After walking through, what looked like an abandoned festival of sorts, they arrived at a small village, which, for some reason, seemed strangely empty, the addition of rain making the gloomy feeling the village was giving all the more strong.

Alayn frowned as she gazed at the village, trying to see if there was anyone in the vicinity at all. "Where…where is everyone? Nottingham is usually full of people at this hour."

"Maybe they're all having a party at someone's house!" Mark chimed in.

Kyra shook her head. "Mark, I don't think that's it. People don't usually hold a party when it's raining."

"Well, it was only a suggestion! It's not like I see any of you trying to figure out why!" The marten exclaimed.

Oswald ignored Mark as he gazed around the town. He could feel himself give an involuntary shudder, not just from the cold rain, but because of the wave of uneasiness that fell over him. "Alayn…I don't think we should be out here right now…"

Kyra grabbed Alayn's arm, stopping her from leaving the rest of them behind to investigate. "Alayn, Oswald's right. It doesn't seem safe out here. We need to find a dry place somewhere."

Alayn hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, you're right. Come on, I know a place close to here that's safe."

She stalked her way through the town until the small group came upon an old church. It was here where Alayn stopped and motioned for the others to stay back a minute. When they did, Alayn moved towards the door quietly, giving three loud knocks and a tap. A faint "Come in!" could be heard from beyond the entryway. Nodding towards the group, Alayn led the others inside before shutting the door tightly behind her.

The church was fairly small, maybe about 8 pews in it total. A small pipe organ sat to the side of the church, a small, white mouse in a tailcoat playing it softly. At the front of the church, a brown, cloaked person faced away from them, but turned towards them when he heard the door shut. The cloaked person, in realizing who it was, pulled his hood down, revealing the face of a kind, old badger. "Ah! Alayn! It's so good to see you again!"

Alayn smiled as she ran to the friar, pulling him into a hug. "It's good to see you too, Friar Tuck. How are Robin and the others? Last I remember, they had left the archery tournament in a rather…grandiose way."

The friar shook his head, "I'm sorry Alayn, but a lot has happened in the past few days." It was about now when the Friar saw the other three standing awkwardly behind them. "Oh, and who are these fine, young people?"

Alayn smiled as she pulled Friar Tuck over to them, introducing them one by one. "Well, Friar, these are my friends. This is Kyra," Kyra waved, "Mark," the young marten nodded, "And, Friar?"

"Yes, Alayn?"

"Do you remember when I told you I was looking for a young rabbit by the name of Oswald?"

The friar nodded, putting his gaze on said person. "And I take it this is him?" Alayn nodded, happiness filling her features. With the confirmation, the kind badger grabbed Oswald's hand, shaking it jovially. "Well, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Oswald! Your father was a kind man."

Oswald did a double take, surprised. "You knew my father?"

Friar Tuck nodded his head. "Yes, both King Richard and I knew him. He was great friend to the king."

Alayn shook her head. "And to think that Oswald was being held on this world this whole time. When help was only a couple days away."

Now it was Friar Tuck's turn to do a double take. "Wait a minute! So that's where you ran off to?"

Alayn nodded before explaining. "While Robin and the others were leaving the tournament in one direction, I was following a dark clad person out the other side. The night before, I had had a dream where Walt was telling me that if I saw someone that looked like that, I was to follow them, because he would lead me to Oswald. So, I followed him until he had arrived at this strange base that didn't look like it belonged in the outer Sherwood Forest. I didn't hesitate when it came to rushing inside and tearing the place apart, breaking down every door until I found him." At this, Alayn rubbed her neck sheepishly. "I have to admit, I left the place a complete wreck. So, imagine my surprise when someone actually survived my break-in, attacking us where the bridge once stood."

The friar calmed himself, having almost gone into a panic when Alayn told him that. "Ok, so…now that you're back…will you help us?"

Oswald quirked an eyebrow, worry and curiosity making him ask his question. "Why…what's going on?"

The badger sighed, before motioning to the mouse at the organ, who had been watching the introductions take place, to come over here. "Little Brother, please prepare something to eat for our friends, while I tell them."

The little mouse nodded, "Sure thing, Friar. I'll get Little Sister to help me too."

The badger smiled as the young mouse scampered off, soon followed by another mouse, this one female, who followed him downstairs. "They are such wonderful friends."

Alayn smiled, "Yeah, they are. So, tell me, Friar Tuck. Just what is going on? Everyone who was here before has just…disappeared."

The friar frowned, before looking to the floor. "They've all been arrested."

"What?" Mark exclaimed. "On what charges?"

"Alayn, after you left, Prince John raised the taxes again. Nobody could pay, so they were all arrested, taken away to his castle dungeons."

Alayn gasped. "Even the children?"

Tuck nodded sadly. "Yes, even the children. And, soon, it will only be a matter of time before the Sheriff shows up here. "

"But, Friar…" Kyra started only to be shushed by Tuck as singing could be heard a short distance away. Tuck's eyes widened as he started pushing the four of them to the side hallway, out of view of the main sanctuary.

"You all must hide! If the Sheriff finds you here, he'll arrest you too!"

Oswald looked back at him, worried. "But what about you?"

The friar shook his head as he headed back. "No. You're safety comes first. And, Alayn…"

She looked him in the eyes, "Yes, Friar?"

"You need to find Robin. He can help. Now, hurry! Get downstairs. You'll be safe there."

Kyra nodded, heading downstairs before stopping, realizing Oswald and Alayn stayed behind, watching as the events in the next room unfolded. "Alayn!" she hissed. "You heard the Friar! Come on!"

Alayn just waved her off though, watching as the Sheriff went over to the Poor Box over across from the doorway they were watching from. When he took the last farthing and munny out of it, her expression turned furious.

Oswald couldn't help but feel angry as well. 'How dare that man steal from people less fortunate than him!' He thought, snarling.

Kyra was having an internal debate with herself, between wanting to get downstairs and staying here in case things turned ugly. It was only a matter of seconds before her decision was made for her, when Friar Tuck forced the Sheriff out of the church, Alayn and Oswald running out of the hallway to the door leading outside. She quickly ran after them, Mark clinging on for dear life.

Outside, Friar Tuck was fighting back the Sheriff with a staff he must've picked up. Alayn covered her mouth in fear, while Oswald fought to hold back his anger. It wasn't until the Sheriff pulled an unfair move on the Friar, pulling his hood over his head before two vultures came in with a chain and clasped it around his neck, that Oswald decided to do something.

'I'm not going to let him take Friar Tuck away.' He decided, summoning his keyblade and running out after the sheriff and his henchmen, who had already started to drag the old badger away. "Get away from him!" the young rabbit growled, jumping up into the air before bringing his keyblade down on the Sheriff's head, gaining the attention of the corpulent wolf and his cohorts.

The hit left the Sheriff dazed for a few seconds, but he quickly regained control, focusing his attention on the angry rabbit before him. "Well, lookie what we have here, boys. Looks like we missed a few stragglers who couldn't pay their taxes." He said, also referring to Alayn, Kyra, and Mark, who had followed after when Oswald had run out. "And it looks like one of them is one of the ones who is in cahoots with that low-down thief, Robin Hood." The last part was directed towards Alayn, who only snarled in response.

"Well then, how about we cause a little more trouble before we take them away." He chuckled as he snapped his fingers, summoning about thirty some-odd heartless in front of the two girls and the marten. Oswald was cut off from helping them, as the Sheriff started to attack him, the vultures letting go of the Friar as they focused on aiding their leader.

Oswald took advantage of this, since he wanted to make sure the kind, old man was safe from harm. "Friar, run!" Oswald yelled as he dodged the attacks the larger wolf was throwing at him. The badger didn't waste any time, making fast headway for the forest opposite our team had entered from.

Alayn and Kyra took up battle stances, the former summoning her keyblade as the latter drew her sword. The young marten, knowing he wouldn't stand a chance against the Neo-Shadows that were quickly surrounding him, hid himself inside of Kyra's hood.

It was thirty seconds of total silence, none of the fighters making a move, before a bolt of lightning, followed by thunder, caused them all to jump into action, the heroes against the heartless and their master.

It had been a several months since Alayn had encountered the over-powered heartless and the fight was proving to be a struggle. At least back then, Walt had been with her. Why did that make a difference? Well, Walt could use magic. Not like the kind of magic that Maleficent could use, but more like the kind of magic that Merlin and Yen-Sid were capable of. Alayn, even though she was a Keyblade Bearer, wasn't capable of using magic in the slightest. This fact had puzzled Walt when he found out, but he soon accepted it. But, it was the very fact she couldn't use any that made this fight harder than it needed to be. It didn't matter how many times Alayn struck the Neo-Shadows. Whenever they were knocked down, they would just get back up, unscathed.

Kyra, unfortunately, didn't have it any better. She had fought heartless before, but never in her life had she fought anything this powerful. Towards the beginning of the fight, she had realized her sword was having no effect on the powerful heartless, so she had quickly switched over to her light arrows. They, at least, managed to hurt the heartless, but it still wasn't enough to take them down. She was using up too much energy as it was, the light arrows sapping it from her the more she used them.

And, as for Oswald…well, let's just say that the twelve years he'd spent in captivity hadn't done his fighting skills any good whatsoever. He'd only been fighting the large wolf for a few minutes, but he already had more scrapes and cuts than he could count. He quickly, yet non-professionally, blocked another one of the Sheriff's swipes at him, but, apparently, the swipe was a feint, because the poor rabbit soon felt a searing pain in his left side. The wolf had stabbed him square on, just narrowly missing any vital organs. The attack proved to be too much though and he soon passed out.

Alayn saw Oswald fall and she immediately went into 'Frenzy Mode', making all the heartless around her disintegrate before she ran towards Oswald's side. But, more heartless blocked her way, taking her attention off of her best friend. She tried to push through, but the heartless wouldn't stand for it, pushing her back towards the center of the fight."Ozzie!" She shouted, still having no success with getting through, even though more than half of the heartless had been destroyed

The Neo-Shadows were starting to overpower the two human girls, and their strength was fading fast. Just when Alayn and Kyra thought it was the end, the heartless disappeared back into the shadows, leaving the two girls and the marten alone. Alayn stood there, confused for a minute, before realizing the Sheriff, Oswald, and the two vultures were missing from the front of the church. She looked up the street, seeing the Sheriff running off, with an unconscious Oswald being carried away by the two birds of prey holding onto his arms, taking him away to the jail fort.

Alayn cried out in despair, before running after them. "No! Ozzie…Ozzie!" She kept running, but she wasn't fast enough. The three villains soon disappeared from her sight, leaving her in the middle of the street. Alayn collapsed to the ground, hot, angry tears streaming down her face. "Again! I couldn't protect him again! And now he's gone!"

Kyra was behind her, staring off into the distance in shock. But, her shock turned to anger, not towards Alayn, but towards the ones who had taken her new friend away from them. She walked up to the upset girl kneeling on the ground, her face showing a righteous fury that Mark knew all too well. She put her hand on Alayn's shoulder, a small attempt in comforting her. "Alayn. You heard what Friar Tuck said, right? We need to find Robin. He can help us get Oswald back."

It almost seemed as if Alayn didn't hear her, but when she stood up, her posture reflected her emotions. When she turned, Kyra could see the determination on her face. "You're right, Kyra. And I know exactly where to find him." She said, her eyes turned towards the forest the Friar had run to. She started running, Kyra right behind her, adrenaline filling the both of them. Alayn wasn't going to fail Oswald again. Not if she had anything to say about it.

"Robin!" Alayn cried out as she jumped over a fallen tree, not losing her speed in the slightest. "Little John, Maid Marian, Anyone?"

Kyra joined in with her, as Mark just lounged back in her hood, perfectly content with sleeping. "Hello! Anyone?"

Alayn finally had to stop, her adrenaline wearing off. She stooped herself onto a large rock, using it as a seat. She started shivering and rubbing her arms, trying to get some heat back in them. With all the running Alayn and Kyra had done, they were now soaking wet, Mark being the only one dry and warm due to his hiding place. All that wetness just added to the cold night their dreary day had turned into, leaving the two of freezing

"Alayn, are we ever going to find them? What if we don't have any time?" Kyra asked as she sat down on a stump, having worn herself out as well.

Alayn shook her head, the water having made her hair stick to her face. "I don't know, Kyra. But, they have to be close by. They have to be…"

It was around now when Mark finally decided to poke his head out, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Hey, what'd I miss?"

Kyra rolled her eyes before reaching to the back of her hood, pulling the gray marten and dropping him unceremoniously into the mud. "That's what you've missed."

Mark came back up, sputtering and spitting mud out of his mouth. "Kyra!" he yelled as he started to shake himself, the mud flinging off of him and onto Kyra and Alayn.

"Well, you're the one who asked!" Kyra yelled as she tried blocking the mud from getting on her.

Alayn didn't even bother, her thoughts too far away from their current location. 'Ozzie…' she inwardly sighed. 'I hope you're ok…'

-Jail's Castle-

Oswald was just coming to when he felt the clasp of a metal collar around his neck. The feeling of the cold wrought iron against his skin caused his eyes to jolt open in a panic. 'Not again!' he thought. 'Please tell me I'm not…'

"Well, well. Looks like the prisoner is waking up. Now, how are you feeling?" The Sheriff.

Oswald snarled at the wolf, while inwardly sighing with relief. 'Well, at least it's not those men in the black cloaks.' Oswald stood up from his sprawled out position, flinching as the pain in his side flared up again. "Well, no thanks to you, I've got a side injury that I'm sure isn't healing correctly."

The wolf chuckled as he pulled out an all-too-familiar canteen from behind his back. "And I'm sure that it won't be healing anytime soon. Not with this-" when he said this, he opened the canteen and poured every last drop of the healing water out, much to Oswald's horror. "-completely gone." After having said that, the Sheriff tossed the canteen out the window before heading towards the door. "Besides, you don't have to worry about it too much. Not with you being hanged in the morning."

Oswald's eyes widened in horror at the evil sheriff's words, as said sheriff walked out of the cell, leaving Oswald helpless in the room. "No…" Oswald sank to the floor, the spilled water to far for him to reach due to the chain attached to his collar and the wall. "Alayn…I don't know if you can hear me…but…things aren't looking to good here…I'm counting on you getting to this place in time…You're my only hope…"

Unknowingly to Oswald, a friendly face had been listening in on the little conversation the rabbit and wolf had together. His eyes widened at the mention of Alayn's name before he bolted back into the darkness, running back to the forest to report his findings.

RML: Ok, for those of you who guessed they were going to be in Robin Hood's world, you guessed right! :D

And, here's an answer to MysteryGirl's review: Well, first: Yes, Mark. I am a girl. As for putting them in, you are so welcome! I needed someone to come in and save them at that point in the story, and your characters seemed perfect for it. That, and the potential of having a slight rivalry between Oswald and Mark was just too funny to pass up. Also, yes, you were right about which worlds they are in! And, your other suggestions actually have helped me get an idea of what worlds they can go to. I'm glad you liked the way they came in! It just seemed right, since you said that Kyra is a good fighter. And, well, as for Mark wanting a Gummi Ship, I was already planning on our team getting on. It just seemed right, since he's a mechanic. So, he doesn't have to worry about being without. lol

:P I'll have to post my chapters at school for awhile, which I only go to on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Btw, speaking of Wednesdays, the day after tomorrow is my birthday! I'm going to be turning 19! ^^

But, anyways, minus all that, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Look forward to the next one, which is going to involve the big breakout scene from the movie, plus a few other things as well! ;) See Ya Then!