DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!

A/N: HELLO THERE! LIKE THEY SAY, "'ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER CHAPTER!'"!

So, I know I have not been working on This Story very much. Still, I have NOT abandoned it! I intend to finish This Story - no matter how long it takes!
Either way, I at least Hope to get through Chapter 35 by the End of 2016. So, I Hope I have enough time - and can concentrate long enough, too!

By the way, I decided to add a piece of TRIVIA today!
DID YOU KNOW? The actress who played Miss Bianca in Disney's "The Rescuers (1977)" and Disney's "The Rescuers Down Under (1990)" was Eva Gabor? She was also Duchess in Disney's "The Aristocats (1970)". She was probably best-known for her role as Mrs. Lisa Douglas on the classic television show, "Green Acres".
Well, what else do you probably not know? Eva Gabor had a sister named Zsa Zsa Gabor. Zsa Zsa Gabor happens to be a well-known star, too - and she is age 99 now!
Now, How about THAT?!

Well, anyway, for those of you who have been reading "Kingdom Hearts - Friendship OR Duty?", I have reached a dead end at the start of the Next Chapter. As soon as I get that Chapter done, I shall post it on here.

So, I think it is time to let you loose. Chapter 29 is calling - and you are allowed to READ IT!

GO AHEAD! READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! I have just One Request - PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW, TOO!

...If you are still here reading This Part, WELL, WHAT'RE YOU WAITING FOR?! GO! (I JUST HAD TO SAY THAT PART)!

CHAPTER 29
Starting A Side-Quest

Somewhere in the Realm of Light, there was a distant world….

An immense desert spread as far as then eye could see. An enormous mountain of sandy-looking rock towered over the surrounding landscape. Not far from this summit was a small house. It was old and worn. Even though the sun had already been shining for a few hours, one of the inhabitants was still sound asleep.

He was a young boy, about age eight. His blonde hair showed through his messy room. It almost looked as though his hair was moving thanks to the fan blowing air across it.

A sudden echo entered his ears. He rapidly opened his green eyes and sat up in his hammock. He clambered out of it and strolled to his open window. The echo occurred again. He knew exactly what it meant.

Someone out there was in trouble.

He immediately threw on a red shirt and brown shorts. He fastened them in place with a brown belt. He slipped his feet into a pair of brown hiking boots. His white socks could be seen sticking out a little.

After tying his shoelaces, he stepped up to his worktable and picked up his pocketknife. He grabbed his brown backpack and sped-walked out the door. He marched carefully down the stairs and glanced around the corner.

His mom was in the kitchen cleaning dishes. Her lime-green dress looked faded in the dim lighting. All that could be seen of her face was the ponytail her brown hair. The radio was on, "…Thunderstorms are expected in the Crocodile Falls area and some the surrounding gullies, so take out your… "

Good! His mom was distracted. She would not notice if he slipped out the door. He softly hurried to the door and opened it without making it squeak. He carefully shut it so it would not slam. Good! Everything was going smoothly.

He started across the lawn, where the prairie met the desert sands. He had not gotten more than ten steps when a voice called out to him. "Cody!"

Cody winced, knowing he had been caught. "Yeah, Mom?"

"What about your breakfast?"

He had to come up with an excuse. "I've got some sandwiches in my pack."

His Mom sounded like she had just shrugged the issue aside. "Well, be home for supper."

Cody gave a speedy nod. "No worries, Mom."

He headed into the distance. Through a pair of rocky towers. The Summer Sun was blaring down. A slight wind had picked up. It did not matter. Cody was determined to get somewhere. He ran with a serious look written all over his face.

Someone was in trouble. This was not unusual around here. There were lots of people trying to capture the local animals. Still, poaching was a major crime — someone had been given life imprisonment for it. Some of the animals could not be found anywhere else in the whole world.

He knew someone needed to take action. That was why he did this every day… or, at least, whenever he was summoned.

He passed through a patch of bushes. A few hummingbirds and bluish birds started to urge him to follow. "I know, I'm coming," he told them.

He leaped over a hollow log. "Hustle up, Nelson, Faloo's sounding the call!"

A small porcupine crawled out of the log. He scurried along after the blonde-haired boy. Cody proceeded to slide through a long, tilted log. He came out the other end like it had been a slide. He grabbed a stick and banged it against the top of a small den. "C'mon, wombats, hurry!"

He continued into the forest. All the animals had heard the echo and trailed him. They raced down the length of a slow-moving river. Before long, they reached a fallen log. A tall, slender, lavender kangaroo was blowing into one of the branches like it was an instrument's mouthpiece.

The echo was coming from here.

Cody charged into the clearing and stopped before the kangaroo. "Who's caught this time?" he questioned.

The kangaroo gazed at the blonde-haired boy. "You don't know her, Cody," the animal said. "Her name is Marahute, the great golden eagle."

"Where is she?" Cody inquired.

The kangaroo pointed up at an angle towards the sky. "She's caught, high on a cliff in a poacher's trap. You're the only one who can reach her."

Cody frowned with determination. Even if he did not know this eagle, he knew he could not abandon anyone. "I'll get her loose."

The kangaroo gestured for him to climb onto her back. "Right-oh, hope on, no time to lose."

Cody hopped onto the kangaroo's back. She bounded away through the forest. The scent of the river filled his nose as they rushed along the bank. After a few minutes, they reached a tall, stone cliff. All the other animals were directly behind.

"She's up on top of that ridge," the kangaroo explained. She pointed at the cliff's summit. "Be careful, lit'l friend."

Cody climbed off his friend's back and gazed straight up at the cliff. The rock face seemed quite high. It was probably three or four or even five hundred feet tall. He shrugged it aside, knowing he had to ascend — no matter what it meant he had to endure.

The wall of rock now seemed higher than he had thought. For the past twenty minutes, he had been clambering up like a human spider. The familiar smells of the river and trees had disappeared and only the smell of rock remained. A gust of wind picked up.

He glanced back down. The heights would have looked downright dizzying to a lot of others — including his friends. He could see the river winding through the forest as though it was a snake. He had already climbed well over halfway, and he did not have any climbing equipment. No safety harness, no helmet, not even a rope.

He turned his eyes back to the summit. He knew he needed to continue onward. He reached up and grabbed the next rock. Then he moved his other hand before using both his legs. Next, he grabbed the rocky ground at the top of the ridge. He pulled himself up enough to see what was on top.

A giant eagle was bound in place by a series of ropes. Her head contained white feathers, even though the rest of her feathers were a bright golden. The tips of her tail were brown. Her feet were also brown with black claws.

He stared in shock when he saw her. "Marahute!"

The eagle did not move. He realized she was sound asleep. He clambered up onto the level ground. He gradually took a step closer. Then another. And another. And another. As he was getting close, the eagle's large eyes opened, revealing their ruby red color. The instant the animal saw Cody approaching, she screeched in alarm. She tried to flap her wings, only to realize she was still pinned in place by the ropes.

Cody put his hands before him. "Calm down," he told her. "Calm down. I'm not gonna hurt you." He stroked her head. The eagle relaxed and gazed at him. "That's a girl. Stay still… it's okay."

He stepped over to the nearest rope. He reached into his pocket and took out his pocketknife. He flipped it open, its blade reflecting the sunlight from above.

The moment the eagle saw the knife, she panicked even more than the first time. Cody grabbed a rope and started to slice through it. "No wait! I'm here to help you… easy! Easy!"

The rope snapped. The eagle was still screeching something terrible. Cody proceeded to the next rope. He cut it apart. He then raced to the last rope and swiftly sliced it through. "You're free!" he declared with a cheerful smile.

The eagle opened its wings wide. One of the wings slammed straight into the young boy and shoved him clear off the cliff. Cody yelled in alarm. "Aaaiigh!"

The eagle continued to flap her wings. She was now airborne. Cody stared at the freed bird as he continued to fall. He could feel the wind rushing by as he flung his arms around. He flipped over and could see the ground far below coming up rapidly.

A tear slid down his face as he thought of his mother. Why hadn't he taken a little time to say goodbye? She would never know he had been knocked off the cliff. She would never see him again….

He slammed his eyes shut as the trees before him became larger and larger. Just as he was sure he was going to smash onto the dirt below, he landed against something soft… and feathery?

He opened his eyes. He was flying?! He glanced back to see the kangaroo and his other animal friends staring at him in awe. Before long they were well out of sight. Cody continued to look around, curious about what had just happened.

He quickly found himself soaring into the clouds. He finally decided to look down and see what had occurred. He was sitting upon the golden eagle's back. He reached over and looked into the animal's eye. He saw his reflection in it. When the eagle blinked, he smiled.

Marahute had saved his life. No surprise, he probably had saved hers. One good deed deserved another, and he knew it was true. He held onto her feathers. "Higher!" he called.

The eagle flapped them up a few hundred feet. They were now above the clouds. Suddenly, the eagle bounced, sending Cody into the air. The animal seized him with her talons. She screeched at him with excitement. Cody returned with a mock screech of his own. The eagle tickled him, so he laughed with glee.

The pair continued to cruise through the sky. The clouds finally ended. Far below, they could see the ground and the winding stream. The eagle folded her wings and began nose-diving towards the river. As they were just above the water, she re-spread her wings. She dashed along, allowing Cody to slide across the stream like he was water-skiing.

Cody beamed with delight. He had not had this much fun since the last time he had saved Faloo from a pair of hunters. A flock of birds up ahead grabbed his attention. The eagle released her grip on him. He went sliding straight into the flock. The birds squawked in surprise and scattered all around.

He started to lose his footing. "Whoa!"

The eagle raced down and used her beak to keep him upright. Taking this into account, Cody gave a determined grin and kept his eyes straight ahead. The stream ended and Cody opened his arms like he was flying himself. He started to fall, only to land onto the eagle's back. He cheered with glee as the animal screeched in return.

Marahute flew the two over to a cliff on the other side of the canyon. Behind them, the stream ran down in an enormous waterfall. They set down, causing a series of twigs and a few feathers to flutter around them.

Cody jumped off the eagle. As the eagle stepped by, her tail grazed his head, ruffling his hair. He moved the part covering his eyes and looked around. "Wow!"

They were at Marahute's nest. The eagle and Cody both exchanged smiles. When he saw the former was looking at him upside down, Cody chose to do the same. Only, he could not. Instead, he tumbled over and fell into a small ditch-like space in the area. In the middle was a well-woven nest.

The eagle moved some of the grass and feathers over the nest aside as Cody scrambled to his feet and looked at it. Three rather huge eggs could now be seen. Cody's eyes lit up. "You're a mom!"

He placed his ear over an egg. "They're very warm. Are they gonna hatch soon?"

The eagle simply ruffled her neck feathers as though shrugging. Cody had to smile. He stepped back a little as the eagle moved in to sit on her nest. She looked around every-which-way. It appeared she was keeping an eye out from trouble.

Cody had to smile. That was when it occurred to him how Marahute should have had a husband… or mate around the nest while she had been gone. He looked around. Seeing nothing, he turned back to the eagle. "Where's the daddy eagle?" he asked.

The eagle returned with a solemn look in her eyes. She slowly dropped her head. That was all Cody had to see. "Oh… my dad's gone, too."

He gently stroked her hair. The eagle remained in a solemn state for the next few minutes. Cody knew she was mourning her mate's disappearance… or loss, whichever one it was.

Then, the eagle rose up and scooped up some grass and feathers in her beak. She placed them over the eggs. Cody saw this and grabbed some more. He put them over the eggs, too. The wind blew over the nest and picked up a large, golden feather from the nest. Cody reached out and grabbed it.

He smiled, gazing at this feather. He slid it against his neck with a large smile. The eagle stared at him with total perplexity. After a few moments, Cody put the feather down alongside the eggs. The eagle sensed the feather meant quite a bit to the boy and picked it up. She held it out for him using her beak. Cody accepted the feather.

Knowing this was a gift from his friend, he gave the eagle a heartfelt hug. The eagle showed a hint of a smile.

Time had flown by. Marahute had flown Cody back to the spot where she had first found him. She set him back down gently. The two shared another heartfelt hug before the eagle spread her wings. She flapped them a handful of times and took flight.

Cody waved farewell to his friend. Marahute screeched joyfully in reply. Once the eagle had soared off into the wild, blue yonder, Cody ran around and spread out his arms. He began making flying noises as though he was an airplane. He started for home, knowing his mission was complete.

Marahute was once again living free and in the wild.

He had not gotten far when the sound of a jingle bell caught his attention. He looked into a nearby patch of leaves and saw some of them were moving. He strolled over and peered through. A small mouse was tied up to the bell. As the little animal struggled, the bell rang.

Cody smiled at the mouse. "Heh, heh… hey, little fella, what happened to you?"

The mouse saw the boy and its eyes filled with fear. "Oh no! No, no, no, no! Get away, getaway!"

Cody started to untie the mouse. "Don't worry, I'll get you loose."

The ground beneath him collapsed. He found himself falling straight down into a deep pit. An alarm starting to sound. He looked up and saw a gadget with a blinking red light. He immediately knew what had happened.

He had fallen into a trap. A poacher's trap, no doubt. The only question left was, how would he get out of here?

The mouse looked into the pit. "Are you alright?" it asked in its usual squeaky voice.

Cody rubbed his head. "Yeah, I think so."

"Okey-dokey."

The mouse sped off. Cody gasped. "Wait! Hey! Come back!"

He started to climb up. He was halfway out when he grabbed a tree root. The root snapped apart. He fell back down into the pit. That was when he saw the mouse had returned. The tiny animal started to lower a long vine down. "Here you go, grab on."

Cody grinned. "That's great! Just a little more, a little further," he reached out and grasped the vine. "There! I got it."

He started to climb out of the pit. The mouse smiled in turn. It seemed everything was going according to plan.

That's when it all ended. The ground began shaking and a not-too-distant rumbling could be heard. Cody and the mouse stopped and stared in astonishment. The latter gulped, "Uh-oh."

The ground continued to quake. It became more and more violent. The rumbling grew louder and louder. This meant the source of it was getting closer and closer. At once, an enormous truck rolled into view, flattening a few trees in the process.

It was not just any truck. It was a Bushwhacker — complete with a giant cage, grill, and crane. One look at it and the mouse screamed. "Yipe!" he rushed down the vine and into Cody's pack.

The truck slid to a stop. The tractor treads in the back ground over the vine, breaking it. Cody fell back into the pit. The rumbling stopped, as did the shaking. The sounds of doors opening and closing could be heard.

A large, blue Spencer's goanna popped its head into the pit from above. The animal's yellow eyeballs looked uninviting, as did their orange irises. Its snake tongue was a faded pink color. The animal growled. Cody let out a shriek of alarm.

"Well, Joanna," a deep voice said from above. "What'd we get today?"

"Hopefully something with furs," a feminine voice stated.

"Ha cha cha," a third voice laughed. "Maybe it's the Key-boy and his lackeys."

Three people gazed into the pit. Cody stared in surprise.

One of them was a tall, slender mouse wearing an orange, long-sleeved shirt in a similar design to Jiminy Cricket's jacket, a cream-colored shirt showing through the collar, very dark-tan trousers, and huge, flat-like dark-grey shoes. He had white gloves and black, round ears. His snout was very long and large.

Another was a slender woman with fair skin, red-polished fingernails, huge eyes that appeared to be bulging, and hair that was black on her right and white on the left. She was decked out in a short tank dress, red gloves, and a giant cream-colored fur coat with a red interior. Her appearance was similar to a skeleton.

The third one was in the middle. He was an older man with a careworn face, balding brown hair, a hooked-nose, black eyes, and brown eyebrows. He was wearing a gray riding jacket, dark gray bandanna facing backwards, cream long-sleeved shirt with two buttons running vertically to his neckline, a brown vest, brown boots, and dark-grey pants with brown suspenders attached. He had an Indiana Jones-like hat with a dark brown band around on its brim and white teeth on the front. He was also holding a large shotgun-like weapon.

"A dingo," the man with the shot-gun weapon said. "A fat ol' razorback, or a nice big…. "

He paused the instant he saw Cody in the pit. "…Boy?!"

Cody was startled. These were not ordinary people. They were poachers. He had landed in a poacher's trap. He could not believe it! People were still hunting down protected animals.

The man's eyes slid to the monitor lizard beside him. He kicked the animal hard in the side. "Joanna, you been diggin' holes out here again?!"

The tall mouse-like figure snorted. "Stupid lizards are always trying to bury stuff."

The woman kicked the lizard herself. "What a fool. She can't do a thing we tell her."

Cody knew better. "Unh-unh. It's a trap, and poachin's against the law."

The three people returned their gaze into the pit. They gave friendly grins. "'Trap'?" the man with the gun said. "Where'd you get an idea like that?! Boy, I think you've been down in that hole for too long."

The man lowered his gun into the hole. Cody felt sweat sliding down his face. Was this man about to shoot him? He winced, certain he was about to meet his end.

"Well, c'mon, grab ahold," the man said.

Cody looked up. It appeared the three people did not mean him any harm… did they? It sure did not look like they did. Then again, appearances could be deceiving… wasn't that true? Either way, there was still no other method of escape from this pit.

He grabbed onto the gun's end and felt himself being lifted out. The man gently set him on the ground outside the pit. "We'll get you out of this little ol' lizard hole," the man said.

"And then you can kindly run along home," the woman added.

Once he was on the same ground level as the others, Cody scowled at the three. "This is a poacher's trap," he stated, pointing an accusing figure at them. "And you're poachers!"

"No, we're not," the woman denied. "All I want is a lovely fur coat."

"Yeah," the mouse-like man added. He approached Cody and put his long arm around the latter's shoulders. "Take it from us, kid, we mean no harm to anyone in this world — I mean, forest."

Cody still had his doubts. Before he could ponder about it, the lizard suddenly jumped onto his back and knocked him down. The mouse-man jumped back in surprise. He bumped into the woman and knocked her and the man with the gun into the pit. All three of them landed with such force, the ground shook and the gun went off. A cloud of dust could be seen rising from the pit.

"Let go!" Cody shouted at the lizard. "Hey, get off of me!"

"I'll kill that stupid lizard!" a voice snarled from inside the pit.

"She'll wish she hadn't messed with us," another snapped.

"I'm gonna kill her," a third barked. "I'm gonna kill that dumb, slimy, egg-sucking salamander."

The two men and woman clambered out of the pit. The man with the gun pointed it straight at the lizard. The mouse-man took out a pair of pistols and aimed them at the animal. The woman reached into her purse and held up a silver handgun.

The animal was so alarmed to see the guns, she tried to slither away. The group kept her in his sights. The lizard finally was forced to cover her eyes, knowing the end was near.

At once, the man with the shotgun paused. He lowered his gun. He gave a grin. The woman and mouse-man both lowered their weapons in perplexity. The first man grabbed Cody by his backpack. "Hmmm… good girl, Joanna."

The lizard looked up when its name was said. Taking into account how the three had lowered their weapons, she gave a grin and chuckled happily.

"What are you doing?" the woman asked. She looked completely unamused.

The mouse-man gave a nod. "Yeah?"

That was when the two realized the man's eye had been on the golden feather in Cody's backpack. He took it out and spent a quick minute observing it. "Say," he said to Cody. "Where'd you get this pretty feather, boy?"

Cody gulped. "It was a present."

The man gave a sinister grin. For a moment, the others thought they saw a flicker of a dark cloud shrouding his body. "Oh, that's real nice. Who gave it to ya?"

Cody hesitated in his answer. "It's a… s-secret."

The man shook his head. "That's no secret boy," he said, placing the feather into his hat's brim. "You see," he pulled out a ruffled, old gold feather from inside his shirt. "I already got the father."

Cody was shocked and angered. So this was why Marahute's mate had never returned! He had been killed — by the same poacher — poachers — who he was now face to face with. He glared and clenched his fists.

The man seemed to like this reaction. He gave a dark chuckle. "You just tell me where momma and those little eggs are."

The other two each gave sinister faces. Cody was not quite sure why they wanted Marahute. He just knew he could not let them get their hands on her. He needed to warn her — and then alert his Mom and the authorities.

"NO!" He slipped out of his backpack and ran.

The man with the brown hat clenched his teeth. He pointed at Cody. "Joanna, sick 'em!"

The lizard charged after the golden-haired boy. The mouse-man raised his hand, causing a horde of black creatures possessing antennae and claws to appear and join the lizard in the chase.

Cody continued to run, knowing all too well he was being pursued. He charged through the forest and the little underbrush in his path. Before long, he ran out of trees and was now in the open.

He rushed down across a section of bare rock. Up ahead, he could see a narrow waterfall. The source of the water was a rock formation that strong-resembled a crocodile.

He came to a sudden stop at the edge of a cliff overlooking a large, wide river. Down below, a group of crocodiles were watching him, their mouths open in anticipation.

He looked back. The lizard was closing in. He was stuck between being captured by a lizard and strange monsters or being torn apart by hungry crocodiles. Unless he wanted to betray Marahute or get killed, he only had one alternative.

He needed to face the lizard and strange monsters. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocketknife. The item slipped from his hands and landed on the ground. He jumped onto the ground to retrieve it. A large boot stomped on his hand.

"You're comin' with us, boy," declared the man in the brown hat. The mouse-man and the woman were not far behind.

Cody glowered at them. "My Mom'll call the rangers!" he stubbornly countered.

Two of the villains looked a little worried. The man in the brown hat looked a little frantic, only Cody knew he was faking it. "Oh no," he proclaimed. "Not the rangers, what'll I do? What'll I do?! Don't let your mom call the rangers! Please don't!"

The lizard fell backwards onto the ground, laughing. The man laughed in turn. So did the other two evildoers.

The man tossed Cody's backpack into the river. It was immediately snatched by a hungry crocodile. "'My poor baby boy got eaten by the crocodiles, boo-hoo-hoo'!"

Cody was stunned. He could not believe his eyes. These three had just thrown his backpack into the river. It appeared no one would ever find him now. If the rangers did pick up the trail, they would assume he had been killed by those crocodiles.

"Ha cha cha!" the mouse-man declared. "You're ours, kid!"

The woman came face to face with Cody. "You were a fool to try to outrun us," she stated.

Cody coughed, wishing he could hold his nose. This woman's breath was terrible! What had she been doing? Smoking something stronger than what was allowed?

The man in the brown hat started to drag Cody away by the shoulder. "Let's go, boy!"

The weather was getting worse. The sun had been covered by a passing storm cloud. Thunder was starting to rumble and the wind was picking up. Leaves and bushes were moving throughout the forest. The scent of Darkness was in the air.

That was what it looked like when the gray-furred mouse peered out from the bushes. He could see the golden-haired boy from the trap locked in the gigantic cage on the back of the monstrous truck. "HELP! HELP!" the boy was shouting over and over and over again.

The mouse was appalled. He had managed to escape from that same boy's backpack after the lizard had begun the chase. Now, the boy had been kidnapped. He knew who was responsible. That truck was owned by one of the most-wanted poachers in the outback.

McLeach.

He needed to take action. As he watched the truck drive away, the mouse scampered deeper into the forest. He shortly came upon a small building that had been built from the inside of an old boot. A light was on inside. He barged in through the door of the telegraph office, startling the operator mouse inside.

"Help, help, help!" he panicked. "Someone help! McLeach took the boy. He took the little boy. Send for help!"

The operator mouse did not waste any time. He rushed to the telegraph key and began typing a message in Morse Code. A beeping sound could be heard as he sent the message out.

Up above, there was a gigantic telegraph pole camouflaged as a tree. At the top, a few other mouse used a crank to turn a massive antennae.

Across the sea was a smaller island. In the middle of a dense jungle on this island was a wrecked airplane. The shape of it resembled a battle plane from the World War 2 era. Inside the ruined cockpit, the Morse Code message could be heard being transmitted. A small mouse wearing a pilot's uniform heard the message and twitched his nose.

A distress message. He needed to relay it forward.

He hurried around, turning dials, pushing and pulling levers, and then dashed over to his own telegraph key. He immediately sent a message of his own on. He hoped someone would receive it and know what to do.

A large group of islands were located in the middle of the ocean. It was here a military base had been established. A number of computer screens had been situated in the control room. At once, all the screens flashed and a message appeared.

"RAS… RAS… RAS," it read over and over.

The technician nearly jolted out of his seat when he saw the message. He adjusted his glasses. "What the—?!"

He typed ferociously to remove the message. Nothing happened. On a higher spot in the room, a pair of mice were watching through binoculars. The moment they saw the letters "RAS", they understood what it meant.

A distress message.

They started waving a pair of flags. Another mouse down below saw this and whistled to a few others. The other mice gathered around a phone dial. One punched in a series of numbers. He gave a thumbs-up to the others. That was their cue.

The remaining mice hopped over to the computer where the technician was still attempting to remove the message from the screen. In the background, his telephone started to ring. The technician tried to ignore it and concentrate all his attention on removing the mysterious message off his screen. He finally gave up and strolled away to answer the telephone.

Now was their chance. The mice hopped onto the keyboard and press a few keys. The full message appears on the screen.

RAS… RAS… ATTENTION! BOY KIDNAPPED IN AUSTRALIA! IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

The mice exchanged looks of shock and surprise. This was a distress call. It was clearly intended for the Rescue Aid Society at the United Nations. They began hopping onto some other keys. A new message started to appear as they typed.

RELAY TO NEW YORK

The largest city in the United States was caught in the middle of a ferocious snowstorm. Gusts of wind blew all around. Wind-driven snow gathered on rooftops and along sidewalks. It might have appeared to be a blizzard had the snow been collecting on the streets. The constant cars and snowplows had managed to keep the roadways safe and secure for all forms of traffic.

Atop on particular building was a large satellite dish. Just below the dish, a small room was receiving emergency messages from around the world on a control panel.

At this precise moment, a flashing red light illuminated the room. The mouse stationed there was busy translating the coded message. He then lowered a microphone and spoke loud and clear into it. "Code red! Code red! Attention all Rescue Aid Society delegates! Please report immediately to the main assembly hall. This is an emergency meeting. I repeat, this is a code red emergency meeting!"

Downstairs, there was an enormous meeting hall. It was actually constructed within an abandoned, sideways trunk. A large American flag was hanging on the far side from where all the seats were situated. Mice representing each and every nation in the world were gathering at this very spot. Many of them were yawning or starting to doze the instant they took their seats.

On a stage near the middle of the hall was a large, brown mouse dressed in a nice, blue suit. He was banging a gavel against a podium (an empty spool of thread). "Order! Order!" the Chairmouse called. "Yes, yes, I know it's late, but I'm…. "

He stared in surprise at a nearby delegate. The mouse was yawning. "Oh, really! Sir Charles."

An older mouse took a seat next to the yawning one. The Chairmouse nodded at him. "Hello, hello, Frank, how are you, nice to see you!"

He chuckled for a moment. "Ha, ha… all right, quiet now, please. Everyone, pay attention."

He banged his gavel once more. The hall fell into complete silence. "There has been a kidnapping in Australia."

All the delegates gasped in alarm. The Chairmouse continued. "A young boy needs our help. This is a mission requiring our very finest, and I know we are all thinking of the same two mice."

The Chairmouse gestured towards a small table in the hall. Two seats were there — one for the United States and the other for Hungary. Everyone took a second look or blinked when they saw the seats were empty. The Chairmouse squinted to take a better look. "What's this?" he declared. "Gone? We must find Bernard and Miss Bianca at once!"

One of the delegates raised their hand. "They aren't around here, sir!"

The Chairmouse was startled. His two best delegates were missing? That could not be true! He needed to find them — at once! "When was the last time someone saw them?"

"I heard a rumor," another delegate proclaimed. "A friend claimed to have seen them somewhere out there," he pointed towards the ceiling. It was clear he was referring to outer space. "They might be in another world."

The Chairmouse was shaken. Now Bernard and Miss Bianca were in another world? He needed them on this assignment.

Even if it meant relaying the message to this "other world".

The stars were shining brilliantly as Herbie soared through space. His rockets and tires seemed to leave a thin trail of color in the airless abyss. As he looked down from the windshield, Sora held the torn page in his hand. He took a moment to examine it. The drawing on it resembled a house constructed within a tree. An expanse of vegetable fields was located beside it.

His eyes widened. He automatically knew what it was supposed to be. Rabbit's house… he had been there before, just once. Pooh had eaten all of Rabbit's honey and then he had remembered Rabbit and Eeyore.

He knew what this meant… or maybe not. He was still trying to figure out how the pages had been taken from the book. Was this one from a particular chapter? That did not sound correct. The book did not appear to be one written in chapters.

It did not make any sense, at least not to him.

With a sigh, Sora glanced to his right. Amemi was slouched in her seat. Her feet were on the dashboard. Her eyes were shut and she seemed to be smiling. Sora took a closer look and saw the small, red iPod in her hand. A pair of headphones connected the device to her ears.

He smiled himself. He had the feeling his sister was listening to one of her favorite songs. Probably the "WordGirl" theme song. Then again, probably not. She would have been dancing in her seat if it was that song.

Sora looked past her. He could see Launchpad calmly using the steering wheel. Either he had given up trying to take control and was just relaxing out of pure boredom, or Herbie had allowed him to have partial control.

"This is such a lovely sight!"

Sora looked back. Indigo was peering out the window to her right. Since she was sitting behind him, the brown-headed Keyblade wielder had to turn around to see her. Good thing the two were both sitting on the right side of the vehicle. If anyone had been beside them on that side, they would have been a little squished suddenly.

"Yeah," he admitted. "It's so cool, right?"

Indigo gave him a nod. She pointed out a passing star. It was glowing a bright, green color. "Look! It is a quasar!"

Sora was puzzled. What was the angel referring to? He was not sure. After all, he had failed Science class three years in a row. He would never understand classifications of stars, the Water Cycle, or even how sound travels around from place to place. It just wasn't his thing.

Fighting Heartless, Nobodies, and other enemies with his Keyblade — now that was his thing!

Indigo was leaning up against the window so closely, the round ends of her antennae were bumping against it. She had both hands touching the glass as though she was about to push it open.

To Sora, she looked excited and fascinated.

"It can be so interesting to learn about the many different worlds out there," she commented. "They are all so different, yet still the same."

Sora had to admit, Indigo had a point. Every world was very different. He had been to so many places and met so many others. All those other places he had visited… Agrabah… Wonderland… The Deep Jungle… Halloween Town… Never Land… Olympus Coliseum… Atlantica… Hollow Bastion/The Radiant Garden… The Land of Dragons… The Beast's Castle… Port Royal… The Pride Lands… The 100-Acre Wood… Space Paranoids… Twilight Town… Traverse Town… Corona… Pixie Hollow… Rascal's Dreamland… The Grid… Camelot… The Symphony of Sorcery… The Country of The Musketeers… The World That Never Was… Ancient Empire… Jamestowne… Middleton… Disney Castle… La Ville de Sonner Les Cloches… The Beast's Castle… among others.

Of course, that did not mean there was something wrong with them. They were special — each in their own way.

"True," Sora admitted. "And that's why we have to protect them."

Indigo did not seem to hear him. Sora was perplexed. Was her mind that preoccupied by what she saw outside? "It is such a lovely view," she marveled.

Sora sighed. He still had not informed the angel about what was going on. He had agreed to find her, hoping she would join them in their fight against Xehanort and Maleficent. He needed to fill her in. "So, Indigo, have you seen—?"

"There are so many stories out there," Indigo blurted.

"Really?" Donald asked. He had been drawn away from the show he and Goofy had been watching on the monitor.

"Yes," Indigo confirmed.

"What kinda stories?" Goofy asked, pausing the show.

The angel turned around to face the two. "Well, I once heard one about a 'Lost Engine'."

Amemi whirled around in her seat. She switched off her iPod and removed her headphones. "How does it go?"

Sora gave another sigh. He decided just to listen and take things in stride, which was not exactly his strongest point. He listened as Indigo began telling them the story.

"Once upon a time," Indigo started. "There were three trains who lived on their own railroad line in the mountains. Their names were Duke, Stuart, and Falcon."

As Indigo spoke, an image appeared in Sora's head. Three trains happily working on a railroad line. They were smiling and seemed to have a lot of fun.

He wondered if the angel was making this happen….

"Duke was the oldest," Indigo went on. "He was named after his owner, the 'Duke of Sodor'. He was proud of his name and enjoyed keeping the other engines in line. Whenever Duke saw Stuart and Falcon doing something he thought was wrong, he would say, 'That would never suit his Grace!'"

In a heartbeat, Donald and Goofy burst out laughing. A moment later, they stopped. "I don't get it," Goofy muttered. "But it sure sounded funny."

Amemi turned to the knight. "How about we let Indigo finish the story. Alright?"

Goofy nodded. Sora had to shake his head, knowing Goofy was just being Goofy. All eyes returned to Indigo. The angel hesitated for a moment before she continued.

"While many engines came and went, Duke remained on the railroad. Stuart and Falcon used to call him, 'Granpuff'. They liked him, but easily grew tired of always hearing about 'His Grace'. Sometimes, they teased him; 'Engines come, engines go, but Granpuff goes on forever!'"

Sora folded his arms. This story sounded somewhat… familiar… he just could not place it.

"You imprudent scallywags!' Duke said one day. 'Whatever are you engines coming to?' In turn, Stuart and Falcon both replied, 'Never mind, Granpuff! We are only young once!' Duke was not happy about this, and so he told the two engines about another engine from long ago."

"What 'engine' was that?" Goofy enquired.

"Duke called him 'Smudger'. He had used to race around the tracks, spilling his freight cars, and sliding off the rails. Duke had warned him to be careful, only Smudger did not listen. A few days later, the railroad manager got so upset with Smudger, it was said he changed him into a generator so he would be useful."

"That's terrible!" Donald remarked.

Indigo nodded. "After that, Stuart and Falcon were better behaved engines, and all three were happy together for many years."

Goofy started to applaud. "A-Hyuck! I like this story!"

Indigo crossed her arms. She looked up at the ceiling. "I was not finished telling it."

Goofy covered his mouth. Sora shook his head and smiled.

"Then, hard times came," the angel informed the group. "All of the mines along the railroad closed down. The railroad lost so much money, it was closed down, too."

Sora's eyes widened. He had heard this story some place before! He just… just wished he could remember where.

"What became of the engines?" Donald asked, eager to know the story's ending.

"People came from all over to buy the engines," Indigo continued. Sora noticed her voice sounded much more somber. Now, he was wondering if this story had a happy ending. "They chose Stuart and Falcon. No one wanted Duke."

"Why not?" Amemi asked.

Indigo shrugged. "They all must have thought he was too old. Before Stuart and Falcon left, they smiled at Duke. 'Cheer up, Granpuff,' Stuart had said. 'We will find you a nice, new railway, and then you can come and keep us in order!' They tried to be brave and cheerful, yet no one believed their dreams would come true."

"What a minute," Sora spoke up. All eyes turned to him. "I thought you said Duke's owner was a Duke. Why didn't he come and get him?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that part!" Indigo realized. "Duke's owner never came for his engine. No one on the railroad knew this, yet he had been killed in a war a few days before."

Amemi gasped. Donald and Goofy exchanged looks of surprise. Sora was startled, too. "So, what happened next?" the Keyblader questioned.

Indigo took a deep breath before she continued. Her voice sounded all the more somber. "Duke's driver and fireman fixed him up one last time. They covered him with a canvas, said goodbye, and locked him inside a shed. Then, they left to find work somewhere else."

Sora caught a glimpse of Amemi. For a moment, it appeared the young woman might be about ready to shed a tear or two.

"Duke was all alone," Indigo went on. "'Oh well,' he sighed. He chose to go to sleep, knowing it would help to pass the time."

"He was all alone?" Goofy asked.

"Yes," Indigo nodded. "The railroad was like a ghost town. Several months went by. Heavy mountain rains washed dirt and mud all over the tracks. The old buildings crumbled and some collapsed. The steel pipes and other metal things rusted and fell apart. All this rain caused trees and bushes to grow all around. The forest became so thick, you could not tell there was shed there, let alone an engine sleeping inside it."

Goofy pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose. He had tears running down the sides of his face. He handed the used handkerchief to Donald. The duck took it, saw what it was, and dropped it in an instant.

Amemi was wiping tears out of her eyes. "That story was so sad," she remarked.

"No kidding," Sora admitted. Any story about someone being left alone and then forgotten by his or her friends would be tragic. He wondered why it had to have a sad ending. "But… surely someone found him eventually, right?"

Indigo raised her left hand. "Actually, that was not the end of the story. Yet, it was a good stopping point for now."

Sora had to turn back and shake his head. He had had the feeling there was more to the story than that. Apparently, Indigo was withholding the ending. Why? He was not sure and probably would never know. After all, people have the right to hold back things if they want to. It does not make it much fun when it comes to stories… or does it? Maybe… Indigo wanted to keep the group in suspense?

Indigo gazed out the window. Through the rearview mirror, Sora saw her. She did not look very happy now. She was calmly looking out the window, sighing every now and then. He wondered if the story had lowered her spirits. After all, it had not had a happy ending and she was the Angel of Hope.

Either way, now was the time to inform her about what was happening. If he did not seize the chance now, he probably would have to wait a long while before he would get another.

He turned to face her. "Indigo, you know what's been going on, right?"

Indigo swung her attention to him. "Now that you mention it, I… I really do not understand what is happening. All those Heartless keep showing up, and they are becoming a threat to the safety of the worlds."

Her eyes lit up. "Do you know what is happening?"

Sora gave a nod. "Yeah! You see, there's this guy, Xehanort, who's been causing trouble for a long time. He's tried to—"

"Xehanort?!" Indigo's shriek sounded louder than a thunderclap. Her eyes grew large in alarm. She nearly leapt out of her seat. The seatbelt held her back and she tucked her arms and legs in. She looked around and started taking shallow breaths. "Where is he?!"

Sora was startled. He had not expected this reaction. Was Indigo afraid of Xehanort? According to Riku, Violet hated the villainous Keyblade Master. So, why did her sister fear him? Had something happened to the two of them? Something Xehanort had done? Maybe Indigo was worried about Organization XIII. That group of Nobodies had proved to be quite the fearsome team.

Then again, the angel probably had simply heard of Xehanort and the stories she had heard about him had traumatized her.

"He's not here," Donald said.

"Yup," Goofy affirmed. "Nobody's seen him for months. He jest… disappeared."

Sora was confused. "Huh? What're you two talking about?"

For the next few minutes, Donald and Goofy explained to Sora about how they had seen Master Xehanort himself when they had saved King Mickey, Riku, Violet, Lea, and Niccole from the villain's deception. It had been during this time they'd rescued Sora from Xehanort's new Organization XIII.

Sora was stunned. He had no idea about what had taken place when he'd been unconscious. No one had said anything about it — not even Violet, and she had stayed at his house for a few months!

Indigo looked relieved. "Thank goodness!" she gave a small smile. She was still shaking a little. "I hope I never have to see him again! He… he is… is…. "

Her voice trailed off.

Sora pondered for a moment. He was not sure what the angel was getting at. Did she actually know Xehanort? He was totally mystified. He shrugged it off.

"The thing is, he's trying to do something terrible," the young man explained.

"Somethin' to all the worlds," Goofy indicated.

"Right," Donald approved. He nudged the tall dog. "What Goofy said."

Sora stared for a moment. Did Donald just agree with Goofy? Things were changing so suddenly, he had the feeling he would never be ready for all of it.

"Well, anyway," he went on. "He's missing right now."

Indigo gave a deep sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! For a second, you had me very, very, very nervous. I hope I never have to look into his amber eyes ever again."

'Well, that explains it', Sora thought. The angel had most-likely had a traumatizing experience, and it involved Xehanort. He decided not to ask her for more detail. Chances are, she had tried to forget what had happened. He knew he would have done the same thing.

"But there's something else going on," Sora spoke up. "You see, there's this witch named 'Maleficent', and she's…. "

"'Maleficent'?" Indigo blurted. She pounded her left fist into her right hand. She paused for a moment to wince at the pain. "I know her. Yet, she is a fairy — not a 'witch'."

"Huh?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy were taken by surprise. Maleficent was not a witch after all? She sure seemed to be a witch, with all the dark magic and evil spells. Not to mention, she could also transform into a fire-breathing dragon. What kind of fairy could do that?!

"She can't be a fairy!" Donald stated.

"Yeah!" Goofy nodded. "She ain't got any wings."

Indigo crossed her arms. She looked unamused. "I have wings! I am not a fairy. Not all fairies have wings."

Donald and Goofy gave each other puzzled looks. All Sora could do was show a grin. At least his cheeks did not turn red. Not like when Kairi had — never mind!

"Anyway," Sora cleared his throat (which he did not normally have to do) and continued. "Maleficent's working with a lot of villains. They are trying to take over all the worlds with the Heartless."

"Yup!" Goofy gave a nod. "And Pete, thuh Beagle Boys, Donald Karnage, that there judge, and thuh fairy Thistle are among 'em."

"'Don Karnage'!" Donald corrected. "And Frollo's gone. We stopped him, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Goofy chuckled. "A-Hyuck!"

"So that's why we've gotta stop them," Sora added. "Or no one's gonna be safe for Christmas."

Amemi turned around in her seat. "My brother's right," she confirmed. "You won't believe how dangerous this quest has been so far."

"And it's not over yet," Donald stated in a very firm voice.

Indigo gave a nod. She turned back to looked out the window. After a minute or two, she turned back to the group. She gave another nod. "If Christmas is on the line, then count me in!"

"Well, that was fast," Donald whispered to the others.

"I know it was," Indigo said. "Being the Angel of Hope, I easily overhear other conversations. I have no clue why I can. It simply happens," she shrugged.

Donald rolled his eyes and shook his head. This made Sora want to laugh.

BEEP! BEEP! BLIP! BLIP!

Everyone whirled their attention to the front of the vehicle. "What's going on?" Sora inquired.

Launchpad removed the headphones from over his ears. Sora and Amemi could now see the pilot had been listening to a CD player. The electronic machine was nestled neatly in his lap.

"Hey, guys," the muscular duck declared. "We got a strange message coming in!"

At once, a series of monitors appeared from out of the dashboard. They flickered on. A set of words came into focus.

RAS… RAS… ATTENTION! BOY KIDNAPPED IN AUSTRALIA! IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

RELAY TO NEW YORK

Everyone stared at it. Sora was bewildered. What did this message mean? He had never seen such a thing before. Then again, he had never known Herbie had such screens inside his dashboard either. Apparently, the modified racecar/Gummi Ship still held a number of surprises.

"It's a call for help," Amemi realized.

"Yeah," Goofy agreed. "But… where's it from?"

"Where's 'New York'?" Donald asked.

"Well… it's not some 'Old York'," Launchpad suggested.

Donald slapped himself in the face.

"It came from another world," Indigo pin-pointed. She reached between Sora and Amemi and pointed at the words. "It is being sent to someone named 'RAS'."

She paused. "That sounds like a company or organization."

"What could it mean?" Amemi wondered.

"'Restored Apple Sauce?" Goofy offered.

"Let's not worry about it," Sora spoke up. "It's supposed to be for someone in another world. Unless the Heartless, Maleficent, or the Organization's involved, we need to continue on our quest."

He turned back in his seat. He calmly slouched and looked out the windshield. Silence followed as everyone returned to what they had been doing in the first place.

Deep down, he had the feeling someone out there needed his help… whoever they were.

The blue sky had never been clearer. The sun was shining. There were no clouds in the sky. Even so, the town was still under heavy construction. Lots of noise and clouds of dust were coming from the heavy machinery. Workers milled about. Hammers banged, screw turned, and cement was poured.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo hardly took note of it all. They raced up the steps to the castle. Like Sora had expected, the entrance was guarded. Dilan and Aeleus were standing on either side of the doorway like soldiers patrolling the front gate of a military base. There were no Heartless in sight.

"Sora," Donald started to say.

Goofy beat him to the punch. "Don't forget what happened thuh last time."

Sora nodded. He recalled how the two guards had refused to allow the group to enter without passes. If a horde of Heartless had not happened to show up at that time, they might never have made it inside the castle.

Fortunately, this time, they were ready. Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out a total of six cards. Each one was a red color and contained a picture of the castle surrounded by fountains.

He handed one to Donald, another to Goofy, and a third to Launchpad. When he turned to Amemi and Indigo, the two were perplexed.

"What is this?" Amemi asked when her brother handed her a card.

Indigo held it up to the sun. "It looks shiny and covered with sparkles," she smiled. "I like things that sparkle and shine! It reminds me of pure Light."

"They're VIP cards," Sora explained. "We need them to get inside the castle."

"VIPs?" Amemi asked. Her eyes grew. "Sora, are you a member of a club here?"

Sora placed his hands behind his head. "I guess you could say that…. "

Indigo lowered the card to read it. "'Radiant Garden Reconstruction Committee Very Important Person Member'!"

She turned to the spikey-haired Keyblade wielder. "Why do you have so many cards?"

Sora only gave his signature grin. He knew Cid had created two extra cards — just in case. Good thing, too. There were two more members in his party now.

He turned to the door. Clutching his own card in hand, Sora gave a quick nod. "Okay. Let's get going."

The others all nodded, except for Amemi. When everyone else headed for the entrance, she stood in place. She was deep in thought, wondering what "committee" Sora had joined in this world. She only hoped it was good — like "The International WordGirl Fan Club". She was a member of that one.

She shrugged it off and headed after the others. They were already gathered at the doorway. The two guards were awaiting her arrival.

"Amy, what's wrong?" Sora asked her.

Amemi shook her head rapidly. "Nothing."

"Nothin'?" Goofy questioned.

"Right," Amemi nodded. "Nothing."

The knight crossed his arms and placed one hand against his chin. "Hmm…. "

Sora turned to the guards. He held up his card. One of the guards had long, black hair and sideburns. He was wielding a lance, which made Amemi anxious. She hated looking at such weapons up close. They always made her nervous.

The other guard sported reddish hair (from Amemi's perspective) and was holding a giant axe.

When they asked to see her card, Amemi handed to them in a flash. They handed it back. She raced through the open doorway. She hurried so fast, she went straight past the others and slammed into something.

BONK! CRASH!

She slowly sat up from the floor and rubbed her head. "Ow…. "

Her vision came into focus. She stared straight ahead. In front of her were two young women.

One looked around twenty-four years old; that was ten years older that Amemi herself. She had long, brown hair styled in a braid with curls on either side of her face, and green eyes. She was decked out in a pink dress, a red skirt underneath, a short, faded-blue overcoat, coiled-wire wristbands, and brown boots. Amemi also note the pink ribbon in her hair.

The other had pale skin and gold hair that flowed gently down to her shoulders. She was wearing a long, white dress with long sleeves that had a red First-Aid cross on the left side of her chest and the right sleeve. There were blue boots slipped onto her feet, and she had a green ribbon in her hair. The shadowing on the upper part of her green eyes made her eyelids look a little closed. A pair of sparkly something-or-others were situated on either side of her face.

Amemi stared at them, unsure who these two were. Then again, they were probably members of the committee — just like Sora. Hopefully, they were friendly.

"Amy!" Sora rushed over to his sister. "Are you okay?"

Amemi rubbed the back of her head. "Yes."

Sora showed a relieved smile. Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Indigo came strolling over in a hurry. Goofy slipped on a piece of gauze lying around and slid across the floor. He slammed into the stone wall beside a set of steps.

"A-Hyuck!" was all he said.

Donald rushed over to the knight. Sora helped his sister to her feet. Launchpad and Indigo helped the two women to their feet. That was when everyone realized the floor was littered with spilled medical supplies. At least four cases of stuff had been knocked all over. Fortunately, nothing appeared to have broken.

"Thank you, Launchpad," the golden-haired girl said.

Launchpad seemed to be blushing, a little.

"Sora, who are they?" Amemi asked, pointing to the girls.

Sora sighed, knowing more introductions needed to be made. After all, this was his sister's first time at the Radiant Garden. Over the next few minutes, everyone cleaned up the mess from the collision.

Sora turned to the two women. "Everything alright now?"

The two girls smiled and nodded. Sora grabbed his sister and pulled her over. "Amy, this is Aerith and Myrna."

Amemi glanced at each woman as Sora introduced them. She smiled and gave a small wave. "Hi."

Aerith beamed. "It's nice to meet you, Amy."

"'Amemi'," Amemi corrected. "Sora calls me 'Amy'."

Myrna smiled at the young man. "I thought you said you didn't have a girlfriend."

Sora and Amemi nearly jumped. They waved their hands wildly around. "You got it wrong," Sora stated.

"Yes," Amemi affirmed. "I'm his sister."

Myrna stared for a moment. She glanced back and forth between the two. "Oh! Okay, I see a little resemblance," she said. Her cheeks started turning pink. The sparkles on her cheeks shone brightly. "Sorry, it was my mistake."

Sora shook his head. "So, where were you going with all this stuff?"

"To the Medical Wing," Aerith explained. "It's finished, so we're moving in."

"It's really nice," Myrna added. "Do you want to see it?"

Sora gave a nod. "Yeah!"

He froze. "Oh! I just remembered," he reached into his pocket and took out the torn page Amemi had found. He held it up. "We found one of the torn pages."

"You did?" Myrna asked.

Aerith held out her hand. Sora handed it to her. She took a moment to examine the piece of paper. "Yes, this is one of the missing pages," she confirmed.

Amemi was confused. "How do you know?"

"The Light's telling me this is one," Aerith explained.

Amemi folded her arms. She was not sure what the young woman meant. She sounded like Riku, talking about the hearts of worlds and what lay beyond. Just like riddles, it was not her thing.

She looked around the room. There was no sign of Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, or Indigo.

"Where did everyone else go?" she asked.

Everyone looked around. Myrna gazed up at a doorway up a flight of stairs and to the left. "I think I saw them go into the library."

"They're ahead of us," Sora commented. He started up the stairs. "Wait up!"

"Sora! You forgot the page!" Aerith called after him. When the brown-haired seventeen-year-old did not turn back, she ran after him. Amemi was second behind.

Myrna glanced at the four cases of medical supplies on the floor. She looked up at the stairs. "What about the supplies?"

There was no answer. With a sigh, she scooped up the supplies and trailed the others.

Sora raced into the room. Once inside the library, he rounded a few bookshelves and found the staircase. He slid to a stop. He could not believe his eyes.

Goofy and Launchpad were sliding down the steps on a pair of cloths. Indigo was hovering up above, smiling and laughing. Donald was at the bottom, holding a checkered flag.

Sora was astounded. What were they doing? Playing a game on the stairs? Wasn't that dangerous? His Mom never allowed him to play on the steps back home.

"What in the world?" he muttered to himself.

He was about to take a step when someone slammed into him from behind. Someone else ran directly into them. A total of three individuals fell to the floor. Sora quickly realized he was on the bottom, and Amemi was on top of him. When he saw coiled-wire wristbands around the third person's arms, he knew it was Aerith.

"Get off," he groaned.

It took a few seconds for Aerith and Amemi to clamber to their feet. The two then helped Sora to his feet. "You okay?" Aerith asked.

"Yeah," Sora replied, rubbing his jaw. "I'm alright."

"That was quite a collision," Amemi indicated.

Sora grinned and put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, you're right."

That was when Myrna rounded the corner and saw the group. She saw Sora's smile and felt like smiling herself. When she saw Indigo hovering above the stairs, she stared in complete surprise. "An angel?"

The cases of medical supplies slipped from her hands. They clattered onto the floor. The noise seized the attention of everyone else in the room. Even Goofy and Launchpad stopped short of the bottom of the steps.

"Myrna?" Donald asked.

"What is it?" Sora inquired.

The young woman pointed into the air. "Look! There's an angel!"

Everyone whirled around to see Indigo above the stairs. Aerith was taken by complete astonishment. "It is an angel!"

Indigo was shocked. She looked around the room. "Where? I do not see an angel."

"She means you," Donald stated.

Indigo stared at the duck. "Me?" she looked at the group. Aerith was clutching the page tightly in her hands. She gave a smile and laughed. "So sorry about making trouble," the angel said. "I did not know who you were talking about."

"Yeah, you know how it is," Sora beamed.

Aerith gazed at the young man. "You know her?"

Sora gave a nod. "Of course! She's our friend."

Indigo slowly descended to the floor. She set down before Sora, Amemi, and Aerith. Her landing was so graceful, it reminded Sora of Violet. She turned to face the group. "My name is Indigo — The Angel of Hope."

Myrna rushed past the others and speedily shook Indigo's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Indigo!" she smiled. "I've always wanted to meet an angel!"

Indigo nearly looked away. She covered her mouth with her left hand. All Sora could do was shake his head.

With all the introductions out of the way, Sora's team joined Aerith and Myrna at a table on the second floor of the library. Resting on the table was a book. The cover of it was brown and contained an illustration of a young man with brown, spikey hair relaxing on a hillside at night. A golden-furred bear wearing a red shirt was sitting beside him. Twinkling stars and a crescent moon could be seen up above. Written above the colorful drawing was the book's title.

WINNIE THE POOH

Indigo took a moment to observe the cover. "I like this drawing," she remarked. She turned to Sora. "Is that you on there?"

Sora gave a nod. "Yeah. That's me and Pooh."

"Who?"

"Pooh who?" Launchpad shrugged. "Sounds like a riddle. Ya sure this isn't an ancient Incan poker table?"

"Shh!" Donald shushed the pilot.

Sora approached the table. The book started to glow.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Myrna asked.

Aerith shrugged. Indigo's antennae remained stable, telling Sora everything was fine. He calmly reached the table and opened the book. He flipped through the pages and found the first one that had been torn out. As he carefully inserted it, the page slid from his hand and clicked right into place.

"It worked!" Sora announced. Without warning, the glow increased. A brilliant display of Light occurred. As it became a replica of the Sun's light, Sora was dragged into the book by an unknown force.

"Sora!" Amemi exclaimed, alarmed at the sight of her brother being sucked into a piece of literature like a crumb going into a roaring vacuum cleaner.

She scurried across the room and grabbed her brother's ankles. She pulled as hard as she could. The suction grew stronger. Before she could have counted to five, Amemi found herself being dragged into the book after Sora.

The book slammed shut. The glow faded. When Aerith, Myrna, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Indigo looked again, they were the only ones in the library.

"Where are they?!" Myrna cried, shocked at the many possible things that could have happened.

Launchpad gave a worried grin. "I hope they have helmets," he murmured to himself.

Indigo walked up to the table and picked up the book. She shook it a little. Then, she tilted it sideways. Nothing fell out from the pages inside. "This is a little strange," she remarked. "It is almost like they simply vanished into thin air."

Myrna looked around the room. Launchpad searched the walls. Indigo examined the book. Aerith, Donald, and Goofy did nothing. They knew what had really happened.

Sora and Amemi had gotten magically transported into the world inside the book's pages.

A/N: WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT! SORA AND AMEMI HAVE ENTERED THE 100-ACRE WOOD STORYBOOK WORLD!

Still, another world is calling! We shall see more of it coming up!
So, YUP! I think you can tell what MAJOR Disney-based world is just around the corner! Chances are, Sora and his teammates shall be heading there sometime around Chapter 30 to Chapter 31.

Did anyone notice Indigo's story about "'The Lost Engine'"? Do you know what it was from?

Just for the record, I particularly enjoyed writing one of This Chapter's latter scenes from Amemi's Point-Of-View. I Hope You Liked How I Did That!

So, in case you were interested, here is a "'RIDDLE HINT'" for what Disney Movie is going to come to life in the Storybook!
HINT: "THREE STORIES COME TO LIFE AS SORA AND AMEMI WITNESS SEASONS COMING AND GOING! TWO HOLIDAYS FLY BY - ONE MIGHT BE A MISTAKE! AS FOR THE THIRD, A NEW FRIEND MAY AWAIT! EVERY SEASON BRINGS A REASON TO BE CHEERFUL, AND FOR SORA, AMEMI, AND THEIR FRIENDS TO BE GLAD!"
You think you know what Disney movie is hinted in there? Please post your answers in the REVIEWS section for This Chapter!
Please keep in mind, the overall story will contain Three Separate Parts - and they might not be one straight-through story arc!

So Then, I'll See You Next Time!
In other words, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!

REMEMBER THIS - A MINIMUM OF 214 IS REQUIRED FOR THE SEQUEL! IF 240 ARE POSTED, I WILL INCLUDE A "SNEAK PEEK" FOR THE SEQUEL ITSELF! HOWEVER, THAT/THOSE GOAL(S) MUST BE MET BY THE TIME THE-SECOND-TO-LAST-CHAPTER IS POSTED! THAT WAY, I WILL HAVE TIME TO ANNOUNCE WHETHER OR NOT EITHER GOAL WAS MET!

This Is SoraLego278 Saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!" Plus, "Have A ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH DAY!"