Hey gang! So I know this chapter is a bit not so much fun, which is why the last one was short and I am updating so soon. But don't worry! The action returns in the next chapter! Plus, I am giving hints on who Riku's mother is! Yes, there is a reason you don't know yet, but it's mostly my own fiendish enjoyment. That, and I know some people probably won't get it at first (you have no idea how hard it is to make a match for Sephiroth out of the people that I hadn't already designated characters for), so I have to introduce it slowly. Also, I would like to remind people that the characters in this story who appear in both KH and FF are all based off of their Kingdom Hearts personas, not Final Fantasy. Just so we're all clear here. Enjoy!

Ch 13- King Mickey

I groaned and rolled over onto something squishy. In my sleep-filled brain, I thought it would be a good idea to poke it rather than open my eyes to see what it was. It was not.

"Nyah! Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing!"

I opened my eyes to find an irate Kairi, hands clasped over her chest. Oh crap.

"Ahh! Uhh… meh…buh…." I had no answer, so I changed the subject. "What are we doing down here?"

"Don't you remember? We went to Axel's and then we were talking and then we fell asleep in the common room!" Sora said from behind me, bouncing over. "And you were going to go talk with King Mickey today 'cause of that note!"

The memory rushed back to me. Flounder had delivered a note to my bedroom while we had been at Axel's, summoning me to the King's office this morning. I stood up with sudden wakefulness at this thought.

"I've gotta go get dressed!" I exclaimed.

Running up to my room, I threw on the cleanest looking pair of robes I had and dragged a comb through my hair. Messy as always. On my way out the door, I paused for a second and then grabbed the bag that I had put the cloak into the night before.

I skidded into the common room, almost making it out before Kairi grabbed the back of my robe and said, "Wait, do you even know where the King's office is?"

I stopped and thought: "No…"

"Then you had better let me show you."

"Ooh, field trip!" Sora exclaimed.

Without any word from me, the two of them exited the common room and I followed. Who's meeting was this again? Oh well…

Kairi led the way, taking so many twists and turns that I was sure she was just making it up as she went. But apparently, she wasn't. We soon came upon a tall set of doors that seemed to reach into infinity.

"Well, this is where we leave you. Good luck!" said Kairi as she walked away with Sora in tow.

"Yeah, thanks," I said, suddenly realizing how nervous I was to be meeting King Mickey.

I swallowed and reached for the doorknob, which even for me was far out of reach. I frowned and looked around for a stepstool or something. The King is much shorter than me, so he has to get in somehow. Unable to find a means of getting in, I reached into my bag and looked at the note he had sent me to see if I had missed something. A breeze from a nearby window snatched the piece of parchment out of my hand and blew it into the door. Something clicked and a glowing outline of a much smaller door appeared and swung open, revealing a large open room. There was a velvet pathway leading to a throne on the other end. I was relieved to see that the throne was empty, but wondered where the King was. As if he read my mind, the King appeared from a staircase beside the throne. As he walked towards me, the staircase was covered by marble, almost as if it wasn't even there.

"Hello there, Riku," he said, "How did your first day go?"

I reflected back on the classes, the comments, Seifer, Axel, the hydra… "Oh, pretty good I guess," I said, choosing the less complicated answer.

"Good, good," he said, as if that was exactly what he expected to hear. "I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you here."

"Actually, your majesty, I was wondering about quite a few other things too."

"All in good time. I know it will be frustrating, but I ask that you wait to ask questions until I am done with my little speech. It shouldn't take too long." I nodded my assent and he continued: "As I am sure you have already noticed, you have quite a bit of fame in the wizarding world. And with fame comes instant friends and instant enemies. I am sure you have already met those who would be friends simply because of the name you bear, and those who would hate you for the very same reason. I just wanted you to know that I am here for you if you ever need to talk about something."

I was shocked. Here, King Mickey, pretty much the most powerful wizard alive, was offering himself to me as a mentor.

"Wow, I… thank you," I said.

"And as for the cloak," he said, "It was your father's. I borrowed it from him and never had the chance to return it. I believe it is yours now."

The cloak took on a whole new wonder for me. My father's? And he was close enough with the King to let him borrow it? That must be why he was helping me; he knew my father.

"Now I don't really have a lot of time, but I can answer one question for you," he said.

Even though I had had millions of questions whirring in my skull, there was only one that I could ask now: "What was my father like?"

If the king was surprised by my question, he didn't show it. "Sephiroth…he was a very strong man, both inside and out. He had very firm morals and always stood by them." King Mickey's mouth widened in a smile as he said, "And he was very in love with your mother. He admired her strength of heart, even when she wasn't quite ready to love him back yet. He persisted, writing some awful poetry about her hair, calling her his fiery swan. It was quite out of character, really. But I suppose everyone has their own secrets…" He trailed off for a moment, lost in thought, "But then again, that was the only time he ever showed that side. He was… hard around everyone else. A man with a mission who wouldn't let you forget it. He fought so hard against Xemnas…"

The king seemed lost in thought…again. I was about to remind him that I was still there when Queen Minnie burst into the room.

"Mickey, we have a problem with- oh hello there Riku. If you don't mind, I need to speak with the King in private."

"Of course, ma'am," I said.

I left the room, some of my questions answered, but only replaced by new ones. Sighing, I turned to go to the common room. I was startled out of my reverie by a realization: I had no idea where the hell I was in the castle. Great… I picked a random direction and started walking, hoping for the best.