Chapter 68: Pumpkins and Peculiarities

A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. I do not own The Dresden Files, which is the property of Jim Butcher.

This is a creative project that I do not profit off of in any way, shape or form.

Hey everybody, hey! I hope you're all doing well and that you enjoyed the last chapter! We're going back to the Sea Salt Trio and Kairi now, as they continue their travels.

I hope you all are in the mood for some spooky spooks…

oooo

And then we visited some friends of King Mickey's. Axel LeaAxel helped one of them bake a cake. I never thought I'd see the day where Axel was the one helping in the kitchen and not the cause of a fire, but it happened!

I think you'd really like Kairi, Granny. She's very, very, very, very, very, very, very nice and sweet and kind and gentle and a bunch of other really, really good things. I want to be like her.

I'm not sure when we'll be able to be home, Granny. I miss you and Vivi a lot. I hope we get to see each other soon.

Xion paused and pressed her pen to her cheek. Was there anything she'd forgotten? Xion sighed and leaned her head back. There wasn't much more she could write in the letter without giving away information she probably wasn't allowed to tell, even if Granny knew about Keyblades and King Mickey. She was in enough trouble as it was and the thought of causing any trouble for Granny, who had always been wonderful to her, made her feel sick.

Slowly, she took a bite of her ice cream. The flavor she was eating was sea salt, as always. It was what fueled their Gummi Ship, after all. She was on her…eleventh…twelfth…no, eleventh, bar of ice cream. Ugh…she was starting to get sick of eating sea salt. This bar was very salty and not very sweet.

They been in the Lanes Between for a long time. Long enough for them to sleep for a full night after their adventures, such that they were, in Enchanted Dominion. After Roxas had been so brave in fighting the Erlking, they'd finished escorting Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip to their castle. They'd been the Prince and Princess of two different kingdoms and then they'd gotten married, so they'd become one giant kingdom. It was nice, meeting Prince Phillip's father and Princess Aurora's parents, but they hadn't been able to stay very long.

And that had been the night before—it was morning now…or was it? In the Lanes Between, day and night didn't mean much. It would probably be around eight o'clock or so, if they were home in Twilight Town or the Destiny Islands.

"Finished?" Roxas asked. "You've been writing for over an hour."

"Yeah," Xion said. "I guess so. I'd like to say more, but…I don't want to say anything I shouldn't. You know what I mean?'

"Yeah," Roxas said with a nod. He smiled reassuringly at her…he had such a wonderful smile. Xion tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. "I hope this works."

Xion took her letter, rolled it up, tied it with a ribbon and handed it to Roxas. He summoned Oathkeeper and shot out a beam of light. The image of a Keyhole appeared and Roxas raised the letter up to the light and it flew into the Keyhole.

"Do you really think Granny's going to get my letter?" Xion asked. "It's not like it's a regular mailbox."

"Positive," Roxas said with another nod. "Besides, you and Granny are connected. There's no way this letter doesn't reach her."

"I didn't know you could do that," Kairi said curiously. "Usually, you just use your Keyblade for fighting."

"It's how I was trained," Roxas shrugged. "I've never really not used it for fighting or as a tool—back home, I used my Keyblades to get rid of some junk in a vacant lot. It was easier than lifting it all out by hand."

"That make sense," Kairi said. She was holding a bar of ice cream, half-eaten. "Ugg…how many more ice cream sticks did you say we needed?"

"Not sure," Xion said. She glanced over her shoulder. Axel was sprawled on one of the couches, a bar of ice cream in each of his hands. "It takes different amounts of ice cream to travel to different worlds…and I'm not sure where we're going next."

"If we're lucky," Roxas said. "We can find a Winner stick. That will let us teleport instantly."

"But we don't even know where we're going this time," Kairi argued. "Wouldn't it make more sense to save a Winner stick to get home in a hurry if we need to? Or at least to King Mickey's castle?"

That did make more sense, Xion thought to herself. But it was a moot point, anyway. They didn't have a Winner stick. She glanced at the popsicle stick of her ice cream. Nope, it would have been too easy.

"How are you, anyway, Kairi?" Xion asked."You doing okay? The Wild Hunt was pretty spooky."

Spooky nothing, it'd been terrifying. It felt wrong for there to be monsters other than Heartless and Nobodies. And all under the control of the Erlking. How many people had he hurt before Roxas stopped him? Xion didn't like to think about it.

"I'm doing okay," Kairi said. "This isn't really something I'm used to. Most of my fighting was in the Keyblade Graveyard…and kicking Axel's butt when we trained."

"I let you win!" Axel called. "I could take all three of you half-pints with one hand tied behind my back! On one foot! With my eyes closed!"

"Sure, you could," Kairi giggled. "You'd have to have your eyes closed—so you could beat us in your dreams!"

"Augh! My heart!" Axel shouted, clutching at his chest. One of his ice cream bars dangled precariously from his hand. "For a Princess, you can be really, really mean!"

"I know you are, but what am I?" Kairi replied. Axel responded with another loud moan She rolled her eyes at Axel's theatrics and looked back at Roxas and Xion. "I guess I'm just restless. It doesn't feel like we're really going anywhere, you know?"

"Sort of," Roxas said. He put a hand through his hair. "This one time in Twilight Town, the tram we were riding in got stuck on the line—I think there was a fallen tree branch or something. Took forever to get going again—we were stuck for three hours."

"Guess that's one nice thing about the Islands," Xion said. "Anywhere you need to go, you can just walk."

"Yeah," Kairi said. "C'mon, let's do something. The three of us. Something to pass the time. You wrote a letter to your friend Xion and I wrote one to Daddy an hour ago. Let's do something different."

"Something different?" Xion asked. "Like what?"

"Let's play!" Kairi said. She sat down on a chair—Xion wasn't even sure that chair had been there a few minutes ago, but their Gummi Ship seemed to pop up furniture whenever it needed to. Kairi slid her bracelets off her wrist and set them down gently on the same table Xion had written her letter on.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't want my bracelets getting caught," Kairi said. She knelt down and unlatched her boots. Xion still wasn't sure if she and Kairi had swapped boots somewhere down the line. Kairi pressed her bare feet against the floor of the Gummi Ship.

"What was it you said you wanted to play?" Xion asked. Kairi was grinning at her, but there was a sort of sneakiness to her smile. And she wasn't hiding her sneakiness very well at all. "What would your bracelets have gotten caught on?"

"What I want to play?" Kairi grinned wider than ever. "I want to play…Get Xion!"

A faint memory tickled at the back of Xion's mind. A memory that wasn't hers. A memory that belonged to Sora. She remembered a field day at Sora's school, where they'd been excused from their classes for an extended recess…and Sora had finally beaten Riku at something…Xion couldn't remember what sport or game. Just that Riku had decided that everyone should Get Sora…and then Sora was chased by a dozen of his classmates…

Xion got to her feet and ran. Her boots clicked against the floor of the Gummi Ship. She wasn't sure what Kairi had in mind if she managed to "get" her. The memories she'd inherited from Sora cut off before that bit. She wasn't as fast as Roxas but she was pretty sure she was faster than Kairi.

"Come on, Xion!" Kairi called. "You can run but you can't hide!"

Xion glanced at the door that led to the room they shared as a bedroom. It was too small to hide in and she'd have no way of getting out without Kairi getting her. But she just had to keep running until Kairi got tired. Already, she could hear Kairi beginning to breathe hard. She'd be too tired to try to chase Xion in no time. Just a little longer…

She turned around again and then her boot caught on something…the chair she'd been sitting in earlier. Xion slipped and fell and the next thing she knew, Kairi had closed the distance and knocked her to the floor. Xion tried to get back up, but Kairi's grip was tight. Xion was pretty sure she could break free if she needed to, but she wasn't sure she could do it without hurting Kairi.

I can't let anything happen to her…nothing bad can ever happen to Kairi again. After the things I did to her…

"Gotcha, Xion!" Kairi teased, as she pushed Xion back down. "Guess you should have chugged more Elixirs."

"How do you even know that joke?" Xion asked. "Roxas and I were alone when I teased him about that!"

"You can't think you were the only one who ever made that joke," Kairi said. "Sora used to say that about Riku."

"Oh…I guess I never realized," Xion said. She squirmed and as she did so, Kairi grappled with her. "Let me up!"

"No!" Kairi shook her head. "I said I was going to get you and you're not gotten yet!"

Xion struggled but Kairi pressed her hands down with her wrists, pinning her to the floor of the Gummi Ship. Kairi's bracelets would have definitely have gotten caught between her squirming, so it made sense that Kairi took them off.

"Oh," Kairi said. "Hold still. I don't want this getting broken."

With swift, gentle fingers, Kairi undid the chain of Xion's necklace—the same necklace Roxas had made for her. She placed the necklace next to her bracelets on the table.

"You win!" Xion said, still squirming. Kairi was much stronger than she looked and she sat on Xion's legs to keep her from kicking. "What do you want? You win!"

"What I want?" Kairi giggled. "Hmm…Roxas, I think I need your help. Could you come over here?"

A pair of brilliant blue eyes and blond hair filled Xion's vision. Roxas was crouching over her. His expression was mostly bemused. Kairi's grin grew even wider.

"I don't think I like that look in her eye," Xion said. Kairi looked more like a shark than a girl, grinning that wide. "Roxas? Kairi? You've won…let me up…please?"

"Mm…nope!" Kairi said. Holding down Xion's left arm, she reached her right hand down and began running her fingers against Xion's ribs. Even through her jacket, Xion could feel it. An explosion of electricity from her nerves and Xion began laughing.

"What?! Let me up!" Xion squirmed but Kairi didn't yield. She ran her fingers against Xion's side. "Mercy!"

"Big sisters don't show their little sisters mercy!" Kairi teased. "I protect Naminé from danger and when there isn't danger, I get to tease her. The same rules apply to you. What I want is to hear you laugh."

"Why?!"

"Because I'm the big sister and I said so!" Kairi said firmly. "But I can't do this alone…Roxas?"

Xion grinned and this time, it wasn't just because of Kairi's tickling fingers. Roxas was her best friend. He'd help her out. He'd rescue her from Kairi's evil torture! They might even be able to get Kairi back.

"Roxas," Xion yelped. "Help get her off me!"

Roxas stared down at her. He reached out his hands. His eyes…so blue…so kind…so mischievous. Roxas grinned and it was the kind of grin that Xion wasn't sure she liked. It was sneaky. It was…gah!

"Roxas," Xion called. "Let go of my arms!"

"Nope," Roxas said as he pulled her arms down. "Can't do that. Kairi's orders."

Xion could feel his knees pressing against her hands. It didn't hurt, but it made it almost impossible for her to get up. Seeing that her arms were useless, Kairi scooted down, pressing her legs against Xion's. Xion could feel Kairi's toes brush against her calf.

Xion squirmed. Roxas and Kairi weren't hurting her exactly, but she couldn't move. Roxas's knees were bony…had they always been that bony? And he was inching his fingers down her arms. Kairi was grinning.

"Do your worst!" Xion said, as she tested trying to wiggle free. Roxas didn't budge, but she did see him glance at Kairi. "You don't scare me!"

"Eh, I dunno Xion," Roxas grinned. "I don't know if Kairi can do any worse than this. She's a princess, isn't she?"

"Oh…I have my methods," Kairi giggled. "Make sure Xion can't move, okay?"

"Axel!" Xion shouted as she tried yet again to wiggle free. It didn't work. If anything, Roxas and Kairi felt heavier than ever. "Help me!"

"Oh, I'm sitting this one out," Axel called. "I've tried kidnapping all three of you. It's not fair if I play."

She couldn't see much beyond what was actually right above her. Because of this, Xion felt rather than saw Kairi undo the buckles on her boots and pull them off slowly. Xion's bare toes curled into fists as dread filled her veins. It felt like her insides were dancing. Kairi poked Xion's toes.

"Alright, Roxas!" Kairi said. "Now we do our worst!"

Kairi's idea of worst was indeed very, very, very evil! With Roxas pinning her arms and Kairi pressing down on her legs, Xion was a sitting duck. Which Kairi took advantage of…but instead of tickling Xion's ribs again, Kairi started tickling her feet. She ran her fingers against Xion's soles and toes and Xion burst out laughing.

"Ah! Hehhehehe, Kairi!" Xion squealed. She tried to move away, but Kairi and Roxas had her pinned. Roxas tickled her armpits and her sides and her ribs while Kairi tickled her feet and toes. Xion shrieked and squirmed and giggled and laughed and then she heard Kairi and Roxas laughing as they teased her. She thought she might have heard Axel too, egging them on. It wasn't the first time she'd been teased like this—when they had visited the Destiny Islands, Kairi and Roxas had buried her in the sand and tickled her feet. But if anything, this tickled worse.

For a very, very, very long time—or five minutes, but Xion was laughing too hard to try to look at a clock—Kairi and Roxas tickled her. Desperately, Xion wrenched her hand out of Roxas's grip and threw a punch. She missed but the force of her punch made her twist around until she was lying on her stomach.

"Uncle!" Xion gasped. "I give…I surrender…ehhhh…"

"Okay," Kairi said. "Leave her be, Roxas. She's had enough."

It felt as if all of Xion's insides were still dancing around. The floor was harder than marble, but Xion didn't mind. It was solid and firm and so unlike Kairi and Roxas's tickling fingers.

"That took less than twenty minutes," Axel called. "If that's your idea of killing time, Kairi, I think it needs some work."

"Twenty minutes…it felt like twenty hours…" Xion groaned. "I'm…oh, just leave me here."

"Heh," Kairi giggled and reached out a hand. She pressed her fingers against Xion's scalp. "One day, the next time you visit the Islands, you can try and get me and Naminé."

"Really?" Xion asked. With her head pressed against the floor, her voice was muffled. "I dunno…"

"Well, you can try," Kairi said. "I'm the big sister, Xion. It's my job to tease you. And protect you from danger. But there's no danger right now."

No, Kairi…it's my job to protect you. After what I did, it's only right…

"Enough talking," Axel called out from his couch. A pile of ice cream sticks lay in front of him. He tossed something towards them and Xion felt something bounce off her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a bar of sea salt ice cream. She took it gently and tore off the wrapper. Xion raised herself up slowly to take a bite. Oh, this one was very sweet and not very salty at all. She scooted herself towards one of the walls of the ship and leaned her head against it. Kairi sat down next to her. It was almost like it'd been in the Secret Place. Kairi had sat as closely to Xion as she could. Just like before, Kairi made sure there was as little space between them as possible. Xion took another bite of ice cream. Kairi pressed her bare foot against Xion's.

"It's a shame this Gummi Ship doesn't run on happy faces," Kairi said. "That would have been enough fuel for a month's worth of trips."

Xion glanced at Kairi. Her smile was radiant and her eyes still had a gleam of mischief. Their time in Enchanted Dominion had been so short, all things considered. And as scary as the Wild Hunt had been…the fight had been over almost as quickly as it had begun. Her stomach tightened and it wasn't just from the ice cream. What might be waiting for them…wherever it was they ended up? What would be waiting for them…Xion felt her throat tighten.

A soft hand intertwined with hers. Kairi was smiling at her, so gentle, so kind. Xion turned her head away. Kairi was really one of the kindest, best people she knew. Another hand, larger and more calloused, covered her free hand. Roxas. His hand…his hand…oh! Hadn't she wanted to make him a gauntlet, just like he'd made her that beautiful necklace? She still hadn't done that…she really should…

Another hand…larger than either Kairi's or Roxas's, pressed against her forehead. It radiated warmth. Xion looked up—Axel was peering down at her. His green eyes blazed with affection. For a long time, nobody spoke. The silence was comforting. Xion could hear herself breathe and her own heartbeat. She thought she could hear Kairi's heartbeat as well…and she could feel Axel's pulse through his fingers on her forehead.

"Roxas, Axel," Kairi said. "I'm bored again. Let's get Xion…"

oooo

After a very long time and more ice cream than Roxas could have imagined being necessary for a single trip—one hundred and seventeen bars, split between the four of them—Roxas was very glad to be back on a world. He was much less glad to be back in this world. It was a world that had never-ending night. A world with a constant fog and stiff breezes. It was a world that had some of his absolute worst memories from his time in the Organization: Halloween Town.

He'd harvested hearts here, many times, doing Xemnas's bidding. That itself was bad enough. But then there'd been other missions, against powerful Heartless. The Leechgrave had been absolutely awful—some bizarre tentacled coffin that ate other Heartless. Roxas had beaten it, but it'd but a real struggle.

But the worst thing that had happened here was when Roxas had been sent to fight what he thought had been a gigantic Orcus. A tremendously powerful Heartless would have a powerful heart for Kingdom Hearts. But it hadn't been an Orcus. Roxas still didn't know how they'd done it, but Xemnas and Saix had made it so that he and Xion would see each other as Heartless. Not knowing any better, he and Xion had fought, intending to kill each other. If Axel hadn't stepped in when he did…it would have been too late.

And because that had failed, Xemnas and Saix had tried again. They'd sent Roxas to fight six giant Heartless. Any one of them would have been a challenge, and this had been when Xion had been siphoning his strength. Roxas grit his teeth. He'd beaten them. He'd beaten them all. But it hadn't made a difference. Less than a week after the last time he'd come to this world, he'd fought Xion again…and struck her down. He'd held her in her arms, having no idea who she was, losing his memory of his best friend as she died.

Would that have happened here? If he had succeeded in destroying the "Orcus," would the spell clouding his thoughts have lifted? Would he have held Xion as she died in his arms, his memories of her fading away? Xion had said before that it'd been her choice to "go away now," but that had been after the mission in Halloween Town…she hadn't wanted to go away then. That evening, the sunset at the clock tower had been the most beautiful Roxas had ever seen…one he'd thought he'd always remember.

Roxas reached a hand up to his head and then startled. His hand looked…wrong. It looked old. Really old. And grayish. Why was his hand gray? Roxas squinted and it almost looked like he could see some of his hand bones. Could he had gotten hurt? How? There hadn't been a fight—not against Heartless or Nobodies at least. He'd helped Kairi and Axel tickle Xion, but a tickle fight wasn't a real fight. The Gummi Ship hadn't crashed…

"Axel? Guys, I think there might be something wrong," Roxas said. "I don't think I look like myself…gah! Neither do any of you!"

"Huh?" Axel said. He raised his hand and jumped back as flames shot out of his fingers. "Whoa, I wasn't even trying to use magic!"

Roxas stared at Axel. His friend looked taller and thinner than he usually did. And his hair was longer and darker. Axel's hair was usually red as fire, but now it was almost brown. And most noticeable was Axel's arm…it looked like his chakram had merged with his hand. It was bizarre…the points of his chakram lined up perfectly with his fingers.

"I know what's happening," Kairi said, stepping forward. Her hair was much longer…and two small ears pointed up from the top of her head. Roxas squinted and he thought he could see whiskers on her cheeks. "It's this world…it has magic in its core. And our clothes changed our appearances so that we'd blend in. Axel, you look like…hmm…kind of like a scarecrow. I think I'm a werewolf…or maybe a were-cat."

Xion was glancing at her hands. They were as gray as Roxas's own. And her face was dirty…it looked like some of her hair was missing too. If anything…she looked like a…

"HA!" Axel said. "You two are zombies! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, this is too awesome for words!"

"This is Halloween Town…" Xion groaned. "I had a feeling it'd be this world when I looked up and didn't see the sun…but…"

She shook her head hard and Roxas ducked away too. He knew exactly what she must be thinking about and how guilty she must feel. He felt Axel put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know it sucks," Axel said. "But you two gotta steel yourselves. We're needed…we'll get to the bottom of this…and then we don't have to ever come back here."

"Yeah," Roxas said. "Thanks."

"I wonder why we came to this world," Kairi said. "None of the Princesses of Heart live here—not the old ones or the new ones. But you said before that there were divides between the lines between life and death. What do you think that means here?"

Roxas wasn't sure what to think about that. Instead of answering Kairi, he started walking. There were gravestones down this path…with their luck, whatever had been dead there was now alive and going to try and attack them. Roxas tried not to think about the Heartless that lived here. If he never saw a Leechgrave again, or anything like a Leechgrave, it would be too soon.

As they walked, they passed by what looked like a doghouse. And then…a small, white sheet flew out of it. The sheet glowed almost as brightly as the moon and then its face peeked out. It was a dog. A very small dog, but a dog nonetheless. Roxas recognized it. This was the dog he'd made friends with during his missions here. He'd give the dog a bone and it would help him by sniffing out the Heartless. It'd made the missions much easier.

"A doggy!" Xion squealed, holding her hands up in delight. "Oh, Roxas, that's right! You mentioned you made friends with a doggy…and I think he knows Sora too. Oh, what's his name?"

"I can't quite remember…" Roxas said. "But you're right. This dog belongs to one of Soar's friends. Jack Skellington? I think that's it."

Roxas frowned. He knew that Sora had visited this world several times but any memories he retained were fuzzy at best. Had it been that Sora had never been too attached to this world? That didn't make very much sense…or maybe it was his own memories that were clouding his judgement. The image of a creature as tall as Axel and far more thin flashed through his mind. The creature had given Zero a bone and then that had made the dog happy. It had been what gave Roxas the idea to use Zero to track the Heartless in the first place.

"Do you know where Jack is, doggy?" Roxas asked. "We need to speak to him."

The little ghostly dog nodded, somersaulted through the air and then flew circles around Roxas, Xion and Kairi. Xion giggled. She'd always loved dogs. After a moment, Zero began gliding down the path. Without any other option, Roxas opted to follow. The path was little more than a trail, but it wasn't long before the spaces between the graves began to grow wider. Eventually, they were replaced by a brick wall. As they rounded a corner, Roxas felt a chill go down his spine. And then, he heard three shrill little voices snicker. Another memory flashed through his mind…

"Incoming!"

"Get down!" Roxas shouted. He dove to the ground just as a small, orange sphere sailed over the brick wall. A moment later, he heard a small explosion and then two small cries of pain. Roxas leapt to his feet. Xion was helping Kairi to her feet, while Axel was glaring at the wall.

"I don't know who did that," Axel called out. "But if I catch you, I'm gonna use all your fingers for firewood!"

"Aaaaahhhh!"

"It was just a joke!"

"I didn't even want to do it in the first place!"

From over the wall, Roxas saw three small children—a boy dressed as a little red monster, a girl dressed as a witch and a boy dressed up as a skeleton trying to run away. Oh yeah, these little brats used to throw pumpkin bombs at him when he was back in the Organization. It had never really hurt that badly, but it had been a lot of trouble. Come to think of it, Roxas was pretty sure these kids had messed with Sora just as much.

"Behave!" Roxas shouted as he summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion. "Or…you'll face the wrath of Roxas the Revenger…Thunder!"

Bolts of lighting shot out from his Keyblades, blasting the boy in red and the girl in the back. They both yelped and scurried off. The skeleton boy trailed after them, tripping over his own feet. Roxas shook his head. He had bigger things to worry about than three little brats. He glanced back at his friends.

"Kairi, are you alright? Please be alright," Xion begged. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you in time. I'm sorry! Oh, look what happened to your arm."

"Xion, I'm fine," Kairi said. She shook her head and it made her resemblance to a cat all the more apparent. "You don't have to worry, okay? It's just dirt, it's not a burn."

Roxas reached a hand out and patted Xion on the shoulder. She smiled at him, but it wasn't a real smile. She was just trying to make him feel better. A moment later, Zero glided back up to him and poked his nose against Roxas's. Roxas felt another chill go down his spine—Zero's nose was very cold.

"So this Jack guy, he's in charge?" Axel shook his head. "I never spent that much time in this world."

"Um…yeah, I think so," Roxas said. "Er…well, he's a friend of Sora's anyway, and Sora tends to make friends with the people who're the leaders of their worlds."

Actually, now that Roxas stopped to think about it—that did tend to be the case. The Princesses of Heart, King Mickey, Hercules, Mulan, Sora did have a tendency to make friends with people who were either royalty or else closely connected to royalty. Maybe it was a Keybearer thing in general.

They walked down to the end of the path and it opened up into a courtyard. It wasn't the first one that Roxas had visited, but it was the first time he'd ever seen this one. In the Organization, he'd been forced to be as inconspicuous as possible. The courtyard was filled with fountains that spat out green water—Roxas didn't want to think about what that meant. There was an old, broken wooden…thing off to the side. A long blade lay nearby and it looked like it had once been a part of the wooden thing.

"This world has guillotines?" Kairi whispered. "That's…that's not good."

"What's a guillotine?" Roxas asked. Neither Kairi or Axel answered right away. Roxas could hear Kairi gulp. That didn't make him feel very good.

"Oh, this is terrible! Absolutely terrible! Jack, oh Jack, where you? Oh, what to do? Oh, what to do?"

A short man was running down the path—by now it was cobblestone instead of dirt—clutching at his head. As he drew nearer, the man began running around in circles, more and more erratically. Eventually, he came up to Roxas. He wore a old-fashioned suit that reminded Roxas more of Sleepy Hollow than anything else, with a very tall, very thin hat. A large red ribbon was on his front pocket…it read Mayor…a giant spider was what the man used for a tie. Roxas could hear Xion gasp and Kairi stiffen. The man's face was as pale as Zero and his eyes were a sickly yellow.

"What's going on?" Roxas asked. "What's happening? Is someone hurt?"

"It's like nothing I've ever seen," the man said. "As Mayor of Halloween Town, I thought the Heartless were the worst thing that could ever happen, after they decided they didn't want to dance. And then there was that awful time when Oogie Boogie tried to kill Sandy Claws…oh what to do?!"

"That doesn't tell us what's wrong!" Roxas interrupted. "Please, sir. What is it?"

Before the Mayor could respond, something crashed through a gate at the far end. Something was coming towards them. Roxas tightened his grip on his Keyblades. He wasn't sure what it could be, but it definitely sounded like there was a fight coming. A moment later, he saw it…a large oven was stomping towards them. It was very large, much bigger than the oven they had at home and it moved on clawed feet. It moved slowly, almost like a crab. It opened its door like a mouth and Roxas could see flames shooting out of it.

The Mayor of Halloween Town wailed and began running around again. Xion and Kairi grabbed his hands and pushed him behind them. Kairi summoned her Keyblade in a flash. Xion held out her hand, but her Keyblade didn't appear. Sheepishly, Xion picked up a rock.

"A living oven?" Axel said. "That's it? It's weird, even for this place, but I don't think I'd call this a disaster. Stand back, Mayor…Mayor. We got this sorted. Roxas! On me!"

Roxas nodded and he and Axel charged at the oven. The oven spat fire out but Roxas dodged it easily. The oven's movements were cumbersome. Axel yanked his chakram out of his hand, turned it back into his Keyblade, Flame Liberator, and sent it sailing. It blasted against the oven, knocking it backwards. Flames shot out of the oven's door again, fifteen feet into the air. Roxas could hear the Mayor crying.

Fire magic probably wasn't the best option, against something that could use fire itself. Whatever magic was enchanting the oven would probably make the oven immune to Fire magic. But Roxas knew a lot more magic than just Fire.

"Blizzaga!" Roxas shouted, pointing both Oathkeeper and Oblivion at the oven. Ice crystals shot out of both his Keyblades, condensing on themselves and becoming a tremendously large ball of ice. It slammed against the oven just as it was shooting out flames. Roxas could hear the cast-iron freezing and then something shattering. The door of the oven broke off and it began jumping up and down on its clawed feet. Flames shot out again, more erratically than before. Roxas leaped backwards and he could hear the Mayor crying harder than ever.

Xion yelped and threw her rock. It sailed into the oven's flaming mouth. The oven was knocked back, but then it was right back on its feet. Axel sent a wave of fire, but that only seemed to make the oven angrier.

"Pearl!" Kairi shouted, pointing Destiny's Embrace directly at the oven. A gleaming orb of light shot of her Keyblade and into the oven's mouth. The flames were instantly vanquished, but the oven was still moving around. It charged towards Kairi, its clawed feet pressing against the ground.

"Not today!" Roxas said. He leapt up, ten feet into the air and dove back down. He slashed Oathkeeper at the back of the oven's body and sliced at one of its feet with Oblivion. There was the clashing sound of metal hitting metal and the oven slid apart. It clattered to the ground. There were still parts of it that were red-hot. Roxas took a step away slowly and looked at Kairi. She was trembling, but she didn't seem to be injured.

"That was…that was something," Kairi said. "I thought the Wild Hunt was bad…and it wasn't as bad as them or even Heartless…but why would an oven come to life?"

"See, what did I tell you?" The Mayor of Halloween Town cried out. "This is terrible, just terrible! For days now, so many days, I haven't been able to keep a count, there have been things coming to life! Things that shouldn't be alive are alive! I've had ovens burning down houses on purpose, hoses trying to drown people, you don't even want to know what that set of silverware did to the werewolves, oh my, oh no…"

"Well, you said you wanted to talk to Jack about it, right?" Roxas said as he lowered his Keyblades. He didn't dismiss them, not just yet. If there was a living oven that tried to attack people, there may be other…things. "Well, we want to talk to him too."

"Do so, please," the Mayor pleaded. At once, his face turned around—wait, what?! The Mayor's head could twist around, like a jar lid?! Where once his face had been ghostly white, it was peach-colored now, though still a lot duller a shade than any of the people Roxas knew from Twilight Town or Radiant Garden. He grinned eagerly and his teeth looked razor-sharp. "I know we can count on you…whoever you are! You go and find Jack! And Dr. Finklestein. They'll figure out what's going on, oh yes! And getting this sorted out will make this the best Halloween ever!"

The Mayor scurried off and Roxas felt bile rise in his throat when he saw the old, white, scared face of the Mayor staring back at him. The Mayor had two faces on his head? That was…spooky. Roxas glanced back at Axel, who was fitting his chakram back into his hand, and Xion and Kairi.

"Let's go see if we can find this Jack," Kairi said. "I know Sora's talked about him, but I don't remember anything he said about where he lived."

"Well," Axel said. "Let's think about this logically…or as logically as it gets with two zombies and a werewolf."

"Were-cat!"

"Were-kitten!" Axel said. "You're still a half-pint, Kairi, even with those ears. But if there's a mad scientist somewhere around here—Finklestein, is that what the Mayor said? Well, what place around here looks the most Vexen-y? He was as mad a mad scientist as you can get."

Roxas put a hand to his chin—and immediately regretted it, since his hand was very clammy to the touch. Most of the buildings around here—or at least around the courtyard—were hard to distinguish from one another. What little memories he maintained from Sora were not much help here, either.

"I think Dr. Finklestein's lab is that way," Roxas said, raising a hand and pointing east.

"No," Xion shook her head. She pointed in the complete opposite direction of where Roxas was pointing. "I think it's this way…"

"I think it might be coming from the building that's behind that wall," Kairi said. "I think I can see a gate. And look, there's that little doggy Zero!"

Oh, yeah…there had been a gate hadn't there? Kairi took the lead this time and began walking down the path. Roxas and Xion trailed after her, Roxas dismissing his Keyblades as they walked. Axel took up the end of the line. After a few minutes, they came up to a staircase with gigantic, uneven steps. Kairi and Roxas started climbing them—it was tricky. Roxas had to pull his leg up as high as he could…and given that he was a zombie now, he wasn't sure he could do it was easily as he could before.

"Half-pints with half-pint legs," Axel teased as he lifted Xion up a particularly steep step. Xion yelped. She hadn't been expecting that. "But I bet there's a method to all this. That Jack guy's really tall right? These steps would be perfect for someone like him."

As they drew nearer, Roxas could hear machines whirling inside the building. He was the first to the door and knocked cautiously. Nothing happened—but then again, it was likely nobody could have heard the knocking over whatever machines were on in the building. Slowly, Roxas pushed open the door.

The building, in its entirety, appeared to be a laboratory. One side of the room had a long bookshelf, misshaped and uneven, with dozens of books sticking out of it. Most of the room was taken up by a table with a computer attached. Two men were crouched over it. Roxas recognized the first man as Jack. He was extraordinarily tall—even taller than Axel—and thinner than looked possible. He almost looked like a living skeleton, but even that didn't seem to be accurate. The second man was much, much shorter, and confined to a wheelchair. He had white skin and wore a doctor's robe, not entirely unlike what he'd seen Ienzo and Even wear, with long black gloves. That would have to be Dr. Finklestein.

"That's no good," Dr. Finklestein said. "We tried that technique with the Heartless and it turned into a disaster, as you well remember."

"As it happens," Jack said, "I don't remember it very well. The Heartless have attacked so many times, in so many different ways, that it becomes difficult to remember individual situations. But surely, there must be something that we can do."

"Well, of course there is," Dr. Finklestein said. "I am a genius, am I not? There isn't a single situation or problem that my brilliant intellect cannot solve. I will find the answer, make no mistake about that."

Before Roxas could clear his throat and try to intercede, Zero emerged from behind him. The ghostly dog glided around him, flew back through Xion and Kairi—Roxas heard them both break into giggles—and then glided back towards Jack, hovering in front of him.

"Well, hello there, Zero!" Jack said. He reached out a long arm and petted Zero on the head with a bony hand. "Have you seen anything unusual today?"

Jack turned his head and nodded at Roxas, Xion, Kairi and Axel. He didn't seem to be the least bit surprised that they were there. He turned his attention towards Roxas in particular.

"Why, Zero! You've brought guests," Jack said. "Well, hello there! I don't believe we've met, though you do seem a bit familiar. Have we met and I have simply forgotten?"

"No," Roxas said quickly. Maybe too quickly. Both Jack and Dr. Finklestein were staring at him. "Er, you said that there's trouble around here. Well, my friends and I were thinking that we could help. You know Sora, right?"

"Ah, Sora!" Jack said. "Oh, how wonderful he was at trying to make sure Halloween went right! And Christmas too! You're a friend of Sora's, are you? Well then, it is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance…er, Friend of Sora's!"

"My name's Roxas. This is Xion and that's Kairi," Roxas said. "And this is Axel."

"Got it memorized?"

"What's that?" Jack said, "Oh, right…Al-on. Well, I am glad to see that you are willing to help. There's some very strange things that are going on."

"Something about the lines between life and death crossing over?" Xion asked. "Things that aren't supposed to be alive?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Jack said. "How did you know?"

"The Mayor's actually the one who sent us over here," Kairi piped up. "He asked us to speak to you. He's very worried. There was an oven that came to life and tried to hurt people…do you know what might be causing all this?"

"An oven?" Jack shook his head. "Well, that is something most unusual. An oven is a common enough item, but people do seem to be at least a little bit afraid of them, or at least more afraid of them than they would be of chairs or sofas…but a living oven is not something I've ever heard of. If it had been a bathtub, that would be another story…hmm…I wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

"I think I know just what to do," Jack said. "I will go and find Sandy Claws. He is very knowledgable about many things."

"That fat old lump is not nearly as knowledgable as I," Dr. Finklestein snapped. "What good can he do? He's never been of any real assistance in a crisis."

"Oh come now, Dr. Finklestein," Jack said. "Why, I suspect Sandy Claws is just who we need to see. After all, remember how it was he who was able to figure out just what was going on when your Experiment went on that rampage?"

"That was no fault of mine!" Dr. Finklestein wailed, slamming his fist against the table. "It was a flawless Experiment, if those children had not kept badgering me!"

Jack chortled and spread his arms out wide. Dr. Finklestein fumed and pouted. At once, the top of his head flew back, as if it were on a hinge. Roxas could see gray brain matter sticking out. Dr. Finklestein prodded his brain.

"If you insist on visiting that elf," Dr. Finklestein grumbled, "I would appreciate it if you took Sally with you. That girl is truly no help at all. Not at all, I don't know why I bothered creating her."

Creating her? Was Sally some sort of puppet that'd come to life like Pinocchio? Was she tied up in this stuff with other things coming to life here? Roxas glanced at Xion. She looked very uncomfortable with where the conversation might be going. He reached out a hand and tried not to grimace—his hand was still very clammy and looked downright rotten. Xion smiled at him weakly and took his hand. Her fingers were cold but Roxas felt a bit of warmth in his chest.

A/N: Here we go my dearest readers! Another brand-new chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I'd been getting bored with the Gummi Ship segments lately, since there was little to do in terms of advancing the plot there, but then I decided, why not take the boring atmosphere and turn it on its head?

Thus, Kairi initiates games to help pass the time and invokes her right as a big sister to tease Xion. I had initially planned to give them a bit more attention in the Destiny Islands, where they actually play instead of just look for seashells, but there was so many other things going on at the time, I'd forgotten.

And as a result? Xion gets gotten.

Roxas's segment in Halloween Town took up a bit more space than I had originally anticipated, but I have to say, I like it quite a bit. He may have visited the world several times in 358 Days/2, but he'd still be a stranger to its residents, sans Zero. And I couldn't resist putting the ghostly doggy in.

Thank you for reading, my dearest readers! Leave a comment if you're so inclined! I appreciate each and every one of you!