I'm sorry for the long wait for the update, everyone. I've been dealing with a lot of creative block, and I've completed my freshman year of college last month, so there's that... sorry for keeping you all waiting this long, again.

But I want to thank DinoWriter23 and The-Good-and-The-Bad-X-boy for their help with this.


As they ventured through the woods, Anne was surprised by one fact. "I haven't seen one Heartless here."

"They can't come here." Sora told her. "Something about this place keeps them out."

"Like a spell, or light?"

"I think it's something like that, Yeah"

"So, where are we going?" Kairi then spoke up.

"Well, this is the direction of Piglet's home." Sora remembered. "He could probably be there."

"Or the heffalump got him..." Eeyore mumbled.

"Think positive." Dylan said before he paused. "I just sounded like Chase, there."

Anne chuckled at that. "Well, he is the older of the two of you."

Dylan cracked a smile. "Even though he acts like it's reversed."

They chuckled a bit at that. "That's Chase for ya. Classic Chase..." Anne said with a smile.

Eventually they arrived at a tree However, this tree had a door and Windows, meaning that it was somebody's home.

"Huh... don't suppose any elves are making cookies in this tree?" Anne quipped.

"I could go for a snack." Dylan added.

"You're gonna make me hungry, guys." Kairi joked.

Sora looked at the tree. "Wonder if Piglet's home?" he said to himself as he approached the over, Sora knocked on the tree's door. "Hello? Piglet?" He waited for a moment, but received no answer, so he knocked on the door again. "Hello? Anyone home?"

"I don't think anyone's here." Dylan said, giving a shrug.

"Where could he be, then?" Kairi wondered out loud.

"I suppose the heffalump caught him..." Eeyore sighed, sitting down on the ground. Sora decided to check behind the tree in hopes of finding his friend. However, he wasn't there, either...

That was odd. He remembered on one of his visits, he found Piglet hiding there...

Suddenly, a voice cried out, "H-H-H-H-Help!"

Everyone looked around at that. "Piglet?!" Sora called out. "Where are you?"

"S-S-S-Sora?! Up here!"

Sora blinked before looking up. "Piglet?! How did you get up there?"

The other three looked up and were surprised to see a tiny pig caught up in one of the branches of the tree with a kite next to them. "I-I-I was flying a kite, t-t-t-t-then I heard the heffalump! I-I t-t-t-tried to hide, but the wind blew me away with my k-kite!"

Anne had to play that scenario in her head. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that you were blown up there?"

"Y-y-yes."

She began wondering how much he weighed. By the looks of it, it looked like he barely weighed anything due to his size.

"Just hang on. We'll get you down." She said as she moved to the base of the tree. Yes, it was up there, but not too high. She took a deep breath. "Okay, just... just don't look down..." she said to herself, trying to keep herself from panicking.

"Are you sure about this?" Dylan asked her.

"Y-Yeah... it's not too high..." Anne said, trying to steady herself.

"Be careful." Kairi added as Anne began to climb up the tree trunk.

Just don't look down, she kept telling herself. Don't look down. Eyes on Piglet, don't look down.

Anne made sure she found a good spot to place her foot and made sure she had a good grip as she continued to climb. She was able to keep feeling for places to put her weight while keeping her eyes on Piglet. "It's okay. Almost there..."

"Oh, h-hi." Piglet said when she was eye level, though he was trembling even more now. From his perspective, a total stranger was staring at him and he was even more frightened.

"Hey. It's okay..." Anne greeted him. "I'm here to help."

"W-W-who are you?"

"My name is Anne. I'm a friend of Sora." Anne reached out to him. "I can help you down."

"Oh, th-th-thank you." Piglet hesitantly reached out, but stopped. "W-what if I f-f-f-fall?"

"Just hold on to me. I won't let you fall."

Hesitating for a moment, Piglet shakily reached out to the girl. "Easy... easy, now..."

Suddenly, he nearly lost his grip, causing him to panic. But Anne was able to catch him, though it caused her to take a glimpse downward, with her eyes widening seeing the ground many feet below her. She cried out as well, hugging Piglet like a teddy bear.

Seeing this, Dylan looked concerned. "Anne, it's okay!"

"You've got this!" Kairi called.

Taking a few shuddering breaths, Anne tried to calm herself down. "Come on, Anne, you were in places higher than this before..." she said to herself, remembering the Battle of New York. She ended up flying on a dragon and one of those leviathan things there, for crying out loud!

"Focus on something else." Dylan advised.

Heeding those words, Anne took a deep breath before looking down at Piglet, who was shaking like a leaf. The poor guy was clearly terrified. She couldn't let her fear of heights hold onto her now. "Hold on tightly, okay?"

"I-I-I am."

She hesitated, then slowly placed her foot on a lower branch. Upon seeing it would support her weight, she slowly started to climb down one branch at a time. Before she knew it, she was back on the ground. "... I did it..." she blinked as the realization settled in. She had faced her fear.

Smiling, she turned to her friends, "Did you see that? I did it!"

Dylan smiled proudly as he hugged her. "Great job, Anne..."

"You're squishing me..." Piglet's muffled voice spoke up.

Anne's eyes widened before she quickly loosened her hold on Piglet. "Sorry!" Setting him down on the ground while giving more apologies, she then stood back up.

"T-Thank you..."

Sora knelt down so he could talk to the pig. "Are you okay, Piglet?"

"I-I-I think so..."

"Any idea where the others are?"

"I-I-I don't know..." "Like I said, pretty sure the heffalump got 'em..." Eeyore spoke up.

Piglet jumped. "Oh d-d-d-dear..."

Kairi knelt down to Piglet as well.

"Don't be scared, Piglet... I'm sure they're fine." Kairi smiled, trying to calm him down. "We just need to figure out where they would go."

thinking about it, Piglet said, "W-w-well, t-t-t-there's a h-hiding sp-sp-spot n-n-n-n-not far f-f-f-f-f-from Rabbit's."

."We could check there." Dylan spoke up.

Sora nodded in agreement. "Let's check it out." With that said, they headed on their way with Piglet scurrying after them.

Dylan walked by Anne's side as they trekked on. "You did great back there, Anne... you actually ignored your fear back there."

Cracking a smile, Anne said, "I still can't believe I did it." For years, her fear of heights always got to her, but now, after everything they had experienced, she felt much better now. It might take a bit of time, but after this... she felt like she could move past her fear now...


After a little bit of walking down the path, they ended up in another area of the 100 Acre Wood. There was another home in a tree, but on some mailboxes were the words 'Kanga' and 'Roo'. Dylan rose an eyebrow at that. "Huh..."

"Wonder if they're home..." Eeyore mumbled.

"Hello? Kanga? Roo?" Sora called. "One way to find out."

They were answered with only silence.

"So where is this hiding place?" Dylan asked.

"It's down this way." Eeyore gestured towards a direction with his head.

They followed the donkey as he headed down the path while Piglet stuck close to them. They soon came across a log. "Hello?"

"Who's there?" Someone asked.

"It's the Heffalump!"

Dylan knelt down, peering into the log. "Hello?" he called again, his voice echoing into it. "Who's there?"

Inside he saw an owl, a kangaroo and her joey, a rabbit, and a tiger?

"Is it the heffalump?" the joey asked fearfully.

"No, Roo. It's my friends." Sora reassured them as he looked in.

With a gasp, the tiger plush cried out, "Sora!"

Before anyone could react, he leapt out of the log in a flash.

Dylan, Kairi, and Anne yelled with surprise as they saw Sora tumble back until he eventually stopped, lying on his back as the tiger plush sat atop his chest. "Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Sora! You're back!" he cried out with joy.

"Hey, Tigger. It's good to see you again." Sora smiled, a bit used to Tigger's surprise tackles.

Raising an eyebrow, Dylan asked, "Tigger?"

"That's me. T-I-Double guh-Er. That spells Tigger." The plush answered.

Blinking, Anne asked, "What's a Tigger?"

"You asked for it." Eeyore told her while Tigger smiled.

"What's a Tigger?!" the plush asked with a smile as he jumped off of Sora's chest, allowing him to sit back up. He gave a laugh as he began to dance around, and then he started to sing.

"The wonderful thing about Tiggers

Is Tiggers are wonderful things!

Their tops are made outta rubber!

Their bottoms are made outta springs!" He then bounced around the teens cheerfully as he continued to sing.

"They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, wouncy

Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!

But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers is I'm the only one!

IIIIIIIIII'm the only one!"

"Nice song." Anne smiled, finding it quite cute and catchy.

"Thank ya!" Tigger replied cheerfully, bouncing on his tail, which gave a spring-like noise.

One by one the other animals came out of the log.

"We missed you, Sora!" the rabbit plush told him.

"Hey, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, Roo. I missed you all, too." Sora smiled. The joey, Roo, looked up at the newcomers. "But who are they?"

"Yeah, who are they?" Tigger chimed.

"These are my friends Kairi, Dylan, and Anne." Sora told the talking animals.

"Well, any friends of Sora are friends of Tigger." Tigger decided there and then.

"It's nice to meet you." Kanga told them politely.

Owl perched himself atop the log. "I daresay you gave us all quite a fright when we thought you were the heffalump!"

"How long has this Heffalump been around?" Kairi asked.

"Why, ever since Pooh went missing." Owl said

Sora's eyes widened. "Pooh Bear's missing?" he asked with surprise. "How long has he been gone...?"

"A few days." Kanga said sadly "I was about to go look for him." Roo said

"Me too!" Tigger chimed.

"Why don't we look for him together, then?" Kairi suggested.

"Can I go Mama? Please?" Roo asked.

Clearing his throat, Rabbit said, "Roo, a search and rescue is not a child's game. In fact, it is a very serious matter. Which is why they will need me on this."

"Aww..." Roo slouched his shoulders with a dejected look.

Anne just looked at Sora "Well..." Sora began. "What do you think, Kanga?"

"Please, Mama? Can I help look for Pooh? Pleeeease?" Roo asked his mother.

"... i suppose. As long as you stay close."

"Yippee!" Roo said as he bounced over to the group

"Alright, guys. Where was the last place you saw Pooh?" Sora asked them.

"B-b-by his f-f-f-favorite thinking s-s-s-s-s-spot." Piglet said

Sora pondered for a moment. He must have meant the log he had seen Pooh sit at a few times. "Why don't we check there, first? See if we can find some clues?"

"Sounds good to me." Anne said

Sora then looked at the group before them. "Let's go, guys..." he said as he began to lead them.

Tigger bounced around. "Hang on, Pooh! We'll find ya!"

"Can he not stay still?" Dylan asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched him bounce around them on his tail.

"Nope. He loves to bounce around. It's kinda his thing."

"Bouncin' is what Tiggers do best!" Tigger stated as he bounced high enough so he was eye level with Dylan for a moment.

"So, um... where are all these other 'Tiggers', then?"

"Didn't ya hear the song? The best thing about Tiggers is I'm the only one." Tigger said as he kept bouncing.

"So you guys ready to go find Pooh?" Sora asked them, earning several nods.

Kairi glanced in a direction, gesturing towards it. "Let's start that way." she suggested.

"Oh, d-d-dear." Piglet stuttered as he looked at it

He backed away a bit, but bumped into Sora. The teen knelt down to his level, giving the smallest resident of the 100 Acre Wood a reassuring smile. "It's gonna be okay, Piglet. We'll find him."

"It'll be an adventure!" Tigger hooted as he bounced around

Together, the new group began to head towards the area to begin their search.


Back in Radiant Garden, Aurora was sitting atop of a short wall alone as she looked deep in thought. She was actually surprised that Jason and Clair were distant cousins of Anne.

How could it even be?

It didn't seem possible, but... the DNA didn't lie. Now she knew why Anne sometimes irritated her. She was related to Jason. That explained so much.

She let out a sigh, looking up at the sky. What was next?

She then decided to try and avoid jinxing it.

Getting off the wall, she figured she may as well head back

With a sigh, she began to trudge on. Even though this wasn't Moruga, she found herself liking Radiant Garden more.

It wasn't like Nekotan, that was for sure. Maybe she'd like to stay for a while...? Or even...

She paused, furrowing her brow at the thought. Why in the world would she even think that? She shook her head. No... she lost her home long ago, after what happened to her parents.

She shook her head, letting out a sigh as the memories came back again. "No one can change the past..." she mumbled.

"Do you always talk to yourself?" Someone then asked.

She snapped out of her thoughts, glancing around until she realized it was Yuffie who had said that. She frowned a bit, crossing her arms. "Could you mind your own business?"

Yuffie shrugged, jumping down from the box she was on. "Just saying someone might think you're crazy."

"I'm not." Aurora deadpanned at her.

The ninja just shrugged. "Well, people will think that if they see ya doing that."

"Well, I don't talk to myself all the time." Aurora retorted.

"Just trying to help you with some advice, that's all." Yuffie said casually.

Aurora looked away with a sigh. "... not used to it." she reluctantly admitted.

"Really? How come?"

The black haired girl paused, not wanting to spill her backstory to her. "It's... I've just been taught to not trust people. Learned it a long time ago."

"Well, I think it's time you learned some new things." Yumi said in response.

She walked over to Aurora casually after that.

Aurora could barely believe what Yuffie just said. She then asked, "Like what?"

"Oh, you know, how to let go."

"Well, what if I can't?" Aurora retorted.

"Then you're just hurting yourself."

Those words made the raven haired teen stop again, as they seemed to settle in for a moment.

Hurting herself?

Yuffie smiled seeing that her words had reached Aurora, who hesitated before looking back at her. With a sigh, she told her, "Fine. I'm in."

The ninja smiled at that. "Alright. Follow me, then."

She began to walk away. With a sigh, Aurora reluctantly followed the self proclaimed ninja.


Meanwhile, Jason had landed on his side for the umpteenth time during the training session he was having with Tifa. He groaned as he got back up, ignoring the pain.

"Still going?" Tifa asked. "Good."

Jason nodded, pushing himself back up as he readied himself.

"Don't always rush your opponent. Try to hold out against them, and wear them down."

"I know..." Jason nodded.

Jason then moved to attack, but Tifa quickly got the upper hand again. She ducked down, sweeping his leg out from underneath him. Jason quickly regained his balance when he nearly lost it.

"Good."

Jason then dodged her fist as she swung it, avoiding getting decked in the shoulder.

"You're learning to anticipate your opponent's moves. Reading them. And that's good." she added. "You can never know what kind of move your opponent could throw at you next."

Despite the compliments he was being given, Jason kept his guard up. He then had to duck down to avoid getting kicked in the face, though he stood up straight again and swung at her. However, Tifa threw her arm up and blocked the hit in time. Immediately after, she landed a direct hit on Jason.

It was powerful enough to send the teen flying back once more. He winced feeling the area where he was hit throbbing from the blow. Groaning as he lifted his head, he muttered, "I think you broke something."

"No. That was just a tap. If I went all out, you would know."

His eyes widened. Just how strong was she, really?

The teenager stumbled to her feet, holding where he was hit for a moment, then focused on her. He took a breath, concentrating on his next attack before charging at her. This time, as she swung, he ducked down and got behind her. Finally, he landed a blow on Tifa.

She grunted a bit, taking a couple steps back from the hit. "Good job, Jason. You're doing pretty well."

"Well, you're a good teacher." Jason replied.

"Thanks." Tifa replied with a shrug. "You should give yourself some credit. You're a fast learner."

He had to admit, it felt good to get praised like that

"I, uh... thanks." Jason said to her.

She just smiled at him. "I'm guessing you're not used to receiving praise?" she inquired.

The former bully nodded. "You could say that."

"Well, it's time that changed."

After a moment, Jason cracked a slight smile. "Thank you."

Tifa nodded in reply as she took a couple steps back. "Ready for more lessons?"

"I think I have a bit more time to spare." Jason nodded

Still smiling, Tifa leapt at him

Jason's eyes widened before leaping back to avoid a punch. He then grabbed her fist as it got into range.

"Not bad." Tifa remarked.

Before he could try to throw her, she kicked his legs out from underneath and ended up throwing him

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, then grunted as he tumbled a bit upon landing.

"You let your guard down." she told him.

"Yeah, I noticed..." he muttered.

"Never get overconfident. That could be your downfall in a fight." the black haired woman advised.

As he got back up, he brushed himself off before trying once more. As Tifa swung her fist, he dodged it, moving under her fist again to try and catch her off guard, only to fail yet again.

She caught his arm, but he then planted his feet firmly on the ground and started to try and get out of her grasp. "Do you yield?"

"Not yet!" He yanked his arm out of her grasp this time, preparing his next move. Jason swung at her, only for his attack to get blocked again. As she blocked him with her arms, he tried to sweep her legs from underneath like he saw her do. The problem was he had not practiced the move. So he ended up landing on his side right as his legs connected with hers, though at the same time, it was enough to knock Tifa off balance.

While she was able to recover, he wasn't. Jason couldn't get up in time as Tifa planted her foot on his chest, keeping him on the ground. "Gotcha." she said to him. "Yield?"

"No."

He then started to force himself up, but she pressed her foot down harder on his chest. "Come on, kid. Is this really all you got?"

"Not... a chance." Jason said as he grabbed her foot with both hands. He then pulled with all his might.

The woman's foot was forced to the side and Jason sprung up, catching Tifa by surprise.

"Excellent." she praised the teen.

He cracked a smile. "Thanks." he nodded, wiping some dirt off him as he prepared for more of the upcoming swings.


In another area of the town, Aurora was following Yuffie, though she was starting to have second thoughts about it. What was this ninja supposed to teach her?

And how in the world was it going to 'help' her?

"Come on. No frowning." Yuffie said as she noticed the other girl's expression. Aurora sighed, shaking her head at this. Yuffie just brushed it off as she stopped walking. "We're here."

Aurora rose an eyebrow as she glanced around. Yuffie looked back at her with a smirk on her face.

All around were abandoned equipment that were getting coated with moss. "What is this place?"

"My training ground."

The ninja walked ahead while Aurora stayed where she was. "And how is THIS supposed to help me with my issue?" she deadpanned.

"Well, giving you something to focus on." Yuffie said. "Think of it as a way to use that energy towards something good: improving yourself. Cause no offense, you look like you could use it."

Aurora just stared at her.

"Well, from what I've seen, you've had a lotta stuff happen to ya, huh?" Yuffie asked her. "I know what you're going through. My friends and I went through some pretty traumatizing things ourselves. We spent years thinking our home was destroyed. We barely escaped to another world. I was pretty little back then."

This revelation surprised Aurora. To her, when she first came here after joining the group, it looked like she and the rest of the Restoration crew lived here all their lives. And now she learned they had been kicked out of their home like she had.

Being sent to Nekotan after the war... Being told her home was gone... maybe she really wasn't alone.

Yuffie placed a hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing..." Aurora said. After a moment, she looked at the ninja. "Teach me. Teach me how to let go of it."

Yuffie nodded, taking a couple steps forward, then turning back to face her. Aurora expected her to start spouting things about training, but what she said caught her off guard. "That is, are you ready to let go of that pain?"

The brown eyed teen blinked. "What do you mean by that?" she inquired with confusion.

"Sometimes, certain things that are hurting you make it feel like you aren't ready, and as great as I am, even I can't make you ready to let go. That's something only you can decide. It's your decision, not mine."

With a sigh, Aurora looked around at Yuffie's training area. "So this was a waste of time?"

"That depends on how you see it." Yuffie stated.

"I guess I'm not ready, then..." Aurora murmured, turning around and walking away.

As she walked away, Yuffie said to her, "When you're ready, come back, alright?"

Aurora didn't reply as she left, keeping her eyes ahead of her. How could she get herself to let go? That pain defined her for years. Everything she did was driven by the fact she lost her nation, and hating how people glorified the genocide of her people.

She clenched her fist, punching a wall next to her. After a moment, she reluctantly turned around to speak to Yuffie.

"How do I get over it?" Aurora asked the ninja.

After getting into a thinking pose, she answered, "Well, do you focus on the clouds in the sky or the sun shining down?"

The raven haired girl didn't see what she was getting at. "... huh?"

"The key ingredient in letting go is perspective. You gotta look at it from another angle."

"Another angle?" Aurora parroted.

Nodding, Yuffie explained, "Look at your companions. What do you see?"

"A band of idiots."

"How come?"

"They're so cheerful, and act reckless."

"Go back to the first part. Cheerful. You think that's a bad thing, but it's actually a good thing. Instead of seeing cheerfulness as a sign of immaturity, try to see it as an opportunity to brighten up your day. Haven't you ever seen someone so sad that you wanted to replace that frown with a smile?"

That made Aurora think of something she hadn't thought of in years. A woman popped up in Aurora's memories.


She was getting on in years, and today she seemed to be sad over something. Aurora remembered how she had gone up to her and asked, "Grandmother, what is it?"

The woman looked at her upon hearing the question. "Nothing you need concern yourself with."

But Aurora remembered how she wouldn't give up, and did something she wouldn't be caught dead doing now: She began to dance a traditional Morugan dance she had learned as a little girl, singing some songs that her grandmother taught her.

And as she danced and sang, her grandmother slowly began to smile.

Aurora smiled at this, embracing her.


The memory brought a tear to her eye, but Aurora quickly wiped it away, hoping that Yuffie hadn't noticed it.

"I can see there was a time you loved making people smile." Yuffie smirked.

"... maybe." Aurora muttered. "It was a long time ago."

Was it really possible to have such joy after the war? After the prejudice? After everything?

Guess there was no way to know unless she tried. She then looked back at Yuffie. They didn't say anything, but they understood each other clearly.

Upon Aurora giving her a nod, Yuffie grinned. "Then let's get to it!"


Back in the Hundred Acre Wood, Anne had to face facts. "We're lost."

They had stopped in a part of the forest, and it felt like they had been walking around in circles.

Kairi sighed as she leaned against a tree.

"What do we do, now?" Dylan questioned.

"We're never gonna find Pooh.." Eeyore muttered.

"We will, Eeyore. Don't worry." Sora said to reassure him.

"Just have to believe." Kairi added.

"He could be anywhere. I mean he could be down there, and there. And there." Anne gestured to many directions.

"M-M-Maybe the H-H-H-H-Heffalump ate him?" Piglet gulped.

"Don't you worry, Piglet." Kairi said to comfort the shaking plush-like pig. "He's out there somewhere..."

"Where does he usually go?" Dylan asked. "What places haven't we checked yet?"

"His thinking spot, though we already checked there..." Sora listed.

"There's the honey tree." Rabbit spoke up.

"His house..." Eeyore mumbled. "The bridge... though we were already there..."

Sora crossed his arms as he thought deeply for a moment. There were some places in this world that were important to Pooh, and then a certain one came to mind. "I think I have an idea where."

Everyone looked up at this. "Oh? Where is it?" Anne asked. "Cause if we go around in one more circle, I think I'm gonna lose it."

"Trust me." Sora said as he took off without warning.

"Wha- wait up!" Dylan ran after him with the others not too far behind. They had to go through some twists and turns as they followed the red and black clad teen, trying to keep track of him.

After quite a bit of running, group eventually arrived at a hill with a log that overlooked a bridge and a small stream, and a figure was sitting there. It was a small, yellow bear wearing a red shirt, and it seemed to be in deep thought.

Sora's eyes lit up. "Pooh bear!" he called happily, jogging up the hill.

The yellow plush like bear looked up after hearing his voice, smiling as he saw him. "Oh, Sora. How wonderful it is to see you again."

"Pooh!" the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood chorused in relief, seeing that their friend was indeed safe as they gathered around him.

"Oh, hello, everyone. There you are." Pooh smiled as if nothing was wrong.

"Where were you?!" Rabbit asked.

"W-W-We t-t-thought a Heffalump g-g-got you." Piglet stammered.

"Oh, no, nothing like that. I simply came here to think."

"What about?" Sora inquired, taking a seat next to him on the log.

"Just all the fun we've had. Like when we first met, and when you came to visit us. And all the games we played... all of them were so fun. And I don't want to lose those happy memories." the yellow bear replied, kicking his legs lightly.

"You won't, Pooh." Sora promised.

"I won't...? How can you be so sure?" Pooh asked curiously.

"We're friends, and the memories we've made will stay with us."

"Then I am glad we are friends, Sora."

Sora smiled at him. "So am I, Pooh."

It was then the bear glanced over at the newcomers. "Oh, why hello there. Who are you?"

"Pooh, these are some friends of mine." the Keyblade wielder introduced.

"Hello there. My name is Kairi." Kairi greeted him with a smile.

"I'm Dylan, and this is Anne." Dylan introduced himself and his girlfriend.

The bear gave a smile to them. "It's nice to meet you all." He then looked back up at Sora. "Are you here to stay this time?"

Sora shook his head. "I'm sorry, Pooh, but no..."

"But we'll try to visit as often as we can." Kairi promised.

"You will?"

"Yeah. We may have places to go to, but we can always come back to see you." the redhead smiled as she took a seat on the log as well.

"That makes me happy." Pooh said to them happily. He then looked at everybody that was gathered around. "Now that we're together again, what shall we do?"

"What about we go make sure the Heffalump doesn't scare us again?" Rabbit suggested.

"Hm? Oh, do you mean Lumpy?" Pooh asked.

Sora blinked. "Lumpy?"

"He's a new friend I made. He's a heffalump."

His friends cried out in terror a bit, but Pooh spoke up with a smile, "He's nothing like we thought they were. He's quite friendly!"

"Where in the world did you find a Heffalump?" Anne asked.

"Oh, while I was out on a stroll after the storm looking for everyone, I heard some strange noises. I followed the sound and found Lumpy alone and crying." Pooh explained.

Roo was interested by this new information. "Really?"

"Yes. Lumpy and I found some delicious honey together after"

"Can we meet him?" Roo inquired. With this new revelation about the heffalump Pooh mentioned, he wanted to see it for himself.

Pooh smiled again. "I think so." he said, hopping off of the log.

"Where did you last see him?" Dylan asked, crouching down to his level.

"Follow me. I'll show you." Pooh began to walk away with a smile on his face. Everyone exchanged a look before they began to follow the bear into the forest.


They were eventually walking down yet another path, though this time, they were in an area that was unfamiliar to them.

"I don't recognize this place." Kanga said, keeping Roo close to her to protect him.

"Good thing Tiggers never get lost." Tigger bounced around with a confident smile.

"Are you sure about that?" Rabbit deadpanned.

Sora pushed a branch out of his way as they made their way down the path.

"Hello?" Pooh then called. "Lumpy? It's me, Pooh. I've come back. Hellooooo?"

"... hello...?" a voice called back from afar.

Some of the group tried to make sure it wasn't an echo. "Is that you?" Anne called out, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"I brought some new friends, Lumpy." Pooh called again.

They heard some leaves rustling, then in a set of bushes, they saw a pair of eyes peeking through. "... are they nice?" the voice asked timidly with a British accent.

"Why, yes, they are." Pooh smiled, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Are you Lumpy?" Roo then piped up.

"Yes... who are you?"

"My name's Roo!"

"It's okay, Lumpy. You can come out." Pooh said. "My friends want to say hello."

The leaves rustled a bit more as to the teens' surprise, a small, purple, plush-like elephant creature stepped out.

"That's a heffalump?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow. The creature didn't look like a threatening, scary monster that Eeyore and the others told them about. It looked like it was practically harmless!

The heffalump, now known as Lumpy, looked a little shy due to being around new people, but Kairi knelt down and gave him a big hug with a smile on her face. "How could anyone be scared of someone so cute? He's adorable!"

Lumpy was surprised, but smiled shyly at the hug. "Oh, um, hello there, miss!"

"Lumpy, this is Sora, Anne, Dylan... And this is Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Rabbit, Roo, and his mother, Kanga." Pooh introduced, walking up to him while Kairi was still giving him a hug.

Roo then bounced over, examining him for a moment curiously. "Wow... you're really not all that scary like we thought..."

"I thought you were the scary ones." Lumpy admitted. "My family always told me stories about the creatures that lived in the Hundred Acre Wood were terrifying." He hesitated for a moment. "You really don't look that scary, either... I suppose we were both wrong about each other?"

Kairi then released the small heffalump from the hug. "It looks that way." she told him with a kind smile.

"Hey, do you like to play games?" Roo then asked.

Lumpy perked up a bit. "Oh, why yes, I do! I love games!"

Roo smiled, turning to his mother. "Mama, can I play with him? Pleeeease?"

Kanga looked back and forth between the two, then eventually gave a smile. "I don't see why not."

"Hooray!" Roo and Lumpy started to jump with joy, so some of the friends had to back up so their feet wouldn't get crushed.

The ground shook a bit from Lumpy bouncing, causing them to wobble slightly.

"Oh boy! You like bouncin'?!" Tigger asked eagerly, then joined them as he bounced on his spring-like tail. "Hoo hoo hoo hoo!"

"Oh no." Rabbit groaned, slapping his forehead lightly.

Sora nearly lost his balance from the shaking, but chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. It looks like things turned out for the best between them...


Sora, Kairi, Dylan, and Anne had spent quite some time hanging out with the Hundred Acre Wood residents, even participating in a game or two. It was honestly quite nice, being able to relax and have a bit of fun for a bit after all that had happened.

But now, the time had come for them to leave, as they knew that everyone was waiting for them to return. They were once again at the hill with the log, getting ready to bid the plush like creatures goodbye.

Pooh was a bit sad to see his friend had to leave again. "Must you go?"

"I'm afraid so." Sora said, kneeling down to his level.

"I wish we could be together forever..."

"We are. In our hearts. And as long as I'm there, I'll always be with you." Sora smiled, gesturing to Pooh's heart. "And you'll always be with me."

"Then I shall see you there everyday." Pooh said, his sadness fading away, slowly smiling again.

Sora returned the smile, giving him a hug. "And so will I, Pooh bear."

"We all will." Kairi promised, placing a hand over her heart. Dylan and Anne gave nods of agreement.

Pooh smiled again, happy to know his new friends would always be with him.

"P-Please come back again soon." Piglet spoke up to them.

Anne crouched to his level. "Try not to get blown away next time, okay?" she joked lightly.

Lumpy then looked up, seeing the sky was growing darker now that the sun was setting. "Oh no... I should probably get home... my mother will be worried if I don't."

"Would you like for us to walk you home?" Pooh offered him, earning a nod in reply.

"Please stay safe." Kanga wished the teens.

"And don't you go forgettin' about ol' Tigger!" Tigger called, bouncing up a bit.

Sora laughed. "Of course we won't." he said. And with that, they began to walk away, though they did turn back to wave goodbye to the Hundred Acre Wood gang, which they returned the waves before they turned to leave in order to take Lumpy back to his home. However, Pooh lingered a bit, looking back one more time. He placed a paw over his heart, exchanging one final smile between him and Sora before he left to catch up with his friends.

"You and Pooh share a special connection, don't you?" Dylan then said to Sora, smiling a bit as well.

"Yeah..." Sora nodded, staring off into the distance.

"That's so sweet." Kairi smiled softly at Sora. He chuckled in reply, rubbing the back of his head.

The group of four began to walk away together, heading down a path across the bridge. The four saw a flash of light... then the next thing they knew, they landed in a dogpile of the wooden floor in the committee HQ, taking some of the people in the room by surprise.

"Get off my back!"

"Oh. Sorry." Sora grinned sheepishly. He had gotten used to exiting the book that he had kind of forgotten that Kairi, Dylan, and Anne weren't.

Anne groaned from the bottom of the dogpile. "Ouch... why me?"

They scrambled out of the pile, being greeted by an amused Chase and Riku. "You had fun, it looks like." Chase remarked.

Sora gave a thumbs up. "You bet."

"Chase, you should have gone with us." Anne said to her friend, smiling even though her back was slightly hurting from the landing. "I don't know about you, but I think I really needed that trip, right before we get back on our adventure."

"Right..." Kairi got to her feet. "Think we should round everybody up?"

"Most likely." Riku nodded in agreement.


In the training room, Clair was taking a nap after training a bit learning some new techniques and spells. She was quite tired, so she decided to rest a bit to regain some energy.

The next thing she knew, she was walking along somewhere dark, and cold. Even though it was pitch black, she could see.

She blinked, a bit confused. What was this place...? Where was she, exactly?

It felt like it was sucking all hope from her, trying to fill her with despair. She even shuddered a bit as she walked on through the darkness, wrapping her arms around herself.

Something then rose from within the darkness and she gasped at it. A Darkside!

She took a few steps back, gawking up at the creature before she reached out to call forth her Keyblade to defend herself.

However, the monster acted like they didn't see her, simply floating past the girl. She blinked with even more confusion. What was going on?

Still, not to question good fortune, she resumed her journey, walking until she came to a beach that slowly became visible through the darkness.

She paused as she looked around. The sand was dark gray... and there were a few rocks here and there. The waves lapped against the shore and in the distance, what looked to be a moon was shining just above the water. Calming, yet not hopeful either. It felt dreary, honestly...

As Clair turned, she then saw she wasn't alone. Further down were two figures, and one of them was dressed like Organization XIII.

As she got closer, the other figure turned their head to see her, revealing that they were a young woman with blue hair. With a gasp, she leapt to her feet. "Who are you?"

"Wait? You can see me?" Clair asked, skidding to a halt. To her surprise, the person nodded. Clair's eyes widened. Clair didn't think much of her outfit, with a dark top and corset with shorts and matching leggings. White strips of cloth hung from her waist while huge bell sleeves adorned her arms. "Who are you?" The teenager asked.

"My name is Aqua. Who are you?" the blue haired woman, now known as Aqua, inquired.

"My name is Clair. Clair Fay. Where are we? What exactly is this place?"

"This place... it's the Realm of Darkness." Aqua explained. "How did you get here?"

"I don't know... I was taking a nap after I was training with Merlin..." Clair admitted, confused. "Then the next thing I know, I'm walking through this place."

"Perhaps you could be accessing the Power of Waking." The cloaked figure then spoke up.

Summoning her Keyblade, the young mage pointed it at the figure, taking Aqua by surprise with her weapon. Before Aqua could ask her about her Keyblade, Clair spoke, "And who are you? Are you with Organization XIII?"

"No, I am not..." the figure said in a deep voice. Clair blinked. If he wasn't with them, then why was he wearing a coat like theirs?

"He's a friend." Aqua said. "He's been with me since... I don't know how long. It feels like an eternity."

"You don't know how long you've been here?" Clair asked.

"No... but as far as I know, when I last saw a friend of mine who had come here, he told me ten years had passed... I have no idea how long its been since then. From what I can tell, there is no time in this realm."

"Gri's beak." Clair swore as she held a hand over her mouth. "How do I get here for real? How do I get you out?"

"I don't exactly know..." Aqua admitted, placing a hand over her chest as she looked down.

"How did you get here?" Clair asked, hoping for a clue.

"I fell in to save a friend. In the end, it was him or me, and I chose to save him." Aqua said.

To Clair, it was sounding like she might need to use the power of darkness to get into the Realm of Darkness, which she hoped she wouldn't have to turn to. Unless... turning to the cloaked figure, she said, "You mentioned something about the 'Power of Waking'. What is it?"

"The power to free a heart from its sleep..."

"Free a heart from sleep? What?" Clair questioned with confusion.

"When a heart falls to darkness it doesn't mean it is always cast into the shadows." The figure explained. "Think of it as a state of suspended animation, slumbering away, unable to age and reliving its life. The Power of Waking restores those lost hearts, bringing them back into the Realm of Light."

Clair was surprised. This power... it definitely wasn't like any she had ever heard about before...

"How do I learn to use that power?"

"It's not easy..." the figure admitted, causing her to slump her shoulders. "I recall a legend saying it was something used by the Masters of the Keyblade. If you truly wish to have this power, then perhaps you must prove yourself a master."

Clair didn't know what to say at this. "But... how do I do that?"

"That is something you must find out yourself..."

She then felt a pull. Was her body waking up? "I'll find a way. I'll get you out of the Realm of Darkness. I promise!"

Aqua was surprised, then tried to run to her. But when she reached her, she passed through the younger Keyblade bearer.

Clair then vanished from sight... and the next thing she knew, she woke up with a gasp in the cot she was lying in.

Thinking about what she had learned from her dream, she leapt from her sleeping area and began searching the book titles for anything that could help her learn about the power of waking.

"Come on... come on... anything?!" she asked herself as she searched. She groaned with slight frustration as her searching became fruitless.

With a scream, she threw some of the books across the room.

"Oh, goodness!" She looked up, seeing Merlin coming down the stairs with a couple more books in his arms. "Um, is something wrong, my dear?"

She quickly picked a couple of the books off the floor, trying to make it look like nothing happened. "There's nothing in these books."

"Nothing on what?"

"The power of waking."

Merlin froze a bit, his glasses dropping across the bridge of his nose slightly. "Where did you hear about that?"

"In a dream I just had. Also... does the name Aqua mean anything?"

"Aqua...? Why... yes, I believe so. I ran into her over a decade ago. I heard she became a Keyblade Master. Though I never saw her again afterwards."

"Please. Tell me more about her." Clair requested as she sat back down on the cot.

Merlin gave a nod to the mage, adjusting his glasses. "Very well. It happened over ten years ago..."


Stella and Nash were returning to the headquarters, having finished doing some checks around the town.

"And I think that's everything..." Nash sighed with relief. "I hope we didn't miss anything."

Stella let out a sigh. So much had happened during their visit here. "I think we'll know soon enough."

They soon saw the HQ up ahead. They headed inside once they reached it, finding nearly all of the group together inside.

"Hey, there ya are." Chase remarked as he saw them.

"We had to make sure everything was alright." Stella shrugged.

"And thankfully, people are recovering." Nash added, shoving his hands into his pockets. He then blinked. "Hey, where's Jason, Aurora, and Clair?"

"Clair's still training as far as I know." Chase shrugged. "I dunno what Jason and Aurora are doing, though. Maybe they went out on a date?"

"Hm, probably." Anne shrugged.

Stella blinked. "You're looking more lively, now." she noticed.

"Yeah, I guess you could say I learned something new while you guys were gone." Anne rubbed the back of her head. "It definitely helped me recover quicker. We'll be ready to travel before much longer."

"Yeah, I think its nearly time we head off to the next world." Riku agreed. "We need to round everyone up."


Back with Merlin and Clair, the sorcerer had finished explaining to Clair about what she wanted to know.

"I... had no idea." she said after a moment, shocked by the story.

Merlin nodded, stroking his beard. "It is a tragic tale."

"It's so sad..." Clair whispered. First seeing Aqua in the dream... then hearing about her story? She didn't know what to think. "The power of waking... do you know anybody who has it?" Clair asked, due to what she had been told in her dream.

"Why... I believe that Yen Sid told me that Riku has it due to gaining it from his Mark of Mastery exam." Merlin said. "King Mickey has the ability as well."

"The Mark of Mastery? What's that?"

"Yes... it's an exam for those strong of heart to see if they are ready to be named Keyblade masters. It varies quite a bit depending on who's taking the test."

"... I'm guessing it's not like a test where you have to sit in a classroom for?" Clair asked after a moment.

"No, it is not. Sometimes it can be a quest, other times it can be a tournament depending on the one giving the test." the old wizard explained. Clair stared at him, surprised at what she had learned.

This exam... could it happen to her and her friends in the future? Was it possible? She didn't feel ready, but was there a way to get ready now?

She then sighed, shaking her head to try and clear her thoughts. There was so much going on... no need to dwell on it now. She had to get back to her friends.

Clair stood up, deciding it was time to head back to everyone else. "Thank you for telling me about this, Merlin."

"Just remember: there are no shortcuts to mastery." The old wizard told her before she left.

She headed back up the stairs, finding nearly the entire team in the main room.

"Clair!" Chase smiled once he saw her. "You done with your training?"

"And then some." she admitted.

"You missed something pretty cool." Anne said to her. Clair took notice that she was back up on her feet and was looking ready to head back into action. "We went to the Hundred Acre Woods."

"The what?"

"Turns out, there's a world within that book." Anne gestured to said book on the stand.

"Books can have their own worlds too?" That brought a smile to her face. "I wonder if that means we can visit places like Dinotopia or-."

"I'm not so sure it works that way." Anne rubbed the back of her head. "It would be cool, though."

"Oh..." Clair nodded. "It's good you see you up on your feet again, though."

Anne gave a smile in reply to her newfound relative. "Yeah, you kinda missed something else while you were downstairs."

"Guess I did. So what's the plan now?"

"We've decided to leave Radiant Garden in A little bit. We're gonna need to have Jason and Aurora come back before we all go." Riku stated.

Clair then remembered her dream and everything she had learned. "Oh. That's right. Guys, while I was downstairs, I ended up having a dream that-"

She was cut off by a knock at the front door. Chase went to answer it. He blinked as he looked down, seeing a giant mouse in a red jacket and red pants with yellow shoes standing there. "Whoa!"

The mouse jumped a bit, not expecting to see him. "Oh, hello!"

"Y-y-you're..." Chase couldn't get the words out of his mouth.

"A mouse?" It gave a sheepish chuckle. "I get that a lot. Are Leon and the others here?"

"Um... hey, guys?" Chase looked over his shoulder. "There's a huge mouse at the door asking for Leon!"

"Say what?!" Dylan and Anne exclaimed in unison. Chase moved to the side, showing the mouse to them. He was surprised to see several of the more experienced team members' eyes widen upon seeing the mouse.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi all gasped. "Your Majesty!"

Riku blinked with surprise. "Mickey?!"

Clair did a double take. "He's a king?"

"What?!" Anne's jaw dropped.

The mouse, Mickey, was just as surprised to see them. "Sora? Everyone? There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"What is it, your majesty?" Sora asked. Donald and Goofy rushed forward as they happily embraced him.

"I've been trying to find you for a while now, so I decided to come here again to double check. Ya see, there's something important Yen Sid needs to discuss with you all." the mouse king explained, returning the hugs his longtime friends were giving him.

"Yen Sid?" Clair blinked, raising an eyebrow as she got the king's attention.

"Oh! You must be the ones that Yen Sid told me about."

All this was going over Anne's head. "Uhh... hi?" was all she could think to say at the moment.

"Oh. Your Majesty, this is Clair, Stella, Anne, Chase, Nash, and Dylan." Sora introduced to him. "Guys, this is King Mickey. He's a Keyblade wielder like us."

They all gave out nervous greetings, even more surprised upon hearing this giant talking mouse could use a Keyblade as well.

"There's a couple others, but they're out somewhere in the town." Riku explained. "They, as well as Anne, Clair, and Stella, can use Keyblades."

"Its nice to meet ya." Mickey said to them, giving a nod.

"... Nice to meet you too." Stella said after a moment, not sure what to say to a king that was a mouse.

Clair reached into her pocket, pulling out her holoscreen. "I think i can contact Jason and Aurora if they have their holoscreens on them." Pressing the device, she called to them. "Jason? Aurora? Are you there?"

A moment later, Jason's face showed up. "What's up?"

"You need to come back."

"What for?" Jason asked as Tifa could be seen peering over his shoulder.

"We kind of need to go. We've been summoned."

"Uh... for what?"

"Apparently, King Mickey says that someone named Yen Sid wants to speak with the group. And we're preparing to leave. So... could you come back?"

Jason nodded. "I'm on my way." he replied before the image vanished.

She then tried contacting Aurora again. "Aurora? Hello?" she called. However, she received no answer. Sighing, she asked, "Riku, can you try contacting her through the comm?"

The silver haired keyblade master nodded, placing it in his ear before pressing a button. "Aurora? This is Riku. Can you hear me?"

"What?" Aurora's annoyed voice echoed over the comm.

"We need you to come back here. We're getting ready to leave."

"I'll be right there." Aurora said before the connection ended. And so the gang waited.

"So, you were really travelling around looking for us?" Sora then asked the mouse king.

"Yep. I had to make quite a few stops while trying to find ya. I did run into an old friend, though."

"Gawrsh, sorry we put you through all that trouble, your Majesty..." Goofy apologized.

Mickey just waved a hand. "No worries. I know you had friends who needed help."

Kairi chuckled, scratching at her cheek. "You can say that, again."

Eventually, Jason and Aurora finally arrived, stepping through the door.

"We're back, guys."

"What were you doing?" Dylan asked from where he sat.

"Training." the two said in unison. However, they caught sight of the king, making them stop in place.

Sora then walked up to them. "Jason, Aurora. This is King Mickey." he introduced, gesturing to him. They simply just stared, trying to process what they were seeing before them.

"Nice to meet ya." The king said to them, trying to start a conversation after noticing their staring.

"Same to you." Jason then nodded, snapping out of it. Aurora was silent, not knowing what to say.

"Well, now that we're all together, it looks like we're ready to go." Lea remarked. "Next stop, the Mysterious Tower."

"Wanna hitch a ride with us, your Majesty?" Sora offered.

"Sure. Thanks, Sora." Mickey nodded. "I could really sit down for a bit."

As they gathered their things, Merlin was walking up the stairs. "Ah, it appears you're heading off again."

"Yep. Master Yen Sid wants to talk to us about something." Sora nodded. "I don't know what it is, but I'm guessing it's urgent."

"I see... well, before you go, I'd like for you to have something." To Sora's surprise, Merlin picked up the Winnie the Pooh book from the stand and held it out to him. "Here. Take this with you."

"Wha-?" Sora gasped.

"I think keeping this book in your possession would be the wisest course of action." The old wizard explained to him.

"What? But... how come? I thought you were to take care of it?" Sora asked.

"Yes, that was the case. But as you visited the Hundred Acre Wood during your adventures, I could sense a strong connection between you and Pooh... You have proven your worth of taking care of this book. So please, take it."

Sora was hesitant, but after a moment, he accepted the book. "I'll do my best to keep it safe." he promised him. Well... at least he would be able to visit Pooh whenever he wanted to, now...

"And Jason, Stella, Aurora? Clair asked me earlier about adding some magic to your devices to help them work better." Merlin added, holding out his hand. "May I, for a moment?"

Raising their eyebrows, the three handed him their holoscreens. He waved his wand over them as a magical stream of energy hovered above the holoscreens before flowing into them. "Ah, splendid. Here you go." he remarked, handing them back.

"What's this about?" Jason asked, blinking as he pocketed his device.

"This shall allow you to communicate with others across worlds now that they have been strengthened. I have already done the same to Clair's holoscreen."

"In case we have to separate for a bit. Good thinking." Jason admitted.

"Indeed." Merlin nodded. "Now, I wish you good luck on the rest of your journey."

"Thank you, Merlin." several of them replied in unison.

As they piled out of the headquarters, Merlin said to Clair before she left, "Remember what we talked about."

She nodded before she stepped out the door, catching up with the rest of the team.

Chase carried Binx Jr in his arms as they were walking through town, preparing themselves to be beamed back up. "So, what's this Yen Sid like?" he asked curiously.

"He is very old, and very wise." Mickey replied. "He's a former Keyblade Master who I trained under."

They were then beamed up into the Gummi Ship. Mickey blinked as he looked around, noticing that it was bigger on the inside, unlike other types of Gummi Ships he had seen. He was about to point it out as a new seat appeared out of thin air, but then realized it was most likely the Doctor's work.

As everyone got into their seats, Sora looked down at the book before placing it in a safe spot on the ship. He then sat down in the pilot's seat, grasping the controls. "Everyone ready?"

The team nodded in reply. "Okay, then. Mysterious Tower, here we come!" he declared before they blasted off into the cosmos.