The Road to Dawn
By Ariana Aislinn
Chapter 6: Emergency Landing

This is a really short chapter, sorry. It's kind of transitional...I'm going to be shifting the focus of the story for a while, so I needed to temporarily wrap this part up. Don't worry, we'll come back to Riku and the king! At least I didn't leave you on a cliffhanger. :P

Standard disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters are the property of Square-Enix and Disney, not me.

"I think I got something!"

The crackle of static came through the radio, and Riku heard what sounded like high-pitched squealing. As Mickey adjusted the controls, he could make out words amid the squeaking noises. Were those…voices?

"Your Majesty! Is that you? Where are you?"

Mickey grinned. "Chip! It's great to hear your voice, pal. We're not far from Disney Castle, but we're stuck. We ran into a bit of trouble and the ship's mostly offline."

"'We'?" squeaked a second voice.

"Yep, I got a friend with me. Don't suppose you fellas can help us out of here? We just need to land for now, and you can go to work on repairs once we arrive safely."

"What have you done to my ship, Your Majesty?" said the first voice. "I thought I told you to be careful!" Riku thought he could detect a smile in the voice.

Mickey grinned. "Sorry, Chip. So, any ideas?"

There was high-pitched muttering that Riku couldn't quite make out for a moment or two. Then, "I'm getting some readings from your ship. You're not far at all, but if you can't get moving on your own, we have a bit of a problem. Hey Dale, got any ideas how we could get them landed safely?"

More muttering. "Um…well, what about the backup power? If it's running, we could send up a booster gummi! The two could link, and the booster could guide them in safely. Whaddaya think?"

"Have we got a booster up and running?"

"Uh…yeah, if I can find it…"

"Dale!" The voice was exasperated.

Riku leaned over to Mickey and whispered, "Uh…what are they?"

"Chipmunks. Real small, but fantastic with gummis! Bein' tiny has its advantages for getting inside machinery and fine-tuning all the little bits."

Riku grinned. "I can imagine."

"Okay, Yer Majesty!" said the second, more casual voice, which was apparently Dale. "I think we figured out where the booster is. If ya give us a bit, we can have it sent to you. Might take…oh, an hour. Can ya sit tight that long?"

"I think we can, Dale. Thank you!"

As Mickey switched off the communications mic, Riku polished off the last few bites of a granola bar. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"Feel better, pal?"

"Yeah, the food kinda helped…but the taste and the smell are still there, underneath it all, and I'm getting a killer headache." Riku made a face.

"Not to worry! Chip and Dale will get us down to the castle safely, and then we'll getcha some medical attention and a proper bed to rest in."

"A bed…" Riku laughed. "How long has it been since I actually slept in a bed? I'm not sure I remember what one feels like."

Mickey chuckled. As they waited, he continued to work on bringing as many systems back online as possible. It was slow work, and as he explained to Riku, some things were seriously damaged and would require heavy repair work once they were on the ground. Still, it would help to get as much running as possible in order to coordinate properly with the booster gummi. Riku didn't understand much of it, but he let Mickey work and concentrated on resting and trying to recover from his harrowing trip through the darkness. He still shivered now and then, and a headache pounded behind his eyes.

A while later, the radio crackled again. "Your Majesty? We're all ready to launch the booster! It should take about five minutes to reach you. Once it does, make sure the system is ready to interface as soon as it detects the gummi's readings, okay?"

Mickey nodded. "Got it, Chip! Anytime you're ready."

"Booster launched!" shouted Dale, obviously a little distance away from the mic.

After a short wait, during which Mickey fiddled with controls, the instrument panel binged at them. "It's got it!" A little more tapping of buttons and fiddling with levers, and there was a grinding crunch. "We're interfaced with the booster. Anything else you need us to do up here?"

"Nope, just sit tight!" said Dale. "We'll bring you in nice and easy."

Mickey sat down, breathing a sigh of relief, and grinned at Riku. "At least something's goin' right, huh? Golly, I can't wait to get home."

"How long have you been gone?"

"Hmm." Mickey pondered. "I think it's been…maybe six to nine months? Maybe almost a year. I'm not really sure, since we both kinda lost track of time in Kingdom Hearts and Castle Oblivion."

"It must be nice to go home." Riku smiled.

"Yeah, but we can't stay long. We have a job to do while we're down there - gotta find as much info as we can, and you have to rest up and get better!"

"Aww, come on," Riku grumbled. "I'm not an invalid!"

Mickey laughed. "I know, but still, a little rest wouldn't come amiss! Don't you try to deny it, now. I need you up and around as soon as possible - we have a lot to do."

"That's true." Riku nodded. "Well…I'll do my best then."

The ship shook a bit as they entered the atmosphere. Riku couldn't see much out the viewport with his bandage and overly sensitive eyesight, but he could feel the turbulence as they came in for a landing. There was a muted roaring sound outside that slowly died away, shortly followed by a clunk and a series of clicks.

"Looks like we've docked!" Mickey stood, grabbing Riku's hand. "Come on, I'll show you to the castle. Daisy'll find you a room, and I'll have the kitchen get started on a proper meal. I'm starving! And wait till you meet Minnie, she'll really like ya, I'm sure of it!"

Riku couldn't help but grin at Mickey's excited chatter. The mouse king was surely glad to be home, and Riku thought he could understand the sentiment. He smiled sadly, thinking of the homecoming he would hopefully have someday. If only he just knew when it might be…

Shrugging his shoulders, Riku stood up straight as he exited the gummi ship, tightening his blindfold to adjust to the increased light. Although oddly nervous, he was rather looking forward to seeing the homeworld of these strange, appealing creatures. If they were anything like Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, he thought they'd probably get along just fine.