Disclaimer: I...*checks*...still don't own Kingdom Hearts. Probably never will. D8

Warnings: Uh...actually, I don't think there's anything in here except maybe use of magic that even comes close to needing a warning. O.o

Pairings: Uh, King Mickey and Queen Minnie. Seriously. That's it.

A/N: Okay, so this is the real chapter one, since the first "chapter" was really the prologue. You'll notice that this one is much longer, too. Like, a good 2,500 words more. O.O Let's hope that's an indicator of what the rest of the story's like, shall we? Anyway, thanks to the one reviewer for the prologue and the few of you who have this on your favorites/alerts list. You make me happy and I love all of you. ^^

Also! In a not-so-subtle way of asking for reviews, I've got a bit of a challenge for you guys. There's a cameo appearance in the story by a Disney character. First one to tell me who it is gets...well, I dunno what you get. Ask for something, I guess. ^^' Art, writing, beta, virtual cookies...just ask. (Heck, you could play it safe and ask for another chapter. You'll definitely be getting it, lol.)

Anyway.

Enjoy the story.

Chapter 1

~*~

For the first few hours of walking, things went well. Riku and Kairi were quiet, letting Sora chatter away about anything and everything.

It was a perfect late spring day, flowers, birds and sunshine everywhere. The path they were on was more of a road, with deep ruts where wagons had often passed.

Namine had said that it would take most of the day to reach the castle, provided that they kept going and only stopped for lunch. Kairi had taken it upon herself to pay close attention to the witch's directions as Sora rushed about getting things packed the previous evening. Riku had alternated between helping Sora stay organized and listening to Namine's advice.

"We'll want to stop soon for lunch," Kairi said suddenly, breaking into Sora's near constant flow of words (His current subject was something about how the yellow flowers by the side of the road bloomed early in the spring, while the pink ones further back came later.). Riku nodded and Sora stopped talking to listen.

"Namine said that there was a big, flat rock that we should pass about noon," she continued. All three of them glanced up at the sky. "That shouldn't be too far off."

"Good!" Sora said, smiling. "I'm hungry!"

Riku rolled his eyes. "You're always hungry, Sora."

Sora's smile grew wider. "That's because you don't eat anything. Someone's gotta make up for that."

"And that someone might as well be you, right?"

"Yep!"

"Well, then, I guess it'll be my fault when you finally get fat from all the food you eat."

"I won't get fat!"

"If you keep eating so much, you will."

"Will not!"

Kairi laughed. "You guys are ridiculous. Sora just has—"

"The rock!"

Riku blinked, but Sora was already running away from them, towards the distant grey rock. Kairi shook her head, an affectionate smile on her face as she stared after their friend.

"You'd better go after him, Riku, before he hurts himself tripping over nothing or something equally ridiculous."

The silver-haired teen sighed. "The things I do…" Still, he handed his pack to Kairi and set off at a jog after Sora. Kairi caught up shortly after to find them both sprawled on top of the rock and out of breath. Hearing her approach, Sora propped himself up on his elbows.

"Kairi! Riku's a cheating meanie-face!"

The redhead lifted an eyebrow at her friends as she set down the packs and started pulling out their lunch. "Oh? Why's that?"

Sora opened his mouth to explain, but Riku clamped a hand over his face. "It's nothing," the taller boy said, grinning. "He's just a poor loser. Hey, lunch!"

"Where?" Sora scrambled off of the rock to join Kairi in setting out the simple food they'd packed. "All right! Let's eat!"

~*~

"Do you guys think we'll actually find a dragon?" Sora asked a while later. The rock had been left far behind and the sun was sinking towards the horizon.

Riku looked away when Kairi glanced at him, leaving the redhead to answer Sora's question on her own. "Uh, why do you ask?" she hedged, worried more by her friend's serious expression and tone than by the question itself.

Sora shrugged, looking out across a meadow to the smudge on the horizon that might or might not be mountains. "I dunno. I mean, I still want to try, but…I guess I'm just scared that we won't be able to find a dragon at all. Or…"

"Or, what?" Kairi prompted, Riku once again refusing her plea for help.

Bright blue eyes turned to regard her evenly. "Or we'll find a dragon, but it'll be too late," he whispered. He turned back to the road and Riku and Kairi shared a look over his head. Riku sighed.

"You can't think like that, Sora. It won't help anything. Either we find a dragon or we don't and either we find it in time or we don't, but until then, there's no point in worrying about it. You've got to start as you intend to finish."

Kairi nodded. "Riku's right. Besides, you being so pessimistic is weird. Smile!"

Sora gave her a half-smile, but he was at least trying and his friends let him have some space for now. There'd be plenty of time later to cheer him up.

Twilight was beginning to fall when they came around a turn in the road, a castle visible in the near distance. Grinning at each other, the three friends stepped up the pace, eager to reach their destination before nightfall.

They reach the town below the castle just as the last of the sunlight faded into darkness. Kairi led them to an inn, saying that they'd go up to the castle in the morning. The boys were tired and not inclined to argue her choice, so they just followed and accepted the key to their room without a word.

In the room, Riku tossed his pack onto one of the narrow beds and sat down to pull his boots off. Sora did the same on the other bed.

"Are we going to have to walk the whole trip?" Sora said, sighing in relief as his boots dropped to the floor. "If so, I think we may want to invest in a horse."

Riku smiled. "I'm pretty sure we'll be walking a lot, but we may be able to find a wagon going the right way sometimes. I'm pretty sure we don't have enough money for a horse, though."

"Well, I'll blame it on you if I don't have any feet left when we're done."

Snorting, Riku pushed his pack off of the bed and leaned back with a groan. "If it makes you feel better, go ahead. I certainly won't lose any sleep over it."

"Hey, guys?" Kairi said, standing in the doorway. Sora and Riku looked up.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Kairi!"

Kairi smiled at them. "Just wanted to make sure you guys were okay in here. I'm in the room next to yours. Looks like you'll be fine."

Riku waved a hand at her. "Yeah, we're good. We'll see you in the morning, Kairi."

"Alright. Night, guys."

"Night, Kairi."

"Good night!"

The door closed behind her and Sora sighed, flopping back down on the bed. "Well, I guess we should get some sleep, then."

"Yeah." Riku slid beneath the blanket and waited for Sora to do the same before blowing out the candle between the beds. "Hey, Sora?"

"What?"

"We'll find a dragon in time."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"I think so, too. But not if we don't get some sleep!"

"Oh, shut up and count some sheep, Sora."

~*~

The next morning they ate breakfast at the inn before heading up the path to the castle, Sora still yawning and Riku's shoulders sagging under the weight of his pack.

"I'm positive I didn't feel this bad going to bed last night," the taller boy complained. "How can just walking make my arms hurt?"

Sora ignored him, but Kairi shot him a sympathetic look over her shoulder. "We're all sore, Riku. It's not just you. It'll go away as you get used to it."

"But I don't want to get used to it," he muttered back, falling silent as they came up to the castle's main gate.

The drawbridge was down and the gate itself was open, the guards that stood on each side there more for appearances than anything. The three youth passed through the short tunnel and emerged into the courtyard.

Sora seemed to wake up at this point, having been silent the entire walk up to the castle. He looked around, a bemused look on his face. "Huh. I kinda expected it to be bigger."

Riku rolled his eyes. "I'm sure this is just one part of the castle, Sora. It's plenty big."

"Well, yeah," the shorter boy said, still looking around. "But I still expected this front area to be bigger. Wonder what they do when really big groups come?"

Neither Riku nor Kairi could come up with an answer to that—that is, none that wouldn't have begged more questions from the brunette—so they said nothing and all three kept walking, following the vague line of other supplicants to the king.

Down one hall and up another, they walked past stone-faced guards and harried looking servants, doors both shut and opened and various courtiers of all shapes, sizes and colors. In fact, all three did a double-take when they passed a particularly exotic noblewoman, dressed in sheer blue silks that left most of her midriff and arms bare, revealing large expanses of olive skin. Her ebony hair was tied back in a loose braid and both boys stared after her as she passed, while Kairi scowled and muttered something under her breath.

Then they came to an actual line, outside of a set of doors easily twice as tall as the guards stationed to either side of them. They were covered in richly detailed carvings and as the three young people settled in to wait their turn, Sora started up a version of the cloud watching game with the various designs.

Kairi was in the middle of arguing with Riku that a particular piece wasn't a monster, but rather just a large man wearing barbaric set of armor, when a guard cleared his throat to get their attention. Breaking off of their heated discussion, Riku and Kairi looked at him in surprise and Sora turned away from trying to find something new on the doors.

"You may enter," the guard said, reaching to push the door open as he had for all of the supplicants before them. Subdued, they slipped through the opening and entered the throne room.

The hall wasn't overly big, but the thick columns along each side made it look larger than it was. Hung between each monolith were tapestries of various battles and other scenes from the kingdom's history, each woven with bright colors and an incredible attention to detail. Guards stood at each column's base and the three glanced nervously from one to the other as they walked towards the far end.

Against the far wall, two thrones rose up from a dais, both seats occupied. To either side councilors and advisors ranged, ready to provide their input on any given matter. As they drew closer, Sora, Riku and Kairi were able to make out the features of their monarchs, emboldened by the looks of kind curiosity they found in their expressions.

King Mickey and Queen Minnie had ruled over Kingdom Hearts for longer than the three travelers had been alive and the kingdom had experienced peace and prosperity under their rule. No one could find a bad thing to say against them and the only lament was the lack of an heir to the throne, though gods willing the need for one would be a long time coming still.

Even so, surrounded by such grandeur, the three felt rather dirty and small as they knelt at the foot of the dais.

"Rise," King Mickey said, his voice not loud, but carrying easily. They stood and Riku nudged Sora a bit forward. "What is your request?"

Sora looked back at his friends, but they only urged him on. He swallowed and turned back. "Uh, Your Majesty, we, uh, we came to talk to, uh, to…" He turned back to Kairi. "Who is it we wanted to see?" he whispered, expression bordering on panic.

Riku rolled his eyes and stepped forward. "Your Majesty, we came to talk to the wizard Donald regarding some special circumstances of my friend's brother."

King Mickey regarded the three for a moment before turning to one of the advisors next to his throne.

"Donald?"

The man stepped forward and peered down at the young people myopically. "Hmm. Special circumstances, you say?"

Sora nodded eagerly, his nervousness vanishing now that he no longer had to address the king directly. "Yes. My brother is sick with the Yearning and—"

"The Yearning?" Donald interrupted, eyebrows disappearing under his shock of white hair."That is serious indeed. Your Majesty, if I may…?"

King Mickey nodded and Donald stayed long enough to bow to his king. To the three supplicants, he said, "Follow me."

He turned to leave and after bowing once more to the sovereigns, they hurried after him.

"Tell me more about what happened," he ordered as soon as they had caught up.

Kairi nodded at Sora and the brunette launched into how he'd been with his brother when Roxas had collapsed. He told the wizard of Namine and how she had determined that Roxas suffered from the Yearning.

"And now we're here," Sora finished. "Can you help us?"

Donald was silent for a long moment and brought the small group to a door. Opening it, he ushered them into the room beyond, closing the door after himself.

"The only cure for the Yearning is the dragon that is causing it," he said, walking over to a bench with quite a few eclectic items spread out on it. Sora, Riku and Kairi nodded in understanding, though part of their attention was caught up in the bizarre contents of what could only be the wizard's workplace.

Jars of unnamable substances were stack on shelves, next to bits and pieces of jewelry, stones of all shapes, sizes and colors, odd items whose origins were uncertain, feathers of all descriptions, even a few unidentifiable bones. The wizard quickly went to work, pulling various things down and putting them together on a clear space on the bench.

"It cannot be cured otherwise," he continued and the three focused again on him. "However, I can help prolong the duration of this stage so as to prevent him from dying before you can find the dragon and return." Pouring several things into a bowl, he stirred briskly as he talked. "I will go assist this young witch in her care of your brother. In the meantime, you three must travel south and find DiZ, a wizard of great power. He is the only one I know of that has seen a dragon in his lifetime."

The three friends exchanged an uneasy look. "DiZ?" Kairi asked after a moment of silence. "The hermit that rides a three-headed dog?"

"The same. You will have to pass a test of some sort before he will consent to talk to you, but I am certain that if you stay true to your journey's purpose, you will overcome the obstacle." Something else joined the contents of the bowl and now the wizard was poking at it with his finger, frowning in concentration. "He is powerful, yes and does not have a great love for other people, but he is the only one who can help you find the others who can help you."

Sora nodded. "Okay. If we have no choice, then we've got to do it. How do we find him?"

Donald grabbed what was in the bowl and, holding it tightly within one fist, turned to regard the group. "I will show you. Now, which of you three has the greatest concentration?"

Without hesitation, all three pointed to Riku. Donald nodded and held his fist up to the pale boy's face. "Breathe in," he instructed. Riku frowned, but obeyed as the wizard opened his hand.

A fine powder floated from the palm of the wizard's hand up into Riku's face, making him sneeze. Blinking his suddenly watery eyes, he stumbled back as if pushed.

"Whoa! What did you do to me?" he asked, scrunching his nose to get rid of the odd sensation.

"I have simply opened a link so that I will be able to inform you of how your friend's brother is and for you to keep me up to date on your journey's progress. With it, you and I will be able to talk as if face to face, simply by concentrating on doing so. You should know how to do it intuitively."

Riku nodded slowly, looking as if he was deep in thought. Kairi gave him a slightly concerned look before turning back to Sora and the wizard. "Alright. So, how do we find DiZ?"

"Yeah!" Sora agreed. "We need to hurry!"

An amused expression crossed Donald's face. "Indeed. I have a map that you may have." Reaching back, he pulled a scroll out from under a pile of feathers, sending a few floating to the ground. "It will show you where your desired destination is and which way to go. Use it well." So saying, he handed it to Kairi, who nodded and tucked it safely into her pack.

"As for you, boy," Donald continued, rummaging around under the workbench. "I have something for you to use, as well. Well, two things really. First, here." He tugged on what looked like a small rug and finally freed it from the pile of books that had been stacked on top of it. "This is a magic carpet. It will carry you to your destination much quicker than walking or even riding a horse would. However, it cannot go forever, so do not use it too often or over too large a distance."

Sora took the dusty piece of cloth, wondering how all three of them were supposed to fit on it. As if knowing his question, Donald held up a hand to forestall any speech. "Lay it out when you are ready to use it, say 'fly' and it will grow large enough to carry all of you. Repeat the command and it will go where you desire."

Frowning in concentration, Sora nodded to show he understood. Then, his expression cleared. "Hey, you said you had two things for me! What's the other one?"

Donald smiled and pulled a fine chain from around his neck. Two pendants hung from it and the younger three gathered closer to see them better.

One was a crown, with a deep red, heart-shaped ruby in the middle of it. The other was a silver key, sprinkled with small blue jewels. Both shone as if with a light of their own and the three young people were awed at their obvious beauty.

"These are special pendants," Donald said softly, causing them to look at him. "The crown is a signet of the king and will help you in your journey, should the need arise. The key will help you defend yourselves if you are placed in danger. Take good care of them and they will protect and guide you. I entrust them to you so that you might have the best of chances to find the creature you seek."

He held the necklace out to Sora, who took it with reverence. Slipping the chain over his head, he let the pendants dangle under his shirt so that they didn't show. "Thank you," he said simply, giving the wizard a heartfelt smile.

Donald smiled back. "You are very welcome. Now, let us go before we lose the daylight. You can get far enough before nightfall if you go now."

With that, he led them back through the castle and out the main gate. Once they were out of sight of the village, he motioned Kairi to come closer. They spread out the map and Donald showed them where the castle of Kingdom Hearts was, near the far left side of the parchment. Trailing a finger south by southeast, he tapped the paper and the spot began to glow.

"That is where DiZ lives. Once you have spoken to him, he will either know what you seek or send you to another who does and he'll show you your next destination. For now, this is all you need."

He stood and nodded at them. "I go now to your village. I wish you all a safe journey and a speedy return."

"You bet!" Sora said, grinning. "We'll be back before you know it. Thanks again!"

Donald just lifted a hand in farewell, turned and began walking down the road to their village. The three watched him until he was out of sight and then Riku and Kairi turned to Sora.

"Well?" the girl asked. "Are we going to stand here any longer or are we going to get going?"

Sora blinked at her for a moment before remembering. "Oh, right!" Spreading the carpet out flat on the ground, he eyed it uncertainly for a moment. "Well, here goes nothing. Fly."

To their astonishment, it snapped out and began to grow until there was plenty of room on it for all three and their baggage, plus plenty of extra room. They exchanged amazed looks before tentatively loading their packs onto the carpet and getting on themselves. Huddled towards the center, they all sat down and held onto the bags, not wanting to topple over or lose anything when the carpet took off.

Sora looked at his friends, then said, "Fly!"

With a shudder, the carpet rose slowly to hover above the tree line and then started to move forward, gradually accelerating until the land below was nothing but a blur as they sped past. On the carpet itself, though, the three friends were as steady as if they were on land, no wind threatening to push them off.

"Well," Riku said, settling back a bit more comfortable. "This does beat walking."

Sora laughed and turned to Kairi. "Where are we going, again?"

She spread out the map and pointed at the glowing spot. "Here. It's to the south and a bit east from the castle." Her friend nodded and the carpet curved before straightening out again as it headed for its new destination.

They were on their way.