Karin: Mwuhahahahaha! I'm back people! Did you miss me?

Sora: What about me?

Karin: Oops, sorry. I mean—Did you miss us?

Sora: Thank you

Karin: Ahem, so, here's the third chapter to "The Nightmare on Halloween"! I'm very happy that this fic is loved by people and I hope it continues to be loved. Now on with the story!

Sora: (salutes) Aye-aye, captain!

Disclaimer: No owning of Kingdom Hearts was obtained during the making of this fic.

Title: The Nightmare of Halloween

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Sora/Namine

Genres: Fantasy/Romance/Humor/Drama

Summary: She hated Halloween; in fact, Namine Kizuki could very well say she downright loathed Halloween. However, fate seems to have other plans for Namine when she somehow winds up in Halloween Town—a place were it's all about Halloween all the time. Will she be able to get home back to the normal world or will she find herself falling in love with the Pumpkin Prince? Sora/Namine

Replies to Reviews from Chapter Two:

NaminexSora lover- Thank you for not rushing me. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter as you have the last one (smiles). It's good that you listened to that song to help you—I listened to "This is Halloween" too when I was writing that scene (laughs).

Angle09- I'm glad I made your day. It always makes me smile when I see that my stories have that effect on people. Thank you for complimenting my story.

Abysilityy- (takes a bow) thank you, thank you! Don't worry—I think the same thing about Sora too (laughs) ;D. I'm very happy that you like my story a lot. Hopefully you'll be with it until the end—I sure hope you will XD. Anywho, I think I already answered your question in a forum topic, but I'll answer it again just in case: I do not know exactly how long this story will be, but it will definitely be past ten chapters—most likely fifteen with the way I write. I just can't write really short stories (rubs back of head sheepishly).

Anime-devil-kym- It's good that you think my story has originality. The best Sora/Namine story you've read on this you say? (blushes) I don't have high standards for my writing so seeing you think that is very touching to me.

sAppHiRa-hiMe- I know, isn't he? (squeals at Sora's adorableness) Oh! I read your reply from your Somine story "Scarlet Temperament" and let's just say I was literally in tears of joy and humbleness that you'll continue to support my stories and the fact that they're always worth your time, Sapphira-chan. I don't deserve such praises (sniffle). Oh crap! I'm tearing up again! Anyway, Hope you received my review for the forth chapter. It was amazing by the way! (grins)

Pikachu407- The song is cool! Your equation kinda sounds like mine! Karin-chan + orange soda = insanity! (laughs) Yeah, poor Sora for not being a vampire, but Namine and Sally have met! Yay!

Arashi- True, true. Makes it more bearable, wouldn't you say? Glad to see you liked the second chapter.

Wolves4life96- Of course I will continue it—especially since you said "please" X)

Pandiita- (blushes) I'm humbled by the fact that you think I have talent. That comment really made my day. Good to know you find my story unique and I hope you'll stick around to the end of it. Thank you for the hugs! Hugs are nice! (hugs you back).

Gabyrendon- Thank you for being patient with me. I'm very glad that you like the story so far.

Oh, Somewhere deep

Inside of These bones

An Emptiness

Began to Grow

There's Something out There

Far from my Home

A Longing that

I've Never Known.

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The Nightmare on Halloween

Chapter Three:

The Boy

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Namine let out a small groan as she felt sunlight radiate on her cheeks. Oh great; the sun was up—which meant she had to get up for school. Olette was probably heading her way over to her house right now and Namine was still in bed. Man was she going to get it when Olette discovered Namine wasn't even out of bed.

In retrospect though—it wasn't like Namine supported skipping school, even if she wasn't fond of the educational institution. However, when you add sleep in the mix, it was a tough decision to make.

And besides, Namine mumbled a little in irritation, she felt like she hadn't slept at all last night. It was like gulping down Hayner's special punch all over again! She must've done just that because from the weird dream Namine had, she was pretty sure that accursed punch was the cause of it.

'I'm going to kill Hayner when I see him today,' she thought with distain. 'I don't care if Olette does like him! I told him to keep that crap he calls punch away from me!'

Turning away from the sunlight, something hard creaked under her making Namine freeze. That didn't sound at all like her bed.

Now that she thought about it—her bed was never this uncomfortable. Namine was currently lying on her right side and it felt like she slammed it into a door or something. Or at least spent the night on her floorboards. Yeah, that sounded more like it.

Suddenly, everything that had happened last night came back in a flash in her mind making her cerulean eyes snap open in surprise. With a yelp, she fell off the wooden bench onto the stone cold floor. It was silent for a couple of seconds before her lips released a moan of pain.

Sitting up and looking around, Namine found herself in Sally's room in the tower from the night before. Orange rays of sunlight shined dully inside the large window with iron bars. Taking one last look around the room, Namine bowed her head and sighed dejectedly.

"That's right" she murmured, "It wasn't a dream at all"

Now aware of her surroundings, Namine stood up from the floor and dusted herself off. Redoing her low ponytail, the blonde haired girl sat on the bench feeling out of place in the room.

Sally was nowhere to be found at the moment. She must've left sometime during the early morning, Namine figured. Rubbing her right shoulder that ached from her stiff night of slumber, Namine bowed her head once more in sorrow. She felt quite lonely right now.

"I wonder how the others are doing" Namine thought aloud while she began swinging her legs back and forth. "Olette's probably waiting outside my window about to burst with joy about confessing to Hayner. And the bloke is probably so embarrassed about the fact that he didn't realize Olette liked him until she said it straight to his face, but happy nonetheless. Pence probably got the whole thing on camera…" Namine mused to herself with a melancholic smile.

She missed them. She truly did.

She wondered what they would do when they found out she was missing. Would they miss her as much as she missed them? Would they try to look for her? But then again, even if her friends had discovered her missing and decided to look for her, she was pretty sure they wouldn't find a clue as to where she went off to.

'…disappeared to is more like it,' the blonde thought dryly.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette were not the only ones Namine had missed dearly. Yes, they were precious to her but she also had another person whom she worried about during her departure.

Her father.

She was scared what her father would do if he had discovered her missing. She didn't want to worry him—not her father. She couldn't forgive herself if she let her father worry.

Her head swimming with depressing thoughts, she fell onto her side on the bench in a lying position. Her legs were still hanging off the bench as her upper half rested on the cold wooden surface.

A slight crinkling noise caught her attention making Namine turn her head towards the sound. There, on the left side of her head, was a folded piece of paper.

Getting curious, the fifteen year old picked up the folded paper nimbly. Still lying down, she unfolded the paper to be greeted with the delicate scrawl of Sally.

Dear Namine,

Don't be alarmed if you wake up to find me gone—I just went out for a little bit to pick some deadly nightshade and grab you something to eat. You must be hungry and I can't let you starve now can I?

'No you can't,' Namine thought with a quite laugh. Having finished her chuckle, she went back to reading.

Now Namine, I know I told you last night, but I must remind you—don't leave this room! Do you understand? I'll make sure I come back soon so please just stay there and don't make a lot of noise. The doctor doesn't know you're here nor does anyone else so it would be troublesome if he or any other citizen of Halloween Town were to find you.

Please be patient. I promise I won't make you wait long.

-Sally

"I know not to go out, Sally" Namine said with a little irritation in her tone, but through the whole thing she had a soft smile on her features. She was touched by the fact that Sally seemed to care about her. It was nice to know you had a friend in a strange world.

But after ten minutes have passed, Namine was about ready to claw the door. There was nothing to do and if Namine was left to her thoughts in a room of isolation she might actually go insane.

"It's so boring!" she whined as she lied on the bench. Her right arm was lying over her eyes as to shield them from view. "Jeez, if I knew it would be this boring I would've brought some kind of entertainment" she said jokingly. However, the attempt at a joke was fruitless when lightening her mood.

With a whine of frustration, Namine turned on her side to face the wall on the wooden bench. Her cerulean eyes were blocked from view by her pale eyelids. She hugged herself more to induce some body heat from the cold autumn air. Still, that wasn't helping much since the wooden bench itself was ice cold.

'Maybe by a small stream of luck I can go back to sleep,' Namine thought idly. One of her hands reached up unconsciously where her mother's wedding ring was supposed to reside only to clutch nothing in her delicate fingers. A wave of sorrow washed over the blonde depressingly.

"Mom…" she whispered mournfully.

Suddenly, a loud bark roused her from her hazy dreamlike state. Namine Kizuki sprang upright with a startled yelp. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage in fright.

"What the—"she was interrupted when she caught sight of who the visitor was. There floating a little above her a few feet away, was that insufferable dog that she had encountered not even twenty-four hours ago.

"It's you!" Namine gaped as she pointed a finger at him in anger. "What are you doing here?!" she said in outrage.

The dog only barked out playfully doing a few flips in the air as he did so. Meanwhile in the midst of his acrobats, Namine spotted something shiny hanging from his mouth. Her eyes widened when she realized what exactly it was.

"That's my mom's ring!" she exclaimed standing up from the bench. Pushing herself forward, Namine made a grab for the silver chain hanging from the white, transparent dog's mouth.

…or at least she would have if the dog didn't flip out of the way in time making her plummet flat onto the stone floor. A loud crashing sound accompanied her as she did so.

"Ow…" Namine whimpered out in pain. Sitting up, the poor girl began nursing her head by rubbing it gently. It was only when that sneaky dog barked again to gain her attention that made her remember he was there.

The dog made a few panting noises in excitement before flying straight out the door entrance of Sally's room. Azure eyes were wide in panic as once more that mutt was getting away with her most prized possession.

"Hey! Come back here!" Namine exclaimed to the runaway dog. She bolted out the door—Sally's warnings far from her mind—in pursuit of the floating dog. Almost tripping down the stairs and skidding fast on the floor in order to get out of the tower to chase the floating thief.

Namine had no idea where she was going or what were her surroundings. All she was focused on was the mischievous dog that stole her mother's wedding ring. Pumping her legs in order to keep up, Namine panted a little to keep her breathing straight.

The blonde reminded herself to thank Hayner for convincing her to take track all throughout middle school. Because if she didn't, the teenager was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to stay in pace with the rambunctious floating canine.

Speaking of the little thief, he was currently up ahead of her looking back at her with his tongue out in exhilaration—as if it was it all a game to him!

'Damn dog,' Namine thought in distain, 'This is precisely why I'm a cat person'

Making a sharp turn, Namine skidded on the cobbled street before pushing herself forward in accurate speed. Her blue eyes were alit with determination that refused to fail like the last time.

The canine gazed back once more at his pursuer. She was good at keeping up. Not many could do that since he was such a handful. Seeing this, the dog yipped out in joy at her and picked up some speed making another sharp turn into the town square.

'So that's how he wants to play it, huh?' the blonde haired girl narrowed her eyes. Running very fast, Namine skidded more sharply the second turn with the help of her hands sliding across the payment to steady herself. However, she slid right into a trash can making them all tumble down like dominos into the town square.

Pushing herself off the tin can causing the force of her push to make a dent on the waste basket and maneuvering her body to run again, she took neither notice of this destruction nor the startled and panicked yells of the other people in the town square.

Jumping over the slime green fountain and making a left turn where the dog had flown, many crashes and bangs occurred with many of the citizens of Halloween Town tumbling into one another and becoming disoriented in the chaos that she had unknowingly caused.

Oblivious to what was going on, the blonde chased the canine out of town square onto an abandoned cobble stone street leading away from all the dysfunction. Her tennis shoes beat against the ground in a rhythmic pattern.

The once bustling noise of town square became quiet as the culprit of theft led her farther and farther away from civilization. Following the long stone path, Namine continued keeping the floating dog in her sights.

Seeing that she was still indeed following him, the dog had slowed down a bit doing another acrobat for her and resuming towards the iron gates up ahead.

As for Namine, she too slowed down to a jog when she noticed her pursued was unhurried unlike before. She doubted he would attempt to lose her now—of course not, for if he just flew off there would be no game for him anymore, she thought with a glare.

Continuing to follow the hovering pup, Namine saw him pass through the iron gates up ahead. While they were much smaller than the large iron gates she had encountered before when entering Halloween Town, they still had the same style.

Slowing to a stop, she let one of her hands grasp the cool metal. Goosebumps arose on her arm from the icy contact. Namine shivered a little as she grasped another bar and thrust opened the gates. In reply to being moved, the black as night iron gateways screeched in displeasure at being disturbed from their stationary spot.

Entering cautiously, Namine rubbed her arms to create some warmth. It was colder at night—that was for certain—but it was still chilly especially since she was wearing a skirt and a thin blouse.

Looking around, the blonde observed that she was in some kind of graveyard. Oh great; she was surrounded by dead people, but only this time they probably can come out of their graves and attack her. Oh yes, just lovely.

'Don't think about it. It will only make the anxiety worse, Namine,' she told herself proceeding warily. What she wouldn't give for some of Pence's corny jokes right now.

All was silent in the small and dreary graveyard. Not a color besides shades of gray in sight. It was rather depressing really, she thought as she walked along towards the opposite iron gates that were probably one and a half heads taller than her, that she's basically the only thing with color in this place with her light blue plaid skirt, white blouse, plaid light blue tie, navy knee socks, and blonde hair.

Approaching the new set of iron gates, Namine saw a vast plain with pumpkins littering about here and there with a large hill with its tip curled up at the top. Around the plain was a wooden picket fence even then showing it wasn't completely free.

A barking sound caught her attention making her open the gates quickly. She would bet Olette's favorite book that that bark belonged to none other than her playful canine thief.

She looked around in order to locate the tricky mutt, but he was nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, when she heard him barking out again, she crept quietly where the source of the barking was.

Quiet steps advanced forward to the hill. Namine still kept her caution and suspicion though. She would not lose that levitating pup again until she obtained her mother's ring. After all, that was what she had come for, wasn't it? The whole reason she was in this mess?

With that thought in mind, the blonde snuck silently near halfway to the other side of the hill. It was no wonder she couldn't spot the transparent pup for he was on the other side out of her view, she told herself.

Stopping just halfway at the bottom of the hill, Namine was a little bit elevated able to see the other side perfectly. And what she saw made her cerulean eyes widen.

Hidden from view from where she once was at the entrance gates, was the same boy from the night before snoozing life away at the bottom of the hill. Light snores erupted from his lips as his spiky chestnut brown hair framed his face. Namine took a couple steps backwards when she spotted the object of her chase barking and nudging the boy. She felt herself gulping while she bent down a little on her knees in order to hide herself.

Finally, the boy let out a sleepy groan and sat up groggily. The floating dog yipped out a greeting happily when he saw the boy awake. Luckily for Namine, though, the boy's back was to her.

"Hey Zero," she heard him greet the transparent mutt with the glowing nose sleepily, yet welcomingly. "What you got there buddy?" he asked tilting his head to the side when he caught sight of what was in the panting dog's mouth.

The dog, Zero she now learned, barked out excitedly dropping the item in the boy's hand. The brunette brought it closer to his face to better examine it in wonder. He raised an eyebrow in question at the object.

"Where did you get this, Zero?" the boy asked the floating dog. Namine's eyes widened and she gasped when she spotted the very thing the boy was holding.

Her ring. Her mother's wedding ring!

All conscious thought left the blonde's mind and strictly on impulse, Namine sprang up from hiding and raced over to where the boy was. She was huffing a little as her exhaustion began to catch up on her and she glared at him with fiery cerulean eyes.

"Give that back! It's mine!" she yelled angrily at him. Her stance was rigid and she held out her hand while the other was clenched at her side tightly. All caution was thrown into the wind and Namine Kizuki was exposed from hiding.

The boy blinked surprised at her sudden appearance. He was probably still absorbing her outburst as he turned his bright azure eyes back to the ring then to her again. He repeated this process three more times before finding his voice.

"This is yours?" he asked in a confused tone. "What is it?" he inquired.

Namine felt her eye twitch in irritation. She just wanted to get the ring back, not answer his questions!

"It's my mother's wedding ring" she told him hotly. "Give it back" she demanded again.

The boy tilted his head to the side as if not understanding. Instead of listening to her command and giving her the ring, he asked another question.

"What's a wedding ring?"

Now it was Namine's turn to blink with a dumbfounded expression. He was joking, right? Yeah sure teens weren't into marriage around their age but she was pretty sure they knew what marriage was.

"You're joking, right?" she asked him seriously with her dumbfounded expression still in place. The boy just shook his head clearly not offended by her statement.

"Nope" he answered her.

The blonde just rubbed the back of her head in bewilderment. A perplexed expression upon her features as she gazed at the boy before her.

"It's, well…" she paused trying to get her words together, "How do I put this…?" she asked herself while running a hand through her loose ponytail a little. "Um, you see—it's what two people who want to spend the rest of their lives together give each other to show their bond I guess" she explained unsurely to the brunette.

"You mean like friends?" he asked her. "Do I have to give rings to all my friends then?"

"No! No!" Namine corrected him embarrassedly. She felt like she was dealing with the mind of an innocent child. "It's only for special people! You don't just go around giving wedding rings to all your friends. It can only be given to one person!" she elaborated using her hands to help get her point across.

"But if they already know that they're my friend, why do I need to give them a ring?" the boy questioned just like the child she thought his innocence matched.

As for Namine, she felt like slapping her forehead. This was getting her nowhere.

"Look, that person may know you care, but the ring symbolizes to others that you care as well and that no one can take that person away from you" she replied tiredly. The blonde lifted a hand through her bangs in weariness.

It was then that realization stuck her like a bolt of lightening. She was no longer in hiding. She was seen. She had not heeded Sally's warnings. Sally wouldn't like that; maybe she would even hate her. Namine began to feel nausea bubble up in her stomach. Despair flooded her being as if it was a massive flash flood.

She was stupid. Really, utterly stupid.

"Please," she choked out with pleading eyes. Her arms were stationary at her sides. Her posture was straighter now, but still slightly tense in her own fear and shyness. "Can I have it back?" she asked the boy hesitantly.

He just stared at her for a few seconds pensively—as if trying to look for an answer that was supposedly found on her face. Namine averted her cerulean eyes not being able to confront the attention. She hated it when people stared at her.

"Kay" he replied with a tiny smile. He took her right hand in his own and placed the chain with her mother's wedding ring in her open palm gently. Enclosing her fingers and letting go, he continued, "You must really like it"

"I do" she faltered in her speech not expecting the close contact the boy had given her. As she looked at him, the blonde was shocked to see that she was in fact shorter than him only reaching the tip of his nose. Her friends—even Hayner by three quarters of an inch to which he really hates—are all shorter than her so it was strange to actually have to look up a bit to look at him.

"Hey, what are you dressed as?" he asked her suddenly bringing her out of her inner musings. "I've never seen clothes like that" he added.

"I'm not anything." Namine replied with a furrowing of her brows. "This is what I wear when I go to school" she told the boy.

"School? What's that?" he inquired full of questions.

"It's where you go to learn things" Namine replied using the general definition.

"Learn? Like what?" curious sapphire eyes blinked at her.

"You know, like math; science; history; literature—basically things that will assist you later in life," the blonde said. The boy only wrinkled his nose in response.

"That sounds boring. I've never had to learn any of that" he told Namine. Namine only raised an eyebrow.

"What do you learn then?" Namine questioned him with a suspicious tone. At this, a playful grin—like the one he wore last night in the sea of creatures—came upon his boyish features.

"Halloween of course!" he stated it like she was silly for not knowing that. "Like how to scare people, play tricks, and trick or treat" he said sounding like a little boy at Christmas time.

"That sounds… nice" she hesitated with the last word. Truth be told, she felt very wary when he said that. It was then that she noticed his sapphire eyes were wide and recognition was apparent on his face.

"You were there last night! I remember now!" he said excitedly. Without warning, he grasped both of her hands with his own and shook them energetically. "You were standing beside the lamp post! I never knew there was another who looked like me in Halloween Town! Where were you all this time? Surely you had to be around here somewhere all this time, right? The mayor said there was no one like me here in Halloween Town but he was wrong!" he rambled out happily as he continued to hold her hands tight.

Namine could hardly focus on what he was saying for she was too concerned with the fact that she could feel his warmth on her own hands through his gloves. Both his enthusiasm and lack for personal space was making her dizzy.

It was only a few seconds later she noticed that the boy had gone quiet and he had stopped shaking her hands up and down vigorously. Cerulean eyes snapped up to see the boy looking at her hands worriedly.

"What happened…?" he asked her still holding her hands, but more delicately this time as if they were made of glass. "They're all red and scraped. They even might be bleeding a little." he muttered to himself but she heard him clearly.

Oh, that's right, Namine reminded herself. When she had skidded against the cobble stones using her hands as breaks. Funny; she didn't even notice her hands in that condition, but now that the boy had pointed it out, she was beginning to feel the sting of her reckless stunt.

"It's oka—"

"We have to get this checked up" he interrupted her dismissal.

"Look, it's fine. You don't need—"

"Come on," he cut her off again and began pulling her along briskly. "We'll go into town to see if they can be bandaged up. It might get infected"

"But, no, wait!" Namine tripped over her words.

However the boy didn't listen to her protests as he guided her against her will back into the direction of town square. Her heart was pounding in her ears from fear at the prospect of her cover being blown so easily. Why, oh why didn't she listen to Sally?

The boy's hand held her wrist in firm yet gentle grip as to not hurt her. He was oblivious of her anxiety more preoccupied with worry and getting her hands checked up.

"No, really, it's okay—forget about it" Namine told him in a begging tone.

"But we need to see someone to help your hands" he protested.

"I'll go later! I'll go later! Just please! Don't take me back there!" she lied trying to sway him. Surely she could get Sally to help her when she returned back to the tower unseen.

He stopped pulling her and turned back to her with eyes of concern mixed with curiosity. Her eyes were wide and frantic and she was beginning to tremble.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he questioned seeing her fear. "Are you okay?" he asked with a little more urgency.

Namine opened her mouth to answer, but her voice never came out of her throat. Her entire expression became pale and her cerulean eyes looked like she was surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves. The boy raised an eyebrow at her behavior before a voice yanked him out of his thoughts.

"Ahem"

It was then that the boy turned around to see all of the citizens of Halloween Town glaring at him—or more precisely—what was behind him. The mayor, usually sporting his cheery face, looked upon him and Namine with his white frowning face—his expression grim.

"Sora," the mayor began his eyes never leaving the blonde, "Perhaps there something you wish to share with us?"

Karin: Woo! Finally! Third chapter out and finished! So, Namine has met Sora! What will happen now that the citizens of Halloween Town have found out about Namine? Find out nest chapter!

Sora: We hope you all have a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.

Karin: (nods) Remember to spend time with your family and have a good time! And eat lots of food too!

Sora: Like turkey or chicken! Oh, and sweets!

Karin: But eat some veggies too!

Sora: Well, that should be it, shouldn't it Karin?

Karin: Yep, hopefully you all liked this chapter and enjoy your holidays.

Preview of Chapter Four:

Namine shivered as she felt all of the citizens' of Halloween Town eyes on her. The unpleasant feeling lurched in her stomach making her feel as if she would throw up but never wound.

End of Preview: Things are getting interesting. Poor Namine—how will she get out of this one?

See ya Next time!