To anyone who's been waiting for an update: Sorry this took so long. I've been getting blocked on this world so many times that it's not even funny. Hopefully you'll enjoy this despite the delays.

Also, this one was turning out a little long, so I decided to break it in half. Part II should be coming up soon.

Paris

Kairi, Roxas, and Pax took in their surroundings with wide eyes. Laughter was in the air, dancers on stilts paraded through the streets, and strange costumes were everywhere, their bright colors almost blinding. They'd arrived in this world during a local holiday called the Feast of Fools, which amounted to the city becoming one big circus act.

Pax tugged on Kairi's arm, drawing her attention. "Can we look around for a while? Please?"

Kairi considered the question. "You can't feel Sora in this crowd, right?"

The boy shook his head. "Not unless we get close."

"Then we'll have to go looking anyway." She smiled. "Might as well enjoy ourselves."

Pax smiled and ran off toward a puppet show he'd noticed earlier. In his haste, he collided with a hunched figure with a dark blue cloak pulled over his face. The man gave an "Oof!" of surprise, and they both toppled.

Kairi ran to help the stranger up while Roxas did the same for Pax. "Are you alrigh-" She gasped. The hood had fallen back during the stranger's fall, revealing a grotesque face beneath; the features were uneven and lumpy, with a squashed nose and overgrown brows. "Um," the princess said, "great mask."

The big man blinked in confusion. "Mask? Oh! Right. Thank you." He accepted the hand, but was so heavy that he ended up doing most of the work anyway.

"Sorry about that," Roxas said, "Pax gets a little carried away." He studied the stranger a little more closely. "That costume is pretty good. Really lifelike."

"Thanks," The stranger repeated, looking a little bewildered. He readjusted his hood, glancing around to see if anyone else had seen him before studying the trio more closely. "Yours are good, too. Are you performers?"

"No, just travelers." Kairi was impressed; most people tended to ignore off world clothing.

The stranger smiled. "I thought so. You don't look familiar, and I've seen almost everyone in this city."

"You must know the city pretty well, then."

The man wrung his hands nervously. "Oh, no, not really. I-"

"Come one! Come all! Hear the tale of Quasimodo, the Bellringer of Notre Dame!"

"Looks like the show's starting," Kairi remarked. "Want to watch it with us?"

The man gulped. "Oh… no, thank you. I should really be going." He hurried away from them, sticking to the edges of the crowd and pulling the hood further over his face.

Roxas stared after him for a moment. "Nice guy," he said. "Weird taste in masks, though."

"Yeah," Kairi agreed. She followed Pax closer to the stage with a puzzled frown on her face. Something about the puppet show had definitely startled the man. If it wasn't for that costume, she'd say his face had paled.

After a while, the trio followed the crowd as people made their way to the main event. A brief gap in the sea of humanity gave Kairi a glimpse of a wooden stage, behind which stood the massive bell towers of Notre Dame.

"Roxas!"

The Nobody's head whipped around in surprise, and Kairi followed his gaze curiously. Standing behind one of the stalls that lined the street was a small pink creature, with a bulbous nose, permanently squinted eyes, and a red pompom bobbing above its head on a small antenna. The creature itself didn't surprise the princess. She knew that Moogles kept shops on many worlds, including the Destiny Islands. What surprised her was the fact that it was wearing an Organization cloak.

"I knew it! I never forget a valued customer, kupo!"

"You know him?" Kairi asked.

Roxas shrugged. "Not really. There were some Moogles who worked pretty closely with the Organization, but I didn't get to know them all that well."

"Oh. That explains the cloak."

The Moogle nodded vigorously, causing its pompom to bob violently. "Looks great on me, doesn't it, kupo? I kept it as a reminder. Those years helping the Organization were some of the best of my career, kupo!"

Kairi frowned. "But the organization hurt so many people. You were okay with that?"

The Moogle dismissed the criticism with a wave of its stubby arm. "Business is business, kupo. Besides, I was too wrapped up in my work to care. Those nobodies were placing some really interesting synthesis orders. Speaking of which," he turned to Roxas and gestured toward the back of the shop. "I have a few things left over that you might be interested in, kupo."

The crowd cheered, and Kairi turned to look at the stage. There was a small explosion and a thick cloud of colorful smoke. Out of this stepped a beautiful woman in a long orange dress, whose skirts swirled around her like tongues of flame as she danced.

Roxas watched with the others as the dancer, much to the crowd's amusement, teased a grim-looking man seated at the opposite side of the stage. Then he tapped Kairi's shoulder to get her attention. "You and Pax go ahead and watch. I think I'll check this out."

The princess nodded and left, with Pax close behind. Together they worked their way through the spectators, and managed to reach the foot of the stage just in time for a big announcement. "And now, folks, here it is! The moment you've been waiting for. It's time to crown the king of fools!"

The audience gave a roar of approval as last year's king was brought onstage with the dancer and the colorfully dressed master of ceremonies, who Kairi recognized as the man who ran the puppet show. They were followed by a line of masked contestants which included, to his apparent surprise, the stranger Pax had run into earlier; the dancing woman had pulled him out of the crowd.

"Now you all know the rules," the puppet master said as he plucked the crown from the previous king's head and booted him off the stage into a convenient mud puddle. He paused a moment to let the crowd's laughter die down before continuing, "It's simple: once your mask is removed, make the most frightening face you can manage. The worst face is crowned the best! Is everyone ready?" The crowd gave a cheer in response. "Then let the contest begin!"

The dancer moved down the line removing masks as, one by one, the contestants made their faces. Each one was met with boos, jeers, and flying vegetables until the dancer came to the last one in line; the stranger. Kairi and Pax leaned forward, curious to see the face behind the mask. But the dancer drew back with a start; there was no mask to take.

There was a collective gasp. Then silence. And finally the whispers began. It was all in hushed tones, but Kairi managed to catch a few words here and there. "Monster," was the kindest of them.

Thankfully, the puppet master was quick to take control. "Ladies and gentlemen, don't be alarmed. We asked for the most frightening face in Paris, and here he is: Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame!" There was a roar of approval, and Kairi sighed in relief. Good thing he knows how to work a crowd. Quasimodo, for his part, looked overjoyed. He was crowned, loaded into a chair which was held up by four of the performers, and paraded through the cheering crowd among fistfuls of drifting confetti.

"I feel kind of bad for thinking his face was a mask," Kairi remarked.

"Don't worry. He wanted you to think that way. It made him less nervous."

The princess stared at Pax in surprise. "You knew?"

The boy shrugged. "He was blushing. Masks don't do that."

"Um… right." Kairi wondered what to say to that, but was spared the trouble of deciding when things started to go wrong.

Quasimodo had been returned to the stage, and was happily waving to the crowd when a tomato smashed against his face. The crowd fell silent as the hunchback wiped off the mess, staring at his red-stained hand in disbelief. Then another vegetable bounced off his shoulder, and a third off his back. Soon the crowd was pelting the poor man with a wave of flying produce. Quasimodo flung his arms up to keep his face clear and shot a pleading look to the grim man the dancer had toyed with. "Master!" But the man simply watched with a look of anger and, Kairi was almost sure, a certain cruel satisfaction in his expression.

It was more than the princess could take. She began to work her way towards the stage, nodding for Pax to follow. They had made it to the foot of the stage when someone yelled "Stop!", and a hush fell over the crowd.

The dancer was making her way across the stage toward Quasimodo. She knelt beside him, produced a handkerchief, and began to wipe away the tomato stains on his face, whispering what sounded like an apology.

The grim man glared at her. "You there," he said, "step away from that creature."

"Of course, sir," the woman replied, "just as soon as this crowd comes to its senses."

"You are an entertainer, are you not? You should allow the people their fun."

The dancer's eyes hardened. "I won't stand by while this poor man is treated so unjustly."

"You presume to speak to me of justice?"

"Someone has to! You mistreat him the same way you mistreat my people. Why should I let you pretend otherwise?"

The man's glare doubled in intensity. "Guards! Arrest this woman."

Uh oh, Kairi thought. She glanced around the edge of the stage, watching as armored figures gathered up their spears and closed in on the woman. "Should we stop them?" Pax whispered. The princess hesitated. Fighting off the guards would definitely be meddling, but she couldn't just stand by. She nodded, reaching out to summon her Keyblade-

And stared in surprise as some very different armored figures appeared. The dark circles of warp holes speckled the crowd as Soldier, Lance Soldier, and Armored Knight Heartless popped out of nowhere and began to converge on the stage. Someone screamed, and the crowd flooded out of the square. Surprisingly, the guards went with them.

"Every cloud has a silver lining," Kairi said wryly as Flowering Strength appeared in her hand.

Pax's hands shifted into his maces as he readied himself for battle. "Let's make this quick. Roxas isn't around to help."

The boy had a point, Kairi decided. It would probably be a good idea for her to transform and sketch up some help. She closed her eyes and reached out as she had during the battle with the Smoke Phantom, but the warm heart of Cherry Tree Lane didn't rise to meet her. Instead, she found something that reminded her of the feast's excitement and laughter.

As she withdrew with a portion of that presence, her clothes created a familiar dome of solidified light. When it broke, she found herself wearing her usual dress, but now in a two-tone color scheme; yellow on the right, violet on the left. A jester's hat in similar colors perched on her head, and her sneakers had become loose violet boots with curling toes. She had also gained a leather belt which held an assortment of juggling tools formed from separated pieced of her Keyblade: small knives formed from the shaft and tines, rings made from the hilt, and balls marked with the Paopu fruit keychain.

"Crown Fool," she said in surprise, voicing the name as it came to her. "That's not what I had in mind!"

Pax shouted a warning as an Armored Knight lunged at Kairi from behind. The princess caught the movement from the corner of her eye, back flipped to land on the creature's shoulders, pushed off, grabbed a knife from her belt, and threw it with an expert flick of her wrist. The weapon flew straight into a chink in its armor, and the Heartless dissolved before the princess touched the ground.

Kairi blinked. "Then again, this could work."

As he fled the scene of the battle (a public official could hardly be expected to deal with this sort of thing), Judge Frollo reflected on just how wrong the day had gone. The trouble had definitely started with the feast. Frollo hated peasant festivals. All that noise and foolishness never failed to give him a vicious headache. Then he'd found that his charge had disobeyed him, and his punishment had been interrupted by that beautiful, raven-haired woman…

She. Is. A. Gypsy! He reminded himself. Gypsies were thieves and sinners. They were not beautiful. But even with that in mind, it took him the entire ride to the palace of justice just to get his mind away from her.

And then, of course, there were those… things. While they had, thankfully, brought an end to the festival, they were clearly not natural. Where had they come from?

The answer was seated comfortably in Frollo's chambers, paging through one of his books. He closed it slowly as the judge stepped in. "I hope you don't mind. I've always liked books, and you have some interesting reads."

"What are you doing here?" Frollo demanded, eyeing the intruder's strange white coat and silver-blue hair with disdain.

"No need to be unfriendly. I only wanted to know whether my help was appreciated."

The judge raised an eyebrow. "Your help?"

"With the arrest," the stranger clarified.

"Really? And what arrest was-" Frollo's eyes widened, and he stared at the stranger in disbelief. "It was you who summoned those creatures?"

The stranger smiled and got to his feet. "I thought my friends could be of some help." He paused a moment before continuing. "As I understand it, you're having some trouble with these 'gypsies'. You've been searching for their haven, a place called the Court of Miracles?" He went on, encouraged by the judge's silence. "That scene earlier was my trial offer. From now on, my cooperation comes with a small price. Nothing for nothing, you understand. But if we can come to an understanding, my friends will find those gypsies for you."

There was a full minute of heavy silence. Frollo was the first to break it. "A tempting offer, but you seem to forget that by making it, you admit to summoning those creatures." He reached into his robes and produced a long sword. "Therefore, you are guilty of the sin of witchcraft."

The intruder sighed. "Oh, well. And here I thought we could help each other." He held up his hand, and a slip of paper materialized between his fingers. "If you change your mind, just call this name. I'll be waiting." A dark portal materialized behind the stranger, and disappeared as he stepped into it. The paper fluttered to the floor behind him.

Frollo picked it up, read the name at a glance, and tossed it into the fireplace. He had no intention of asking the stranger's help, but knowing the witch's name could only aid in his capture. The judge considered it his personal mission to keep his city free of the dark forces, which clearly included the intruder and his "friends".

There was a knock at the door, followed by one of the guards. "Sir, the creatures outside the cathedral are gone."

"And the gypsy? Have you arrested her?"

"Apparently she fled to the cathedral."

Frollo fought to control his expression. He had no doubt that she would have claimed sanctuary, and as powerful as he was he had to respect the church. But that captivating… that gypsy could not be allowed to escape him. "Very well, then. Post guards around the church. Block all the exits. She can only claim sanctuary so long as she remains in the church." He sheathed his sword with a grim smile. Gypsies don't do well inside stone walls. As soon as she leaves, she'll be mine.

Kairi's throwing knife pierced the last Lance Soldier, and she leaned against the stage while she caught her breath. When she looked up, Roxas had rejoined them. "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing much," Kairi panted, "Just a few dozen Heartless. I think it's safe to say the festival is over."

"You still seem dressed for it. New form?"

"You should have seen her," Pax chipped in. "She was all over the place. I barely had to do anything."

The princess blushed as her clothes reverted to their normal state. She'd decided to make the best of her accidental transformation by exploring Crown Fool's powers, and found it had a lot to explore. Her experimenting had mown down the Heartless, and she was still coming up with new ideas. "Anyway, lets see if Quasimodo and-" she looked behind her to see an empty stage. "Where'd they go?"

"After all that?" Pax asked. "They probably went home."

Kairi's gaze traveled up to the cathedral. "Then I guess we know where to look."

"You know, I was expecting more dust up here," Kairi remarked. The insides of the bell tower fitted her expectations for the most part; mostly wooden framework, with the impossibly huge bells looming overhead. But very little dust, if any.

"I guess someone's had a lot of time to clean," Roxas replied.

"Hello?"

Kairi jumped and turned around slowly, but it was only the dancer. She had changed clothes at some point, and was now accompanied by a goat, but still recognizable. "I know you, don't I? Two of you were fighting off those creatures outside." She frowned. "Did you change clothes since then?"

"Something like that. My name's Kairi. This is Pax, and he's Roxas."

"Esmeralda," the woman replied. "Nice to meet you. By the way, have you seen Quasimodo anywhere? I followed him, but he lost me on the stairs. I'm beginning to wonder if he doubled back somehow."

Kairi shook her head. "We're looking for him, too."

There was a delighted exclamation from the other side of the room. During the conversation, Pax had wandered over to a table near the tower's balconies and discovered something that quickly drew the rest of the visitors.

"It looks like the city," Roxas said. "Just… smaller."

"Whoever did this has a real eye for detail," Kairi added. The buildings were almost perfect replicas, and the model's streets were crowded with small wooden citizens.

Esmeralda picked up one of the figures for a closer look. "I know these people," she said. "Here's the shepherd… and this looks like the baker." She noticed a few more of the figures under a rag at one end of the table. "I wonder who this is."

A large hand fell over the cloth before she could lift it. "Please… those aren't finished yet."

Most of the visitors jumped, but Pax took the bell ringer's sudden appearance in stride. "Did you make all this?"

"Most of it," the hunchback admitted. "There isn't much to do up here once the chores are done."

"It must get lonely up here," Kairi said, still recovering from the surprise.

"Oh, it's not just me up here. There's the birds, the bells, and of course the gargoyles," the bell ringer's face lit up. "Would you like to meet them?"

"Who, the gargoyles?" Roxas asked. Pax eyed the three stone figures at the other side of the room, which seemed to have been sculpted mid-argument.

Quasimodo's expression grew panicked. "N-No! I meant the bells. Everyone knows that stone can't talk."

Esmeralda gave him a reassuring smile. "I'd love to see them. Come on, Djali."

She followed Quasimodo into the rafters, followed by her busily crunching goat (Roxas noted that the model shepherd's flock seemed a bit smaller). The rest of the group stayed near the model. "He seems fine to me," Roxas said.

Kairi nodded. "I'm glad. He's been through a lot today." She paced over to the balcony and looked down on the city. "Wow," she said, "This is incredible!" The others rushed to join her, marveling at the view.

A glimmer caught Roxas' eye in the square below. "Those guys look like soldiers. I wonder what's going on."

Kairi followed his gaze. Sure enough, a group of armored men was forming in the square below. "Those look like the guys who were trying to arrest Esmeralda," she said. "We should probably check that out."

Roxas nodded. "I'm in." Kairi headed for the stairs. Roxas took a few steps in the same direction before he realized that no one was following. "Coming, Pax?"

Pax shook his head. "I think I'll stay here for a while. There's something I'd like to check."

Roxas shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said, and followed Kairi down the stairs.

Pax waited until he couldn't hear their footsteps anymore, and then paced back to the trio of gargoyles, which he studied intently. One of them was small and portly, with a snout like a pig. Another looked mostly human, with an intelligent face and large, feathered wings. The third was hunched, female, and elderly-looking. But their appearances weren't what caught Pax's interest, so much as the hearts he'd sensed within them.

"I know you can hear me," Pax said. "The others are gone. You can wake up now."

It didn't take long for Kairi and Roxas to figure out what was going on. The guards had assembled in the square and been given their orders - during which Roxas had distinctly heard mention of "the gypsy"- and were then dispatched to take up there positions. They were being posted around every visible exit to the church.

"They're still after Esmeralda," Kairi whispered, "but why haven't they gone in after her?"

"Maybe they can't while she's in the church," Roxas replied.

"Maybe. Anyway, we have to go back and warn her."

"Yeah," the Nobody agreed. "Let's…hey!"

Kairi, drawn by the exclamation, looked down and was shocked to see Esmeralda's goat. It had gotten hold of Roxas' pant leg during their discussion and was making a valiant effort to drag him towards a nearby side street.

"Looks like he wants us to follow him," She observed.

"You think? Alright, already, we're coming! You can let go."

The goat obliged, releasing its grip and jerking its head for them to follow it. He led them out of sight of the main square and down a few back alleys, finally stopping in front of a beggar in a tattered cloak. The beggar patted the goat and surveyed the two figures before standing up, pulling back its hood.

Kairi gasped. "Esmeralda! But how did you…"

"The rooftops. I spotted the soldiers, and Quasimodo helped me escape," she replaced her hood, checking to make sure that no one else had seen. "Listen. Those creatures outside the cathedral… this isn't the first time I've seen them. They've been showing up in the catacombs for months. We've fought them off so far, but we aren't really sure what we're dealing with. Do you know anything about them?"

Kairi nodded. "They're called Heartless. We've been fighting them for a while now."

"Is there any way to get rid of them?"

Roxas shook his head. "If they're just randomly attacking, there isn't much we can do."

"But sometimes they'll align with someone." Kairi added. "If we can find and stop whoever's responsible, the attacks should die down." A thought struck her. "Do you think that guy who tried to arrest you could be behind this? He seems like the type."

"Judge Frollo?" Esmeralda shook her head. "I thought so at first, too. But it doesn't make sense. He's been poking around looking for the Court for years, and some of those Heartless things have actually reached the entrance. If they'd told him where it was, he'd already have attacked."

"Back up a second." Roxas said. "What Court?"

"The Court of Miracles. It's our hideout, a place where we can rest without worrying about Frollo's guards."

Kairi frowned. "How many people are living there?"

"Hundreds."

"Then let us help you out." She glanced at Roxas, waiting for his agreement.

The Nobody nodded. "If you'll lead us there, we'll help fight them off."

Esmeralda blinked. "You'd do that for us?"

"Of course," Kairi replied instantly. "We can't let all those people get hurt."

The dancer studied their faces for a moment, deciding that the offer was genuine. "Alright, then. Follow me."

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review. More reviews = happier authors = higher motivation = more frequent updates = WORLD PEACE! (Probably. Maybe. Okay, I lied)

Till next time.