Kingdom Hearts: Rise Above The X

by CryptidGrimnoir137

In the weeks following the Second Keyblade War, Axel has made a quiet life in Twilight Town with Roxas and Xion. But a quiet life and wielding a Keyblade aren't exactly compatible. Axel is still haunted by those he couldn't save. Roxas and Xion have questions too, as usual. With new powers, they'll find the answers. Whatever's out there, the three of them will face together.

72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Relief

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!

Sorry for the delay, but here we go!

oooo

Roxas didn't stop to think as he pushed his way down the path. He and Axel and Kairi…three Keybearers against whatever was waiting for them. Rai had said that Xion was trapped in the lowest levels of a large building. Over the hill….it had appeared out of nowhere. Roxas knew exactly what it was…Oogie Boogie's manor. Sora had fought there before…Sora. Roxas grit his teeth as he rounded a corner in the trail and then he saw it.

The manor was huge, almost as tall as the clock tower back home in Twilight Town, if not taller. It was almost like a treehouse that went all the way around the tree. But that didn't matter. Xion was in there. Roxas grit his teeth tighter, to the point where he could hear them grinding. He'd let her down. He'd let her get captured. But now he could make up for it. He could help Xion. He could help his friend. She was close…so close he could almost taste it. There! Down the bend and a set of stairs was a large green door…that was where Xion was being kept, wasn't it? Roxas tightened his hold on Oathkeeper and Oblivion. The Keyblades that represented his connections to his friends…his connection to her.

"Wait a moment…" Axel said, placing a hand on Roxas's shoulder. "Don't go any further. This is too easy…"

"What do you mean?" Kairi whispered. "Too easy…we haven't seen any Heartless since we crossed the bridge."

"Exactly," Axel said. "That punk Seifer and his friends were waiting for Roxas. They knew he was coming…which means they might be waiting for us."

"But Xion's down there…" Roxas said. "She could be hurt…or worse."

He tightened his grip on his Keyblades, so tightly they began to cut into his skin. In his current form, he could feel them pressing against his bones. It didn't hurt, but the sensation was unlike anything else he'd ever felt. He couldn't just leave Xion alone. She was trapped down there and it was his fault. If he'd been there to protect her, then none of this would have happened. She'd be here with them…

"Look there!" Kairi whispered. "There's something moving down at the roots."

Roxas didn't see anything—and he heard Axel say something about Kairi having "were-kitten eyes," but then he heard something chittering. And then the sound of something moving…but it wasn't legs…maybe a wheel? A very large wheel. A moment later, Roxas saw a shadow…and then the moon shining off something metallic. There at the door was a metal…thing. It tickled at the back of Roxas's memory. Something Sora had seen? Something Sora had fought? That's right! The experiment—that moving puppet that Doctor Finklestein had made all that time ago. Heartless emerged in front of it, but the experiment began to spin around and bat them aside.

"Is it…helping?"

"I think so…" Axel said. "But I think we're going to need to get in from a different angle. They'd be crazy not to have someone else at the door. But there's got to be more than one way in there…"

Axel took the lead and led them down a narrow wooden bridge. At this angle, Roxas couldn't see or hear the experiment, but he thought he saw the three little bratty kids riding around in their walking bathtub.

"I was an assassin," Axel said. "If there's one thing I know about being an assassin is that you need to get in and out quickly—and sometimes Dark Corridors aren't the way to do it. But I'm betting there's ways to get into that room from the inside of this manor…and if not, we can always burn our way in."

The wooden bridge led up to a set of doors—in one corner, there was a small platform, moving up and down, animated by a small fire crackling beneath it. But there was also a metal tube and Roxas could hear voices coming out from it. They sounded far away.

"Oy, that's my lever! And my dolly! And my traps!"

Roxas didn't recognize the voice—but he thought he could hear Xion screaming over the voice's protests. And from the sounds of it, the voice, whoever it belonged to, was arguing with someone else…but they had Xion. That was all that mattered at the moment. They had his friend. Roxas dismissed his Keyblades and seized the tube.

"Xion, can you hear us?" Roxas called into the tube, ignoring how it made his voice vibrate. It was a way to get word to Xion. To let her know she wasn't alone. "We're coming!"

There was a dull thumping somewhere in the distance—the experiment must be trying to break down the door. Roxas re-summoned his Keyblades as Heartless began to sprout up. Gargoyles and Wight Knights again…Roxas struck them down so quickly, not one of them had a chance to try to attack. The thumping grew louder and then Roxas heard shouting coming up from the tube. And the sound of metal hitting metal…and Xion screaming.

"Xion, can you hear us?" Kairi asked. Her weird ears flicked around and her whiskers began to quiver. "Where are you?"

There was no answer, but from beneath Roxas's feet, he felt trembling and shuddering…it felt almost like an earthquake. Or a stampede of…well, he wasn't sure, exactly. But the trembling grew louder and louder, like thunder. And then he heard a Voice far louder than any he'd ever heard before.

"I AM MY MANOR! I AM EVERYWHERE!"

"Roxas! Kairi!" Axel said, taking a step forward. "Stay close to me…we don't want to get separated…"

"OH! WHAT AN IDEA!"

There was a whistling and then a sound of metal hitting wood…and then a chain shot down from…somewhere. It wrapped itself Roxas's stomach. It pressed through his stomach and he could feel it inside him—it didn't hurt, but it felt weird. And then he felt himself being lifted up and away from Axel and Kairi. The chain slammed Roxas against a ceiling and he dropped back down, against a wooden floor. And on one of the walls, Roxas could see a face like a jack o'lantern.

"Ooh," the face said. "Another dolly!"

oooo

Kairi had heard the whistling of the chain before Axel and Roxas had noticed it, but she hadn't been quick enough to stop it from wrapping itself around Roxas and yanking him up and out of sight. But that didn't mean she wouldn't move heaven and earth to get to him. She was sick of the bad guys going after Roxas and Xion. She was sick of the bad guys always interfering with everything. Kairi doubted she'd ever be able to stop bad guys completely, but Roxas was someone she could help.

"Roxas!" Kairi cried. "Hold on, we're coming!"

She had to figure out a way to get up there. The question was how? The entire manor was rumbling and she could hardly keep her balance. That wasn't right! She was a were-cat, weren't cats supposed to have perfect balance? The floor beneath her feet shot up and Kairi leapt to the floating platform as it started to rise.

"Axel!" Kairi called out. "Find something you can set on fire! See if you can't burn a hole down to Xion!"

The floating platform was pushing her up—but not in the direction where Roxas had been taken. Kairi wasn't sure if he'd been captured, or if this was just a way to split them up, but it wasn't what she wanted. She had to find a way off the platform—could she leap to that ledge? Kairi crouched down and leaped up as high as she could—and it was much higher than she had ever been able to jump in the coves back home. She landed on to the platform and tried to get her bearings.

She was probably thirty feet above where she'd started, but there weren't any ledges that would let her jump back down. Oh, this wasn't good…

"Oooh, a kitty! I always wanted a kitty! A kitty to go with my dolly!"

That voice…it was the same voice she'd heard from the speaker-tube thingy. And the same voice that had shouted it was the manor. There was a faint clanking—Kairi wasn't sure she'd have been able to hear it otherwise, but it gave her just enough time to leap up again—and right where she'd been standing, metal clamps sprang out. Had she stayed still a moment longer, they would have secured themselves around her ankles. Kairi pressed herself against the wall—the floor beneath her feet was narrower here, and it became even harder for her to keep her bearings.

Kairi could see a window not far from where she was standing. Maybe if she could get to it, she'd be able to get outside. From there, she could get back down—or maybe back up. The room she was in right now was awfully small. But maybe she could work her way to something bigger. There was something familiar about all of this. Sora had told her stories of his adventures…the first time he'd come to Halloween Town, he'd fought Oogie Boogie. And after he beat him, Oogie's darkness was so powerful, he had reanimated his entire manor. And Sora had had to destroy orbs of concentrated darkness.

That seemed to be what was happening now, more or less. And if Kairi made her way outside, she could start destroying the orbs keeping this whole manor together. She summoned her Keyblade. Destiny's Embrace, to her hand. She would fight her way out of this.

"Burn!"

Axel's voice was far away, but it sounded like he was fighting something. Kairi took a few steps forward. Nothing happened. She took a few more steps forward…and then felt something snap down on her leg. Pain erupted like a wave of fire and lightning and Kairi staggered.

"Ow!" Kairi shouted as tears came to her eyes. "Ow, ow, ow! Owwww! Ow ow ow!"

Her leg! Her foot! Her…paw? Or was it a foot? Oh, never mind that! It hurt so badly! What was hurting her leg? Something metal…or two metal things? Or one of those old bear traps?

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!"

No! Kairi was not going to let herself get captured! She'd done that too many times! When she was attacked by the Unversed as a little girl, when she'd lost her heart, when she'd been kidnapped by Axel and by Saix and by Xemnas! No more! She wasn't going to let the building capture her!

Kairi aimed Destiny's Embrace and pointed it at the bear trap pinning her leg. It hurt but through teary eyes, Kairi managed to banish the terrible trap. Kairi winced. Her leg still ached so badly, she wasn't sure she could walk. She immediately cast a quick healing spell over herself and took a cautious step forward. That was better…Kairi took another step forward and then another. Okay…that was better. She could do this…she could do this.

"Now, now, that's a bad kitty! Bad, bad, bad kitty!"

Kairi heard something else. It wasn't a clanging or a thumping…it was something different. A rumble, maybe? Something she wasn't sure of what it could be. She gripped Destiny's Embrace with both hands. She turned around slowly and then, something grabbed her from behind. Kairi gasped as something gripped her by the neck. She struggled and squirmed but the grip was tight. Her Keyblade fell from her hand as she was lifted up but Kairi held out her hand and called it back to her. She twisted her wrist and felt her Keyblade smash against something—a chain? It vanished in a flash and Kairi dropped back to the ground, landing neatly on her feet. Okay…that wasn't so bad. But she couldn't stop to catch her breath. She ran towards the window as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Naughty kitty! Can't let you do that!"

From the ceiling above her, planks gave way, like a hideaway ladder for an attic. No sooner had she thought this, than a ladder sprang down from the hole. As it stood up, it began to walk on its own. Kairi screamed and cast out a ball of fire from the tip of Destiny's Embrace. The ladder exploded in a shower of fiery splinters. Kairi grimaced but kept moving. She was almost at the window now—she sent a beam of light from her Keyblade to blast the latch away.

"Oh no you don't! Oh no you don't! Bad kitty! That was a bad window anyway…"

Before her eyes, Kairi saw the window being pressed against on all sides by the walls of the manor—she saw wood and burlap pressing against it. She smashed the glass away with her Keyblade and began climbing out. Kairi gasped and caught her breath and tried to get her bearings. She could see the forest and the hills and the bridge they had crossed earlier was there…but it was getting bigger. Wait a second, was the manor they were inside moving on its own?

"Ah ah ah!" That horrible voice called out. "You're not going anywhere!"

The walls of wood and burlap that had pressed hard against the window were still closing in…Kairi had stayed still a minute too long…she was trapped! The walls were pressing against her waist—she was stuck.

"Come back, inside now, kitty! Come and play with the dolly!"

Kairi felt something wrap around her ankles and then she was dragged backwards, yanked away from the window and she was slammed to the ground. Dazed and confused, she couldn't stop herself from being dragged away.

Lanterns lining the walls lit up as Kairi was dragged by whatever was gripping her by the ankle. As they went by, the lanterns began to jump off the wall.Were they alive? Like the oven in the town square and Santa Claus's present-wrapping machine? Or was this all because of Oogie's darkness? The lanterns began to dance in formation…and one of the walls folded down and Kairi felt herself falling down, down down.

oooo

Lea cursed as he watched Kairi get carried away by the platform that had a mind of its own. This couldn't be happening. Not her too…Xion, locked up somewhere. Roxas, yanked out of sight. Kairi, separated when she tried to help. All three of them gone. His kiddos. His half-pints. He was supposed to protect them. And he'd let all three of them down. He was supposed to be the leader. He was supposed to keep his friends safe.

A Heartless emerged from the shadows…a wimpy, little Gargoyle. It growled at Lea and flew towards him, its claws outstretched. Lea cut it down with a snarl. Two more popped up and Lea slashed at them. Then there were three more. Cut, slash, burn…three more defeated. This went on for a while, Heartless popping up in twos and threes, occasionally a group of four. Gargoyles, Wight Knights, Search Ghosts, Neoshadows and Armored Knights…it didn't matter. Any Heartless that popped up was getting cut down. Slash, hack, stab, burn, blitz. Keyblade, chakram, magic. It almost became a dance. The Heartless converged on him—eventually a group of twelve popped up. They were cut down almost instantly, when Lea flicked his wrist and sent Flame Liberator flying as if it were one of his chakrams. Finally, a sole Gargoyle was all that remained, just like it had started out.

"Burn!" Lea shouted, sending a wave of fire out from the point of Flame Liberator. The Gargoyle's eyes bulged as the fire engulfed it and a moment later, Lea saw its captured heart be released. Lea waited a moment to see if any other Heartless would pop up, but none did. Good…that was one thing done right. Cutting down Heartless and freeing their hearts—restoring their humanity—was at the core of being a Keyblade wielder. He'd let his kiddos down, but he wouldn't let anyone else down. The Heartless were gone…now to get his friends back.

This whole stupid, giant manor that that stupid, smelly, buggy bastard Oogie had fused with…Lea sent out another wave of fire. He'd burn the entire thing down if he had to. He sent out another ball of fire and it ignited against the wall.

"Yee-owww! Just what do you think you're doing…what on earth are you?"

Lea watched as the fire he'd started was lifted up by the floor and then jettisoned back out the way he'd come. He sent another ball of fire at the hole that'd formed but before it could catch, the floor ran up and smashed the fire against the

"Think!" Lea snarled at himself. "You were an assassin. This place is nothing but hidey-holes…what would you do, if you were back with the Organization? What would Axel do?"

Make a hole.

Lea nodded to himself and began and began slashing at one of the walls. It was wood, and it was hardly reinforced—what sort of place was this? The structures on that little island that Sora and Kairi and the other half-pints all liked playing on were better put together than this wall. It splintered against his chakram and Lea began tearing down planks. The manor creaked and it almost seemed to scream.

"No! No! No! No!"

The floor began to shake beneath Lea's feet and then he felt himself falling forward. Lea tumbled, head over heels, for what felt like ages. When he finally found his footing again, Lea was…some stories beneath the first entryway. He looked around and saw several ovens and a very large boiler.

"If you want to play with fire, then I'll show you fire! Say hello to Mister Furnace, you big bully!"

The ovens all erupted flames from their stovetops at once, illuminating the room. There were some tables and some pots and pans too. But no Heartless. No Nobodies…it was almost too quiet, except for the fire. Lea tightened his grip on Flame Liberator and took a step forward. A sudden shuffling came from behind him. Lea whipped around, only to be hit in the stomach by a table that had started moving on its own. Lea slammed Flame Liberator down against it, and the table erupted into fire. A frying pan flew from another table and slammed against Lea's face.

"Gah!" Lea shouted. "Burn!"

The frying pan caught his fireball directly and it fell to the floor in a molten mess. Lea felt a rush of satisfaction, but he didn't get a chance to enjoy it. The next thing he knew, the ovens were getting up and walking on their own. Lea broke his Keyblade into his chakrams and began tossing them. Every pot and pat that tried to hit him was slashed or stabbed or incinerated—but there were still the tables moving around. And then the floor beneath his feet shifted.

"It's your turn to burn! Bad…well, you're not a dolly or a kitty…I guess I'll call you…Toasty!"

Lea knocked his head against the top of the furnace and then he heard the screech of the door opening. A smaller table leapt on top of another one and rushed towards him. Lea cast more Fire magic against it, but the recoil of his spells pushed him into the furnace. It latched shut as soon as he was knocked all the way into it.

"Time to burn, toasty!"

Lea felt fire engulf him on all sides, and it wasn't his own magic fueling it. His entire field of vision became a wave of yellow and orange flames. This was…better than he could have hoped for. He could feel his strength growing….his power increasing…and then, he felt his bizarre arms become more and more metallic. Oh yeah…this he could work with.

"Fire is my element!" Lea shouted, spinning around as if he were on an axis. Red fire, brought on by his own magic merged with the furnace's yellow and orange. "BURN!"

oooo

In all his years, Kringle had met many, many heroes who rose up to fight the denizens of the dark. Some fought with swords. Some fought with guns. One man in Radiant Garden who was on his own 'naughty list' fought against the darkness with a gun-blade. Another man, who was on his 'nice list' fought mostly with a staff and a blasting rod and a lot of sarcastic remarks. And a few…a precious few fought with Keyblades—and those warriors tended to be the most fascinating.

"I don't like this, ya know? Something in the air feels wrong, ya know? Like all the bad stuff is comin' together in one big ball of bad stuff, ya know?"

As it happened, Kringle did have some experience with that sort of thing—the amalgamation of smaller dark creatures into a single organism was not unheard of, especially among Heartless. Shadows in particular had taken to forming towers and even tornadoes of their masses. But what Oogie Boogie was doing was different. Kringle could feel the energy of this world being sucked into his manor.

THUMP! THUMP!

"Is that a thunderstorm, ya know?" The boy, Rai, asked, as his eyes darted left and right, looking every which way—except the direction from where the sound was coming from. And it was certainly not a thunderstorm—of that, Kringle would never be able to make a mistake. He gripped Gungnir tightly in his hand. The point of the spear began to glow with light. "And what about Fuu, ya know? Is she going to be okay?"

Ah, yes. Kringle looked down at the girl. She was perhaps sixteen years old, but in the light radiating off of Gungnir, she looked considerably younger. Her humerus bone had been broken in several places from where that foolish boy had gripped her. Bother that boy! Kringle had seen many paths for Seifer, but seeing something with foresight and experiencing it in person had always been different. Foresight could tell him that Seifer's entitlement and aggression would lead to danger. But here in front of him now, a girl was struggling to maintain composure as her arm throbbed with darkness-induced injuries.

"Kringle," Sally piped up. "Perhaps I can help. I know how to sew together skin when it's been sliced."

"That is very kind of you, Sally," Kringle agreed. "But not necessary for this sort of injury."

"Shouldn't we be getting out of here, then?" Jack Skellington asked. "This is hardly a place to bunker down. There's no shelter at all. We should get these two back to Doctor Finklestein at once!"

How curious it was, that beings who prided not just their identities or moral worth, but in truth their entire existence, on spreading fear were so committed to the preservation of life. In his travels across the cosmos, Kringle had to admit he found Skellington and his kin to be far more unusual than even the wildest of the wyldfae. The Erlking's bloodlust was far more discernible than one who sought to spread fear, but only fear.

"Jack, that won't do," Sally shook her head. "Doctor Finklestein created me, but he is not a doctor meant for the living. I think Santa Claus would be a more appropriate choice."

"Hmmm," Skellington said, putting a bony finger to his chin. "You raise a good point. Sandy Claws and the elves are absolutely the sorts who should be able to help."

"Sandy Claws?" Rai asked. "Wait a sec, I'm confused. Are you Santa or is some other guy Santa? Are there lots of Santas, ya know? Like one for each world, ya know? Does Twilight Town have its own Santa? Am I on the naughty list, ya know?"

Kringle did not answer. There would be no more time to get distracted. He felt in his bones a great rush of darkness. Rai was right, there was indeed more Heartless merging together…and Oogie Boogie's manor was the centerpiece.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

"Skellington! Sally!" Kringle barked as he tightened his grip on Gungnir, "Evacuate the children! Now!"

The thumping grew louder and more continuous and then, Kringle heard the unmistakable sound of trees being uprooted. A moment later, he saw the manor walking towards him. Dozens of trees had twisted together, allowing the manor to walk.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

"Let's get outta here, ya know?" Rai shouted as he and Skellington helped Fuu to her feet. "Let's hurry!"

The manor itself was alive in its own right…the lines between life and death had come out in ways most unusual. Kringle's grip tightened on his spear. He could not fight here…not just yet.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

A sentient bathtub, loaded with three children, dressed as monsters, galloped as it went past them. The smallest boy, dressed as a skeleton, rolled backwards. Sally caught him as he fell. Barrel's eyes began to roll and his mask slipped away.

"Oh, Barrel! Back on your feet, now!" Sally chided, setting Barrel upright. The boy pressed his mask back to his face…it was upside down. "Hurry, get to safety."

"THIS WORLD IS MINE! ALL MINE! NOBODY ELSE'S!"

The voice seemed to come from every corner of the world. Kringle grimaced, but held his ground. He had heard worse. Every step shook the ground like a tremor. He tightened his hold on Gungnir and his spear began to glow once again.

"OH, HEARTLESS! I NEED YOU! AND DON'T SKIMP ON ME THIS TIME!"

Heartless began to emerge. And not just any Heartless, but Darksides. Kringle growled. He knew their role in the havoc they wreaked upon the cosmos. He pointed Gungnir at the nearest Darkside. He thought of his dearest friend, the sarcastic hero, before he cast his spell.

"FUEGO!"

Fire, burning white-hot, erupted from the point of his spear. It caught the Darkside full in the face and blasted it into nothingness. Kringle took a cautious step back as he heard Oogie Boogie begin to throw a tantrum. The entire manor leapt up into the air—maybe twenty feet high—and then crashed back down again. Despite this tremendous pressure, the tree-limbs held firm.

Kringle took a step backwards, closed his good eye and concentrated. He brought his attention back to the Keybearers…one was surrounded by his element…two were close to each other…and one was…away….things were going to happen very soon.

oooo

Xion gripped onto Doctor Finklestein's strange puppet as the entire room began to shift yet again. They were lifted up and then brought right back down. Xion winced as her feet landed hard on the floor. She still hadn't had a chance to get her boots back on, but at least she'd missed most of the remaining molten metal. But she'd never last without her boots. They hadn't been destroyed, had they? Oh, there—Xion walked on tiptoe to get to her boots and stepped into them as best she could. It hurt…but it was better than trying to walk around this basement barefoot. Xion turned her head back to the moving puppet.

"We need to get out of here," Xion said as she very slowly released the puppet. It wasn't a puppet, really…it was, well, something. But it could move on its own. It could choose. It wasn't just a puppet. "What do you think?"

The moving puppet didn't respond. It looked from left to right and then back again. Xion followed its gaze. It lingered on the door it had entered from…and the hole had been completely sealed. But the puppet had gotten Oogie Boogie's saw attached to it, like an arm.

"If we can get our way over there," Xion said thoughtfully, "I think we can use your saw to get the debris away. Would you like that?"

The moving puppet turned its head towards her and gave a small nod. At least, Xion thought it was a nod. Still, it made her feel a bit better. She wasn't out of this mess entirely, but they could get out of here, once they actually made it to the blockage. She felt a sudden rush as the manor jumped—-what was going on, an earthquake? A whole set of earthquakes? Was there someone in this world who knew Earth magic the way that Axel could use Fire magic?

"You do have a heart…don't you?" Xion said. "You helped me, but nobody ever helped you…nobody even knew you were alive. You need a name…I'll call you, um, Spinny?"

The moving puppet stared at her. Xion felt her face flush. First Spot and now Spinny? She needed practice with naming things.

"Oh, dolly! I brought you a kitty!"

Xion grabbed a broken piece of wood off the ground and held it up like it was a Struggle bat. It wasn't a Keyblade, but it would have to do. She still hurt from where the Phantom Blot and Oogie Boogie had cut her. She wasn't going to let herself get captured again. No way, no how…

"Aaah!"

Something landed on Xion, knocking her to the ground. Xion felt her makeshift weapon drop out of her hand…into the molten metal. No…but who was it who landed on her? Xion felt something brush against her hand and she reached out and squeezed…something furry?

"Yee-ow! That's my tail!"

"Kairi?" Xion gasped. "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry! I didn't know! What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Kairi said as she paused to untie the cord securing her ankles together. Kairi got to her feet slowly and looked Xion over. She stole a glance at Spinny. "There was this weird copy of you the bad guys made…we were so worried. You remember Jack had a dog, right? And then the whole building went crazy…are you alright?"

"Um…mostly," Xion said. "They tied me up and they had a big platform of knives to chop me into pieces…but i guess since I'm still a tin soldier, it didn't really work…we need to get out of here."

"Look at you," Kairi whispered. "You're bleeding…"

"Not bad," Xion said, wiping at her forehead. "Really, I think it's painted on. We…we don't have time for this, Kairi. Are you alright? That's what's important. You got hurt trying to help me…"

"OH, ISN'T THAT SWEET? THE KITTY AND THE DOLLY! IT MAKES ME SICK! YOU'RE IN TROUBLE NOW!"

There was a clanking and Kairi immediately turned her back to Xion, summoning Destiny's Embrace in a flash of light. A moment later, Kairi sent out a ball of magic. It looked like a mix of light and fire and almost looked like a flower. It bounced off the wall, smashing it down. Standing there were several wooden figures…they looked almost like tin soldiers themselves. But the clothes were different. They looked more like cowboys with revolvers. They aimed their weapons at Kairi and Xion and fired—twange, twange, twange. Instead of bullets, the wooden cowboys shot out cords. Kairi deflected the first two, but the next cord got past her Keyblade, wrapping itself around Kairi and Xion, tying them back-to-back. The rope wasn't very tight—really, it was nothing compared to how she'd been tied up to the hook and platform—but neither of them could reach the knot.

"Oof!" Kairi said. "How do we get out of this?

"No problem," Xion said. "Spinny, can you help us?"

Spinny nodded and raised his saw. Xion and Kairi both held their breath as Spinny got closer to them. The saw began to whirl and Xion felt Kairi gasp. She reached out her fingers as far as she could and intertwined them with Kairi's.

"MAGNET! MAGNET! NO DOLLY AND NO KITTY!"

Spinny was flung into the sky. Xion strained her neck and saw flashes of light. More metallic objects were being yanked up towards the ceiling: the metal levers Oogie Boogie had fussed with, some piping, a knife, a vent…Spinny strained and reached down his arm, but Spinny's saw didn't reach them.

"NOW, GET THE KITTY AND DOLLY! NOW!

Xion heard the twange of the wooden cowboy's dart gun, and then another rope wrapped itself around her and Kairi, tying them more securely together. Another twange and a cord wrapped around their ankles. The girls strained against their bonds and fell over.

"NOW STAY PUT, OR ELSE I'LL MAKE YOU REALLY, REALLY HURT!"

"No," Kairi muttered and Xion could hear the steel in Kairi's voice. "I am through with being kidnapped!"

"It's really not so bad," Xion said. "I think I can reach the knot now…almost got it…Kairi, do you know Wind magic?"

"Oh!" Kairi said. "Right…brace yourself! Aerora!"

The gusts of wind that shot out of Destiny's Embrace propelled them upwards, just as Xion managed to get the knot tying them together undone. The magical wind sent them sailing towards Spinny. Xion reached out an arm but she couldn't quite reach. Then, they started to fall…right on top of the wooden cowboy. It shattered under them and Xion grabbed another piece of wood while Kairi untangled herself from her.

"NO FAIR! NO FAIR! NO FAIR!"

The entire building seemed to lift up again and slam back down. Again and again and again…and then Xion felt the pounding of her eardrums as Spinny fell back down. And then Kairi grabbed her hand and the next thing Xion knew, she could see a flight of stairs. Kairi had blasted away another door…they had a way out.

"Let's hurry!"

"C'mon, Spinny!"

oooo

When he had first been grabbed by the chain, Roxas had been more confused than anything else. But getting pulled away from Axel and Kairi—people he cared about—made him mad. Being unable to help Xion made him furious. Roxas struggled to his feet. The face was still there, like a jack o'lantern. It moved along and that reminded Roxas a bit of Heartless—there were types that could take over statues. Was this the same thing? Maybe the whole deal with barriers between life and death didn't mean much in Halloween Town—half the people here seemed to be dead things already.

Either way, standing here wasn't going to give Roxas the answers he needed. And it wasn't going to protect others either. The entire manor was alive. He took another step forward and then another. There were windows nearby and Roxas could see the trees moving as he walked by them. Wait, was the manor moving?! He heard an explosion—it sounded very close and Roxas's knees buckled from under him.

As he got to his feet again, a chain shot out from one of the walls. It was long and shiny and it looped around Roxas's stomach. Roxas summoned his Keyblades and slammed them into the floor as the chain tried to tug him away. He could hear the straining and creaking but he held firm.

Roxas slashed at the chain wrapped around his stomach and it jerked away from him like he had burned it with boiling water. He was furious and that fury fed his fighting. He cut the chain that had tried to tie him up into pieces. He shot out a wave of light and it blew up several Heartless that had popped up. Roxas watched with pleasure as their captured hearts were released. He began walking. He wasn't quite sure where he was in this building, but he knew he had to start walking.

Roxas cut and slashed, not caring what he hit. Things sprouted up and soared towards him—tables and chairs and strange devices that he didn't get a good look at. He stabbed with Oblivion and slashed with Oathkeeper. A giant metal bear trap sprang up and began to move towards Roxas. He sent out a burst of Blizzard magic and then smashed it into a hundred pieces.

This whole manor…it was alive. Like it had a heart of its own. Roxas paused. Where would the heart of a building be? Oogie Boogie was the one who lived in this house right? So maybe, the heart of the house would be where Oogie Boogie was happiest? His bedroom? But Roxas had no idea where that was…maybe he could track it by the darkness.

Roxas reached out…what area felt like the one he should avoid the most? Roxas closed his eyes…and then he could feel it. There was darkness…great darkness…about twenty feet above him. But how was he going to get to it? Roxas felt Oathkeeper and Oblivion in his hands and his grip tightened. He lifted them upwards and shot out beams of light. The ceiling exploded in a shower of splinters. Roxas concentrated and then he leapt up. He summoned his magic, the magic that enabled him to walk on walls and jump farther and faster than a human should be able to travel in a single leap. He pressed himself against the wall and then against another wall and then…he saw it.

"WHO ARE YOU?! OH! IT'S THE DOLLY! THE BOY DOLLY! I HAD A GIRL DOLLY TOO!"

Roxas scowled at the figure standing in front of him. It had to be ten feet tall, covered in darkness. With its pointy head and arms and legs, it looked almost like a twisted version of a papou fruit or one of the wayfinder lucky charms. It radiated darkness from every inch. This was Oogie Boogie…in complete control of the manor.

"I'm Roxas!" Roxas snapped. "Brother of Sora, and I'm going to destroy you! And I'm not a dolly!"

He charged forward, swinging Oathkeepr and Oblivion. Oogie Boogie waved his arms back and forth to block and parry his blows. Roxas snarled and shot a blast of fire directly at Oogie Boogie. He didn't react to it. He didn't react to waves of icy crystals either. Roxas swung Oathkeeper, trying to cut off Oogie Boogie's arm, but even that didn't do anything. Roxas felt his anger growing. He reached for his anger to turn it into a weapon.

"Dark Firaza!"

Darkness erupted from his Keyblades—it looked natural coming out of Oblivion and alien coming out of Oathkeeper. It concentrated against Oogie Boogie, and for a moment, Roxas's whole field of vision was filled with darkness. When it cleared at last, Oogie Boogie was still standing there…and he was laughing.

"Ha ha ha!" Oogie Boogie cackled. "Did you really think that was gonna work? I've tapped into the darkness to this world's core! Darkness only gives me more power, you bonehead! After I kill you, I'm gonna kill the kitty and the other dolly…who are very, very hard to keep still."

Roxas charged forward but Oogie Boogie raised a hand and caught him around the throat. He lifted Roxas up to the ceiling and began to squeeze. Roxas hacked and he felt his grip on his Keyblades slacken. His vision began to blur. No…no…no, he had to focus. He needed to concentrate…he needed…he needed…

His throat hurt. His back hurt. His arms hurt…everything hurt. He was so angry, he was shaking and that made everything hurt worse. Oogie Boogie's laughter pounded in his ears. Roxas groaned. Why didn't that work? Using darkness against Seifer had worked and what was darker than a mordite blade? But Oogie Boogie was stronger than before now…he dropped his Keyblades. As they clattered to the floor, Roxas immediately called them back. He couldn't let go of his Keyblades. He couldn't let go of Oathkeeper or Oblivion. Never Oathkeeper…

Oathkeeper. The Keyblade that marked his connection to Xion. Sweet Xion. Kind Xion. So many of his memories were of Xion. Eating sea-salt ice cream and watching the sunset. Racing through the streets of Twilight Town. How pretty she was with her necklace. Helping Kairi tease Xion so they could hear her laugh. She had such a wonderful laugh. Full of life and full of light.

Light.

Light.

Light.

"HOLY!" Roxas shouted, pointing his Keyblades at Oogie Boogie. Light brighter than the moon, brighter than the stars, bright than the sun erupted through the room. Oogie Boogie's laughter turned into screams and then the light shined brighter as Roxas thought of not only Xion, but Axel and Kairi and Sora and Hayner and Pence and Olette…his friends…his light…his power.

"MY FRIENDS ARE MY POWER!"

The light finally faded and Oogie Boogie was gone. So were the walls and the ceiling and the floor and everything else…Roxas began falling, the ground rushing up to meet him.

oooo

Overheating the furnace to the point where it exploded had wound up blasting Lea out of the manor. It hadn't been too much trouble—the intense fire had reactivated Lea's Keyblade Armor. It suited him just fine—he crashed against the ground but was back up in no time. He looked around. He was nowhere near where they'd first entered the manor…but then again, from the feel of things, the blasted thing had been walking around on its own. They weren't in town either—some large graveyard, with a giant pumpkin in a corner. There were several people crouched down behind a wall nearby. Lea recognized Jack Skellington, Sally, Kringle…and those three little kids who were always causing trouble were hiding behind a bathtub. Lea locked eyes with Kringle—or rather, locked eye with Kringle—and then turned back to the manor, maybe fifty feet away.

Just in time to see the entire manor vanish into thin air…and three small teenagers fall. The half-pint who had been highest in the air had two Keyblades in his hands…Roxas. Lea began running as fast as he could. His armored boots pounded against a tombstone. He needed to catch Roxas before he landed…or else something bad could happen.

"We got 'im! We got 'im!" Lock, Shock and Barrel chanted in unison as they ran around with their bathtub. "We got 'im! We'll catch 'im!"

SPLAT!

"We don't got him…" Barrel said. "Jack, over here!"

Lea's blood turned to ice in his veins as he ran over. Roxas's body was on the ground…and it was ruined. No, no, no, no, no, no…this couldn't be happening…this couldn't be happening. Roxas's head and arms and legs were all twisted and bent and…oh no…

"Oh my, oh my, oh my," Jack said. "Roxas, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Roxas said. "My head kinda hurts…but not bad. Oh, hi Axel. Hey, you got your armor."

"What?" Lea asked. "Roxas, you know I have Keyblade Armor. I just don't use it much…are you hurt?"

"I'm not sure," Roxas said. "I don't think I'm hurt. I can feel things…and I think I can move…Move…"

"He's delirious!" Jack said. "Oh my…children, bring the tub. Roxas is in so many pieces!"

"What about the others?" Roxas asked. "What about Xion? What about Kairi? What about Xion? What about Axel? What about Xion?"

"Roxas!"

Kairi and Xion were running towards them. Xion still looked like a tin soldier, but both of her arms were twisted into awful shapes…how could that have even happened? But she was alive. She was safe. She slammed into Lea's stomach and he gently tried to hug her. It wasn't easy without Xion having use of her arms.

"Oh kiddo…" Lea said. "You two doing okay?"

"Landed on my feet," Kairi said. "No problem…do not call me a were-kitten! How's Roxas?"

"Kairi!" Roxas piped up. "And Xion. You're alright…you're alright, Xion…wait, where are your arms? I didn't make them disappear did I? Did I make them disappear?"

"Roxas?" Xion whispered. "Oh my goodness…oh my goodness…"

"There's no need to worry," Kringle said. "These two are going to be fine."

"Fine?!" Lea snapped. "How can you say that? Look at them!"

"Because, as you say Lea, Roxas is a zombie," Kringle said. "All you have to do is put him back together again."

"Put him back together again?" Lea asked. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh, right!" Jack Skellington said, pressing his bony hands together. "That's absolutely right—this sort of thing happens…well, not all the time, but frequently enough among my friends and neighbors that it isn't something we are at all unfamiliar with."

"Here's his head!" Lock piped up, holding Roxas's head in his hands. "Where did his body piece go?"

"And his arm," Shock said. "Oh wait, that's his leg…um…oh, here's his arm! Oh…that's his hand.."

"I got his other leg!" Barrel said. "Here you go, Mister Roxas!"

"Very well," Kringle said. He lifted his spear up and it began to glow. "Hold still, Roxas, this is probably going to hurt at least a little."

He stamped his spear down and Lea raised Flame Liberator. He wasn't as versed with Light as any of the half-pints were, but he'd do his part. A thin beam of bright light came out of his Keyblade and hit Roxas—and all his detached body parts—at once. A moment later, Roxas was standing up, looking at his hands.

"That was…that was weird," Roxas said. "Even by our standards, that was…Xion!"

Ah, some things would never change. Lea winked at Kairi as Roxas rushed up and flung his arms around Xion. Kairi grinned back at him. Even Kringle looked somewhat amused. Jack Skellington looked concerned.

"What about Xion's arms?"

"Oh…" Xion said. "I think Spinny has them."

"Spinny?" Lea asked. "Who's Spinny?"

No sooner had he asked this than the metal thing they had seen earlier—the one trying to get into the manor's basement, twisted itself up the path.

"Ah…that's new."

xxxx

The battle was over, mostly, but there was still some things that needed to be attended to. Checking in with the Mayor of Halloween Town and Santa Claus was the chief concern there—that, and getting Xion her hand back.

It was strange, Lea reasoned, just how different Christmas Town and Halloween Town were from one another. But at the same time, they were part of the same whole. Kind of like him and Axel…

We're one and the same. You know that…

"Oh my," Santa Claus said. "Kringle, are you certain that everything is settled?"

"Yes," Kringle said. "Oogie Boogie's cursed magic was the root of what was going on in this world. With Roxas's purifying light, Oogie was vanquished. And with that vanquishing, every single artifact that was affected was cleansed. In some cases, this meant the object's destruction."

"Like my merry-go-round, I'm afraid," Santa Claus said. "The horses came to life and then…well, there wasn't much for my people to do except to seek shelter. My own reindeer were terrorized. The merry-go-round is not longer operable."

"Sorry," Roxas said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "If I had known ahead of time…well…"

"Think nothing of it, son," Santa Claus said. "You did what needed to be done, and I don't doubt that you saved a lot of lives with your actions. Do not apologize."

"Maybe Spinny can help!" Xion piped up. "He likes to spin around and he helped me out when Oogie Boogie tried to hurt everyone. Would you like that Spinny?"

The giant weird moving puppet nodded and spun like a top over to where the old merry-go-round had once stood. It hopped up and landed right in the center and began to rotate around.

"There might be a few kinks to work out," Santa Claus said. "But that was a mighty fine idea, Xion. The moving puppet proved to be far more sensitive than I realized…I was wrong about it. It wasn't searching for a heart. It did have a heart…thank you."

Xion smiled at Santa Claus, and for a moment, Lea thought her eyes looked unnaturally shiny. In her tin soldier form that wasn't saying much compared to how she normally looked, but it seemed even more noticeable now. Lea wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Xion leaned against him.

"What happens now?" Kairi asked. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Oh, I suspect so," Santa Claus said. "I'm a little behind schedule now, but it's still quite manageable…oh, but for your efforts, you should be rewarded."

"Santa!" Kairi gasped. "Oh no, it was an honor to help…you don't have to give us a reward."

"Consider it a late Christmas present then," Kringle chuckled. "Goodness knows I give out plenty of those. And your friends are on my 'nice' list."

"And mine," Santa Claus said with a nod. "Ah, here's one of my elves now."

A teeny little elf came rushing up with a package. It was perfectly square and neatly wrapped. Kairi took hers like it was made of glass and quietly thanked the little elf. A moment later, two more elves showed up with packages for Roxas and Xion. They both blushed furiously as they said their thank yous. Lea chuckled softly.

"Doesn't Axel get a present?"

"Ordinarily, I would not give a present to someone on my 'naughty' list," Santa Claus said. "But in light of the circumstances…I think I have just the thing."

xxxx

"The Big Book of Manners?!" Lea shouted. "Santa Claus gave me The Big Book of Manners, this is so not fair!"

All of the half-pints laughed, but nobody laughed harder than Kairi, who collapsed to the floor of the Gummi Ship, clutching her sides, shrieking with mirth. Lea made a private mental note to get back at Kairi the first chance he got. If Xion was an accurate gauge for how sensitive Kairi would be…Lea grinned evilly. Yeah, he'd get even.

"Ha ha, ha ha," Lea said. "Let's see what you three got."

"Um…okay," Xion said as she opened her package very carefully. She undid the ribbon slowly and unfolded the wrappings a corner at a time. "Oh!"

Xion's present from Santa Claus was a shiny plastic pail and shovel…the perfect toy for beach-going and collecting sea shells. There was also a soft brown teddy bear. Xion's eyes widened as she took the toy and held it to her chest.

"How wonderful!" Kairi said. "I guess I'll go next."

For a princess, Kairi was not nearly so neat with her present unwrapping. She tore off the paper and bow very quickly. Inside her box was a pair of flip-flops and a kite.

"Oh!" Kairi said. "This looks just like the kite Daddy and I used to fly when I was little."

As Kairi kicked off her boots to put on her flip-flops instead, Lea turned to Roxas. He held his package carefully, almost indecisively.

"It feels weird," Roxas said. "I guess I'm not used to a present that isn't ice cream."

He opened his package and gasped. It was a wooden ship, a model. About the size of a skateboard, maybe a little bit bigger. Xion and Kairi's jaws dropped.

"Wow…" Roxas said. "This is just like the one in Sora's room…"

"Whoa…" Lea said. "That's…that's different."

"Yeah…"

Kairi and Xion didn't say anything. They looked at each other and nodded, wordlessly. Xion got up first and walked over to Roxas. She sat down at his left side. Kairi joined on the right a moment later. Xion rested her head against Roxas's shoulder. None of them said a word.

A/N: And there we have it my dearest readers! The Halloween Town arc has been completed!

Now, I should let all of you know, my dear readers. I'm going to be taking a little break from this story for a few weeks.

It's almost Rokushi Week for 2021 and I'm going to be writing some short stories. I will be back though, and roaring to go!

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