Part Nine

The world came to life, the ballerina from where she had been standing in a pose stood on her too feet from her tippy-toes, beginning to dance across the mirror-like floor. The other things came to life as well, a sort of box coming open to the side and soldiers jumping out. The others looked around, but Jeria continued to stare, seeing that one had trouble getting out. He looked out, soon looking up, and trying to get out. As the rest discussed what was going on, she smiled, going up them to help him out.

"Wait a second...I know it!" Riku exclaimed. "Toys! We're the size of TOYS!"

"That's impossible!" Cloud stated.

"Hey, if flamingos can have yo-yos, then who's to say we can't shrink down to the size of toys, hmm?" Vincent said.

"Good point..."

"Well, how are you going to get out of here?" Aerith asked.

"Don't know, maybe we can ask around?" Riku suggested.

"Don't be stupid! Like you said, their toys, and thus they have no way to speak," Cloud said.

"Well apparently there is one way of communication, and the girl's found it," Vincent said, waving a hand up to where she was. They looked up to where the box was, Jeria helping the other soldier out. "Seems like she knows everything before it happens, huh?"

"Yeah," Cloud stated, narrowing his eyes. "Almost..."

Jeria held out a hand, helping him up and standing on the one leg he had. The other was gone from the knee down, but that didn't matter to be nice. "There, now you can go off with your duties, sir."

He saluted her, hopping off like the rest had. She waved after him, though, making him stop as she ran up to him again.

"Oh, and one more thing," she said. "You probably have your eye out for the ballerina over there, don't you? Well, be sure if you give her a flower from one of the bushes, and she'll fall head-over-heels for you!"

He looked at her questionably, wondering who she knew all that, but only smiled slowly and nodded his head. He went off on his way after that, Jeria stepping down the other others who had walked over.

"What do you think you were doing up there?" Cloud questioned.

"Doing some good, unlike you," she shot back, turning a cold shoulder to the ballerina who turned and stuck the same pose with her leg behind her. The tin soldier smiled, hopping over and picking a flower, getting up on the glass surface and wandering over to her. He tapped her shoulder, going around the other way for her to chase him shortly, holding out the flower when she faced him again. Jeria grinned, nodding her head. "See? Told you!"

Vincent looked, over, seeing movement to his side. He looked to the larger building that looked, again, almost like a box. But indeed it was, and his eyes widened when he saw a pair looking through a crack, narrow and waiting to dodge.

"Hey, look out!" he shoulder and the soldier looked up as a creature, supposedly a jack-in-a-box, emerged, holding a metal sword.

He unleashed down onto the solider, but luckily he jumped out of the way. The ballerina picked up a ball, throwing it at him, getting the jack angry. He grabbed a small clear bowl and placed it over her, keeping her out of trouble. He threw things at the tin soldier, but he only deflected it with his musket gun, throwing it back and knocking the hat off the jack. The ballerina laughed, but it was no laughing matter when it suddenly threw a wooden ship at the soldier making him fall out the window along with the ship.

All of them were about to do something about it, but Jeria spoke, shaking her head.

"No, the time will come. Just sit back a wait, all the soldier will return."

With that, they all froze, the whole world doing the same until the next night.

And when the clock struck twelve the next day, they all were awoken again, as if nothing had happened. But Jeria looked behind her, seeing the some tin soldier emerge from the box, and smiled, bowing politely and turning back to the ballerina. The soldier was angry when he saw the jack twirled the ballerina forcefully, stepping forward and taking his place. Thus, the fight began.

It was a good one at that, the tin soldier jumping back as the jack swiped down at him. When he finally reached an edge, they began to worry, but did not when it finally lunged at him, going short and the soldier putting the musket into the wooden box below, throwing him off. he jumped back to his feet, hopping back to his ballerina who greeted him with a smile. She twirled as he approached finally putting her hands on his shoulder as if to kiss him, but the moment ending in the clock striking a minute past twelve.

"Great, now what?" Riku questioned.

Vincent squinted his eyes, seeing a light come from the doors in the clock tower and walking over. He pushed them open, walking through to the dark, almost endless room. He raised an eyebrow, and so did the rest, as they saw what was lying there, and the things looming above.

They all just stood there, watching as one of them came down, waking what was lying there up. It was almost as if the one was teasing the other around the sofa of which it had been lying until finally they began to dance. Music, different from before but still music, played, all of them remaining there, stunned.

"A dancing hippo...?" Cloud inquired, shaking his head.

The music suddenly began to get fast as the ones from above suddenly appeared, bringing out other animals as well.

"And alligators!" Riku said.

"And ostriches!" Aerith stated.

"And...elephants?" Vincent questioned, blinking.

Jeria laughed, amused by all their questions. Cloud finally groaned, rubbing his forehead in annoyance.

"I've about had it with this world..."

"Come on, Cloud, it would be fun!" Aerith laughed, talking his hand and putting a hand on his shoulder, dancing off with him.

Vincent was suddenly swept up by an ostrich with a pink bow, shouting in anger to put him down. Riku and Jeria both laughed, Riku bowing as asking for this dance. She bowed her head, soon grabbing his hand as well and dragging him out on the floor. It was fun, really, even though Riku thought it would make him look stupid. (Though, he felt like asking her because...well, he knew she would enjoy it). The elephants blew bubbles from their trunks, the one hippo dancing with the main alligator and the rest dancing with the others, as well as the ostriches. Jeria laughed, as well as Riku, and they both thought they saw a smidge of a smile appear on Cloud's face from dancing with Aerith. But finally, and so soon, the music ended, the door from behind collapsing and shaking the ground. From where they stood, Riku fell back into the pool in the ground, Jeria quickly going to her knees to see where he was. Though this may have been only a six foot deep pool, he did not resurface, and with the clear water, he was not able to be seen.

"What happened to him?" Vincent asked, escaping the ostriches' grasp.

"He went to where we have to go next," she answer, jumping in as well. After a few moments, she did not resurface either, and they had nothing else but to follow...

They reemerged to where they thought was bottom, the surroundings misty and cold. They all saw Riku and Jeria on shore, going to up them. As they stood for a few minutes to dry off, they saw a figure emerge from the mists, looking like another animal. It was a deer for sure, but it had something hanging on its antlers. He bowed its head, whatever it was sliding off and approaching them, the snow behind beginning to melt. Finally, as it came near them, they saw a child, turning greener the farther it went, and smiled softly at them....