A/N: Hey I started a parody of A Fragmentary Passage on my AO3 account that I still can't post here.

Disclaimer: No seriously, when are we getting Kingdom Hearts 2.97 Beginning of the End of the Beginning Chain of Memories the Untold Story where we get a twelve hour demo for Kingdom Hearts III that goes into further detail as to how Mickey got his shirt back while also adding to the lore and raising even more questions than it answers? We're all waiting, Squeenix!

"There!" Mickey cried, pointing to where Riku was running toward the door. He and Aqua immediately began sprinting to catch up to him. Mickey almost couldn't believe it. The Heartless that had been masquerading as Ansem had been defeated! They were so close to saving all the worlds! He couldn't contain his excitement. He stopped and turned to his friend. "That's everybody!" he told her. "Come on, Aqua—"

A giant cyclone of Shadow Heartless erupted from the strange towers behind them. Mickey followed their trajectory with his eyes. They were heading right for Riku!

"Oh no!" he yelled. He and Aqua began running again, but Aqua was faster. She summoned her master's old Keyblade, casting Bind on the hoard.

"Back off!" she shouted, struggling to hold them in place.

"Aqua!" Mickey cried out, wanting to help.

"Go without me!" Aqua yelled back.

"No, I—" I'd just found you.

The Demon Tide broke free of the Bind spell and launched at Mickey, knocking him off his feet. Both he and Aqua became swept up in it, Mickey falling to the ground hard. He raised himself up on his arms and saw, to his horror, that Aqua was still entangled within the hoard. It carried her through the door they'd originally come through to get the new Keyblade; the door slammed shut behind them and disappeared into light.

"No..." he whispered. You'd been down here for ten years, and now...

"Come on!" he heard Sora's faint voice from the other side of the door. Good, he, Donald, and Goofy must already be there then.

Speaking of those two, he heard Goofy's shocked gasp.

"Stop staring and keep pushing!" Donald reprimanded him, only to gasp himself seconds later. "The Heartless!" he and Goofy screamed together.

Great, Mickey thought to himself. How many more of them would he have to deal with before this was all over...

"Hurry!" Donald shouted.

"I can't..." Sora's voice was growing even fainter, but just then, Mickey heard a different voice.

"Don't give up!" cried Riku, grabbing the door from the inside and pulling with all his might. "Come on, Sora! Together, we can do it!"

"Okay!" Sora replied.

Mickey was only barely aware that all of this was happening. He was still staring at the spot where the door had vanished.

"Aqua," he said forlornly, shivering slightly. He already felt colder without his friend nearby.

"It's hopeless!" he heard Donald scream. He scowled. He couldn't worry about her just yet. He had a job to finish.

In addition to the scores of Shadows that had been churning on the ground, acouple of Darksides had also popped up when Mickey hadn't been looking. He quickly dispatched them with one giant burst of magic and hopped up into view, letting a bit of his light shine through the door.

"Your Majesty!" he heard his servants cry. He smiled and raised his Kingdom Key D.

"Now, Sora!" he yelled triumphantly. "Let's close this door for good!"

"Close it, quick!" Donald's voice yelled.

"But..."

Mickey wanted to scream at Sora, but he forced himself to speak calmly.

"Don't worry," he said. "There will always be a door to the light." Your friend will be fine, Sora, please don't ruin this...

"Sora, you can trust King Mickey," he heard Goofy say. He would have to find some way to thank him later.

"Now!" said Riku. "They're coming!"

They weren't, not when Mickey was holding them back with his light, but a little urgency never hurt anyone.

"Donald, Goofy, thank you," said Mickey. They had completed their mission. That was rare for them.

The doors slowly closed. Just before they did, Riku muttered something to Sora that Mickey couldn't quite catch. Whatever it was, it seemed to strengthen Sora's resolve, because the doors were finally shut very quickly after. Mickey raised his Keyblade, knowing that Sora was doing the same with his on the other side. The doors lit up and vanished.

Mickey sighed with relief, though he still felt a bit cold. Glancing over in Riku's direction, he was shocked to find that he wasn't there anymore. Riku didn't make it through the door, that Mickey was sure of, since he had helped to pull the door closed, but he wasn't anywhere in the vicinity either.

And if he wasn't here, and he wasn't in the Realm of Light...then he must be in the void of nothingness between.

Mickey had a very serious decision to make. Should he turn back around and remain in the Realm of Darkness to try and save Aqua, or should he make his way to the place in between and save Riku? He had missed Aqua dearly over the years, but he didn't want Riku to fall to darkness again.

He had to choose between two friends and he hated it. He shivered again and hugged himself, trying to rub some warmth back into his bare arms with his hands.

Wait...bare arms?

Mickey looked down and saw, for the first time, that he was shirtless.

He let out a shriek and quickly covered himself with his hands even though he was sure that he was alone. How long had his shirt been missing? Had Donald and Goofy seen him like that? Had Aqua seen him like that!? The thought of a female seeing him in such a state of undress...it was so scandalous!

Mickey sank to his knees, covering his chest with his gloved hands as best he could. At least he still had his gloves; he couldn't even stand to contemplate what it would be like if those disappeared as well. Not even Yen Sid's constant disappointment in him had ever made him feel this ashamed, this vulnerable.

Mickey shook his head frantically, wiping the tears from his face and glancing around rapidly, trying to make sure he was truly alone. Even though there wasn't so much as a Shadow in sight, he still felt horrifically exposed.

This had to stop, and fast.

Saving his friends could wait. He had to get his shirt back.

Mickey spend several frantic minutes scrounging on the ground for the remains of his shirt. To his dismay, it appeared to have completely dissolved; there wasn't so much as a thread left. Growling in frustration, he rubbed at his side, hating how exposed he felt.

He was still in a little bit of pain from the Demon Tide that had crashed into him. Frustrated more than really hurt, he cast a quick Curaga. The pain vanished instantly...and his shirt re-materialized around him. He blinked, staring down at his chest. He couldn't believe that that was really all it took. He thought he'd be spending another two to three hours on his search, but...he supposed not.

He shook himself out of it. Now that he was decent again, he was able to return to the tough decision concerning which friend to save. After a few more solid minutes of deliberation, he chose to save Riku. The boy was still so new to everything and needed a guiding hand. Besides, Aqua was a Keyblade Master who had already survived ten years in the Realm of Darkness. She had turned out surprisingly well if a little lonely.

With that rationalization in mind, Mickey headed off to the void of nothingness between worlds, trying desperately to continue to convince himself that he had made the right decision. What was another one or two years in the Realm of Darkness, anyway, it would only be mere moments to Aqua, it couldn't make that much of a difference...