Hello, this is Absh (who else?) and I'd like to thank you all for reading this story of mine that I am starting on. How I came across the idea was semi random, but either way I'm enjoying the task of writing it, and I hope all of you will continue reading it. The thought of coming up with it was that I was slightly bored by many of the repeated story lines these days and I wanted to do something new. Having gotten into a bit of a Kingdom Hearts fest at the moment, it was in this category that I wanted to contribute to. I have a growing fondness of Sora in Halloween Town form and wanted to do something there. Being a fan of the KairixSora shipping, I wondered to myself just what would Kairi be? I've seen many ideas of just what she would be, some more practical and common than others. It then occurred to me; "what would Kairi be, since she's a princess of heart, wouldn't she be something more happy, like from Christmas Town?" It was then that I was hit by this idea and thus this story has been thought up and planned out.
I'm sure some of you may not be interested, but I wanted to get my thoughts across before this new chapter was read, so please enjoy.
From further inspection from one of her favorite High Elves (and Selphie's mentor), not only was the snake in good condition, except for lack of food, the snake was apparently male. The High Elf who had discovered this, Aerith, was a beautiful brunette and was the only being with a human figure that could pull of the "big bow" look. Aerith was rather quiet and kind, having a calm nature and a soft voice. It had not taken long for the elf to have it melded into the snake's head not only when and where the proper time is to "go", but other etiquettes as well. Aerith never specified what she did to the reptile, but Kairi trusted her enough to know her intentions were good.
Kairi bit her lip, half wishing she had asked Aerith for help with the rodent snatching as she trudged in the snow with her snake wrapped around her neck. She had managed to leave her tutoring lessons soon enough for her to grab several chocolate chip muffins, which she carried in a denim messenger bag. She really wasn't looking forward to this plan of hers, having not thoroughly thought it out, because she had never been this far out from the town before.
She turned to face Christmas Town, placing her hand on the welcome sign that was foreign to her. She studied the lights that flickered over yellow buildings. Snow was lighter in this area, something she and her heavy steps were not used to. She liked to stay where other people were, being a social person, and was planning on going here with Selphie or maybe Tidus, Wakka or Olette. All of them were busy, and even then, only half of them would even have a slight interest in taking lives from little mice.
She breathed, watching her breath appear and disappear from sight. She trudged along in the snow, more so watching her feet and the foot prints they made instead of looking out for just what it was she was looking for. Kairi adjusted her hood so it covered more of her head as she walked, staring up at the trees around and how the stood high above. The pine needles had clumps of snow on many of the higher branches and shrunk on those that were lower. Old names like "Fred & Maria" sketched in a heart were common as she eyed her surroundings. Sadly, no animals seemed to be about except for a single white rabbit and a fox, none of which that met the criteria.
She soon however forgot about the snake which had itself perched on her neck and her mission she has yet to accomplish and even every tradition that had seeped its way into her family. She spun where she was in the snow, keeping her focus above herself where blurs of grey-blue, green and white resided. The sun wasn't out but she didn't care. She found herself giddy once more, now giggling in hysterics for no reason except that she suddenly felt care free. She bounced where she was, actually skipping into the thicker parts of the woods. She found the tune of Jingle Bells and other Christmas carols seeping their way through her throat and seemed to bounce back to her.
She stopped, however, when a clearing came and a circle of trees that were lined too well together stood tall and did not sway in the wind like the other trees. Kairi squinted her eyes, confused for a moment as to whether or not her eyes were playing tricks on her. She stepped forward tentatively, having a sudden feeling that she should be near there. Kairi continued walking until she was right next to one of the trees closest to her. She touched it, then pulled away, a feeling of rejection almost seeped through her. She circled the tree so she actually entered the clearing herself to find a strange imprint of a turkey carved in the tree.
She blinked. "Why a turkey?"
She looked away to notice that all of the trees in the clearing had some sort of mark on it, each with a rather random symbol. She walked toward the tree with the imprint of a heart with a small smile. "How cute …" She paid no heed to the tree with a decorated egg, having no interest. She did, however, stop at one tree that had a pumpkin on it of all things. "A…pumpkin?" She traced her thin fingers over the shape, almost smelling the scent of pumpkin pie and feeling its smooth skin. She scowled, trying to make the face that seemed to be carved into it. She ran her fingers on the outside edges of the strange pumpkin to find that it actually popped out a bit, as if it were a window…
She then used both hands to actually pull the pumpkin off; she wanted to show her dad this strange thing. Finding it wouldn't budge, she tried peeling it instead. To her shock, it actually opened with a high pitched creak that reminded her of someone scratching a chalkboard. It fully opened, as if it were a door and instead of revealing a hollow trunk with perhaps a baby owl, it showed nothing but darkness. She tilted her head, confused, then reached her hand out. Kairi then fully put her hand into the trunk as if to feel around. A breeze of air that was slightly warmer than she was used to seemed to come from within the tree and smack her in the face. She retracted her hand quickly. Confused about this sudden feeling that was new to her.
Her heart was hammering and her eyes were wide so that she could feel the air hitting against her eyes. Her throat clammed up and a squelching feeling lay in her stomach. She didn't like the feeling. She didn't like that she didn't like something either because she didn't like to dislike things without cause and her only reason was opening a hollow tree. She leaned forward, wanting to see inspect the ill feeling further.
A wind seemed to blow her into the tree! She screamed as she flipped over and fell into the darkness where ghosts suddenly appeared from no where, cackling to themselves. She reached for the snake she had yet to name and shut her eyes tight. The feeling came over her again, this time it seemed to rise up her stomach and into her throat. The ghosts continued to circle her, until, cackling they floated away and it was then she noticed she was sprawled on the ground.
She opened her eyes to a new setting. For one, the weird trees were no where in sight and were instead replaced by trees that were dead and looked ready to fall any second from the weight of the snow. The sun was out in this area, with grey clouds huddling around the yellow orb. The snow was much dirtier than where she had just been and in front of her was a graveyard. She shuddered, suddenly finding that stroking the snake to be very comforting.
She stood up, shuddering, realizing just how cold the snow was for the first time and dusted herself off while she put the snake back in her hood. Its coiling on the back of her neck seemed to calm her somehow. Kairi tightly held on to the furred hood that smelled of home, almost as if to tune out the rather frightening feeling that seemed to almost overwhelm her in this strange place. Her eyes widened in realization. Fright! Of course! That is the feeling that is plaguing her mind as she creeps into the graveyard. She hunched over, if not to keep calm then to stay hidden. Who knew what sort of creatures lurked in the area…
She attempted to lighten her steps in the silence that would be broken by her tiny little bells that tinkled each time her feet moved. She lifted her foot, then stopped quickly, cursing whoever it was that created the darn things! She stood there, looking foolish with her foot raised, and arms now spread out as if she expected the wind to suddenly carry her away to take flight. She cringed as she lowered her foot as the bell jingled again, as if mocking her. Perhaps she could rip them off and leave them there, then it would be easier to hide. She stomped her foot, crushing some leaves that were hidden under the snow that no one bothered to pick up.
But what was she hiding from anyways? She looked around, seeming to notice that absolutely no one was there. There was no one to run from and no one to run to. She was completely alone.
She shivered. Being alone seemed to creep her out. She turned back toward where she had come from. "Maybe I should look for a way back…" Her voice seemed to carry itself in the air, just hanging since there is little breeze. She bit her lip. "What time is it anyways?" She decided she preferred having her voice out in the open than no sound whatsoever. The sun was definitely lower, perhaps in a few hours sunset would come.
She then decided that her thick socks would be able to handle the extremely light blanket of snow that seemed to end where she stood as she took off her annoying shoes, almost enjoying the sensation of feeling the soft, Earth below her. Almost.
Kairi could feel her reptile slithering around in the back of her hood. Her eyes widened as she began walking on the hollow ground. Staring at the ground which all appeared recently turned over, she realized she had yet to name her new pet. Random names flickered in her mind while she tried to stay focused on the more important situation at hand.
She continued walking, eyeing the scenery with confusion. It really did look like everything had just recently been dug up. The dirt was fresh (in a matter of speaking) and lightly packed on the ground. The graves appeared to be shallow-dug, which wasn't the most proper thing to do from what she knew about burying the deceased. Many of the graves were turned over or lazily put in and none of the flowers were neatly placed on the graves, but were strewn about as if accidentally moved. The flowers were dead, too. She wrinkled her nose. Ok, maybe somebody was around here, and they certainly don't know how to treat the bodies of the departed!
Kairi reached in the inside of her hood, gliding a loving finger over her snake for her own comfort. Right, a name … She felt a little bad that she was walking around in a graveyard instead of figuring out a name for her new snake. "But it's not like I can think of anything right now." She muttered in her defense. She blinked, realizing she was defending herself against no one. "Last time I go anywhere without someone else around …" Kairi vowed.
She scurried toward a tall oak tree. Its arms spread out wide, almost menacingly and its skin was rough. She reached up and hoisted herself up on a low branch and easily climbed up to a perch where the branch parted into three so that she had full support from behind, leaning on the middle branch. From the new height she had just reached, she was able to see a rather morbid looking town. More so, it appeared to be a ghost town since the windows of the buildings had crooked shutters from what she could see and there wasn't a single light out and it was sunset! Usually people begin to turn their lights on by this point so they can see.
She sighed, and put more weight on the sturdy branch that supported her back. How did she get there anyways? What was this place? A land for the depressed? Had everyone died off from some sort of depression? That would make sense, she decided. "Too bad, this area could have some serious potential for a picnic gathering." She said out loud. She smiled, her snake, whom she had yet to name slithered from her hood and into her lap as she watched the sun continue to fall from the sky. The reptile wrapped itself around her leg, getting itself comfortable. She studied with heavy eyes the bright orange and husky yellow that were outlined by green and light blue with shades of pink in the many clouds. Kairi debated on whether or not she should stay for the sun to fully set or to go looking for a way back.
Frankly, she didn't have a chance to change her mind. A low humming suddenly grew as half the sun was buried from sight. A low, strangled sound came from a far away rooster which was strange since it was the sun setting not rising. Then it began. Lights in the otherwise dead town sparked with a sudden jolt, orange lights filled the areas and music that was both haunted and cheerful at the same time seemed to rise. Then the people came out.
Windows flew open and doors were thrown away as people in rags of dark clothing with grins on their faces made their way through the streets. Some of them flew, seeming to have wings and able to fly stretched their wings to their full span then flew off to which ever way they were supposed to. Creatures of all sorts, many with fur covered their entire bodies, others as ugly as can be, one appeared to be some sort of slime monster. She stared in horror.
"What are those things?" She breathed. She held back a scream as she then found out why the graveyard was in such poor condition. The Earth trembled as the undead with rotting eyes and skinless patches that covered them started to push the dirt aside and awake within their coffins. Ghosts shrieked with glee and glided past her without a second glance, not seeming to notice. Those without heads connected to their necks chatted as the continued on their way to town, opening the large iron gates to join in the madness. One strewn head rolled along the dirt, yelling at its comrades for not connecting it to its body that was walking in the opposite direction of the crowd. Kairi found herself wishing she had left earlier.
A large chiming and then a gong from nowhere rang and the lights from a crooked, musky castle seemed to glow, and the lights from within seemed to turn on all at once. The one tower that seemed to tilt with age and made the castle reach its height had its large windows open and led one very tall figure on to a small balcony. A very pale figure was cloaked in a suit with a long tale spread his arms wide as if gesturing to the entire city.
The town all stopped whatever it was that they were doing and turned to look up and face him. The skeleton seemed to smiling, but without skin, it appeared eerie. Kairi gripped the snake, a rush of fear even greater than before filling her as her eyes fell upon the man.
"Citizens," his voice seemed very human for a skeleton, almost calming compared to his looks. "Over the past few years we have debated on my retirement. I have been in charge of decorations and celebrations for over sixty years now, which is plenty for the Head of Halloween. However, it is time that I pass the reigns on to someone else for a change, since my ideas, as great as they are, are not the only ones that are out there. I'm sure younger, brighter ones could come up with something even more modernly wicked during this time. It is official at this moment, that I needed to find someone who could take care of things for me so I could go off with someone who matters to me," his sockets twitched into an expression that resembled fondness. "And it is for this reason that I do so. No, I will not be discontinuing my work, people, this pupil will still have many things to learn of the fearsome art. How long I will be continuing will depend on this student's learning speed and ability, as well as his contributing to the Halloweens to come. As you all know, I have been searching for this someone for quite some time now and I am happy to say I am finished. When one is to choose the most fearsome, with great ideas, it takes time. This person must be strong with a good idea of just what Halloween really means."
"What is Halloween …?" Kairi murmured, unsure of just what this skeletal person was talking about.
"I, Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King of all of Halloween Town, hereby present, the Pumpkin Prince, heir to the Pumpkin King duties and thrown; Sora Daemon!" The crowd gasped as another figure, much smaller than the apparent Pumpkin King, appeared next to him, leaning over the railing with a sinister expression. Kairi herself, even from her distance, grew rigid as he bared his fangs tauntingly. The people below seemed to think differently about his presentation, for they then applauded him. He then smiled, something more kind that she could relate to and waved.
The boy was a brunette with hair that appeared to have never seen a comb, a pumpkin with a patched face that hung over his left eye. A shadow was cast over his eyes, so from her distance she couldn't get a good idea of just what they were like. Black wings sprouted from his back shoulders, making her sure he was, in no way human, just like every other thing in this area. He was dressed in some sort of balloon pants with patches of red on the low leggings that were tucked in large shoes that reminded her of a clown. He wore a collared vest over a dark tee that had a double collar; the inner grey and the outer white. His clawed hands were covered in white gloves. He actually was kind of dressed like a clown. She shivered.
Except clowns are funny.
A woman then came from the tower, whispering to the man called "Jack Skellington", couldn't see his facial expression (partly from the lack of skin), but he suddenly turned back to the crowd that the boy was currently making frightening faces at the cheering and screaming citizens. "If you would all join me in the Great Meeting House, a feast has been molding for quite some time now, where I will be discussing this years plans." He then said something to the boy, Sora Daemon, who then nodded and flew off into the group, half were congratulating him and the others were leaving, probably to the "Meeting House" that the skeleton had spoken of earlier.
Kairi stuffed the snake inside her hood, after gripping the trunk of the tree, turning her knuckles white. That guy, those things, the teeth, no skin … it was disturbing! She cringed, gripping her stomach as she felt a sudden nausea, partly from being so nervous and partly from not having eaten dinner. She wasn't planning on staying out so late. She shakily climbed down from the tree. "Mom and Dad and everybody must be so worried…" She bit her lip. She had never been out later than five before, except on Christmas Eve, but that was tradition. The women would always see Saint Nicholas off before he left, making sure the reindeer were in good condition as well as helping the Working Elves and High Elves load the presents for the children.
Either way, she was going to be in big trouble when she got home. She stumbled over the roots that were popping up out of the ground. That is, if she ever got home…
She fell on to the ground where a pile of colorful leaves crunched under her weight. She groaned, lifting herself up with her arms. She looked up, then stopped. Her shoes weren't lying on the snow pile anymore! She jolted up and ran toward the tiny snow bank she had originally landed on. Her right shoe was scurried off a few yards away, but where was her other one? She walked over to the annoying shoe which she was mentally cursing for taking off in the first place. She plopped down and shoved it on her foot. She stood up, now walking slightly lopsided with only one shoe on. "I feel like Cinderella." She grumbled. "Why'd I take my shoes off in the first place anyways?"
She took a step and a tinkling sound rang through the night. "Oh, right." She gripped her bell on her shoe and hobbled toward the woods, determined to get home before somebody came. A barking sound was heard nearby. "Oh no …" She dropped to the ground and leaned behind one of the larger, still standing gravestones.
A playful growl and yip, followed by a flurry of wings and a familiar jingle was very close by. "No, seriously, what is that ridiculous thing anyways?" A boy's voice called out laughing. She wrinkled her nose, not thinking that anyone from this crazy place could actually laugh of all things. A chirp from what sounded like a dog was his response. "Zero, drop it." The boy commanded. The thing that the dog had jingled, apparently the dog was moving away. Kairi's eyes popped wide open.
She recognized that sound; that was her other shoe! She slowly turned so that she would be facing the two playful critters, to see if the predicament was worth risking being seen or if it would be better for her to go home without it. She could always hop home. She only managed to risk seeing a small ghost with a bright nose that apparently was a dog. It reminded her of Rudolf a bit. She sighed. Actually, Rudolf was a bit on the moody side for a male (Selphie says he suffers from male PMS) and rather territorial. This dog had a much more playful demeanor. She had to restrain from giggling at the idea of a playful Rudolf.
Feeling more daring, she peered around even more to see familiar black, clown shoes. It was the Pumpkin Prince! Remembering his frightening grin she squeaked and whirled around pressed her back against the gravestone. The boy's laughs subsided; apparently he heard her. "Is someone there?" The dog continued growling, wanting to play tug of war with her shoe. "Hello?" She held her breath. If only he would just go away … Her thoughts seemed to have been heard by somebody because after a few moments, his calls subsided and his footsteps seemed to have disappeared. She let herself breath, then turned around, this time making herself fully visible as she peered to see if he was still there.
The dog was floating around with her shoe still, as if looking for something, while she crawled toward the dead creature. She reached out toward the ghost. "Hey, ghostie, here ghostie …. Give me my shoe, please …" Its ears perked and it stared at her, almost dropping the shoe in surprise. "Give it to me, please." She whispered. She knelt back on her knees and outstretched her arm, waiting for the dog to drop it. It, however, had other ideas. It then bent low to the ground, as if crouching and wagged its tail, now growling playfully at her. "No! I don't want to play, gimme my shoe!" She then reached out and tried to take the shoe back, the shoe rang hard again as the dog then retaliated by growling and shaking the shoe in excitement. The dog growled and somersaulted where it floated, not grasping that she wasn't playing. Kairi shook the shoe herself, more so annoyed than to continue playing. This only excited the dog even more, so that it ripped the shoe out of her hands. She fell over, losing her grip. The dog started barking excitedly and started to run away, wanting Kairi to follow him. Kairi then stood up, lopsided, then lunged at the dog, falling through the animal, and keeping her shoe. "Ha!"
She popped back up from the ground, cheering. The dog grabbed it from her hands again and disappeared behind some gravestones. "No!" She scrambled up and ran behind the some gravestones the dog had disappeared from. The dog was nowhere. How does a dog with a bright, red nose disappear? She sighed and leaned back on the gravestone, there deciding that she was a cat person.
"Boo."
She shrieked. A cackle from behind her sent a shiver down her spine. She whirled around to face shining blue eyes.
"You're a good screamer." It was the Pumpkin Prince! She edged away, shaking, staring at him with deer-in-a-head-lights-eyes. He leaned in closer, showing her fangs that gleamed. Her arms splayed out on either side of her. His nose was close to touching hers. "Who are you anyways?" He asked, cocking his head. She began sputtering, not seeming to articulate words. He laughed, leaning back to her relief, giving her some space. "Am I really that frightening?" She nodded meekly, bringing her arms to her chest as if to protect herself. "Cool." He jumped away from her, flapping his wings so that he stared at her from an upside-down angle. "But seriously, who are you?" He gave her a once over. "And what's with the getup?"
"Me?!" She blurted. "What about you?! You're flying!" He landed on the ground, taken back.
"So? I know plenty of guys who can do that, what's your point?" Apparently he wasn't grasping the fact that people simply can't fly. Then again, there's no way these people are normal… He grinned. "I bet you're just jealous!" He then lifted her up by her underarms and floated up into the air.
"No! Put me down! Please!" Kairi screeched with flailing arms and legs. This guy who she doesn't even know is just going around and picking her up? What is up with him?! "Put me down!"
"Alright!" He let go of her so that she was now screaming even harder than before, with her skirt flailing up in the most undignifying way. She covered her face, seeing the ground coming fast.
Firm hands grabbed her by her waist. A familiar cackle was heard and she glared at the boy who seemed to find her fright funny. "Seriously, your scream is awesome!" He laughed again. She scowled.
"Well, your laugh is disturbing." He perked at this comment.
"Seriously? Thanks!" He then gently lowered her onto a strange hill that actually seemed to curve into a small spiral. He landed gently next to her. He eyed her again. "What, what are you?" She glared at him.
"I am a human, thank you very much! Do you think it would kill you to tell me what you are?" She pointed a very accusing finger at him which he backed away from. His eyes widened.
"A human? Woah!" He poked her in the nose with his gloved claw. She batted his hand away. "That would explain that strange get up …" He murmured out loud. He suddenly perked and reached for her. She flinched. The Pumpkin Prince batted her hood away, revealing her snake which was wrapped around her head. He grabbed her snake and held it above his head, eyeing it. Kairi gasped and reached for her pet.
"Please, give him back!" She cried. He ignored her, staring intently at the snake who seemed to be giving him the same expression. "He hasn't done anything to you!" She then tried to actually touch the weird boy by climbing on him. He easily dodged her, keeping his intense gaze.
He turned to her after a minute, holding out the milk snake. She gently took the reptile from his hands and cradled the creature in her arms. "Leonardo." The boy stated. She stared at him.
"Huh?"
"His name," he gestured to the snake. "Is Leonardo." She squinted at him.
"Isn't his name my choice?"
"Well, that's what he told me." He said with a shrug. She left the snake on her shoulder and placed her hands on her hips.
"He told you? Yeah, right."
"Of course you wouldn't believe me, humans are unable to communicate." He noted.
"Communicate what?" He sighed, and grabbing onto her arm, pulled her down to sit as well.
"I am Sora Daemon," he pointed to himself. "I am a bat demon, understand?" Her eyes widened, registering he was on a different level of "humane". "As a demon I am able to do things you apparently cannot comprehend." He spoke slowly as if speaking with a two year old. "See, I can fly and talk to reptiles and amphibians and, of course, bats." He puffed up his chest. "I'm also super strong, but that's all me." He leaned toward her. "You should be thanking me. I'm hungry and I haven't tried to devour you or anything."
She shrieked. He laughed. Kairi glared at him. "Stop that! I don't like being scared!" She told him. "I prefer feeling happy thank you! Jolly and at peace!" Sora frowned.
"Ew, don't say that! Those are …. Merry things…" He shivered. She was the one leaning forward this time.
"Don't you know what those things mean?" She demanded. "Do you even know what candy is?" He perked when she said that.
"Yeah! Who wouldn't? Candy's awesome!" She smiled, happy with something they could agree on. She leaned forward even further.
"Do you have a favorite?" She asked, smiling gently. He blinked, noticing her change of expression, debating on whether or not he liked it.
"Yeah … candy apples…" He said, eyes not leaving hers. She scrunched up her nose.
"What kind of candy is that? That's a fruit!" She pointed out.
"It's candy covered apple; my favorite's caramel!" He licked his lips at the thought. He turned to her. "You've never had a candied apple before?" He asked in amazement. She shook her head no. "That's crazy! I'll go get you some!" He began to fly away. She stood up abruptly.
"Wait! Where are you going?!" She called. He wasn't that bad to have around …
He shrugged. "I'm getting candied apples." He flew back towards her and grasped her small hands in his own. "There's a feast going on right now, and I'm sure that candied apples are a part of the assortment of food that they have there." He gently tugged her. "Don't you want to go? Leonardo sure seems like he wants to." And sure enough, the snake had slithered to her shoulder and was excitedly sniffing the air with his tongue and flicking his tail.
Kairi shook her head. "No, I just want to go home." She argued, trying to pull away from him.
"Go home?" His eyes widened in some sort of realization. "Oh, I see! Look," He turned stern. "You're dead now, sorry, this is your new home." He let go of one of her hands and gestured all around them. He then smiled. "I'll show you around, I bet your grave is around here somewhere …"
Kairi felt herself pale and tucked her hand to her chest. Dead? She couldn't be dead! She was alive this morning! What could have killed her? She bit her lip and felt herself tear up. She didn't want to be here! She was going to be baking crepes with her mom, something she hadn't been able to do for a while. Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Her eyes widened.
"I'm not dead!" She exclaimed. Sora did a double take.
"Yes you are! Humans can only be here if they're dead and you are here, so you're dead." Sora argued. Kairi sighed and gestured to her chest.
"Well, I have a heartbeat, so I can't be dead." She said, rubbing her eyes to rid herself of tears. Sora stared at her, curious, then leaned forward and actually pressed his head against her left chest. Kairi backed away from impact. He looked up, this time confused.
"Well, that's weird…" He flapped his wings and slowly scanned her by circling around. She warily followed his movements with her eyes. He landed behind her, hand covering the lower part of his face, apparently thinking. "You sure you're human?" She nodded vigorously. He leaned forward, baring his fangs and attempted to bite her arm. She screeched and he laughed.
"What was that for?" She asked, more scared than angry. He shrugged.
"Well, your blood will tell me if you're human." Kairi couldn't believe he could say that so calmly. "From my mom's side," he added. "She's a vampire." Kairi had officially decided that she was against cross-breeding of any species if things like the boy in front of her would end of being the spawn. "So if you would hold still, I'll be able to figure out what to do with you…" He leaned forward again and Kairi stepped back.
"It's called personal space and somehow, I'm not too keen on having some stranger taking a bite out of me, possibly deciding later that he'll want to eat me." She told him with a shaky voice.
"Nah, I wouldn't eat you, you're too funny." He grinned. "Seriously, your scream is awesome." She vaguely wondered if saying someone had a good scream was a good thing here since he kept on saying it. He lunged forward again and she let out a small squeak. He started giggling. "See?"
"I think our senses of humor are a little different." She gently informed him.
"Well, what do you find funny?"
Kairi shrugged, tugging at the hem of her dress. "I don't know, whatever makes me laugh, I suppose …" She smiled. "I'd say funny things, but that could vary." An awkward silence fell between the two as distant cheering from the town was heard.
"So … are you hungry …?" Sora asked. "I can tell Leonardo is." Kairi's stomach growled, but even then, she wasn't comfortable going into some area where having a good scream was a good thing. She didn't even like being scared. Her snake, who she decided she would call Leonardo for the heck of it, became excited at the thought. "He says he wants a rat; a fat one." Sora chuckled. This time, so did Kairi. A laugh that was quiet a soft, sort of like the bells on her shoes. Sora stopped, listening to her as she raised her hands to giggle into, hunched over slightly. "You have a nice laugh, too." He noted. Kairi stopped and looked up at him, almost as if seeing him for the first time.
"Thanks …" She felt that his laugh was becoming less disturbing the more that they spoke, but he had mentioned earlier that "disturbing" was good, so she said nothing. Sora leaned over her.
"Hm? What's this?" He gestured to her messenger bag. She gasped. She had forgotten about the muffins she had packed earlier! She smiled despite herself and reached into her bag, pulling out one muffin and held it out to him. "Are those muffins?" He asked. She nodded, surprised, expecting him to not know what it was. He took it from her hands, eyeing it in his gloved hand and sniffed it. Kairi giggled.
"It's not going to bite you!" Sora looked up.
"It won't?"
"Er … no …" She murmured, trying to picture what a muffin that would bite back would look like. "It's just regular food, try it!" He looked down, curious with a slight doubting and shoved the entire thing in his mouth. With a debating expression he chewed obnoxiously.
"Ifs fugaray." He said through a full mouth. Kairi wrinkled her nose, being a little iffy about common manners. She decided she'd let it go, he seemed to have a different upbringing than she did. He gulped loudly. "It's weird tasting." He told her, tilting his head. "Maybe could use some mold…"
"Mold?" He nodded.
"And maybe a sprinkle of worm's wart…" Kairi blanched.
"Err… if you say so … never tried it myself …"
"Worm's wart is awesome! You should try it, another reason to go to the banquet!" Sora suggested. He tugged her arm again. She pulled back and shook her head.
"Can't. I have my own places to be at." She admitted. On the one hand, she wanted to say, despite some (or many) things, he seemed ok, and she did want to talk a little more, but she really had to get going. "Maybe some other time." She actually had no intention of returning, if it would end up being a one-way trip.
"Why? Don't you want worm's wart?" She shook her head. "Oh …" He appeared slightly put out. She stood up, remembering she only had one shoe on. She stared down at her foot. Sora did, too. He perked up. He reached out and grabbed her foot out from under her so she fell to the ground where he was. She yelped which he looked up and gave a toothy grin. He eyed her foot with the shoe, then reached in his vest, pulling out her other shoe. "This is a shoe …" He seemed to be talking more to himself than to her.
"Yeah," she reached for her missing item. "Mine." He gave it to her as she hastily put it on, then extended her legs and pointed her toes like a ballerina to check everything was in its proper place. Sora pointed to her shoes.
"What is the purpose of those bells?" He asked. She blinked and turned her feet over so she could get a better look.
"Decoration, mostly, y'know giving it a Christmas feel." She chimed.
"'Christmas' feel? What's a 'Christmas?'" Kairi blinked.
"Christmas? Christmas is a wondrous holiday." She sighed, clasping her hands together. "The colors and presents and cakes and cheer!" She giggled to herself. "Christmas is a holiday!"
"Really?" Sora shrugged. "The only holiday I've ever heard of is Halloween." It was Kairi's turn for a confused expression.
"Halloween…?" She took a small bite from one of the muffins. She swallowed. "Yeah, I think I heard that mentioned earlier, never have heard of it until now …" Sora spread his arms.
"Where do you think you are? This is Halloween Town!" Kairi looked around with wide eyes.
"Halloween Town…?" The name sounded foreign on her tongue.
"Yeah, where kids go trick or treating and there's candy and we scare everybody out of their pants!" He cackled hysterically, probably at some memory.
"You scare people?" She asked.
"Yeah, everybody." He grinned. He then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Even I got scared two Halloweens ago…" His pale flesh had a tinge of pink at that.
"Well, you seem keen on scaring me." Kairi scowled. She stood up and began walking back toward the graveyard.
"No! Wait!" He flapped his tiny wings hard and floated down next to her. "Where do you want to go?" He asked. Kairi looked around, eyes stopping on the woods. It was through woods that I got here …She pointed.
"Through the woods." She told him, then smiled sweetly at him. "Could you help me?' She asked. He turned from her to the forest.
"Sure!" He then picked her up around the waist once more, wings flapping harder than ever. The two teens rose into the air, her shoes jingling in tune with his pace. The air whipped her face, red hair flying in front of her. She scanned the ground, vaguely making out her footsteps in the light powdering of dirt from the woods to the graveyard. She pointed and Sora nodded, flying lower to the ground so they could see where she had come from. It wasn't long until they spotted the imprint of her figure where she had fallen earlier. Sora lowered her to the ground so that her feet skimmed the ground. He landed lightly next to her. "This where you came from?"
"Sort of," she complied. "This is where I found myself at first here. I come from Christmas Town." Sora grabbed hold of her hand.
"Then let's go this way." He began to fly upward, this time flying low and holding her by her hands. She screeched for him to put her down, having no idea where it was that he was taking her. This only seemed to delight him even more as he then sped up, dodging spooky trees that seemed to be mocking her, stretching their branches out at her. She wouldn't be surprised if they were.
She flailed her dangling legs, trying to reach the ground. Sora sped up, flying in random directions, the moon faded over time as the sun with a pumpkin face popped up over time. By this time, he had fallen to the ground, both of them tumbling to the ground and away from the area they had fallen, down a hill. Kairi held tight to him as they rolled. The two finally came to a stop when they slammed into a tree. Kairi lay where she was, stunned for a moment, then sat up with messed hair. She reached in the front of her dress where Leonardo had resided. She held him up.
"Are you alright?" She cried. The snake hissed and jetted out at her, wrapping itself around her arm, frightened. She cuddled the reptile, then turned to the demon, suddenly remembering she had fallen with him, too. "Sora?" She leaned over him, shaking his shoulder gently. He moaned, stretching his arm out, then hissed, covering his face with his arms. "What is it?"
"The sun burns …" He muttered from where he lay. "Don't you know anything about vampires?" He snapped. She sat back, taken back.
"Sorry … didn't know-don't know what's wrong." She said in her defense. "I don't know what a vampire is anyways!" Sora's hand jetted out and she screamed, thinking he was going to hit her. He missed her head. He brought his hand back, showing a squirming mouse.
"You said you wanted to feed Leonardo, right?" She nodded and Leonardo sprang from her arm and snatched the rat from Sora, spreading its mouth wide, gulping the struggling mouse into its slender body. Kairi looked away from her pet and determinedly kept her gaze on Sora.
"Thanks …" He gave her a thumbs up, then fell back.
"Are you going to be alright?" Kairi asked. Sora leaned forward and pulled his hood up over his face, then grinned. She nodded slowly. Kairi looked around to see where they were and gasped. They were in a circle of trees quite similar to the ones she had seen earlier! There was the four leaf clover, the egg, and, in place of the pumpkin with the scary face was a Christmas tree! Kairi scrambled to her feet and ran to the tree, delighted. Maybe if she went through this door, she'd be home! She reached for one of the decorations on the tree, about to open up when Sora called out for her to stop. She turned to face him.
"I just realized-I don't know your name." He told her.
"Kairi Clause."
"Kairi Claws? Cool." He strutted up to her. "What's this?" His eyes widened, noticing the strange trees just then. He leaned forward and traced his gloved hand over the tree. "Interesting …"
"It's my way home." Sora looked up at her. She made eye contact. "You know how to get to your own home, right?" He nodded. Kairi picked up Leonardo who seemed almost done with the rat and lay him in her hood. "Good, because I have to go home."
"You live in a tree?"
"No! This is how I got here!" Kairi sighed. Sora frowned.
"Can I come?" He stared at her with such cow eyes that she almost said yes.
"No, you probably shouldn't." She admitted. "I really do need to go home …" She turned to the tree and opened it the same way she had done so earlier that morning. A familiar breeze that smelled of sweet gingerbread filled her nostrils. She leaned forward, but was stopped. Sora had a tight grip on her hand.
"You'll come back, right?" Blue eyes with lilac specs met cat-eyed aqua. She felt the winds of home pull her into the tree.
"Yes!" She called. "I'll meet you by the spiraling hill!" And he disappeared from sight, unbeknownst to the two of them that they just created a bond that was both jolly and dreadful.
