd be Pete's fault! I asked you to let him stay with me and Maxie because I knew what Pete was doin' to him! Workin' him for hard chores till he dropped and punchin' him whenever he didn't do it right! He was scared, Mickey! PJ was a-scared of his own home after his mom died! Is that what's gonna happen with Xion? Are Yen Sid and Aqua gonna hit her until she does what they say? Is that what you want?!"

King Mickey took a step back, his eyes real wide. Goofy felt his tummy tighten up and then loosen up and then tighten again.

"That's not what's going to happen," King Mickey said. "I won't allow it."

"Can I ask you somethin'?" Goofy asked. "That year that Sora and Donald and me were sleepin', Roxas and Xion were in the Organization even though they didn't know no better. Would you have killed 'em?"

"I…I…." King Mickey said over and over. "I…Goofy, please, the Organization had to be stopped."

"That's what I thought you'd say," Goofy shook his head. "I'm gonna go take a walk, Mickey."

He turned away from King Mickey. Goofy thought he was gonna throw up, but he didn't say anymore. If he did, he was pretty sure he'd start cryin' himself. He was so busy walkin', he didn't even notice that he wasn't alone anymore.

oooo

Mickey walked quietly back into his chambers. Goofy's shouting was still ringing in his ears. It wasn't like Goofy to shout…but what was worse was what he'd said. Killing Roxas and Xion? The idea was just crazy…wasn't it?

That year that Sora and Donald and Goofy had been sleeping, Mickey and Riku had been undercover, mostly. Trying to figure out what Organization XIII had been up to—which hadn't been easy, since the Organization had kept a quiet profile for the most part. He hadn't fought any of the Organization himself…he hadn't even known that Roxas and Xion were a part of the Organization. He hadn't realized that Roxas was Sora's Nobody or that Xion was a Replica…

That day in Twilight Town, deep in the forest, Mickey had come face-to-face with Riku, after not seeing him for months. At the time, Riku had been trying to deal with his own darkness and had taken on the appearance of Xehanort's Heartless. And although he hadn't gone into detail, Riku had explained that the Organization had managed to collect almost all of the pieces of Sora's scattered memories.

"Well, then you have to let me help! Maybe I can get the memories back!"

Mickey still wasn't sure how exactly Riku had managed to get the memories back—Xion was involved, but Riku didn't like talking about that year they'd been undercover. Mickey didn't like talking about it either, truth be told.

He looked around his chambers. Master Aqua and Terra were there, as was Riku and Master Yen Sid. Master Riku, Mickey supposed he should say, but after so much time with Riku before he was granted the title, Mickey wasn't sure he'd ever get used to calling him that. Ventus was nowhere to be seen.

"Um, where's Ven?"

"I'm not sure," Master Aqua said. "I sent him away so he could cool down. His behavior was absolutely unacceptable. I'm sorry Mickey, I'm just glad he didn't break anything…we'll have to figure out a way to deal with him."

"Ah, Aqua," Mickey shook his head. "I don't think there's anything that needs to be dealt with. Ven was just upset."

"That doesn't excuse his behavior," Master Aqua said cooly. "Master Eraqus raised us to be better than that. But enough about that right now—Ven will come to his senses soon enough. Our most immediate concern is the threat Maleficent poses."

"Er, right," Mickey said. "Well, we know that Maleficent is using mordite and that she tried to poison the Blue Fairy."

"Are there any other worlds where there exist powerful beings who may be under threat?" Terra asked. "As I understand it, the immortals of Olympus Coliseum were already under threat…but Lea and the others settled that particular conflict."

"Oh, yes," Mickey nodded. "Maleficent gave Hades one of the swords…and well, Xion replicated it and smashed it…"

"Through the use of mordite swords," Aqua shook her head. "I really hope that doesn't have any other long-lasting consequences. Hades using it is bad enough…but if someone else gets their hands on it…"

"Leave it be," Master Yen Sid said. "If we must cross that bridge, we will. But at the moment, we need not worry. Prudence is worthy, but there are limits that must be considered…"

Limits that must be considered…prudence is worthy…is that what you really think, Master?

"I suspect that if Maleficent is pursuing other fairies, then we should direct our attention to such worlds," Terra scratched his chin. "What of the Enchanted Dominion? That's where Maleficent originally resided…"

"That's a good idea!" Mickey said. "The Enchanted Dominion sounds like a great place to take a look to see what Maleficent might be up to."

"Oh…" Terra scratched the back of his head. "Er…well, I'm not sure…I think there may also be other worlds. The spread of Maleficent's darkness is not to be overlooked or underestimated and perhaps my services would be best spent elsewhere…"

He trailed off and he suddenly seemed very uncomfortable about something, but Mickey wasn't quite sure what that might be. Still, it did make a lot of sense to check out Maleficent's home world.

"It's still a good idea," Master Aqua smiled at Terra. "But perhaps that shouldn't be a world that we visit ourselves. Perhaps that might be best left to Roxas and Lea."

Was it deliberate that she didn't say Xion's name? It had to be…unless Aqua was anticipating that the others' journey to the Destiny Islands wouldn't take long. That didn't seem very likely to Mickey. Something told him that, if nothing else, Lea would try to make sure they stayed for at least a couple of days. It would probably be for the best—there weren't any worlds quite like the Destiny Islands, and given that that was Sora's home…Roxas and Xion in particular probably had some connections there.

"I think there may also be merit in checking in on Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother," Master Aqua said. "If Maleficent is also targeting Princesses of Heart, she may not know that Cinderella's time as one has passed."

"That would be wise," Master Yen Sid said. "The Fairy Godmother has exceptional magic power. Indeed, she is my equal in some aspects of magic and in others, it is not impossible that she has surpassed me."

"She's not a fighter though," Master Aqua said. "That would make her a target if Maleficent and her followers were to attack. Terra, I think that it would be wisest if you, Ven and I visited them."

Everyone seemed to agree that this was a good idea, though Mickey wasn't sure what Ven would think about it. Guess they'd have to let him know about it too. Mickey looked around the room again…even with four other people in it, the chambers seemed oddly empty. He wondered where Donald and Goofy were…and whether the others had arrived on the Destiny Islands safely. It'd barely been an hour since they'd left…it'd be hours still before they arrived there.

"I should…continue searching for Sora," Riku said. "Roxas and Xion didn't mention they'd seen any other clues in any of the worlds they'd visited, so I'll avoid those areas…if the key to finding him is anywhere, I can't imagine they wouldn't have felt something about their connections…however faint they now are."

"Roxas I understand," Master Aqua agreed. "But don't you think you're putting a little too much credit on Xion's connection?"

"Trust me, if there's anyone who would have a connection to Sora," Riku ducked his head. "It would be her…"

Master Aqua paused, her eyebrows furrowed. She looked a bit confused and it occurred to Mickey that she probably didn't know the whole truth about what happened to Roxas and Xion in the Organization. Mickey didn't even have the whole truth. Mickey glanced at Terra, who had shut his eyes very tightly. Oh…he looked most upset. Riku looked a little ill, almost as if he'd eaten too much ice cream.

"There is something else though, Master Yen Sid," Mickey hesitated. "How long did you say the spell blocking Xion's Keyblade was going to last?"

"A duration of fourteen days," Master Yen Sid answered. "No more, no less."

Fourteen days? That was two weeks…that was a long time, or at least it could be. A lot could happen in fourteen days.

"Is that really fair?" Mickey asked. "That seems like an awful long time."

"If anything, that's lenient," Master Aqua said, crossing her arms. "Xion used powers that her Master explicitly forbid, lied about it, got others to lie for her and when she was caught, tried to defend her wrong-doings. She behaved in every way that a Keybearer shouldn't. We're suppose to fight the darkness, not add to it."

"That's not fair," Riku said cooly. "She showed remorse for her actions. She's prostrated herself before Master Yen Sid. She begged forgiveness."

"Because she was caught doing wrong," Master Aqua argued. "If she was truly sorry, she would have admitted her own wrong-doings. She used the darkness, Riku, and she's not like you. She hasn't come close to conquering its corrosive influence. I understand that in the Organization, taking shortcuts like that was acceptable…but Master Xehanort was wrong in everything he did. And he used the same excuses. If she continues to use methods she shouldn't…methods that were forbidden for good reason…justifies using powers that hurt people—this was mordite, Riku, it's one of the most fiendish metals ever forged, it's pure evil—then more permanent action might need to be taken."

Terra looked as if he might be sick. Riku's face drained of color and his eyes narrowed. His eyes, a pale green, hardened into steel. He flexed his fingers, as if he were thinking of summoning his Keyblade.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Riku growled. "Xion can be short-sighted, but she is nothing like Xehanort. I need to…reflect on…things."

His tone wasn't loud, but from the way he held his shoulders, Mickey was certain that Riku was absolutely furious. And what Aqua said…permanent action…Xion had cried when Master Yen Sid confiscated her Keyblade…and when she tried to summon it again, it had hurt her. What would permanent action mean?

"I think we should all take an hour…or three..." Mickey said. "Er…we can meet up back here."

oooo

Donald Duck grimaced as he watched Ventus operate the machine used to play Ice Cream Beat. Huey, Dewey and Louie stood on the stage, snapping their fingers to some song that Donald didn't know the name of. It was irking, watching them play around as if they hadn't just driven another go-kart through the garage and smashed two ships, and goodness knew how many pieces. No matter what Donald did…nothing seemed to get through to them. Ah, phooey.

"Raahhh!"

Though if he was being honest, Donald supposed he should be the most worried about Ven, rather than his nephews. Donald watched as Ven blasted more and more ice cream. He didn't miss a single shot, but the way he held the machine…Donald wondered whether he'd be better off trying to mash potatoes for Grandma Duck.

"I know what you're thinking," Ven called. "And I'm perfectly calm! Aqua's just being…awful!"

Ven blasted a particularly large scoop of strawberry ice cream onto Huey's cone as he said this. Donald shook his head. He was in a temper. Donald was no stranger to 'em and he knew better than anyone that there was no use

Taking Xion's Keyblade away was harsh, but Donald wasn't sure if he disagreed with it. When he had first been learning to use magic, he had cast spells on himself so he could only focus on one kind of magic at a time. And when he had misused his magic, he'd had it restricted before.

But then again, he hadn't been fighting across other worlds…even the war they'd lost Della in had been long over by the time Donald had picked up a staff. Maybe Master Yen Sid had been a bit too harsh…but that was silly. Donald shook his head. Master Yen Sid was the Master, which meant what he said went. End of story, the end, no sequel.

"All Xion wants to do is help!" Ven snapped, blasting a string of blueberry ice cream at Dewey. "Help, help, help!"

"Did I hear someone call for help? Is there someone in need of a rescue?"

Donald rolled his eyes. If it were Captain Justice, it'd be one thing, but it was Gladstone, still dressed up in his old superhero outfit. Paperinik.

More years ago than Donald liked remembering—really, it had been decades—he had dressed up as Paperinik. It'd been something he'd do with Della when they were little. It'd been fun. And then after the war, Della hadn't come home and Donald still felt the need to fight.

There wasn't a war, so Donald had gotten his old Paperinik costume and tried fighting crime. There wasn't really that much crime in Disney Castle—the Cornerstone saw to that—so Donald had to direct his attention to Duckburg. For years, Donald had fought to protect the city.

He hadn't had magic then. No real superpowers, at least. It hadn't made things easy. It'd actually been really stinking hard. No matter what Donald tried as Paperinik, it'd blow up in his face. Invention after invention after invention, failure after failure…but he'd fought on. He'd fought Beagle Boys and foes like Spectrus and Inquinator and Mr. Invisible and Hach-Mac…and those were the ones Donald could remember. It'd been like that for over a decade…

But then Mickey and Minnie had become the King and Queen of Disney Castle. With their powerful magic, they were able to spread the Cornerstone's light across all corners of the planet. There were very few threats left to fight—the Phantom Blot had been driven into hiding, most of Uncle Scrooge's enemies were gone, and Donald didn't even know what had happened to most of the bad guys he'd fought as Paperinik.

The only real thing left to worry about had been Pete and even his mischief had been relatively muted. Mostly. He'd still caused all sorts of trouble.

That, curiously, had been what had led to Donald starting to look for magic in the first place. With no one else to fight, he had to learn new skills to serve his King. He'd been friends with Mickey for decades, before Sora was born. Before Axel would have been born. Before Jack Sparrow or Hercules or who knew how many others would have been born.

And of course, there was always Gladstone. His cousin. His eternally lucky, never-had-to-work-at-all, never-struggled cousin. Ah phooey, of all the people to try and be Paperinik.

"What do you want, Gladstone?"

"I am not Gladstone," Gladstone lied. "I am Paperinik, the greatest of all heroes!"

"Hero?" Ven asked, looking up from the ice cream machine. "You look familiar…"

"He's one of my cousins, Ven," Donald shook his head. "I'm not helping you, Gladstone. You're only in this for yourself. As usual."

"Is it really so hard for you to believe that I'm acting out of altruism?" Gladstone snapped. "Or did one of your endless supply of head injuries finally catch up to you?"

"Why you, no-good—baaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Donald lunged for Gladstone and began punching him. Magic be darned, there were some problems you needed to solve with your fists. He slammed a hand into Gladstone's bill and twisted it.

"Yee-ouch!" Gladstone shouted. "Donald, you….gaaah!"

He sank his teeth into Donald's hand and bit it as hard as he could—just like he'd used to do when they were ducklings, even younger than the nephews!

"Wak!"

"Get him, Unca Donald! Get him!"

Donald wasn't sure which of his nephews that was—though if he could guess, the smart money would be on Huey, since a scoop of strawberry ice cream flew through the air and landed on Gladstone's cape.

"Gah! Is this going to stain?!" Gladstone shouted. "I can't let it stain…oooh, a Mythrill Crystal!"

"See, typical Gladstone!" Donald snapped. "You've never suffered! You've never struggled!"

"I have so!" Gladstone argued. "You think it's easy living with this luck? Knowing that everything I want, I get? It does get to me—I don't have friends Donald! I told you this already…the guilt gets to me."

"You'll have to excuse me if I think this is a load of phooey," Donald shook his head. "It hasn't been long at all, Gladstone, and you've yet to do anything as Paperinik."

"We live in Disneytown!" Gladstone whined. "There's no crime here anymore! And I can't go to St. Canard—there's no crime there anymore either!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing!"

"How am I going to prove myself that I can be the best at being Paperinik if there's no crime to fight?"

"You should be glad there's no crime to fight!" Donald countered. "It means there isn't any danger!"

"Can I say something?" Ven asked. "I think you're both being ridiculous. If helping people actually does mean something to you, Mister Gladstone, then why don't you just ask Donald for help finding people who need it?"

"Ah phooey…"

oooo

Minnie pressed her hands together as her husband, her beloved Mickey walked down the corridor. He looked deeply, deeply disturbed. Oh, Mickey. He'd always fought so hard for so many people. But now, he just looked tired.

"Things are…getting complicated," Mickey said, ducking his head. "I'm not sure what to do."

"Oh Mickey, can't you be any more specific than that?"

"You haven't heard?" Mickey asked. He bowed his head down, unable to look her in the eye. "Master Yen Sid has confiscated Xion's Keyblade…along with all other magical abilities."

"Oh my!" Minnie's hands flew to her mouth. "I don't understand, why would he do something like that?"

"There was this fountain…it was poisoning a friend and the only way for them to smash it was for Xion to use the mordite sword. The same one that Master Yen Sid forbid her from ever using," Mickey said. "Axel said they didn't have any other options. That nothing else they tried worked.

"It does seem a bit extreme…" Minnie said. "Though I do see why Master Yen Sid was angry. He is her teacher…and yours too, Mickey."

"Yeah, but…Minnie, if you could have seen her face," Mickey shook his head. "She was frightened, Minnie. And Goofy's as angry as I've seen him in years."

"Taking her magic didn't hurt her did it?" Minnie asked. "It's really not my place to interfere with what Master Yen Sid decides to do, but I won't have anyone—not even him—hurting someone else."

"Sort of," Mickey said. "Xion gets burned with whatever magic she tries to use. It doesn't actually hurt her—it just feels like it does."

"Any magic?" Minnie asked. The idea of being cut off from any magic…that was dreadful. "Well…how long is this going to go on for?"

"A fortnight, er, two weeks," Mickey admitted. "This…this doesn't feel right, Minnie. And everyone's arguing now—Ven attacked Riku for this and Riku and Aqua are at each other's throats."

He held his head down and it almost looked like Mickey was ready to start crying. Oh, Mickey. He cared so much for so many people. But he couldn't do it all on his own. It simply wasn't fair.

"Mickey," Minnie took his hand. "Walk with me. Please, let's get you out of this castle."

There wasn't much that Minnie could do about the arguments between the Keybearers and there wasn't anything she could do to fix Mickey's worry over Xion. But she could take him away from the castle, at least for a little while. There were so many statues and carvings and paintings showing Mickey and his relatives and her relatives throughout the many decades…most of them were truly of Mickey. He was the King of Disney Castle, the ruler of the town. He was a Keyblade Master. A powerful mage.

And before anything else, he was her husband. They'd been together for decades, so long that Minnie could no longer remember a time when it had not been the two of them. And it always would be the two of them.

xxxx

"Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Certainly not I…alright then, does anyone else have a request?" Practical Pig asked. "We know just about anything you can think of!"

Oh, how Minnie loved the music that played in the courtyard. The three little pigs on their instruments had been a mainstay for as long as she could remember. Fifer, Fiddler and Practical…and oh, Lil' Wolf was there too. Lil' Wolf was a gentle child and a long-time friend to the three little pigs. But he was a timid sort.

"Your Majesties!" Lil' Wolf said, kneeling before them. "Oh, it is an honor. It is a privilege, it is a…er…"

"Leave it be, Lil' Wolf," Minnie said. "King Mickey and I are just here for a visit. You don't have to do anything you wouldn't normally be doing."

"Yes, Queen Minnie," Lil' Wolf gulped. "It's…er, whatever it is you need ma'am."

Queen Minnie smiled at Lil' Wolf as he got back onto the stage with his little drum. He began tapping a rhythm and Fifer grabbed his hand. Fiddler and Practical began chanting as Lil' Wolf and Fifer danced.

"Who's got the sweetest disposition? One guess—guess who! Who never never starts an argument? Who never shows a bit of temperament? Who's never wrong but always right? Who'd never dream of starting a fight? Who gets stuck with all the bad luck? No one…but Donald Duck!"

Oh my…for their sake, Minnie hoped that Donald didn't hear the pigs singing this song. Donald had always had such a temper. The others gathered around the courtyard began to clap and cheer as Practical began playing another song. It did seem to have cheered Mickey up a bit and they continued walking.

The sun shined brightly as they walked along the lane. Minnie could see a game of fruitball being played further down the line—Peter Pig was there…but he had passed away more than sixty years ago.

"Oh my goodness…"

"Good morning, Queen Minnie!" Peter called out. "And Mickey, you're the King, fancy that!"

"Peter," Mickey whispered. "It's…it's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too, for however long I'll be," Peter nodded. "If you're lookin' for someone to talk to, there was a boy who came by here, about an hour ago…looked very glum, sad to say."

That probably would be Mickey's friend, Riku. Minnie had never properly spoken to Riku before, that she could remember. If something was troubling him and Mickey as well, then it would need to be dealt with, for their own sake, if nothing else.

Minnie and Mickey walked hand-in-hand as they continued down the line. The streets were getting crowded. It didn't take long to find Riku though, there weren't many humans who had ever lived in Disney Town. He was standing at a booth that was filled with stuffed animals. The duck running it…that was Gertie Duck. Donald had mentioned her before, many times in fact, though Minnie hadn't spoken to her in quite some time.

"Aren't you a sweet young man," Gertie said. "You would like to buy a stuffed animal for your girlfriend?"

"Uh…she's not my girlfriend," Riku said. "But I would like her to be…I mean to say that I would like her to have one of these stuffed animals. I think she would like it. Er, she's very sweet."

"Oh my goodness," Gertie chuckled. "It sounds like you're quite taken with this young lady."

"Er, right," Riku said. "I…um, well, I'm not sure what she'd like exactly. She's never had a stuffed animal before."

"Aw Riku, you don't have to worry," Mickey said. "I bet Naminé will like anything you get her."

Riku froze and turned to look at Mickey and Minnie. His face began turning red, which was all the more noticeable against his silver hair.

"Er…Mickey, Queen Minnie…I, er, well…um…er…" Riku stammered. He scratched the back of his head. "I didn't say…how did you know it was Naminé?"

Minnie wasn't sure who Naminé was—all Mickey had said about her was that she was a dear friend of Sora and Kairi's, but the idea that she'd never had a stuffed animal of her own was bothersome. Minnie still had a few of her own stuffed toys from her youth—most of them old prizes that Mickey had won for her in carnivals.

"Is Naminé anything like Xion?" Gertie asked. "From what I understand, she loves that stuffed tiger her father bought her."

Tiger? Father? Minnie wasn't sure what Gertie meant by all that—so far as she knew, Xion didn't have parents, but the way Mickey smiled was absolutely wonderful.

"You doing alright, Riku?"

Riku startled and then turned around. He held out an empty hand and his fingers curled into a fist. But it wasn't because he was angry. To Minnie, he looked like he was thinking about something.

"I've been better," Riku said. "But then I've also been worse…and I've been thinking about how…how there's still so many people I need to make amends for…and the best way to do that is…well…"

"Oh, here we are—this little dolphin for your little friend. Naminé means "waves," doesn't it?" Gertie said, holding up a plush dolphin. It was a silvery-grey with a white belly. It was small in Gertie's hands and not any larger in Riku's, who was of a height with her. "I think Naminé will like this very much."

"Aww," Mickey said and he radiated joy. The kind of joy that Minnie hadn't seen on his face in weeks.

She hoped the joy would stay this time.

oooo

Daisy glowered to herself as she wrapped more bandages around Donald's arm. It had been two days now, since Donald had taken it upon himself to teach Gladstone true heroics. It hadn't worked out very well.

"Taunting that bear," Daisy tutted. "What were you thinking?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Donald whined. "The bear started it! And Gladstone got away…again!"

"Well, maybe you should leave the heroics to somebody who knows what they're doing! You broke your arm in six places!"

"I'm better at being Paperinik that he is!" Donald protested. "Gladstone got them out of the tree by accident. I was the one who fought the bear!"

"Honestly Donald! You and your temper!" Daisy put her hands on her hips. "It's no wonder the boys are always getting into trouble! You set a terrible example for them!"

"I do not! Baaakkk!" Donald leapt from his chair and Daisy pushed him back down. "Let me up!"

"I will not let you up!" Daisy snapped. "Do you have any idea how worried I get when you and Goofy go off to who-knows-where! Traveling around with that kid and his Keyblade!"

"Don't talk about Sora like that!" Donald shouted. "He's my best friend! Better than I'll ever be! Baaaaakkk! And he still hasn't come home!"

"Oh, Donald," Daisy ducked her head. "I didn't mean it that way. It's just…it's hard, you know. You're never here, you're never home!"

"I am home—yee-oww! Baak!" Donald countered. "But Sora isn't! He isn't home! Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Xion…he's not with the people who love him most."

"What is it with that Xion, anyway?" Daisy asked. "She always seems to be causing trouble. That nonsense with the mordite sword and then there was that incident with the Cornerstone. Can you imagine what would have happened if we weren't able to repair it?"

"I…uh…I don't know exactly," Donald admitted. "She's got a lot to learn about how to use her powers responsibly, but she had a pretty rough go of it for a very long time."

Daisy shrugged to herself. That sounded quite a bit like Donald. Oh, Donald…for all her boyfriend's hard work, a lot of his problems did come from his temper. And his temper kept getting the better of him…this was hardly the first time that Daisy had treated his injuries. There'd been the time he broke his leg trying to get the star on the Christmas tree, the time he broke his arm trying to chop firewood…the injuries he'd gotten trying to tangle with his nephews…

From what she could gather, Xion was much the same way with the way she used powers she shouldn't be using. But from what she gathered, Xion was at least a lot more willing to admit she was wrong. Daisy couldn't remember the last time Donald had apologized for anything.

Still, despite his temper, there was no denying that Donald had a certain charm…he was handsome and brave. He was hard-working and he never gave up, even when it would be easier to do so. And his voice…he had such a lovely voice. Maybe that was the way with Xion too. Even though she used the powers of darkness—powers she really shouldn't be using at all—there had to be things about her that her friends liked.

oooo

His sleep was over. It hadn't been a very long sleep, but it'd been a Good sleep. A sleep in his own bed with his Friend going over a book. His Friend let him sleep wherever he liked, but his favorite spot to sleep was his own bed. No…wait, that was his second favorite spot. His favorite spot was with his Friend.

His Friend was Mickey Mouse and he was called Pluto. Pluto liked his Friend. His Friend was nice and would rub his belly and take him for walks. His Friend was brave too—Pluto knew the stories and his Friend smelled like courage. But most important, his Friend was kind. Hs Friend was Good.

Pluto worked hard to be Good but it wasn't always easy. There were cats who would scratch at him. Worse than cats were the shadows that moved. Shadows were not supposed to move, no matter how much Pluto barked at them. And these shadows did not just move, they tried to claw Pluto just like a cat would. But the shadows never stayed long in the castle. That was a good thing. Pluto didn't like the shadows.

Pluto stretched and stepped out of his bed and stretched some more. He began sniffing. There were a lot of smells. He could smell seventeen different people cooking…there were meats and kibbles and foods that Pluto was not allowed to eat and foods that Pluto would not want to eat even if he was allowed.

And there were people smells too. Smells that were different from his Friend or the people his Friend talked to all the time. There was a smell of visitors from far away. Far, far away…there was a scent of beaches that was faint and a scent of something else…something that was clearer. Pluto sniffed and sniffed and sniffed some more.

He smelled someone…young. Who ate lots of ice cream! Maybe the someone with ice cream would share! Share with Pluto! That would be a great thing! They could share like Lion shared! Xion always shared treats with Pluto! And gave him lots of head scritches! Pluto missed Xion. She was Good and kind and Good to him. She was away now…so far away, he could not smell her. Pluto hoped she would come back. She was small and just the right size for Pluto to nuzzle.

Pluto sniffed some more until he found the scent of the young person. The person was petting Butch. The person was a boy who had a funny thing on his shoulder. He looked like a friend.

"You're Xion's friend, aren't you?" The boy said. "My name's Ven. Xion had to go away, and I think I'm going away too, but we can still be friends."

Butch gave a small bark. That was good. It was better than a big bark. A big bark could mean you wanted to play or you wanted to be left alone or you wanted to fight. Most people seemed to think it only meant you wanted to fight. But a small bark was simply a way to say 'hi.'

It had been a long time since Butch had ever had friends. But Xion had been nice to him. That's what Butch had told Pluto. And so Butch had wanted to be nice to Xion too and had helped her and King Mickey when they were in very scary danger.

Ven began scratching Butch behind the ears and then began scratching Pluto under the chin when Pluto walked up to him.

"You're both very nice dogs," Ven said. "I like dogs…I never knew that before. I never had a dog…I think Sora might have had a dog. Or maybe it was Riku who had the dog and it liked Sora best."

Sora…Pluto remembered Sora! Sora was a boy who smelled like the ocean and had a big, big smile and was lots like his Friend Mickey. Pluto liked Sora a lot! Almost as much as he liked Xion.

Pluto gave a bark and began running around. Ven was going to go away. He was going to go far away. Pluto hoped he would come back soon. That would be nice. Maybe Ven and Xion would play with Pluto! And his Friend too! Throwing balls and discs and sticks was very fun. And Sora too! All of Pluto's people…

A few minutes later, when Ven was scratching Pluto's belly, two more people came up. A big man with big arms and a woman! A woman who had kind eyes and a soft smile and who petted Pluto on the head!

"Ven."

"Terra," Ven said, nodding his head up once. "Aqua."

"We're going to visit Cinderella now," Aqua said. "All three of us…together…"

Ven looked up at Aqua. She was much taller than Ven. Ven frowned at her and then his lip began to tremble and then he got very quiet. He didn't smell right. He smelled…sad. Pluto nuzzled his hand and then Ven stood up properly.

"Yeah," Ven said. "We'll go together."

He held out his hand and he summoned a Keyblade! Ven had a Keyblade! Ven had a Keyblade…oh! Aqua and Terra had Keyblades too! Oh, Pluto liked Keyblades! He and Butch watched as Ven and Terra and Aqua touched their shoulders and then funny metal covered their whole bodies! And they held out their Keyblades and opened a shiny circle in the air and stepped through it…they disappeared!

Pluto and Butch stared at each other. Pluto barked. Butch barked back. Pluto barked again. They nodded at each other and began walking. Pluto needed to go find his Friend. The friends with Keyblades were all so tired and sad. He could smell it on Xion and he could smell it on Men and he could smell it on his Friend Mickey. Pluto needed to find a way to help them.

And Butch could help too…

A/N: Here we are, my dearest readers! A chapter focusing on Walt Disney's Sensational Six. This was a bit of a challenge—Daisy has very little development in the Kingdom Hearts canon and it was a struggle to get some mannerisms down. Goofy, as always, Is a delight to write and Pluto was fun too.

Not a lot of plot development this time round, my friends, but we'll be back to Roxas, Axel, Xion and Kairi soon enough.

I hope you all enjoyed this one, my dear, dear readers! Leave a comment if you're so inclined! I appreciate each and every one of you!