Alright everyone, we are back to or regularly scheduled fanfic. I hope you enjoyed the fluffiness of the last one, and expect a little more comedy and action this time. And hey, Shaylex makes a return.
So let's get on with the story.


After the mishap and following relaxing flight in Neverland, the three Wielders made it back to the apartment. Tenebrae was dry, luckily, but his mood wasn't all positive. He was still thinking about the entire day.

'Happy thoughts and friends?' he thought as he headed to Keval's room. 'Been a while since I thought or had either. Oh well, better get cleaned up.'

Tenebrae washed up and put on some lounge clothes. He went to the couch and sat. Ray and Mojie already sat around and waited. It wasn't long before the other three Protectors came back home.

Ray and Rylan had worked together to make dinner. Ray had on a smug look when the food was done. Tenebrae could tell the younger Wielder was going to lord over his skill to the Seeker.

After everyone ate, Tenebrae laid on the couch and tried to sleep. His thoughts shifted to Laci as he drifted to slumber. -

Over the next few days, Tenebrae tried to keep his mind occupied. After the Neverland mission, he went on one with Shaylex. He kept her name secret as he left the apartment. The following day, he decided to train with the Light Protectors, telling the Nobody he would be with other allies. Luckily, she never questioned him.

However, on the few missions he did with Shaylex, he noticed her attention was split. Tenebrae had guessed it had to do with her encounter with Keval. He knew better than to speak about it though. He hoped she would improve, but there was a sense the distraction was getting worse. At least she hasn't gotten herself hurt or flubbed up her mission.

On the seventh day after he moved in with the Protectors, Tenebrae got ready for his day. After gearing up, he opened a portal to Shaylex's World. He learned it was called the World That Never Was.

At the time, it was a weird name. But he guessed it had something to do with the Nobodies. He still couldn't tell what the connection to the name was though.

Tenebrae approached the castle after striking down some Heartless. He leaned against one of the buildings, while he waited for his Partner. As he waited on the Nobody, he let his mind wander.

'So much time I've spent alone,' he thought. 'Before the War, my only friend was Chirithy. And I guess, before I learned my feelings, Laci could be the closest to a friend. I had such distain for Keval back then, but what about now? He and I are much closer now, but does that count? I know the other Protectors don't trust me enough, but it seems like we are warming up to each other. And last is Shayex.' He looked up as he heard a portal open and the blonde Nobody stepped out. 'What can I even call our relationship?'

"Morning Shaylex," he said.

"Good morning," Shaylex had a bigger smile than normal on. "You aren't going to believe it! I'm finally able to go alone. No observation today."

"Oh? So, it's just you and I today?" Tenebrae was relieved, that meant she was earning their trust.

Shaylex nodded. "Yep and our mission is in a World called Halloweentown. It's supposed to be pretty scary."

"We literally fight the embodiment of Darkness," Tenebrae said with a raised eyebrow. "While fighting for our life. There isn't much worse that can scare us."

"True," she said, tapping her chin, "But, hey, they say it's where all of Halloween originates. So, all of the spooky things are because of that World."

"Halloween? Never heard of it."

"Well, let's have a look." Shaylex summoned her Keyblade and opened a portal. "Let's go."

The pair stepped through the portal. When they exited, they were met with an interesting sight. The pair was surrounded by blacks and purples in the landscape. The moon shone brightly against the night sky. They seemed to have been deposited near an entryway. Multiple lamps lined a pair of stone walls that lead to a large ominous gate.

"Well," Tenebrae said, looking ahead. "What is our…"

Tenebrae licked his teeth. His canines were longer, which was why he stopped talking. He went to pull at his teeth and noticed his hand had a bit of fur on it. The fur on his fingers were silver, with black fur on the backs and palms. The fur continued up his arms, being silver again but darker. He still had his jacket on, but it was ripped and sleeveless. His goggles were still on his chest. Looking down, he noticed his chest was covered in black fur and, luckily, he still had on his pants. His feet, though, lacked shoes. Instead they were hairy, but he felt something akin to soles at the base of his feet.

'What the hell?' he thought, as he looked himself over.

"Aww, you look kinda cute Tenebrae," he heard Shaylex say.

He glared at her and was about to shout. His voice died quickly as he looked Shaylex over.

Luckily, she was still wearing her organization coat, but it was open. He wasn't sure what she normally wore, but he was sure it wasn't her current attire. Her outfit consist of formfitting, black skinny jeans and black boots. She had a purple shirt on that had the Nobody symbol on the chest, and a dark purple corset to add the image. Where her ears were supposed to be, there were black bat wings. It looked like her canine teeth had grown as well. Her violet eyes almost shined in the moonlight.

Tenebrae felt his face grow warm. He wasn't sure why he was seeing her differently. He had enough sense to notice something flatten on his head and something stick out from his tailbone.

"What's wrong?" Shaylex smirked. "Puppy got your tongue?"

"What the hell are you wearing!?" he shouted.

The Nobody looked down, taking in her appearance. She looked shocked for a split second before shrugging.

"Hey, if you got it, flaunt it," she giggled.

Tenebrae growled, which sounded deeper than normal. He placed a hand on the wall and used an ice spell. He froze a section of the wall to make a mirror. He examined his features. His face didn't change much, but his hair was longer and more shaggy than normal. Poking out from the mess of silver were two wolf ears. They twitched as he noticed them move based on his emotions. He turned around and saw a silver tail start from his tailbone.

'So, I know a lot of Worlds have special magic,' he thought as he melted the ice. 'Magic to protect the Order of it. But we still have humanoid figures. And Shaylex didn't change much besides those bat ears.'

He watched his partner admire herself. She was messing with the bat ears and giggling. Shaylex was at least enjoying their new forms.

"Well it's your mission," Tenebrae said, getting her attention. "Lead the way."

Shaylex nodded before heading to the gate. Tenebrae was not too far behind her.

On the other side of the gate was a town. Everything had a dark aesthetic that seemed to have been bred from nightmares. Even the fountain had an oddly terrifying fountain spewing green liquid. There was even a guillotine close by. This place was truly terrifying.

'This place could give the Realm of Darkness a run for its Munny. Though the Realm of Darkness had more in the way of gloom,' Tenebrae thought as the pair walked close to the fountain.

Tenebrae noticed a fence blocked off part of the courtyard. He instead decided to look at the water in the fountain.

"We should be careful," Shaylex warned. "Especially if you haven't been to a World before."

"I've spent many years in a place that nearly killed me," Tenebrae said with a smirk. "I'm quite sure I'm prepared for anything here."

Tenebrae looked into the fountain. He saw his own reflection at first. It slowly distorted until it was a skull. And the skull looked to be getting bigger.

The skull splashed out of the fountain, which caused Tenebrae to scream in shock and stumble back. The skull was connected to a tall, lanky… skeleton!? A figure with no skin or features was standing in the fountain. He, or at least it looked male, was dressed in a pinstriped suit. His skeletal face was contorted in a way that was frightening.

"Wha…wha… What the hell are you!?" Tenebrae screamed in shock. This was the last thing he expected.

"Yes! I've still got it!" The skeleton said with a grin. The smile itself was unusual, since the actual skull was moving. "Even newcomers tremble at my majesty."

Shaylex was hysterical. She was laughing and crying as Tenebrae scurried away. The Seeker stood up and glared at his partner. His tail puffed out a bit, causing Shaylex to laugh harder.

"I'll destroy you!" he warned.

"Now, now," the skeleton said. "It's just a simple greeting. Welcome to Halloween Town." The skeleton made a grand gesture, as if to show off the spooky town. "I'm Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King!" Jack gave a bow.

"Yeah, screw that!" Tenebrae said, summoning his Keyblade. "Last thing I need is this."

"Oh! That looks like Sora's peculiar weapon," Jack said with a grin.

Both Wielders were shocked. Tenebrae spared a glance to Shaylex. The Nobody seemed to have a range of emotions on her face. He remembered her saying Sora was on the island she came from. She even mentioned him being in Traverse Town after the island fell.

'What is so special about him?' Tenebrae thought as he looked back to Jack. 'I've heard and seen his name in various places. This Sora.'

"So, you've seen my weapon before?" Tenebrae got everyone's attention. He noticed Shaylex snap out of her stupor. "Then I guess it's easier than having to explain. Are you aware of creatures called Heartless?"

"Yes indeed." The smile Jack had on was concerning. "In fact, before Sora came, I was trying to use them for Halloween. But the experiment failed and the device we used was stolen. But Sora helped to resolve that. Luckily, while they do attack, there aren't as many as before."

"That's good to hear," Shaylex said. She giggled as she continued, "Well my partner here can do just as good, if not better, than this Sora."

'I already showed my hand,' Tenebrae thought, catching on Shaylex's deception. 'She doesn't need to let this Jack know she has knowledge like this. Either that she knows Sora or his Keyblade.'

"Where have the Heartless been gathering the most?" Tenebrae asked. "I would like to see if there is a way to diminish their numbers."

"Well the graveyard seems to be teeming with them." Jack made a face when he said it. "And they also collect around the sight of Oogie Boogie's old Manor. I would say those are the best places to check."

"Will do," Tenebrae said with a nod. "Let's go, Partner."

Tenebrae and Shaylex walked away. They looked back as Jack was waving at the pair. They made a turn around a wall and saw some stone steps lead to a gate.

When they were on the other side, Tenebrae spoke. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"Do you mean your scare when Jack appeared?" Shaylex asked with a smirk.

Tenebrae had toe hold down his rage. "No. More your reaction to Sora's name. I was unaware he wielded a Keyblade. Did you know?"

Shaylex looked to be deciding what to say. Eventually, she nodded. "I knew. I just hadn't expected someone to know him, outside of my old friends."

"I see." Tenebrae turned to the scene in front of him. Sinister lamp post lined a large alley, which had a large coffin at the end. "Well, let's get your mission started."

Shaylex nodded as she walked forward. When the Heartless appeared, the pair took care of them with ease. Even with their new forms, it was easy to fight. The battle was therapeutic for the Seeker.

When the Heartless fell, both Wielders took a breath of relief. Tenebrae looked around the area. There were the multiple lampposts, a floating platform, and the coffin. All the items were spooky in some way.

There didn't seem to be a way to proceed. They were in a dead end. And going back didn't seem like it was going to yield the much either.

"Hm? What's this?" Shaylex walked to the platform. She looked at it closely. "Hey, there seems to be a torch here. And it looks like it was recently lit. Want to try it out?"

"I don't see the harm." Tenebrae walked to the platform and used a fire spell. He put the flame in the torch and the platform started to rise. "Well, what do you know?"

When the platform lowered, the two Wielders jumped onto it. The platform took them high enough for them to jump over the wall. They landed in a completely different area. Many tombstones seemed to surround a large, curled hill. There were a couple of doors off to the side.

"This place just gets weirder," Shaylex said, "And I don't sense many Heartless."

"Well, we should still look," Tenebrae suggested, "If anything, we can find a way to go to the next area."

Shaylex and Tenebrae went on opposite sides of the hill. The Seeker examined most of the tombstones. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with them.

"Hey!" Shaylex called from the hill. "Come look at this."

Tenebrae walked up to the Nobody. She was pointing to something attached to the hill. It looked almost like a cross between a tombstone and a crystal. Something felt odd about it.

"What are the chances it's helpful?" Shaylex asked.

"About the same as if it was dangerous," Tenebrae answered. "Normally, I'd say leave it, but I'm curious what it does."

Shaylex nodded and reached for the object. Before she could touch it, the hill started to unfurl. It made a bridge over the wall in front of it. The device must have been linked to magic since no physical contact was needed.

"And that makes this place spooky," Shaylex said.

"It made a path at least," Tenebrae said. He jumped onto the hill. "Come on, we have another location to investigate."

Shaylex nodded and followed behind. The two Wielders crossed the hill and jumped into the next area. They landed in a wide area where water could be heard. A bridge connected the land to a large gate.

Before the pair had a chance to move, Heartless appeared. Theses seemed a bit stronger, looking like horrific mummies and ghosts. Both Wielders summoned their Keyblades and rushed the Heartless. The mummies were aggressive, giving Tenebrae a good workout. Shaylex focused on the ghosts, who appeared and disappeared at random.

One of the Heartless had jumped towards the bridge. Tenebrae gave chase and was able to strike it down with ease. He smirked and relaxed as he turned to Shaylex.

"Look out!" he heard her shout.

The warning came too late. A small pumpkin bomb appeared in his face. It exploded on impact, causing the Seeker to stumble back into the gate. It didn't stay closed as Tenebrae tripped. It didn't take long before Tenebrae fell over an edge.

He saw three small individuals laughing at him as he fell. They each wore a mask, that they removed to make faces at him. The last thing he saw was them run and Shaylex reaching over the edge. He impacted something and blacked out. -


And... Cliffhanger! Well a planned cliffhanger. And I hope you all are enjoying the change of scenery.
Will Tenebrae survive Halloween Town? I guess we'll find out next time!