Behold, chapter 10! This is unfortunately one of the last ones I'll be able to write for a while; driver's ed. starts in 2 days :( However, I shall continue to update as often as I can, so bear with me till the 2nd week of July. R&R as always, and enjoy!

BTW, this chapter introduces the concept of "the Barrier". If you don't get it at the end of the chapter, review and tell me if you want to know the full story now. I'll explain if you want, otherwise it'll all be explained later. Figured I'd say, cos I know some ppl i've shown this to want to know immediately, just thought I'd ask, lol

Chapter 10

Battle

The Door was still there. King Mickey walked forward and touched it, the cold wood against his small hands sending a chill down his spine. The Timeless River…a door to the past, and…something else…

"So uh, what does this hafta do with anything, yer Majesty?" Goofy asked with a confused look on his face. Donald turned to him, shrugged, and looked back at their King, who was still examining the door. "This is the door Merlin poofed up fer us back when the Cornerstone was in danger. I think it leads to the past."

"I know Goofy," the King replied, "but…I dunno, I've just had this feeling lately. I think this door is something else. I'm sure I've felt something come from the other side of it lately."

"Like what, your Majesty?" Donald was just as confused as Goofy, with a touch of worry on his face.

"I'm not sure, but I think that this door could be a door to…" The King paused and his ears perked up. "Someone's coming; hide!"

While the King simply hid behind the door, Donald and Goofy ran across the room and ducked low behind the pedestal on which the Cornerstone of Light stood. The room was tense and silent for a long time before something finally happened.

When the door to the Hall was thrown open, the King let out a short gasp and went back to crouching behind the door. Chasers!

"Why would he be in here?" Xa'kiir was complaining again. Ever since they had entered the castle, she wanted nothing more than to get the job done and leave as soon as possible.

"Because he knows!" Kurix was getting angry now. "I already told you, Tronahex must have sent him that note. If Tronahex sent the note, the King would never doubt it, he has too much trust in the traitor."

"But why does that mean he's come here?"

"Think about it. Don't you remember what Xehanort told us a long time ago? Back before his Heartless and Nobody came into power? He told us about Kingdom Hearts, the Barrier, whatever you want to call it. Remember, Kingdom Hearts always appears as a massive door, and can only be crossed once. After that, the door must be reopened elsewhere to cross over."

"What does that have to do with the King being in here?"

"Look over there." Kurix pointed to the right side of the room. Standing straight up was a lonely silver door. Behind the door was a small black mouse that had already made too much noise to leave unheard. "I know you're back there, Mickey."

Tronahex flew in at top speed, Keyblade drawn, and struck Kurix in the back, sending him flying across the room headfirst into the pedestal holding the Cornerstone of Light.

"Tronahex?" Xa'kiir froze for a moment, then drew her own Keyblade and clashed with the former Chaser. "So, you've come to see the downfall of your King? Good, we'll take you too!"

King Mickey had grabbed his own Keyblade at this point and was charging Kurix, who was about to attack Tronahex from behind. They clashed; creating a shower of sparks that temporarily blinded everyone in the room. "Why don't you give up, Nobodies? I know who you are! You're the Chasers, right?"

Kurix jumped back, causing the King to stumble forward before rushing him again. "We're what's left, yes!"

King Mickey dodged to the side and narrowly avoided Kurix's assault, then spun around and hit him from behind, knocking him down again.

"Kurix!" Xa'kiir ducked, letting Tronahex's Keyblade come crashing down on the floor behind her. Sliding under his legs, she used the Keyblade as a sort of vault and leapt at the King, knocking him into the Cornerstone. King Mickey quickly recovered and jumped up, Xa'kiir flying underneath him, then came down on her with the Keyblade, knocking her unconscious.

Before the King could attack Kurix, Tronahex had him kneeling on the ground before him, the Keyblade drawn at his neck. "Tell us what you know, Kurix!" Tronahex shouted. "The King already knows everything I know, so it's not like you're going to lose anything by telling us. I've already explained the Emptiness to him. And he knows what Kingdom Hearts, I mean the Barrier, is."

"You already know?" Donald came flying out from behind the Cornerstone at top speed, Goofy right behind him. During the battle, Mickey had completely forgotten about where they had hidden.

The King sighed and lowered his Keyblade. "Yes, I did."

"Then why did you bring us here if you knew you'd be in danger?" Goofy asked, worry covering his face.

"Because…because you guys need to know." The King sighed again and dropped his Keyblade, letting it fade away as it had done so many times before. "I didn't explain everything back in the library. Now's the time I did."

"Please show them, your Majesty, they deserve to know." Tronahex held a firm grip on his Keyblade, making sure Kurix would not move, as he pointed at the silver door with his free hand.

The King walked to the door and grabbed the metal handle. "Be ready for anything."

"But yer Majesty, we've already-" Goofy was cut short by a blinding light that erupted from the door as Mickey opened it. When the light had dimmed a bit, the King was standing to the side, beckoning towards the door. On the other side, Donald and Goofy saw not a world of black and white, but another Hall of the Cornerstone.

"It's always different," Tronahex said. "Sometimes the Barrier will show you to the past, sometimes it'll only show you the world of Illusion. I guess for now, Kingdom Hearts has chosen the latter."