Original author's note redacted, I edited this one up to the point of rewriting the entire thing, really made it a lot less like the Toy Box in KH3 because originality is the spice of life. Enjoy!


Chapter 11: You've Got A Friend In Me

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you've got a friend in me

The bedroom sits in a state of dense silence, something that's odd for any young child's room, but even more so for Andy's. Normally, the boy would be spending these treasured summer days in the company of his many toys, imagining up a whole host of fantastical adventures for them to go on. Yet even with the family away on a trip as they are, the room should still be anything but quiet with those toys left to their own devices, free to move about and do as they please. Which is exactly what they would be doing… if most of them hadn't been hauled off against their will.

The few toys that remain in the room scatter to their sparse hiding spots as an unsettling clatter becomes audible from the floor. Not many have managed to outlast the recurring raids on the room, most of them either caught in the crosshairs on accident, or carried off after bravely trying to stop the marauders from stealing any more of their friends. This new pack of toys never seem to have any particular targets in mind, instead using their weapons and numbers to subdue anyone they can get their hands on before disappearing into strange dark portals with their unfortunate captives in tow. There's no reasoning with them-a lesson that had been learned very early on when the first round had been violently taken. And with each passing day, more and more have followed suit, to the point that soon enough, there won't be any toy left for Andy to return home from vacation to at all.

Such a dreadful thought hits Woody hard as he peers over the edge of the bed down at the largely empty room below. Sure enough, all he finds is yet another pack of their newfound foes, on the prowl for more of his friends to steal away to parts unknown. He can only hope that the toys who have already met such a fate are still faring well, wherever they might be. And in the meanwhile, he knows it's up to him to keep the few that are left safe, even if that's starting to become a harder task as more marauders come and the more toys are taken in their wake.

"Are they back?" Woody nearly jumps a foot in the air as Buzz's sudden whisper startles him.

"Yes, they are," he returns sharply, shoving the spaceman down out of sight. "Now quiet or else they'll see you."

"Are we finally trying my plan out this time?" Buzz asks, glancing disdainfully at the miniature army patrolling below.

"There's not too many other plans left to try," Woody sighs, shaking his head. "I thought about just letting one of them catch me in the hopes of leading me off to where they've taken the others but…"

"But Jessie already tried that," Buzz recalls, looking away morosely. "It's been three days, and she still hasn't returned. None of the others have either."

"I know," Woody nods just as solemnly. "There's no telling where they could be or how they're doing. If we don't find them soon, Andy's gonna be fresh out of toys by the time he gets home."

"But at least he'll still have you," Buzz points out with a small smile. "And he'll still have me. That's better than no one at all, isn't it?"

Woody pauses at this, sparing another glare down at the toys that had taken the others, that had taken their friends away for seemingly no real reason at all. Buzz is right; trying to stand against them is a risky, downright dangerous endeavor, one that could very well end in disaster for them both. But with so many of their friends having already met such disaster that they tried and failed to avoid, it's a risk Woody can't help but feel is one worth taking if only for the chance at getting them all back. "Alright, Buzz, get ready," he tightens his hat against his head, hunkering down against the bed even more. "We're gonna give your plan a try."

"Roger that, sheriff," Buzz salutes. He scans the room for the few allies they have left, finding Sarge and his men perched on the windowsill, as well as the Little Green Men on the dresser, well out of the attackers' immediate reach. With all of them having a solid vantage point above their foes, they might just be able to catch them by surprise, and perhaps even apprehend one or more of them to interrogate about the others' whereabouts. That is, if they can even get these strange, almost otherworldly creatures to speak at all. "Everyone is in position. It's go time."

"Right," Woody agrees, getting ready to launch their joint barrage. One that might hopefully be enough to help them lead their lost friends home. "Enough running and hiding. We're putting a stop to this today."


Usually, whenever Sora, Donald, and Goofy first land in a new world, they're immediately able to get a pretty good sense of the scenery and scale they're going to be exploring. From whatever vantage point they start out from, they're typically able to make out forests or fields or sometimes even villages or towns. Yet strangely, this isn't the case in the first world they venture to in search of the thirteen Keys. Because the starting point they find themselves in is space that's quite unlike any place they've ever visited before.

"What in the world…?' Sora mutters to himself, aptly confused upon taking his first tentative steps into their strange new surroundings. Upon a first glance, they appear to be under something, based on the light shade being cast upon them. However, what's by far the most peculiar part is the surprisingly large toys littering the rather cramped space. While he can't speak for Donald or Goofy, Sora also happens to feel that his body feels somewhat stiff as he walks forward, not to the point of being a hindrance, but to the point that it's still initially noticeable all the same. And yet, for even as bewildering as that is, it all only becomes even stranger as the trio emerges out into can't be described as anything other than a child's bedroom. And an incredibly oversized room at that.

Or perhaps… it isn't the room that's so large. But rather, it's the three of them that are so small.

"Oh my gosh! Have we been shrunk?!" Sora gasps as this realization strikes. Briefly, he glances down at his hands only to notice something just as alarming; they're indeed stiff as he'd felt before, and arguably even blocky, traits the rest of his body seems to share. His clothes have changed a bit, but they now seem to be inseparable from his body, much like his entirely solid, immovable hair. Even his joints appear to work a bit differently, now hinged by ball sockets that still fortunately allow for a wide range of mostly flexible movement when he tentatively tests them out. "Are you guys seeing this?" he swiftly glances back at Donald and Goofy to see that they've both undergone a similar sort of transformation. "This is so weird! Are we made out of plastic or something?"

Equally bemused, Goofy lightly taps the side of his own head, only to receive a resounding clunk as an answer. "Yup, sure does sound like plastic," he nods with a small chuckle.

"But why?" Sora wonders, mystified as he looks between his peculiar new form and their sizably larger surroundings. "And why are we so tiny all of the sudden too?"

"Calm down," Donald huffs with a casual wave of his hand. "You already know what this kind of magic is for. We have to protect the world order!"

"Oooooh, right!" Sora nods, crossing his arms. Indeed, he's quite used to Donald's magic changing their forms to best suit some certain worlds they visit that require a little extra work for them to "fit in" better, such as Atlantica or Halloween Town. Still, Sora can't help but wonder what kind of world had they've wandered into that requires them to be so small and strangely plasticine, almost as if they've been turned into—

"Gawrsh…" Goofy interjects, directing his companions' attention towards the other side of the room. Or rather, the armed group of darkened creatures that have taken up shop there. "Who's gonna protect the order from them?"

"Heartless!" Sora and Donald exclaim in startled unison, both of them calling upon their weapons in a flash. Regardless of their minuscule size and bizarre new forms, they still have a twofold job to do: to find the thirteen Keys while protecting each and every world they come across from the scourge the Heartless always seem to serve.

At the same time, the pair of toys still gathered on top of the bed prepares to leap into action against the invading creatures themselves. "Ok," Woody whispers to Buzz as discreetly as he can, as not to attract any unwanted attention from the floor below. "We go on three. One, two-"

"Wait!" Buzz whips both his arms and his suit's wings out just before the cowboy can pounce off the bed. Sarge, his soldiers, and the Little Green Men all remain stationary, as does Woody as he spares a glance at where Buzz is pointing. Or rather, who he's pointing at: a trio of toys neither of them have ever seen before, boldly rushing forward with strange weapons to face the irksome creatures head-on.

"Huh? Who are those guys?" Woody asks, knowing it's been quite some time since Andy has gotten any new toys. Especially toys as peculiar and brazen as these. Then again, they wouldn't be the first odd group to show up in the room as of late, something that the very creatures these new visitors are now fighting are certainly a testament to.

As for those creatures, they aren't faring especially well against opponents as equally armed as Sora, Donald and Goofy are. Despite the blasters the Heartless wield, their shots are loose and sloppy, something that the trio quickly makes note of and makes sure to avoid. Fortunately, this strange new subset of Heartless is rather weak and easy to mow down, even in their tiny forms. In fact, if anything, those forms prove to be an asset to them more than a hindrance; as made of sturdy plastic as their bodies now are, the worst injuries they sustain are a few surface scrapes and scratches that surprisingly don't even hurt at all. And sure enough, the trio is able to clear out the swarm of Heatless swiftly and smoothly, though almost as soon as they do, they're approached by an entirely different group altogether.

"Are they new?"

"Must be. Andy's mom probably bought them to surprise him after they get home from the beach."

"Hm… they could be… or…"

Even as fresh out of the heat of battle as they are, Sora, Donald, and Goofy turn to see the duo coming their way. They're similarly small like the trio, composed of a lean and lanky cowboy and a stouter, sturdy spaceman. A peculiar pair to say the least, but by all accounts, a seemingly friendly one. At least upon a first glance.

"Oh, hi!" Sora offers the pair a cheerful wave. "We're-"

He's abruptly cut off as the spaceman swiftly pounces forward, pointing his arm out toward the trio as a small, red laser dot flashes out from his wrist as he sizes them up with a stern glare. "Stay back!" he warns, swinging his free arm out in front of the cowboy defensively. "Remain where you are. Not another step forward."

"Uh, Buzz?" the cowboy taps him on the shoulder, his face awash in confusion mirroring the trio's.

"Careful, Woody," the spaceman urges. "For all we know, those intruders sent them to round up the rest of us."

"Uh, yeah, solid theory, except you're forgetting one little thing," Woody notes with a bit of a smirk. "We just watched them take out those 'intruders' in just a few minutes flat after we've spent days trying to get rid of them."

"Well, y-yes," Buzz acknowledges, still eyeing the trio warily. "But still, we need to be smart, Woody. While I normally wouldn't mind welcoming any new recruits, we both know that nothing around here has been anywhere close to normal lately."

"I know how you feel," Woody rationalizes as he steps past the space ranger. "But let's just take it easy, alright? Put the laser away and let's see who we've got here."

"But Woody-"

The cowboy puts a hand up, offering Buzz a small, reassuring smile before he turns back to the confused, contextless trio before him. "So, you three are Andy's newest toys, huh?"

"Toys?!" Sora starts, baffled, as Goofy balks in bewilderment alongside him. "Um, we're not toys."

"Sora!" Donald sharply interrupts before mouthing a reminder about 'world order' to him. An order that Sora doesn't make much of an effort to follow up on as he stares down at his puzzlingly plasticine hands once more, wondering if such a bizarre claim could possibly be true.

"Oof, looks like we've got another case of 'new toy syndrome' on our hands here," Woody notes to Buzz, playfully elbowing him. "This oughta be interesting, huh?"

For his part, Buzz says nothing to the cowboy's attempt at lightening the mood. Instead, he merely crosses his arms and scowls in the opposite direction, leaving an awkward bout of silence in his wake. Woody breaks it a beat later, by clearing his throat before addressing the trio once more. "So, uh… why don't we start over? Welcome to Andy's room. The name's Woody," he extends a hand out for Sora. "Put 'er there."

"Now hold on-" Buzz protests shortly.

Sora momentarily puts his persisting surprise on hold to return Woody's greeting as well as he possibly can. "I'm Sora," he smiles, meeting the cowboy's firm handshake.

"And I'm Donald," the magician speaks up.

"I'm Goofy!" the captain finishes with a friendly grin.

Despite his lasting uneasiness, Buzz ultimately caves under an urging glance from Woody to introduce himself in turn. "And I'm… Buzz Lightyear."

"All troops at attention, sir!" A small squadron of tiny green soldiers makes their presence known with this call, a call that Sora, Donald, and Goofy all respect by returning their swift salutes. At the same time, a skateboard toting three stout green aliens rolls by, nearly mowing the trio down entirely, though fortunately they leap out of its path just in time.

"Strangers!" the Little Green Men greet, curiously surrounding Donald and Goofy in particular.

"From the outside!"

"Welcome!"

"So… they're all… toys?" Sora muses to himself as he watches this exchange. He spares a discreet glance over at Buzz and Woody once more, noting the spaceman's synthetic build and the cowboy's clothlike body, before looking over his own recently-changed form. An initially odd shift that's finally made fitting if all of the inhabitants of this world are similarly toys as well. "I guess that explains why we look the way we do…"

"I'd introduce you to the rest of the gang," Woody pipes up again, his smile falling into a saddened frown. "But.. they're… not really around at the moment so…"

"What do you mean?" Sora asks, though before the cowboy can explain anything, Buzz succinctly cuts in.

"I'm not so sure that's any of your business," he remarks, fixing Sora with a snide, scrutinizing glare.

"Buzz, relax," Woody presses again, placing a calming hand on the spaceman's shoulder. "If they were here to hurt us, they would have gotten to it already, I'm sure. If anything, maybe they might be able to help us instead. We can definitely use all hands on deck right now; however few hands we have left..."

"Help?" Goofy inquires.

"With what?" Donald asks, just as curious.

"Well, like I said, it wasn't always this lonely around here," Woody explains with a small, melancholy sigh. "Those 'intruders' as Buzz called them, showed up and started dragging everyone off into these black portals. We haven't seen hide nor hair of any of them since. And each day, they keep coming back to take more and more of our friends away. Slinky, Hamm, Rex, the Potato Heads, Jessie, Bullseye… Bo Peep…" The sheriff almost seems to choke up a bit at this last name of his list of missing friends. "They're all just… gone without a trace."

"I know what that's like…' Sora notes empathetically, recalling how he'd felt the first time he'd been torn away from Riku and Kairi. The first of what certainly hasn't been the last time, unfortunately. "I've been separated from my friends before too…"

"Oh?" Woody asks curiously. "Are you used? You look like you're fresh out of the box to me. Hard to believe you've had a kid before unless they treated you really well."

"Huh?" Sora raises an eyebrow, absolutely lost. "I… have no idea what you're talking about."

"...Then you really are that new… Oh boy…" Woody realizes, muttering to himself before getting the conversation back on track. "A-anyway, we were about to try and wrangle one of those intruders down to see if we could get more information out of it, but then you fellas showed up." The cowboy's grin returns as he tips his hat at the trio. "And I've gotta say, you really did a number on them. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you three have done that before."

"You can say that again!" Goofy quips with a chuckle. "Those are the Heartless."

"And they're more than just intruders," Donald scowls indignantly. "They're a nuisance!"

"Hmph, well at least we can all agree on that much," Buzz remarks, aside.

"We've been fighting those 'intruders' for a while now," Sora adds. "And we-"

"Oh, so they are with you, then?" Buzz interrupts, his suspicions immensely aroused upon hearing this.

"What?" Sora exchanges a confused glance with Donald and Goofy. "No, of course they're not. They're with-"

"If you allegedly fight those creatures on the regular," Buzz continues regardless. "Then clearly they must be an established part of your… What did you call it again, Woody? Backstory?"

"Um, yeah, but Buzz, I don't think-"

"They're part of your backstory just as Star Command and the Evil Emperor Zurg are part of mine," Buzz concludes, throwing the trio through even more of a loop. "Nothing more than a marketing gimmick designed to sell you to impressionable young children. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if those intruders came bundled in the very same box that you three were probably packaged in. Admit it! You're the reason why they came here and started carrying our friends away!"

Sora flinches as Buzz points his 'laser' directly at his chest. Upon looking to Donald and Goofy for some help in diffusing this situation, the most the pair can do is offer him a shrug, clearly every bit as clueless as he currently is. "Um… I'm sorry about what happened to your friends," he says calmly, sincerely. "But we didn't lead those Heartless here. We're actually only here to look for... oh, how am I supposed to put this…? A… a Key."

"A Key?" Woody asks, pushing Buzz's arm down to lower his laser along with it.

"Yeah, it's… well, I don't actually know what it really looks like," Sora admits, wishing that Master Yen Sid had been a bit more descriptive when describing the thirteen Keys. "But I'm guessing it'll be sort of like this?" He summons the Kingdom Key to demonstrate, making sure that the small, dark crack running across its surface is turned away from sight. While Buzz regards it with intense mistrust, Woody eyes it with genuine fascination before he ultimately shakes his head.

"Well, like anything around here, keys aren't usually that hard to find if you know where to look for them, but I can't say I've ever really seen one like that before." The sheriff pauses, making note of the trio's shared sigh of disappointment before making a move to reassure them. "But… if you fellas meant what you said about fighting those intruders, then you're alright by me."

"Woody!" Buzz protests hotly. "You can't just trust them outright like this! Did you miss what I just said about the three of them being the ones to lead those intruders here in the first place?!"

"We don't know if that's true or not, Buzz," Woody counters much more calmly. "And even if they did all come packaged together, it's not like it's their fault those guys started coming in here and toynapping everyone. Besides, you saw for yourself how quickly they took care of them. I think it's safe to say that they're not in league with those things, am I right, fellas?"

"Absolutely right," Sora readily nods.

"You got it!" Goofy agrees firmly.

"There's no way we'd ever work with any kind of no-good Heartless!" Donald snaps, hands on his hips.

"Well what about that 'Key' you're supposedly looking for?" Buzz presses nonetheless, narrowing his eyes at the trio. "What's it for? What exactly is it supposed to do?"

"Uh… t-that's… a really long story," Sora tries his best to rebuff, though he can tell the spaceman won't buy it. "I'm sure you wouldn't wanna hear it-"

"Try me," Buzz crosses his arms coldly. Fortunately though, before Sora has to force himself to come up with some sort of explanation that won't completely obliterate the world order, Woody once again comes to his rescue instead.

"Buzz, that's enough," he sighs, exasperated. "We're not getting anywhere standing around arguing like this. We need to find the others and bring them back home safely, and soon. I don't even wanna think about the look on Andy's face if he were to come home from vacation only to find an empty room…"

"You keep mentioning Andy," Sora begins somewhat gently. "You must really care about him, huh?"

Woody nods as he takes a seat on a nearby letter block. "Yeah." He lifts his foot up to reveal the time-weathered name inscribed on the bottom of his boot. "He's the best kid that toys like us could ever hope to have."

Only a beat of silence passes before the solemn cloud hovering over the room is all but entirely lifted thanks to Sora. "All right, then we'd better start looking!" he exclaims with a bright, encouraging smile.

"Huh?" Woody blinks, aptly confused.

"Sora!" Donald scolds almost instantly. "What about the Key?!"

"Don't worry, we'll find it," Sora assures as he hangs his hands behind his head.

"Gawrsh, you seem pretty confident about that," Goofy chuckles.

"I am," Sora turns to his companions, briefly lowering his voice down to a whisper. "I don't know how to explain it, but it just… feels like we're in the right place to find one of those Keys."

"Feels like it?" Donald crosses his arms, unconvinced. "What makes you so sure?"

"Like I said, it just feels like there's one here,," Sora shrugs. "So that means it's gotta be worth our time to at least take a good look around, right? And hey, why not help these guys find their friends while we're at it?"

"Same ol' Sora," Goofy smirks over at Donald. "Always lookin' for ways to help other folks out."

"More like he's always looking for ways to meddle," the magician huffs. Even so, he can't be entirely frustrated with their young companion. Despite his tendency to frequently derail their important missions, Sora's continual resolve to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs it has always been a trait that both Donald and Goofy can solidly say they're proud of. And, more often than not, it's a trait that somehow always ends up leading them exactly where they need to go, something they can only hope will once again ring true as they embark upon their search for the mysterious Keys.

"So have you got any clues we can go off of?" Sora asks Woody. "Like any other strange things that have been happening around here lately?"

"Well… hm…" the sheriff pauses a moment to think. "There was one thing…"

"When everyone started going missing, the intruders didn't come alone," Buzz explains. "They arrived with a man wearing a hood, dressed in all black. As a matter of fact… he's the only other new toy we've seen, outside of you three."

"A black hood?" Sora asks, dread practically flooding him at the mere mention of such attire. Especially when his mind rushes back to his still very recent, very horrific nightmare. "But that would mean…"

"The Organization!" Donald and Goofy fill in, aptly appalled to hear their foes have already infiltrated this world.

"You know who that is?" Woody asks.

"Yeah," Sora says, trying his best to remain calm amidst fledgling panic that, as far as he knows, has no real source. "Organization XIII. They're bad news."

"Hmph, probably just more pegs in your backstory, no doubt," Buzz remarks bitterly. "Seems like you three sure were written to have a lot of enemies."

"Um… I don't know about the whole 'written' part, but I guess you're not wrong about us having lots of enemies," Sora notes, rubbing the back of his neck. "But since we have some experience dealing with these guys, would you mind if we handle this?"

"I'm sorry, but we're not gonna just leave this to you," Woody denies succinctly, but not rudely. "If that guy has something to do with our friends vanishing, then he's our problem too. Which means we've got to work together." Once again, the sheriff extends a hand out to Sora, though this time with the offering of a partnership. A partnership that, given just how dire this matter clearly is to Woody and even to Buzz, Sora is hard pressed to turn down.

"Right!" he soundly agrees as they shake hands to seal the deal. "So where can we find this guy?"

"Sarge," Woody turns to the leader of the toy soldiers for such intel. "Any word from the recon team?"

"The latest report places him in town, sir," Sarge reports. "At Galaxy Toys!" He points towards a colorful page displayed on the cork board on the wall, advertising some sort of toy store from the looks of it.

"Then Galaxy Toys is where we're headed," Woody confirms, fully resolved to finally get to the bottom of things once and for all. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, follow me. It's out the window and down the roof."

"Not so fast, cowboy," Buzz interjects, an edge of disapproval in his tone. "You seem all gung-ho about going, but shouldn't we stay here and wait for Andy to get home before we go looking for the others? I'm not so sure going with… them is such a good idea…"

"Buzz, listen," Woody throws an arm around his friend's shoulder. "I know you don't really trust them yet, but I think they really do want to help. We've tried waiting, but I'm starting to think waiting's not good enough anymore. If we go with Sora and his friends, then we may just find a clue that could lead us to all of our lost friends long before Andy even gets home. So… are you with me, Buzz?"

The spaceman can't help but crack a small smirk at the way the cowboy poses this question, his stoicism slowly melting away the moment he meets Woody's hopeful grin. While he certainly has plenty of misgivings about these odd new toys, he still believes in Woody, he still trusts his judgement and is willing and ready to follow his lead. After all the two of them have been through together, that's something he doesn't even have to think twice about. "Of course," Buzz finally relents. He eyes the trio dubiously for another moment or two before turning his focus to the mission ahead; after all, it's the most he can really do to take his mind off his lasting distrust towards this peculiar trio. "Ok, let's move out!"

"Great," Woody smiles, relieved. "Sarge, lead the way to that toy store. Aliens, you hold down the fort until we get back."

"Affirmative!" the Little Green Men chime out in terse, yet eager unison.

"We shall secure the Chamber of Andy!"

"The Chamber of Andy shall not be breached again!"

"...Riiiiight," Woody offers them a bit of an awkward thumbs up. He trails after Buzz as they both make their way toward the window, though as they do, Sora, Donald, and Goofy briefly linger behind to share a short discussion of their own.

"You really think the Organization might be here?" Sora poses the question to his companions, trying his best to hide how much he hopes it's not true.

"If they're after those Keys, then I think it's a mighty safe bet that they are," Goofy notes.

"I guess that might mean we're on the right track to finding one," Donald crosses his arms. "Maybe."

"Glad to hear you trust my ignition for a change, Donald," Sora remarks with a confident grin.

"That's intuition," Donald grumbles, rolling his eyes. "And no, I don't trust it if you can't even be bothered to get the word right."

"Speakin' of trust," Goofy pipes up. "It sure seems like Buzz sure doesn't have a whole lot of that for us."

"I can't believe he thought the Heartless were with us," Donald concurs, scowling. "Just like I can't believe you didn't manage to break the world order clean in half, even though you got way too close to doing just that, Sora."

"Hey! I have plenty of experience keeping the world order by now," Sora counters flippantly. "Besides, it's not my fault this world is so weird. Not only are we toys, which is crazy enough on its own, but now we have some kind of weird 'backstory' thing going on too? I don't understand any of it!"

"You don't have to understand it," Donald reminds as they begin to head toward the window. "You just have to act like you do. That's what fitting in is all about."

"Ya gotta fake it till ya make it," Goofy chimes in with a small laugh.

"That sure sounds a whole lot like lying to me," Sora says with a small, knowing smirk.

"Then you should already be good at it," Donald counters just as dryly. "Since you lied to Master Yen Sid and Riku about what happened back in Olympus."

"...You're never gonna let me forget about that, are you?" Sora sighs, earnestly wishing that he could.

"Nope!" both of his companions proclaim as they prepare to follow Buzz and Woody out the window. Sora begrudgingly follows suit, hoping that their time in this world will turn out far better than Olympus had before. That not only will they help their newfound friends find their lost fellow toys, but that the first elusive Key might somehow be found along the way.


Though Sarge insists that Galaxy Toys isn't far from Andy's house, it's still quite a lengthy trek on foot. Realizing this, Woody suggests they hitch a ride, which they manage to do by sneaking into the back of a passing delivery truck bound for the store. That cuts their travel time significantly, and it helps them avoid catching the attention of any pursuing Heartless along the way. And, when they do arrive at their intended destination, suffice to say, the group is absolutely awestruck by what they see.

Galaxy Toys is massive, to say the least. A behemoth of a building, that almost seems like a colorful, towering city rising high above an equally sizable, fully packed parking lot. The group hops off the truck near the front doors, though almost as soon as they do, Woody hastily pulls everyone out of sight behind a nearby trash can, much to the trio's confusion.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Sora asks, perplexed by the sudden delay. "This is the place we need to be, right?"

"It is, but-" Woody stops short, briefly looking the trio over once more. "I keep forgetting just how new you three really are. Just… a word of advice. You're gonna want to keep a low profile around people."

"People? As in… not toys?" Sora asks incredulously. He peers out from their hiding spot, to sure enough, find fully-sized humans walking past, mostly parents with eager and excited children rushing into the store to enjoy everything held inside it. "Uh, Donald?" he whispers to the magician, sharply, yet softly enough so Buzz and Woody won't overhear. "What's the big idea here? If there are regular people here, then why are we toys?"

"Don't look at me," Donald replies flippantly. "That's just how the magic works."

"But wouldn't it be a whole lot easier for us to find that Key if we weren't so small?" Goofy wonders with a frown.

"Well, we-I, uh…. Huh," Donald ultimately has no answer for such a question. Before he can even try to come up with one, however, Buzz suddenly interjects.

"What are you three whispering about over there?" he asks, eyeing them suspiciously. "Cooking up some sort of sinister scheme, hm?"

"Um… no?" Sora replies, exchanging an uneasy glance with his companions. "We were just… uh… trying to come up with a plan about how to get inside without anyone noticing us!"

"I think I've already got us covered on that front," Woody grins, nodding over to a conveniently close-by shopping cart corral. The others follow his lead over to it, each of them hopping into the undercarriage and tucking themselves safely out of sight just as a family takes it out and wheels it through the front doors. Upon clearing the entryway, they hop off the cart, slipping behind the first display case they see, all while avoiding the detection of any people going about their business as they tower well over the tiny group of toys discreetly moving among them. Once they're in the clear, however, they all take a moment to take in the full scope of what now awaits them.

As impressive as it is on the outside, the store's interior is somehow even more awe-inspiring. The structure is made up of three lofty floors, each of them heavily and diversely themed based on whichever toys are sold in each of its many sections. The centerpiece of the bottom floor is a massive claw machine with a long and noisy line of kids trailing around it to take their turn to try for a prize. Around it are several displays with a whole host of diverse toys for sale, with children taking their picks and trailing after their parents to the nearest cash register to take their new playthings home.

"Gawrsh, this place is gigantic!" Goofy exclaims, aptly amazed.

"You can say that again…" Sora agrees, knowing this store would be massive even if they were their usual size. But now, in the much smaller forms they've been reduced to, the task of exploring a place like this has become all the more daunting. "Where are we even supposed to start looking for anyone in here?"

"A higher vantage point might be beneficial in this case," Buzz suggests, pointing up to the top of the claw machine. Or more precisely, the platform positioned atop it, one that would allow them a decent view of each of the store's densely-packed floors.

"Great idea, Buzz," Woody grins, already formulating a plan to get to the machine without detection. He sends Sarge and his men off to search the smaller nooks and crannies of the store before he sneaks off to snatch a stray shopping basket, one that, when flipped over, is just the perfect size for everyone to fit snugly under. Once they're all tucked beneath it, they begin their trek across the bustling store floor, moving slowly and smartly and stopping whenever someone seems to approach them. Woody whispers directions over the dense din of squealing children and conversing parents and employees, taking point as he peeks between the gaps in the basket to lead the way to the claw machine. The cowboy clearly has quite a bit of experience when it comes to evading any unwanted human attention, and Buzz does too, though the trio still isn't entirely sure why it's so necessary for them to do so in the first place. They can only assume it's because walking, talking toys is an oddity to the denizens of this world, which means that their task to fit in here is now twofold. To blend in between toys and hide from humans alike.

The group waits until the coast is clear before they sneak past the line of kids rounding the claw machine. They're easily able to slip into its hatch, and once inside the large glass dome, climbing up its railing is simple enough to pull off in the brief seconds when no one's looking. "Ok," Woody says as everyone regroups on the platform topping the machine. "Now that we're in, we can start looking for the others. By my count, we need to find Jessie, Bullseye, Bo Peep, Slinky, Hamm, Rex, and Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head before we can head back home."

"That sure sounds like an awful lot of toys to find," Donald remarks diffidently.

"Do you have any clues that could help us look for 'em?" Goofy asks, just as intimidated by the lofty mission ahead of them.

"Don't worry," Woody chuckles reassuringly. "You'll know 'em when you see them."

"If they're here at all…" Buzz mutters, still doubtful that they're on the right track.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sora says with a spirited smile. "Let's get looking!" He's the first to step forward to approach the edge of the platform, though before he can get very far, he's stopped by the unexpected, unwanted arrival of a familiar group of toylike creatures.

"More invaders?" Buzz asks hotly. "How did they follow us all the way here? Unless… they were following you three!"

"No," Sora tries to reason as he calls upon his Keyblade. "They're probably just-"

"Just trying to finish us off now that you've lured us into their trap," Buzz accuses crossly. "See, Woody? I told you we should have just stayed home."

"Give it a rest already, Buzz," Woody sighs tiredly. "Now really isn't the time to go on 'conspiracy theorist' on us. We've got much bigger problems on our hands right now!"

"It's ok," Sora spares a cautionary glance over at the pair as Donald and Goofy take up a battle-ready stance alongside him. "We can take care of them."

"So can we," Woody steps forward, grabbing a hold of his own pull-string. "Buzz! Look alive!"

The spaceman scoffs, disgruntled, but sure enough, he does his part to help. Woody makes the first move, swinging his string out to create a lasso to loop around several of the surrounding Heartless, pulling them tightly together. While they're restrained, Buzz rushes in, using his built karate-chop feature to slam his arm into the horde, hitting them hard enough to easily stun them for the trio to finish them off. The group continues this maneuver on the rest, with Woody wrangling the Heartless, Buzz subduing them, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy landing the finishing blows in a successive round of clockwork teamwork. And by the time every single Heartless invading the tiny platform has finally been cleared out, the trio finds themselves duly impressed by how easy that battle had been with Buzz and Woody by their side.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaims in the immediate aftermath of the fray. "Are you guys sure you've never fought any Heartless before? Because that was awesome!"

"Eh, that was just one of the many moves Buzz and I picked up during playtime," Woody smirks, leaning an elbow on the space ranger's shoulder. "Andy's a pretty creative kid, especially when it comes to coming up with battle scenes."

"And it's a good thing too," Buzz glances past the others, still poised and ready for a fight. "Since it looks like there's plenty more of those creatures to put those moves into practice on."

Sure enough, another horde of Heartless, more sizable than the last, materializes on the far edge of the platform. Just as they did before, the group charges forward to combat them, still far above the view of any of the shoppers below as the natural sounds and songs of the store itself covers the clatter of the miniature clash above them. That clash unfolds similarly to the last one, with Buzz and Woody kicking things off while the trio both covers them and ultimately conquers the creatures. And yet, the steady rhythm of the fight is soon broken as another Heartless, the largest one the group's faced yet, slams down onto the platform out of nowhere, knocking the toys surrounding it off their feet altogether. Though most of them are able to remain on the platform itself, the larger Heartless intentionally targets one of them when it swings its powerful foot out to kick Sora squarely in the chest. The force of the blow is enough to catch him completely off guard and throw his Keyblade from his grip, and in the end, it tosses him, not just to the edge of the platform, but off of it entirely.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy call out for him, but they're ultimately too late to save him. Sora plummets down the side of the claw machine, crashing into it a few times on the way down. He tries to get any sort of grip on its slick glass surface, but finds none, and instead, continues to fall freely to the distant floor below.

Yet as he does, something strange begins to happen. His body begins to stiffen, his limbs freezing up while turning limp all at the same time. His panicked yells fall into silence as mouth is forced to close, the corners of it involuntarily lifting into a smile of all things. By the time he finally hits the ground, he's completely incapable of moving altogether, his body stuck in a state of stark stillness, his face suspended in a bright, cheery, fake smile. Everything about him completely and utterly inanimate.

And to make matters even worse, he lands squarely amidst the busy crowds of shoppers traversing the floor below. He doesn't strike any of them in his descent, and when he slams into the ground, he sustains no apparent damage. But damage still comes all the same when a group of young, overzealous children rushes by, none of them paying much mind to where they're going. As a result, one of them thoughtlessly tramples over Sora's small, prone form, stomping hard onto his outstretched arm. He's unable to move, powerless to scream, incapable of doing anything other than watch, his eyes wide and unblinking, as his arm is forcibly torn out of its socket entirely.

And yet, even then, he still doesn't feel so much as a pinch of pain.

On the outside, he's still stuck smiling, his face an immovable mask hiding away all of the panic pouring through him on the inside. He doesn't know what's happened to him, much less why, and even worse, he doesn't know how to get it to stop, to force his body to simply move even a little when it won't budge, no matter how hard he tries. He sends himself silent, desperate commands to even so much as glance back up at the platform he'd fallen from, if only to confirm that the others are indeed coming to help. But as it stands, he can't even accomplish merely turning his head a single inch, much less reclaiming his now horrifically detached arm as it lies on the floor only a few inches away from him. A few inches that feel like miles to Sora now.

As busy as the surrounding shoppers are, none of them even spare the tiny broken toy any mind as they pass him by. In much of the same way, none of them are able to know about the torrent of terror washing over him as he's forced to stare at his torn arm and nothing else. As a result, he feels bizarrely, miserably alone amidst a crowd, a crowd filled with people who only see him as a lifeless, discarded plaything, an object, and nothing else.

Fortunately, he isn't stepped on again, but it feels like ages pass before Sora sees something else come into his limited field of view. A hand, concealed by a black glove, reaches in to retrieve his arm, just before another hand soon snatches what remains of him.

Control of his body is still completely gone as he falls slack against the hand that's now holding him. It pulls him up into the air a bit, and at first, Sora isn't able to see who his supposed "rescuer" really is. But as soon as he hears their voice, he immediately wishes he was still lying alone and lost and limp on the floor. Because really, even that's far better than coming face to face with who's just "found" him.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Young Xehanort grins down at him, a smile that Sora has no choice but to return in his current suspended state. Despite the fact that, on the inside, the only thing he's feeling is a sharp sense of pure, unbridled fear over lying helplessly in the hands of one of his most dangerous foes. Danger that he'd been so recently reminded of in the frightening nightmare that still rests fresh at the front of his mind. "Such a shame that someone would be so careless with a 'toy' as valuable as you…"

Back atop the upper platform, Donald and Goofy finally manage to catch sight of Sora in the busy crowd below. Though when they see exactly who's now holding him, they both panic just as much as Sora himself currently is. The only difference is that they're actually able to make their panic known. "We've gotta get down there right now!" Donald shouts as Woody and Buzz finish the few remaining Heartless off.

"Sora's in trouble!" Goofy adds just as urgently, already racing after Donald to scale down from their perch.

"Whoa, now hold on there, fellas," Woody tries to stop them before they can slide off the platform's edge. "Even if we do go down there, there's not a whole lot we'll be able to help Sora, not with that many people around."

"Say, now that I take another look, the man that's holding him seems awfully familiar," Buzz notes, peering down at the scene far below. "He looks like that figure in the black coat we saw a few days ago, but that's impossible. He was a toy when he showed up with those intruders, not a full-sized person like he appears to be now…."

"Who cares!?" Donald huffs impatiently. "All that matters is that we get Sora away from him as soon as possible!"

"Ok, ok," Woody reasons, trying to maintain some sense of calm amidst the frenzy. "We'll figure something out-"

"And we gotta hurry!" Goofy stresses, both him and Donald absolutely terrified by the prospect of the young master trying to take Sora away from them all over again.

Back on the floor, Sora feverishly continues to try and will his immobile body into motion, a largely futile effort that becomes all the more frustrating as Young Xehanort holds his detached arm over him almost tauntingly. "So soon into your journey and you've already been broken," he muses in faux disappointment. "I would have thought you'd be more durable than this. In that case, I suppose I ought to consider myself lucky that I require you more for your heart than for your body."

Amidst his continued dread, Sora doesn't even bother trying to make sense of such an ominous statement. He wants to shout, scream, free himself and fight back with every ounce of resistance he has; but even that resistance isn't enough to even budge the stubborn plastic shell his body has become.

"Fortunately for you, I prefer to not have any of my vessels in pieces," Young Xehanort continues coolly. Sora is only able to get a peripheral view from the edges of his limited vision as the young master moves his lost arm in toward the socket it had been broken from. Another jolt of blind terror courses through him as he tries to figure out what his foe might be doing. Only to hear a succinct click as his once-broken arm is snapped cleanly back into his shoulder where it belongs. "There," Young Xehanort's icy grin widens as he moves the arm around a bit, something that Sora hates that he isn't able to do for himself at the moment. "Like it never happened. Don't worry about trying to thank me for coming to your rescue now; you'll have plenty of time to do that later."

"Um, excuse me, sir?" The young master's smile instantly dissolves into a scowl at this unexpected interruption. He turns to find one of the store's many employees, a teenage boy, standing behind him and looking quite intimidated by the strange, black coat clad man in front of him. "A-are you gonna pay for that toy? Because if not, then do you mind putting it back where you found it? I-it really helps us out a lot when you-"

"I have no intention of paying for something that already belongs to me," Young Xehanort interrupts haughtily. Sora feels a burst of disgust permeate the lingering fear inside of him, the thought of being so casually referred to as the young master's mere property practically making him see red. But unfortunately, he can't do a single thing to argue against such a twisted claim, at least not right now.

"Oh, y-you already bought it?" the employee infers, swallowing hard under the young master's dour scowl. "T-then could you maybe show me a receipt? J-just gotta make sure, or my manager will-"

"I believe you have far more pressing matters to concern yourself with rather than looking into my affairs," Young Xehanort nods toward the far end of the store just as a round of frightened screams ripples across it. A group of Heartless, far larger and more dangerous than any Sora's seen in this world thus far, have appeared, no doubt on the young master's own bidding, to stir up chaos and disarray among the innocent shoppers. Families flee from the uncouth creatures attacking them, toting their children to the nearest exit as quickly as possible while employees rush forward to try and take care of the sudden threat. Though clearly, armed with only brooms and office supplies as most of them are, they don't have much luck.

"Aw, man!" the employee cries as he fearfully rushes to the front doors instead of going in to help his fellow workers. "They don't pay me enough to deal with this!"

As the rush of assaulting Heartless and fleeing shoppers continues, Young Xehanort slips back into the sidelines of it all, still keeping a secure grip on Sora as he holds him up a bit to let him watch what's unfolding. "What does it feel like, to see so many innocent lives in danger only to know there's nothing you can do to save them?" the young master asks, his voice soft and calculated. Of course, Sora can't answer, just as much as he can't deny the guilt swelling up in him as he watches the Heartless harass and hurt dozens of normal people who don't deserve it in the slightest. As he realizes that even if he could move, even if he could fight, even if he was his normal size, he still wouldn't be enough to stop it. "Observe carefully, my thirteenth," Young Xehanort instructs, his icy voice sending another palpable chill through Sora's much smaller form. "This is only a small taste of what it will be like for you on the day when you've finally come to stand on our side. When you're forced to watch, helpless and afraid, just as you are now, when all of your friends are wiped out of existence. When your own hand is the one that's destroying everything you hold dear."

No, I won't! Sora shouts back inside his own mind, in a voice that only he can hear. There's nothing you could ever do to force me to hurt my friends!

"You shouldn't be so sure of that," Young Xehanort surprisingly answers him. And when he does, Sora realizes in yet another wave of rising horror that the young master can somehow seemingly read his very thoughts. "You'd be surprised by what enough suffering could bring anyone to do, even you, Sora."

At this, Sora succinctly silences his own thoughts, if only to keep the young master from invading them any further. By now, the Heartless have forced essentially everyone out of the store, even the employees who tried and failed to fend them off. And as soon as they're all out the store falls into a relative state of echoing silence, one that's only broken as Young Xehanort slowly steps back out into the open. "Now that we have a bit more privacy, perhaps it's only fair that I come down to your level for a bit," he smirks as he sets Sora down on the floor almost gently. "After all, you don't seem to be much for one-sided conversations."

With this, the young master suddenly vanishes, and the instant he does, Sora finds himself in complete control of his own body once more. He finally blinks, letting out a sharp gasp as he bolts to sit upright. His hand trembles as he reaches over to touch his shoulder, looking over his recently reattached arm and wondering why it still doesn't hurt, wondering how it had been able to snap in and out so easily.

Wondering just how little it would take for someone like Young Xehanort to break the rest of his body apart as long as he's like this.

His ears are ringing to the point that he doesn't even realize he's screaming, a shout torn out of him not by pain but by the sheer, resounding panic that'd been trapped inside of him all that time. Panic that he's only now permitted to actually release. He barely even registers when Donald and Goofy finally reach him, as they grip his shoulders securely, as they try their best to calm and comfort him, as Woody and Buzz follow, their expressions filled with concern and confusion respectively. His companions ask him if he's ok, a pointless question since he so clearly isn't. But he's unable to answer as he struggles to so much as even breathe, without even realizing that he doesn't have to, that he hadn't at all when he'd rested limp and lifeless in Young Xehanort's hold.

When he finally is capable of speaking again, Sora reaches out and desperately grasps his companions arms for support as he tries to make sense of the danger he'd just been in. "Donald, Goofy, I-I don't know what just happened!" he exclaims, his voice hitching as it returns to him. "I couldn't move, I couldn't talk, I couldn't do anything! I just... froze up and I don't even know why!"

"Do you think it might have something to do with… ya know," Goofy lowers his voice a bit at this. "Young Xehanort?"

"No, I tried moving even after he picked me up," Sora counters, his voice still tight and tense. "I wanted to fight back and escape, b-but I… I just couldn't."

"Didn't you three hear what I told you earlier?" Woody interjects at this, his expression sympathetic where Buzz's largely isn't. "You have to stay out of sight when it comes to people. As fresh out of the box as you fellas are, it'll take some time before you can start working past that whole 'freezing up' thing when you really need to. But until then, you've gotta be more careful, especially when it comes to falling several feet into a heavy crowd."

The cowboy's attempt at humor is largely lost on the trio, particularly on Sora, as he continues leaning against his companions for support. He briefly spares another glance at his shoulder, still haunted by the sight of his arm being ripped clean off of it, as well as none other than Young Xehanort, of all people, being the one to strangely fix it.

Speaking of the young master, his voice soon rings out once more, this time from a good distance behind the group gathered on the floor. "A world in which even simple playthings possess hearts of their own… How interesting…" Much to the group's shared surprise, Young Xehanort has somehow made himself much smaller, to the point that he now stands at the same minute statue as the collection of toys gathered before him. As a result, none of them freeze up as he approaches them, a steady smirk still resting on his face as he sets his golden sights on Sora in particular. "Then again, what are hearts if not the very proof of one's existence, defined by the emotions they feel?"

"Y-you…" Sora starts, though before he can get another word out, Donald and Goofy swiftly rush in to stand between him and their foe.

"Stay away from Sora!" Goofy orders, his shield out and ready.

"We're not gonna let you get anywhere close to him," Donald adds just as severely as he waves his wand in warning. "Not again!"

"Wait a second…" Woody interjects, narrowing his eyes at the unsettling stranger. "Buzz, you were right! This really is the guy that showed up when those intruders did!"

"But that doesn't explain how he managed to pass off as a person before," Buzz says as he points his wrist laser directly at Young Xehanort, glaring at him relentlessly. "We've had enough strangeness to deal with lately. You're going to explain to us who you are and what your intentions are, now!"

The young master simply scoffs at this threat, humored by it as he addresses Sora once more. "I see you've chosen to surround yourself with friends that are every bit as foolish and fragile as you are. Worry not; it won't be long before you'll be in the far superior company of your fellow Organization members."

Sora jolts at this, his former fear filling in with something far fiercer as he refuses to even entertain the thought that he might stand among the ranks of Organization XIII someday. A thought that he's resolved to do everything in his power to keep from becoming a reality. "I don't know what you mean," he says as steadily as he can as he pulls himself to his feet. He steps forward, joining Donald and Goofy as he lets his Keyblade flash into his hands once more. "I'm already exactly where I belong."

"No," Young Xehanort counters, unphased. "Not yet. But you will be, far sooner than you think."

Despite his momentary burst of bravado against his foe, Sora isn't able to come up with anything to say in response to such an ominous, worrying claim. A claim that has at least some small piece of proof if the marring black crack upon his Keyblade is anything to go off of. "Enough!" he shouts brazenly. "What are you even doing here in the first place?"

"You should already know that well by now," the young master says. "We are missing a darkness that must be reclaimed. And fortunately we don't have to look very far; after all, Sora, you're already here."

Sora takes in a small, sharp breath, especially when Donald and Goofy both send a brief, worried look his way. He plays it off as best he can, refusing to let himself lose his nerve again as he shoots back a short and snappy response. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you're going to have to look somewhere else."

"Maybe not," Young Xehanort muses. "For if not a vessel, then certainly, this is the kind of world where a special sort of Key could be found, wouldn't you agree?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all let out a collective gasp at this, the ongoing suspicion confirmed that they aren't alone in their hunt for the Keys to the Kingdom. The Organization is indeed tracking them down as well, which means that the pressure's on more than ever before for the trio to find them all first. Or else.

"In that sense, our purposes here are very much the same," the young master continues. "But unlike you, we've developed a much more… efficient way to search for them. If the Keys are indeed tied to the feelings of the heart, then what better way to uncover them then by manipulating those feelings to our advantage? The way hearts connect in this world can provide us with a clue that could lead to not just one Key, but all the rest."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asks, disgruntled and annoyed by the young master's vagueness.

"I'm surprised you don't understand," Young Xehanort replies, his tone cold and condescending. "Separation from your friends is something I would think you would be very familiar with, Sora. That separation can lead to a wide range of various emotions: despair, fear, anger, guilt. One of those is bound to bring a Key out into the open; and once it does, we'll be there, ready to claim it as the first of many for our cause."

"Not if we find it first!" Sora protests resiliently.

"We're not gonna you get your hands on that Key-" Donald starts, just as intensely.

"Or any of the others!" Goofy finishes firmly.

"Hm, we'll see," Young Xehanort counters, his tone largely disinterested as a dark corridor forms behind him. "In the meantime, I wish you the best of luck in finding it, as well as all of your… 'missing' friends," his constant grin deepens as he regards Buzz and Woody briefly, knowingly just before he does the exact same to Sora. "Don't disappoint me, my thirteenth."

"Wait!" Sora shouts, running after him to get a better explanation. To his credit, the young master does stop, but only long enough to shoot a heavy burst of darkness out at one of the surrounding toy displays, specifically one for a large, monstrous action figure. Despite all of the store's toys remaining perfectly still and silent until now, this one abruptly roars to life, shadows surrounding it as it leaps down from its perch and smashes down onto the floor to confront the much smaller toys before it. While they're distracted by this sudden shift, Young Xehanort makes his departure without another word, leaving the group to fend off the newfound threat he's now left them to contend with.

"Woody! What's going on?!" Buzz shouts over the action figure's thundering footsteps as it marches toward them. "Is this toy a friend or a foe?"

Before Woody has a chance to say anything, the larger toy lashes a clawed hand out of the group, an attack that they all manage to only narrowly dodge. "I think we've already got our answer," Woody replies, picking himself off the ground. At the same time, Sora, Donald, and Goofy rejoin them, their weapons all ready for a fight that Buzz isn't so sure he wants to participate in.

"Why is this toy attacking us?" he asks, baffled. "What did that 'enemy' of yours do to it?"

While the best answer Donald and Goofy have to this question is a pair of quizzical shrugs, Sora takes another look at the marauding action figure, spotting a particular, familiar emblem emblazoned on its chest. "I think…" he begins, voicing a theory more than anything else. "The Heartless are controlling it!"

"Then we've gotta take it down," Donald insists, already casting a blaze over his wand.

"Before any of those people come back in here!" Goofy agrees as he throws his shield out to start the brawl.

Woody quickly falls into the swing of things alongside the trio, charging ahead to help them stop the terrorizing toy in any way he can. Buzz hesitates, however, watching the unfolding brawl worriedly, unnerved by the very concept of what's happening as a whole. "Toys… being controlled against their will?" he mutters to himself in apt apprehension. Because with their friend still missing, quite possibly even held captive by creatures that can so easily take control of a toy's entire autonomy, then who's to say they haven't fallen victim to the very same fate as the towering toy before them now?

"Hey, Buzz!" Woody calls as he pulls his string taunt to keep the action figure's arm restrained. Sora, Donald, and Goofy beat away at its legs to bring it down, an effort that would be greatly aided by the spaceman stepping in. "W-we could use a little help here!"

Buzz flinches, but shakes his head to clear it, not wanting to leave his longtime friend in such a perilous bind. He begins to run over to join the cowboy, steeling himself at the thought of fighting an otherwise innocent toy. But in the end, he finds he ultimately doesn't have to.

Without warning, the action figure rears back, letting out a loud roar as something strikes it hard from behind. The force behind this attack is enough to send the toy swaying forward, an effort aided by Woody as he yanks his pullstring back, knocking it to the ground entirely. Fortunately, the others are all out of the way when it topples over, the Heartless within it repelled by such a heavy blow and the toy left still and immobile once more in its wake. And once it's down, another pair of toys suddenly leap in to take a triumphant perch atop its back.

"Yeeee haw! Looks like this critter's gotten too big for his britches, huh, Bullseye?"

A spirited neigh responds to this new voice, one that Buzz and Woody both immediately recognize before they even get a chance to see who it came from.

"Wait…" the cowboy balks, glancing up at the newly-arrived duo. "Is that-"

"Jessie!" Buzz finishes, a bright smile filling his features at the welcome sight of one of their lost friends.

The new toy, a cowgirl to match Woody in many ways, glances down from her steed, a plush wool horse that instantly perks up when he notices duo down below. Jessie also lets out a cheerful shout when she sees them, eagerly riding Bullseye down to the ground to greet them. "Woody! Buzz!" she shouts brightly, hopping off the horse. "It's about time we found you two! Where in the great green prairie have you boys been?!"

"We could ask you the same thing!" Woody exclaims incredulously. "How did you-" He's cut off by Bullseye, who eagerly hops onto him, nearly knocking him over in the process. "H-hey, there, bud!" the cowboy laughs, gladly petting the horse in greeting. "I'm happy to see you too."

Buzz clears his throat at this, offering the cowgirl a warm, if not affectionate smile as he steps up to her. "Jessie, it's grea—ahem, i-its… very relieving to see you safe and sound." The space ranger quickly takes on a formal tone, though clearly, he doesn't fool Jessie.

"Great to see you too, Buzz," she jokes wryly, patting him on the cheek and easily flustering him even more. Her smile falls, however, as she steals a glance back at the fallen toy behind them. "That almost got a bit dicey there. I've never seen a toy fly off the handle like that before. You boys sure are lucky Bullseye and I were here to rush to your rescue, huh?"

"Eh," Woody shrugs playfully. "We had it covered with the help of our new friends here."

"New friends, huh?" Jessie glances past the cowboy to get her first real glimpse at the trio. "Golly! Well, aren't you three fancy?" the cowgirl grins as she sizes Sora, Donald, and Goofy up. "Have you fellas been helping my wayward sheriff and space ranger out around here?"

"Yeah, we have," Sora grins cordially before introducing himself. "I'm Sora."

"I'm Donald!" the magician chimes in.

"And I'm Goofy!" the captain finishes off.

"Much obliged to meet all three of ya," Jessie nods. "I'm-"

"Jessie," Sora interrupts with a knowing laugh. "Believe me, we heard."

At the same time, Bullseye trots over to the trio to happily wedge himself in between Donald and Goofy. "Looks like Bullseye's already taken a shine to you three," Jessie chuckles, hands on her hips. "He's a swell judge of character, so if he trusts ya, then so do I!"

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea…" Buzz mutters, aside.

"Say, Jessie," Woody speaks up. "Do you mind telling us what happened after you let those intruders take you away? Is this where they brought you and the others?"

"Well, it's where they brought me 'n Bullseye," Jessie nods, her tone and expression now serious. "As for the others, I… haven't seen any of them. I've been looking as much as I can, but have you seen this place? It's huge!"

"Well, if you're here, then that must mean the others must be too, right?" Sora asks, and Jessie and Woody are both quick to readily agree with such a theory.

"I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that they are," Woody takes a glance up at the unexplored floors above them. "We'd better get looking; it'll be a lot easier to move around now that everyone's out of the store, but they could come back in at any minute, so we need to-"

"Now hold on just a minute, Woody," Buzz interjects, sternly staring the trio in particular down. "We still have plenty of unanswered questions here. That man in the black coat said he was after that 'Key' you three are supposedly trying to track down. So if you all are going to such great lengths to look for it, then what exactly is it really? And what will happen if either of you find it?"

"Um… w-well…" Sora begins, still unsure of how to safely answer such a question.

At the same time, Jessie leans over to Woody, whispering in apt confusion. "What's Buzz going on about?"

"I'll… fill you in later," Woody sighs, still quite weary of Buzz's continued paranoia.

"And another thing," the spaceman doesn't give the trio a chance to answer his question before he presses them with another, one that's specifically aimed at Sora. "He almost made it sound though you're one of his allies rather than his enemy, he even went as far as calling you 'his thirteenth', whatever that means. So whose side are you really on anyway?"

"Not his," Sora protests immediately. His tone comes out far more harsh, far more rigid than he'd meant it to, but he can't help it. He needs to debunk such unsavory ideas, both to anyone who might think otherwise, but even more so to himself, before they can get out of hand. "He was lying. I'm definitely not on his side, I promise," he reiterates, though his voice oddly wavers a bit when he does. "The only thing I want-that we want-is to stop him and his followers from causing the same kind of trouble they've made for you and your friends."

"If that's the case then why did he target our friends in particular?" Buzz asks, still scowling sullenly at the trio. "Why drag a group of perfectly innocent toys away from their home and leave them lost and scattered in some random toy store? Why use those creatures of his to force other toys to do his bidding? None of this makes any sort of sense!"

"No, it… doesn't really," Sora can't help but agree. "To be honest, a lot of what the Organization does doesn't make much sense…"

"But that doesn't matter," Woody finally cuts in, silencing Buzz's arguments as he throws an arm around the spaceman's shoulder. "What matters is finding our friends. I'll admit, all this talk of magical Keys and a guy who can go from being a person to being a toy as he pleases is… a little far fetched. But is it really that crazy? Worse than 'evil emperors' and 'protecting the galaxy'." The sheriff offers the space ranger a knowing smile. "Any of that ring a bell?"

"P-point taken," Buzz coughs, flustered. "But we can find our friends on our own. We don't need any help from these strangers to get everyone back home safely."

Despite the space ranger's attempt at remaining discreet, his remarks are indeed heard by the trio, a mutual sense of disappointment filling them as his less-than-favorable words sink in. "Gawrsh, thought we were friends, not strangers…" Goofy says with a small, sad frown as Donald nods his dejected agreement. Sora, however, isn't quite done trying to set the pair of toys at ease just yet.

"We really do want to help you guys, just as much as we want to find that Key," he insists earnestly. "And we've had plenty of experience dealing with the Heartless and the Organization. I'm sure we can stop them and save all of your friends if we stick together."

"Yeah!" Jessie chimes in her eager support. "Those creepy little critters won't stand a chance against a rough-and-tumble posse like us! You fellas can count me in for sure!"

"Me too," Woody soundly agrees before turning back to the space ranger. "Come on, you know Sora's right, even if you don't want to admit it," he coaxes, his tone firm yet encouraging. "They helped with the intruders, so they might be able to help us find our friends too. They have been there for us this far; you can't deny that. Every toy deserves a fair shake, Buzz, you should know that better than anyone else."

"Then tell that to that toy over there," Buzz immediately retorts, pointing to the downed action figure behind them. "Or does he not get that 'fair shake' just because he's not 'like us'."

Woody doesn't really have an answer for this, and neither does anyone else for that matter. After all, the line between which toys do and don't have autonomy and consciousness of their own has always seemed to waver drastically, to the point that it hardly even seems consistent at all. And it's clear that line is something Buzz is taking into deep consideration, largely since, by all accounts, it turns everything he thought he knew about being a toy completely on its head. Not that he's willing to admit those troubling thoughts to the others, especially not to the trio of toys he still can't find any reason to truly trust in the slightest.

The beat of silence that follows between the group of toys is soon broken, however, as a familiar green army man happens to parachute in from one of the floors above. "Sarge!" Woody greets, breathing out a sigh of relief. "Boy, am I glad to see you. Have you got a status report?"

"Sir!" Sarge salutes dutifully when he lands. "I just received word that one of my men spotted the Potato Heads, both Mr. and Mrs. up on the second floor."

"The Potato Heads?" the cowboy grins, exchanging a bright glace with Buzz and Jessie alike. "Then that means the others must be here after all!"

"Do you have anything more specific to go off of on where we can find them?" Buzz asks Sarge.

"Negative," the army man shakes his head. "I sent my corporeal up to scout out the area after all of the civilians evacuated the premises, but something must have gone wrong. All radio contact has been lost."

"Oh no," Jessie frowns, just as troubled by this concerning news as Buzz and Woody are.

"However, right before I lost contact," Sarge continues. "I received reports of a strange shadow moving around the doll section. No word on what it could be, though it's safe to assume that it's involved and dangerous."

"Gawrsh…" Goofy muses to Donald, aside. "Do ya think it could be the Heartless again?"

"Or the Heartless controlling another toy," Donald proposes.

"Or worse yet, Young Xehanort," Sora mutters, far from keen on inevitably running into the young master again. "I guess we'll never know unless we go see for ourselves."

"I agree," Woody says as Jessie nods in turn. Even Bullseye happily stomps a hoof down to show his support, and yet Buzz merely turns away, arms crossed and manner sullen. "Well, Buzz?" Woody asks him, hopeful. "Do you really think we can save our friends on our own? We didn't get very far before. We gotta take all the help we can get."

Once more, Buzz hesitates as he glances back over his shoulder, though before he can offer a reply, Goofy suddenly chimes in with another argument altogether. "Don't worry!" the captain warmly assures. "Sora can be reckless, and Donald grumbles a lot. But you can trust 'em!"

As lightly offended as the pair is by this remark, the magician in particular isn't afraid to show it. "Hey!" Donald fusses. "He suspects you too!"

"It's true," Sora adds, hands on his hips.

"Huh? He does?" Goofy asks innocently.

Both Woody and Jessie get a good chuckle out of this lighthearted exchange, and even Buzz can't help but crack the smallest ghost of a smile. One that he's quick to wipe away before any of the others can see. "Aw, those boys don't seem that bad at all," Jessie grins, playfully elbowing the spaceman beside her. "Don't ya think so, Buzz?"

Unable to remain entirely stoic under the warm, welcome smile Jessie sends his way, Buzz ultimately folds. "Ok, fine. We do need the extra help. But just so we're clear; I remain skeptical about this." Buzz stops short as he passes the trio by, looking over each of them with his usual amount of hardened scrutiny. "I'll work with you, but only until we find our friends."

"Ohh…. Kay…" Woody notes, watching as Buzz swiftly pressed on ahead. "Still, thanks for the help, you three," he says to the trio. "And… don't worry about Buzz. I'm sure he'll come around to you guys… eventually."

"Yeah, he might be acting like a bit of a sourpuss right now," Jessie adds, shooting a knowing look Buzz's way. "But I can guarantee that Buzz Lightyear is the sweetest spaceman you'll ever meet!"

"We'll take your word for it," Sora laughs, deciding to believe that claim despite Buzz's bitterness toward them before. Bitterness that can hopefully be overcome with a bit of good old fashion fire-forged teamwork.

Not knowing how much time they'll have left before customers and employees alike begin to trickle back into the store, the tiny group of toys makes a beeline back to the claw machine, hoping to use its railing to get up to the second floor again. Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye all head up first, and Donald and Goofy follow suit. However, just as he's about to step through the threshold of the machine, Sora stops short, a certain unmistakable chill sweeping through him. It's sudden and stark, a drastic change compared to the lack of most physical sensations his now-plastic form causes. Even his arm being torn clean from his body had been completely painless, like it might as well have never even happened at all. And yet, right now Sora knows he can't deny the slightest bit of familiar pain gnawing away at his chest—or rather, at his heart.

"So… there really is still something within that hollow guise you've taken on after all…"

In an instant, the Kingdom Key is in Sora's hands as he sharply spins around, only to once again come face-to-face with Young Xehanort himself. The young master is still just as small as he is, still wearing his usual even grin as he doesn't even flinch at the weapon being pointed directly at him.

"How amusing," he says, almost chuckling. "You aim that Keyblade at me as if we still stand on opposing sides."

"Last time I checked, we do," Sora retorts, his stern stance not breaking.

"Hm," Young Xehanort shakes his head, seemingly disappointed. "Even after all of the messages we've been sending you, you still choose to doubt the truth. Perhaps you need yet another reminder of exactly what awaits you…"

At this, the young master reaches out to, lightly skimming the edge of the Kingdom Key with his gloved fingertips. Sora lurches back, a highly concentrated spark of blinding pain rushing through him as he draws his Keyblade back in, only to notice a dark flash etching itself across its shining surface. He gasps, watching in horrified alarm as the small crack that's already developed on the weapon expands, growing deeper and darker as it curves itself around the blade. Before, the blackened mark could have been easily missed, but now, there's no hiding it; this rift, seemingly carved by darkness itself, is as plain to see as the Keyblade that bears it is.

"W-what…" Sora trails off at first, equally mystified and alarmed as he traces a finger over the mark. "What did you just do?!"

"As I told you before, I've hardly done a single thing," Young Xehanort explains calmly. "All we aim to do is to unlock the darkness that was already there, buried deep within your very own heart. It yearns to be set free, to guide you along the path you've always been destined to take from the very beginning. And in that same vein, we also wish to help that destiny along by giving it the push it needs to truly begin."

"What 'destiny'?" Sora scoffs tensely. "One where I'm forced to become someone just like you?"

The young master lets out a genuine laugh at this, at the mere icy sound of it is enough to unnerve Sora far more than he already is. "Oh, Sora, you already are just like me. In far more ways than you could ever even know."

"Y-you're wrong," Sora calls his bluff before he can even let such a horrifying thought fully sink in. The thought that he has anything in common with his most dangerous, darkness-driven foe.

"I'm not," Young Xehanort counters without skipping a beat. "But you'll come to realize why I'm not before it's all said and done, I'm sure. And until then, that rich, untapped darkness flowing through your body, your blood, your very heart itself, will be an asset that the Organization will be certain to make good use of."

Once again, Sora prepares to send a harsh rebuff back to such audacious claims, but he instead reels back, deciding to take a different, more subtle approach instead. After all, the more he can glean about his foes' treacherous, mysterious plans, the better. "So that's why you guys keep coming after me, huh?" he asks with a light air of challenge in his tone. "Because of this whole 'darkness' thing you keep saying I have in me, which, by the way, I don't."

"You do," Young Xehanort persists knowingly. "But that's hardly the only reason we chose you, Sora. Your heart is unique in that it can contain so much within it, but it can only do so at such an incredibly high cost to yourself. In that sense, you're much like the simple toys you've allied yourself with in this world; so heavily dependent on the hearts and feelings of others to keep yourself alive. Though if those hearts were to leave you behind, then I wonder… what would you possibly have to sustain yourself then… if not the darkness that's always been with you from the beginning?"

"Hearts…" Sora repeats softly, still largely lost until he remembers his nightmare. Or rather, the salvation that had come for him at the end of it. "Wait… are you talking about… Roxas?"

"Roxas and a few others…" the young master nods vaguely. "Either way, the obstacle each of them poses will soon no longer be a concern. Especially since you are actively looking for a way to reach all of the many hearts tied to yours, aren't you, Sora?"

Sora flinches at this, not wanting to admit what his enemy already knows to be true. Yet again, he finds himself both amazed and angered by the fact that the Organization always seems to know his intentions far more than he could ever even guess theirs. A frustrating constant that shows no signs of stopping anytime soon, especially when he remembers the young master can apparently even see what he's thinking somehow. And if he can't even guard his thoughts from his foes, what hope does he possibly have for doing the same for his heart?

"I encourage you to enjoy your 'playtime' in this world," Young Xehanort continues, turning to take his leave. "And if you do happen to find that Key, I'd greatly appreciate it if you held onto it. For your respected master, and for the Organization you'll soon be a part of, whether you want to be or not."

As soon as the young master calls forth a dark corridor, Sora races forward in yet another attempt to thwart his easy getaway. "Stop!" he shouts, drawing his damaged Keyblade back for a wide swing. However, right before he can send his attack forward, Young Xehanort snaps his glance back at him, inexplicably stopping Sora dead in his tracks, despite just about every fiber of his being wanting to lash out. In many ways, it's exactly like what happened to him before, locking him into stillness and silence in a way that's entirely different this time, but still every bit as frightening. Especially when paired with the low threat Young Xehanort issues him next.

"I may have managed to fix you when you were broken before," he begins, eyeing Sora's formerly detached arm. "But mark my words, my thirteenth. By the time all this is over, you will be so broken that no one will ever be able to piece you together again. No one, except for me."

Even if he could speak, Sora has no idea what he'd even say to such a horrific, violent threat against his own life. Amidst his rising terror, the last thing he notices is the briefest hint of unwelcome yellow suddenly flash through his own otherwise bright blue eyes. A sight that's more than enough to cool the young master's severe gaze into a cold, almost cocky grin as he steps through his darkened portal.

"In fact, it shouldn't be very long before that's exactly what happens. I'd say you're already coming along quite nicely…" he notes with an air of twisted satisfaction as he disappears into the void.

The moment he's finally left alone, Sora at last releases the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding in. His movements are his own again, but that hardly matters against the tide of overwhelming dread rushing through him once more. Dread that he has no time to properly push away before he's called right back into action again.

"Sora!" Goofy calls from the claw machine's entryway, Donald hanging close beside him. "Are ya comin'?"

Sora only spares his companions a small glance before he turns back to where Young Xehanort had just been, only to find an expectantly empty space instead. Almost as if the entire encounter had happened inside his own head, which, for all he knows, it very well could have. Yet another nightmare forced upon him, this time from within the world of the waking rather than in sleep.

"Y-yeah, I'm coming," he finally answers back, turning to follow the pair so they can catch up with Woody, Buzz, and Jessie. Even so, he hesitates briefly as soon as Donald and Goofy press on ahead, taking the opportunity to call his Keyblade into his grasp yet again. The darkened crack splintering its silver surface is almost painful to look at, especially considering the close attachment he's formed to the weapon over the years. The Kingdom Key has gotten him through countless decisive battles, has opened the door to so many new worlds and adventures and friends. Which is why the thought that it's been damaged, that it's been tainted by something he has no idea how to fix or undo practically makes Sora sick. And yet, even worse than the sinister mark itself is what it stands for; the chance, however small, that he might be every bit as tainted by the inescapable reach of pure darkness itself.

Or even worse, he fearfully wonders as he puts his damaged weapon away, if Young Xehanort's claims really are right after all. If there really was some awful, unknown merit to the worst of what he'd said to Sora, something that he can't even begin to bear the mere notion that it might, even in some small, simple way, be true.

"Oh, Sora, you already are just like me. In far more ways than you could ever even know."


Once again, I redacted my original author's note for this chapter, mostly because I like how this turned out waaaaaay more than how it was originally. Anyway, we'll keep this Toy Story party going next time so don't forget to REVIEW in the meantime! Until next time :)