Larxene was humming when she returned, tossing the stolen charm up and down as she did so.
It was a disconcerting sight, and if Axel had a heart he would have been worried. But seeing as he didn't he just sighed as he crossed his arms, saying, "Don't you think you went a little rough on her?"
She only scoffed, "We can't expect her to get stronger if we coddle the girl."
"And taking the charm?"
The grin she gave him was almost predatory, "It's an incentive. If rescuing her friend isn't enough to get her to keep climbing then getting this back will. People do love to keep mementos of the people they cared about after all, especially if it's from someone they haven't seen in a long while."
Axel couldn't disagree with her there. He would probably have done that back in the day.
Still...
"I still think you should have held back some more."
Larxene only scoffed, opening her mouth to say something else only to be interrupted as a new voice reached the ears of the two.
"There is still a limit to how much you should push to get the results you want."
A corridor opened in the room then, only staying open long enough to let two people step out of it. Both of them had Axel raising an eyebrow in response, but only one of them was important enough to respond to.
"How can we help you, Vexen? It's not often any of us see you topside."
The near permanent frown on the mans face was quick to change to a smile as he responded, "I came to lend you a hand. You obviously believe this girl has a lot of potential, but I remain unconvinced. I think an experiment would show if she is really of any value to us."
Beside him Larxene scoffed, "Well here we go again. It's just an excuse so that you can carry out your little experiments. That's all it is."
Axel couldn't help but agree with her there. Everything was an experiment to the man it seemed.
Not that the man seemed to care as he simply tilted his head and responded, that smile still on his face, "I'm a scientist. Experiments are what I do."
And there was the part of the topic that Axel didn't want to deal with. Sighing he just shook his head as he then said, "Whatever. You can do what you want. But," He added as he lifted his head just enough to look the older man in the eye, "I think testing Kairi is just a cover for testing your valet."
That had the other man huffing, crossing his arms as he then said, "Valet? He's the product of pure research."
"What he actually is," Larxene said, "Is a toy."
If the man could feel Axel would say that the huff the man let out almost sounded like one someone who had their feelings hurt would let out before saying, "You should learn to be quiet."
Axel didn't like the look that was starting to appear on Larxenes face. He needed to step in before something happened, more than likely Larxene causing bodily harm to Vexen.
"Anyway," He broke in, shaking his head as he did so, "Since you came all this way you're gonna need this."
The card he handed the man wasn't important as far as he knew, it apparently the world that the girl called home. But it didn't seem to matter to the other man as he took the card from his hand, grinning as he looked down at it.
"A humble gift to my elder." He said as he placed a hand on his chest, "I hope you use it to put on a very good show for us."
(khkhkhkhkh)
The next floor looked the same as all of the others, but Kairi could care less at the current moment. As it was she was just running to the next door, already working to pull a world card out of the stack that had been given to her.
She didn't get very far though as before she got halfway through the room Donald's voice came calling from behind her.
"Kairi! Not so fast!"
The card now in her hand she turned back to shout at him as he and Goofy finally made it to the top of the staircase, "There's no time! Namine's in trouble! We've got to hurry up and rescue her!"
She didn't bother waiting for a response, instead opting to turn on her feet and continue running to the door. Once she was there she finally stopped and turned to look at them only to frown at the sight that greeted her.
Donald and Goofy were just standing there in the middle of the room, talking to each other like there was nothing wrong. It's like they didn't care about the fact that her friend was in danger.
"Come one!" She shouted as she waved to them, "Let's go already!"
That seemed to light a fire under them as the two then started moving, rushing to her side where she then turned back to the door and lifted the world card she'd grabbed into the air like before. Which card she picked she didn't know, but it didn't matter as she knew that she would be finding out soon.
It felt like it took forever for the door to open and for the three of them to step into the light.
The world that greeted Kairi was not the kind of world that she expected. This world was full of life, trees filling her view as fields filled the spaces between her and them.
And beneath her feet rested a dirt path that looked to be perfectly cared for.
It was a strange sight. Had Riku really been to this world, and if so then what were this worlds residents like?
Well she wasn't going to find out just by standing here. Seeing that Donald and Goofy were both cards Kairi began to walk down that dirt road, wondering where it was going to take her.
The place that it took her was as strange as what had greeted her upon entering this world. There was a large tree with a door on it in front of her. And sitting in front of it was what looked like a life-size yellow teddybear wearing a red shirt.
It was sitting on a log, a noticeable frown on its face as it stared down at what looked like an unlit campfire.
"Is everything alright?" She asked as she made her way over to it.
It looked up at her, smiling as it spoke in a distinctly male voice, "Oh, hello there. I'm looking for my friends."
"By sitting?" Kairi found herself asking as she looked around, "Are they all around here too? It looks like there isn't anyone here."
"Oh," The bear then said, "Then perhaps I'm looking for anyone."
That had her tilting her head in confusion, her hands clasping behind her back as she did so, "Then wouldn't I be anyone?"
"I suppose you must be, but I don't believe I know you."
The chuckle that she let out sounded forced to her own ears, but still she smiled as she then said, "How about I help you find your friends?"
"Do you know them too?"
Kairi only shook her head, "No, but I am looking for my friends too."
"Do they know my friends?"
"I don't know." And that was the truth. She had no idea if Riku had even interacted with any of this worlds residents while he was here. Holding her hand out to the bear she added on, "But I know what it's like to miss your friends. So how about we go and look for them together?"
"I'd like that very much Kairi."
That had her blinking in shock as he made his way over to stand by her side where she then asked, "How do you know my name?"
The smile never left his face as he lifted a paw to where his heart should be, "It just feels right."
His answer just didn't make any sense, and Kairi opened her mouth to say as much only to stop as some moving bushes caught her attention. Without thinking she made her way towards them only to stop and stare at the tiny pig that poked its head out from behind it.
Unfortunately their stare down didn't last for long. It felt like their eyes had made contact for only a second before it squeaked and took off into another nearby bush.
What happened next was a chaotic mess in Kairi's opinion. The tiny pig was running from bush to bush, and all the while Kairi found herself trying to grab it only to fail. It was a mess, and it only stopped when she slipped and fell to the ground.
A scream came from the pig followed shortly after by a male voice crying out, "Oh no! Oh dear!"
Confused she lifted her head only to be greeted by the sight of one of her hands pinning the tiny pig to the ground. And he was flailing.
When their eyes met once more he froze, "Oh! Don't mind me."
It was honestly sad with how scared he was, so much so that Kairi had to wonder if something bad had happened to him in the past. But that wasn't important at the moment. Right now she needed to see if he was one of the residents she was looking for.
"Do you know a bear wearing a red shirt?"
His trembling was barely noticeable as he responded, avoiding her eyes as he did so, "Um... I mean I'm NOT Pooh's friend... I'm..."
That was enough of an answer for her. As she got to her feet she let him go, saying as she did so, "He's looking for you. Let's go and see him."
To her surprise he didn't try to get away from her. As a matter of fact he followed her to where she had left Pooh sitting on that log.
There the pig took off towards him, shouting out, "Pooh!"
The bear was quick to look at him, getting to his feet and smiling at the pig as he said, "Why hello there Piglet."
Before her eyes Piglet visibly sighed, his body clearly relaxing as he spoke, "I'm so relieved..." There his voice rose in volume by a miniscule amount as he practically sobbed, "I finally found someone! I got separated from the others. And I was so worried I didn't know what to do."
"So that's why you acted like that." Kairi found herself saying. It was relieving to know that he was just scared, and not because of her.
Pooh though seemed unbothered by his reaction, instead looking like he was used to it. But then again he probably was seeing as he then said, "Piglet, why don't you come with us to look for the rest of our friends?"
What kind of response he expected Kairi didn't know, but before the two's eyes Piglet began to wring his hands together as he practically danced in place as he said, "What? Oh my, I don't know..." He shifted, turning to look away from them as he began to talk to himself, "Oh... What should I do..."
Kairi didn't give him the chance to make a decision as she bent down and picked him up. He squeaked, but didn't make any attempt to get out of her hands. And for her that was good enough as she then started walking, saying, "Alright, let's get going."
Where they were going she didn't know. Hopefully though they found the two's friends soon. The sooner the better since the sooner they were reunited the sooner she would be able to continue making her way through the building.
(khkhkhkhkh)
The path that they took led them to what looked like a farm. Crops of three different types filled the plots, but they didn't get Kairi's attention as well as the giant tree that stood on the other side.
Like the one that Pooh had been sitting in front this clearly looked to be some sort of house though there were differences. For one there were clothes hanging from a chord to the side of it, and in front of the door she could see a large number of pots. And as she got closer Kairi could see that they were all empty.
Within her arms Piglet began to look around, saying, "This is Rabbit's house."
That had her blinking her eyes in confusion as she looked down at him and asked, "Rabbit?"
Beside her Pooh hummed, rubbing at his belly as he happily answered, "Rabbit's a good friend of ours. He always has honey that he's willing to share with me."
"Oh."
Not much was said after that, they just continued to past the house and around its side. It didn't look like Rabbit was home after all.
At least that was the thought until they reached the gate where the group found themselves stopping at the sight that greeted them. A giant pumpkin was rolling down a hill towards them.
Kairi's response was immediate. Without thinking she took hold of one of Poohs hands, running gout of the pumpkins path as she did so, jumping with both of her temporary companions when it seemed like they weren't going to get out of the way in time.
She and Pooh hit the grassy ground hard, not enough for it to hurt but enough for them to feel it. Within her arms Piglet jolted, letting out a startled noise as he did so.
For a moment they just lied there, Kairi taking in what just happened. Eventually though she sat up, sighing in relief before asking, "Are you both okay?"
Within her arms Piglet shivered, but still said, "I'm okay."
That was a relief, making her relax some as she turned her head just enough to look at Pooh as she then asked, "And what about you Pooh? Are you okay too?"
He didn't say anything at first, just got to his feet and began to look himself over. It was only once he was satisfied with what he saw that he spoke. "Yes... I seem to be."
The sigh she then let out felt relieving as she got to her feet and began to look around, wondering aloud, "Where did that pumpkin even come from?"
That was when the shout of an unfamiliar male voice came from further up the pathway, from where the pumpkin had come from. At the top of that hill a rabbit came running into view, looking flustered as he made his way over to the group.
Beside her Pooh waved at them, saying, "Oh, hello there Rabbit."
When Rabbit finally reached them he stopped, almost sighing as he looked at her and said, "Oh I'm glad you're here. Would you help me sort the vegetables from my garden?"
That had Kairi blinking in surprise, "Me? Why me?"
She didn't even know him! Why was he asking her and not either of his friends here?!
Rabbit only huffed, putting a hand on his hip as he said, "Well I can't ask them. Piglet is too small, and Pooh won't be able to provide the help that I want. You look like the only one who might be able to help me with this."
Just how big were all of his crops?
Still, she didn't know if ignoring his request would prevent her from finding the door to the next half of the floor. It would probably be best that she did so. Just in case.
So she sighed, putting Piglet down on the ground as she said, "Fine. I'll help you."
Before her Rabbit grinned, running back up the hill as he shouted back, "Great! Just stay right here and sort my pumpkins and cabbages for me!" He pointed to her right side adding on, "The pumpkins go there!" And then to her left with a, "And the cabbages go there!"
Then he was over the hill and out of her sight.
That just left her confused as she just stood there, wondering what was about to happen. Just what was Rabbit planning to do?
She got her answer moments later as a large pumpkin began rolling down the hill once again. For a moment Kairi panicked, not quite sure how she was supposed to organize them like Rabbit wanted, let alone how she was supposed to stop the crops.
That short moment though was enough for the pumpkin to get close to her, and in a panic Kairi summoned her keyblade and swung at it.
The keyblade hit the pumpkin hard, and to her surprise the gourd went flying. Right in the direction of where Rabbit had told her to put it.
Well if sorting them was going to be that easy...
Another crop came rolling down the hill, a cabbage, and with a plan now in mind she swung at it as well.
It didn't take long for Kairi to fall into a rhythm with the vegetables after that. One would roll down the hill and she would knock it to the side with her keyblade. The pumpkins to the right, and the cabbages to the left. The carrots on the other hand she didn't know what to do with. Those she just grabbed and set in a pile behind her.
Eventually though the crops stopped coming down the hill, and Rabbit became visible once again as he passed over the crest and made his way back towards her.
Once he was close enough he let out a sigh of obvious relief, saying, "Thank you for the help. It probably would have taken me all day to do this by myself."
"No problem," She found herself answering, "Do you want to come with us? We're looking for everyone else."
He only shook his head as he turned to look at one of the vegetable piles, "Sorry, but I need to finish taking care of my crops, and even if you help me it's going to take a while."
"Oh... well okay." Kairi had to admit that it made sense. He couldn't just leave everything out in the open for another day.
"Um..." Piglet broke in, wringing his hands as he said, "I think I'm going to stay here too."
"Are you sure?"
All he did was nod, and for Kairi that was good enough of an answer.
"Alright," She said, smiling down at him, "We'll see you later."
(khkhkhkhkh)
Kairi and Pooh left the two after that, continuing down the path in search of more of his friends. That path eventually led them into a field where a large tree stood over the area.
And at the base of that tree was a log with several balloons attached to it.
It was such a strange sight, but at the same time it also seemed like a good spot to stop and rest. After all they'd been walking for a while. Surely Pooh was tired from all of it.
To her surprise though Pooh didn't sit down on the log with her. Instead he just stood there, frowning as he rubbed at his belly.
"Is something wrong?"
He didn't answer at first, just rubbing at his belly before finally opening his mouth. "Oh, my tummy is all rumbly and tumbly for honey."
Well that didn't sound good, but she didn't have anything to give him. Tilting her head back Kairi found herself thinking, trying to figure out how to fix this problem.
Was it possible for them to go back and get some honey from Rabbit, or had they gone too far by this point?
That was when an odd sight made its way before her eyes, or rather made its way upwards along the tree. Pooh was flying with the balloons, and he was quickly making his way up the side of the large tree.
She was quick to get to her feet, running up to the trees base as she called out to the bear.
But Pooh didn't respond to her, didn't so much as acknowledge her. Instead he just continued to make his way up the tree with the balloons.
And that had Kairi worried. What if those balloons popped and he fell? Would he even survive such a thing?
She had no intention of standing there and finding out.
Her foot made contact with one of the trees large roots. From there she jumped to a nearby branch. And from there she began making her way up the tree, jumping from branch to branch as she went. Down below the ground quickly began to move further and further away, but that didn't matter to her.
She just needed to catch up with Pooh.
That fortunately didn't take long to happen as Pooh had stopped at what looked to be the top of the tree. There he stuck his head into a hole. What he was doing in that hole Kairi didn't know. All she knew was that when she finally got to where he was she was greeted with the sight of an owl that looked like it belonged to this world.
It had to be another of Pooh's friends.
The owl opened its beak and like with all of the other residents a distinctly male voice reached her ears.
"Hoo! Look who made it all the way up here!"
It was a strange sight, but given the circumstances Kairi didn't feel like worrying about it. Right now she just wanted to get Pooh back to the ground safely.
"Hi," She found herself saying, "Could we talk on the ground? I need to get Pooh down first."
"Oh? Pooh is getting at the bee's honey again?"
Bee's? She needed to hurry before things go wrong.
Kairi left the owl on that branch after that. Whether he made his way down like she asked or not she didn't know, and currently didn't care. Right now she just needed to finish making her way towards Pooh.
Luckily he hadn't left the spot that she last saw him. He was still sticking his head into that hole without a care in the world, and around him the bee's were buzzing in such a way that it made Kairi worried.
They sounded like they might go after him any moment.
Her hands were on him in moments, pulling him away from the hole fast enough that she think she heard one of the balloons pop.
"I think you've had enough for the time being."
She didn't give Pooh a chance to complain or say anything as she began to make her descent with the bear.
The trip down was rough with for Kairi. Within her arms Pooh was struggling, and with his added weight she needed to put in extra effort when jumping from branch to branch. And that didn't even include the balloons that he still had in one of his hands. Those were slowing her down.
Thank goodness she had all of those years running around with Riku and everyone to work off of. Without those this probably would have been impossible.
It was a relief to her when they finally made contact with the grass, though she didn't feel like letting her guard down just yet. Those balloons still needed to be dealt with after all.
Luckily Pooh was willing to cooperate with her now that they were on ground, and he could see the owl waiting for them. Those balloons were in her hands before he could make his way over to his potential friend, and she was quick to tie them back to the log before joining the two at the trees base.
"Are you quite alright Pooh?" She heard the owl asking once she was close enough to hear.
"Oh yes Owl," The bear happily said in response, patting at his belly as he did so, "It was quite fun, and I got a smackeral of honey too."
It was nice to see him so happy and carefree, but it was still annoying how she had to chase him up a tree. But at the same time handled those balloons well.
Once she was close enough Kairi planted her hands on her hips, and jokingly said, "Well with how you handled those balloons maybe you could use them to look for the rest of your friends."
In front of her Pooh only continued to smile as he looked at her while Owl chuckled before saying, "You may be joking young lady, but I'm afraid serious problems will arise when you arrive at your destination. After all once you find your friends how would you get down to them?" Somehow a smile became visible on his beak as he continued, "You see a balloon only goes where the winds blows, and that is usually up! What if you saw your friends, but the wind kept them just out of reach? I'd rather have to keep looking for my friends than find them and not be able to reach them. If you want to find someone you'd be better off doing it on foot. It can be quite exciting to stumble across a friend where you least expect them!"
It was such a mouthful that Kairi found herself staring as she worked to register what he'd just said.
Though it didn't seem to be all that complicated for Pooh as he just rubbed at his belly as he looked back at his friend and said, "Well that's how I feel when I stumble across some honey."
Beside him Kairi just sighed, "You just had some honey."
Owl just laughed at that, "That's the spirit Pooh! Just keep moving and keep looking!"
"Thank you, Owl." Pooh responded. "That's what I'll do. My tummy is anxious for me to find more honey."
He took off down a nearby path after that, leaving Kairi in shock as she shouted at his back, "But you just ate!"
(khkhkhkhkh)
She didn't get the chance to ask Owl if he wanted to help them look for the rest of Pooh's friends before they left down that path. That path led them into a forested area where four giant stumps, and on those stumps Kairi could see something or someone jumping around as the two made their way up to them.
And once they were close enough that something stopped a jumped down, calling out in a male voice as they did so, "Hello Pooh and new person! How would you like to bounce with me?"
It was so sudden that Kairi found herself taking a step back, stuttering, "I... um..."
Like before Pooh acted like this was normal, just smiling to the strange tiger, saying, "Well hello there Tigger. Are you having fun?"
Tigger only grinned, planting his hands on his hips as he proudly and loudly said, "Well of course! I am bouncing after all! Why wouldn't I be? Now come on!" With a push from both his feet and tail he leapt up into the air, landing on top of the stump soon after where he shouted down once again, "Come on up here and bounce with me!"
"But we're just looking for everyone!" Kairi found herself calling back up at him.
"Well you'll get a better view if you're bouncing up here!"
That was true, but at the same time she just didn't feel like she just didn't feel like going on up there. She just wanted to get through this world already.
Maybe if she went up there just long enough to find the next pathway...
It would at least make Tigger happy anyway, and if he was satisfied then he would stop asking.
So she jumped up.
The strange tiger cheered, bouncing up and down on his tail as he clapped, "You did it!"
"I just want to get a better view."
"You still jumped up here," He happily said as he hopped to a different stump.
There was not pathway from the stump, and in response she moved to a different one, looking around. And when that gave her a view as disappointing as the previous one, she moved on to a third one.
That's when she finally spotted something.
There amongst the brush was another pathway. Perfect.
Kairi's feet touched the ground soon after as she made her way back towards Pooh, waving back towards Tigger as she went, "It was nice meeting you, but we've got to get going and find everyone else!"
"Oh, bye Tigger!" Pooh called as they left.
"See ya Pooh! See ya Kairi!"
That had her looking back as the two of them left the area. Once again a resident of this world knew her name without her ever telling them it.
Had Riku told them about her when he went through?
(khkhkhkhkh)
The pathway led them into what looked like some sort of marshy area. There they found a small set of footprints that led to a well that for some reason was blowing out strong blustery wind.
"Well that's an odd sight," She found herself muttering.
It didn't seem to bother Pooh though. He just made his way up to the well, sticking his head into it seemingly without an ounce of fear.
What happened after that was something Kairi would never expect to happen.
Pooh went flying into the air with enough force that he went high above the trees.
"Pooh!"
There was no way she would be able to reach him even if she tried to use the well also. She needed to try and catch him when he lands.
Kairi didn't get much time to make that decision as soon Pooh began to make to his descent towards the ground. With no way to stop his fall other than using her own body she held her arms out, moving backwards as she tried to remain in the right spot, and not paying attention to where she was going as a result.
Her foot caught a root, and unable to regain her balance the Princess of Heart tumbled backwards, right into a batch of viney plants.
The ground was soft when her back made contact with it, but that didn't mean anything when Pooh landed on top of her shortly afterwards. A grunt came from the two upon the impact, a third being heard from somewhere near Kairi's head.
That didn't make any sense. There shouldn't be anyone in this area other than her and Pooh. So what made that noise, and why did it feel like she was laying on something other than the ground?
It was a little difficult to sit up thanks to Pooh, but Kairi managed to do so. And once she was in a sitting position she turned her head just enough to see what she'd been knocked onto.
There was a tiny kangaroo wearing a blue shirt on the ground. The sight was so strange, but like always Pooh didn't find the sight odd at all.
"Why hello there Roo." He said. "What are you doing here?"
The young kangaroo didn't answer immediately, instead just lying there in a clear daze. And that was fine for Kairi at the moment. After all they needed to get out of this mess.
It didn't take her long to do so, and evidently that was still enough for Roo to recover as once they were all out he jumped out of her arms and landed on the ground. There he was asked why he was in that mess once again.
"Well..." The young boy answered, a clear look of embarrassment on his face, "I was so busy looking for Tigger that I was blown away by the wind, and fell in there."
"And you got stuck?" Pooh asked.
"No..." Somehow the embarrassed look only increased as he then turned his attention to the ground, refusing to meet their eyes as he did so, "I was waiting for Tigger..." A smile suddenly appeared as he then looked back up at them, his voice raisin in volume as he did so, "So we can ride the blustery wind together! So if Tigger rides the wind here, this is where I'll be! I'm sure it will surprise Tigger. Don't you think?"
It was a ridiculous idea in Kairi's opinion, but she didn't have the heart to tell him that. So instead she just asked, "But what if he falls somewhere else?"
Beside her Pooh hummed, "Hmm... yes, if Tigger rides the wind his bounces might bounce him even further away."
The embarrassed look returned as Roo rubbed at the back of his head, saying as he did so, "Well I was getting a little lonely and tired of waiting for him."
"How about you go see him yourself?" Kairi found asking before saying, "We saw him recently. You could go to him." As she said that last part she pointed towards the path that they'd come in on, adding, "Just follow that path, and you'll get there."
That had the boy perking up right away.
"Really?"
All she did was nod.
Roo didn't stay with them for long after that, instead taking off with a "Thanks!" as he did so.
Soon it was just Kairi and Pooh once again, and with nothing to do she began leading him through the area once more. What was left of the path led them up a small angle that led out onto a grassy plateau where another resident of the world was sitting with their back to them.
Pooh didn't stay by here side then, waving to the stranger as he said, "Why hello there Eeyore. What are you doing here?"
"Oh hello there Pooh," The other resident said, a sad male voice coming from his mouth as he turned to look at them, "Lost my tail again." As if to emphasize that he shifted his rear, looking at it sadly, "It figures..."
Kairi had no idea why he would have tail that he apparently always loses, but still she may as well help him find it. So she began looking around, asking as she did so, "Where did you lose it?"
Eeyore didn't get the chance to answer her as the moment he opened his mouth Pooh interrupted him from elsewhere in the area.
"Oh yum! I found it!"
Pooh was standing in front of a tree hollow, ready to stick his face into it as he said, "I knew that if I just listened to my tummy it would find some honey."
Eeyore only shook his head at that, saying, "Probably upset the bees though. Taking their honey that is."
He wasn't wrong as soon after a swarm of bees spewed from the hollow, making the bear run in circles as they chased him.
Like everything that seemed to be the case in this world it was a strange sight. But if she didn't do anything he might get hurt.
Her keyblade appeared in her hand shortly after she ran towards the swarming insects. How she was going to stop them she wasn't sure. Maybe if she made them cold enough they might go into hibernation like most bugs...
She just had to make sure she didn't get Poor or Eeyore too.
The spell came to the tip of her keyblade instantly, and without thinking she pointed it at the swarm.
Ice shot forth, hitting the bees instantly. She didn't put in enough energy to kill them, but it was enough for icy snow to cover the ground that they had been flying over. And above the ground the bees fell to the dirt, frost covering their bodies as they did so.
Not that it seemed to clam Pooh down though. He just continued to run, not paying attention to where he was going as he did so.
And it was because he wasn't paying attention that he ran right into a tree with enough force that it shook a slight amount.
Like always what happened next was strange in Kairi's opinion as from that tree an object fell to the ground, right in front of Eeyore.
He stared at the object for a moment before turning his attention to where Pooh was now rubbing at his head. "Well much obliged Pooh."
It didn't take long for Pooh to get back on his feet after that where he then turned to face his friend and said, "I'm sure I'm obliged to you too Eeyore. But..." Confusion was clear on his face as he added on, "For what?"
"For running into that tree and getting my tail back for me."
A smile was quick to come to Pooh's face at that. "Oh, but I was just trying to get away from those bees."
Somehow Eeyore seemed to shrug as he responded, "Well anyhow you helped me. Thanks." After that he just turned his attention back to the tail that was sitting in front of him.
How he planned on getting it back on Kairi didn't know, but she didn't want him to struggle through it. So she asked, "Would you like help getting it back in place?"
"There's no need," He responded, "I can do it myself, but thank you."
"Well... alright." She didn't feel like fighting him about it.
(khkhkhkhkh)
Once Pooh had his fill of honey he and Kairi left the area.
The path that they took led them out into a field where a large log sat alone. Once they reached that log Kairi found herself looking around, taking in the scene.
"Looks like we can't go any farther." It wasn't a lie in her opinion. She might not be from this world, but this just looked like the end of it for her. Still she may as well say goodbye, so she turned around, looked at Pooh, smiled and said, "So Pooh? Wasn't it better to look for your friends together?"
Pooh only smiled at her before saying, "Oh yes Kairi. It was." Then he sat down, his back against he log as he opened his mouth once more. "Whew... I've walked so far I think I need a little rest." A sigh. "If only I had a honey pot to keep me company."
Silence reigned over the area for a while after that, only breaking as Kairi sighed and looked out over the field as she said, "I think it's time I got going."
"Where to?"
The smile on her face felt strained as she looked at him once again as she said, "To look for my friends."
She still needed to save Namine, and find a way to save Riku after all.
"The I shall help you look for them too."
Kairi only shook her head at that. "That's okay Pooh. You should stay here."
The smile was quick to leave his face at that as he asked, "You mean... this is goodbye?"
Once again she shook her head as she said, "Not quite. We'll be together as long as we don't forget each other." It was only then that the smile finally left her face as she murmured, "If I don't forget..."
Pooh got to his feet, turning to face her as he gave her a smile and said, "Don't worry. Even if you forget about Winnie the Pooh, I won't forget about you."
This time the smile didn't feel forced, "Thank you Pooh."
With that Kairi turned to leave only to stop at the sight that greeted her. The door was in the field, and when she turned to look at Pooh he was gone.
It seemed that her trip through the world truly was over. With nothing left for her to do she pushed open the door and made her way through.
The inside of Castle Oblivion filled her view once again, but to Kairi that didn't matter as something else caught her attention.
Riku was here, and he was making his way towards her.
"Riku!"
Without thinking she ran up to him, wrapping her arms around her friend once she was close enough. How long she hugged him she didn't know. All she knew was that eventually she moved back, keeping her hands on his shoulders as she happily said, "You're okay! What are you doing here? How did you get here?"
After all the last she saw him he had allowed himself to be trapped in the Realm of Darkness.
Just how did he get out?
To her great confusion he didn't smile or even return his hug. Instead he only frowned, pushing her away before he said, "Let me know if I'm getting in the way- ya know, of something that's more important."
"What?" Did she say something wrong? "I didn't mean anything like that."
It didn't seem to make him feel better though as he only huffed before angrily saying, "Spare the excuses. I bet that you had all but forgotten about me."
"No!" Distress was quick to take over her voice, "I came here looking for you!"
"But you're not anymore, are you? Now it's only Namine that you're looking for. You don't care about me. Just like you never cared at all about her feelings."
That had her blinking in confusion, "What?"
Once again he huffed, shifting his head just enough that his bangs fell in front of his eyes, "I knew it. Never even gave it a thought did you?" One of his hands lifted up, pointing right at her once it was at her chest level, "Just because you want to see Namine doesn't mean it goes both ways. To tell you the truth, Namine doesn't even want to look at your face."
The words dug deep, deep enough that it stung even as Kairi found herself asking, "Why!?"
Riku didn't answer her at first, instead turning his head away before opening his mouth, "You should ask your memories... why Namine disappeared from the islands." He looked back at her. "Remember that, and you'll know."
But she couldn't remember why. All Kairi could remember was the three of them having fun on the beach together.
"Riku..."
What Kairi was about to say she wasn't sure. All she knew was that before any other words could leave her mouth darkness enveloped Riku, and when it disappeared he looked completely different.
His body from the neck down now looked like it was made of darkness. A Heartless symbol now sat on his chest, and below that was purple. That same purple also covered his hand and just about everything below the knee. And to top it all off he was wearing what looked like some kind of skirt that was mostly white, but had that purple along the edges.
When and where did he get that outfit?
She didn't get to ask him or Donald and Goofy though as Riku opened his mouth once more.
"Go home Kairi. I'll take care of Namine. Anyone who goes near her..." A blade of some sort appeared in his hand, "Goes through me!"
Before Kairi knew it her childhood friend was leaping at her, weapon over his head as he did so. Unable to get out in time all she could do was summon her keyblade and block his attack.
"Riku..." She grunted as he pushed down on her, using his larger build to his advantage. Still she continued to speak, "What's gotten into you!? We're friends!"
"Please," He said, not an ounce of apology or sadness in his voice, "Since when have you ever cared about me? All you've done is put on a manipulative act. You know what? Namine's not the only one who's sick of looking at you. So am I!"
The blade shifted and her keyblade went flying, skidding across the floor shortly afterwards.
Before Kairi could even try to go after it the tip of Riku's blade was pointed at her face, making her freeze in place.
"I'll give you another chance," He said, "Go home Kairi."
"But..."
"Go!"
This time he didn't give her a warning, instead raising his weapon and swinging it down.
His attack didn't make contact with her as a flash of light resulted in Goofy appearing between them, blocking the attack with his shield and knocking Riku back.
That had Kairi blinking in surprise. Had Goofy been in her pocket even after she left that world? And if so did that mean Donald was in her pocket too?
She didn't get the chance to test that question as Riku narrowed his eyes at the sight in front of him and muttered, "So that's how it's going to be."
Then he turned and ran up the stairs.
Donalds card appeared from her pocket before turning back into him, but to Kairi that didn't matter at the moment. Without thinking she ran after her friend, reaching out to him as she shouted, "Riku! Stop!"
But no response came, and as she went to follow him up those stairs Kairi found herself stopping as something banged against her foot. Confused she looked down only to find herself staring at and orb of what looked like energy resting on the ground.
"What?" Where had it come from? She didn't remember seeing something like that on this floor or any of the previous ones. Did Riku drop that as he left? Not sure what to make of it she bent down to pick it up. After all if it was something that belonged to Riku surely he would want it back.
The orb disappeared the moment her hand touched it, and a surge of power swept through her body like the times before. Whether it was Riku's strength or more of what she lost upon entering the building Kairi didn't know. All she knew was that she now had even more reason to keep moving forward.
And she wasn't going to let anyone, or anything stop her from reuniting with her friends.
