The spot that Sora, Ruby, Donald, and Goofy emerged at was the log on a hill surrounded by trees and bushes but also had the pleasant blue sky with large fluffy clouds. Sora and Ruby smiled at each other, knowing this place anywhere. This...was the Hundred Acre Wood.
Taking a seat on the log, Sora on the right end and Ruby sitting in the middle, the red caped huntress let out a relaxed sigh as she said, "Guess this is one benefit of having a reflection of the worlds. At least for us."
"Sure is." Sora said with a nod before looking up at the sky. Even if it was just a fabrication of this wholesome world, it was just as relaxing as the real thing.
Donald couldn't believe what he was hearing and seeing from them. But what he could believe even less was...the sound and sight of Goofy yawning as he saw the guard captain laying on the grass with his arms behind his head, ready to drift off into a nap at any second. "The grass here is so soft. And the sunshine is pleasantly warm."
The court magician's face trembled with annoyed disbelief at his teammates' gear shift. "How can you all be so relaxed at a time like this?!" Donald shouted as he jumped up and down while flailing his arms. "The Heartless could attack at any moment!"
"No they won't," Sora said, waving Donald's worry off. "This is the Hundred Acre Wood. The world within that book Merlin had us piece back together with all those torn pages Zwei helped us find. The Heartless never came even once when me and Ruby came here."
Leaning her head back as she lay down upon the log, Ruby smiled softly as she started closing her eyes. "That's right. Which I'm glad for. I wouldn't want a wholesome, serene place like this to be consumed like others have." she said almost nostalgically.
Donald however, was once again choosing to be a stick in the mud as he got even more irritated, crossing his arms with and tapping his right foot impatiently. "Well this isn't the real world, remember?! Who can say for certain if they'll show up or not?!" he asked, earning a deadpan look from everyone else. Even Goofy.
"Donald," Sora said with a tone that was as unamused and almost as deadpan as his expression "Do you even know how to be calm? That temper of yours is going to get you in a lot of trouble, some day."
"Temper?" Donald asked with shock before his whole face turned red. "Temper, Sora?!" the duck repeated as his voice became louder and he threw his own hat to the ground, stomping on it before digging his sole to it in a fit of downright illogical rage. "You ain't SEEN my temper!"
Goofy and Ruby let out a sigh as Sora and Donald once again started going at each other. "Not again." Ruby groaned, pinching brow wearily. She thought they were past this stage at this point.
Thankfully Goofy took it upon himself to intervene before Donald decided to show Sora the depths of his temper. "N-Now now, settle down Donald. Sora and Ruby know this place better than we do, and there haven't been any Heartless popping up yet. Let's trust em and take some time to rest up before going back out there. After all, it's only the four of us now. We've gotta be as ready as we can for Ansem." he said, hoping to placate the annoyed duck.
Donald, still incensed looked between Goofy, then Sora and Ruby. The former who was smirking at him smugly, and the latter who looked at him in pleading agreement with Goofy. Fortunately, like a diffused bomb, Donald's anger fizzled out within moments as he let out a sigh. "Okay, fine." he said, choosing to at least TRY to relax After all, when would they have such a moment together again like this?
With that settled, Sora and Ruby smiled and sat down against the log, followed by a cheery Goofy, and a still uncertain Donald. With not a Heartless in sight, they finally had a chance to relax, at least for now.
Or in Ruby's case...reminisce. "You know...The Hundred Acre Wood kinda reminds me of where I grew up."
Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at her curiously. "Really? How come?" Sora asked. This had to be the first time he'd heard Ruby talk about her home and not just her world.
"Oh, I dunno. It's just...the woods, the peacefulness, the simplicity of it all...I guess it just made me miss home, and my dad, my mom, and...simpler times. Before I trained to be a huntress, before I enrolled in Beacon, before...all of this happened." The wistful nostalgia filled her voice as she remembered those simple times. The days she spent playing with Yang, her father, Uncle Qrow, and most of all...her mother...It all flowed back to her in this moment of respite.
The mention of the maternal figure caught the trio's attention most. They'd met her father already, but this was the first they heard mention of Ruby's mother. "You've never mentioned your mother before, Ruby. What's she like?" Sora asked as he shifted closer to her.
Ruby looked up the sky with an...initially composed expression. As she answered, the others picked up an...ever so slightly crestfallen tone in her voice. "I don't remember a whole lot because she went on a mission one day when I was very little...We never heard or saw from her again..."
The cheer that everyone had on their faces fell at the mention of her mother's disappearance. It was a turn none of them were expecting as they all looked at each other with looks of mutual concern. Sora found himself feeling especially guilty as he looked back at the somber huntress. "I'm sorry Ruby...I didn't know." he said apologetically
"It's alright," Ruby assured him a soft grin. A grin that grew to a full smile as she looked back at the sky. "The things I do remember, though? She had silver eyes like me and red hair, too. My dad always told me I'm the spitting image of my mom. In fact, I grew up, he and Yang said I was becoming more like her all the time." The more she spoke of her mother, the more Ruby's eyes seemed to light up. Not like what happened at Hollow Bastion, of course. "On my little woodland home island of 'Patch', we all lived in a cottage together. My mom was a huntress, as awesome at slaying monsters as she was a baker of downright heavenly cookies." Such an analogy brought rather humorous grins to Sora, Donald and Goofy who couldn't help chuckling. This certainly explained where Ruby's sweet-tooth came from. Ruby couldn't help chuckling along with them as she continued. "Yeah. Cookies were usually how my mom would cheer me up, no matter what happened. Heh. 'Super Mom' Yang always called her."
Super Mom certainly seemed accurate to the other three. The more Ruby talked about her, however, Sora found himself thinking of his own mother. Looking out toward the trees that surrounded them, he gave a contemplative hum. "I think the night my world was lost and I went to check on the raft me and my friends were making? Just before I left, I heard my mom calling for me. I think I may have left right around dinnertime." The thought of that drew a huff of a laugh from his lips. "I'll bet it's long gone to waste by now." he said, realizing that whenever he got home, his mom probably wasn't going to be happy.
"Yeah. Probably beyond cold at this point." Goofy said with a chuckle accentuated shrug.
"Cold as ice." Donald added in in a blunt but humorous tone as he joined in on the chuckling
The next moment, Sora, Goofy and Ruby all found themselves laughing together. Despite being in what was likely the last world they wanted to be in, especially after everything that recently happened, they found a way to laugh together and keep their spirits up. Perhaps it was partially the effect of being in the Hundred Acre Wood, even if it wasn't actually the world itself. Regardless, they wouldn't have many more opportunities like this in the future. So they chose to savor this feeling of togetherness while they still could. After all, who knew when they would have such a chance again?
And yet, duty called all the same. With a smile on each of their faces, the refreshed friends stood shoulder to shoulder and with a small nod, emerged from the fabrication of the most peaceful world they knew. Back into the grim, cold, oppressive atmosphere of this world of pure darkness, they made their way to the final tower.
But deep down, they all vowed that some day, some way, when all this was over, they'd find a chance to sit down and laugh together again.