AN- Hey, don't fret I havn't forgotten about the fic again heh, Just been editing it over and over,I'm still not real happy withthis chapterbut maybe its just the setting. Got to get them to scurry along to their main location, but hey! a little bit of sidetracking is still good. Still waiting for KH2 in my country. I've been trying to avoid as many spoilers as possible..prooving difficult -sigh- S-E Europe is teh gay.
Chapter V – Trick or Treat?
A small thud onto the ground signalled to Yuffie they had finally landed in Halloween Town. She got up and ran over to the door, eager to get out and check out their new location.
"Come on, come on! Open the door!" Yuffie said to Cid as he walked out from the cockpit.
"Why don't you just open it yourself? Jezz" Cid said shaking his head as he walked off down to one of the rooms, passing Aerith on the way.
"Oh wait Yuffie! I got to put the spell on you first, otherwise …well actually I have no idea what would happen to you if I didn't." Aerith called out to Yuffie, questioning the thought of what 'would' happen without a disguise on.
"Oh yeah the spell! Hahah I forgot about that heh" Yuffie said forgetfully.
"Ok hang on; let me try it out on myself first." Aerith said as she put her bag down and put her arms out in front of her. She muttered some words under her breath and a black smoke appeared out of no where and engulfed Aerith, it soon was sucked away into nothingness.
Aerith stood in front of Yuffie with an extreme pale complexion as if she had been dead for over a month. Her dress was ragged and covered with moss looking like she had drowned. She also had a large gash showing on her belly. Her hair was undone and had bits of sea weed stuck in it.
"Holy shit! Aer…I think you're going to give me nightmares!" Yuffie said freaking out at the new look that Aerith had conjured up.
"Heh sorry …something about this feels…funny" Aerith said perplexed.
"What the hell?" Leon exclaimed as he entered the room which they were in. His expression was priceless; Yuffie had just seen him come in totally unaware and just pause in utter shock. Yuffie burst out laughing as she pointed out his reaction.
"Hahah ah man that reaction was classic! If only I had a camera! Hahah" Yuffie laughed out at Leon.
"Yeah and so was yours, I thought you had soiled yourself." Leon counteracted, smirking slightly as Yuffie made a big huffing face.
"Ok Yuffie it's your turn" Aerith said walking towards her.
"Eeep! I mean…yeah…sorry, I'm still not used to your ah… appearance yet Aer…its freaking me out!" Yuffie said laughing nervously at her response.
"Do I really look that scary?" she asked them both.
"SWEET JEZUZ WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT!" Cid yelled out as he entered the door behind Leon, dropping his cigarette from his mouth.
"Does that answer your question?" Leon said pointing back towards Cid with his thumb.
"Maybe I got the spell wrong?" Aerith said anxiously.
"Nope I think you got it pretty damn good if you ask me" Cid said recovering from his half heart attack, extinguishing his cigarette on the floor.
"Well time to see what Yuffie turns into" Aerith said putting her arms out in front of her facing Yuffie. "Don't move ok Yuf?"
"Sure, sure" Yuffie said sticking her hands on her hips and nodding her head. Before she knew it the black smoke that once covered Aerith soon enveloped her. She closed her eyes as it enclosed around her. She could feel her clothes change; it was a strange and maybe even slightly enjoyable feeling. When she opened her eyes again she looked at everyone's reaction to her new appearance. Aerith was giggling, Leon had his eyebrow raised and Cid just shook his head.
"Well …how is it?" Yuffie asked apprehensively, worried she might look like a complete tool.
"Why don't you go look in the mirror?" Leon suggested nodding his head backwards to the rooms.
"Smart thinking Mr-know-it-all-Squall!" Yuffie said deviously running past them to one of the bathrooms.
Yuffie was wide eyed with excitement at her new image. She couldn't help but giggle insanely at her new manifestation. Yuffie was adorned with black shorts equipped with a chained belt around her waist. Her top was a red boob tube top with punk-like buckles crossing over it. Her gloves covering her fishnets were black and cut to her wrists. Her stockings were now black and white striped down to her shoes which were small buckled black shoes with a pair of small wings on the ankles. To top it off she had a petite pair of red horns on her head, a pair of small demon wings on her back and long whipping devil tail.
"This is so freaking cool!" Yuffie announced out from the bathroom. She ran out to them after checking herself out a few more times in the mirror. "This is the best outfit ever! Can I keep it? Can I! Can I?" Yuffie said twirling around to see what her tail looked like when she spun around.
"Well I'm not sure if the spell works outside this world but…I guess so?" Aerith said uncertain with her statement. Yuffie let out a cheer and did a little dance on the spot.
"I think it suits you…being a pickpocket and all" Leon said looking her up and down.
"Oh yeah well don't tempt me to steal something of yours" She said poking her tongue out at him.
"Oh, is that a threat?" Leon said back.
"You bet it is!" Yuffie said pointing at him accusingly.
"I highly doubt you'd get anywhere near my stuff." He said looking at Aerith as if to signal her to hurry up with the costuming show. Yuffie just laughed to his response thinking up something she could pilfer from him.
"Now 'this' will be interesting!" Yuffie said as she saw Aerith walking over to Leon to cast the spell on him. Yuffie wondered what Leon would turn into, she giggled at some examples in her head. When she had stopped giggling she looked over to see Leon transformed into his new attire. Yuffie just stood mouth gaped at his new look.
Leon was now standing shirtless with a mane of hair neatly draped across his upper chest, shoulders and down to his lower abs. His leather pants were shredded in random places and his gloves were ripped open by claw-like hands. He also had a pair of wolf like fangs protruding from his mouth and his eyes were a nightglow shade of yellow.
Leon looked down at his hands and could only imagine what he looked like. He looked over to the others and saw they were all stunned as they have all been at everyone's new appearance.
"…let me guess…I'm a werewolf?" Leon said to them.
"A really hot one not to mention" Yuffie added grinning devilishly. 'Did I just say that out loud…?' Yuffie thought. "I mean… with all that fur…and stuff…it'd be…hot…?" 'Just keep digging the hole, its ok! I think we've hit the epicentre of the planet now'
Everyone just blinked at Yuffie's muttering, wondering whether the costume was turning her insane.
"Right…well this is awkward heh…" Yuffie said scratching the back of her head. "Talk about a tough crowd. Man my jokes aren't coming out well today." She continued trying to cover her slip up as a joke.
"Right…" Leon said not completely understanding what she was going on about. He thought he would go see what he looked like in the mirror out of pure curiosity. Yuffie guessed where he was going and followed behind him.Yuffie noticed that even though he was covered in a long mane of hair his well toned body was still very well distinguished. She grinned deviously behind him as she followed him along to the bathroom. Leon didn't say much when he got to the mirror; he just stared at his appearance. Yuffie bobbed around beside him, checking him out as well as herself. The costume had given her some sort of ego boost and Yuffie couldn't decide if she liked it or hated it.
"Maybe I should leave you and the mirror alone for awhile" Leon said noticing her glancing.
"Ah shut up! I know your enjoying it" Yuffie said teasingly.
Leon just sighed and brushed it off with his accustomed response; "Whatever".
"Ooo You got fangs too! Neato!" Yuffie said leaning closer to Leon to get a better look. Leon hadn't noticed he had fangs yet till Yuffie had pointed them out. He had thought something wasn't right when his teeth when he talked.
"Hahah that spell sure knows its detail" said Yuffie still looking at his teeth "You even have yellow eyes…" Yuffie drifted off her sentence when she looked into his eyes. Leon just looked straight back at her. For a few moments there was just silence but it was interrupted when Cid called out to them to hurry up.
Yuffie snapped out of her trance and blushed slightly at the thought of them locking eyes. 'My God, I've even become more sensitive to everything I do. Have I been degraded of something?' Yuffie thought to herself at her stupid reaction to something so small. 'Your like some giddy little school girl who hasn't seen a man before I mean jezz get a grip! It's not like he was undressing you with his eyes…wait what'd I just-' Yuffie's thoughts were cut short when she entered back into the room where Aerith and Cid were waiting. Cid now had the spell cast on him this time. Yuffie just cracked up laughing when she saw him. Leon couldn't help but let out a small snigger.
Cid had a giant bolt through his neck and was decked up in tin can styled clothes, appearing like a Frankenstein look-alike. Cid just stood there in frustration with how he appeared. Cussing under his breath he stalked off towards the exit door of the airship.
"Don't worry Cid you'll feel right at home when you go into town" Yuffie said strutting up behind him to pat him on the back.
"Ah shudup! You little weasel" Cid muttered as he pressed the release lock to the door. Yuffie giggled at his obvious response.
"Another world-wide adventure with the Yuffie team!" Yuffie announced proudly with her hands on her hips standing as the door opened up before her.
"Since when were we under your leadership?" Leon said as he walked towards the door.
"Ever since you turned into a shaggy dog" Yuffie said smirking and pointing at him.
"I'm a wolf" Leon corrected.
"Woah! Down boy" Yuffie teased back at him.
"Heheh I wouldn't want to annoy him Yuf, he might bite you" Aerith jested.
"That 'would' be a tragedy now, wouldn't it?" Leon said.
"I think I would lov-ah-loathe it!" Yuffie said, subconsciously hitting her self repetitively on the head. 'Shit, shit, shit! What the hell with me lately! Since when did I just speak my mind about my feelings? This costume is causing me more embarrassment then when I fell down the stairs in front of that huge crowd of people.'
"…right, well I'm going ahead now" Leon said walking past Yuffie on the way.
"Yuf, you ok? You're acting…very…strange…from normal" Aerith said quietly to Yuffie.
"You mean I'm strange other times?" She responded not answering the question.
"Well …you are a bit eccentric at times" Aerith clarified.
"Yeah…well no point worrying about it now! There's a town to pilfer! I mean…investigate…yeah hehehe" Yuffie said laughing nervously as Aerith eyed her irritably.
"Don't think I didn't see your little stash of materia Yuffie" Aerith said sternly. "I thought you kicked that habit"
"I did… but it was materia!" Yuffie said trying to gain some trust in Aerith with her bad habit. Aerith just stuck her hands on her hips and gave her a stern look.
"I don't want to see you do it again ok?" Aerith said conclusively.
"…ok" Yuffie responded quietly, feeling slightly downhearted from Aerith's scorning.
"Well the boys are waiting for us, better get on with leading your team" Aerith suggested trying to lift the spirits again.
"Heheh yeah your right!" Yuffie said recovering fast.
"You can run along ahead, I'll catch up behind." Aerith said knowing Yuffie would want to be in the front of the group with Leon. Yuffie smiled in return and ran off towards Leon and Cid.
"Oh god, it comes" Cid said hearing Yuffie galloping up behind them.
"Hi guys!" Yuffie said pouncing in between them both. They responded with a small grunt.
"You know you don't have to be-"
"Shh!" Leon interrupted her, stopping in his spot. Both Cid and Yuffie stopped as well. "There's…something out th-"
"Boo!" A tall, lanky skeleton appeared out of nowhere and jumped out in front of them. Yuffie screamed and latched herself onto Leon.
"Ahhahaha oh it has been awhile since I have had the pleasure of scaring new company" The skeleton in front of them said joyously.
"Fucking crazy town people" Cid muttered, trying to maintain a steady rhythm in his heart.
"Is it gone yet?" Yuffie said into Leon's chest. Not really realising she had attached herself so close to him.
"No…he isn't going to hurt you Yuffie …" Leon said calmly. "Please…feel free to detach yourself" Leon said, hoping she would do so soon since she was pulling half his mane down making him very unbalanced.
"Oh!" Yuffie stuttered out, instantly letting go off him. "Sorry bout that heh" Yuffie said embarrassed that she was ordered 'off' Leon. 'Since when was I even 'on' him?' Yuffie thought.
"I just love your clothes. Did you just only arrive in town? I would always know if there was new company here, how long do you plan to stay? I hope you will stay for our Halloween, your new looks could be just what I need!" the skeleton said. The group of them just blinked blankly at him. "Oh where are my manners. I am the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington" He bowed kindly to them.
"Oh! I'm the world's greatest ninja, Yuffie. This is Toto, I mean Leon, the tin can over there is Cid and-" Yuffie turned to see where Aerith was. "Where's Aerith?" Yuffie wondered.
"Wasn't she with you?" Leon asked.
"Well yeah, she was right behind me..." Yuffie replied.
"I'm right here." Aerith said causing Yuffie to jump again and turn to see Aerith with another lady. She looked like a rag doll, sewn together in sections.
"Bloody hell! Don't do that!" Yuffie said clutching her heart from the shock of losing Aerith within the first five minutes of their arrival, plus her spontaneous appearance. Not to mention her freaky attire.
"Sorry about that, I met this nice lady on the way here and well I thought it would be rude for me to leave without introducing myself. You know?" Aerith explained. They all just sighed at her response.
"Ah! Sally, there you are! Dr. Finkelstein is looking for you" Jack said. For someone so bony he was always in an upbeat mood.
"Yes, I thought he would be…" Sally said looking slightly troubled.
"Is there something wrong?" Aerith asked.
"No, no I'm fine." She responded smiling slightly at them. "Well I better go see him then."
"Can we come?" Yuffie asked.
"Oh, of course! The doctor is such a great man!" Jack said totally oblivious to Sally's reaction from before.
"This isn't going to be long visit, remember Yuffie" Leon said to her.
"Yeah, yeah" Yuffie said waving it off as they followed Jack and Sally up a large thin stair case.
"Doctor? I have some new friends I would like you to meet! They're absolutely fascinating!" Jack called out once they entered the building.
"Really?" a small man in a wheel chair said appearing behind the door. "Let's have a look then" He made his way closer towards the group. "Interesting, very interesting" he said flipping his head cap open and scratching his brain.
"Eeep" Yuffie squeaked out in reaction to this. "That's just frekin weird" she announced a bit too loudly.
"Aren't they just exquisite?" Jack exclaimed cheerfully. "I just would 'love' them to be in my next Halloween!"
"Oh Jack I don't think they can stay for long" Sally said to Jack.
"Oh? But they only just arrived! Surely they can stay for Halloween!" he replied back.
"When exactly 'is' Halloween?" Leon asked.
"It's at the end of this week! I'm getting everything prepared for the big event!" Jack proclaimed, waving his arms ceremoniously with his words.
"Really! We're staying!" Yuffie announced without second question.
"I knew this would happen" Leon said to himself bringing his hand to his head.
"Awww you getting fleas already Leon?" Yuffie said noticing his reaction to her exclamation of their staying.
"You know we have to be getting to Hollow Bastion, we can't stay for long" Leon explained getting slightly annoyed at the situation.
"I don't think a few days rest will cause any grief." Aerith said sensing an argument approaching. "Besides its Thursday, Halloween is tomorrow, right Jack?"
"Right you are!" he replied.
"Fine. We'll stay but only till Friday! We leave after the event." Leon said before leaving the laboratory .
"What's up his arse" Yuffie said once he left.
"You, for one thing" Cid said gruffly exiting as well.
"Whoa! Is it like guy PMS week or something?" Yuffie said. "I mean what's the rush to get back?" There was a small silence before Aerith answered her question.
"Well if our world has been recovered, there may be more Ansem Reports for us to find. Plus it would be nice to see home again, wouldn't it?" Aerith said to her.
"Oh yeah…home…" Yuffie said trailing off. 'Maybe Leon really wants to see home? Jezz now I've got on his bad foot again. Good one Yuffie! How are you supposed to get the guy to like you if you keep pissing him off? ...But he makes the best reactions! … I'm falling for a 25 year old… man I fall for the wrong guys.'
"This Ansem you speak of, where does he reside?" The doctor spoke up.
"Oh… umm not…around here, in another…country…" Aerith said completely unaware that the doctor was listening to their conversation.
"Hmmm this report I've found has exclusive notes on the heartless" the doctor said taking out some old sheets of paper. Aerith and Yuffie knew straight away that it was one of Ansem's reports. "This wouldn't happen to be one of those reports would it?"
"Yeah! It is!" Yuffie said approaching the doctor and reaching out to take the papers from him.
"Ah uh!" the doctor said pulling back the papers out of her reach. "These documents have very precious information. I won't just hand it out to some outsider!" Yuffie took a step back from him.
"What? Why you crazy frecking son of a-"
"Yuffie, calm down. We'll find other reports. He can have this one." Aerith said interrupting Yuffie. "Come on, let's go find the guys." Taking Yuffie by the arm she gently pulled her towards the door.
"Shall see you tomorrow then friends?" Jack said still completely oblivious again to what just happened.
"Yes, definitely." Yuffie said waving them off as they exited. "Man that frekin scientist is annoying! I swear he's as bad as that freaky scientist from Hollow Bastion!"
"Heh you sure find it easy to put people on your black list" Aerith said in response to her ranting.
"You know me too well" Yuffie said playfully. "I wonder where the boys have gone."
"Who knows?" Aerith responded. They walked out from the gates and headed towards the fountain. As they walked out three heads appeared from behind the wall from the scientist's house.
"Did they say a report?"
"That has information on the heartless?"
"This is something we gotta get!" They said separately, giggling maliciously. All three went back into hiding in the darkness faster then they appeared.
The group of them decided to stay in their gummi ship since the town didn't have any suitable places for them to stay. Cid went to review the airships status, Aerith spent most of her time cleaning the airships bedrooms, Leon read a novel and Yuffie checked out her materia.
"Aerrrr" Yuffie droned out. A faint call of 'yes' was heard from one of the rooms. "When are we going into town for Halloween?"
"In about half an hour, why?" Aerith said emerging into the room Yuffie was situated in.
"Just wondering…" she replied inspecting one of her materia's. "...How many reports have we given to Sora?" Yuffie asked.
"Only a few, he gave me some that he had found since he couldn't read the writing very well. He asked me to translate it for him."
"heheh he can't read it heheh" Yuffie giggled.
"Why do you ask? …you aren't still thinking about that report the scientist has, are you?" Aerith said almost predicting Yuffie's plan.
"What makes you think that?" Yuffie said in an unconvincing tone. Aerith did her accustomed hands on her hips and gruff look to Yuffie.
"I let you get away with getting your materia but stealing from a old scientist is completely off scale." Aerith lectured.
"What made you think I was going to steal it? …it's more like long term borrowing…" Yuffie replied trying to sound innocent. Aerith gave her a long stare before Yuffie gave in. "Fine, fine I won't steal it! Jezz Aer since when did you become the grumpy one, I thought that was Cid's job"
"I'm sorry Yuffie; I just don't want you to get in any more trouble. I mean you were out for three days after the incident at the Coliseum" Aerith said anxiously.
"I know…" said Yuffie, unsure if she should be worried about her black out or not.
"Well, let's go wake up the boys and get ready to head out to town." Aerith said ushering Yuffie out of her room. Aerith said she would go get Cid from the store room, leaving Yuffie to get Leon. She found him on one of the seats in the cockpit with a book on his chest, snoozing peacefully.
'Awww he looks so peaceful…shame I arrived' Yuffie thought grinning. She walked in front of him and stuck her hands on her hips. "Oie! Squall! Rise and shine sleeping beauty." Leon's eyes shot awake and stared straight at Yuffie.
"How many times must I remind you not to-"
"Call me Squall?" Yuffie finished, still grinning at his reaction. Leon stood up from his seat, standing right in front of Yuffie.
"Do you mind moving, I need to get my stuff." Leon said monotonously. When Yuffie didn't obey his instruction he picked her up from the shoulders with ease and shifted her to the side. Leon then walked off towards his room.
'Well that went well' Yuffie thought hitting herself on the head.
"Did you… just hit yourself in the head?" Leon said. Yuffie didn't realise he would actually see her do that.
"Err…I just forgot ah…something I was supposed to do and-I'm-gonna-go-now-bye" Yuffie saidquickly,embarrassed at Leon seeing her smack herself in the head. She sprinted out of the room and ran into Aerith.
"Woah! You ok Yuf?" She said steadying both herself and Yuffie.
"Yeah I just made a dickhead of myself again, its all good." Yuffie replied still embarrassed about what had just happened.
"What happened?" she asked. Yuffie explained to Aerith what had just occurred. As Yuffie expected she started to giggle at her incident.
"Aww Yuf you're so cute when you're all caught in the moment." Aerith said nudging Yuffie. This only made Yuffie redder with embarrassment.
"Would you knock it off! You're making it worse!" Yuffie exclaimed. Trying to stop Aerith's childish nudging.
"Hello Leon" Aerith said causing Yuffie to stop her bickering and spinaround to see where he was. Leon was standing at the door in which Yuffie had just exited.
"We'll head off now" Leon said grabbing his gunblade and swinging it onto his back.
"Why are you bringing that?" Yuffie questioned.
"It's part of the attire" Leon said bluntly.
"In that case I'm bringing my shuriken" Yuffie said in return.
"Whatever" Leon shrugged back.
As soon as they all gathered they set off into town. The music and celebrations had already started and the town was bustling with monstrous-looking people.
"You made it! Excellent, excellent!" Jack said appearing from no where.
"Yeah! Have we missed any?" Yuffie said since no one else was speaking up.
"No, of course not. It's only just begun!" Jack said excitably. They followed Jack to the centre of the town where there was a large green water feature. Creatures would point out their outfits and pass appreciative comments to them, as the celebration went on Yuffie eyed out the scientist's lab. 'I have to get that report, even if Aerith said I shouldn't, that report is more important to us then it is to that freaky scientist.' Since the area was crowded Yuffie found it easy to sneak off towards the lab. She slipped in through one of the side windows and crept along the walls of the room.
'Where would that crazy frekin scientist keep this thing…hmmm' Yuffie thought when she was scanning the room. 'Ah! Maybe this is it?' she walked over to a slanted table with a light attached to the top. 'This has to be it.' Yuffie picked up the sheet of paper and held it closer to her eyes to check.
"I think we'll be taking that now" a voice from a child spoke up from behind her. Before Yuffie could grab her shuriken a huge bag was thrown over her head and enclosed inaroundher. Yuffie thrashed about in the bag but all she could hear were children maliciously laughing at her feeble attempt to escape.
"Let me out you little shits! I'm seriously going to kick your fucking arses" Yuffie yelled out.
"Yeah, sure you will" a boy said before Yuffie could reply she was hit in the head by a large object and knocked unconscious.
AN- Yeh I hate those 3 stooges... they will get their reckoning in the next chapter mwahaha. Well things will get a bit more on the main track again next chapter. Just got to have a bit of a rescue scene ;-) I've made it Halloween so soon because Yuffie's birthday is in November and well just trying to get Yuf a little bit older so it feels ...right... Well thanks for reading, reviews/comments are much appreciated. I'll get working on the next chapter now :-)
