Chapter Seventy-One: Rage

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, hello!

I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out to all of you but here it is now.

Once again, some of the content in this chapter may be a bit grimmer than most of what has been covered before.

I understand and respect any of you who may find this material uncomfortable, and I promise I kept your concerns in mind when I was writing this chapter.

Thank you for staying with me, my dearest readers.

Read on:

ooo

Roxas was no stranger to worrying about Xion. Even back in the Organization, maybe even especially in the Organization, he'd worried about her. It was what best friends did—they worried about each other. He had worried when Xion would be yelled at by Saix and treated with disdain by Xemnas. He'd worried about her when she'd fallen into a coma. He'd worried about her a lot lately—getting yelled at by Master Yen Sid and all the nightmares she'd been having. But he wasn't worried right now.

Xion was here. She was alive. She was safe. Roxas watched as Kairi hurried over to Xion's side and flung her arms around her. Roxas felt a twinge of irritation. He had wanted to be able to hug Xion first. Xion moved her hands and patted Kairi on the back very slowly. Roxas frowned—something seemed off…but he wasn't sure what it was. Axel hugged Xion as soon as Kairi let go, lifting her off her feet. Xion didn't laugh or giggle or even squeak while Axel held her. Axel didn't seem to have noticed.

"This is great!" Axel said setting Xion back down gently. He clapped her on the shoulder and laughed. "We were so worried! What happened, kiddo?"

"Look at you," Kairi said, running her fingers through Xion's hair. "Your clothes…what happened to your clothes? You must be freezing in that skirt!"

"I…I was taken off this world. I was taken by Pete and the Doctor," Xion said. "My clothes turned back to how they should be when I am not on this world. And then, the Doctor said that he was going to come back here. He opened a Dark Corridor. I followed him in. That is why my clothes are as they are—I did not travel to this world in a usual way."

Roxas paused and put a hand to his chin. That did make sense—when they were in the Organization, their black coats never changed, no matter which world they ended up visiting. And that was because they used Dark Corridors—so they traveled as they were no matter what. But that was then, this was now. Clothes or even bodies changing had to do with the fairy magic that was in the clothes to begin with right? But then…something didn't fit…the bad guys would have dragged Xion away through a Dark Corridor to begin with. Her clothes should have remained the same as they'd been, as a tin soldier uniform, right? Or was he wrong?

"Well, it's good to have you back," Axel said, as he smoothed Xion's hair. "But I wonder why I even bother worrying. You can handle yourself, can't you?"

"Yes," Xion said, staring at one of the walls. Her eyes were unfocused. Roxas frowned more deeply as Xion reached a hand to her necklace. "I can handle myself. You do not need to worry about me. I am fine."

"Xion, are you sure you're alright?" Axel asked. "You sound a little tired. This wasn't one of those weird time-passes-differently-in-different worlds things, was it?"

"No, it was not," Xion said. "We need to fight the ones helping Maleficent. They are not here. We need to go to where they are."

"Right," Kairi said.

"It is…not here," Xion said, bringing her necklace to her lips. The blue orb shined bright against the snow. "We need to go to where they are. I can show you."

Necklace…necklace…necklace?!

"Stop!"

Roxas summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion. He leapt into the air, bounced against the wall and launched himself forward. He swung Oathkeeper and sent out a wave of light. "Xion" was knocked backwards, hitting her head against the base of the merry-go-round. A moment later, Roxas had Oblivion pointed at her throat.

"Who are you?" Roxas snarled. "What have you done with the real Xion?"

oooo

In the darkest corner of Oogie Boogie's manor, bound to a hook and lashed to a platform, Xion was whimpering into the handkerchief the Phantom Blot had opted to use as a gag to muffle her cries. It hurt—the ropes binding her wrists and arms, the second length of rope tying her ankles together, the bruises and burns and scrapes she'd gotten from the pumpkin bombs Pete had used to subdue her. Worse than that were the two long, twisted candles, each nearly a foot long. They had been tied to her feet, though not very tightly. But the candles were lit and the fire radiated a heat of its own. Xion wasn't sure if the candles were magical in their own right, but she could see the melting wax sliding down the candles. Slowly, almost like melting ice cream, the candle wax dripped towards her toes.

Oogie Boogie and the Phantom Blot's arguing pounded in her ears, but even that was drowned out by the impossibly loud chinging of the knives sharpening against each other. Xion could feel it, the friction of the knives breezing past her bare feet. And then the bubbling of the molten metal in the pan below her…and the brrrrring of that horrible saw spinning around it. The slow dripping of the candle wax towards her toes. It hurt.

She twisted her neck. Oogie Boogie and the Phantom Blot were still arguing over how they should keep her prisoner. The Phantom Blot wanted to keep her gagged. Oogie Boogie didn't.

"It's my manor!" Oogie Boogie said, reaching over to tug on the handkerchief gagging Xion. She heaved as the gag was yanked out of her mouth for the third time in the last five mintues. "If I want the dolly to scream and cry, then that's what's gonna happen!"

No…not if I can't help it. Xion shook her head weakly. She couldn't move much more than that. The buzzsaw was louder now…it must be right under her. She could hear the brrring of the blade…metal on metal. What would it do to human skin? Or tin soldier…tin? Xion felt herself begin to shake and she only just missed pulling her toes away from getting diced by the knives.

Xion bit the inside of her cheek. Her jaw ached and her throat was dry and her tongue felt like…well, the handkerchief. She wasn't going to cry. She wouldn't give Oogie Boogie the satisfaction. She couldn't do that. And she couldn't allow herself to move either. Her feet were so, so close to blades. If she moved her toes even an inch, if she relaxed her legs at all, they'd be cut into pieces. And the candle wax was closer than ever…it almost looked like the candles were crying. Xion felt tears form in her eyes…though it may have just been sweat.

There had to be a way for her to escape. She had to escape…she had to find a way to get out of here and get help. The ropes tying her were knotted tightly. She wouldn't free herself by trying to wiggle loose—and there was no way she'd be able to do that without Oogie Boogie and the Phantom Blot getting the jump on her. And that wasn't even factoring in the knives and buzzsaw and the cauldron…Xion suppressed the whimper coming up from her throat. She wanted to cry, but that wasn't going to help her.

Xion shut her eyes as tightly as she could. She forced herself to concentrate on her hand. When Doctor XXX had first tied her up, he had unscrewed her hand—it had hurt a lot but then it had stopped hurting. Her hand could move on its own. And when she put all her effort into it, she could feel where her hand was.

Someplace wet…but not deep…a fountain. But which fountain? There was a fountain in the town square, where they had first showed up in this world, but that couldn't be the only fountain here. That was just silly…but it was more than she had to go on in Oogie's lair. She squeezed her fingers…they curled around the top of the fountain bowl.

"Oh my goodness! A hand! It's a hand! It's a hand that doesn't belong to me! Oh, who does it belong to?"

What the?! She could hear voices like this? The voice, it was familiar…she hadn't heard it often, but she'd heard it very recently. It wasn't one of the elves who ran the wreath wagon. It reminded her of Kairi's daddy…why would it remind her of Tyson? Unless…

"Oh, where is Jack? Where is Jack? He will know what to do! Jack always knows what to do! I need to find Jack! Or the Doctor! Yes, that will do!"

The Mayor of Halloween Town! Okay, this was…this was something. Xion felt her hand being lifted up out of the fountain. She was being carried, or her hand was at least. Xion could feel the Mayor's hands covering her own. They were smaller than hers…that was weird, usually people's hands were bigger than hers. She had no idea of being able to tell if the Mayor was walking in the right direction, but it was something…it was something…it was—aaaaauuuugghh!

"Ow!" Xion wailed. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Aaaaaaaaahhhh!"

The candles were still burning…the wax had started to drip onto her feet. The wax was hotter than fire and it slit down her foot. Xion tried to jerk her feet away and felt the ropes strain against her arms and legs. More molten wax fell onto her soles. Xion began crying again and then, the Phantom Blot and Oogie Boogie began to laugh.

"Oh, you were right about the candles," Oogie Boogie cackled. "They got her good! Dance, little dolly, dance!"

"Aaaahhhh!" Xion wailed. "Ow, ow, owwwwwww! Stop, please! Let me go, just let me go! Axel, Roxas!"

"Nobody's coming," Oogie Boogie said. "Go ahead and cry, little dolly! Nobody's coming for you, not until you die!"

"For once," The Phantom Blot said. "I agree with you. Cry and scream, Keybearer, it matters not. This is the end for you."

It can't be…

oooo

When he had first realized that Xion was missing, Lea had grown worried. The best way for the bad guys to take down a group of good guys was to pick off the stragglers. Worry had turned to anger as the desire to hurt bad guys grew. Anger went away when Xion had shown up. She was here, she was alive, she was safe. Lea had noticed that Xion didn't react when he scooped her up—normally she'd laugh or at least squirm around when he picked her up—but that was probably just because she was tired.

When Roxas summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion, Lea had been surprised. When he turned them against Xion, Lea'd been horrified. When Roxas demanded to know where the real Xion was, Lea's been confused, but it hadn't stopped him from pulling out Flame Liberator. His Keyblade clashed with his candy-cane arm and Lea tried his best to ignore that.

"Roxas!" Lea called. "Are you sure this isn't Xion?"

"She's not Xion!" Roxas snapped. His arm began to shake and Oblivion hovered dangerously close to Xion's neck. If it was Xion…the last time they'd been separated, the bad guys had cut off Xion's shadow to turn it into a Heartless…but this wasn't a shadow. She had Xion's face and her eyes and her hair…and her clothes and her voice…but not her mannerisms.

"I am the real Xion," Xion said stiffly. "Why are you doing this, Rox-as? We are fri-ends. Friends…"

Rox-as? Lea raised an eyebrow. Something definitely didn't fit here. There was no reason for Xion to still be talking like she was only a week or two old.

"Think!" Roxas said. "She's wearing the necklace I made her! Our Xion wasn't wearing her necklace when we got here. She's a fake!"

"That's right," Kairi said. "I took it off myself…so it wouldn't get broken when we were playing. It should still be on the ship with my bracelets."

Lea's eyes narrowed into slits and he stepped forward to press Flame Liberator down against Xion's arm. He pressed up his Fire magic, channeling it through his Keyblade instead of as a ball of fire or wave of flame, and slowly her skin began to melt…Lea swore as Xion shrank down before their eyes. He heard Kairi call out and summon her Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace. Xion's eyes turned from blue to black and then she got smaller and smaller…in less than a minute, she was hovering in midair, her arms and legs gone.

"This is not how it should be," Xion said. "I cannot let you…"

Whatever this "Xion" could not let happen, Lea never got a chance to find out, since right then, her mouth melted down. Her face twisted into a grimace and then it melted any discernible features. All that was left was an orb of black and purple crystals. Lea grimaced, as the orb fell down into the snow. A moment later, it shattered in a flash of light.

"What was that?" Kairi said, her voice trembling. "If that was some monster…some thing that Maleficent made, or someone else made…then where's Xion?"

Well, the answer was obvious to Lea. It was just as they had worried—Xion had been snatched and was probably locked up somewhere. Lost…afraid…Lea grit his teeth.

"I don't know," Roxas answered. He was shaking, Oathkeeper and Oblivion vanishing and then reappearing. Roxas's eyes were wide and he'd gone pale. "But I don't think she's lost…I think…"

All of a sudden, Oathkeeper and Oblivion dropped down and this time, they didn't just reappear in Roxas's hands. Roxas began to yell. He slammed his hands against his head. Lea gasped and dismissed Flame Liberator at once. The last thing they needed now was for Roxas to break down.

"Roxas! Snap out of it!" Lea shouted, closing the distance between them. "Get a hold of yourself!"

Roxas didn't seem to have heard him. Kairi knelt beside him and Lea grabbed Roxas by the shoulders. Roxas didn't seem to have noticed that either. He was talking, but it was hard for Lea to make anything out. Something about…"my fault, my fault…best friend, let her down…let him down…"

"Snap out of it!" Lea repeated. "Roxas, can you hear me? Roxas! Roxas!"

Darn it, darn it, darn it! Dang it! Dang it! Dang it! Dammit! Lea gripped Roxas as tightly as he could without hurt him—he would not hurt his friend. Not again. Roxas didn't seem to notice. He was completely lost in his own mind.

"Roxas!"

"Curaga!" Kairi cried out, holding Destiny's Embrace up over Roxas's head. The glowing green orbs appeared at once, intertwined with a ribbon of bright light, and slowly Roxas began to calm down. Lea felt the tension in his own shoulders begin to ease. Lea flashed Kairi a quick smile—that'd been quick thinking on her part..

"Are you okay?" Lea said. "Roxas, can you hear me?"

For a very long and terrible minute, Roxas didn't say anything. Lea thought of getting Santa Claus or Kringle—how that even worked Lea had no idea. But Roxas was reeling and Lea had no idea how to help his best friend. Finally, finally, Roxas began talking…and Lea wasn't liking what he heard.

"Yes," Roxas said through gritted teeth. "I can hear you. I can hear you just fine Lea. It's all my fault…"

Blaming yourself was something Lea could understand—he hated that he hadn't kept a closer eye on Xion—but he needed to focus. You didn't become an assassin by getting distracted. And you couldn't rescue a friend who was stuck somewhere really dangerous if you got distracted either. Or if you got so lost in guilt, you couldn't see sense anymore.

"Roxas," Kairi said, her ever reliable compassion shining through. "We don't know that…"

"Think about it!" Roxas said. "She said she needed fresh air—I'm the last one who spoke to her! It's my fault she's gone! If I had gone with her, then maybe this wouldn't have happened! I could have protected her."

"Knock it off," Lea said. "That's not gonna fix the problem. We all dropped the ball. We all need to get back to business. Now, Roxas, I need you to focus. Are you going to stand here and cry out to the heavens or are we gonna go rescue our friend?"

"There's still a problem—we don't know where Xion is!" Roxas shouted. "How are we gonna find her if we don't know where she is?"

Lea grit his teeth and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. They didn't know where she was. He had been to this world before, several times. God knew that there were more nooks and crannies and caverns and caves and who knew what else where a pack of bad guys could stuff an undersized teenager in.

"We need to talk to the locals then," Lea said. "Where'd that Jack guy get to?"

oooo

Oh, he had to find Jack, he had to find Jack! The Mayor of Halloween Town knew that he had to find Jack. He would know about the hand and just what to do with it. The Mayor didn't know who this hand belonged to. it wasn't one of Missus Sally's—it was not nearly as soft and there were tiny holes in it, not stitches. It wasn't one of the Corpse Family's either—though it may be small enough to be Ethan's, it was all hard to the touch. It might have been one of the Tree's hands, but it wasn't wood…at least the Mayor didn't think it was made of wood.

The Mayor scuttled this way and that and the hand wiggled its fingers. They were nice fingers—quite scary the way they moved around like that, but a hand couldn't be all by itself. It needed a second hand to be its friend and those hands needed arms. The arms would need shoulders to be their friends and the shoulders needed a neck and a chest for friends too. This hand, whoever it actually belonged to, needed to be returned to its owner.

Oh dread! Suppose the hand was here because the owner was dead! And the dead hand had come alive! Just like the set of silverware that terrorized the werewolf! And the oven that tried to burn everyone up! The hand was alive too! Maybe it was a disembodied hand that strangled people! Oh, the Mayor could not let such a bad and evil hand stay in Halloween Town. Oh, dread, oh dread, oh dread!

He rounded the corner to the house where Doctor Finklestein lived. The Mayor was just an elected official but Jack and the Doctor were very smart! They would know just what to do about this hand that did not belong to anyone the Mayor knew. They would find out just what to do with it! He climbed up, up, up the big steps and pulled open the door. He didn't knock. He was an elected official, he didn't have to knock.

"Doctor! Oh-ho, Doctor!" The Mayor cried out. "You must come and see, you must come and see! Wait, where's Jack? I need to talk to Jack!"

"Oh, what is it this time?" Doctor Finklestein grumbled as he turned away from a gigantic book. "I am very busy and I cannot keep putting up with these distractions!"

"Doctor, doctor!" The Mayor said, forcing the hand into the Doctor's arms. "You must tell me where this evil hand came from!"

"An evil hand?" Doctor Finklestein asked. He lifted up his glasses and narrowed his black beady eyes. "You mean to tell me this thing is sapient?"

"Oh yes, it is sapient!" The Mayor cried out. "It's sapient and sinister and it can move around all on its own! I found it swimming in the fountain in the town square. We must get rid of this evil, scary hand!"

Just as he finished speaking, the hand sprang up and it crawled around. It was like a spider or a scorpion or a spider! And not like the spider on his tie. This was some other evil little creature. The Mayor pulled his megaphone from the little hook he kept on his belt and slammed it down to trap the hand. There! That was so much better!

"I thought it might belong to one of our people," the Mayor explained. "But then I started thinking how it could be connected to all the horrible not-living things coming up to life. What do you think, Doctor?"

"Hmmm, you might be on to something," the Doctor said. "Hold on, let me take a closer look. When I give you the signal, I need you to grab hold of the hand. I wish Jack or Sally were here, but they're off galavanting with the Keybearers, as usual. Alright, now…one, two, three!"

Doctor Finklestein yanked up the megaphone and the Mayor grabbed the hand. He held it up by the thumb and pinky. The hand began to wiggle and squirm around but the Mayor held it as tight as he could. Being an elected official meant shaking lots and lots and lots of hands, so the Mayor had a very good grip. Doctor Finklestein steered his wheelchair so that he was facing the hand and then took a odd little measuring tool.

"Hmm…fascinating," Doctor Finklestein said. "This hand…it is connected."

"Connected to what?" The Mayor asked. "An invisible arm? That can't be so, Doctor! I picked it up and ran it here! Where's Jack?"

"He's in Christmas Town by now," Doctor Finklestein said. "Most likely for quite some time, you know how he gets fixated on that place. As for this hand…I believe it is connected to one of those travelers. One of those zombies…they are moving their hand on their own from wherever it is they are now."

"Oh!" The Mayor said. "Hand, can you understand us?"

The hand wiggled between his fingers and the Mayor gently let it go. The hand crawled around and then it formed a fist and then it formed a thumbs up.

"Is that a yes?"

"Remarkable!" Doctor Finklestein said. "Able to communicate over very long distances, far beyond what sight or hearing could normally offer!"

Before the Mayor could ask anymore questions—about where Jack was or what he might be doing—he heard a new noise.

"Ruff ruff! Ruff ruff!"

"Gah!" Doctor Finkestein snapped. "Zero! You mangy mutt! Shoo! I cannot let you interfere with my research! Sally! Get this awful beast away!"

The Mayor twisted his head so that the smiley face would be the one doing the talking. The Doctor was being an awfully poor sport about everything. Zero was a lovely little doggy…and he was quite taken with the hand. He barked and barked and glided up and around it. The hand formed out of its fist and tried to scratch Zero behind the ears. Zero gave another little bark and bit one of the fingers. Was he trying to pick the hand up and carry it away?

"Oh, come Zero! Let me help you," the Mayor said. "Oh, hand? Would you like to go with Zero? He's Jack's dog and he's awfully nice."

The hand twisted into a fist and formed a thumbs up again. Zero yipped and flew around in circles, making a mess of Doctor Finklestein's book but then he scurried off and the Mayor ran after him, holding the hand tightly in his own hands.

Out the laboratory door and down the great big steps and back through the gates, Zero led the Mayor into the deep, dark spooky woods. And through the woods, there was one particular grove of trees. Unlike a lot of the trees in Halloween Town, these trees had doors on them. There was a tree with a big pink heart—not a beating heart, but a funny shape with a pointy end and two curved ends—and a tree with a big funny green leaf. But Zero flew around the tree with a tree painted on it. This was the tree to Christmas Town. The Mayor had never been to Christmas Town before.

"Lead the way, Zero!" The Mayor said in his best speech-giving voice. "Lead the way!"

oooo

Jack Skellington lifted a bony hand up to the bolts of the present cannon. How delightful a device—to shoot out a box just like that! Sora had used this machine to box up so many presents when that moving puppet of Doctor Finklestein's had caused so much mischief. And it'd come to life just a couple of hours ago and began moving on its own. Why, it had even tried to wrap up several of his new friends and box them up! Such mischief was alarming…but the idea wasn't entirely without merit. Something that grabbed you, but did not hurt you, had the potential to be very scary indeed.

Just what they needed for the new festivities for Halloween! Jack wasn't going to steal the present cannon—that wouldn't be fun at all. It would only hurt Sandy Claws's feelings, to say nothing of the elves! Jack was only going to borrow the cannon and then he would bring it right back…but he might need to use it for a while, until Doctor Finklestein was able to make a duplicate. Perhaps Sandy Claws could be persuaded to make a trade, but what did Jack have that Sandy Claws could use?

"Jack, what are you doing?" Sally asked. "Jack, I don't think you should be doing this."

"Oh, come now, Sally," Jack said. "This is all in good fun. We can't let the current crisis distract us. Halloween will soon be upon us and we need to make sure it's the best yet."

"But Jack," Sally said. "This is hardly an ordinary crisis. So many people have gotten hurt. And what's worse, someone who was trying to help us could be in grave danger…I think there may be something very wrong."

"Sally, you worry too much," Jack said. "When has any of these troubling times proven to be too much for us to handle? Even the worst of Oogie's schemes fell through, with the help of Sora and Donald and Goofy, we were able to get things sorted out."

"But Jack…I can feel the darkness," Sally said. "I don't know how else to describe it. It feels like the very world might be dying."

"Jack?"

Jack turned his head. The boy—Roxas—who resembled a zombie in Halloween Town's borders and a tin soldier in Christmas Town's borders—was peering up at him. He held his shoulders tightly together. Jack sprang downward so that he could talk to the boy more easily.

"Ah, Roxas!" Jack said. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"What do you know about this world?" Roxas asked. "I mean, er, um…"

"Oh, dear," Sally said. "Roxas…we do know that there are other worlds. How couldn't we? Is this about your friend?"

"Yes," Roxas said and he clenched his teeth tightly together. "If…if someone took her away, where might they hide her?"

"Oh, now that's a good question," Jack said. "There's the big pumpkin…and then there's Sally's memory garden…and then there the old Curly Hill. That's a place that is so mysterious. There's also Easter Town and Valentine Town and Shamrock Town."

"Jack," Sally said. "That town is called St. Patrick's Town…"

"Please," Roxas said and he sounded as if he wanted to shout until his voice gave out or cry until he was dry of tears. Jack wondered whether that would be possible in his current form. "I need to find her…she's my friend."

"Hmmm," Jack said. "Unfortunately, all of my areas of expertise lie in scaring people. I know where the scariest places in Halloween Town are, but I can't say that those would necessarily be the best places to hide. The windy meadow is very spooky, but it isn't at all a hiding place…hmm…oh, Sandy Claws!"

It was Sandy Claws coming up to see them! Jack pressed his bony fingers together! This was his chance! He would ask Sandy Claws just want to do with the present cannon. This year's Halloween would be oh so scary!

"Santa Claus!" Roxas said, before Jack could ask any questions about the present cannon. "Please, you have to know where Xion is."

"I'm afraid I don't—there is someone's magic who is negating my own," Santa Claus said. "Some spell or some curse…something is blocking my ability to see Xion."

"But who would be that powerful?" Jack asked. "Sandy Claws, you know who's been naughty and you know who's been nice. You even know when people are sleeping! What, did the Easter Bunny interfere with your magic? He doesn't seem the type…he's very timid."

"What?" Santa Claus said. "No, this isn't his doing at all. He and I are two halves of the same coin. This is something different…something darker…oh my…"

"Jack! Yoo-hoo, Jack!"

Oh-ho! Jack knew that voice! Jack knew that voice very well! He ran outside, with Roxas at his heels. He saw the girl called Kairi and the man called…Lea? Or was it Axel? Or was it both? Sally stepped up to stand beside Jack.

The Mayor of Halloween Town scurried about this way and that and then made a beeline for Jack and Sally.

"Oh, there you two are, I've been looking absolutely everywhere for you! I got lost twelve times in Christmas Town before I finally found you," the Mayor said. "Look at this, look at this!"

The Mayor held up a little hand in his own hands. Roxas gasped when he saw it. Jack thought it looked familiar. And then the hand began moving on its own!

"Xion!"

The hand twisted around and gave Roxas a thumbs up. Oh ho! This was remarkable! If Jack could figure out a way to work with this, it would be the best Halloween yet, oh yes!

"Oh my goodness," Sally said. "You are Xion? Can you tell us where you are?"

The hand twisted around again and wiggled its fingers. It was enough to make Jack clap his hands in delight. Roxas and his friends looked confused.

"Is that a maybe?"

"Ruff ruff!"

Zero! His faithful dog darted around from behind the Mayor's shoulder. He barked and did a little somersault and pressed his nose against Roxas's face.

"Doggy, can you tell us where Xion is?"

Zero gave a little nod and began flying away. He glided around and flew out, past the boundaries of the village and back towards the tree that served as Christmas Town's door to Halloween Town. Roxas cried out and began running after him. In a flash of bright light, he summoned his Keyblades.

"Roxas!" The girl called Kairi called out. "Wait for us!"

"You go," Sally said, looking at Kairi and the man who might have been Lea or might have been Axel. "We'll catch up now."

"Thanks!" Lea-or-Axel said. "C'mon, Kairi, let's roll!"

oooo

Roxas slashed with Oathkeeper, destroying a Wight Knight and releasing its trapped heart. A second Knight lunged for him and he struck it down with Oblivion. Two Search Ghosts emerged from a orb of darkness. He sent of a ball of fire and got them both in one hit. Once the coast was clear, Zero poked his head out from a tombstone.

"C'mon doggy," Roxas said. "Can you tell me where Xion is? Are we at least getting close?"

Zero spun around in a little circle. Was he stalling so that the others could catch up? Roxas bit his lip. He didn't want to wait. Xion was in trouble now. She was getting hurt now. And Roxas was sick of Xion getting all the bad things happening to her, when all she wanted to do was help others and be nice. Because she was wonderful and sweet and kind and perfect…Zero took off again and Roxas followed him. They went around a bend in the trail and came to a small ditch. On the far side of the ditch, Roxas couldn't see, but he guessed there may be a hill. Connecting the two sides of the ditch was a small stone bridge.

"I know this place…" Roxas said as he watched Zero dart around. "This bridge…it's…this is where Sora went when he was hunting Oogie…"

"Looking for someone, lamer?"

Zero ducked down under the bridge and Roxas grit his teeth. Seifer was coming up from the slope on the other side of the ditch. On either side of him were Rai and Fuu. Seifer's eyes were gold, gleaming in the night. Roxas couldn't remember what color Seifer's eyes had been before he'd embraced the powers of darkness. Rai and Fuu looked nervous—Rai looked over his shoulder, but it wasn't like he was trying to check if anyone was following them. More like, what would be the easiest way for him to get away. His eyes flicked back to Roxas.

"What the heck?" Rai asked. "What's with you? You look like a zombie, ya know?"

"I don't have time for this," Roxas said as calmly as he could. It came out as more of a snarl. He saw Rai and Fuu take a few steps back slowly. "Get out of my way, Seifer."

"No, I don't think so," Seifer said. His grin was manic. "You see, if I get out of your way, then you're gonna ruin it. Just like you ruin everything else."

"Ruin it? What do you mean…" Roxas raised Oblivion up as realization sunk in. Of course…Seifer had joined up with Maleficent—he'd know. "Where is she?! Where are they keeping Xion?!"

"I can't say that I remember," Seifer said, spreading his arms out as far as he could. He held out his hand and summoned his mordite blade. "Maybe killing you will jog my memory!"

"Do you really want to try this?" Roxas shouted. "You can't be this stupid! How many times have we fought and you lost? How many more times am I going to have to beat you? Rai! Fuu! Get out of my way!"

"I think I won't," Seifer said, flicking his mordite sword from his left hand to his right hand and then back again. "I think I'll cut off your head and show it to that doll. If she's not cut to pieces already, your head will be the perfect thing to be the last thing she sees. She'll be so busy crying over you, she won't even notice it when I end her. I think I'll cut off her—gaaah!"

Roxas charged, slashing with Oathkeeper and Oblivion. This had gone on far enough. This had gone on far too long. Seifer would not hurt Xion. If Roxas had to beat it out of him, he would make sure Seifer told him where Xion was. And then, Roxas would make sure that Seifer would never be able to hurt anybody else ever again. Not for all those donkeys on Pleasure Island, not for all the animals and people living in Tarzan's jungle…he'd been there last time too. Seifer had been there the last time Xion had gotten taken. He'd taunted her…he'd helped Maleficent and Pete and the Phantom Blot hurt her.

"Raaah!"

A wave of darkness shot out of Seifer's hand. Roxas sent on a beam of light from Oathkeeper that met the darkness head-on. Oathkeeper…the Keyblade that symbolized promises…his connection with Xion. Sweet Xion, gentle Xion, kind and funny and smart and perfect…the beam of light grew brighter and stronger. Roxas could feel it pulsing from his Keyblade. He focused on his friendship with Xion. How much she meant to him…she was his best friend…something Seifer would never know.

The light shined as bright as the sun and Seifer staggered back, shaking his fingers. Roxas ran forward, pressing his Keyblades against the ground. Deep scratches from the teeth of the Keyblades dug into the earth and then Roxas struck. Seifer held up his mordite sword and only just managed to save himself. Roxas's Keyblades slammed against his sword.

"Don't bother!" Seifer said. "This is mordite! There's nothing in the world that can destroy it except for more mordite! And you don't have the guts to use it—you're not strong enough! And that little witch isn't tough enough. You're not gonna save her! Nobody's gonna save her! She's already dead!"

He's lying…he has to be lying…Seifer always lies….Seifer always lies! Roxas pointed Oathkeeper and Oblivion directly at Seifer's chest.

"Thundaga!" Roxas shouted, his arms shaking with rage. Lightning exploded from his Keyblades. It formed a great thunderbolt that stretched up to the sky. Roxas felt the thunder go through his flesh and exposed bones. He ignored it. It didn't hurt.

Roxas charged forward again, slamming Oblivion down on Seifer's shoulder and jabbing at his side with Oathkeeper. Seifer stumbled backwards.

"Rai! Fuu!" Seifer howled. "Quit being useless for once and help me! We can't let this lamer win!"

At some point, Rai had stumbled down the ditch. It wasn't very steep or very deep and it didn't take him long to get back up. He looked at Roxas and held up a pipe…no, it wasn't a pipe. It was a single bar from an iron gate. Rai held it out and his arms began to shake. Had it gotten hit by the Thunder magic?

"What are you waiting for?" Seifer snapped. "Stab him! Do what I tell you!"

"D'oh…no!" Rai stomped his foot and pointed past the bridge with the iron bar. "I won't do it, ya know! Roxas, your friend's trapped in the basement of this weird building. Just over the hill. It kinda poofed out of nowhere ya know? It's got a big green door—ow!"

Seifer was several inches shorter than Rai, but Roxas thought he heard something snap when he kicked Rai in the knee. Rai dropped like a sack of potatoes and tumbled back down into the ditch. Fuu cried out and charged at Seifer. Catching her arm and twisting back, Seifer glowered at her. He squeezed hard enough to make Fuu gasp and darkness began pooling out from Seifer's fingers.

"Are you turning against me too?" Seifer demanded. "Do as I say, now! I'm the strongest there is, I'm the greatest there is!"

Sefier was willing to hurt his own friends. Roxas couldn't let Rai and Fuu get hurt, even if he didn't like them very much. And Seifer wanted to hurt Xion. Xion, who had never done anything to Seifer unless Seifer had started it. Xion, sweet and gentle and kind…who had had her Keyblade taken away from her for no reason. It had made her feel terrible about herself. But even worse, it'd left her defenseless—completely vulnerable for bad guys to try and hurt. Roxas clenched his teeth together so tightly, he could feel them grinding.

Roxas parried the mordite sword as Sefier tried to go on the offensive—as usual, Seifer's technique was awful. Roxas pushed forward. He might not be able to damage the mordite sword, but he could damage Seifer. With Oathkeeper pressing Seifer's sword into the ground, Roxas raised Oblivion and pointed it at Seifer's face. Roxas reached for every bit of anger and resentment he could. Seifer was going to pay.

"Dark Firaza!"

It was the most powerful spell Roxas had ever cast that dealt with darkness. Black and purple fire erupted from his Keyblade, engulfing Seifer. Seifer began to scream and swear, his bellows drowned out over the rushing wave of fire. Finally, the flames burst into a ball that went out as far as Roxas could see in any direction and Seifer dropped to the ground, clutching at his face. The mordite blade vanished from under Oathkeeper's teeth. Seifer looked up at Roxas—deep gashes covering half of his face and most of his arm…Roxas could only see one of Seifer's eyes. It gleamed gold…and it was ringed with red. Blood.

"I…I'll get even, lamer!" Seifer shouted. "This…this doesn't end here!"

He held out a hand—it was missing two fingers—and then a Dark Corridor appeared, slowly, shakily, right from underneath where Seifer sat. Roxas glowered at him and sent a beam of light from Oathkeeper, but Seifer vanished within the Dark Corridor. Roxas's spell didn't come close to hitting him.

"I'll be ready," Roxas muttered. He shook his head hard. He needed to focus. He had to find Xion. And…oh man!

Fuu was on the ground, still clutching her arm. The dark marks from where Seifer had squeezed her were still there. Dark magic lingered…but this…this looked really, really bad. Rai was crouching over her. His nose was bloody, but he looked alert. He glanced up at Roxas.

"Help her, ya know?" Rai pleaded. "I'm beggin' ya!"

"Cura!" Roxas said, holding up Oathkeeper. He watched as the healing orbs formed over Fuu…but nothing else happened. Her eyes brightened, but then she grimaced in pain. The dark scars on her arm were still there. If anything, they looked deeper.

"What's happening?" Rai asked. "I never wanted any of this, ya know? I…I want to go home…man."

"Roxas! There you are!"

Roxas turned his head. There, coming down the slope, were Axel and Kairi. Both had their Keyblades out. Kairi darted forward and crouched down beside Rai.

"I'm a friend," Kairi said, before Rai could even ask who she was. He looked from her to Fuu and back. to Kairi and just shook his head. Kairi gave him a kind smile. "What's going on?"

"It's Seifer, ya know?" Rai said. "He went crazy and he hurt her. I don't like it, ya know! And Roxas, he tried that green flower-ball thingy, ya know? It didn't work!"

"Let me try," Kairi said and small ribbons of light began to emerge from her fingertips. "Olette told me something about this sort of thing. Let me try…Axel, you and Roxas go on, I'll catch up."

"We can't leave you!" Axel protested. "All of you would be sitting ducks if we leave you by yourself."

"I'm not made of glass, Axel!" Kairi said very firmly. "I can handle myself and I can back these two up."

"You can go along, Keybearer and let me handle this!"

It was Kringle—who looked somehow taller than before, armed with a giant spear that looked sharp enough to take them all down at once. Where had he been? At his heels were Jack and Sally. Sally gave a small gasp of concern and ducked forward to crouch beside Kairi. She placed a hand on Fuu's forehead.

"Kringle?" Rai asked. "But you're Santa Claus, ya know?"

"Not exactly," Kringle said. He lifted up his spear and lightning began to shoot out of it. "I'm something a bit older…Keybearers, rescue your own. I shall handle these. Go, now!"

Roxas leapt to his feet and held out Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Xion was close…she was close…which meant that Roxas was close to fixing his mistakes in not being there for her when she most needed it.

"Xion, we're coming!"

oooo

Xion had kept her eyes closed for so long, she wasn't sure she could even open them again. Her hand was with Roxas and the others now. It was safe. But she wasn't safe. And Roxas and Kairi and Axel…they would still be in so much danger. She strained against the ropes binding her again—and again, there wasn't any give. The candles tied to her feet were still burning…and melting. Xion winced and tears poured down her cheeks as yet more molten wax dripped onto her soles. It burned! It burned! It burned!

"Her resolve is remarkable," the Phantom Blot said. "I would have thought for sure she would have fallen by now."

"Dolly should be cut to pieces by now!" Oogie Boogie whined and stomped one of his feet. "It ain't fair! I worked hard to build this trap! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair!"

He stomped his feet again and pulled another lever. Xion screamed as she inched closer to the knives. They were sharp and then she could feel them against her soles and it hurt. She screamed even louder and then the candles were being cut up to pieces too…and flying every which way. She heard two deafening screams.

"Aaauuugggghhhh!" The Phantom Blot bellowed. "My eyes! My eyes!"

"Gaaaahhh!" Oogie Boogie shouted. "That hurts!"

Xion jerked her head to the side. Oogie fell over the levers he'd been standing by and Xion felt herself being moved up and away from the knives. She wasn't bleeding, but she wasn't sure she'd ever hurt this much. Oogie Boogie and the Phantom Blot were both clutching at their eyes. It was tricky to see, but Xion thought she saw bits of candle wax in their eyes. Still…the ropes around her ankles were looser than before. Much looser! Maybe she could find a way out of this…

"You clumsy idiot!" The Phantom Blot snapped as he stormed over to Oogie Boogie and pushed him out of the way. He slammed his fist against one of the levers and turned a switch Xion couldn't see. After a moment, nothing happened. Then, something cracked and Xion found herself falling, still tied to the hook, and she slammed to the lower floor.

Ow…

Xion's eyes bulged when she saw the buzzsaw whirling by her. It was nearly as wide across as she was tall. It got close enough that Xion could feel the floor vibrating as it went by. Again she strained against the ropes binding her arms. She couldn't stay here…she had to get free…

"Oy! That's my lever!" Oogie Boogie cried out. "And my dolly! And my traps!"

He charged over to the Phantom Blot and slammed his stomach against him. The Phantom Blot tumbled head over heels and landed hard on his back. He groaned weakly and then stood up. Xion shut her eyes tightly when she saw the buzzsaw coming back. The Phantom Blot scowled and leapt over it easily.

"If this is how you want it, Bug, then I am washing my hands of this," the Phantom Blot said. "I want nothing more to do with this world. We've got what we needed."

Xion grimaced—her arm still hurt from where Doctor XXX had cut her.

"Xion, can you hear us? We're coming!"

"Allies…indeed, things have come to a head…" the Phantom Blot said as he opened a Dark Corridor. He stepped into it just as the buzzsaw came back yet again—it passed over him harmlessly and Xion twisted out of its way.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Xion jerked her head again. Where had that noise come from? One of the traps? It sounded a little too distant to be that. And it didn't sound like Oogie Boogie stomping around either. The walls, then? Pipes? But why would she be hearing it just now, instead of the whole time she'd been tied up?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"No!" Oogie Boogie shouted. ""No! No! No! I won't let this go down like this! This isn't fair!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Someone was pounding at the door. Xion strained her neck and then frowned. Wait a moment…there wouldn't be a need to pound at the door if it were Axel or Roxas. They had Keyblades. They'd be able to just "poof" the door open—Keyblades could undo any lock and most seals. Then who would it be who…

SMASH!

Someone, or something, had kicked the door in—bits of green wood flew across the room, exploding into splinters and jamming up the buzzsaw. The cauldron of molten metal was filled—the wood burst into flame. Oogie Boogie howled with pain. Xion couldn't see what was going on, but she thought she heard more whirling…she wasn't sure what it was though.

"What the heck are you?" Oogie Boogie shouted. "You don't get the dolly! She's mine! Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine! Yeee-owwwwww!"

Oogie was knocked backwards—Xion saw him go flying past her and then something slammed in front of her. From the way she was tied up, it was hard to tell how tall it was—taller than her, anyway. And it was made of grey metal…and it had a long face. It whirled around almost like a top.

"The experiment?" Xion gasped. "It's…alive?"

The experiment turned its head just as the buzzsaw broke through the last bits of Oogie's door and buzzed over to them. There was a flash of light and the sound of metal hitting metal and the next thing Xion knew, the experiment had fixed the buzzsaw onto itself, almost like an arm. It reached the saw over towards Xion and it began to whirl very gently. It cut the ropes binding Xion.

"You're helping me?" Xion said. Looking closely, she saw the wreath she'd put on the experiment's makeshift grave around its neck. "You…you do have a heart."

The experiment nodded and then with another flash of light it had taken the hook Xion'd been tied to as another arm.

"Xion, can you hear us? Where are you?"

Roxas…her friend…her best friend. Xion felt her eyes grow damp, but this time, it wasn't because of fear or pain or guilt. Well, not just pain anyway, every inch of her ached even if she wasn't bleeding. But she felt…something.

"We need to get out of here," Xion said, taking a shaky step forward. "Experiment…I'm sorry, I guess I don't know what your name would be, let's hurry."

"Ehhh…" Oogie Boogie stood back up and glared at Xion. "Oh no! You're not going anywhere! None of you is! You think I don't got more traps!"

"Aaaaaaauggggggghhhhhhh!"

"Axel!" Xion shouted. She looked left and right for anything she could use as a weapon. She saw one of the knives that had been part of the trap she'd been tied in on the floor. She grabbed it—it was not a particularly long knife, but it had a jagged edge, almost like a steak knife.

"I'm not letting you get past me!" Oogie Boogie shouted. "I'm not letting anyone get past me! No! No! No! This is my manor!"

The floor began to shake underneath Xion's feet. And Oogie Boogie…he was growing. And shrinking at the same time…wait, what?

"This is my manor!"

There was another flash of light and the shaking grew even stronger and the next thing Xion knew…Oogie was gone.

"What happened?"

"I AM MY MANOR! I AM EVERYWHERE!"

A/N: There we go, my dearest readers! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I definitely enjoyed reading it!

Rai and Fuu's defection against Seifer was something I've been planning for a very long time. I hope it delivered.

And Xion's made friends with the experiment, hahahaha! I've been planning that too!

And how about the cliffhanger? Hahaha! I do love my cliffhangers.

Outside of cliffhangers, I'm starting to push the Roxas/Xion subplot a bit heavily, I admit. I have to admit, I do have a fondness for the ship. As it happens, a lot of my best ideas for these last few chapters came from conversations on the Rokushi Discord. It really is a wonderful place there. If any of you are interested in joining up, here's the link: /invite/tmrxgBB

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