Khgirl08: Hey everyone!

Ellie: On this chapter's edition of "Who Gets the Food", we're featuring the following users and other random people who reviewed:

Danielle (still the real one), Blastbone, and TwiDawnLight! Congratulations, you all get a chocolate-covered strawberry! :D

… Yay! Next chapter's featured people get a piece of peanut butter pie!

Khgirl08: Only if you make it, Ellie… Anyhow, enjoy the chapter and review!

Disclaimer: I no own it if I no own it. Hmph!


A clatter of footsteps awoke Ellie late in the night. Turning over and mumbling to herself, she didn't hear the door opening until it banged off the wall. Screaming and simultaneously pulling her covers over scantily clad body, she didn't immediately register that the bloated shape that was making its way over to her bed was Danielle.

"Wake up, Ellie, we've got to leave, right now."

"Wha… Dan, it's barely two in the morning We can't leave now…"

"Ellie, get up. The Heartless have found us."

The fear in Dan's voice prompted Ellie to wince and sit up, still holding her blankets over herself. "Okay. Where are the kids and King Mickey and the others?"

"Queen Minnie got up Daisy and her kids plus Max before getting me up, and they were going to get Hope and Sky ready while I came up here. As for the king… Well, he's not coming with us. I'll explain later, just get dressed and come on!"

As soon as Danielle slipped back though the door, Ellie leapt of bed and pulled on the baggy jeans and tank that she was borrowing. "First, find out what's going on; second, buy clothes that actually come close to fitting…"

"What, you still don't like the trashy look?" Porter's sneering voice floated into her ear and made her scream in fright as he wrapped his arms around her. "Honestly, you shouldn't try to change who you know you are on the inside, and you'll always be a little piece of trash. You may be gorgeous, but you're still trash… And I like it a lot."

"Young man, please don't damage her yet! The Dark Lord needs her to complete his set, and I need her to bait Rebecca out of hiding." One more distinctive voice floated into the conversation as the man who had randomly shown up in her kitchen back home sat down on her bed. "Of course, a little fun wouldn't hurt either of us, and we're staring at a convenient piece of entertainment, are we not?"

"Oh, so at least you've learned the difference between my mother and I. But how are either of you here?"

Porter's bulky arms cinched tighter around her waist as he leaned down to nuzzle her neck and chuckle softly. "I missed you, my sweet, and the Death Eaters promised you to me if I helped them, and I was granted immunity from any of their sieges. (a/n- I know Voldemort would never let a Muggle like Porter become a Death Eater, but Maleficent convinced him that it would help find Ellie if he did so; he plans to get rid of all of those types as soon as he catches Ellie and Hope. Ok, on with the story!!!) Little KJ and sweet Meika weren't so lucky. As for my new partner, he's always been with the Death Eaters."

"Kid, in how many ways do I have to tell you to stay away from her?!" A third familiar voice rang throughout the room, and Ellie immediately recognized the man with the sad gray eyes as he completely stepped through another portal. "You don't know what a real Death Eater does… Lies. All of it, everything they said, lies, and those liars won't be getting a hold of Ellie Mason, not if I can help it."

Porter raised his head and turned around, taking Ellie's tiny frame with him. "Really, old man, do you think you scare me? I have power the likes of which you could never even dream of. But, hey, I'm easy enough to get along with. Suppose you tell me who you are, and I might just let her go free. Otherwise… I'm afraid that I simply must take her."

"The Dark Lord is quite clever, using my old friend and Ellie to lure me from hiding, but I can tell you that nothing will give away my identity any time soon. Especially not some little boy who should still be sitting on his father's lap and crying during every thunderstorm."

"Oh, maybe you're right. Gee, I dunno… Ellie, baby, what do you think? Am I like you were when you sat on Daddy's lap during the storms?"

Ellie simply narrowed her eyes and jabbed her elbow into his side, causing him to grunt and release her to clutch his side. "No, because I was never as pathetic as you are!" She ran next to the grey-eyed man and summoned Pure Heart, pointing it straight at Porter. "This time, I'm not holding back when you want to run away, baldy."

Porter and his partner grinned before the other man pulled a stick out of his pocket and pointed it at the girl. "I'll make sure you don't have that opportunity, Princess. We need your heart and soul, but if the outside package comes in a little broken, the Dark Lord won't mind." He muttered something under his breath while waving the stick, and a red stream of light zapped towards Ellie.

The man next to her jumped to defend her, summoning another Keyblade and reflecting the spell away. "Go now, Ellie, and fight. I'll protect you."

Ellie nodded and jumped back towards Porter, who swung a massive fist out to meet her. Dodging quickly, she nicked his shoulder. Howling in rage, he began to swing his arms wildly and ran towards her, knocking down one of the bedposts on his way to strike her. She tried to hold up Pure Heart to guard against the attack, but one of his fists caught her jaw, sending her flying into the wall behind her. Jumping up, she dodged a finishing blow from his saucepan sized hands and landed on the bed she had been sleeping in less than five minutes ago. Porter jumped on top of her, grinning cockily until she kicked him in the stomach with both feet and brought her weapon to strike his skull.

He landed on the floor with a dull thud in front of his partner who, glaring at Ellie and the gray-eyed man, grabbed his limp arm and turned on the spot, disappearing just before Ellie's new ally could strike him one last time.

The bravado and courage that had flared up inside Ellie disappeared as the man crossed to her, smiling sadly, and both of the Keyblades disappeared.. "Well done, Princess, well done. You do resemble your mother, although I'm also sure you've heard that far too many times…"

"Who are you, and how do you know me?"

The man laughed, small wrinkles showing up around his eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know. What that Heartless Mickey told you was true, though, and I don't want to be yet another reason for them to kill you."

Ellie gasped in shock. "Heartless Mickey?! You mean that that wasn't actually the king?"

The man shook his head. "No. He's in hiding, but I was able to warn the queen of the situation before he was able to do any damage. That particular Heartless has been disposed of, but this world is going to die. People have already become Heartless, and the Hall of the Cornerstone is being overrun by them. The only ones to make it away were Dan, Queen Minnie, Daisy, all of the kids and Dale. Pluto was the one who tipped us off in the first place; he somehow found his way into the darkness and made it to the king and I."

"Oh… So Hope and Sky are okay? They escaped uninjured?"

"Yes. They are already on Radiant Gardens, I believe. We're to meet them there as soon as possible, but first I must…"

The man was staring off into the distance beyond her bedroom window. "Sir? Hello?" Ellie poked his shoulder, and he shuddered and turned to her.

"Ellie, run. Just keep running, and if I don't find you, don't stop and talk to no one. The cornerstone is about to be destroyed, and just about anything could happen. If the worst happens, someone will be able to rescue you before any harm comes to you." He put a hand in front of the window, and it was suddenly obscured by a purple and black vortex of flames. Turning back around and taking Ellie's hand, he threw into the new portal. "Sorry, Princess!"

Ellie felt herself falling through empty space, nothing but darkness around her, before landing with a thump on hard pavement. "Ow… Why does something like that always happen to me?" Standing up, she saw that she had landed in the middle of an old warehouse that was covered in dust and cobwebs. "Gross… now I probably have spiders nesting in my hair."

Not feeling like running when there was obviously no one around her, she took a couple of steps before stumbling over something soft and black. A black, hooded cape was folded in the middle of the dusty floor, looking remarkably clean and small. When she picked up, it unfolded to reveal a shimmery, feather-weight material that felt like a cloud.

"Hey, maybe if I wear this, no one will be able to recognize me, and I won't have to keep running…" She slipped her arms into the sleeves, loving how it fit her perfectly, and pulled the hood over her hair and face before continuing on her way to the glowing red exit sign on the far wall.


Raindrops were splashing down onto the ground all around Ellie. She had been ignoring the stranger's advice and walking for several hours rather than running, ever since she had woken from her nap in a relatively clean alley. She had no idea how long she had been gone from the castle, because the warehouse had been in the middle of a city that seemed to be perpetually night, and the few people that had passed her hadn't given her a second glance. The driving rain had driven all of the pedestrians but herself and a shadowy figure who had been following her inside. As much as she would have liked to find shelter, her tail was beginning to gain on her, and she couldn't afford to stop.

Two loud pops announced the arrival of two more people behind her. A muttered word, and three sets of footsteps began to clatter toward her rapidly. She took off at exactly the same time, looking over her shoulder to see three identically robed figures charging towards her. Rounding the next corner she found, she grasped the hood more tightly around her face, trying to make sure no one else saw her and joined the chase.

"Get her!" The people were gaining on her rapidly, and she was beginning to get a stitch in her side. Just as she rounded another corner and tripped on a crack, a strong arm grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into an alleyway, knocking the breath out of her lungs.

"Sh!" Another hand covered her mouth as the arm wrapped around her tighter and pulled her down behind a dumpster which stank of rotten milk and ripe bananas.

"Where'd she go?" The three figures stopped in front of the alley's entrance and scratched their heads in confusion. "I didn't think she knew magic, but it looks like she Apparated, don't it?"

"The Dark Lord won't like this… She's slipped through our hands again! And this time she did it by herself, because we have that idiot traitor back in Azkaban… Lets go before she shows up with an army or something…"

The three figures disappeared with a quick turn, and the hands binding Ellie released her. She stood up and peered up and down the alley before creeping around the corner and looking both ways before continuing on her way. Her rescuer followed her, sighing in frustration but not saying anything for several minutes. The rain was now falling in icy sheets, and Ellie began to shiver underneath her new cape.

Finally the person put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. "Miss, why won't you speak to me? I just saved your life, and you're choosing to ignore me rather than allow me to help you find shelter."

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Ellie was too busy trying to concentrate on what the men had said to pay the person any heed. They said that he was with them in Azkaban… What did they mean, Azkaban, and who were they talking about? "Excuse me, sir, but I mustn't speak to you or anyone else. Thank you."

The figure drew his hand back in surprise, and Ellie turned around and began to run down the street again. Footsteps soon pounded beside her, and the man stepped in front of her and stopped, causing her to run into him. "Excuse me, but I need through. Please move."

The man put a tan hand under her chin and lifted her head to look at her. Her hood fell off, but her eyes were locked with his own sapphire ones. It couldn't really be… "Ellie…"

The magic of the moment was broken when Robert whispered her name. Ellie blinked once, then again, but he was still there, staring at her in utter disbelief. A single tear escaped from her emerald eye before she threw herself into his arms and began to sob and laugh at the same time. "Robert, I- I can't believe that you're actually alive! I can't believe I found you!"

"I can't believe that I found you, either, Ellie. I thought that you were dead…" He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground, holding her close. "I thought that I had failed you… I'm so sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Robert! I just can't believe that we found each other… Come on, we've got to find shelter before we die from getting a cold, and we have to talk."

"Come on, I know a place that we can go." Robert set her back down and grabbed her hand, causing her to stiffen momentarily. He led her down several more streets before opening the door to the very warehouse that she had landed in. He flipped a light switch, and the filthy interior was exposed. "I know it's kind of nasty, but at least it has a roof…"

"It's fine, Robert. I'm with you now; what do I care about a little grime?" Ellie collapsed onto the floor right where she was and folded her tiny, soaked legs underneath her. "What happened after you sent me away? All that I know is that the man was about to hit you with a stick or something, and you suddenly fell into a portal and disappeared."

"I ended up in here. The only thing I know about the person who brought me here is that he's a really good guy with a lot of problems and a lot of people chasing him." Robert sat down across from her, grinning happily. "He came to me this evening and said that there may be someone who needed me in a little bit, and he sent me to that alley. I'd given up searching for you, because I had searched for two days straight and finally decided that you had been killed or turned into one of those Heartless things. What did happen to you, anyhow?"

"Well…" Ellie told him about the mysterious appearance of Pure Heart, her battle on the island, and how she met the king and the group from Destiny Islands. "… and when I got closer, I realized that the bald guy from earlier had beaten up poor Hope. I sent Sky for help and fought him, which let Hope get away from him. He was way scarier than he had been earlier in the day, and he actually trapped me against a cliff side and…"

"And…"

"And he… kissed me. He would have done it again, but a man in a hooded robe knocked him out before Sora and Riku came. I think he might be the person who rescued you, because he was the only one who would have known I would be in danger. Anyway…" As she recounted the rest of the events that had led her to the warehouse, Robert's face remained calm, but his eyes were filled with concern and fury.

"They didn't seriously hurt you, then? The worst that happened was being kissed?" He cracked his knuckles when she nodded slightly, his face grim. "Well, maybe I'll take that into consideration when I kill all of them. No one messes with you and gets away with it, and no one kisses you. Ever."

"Robert…"

He crawled over to her and put his arms around her again. "I'm serious, Ellie. No one's ever going to hurt you again, not as long as I'm with you." She let her head fall onto his shoulder and her eyes drifted shut. His hand found the small of her back and began to massage it. When she tensed up and drew back, he looked down at her in concern. "Is everything okay, Ellie? You've been jittery all evening. I know you just had a horrible experience, but I'm here now. You don't have to be so worried…"

"I-" She averted her eyes when he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm just tired, that's all. I think that we should get some sleep."

"Agreed. Good night, Ellie." Robert stretched out and rolled over. When his breathing slowed, Ellie quietly stood up and went over to the door, sitting down and leaning on the wall right next to it where she could keep an eye on Robert.

"It's so good to see him again, but… I don't know, something just doesn't feel right. He doesn't make me feel the way he used to. He's still so handsome, and yet his eyes just don't look quite right to me, and something just seems a little bit off. Maybe I am just tired."

"Maybe, Princess, or maybe you should be more careful who you decide to hang out with."

"Axel!" There you are! Where have you been this whole time? Why didn't you warn me about the king or the Death Eaters, and what do you mean that I should be more careful?

"Sheesh, Princess, you should learn to respect your elders. I'll repeat this one more time: I. Am. Not. A God. Got it memorized?"

Okay, fine, but what about the cryptic advice? Can't you be a little clearer?

"That's why it's cryptic advice, Princess, because you have to figure it out all on your own, Ellie. Now, try to get some sleep; that boy's so loud that he'll wake you up the second he moves around, so don't worry about being taken by surprise."

Okay… Good night then, Axel.

"Good night, Princess." Ellie closed her eyes and immediately felt herself drifting off to sleep. When she reopened her eyes, she was sitting against a stone wall. The sunshine floating through the cave entrance was partially blocked by a shadowy figure, bent over laughing.

When the figure finally made it all the way inside, she heard herself talking to it. "Robert, why do you laugh every time you see me sitting here? It's not like it's something new or weird or anything…"

"I laugh, Mason, because it looks odd to see you sitting on a rock shelf instead of the chairs we brought in here. Every single day, you're sitting there like you never leave at night. I'm not laughing at you, per se, I'm more laughing at… um… Ah, who am I kidding, I'm laughing at you!"

"And why do you always- Hey! Stop that, you know I'm ticklish!" She started giggling uncontrollably when Robert began to run a random feather along the bottoms of her bare feet.

"Oh, you're ticklish?" He asked innocently before he began poking her side, causing her to laugh even harder. As soon as she fell off of the shelf, he moved out of the way, laughing even harder when she landed on the floor with a loud thud, still laughing hysterically. "I didn't know that, Mason!"

"Oh, you…" He pulled her to her feet and their eyes met for a long moment. Ellie blinked and coughed just before she completely lost herself in his bright blue eyes and changed the subject. "Why do you always call me Mason instead of Ellie?"

He blew his bangs out of his eyes and sat down on one of the beanbag chairs they had bought three years ago. "I don't know. I guess because I remember calling your dad Mr. Mason, when I was really little, and I still call your mom Mrs. Mason instead of Rebecca, so I guess you just became 'Mason'. Then I remember thinking you weren't cool enough to have a first name, so I kept calling you Mason if we had to talk. Now it's such a habit that I don't even realize I'm doing it." He bit his lip and suddenly looked a little nervous. "It doesn't offend you, does it? I'll just call you Ellie if you want me to…"

Ellie laughed and sat down in her identical beanbag chair. "Of course I don't, silly! You're my best friend. I don't care what you call me. But… Does this mean that I can call you Anderson?"

"No."

"Well, fine then, be that way. Bu at least I'll always be able to tell if someone is pulling the wool over my eyes, although I sincerely doubt anyone would want to pretend to be you…" The scene rapidly faded into darkness as both teenagers laughed, and Ellie jolted awake, the color rapidly draining from her face when she realized that the impostor was no longer laying on the floor before her.

"If someone is pulling the wool over my eyes… That man isn't Robert."

"What? Of course I'm Robert, Ellie!" She gasped in shock and looked up to see him standing right beside her, smiling broadly down at her. "What are you talking about?"

Ellie stood up and jumped away from him, trying to open the door. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, leaning down as if he were going to kiss her. "No! Get away from me, you creep!"

Robert's impersonator drew back and raised an eyebrow at her, the smile slipping off of his lips even though he kept a firm grip on her shoulder. "Creep? Ellie, you aren't thinking clearly or something. Why shouldn't you let your boyfriend kiss you, after you've been separated for so long?"

Ellie glared at him. "I'm not dating Robert, and you aren't him, anyhow." Summoning Pure Heart, she hit him in the stomach and flung herself around, using Pure Heart to break through the door as she ran as fast as she could.

"Ellie, come back!" The impersonator's footsteps clattered out of the warehouse, but she had already turned down the street and was about to hide in the decrepit stoop of a restaurant. "Ellie, don't run from me!"

The figure ran straight past her hiding place, still yelling for her. Trying to stop panting, she took off in the opposite direction, not knowing or caring where she was fleeing to. She pulled her hood back up and clutched it tightly as she ran, her right hand keeping a tight grasp on her Keyblade.

"Ellie! There you are!" The man disguised as Robert jumped out of an alleyway, bringing her to a sudden halt when she ran into him again. "Come on, now, let's go back to the warehouse and talk. You're worrying me, baby."

When he tried to grab her arm, she growled and swung her weapon at him again. Howling in pain, he jumped up and down as he held his knee. "Ow, ow, ow, that hurts!!!"

"Stay away from me, you fake!"

"I'm not a…" The man made a strange gurgling noise, and his skin began to twist and bubble. Ellie froze with sickened fascination as Robert's features began to melt together, forming a completely new face. When the man stopped writhing and panting in pain, he was considerably shorter than Robert, balding, and as pale as though he hadn't been out of his house in months. "… fake." The man's real voice still sounded a lot like Robert's. "Stupid potion…"

Ellie shoved the tip of Pure Heart into his neck, not breaking the skin but causing him to tense up and sweat profusely. "Alright, talk. Who are you and what did you do to Robert?"

"I'm not saying anything to the likes of you, child." Ellie punched him hard in the stomach, causing him to collapse. She held her Keyblade right in front of him, poking it into his forehead every time he moved. "Alright, alright. My name's Avery. I'm a Death Eater, and I don't normally sound this young. My real voice was covered up by a spell that wand maker Ollivander used on me. As for your little boyfriend, we don't know where he is. Lucius just managed to snatch some hairs from him before he somehow disappeared, and we used them to make the Polyjuice Potion."

"Wand maker? Polyjuice Potion? What are you talking about? And why would you save me from Death Eaters if you're one yourself?"

"You really don't have a clue, do you? I was merely saving the others from harm. You probably would have defeated them far too easily, whereas I have successfully managed to capture you." The man chuckled and stood up so unexpectedly that Ellie almost fell backwards. "I'd love to stay here and chat some more, but I still have to get you back to the Dark Lord, and I don't like to fail."

"Too bad, Sir Avery!" An elderly man's voice appeared out of no where, and though both Ellie and Avery spun around looking for the source, it seemed to be disembodied. "Miss Mason, you must come to Radiant Gardens right now. There are certain barriers that will prevent people such as the Death Eaters from getting to you while you are here, so please come right now!"

"Merlin! I'd love to, but I don't know how!" Avery was grabbing for her wildly by this point, wincing only slightly when she hit her Keyblade on his knuckles. "A little help, please?"

"I suppose." Just as Avery grabbed her hand she felt a cool rush of air, and suddenly she was standing in a cluttered living room. "At last, we have found you!" The wizened wizard who had rescued her was standing in front of a large podium that was almost bent with the immense weight of several books.

"Ellie!" A bundle of burgundy hair and brown skin plowed into her side, sobbing. "Ellie, Ellie!"

"Hope? Are you alright?" Ellie put her hands around the trembling girl, who was looking much healthier than the last time she had seen her.

"We're all fine, Ellie." Danielle was also there, her hands folded over her large stomach and a weary smile on her face. "What about you? We know the king's contact was captured just before the world fell apart, because he escaped soon afterwards and came here to tell us everything up until he was captured, which was right after he sent you away. He wanted to go find you himself, but thought that it would be too dangerous for him if he was spotted by the Death Eaters."

"I'm… okay." Ellie bit her lip as Hope pulled away from her, wiping her blue eyes.

"I was so scared, Ellie. I thought you had been captured, and then the only people I would have had left were Aunt Danielle and Sky, and I didn't want that to happen. Everyone's been worried about you, though, especially since you didn't try to contact us before we left the castle…"

"I'm so sorry, Hope. I'm sorry, all of you. I didn't mean to make you worry…"

Danielle clucked her tongue. "Oh, Ellie!! You did nothing wrong, you silly girl! Now, Hope, you need to get to bed; I promised you that you could stay up until Ellie came or until you fell asleep, so go on." Hope hugged Ellie one more time before bounding off down a long hall.

"Now, Miss Mason, why don't you tell us everything that happened to you after you left the castle, and then we'll find you a bed."

Ellie told her story as briefly as possible, wanting nothing more than to collapse into sleep on a surface that wasn't outdoors, filthy, or rat infested. "Thank you so much for finding me, Merlin. "How long was I there, anyhow?"

"It's been almost four days now, Miss Mason. That world was on of darkness, not exactly the place of choice for a Princess of Heart such as yourself. I honestly have no idea why that stupid man would have sent you there."

"He is not a stupid man, Merlin. That man is one of the bravest and most intelligent people that I have ever met. Was it not over three days before the Death Eaters found her? That dark world was probably the last place they expected to find a Princess of Heart. He couldn't send her here, because he didn't know if it was safe already or not, and he wanted to give you more time to set up the defenses before he sent their number one target here." Danielle was glaring at the wizard, and Ellie suddenly remembered something.

"Dan! You know him, don't you? Did you tell the Heartless king? Is that how they found us?"

Danielle sighed and laughed slightly. "No. He asked me not to repeat his name, especially in front of you, but never mentioned it himself. It made me suspicious, so I didn't actually say his name. And I'm still not going to, so just forget about asking me."

"Oh, fine…" Ellie yawned widely and rubbed her eyes. "How is it that the last time I saw Hope she had bruises, cuts and a broken arm, and now she's perfectly fine?"

"Oh, yes. Another resident of Radiant Gardens, Aerith, knows a rather powerful healing spell that came in quite handy for all of the injuries. Even Danielle, in the fragile state that she is in at the current time, had to fight to get out of the grasps of the Heartless and escape Disney Castle." Merlin blew a long white strand of hair off of his forehead and began singing under his breath. "To and fro, stop and go, that's what makes the world go round…"

"Ellie, why don't I show you to your room? You look like you haven't slept for days."

"That would be great, Danielle. Thank you so much."


Ellie fell to the ground, seemingly dazed. A woman with short black hair was standing over her triumphantly, a large ninja star in each hand.

"Get up, Ellie!"

"Come on, Ellie, you can do it!"

"Ellie! Ellie! Ellie!"

The black haired woman turned to look at the collection of spectators who were watching the training session incredulously, her dark brown eyes wide. "Isn't anyone rooting for me? Come on, Taylor, you aren't going to root for your boyfriend's mom? Christopher, how can you turn against your own mother like this, especially since you only met my opponent four days ago?!"

"Sorry, Mom, but Ellie actively campaigns for our support. How could I resist?" The man who responded looked nothing like his mother; his light brown hair fell across his forehead in long spikes, partially obscuring his icy blue eyes.

Ellie seized the distraction to jump back to her feet and swing Pure Heart into the side of the woman's neck, stopping just short of actually hurting her. "Gotcha, Yuffie! Don't be distracted during battle, silly!"

"Darn it!" Yuffie shook her head and sighed once Ellie had lowered her blade, smirking. "I'm too old for this kind of stress!"

"Aw, you're not old, Yuffie!" Deni, Max, Sky and Hope had also been watching the match and cheering for their red- haired friend.

"Yeah, Merlin's the old one!" Max nodded his head vigorously. "Is it my turn yet?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I just finished one session, give me a break." Yuffie smiled and shook her head. "I think we all need to eat something before anything else. That mock battle lasted much longer than I thought it would have. Let's go, everyone!"

Still smirking from her victory, Ellie followed the others inside. It had been four days since she had been rescued from Avery's clutches, and she was already winning battles against her first real teacher. Hope and Sky turned around, looked at each other, and approached Ellie, who stopped to talk to them.

"Ellie?"

"Yes, Sky?"

"We want to go with you when you leave."

"What?"

Hope shuffled her feet and blushed. "We know we probably shouldn't, but we want to help find our parents. That's what you're doing, right?"

Ellie sighed. "Yes, it is, but-"

"But what? If you're going to search for our parents, who could possibly be of more help to you than us? We know them better than you or anyone else on this planet does, and that could be vital to finding their hiding places."

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you two to put yourself in danger by rescuing… Wait, hiding places?"

Both kids nodded solemnly. "We think that our dads, at least, are just hiding because they don't know where we are and want our help. Maybe they're on one of the planets that my dad saved from the Heartless."

"Yeah, and like I said, we could be real important to finding out which one they're on."

Ellie closed her eyes, trying not to cry. "Listen, both of you. Your fathers have both been captured by either the Death Eaters or the Heartless, who are for all purposes one and the same. I couldn't possibly risk either of you by taking you behind their lines. This actually makes me think of another conversation that we need to have. Come over here with me." Ellie led the way to a shaded grove near their training grounds and sat on a large boulder in the middle. The kids sat on either side of her as she began to speak. "I know this is going to be hard to hear, but you can't trust anyone who isn't here on this planet right now."

Sky jumped up, looking furious. "You mean you don't want me to trust my own dad?!"

"Sky, that's not exactly what I meant…"

"What did you mean, then?!" Sky's brown eyes were boring angrily into her own.

"I mean that I want you to be careful. If anyone you think you know and can trust just randomly shows up, be careful. Don't blindly listen to them, because if you do you're open to attack."

"But, Ellie! If my mom and dad show up again, I'm going to listen to them and trust them!"

"Hope, Sky, listen. I'm not saying don't trust them, but be observant. Sky, if your dad comes here and doesn't check on your mom at any given opportunity, then maybe it isn't really your dad. Or, maybe Kairi comes and she doesn't seemed worried about the fact that you are definitely a Princess of Heart, Hope, then it could be that she isn't who we think she was."

"Why would you think such a thing could happen to us? You know that Radiant Gardens is protected by Merlin's magical powers!"

"I found out the hard way. My friend, Robert… I've told you some things about him, right? Well, when that man sent me away from Disney Castle, I thought I found him. It was like a dream come true, because I thought he was dead before that. I was ready to go anywhere and do anything almost without caring at first, just because he was with me. When I began to notice something just a little off, I tried to play it down, but it turned out that it wasn't really him. The person I thought was Robert was actually a Death Eater in disguise, and would have taken me captive for sure if I hadn't realized that he wasn't calling me by my surname, like Robert always has and said he always would. Even when I realized the truth, I was still almost captured before Merlin found me." Ellie's throat closed up a little. "The next time they try that, I'll be ready. I know now that I'll never see Robert again, not in this lifetime."

Hope and Sky were silent, their eyes huge and terrified. They obviously hadn't realized how easy it would be for them to be captured by Maleficent or her allies.

"Ellie! Ellie, Hope, Sky get over here this instant!" An older woman who was wearing a lot of pink rushed into the grove, terror written all over her expression. "Merlin's defenses have been broken somehow, we have to stay inside his house at all times, it's the only safe place until Merlin can restore his protection over the whole world!"

Ellie leapt to her feet and pulled hope up as well, batting the tears from her eyes. "Sky, go with Aerith and protect her; Hope, you're with me."

The kids nodded and the four of them rushed from the trees. Ellie's heart felt like it had moved to her throat. Aerith and Sky rounded the final corner before Ellie and Hope did, and Ellie saw them holding the door open for the two of them. She heard a series of popping noises when she was about three strides from the door, and without thinking did the first thing that came to mind. "Sorry, Hope, I'll be back!"

She picked up the screaming nine year old and threw her as far and as fast as her slight frame would allow, and Hope amazingly sailed through the open door as a sea of black robes converged upon Ellie. Hands were grabbing at her, but she ducked down and summoned Pure Heart, sweeping it in a wide circle, taking all of the Death Eater's feet from under them. As she jumped up and was about to run, another one popped in next to her and grabbed her elbow before turning sharply. With a feeling similar to that of being forced through a straw, Ellie was pulled off of her feet. After what seemed like several seconds of not being able to breath, see, hear, or feel anything, she and her captor landed back in the same grove she had just come from.

"Let go of me! Help!"

"Would you shut up, Princess?! Do you want the others to find us?"

"Yes! No! I mean, I want my friends to find us! I can't fight all of you Death Eaters by myself!"

"I am your friend, Ellie!" The person finally slipped his hood down, and Ellie screamed again. The person standing in front of her was a young version of the man who had taken her father. His blonde hair was slicked back rather than hanging to his shoulders, and his eyes were gray instead of blue, but those were the only differences in their appearances. He smiled slightly and shook his head. "I may look like my father, Lucius Malfoy, but I'm not. My name is Draco, if you don't mind, and I'm nothing like him. Not anymore…"

"Why should I trust you? Give me one good reason that I shouldn't destroy you right now!" Ellie re-summoned Pure Heart, which had disappeared without her realization, and Draco laughed aloud.

"Please, Ellie. I don't think that would help against me. I could have taken you straight to the Dark Lord. Unlike that ridiculous Porter character and Avery, I don't just let my prey sit around until I feel like I've had enough fun. No, I'm not one to fool around. Let me ask you something, Miss Mason." Ellie jumped a little when he casually put an arm around her shoulders. "Do you trust the king?"

"Of course I do, but anyone could say that the king trusted them."

"But not everyone could say the king followed them to the battle to help out." Mickey's sudden appearance caught Ellie off guard, and she tried to shriek again. This time, Draco gasped as well and put his hand over her mouth and held another one of the stick things that the Death Eaters had all used against her to her neck while whispering in her ear.

"Another Death Eater is about to come past here. This grove should be all but invisible to them, but just in case I need to make it look like I've captured you."

Sure enough, a black robed figure prowled past the entrance to the clearing, and Ellie heard Draco grit his teeth. The man was Lucius Malfoy, and he was livid. The moment Lucius had turned on his heel and disappeared, Draco released Ellie and turned to the king, who was hiding in the shadows. "Your majesty, why are you here? I thought we agreed that you shouldn't come back here just yet!"

"Yes, but I knew you would have a problem convincing Ellie to trust you after her run in with Avery. Anyhow, Ellie, Draco used to be a very loyal Death Eater, but he turned against them when his father killed his mother on the command of the Dark Lord. He really is on our side now."

"O-okay…"

"Good. Now, Ellie, here's the plan. The Death Eaters don't know that I've turned spy, and I was actually assigned to capture Hope by any means possible. The defenses around Merlin's house are crumbling as we speak, and that leaves me very little time to get her out of there. I'm taking her to another planet and leaving her with some of her father's old friends, but I can't tell you where. The more people who know…"

"The greater chance there is that more will find out. I know, I know, but won't they realize that something is up when you show up without her?"

Draco smiled easily, and Ellie was slightly awestruck by how handsome he was. "You are a bright girl, aren't you? Princess, that is where you come in. Once I get Hope and begin to take her away, you must pretend to strike me with your blade just before I Disapparate. If someone is hit just as they Apparate, things can sometimes go slightly awry. Anyhow, just make sure you don't actually hit me, or I could lose Hope. Do you understand?"

Ellie looked from Draco to the king and back to Draco before nodding. "Alright. I don't like it, I'm not even sure I understand it, but I'll go with it."

"Good. Let's get going, then." Draco disappeared and the king stepped through a portal, and Ellie was left to run as fast as she could back to Merlin's house.

The streets were chaotic. Death Eaters were everywhere, breaking into stores and chasing people from their houses. None of them noticed the redhead as she dodged flying debris and panicked crowds of people. Merlin's house was half destroyed by the time she made it back, and she was stopped by two kids running into her. "Sky, Hope, what's going on?!"

"They got into the house, and they have my mom!" Sky's cheeks were dirty and stained with tears. "A blond man grabbed her and said he would kill her if they didn't find you!"

Ellie cursed and looked back to the house. Yuffie, Christopher and Max were all engaged in battle with Death Eaters who didn't seem to have any of the sticks that most seemed to have, while Deni, Taylor and Merlin were shooting brightly colored spells at others. Aerith was standing behind a large chunk of wall, sending her powerful healing magic to her comrades. Minnie, Daisy and David were nowhere to be seen. "We have to get out of here, you two. Come on, follow-"

"Wait! Sky, come here and bring Hope!" A familiar voice shouted from behind Ellie, and the three friends whipped around to see none other but Riku standing in the middle of the cluttered street. "Get away from her, she's not really a Princess at all, she's with the Death Eaters!"

"How dare you! Where's your proof of that?!" Ellie responded, shoving Sky and Hope behind her, though Sky was about three inches taller than she was and Hope was getting there. "You're not even the real Riku, are you?"

"Sky, are you going to listen to this girl you barely know, or are you going to believe your own father?"

Sky peered over Ellie's shoulder and responded slowly. "I don't know if you are my father or not."

Riku snorted and was suddenly just in front of Ellie. "Get out of the way, 'Princess!'" He swept Ellie away like a rag doll, and she fell hard on her hip. "Sky, I'm telling you, I'm here to save you and Hope. The king sent me! Take my hand, son, and we'll get out of here."

Sky hesitated before stretching his hand out slowly. He looked Riku in the eye, and then his gaze flickered to Ellie for a split second before he swatted Riku's hand away. "You aren't my dad! My real dad would try to save my mother, too!"

Riku picked Sky up by the front of his shirt and lifted him until their noses were almost touching. Ellie tried to leap to his rescue, but two enormous Death Eaters suddenly grabbed her and held her back. "What would I want with your mother? She's no good to me anymore; her heart is too full of light. I only want you now, Sky! Join me, and we'll get rid of her forever!"

Riku's voice began to blend with another one, and his eyes flickered slightly red. Sky spat in his face and kicked his stomach, falling hard when Riku dropped him but standing back up immediately, his arm bent oddly and bleeding. "Fine. Draco, get the girl!!!"

Ellie screamed fiercely and tugged hopelessly to get away from the Death Eaters. HEr strands of color changing hair, which she had all but forgotten about, suddenly glowed white. The men who were holding her began to glow the same color, and their knees buckled simultaneously. Draco had Hope in his grasp now, and Ellie summoned Pure Heart and swung it just short of his neck, just as she had done to Yuffie earlier. He screamed loudly, but was already turning. He disappeared with Hope, and every other Death Eater plus Riku followed him.

"Ellie!" King Mickey came rushing from down the street a piece. "Ellie, we've gotta get going, right now!!!"

"Wait! We can't go anywhere yet! The others-"

"-will be fine for now. I found Minnie hiding out with Daisy, David and Taylor, so they all know part of what happened. Hope isn't our biggest concern now, either. In fact, I don't think we should get to her for a while yet, because it would look far too suspicious if we already knew where she was going to be. I didn't figure they'd go after Danielle, though. That must be how they're controlling Riku. Come on, let's go, I'll explain everything I can in a moment!"

The king opened a dark portal and pulled Ellie through it. They landed on a barren island. There Ellie could plainly see that nothing could exist for more than a couple days on the island, owing to the fact that it floated in the middle of a pool of darkness and the fact that there was no plant or animal life anywhere, but she still felt like she was being watched. "Where are we, Your Majesty?"

Mickey kicked aside a small rock, revealing a small latch. "My hideout. Come on, get inside." He took out his Keyblade and tapped the latch twice. A small door swung downward, and the king jumped into it. "Follow me, Ellie!"

Ellie took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and jumped in, not quite knowing what to expect. For five or six seconds she was falling, and then she hit grass. When she opened her eyes, she was outside of a large and ornately decorated cabin, with trees shading the luscious green yard and a flowery scent wafting from a garden behind the cabin. "How did we get here?"

"That's a secret that has been passed down for many ages. My contact has actually been staying here for several years now, but he's in Draco's world right now, spying. There is someone else here, though, who I think you'll be very happy to see."

A hunched over figure walked around the cabin as he said this, and Ellie's jaw dropped.

LINE (oh yeah, what now?)

Ellie: Wait… Khgirl08, you forgot to write who it was…

Khgirl08: -evil snicker-

Ellie: Hey, you better not be leaving us hanging off a cliff!

Khgirl08: -evil chuckle-

Ellie: I'm warning you…!

Khgirl08: -evil laughter-

Ellie: -rolls eyes and throws stale cookies at Khgirl08, knocking her out-

Khgirl08: -is knocked out-

Ellie: Just remember to review! :D