Kingdom Hearts
by hikaranko

Summary: This is, in all seriousness, a direct novel adaptation of the game Kingdom Hearts. "The Destiny Islands are a beautiful paradise where children's laughter abounds. Day after day, Sora, Riku, and Kairi talk and dream of new places, new worlds, beyond their islands... Little do they know a great destiny awaits them..."

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts at all. This entire fan fic is really just the game in novel format, so credit for the existence of all of this goes to all the hard workers at Disney and Square-Enix (most especially Tetsuya Nomura). I must also thank the creators of the KH manga and their translators, both the official ones and the ones over at Aku-Tenshi (I borrowed some stuff from them).

Author's Message: hmm... I think one month isn't too bad a wait. and since my writer's block is slowly starting to dissipate, I think I can manage that! hooray! XD but anyways, I'd like to thank my loyal readers and reviews who have been so wonderfully patient with me. feel free to nag me for updates as you see fit. it could very well be one of the only ways I'll get anything done. XD

okay, I think I've kept you all waiting long enough. here's the next chapter!

Chapter 25
The Enchanted Neighborhood

He wasn't sure what had happened, but Sora did know for a fact that he was no longer in Merlin's study. He was suddenly standing in some sort of grassy clearing in the middle of what looked like a small forest. There were several small trees and bushes surrounding the area and even more could be seen in the distance. But much of what lay beyond the clearing seemed to be covered in a light haze.

In the middle of the clearing was a single wooden log, lying on its side. Sitting on top of it with a thoughtful expression on his face was a bear with golden fur wearing a small red shirt. The bear looked rounded and huggable, like a doll, but he was clearly thinking about something important. He had one paw touching his forehead, tapping it repeatedly as though trying to jar his memory.

"Think, think," the bear murmured. "Think, think."

Sora tilted his head to one side as he looked at the bear, a little confused. He couldn't help but wonder what he was having such a hard time thinking about and, deciding he would find out, approached him. He didn't seem to notice Sora, still tapping the side of his head and murmuring softly to himself.

"Hi there," greeted Sora with a friendly wave. "What's wrong?"

The bear still didn't look up. "Nothing," he said airily. "Just... thinking."

"Oh." Sora had to admit he was a little disappointed.

"I was just thinking of how to say goodbye to Pooh."

Sora raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Pooh?" Who was that?

The bear dropped his arms and looked at Sora for the first time. "Yes?" he answered.

Now Sora was even more confused. Had the bear just responded to that name? His eyebrows came together as he studied the bear's face. He stepped closer to the log that the bear was sitting on and pulled himself up, seating himself next to the golden bear.

"Wait a second. You're Pooh?"

The bear smiled pleasantly. "Yes, I'm Winnie-the-Pooh. Pooh for short. Who are you?"

Though he was still confused, Sora couldn't help but take a quick liking to the absent-minded bear. He gave him a friendly smile. "I'm Sora."

"Oh. Hello, Sora." Suddenly Pooh's smile faded. "Have you come to say goodbye to Pooh, too?"

"Well, no," he said, shaking his head. "Why would I do that? We've only just met."

Pooh turned away sadly, looking up into the sky. "Because everyone's gone away."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we all lived here," the bear said, a rather dreamy look on his face as he spoke, "in the Hundred Acre Wood. And we'd take walks together... or play Pooh sticks... And everyday, I'd eat some honey." Here he smacked his lips together and rubbed his round belly. "Just one small smackeral would taste very good right now." Then he sighed again. "But now everyone's gone. All my friends, and my favorite Hunny Tree, too. Everyone must have gone away while I was napping... I think..."

Even though Winnie-the-Pooh had just explained his situation, Sora was still lost. He stared at the grass as he tried to piece everything together in his head. All of the bear's friends had suddenly disappeared. Not only his friends, but even places and things had vanished. Did that have anything to do with the white haze that seemed to surround them?

Pooh then slipped down from the log with a heavy sigh. "So, who knows? Maybe I shall end up going away somewhere as well. But I wonder, how do I say goodbye to myself?" He tapped the side of his head. "Think, think, think."

Sora remained silent. Part of him was still trying to figure out what exactly was going on and what had happened to him, and another part of him also wondered how one said goodbye to oneself. Pooh sighed again, rubbing his stomach.

"Oh, my tumbly is getting rather rumbly," he said plaintively, and then began to walk away.

For a moment Sora watched him leave, arguing with himself over whether or not he should follow the bear. He then jumped off the log and ran toward where Pooh had gone. Strangely enough, as he continued to follow him, he came across a hazy bar of white. On the other side of the blank space, Sora could see a different setting: the interior of a small, simple house.

Confused, Sora looked around him. He discovered that when he stood near the white haze, he could see more than just his surroundings. Directly above and below him was the same white haze, only within that haze he could see words. Sora could have laughed. He was inside the book!

Oddly enough, he found that thought comforting. At least he now knew where he was. He decided against crossing the page and entering the house uninvited and remained where he was, watching the scene on the other page. Sitting on top of a floor rug in the middle of the room was Winnie-the-Pooh with a large pot labeled "hunny" (which Sora correctly assumed was meant to be "honey") in his hands. He was scooping out the contents with his bare hands and stuffing it all cheerily into his mouth. Until, of course, he ran out. He then peered sadly into the empty honey pot.

"Oh, bother. There's no more honey left." He put the pot down and sighed dreamily. "If only the Hunny Tree would visit... Then I could eat my fill."

The bear got to his feet and headed out the front door of what was evidently his house. Before Sora could move to follow him, he heard a loud ruffling sound from behind him. He turned around just in time to see a large brown owl flutter down to perch on top of a rock nearby. The owl seemed to smile at him as he landed, neatly folding his wings.

"Let me guess," he said in a dignified sounding voice. "You'd like to know what happens next."

Unable to make himself do much of anything else, Sora just nodded. He couldn't help but wonder where all these talking owls were coming from. The owl nodded as well and cleared his throat.

"Unfortunately, some of the pages are missing, so I can't tell you yet," he said. "The pages are scattered over many worlds."

Sora blinked. "Missing pages?" The owl nodded again. "You mean like these?"

He then reached back and pulled out the two torn sheets of paper. The owl's eyes grew wide in astonishment, but before he could say anything there was a flash of bright light. A powerful gust of wind billowed into Sora's face and he realized that the pages of the book were being flipped through. Eventually, the wind died down and Sora found himself in another area, standing near a tall tree. It had many thick branches and its trunk had several large hollows. Dangling from several of the branches were large, round beehives with several bees hovering protectively near them. As Sora examined it from top to bottom, he smiled.

"This must be the Hunny Tree that Pooh was talking about," he murmured.

Deciding that he would do Pooh a favor and get some honey for him, Sora walked toward the base of the tree. But as he approached a hollow log that was lying a few feet away, he heard a small, timid voice calling out.

"Hello, i-is anyone there?"

At once Sora stopped walking and looked around, in search of the voice's owner. Suddenly, something emerged from within the hollow log. It was a tiny pink piglet, not much taller than Sora's ankle. The timid creature wrung his hands and shuffled his feet worriedly.

"Wh-Wh-What am I to do?" he stammered. "I'm all alone." He looked up at the Hunny Tree, an almost hopeful look on his face. "Pooh? Pooh? Where are you? It's me, Piglet."

Sora smiled wistfully and approached Piglet quietly from behind. As his shadow fell over Piglet's tiny frame, Piglet turned around. He gave a start at the sight of Sora looming over him and immediately ran toward the base of the Hunny Tree.

"H-Hey!" Sora called, somewhat startled. "Wait a second! I..."

He trailed off as Piglet disappeared around the other side of the tree trunk. He frowned. He wasn't that scary... was he? He'd never had someone run away from him in terror before. After a moment he saw Piglet's head poke out from behind a bush growing at the base of the tree. He just peered over at Sora, clearly shaken, then concealed himself within the bush again. Sora drew in a deep breath and tried to approach Piglet several times more, but every time he got close the timid creature would hide.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," he insisted, but Piglet didn't seem to hear him. Sora was starting to think that it was going to be impossible to talk to him when he was suddenly hit with an idea. He grinned to himself and started to walk off. But instead of leaving, he snuck quietly around the other side of the tree to catch Piglet from behind.

The moment that Sora disappeared from sight, Piglet crept quietly out of his hiding place. He took several cautious steps forward, looking out over the area to see if it was safe. Sora stepped lightly over the grass, approaching Piglet. By the time Piglet noticed Sora behind him, it was too late for him to scurry back into the bush; Sora was standing in the way. The small animal wrung his hands as he scurried around in a small circle.

"Oh dear! I was j-just... N-Never mind. I'm sorry!"

Sora smiled and slowly knelt down to Piglet's level. "Don't be scared. You're looking for Pooh, right?"

Piglet's eyes seemed to grow wide, though it was hard to tell since they were dark, button-like circles. "You know Pooh?"

Sora's smile grew as he nodded. Piglet instantly relaxed. He stopped fidgeting altogether and took a deep breath. When he looked back up at Sora, he was smiling ever so slightly.

"Oh, y-you see," he began, stuttering, "I-I have something for him... I have to take it to Pooh right away!"

Before Sora could respond, he heard a pleasant humming coming from the distance. Both he and Piglet turned to see who it was and saw none other than Winnie-the-Pooh walking toward them. There was lightness to his step and he hummed cheerfully to himself as he walked. Piglet's face lit up at the sight of him and he hopped into the air, waving.

"Oh, Pooh!" Piglet then dashed toward the bear as fast as his little legs would take him.

Pooh came to a stop near the base of the tree and smiled up at the sight of it. He sniffed at the air and at once, his smile grew.

"Oh, I believe I smell a delicious something," he said excitedly to himself. "A something like honey!"

"Pooh!"

The bear turned to face Piglet as he ran up, stumbling slightly. He waved. "Hello, Piglet. How have you been?"

"Oh, I-I'm so glad to see you," said Piglet. "I thought you'd gone away. I brought wh-what you asked for."

He giggled slightly and hurried back to the log he'd been hiding in. He reached inside and (with some effort) pulled out a large blue balloon, which he then carried back to where Pooh stood. Winnie-the-Pooh beamed as he took the balloon's string into his hands.

"Thank you, Piglet." He then looked back up at the Hunny Tree. "Now I can finally have some honey."

Piglet looked surprised. "Really? B-But how?"

"I shall hold on to the balloon, and fly like a bee," he said matter-of-factly, pointing upward, "up the Hunny Tree, see."

"But, if you take their honey, won't the bees be angry?"

"Hmm..." Pooh frowned slightly, tilting his head to one side. He then caught sight of Sora, who had been standing nearby the whole time. "Oh! Sora, might I ask of you a favor?"

Sora blinked. His eyebrows coming together in confusion, Sora slowly approached Pooh and Piglet.

"Piglet," said Pooh, "this is my new friend, Sora. Sora, this is my very dear friend, Piglet."

"Hi there!"

"It's v-very good to m-meet you!"

The boy could only smile. "Same here. So, Pooh... What do you need me for?"

"Oh yes!" exclaimed Pooh brightly. He turned back to Sora. "I was just thinking, you see... Would you help me get some honey?"

Sora thought for a moment, wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to help Pooh get some honey. But as he looked at the hopeful expression on Pooh's face, he knew there was no way he could refuse. There was just something so innocent and lovable about the tubby old bear that made it impossible. So Sora just smiled and casually shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure! But... What do I do?"

Pooh Bear put one paw to the side of his head thoughtfully for a moment. Then, wordlessly handing the blue balloon over to Sora, he walked toward a small pond behind the tree. They watched as he sat down and began to roll around in a thick patch of mud until he was completely covered in it. He then got up and went back to his friends, a proud smile on his mud-covered face.

"There, now. Isn't this a clever disguise?"

Piglet and Sora exchanged glances. "Um... What are you supposed to be?"

"A little black rain cloud, of course."

At first, they were still a little confused, but once they understood what he meant, they couldn't help but smile. Sora laughed good-naturedly. "Silly old bear!"

The reason for Sora's laughter was lost on Pooh, so he just looked up at the tree. Sora took the balloon and started to blow more air into it; if Pooh needed to float, the balloon would have to be bigger. So he blew into it until it was as big as possible and then retied it. Pooh then reached over and held onto the string, glancing back up into the tree once more. Sora lifted the balloon and Pooh with it, then also looked up into the tree, aiming for the highest beehive.

"Careful, Pooh. Hold on tight!"

"Yes."

Then, on Piglet's count, Sora released Pooh into the air and he floated gracefully up into the sky. When he was almost level with the top of the tree, he stopped moving upward and merely hovered in place. Piglet jumped excitedly into the air.

"Hooray!"

"Alright, Pooh!"

Neither one of Pooh's friends were quite as excited as Pooh, who was feeling so cheerful and accomplished that he began to sing.

Oh, I'm just a little black rain cloud
Hovering under the honey tree,
I'm only a little black rain cloud,
Pay no attention to little me.
Ev'ryone knows that a rain cloud
Never eats honey, no, not a nip,
I'm just floating around over the ground
Wondering where I will drip.

Sora just smiled as the words of Pooh's song drifted down to his and Piglet's ears. He put his arms over his head as he watched the "little black rain cloud" (though he really looked more like a black bear with a blue balloon) in the sky. After a moment he glanced over at Piglet.

"You think he'll get enough honey?"

"Oh, I d-don't know," replied Piglet with a slight giggle. "You never can tell with Pooh."

"Sora!" called Pooh in a loud whisper. "I think the bees S-U-S-P-E-C-T something."

The boy looked up into the tree, squinting at Pooh's distant, muddy figure. It seemed like the bear was right; about a dozen bees were circling him and there were more bees hovering near the hive than before.

"Maybe they think you're after their honey," Sora offered.

"Why, it may be that. You never can tell with bees."

Then Pooh fell silent again. Sora shook his head slowly and smiled to himself, genuinely amused, while Piglet only laughed softly. They watched as Pooh outstretched one arm toward a tree branch in an attempt to move himself forward.

"Pooh must really like honey."

"Y-Yes, he does," said Piglet. "Very much!"

Just then Pooh Bear let out another plaintive cry. "Sora! You wouldn't happen to have such a thing as an umbrella about you, would you?"

Raising one eyebrow curiously, Sora shook his head. "Sorry, Pooh, I don't."

"Oh, bother. How about you, Piglet?"

"S-Sorry Pooh. I could maybe get one from my home, if you like."

"No, no, that's alright then. I don't believe there will be time to run home, you see."

He paused to blow off a bee that had landed on his round black nose. Both of the bear's friends looked to one another, shrugging their shoulders helplessly, and then turned back to look at Pooh.

"What do you need an umbrella for, Pooh?" asked Sora.

"I was just thinking," the bear answered, wiggling his snout, "that maybe it would help with this deception if you would get, kind of open, an umbrella and say, 'Tut-tut, it looks like rain.'"

Oddly enough, Sora understood what Pooh was thinking. He gave Pooh a firm nod. Even if he didn't have an umbrella, he'd do what he could. So he and Piglet began to pace around the base of the tree, occasionally looking forlornly into the sky and saying, just as Pooh had instructed them, "Tut-tut, it looks like rain."

The bees weren't fooled. In fact, it seemed like more bees had emerged from their hives and flew around the little black rain cloud in a most suspicious manner. This was probably because Pooh had managed to pull himself closer to the hollow at the top of the tree and was scooping honey into his mouth. Pooh let out another sad yelp as a bee finally stung him in the arm.

"So - ow! Sora!"

Sora stopped pacing and looked up at Pooh. "Yes?"

"I have just been thinking, and I think - ow!"

"You okay?"

"Yes, but I believe I am in need of some - ow! - help."

Sora squinted at Pooh's distant figure. It looked like the bees were getting angry. More and more of them were starting to surround Pooh and it was quite apparent that they were attacking him.

"Oh dear!" wailed Piglet. "D-d-dear, dear! Wh-Wh-What should we do?"

"I think I shall - ow! - come down."

Piglet suddenly looked even more worried than before. "H-How?"

Winnie-the-Pooh hadn't thought about that. If he let go of the balloon he would fall, and he didn't like that idea. So he became silent for a long while, trying to think of how to come down without getting hurt. Sora and Piglet also thought, Sora folding his arms over his chest and tilting his head to one side. After a little while, Pooh called down to his friends again.

"Sora, you must shoot the balloon. Can you?"

The boy was a little confused. The only way Sora could shoot the balloon would be with his magic, and popping the balloon with a blast of fire or ice didn't seem like a very good idea. "Um... I think so, but..."

Piglet gasped audibly. "B-But Pooh! If Sora does that, it will spoil the balloon!"

"But if he doesn't," said the bear, "I shall have to let go, and that would spoil me."

Seeing the logic in Pooh's words, Piglet consented to his friend's request. Sora, on the other hand, couldn't bring himself to agree. He still pulled out the Keyblade and fiddled with the handle for a brief moment, his eyes locked on Pooh's muddy figure. He then set his expression into one of determination, firmly making up his mind.

"Pooh," he called, "I've got a better idea. Just hang on for a second longer, okay?"

Winnie-the-Pooh simply nodded his head, blowing another bee off of his snout with a soft "pooh." Sora readjusted his hold on the Keyblade, focused his heart, and quickly used Aero to shield himself from the bees. Then, putting the Keyblade away, Sora hurried toward the base of the tree and, upon finding holds for his hands and feet, hauled himself up. Piglet watched in surprise as Sora climbed up the tree, raising himself from one branch to the next and bringing himself closer to the top.

"B-Be careful, Sora!"

Sora glanced down at Piglet, grinning slightly. "Don't worry, I'll be fine!"

He got up onto one of the sturdier branches and straddled it carefully. He then turned to look toward Pooh, who was hovering just a few feet above him. By now the bees were swirling about him in the most ominous manner. Pooh had apparently placed bees into his mouth along with some honey by accident and was now spitting them out. Of course, the bees were anything but happy. Sora slowly got to his feet, one hand grabbing onto the tree trunk for support, and extended an arm toward Pooh.

"Grab my hand, Pooh!"

The mud-covered bear looked at Sora sadly and then tried to reach for Sora's hand. When he found they couldn't reach each other, Sora adjusted himself so that he could lean farther and tried again. His fingers could still only brush the side of Pooh's paw. He adjusted again, but just as he was extended his arm, one of the angry bees made a smart move. Pooh's sky blue balloon was loudly popped. The bear seemed to hover in the air for a split second before plummeting toward the earth.

"Oh, bother."

"Pooh!"

Sora immediately lunged forward, extending both arms to catch Pooh before he could fall out of his reach. He barely managed to clasp onto one of Pooh's arms, but because of the sudden movement he'd made, Sora found himself awkwardly hanging upside down from the tree branch. As he pulled Pooh closer to him, he discovered that it was because one of his sneakers had gotten caught in a knothole. He heaved a sigh. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved that they didn't fall head first toward the ground or worried that they might be hanging there for a while.

"Thank you, Sora," said Pooh, smiling at him.

The boy could only smile back. "You're welcome."

Winnie-the-Pooh then glanced worriedly at the bees that were swarming just outside of Sora's Aero shield. "I have come to a very important decision," he said. "These are the wrong sorts of bees."

Sora wanted to laugh, but he was also feeling quite wary of the swarm that had them surrounded. What made it worse was the fact that he wasn't sure how much longer the spell would last. He tightened his hold on Pooh Bear.

"Hang on, Pooh. We'll be outta here in just a second."

The bear nodded in response as Sora pulled himself upward so that he could grab the tree branch with his hands, grunting with the effort. He was soon wrapped around the branch rather awkwardly as he pulled his sneaker free. Once that was done, he adjusted his hold on Pooh and started to climb back down the tree, quite eager to get away from the angry bees.

As soon as they were back down on the ground, Sora pulled out the Keyblade and used Aero on themselves once again. He couldn't help but feel relieved.

"That was yummy in my tummy," said Pooh as he rubbed his stomach and smacked his lips, "but there's room for a bit more."

"Well, I don't think we can get any more honey from here," Sora told him. He looked nervously at the beehives and at the angry swarm. "Um... I think we'd better leave."

Then, taking Pooh by the paw, he hurried over to where Piglet stood and scooped him into his arms. He glanced back over his shoulder one last time as he led them a safe distance away from the Hunny Tree, crossing several pages as he did so. But what Sora soon learned was that Pooh was not the sort to give up easily, and when he had set his mind and heart on getting honey, he stuck to it.

"Now honey rhymes with bunny," Pooh told Sora frankly. "And bunny rhymes with... a..."

"Look!" Piglet cried, pointing straight ahead.

Sora looked ahead, right in the direction that Piglet pointed, and saw a large, thick tree. It was positioned on a small, grass covered hill, but all of the ground surrounding it had been beaten by the footsteps of frequent visitors. Beneath the raised roots of the tree, burrowed into the side of the small hill, was a large hole. A sign that read "Rabbit's Howse" hung over it in an almost welcoming manner.

"Rabbit's house c-came back!" squealed Piglet eagerly. "L-Let's see if he's home!"

"Who's Rabbit?" Sora wanted to know.

Pooh just smiled. "I like Rabbit," he said with a laugh, "because he uses short easy words like 'How about lunch?' and 'Help yourself, Pooh.'"

"That's nice of him," Sora smiled. "So maybe he'll have some honey to give you."

By now they had reached the entrance to Rabbit's home. They all bent down and peered curiously into the dark hole.

"Hello?" called Pooh. "Is anybody at home?"

There came a sudden scuffling noise from inside the hole, and then silence. Pooh looked over at Sora and Piglet as though seeking help, but they could only shrug in response. He then turned back and carefully stuck his head into the hole.

"What I said was, 'Is anybody at home?'"

"No!"

Pooh pulled his head out of the hole. He blinked in confusion, staring at the hole for a moment before a disappointed expression settled across his face.

"Bother," he sighed. "Isn't there anybody here at all?"

"Nobody!"

Once again, the bear seemed disappointed. Sora laid one hand on his shoulder. "Um, Pooh?" Winnie-the-Pooh turned to look at Sora inquisitively. "I think someone is there. I mean, there has to be, since somebody must have said 'nobody,' right?"

"I believe you're right, Sora," said Pooh, sitting back. He put one paw to the side of his head and thought for a moment. "Hmm... Who is this person named Nobody?"

While he and Piglet pondered the possibilities, Sora decided he'd have a look around. He got up and wandered around the other side of the tree, leaving Pooh and Piglet to further question whoever was inside the house about where Rabbit was. There had to be another way to get inside. Sora had barely taken ten steps before coming across the rest of Rabbit's property.

Extending from a line of bushes and trees was a large vegetable field enclosed by a white picket fence. The field was divided into three major sections for the different crops: carrots, cabbage, and pumpkins, each respectively labeled "kerits," "cabege," and "punkins."

'Who wrote all these signs?' Sora wondered.

He shrugged the thought off for now and continued examining the property. There was a small stream running straight through the middle of the garden, nourishing the soil and nearby crops. It had a narrow wooden bridge over it, connecting it to a beaten path that led up to a door under an awning in the base of the tree's trunk. To one side of the tree was a clothesline with a basket of clothes and in front was a small mailbox that read "Rabbit."

'At least his name gets spelled right,' thought Sora as he moved toward the door. He laid one hand on the doorknob and carefully let himself in. "Hello?"

The interior of the house was simply one round room. The walls were made of soil and clay, showing that the room was not carved into the tree and was actually beneath its roots. The door that Sora had just passed through was the only exception. It was simply decorated; there were a few paintings of carrots hanging from the earthen walls and a large, woven rug on the floor . The room was mostly lit up by a lantern that dangled over a table in the middle of the room from the roots of the ceiling. The table was set for only one, though there was another chair next to a wooden drawer set by the window. It had a checkered red tablecloth over its surface and a ceramic jug was its only other decoration. Across the room was a large wooden cabinet filled with assorted kitchenware and a basket of freshly picked carrots.

Standing near the cabinet and facing a hole in the wall, stood a gangly-looking rabbit with yellow fur. His underside (or his front side, since he stood on his hind legs) was white, just like his bushy cottontail. His facial features seemed to have stuck permanently into a look of worry and stress, and it was hard to tell whether or not he really was feeling that way as he looked around him.

"Nobody," Sora heard Pooh call from outside, "have you seen Rabbit?"

"No!" called the rabbit, sounding panicked. "No Rabbit here! There's no one here!"

Unfortunately for him, Pooh was already crawling in through the hole. The rabbit hung his head in defeat as Pooh Bear emerged with a cheerful smile.

"Hallo, Rabbit!" he greeted him as he pulled himself all the way out.

"Why, P-Pooh," said Rabbit, trying not to sound disappointed and failing miserably. "What a pleasant surprise..."

Pooh beamed at his friend, not noticing the tone of Rabbit's voice. Just then, Piglet emerged from the hole as well, cautiously poking his head out to look around first.

"H-Hello, Rabbit! I'm so v-very glad to see you!"

Rabbit smiled slightly in Piglet's direction. "Nice to see you, too, Piglet." He sounded a little less tired when addressing Piglet. Then Rabbit turned around to face Sora, who was still standing in the doorway and looking around. "And... is this a new friend?"

Sora smiled and waved, slowly stepping further into the house. "Hi there! I'm Sora. Nice to meet you."

"Why, it's nice to meet you, Sora," said Rabbit politely. As he was about to properly introduce himself, Pooh wandered further into the house. He sniffed at the air a few times and looked around the room. When Rabbit saw this, he turned to the bear in an almost urgent manner. "P-Pooh, I'm sorry, but... I'm all out of honey at the moment."

"Oh, bother. That's too bad," sighed Pooh, though he was still looking around. "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure."

"Hmm..." Pooh turned to Sora. "Sora, do you smell honey?"

Sora blinked in surprise. "Well, no... But I guess I could help you look for some."

"N-No!" cried Rabbit suddenly. "Please, I've nothing to give Pooh! Don't waste your time looking around!"

But it was too late. By then, both Sora and Piglet spotted a blue pot tucked between the roots of the tree above them. Sora came closer and reached for it, standing on the tips of his toes. He still came a bit short, since only the tips of his fingers could touch the pot, but he took his time in carefully coaxing the pot out of its hiding place. Once he managed to retrieve it, Sora peered inside. Sure enough, the pot was filled to the brim with golden honey. He turned to Pooh, holding to put out in offering.

"Here you go, Pooh."

Pooh's face lit up. "Thank you, Sora!"

"H-Honey? Now, how did that get up there?" Rabbit's eyes were wide as he looked at the pot. It was hard to tell if he was genuinely surprised or frightened. He sighed as he turned to face Winnie-the-Pooh. "Would you like some, Pooh? Don't feel you have to, of course."

"Oh, thank you, Rabbit." Pooh seated himself at the table and smacked his lips, cradling the honey pot in his arms. "I would like just a small smackeral. I'm quite hungry."

He then immediately began to feast on the honey, scooping its sticky sweetness into his mouth without stopping once to rest. Rabbit released another defeated sigh and moved toward his cabinet. He opened up a drawer and browsed their contents before turning to Sora and Piglet, who had seated themselves comfortably on the floor against the wall. They were both watching Pooh eat, somewhat fascinated by his boundless love for honey, but Sora's mind had begun to drift. Sooner or later, he would have to find a way back to Merlin's study.

"Can I get you two anything?" Rabbit asked, breaking into Sora's thoughts.

"Oh!" exclaimed Piglet with a small, startled jump. "Oh, no, th-that's all right, Rabbit."

"We're fine," Sora added with a grin. "But thanks anyway."

Rabbit's ears perked up at their polite refusal and he smiled in relief. Then everyone turned back to look at Pooh, who was still eating to his heart's content.

"I'm so glad to have found both Rabbit and some honey."

"Um, Pooh Bear?" Rabbit called nervously. "You're not eating the whole pot, are you?"

Between scooping honey into his mouth and the merry tune that he was now humming to himself, Pooh didn't hear him. It wasn't much longer before he was at the bottom of the pot, having to insert his entire arm into it to scrape up what was left.

"Once you start, there's no stopping you, is there..." Rabbit sighed again, back to feeling worried and stressed. "Ohh... out of honey again."

"Um... Sorry about all this," Sora whispered, leaning toward Rabbit. "I didn't know he'd finish off an entire pot."

"That's all right, Sora. I suppose I should be used to it by now."

Sora laughed. "He must really love honey."

"V-Very much so," assured Piglet, laughing softly.

Pooh stuck his snout into the pot to lap up the last traces of honey that laced its insides and then withdrew with a happy giggle. Then, humming to himself in a rather sticky voice, he got up, shook Rabbit lovingly by the paw, and said that he must be going on. Sora and Piglet also rose to their feet, ready to leave with the bear. Piglet moved to follow Pooh Bear while Sora inched toward the door. He wasn't sure why they were planning on going back through that hole again, but since it didn't seem to bother anyone else, he decided not to say anything.

"Well, good bye," said Rabbit, remaining as polite as he could, "if you're sure you won't have any more."

Pooh turned back hopefully. "Is there any more?"

Rabbit's ears drooped as he looked back at the empty pot on the tabletop. "No, there isn't."

Winnie-the-Pooh nodded to himself. "I thought not."

He then started to climb back out the hole. He pulled with his front paws and pushed with his feet, forcing himself through and making small uncomfortable grunts as he did so. Pooh seemed to be making some progress when suddenly...

"Oh, help!" he cried in alarm. "I'd better go back." He shifted slightly and tried to pull his upper body back out. "Oh, bother! I shall have to go on." He shifted himself again and tried to force himself through the hole. "I can't do either! Oh, help and bother!"

Piglet wrung his paws worriedly as he looked at his friend. "P-Pooh, are you...?"

"I'm stuck again," the bear announced to his friends sadly. "I came in through this hole, so it must have shrunk."

Rabbit's eyes grew wide as he looked at Pooh's behind, but the horror on his face quickly gave way to annoyance. He placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. "All this because he can't stop liking honey so much!"

He then hurried to the other door, Sora and Piglet following him. They all went around the side of the house to reach Pooh Bear. Sora had to stifle a laugh when he saw him. Since only his head and arms had completely passed through the hole, Pooh now looked like a mounted trophy. Pooh looked at everyone pathetically as they approached.

"Oh, how will I eat honey if I'm stuck here?" Pooh sighed. He turned to look at Sora. "When it's lunch time, perhaps you could bring me a honey jar."

"No honey 'til you're unstuck!" scolded Rabbit. "If you don't slim down, my house will stay plugged up forever! If only there were something we could do..." Everyone thought for a moment, ignoring Pooh's plaintive requests for more honey. Then Rabbit was suddenly struck with an idea. "Wait, I know! A bit of carrot top juice will do the trick! I have a carrot patch on the other side of the stream. Carrot top juice is just the ticket to slimming down a Pooh!"

Piglet's ears perked up and he clapped his hands eagerly. "That's a w-w-wonderful idea, Rabbit!"

Rabbit smiled and turned toward his vegetable garden. "Well, then, I'll just - Oh no!"

A look of horror suddenly replaced Rabbit's smile as he looked out across his vegetable garden. His whole body went rigid with fear when he saw a figure rapidly approaching from the distance.

Bounding up the path toward Rabbit's house was what appeared to be an orange striped tiger. He was bouncing around on the tip of his tail, laughing and whooping and "hoo hoo hoo hoo!"ing without any regard for where he landed. There was a big, merry grin plastered across his face as he bounced about and sang to himself.

The wonderful thing about Tiggers
Is Tiggers are wonderful things
Their tops are made out of rubber
Their bottoms are made out of springs
They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy
Fun fun fun fun FUN!
But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers is
That I'm the only one
I'm the only one!

"No no no no NO!"

Rabbit darted forward, the look on his face becoming one of increasing panic as the tiger came closer, smashing the small wooden bridge over the stream into pieces upon impact. He ran toward his vegetable garden with his arms outstretched toward it, but the tiger just bounced right through the cabbage patch and over the white picket fence, soaring right over Rabbit's head. Rabbit relaxed slightly upon seeing that none of his vegetables were damaged - yet.

"Hey there, long ears!" he greeted with a laugh and a salute.

Sora barely had time to react when the tiger reached him. The tiger suddenly pounced on him, sending them both rolling across the ground. Sora was momentarily disoriented when he found himself staring up into the sky, lying on the ground in the midst of cloud of dirt with a tiger on his chest, grinning right into his face.

"Hey there!" he said in a loud, excited voice as he gestured to himself proudly. "Name's Tigger! T-I-double-guh-RR. That spells Tigger!"

The boy would have laughed and introduced himself, too, but the slight weight Tigger put on his chest made it difficult. Tigger's eyebrows came together in confusion as he looked into Sora's face, obviously not recognizing him. He straightened slightly to get a better look at Sora, his dark, beady eyes drifting from the top of Sora's head all the way to his toes and back again. He raised one foot off of Sora's body to see what was underneath it, only to put it back exactly as it was.

"Well, now!" he exclaimed with a laugh. Tigger leaned forward and pressed his large, pink nose to Sora's. "I don't think I've ever seen you before!"

"Hello, Tigger," called Pooh, smiling and waving feebly from where he was still stuck. "You've just bounced my new friend Sora."

Tigger looked up suddenly at Pooh and grinned. "Hey, Pooh! Say, you're lookin' mighty uncomfy today." He hopped excitedly onto one foot, spreading his arms wide in an emphatic gesture and making Sora grunt. "Is that some new exercise? Why, bouncin' around is a lot more fun."

With that, he finally bounced off of Sora and began to make a show of just how much fun it was, bouncing and spinning around on the tip of tail and whooping merrily. Pooh just smiled. He certainly would have liked to bounce around, but his current situation was making it difficult for him to do much of anything he'd like to do.

"Wh-Why do you bounce around so much, Tigger?" Sora asked as he dusted himself off, taking the opportunity to pull himself back up onto his feet. He watched Tigger bounce around for a moment, tilting his head thoughtfully to one side.

"Why?" echoed Tigger, freezing in place and turning to look at Sora like he'd gone mad. "'Cause bouncin' is what Tiggers do best!" He laughed slightly, but then stopped himself. "Speaking of which, my bouncin' spot has gone and disappeared!"

He put one paw over his eyes like a visor and began to look around. Sora blinked. Disappeared? Did that mean that there were still more pages missing from the book?

"So for now," Tigger went on with a laugh, bouncing high up into the air and spreading his arms wide, "this'll be my new bouncin' ground. Hoo hoo hoo hoo!"

Everyone gasped at that. Piglet clasped his hands over his mouth in shock. "B-But Tigger! This, this is Rabbit's home!"

"That's right!" cried Rabbit, spinning around on his heel to face Tigger. His eyes were practically spewing fire. "And you're certainly not welcome to bounce here! So help me, Tigger, if you even do a smidgen of a bounce, I'll...!"

"Aw, loosen up, long ears!" Tigger laughed, bouncing over to Rabbit and nudging him playfully in the ribs. Then, without paying attention to any of Rabbit's further protests, Tigger bounced off into the vegetable patch, smashing straight into a pumpkin as he did so. Rabbit winced at the crushing sound it made as though he had taken a blow himself.

"Tigger's bouncing will ruin my vegetables!" he wailed pulling at the ends of his ears. "And if we don't give Pooh some carrot top juice, he'll be stuck forever."

Sora ran up to the picket fence, Piglet at his heels, and watched worriedly as Rabbit's garden was destroyed patch by patch. Tigger suddenly whooped and turned to face the carrot patch. He grinned deviously, raising his rear into the air and flicking his springy tail from side to side. It seemed very clear that he was prepared to pounce toward the carrots.

"No! Tigger, stop!"

"I c-c-can't look!"

"Oh no!" Rabbit cried. "My carrots! Tigger, keep away from my carrots!"

But it seemed like Rabbit's command came too late (or maybe he was being ignored) as Tigger bounded toward the carrot patch with another energetic "hoo hoo hoo hoo!" Piglet covered his eyes with his hands, unable to bring himself to see whether or not the carrot patch would get destroyed. Rabbit looked like he was about to pass out. Sora, on the other hand, clambered over the white fence as fast as he could, stumbling slightly as he did so.

'That's not as easy to do as I thought...'

He then bolted for the carrot patch, determined to beat Tigger to it, and somehow managed to make it there at the same time. He grunted painfully when Tigger ended up bouncing off of his shoulder and pushed him toward the ground. Sora swiftly caught himself before he could land on one of the carrots, moving to the side so that he would land on a patch of empty soil, a cloud of dirt and dust rising around him. He coughed forcefully as he pulled himself from the ground and looked up at Tigger, who was now grinning eagerly at the young boy.

"Say, you kept up pretty good there, Sora," he laughed, bouncing around excitedly on the end of his tail, "especially for a non-Tigger! Let's have another go!"

Sora laughed faintly. "Listen, Tigger..."

Yet once again Tigger paid no attention, whooping and continuing to bounce around the carrot patch. Sora immediately scrambled to his feet and made an immense effort to intercept Tigger before he could crush any carrots beneath him. He rushed about the carrot patch, careful not to step on any of the crops, his eyes locked onto Tigger's figure.

On the other side of the vegetable garden were Rabbit, Piglet, and that large brown owl from before. Rabbit and Piglet appeared to be watching Sora and were cheering for him eagerly. Meanwhile, the owl seemed to be going on a long speech about how Sora's endeavors to save the carrot patch reminded him of a relative of his. It was quite clear that his supposed audience wasn't listening to him.

Eventually, Tigger stopped bouncing around the carrot patch and just stared at Sora, an incredulous look across his tiger face. Sora was exhausted. Keeping up with Tigger's bouncing was no easy task. He had often needed to throw himself toward a carrot to protect it, which always sent him rolling in the dirt. Even so, he'd still failed to save two of Rabbit's carrots while the rest suffered only minor damage.

While Sora saw this as a failure on his part, Tigger saw it as his own.

"What's goin' on?" he asked of no one in particular, running his paws over his head. "Nobody keeps up with Tiggers!" Sora felt a pang of guilt as he watched Tigger's face fall sadly. He turned to look over his shoulder, down at his springy striped tail. "Maybe there's somethin' wrong with my tail..."

Sora pulled himself back up to his full height, dusted himself off, and offered Tigger a smile. "Y'know, Tigger, you can't just make Rabbit's garden your bouncing ground. You'll wreck it and ruin all his vegetables."

At this they both looked around the garden, which had become a complete mess save for the carrot patch. Tigger made a disgusted face.

"Yuck!" he muttered, sticking his tongue out. "Messy, isn't it?"

Rabbit looked like he wanted to hit Tigger, but somehow managed to restrain himself. If he hadn't noticed, Sora would have laughed aloud at Tigger's comment.

"But I'm gonna need somewhere to bounce!" Tigger insisted. "A Tigger's just not a Tigger if he can't have a bouncin' spot!"

Sora looked thoughtful for a moment, folding his arms over his chest. Since the bouncing spot was gone, that had to mean that it was on a page of the book that had been torn out. Which simply meant that he was going to have to find all of the book's missing pages and restore the Hundred Acre Wood to all of its former glory.

"Well then," he said, turning back to Tigger. "I'll just have to find your usual bouncing spot for you."

Tigger stared in amazement. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course!" he answered, grinning from ear to ear. "I promise I'll find it for you." Tigger just continued to look at Sora, his chin quivering and his black button-like eyes glimmering with moved tears. "But until then, you have to leave Rabbit's garden alone. Okay?"

"Okay then, Sora!" he cried, shaking Sora's hand. "It's a promise!"

Then, feeling his bouncing spirit coming back to him all at once, he bid everyone an energetic "TTFN - Ta Ta For Now!" and bounced away, singing his theme song as he went. While Sora waved goodbye toward Tigger's rapidly shrinking figure, Rabbit immediately came forward and set about picking out the good carrots from what was left.

"Thank you so much," he said to Sora. "Now I'd better make that carrot top juice. I'll get the carrots, so please wait inside the house."

Sora simply nodded in agreement. He walked back toward Rabbit's house and, together with Piglet, ducked inside to wait. The brown owl followed Sora and Piglet into Rabbit's house, properly introducing himself to Sora. His name - as it so happened - was Owl, and he promptly decided that, in order to pass the time, he would tell Sora and Piglet all about an uncle or aunt (or was it a cousin?) of his whose endeavors were "similar in bravery and intelligence" to how Sora had stopped Tigger.

The story seemed to go on for quite a while and it wasn't long before Sora found himself unable to maintain his focus. He and Piglet amused themselves by tickling the underside of Pooh's feet. Owl didn't seem to notice their inattention, and continued to talk about his numerous relatives (it seemed like the story of one relative always led into the rest of them) while helping himself to a cup of tea.

"Oh, what a day!" cried Rabbit as he entered the house. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over at him. He smiled triumphantly. "I gave Pooh the carrot top juice. All we have to do now is push him out. Just a little push should do."

Suddenly feeling completely energized, Sora leapt to his feet with an excited grin on his face. "All right! Just leave it to me!"

He then turned to face Pooh's protruding rear end and backed up several paces. Rabbit's face fell slightly in his confusion as he watched.

"S-Sora, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna push Pooh back out the hole," he answered casually. "What else would I be doing?"

"Y-Yes, but you needn't push so - WAIT!"

Unfortunately for Rabbit, Sora didn't pay him any attention as he ran across the room, ramming straight into Pooh's behind with more force than necessary. Pooh popped out the other side of the hole with a surprised "Oh!" and flew straight into a pile of honey jars and potted plants. There was a loud crash as he did so and Rabbit bolted for the unclogged hole. The moment he looked through it, a stricken look came over his face. Piglet, Owl, and Sora (after picking himself up off the ground) also moved forward and crowded around the hole to see what had happened. Rabbit ran his hands over his head and pulled at the ends of his ears.

"First my vegetable patch," he lamented, "and now this..."

Sora grinned at what he could see through the hole. Pooh had flown straight into a honey jar, his head getting inserted snugly inside of it. He sat amongst a mess of broken fragments of clay pots and jars, his paws on either side of his head.

"Oh, bother," he moaned from the inside of the jar. "Where am I? It's ever so dark in here." He giggled suddenly. "Well, it isn't so bad, I suppose. There is plenty of honey!"

Still grinning in amusement, Sora started for the door so that he could help get the honey jar off of Pooh's head, as did the others. But the moment he stepped outside there was a sudden burst of wind and everything turned white...

Author's Note: hehe... I remember the first time I played the game, after that first scene with Piglet, I had no idea what to do. I didn't know I was supposed to go around the tree and approach Piglet from behind... I don't even remember how I figured that out! but I remember being there for a good ten minutes, trying to knock one of the beehives down so I could already get some honey for Pooh. hahaha, I'm so smart sometimes. XP

I also think everyone that plays the game should know, if you don't already, it's entirely possible to "satisfy" Pooh's hunger in the Hunny Tree mini-game. I don't remember exactly how many units of hunny you need to get... but either way, as your levels and equipment get better, it gets much easier to do this. and you get to watch a very cute, albeit short, scene. for story purposes I had to leave Pooh in want for more hunny. for Tigger's mini-game I did just the opposite. Tigger's "there must be something wrong with my tail" line is the result of completely beating him at his own game. hehe... yeah. just thought I ought to share those little tidbits with the people who didn't already know about those things and were curious as to where I got them.

so anyways, this covers the first two pages of the 100 Acre Wood! this was really not at all easy to create. I mean, trying to combine the mini-games with the movie (and the original book, to some extent) was tough cookies, let me tell you. and then of course, there was also the fact that I was trying to make it so that Sora knows he's in the book and can cross from one page to another, the way they do in the movies. which never ceases to amuse me... wanting to do that forced me to dig around for the movie, which I had lying around the house in old, dusty, nearly obsolete VHS format. 'twas difficult, but it was done. :D huzzah!

and I only just discovered that there was a bit of manga for the 100 Acre Wood. ... bah, discovered too late, I'm keeping to what I've got. :D

okay, that's enough out of me, I suppose. once again, sorry for all the long waits! but I'm holding to my vow! this fanfic/novelization will be completed! (strikes the Naruto "nice guy" pose) BELIEVE IT!

"It's the nah-RAY-tor (Narrator)!" -Tigger