Part One

"...wh-what's...what's the story say?" Kairi whispered as Sora looked down at the tale.

"Seifer really hated that d*mn scarecrow. He HATED Harold. He always would tear at its clothing, he'd spit on it..." Sora read aloud.

His reading was interrupted by Seifer yelling and kicking at the scarecrow in the corn maze.

"What're you gonna DO about it, you ugly sack of hay!?"

As he continued striking it, concerned parents led their children away from the maze.

"What Seifer didn't know was that Harold remembered every unpleasant, nasty thing Seifer ever did to him...and Harold was going to get even..." Sora read, a chill rising up his spine.

There was a loud commotion in the corn maze. Kairi chanced a look toward the maze and stared in horror as they saw the scarecrow moving about on its own.

"...w...we gotta warn Seifer." Roxas said immediately, turning to the others. "We can't just let Harold get him!"

"He's right, let's go get Seifer." Sora reasoned with a nod.

Kairi and the others nodded and hurried toward the corn maze.

Meanwhile, Seifer was running, trying to escape when he tripped!

On what, he couldn't be sure. As he turned over onto his back and heaving for breath, he could see the scarecrow still lumbering toward him when Fuu and Rai blocked its path.

"Stop!" said Fuu.

"You got no business attacking us, y'know? You got some nerve to-"

Rai was cut off, ducking as the scarecrow swung a rusty pitchfork at him.

"Hurry, guys, I can hear a scream!" Sora cried out as they barreled through the corn field. "Seifer! Seifer, get out of the corn field! RUN!" He called out.

When they reached the screaming, they were horrified by what they found. Seifer was doubles over on the ground, a rusty pitchfork protruding from his belly and his friends at his side.

"You gotta fight it! You can't give up, y-y'know..?"

Roxas noticed the snag at the end of Rai's speech and could feel a pit forming in the center of his stomach. Rai and Fuu desperately tried to be there for their injured friend.

They raced to his side...but then something horrifying began to happen as strawed began to emerge from Seifer's mouth!

"Oh my HOLY CRAP!" Sora cried out, all of them reeling back in shock as Seifer's body began shudder in agony before his body became that of a scarecrow. The scarecrow of Seifer slumped to the ground onto its side. Fuu, who seemed to have held back emotion was now fighting not to break down at seeing her friend be reduced to nothing more than a sack of straw.

"...I...th-think we should get rid of this d*mn book." Riku spoke aloud.

"Good idea." Sora insisted. "Let's burn this thing!"

"W-what about Seifer?" Xion whimpered, looking at the scarecrow, still lying on the ground.

"We can try and...and help him AFTER we get rid of this book." Sora said as they walked off towards a large trash can, tossing the book inside. "Let's burn it!"

Riku nodded and with a flash of a small fire spell, the trash in the bin began to burn up!

A shiver ran through Roxas as he saw the trash burn, while the book seemed almost untouched by the hungry flames.

"It's not WORKING?" Sora and the others were astounded as literally everything else in the trash burned...Aside from the stupid book.

"Okay, okay, okay." Riku rubbed his head. "Then we go to the experts. We'll just bring this book in to Master Yen Sid, he's wise, he'll know what to do."

Roxas felt a pit in his stomach as he and Isa lifted the scarecrow to take with them. The group of friends hurried to Master Yen Sid's tower in hopes of figuring out what the next best option would be to end this twisted nightmare.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Master Yen Sid examined the scarecrow, then the book.

"...it would appear this book is causing...and UNDER...an incredibly dark curse. There is but one way to defeat it." He intoned as he turned to them all.

"What's that?" Sora asked.

"You must return the book to where it was MADE...and perform a ritual. Then, only THEN shall it be destroyed!"

"But, how do we know where to find where it was made?" Sora asked.

"Let's look AT the book..." Roxas looked over the tome, raising an eyebrow. "Hmm. If we can find the AUTHOR, maybe that'll tell us where it got written, I mean, plenty of books say where they got printed or the like..."

Roxas looked through the pages when a name caught his attention.

"Who the hey is 'X'?" said Roxas confused.

"Hmmmmm..." Yen Sid looked down at it. "...I know of that name. There was a "Subject X" that Master Ansem spoke of to me years ago." He informed them all.

Isa's eyes grew wide in shock.

"She.. She's still here.."

"Who?" said Sora.

"There was a girl we had met when we were kids.." said Isa.

"Well...then we have to have a chat with her, then...and quick." Sora remarked. "We'd better get over there, fast!"

"She can't STILL live in that asylum, I thought the place was closed down ages ago!" Axel muttered. "...why would anyone stay there?"

"Asylum?" echoed Riku. "Why would she be there?"

"What happened to her?" asked Roxas.

"Well..." Yen Sid sighed. "I'm not sure I should tell you..." He murmured. "She was...unstable. I'll say that." He confessed. "The asylum used to be QUITE well funded, but then its owners tragically died in an accident, and the funding dried up..."

Roxas looked at him in shock while a shiver went through Xion's spine.

"How long has she been there?" she asked.

Riku looked at him, a sense of dread as he took in the tone of Yen Sid's voice. Sora bit his lower lip as he took in the news.

"Well we can't just wait around..." Roxas finally spoke up. "We need to go there. Or else the book will begin telling another..."

Then they heard scratching noises coming from the book and they turned, seeing it had opened...and another story was being written!

The story entitled "The Big Toe", began appear with Roxas as the main character.

Author's Note: So sorry for not updating.. I have been very busy lately.. I will try to get more up soon.