Author Notes: Sorry it took me so long to update x-X; I have to redo a few chapters because I decided to change something at the last minute. Soooo annoying. Anyhow, please enjoy, and I promise tofix up the past chapters ASAP!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sora, the Heartless, a certain quote, anything else related to Kingdom Hearts, Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, or Winnie the Pooh. Got it?
"I think this belongs to you."
Sora extended an arm out to Taiyou, handing her the clothes that were attached to the letter. "I don't really think these are my size," he chortled, "Besides, you don't expect to fight Heartless in that, do you?"
Taiyou flashed a grim look at the boy, taking the garb from him. "So, in other words, we're gonna have to fight more of those creepy little things?"
Sora leaned a bit, resting his hands over his neck. "Most likely," he murmured.
"Great. That's something I can look forward to."
"No need to be so negative."
"And how am I supposed to be positive at a time like this?"
Sora shrugged a reply as Taiyou discarded her old rags in exchange for her new costume. She felt much more comfortable, wearing a dark purple tunic that extended to a skirt at her waist and a brown, open shirt over it. Her brown pants elongated to her knees, a silver belt wrapped around and down her thighs. Her long, dark chocolate boots were loosely tied, but very snug, yet she wouldn't remove her silver choker- given to her by Shanteru.
"Looks great." Sora snagged a glance between his strange wandering, as if he was looking for something very dear to him. "Thanks," Taiyou replied as she slipped on a lengthy, finger-less glove, but raised her eyebrows at his abnormal behavior. "What're you doing?"
"Just… checking to see if it's still here."
"What's still here?"
"Aha! I found it!"
"…Found what?"
Sora handed her a worn book. Brushing some of the dust off, she noticed a small illustration of Sora on the cover. "Hey, that's you!" she laughed, recognizing the boy was portrayed sitting next to another character. The individual was a small, golden plush of a bear clothed in a slack red T-shirt. The name of the tome read 'Winnie the Pooh.'
"Winnie the Pooh?" Taiyou echoed, confused by the title, "What the… who's that?"
Sora pointed to the stuffed bear on the front, "That's him," he explained.
"How do you know him?"
"We used to have adventures of our own."
"Well, where is he? Can we see him?"
"You really want to meet him?"
"Sure! Why not?"
"Okay then…"
Biting back a laugh, Sora tossed the book to the table in the center of the room. He flipped to a certain page, backed off a few steps and took Taiyou's hand in his.
"Ready?" he asked, eager to get her response.
"Hold up. What's going on here?"
"On the count of three--"
"-On the count of three, what?"
"Listen; on the count of three- I want you to jump towards the book- as high as you can."
"Why? What's gonna happen?"
"You wanted to meet him, right?"
"So he's in the book?"
"You got it."
"But wait- if…"
Taiyou trailed off, too confused for any more words. Sora smiled his yard-long grin, then slightly bent at his knees. "One…" he motioned Taiyou to do the same,
"…two…"
Taiyou closed her eyes, as if expecting to just smash into the wooden table. "Ow…" she muttered under her breath as if she was already living the moment.
"…three!"
Tightening her grip on Sora's hand, the pair leapt off the ground near the small book lying on the table. Finally realizing that they had made no collision whatsoever, Taiyou opened her eyes to be blinded by a white light. Although there was nothing around them, she could see Sora's presence next to her. Releasing his hand, she instead clung onto his arm. "Oh my…" she squeaked, baffled that he was right, "What's going on…?"
She instantly felt ground under her and stumbled from the impact. Grass began to sprout from under their feet, as tall forest trees grew steadily from the ground. Looking up, Taiyou saw a blue sky run like wet paint over their heads, and before long the white light faded into sunbeams in the east.
Still attached to Sora's arm, the boy began to move forward. Taiyou gasped and let go of him, still under the spell of shock from the entire experience. Sora laughed, "Taiyou, he's over there. Come on, let's go meet him."
They walked over to a large oak tree, a small door resting at its base. Next to the tree was a lone log, and on that log sat a tiny, yellow Winnie the Pooh. He seemed to be in deep thought, tapping a paw on his head patiently.
"Hey Pooh." Sora said simply and the bear looked up.
"Oh, Sora- its you. I was just thinking about how hungry I was."
"You sure are always hungry," Sora laughed. Taiyou looked at him like he was insane.
"I see you've brought a friend, Sora."
"Oh, yeah. This is Taiyou. Taiyou wanted to meet you."
"Why, hello there, Taiyou." Pooh's black, beady eyes met hers, "It's so nice to have more friends around."
Taiyou stared in disbelief for a few moments; was this bear actually speaking to her? She finally smiled back, "Aww," she squealed, "How cute are you?"
"Why thank you, Taiyou. Now Sora, if you'll excuse me- my tummy is rather rumbly."
Sora waved as the plush sat up and waddled off the other direction. "Okay, see you later." he chuckled once more. "So, Taiyou. What do you think?"
"I'm still trying to figure out how we got here in the first place."
"Well, we better go. There's someone else I have to check on."
"This didn't last long. Do they live in books, too?"
He winked at her, then put a hand on her shoulder and guided her away from the forestry scene. The sunbeams flashed again, returning to the oblivious white light. Taiyou felt the floor vanish under her, and she grasped onto Sora's arm again. She didn't think she'd ever get used to this. Before they knew it, they were standing in Merlin's room.
"What kinds of worlds are these, anyway?" she asked.
"There are many worlds out there," Sora replied in a casual tone, "Of all shapes and sizes."
"No… way…"
"Yes. Now, can I see that note again?"
Taiyou handed him the slip of paper they found fastened to her clothing, trance-like from his explanation on the endless universe. "What do you think it means?" he pondered absently, skimming it over again:
I lose my guidance
Down this way, misled,
As pieces of your heart
Fade, one by one.
Rounding the edges of chaos
In this broken world
One teardrop falls
Staining our crossed paths.
Taiyou merely shrugged. "Beats me," she almost sounded frustrated, "I feel like… I don't know anything at all." Sora looked at her pitifully.
"Frankly," he replied, "That's exactly what I feel like, too."
Silence followed their conversation.
Taiyou was the first to break the awkwardness that entered the air.
"So, Sora, what's our next stop?"
"Well, I'm not so sure we should go out there again. The Heartless may find us."
With an exasperated sigh, he flopped down on the bed, resting his head on the wall. "I wonder where they went…" he asked himself quietly. Taiyou overheard.
"Who?"
"Oh, just a few friends. Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid… they've helped me a lot."
"Sounds like you know everyone."
"Well, I've been to many places."
"Sounds like you're famous."
Sora blushed slightly, "Famous? Me?" he bowed his head, "I wouldn't say that…"
"How come…" Taiyou tapped a finger on her forehead in thought, "How come you say you've been to Twilight Town, but I've never heard of you? Or… or any of those friends you mentioned? I would think that if someone from another world came to… mine… then his name would travel through our neighborhood really quick. It's a pretty small town, actually…"
Sora's expression melted, replaced with a concerned look.
"There's gotta be someone out there who knows… something…"
"Well, what're we waiting for?" Taiyou exchanged a smile, throwing a fist in the air, "Let's go! We're gonna go see the world! Right?"
Sora nodded. "Right." he stood up, "But there are as many worlds as there are stars- so there must be someone who knows something, huh?" Taiyou giggled.
"Of course!"
"Alright then, we're off!"
Maybe it was the cheerful disposition of that cuddly Winnie the Pooh, but they both exited the room with a stimulated aura.
--x--
"Good thing those Heartless had vanished," Sora stated as he took a seat at the cockpit in the Gummi ship, Taiyou sitting next to him. Her seatbelt was straining from the position she was in, hunched on her knees with her hands delicately pressed against the glass of the window. Her excitement reminded Sora of his first time in the ship. Recollecting the sensation of seeing that endless, starry abyss, he almost wished he could travel backwards in time and experience it once more. With a sigh he pulled at the lever jutting out of the control keyboard and pressed a few multi-colored buttons. The ship lurched from its spot before the rockets started up, blasting the craft upward as they glided away from the Radiant Gardens.
--x--
"Wow…" was all Taiyou could manage to say, as they flew effortlessly through the infinite space of celestial wonders. She gaped at the endless amount of stars that winked at her, tempting her to travel to each and every one of them. Brilliant auroras danced boundlessly below them, and as Taiyou tried to view their full radiance, she leaned on the cockpit window so heavily that Sora even regarded the situation of the spacecraft barreling over.
"Taiyou!" he warned, "Don't lean so close! You'll tip us upside-down!"
"Sorry…" Taiyou blushed, embarrassed at her naïve nature.
With so many new sights to see, Taiyou couldn't help but yearn for Shanteru's presence. She could almost hear Shantsi's amazed tone, and feel the warmth of her hands pressed against the glass near her. At that moment, for simply a heartbeat, Taiyou swore she could see Shanteru next to her from the corner of her eye. Her heart fluttering, she snapped her head, believing- knowing- that her friend was with her. However, her hopes were scattered once more, for when she looked, Shantsi wasn't there. I'm just imagining things… Taiyou convinced herself dimly, yet she still felt her presence. She began to direct her focus on her own self, losing her consciousness in memories of her old life- Shanteru, Twilight Town, her mom's revolting casserole…
Before she even knew it, Taiyou had drifted away to slumber.
Ahh! Winnie the Pooh! What a lovely introduction to the Disney worlds, eh?
But now I'm stuck. Where shall the duo travel next? Where do YOU want to see Taiyou and Sora travel to? Please suggest your Disney worlds on the reviews page! I NEED HELP! ;;
