Sorry this chapter was a week late, a lot happened over the course of this month.

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance

Chapter 4: Disney Castle part I

The halls of the castle were filled with the many voices of all the guests invited to this special occasion. Both from this world, was well as dozens of others. But it was within the main foyer, that the largest gathering of people was seen. At the center of which, were a trio of teens greeting each of them as politely and quickly as possible. Each of these adolescents appeared to be receiving all manner of thanks and complimentary comments. Not only for their recent battle against the Organization, but also for the previous deeds they preformed when helping their worlds. As the crowd slowly dispersed however, it revealed the three wearing the the formal wear offered to them specifically for this ball.

Kairi wore a pink ball-gown, which had black and white designs of variously sized stars all around the bottom. The material looked light and flowing, with the colors matching her high-heals and opera gloves. Over her bare shoulders, and around both arms, was a beautiful silver shawl that shined gently in the lights above. All the while, the girl's hair was pulled back into a rather stylish updo, with the bangs left down to frame her face. Some light makeup was visible on Kairi's features, along with pinkish-red lipstick. She was certainly the most eye catching at the party, as she looked like a true princess right now.

Her gaze shifted to either of her friends, simply smiling softly in a way that showed her enjoyment. "I've been wanting to wear something like this for such a long time. It's so lovely~." she hummed out in excitement, clasping a bit of the dress and waving it from side to side for a moment.

"Honestly...I probably could have held off on wearing a suit a little bit longer. But I guess it's not too bad." Riku commented in a soft sigh, looking down at himself.

He had on a black suit, with a dark blue button down shirt underneath. Even beneath this though, he also had a white shirt. Which was visible thanks to the fact that he left the top two buttons undone, and wasn't wearing a tie. The lining of his suit was silver in color, but the buttons were all gold and labeled with the three circles to King Mickey's crest. While his hair was trimmed, it was also combed back to give a more formal presentation. Despite being all smiles, he was probably the most exhausted amongst his friends. Since he saved a majority of the people at this ball, at one point or another, he received the most greetings and thanks from the people around him.

"Though, I'm really glad King Mickey didn't tell me I had to wear a tie, that would have been absolutely awful." the silver-haired boy added while subconsciously rubbing his neck.

"Well...you did keep taking it off every time we had our dance lessons." Sora claimed with a shrug of her shoulders.

"So he probably just gave up on trying to make you wear it." she continued, crossing both arms under her chest as she did.

Sora's outfit consisted of a long black Quinceanera-dress, something she was pushed into wearing by Kairi. The wide bottom having silver and gold lining, with large black crowns embroidered all throughout. While this dress had somewhat flowery straps, they wrapped around the sides of the shoulders, instead of over the top. Her hair was placed in a high pony-tail, with most of the spikiness being brushed down. Though it was impossible to fully smooth out her hair, this seemed to be a happy middle ground. Also, thanks to the bit of makeup applied, the ever so faint scars on her face were now completely invisible. And while she looked equally as beautiful as Kairi, she still had the hint of her usual tomboy likeness.

"Although...I can't believe you talked me into wearing this." the brown-haired girl uttered in a huff, looking to Riku and Kairi as she lifted her dress slightly.

Both teens looked at her in an amused manner and simply shrugged in response; "Oh come on, you look amazing." the auburn-haired teen claimed while offering a wink, teasing her friend by telling the truth.

"Besides...they didn't have any cape-dresses, so you have to take what you can get." the silver-haired boy added, yet he seemed to merely be furthering his other friend's teasing.

"But a cape-dress would have looked so cool~." Sora whined in another huff, all while pouting.

After her words though, each of the three couldn't help but let a soft laugh escape their lips. This slowly became a bit of an exhausted sigh however. As, even though they just arrived, the three were almost instantly bombarded by people wanted to talk to them. While this was appreciated, the trio felt relieved now that they were free to wander around the ball on their own. At a quick glance, there were mostly civilians from Disney Town, but also many from the newly renamed Radiant Garden, and even Traverse Town.

Thankfully, most of their thanks was currently being directed toward the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, each of whom were also in attendance. Despite certain individuals, like Cloud, trying to sneak off to the side and avoid this attention, they were swiftly surrounded by a shower of thanks. Seeing this made the teens smile as they slowly made their way through the large hall. Of which was in fact the main throne room, as it was the only place spacious enough for the hundred or so guests it currently held.

"I wonder who actually came." Sora whispered to herself as the three eventually split up to greet the other guests on their own.

Kairi gradually headed in the direction of Merlin, Belle, and what looked to be a handsome brown-haired man with a very fancy blue and white suit. All the while, Riku moved to the opposite side, where Hercules, Phil, and Zack were standing. Though Sora wanted to see all of these people as well, she couldn't figure out who to speak to first. But in the middle of looking around, she heard a few familiar voices directly ahead.

Where she noticed Mulan, Ariel, and Alice all looking to one another with an oddly competitive gaze. Sora blinked many times upon seeing this, though she almost yelped in fright when all three turned in her direction at the same time. They then seemed to march over to the girl, appearing very determined and possibly a little upset. The brown-haired teen immediately gulped down nervously, unsure what they could have been arguing about, and whether or not she should run.

Though, between Mulan's red and gold Qipao dress, Ariel's blue and green Mermaid dress, and Alice's white and blue Victorian dress, Sora was just too amazed at their gorgeous appearances to flee. "Sora!" they all called out as they approached.

This snapped said girl from her thoughts, to which she stiffened slightly as she looked between the three teens in a timid manner. Each of them lined up in front of her with their arms crossed, and their eyes practically piercing her. "You never told me you gave your power to others." the trio huffed out in clear annoyance.

Sora blinked once more from their words, yet soon looked down anxiously as she realized where this was going. "W-Well..." she started, but was interrupted as they continued on.

"You said that it was vital that I keep this magic to myself." Mulan started as she tapped one of her arms with a finger repeatedly.

"That it could cause imbalance to my world if placed in the wrong hands." Ariel huffed out, simply adding to what the other girl was saying.

"And that I should be my world's protector." Alice finished in a near pout.

Sora looked to each of them quickly, only managing to offer a sheepish smile. "B-But what I said was true." she uttered out weakly.

As the three gave the brown-haired girl a firm gaze, she could only respond with a pleading pout. Her expression simply asked that they didn't take it too hard on her, yet it didn't seem to be working. After they took a step forward, Sora winced briefly as she fully expected them to say or do something out of spite. But all she heard were a few laughs from the three, to which she looked at her friends in surprise. Each of whom were just smiling to her while giggling amongst themselves, showing that they were teasing her as their 'revenge'.

"Well...I guess it's alright." Mulan hummed with a slightly wider smile.

"Even though it's caused a few issues, it's definitely produced way more positives than negatives." she continued, shrugging slowly as the other two nodded in agreement.

Hearing and seeing this, Sora couldn't help but blink a few times as she wondered what sort of 'issues' had arisen from the power she helped them to gain. But before she could ask about this, Alice took a step forward and spoke up. "Though I am surprised you broke the rules for all of us." she said curiously while tilting her head slightly to the side.

"True, I heard from daddy that it's basically against the law for Keyblade wielders to do what you did." Ariel stated as she raised a brow to Sora.

Said girl merely offered a sheepish smile and scratched her cheek gently. "W-Well...to be honest, I kinda forgot about it in the moment." she admitted, which earned a soft laugh from the other three.

"That definitely sounds like you." Alice whispered in a fond tone as she, Mulan, and Ariel just smiled at their brown-haired friend.

Sora herself returned their smiles, yet they all soon looked to the side when the gentle echoes of music started to play. Upon which, many people began moving into the middle of the hall, as the first dance of the evening was about to kick off. It was a slow melody, acting as an easy way of joining, even for those who couldn't dance well. Something that Sora appreciated greatly, as she still wasn't overly confident in her skills. As she turned to the other three though, each of them had a look in their eyes that made it appear as though they were waiting for the brown-haired girl to ask one of them to dance.

"Um...would-" Sora started, but was cut short as King Triton came up to his daughter from the side, with an oddly gentle clearing of his throat.

He was wearing a sea blue suit with gold lines running vertically all along it, and even had gold tridents for buttons and cuff links. His long hair was pulled back into a low pony-tail, with his crown still resting atop his head. "Ariel...would you share this first dance with your dear old father?" he asked in a soft tone, holding out a hand as he did.

The red-haired girl blinked to him for a moment, but swiftly smiled and nodded in response. "Of course daddy, it's been a while since we danced together." she said while taking his hand, though she made sure to send Sora a glance that said she would make sure to dance with her for the next one.

While the two walked away, Sora couldn't help but smile lightly. Even just from this brief interaction, it was clear that Ariel and her father had become quite close. Ever since she first met them, they seemed more often than not, at odds with one another. But now, they appeared more open and happy. Though, she soon turned to Mulan and Alice as they were still waiting for her to ask them for a dance. But rather than having to choose one or the other, she just offered a wider smile and extended both hands out. "Lets all dance together." she suggested happily.

While the other two raised a brow briefly, they eventually gave a returning smile and took either of Sora's hands. Upon walking into the area where the dancing would take place, each of them held one another's hands and started to move slowly to the music. It was strange at first, since none of them practiced a dance with more than one partner. But as the song continued to play, the three just enjoyed their improvised dance without a care. This actually drawing a bit of attention from many others around them, even inspiring a few other groups to do the same.

As the first dance came to an end though, Sora took her leave to greet the others in the hall. Though, not before telling the three that she would make sure to dance with all of them during the next few scheduled dances. While going around to speak to the many friends who came, she couldn't help but smile to all the people she's met in the past year and a half. However, it also made her think about all the others whom weren't allowed to be invited.

The requirement for an invitation, was the knowledge of there being other worlds outside their own. Something that not everyone she met, had discovered or knew about. 'I should stop by to see how everyone else is doing. I've been gone for quite a while for some of them.' Sora mused to herself, thinking about all the friends she made during her first journey.

"I wonder how Tarzan and Jane are doing." she uttered out silently, yet soon turned to the side as the lights of the room began to swiftly dim.

A sudden swirl of wind blew through the large hall, causing all the streamers and banners hanging from the pillars and ceiling to flap wildly in all directions. As Sora stepped forward to find the center of where all this wind was originating from, she saw a single figure standing there. "I am quite distressed that I did not receive an invitation." a familiar female voice spoke up with a soft chuckle.

Clad in a black dress that flowed across the floor, a strikingly beautiful Maleficent glanced around to everyone nearby with an alluringly sinister smile. Though she held her normal staff in one hand, the outfit she wore was far more formal than the robes she usually wore. There even being a silk neck-band around her throat, as well as a green gem set in the center of the chest. The dress itself was fully black with a more form-fitting design, with the wide sleeves ending with bands that wrapped around her middle fingers. This keeping them in place as she slowly walked forward amongst the gasping and even frightened guests.

"Could it be...that once again...I was not wanted?" she continued, taking a step forward with each delay, emphasizing her words.

"Of course you were~." Sora spoke up as she approached the woman, causing many people to gasp even louder as a result.

"Sorry for not sending a proper invitation, but welcome to the ball~." the brown-haired girl added, holding a hand out as she offered a smile of her own.

"Well well, it seems there is at least one person here with manners." Maleficent hummed out, taking the teen's offered hand.

And that's the first part of the ball. I was originally only going to have it be a one chapter thing, but I came up with a better idea midway through writing it. So I hope everyone likes where it'll go from here.

Anyway, I hope all of you enjoyed and will let me know what you thought. Until next time.