Backies: Well, here's the next chapter, finally. We also have a new reader, Indigo Bloodshed! She complains of a lack of romance in my story, which I admit is true. However, I have my reasons. All the main pairing are broken up. Sora and Kairi are at opposite ends of the universe, as are Orchid and Eriks. Jenine stays in Adonis, so she can't be with Arc. Cloud is still looking for Aeris. And if I had any intention of Squffie, that wouldn't work either since Yuffie and Leon are at opposite ends of the world. As for Eriks, he has not totally forgotten about Orchid. His end goal is, after all, to get her and Arcadia back. He's under the impression that by aiding the Master, he'll do this. However, yes, she's becoming less and less the forefront of his mind. He's sort of falling into the routine.
Lastly: Clockworks. Here it is, the naming stuff. Monoa is from Mono, indicating one in English. Duo from two, as in the deadly duo. And Tresian from tres, Spanish for three. Shisan from shi, Japanese for four, and for death, hence the scythe. Fivare is from five. Kuroku is from Kuro and Roku, japanese for black and six respectively. Also, Kuroku could be interpretted as the katakana mangling of clock in Japanese. Sieten is from Siete, Spanish for seven. Hachimi is from Hachi, Japanese for eight. Kyu is from Japanese also, from which nine is Ku or Kyu. December is ten, from Dece, which is Latin. Notably, before Augustus and Julius Caesar created the months July and August, September, October, November, and December were the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months of the calendar. Septe, Oct, Nove, and Dece. Lastly, Elf and Zwolf are German for 11 and 12.
Anyways, R&R peoples!
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Through dark gates and darker shadows they passed, these travellers three, into the town of Halloween.
"Jeez, this place sure is creepy," cringed Orchid, looking around at the crooked black buildings and flickering yellow lights. "And yet..."
Arc looked about also as they walked down the streets, hardly meeting anyone, and going more or less unnoticed by who they did. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It doesn't feel right. Not spooky or haunted. More like..."
They turned a bend and were confronted by creatures and people the likes of which they had never seen before, all singing and whooping and laughing, maniacally, hauntingly, happily.
"...a carnival, kupo" finished Montblanc.
"Great Halloween, everyone! I believe it was our most horrible yet!"
They looked around until they spotted the speaker.
He was unbelievably tall and impossibly thin. To say he was skeletal would be both descriptive and accurate in every way. In a pitch-black suit with a bat-wing tie, he was frighteningly attired, yet somehow warm and friendly. The trio stared, not sure how to react as freakish and strange beings celebrated and congradulated one another. Most of them were trying to get a word in with the bone-white skeleton man that had talked first when the three had walked up.
"Thank you," he was saying uneasily, as he backed away from the pressing crowd. "Thank you all....very much!"
Orchid and the other two ducked around the corner as the skeleton continued to back towards them.
"Now hold on a second, everybody!" shouted a voice, distorted and tinny sounding, "We haven't given out the awards yet!"
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, the skeleton man took leave of his eager fans and ducked into the alley behind him and around the corner.
Only to run smack into Orchid, Arc, and Montblanc, who had just decided then might be a good time to get a move on things.
"Woah!" said Arc, backing away.
"Oh my god!" shouted Orchid in surprise as she fell backwards, being the person the skeleton had run into.
"Who are you?" asked the man, looking about in bewilderment at them. "Are you new in Halloweentown?"
"I, uh, guess you can say that," said Orchid, remembering that with their costumes, they'd look like they belonged here. "I'm Orchid, this is Arc, and the little one's Montblanc."
"Kupopo...and who are you?" asked the moogle.
"I am Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Haloween!" the skeleton man said proudly with a flourish of one bony hand. "As such, I whole heartedly welcome you to Halloweentown. We've been getting a lot of new people coming by lately."
"Really?" asked Arc suspiciously. "Like who?"
"Well, there's you three, Daemon, and the Heartless are back too!"
"Whaaat?" asked Orchid. "Are they attacking everyone?"
"Attacking?" said Jack in surprise. "No, no, no, you've got it all wrong! Maybe they were a little weird a few years ago, and I couldn't even get them to dance with us, but this year, they've helped us to have the most horrible Halloween yet!"
From the way he grinned, the trio quickly gathered that this strange man took "horrible" to be a good thing.
"Kupo!" squeaked Montblanc. "Do you remember Sora? He told us about here and how he met you, kupo!"
"Hmm? You mean you know Sora? It's been quite a while since he was here. He and his friends shook up quite a scare here!" grinned Jack. "How do you know him?"
"You know how he had the Keyblade?" asked Orchid. Jack nodded. "I'm the Keyblade master now."
"Well, that's new!" exclaimed Jack. "And what's Sora up to then?"
"Um, not much, really," sighed Orchid. "There was something about how he'd get all his powers back when the time was right, but that hasn't happened yet."
"Oh, well," said Jack. "So what are you doing here?"
"Well, we're going to all the worlds we can, kupo, since the Heartless are attacking," said Montblanc.
"But now there are also the Shadowless," said Arc sourly.
"Yeah...this is getting more and more complicated," sighed Orchid.
"Well, you don't have to worry about us, then!" grinned Skellington. "The Heartless have been a tremendous help to this year's Halloween!"
"That's what makes me suspicious..." murmured Arc.
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"Quickly, my minions. The longer you take to find this world's heart, the longer you have to play nice with these foolish beings... the longer before you can feast."
-
"The door is open!"
"Dr. Finklestein?"
"Jack Skellington! And who is that with you?"
"These," started Jack as they entered the laboratory tower, "are friends of Sora. The cat, Orchid, the pirate, Arc, and the vampire, Montblanc."
"Oh, the keyblade boy!" came the raspy voice from above as they headed up the ramp. "These are his friend's, eh?"
The speaker turned out to be a small old man with little black spectacle and a large head sitting in wheelchair. He wore a white lab coat and black gloves and boots; his skin was deathly pale. Orchid thought his head looked like the top was metal with bolts, painted white.
"Come in, come in!" he said, turning his motorized wheelchair and going into a door. They followed him into a laboratory, filled with all sorts of strange and curious devices. "I was just doing a study of the Heartless."
On one of the tables, strapped down, was a strange, ghost-like creature, with monocle, gloves, and coat. It was, however, unmistakably a Heartless.
"Kupopo...why are you doing that?" asked Montblanc.
"Well, comparing the data with the last time they were here, I find that they have been acting very peculiarly," said the doctor. "Despite being inept, ignorant, and rather slow, they seem to be willing to help us in whatever this year. I find it very strange."
"Strange?" asked Jack. "Why, they just want to help will all the celebrations and scare just like the rest of us!"
"But Jack..." said Orchid uneasily, taken back by his enthusiastic naivity, "that's not like the Heartless at all."
"Yes," agreed Dr. Finklestein. "I can't figure out what's making them act this way. It doesn't appear that anyone has made a heart to control them with..."
"Huh? Whaddaya mean?" interrupted Arc.
"Remember Sora's story?" asked Montblanc. "The people here tried to make a heart to control the Heartless with so they could get them to help."
"Yes," confirmed the doctor. "And it failed miserably."
"Well, do you have any idea what might be making them act this way?" questioned Orchid.
"Hmm...I have a suspicion, but..." He shook his head. "No, it couldn't be."
"Be what?" she asked.
"Well," started the doctor, "Daemon appeared only a little while before the Heartless did."
"You aren't suggesting that Daemon is behind them, are you, Doctor?" asked Jack increduously.
"Well...not as such. He does seem to try to avoid them as much as possible," admitted Dr. Finklestein. "In fact, he barely even acknowledges their existance."
"Oh," said Orchid. "I guess that'd hardly make him have to do anything with them."
"Anyways," continued the doctor, "seeing that you're here, and Sora is not, I assume that means one of you carries the keyblade now?"
"Uh, yeah," she said. "I do."
"Ah. And may I see it?"
"Sure." Orchid held out her hand, and the keyblade materialized. It was still set as the Clockwork Grape, since that gave her more powers than Nearbloom, and none of the other forms were accessible. She laid it out on a desk near the doctor.
"Ah, I see that it's changed since I last saw it," he muttered. "Yes, very interesting."
"Merlin said it was because it is the Keyblade of World, Life now, instead of the the Keyblade of World, Heart, kupo," explained Montblanc.
"May I see any other Keychains you have?" asked Dr. Finklestein. "I believe that's what gave the Keyblade its different forms."
"Oh, here," said Orchid, searching her pockets. She soon came up with the Poison Ivy keychain, the only other one she had.
"Hmm...I see," murmered the doctor as he inspected the little metal cage. As before, it was still filled with a darkness that the dim laboratory lights could not pierce. "This one suits my work much more than the other one."
"What do you mean by that, kupo?" asked Montblanc.
"With this one, I think I can devise some modifications that should significantly enhance it," he stated.
"Really?" asked Orchid excitedly.
"Yes," he answered. "Its construction should be exceedingly simple."
Orchid started to celebrate.
"Once I have the necassary parts," he added, before she got too happy.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Arc suspiciously.
"Well, I shall need the bloom of the Deadly Nightshade," explained the doctor. "Luckily, since it's just before the full moon, it should be blooming now."
"And where can we find that?" asked Orchid.
"You'll need to talk with Sally about it," he said. "She should be in her cell, but most likely she isn't. You'll have to find her."
"I'll help you out there," smiled Jack. "Leave it to us, Doctor!"
-
"Well, Skellington, how are you doing this most terrible of evenings?"
Jack and the following trio turned to the one hailing them. He was tall and thin, though no nearly as much as the Pumpkin King. He wore a black suit with four coattails, giving it an odd, archaic look, and tight black slacks. His heeled black shoes clicked as he walked up towards them, his long, silky black hair trailing behind him. His face was covered by a strange mask. The left half was a red mask potraying a fearsome demon, with horns and blazing eyes, while the right half was a simplistic white mask, only marked by an upwards curve for the eye, and half a downwards curve impressionistically suggesting a smiling half a mouth.
"Ah, Daemon, how good to see you!" said Jack enthusiastically. "I'm doing just great! These are my new friends, Orchid, Arc and Montblanc."
Daemon pivoted on one heel and faced the trio, staring straight at Orchid. Even though he was masked, Orchid could feel the man's piercing gaze and a chill ran up her spine.
"Ah. So nice to finally meet you," he said emotionlessly. He turned back to Jack. "Nice talking to you, Skellington, but I must be off now."
"Of course, of course!" smiled Jack as he left. He turned back to Orchid. "Come on, this way now!"
"That guy gave me the creeps," Orchid murmured quietly to Arc as they followed Jack.
"Well, everything's creepy here," shrugged Arc.
"No, I mean, really gave me the creeps. These guys are scary, but in a sort of child-like way. But that guy was deep-down all-the-way-to-the-bone scary."
"Here we are!" said Jack loudly, cutting off any further conversation. "We'll just get Zero to help us find Sally."
"Who?" the trio asked. They were standing in a twisted, hilly graveyard, none of them with high hopes about who they might encounter in such a gloomy place.
"Here, Zero! Come on, boy," called Jack, clapping his hands. There was a stirring from one of the graves, and suddenly a translucent, sheet-white ghost popped out. It looked like a dog head with a fluttering curtain for a body and a tiny jack-o-lantern for a nose. "There you are, Zero!"
The ghost dog barked happily and fluttered around them like any enthusiastic puppy would.
"Okay, Zero, I need you to help us find Sally, okay?" said Jack. Zero nodded and barked in response. "Okay, boy! Lead us to her!"
The dog looked about and snuffled curiously at the wind, the his nose lit up happily and he took off. Jack ran easily after him, seeming to have no problems with the gloom and shadows and keeping pace without difficulty thanks to his inhumanly long legs. Orchid and Montblanc, and even Arc, however, were hardpressed to keep the ghostly dog and skeleton owner in sight as they ran through the gates and into the town. They were panting and out of breath when they finally caught up with Jack, who was talking with a woman that appeared to be something of a ragdoll. Her clothes were stitched from different materials, which wasn't too strange, but her body seemed to be sown together that way too.
"Ah, and here they are!" said Jack cheerfully. "Orchid, Arc, Montblanc, I'd like you to meet Sally."
"Oh," said the woman. "Well, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, kupo," said Montblanc.
"Hey," grinned Orchid. Arc nodded.
"Sally, what we need now is the bloom of the Deadly Nightshade," said Jack. "Do you think you could get that for us?"
"Oh...of course, Jack," Sally said, turning away from him a little. Orchid swore she could almost see her blushing. Jack seemed oblivious to this. "I'll bring it to you as soon as I can."
"Wonderful! Now, where can we meet you?"
"I, I'll be by the graveyard gates in half an hour," she said. "Is that alright?"
"That would be just fine. I knew we could count on you!" grinned Jack. He turned and started off again. "Okay, Orchid, Arc, Montblanc, I'll show you around the town now!"
As the other three left, Orchid turned and looked at Sally. When she caught her eye, she winked and pointed back at Jack, then gave her the thumbs up. Sally blushed a little and turned away before heading off to do her task. Orchid smiled. The people here just looked different. Otherwise, they were no different than any others she'd met.
-
"Now, where's Witch Hazel and Deadly Nightshade?" Sally mumbled to herself as she looked through the graveyard. She weaved her way through the maze of masoleums and headstones, until she came to two low wooden gravemarkers. On the graves grew thick, black stems with glossy leaves. On them sprouted beautifully delicate deep purple blooms, almost black in hue. Their large soft petals shown ever so slightly in the bright moonlight. She sighed as she picked a few of them. "I wonder what he could be needing these for."
She turned suddenly as she heard a voice speaking.
Not seeing anyone close by, she walked slowly in her ungainly gait towards the source and hid behind a gravestone, peeping out through a hole at the speaker.
"Time is of the essence now, my minions," said Daemon. His audience was made of shifting shadows with bright yellow eyes, hungering gargoyles with jagged teeth, and floating search ghosts, Heartless, every one of them. "The Keyblade Master has come. We have to find the enterance to the world's heart before she seals it off, or we shall never devour it."
The mass of monsters stirred with disquiet and uneasyness.
"Yes. That is why we have to act quickly. You wish to sate your hunger, but she would deny you. So act quickly. Our cooperation with the natives has bought us time, but nothing indefinate."
"I have to tell Jack!" said Sally quietly as she slumped down behind the gravestone. "I can't let this happen."
"What was that?" came Daemon's cold, emotionless voice. Sally froze, fear paralyzing every part of her ragdoll body. "You, go find out."
Sally looked about quickly for some sort of escape, but couldn't find one. She was just about to make a run for it when a dark shadow loomed from above, and before she knew it, she was being pulled out into plain veiw by a Heartless gargoyle, the Nightshade blooms scattering on the ground.
"Let go of me!" she cried. The Heartless obeyed, and dropped her roughly just in front of Daemon.
"Ah, the little ragdoll," he said coldly. "Thinking of running to Skellington and telling him of my agenda?"
Sally just sat there, afraid and unsure of what to do.
"Well, we couldn't have that, now could we?" said Daemon. "So only one thing is going to happen now."
She cringed and shrunk back as he walked up to her, looming over her.
"You're not going to run. You're not going to tell Skellington. You're not going to alert the Flower of Arcadia to our plans. Instead, you're going to disappear."
There was a fluttering of wings, and then all went black.
