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

A/N: IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE! CHAPTER 31! HIP-HIP-HOORAY! YES!

So, I know it has been a little while since I last showed up. Still, I have absolutely NO INTENTION OF ABANDONING THIS STORY ANY TIME SOON!
Therefore, you can DEFINITELY expect to see More Chapters Coming Your Way!

As it is, I have been in a "'Slump'" lately. That is one of the reasons why Chapter 30 might have seemed like something straight out of one of the official "Kingdom Hearts" Novels. At one point, I nearly lost all my vigor to write...
...Then, I remembered what This Story is all about - HOPE!

Before I let you go on your own, I wanted to state this: THROUGHOUT THIS STORY - AND THE ONE BEFORE IT - I HID THINGS THAT COULD VERY LIKELY CONNECT STRAIGHT TO THIS STORY'S [POSSIBLE] SEQUEL - GIVEN ENOUGH REVIEWS ARE POSTED BY THE END OF THIS STORY!

So, I have the feeling you have heard enough from me for now.
To that end, IT'S TIME TO READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! PLEASE REVIEW, TOO! PLEASE!

CHAPTER 31
Down Into The Outback

Almost like a comet shooting across the night sky, Herbie soared through space. The modified racecar enjoyed the flight. It had not been out in space for quite some time before now. The last time Herbie had been travelling between worlds like this was when King Mickey and Launchpad had fought against the Heartless a few years ago.

Even now with Launchpad McQuack at the steering wheel, Herbie continued to glide with ease.

Inside the cockpit, Sora kept his eyes trained to the windshield. His vision was clear and focused. He was eager to be the first one to see their next destination… whatever it was.

His mind, on the other hand, was not as attentive. He was thinking back over what Miss Bianca and Bernard had said. They had both claimed to be from this still-unknown world the group was now headed for. He was not sure what to expect. The two mice had been all hush-hush about their homeland. He wondered….

Was this new place full of dangers? Or was it safe? Were the Heartless out-of-control there? Or not? Were there wide-open spaces like the desert surrounding the city of Agrabah? Or was their destination full of forests and animals similar to the village and fortress back in Jamestowne?

Whatever the world was like, Sora knew he and the others needed to be prepared for the worst. After all, this was an unexplored land. He recalled how excited he'd been upon first seeing the lost city of Atlantis. He had even snapped a picture of it so he could show Amemi.

His mind stopped. The picture! He had completely forgotten about it! He looked to the seat beside him. Amemi was curled up. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing at a slow pace. He leaned a little closer and saw a smile forming on her face. This made the seventeen-year-old Keyblade wielder grin. Whenever his sister smiled in her sleep, it meant she was having a happy dream. Chances are, WordGirl was probably in it.

When the question of what exactly she was dreaming about crossed his mind, Sora thought back to all the struggles he had been faced with in the Realm of Sleep. All the illusions and memories had been thrown together like some sort of crazy soup mixture. He remembered how confused he'd been when Tinker Bell had not recognized him. Jiminy had initially told him off when he'd raced into the amusement park at Pleasure Island. He had been forced to fight against Tron in order to break CLU's control over his friend. He had defended Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore from hordes of Nightmares at the mysterious "Upside-Down Rock". He had re-introduced himself to the Musketeer-versions of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. The same with Mickey, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Rapunzel and the others from Corona had been complete strangers to him. Same with the Cybersquad in Traverse Town.

Well, at least Merlin had recognized his name! Then again, it probably had something to do with the fact Merlin already knew the future. Oh well!

He glanced into the back. Donald and Goofy were watching another episode of "The Odd Couple". Sora could hear Oscar Madison demanding Felix Unger leave the apartment the two of them shared. He saw Indigo eyeing the show with a curious smile.

He now wondered… had the angel seen a television show before? He shook the unnecessary contemplation aside.

He glanced at the pilot's seat. Launchpad was steering the ship, even though Herbie was doing everything he could to keep them both on course.

Sora turned back in his seat and placed his arms behind his head. He gazed out into space. Countless stars could be seen. A few glowing nebulae caught his eye for a moment. One of them reminded him of a pelican. Another beside it resembled the Eastern coastline of the North American continent.

As he continued to look out at the stars passing by, Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of torn paper. He took a look at it, recalling when Master Yen Sid had given him this piece of a letter.

"I am not where I used to stay.

Yet, I am not where I need to be.

My current location is secret, by the way,

In a place where no one can find me.

"I can sense trouble is on the way,

Even in this world's spooky streets.

I should be safe, that much I can certainly say,

For here, the Light and Darkness peacefully meets.

"This land is one I'd only heard about,

One that probably shouldn't exist today.

Their memories are gone and no one stays out,

Even time itself seems to have stopped, no delay."

He sighed, knowing he was yet to find the missing pieces of this letter. He looked up at the ceiling. When and where would he find the rest of this paper? To top it off, he was also wondering what location the letter was referring to.

"Sora? What's that your reading?"

Sora whirled his eyes to the left. "Huh?"

Amemi had awakened from her nap and was looking at him. Her eyes were filled with curiosity. Sora knew that look. It was the same look Curious George got whenever he saw something he wanted to know more about.

"It's… nothing important," he hastily said. He gave his largest smile.

Amemi folded her arms. "You're hiding something," she said. "I know you are. That look on your face — I invented it, remember?"

Sora wanted to slap himself in the face. His sister had a point. She had used this same tactic over and over and over and… repeatedly. It had mainly been used as an excuse for a bad report card or failed tests and quizzes.

He shifted his eyes to the dashboard. There were Bernard and Miss Bianca. The two mice were busy giving Launchpad and Herbie directions on where to go and how to get there.

"Sora? Are you going to answer me?"

Sora jerked his attention back to his sister. She was still looking straight at him. He sighed and handed her the letter. Amemi took it and looked at her brother. "Thank you," she said in a polite voice.

She swept her eyes across the writing. She did it so fast, Sora felt a little surprised. He had no idea his own sister was such a swift reader. Then again, he had never seen her read things. Well… at least not that often.

Amemi stopped when she reached the end of the letter. She turned her eyes back to her brother. "It's written in 'Riddlish'!" she declared.

The seventeen-year-old Keyblade wielder had to admit, his sister was correct. The letter had been inscribed in the form of a riddle. He still was not quite sure what it meant, let alone who wrote it. All Master Yen Sid had said was it had been written by "someone he knew". He was not sure who the retired Keyblade Master had been referring to, only that it was a mystery that needed to be solved.

Amemi looked perplexed. "What does it mean?"

Sora shrugged in return. "I dunno. Master Yen Sid asked me to find the missing pieces," he glanced out the window and then turned back. "But I haven't found any yet."

The sandy-haired teenage girl had to smile. "You'll find them," she told her brother. "You always find what you're looking for."

Sora was a bit startled. Typically, his Mom was the one who reassured him. Same with Kairi and…. Well, Riku did not always encourage him. His specialty was taunting the young man. Sometimes, Donald came across that way, too. Still, there were those times when the duck magician and Goofy helped him see the bright side of things — no matter how bad things would get.

However, Amemi had never been that way. That is, until now. She had always remained silent in such situations. Maybe… it was because she was older now?

All Sora could do was grin. "Yeah, you're right, Amy!"

Amemi smiled back, only she did not show her teeth. The look on her face reminded Sora of Kairi when she was about to giggle at him for one thing or another. One such time had been during the time when Riku and him had performed a "mock" duel during the performance of "The Nutcracker" years ago. Kairi had laughed about the incident for weeks!

Amemi leaned in close and wrapped her arms around her brother's shoulders. Sora nearly jerked back in alarm. The last time someone had embraced him so unexpectedly was when he had finally found Kairi in The Castle That Never Was. Kairi had practically thrown herself on him, which still felt a little discomforting for him. Even now.

"Thank you for trusting me, Sora!" Amemi said.

Sora relaxed. His sister was simply doing what any sister would. Showing her appreciation to him for trusting her. Wait a second. Trusting her for what? He had been a promise to their Mom a long time ago that nothing terrible would happen to Amemi. Had she been referring to that promise?

Then again, she had been in the room when he'd made the promise. In fact, she had just been born. In that hospital. Back on the islands. His Mom had let him hold his sister — with the nurse's help, of course! As he had looked upon his sister's face for the first time, Sora had had no clue he would one day be exploring other worlds in the universe with her. He had only known he was a big brother and had a little sister.

When his Mom had asked him if he loved his sister, his answer had instantly been a "Yeah!". When his Mom had then asked him… the question, he had looked upon his sister once more. After gazing into her playful, curious, and shiny blue eyes, he had given a nod and answered.

"Sora, do you love your new little sister?"

"Yeah! Of course, I do!"

"Tell me! Will you keep her safe?"

"Yeah, nothing will happen to her. I promise."

"Look! Up ahead!" Miss Bianca suddenly called.

All eyes turned to the front windshield; Amemi released Sora and handed him back the letter. Goofy paused the monitor in the back and switched the screen off. Through the window, a bright, glowing star could be seen up ahead. As they entered the world's atmosphere, the view of a rather large ocean could be seen. To the side was a large landmass.

Launchpad steered Herbie in the direction of the landmass. It was not long before the Gummi Ship was soaring over an enormous desert. As they neared an immense landform in the otherwise flat plain, Launchpad grabbed the ship's radio.

"Hey! Buddy! You there?" he said into it. "This is Launchpad McQuack. Herbie and I are requesting permission to land!"

A few seconds later, a voice with a thick Australian accent could be heard over the radio. "Negative! You'll have to turn back. Our runway isn't long enough for a bird your size."

This was not good enough for Launchpad. He frowned. "Not long enough?! Look, buddy! I can crash this thing into your airport faster than a perfect landing!"

Sora gulped. Was the pilot really considering such a landing? He hoped not. That might be disastrous! "Launchpad," he said. "If their runway isn't long enough, maybe we should just teleport down?"

Launchpad turned to the brown-haired youth. "Not this time, buddy! It's time for me to take over! I've never needed a radar jockey to let me in before, but in some worlds, it's different."

He gestured to himself. "Leave it to me!"

Sora sighed and looked down. He was getting nowhere. The head of the Disney Royal Air Force was about to go in for a crash-landing. He just knew it. After all, Launchpad had already crashed Herbie down into the shopping area at the Radiant Garden, splashed the Gummi Ship over a waterfall in Jamestowne, and even nose-dived into a snowdrift back at The Beast's Castle. The pilot had even claimed to have been through a few thousand crash-landings. No wonder he was known for such mistakes!

The voice on the radio spoke again. "I say again, mate, our runway is too short."

Launchpad held the radio firmly in his free hand. "And I say it again, we're comin' in!"

He shoved the steering wheel in so suddenly, Herbie lurched downwards. Sora felt Amemi grab him as the ship started to roll around. In the back, Goofy bounced around. Donald finally grabbed the knight and forced him to buckle up. Indigo had strapped herself in so tightly, it looked like her wings were being pinched by the straps.

Sora kept his eyes trained ahead. Launchpad guided Herbie at such a rapid descent, the Gummi Ship dived towards the desert's sands far below.

At the last second, the steering wheel veered to the left. Launchpad grasped it, yet he was unable to regain control. Sora knew this meant Herbie was taking control.

An airport came into view. It was a small airfield, consisting of only a handful of planes. Most of them possessed propeller-driven engines. There were two or three Bi-planes included. One was a red Tri-plane bearing a black-like symbol on the wings and the tail. This plane looked as though it had come straight from a battle in World War 1 — or maybe an older animated show involving a dog who slept on the roof of his own doghouse and flew in while in battle against the pilot of this particular plane?

On the roof of the main terminal, Herbie came in for a landing. As the Gummi Ship started to touch down, a sheet of metal rose from the side of the building and leveled out beneath it. Herbie set down upon the metal sheet. The landing was so bumpy, everything inside the cabin shook violently.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. The turbulence was so rough, he saw Donald leaning into a paper bag through his peripheral vision. Amemi held onto her seat's armrests as the ride got a little bouncier. Goofy was looking a little faint. Indigo held on so tightly, it appeared her seat's armrests were going to be torn apart by her razor-sharp fingernails.

At last, the jerkiness came to an end. As Herbie slid to a halt, the ship turned slightly. The vibrations caused the ship to starting to list to the side. Just as it looked like Herbie was going to land sideways onto the rooftop, the modified racecar righted itself.

Everyone gave a sigh of relief. Launchpad gave his signature hand signal. "No problem-o!" he remarked.

"Phew!" Donald and Goofy said in unison.

Sora unbuckled himself and opened the door to his right. He stepped out and quickly found himself wobbling. He suddenly tumbled over and fell flat onto his face.

"Man!" he said as he rose back to his feet. "What a rough landing."

"You're not kidding," Amemi said as she struggling to keep her balance. Sora was on his feet, so he helped her stand up straight. She smiled at him. "Thanks."

"No worries," he told her.

Indigo, Donald, and Goofy clambered out. To Sora's surprise, the former did not look very sick, let alone dizzy. In fact, Indigo seemed rather calm and as healthy as ever. Sora was puzzled. How come the angel was not suffering from the unsteadiness everybody else was? She seemed right as rain. How was this possible? He decided that was a question for another day.

A figure strolled up to the group. To Sora's surprise, it was a slender kangaroo mouse. He was decked out in a dark-tan sport coat and matching hat. There was a notch in one ear. From the young man's perspective, he was about the height of King Mickey. Beside the mouse, a firefly buzzed along.

Launchpad climbed out of the Gummi Ship. "'Thank you for flying with Disney Royal Airlines'!" he called. His voice sounded a little like a flight attendant with a sore throat.

"Block oughtta have his wings clipped," the mouse muttered to himself. "Crazy yanks! They think they can do any fool thing, without regard for…. "

The mouse stopped speaking when he reached the group. Sora and Amemi both took note of this and followed his eyesight. Bianca and Bernard were just hopping out of Herbie's passenger side. Donald, Goofy, and Indigo also noticed this.

The mouse grinned very politely. "Welcome to Australia," he said to the group in a rather suave voice. "My name's Jake and if there's any way I can make your stay more pleasant, don't hesitate to ask."

"Oh," Bianca remarked with a friendly smile. "How kind."

Sora shook his head. To him, Jake was acting a little like a ladies' man. Similar to Lumiére and that one guy from the show, "Happy Days". …What was his name, again?

Then again, he probably had just developed a crush on her. He thoughts were confirmed when Jake offered to carry Bianca's bag for her.

Bernard was struggling back at the ship's doorway. His hands were full of bags and cases. The sight surprised Sora and his teammates. Indigo stared in complete surprise. "Wow! Do you need some help?" she asked the mouse.

"Please," Bernard struggled. "I've a… I've got a lot of… luggage here…. "

Launchpad proudly strode over. "Here, let me give you a hand, buddy!"

The pilot grabbed two of the boxes. At once, all the bags and containers fell from the pair's hands. They clattered upon the roof. Sora shook his head and smiled. Launchpad had not changed in the last several worlds. He knew this could only mean one thing.

Some things would never change!

The heat from the sun seemed awfully harsh and a little overwhelming. It felt a lot stronger than it had back home on the islands. Sora paid it no mind and gazed into the distance. The desert loomed wide and open. In the distance, he could make out a few towers of sandy rock. Most of the landscape appeared to be barren desert.

Sora was puzzled. What world had they ended up in?

After picking up and organizing the luggage from the Gummi Ship, Bernard took out a paper map and unfolded it. "Now we just… gotta figure out how to get there."

Sora approached the mouse looked at the map himself. There were lots of lines drawn across it. Very little of the map was labelled with landmarks. It also had very few names marked on it.

Jake turned to the group. "So, ah… you and your group here on a little outback excursion?"

"Oh no, no," Bianca hastily giggled, assuming Jake had asked if she and Bernard were married. "We're not married."

Jake gave a friendly grin at the girl mouse. Seeing this, Sora had the feeling now was the time to introduce everyone. "I'm Sora," he said. He gestured to each of his companions. "These are my friends, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Indigo."

He put his hand on Amemi's shoulder. "And my sister, Amy."

"Amemi," the sandy-headed girl corrected.

"We're here on important business," Sora explained. He saw Jiminy Cricket hop onto his shoulder and whisper something into his ear.

"Remember," Jiminy whispered. "'Maintain the World Order. Don't tell anyone there are other worlds'!"

Sora had to admit, Jiminy had a point. Here they were, in another world, and he could not let anyone know that other worlds really did exist. Walls divided the worlds. The only way to travel between them was to unlock special lanes with the Keyblade.

That was just the way it was.

"In fact," Bernard added. "We're, we're here on a, a top ah… secret mission. Very… very hush, hush."

Jake's eyes lit up. He had an even larger grin showing on his face. "Oh! Gotta rescue that kid McLeach nabbed, eh?"

"Yes," Amemi approved. She stopped and looked surprised. "How did you know about that?"

Jake leaned in close to the teenager. "You'll find it's tough to keep secrets in the outback, miss," he whispered to her.

Amemi had to nod, even if she was a little confused. Were there no secrets in this world? What type of world did not possess secrets? Such a place sounded like a world full of complete chaos.

Indigo's antennae wobbled, grabbing Sora's attention. She looked around and gasped. Sora stepped over to her. Recalling how Violet's antennae had the ability to sense Darkness, he wondered if the same was true of the angel's sister.

"What's up?" he asked.

Indigo turned to the spikey, brown-haired young man. "Danger," she said. "Three very, dark hearts are somewhere in this world. I can sense their presence."

"Really?" Bianca asked, now noticing the angel's antennae. It was not long before the sight had grabbed everyone's focus.

"A-Hyuck! Wobbly!" Goofy chuckled.

"You're like a bee," Launchpad commented.

Donald was so shocked by these words, he simply collapsed onto the roof.

"Do you know the way?" Amemi asked.

Indigo paused. She shrugged. That was more than enough for Sora to reach a conclusion. The angel was unable to determine the exact location of the apparent kidnappers.

"Well, at least we know there are three people involved," Sora mentioned. He had the feeling these suspects were using the Heartless. Why else would Indigo had sensed their presence?

Jake strode over to Bernard. "So ah… which way ya takin'?" he enquired, looking at the map. "Suicide trail through Nightmare Canyon, or the shortcut at Satan's Ridge?"

Bernard looked startled and worried. "Su… Suicide Trail?"

Jake gave him a grin. "Good choice. More snakes, less quicksand. Then once you cross Bloodworm Creek, you're scot free. This is until ummm… Dead Dingo Pass."

Bernard looked up in total bafflement. "Wait, wait, wait a minute!" he gestured to the map. "I don't… I don't see any, any of that, that stuff on the map."

Sora had to nod. That map looked like something Curious George had drawn in a hurry. Sloppy, yet still neat. At least it was not drawn in crayon.

Jake snatched the map from Bernard and started to fold it up in a messy fashion. "A map's no good in the outback! What you really need is someone," he turned to Bianca. "Someone who knows the territory."

Sora had to shake his head. He saw Donald rolling his eyes. Goofy was snickering with Launchpad; their eyes were on the firefly. The insect was rolling its eyes. Indigo's antennae were still vibrating, so she was trying to place a silver-colored headband to keep them in place. Amemi was helping her.

"Oh, Mister Jake, will you guide us?" Bianca inquired.

Jake bowed and shoved the map back into Bernard's hands. "At your service!" he extended his arm. "Here, better take my arm, miss. It's gonna be a treacherous hike. I remember the time, Miss B., it was just me and a four hundred of these big, giant…. "

Jake escorted Bianca towards a nearby set of stairs leading down to the ground. The whole way, he continued to tell his tale.

Bernard shook his head and carefully unfolded the map in his hands. "Doesn't even know how to fold a map…. "

Sora was not sure how to react at this statement. He had the feeling these stories Jake was telling Bianca were just a few of his many adventures. He seemed a little like that world-renowned archaeologist from the movies. The one who was always using a bull-whip and his wits to get himself out of any predicament. He always seemed to know how to do anything.

Sora looked once more into the distance. The desert felt much larger and consuming than before. He saw the dust of a convoy of jeeps racing across the sandy ground. He had the feeling this was just the start of this journey through this world. A venture that would take up to three chapters of his story.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, Indigo, and Jiminy had arrived in The Outback. Their mission? To help Bernard and Bianca save a young boy who'd been kidnapped.

For all Sora knew, someone from the Council of Maleficent was involved in all this trouble.

The lair was hidden under the ground. Well… not exactly under the ground. Rather, it was constructed carefully in a gigantic rock tower in the middle of a barren landscape. All around were many odd-shaped openings.

At the front of the rock tower was a makeshift doorway crafted from scraps of metal and wood. A flock of birds flew above, keeping an eye on the entrance. These were not ordinary birds. The lack of water and the heat of the sun would have been too much for such creatures.

No. These birds sported dark-yellow beaks and dark-purple bodies. These were Heartless, guarding the hideout.

Inside was the ruins of an old mining company's headquarters. The company had been forced to shut down nearly a hundred years before, so for a long time, the place had been deserted. Left to gather sand, dust, and rock.

Only now, it had residents once more. However, they were troublemakers. One of them was Percival C. McLeach, a noted poacher in this land. Another was Cruella De Vil, a former fashion designer who had once been charged with the theft of 99 Dalmatian puppies. The last one was Mortimer Mouse, a known rival of King Mickey Mouse, the ruler of Disney Castle and a member of Maleficent's "'Inner Circle'".

Currently, everything seemed rather quiet in the hideout. Cruella was sitting in a chair near the fireplace. A pot of boiling water was sizzling over the flames. Mortimer was standing beside her. The pair's attention was across the room. McLeach was standing before a table, sharpening a set of sharp knives.

The poacher shifted his eyes to the far wall behind him. The boy the group had kidnapped was standing against the wall, his hands tied behind his back. A large map of the area was behind his head. Three locations were marked on it; one of the left, one in the middle, and one on the right.

Mortimer groaned in annoyance. So far, this boy had refused to tell them the whereabouts of this "eagle" McLeach was after. Once they finally got this stupid errand over with, they could focus on conquering this world before Sora and his pathetic allies showed up and spoiled everything.

McLeach grinned. "Well boy, let's see if we can do something to refresh that rusty, old memory of your."

Mortimer crossed his arms. Finally! A bit of action.

"Is she on Satan's Ridge?" McLeach declared. He threw a knife at the landmark on the left side of the map. He threw another knife at the right side of the map. "Or Nightmare Canyon?"

His aim was so accurate, Mortimer was taken by surprise. The poacher could have easily struck the boy if he had been aiming for him.

McLeach looked at a nearby wooden barrel. His salamander, Joanna, was soaking in it and eating animal crackers. "Whadda you think, Joanna?"

The salamander snapped an animal cracker in half, straight down the middle. McLeach grinned and slapped against the handle of the knife still on the table. The weapon spun a few times before the villain caught it by the handle. "Yeah, that's it," he grinned. "Right smack dab in the middle at Croc Falls!"

He hurled the knife straight at the boy. The latter ducked at the last second. The knife struck the middle of the map, inches from the boy's blonde hair. McLeach's grin grew. "Am I gettin' warm?"

"I told you," the boy stated. "I don't remember."

Mortimer frowned all the more. Here they were, back at Square One again. The boy just refused to reveal the location of his eagle's nest. He yawned and stretched a little.

Even tormenting King Mickey was better than this!

McLeach clutched a fourth knife in his hand and approached the boy. He looked like a hunter about to kill his prey. "Don't you realize a bird that size is worth a fortune?"

"Yes," Cruella spoke up. "And I would love to turn its feathers into a lovely, golden coat."

McLeach leaned into the boy's face. He stabbed the knife into the side of the map, a few inches from the boy's glaring eyes. "We'll split the money with you fifty-fifty. You can't get a better offer than that, boy."

The boy remained stubborn. "You won't have any money after the rangers get through with you."

McLeach was so angered by this statement, he marched over to the fireplace. Mortimer watched in surprise as the poacher clutched his fists as tightly as he could. With a yell of outrage, the villain kicked the pot of water over. A surge of steam rose from the mantle and filled the room.

A few hot coals landed in Joanna's tub, startling the salamander.

Mortimer scowled more than ever. Here he was, stuck in this wilderness of a world, wasting his time with birds, boys, and money. All he wanted to do was show King Mickey a thing or two. Maleficent had promised him. They had made a deal.

Was she backing out of it? If she was, there was about to be an uprising.

McLeach snorted his disapproval. He grabbed the boy and dragged him down a flight of stairs. Joanna quickly followed.

The oasis was a rather calm, uneventful place. To Sora, this was the life. Already, he had been forced to battle a few strong Heartless every other mile or so. The trek was taking a very long time, which only meant one thing.

Sora knew the group was smaller than he had expected. It almost felt like someone had poured magical stuff over them and caused them to shrink down in size. Yet, this was not Wonderland. Maybe… this world was larger than it had first appeared? Or perhaps that classic song about the world being such a small place was not so accurate after all?

At the moment, everything seemed peaceful. As he gazed across the water, Sora's mind was going back over the last few events following the landing. Jake had led the team through the sands to a riverside. It was there they had witnessed a team of people searching the water for any sign of the missing boy. Sora knew this had been the case; he'd seen a poster of the boy in the ranger-leader's hands.

The group had clambered aboard a flying squirrel. Yet, Bernard had seemingly fallen behind. Sora had had to stifle a laugh when he saw the large mouse clinging to the squirrel's bushy tail. After a swift descent to the ground, the animal's tail had swung back, sending Bernard crashing into a nearby patch of burrs.

Bianca was still pulling those spikey seeds off Bernard. Since Jake had left to look for a ride through the oasis and across the river, things had really dwindled in the sense of action.

Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were busy with a game of cards. From the looks on their faces, Donald was losing. Amemi and Indigo were talking softly to one another. Their voices were so muffled, Sora could not tell a thing his sister and the angel were saying. 'It's probably for the best,' he thought to himself.

He casually leaned against the trunk of the tree they were on. The roots extended over the water and then down into it. Sora had heard of mangroves, yet never seen them himself. He was not sure if that's what these plants were called… so he decided not to worry about it.

He did his best to relax, but it was not easy. He could overhear Amemi giggling, Goofy chuckling, and Bernard groaning every time Bianca got a burr loose.

"Jake's been gone… ow… been gone a long time," Bernard said. He winced as the burr came free. "Maybe I should go, oh! Maybe I should go look for him."

Bianca tossed the seed into the water below. "Oh, don't you worry about Jake," she assured in a calm voice. "He can handle himself."

Bernard gave a slight nod and sighed deeply. "Yeah, I… I noticed."

Bianca smiled. "I am just sure he'll be back in no time."

Bernard smiled in turn. To Sora, the grin seemed a little… strange. Before he could ponder about it, Jiminy appeared on his shoulder. "Hmm," the cricket said in a thoughtfully way. "Have you ever considered why Bernard's smiling like that?"

Sora nearly felt his cheeks starting to turn a shade of red. This was no different than how he sometimes reacted around Kairi. He often would smile at the young woman, even if she was not looking at him. He was not quite sure why. He just did.

Then again, Riku always had done that, too. Maybe it was because the two were admiring Kairi's beauty? No, that couldn't be it. There was something else that had always caused it.

Sora gave a slight sigh in his mind. It was on the tip of his tongue…. What was it? Her Light? Maybe. Her fun personality? Perhaps so. Her status as a Princess of Heart? No, that didn't make sense. He had never known Kairi was a princess until he'd travelled to Hollow Bastion to save her from Maleficent.

As far as Sora was concerned, a lot of things would never make sense! Now… he was overthinking it!

Bernard reached into a pocket on his sweater and pulled out a tiny, black container. He opened it, revealing a golden ring with a shiny diamond.

Jiminy gave a nod. "Yes. That's just what I meant," he turned to Sora. "You should do something like that with her, you know, before it's too late."

The cricket leapt back into the seventeen-year-old's hoodie. Sora was astounded and startled alike. Was Jiminy claiming he should propose to marry Kairi? They were too young! Besides, she was a princess — and he was just an ordinary islander who happened to possess a Keyblade.

Then again, he had recalled Aladdin giving that same excuse. Still, the former thief had ended up winning the heart of the royal princess of Agrabah. Maybe, just maybe, Sora could do the same with Kairi? He was not sure, and he had no clue how he would ever be sure.

Bernard turned to Bianca. "You know… now that we're alone," he said in a rather nervous voice. "There's… there's something that I've, I've been wanting to uh… to… to ask you."

Bianca smiled all the brighter at Bernard. "Yes? What is it?"

Bernard stepped a little closer to Bianca. "Well, it's uh… it's like this… Miss Bianca, I…. "

When the mouse got down on one knee, Sora covered his face with his hands. He shifted his fingers and peeked through, a little. He knew what was coming.

Bernard held Bianca's hand. "I would be… most honored… if… if…. "

'C'mon! Just get it over with!' Sora was thinking to himself.

A loud splash of water occurred. Without warning, Jake emerged from the water and shoved his way through the two mice. "Look out!" he yelled.

Bernard was knocked into the water. Sora was so startled by the event, he slipped off the root and landed in the water himself. When he resurfaced, he looked straight up. To his alarm, a giant water snake was about to strike down upon the others. When he saw the creature sported yellow stripes, a dark-purple glow in its eyes, and reddish, glowing teeth, Sora immediately knew this was a Heartless.

The creature lunged at everyone still on the root. Amemi and Indigo were so startled by the attack, the two of them fell off the root and splashed into the water beside Sora and Bernard. Donald and Launchpad grabbed their cards and hid behind Goofy. The knight took out his shield and managed to avoid a sudden strike from the snake-shaped Heartless.

"Gawrsh," was all Goofy could think of saying.

Amemi saw Indigo was struggling to stay afloat. The angel was thrashing about like she had never swam before in her life. "Can't you swim?" the sandy-haired girl inquired.

"I cannot swim!" Indigo replied. "My wings are too heavy to float!"

She started to go under. Amemi hastily swam over and grabbed the angel's arm. She pulled her along under they reached a nearby root. She helped Indigo clamber on. The angel refused to let go.

Bernard emerged from the water. "Miss Bianca!" he cried.

Observing all this, Sora scowled at the Heartless. He swam to another root and pulled himself out of the water. In a flash of Light, his Keyblade was ready to go. He jumped and swung his weapon at the Heartless. The creature was struck and instantly recoiled. Sora barely dodged a swipe of the creature's fangs a moment later. He threw his Keyblade at the monster. The blade smashed straight into the enemy's face.

A sudden flash of Darkness followed. Before Sora could question what had just happened, he saw what had taken place. The water snake was still there. The only difference was its eyes, teeth, and skin were no longer the color scheme of a Heartless.

He knew what this meant. The creature had been possessed by the Heartless the whole time. And now, it was free.

Bianca screamed when the snake lurched forward to bite down on her. At the last second, Jake lassoed a rope in his hands and swung it at the snake. "No mice for you, Twister! Not today!"

The lasso seized the snake's mouth. Jake pulled it tight. "There!"

Sora gave a sigh of relief. The battle was over. The snake had been freed from the control of the Heartless. At least, for now.

The snake struggled to break free of Jake's rope. "I've been looking all over for you," the mouse stated in a very assertive voice. "Now look! We got a long way to go, and you're gonna take us there, and you're not gonna give us any trouble about it.

He scowled directly into the snake's eyes. "Right?!"

To Sora's astonishment, the snake shook its head very rapidly. It seemed the animal had been frightened by Jake's stern look. That, and the mouse appeared to be in complete control of the snake. Had he tamed the creature?

Through the corner of his eye, the brown, spikey-haired youth noticed Amemi helping Indigo clamber out of the water. The two were drenched. Amemi's sandy hair was dripping like a washcloth left dangling after a shower. Indigo's wings were dragging along behind her. Her antennae were drooping down over her eyes.

This sight reminded Sora of how he had watched Violet get soaked by the downpour in Merlin's study back in Camelot. The angel had complained about her wings being wet. Sora placed his hands over his mouth to stifle an outburst of laughter.

The two girls saw him and frowned. "It's not funny," Amemi stated. "She could've drowned."

Indigo seemed a little livid (although, it was not as intense as Violet had seemed when she was upset). "How can I fly now?" she complained. "My wings are soaked! My antennae are wet, and my dress is cold!"

When he saw the angel was shivering, Sora knew Indigo had a point. Being in water like that was a chilling experience.

Jake helped Bianca onto the snake's head. "They're perfectly harmless once you look 'em in the eye and let 'em know who's boss," he told her. He turned to Sora. "Ain't that right, mate?"

Sora paused for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I guess so," he responded. He was not quite sure what Jake meant. Then again, he had never been through an experience like this one before. …Or had he?

Jake hopped onto the snake's head beside Bianca. He used the rope as a rein and started to lead the animal like it was a horse. Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amemi, and Indigo all climbed aboard. Sora was the last one onto the water snake.

The skin seemed rather slimy to him….

Once everyone was on board, Jake tugged onto the rope. "Now git."

Bianca glanced towards the tail. Sora noticed that was where Bernard had gotten aboard the "water snake-line express". "It's alright, Bernard," she called. "Jake has everything under control."

Bernard gave a deep, deep sigh. "Yeah, I noticed," he said in a tone of voice flooded with disappointment and sarcasm.

Sora watched as Bernard checked his ring. As the sunlight glinted against the diamond, he gave a deep sigh. Sora could tell the mouse was discouraged. All he wanted was to ask Bianca to marry him — that much was as plain as the sunrise!

Sora looked to the front. Jake was telling Bianca another story. He was unable to make out what they were saying. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were back to playing cards. Amemi had reached into her purse and taken out a small hand-towel. She was using it to help Indigo dry off.

As he gazed into the distance, Sora began wondering what was up ahead. Who had kidnapped the boy they were searching for? Were the Heartless really involved? What if this was all part of Maleficent's plan, let alone… Xehanort's doing? He had the feeling this was only the start of a very dangerous trek.

A/N: ...And THERE YOU HAVE IT!

So, now that this world has been OFFICIALLY introduced into the story... here is what it is based on.
THE OUTBACK is based on Disney's "The Rescuers Down Under (1990)".
This means we have now entered This Story's INTERLUDE (ACT III)!

Okay, I admit it! Amemi's mentioning of "'RIDDLISH'" is an indirect reference to "Ever After High"! If you are wondering why it is in there...
PLEASE! DON'T ASK! I am not quite sure myself.

Anyway, my favorite part of This Chapter was where I revealed the story about Sora and Amemi. I felt a LOT of Emotion in my mind while I was writing THAT part! I could also picture just how close those two are. It made it easier to describe since I could easily visualize all of it.
Now THAT is what I call "'Well-Done Storytelling'"!

Well... I am not sure what to say. Yes! Yes! I Know! I Have NOT Had Much To Say About This Particular Chapter!
...And I Have No Clue Why. It Might Have Something To Do With The Lack Of Sleep I Have Gotten Lately...

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!"