Khgirl08: Hey everybody (or whoever is reading this)! I hope you like the story so far, and I really hope you like the second chapter. Oh, and if you don't like the idea of an HP x KH crossover, DEAL WITH IT!!

Ellie: Yeah, and if you review, Khgirl08 will make you a cookie!! :D

Khgirl08: What? I don't make cookies!

Ellie: You do now…

Khgirl08: -le sigh- Hey, who's writing this story, anyway?

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing you recognize, unless the first time you read about it was in the last chapter. .


"Your majesty! Your majesty!" Dale, one of the Gummi engineers at Disney Castle, came scurrying into the library, panic flashing in his big eyes. King Mickey looked up from the report he was reading, and his dog Pluto, who was curled up at his master's feet, perked up his ears in alarm.

"Dale, what's the matter? Why isn't Chip with you?" The king put down the report and looked down at the chipmunk, who had climbed right onto the desk and was panting heavily. Mickey was referring to the other half of the Gummi department, another chipmunk who was inseparable from Dale.

Dale immediately straightened to rigid attention, and began to tell his story, still wheezing and gasping to get enough air. "Well, Chip and me were doing the check of our supplies and spare Gummi blocks, and all of a sudden, Chip disappeared! One minute he was there, and the next he wasn't, and then all of our sensors started chirpin' and screechin' out their warning's, and then a planet disappeared! It was way off in the distance, really far from anywhere we're familiar with, but sure enough, it just poofed off the screen, just like Chip! Then I ran all the way in here." Dale promptly collapsed into a fit of sobs on top of Mickey's reports.

"Mickey?" Queen Minnie walked into the library and gasped when she saw the little chipmunk. "Oh, dear! What ever has happened, Mickey?" When the king didn't respond, Minnie put one gloved hand on that of her husband. Minnie was dressed to fit the part of a queen, wearing her tiara, flowing gown and jewelry with a gentle grace, her slightly pregnant stomach just peeking through the fabric. Mickey, however, only bothered with the traditional costumes of a king when he absolutely had to. Today he was donned in a red shirt and shorts that matched it. When he felt the warmth of Minnie's hand, he smiled sadly.

"Minnie, it's happening again."


The bright light penetrated Ellie's eyelids, and she rolled over, mumbling. "Just five more minutes, Grandma Abbie…" When she reached down to pull her covers back up, however, she only grasped at thin air. Her eyes flew open and she sat up, looking around wildly. Rather than the morning sunlight streaming through the windows in her room, the moon had begun to shine through a hole in the ceiling of a small cave. The memory of what had happened in Maple Brook yesterday washed through her, and her vision went blurry, as if she were on the brink of passing out.

Once she was able to see straight, she looked at her surroundings. This cave was about the same size as the one she and Robert used as a hang out in Maple Brook, but it was covered in drawings and plants, whereas her own had chairs, a table, lanterns, books, and board games. Even so, it still made her pine for home.

The beam of moonlight had shifted to light up more of the cave by the time Ellie stood up and explored it more thoroughly. There was a handle-less, plain looking door tucked into a ridge, and there were pictures everywhere. Many were beginning to fade, some to the point that Ellie couldn't tell exactly what they were. There was a cute drawing that appeared to be a little boy and girl handing each other stars, and little hearts were sketched all around them. Ellie smiled at them; the two could easily be Robert and herself, excepting the fact that the boy's hair was far too spiky to belong to her friend. Another picture nearby caught her attention as well, because it appeared to be more recent than any of the others. The spiky haired boy was standing in between a duck and a dog, who were human-sized and were wearing clothes, but he was also holding a peculiar blade. It strongly resembled a giant key.

The last few seconds of Ellie's last encounter with the strange, blond man came back to her. She had somehow summoned a blade when her emotions had finally caught up with her, and this picture, this giant key… blade thing, reminded her of the one she had summoned.

"The Keyblade… A powerful weapon, Princess." Axel's voice popped into her head again, and she jumped in surprise. "Yeah, I know you thought I was gone, but no such luck. Anyhow, you have a special Keyblade. It's called Pure Heart. It's special because…" Axel stopped talking for a moment, and Ellie thought he had gone until he cursed under his breath, if he had breath, anyhow. "Nope, I'm still here, Ellie, for now. Wait… Nope, sorry kiddo, the old geezers are summoning me. I really am going this time, but remember to be careful." With that, his voice disappeared, and Ellie was alone once again.

Okay… That was… unusual. She nearly screamed when the cave went totally black, the moonlight having moved onto light up more of the world. "I've got to get out of here. I can't even see my hand in front of my face." Thinking out loud almost made if feel like someone was with her, and she was already longing for conversation. She followed the wall until she found what appeared to be an exit to the cave, stumbling over rocks and a tree root that were sticking out of the ground.

Eventually the ground under her feet became smooth instead of the rough, thin layer of grit and pebbles that covered the cave floor. The path began to get some light, and the ceiling got lower and lower until Ellie was crawling on her hands and knees. She pushed aside some vines and crawled into the open, stood up, and gasped.

She was standing on a moonlit path between a gigantic tree and a pool of crystal clear water. Ellie stared around in awe. The giant old tree was covered in vines, and a handmade ladder led to a walkway around the tree. A waterfall poured into the pool, glinting silver in the light of the full moon. Ellie followed the path, still drinking in the beauty of this strange place. A few stair steps took her to a wide beach, where navy waves lapped peacefully onto the white sand. Resisting the urge to run into the ocean, she turned in a slow circle, trying to see the rest of the paradise. Another huge tree was home to a deck of sorts that over looked the ocean. A dock bordered the water, and a couple barrels were sitting underneath. A shack was built into a cliff, one entrance on the beach, the other coming out on top of the cliff. A bridge from the cliff led to a tiny island that was home to several magnificent palm trees. There was a wooden wall that reached into the water a short distance from the natural cliff side.

"It's… beautiful. Is this what the rest of the world outside of Maple Brook looks like?" Nothing but the gentle rhythm of the ocean and the rustling of the wind through the trees responded to her query. Ellie went into the shack. It was completely bare except for a set of stairs. She followed the curving steps and opened another door on top. She was on top of the cliff, so she followed the wooden bridge over the beach and water to the small island. "It doesn't look like anyone's here right now, but someone has spent a lot of time building this up."

One of the palm trees grew sideways and then curved up, forming the perfect seat for at least three people. Ellie climbed onto it cautiously and stretched out, resting her back against the trunk where it skyward. The palm tree was bearing a strange, yellow flower. Her curiosity getting the best of her, Ellie stood on tiptoe and saw that the flower was actually a star- shaped fruit. As she sat back down and stretched, she realized that the drawing of the two kids in the cave showed the fruit, not just stars. "Huh. There must be something special about it. I'll have to go back and take a closer look tomorrow."

The gentle rhythm of the waves pounding the beach acted as a lullaby, and before Ellie even realized she was asleep, the calls of a flock of seagulls woke her up. A feather floated down beside her before the gentle breeze swept it out of sight. Yawning, Ellie sat up and stretched before jumping off of the trunk. "Okay, now that I'm all rested up and ready to go, where do I go?"

"How about back to where you came from?" A rough hand grabbed Ellie's shoulder and turned her around. The hand belonged to a young teenager with really pale skin, black hair and brownish- red eyes. He was thin, but his arms looked taut with muscle. "This is our turf, and you aren't any friend of ours." Two more teens showed up on either side of him. One was a girl who was almost as short as Ellie herself, and her long blonde tresses blew into her angry black eyes. The other boy was older and reminded her of a professional wrestler. He had no hair, his arms and legs were bulging with muscles, and his golden eyes flashed menacingly as he cracked his knuckles and grinned evilly.

Ellie gulped and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Um… how do you know that I'm not your friend? I could be; I'm new around here, and I don't really know my way around yet. I could use a couple of friends like you." An identical shadow of disbelief flitted across the face of both boys, but the girl simply shook her head. Ellie took a step towards them, and they didn't move. "My name's Ellie. Who are you guys?"

The girl took a few steps forward until she was standing nose to nose with Ellie. "I'm Meika, the bald one is Porter, and the other one's KJ. We don't need some shrimpy little baby- faced girl following us around. We fought for this turf once, and won, and we'll do it again and again until everyone leaves us alone!"

Ellie blinked before smiling. "I honestly just want to be friends. Do you always judge people before getting to know them?"

Meika stepped back to her original position and smirked. "Nope. You opened your mouth to tell us your name, and that's when I figured out that you're a trashy little-"

"Meika, let's just fight her now and get it over with." KJ took a small step forward, so that he was just in front of Mieka and Porter and put his hands up into boxing position. Porter pulled out a small wooden bat, and Meika produced a whip.

Ellie took a step back. "Would you seriously beat me up because I was sitting on this palm tree?" The three friends nodded briefly, and Ellie took another step back.

"Now!" KJ drew his fist back and swung a wild punch at the red head. She ducked out of the way and rolled aside to miss a beating from Porter's bat. Before she could stand back up, Meika's whip struck her ankle. A red, stinging welt appeared instantly, and Ellie's eyes darkened with rage and pain.

"I just wanted to be your friend!" she whispered darkly before throwing out her right hand. Pure Heart, as Axel called it, appeared in a flash of light. Before her three attackers could react, she jumped up and swung at Meika. The blond girl tried to leap out of the way, but Ellie caught her in the back. She immediately turned and swung out at Porter, who collapsed on top his bat with a nasty crunch the moment the blade hit his stomach. She slowly turned to face KJ, whose face had turned a pasty shade of gray and was splotched with deep red. "I guess this is my turf now, isn't it?"

Rather than answering, KJ turned and ran over the short bridge. Meika forced herself to her feet and followed him. Porter was still on the ground in the fetal position, moaning in pain. Ellie lowered her Keyblade to her side and walked over to him. She offered her arm to help him up, put he jumped up on his own, leaving the broken remains of his weapon spread on the ground. "I don't need the help of some sissy little girl to stand up, no matter how hot she is. I do like my women a little on the trashy side." KJ's angry voice called for him from the dock, and Porter shook his head and smiled evilly. "This isn't over, babe." He blew a kiss at her, winked, and was gone, leaving Ellie in a stunned silence.

"Well, that was weird." As soon as Porter disappeared, she looked down at her Keyblade.

Pure Heart's handle was lavender, and the back of the key matched it perfectly. Where the grooves and etches of a normal key would be, the blade formed a solid crown. A heart was etched into the middle of the crown, and a pair of thin pale pink vines spiraled their ways up to the tip blade to form another crown. A large keychain dangled from the handle, a deep red heart with a bright yellow crown hanging from one curve, and it appeared to glow with energy.

Ellie finally sat down on the tree again. As she thought, Pure Heart disappeared from her lap in a shower of sparkles. Why did those three want to fight me? It wasn't like I was hurting anything. And why did Meika and Porter both call me trashy? Ellie sighed as she watched the trio row their boats away from the dock and out towards a larger island in the distance, an island that she hadn't noticed in the dark of the night before. When they had become nothing but spots on the surf, Ellie jumped off of the trunk again and crossed the bridge. She jumped onto the roof of the shack and slid off of it onto the ledge that led to the clear pool and the cave.

When she looked into the water, she realized why the other teens had called her trashy. Her shirt was filthy and tattered, and both of the outer seams of her shorts were ripped halfway up. Her face was smudged with grime, and her hair was tangled and grubby, and it looked about two feet longer than it had been when she last saw it.

"EEW!!" she screeched, her high pitched squeal echoing all around he island. "I have got to get cleaned up, right now!!" Looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was pulling a boat into the dock, she almost began to strip. After taking her shoes off, however, she slipped on a wet rock and fell into the shallow water. When she stood up again, the water came up to the top of her shorts. She sighed wearily and sludged through the pool to the waterfall. After five minutes of the water pounding down on her, she stepped into the middle of the pool and looked at her reflection again. Her hair still vaguely resembled a rat's nest, but at least it was clean. She made her way back to the edge of the pool, pushed herself out and flopped down on the rocks to dry off.

"How long was I in that cave?" she murmured. "I was definitely not that filthy when I was in Robert's house. It must have been that portal I fell into. I've got to get home and find help!!"

After the rivulets of water had died off and her shirt was only slightly damp, she slipped on her sandals and left to explore more of the island. She first climbed up the ladder that she had seen last night. The ramp led to a small room inside the tree, but it was completely empty. She walked back outside and saw an old boat hidden behind some bushes near the tree. "Hey, maybe I can use that to get to that other island and find help!"

After climbing down the ladder and rounding the tree, she dragged the rickety boat down the beach and into the water. She climbed in and found an equally aged paddle on the bottom. She pushed it into the water and began rowing towards the island.

When she could see the other beach, a drop of water hit her nose. All of a sudden, the gentle breeze became a brutal wind, and the waves began tossing the tiny boat around. Lightning flashed in the distance, and seconds later thunder rumbled a response. Ellie began rowing faster, but the current was pulling her back out to sea. "Okay, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. How was I supposed to know there would be a storm?"

A loud rushing sound came from behind her, and before she could react a giant wave crashed on top of her. She heard the boat splinter into pieces before she was pulled under, and she choked on seawater as her vision went black.


Mickey was standing in the Gummi hangar with a dog and a duck. "Welp, fellas, I guess we've gotta get back to work."

The duck nodded sadly. "Yeah, Daisy will kill me. David's first birthday is only one week away." He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. I'll miss David, Denise and Daisy so much."

The dog put his hand on the duck's shoulder. "Gawrsh, Donald, I can't believe it either. I'm sure Daisy will understand, though. We've gotta go help set things straight, but I know I'm gonna miss my Max."

Mickey nodded and smiled at his two best friends. "Well said, Goofy. Now, let's go." Donald Duck and Goofy nodded and followed him into the Gummi ship. Donald was wearing a blue shirt with a lot of zippers and a matching hat and Goofy was in a black vest over a green shirt with an orange hat and dark yellow pants. Mickey and Donald were both considerably shorter than Goofy, but all of them were extremely skilled warriors.

When he had settled into the pilot's chair, Mickey spoke to the picture of Dale, whose eyes were rimmed in red, that had appeared on the windshield. "Ready, buddy?"

After a great sniff, Dale nodded. "I haven't had to do this for almost twenty-three years, but I guess it's gotta happen. If you find Chip, send him back here, okay? I need his help awful bad."

"Of course we will, Dale. We'll be back soon!" Mickey buckled the seat belt, and Dale pressed a button on his side of the screen. His picture disappeared and the Gummi ship turned and dropped into space. A hatch groaned open beneath them, and in the blink of an eye, they were in outer space and flying straight for the Destiny Islands.

Dale's high-pitched voice squeaked over the speakers. "The Destiny Islands are straight ahead, Your Majesty. Just land it slowly, and you should be okay. A storm just hit, so you might get blown around a little, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem." As soon as he finished speaking, the tiny world popped into view, and the king pressed the 'LAND' button. The Gummi ship came to a screeching halt before plummeting straight down and landing with a loud THUD on the beach of the main island.

Donald and Goofy, having neglected to fasten their safety belts, were thrown forward and hit the floor hard on either side of their king, who shook his head and sighed.

"Alright, Dale, we're getting out now!" Mickey said into the microphone. Dale's picture popped onto the windshield again and the tiny engineer waved good-bye while dabbing at his large nose with a tissue twice his size.

"Come on, fellas, let's get going to find Sora and the others," Mickey said as he unbuckled his belt. Donald and Goofy pushed themselves up and followed him through the door. As soon as the three made it to the sandy beach, they were almost blown off their feet by a sudden gale of wind. They shielded their eyes from the sandstorm and the driving rain and ran to take cover under a nearby grove of palm trees.

"Gawrsh, this is some storm, huh fellas?" Goofy asked, taking his hat off and wringing the water out.

"Yeah, and I thought he meant the ship would get blown about, not us!" Donald grumbled while shaking the water off of his feet. Mickey laughed and looked out to sea.

"Don't worry, the storm is almost over. I can see some blue sky out over the other island." Mickey squinted at the shoreline and whistled when a huge wave crashed on the shore. "Oh, boy, I hope there aren't too many boats out right now. Wait, what is that?"

A lot of driftwood had been washed onto the sandy beach by the wave along with something red and green. Donald and Goofy both squinted at it as well, then shrugged. "Aw, it's probably just some seaweed or something," Donald quacked.

"I'm not sure, Donald. I think it might be a person!" Before Donald or Goofy could react, Mickey charged back into the rain.

When he reached the pile of driftwood, his fears were confirmed; a petite girl was lying face down in the sand, her shirt partially shredded and her body battered. Mickey knelt down next to her and was relieved to hear shallow breaths, but she was completely unconscious. When he picked her arm up and began to drag her back to shelter, the rain trickled down to a slight drizzle and the sky began to lighten above them. "Donald, Goofy, come help me! She's hurt!"

The royal mage and the captain of the royal knights ran out to help the king with the girl's limp body. By the time they had lain her beneath the trees the sun was beginning to peek out from behind the storm clouds again. Mickey pushed the hair out of her face, and she began to stir.


Ellie forced her eyes open. She was staring into the huge eyes of a mouse the size of a kid. She sat up and gasped. "Who are you? Did I die or something, or am I dreaming?!"

The mouse laughed and shook his head. "Nope, you're still very much alive and awake. I'm Mickey Mouse, the king of Disney Castle. It's nice to meet you!"

A duck about the same height as the mouse and a dog who was taller than them both appeared on either side of him. "I'm Donald Duck, the Royal Mage of the King!"

"And I'm Goofy! A-hyuck! I'm the Captain of the Royal Knights!" He smiled and waved. "What's your name?"

Ellie was staring in shock; these three animals were talking to her as if they were normal people. Blinking, she smiled slightly and ignored the fact that she was speaking to barn-yard critters. "I'm Elizabeth Mason of Maple Brook, but please call me Ellie."

"Maple Brook? You mean you're from another planet?" The King looked at her curiously, then plopped down on the sand in front of her. "Okay, tell me how you ended up in that ocean."

Ellie blew out a sigh, drew in a deep breath and began to reel off most of the strange tale of her last day in Maple Brook, leaving out the parts about Axel and the blond man, because she couldn't explain them accurately, nor did she want to. The King, the duck and the dog, while looking upset and angry, didn't seem at all surprised by anything about her story, until she mentioned the part about the three teens attacking her on the smaller island. After she had finished, the duck leaned forward, his big eyes wide.

"Do you mean that three people tried to kick you off the island, but you beat them?" When Ellie nodded, he narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe it. Where's your weapon?"

"Well, it's right here." She closed her eyes, stuck out her right hand and summoned Pure Heart. All three of her new companions gasped in shock and leaned close to inspect it.

The King finally looked up at her. "Do you mean to tell me you have a Keyblade, too?"

"What? 'Too?' I didn't know that anyone else did, except for that kid in the picture on the wall in that cave…" She flicked her eyes between Donald and Goofy, and suddenly she realized that she had seen them before. "Wait a minute!! You two were in that picture!! Did you realize that? You know the spiky-haired kid with the Keyblade!"

Donald and Goofy looked at each other and laughed. "Of course we know him, Ellie! We traveled with him for almost two years, looking for the King here and Riku and Kairi!" Goofy answered.

"The King and Riku and Kairi also have Keyblades, but they all have different powers and look different, too!" Donald added. Ellie shook her head and noticed a flash of green in her soaked red bangs.

"Eew, I have seaweed in my hair!!" she exclaimed as she tried to pull it out. When she tugged on it, though, it pulled at her scalp like real hair. "Oh. My. Gosh. My hair turned GREEN!!" she shouted. Mickey looked closely at her hair and his eyes grew even bigger.

"Actually, now it's flashing different colors. There's two chunks of your hair that are doing it. And your tattoo is also changing colors like that."

Ellie stopped panicking and looked at him in confusion. "I don't have a tattoo…"

Instead of answering, the king just pointed at her heart. A large rip in her shirt had revealed a tattoo of the outline of Pure Heart's keychain. It was, as Mickey said, rapidly changing colors. Ellie stared at it, her green eyes beginning to well up with tears. She bit her lip and looked down at the sand.

"Aw, what's the matter, Ellie?" Donald asked. She shook her head and looked up at the trio from Disney Castle.

"I have no idea how I got here, I don't know anyone, my entire family and my best friend have gone missing, that blond guy is still looking for me, and now I've grown an extra couple feet of hair and sprouted color changing streaks and a tattoo, and I have no idea why any of this is happening to me!"

The king looked at her, his eyes narrowing. "You didn't mention any blond men earlier…"

"I guess he's been stalking me since I was a little kid, but I just found about it. He calls me 'Princess', and he talks about how I just need to surrender. He made my best friend disappear, and he took my dad away from me almost fourteen years ago… Both of them were taken because of me, and he's still out there, and I don't know if this will be enough to save myself." She looked gloomily at Pure Heart before it disappeared in a dazzling display of sparkles.

"You don't need to worry about that, Ellie. We'll protect you!" Mickey smiled and patted her shoulder, and Donald and Goofy grinned and nodded. Ellie smiled sadly and pushed herself to her feet, steadying herself on one of the palm trees. "Now, why don't you come with us? We're going to find Sora, Kairi, and Riku."

"Who are they, anyway?"

"We'll explain on the way. Come on!" Mickey led the way towards parking lot that presumably led to the main city.

Twenty minutes later, the foursome were standing in front of a large mansion that was right next to the city hall. "Kairi told us she lived with the mayor, so maybe we'll find her here. Ellie, why don't you go and ask?" Mickey looked up at Ellie questioningly.

"What? I don't even know her!"

"Yeah, but if you haven't noticed, we don't exactly fit in here. Usually no one pays any attention to us, but the citizens of the Destiny Islands seem to think we're out of place, so…"

Ellie sighed and brushed her bangs behind her ear. "Fine, I'll go ask, but don't blame me if I don't find anything." She walked through the open cast iron gates and up the brick driveway. When she reached the massive front door, she reached out to press the doorbell but was interrupted when the door opened. A thick woman was standing with a grumpy look on her face and an apron over her dress.

"Yes? What is it? We don't want to buy anything, so if that's what you're after-"

"No, ma'am, actually, I'm… um… I'm looking for Kairi. Is she home?"

The maid grunted and shook her head. "Kairi doesn't live here anymore. She moved across town when she got married to that slob Sora. Let me get you her address." She slammed the door shut, but opened it again in less than a minute with a card in her hand. "Here. Now, don't be trying to sell her anything, either, or I'll make sure you won't be selling anything for a long, long time." With that, the grouchy maid slammed the door so hard that the mansion shook.

Ellie walked back down the driveway and met back up with the others. "The maid told me that she moved across town with Sora when they got married."

Mickey, Donald and Goofy just stared at her, their jaws slack. Finally regaining his composure, Mickey cleared his throat and smiled uneasily. "Well, that's interesting. I didn't think they were old enough to get married…"

"Well, you said the last time you saw them was about twenty-two years ago, right? If they were fifteen then, then they'd be thirty seven or so now. My parents married when they were twenty and twenty one…" Ellie let her sentence trail off and sighed sadly. The three others thought about this for a moment before nodding.

Mickey looked at her curiously. "Huh. So your parents would be in their late thirties by now, wouldn't they?" When the red head nodded, he continued his prying questions. "What was your father's name?"

"Ryan. Ryan Mason. He was really tall, I think, but I don't really remember very much . Why do you ask?"

Mickey scratched his head. "I don't know. Something about you just seemed… familiar. Ryan Mason… Nope, I don't think I know anyone by that name. Sorry."

Ellie shrugged and smiled. "That's okay, Your Majesty. I have always thought he was dead, anyhow." She turned and started walking down the street, not wanting the three boys to see the pain and disappointment that suddenly dulled the emerald sparkle of her eyes.

After another fifty minutes of wandering through the town and one stop at a convenience store for directions, the foursome were once again standing in front of a house, staring. It only had one floor, but it was cute. The bright blue shutters stood out against the white siding, and the front porch was home to several baskets of bright pink flowers. A short blue fence surrounded the neatly trimmed yard, and a clothesline stretched from a palm tree to the corner of the porch.

"I guess this is the place… When you consider it's one of the two houses on the street…" Ellie said dryly. Goofy finally pushed open the gate and walked up the walk, closely followed by the others.

When they knocked on the door, footsteps tapped their way to the door and it was opened by a short, heavily pregnant woman with big brown eyes, curly dark brown hair, and a big smile. "Yes? Oh, how silly of me, you must be looking for Sora and Kairi. They're at an appointment, but they should be back soon. Would you like to come in?" Before they could answer, the lady laughed. "Oh, silly me! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Danielle, their neighbor. Since the school I teach at is out for the summer, I've been sitting for their daughter. Please, come in, come in!"

Mickey, Donald and Goofy brushed past her immediately, and Ellie quickly followed. The inside of the house was just as neat as the outside, with the exception of the drawing books lying in the hall. Danielle led them into a small living room where two kids sat in front the television. The little girl had long, spiky burgundy hair and slightly tan skin, and she was doodling on a notebook and twirling a strand of her hair. The boy looked a little older, with long silver hair and big brown eyes. He was watching the girl draw intently, his eyes glowing.

"Sky, Hope! These are our guests, um…" Danielle turned to the group and grinned. "Who are you, exactly?"

"I'm Mickey, this is Donald and Goofy, and we're all from Disney Castle. And this is Ellie. We just met her." Danielle squealed in excitement and all four visitors took a shocked step back and collapsed onto an overstuffed couch..

"Oh, you must be the King! Riku has told me so much about you! And Sora never stops talking about you two!" She sank into a rocking chair and laughed. "Well, well, well, I never expected to actually meet any of you! This is wonderful!"

The boy stood up and walked over to Danielle. Ellie realized with a jolt that, young as he may be, the boy was already as tall or taller than her. "Mom, will Dad and Uncle Sora and Aunt Kairi be home soon?"

"Yes, Sky, they should be. Say hi to your father's friends!" The boy grinned at them before going back to the little girl, who set her drawing pad down and turned around to look at the newcomers.

"Do you know my mom and dad, too?" she asked sweetly. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy nodded, and she smiled. "Daddy always tells me about his friends Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, and now I get to meet you!" She stood up and skipped over to Ellie and looked up at her with sparkling blue eyes. "I don't remember a girl, though. My name's Hope, and I'm almost ten. Sky is half a year older than me, but we're best friends forever. Right?" She turned and looked at Sky with concern and looked relieved when he nodded and smiled.

The front door opened and a musical voice floated into the room. "Dan, we're home!" A beautiful woman walked in, glowing with happiness. Her burgundy hair was pulled into a high ponytail with her bangs hanging across her forehead, and she was wearing a purple tank top with a knee-length pink ruffled skirt.

"Mom!" Hope scrambled over to the woman and grinned up at her. The woman laughed and pulled her into her side. When she had hugged the girl and released her, she looked over at the couch and gasped.

"Donald! Goofy! Mickey! Oh, I can't believe that you're all here!" She rushed over to the couch and gathered them into a bear hug. "It's been so long!"

"Kairi, I'm leaving the door open for Riku, so don't turn on the air, okay?" A tall, tan man strode into the room, and Ellie instantly recognized him as the boy in the cave pictures. His hair was still standing off of his head in long spikes, and his face sported a broad grin. He was wearing tan khaki shorts and a bright orange tee shirt. He tousled Hope's hair before planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Hey, squirt! Did Aunt Danielle treat you nicely?"

"Of course!" Hope giggled. "Guess what? I met Donald, and Goofy, and Mickey!"

"What?" Hope pointed to her mother, who had just released the trio from Disney Castle and was wiping a tear from her eye. "No way… I can't believe you guys are actually here!"

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy dashed over to him and tackled him in a giant hug, which sent the three of them toppling over. "Just like old times!"

"Sora, I can't believe how old you've gotten! Already married with a kid… It's just crazy!" Goofy laughed. "But, then again, I guess my Max is already twelve years old."

"Yeah, Denise is twelve, too, and David is almost one year." Donald shook his head and brushed a tear from one eye. "I can't believe we're actually here!"

"Knock knock! I'm shutting the door, Sora!" A very tall man wearing a yellow t-shirt and cargo pants walked into the living room. He had ear length silver spikes of hair and his aqua eyes held an expression of astonishment. "Your Majesty?!"

"Yup! It's me, alright!" Mickey pushed off of the couch and walked over to the man. "Riku, I can't believe how long it's been!"

Riku picked him up and hugged him tightly. "Nor can I, Your Majesty. It's been far too long." After setting down the king, Riku walked over to Danielle and put his hand on her stomach. "Ouch! The little guy kicked me!" Laughing, he kissed her and brushed a stray hair off her forehead. "Are you okay, Dan? No problems?"

"Nope, today has been perfectly fine!" she replied. Riku kissed her again and turned to Sky.

"Hey, bud! How are you feeling today? Did you take care of your mother today?"

Sky nodded seriously. "Yeah. Hope and I made lunch by ourselves so Mom didn't have to stand up."

Riku grinned at him and turned to look at Sora, who was finally getting back to his feet, and smiled. "Just like old times, eh?"

Sora nodded and went to stand next to Kairi. "Oh, wow, I can't believe the day we've had! It's been so good. And guess what? Kairi is…" His eyes fell on Ellie, who was still sitting on the couch in polite silence, and he broke off in mid- sentence. Kairi and Riku followed his eyes and looked equally confused. "Uh… Who are you, and why are you in our living room?"

Ellie coughed and blushed slightly, watching as part of her bangs turned yellow. "Um… Hi. I'm Ellie Mason. I'm from Maple Brook." Danielle gasped again, and her eyes lit up in excitement.

"Really?! I used to live in Maple Brook when I was a girl! Do you know a woman named Rebecca Swallow, because you look just like her! You see, she was one of my best friends, but I haven't seen her since I moved here."

It was Ellie's turn to gasp excitedly. "Yes! She's my mother!"

"Really?! Then Ryan must be your father! Well, well! How things have changed… I cannot believe Becca had a child before me. And with Ryan Mason, of all people! I would have never thought. Although, I guess I remember your family the way they were twenty two years ago!" Danielle bubbled. "Well, sorry to interrupt your conversation, but remember to tell your mom 'Hi' for me, okay?"

Ellie bit her lip and averted her eyes, and Mickey sighed. "I guess I'll tell you why she's here. Actually, it's the reason any of us are here. Maple Brook, it seems, has been taken by the Heartless." Everyone in the room gasped in horror. "Chip and Dale, my Gummi engineers, were doing a little work when Chip disappeared. Right afterward, a planet disappeared. Dale couldn't figure out what planet it was, but I'm willing to bet that it was Maple Brook. If one planet has fallen to the darkness, more are sure to follow."

"Okay, so Ellie obviously escaped with her life, but did anyone else? And why was she spared?" Riku asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "From the way she reacted to Dan asking about her mom, I'm willing to bet that she didn't get so lucky."

"No, my mother isn't dead!" Ellie answered hotly. "She disappeared about two years ago, taken by some madman, and Daddy was taken by a different man when I was only three years old. Daddy might be dead, but Mother is alive! And neither is Grandma Abbie or Robert or any of them! A third guy told me that I would be able to find a way to bring back Edward from being a Heartless, and I believe him. They'll all come back soon, I just know it!" She put her head in her hands and began to sob. But if Daddy was killed by that man... Maybe Robert was, too!

"Edward is a Heartless?" Danielle whispered, horrified. "He was my other best friend from Maple Brook. I… I can't believe it."

"Oh, you poor thing…" Kairi murmured, slipping onto the couch beside her and hugging her. "I know how much it hurts, to feel alone, but everything will work out in the end."

Mickey continued with his story. "Anyhow, Ellie appears to have a Keyblade." Talking over the gasps of shock, he told them about how the Disney Castle trio met up with the orphaned teen. "… and we showed up here, looking for your help. We're going to need all of you."

Sora frowned and looked at Kairi. "Well, I'll gladly help, but Kairi is staying out of things this time around. We just found out that she's pregnant again, and I'm not going to risk her health or the baby."

Riku nodded. "Danielle wasn't involved last time, and she's not going to get herself involved now." He put his hand on her shoulder, and she reached up and out her hand on his.

"Mom is a Princess, though, right Daddy?" Hope finally spoke up. He nodded and sighed before looking at Ellie, who had finally stopped crying, although her lip was still trembling.

"Did a woman named Maleficent happen to show up, looking for a Princess of Heart?"

"No, but almost all of those men I talked about called me a princess, and they said they would be needing me to help them with something."

Mickey looked at her in shock. "You never mentioned that, Ellie." Mickey began to pace a small circle. "This is no good, no good at all. Queen Minnie and I discovered something in the castle library a short time after I returned. According to an ancient report on the Keyhole to the true Kingdom Hearts, in order for the portal to be completely and permanently opened, a special 'Key' is necessary, but not a Keyblade. The report speaks of the seven Princesses of Heart as well as an eighth Princess, the one who holds the key. These Princesses can and do change over time, so Kairi, maybe you don't have anything to worry about, but just in case…"

"Your Majesty, no! Kairi is not coming with us, no matter what. If she's in any kind of danger, I'll stay here and protect her with my life. I am not risking her heart again!" Sora's face was dark with anger, and everyone in the room was taken aback by his ferocity. "I mean it, I will NOT let her be in danger!"

"Sora, calm down!" Kairi stood up and took his hand in both of her own. "I can defend myself, Danielle, and the kids if I need to, but you need to protect everyone, not just me. I promise you, I will be perfectly safe."

"Are you sure, Kairi? You shouldn't be doing anything. If you or the baby or Hope got hurt…" Sora clenched his mouth and tightened his fist instead of continuing.

"Well, Sora, I didn't expect that anything would happen like this. I doubt that any of us did, but we still need to help in any way we can. If you would feel better staying here and fighting guarding Kairi, Danielle, and the children, nothing I can say or do will make you come with us." Mickey turned to Riku. "Will you join us, buddy?"

Riku looked at Danielle and Sky for a long moment before nodding. "I think Sora can take care of things here without me. Besides, you guys would be doomed without my help, right?"

Mickey smiled and clasped his gloved hands together. "Alright! Donald, Goofy, Riku, let's go1 We have a lot of ground to cover, and not much time, so…"

"Wait! Please, stay here for just one night! I'm sure you're all tired, and I want to spend some time catching up," Kairi implored. "We have plenty of room here, and plenty of food, so you're all welcome to stay for as long as you see fit."

Donald and Goofy looked at the king, who began to shake his head. When his stomach rumbled loudly, however, he shrugged, smiled and nodded. "Of course, Kairi! We'll stay one night."

Ellie stood up and walked over to the mouse. "What about me, Your Majesty? Aren't I going with you?"

"Sorry, Ellie, but it's just too dangerous. I would be putting you at greater risk to be captured. You need to stay here and let Sora guard you."

"Guard me? I can fight too, Your Majesty! I beat those three bullies today on the island, right? Besides, if I stay here I'll be risking everyone else's safety. That blond man is bound to turn up sooner or later, and he's probably looking for Kairi, too. It would be much simpler and safer if I went with you!"

"I'm sorry, Ellie, but I won't take you." With that, Mickey turned and began to speak quietly with Donald and Goofy, leaving Ellie to silently seethe.

"Don't worry about it, Ellie! I'll take care of you too, I promise!" Sora sidled up to her and put his arm around her shoulders and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "There's another Gummi ship on the island; you can follow them in that, okay?"

Ellie smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Sora."

Alright, who's ready for pizza?" Danielle asked as she pushed herself out of the rocking chair and made her way into the hall. Kairi and Sky followed her, and the men sat down and began to chatter about old times. Hope, however, shyly walked over to Ellie and took her hand.

"Come with us, Ellie. We're making pizza!" Ellie laughed and let the girl pull her into the hall and down to the kitchen.


Khgirl08: Well, that's chapter two. I would like to thank TwiDawnLight and my best buddy, Danielle, who is in love with Riku, for their support!

Ellie: Yep, and remember to review!!