Chapter 22
"Huh?" Said Goofy
"Hey wait a minute is the ship moving all on its own?" Asked Sora as he couldn't take control of the Gummi ship.
"Yup, it looks like we're heading to Hollow Bastion!" Replied Goofy.
"But why?" Asked Andi
Sora, Donald and Goofy look at her and shrug as the ship lands in Hollow Bastion all on its own.
Xxxxxxx
"I wonder what's up?" thought Sora out loud.
They walk to Merlin's House and see the door is open. Several Soldiers Heartless run out of it.
"Uh-oh!" exclaimed Donald
The Heartless disappear.
"C'mon!" ordered Sora
They run into the house and see Merlin on the floor. Merlin adjusts his glasses and stands up as Sora runs over to him.
"Well, now...took your time, did you?" said Merlin looking at them.
"Oh, was it you who summoned us, Merlin?" asked Goofy
"Yes, yes... But it seems I used too much power in doing so, and those infernal Heartless..." explained Merlin trying to catch his breath.
"So, what's up?" asked Sora
"Well, I happened to stumble across this in the Zero District" said Merlin
A familiar book appears in Merlin's hand. He hands it to Donald. Andi looks at it. It looked like one of her childhood books she read as a child.
"Pooh's storybook!" said Sora excitedly.
"That's right. I know you're a good friend of Winnie the Pooh, Sora-that's why I summoned you. Of course Andi also knows him from her young childhood" said Merlin.
Sora looked at her but she avoids eye contact with him and almost trying to get her interest to something else.
"And when I did, I was attacked by the Heartless. Of course, I fought back with some rather powerful magic, but then I began to fear the book would be damaged, so I... Oh! Now, just a moment. Leon and the others need to hear this too. I-I'd better go find them. Be back in a jiffy" continued Merlin.
Merlin vanishes in a puff of smoke. Andi walks to the bookshelves and skimmed her fingers across the books that meant interest her.
"I wonder how Pooh's doing" said Sora looking at the book.
Andi glances back at Sora, Donald and Goofy listening in.
"Wanna find out?" asked Donald
"Yeah!" replied Sora
Donald opens the book and holds it up.
"Sora..." said Goofy
"Cover for me, okay?" replied Sora
Sora enters the book with a bright light from the book.
Xxxxxxxx
Sora lands in the books with all the places in 100 Acre Wood.
"I wonder if Pooh's home" said Sora as he looked at Pooh's house.
He enters Pooh Bear's House, and sees Pooh sitting on a log. Pooh notices his entrance.
"Hey, Pooh Bear! How you doing? Finding enough honey lately?" asked Sora
"Oh, yes. In fact, I was just about to do my stoutness exercises. Would you like to join me, Sora?" asked Pooh
"Sure, I'm game!" replied Sora
Pooh hops off the log, but somehow is caught mid-jump and everything freezes.
"Huh?" said Sora as he touches Pooh and is thrown back out of the Hundred Acre Wood.
Xxxxxxxx
He lands on the floor in Merlin's House. The book, which is now on a desk, closes. Sora sits there dazed and confused what had just happened.
"Sora! Hurry up!" yells Donald
"Donald?"
Sora runs outside to join his friends in mid-battle with the Heartless; Summoning the keyblade.
"Did ya bring the book, Sora?" asked Goofy.
Three Soldier Heartless run out of Merlin's House, one carrying the book.
"Hey!" yells Sora
"Give that back!" said Donald.
Andi looks and attacks the heartless with the book. Sora, Donald and Goofy fight the other Heartless, but the book's cover gets slashed in the process. Sora picks it up off the ground.
"Think its okay?" asked Sora.
"I don't know but I bet it would if you had brought the book in the first place" snapped Andi.
Sora glared at Andi, but didn't reply to her as he looked at the book.
"Gawrsh, maybe ya better go back and make sure Pooh's all right" said Goofy.
Andi crossed her arms almost in a pout and looked away from them.
"But what about Merlin?" asked Donald
"Well, I guess we could explain..." replied Goofy
"Great!" said Sora
Donald takes the book and holds it open again. Sora reenters and goes to Pooh's House.
Xxxxxxxx
Sora goes back to Pooh's house where Pooh is still sitting on the log from the last time he seen him.
"Pooh!" greeted Sora as he runs over.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Pooh" said Sora crouching a little.
"And I'm glad you came to visit. But you see. I was just about to begin my stoutness exercises. Perhaps we could visit a bit later...Somebody-I-Don't-Know" replied Pooh.
Pooh hops off the log.
"Oh...sure" said Sora as he stands up straighter.
Pooh begins to exercise, touching his toes and stretching his legs
"So...how's Piglet these days?" asked Sora.
"I don't think I know anyone by that name. Now where was I? Oh, yes. My stoutness exercises"
"Pooh? Hey! Pooh?"
Pooh doesn't notice Sora and says nothing.
"Something very weird is happening here. Maybe I'd better go back and ask Merlin about this" thought Sora out load.
Sora leaves the book.
Xxxxxxxxxx
As Sora reappears in Merlin's house. The group turns and looks at him.
"Couldn't be bothered to wait up for an old wizard, eh?" asked Merlin
"Sorry about that..." apologized Sora
"How are things in there?" asked Merlin
"Well... Pooh seems to have forgotten all about me. And not just me-all his other friends, too" explained Sora.
"I was afraid of that..."
Merlin walks over to the book and inspects it.
"I suspect it has something to do with those pages the Heartless stole. You'll have to collect the torn pages and repair the book to put things right. This book is one of the world's most cherished elements. I'd been meaning to tell Leon I'd found it, but perhaps we should keep it between us for now" said Merlin.
"We will!" said Sora, Donald and Goofy.
"Why should we? It was Sora's fault" snapped Andi.
"Andi?" said Merlin looking at her.
Andi sighed and rolled her eyes looking away from the wizard and her friends.
"Fine" mutters Andi.
"Good, good... Now, the book isn't all that's cherished... This is for you, Sora and Andi" said Merlin as he gave a baseball charm to Sora.
"What is it?" asked Sora.
"Simply concentrate on it with all your heart, and you need only say the word to summon an ally who will help in times of need" explained Merlin.
"Like Simba and Mushu did, the last time we were here?" asked Goofy.
"Precisely. Now go forth, with your friends by your side!"
"Thanks, Merlin. We're worried about Pooh, so we'll be back once we've found those torn pages" said Sora.
As they walk to the Gummi Ship. Sora could see Andi was not very happy. She glares at him as she sees him glance at her. He rolls his eyes and looks away from her.
"Why can't you do what your told?" Snapped Andi
Sora stops and turns glaring back at Andi. Donald and Goofy stop and also turn at them looking a little worried what this argument is going to do next.
"Why can't you ever just stop arguing with everyone all the time?" Snapped Sora
"You are so childish!"
"Really?!?...Man I can't figure you out! One minute your nice to me the next your mad at me. It's a roller coaster with you I don't know what I'm going to get!" Said Sora.
"Oh I'm sorry I don't see things the way you do!" Snapped Andi
"I don't expect you to see things like I do. I never said you did!" Explained Sora
Andi shakes her head and just walks past Sora angrily. Sora grits his teeth; "What do you want from me?!?"
Andi stops and glances at Sora who look almost defeated. "If you wanted to come along you could have just asked" said Sora.
Andi turns towards Sora and he sees tears running down her face. Whipping them up quickly she runs off.
"Andi!" Yells Sora as he follows her.
"Sora!" Yells Donald as he and Goofy watch them run.
"We'll meet your at the Gummi ship!" Replied Sora as he stops for a second and continues after Andi.
Andi turns behind a building as Sora loses sight of her as he comes closer he stops running and hears her sobbing. As he walks over he sees her sitting down her back against the building and her head down her arms wrapped around her legs. She looks up gasping when she looks up and sees him sitting down next her with his back also against the building. He doesn't say anything but just looks at her with a small smile on his face.
"How can you do that?" Said Andi in disbelief.
"Do what?"
"How can you smile even though we just argued and can't get along! How can you pretend nothing ever happened!" Replied Andi
"Who says I'm pretending?"
"No! Your suppose to be mad at me and not want to be around me!" Says Andi standing up in front of Sora.
"I'm not like that. If you want me to be like that; you'll have to try better than that" replied Sora standing up at well.
"I can't!" Yells Andi
Sora just looks at her; "I can't...I don't want to get hurt" she whispered looking down. "We won't hurt you" replied Sora.
Andi looks up at Sora holding on to her wayfinder. He notices her necklace. "I have one too" he says as he pulls out the wayfinder that Kairi gave him. Andi looks at it and at hers. They were quite similar but also different.
"Someone that gave you that must be special to you?" He says
"Why you say that?" Asked Andi
"Because even though I haven't see what it was until now. I see you always playing with it. Mine came from a friend back on the island I was at. It means a lot to me too"
"Just stop...I don't trust people ok. No one...you can think that you can relate to me because you have something like mine?...I've been manipulated and pushed by who I thought were friends before. How do I know you won't be the same when this is all over?"
"Because Sora is not like that...and neither are we" replied Goofy as Andi turned looking to see Donald and Goofy coming towards them.
"Once you meet us. We're friends forever" said Donald.
Andi looks at the three of them. "Yeah! So what do you say? Friends forever?" Asked Sora giving her his hand as with Donald and Goofy. Andi hesitantly lets go of her wayfinder pendent and slowly puts her hand out with them. They smiled at her as she gave them a small smile still feeling so lost.
"Well we made some progress" said Sora.
Andi removes her hand and pushes some loose strands away from her face behind her ear. "Little steps I guess" said Sora scratching behind his head.
"Sorry..."
Sora shakes his head and laughs; "nah...I get it sorta" he replied.
Andi looked down holding her right arm, "we better get going" she said as she walked away towards the Gummi ship.
Sora nodded and him, Donald and Goofy followed along. Goofy looks at Sora and sees that he seems to be a little down.
"What's wrong Sora?" Asked Goofy.
"Huh?...I don't know I feel like I've known her...but how do I know someone that you never met?" Asked Sora.
Goofy and Donald shrug at him; Sora shakes his head as they get in the Gummi ship. As everyone sits down, Sora pilots the Gummi Ship through the Phantom Storm to a dark underworld that was attached to Olympus Coliseum.
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Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Hope you have enjoyed the last chapter! Went watching Mulan after finishing that chapter been a while since I've seen that movie! Can't wait to see how the live one turns out! We're starting to maybe see light on Sora and Andi's friendship. Please Fave and Review!