Chapter 70: Machines and Memories
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 work that I do not profit off of in any way.
Hello, my dearest readers. I hope the last cliffhanger didn't leave you hanging too high. We're back into the thick of things and that's no lie!
In all seriousness, we are getting into a darker part of this story, my dearest readers. It might be difficult to read at times. The atmosphere I am trying to go for is Burton-esque, so it will be violent, at times grim and nearly gruesome, while at the same time, somewhat over-the-top.
I know some of you have voiced concerns about this. I understand your feelings and I respect them, but I want to let you know this may prove difficult to read nonetheless.
Furthermore, there's still going to be a heavy atmosphere for Dresden Files readers as well. Once again, plot points aren't going to be spoiled, but character details will be.
Read on, my dear ones, read on:
oooo
Work, work, work, work…all Pete ever did was work! Work for Maleficent that she didn't appreciate. He traveled all over the worlds—in all the ickiest parts of the worlds too! He fought kings and princes and knights with sharp and pointy swords. But the worst part was always them Keybrats. They weren't just strong with their Keyblades, which were as pointy as any sword, they were real nosy, always butting into Pete's business. And no matter how many times he fought 'em, Pete almost never won. Until today—he'd caught himself the smallest of the Keybrats.
The itty-bitty Keybrat was being a real big brat as Pete dragged her away, deeper into the woods. She punched and kicked and tried to bite and while none of it hurt very much, it did made Pete worry. He and Doctor XXX didn't have a lot of time. Pete knew in his bones that unless they hurried, the other Keybrats would come looking for the one they grabbed. This world was weird; the Keybrat had turned into a little toy soldier. Pah, Pete had never liked those little toys. They didn't do anything but lie around…which kinda made sense, since capturing this one had been easy as pie.
"Help me!" The Keybrat screamed as she tried to kick herself free. "Somebody help me! Anybody?!"
"Shut up!" Pete snapped. "Or else you're gonna be sorry!"
"I am sorry!" The Keybrat said. "Your breath is terrible!"
What?! Why that little, good-for-nothing runt! He'd show her! He'd make sure she'd never made fun of him again. He'd…wait a second…she wanted him to set her down and try to punch her. Pete was strong but he wasn't very fast. If this little brat got loose, he might not be able to get her back easy.
"Uh-uh," Pete said. "I ain't falling for that. You're just tryin' to trick me, so I'll lets ya go! Well, nobody makes a fool of ol' Pete!"
The Keybrat kept trying to kick and punch and wiggle free, but Pete was way bigger and way stronger than the runt when she didn't have her cheating magic. He glanced at Doctor XXX who was pressing his hands together, real happy like.
"I shall study and learn," Doctor XXX said. "You beat us before, girl, but now it's my turn!"
The last time they'd captured this Keybrat, the Doctor had cut up her shadow to make a monster for Maleficent. It had been pretty tough from what Pete understood, but because it'd been made from the brat, it'd been easy for her to smash it. They'd better do a better job keeping her tied up this time—there weren't gonna be any second chances. But the shrimpy mouse wasn't there either. They might get out of this yet.
"Do ya think they've finished what they need to finish?" Pete asked Doctor XXX. "We ain't got a way to contact 'em."
"I am certain it is fine," Doctor XXX said. "To finish what we started, there is a sign…um…er…"
"You and your stupid little poems," Pete grunted. "Well, we ain't getting back through that Halloween tree. But there's more than one way to get through world borders."
"Allow me," Seifer grinned. He held up a hand and then a little pool of darkness emerged in front of them. It got bigger and bigger and rounder until it was big enough to be a door. A dark coor-e-door, the perfect way to get from one place to another real fast, so long as you weren't a chicken afraid of darkness.
The Keybrat began to kick around even harder—oh that was right, the dark corr-e-dors hurt you if you weren't used to the darkness. Pete wasn't afraid o' stuff like that. He wasn't some wussy. But that didn't mean you had to be stupid about it. Pete grunted as Seifer charged right through the corr-e-door. Pete tightened his grip on the Keybrat's legs so she couldn't kick him as he walked.
They were back in Halloween Town now…huh, that was funny. The Keybrat was still a tin soldier. She was still Christmas-y even though they weren't in the Christmas part of the world. The Keybrat must be busted. She was one of them Replicas right? They must not have builded her right. Pete scowled. None of this weirdo science stuff seemed real right. He'd done his share of building before—you needed to know how to use a hammer and nails and sandpaper and all sorts of stuff when you were a steamboat captain. None of the mad science-y guys Pete'd met looked like they could use a hammer or a saw at all.
They weren't far from where'd they'd left the Phantom Blot and Oogie Boogie and those two loser friends of Seifer's who didn't talk much. Just over the hill and…what the? It wasn't a clearing anymore! It was a house! A real big house! Almost as big as a castle! The big sack of bugs was walking up to them now, chuckling.
"You like it?" Oogie Boogie said, pressing those little stumps that Pete guessed were his hands together. "It's not quite the same as before, but Blotty had a lot of good ideas. We're spreading the curse far and wide. And what's this? You caught a little toy for me to play with? I always wanted a dolly!"
"It's one of the lamers," Seifer said as he summoned his mordite sword. "Xion—weak, pathetic, useless. You can't have her, she's mine."
"You do what you're told," Pete grunted. "You can do what you want to her after the Doctor gets what he needs."
"I'm not gonna let you hurt my dolly," Oogie Boogie snapped. "Not until I get to have some fun!
"I've hated her since the moment I met her," Seifer snarled and stomped his foot like a big fat baby. "I've fought her a bunch of times. Now that we have her, I should get to finish her off!"
"No way!" Oogie Boogie argued. He shook his head and Pete thought he saw spiders starting to crawl out of it. "You think I'm gonna let you break my dolly before I get to? Uh-uh! And…hey, is my dolly a wind-up dolly?"
"No," Pete shook his head. "Why do you ask something like that?"
"Cause there it goes!"
Gah! Pete had been so busy with that idiot Seifer, he hadn't noticed the Keybrat had gotten free. She was running as fast as her legs could carry her. He could't let her get away! Pete charged after her, pounding against the ground with his big boots. That stupid Seifer had distracted him—oh, once he got the Keybrat back, he would pound Seifer flat. Maybe he'd use the Keybrat to do the pounding. She was a tin solider wasn't she? She'd make a great smashing…smasher. And he'd smash Seifer.
The Keybrat was faster than she looked. She looked over her shoulder and gasped. She began running in zig-zags and that made her harder to follow. Pete was getting dizzy and then he tripped in a stupid little gopher hole. He began tumbling and rolling and bumping down the hill—yeouch! Ouch! Ouch! Yaaaahhhh!
The next thing Pete knew, he'd landed…but he was stuck! What was he stuck in? Something hard, but it was white…some sort of bowl? No…that wasn't right…this was way too thick to be a bowl. It was…some big ol' bathtub that could move on its own?! And he was stuck?!
"Get me out of this thing!" Pete roared. "And somebody, get that brat!"
Two balls attached to a long string, glowing bright yellow, soared over Pete's head. Ad the next thing he knew, Pete heard the Keybrat crying out "Aaaaaahhhhh!" Pete grunted and groaned and grumbled and tried to get himself out of the tub. It didn't work—Pete rolled over and then the tub was on top of him. But he could see the Keybrat, on the ground, wriggling like a worm. The glowing yellow string had wrapped itself around her and she wasn't getting free. Oogie Boogie walked up to her—leaving Pete stuck, 'cause he was a big jerk—and cackled.
"Ah ha ha ha! See, I told you Blotty had some ideas!"
oooo
"You're asking for ideas to get back on the 'nice' list?" Santa Claus said. "Lea, you make a mockery of my system."
"Oh, come on!" Axel said, waving his hands up. "It's not a mockery! It's a negotiation. I'm taking care of Roxas and Xion, that's nice isn't it? And I'm helping save the worlds. Isn't that nice?"
"Harassing Santa Claus to put you on the 'nice' list isn't nice," Kari retorted. "Leave him alone, Axel."
Roxas paused and put a hand to his chin. Axel had always been nice to him…well, mostly nice anyway. He could tell some pretty bad jokes now and then—and he had lied to them an awful lot, but that was because he had wanted to protect them. But he'd also been willing to hurt them…but he wasn't the only one who'd hurt Roxas.
"I don't understand," Roxas said. "Santa Claus, what the difference between being 'naughty' and being 'nice,' if you don't mind my asking?"
"Oh, I don't mind at all, dear boy," Santa Claus said. "I would imagine that you would find it confusing."
"It's not that I'm confused exactly," Roxas said. "But…Axel's always been nice to me and Xion. He taught us a whole bunch of stuff in the Organization—he still answers our questions. I know he did some pretty…icky things to try to get me and Xion from finding out about our pasts in the Organization, but I think he's done more nice things than naughty things."
"Yes, but he hasn't taken responsibility for his actions," Santa Claus said. "As a boy, he caused my reindeer such distress. And he still hasn't said he was sorry."
"You want my opinion, I say you're too hard on the old hothead," Kringle called from the far end of the room. "Of course, in my experience, there's quite a few souls out there who are far too hard on themselves. Axel—or Lea—or whatever you're calling yourself, you actually remind me of a friend. Aggressive in battle, affinity for fire, proficient in back-talk and an overwhelming affection for under-sized children."
"I guess I still don't understand," Roxas bit the inside of his cheek. "Are Xion and I on the 'nice' list? Xion's my best friend…and people haven't always been nice to her."
"Mm…" Santa Claus said. "Yes, I do know a fair bit about that. Xion has tremendous compassion, but with this, she also has a tendency to blame herself for things that are not her fault."
"That's easy to do, when so many people tell her she's doing bad things," Roxas grimaced. He could see Kairi and Axel looking deeply uncomfortable. "Sir, Xion's my best friend…"
"Ah, is there any greater joy than a best friend?" Santa Claus chuckled softly. "Oh, yes. I'm quite aware of how you and Xion care for one another. The bond you have is as strong as any I've seen in a long time."
"We've been through a lot together," Roxas murmured. "We were recruited into the Organization at nearly the same time. We both didn't know very much…but we became friends. We did a lot together…I like doing things with her."
"Xion's wonderful," Kairi agreed. "Santa Claus, is she on the 'nice' list? Is there anything she wants? When I get her something this year, I don't want to accidentally get her the same thing."
"Oh? That's a very kind thing to do," Santa Claus said. "Neither Xion nor Roxas have ever had a Christmas present before."
"They haven't?" Sally spoke up for the first time in a long time. Her voice sounded fragile, almost like crystal. "But Roxas…you have to be nearly thirteen years old. How is it you've never had a single Christmas present?"
"If not Christmas," Jack said, holding his hands together, "I understand. But surely, you must have celebrated Halloween."
"Er, not really…but I'm older than that," Roxas said lamely. He was Sora's Nobody, or used to be. If he were as old as Sora, that would make him fifteen…or would Sora be sixteen now. "I'm the same age as Sora…"
"Not according to my list," Santa Claus piped up, as he held up the long bit of fancy paper. Roxas blinked. Santa Claus hadn't been holding that a moment ago, and Roxas hadn't seen him pick it up. Could Santa make the list appear whenever he wanted it to? "It says that you and Xion have only had one Halloween and one Christmas…oh, and you are indeed on my 'nice' list…though not as highly ranked as Xion. It appears she's been nicer."
"A single Halloween?" Jack said. "Why, this won't do at all! Not at all! Oh, I do declare! Once we settle things with whatever's causing these objects to come to life, then I shall see to it that we give you and Xion such a scare as to make up for those lost years."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Roxas said. "Xion doesn't like being scared…I don't want her being scared."
"Oh, don't misunderstand my intentions," Jack said, holding his hands up. "I would never want to hurt your friend or anyone else. I spread fear, but I don't spread terror. Spooks and haunts are what I do, a good little scare, I just say boo."
"Don't try a rhyming gimmick, Jack," Kringle shook his head. "It doesn't suit you. Not at all…"
Jack's shoulders slumped and he looked disappointed. Roxas wasn't sure whether or not he felt sorry for Jack. Why would it be a good thing to try and scare people?
"Er…right," Roxas said, turning back to Santa Claus and Kringle. "I guess I also don't get what's the difference between 'naughty' and 'nice.' What I mean is…what if someone has a really good reason for doing something bad?"
"You'll have to be more specific than that, son," Kringle answered, "I assure you, more than a few have tried to justify very naughty actions that way."
"Er…right. Well, what if…someone used a forbidden magic to get rid of something. Er…have you ever heard of a metal called mordite?" Roxas asked. He felt his face begin to burn and his throat tightened as he remembered how Xion had cried after her Keyblade had been taken away from her for using that mordite sword. Everywhere they went, there it was staring them back in the face. He'd really let her down…he should have stood up to Master Yen Sid. "What if it was to destroy something else that was made of mordite?"
"Ah, I can see where you're coming from. Let me guess, this 'someone' was your friend, Xion, wasn't it?" Kringle said. He nodded once and pressed two fingers to his nose…a third was pointed more towards his eyepatch. "And it was the only thing to get rid of a fountain of mordite."
Roxas cried out in alarm and he wasn't the only one to do so. Axel looked as if he'd been hit with a bunch of Thunder magic.
"I thought you said you weren't aware that Master Yen Sid was even our Master," Roxas protested. "How were you able to guess all that? Were you lying before?"
"I wasn't—but this isn't my first apocalypse, Lea. Roxas…I've known Yen Sid since before he was a 'Master.' I'm old, son," Kringle said. "Far older than I look. History doesn't usually repeat, but it often rhymes. I've seen the horrors mordite can do…and I saw a warrior use the mordite blade of a fallen foe to destroy a wicked artifact. But make no mistake, however justified he thinks he was, what Yen Sid did to Xion was beyond cruel. If it were within my power to undo his magic and help your friend, I would do so."
"I…I want to help her too," Roxas said. "And I don't like that she sees herself as bad…"
"Hmm…you have such a stubbornly noble streak, Roxas," Santa Claus said. "So determined to do right by your friends. You remind me quite a bit of Sora."
"I haven't felt like that lately," Roxas muttered. "I've been fighting and fighting, but I'm not like Sora, really…I don't know if I'm making that big a difference…I wish I could help Sora…is there anything we can do?"
Santa Claus and Kringle both shook their heads—Santa looked close to tears. Jack didn't seem to have noticed, but Sally looked horrified as realization struck her. Kairi bit her lip. Axel put a hand on her shoulder.
"That, I'm afraid, is far beyond even my power," Kringle said. "I can't bring back the fallen like that. Not unless…well, Keyblades always had their own rules."
"Right then…" Santa Claus said. He raised a hand and Roxas thought he heard something cranking in the distance. "Sora's always been one to touch a hurting heart and put everything on the line. But he's not gone forever. If he were, I wouldn't be able to call back…ah, here it is now!"
A piece of paper—plain white paper—came flapping up to Santa Claus. He caught it and then smiled mournfully. After a moment, he handed it to Kairi. She brightened up as she began to read it.
"Oh," Kairi said. "I remember this! This is one of the letters Sora wrote to you Santa! Oh, Roxas, you need to see this!"
Roxas walked over to Kairi slowly and she smiled at him until they were standing shoulder to shoulder. Looking down at the paper, Roxas could see Sora's very untidy handwriting—done in colored pencil, alternating red and green:
"Dear Santa Claus!
"Hi Santa! Merry Christmas! Did you have a good New Year's? And a good Easter? How's the Easter Bunny? How are the elves? How's Mrs. Claus? And are the reindeer doing alright?
"I hope you're all doing really, really, really, really well! I've had a great year and I hope your year was as nice as mine was.
"A lot has happened this year! I'm in the Red Reading Group! And Riku's big enough to row out to the play island all by himself. I'm too little to go with him without Daddy, but I'm really, really, really happy for Riku! And me and Kairi got a blue ribbon for our model pirate ship we made for the art fair!
"This year, for Christmas, I want a pair of really big shoes and fishing pole! I want to go fishing a bunch of times with Daddy and I want to be able to teach Kairi how to fish!"
"Santa, there's something else…this is a secret I haven't told anyone but Kairi. I haven't told Mommy or Daddy or Riku. But if you can do it Santa, I want a little brother. I don't want him to be a baby though—he'd be too small to play with. I want a little brother who's just a little bit smaller than me, so he can be my friend and I can teach him stuff. Oh, and if it's okay, could he have yellow hair? I have brown hair, but I want my brother to have yellow hair.
"And maybe, if you could, I'd like a sister. A little sister, who has black hair, like Mommy's! I want to have a little sister to play with and be nice to!"
Beneath the words, there were pictures…colored with a bunch of different colored pencils. It showed a picture of Sora…holding hands with a boy with yellow hair and a girl with black hair.
"Oh…" Kairi whispered. "This…I remember this. This was the last letter Sora sent to Santa Claus before Riku tried to tell us there wasn't any Santa Claus."
"Riku's an idiot," Roxas growled. "And a a bully. And a jerky idiotic bullying stupid-head…and…they look just like us…Xion would love to see this."
"Yeah, she would," Kairi agreed. "Wait a minute…where's Xion? She left for fresh air ages ago…"
Roxas felt a chill go down his spine.
oooo
Xion reached out for something—anything—to try and get away from the iron-hard grip Pete had on her ankles. A rock, a root, a stick, anything. But her arm burned from where her Keyblade had struck her…down to her bone, it hurt. The yellow balls that had tripped her up had shocked her with electricity and that hurt too. She was a tin soldier, should she even be able to feel pain? Or was this just fancy magic that went beyond just her clothing and made her skin look different too?
"You're the biggest pain ever," Pete grunted. "I thought that other Keybrat was a pain in my neck, but he didn't have anything on you. The good-for-nothing runt…"
Pete carried Xion down the path and towards the building. Xion caught a glimpse of a large green door. There was a face painted on it…it looked like a jack o' lantern…or maybe Oogie Boogie. Oh no…oh no…oh no…
She remembered bits of borrowed memories from Sora, memories she had long since returned and memories that were faint from being within Sora's heart. She remembered a building larger than this…made mostly of wood. She also remembered a cold basement covered in bright lights…but not much more than that. What else was there? What else was there?! She had to remember.
"Oh yes," Oogie Boogie cackled. "Oh, dolly, what fun we're going to have! That bonehead Jack has Sally-dolly and now I have a dolly! I always wanted a dolly! A dolly to hug! And squeeze! And pull the head off of!"
"Eeeeh!" Xion shook her head. "Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone!"
"You won't be pulling off her head!" Doctor XXX said. "I need my experiments! No good if dead!"
"I want my pound of flesh!" Seifer snarled as he reached out and grabbed a fistful of Xion's hair. "I want what's mine!"
"There's plenty of Keybrat to go around," Pete said. "Let the doctor do what he needs to do and she'll go to you…gah! Now you've got me rhyming! Cut it out!"
They were at the green door now—the door with a monster's face painted on it. It almost felt like she was being eaten by the monster. Pete kicked the door open and the next thing Xion knew, they were inside a…basement? It was cold here…this was where Sora had fought Oogie Boogie before. There were strange lights here—they looked like the shinier signs in Twilight Town…what were they called again? Neon? There was a huge circle painted on the floor—all different colors…and there were chains and hooks and…a huge, bladed wheel. It was like six of Sephiroth's swords all tied together at the hilts.
Xion screamed, but Pete swung her by her ankles and she slammed her head on the floor. Her vision clouded over and she felt herself being lifted again. Xion felt something long and smooth being looped around her wrists and then around again to pin her arms to her sides. She was being tied to something else…no, no, no. She couldn't let them…she had to get free—but her wrists were already tied tight.
"Ah, ah, ah," Pete said, pulling the rope binding Xion's hands so tight, it cut into her skin. "No rescues this time. I was a steamboat captain. I know my way around knots and I know just what knots to tie so you won't ever, ever, ever get free unless I says so."
Xion squirmed and struggled and twisted around, but there was nothing she could do. Pete looped another rope around her wrists and Xion felt herself being lifted up. She'd been tied to one of the hooks? She found herself looking Doctor XXX in the eye. She jerked her head and saw Seifer glaring at her, his golden eyes narrowing into slits. Behind him, she could see Rai and Fuu. They were in on this? When had that happened? The last time she'd been captured like this, Seifer had acted like they were still in Twilight Town. They didn't look happy though…they looked sick and scared.
"Let Doctor XXX do what he needs," Pete repeated. "Then you and Oogie can decide who gets what. I thought you wanted a fight, Seifer."
"I do want a fight," Seifer said. "I want to fight. I want to beat her. I want to make her pay. I want her to know her betters! Her and Roxas and that lamer giant and whoever else is pathetic enough to have to cover for you."
"Roxas beat you," Xion snapped. She stopped for a moment, surprised. But her arm hurt and her wrists hurt and she was getting dizzy and she hated how much it hurt. And she hated that Seifer was so petty that he wanted to hurt people. She was angry. "Seifer, you've fought us before and you've lost. Every time you try to take me or Roxas on, you lose. If anyone's the lamer, Seifer, it's you…"
"Raaaah!" Seifer snarled. "Shut up!"
Smack!
If Xion hadn't been suspended by the ropes binding her, the force of the blow would have knocked her back to the ground. As it was, she was hit so hard, she couldn't make sense of which way she was facing. She saw Pete and then Doctor XXX and then the Blot and then Pete and then Seifer and then Rai and Fuu. Oogie, Pete, Doctor XXX, Fuu, Oogie, Rai, Pete, Blot…and then something grabbed her by the head and she lurched.
"That's enough of that," Doctor XXX said, gripping Xion's entire head in his huge hand. "I need it whole. It's not a piñata to bat."
Xion had no idea what a piñata was, but Doctor XXX was gripping her so tightly, she couldn't focus on much else. She cried out in pain—her scream muffled by his mitt of a hand, but that only seemed to make the crazy doctor happier.
"So interesting you are," Doctor XXX chanted, as he unsheathed a long knife from his belt. He held it up to his face, his teeth reflecting in the blade. "A Replica, mine to mar."
He took a step closer and then another and then another. He was nose-to-nose with Xion now. She could smell his rancid breath. He pressed the knife to her arm and began to laugh.
Xion began to scream.
oooo
Roxas's head pounded and the frigid air blew against his face, but he ignored it. His stomach felt worse than whatever was in the fruitcake. Xion had left Santa's house almost an hour ago…they hadn't seen her. They'd barely even noticed she was gone…how could he betray her like that? She was his best friend…how could he say that when he hadn't noticed she wasn't there? What if something bad had happened?
The marketplace in Christmas Town looked huge. Far too huge now…the merry-go-round's music was blaring. He watched as Santa Claus walked up to a tiny little wagon that had elves running about, holding branches and pinecones. They were twisting the branches into rings…right, Axel had called those wreaths. Axel was with him. Kairi too. All of them, even Sally and Jack and Kringle, had followed him outside to the marketplace to look for Xion.
"Santa Claus!" The little elf running the wreath wagon squeaked. "Mister Kringle! Missus Sally! Other guests!"
"Hello, Frankie," Santa Claus said kindly. "Roxas and his friends were wondering if you've seen a girl named Xion? She would have had the appearance of a tin soldier, though her jacket would be purple, rather than the usual red."
"Oh, yes," Frankie answered, holding up a handful of coins. "She came through and bought a floral wreath…paid too much though and she ran off before we could give her the change."
"A floral wreath?" Kairi asked. "But why would Xion want flowers? It's not like you didn't have any wreaths in your workshop, Santa."
"Well…I…hmmm," Santa Claus said. "This is a bit of a mystery. Frankie, did you happen to see where Xion went with her flowers?"
"Down the Avalanche Avenue," Frankie nodded. "Past the plaza, Santa Claus. She did seem to be rather upset. I did not ask why. My flowers and wreaths spread Christmas joy."
"The plaza?" Axel asked. "But there's nothing past there, Santa. Didn't you just say it was where rubbish heap? Where that moving puppet…oh…"
Axel said a word that Roxas didn't know the meaning of, but judging from how Kairi and Santa Claus glared at him, he could guess it was a bad word. Roxas didn't care though. Xion was alone, out in the woods…she could be hurt. The idea made him feel sick. They needed to go and find her…help her…moving puppet. That was what they had called the experiment Dr. Finklestein had made…the last time that Sora had visited this world. Roxas clutched at his head…could he remember?
You've finished off the experiment and Jack got to ride in Santa's sleigh, but you figure you should still talk to Dr. Finklestein and let him know what happened. It's only fair, after all.
"Interesting! So the puppet wasn't stolen after all!" Dr. Finklestein declares, after you've explained everything. "It ran away on its own. In other words, my experiment was an overwhelming success!"
You're not sure about that, it did cause an awful lot of trouble…but then again, Dr. Finklestein would be able to say better than anyone whether the experiment worked or not.
"Santa Claus thinks maybe it left because it was trying to find a heart," you say. You figure maybe the doctor might be able to explain that a bit more. After all, he was the one who tried to give the Heartless a heart way back when. From the way he talked, he'd made hearts before.
"That's quite possible," Dr. Finklestein says, holding up a hand like a teacher would. "Unlike my Sally, it was not equipped with a heart."
With that, Dr. Finklestein turns around and begins to drive his little wheelchair back towards the laboratory. You're not sure how he actually got down all those steps to begin with, but you have bigger questions than that. You turn to Donald and Goofy.
"But if it wanted a heart," you ask. "why was it going around stealing all those Christmas presents?"
"Maybe, because…" Sally pipes up as she walks towards the three of you, "presents are a way to give your heart to someone special."
"Hmm..when you put it that way," you say quietly, "I feel sort of bad for it."
It really is a shame. The experiment hurt people, but it hadn't been malicious, not like the Heartless or Oogie Boogie. Maybe, if things had been different, it could have been a friend.
Roxas shook his head really hard. It wasn't often that his memories from Sora were that clear. But if that had happened…if the memory was that vivid, then that meant the connection meant something. Xion, with her sweet and gentle heart, must have gone to show the experiment a little kindness. But that couldn't have taken so long…it was far, far too long.
"Follow me," Santa Claus murmured. "Oh dear, oh dear…I do hope things have not gone too badly. Follow my lead now."
Santa Claus led them through the market and then a plaza and then the outskirts of the village. Trees began to sprout up, most of them were pines. At least, Roxas thought they were pines—they had needles anyway. The air was getting colder but Roxas didn't mind—he saw Kairi hug herself once or twice. Finally, they came to a large pile of scrap metal and broken pieces of wood…and a lone wreath with white flowers. Roxas looked over his shoulder. Christmas Town was still visible, but Roxas couldn't make out any individual house, except maybe Santa's workshop. They were far away…
"Xion!" Roxas shouted. "Xion, can you hear me? Are you hurt?"
No answer. Why wasn't there any answer? Couldn't she hear them? Why wasn't she answering? Why were so many of these trees knocked over? Trees knocked over? Oh no…
"Axel!" Roxas called out. "Kairi!"
"Oh man," Axel said, as he summoned Flame Liberator. "Broken trees…burned trees…what's this, one of those little bombs those brats keep throwing around?"
"Lock, Shock and Barrel?" Jack asked. "They're troublemakers but they don't usually hurt people. Well, usually…they do have a habit of going to Oogie Boogie, but so far as I know, he hasn't returned…though he is the type who causes the most distress."
"Oogie Boogie," Kairi said quietly. Her eyes grew wider. "Wait a minute, is that the Boogey Man?"
"Oh no," Jack said. "Henry's not nearly so mean-spirited as Oogie was. His nightmares are always with an air of practicality…oh, never mind. I certainly haven't heard of anything coming from Oogie's little branch of the woods."
"Still, it's something to go on," Axel said. "Let's check it out then."
"Hmm…" Jack said. "That may prove difficult if you want to do the job quickly. Oogie's territory was all the way back on the furthest corner of Halloween Town's borders."
Roxas bit his lip. That could still take them a long time. Roxas didn't like the idea of being separated from Xion to begin with—and if she was there and not simply lost somewhere
"Is there no way to get there anymore quickly?" Roxas asked.
"Well, Sandy Claws does have the ability to travel across all the worlds in only a single night," Jack said. "But I don't think that's what you had in mind, is it? Never mind…I know someone who can help."
He clapped his hands once, twice, three times and then drew his fingers to his lips—er, or his mouth. Jack didn't seem to really have lips. He whistled very sharply and a moment later, the little ghosty doggy Zero emerged from another tree. His nose glowed red against the snow.
"Ruff ruff!"
"Ah, Zero," Jack said. "Let's make sure we're not barking up the wrong tree. Can you please see if you can find Xion? She's the other visitor from before."
Zero nodded and flew in three loop-de-loops. He barked once at Jack, nuzzled Sally, flew in circles around Kairi and Roxas and then flew off into the night.
"No need to worry," Jack said. "There isn't a finer tracker in the entire world than Zero. He'll find out where Xion is, don't you worry. And for all you know, there may be nothing to worry about in the first place. It's quite possible that the pumpkin bomb was just Lock, Shock and Barrel playing one of their pranks and Xion got lost. Zero will find her—that's a promise."
oooo
Xion's throat was raw from screaming, but what scared her more was that although it felt like her arm was on fire, she wasn't bleeding. Doctor XXX looked at his knife curiously and then at her and then back at his knife. He'd cut her three times—once pushing it so far in, the point of the blade had gone completely through her arm.
"Fascinating…you've taken on an artificial shape," Doctor XXX said. "Your flesh is not flesh. It is…held together with screws and tape."
"The rhyming is really getting on my nerves," Pete grunted. "Get on with it…take your samples."
"A sliver and a screw…" Doctor XXX said. "And that will do!"
Xion whimpered as Doctor XXX placed the knife against the screw on her arm. He twisted it around and around and it hurt. She could feel her muscles and her bones and her joints being twisted…and then she heard a thud. She opened her eyes. Her hand was gone! Her hand was gone! Doctor XXX was holding her hand in his own hand! And little screws in the other hand!
"Perfect!" Doctor XXX said. "You were made in lab…out of memories nabbed."
"You got your data," Pete called. "Get on with it! Your little rhymes are giving me a migraine! It ain't even like you're cursed! You're driving me insa—nuts! Nuts! Get on with it, or I'll kick your butt! Gah!"
Doctor XXX nodded and put the little screws in a tube. It didn't look like a regular tube like Even or Ansem the Wise might use for an experiment. It was longer and curved around. It began to glow black and purple with darkness…that must be her own essence. The darkness came from her…
"Don't need this anymore," Doctor XXX said. He tossed her hand aside. Xion felt it drop to the lower end of the circle. "This shall form a fine core."
"Now that you're done…" Seifer stepped up and summoned his mordite blade. "I want my turn. You know if we can turn it back to how it normally is? It's freaky, taking apart a tin soldier. There's not even any blood!"
"I want to play with my dolly!" Oogie protested. "You've had loads of chances to play with it and break it. Now it's my turn!"
"She's not an it, ya know?" Rai called out. Xion blinked in surprise. Rai's face began turning red as Pete, Oogie Boogie and . "Er…well, she isn't ya know? You know Roxas likes her, ya know?"
"Exactly!" Seifer snapped. "That lamer would love a pathetic thing like this. It's bait—I beat her and then I beat Roxas when he finds her body. Now shut up and do as you're told."
"You're not gonna be the one to smash my dolly!" Oogie snarled. "Blotty and I worked hard to make these traps!"
"Out of the way!" Seifer spat. He shoved Oogie aside and slashed out with the mordite sword. Xion felt it slash against her chest and stomach. It hurt. It burned. It felt like darkness itself burrowing into her. Tears began forming and it took every ounce of strength she could muster not to start crying. She couldn't give him that satisfaction. She wouldn't.
"Like it?" Seifer said as he pressed the flat of his mordite sword to Xion's neck. "I could do it you know. I could chop you into a million little pieces. But given that you're some stupid tin soldier now, I don't think that'd work."
He pressed down harder and Xion could feel the blade press into her skin. She wasn't bleeding…was it because she was tin? Could she feel the way things were supposed to feel? Was that why Doctor XXX's knife had hurt so much? Oh, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt!
"And here we go!" Doctor XXX said, splashing out the contents of the beaker. "Perfect copy of you from head to toe!"
Xion twisted her head as best she could to look—the darkness from the beaker was taking shape. She could see a head…arms…legs…a purple jacket…a skirt and pants…boots…a necklace.
"Okey-dokey," Pete said. "Here's your orders. You need to go and find them other Keybearers and lead 'em away from here. Far away. We gots a lot of stuff to do and they're too nosy for their own good. But don't you fight. That'd give it away since the Keybrat can't. Got it?"
The copy of Xion nodded and it walked out of the room slowly, taking deliberately slow steps. Rai and Fuu looked alarmed. The Phantom Blot—who had remained strangely silent throughout all of this—was impossible to read. His eyes were the only things visible through his hood.
No…no…no…no! This was wrong, this was wrong! Xion strained her arms but the ropes binding her still had no give to them and her legs dangled uselessly.
Xion closed her eyes. When she concentrated, she could wiggle her fingers on her detached hand. The bad guys didn't seem to have noticed. Maybe, just maybe, she could get her hand out of here and get help. She'd never get it past the door…but this wheel, it had to have some sort of hole or vent or something. Xion could feel a draft.
"I'm gonna get some air," Seifer growled. "It's hardly worth the trouble if it's not gonna bleed. Rai, Fuu, with me, now."
Rai and Fuu looked at each other, but then they followed Seifer out. They still looked like they were going to be sick. Xion felt a twinge of pity in her heart. She'd always thought Seifer was their friend…was that not true?
"Now, it's my turn," Oogie cackled, leaping up and slamming to the ground with a tremendous boom. "Ooh, Blotty! What fun we're gonna have with our traps! Death for the dolly!"
oooo
After Jack had sent off Zero to try and sniff out Xion, Santa Claus had invited them all back to his workshop to get out of the cold. Roxas hadn't felt that cold, but he figured it would be better to go along with what Santa Claus wanted. Part of him didn't want to though. Part of him wanted to turn over every single stone and every single tree until they found Xion. So now, they were doubling back the way they'd came. It seemed almost redundant, walking through this horrible forest again.
Axel was ahead of them, maybe twenty paces, with Santa Claus and Jack and Sally. Kairi was level with Roxas. Roxas glanced at Kairi. She was twisting her hands, biting her lip.
"Roxas," Kairi said, "I'm nervous. I don't like the idea that someone just snatched Xion out from under our noses."
"It's awful," Roxas agreed, struggling to keep his voice steady. "And the worst part is that it's happened before. I hate it. But what I hate more is not being able to help her."
"Is this what Sora feels like?" Kairi whispered, ducking her head down. "Always having to save me?"
Roxas felt his insides tighten as he thought about that. Sora adored Kairi. She was his favorite person in the whole world. And he did have to end up rescuing her over and over and over…because the bad guys never left her alone. Roxas shifted his legs. He remembered what had happened in the Keyblade Graveyard—Kairi had been shattered by Xehanort and Sora had gone to rescue her, with the Power of Waking…
"My whole journey began the day I lost her and every time I find her…she slips away again," Sora says. He's staring them all down. Roxas swallows. He knows what's coming. "But she's out there, alone. Not for one more second…"
Donald and Goofy offer to come with him and part of Roxas is screaming to come with him as well. After everything Sora's done, how can he not do the same for him? For his brother? But Sora just shakes his head and insists that he is going by himself. He summons his Keyblade. The ever faithful Kingdom Key. Sora points it skyward and the brightest beam of light Roxas can remember shoots out of it…And then Sora vanishes.
"What happened last time?" Kairi asked. "You said this has happened before…you didn't really elaborate, but I know bad things have been happening to you both."
"She got snatched, or she let herself get captured," Roxas answered. "See, she and King Mickey were looking for pieces of the Cornerstone of Light—er, you know what that is, right?"
"The big, shiny orb that bad guys like to try and steal?" Kairi nodded. "Sora did tell me a bit about it…I guess it's been a part of Disney Castle since forever."
"Right, well, it got broke and then Pluto got stolen," Roxas said. "We split up to look for the pieces and Xion went with King Mickey. They got stuck in this secret lab and before the bad guys could grab the King, Xion used her Keyblade to send winds to pick him up and send him away. But she didn't have enough strength to save herself…she got hurt really badly. They used this weird power to take away her shadow and it was like her shadow was a Heartless. And they beat her up…they left her tied up surrounded by all this dynamite so it would explode…"
Kairi looked like she was going to be sick. Roxas felt as if he'd fallen off the clock tower in Twilight Town…twice. He hated that Xion wasn't here with them.
"How'd she get out?" Kairi whispered. "That's so, so awful. No wonder she's been having nightmares—I heard her crying back home. I thought it was just from having her Keyblade taken but…oh, Roxas!"
"I'm a failure," Roxas muttered. "I keep letting her down."
"You're not a failure," Kairi said sharply. "Don't ever call yourself that, Roxas. I forbid it."
"Why?" Roxas said, raising an eyebrow. "Because you're the big sister and you say so?"
"No!" Kairi said, stomping her foot. "Because you're important, Roxas. You're not a failure. You're wonderful, because you're you. You're not a failure. You're my friend. Got it memorized?"
"That's sweet of you," Roxas said. "Really, it is. But it doesn't change the way I feel. I want to help Xion, and I keep missing it. It's like how it was back in the Organization."
"Have you talked to her about it?" Kairi asked. "I think Xion likes you just the way you are Roxas…and for what it's worth, I don't like always having had to be rescued by Sora."
"Sora's better than I am though," Roxas said, pinching his nose. "He's faster, stronger, better…and his heart, Kairi. It was connected to so many others. I know this wouldn't have happened if Sora were here."
"Roxas…" Kairi said. "We don't even know if there's anything wrong, at least with bad guys. Xion could just be lost in the woods…which is bad, but it's not the same thing as being captured."
"Yeah…" Roxas said. "But still…it doesn't feel that way."
"It's going to be alright…" Kairi said, her voice wavering, like she was trying to convince herself. "Zero will find Xion and then he can lead us to her and we can take care of her. Together."
"Roxas…Kairi…"
Roxas turned his head and gasped. There she was!
"Xion!"
oooo
Xion struggled against the ropes binding her yet again, but there was still no slack to them. Pete had tied his knots tight and worse, he'd thought to do it right where she couldn't reach. Now she found herself alone with the Phantom Blot and Oogie Boogie. The Blot was pulling out more rope. Xion felt her mouth go dry. He'd been the one who'd tied her to Mother Turtle's shell, back in Disney Town.
"Let us see, dolly, what to do?" Oogie Boogie chuckled as he rolled a set of dice in one of his…stumps. He twisted them around three times and then threw them onto the ground. "Oh, a pair of fives…that's bad news for you, dolly. That means you get the knives!"
Oogie Boogie walked over to a small panel full of buttons, pulled a lever and a platform rose up. Eventually, it was level with Xion's knees. Oogie pulled another and knives sprang out from hidden slits. Long knives and short knives, curved knives and jagged knives. Xion winced—it was fine, she was fine, she was fine. The knives were on a whole different platform—Xion was tied up and dangling from a hook. They were just trying to scare her…it was working…
"No," Xion whispered to herself. "Concentrate. What can you feel with your other hand? The one they threw away?"
She closed her eyes. What could her hand feel? Something wet, something slimy. It felt too shallow to be a river…maybe a ditch. Oogie's manor was large enough that there could be a little ditch somewhere. Xion pressed her fingers down again. Something metallic? Litter? Maybe she was closer to other people than she thought.
"HEY! Dolly, look at me when I'm talking to you!"
Xion's eyes jerked open when Oogie punched her in the stomach. Xion cried out in pain and that gave the Phantom Blot the opening he needed to lift her ankles up. With a scream, Xion kicked out as hard as she could—she heard a crunch as her foot connected with Oogie Boogie's face. He cried out in pain and began blubbering. Xion continued kicking, she caught the Phantom Blot once in the hand and then Oogie Boogie again. She felt the ropes begin to strain…could she kick herself free?
"Your defiance is amusing," the Phantom Blot grunted as he clenched his hand. One of his fingers looked disfigured. "But it is no match for my power!"
He snapped his fingers and darkness pooled out from them. The darkness shaped around his hand and it looked larger than before…the fingers looked longer. Xion reached out to kick again, but the Phantom Blot was ready for her this time. He grabbed at her foot and his grip was stronger than iron. Xion felt as if her foot was getting crushed, like it'd been caught in a door.
"Ow!" Xion wailed, her voice rising to a scream. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"
She kicked and writhed—she felt the boot on her free leg go flying off. A moment later, the Phantom Blot managed to tug off her other boot. The Phantom Blot wrapped a long rope around Xion's ankles, looping it back and forth, until they were tied securely. A moment later, they had secured her feet to the platform. Oogie cackled and pressed a button. The knives parted…oh God, oh God! The knives were moving…like a blender or a mower. Xion's feet were tied so closely to the knives, she could feel the friction against her bare soles.
"I always enjoyed knives," the Phantom Blot said. "There's a certain finesse to them, wouldn't you say, Oogie?"
"Hmm," Oogie Boogie put a stub to his mouth—he didn't really have a chin. "Knives are nice, but everything I seen says saws are supreme…gah, now he's got me doing that rhyming stuff. Well, let's see if my saw wants to come out and play."
He rolled the dice again and whooped with joy. He leapt up and down and then the next thing Xion knew, she heard a buzzing. A really, really loud buzzing. It burrowed into her head. Xion screamed and tried to move, but if anything the knots were tighter than before.
"And there's also fire," the Phantom Blot continued. "I've found it a useful tool, if rather unwieldy."
"Oh, you just need to use it in the right ways," Oogie Boogie said. "Explosions are weapons but fire is a trap. It shouldn't be a trigger for traps. It ought to be the ending."
Oogie Boogie rolled the dice a third time and scowled. He stomped his foot and the dice rolled over. Oogie Boogie stomped his foot again and began to chuckle. He ran back over to his levers and buttons and pressed several in a row. Xion heard something creaking and then felt something very hot. She craned her neck and saw…a cauldron. Bubbling with fire…or molten metal.
Between the knives at her soles, the buzzsaw spinning around beneath her, the heat at the back of her neck and the entire room beginning to spin, Xion felt despair overcome her. She was stuck. Well and truly stuck. Completely helpless. Completely useless. Xion began crying.
"Gah!" The Phantom Blot scowled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a long handkerchief. Xion twisted her head, but the Phantom Blot shoved it into her mouth, muffling her cries. "I never was one for tears though. And Mister Oogie, I must disagree. There is value in having fire be the traps."
The Phantom Blot walked over to the levers and Xion felt herself being lowered. Very, very slowly…she was level with the Phantom Blot and Oogie Boogie after maybe two or three minutes. The Phantom Blot was holding two long white candles. The Phantom Blot chuckled as he walked around Xion, tying the candles to the fronts of her feet. He lit each of them when he pressed the tips of the candle-y bit between his fingers.
"We have you dead-to-rights, Keybearer," the Phantom Blot chuckled. "If you burn, your feet will be pressed into the knives. Jerk away, and you'll fall into the blade. You'll have to hold this exact position. Tin soldier or Replica, you'll be diced into pieces soon enough."
"Hehehe," Oogie Boogie pressed his stumps together. "Now this is more like it. That awful brat Sora was always getting in my way with his Keyblade. Now I get to destroy one of his. But I want to hear it happen!"
Oogie Boogie reached down and pulled the gag out of Xion's mouth. She gasped for air, only for the Phantom Blot to yank it out of Oogie's stubby hands and shove it back into her mouth, so deeply Xion nearly choked.
"It completes the trap," the Phantom Blot said. "Besides, this ensures that none of her friends can hear her cry."
"But I wanna hear Dolly cry!" Oogie Boogie whined and stomped his feet. "I wanna, I wanna, I wanna!"
Xion whimpered, but it was so small, she doubted it would have been audible even without the cloth gagging her.
"Let it go, bug-man," the Phantom Blot said. "Think, it's almost time! Think about the future!"
"I don't want think about the future," Oogie argued. "I want to hear my Dolly cry and scream! Hmmph!"
Xion squeezed her eyes shut and then…she felt it. She could feel something hard. It wasn't rock and it wasn't steel. It was something else…like a fountain? Her hand…her hand was still going. All around her was fear…but there was still a teeny bit of hope.
oooo
Kringle had long prided himself on his ability to travel far more quickly than it appeared that he could. And outside the barriers of Santa Claus's workshop, he could more comfortably manage his full height. He moved smoothly through the woods surrounding the Christmas territories, never once slipping on ice. Kringle felt no cold from the wind or blowing snow. He drew strength from it. Such was his nature. He was Winter as Winter was Christmas.
"It's summer in Australia when it's Christmas! And in Antarctica! And South Africa! And Florida!" A voice in his ear whispered. It was a pleasant voice. More of a memory, really. It had been some time since he'd seen his friend from the city, but by goodness, had the boy had a talent for levity. Some might call it snark. Others called it disrespect. Kringle was more generous. He called it a quirk.
Kringle towered over every being in this world, including the one with whom he shared this mantle. Even the denizens of the domain that his other selves would prefer were all far smaller than he. It was humbling, in its own way. It made Kringle be more mindful of his own surroundings. And he felt he was beginning to truly understand just how protective his friend was of other
He knew his destination. He'd never been one to get lost. He wasn't even sure that was possible for him. His foresight was pronounced, though far from flawless. As it was, it was nothing for him to travel to the makeshift tomb. And from there, he found the exact spot of the confrontation. The multiple footprints scattered all around, the broken down trees, the scorch marks and scars from darkness. Kringle placed down one boot against one of the prints. It was tiny compared to his own, and completely uniform. Not a trace of a tread—that would be Xion's. A little tin soldier from head to toe, she was. There were other tracks—some quite large. The oafish brute Pete no doubt. Kringle fought the urge to retch.
It was peculiar that the one who had been an assassin hadn't been able to notice all of this. But then again, Kringle had known quite a few assassins in his time and more than a few of them had similarly lacked substance. A wolf lacked finesse when it killed, and most of the assassins he'd known made even the most savage beasts of the forests look noble. Even the Wild Hunt looked tame compared to some.
It was a shame though, the others, even his own counterpart, were not so clear into where they should go. Though from what Kringle could see, it was not yet time for them to realize the truth. That would change in short order, but even then, he feared the consequences. And Kringle had rarely been one to feel fear, in any of his forms. Not since that night in the city had he felt fear, and before that it'd been years.
"As expected," Kringle murmured as he picked up a broken branch. "The girl's compassion was not without consequence. It seldom is. How many welcomed the viper into their homes only to be bitten? Oh, what trouble she is in for…what trouble…"
Kringle pressed a hand to his head, covering his one good eye. His visions weren't always clear as Kris Kringle, especially when compared to his visions as Donar Vadderung. At least with regards to events—when it came to morality, he was an excellent judge. He helped maintain the Nice and Naughty Lists, after all.
"He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake," Kringle chanted. "He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness' sake…show me the ones who light the darkness. Show me the Keybearers."
The image came slowly. He could see where Roxas and Kairi were. They were walking in an almost militaristic formation, standing very close together. Devotion was there—it wasn't something they were aware of themselves, but they shared a bond stronger than steel. Kringle inhaled once and then exhaled twice; he could see where Xion was. Deprived of her magic, Xion had been trapped by Oogie Boogie and those who served that demon-fae Maleficent. Tied down tightly with rope, gagged and helpless, subjected to horrors no child should be subjected to. Fire burned in Kringle's belly. There were so many surrounding Xion who served the darkest shadows. But light pushed away all shadows, given enough time.
"They'll need help," Kringle whispered. "And I'll need to be there to help them. My power is immense. I am not so bound that I cannot intercede. I have free will."
He held out his hand and concentrated. After a minute, Kringle felt the buzzing along his fingers, oh so familiar. But it had been many, many, many years since he had summoned his weapon. Or at least since Kringle had summoned his weapon. But then, in a brilliant flash brighter than any aurora, it was there…his blade. His spear. The mightiest of all spears. It had been fashioned from star-metal, crafted by hand by the best smiths who had ever lived, in the age before the Keyblade War. Gold and black…Kringle felt young again. He held up his spear and sent a thin beam of light, crackling with energy, into the air.
"Hello…Gungnir."
There was a second noise…almost like thunder. Kringle smiled. Ah, yes, it was always pleasant when snow and thunder mixed. He turned around and smiled—the machinery behind him beginning to stir.
A/N: And if that isn't a cliffhanger, my dearest readers, I don't know what is!
Three cliffhangers, really!
Xion's at the Phantom Blot's mercy, but she has an ace up her sleeve.
Roxas and Kairi have met the artificial Xion.
And Kringle has summoned Gungnir.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Thank you for reading this, my dearest readers.
Please, leave a comment if you're so inclined. I appreciate each and every one of you.