Gopher popped out from earth and opened his mouth wide to take a deep breath in, his arms akimbo. Then, he realized Pooh was sitting right where Sora had left him.

"Hello there, Pooh." He greeted him. "I heard Sssssshora's been here."

"Yes, he just left." Pooh distractedly replied.

"Aw, what a pity I couldn't sssssshay hi to him." Gopher went silent and inspected Pooh's face. "Why sssssho sssssherious, friend?"

"Hm? Oh, no, not serious…I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"A friend. A very good friend. The best, maybe."

"Piglet?"

"No."

"Ssssshora?"

"No."

"Then, who?"

Pooh sighed so silently he didn't even hear himself.

"I don't know…"

Not too far away, Rabbit was tilling his field, as the season demanded. A task which allowed him to relax and let his mind wander. Where did it go, that he stopped his labor, supported himself on his tool, resting his head on the handle, and rose his eyes to the cloudy sky?

Eeyore stuck his head out his stick house and had a look around. He soon entered again. Barely a minute later, he was looking out again. This time, he made sure to inspect the surroundings more closely. He knew that there was nothing out there when, just a few seconds later, he walked out. He just couldn't shake off a certain feeling of expectation.

It was probably the same feeling which made Owl stop persisting in his futile attempt to read the book in his hands. The old bird frowned gravely and, with his eyes fixed on the boards at his feet, he walked around the house, his head fixed while the rest of the body moved and a 'hmmmm' installed inside his throat.

Kanga felt the same way as she gave Roo a bath. Every time she did this, she did with much energy, to wash all the dirt away well, much care, but today she did it as if there was something in the world more important than having her son clean. Roo should have noticed his mother's hands not rubbing him the usual way, but he wasn't free from the spell that had taken over the Hundred Acre Wood inhabitants; he wasn't even feeling like playing with the bubbles.

Tigger tried to give it a name, grasp it. Coming up with things was what tiggers did best. He bounced and bounced, sure that bouncing could awake a dozy brain, and was surprised to find it didn't help at all and only made his tail hurt from bouncing for too long. He ended up sitting, a hand on his mouth and a frown. What is it, what is it, what is it…? No...Who is it? Who is it, who is it, who is it...?

Picking up haycorns had distracted Piglet from such bothersome thoughts. The delicious gifts the oak trees were delivering left no room for anything else. So the little pig wandered the Hundred Acre Wood with his eyes on the ground, attentive to the coveted seed, halting with his heart in his throat whenever he spotted one, munching some, unable to wait till he went home…

It was during this hunt for haycorns when he found the door.

A door painted in green, a green the sun had eaten away, in a tree on top of the hill. A swing attached to one of its thickest branches was swaying with the wind, like someone invisible was using it. Around the door, on the grass, lied many toys: a rusty bicycle, a drum, a trumpet, a stool turned upside down, a little ran-aground boat. Piglet observed all the abandoned toys as he made his way towards the door. He hesitated briefly before opening it.

"…Hello?" He called.

He was only met by darkness and the moldy smell of a long closure.

Since there was nothing to see there, he closed the door and walked away with his precious cargo, not without turning around many times.

It is sure taking you long…, he thought, without knowing what that even meant.

When Sora came back, Leon and his gang were all there to greet him. It had been so long! They wanted him to tell them how life was treating him, in what mess he had gotten himself into this time, and he asked them about their lives and projects. Since there was very much to talk about, Merlin rose his staff and the little round table became bigger to allow all of them to sit around it, chairs flew over their heads (bumping into Goofy's) and positioned themselves behind each of them, all the cups and plates and teapots quickly made their apparition and starting serving themselves. All of which the child watched with a contained awe, but awe after all, which made Sora feel optimistic about his recovery. They talked a lot, laughed, remembered the old adventures, watched with amusement how Merlin reprimanded the sugar bowl for treating Aerith's cup rudely. After they had eaten and drank and, with their stomachs full, the conversation turned a lot quieter and relaxed, Sora took Merlin aside.

"I've found nothing weird about the book, Merlin. Pooh is just…a little absent minded, that's all."

"Is that so? Hmmm…Yes, that doesn't mean there is evil lurking, and the spell-"

"What spell?"

"The spell which protects it. I told you this book is very special: you haven't encountered any dangers in it and no heartless has been able to destroy it because a powerful magic keeps it safe."

"That explains a lot."

"As I was saying, the spell is still strong and there should be no problem with it, but…How strange…The book keeps doing it. And I think it is doing with greater force now. Can't you feel it?"

It was hard to describe...Like a pulse...

"Yeah…It's some kind of…of…"

"Yearning."

"Yes."

Sora passed the pages. Yet, nothing was wrong. Everything was going fine. Pooh being forgetful was just part of his nature.

His eyes fixed on the page the book stopped. There was something written with a sloppy handwriting. Christopher Robin.

"Who's Christopher Robin?" He asked, rising his eyes at Merlin, showing him the signature.

"I certainly don't know." The old wizard confessed, taking it to look at it himself. "Cid told me it was there from the beginning."

"I guess it's him who you should ask."

"I suppose, but if nobody has claimed this book in twelve years…" He closed it and his moustache described an ascending curve. "Oh well, and how is your mission going?"

"Good. I feel like I am slowly recovering my strength. Little by little."

"Little by little, that's it. You can't rush that sort of things. It's not good for the health."

"Yeah, but I still don't feel like I'm making any kind of progress with the power of waking, and we need it…"

"Don't you worry, Sora. You will see how, in the end, you will find it, when you least expect it."

"But I have a dilemma."

"Oh?"

"That boy." Sora discreetly pointed at the child who was walking around the room, watching all the curiosities it contained. "He's got a problem he thinks I can fix."

"Yes, I've noticed your little new companion. What kind of problem does he have?"

"He apparently lost his heart, you see?"

"Oh…A Nobody…"

Merlin watched him as he stood in front of the big blackboard which he had used for his classes some time—he couldn't notice the shiver running down the boy's spine, which made him quickly walk away from it.

"Yeah. I never thought there could be Nobodies so young. Anyway, he thinks I can bring it back. But I don't know how…And what bugs me is that…it was Xehanort who told him."

"Xehanort?"

"Yes."

"Interesting…"

"And the thing is, Master Yen Sid told us to keep an eye on him, but I've got places to go, dangerous places, and I can't take him with me. He would end up hurt."

Now the boy had moved to the opposite side of the room and was watching Archimedes, perched on his tiny birdhouse. He dared extend a hand to touch his feathers, almost as if he wanted to know if he was stuffed, and was startled when the owl suddenly turned his head at him to shoot him a penetrating stare and ruffled his feathers.

"Well, one thing is clear: Xehanort is interested in finding vessels and this child is for some reason a good candidate for him." Merlin said.

"That's what you think he wants him for?" Sora asked.

"I am telling you, Sora, that not many children are mature nor strong enough to become Nobodies after the loss of their hearts, so I can imagine Xehanort might be interested in making use of that force."

"But why not an adult? Wouldn't it fit him better?"

"Ah! I'm afraid I will never understand someone as deluded as old Master Xehanort…I've tried, but I can't…But consider this: didn't he take advantage of the darkness inside Riku's heart in the past?"

"Hmpf…That's right…And he…I've seen him command unversed, though unwillingly…"

"Children are more powerful than you think. They've got a certain purity of heart when they are small, and a wild imagination. When highly stressed or scared, it is not uncommon that they produce unversed. The way I see this, Sora, is that Xehanort wants to use this child in some way, maybe as a way to approach you, but we don't know for sure what his intentions might be, what card is hiding up his sleeve. If we wait and see what his next steps are, where this is all going, we might have a chance to strike him."

"You mean…Just wait?"

"What other options do we have? Dismiss that child? Now, that would be cruel. My advice is: stay here with him, for as long as you need. You can still get back in shape with Leon and Yuffie. You will have this house for yourselves. A place to practice, the security system of Radiant Garden, friends to watch your back in case something happens..."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I don't care if it's a trap. It might not be. I want to help the kid."

They both turned their eyes at him.

Archimedes had apparently decided he didn't like the boy and, after letting out a soft hoot, he flew to the tip of Merlin's hat. The boy watched him go, not seeming to be much offended by the rejection. Almost as if he was used to it and didn't hurt any more, or the despise was mutual. He just turned around and focused his attention on the wooden skeleton of a big set of wings which hanged from the ceiling.

"He reminds me a lot of Wart…Just as timid and mistrustful as he was at first…A little robin…" Merlin smiled.

Sora gave him a confused look. "A what?"

"Oh, it's true: those kinds of creatures do not live in the Destiny Islands…It's a bird. A bird with a noteworthy red breast and one of the most beautiful songs in nature—if you are lucky enough to find it when it feels confident and safe."

"A tiny little punk with pretty looks and a terrible temper!" Archimedes landed on Merlin's hat and there he stayed, addressing Sora gravely. "Don't let down your guard, Sora, because if Xehanort's got his eyes on him it's because he knows he can use him to cause harm!"

"Calm down, Archimedes. You are not exactly good at judging people." Merlin reprimanded him.

"Mark my words and beware." Archimedes insisted to Sora without paying attention to the wizard. "I can think of nothing more deceitful, more unstable than a child who's got no heart."